Commentary on the Psalter

EUTHYMIUS THE MONK ZIGABENUS, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALTER

PROOEMIUM

^A The author of this present book, to speak fully, is the Son of God (for "I will defend this city," says the Lord, "for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake"), and the father of God. For it says, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David." As for the rest, to encompass it briefly, he is the one who, after Abraham, became the sole father of the nations; our Orpheus; the first elegant author of virtues; the first herald of the three hypostases of the one Divinity; shepherd at once and chieftain, prophet and king; the heart, tongue, and pen of the first King; the one to whom testimony was given by God; and the one who acquired all those virtues that make a human being a god and that can be ascribed to a human. This man was the son of Jesse, the youngest of his brothers, simple in appearance but most beautiful in soul, and the most excellent of all commanders, prophets, legislators, and kings. ^B He was filled with innumerable gifts of grace, beyond all others. He was most gentle in spirit and most modest by nature; endowed with a manly mind, yet most robust in body; at once a leader and yet showing himself equal to all; magnanimous yet affable; most simple yet most wise; sweet in character; sharp in speech; of great intellect; and clearly inspired by the divine Spirit, while dwelling in the contemplation of things that are, or rather of Him who truly is, taught by himself and taught by God, being also entirely and at all times with the Spirit. Having passed over all these things, or rather having briefly gathered them into one, I shall now pursue only two of his virtues: namely wisdom and fortitude, and we shall discourse of wisdom first.

He says in one place more profoundly than clearly: "My hands have made an instrument, and my fingers have

^B set in order the psalter. For wisdom is nothing other than a certain harmony and concordance of words and deeds. Furthermore, among the rational sciences, music is the best and the highest part of philosophy: the part which, being itself one and comprising all parts and ornaments of philosophy, accommodates and fits them both to itself and to each other by its own agency, being a symphony and a certain proportion for all things. Whoever, therefore, has acknowledged that this music existed in David, will briefly ascribe to him also the knowledge of all things. It is to be noted, however, by what reasoning the blessed David ascribed to the hands and to the organ simply the virtue of action, but to the psalter the fingers and concinnity and harmony. Because, forsooth, the organ is a simpler and more common instrument, while the psalter pertains to a more sublime science and requires more diligent art. According to the anagogical sense, "hands" are to be understood as the active virtue, which makes our life and conduct, like an organ, consonant and well-ordered for itself; but "fingers" are the most contemplative thoughts, which tune the psalter, that is, the intellectual faculty of the reason, like a psalter, so that it may be inspired and plucked from above, and moved by another, greater power. And elsewhere he says ^C in the Psalms: "The hidden and secret things of your wisdom you have made manifest to me" (Ps. L, 8). O, the extent of this magnification! For he was initiated into knowledge not only of visible things, but also of the secret counsels of God, such as that there is a Trinity and a Unity, and everything else pertaining to the incarnation of God. And again in another place he said: "Beyond all you have taught me your commandment" (Ps. cxviii, 66), speaking of that commandment which pertains to actions, in which sort of virtue he likewise obtained the primacy.

And these things, then, are about wisdom. But concerning fortitude, he himself tells of it again, saying: "I went out to meet the Philistine, and he cursed me in his idols; but I, having drawn his sword, beheaded him and took away the reproach from the children of Israel" (I Reg. xvii, 43). Consider here not only his fortitude, but ^D much more his moderation of soul. For although he could then recount many and great things—namely, the hosts of the enemies, their audacity, their arms, their military arts and training; the arrogance, skill, strength, and magnitude of that very giant, or rather elephant; the fear and anxiety of the Judeans besides, and the distress of King Saul himself; and how because of a single Philistine everyone was terrified: the commander, the soldiers, the young, the old; and how David himself was an adolescent and small, unarmed, and ignorant of war; and yet he dared to contend against that barbarian—from which, having cast down such a tower and such a beast, he afforded the king an easy victory; for, having severed that giant's head from the rest of the body, and with the very sword of the giant himself, he dissolved all fear, suppressed the slaughters that were wont to occur before, and saved the army, the commander, the tombs of his ancestors, and the laws.

^A

But this man, so great and so noble, that I may not spend time on every single detail, is despised by his father—who at the beginning looked only to external appearances—and is sent away to the flocks and to the herds; indeed, he even followed after their pregnant ewes. And while his father cast him down upon the earth, God from above adopted him, and as if he were a royal child, prepared him first to occupy himself with the royal—that is, the pastoral—science among the irrational creatures: namely, to be vigilant, to struggle for the flock, to oppose himself to dangers, to contend against wild beasts, brigands, thieves, hunger, cold, and flame; to go before and to call them to pastures, to shade, to springs, to rivers; to call them back also, and to bring them together into one, with staff, with voice, with singing, and with the pipe; to delight them and to terrify them; to provide a norm of life and to heal them—the end of which was not only to show the flock to be well-fed, but also to be most temperate and well-disciplined.

But why must I prolong the discourse? After a little while, the anointer comes, and the one who is to be anointed is sought for. That numerous, beautiful, and brilliant choir of children comes forth; the horn is applied, God is placed over them; and just as before the father had rejected David, so God rejected all the others. The father who had neglected him is forced to bring the neglected one forward; he is brought, and he is anointed for both: for royalty, namely, and for prophecy; by the horn, that is, and by the Spirit. These also were symbols of our Savior Jesus, who was afterwards to be anointed as King and as God. What, then, is the consequence of this? A war with the Philistines arises, a great war, I say: nay, rather, an immense and insurmountable one. The affairs of both the king and the whole nation were in the greatest peril; but the deliverer arrives, the prophet, the soldier, and the king at once. He is again despised, again rejected, and again he overcomes his brothers by his patience, Saul by his answer, and Goliath by his fortitude; and he overcomes all others, those who lived in that time, and those before and after, by this immense battle with the giant, and being one for all, against all, he saved all. ^{B C}

But what follows? He reigns at the same time, he leads the army at the same time, at the same time he directs and administers; nay, in truth, as for what remains, he alone manages it, and he overcomes the foreign enemies with arms, but his own—that is, the malignant spirits of Saul himself—he overcomes by melody and by the Spirit. Thus he is crowned and praised by all, and above all, and he is even included in the song of the women: *Saul has struck his thousands, and David his ten thousands.* He is envied again, he suffers persecution, he flees, he is hidden, he is surrounded, ^D

^A and yet he does not lay hold of an opportunity, nor does he attend to the conclusion of the war, nor does he take vengeance on his enemy; nay rather, he helps him, fleeing and fearing, not lest he himself might suffer some harm, but rather lest he might do something against Saul of the things that were being staged against him by him. For he so tempered these contraries, namely gentleness and fortitude, that the fortitude in him was seen to be greater than in others, and the gentleness itself even greater than the fortitude. What then? He reigns, he prophesies, he confesses God, he is testified to by God; he is promised that he will have an eternal throne, that he will inherit the world, and that he will excel the very stars in the multitude and beauty of his children. Then (O swift change, O calamity!) he who was once chosen suddenly becomes an adulterer; he who was a prophet, a fool; he who was inspired by God, a maniac; he who was truthful, deceitful; he who was a shepherd, a robber; he who was a savior, a murderer. Hence arose the change of mind and such great outrages; thence the cessation of music and the contraction of the spirit; thence the change of life and the sea of many evils; thence not only is he who was inspired by the divine [spirit] deprived of that higher breathing, but he who was a father is bereaved of his children. And of his sons, some become wicked and defilers of their sisters; others, even worse than these, become fratricides and parricides; and he who was a king becomes a wanderer; he who was the best of fighters, a fugitive; he who was a shepherd, a wanderer of mountains. In short, all that glorious house and seat collapses to the ground. Hence also [arise] famine, wasting away, and grievous repentance for sins; hence that triple and perpetual sacrifice: namely, the nocturnal flows and pourings of the eyes, the contrition and groans of the heart, and the constant prayers and confession of the tongue; the former are the wounds, the latter are the medicines, the cauteries, or the incisions. ^B But meanwhile, as I relate these things, the purpose of my discourse almost flees from me, as I am always detained by the many things that present themselves. After the sin, a prophet stands by the prophet again, like a physician to a physician who is sick and at a loss; and just as he previously stood by as an anointer, so now [he stands by] ready to remove not only the dignity, but the spirit itself, if he had done wrong in any way that pertained to his own healing, if he had hidden the wound, or if he had neglected to be reproved. Standing by as well was the minister of this vengeance, as before he was a guardian and a powerful helper, so now a terrible avenging angel, ready to bring down his sword, had not the man himself brought a verdict against himself and dissolved the divine sentence by his own judgment. And hence there were present both the accuser of the judgment and the cause, Nathan, and the avenging angel; but on the other side was David himself, the judge, a respecter of no person, who brought a sentence against himself—by which he drew out the arrow more quickly than he had received it—and God together with him, who not only brought a scar over the wound, but even completely erased the wound itself. For He not only spared him, but He also took away the sin. Therefore, once again [comes] divine grace, and once again the Spirit; once again the sounds and the songs; once again the power over all things; once again the promises and the covenants, both concerning his adoption and concerning the fact that God was to be born of his lineage.

^A This man, therefore, who suffered much, and who set much aright through his own virtue, and who underwent myriad changes, entrusts his entire personal history and the vicissitudes of his life to this composition.

And the first premise and scope of this work is this: ^B the second chapter is the explanation of antiquity—not that of the Hebrews alone, but of that which is even more ancient; for in many psalms he expounds upon the birth and the deeds of the patriarchs, the error, the migration, the descent into Egypt, the servitude, the exodus, the giving of the law, the tabernacle, the priesthood, [the book of] Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, the division of the inheritance, the Judges, the Kings, and if there is anything consequent to these.

Third: he provides a natural philosophy concerning the heavens and the things of the heavens, concerning the earth and the things of the earth, concerning animals, concerning elements, and, simply put, concerning the entire creation of God.

Fourth: the prophecy concerning the dispensation of the Savior in this work shows itself more clearly than all other things, and everything that pertains to the Virgin, everything concerning the incarnation, the things concerning the offering of gifts, the things of the journey into Egypt and the return and the manifestation and the teaching and the performance of miracles, the matters of the synagogue, the matters of envy and plots and betrayal and apprehension and scourges and mockeries, the things of the cross and the piercing of the hands and feet, the things of the division of garments and the casting of lots, and the bitter drink and the expiration and burial and resurrection and the ascension into heaven and the sitting at the right hand, and the victory and kingdom over all and for all, ^C are most clearly seen here.

Fifth: the prophecy of those things which came to pass after all that has been predicted: namely, the calling of the gentiles, the glory of the disciples of Christ, the miracles, the preaching, the subjection of the inhabited world, the establishment and growth of the Church, the victory of the Romans, the captivity of the Jews, the things concerning the second and terrible coming of the Savior, and all that pertains to the resurrection and the judgment and the retribution of each one.

Sixth: the theology concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Seventh: whatever is handed down concerning intellectual creatures, angels, and demons, and concerning the mind and the soul, and concerning the power and movement of the soul.

Eighth: whatever pertains to moral instruction, concerning virtue, concerning vice, and such like.

Ninth: concerning thoughts and the plots of demons, and concerning changes, concerning the healing of passions, ^D and the struggle and strategy against these.

Tenth: the account concerning the commandments is most accurate and exalted, and little or nothing is missing from the evangelical precepts.

These, then, are the general themes of the subject matter of the psalms, gathered into ten chapters, within which the entire treatise of the psalms is contained; yet there are others that are more specific, such as the doxological, the eucharistic, the supplicatory, the prayerful, the consolatory, the exhortatory, and, above all, the methodical. For he not only commands that this be done or not done, but also suggests the manner and the time. And, in all, it is a common remedy for every passion for all people, and—

^A a most wonderful thing, and peculiar to this book. There is, therefore, neither action, nor word, nor passion, nor thought among men for which one might not find a cure here; for it is a storehouse full of every contemplation and way of life, a public treasury of teaching providing here what is suitable. For it cleanses old wounds, and gives swift relief to the newly wounded, and preserves what is sound, and altogether removes every passion, and this with a certain melodious charm and sober pleasure, so that, by that gentle and soft voice, we may secretly receive the benefit from the words, according to the wise physicians who, in the case of harsher medicines, order the cup to be anointed with honey. Thus, in appearance we sing a sweet and pleasant melody, but in reality we instruct our souls and preserve the memory of the divine words indelible. ^B

Prooemium of Euthymius

^A And we shall treat first of the former chapter.

Some say that the psalms are not David's alone, ^B but that some are by Idithum, others by the sons of Core, and by Asaph, and Etham, and Emam the Israelite, and one by Moses, and others by Solomon; and they assert that this is manifest from the inscriptions, and that they were collected together after the captivity by Ezra. Many psalms also have only "Alleluia" for an inscription, and others bear some inscription but are anonymous, while others are entirely without inscription. ^A For this reason, they say, the whole work is called not "the psalms of David," but "the book of Psalms," as we read in the Acts of the Apostles; and they indicate thereby that the entire book of psalms is not to be ascribed to David alone. For that we call this collection of psalms the "Psalter," we speak incorrectly; because the Psalter is properly a certain kind of instrument, which is called "Naula" among the Hebrews, so named from *psallein* (to play), just as *oratorium* is from *orare* (to pray). But this name was later transferred to the book of Psalms, which nevertheless gained this denomination for this reason also, because it contains psalms.

Others, however (and I agree with them), assert that all the psalms were composed by David; and just as they say that the eighty-eighth psalm, which is inscribed to Moses, is not by Moses—because if it were his, on account of its antiquity it would be read first in order, or at least be kept among the books of Moses, just as his canticles are held, one of which is found in Exodus, the second in Numbers, and the third in Deuteronomy—so they assert that the same must be thought about the other psalms which seemed to bear the inscriptions of others, [namely, that they were not composed by any other than the blessed David]. ^C The same they also say of the two psalms which have the inscription of Solomon, that if they were Solomon's, they should have been placed at the end of the order, or have been inserted in the books of Kings or Chronicles, or at least noted somewhere, in the way that an account of all his other works was kept. For, he says, "there were five thousand canticles, and three thousand parables," but the divine Scripture makes no mention of his psalms.

As for the inscriptions "of Idithum," and "of the sons of Core," and "of Asaph," and "of Emam," and "of Etham," they wish to signify only this: that to these men, whom the blessed David had chosen from the tribe of Levi to be leaders and ^D princes of the choirs, and had appointed to praise God with various instruments (the kinds of which the last of all the psalms enumerates), he committed each of the psalms thus inscribed to be sung, while the others were sung in common by all. Therefore, every psalm was dedicated to the one from whom it was sung, and from him it took its inscription. And this is evident from what the book of Chronicles says, that "he sang this canticle, by the hand of Asaph." But also from the heading of the thirty-eighth psalm: "For the end," he says, "to Idithum, a canticle of David"; for it was indeed composed by David, but was assigned to Idithum to be sung. And again the forty-third psalm is inscribed thus: "For the end, to the sons of Core, a psalm of David." And all those carrying...

^A the inscriptions of others—not of this or that person but assigned to this or that individual—are evidence, which is also a clear sign that, having been composed by David, they were consigned specifically to those persons for the purpose of singing. But if someone should say: "But surely a psalm is also inscribed 'to David' for the most part," we shall answer that, on the other hand, a psalm "of David" is also inscribed for many, a phrasing which you will not find in the others, in order that we may know that they were indeed composed by David, and not merely given and deposited; for this fact introduces the distinction. The one referring to Moses has such an inscription: "A prayer of Moses, the man of God," teaching, as it were, that this psalm is suitable for those who, through the divine water, that is to say the saving laver of baptism, have become men of God; for "Moses" is interpreted as "taken out of the water." And those who are baptized are indeed taken out of the water and are termed men of God. And we affirm that those psalms which are called Solomon’s were composed for Christ; for Solomon is interpreted as "peaceful," which Christ is, having peace by his very nature. For "Peace," he says, "I give to you, my peace I leave with you." Regarding the psalms without an inscription, it should be known first of all that many of the Hebrew copies have the second psalm joined to the first, since there is no numbering of the psalms among them; and the second is, without contradiction, composed by David. We have the apostles as witnesses to this fact, who say to God in the Acts: "Who by the mouth of David thy servant didst say, 'Why did the Gentiles rage?'" and so on. Thus, it is demonstrated that the first psalm also belongs to David. But if the first and second of those without inscription belong to David, then all the others without inscription do as well, just as we know that the ninety-fourth psalm is among the rest, as the Apostle Paul testifies in his Epistle to the Hebrews, ^C saying: "He again defines a certain day, today, in David, saying after so long a time, as it has been said: 'Today if you shall hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.'" And those [psalms] which are anonymous are also David’s, as Stephen the protomartyr teaches in the Acts; for he says to the Jews: "Until the days of David, who found grace before God, and asked to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob." And this declaration of the hundred and thirty-first psalm ^D makes it evident that it is anonymous. But even those that have "Alleluia" inscribed are David's; for immediately the first of them, the hundred and fourth in the Books of Chronicles, is written as having been composed by David. It seems, therefore, that the reason for some being without inscription is that each of such [psalms] is not spoken in the name of one nation; for the anonymous ones [it is] that they were spoken to the Lord; and for those bearing "Alleluia," [it is] that they are thanksgiving and a hymn to God. And so much for this matter; it is now time to speak also of the others.

^A "Psaltos" indeed is God, who is being chanted; "psalmos" is the poem and its melody; "psalmodos" is the poet who makes these; "psaltodos" is the choir chanting these. Diapsalma, however, signifies a change of thought, or melody, or a certain musical pause, or at that time an illumination of the Divine Spirit toward those chanting; for all these things were noted down for the sake of accuracy. But "psalmos," strictly speaking, is that which is chanted melodiously with the instrumental psalter; "ode," however, is a sound that is musical and harmonious, from the mouth alone. It is more loosely called "ode," and this [latter] "psalmos"; but the "ode" is older, for Moses began this, and it lasted until David. And he was the first to begin the psalms; for even if the psalter instrument existed, yet it was artless and common, and [used] only for charming the flocks. But David refitted this more wisely, and transferred its use to God. "Hymnos" is a heightened glorification; "ainos" is brief praise; "exomologesis" is a confession, by way of intensification, of the good things we have done or the evils we have committed; "proseuche" is supplication; "euche" is a vow. And all things are said to God.

What a psalm is, then, and what an ode is, have been appropriately stated. One must understand the "odes of psalms" as meaning that the instrumental music is placed first, and the vocal sound follows, taking the second place; but the "psalms of odes" [is meant] when the opposite occurs. According to the laws of anagogy, a "psalm" would be when we strain the body, as if it were an instrumental ^B psalter, and by touching it in a certain way through good works, and plucking it, we perform an action that is good and harmonious, even if we have not yet arrived at contemplation; "ode," however, is when we contemplate the mysteries of truth without practiced works, having already become trained. A "psalm of an ode" is when, after a good work has preceded, we arrive at contemplation, according to that which was said: "You desired wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord will provide it for you." A "psalm of an ode" is when, as the contemplation clarifies some of the hidden ethical [teachings], we come to the practice of these. And perhaps for this reason the psalms are first, then the odes, because it is necessary to go through the practical to arrive at contemplation. Hence it is that at the end there are many odes; and wherever there is a "song of ascents," there is no "psalm" anywhere, nor any interlacing of an ode. For in the ascents, the saints are solely in contemplation.

^A Some people say that Ezra, and others that Hezekiah, collected the psalms, which are contained in the number of one hundred and fifty. In this number, the number fifty—called Pentecost and venerated by the Hebrews—is discerned, perfected by the weeks of weeks, that is, multiplied by seven; and the mystery of the Trinity can likewise be contemplated in it, by adding the unit, on account of the unity which is in the three persons. There were four leaders of the singers, presiding over four choirs, on account of the four quarters of the world to which the voices of the psalms were to reach. Each choir consisted of seventy-two singers, as some have reported they read among the Hebrews, according to the proportion and number of the languages which were confounded, or rather divided, in the building of the tower in Babylon. For it was to come to pass that every language should sing such psalms as these. While others of the singers sang sweetly and pleasantly with the trumpet, ^B the drum, the organ, the cymbals, or the lyre and the zither, David held the royal instrument of the psalter. Trumpets and pipes and reeds are blown; the lyre and zither are tensioned; cymbals and drums are struck, and whatever else has sound rather than voice. The psalter, however, which they also call the cinyra, the zither, and the lyre in some places, belongs to that class of instruments which are tensioned. Yet this is a righteous instrument, and has its causes from above, from where it emits voices—for that very reason, that we too may learn to stand upright and to meditate on heavenly and celestial things, and that in this way we may become a spiritual psalter, with soul and body agreeing together ^C within us, and the Holy Spirit himself, as a most skillful craftsman, striking and touching us. For ten pegs revolving on the arm of the psalter tensioned and slackened the strings, according to the will and harmony of the one playing. The right hand held the plectrum, while the left, touching and turning the pegs from above, produced a deep, or shrill, or blended tone. It had ten strings, moreover, with voices contrary to one another, from which we are taught that we ought, from the ten strings mutually opposing one another—the five powers of the soul and the five senses of the body—to prelude a harmonious and concordant song to God in this life.

The order of the psalms is no longer what it was at the beginning when they were written; ^D yet this order was not given by chance or accidentally, but rather by divine dispensation, which took no account of subsequent times. For just as in the arts, both practical and rational, there is one invention and order for instruments and rules, and another use for them, depending on the times themselves or the various circumstances of things (for perhaps one physician first...

^A applies a remedy and anoints, while another similarly terrifies and another consoles); since for the craftsman there is no order of treatment, but that is held first by him, which he knows by its own force and power to be the chief thing, and to be necessary for the wound to which it is applied (a matter which we are accustomed to call "order without order"). So, too, for our supreme craftsman, the Holy Spirit, it was not the history that mattered, but what pertained to the utility of the readers, and so that this image of our soul, if I may say so, or statue, might be sculpted in terms of morals, polished for beauty, and finally fashioned towards God. For this reason, the prophet, in the first psalm indeed, separates us first from impiety and sins; in the second, he demonstrates whose heirs we are, and to whom we ought to cling and be joined; in the third, he predicts the snares and assaults of the adversary against those who are joined to God, and subsequently suggests the cures for the passions and calamities that are in us.

There is also another reason ^B for this order. For when the Jews of old neglected God and forgot their ancestral customs, very many books of the sacred Scriptures perished and were corrupted through their sloth. But later, one who was eager for their collection, whether it was Ezra or Hezekiah, and not all at once, but gathering them one by one, according to the time of the discovery of each, imposed the apparent order—not according to the times in which they were spoken, but according to those in which they were found. It is also possible to say that the psalms were not arranged according to the times, but rather according to the days in which they were first composed. That which we are saying will become manifest from these things which I shall subjoin: The conception of Christ was first in time; afterward, birth; then, the imposition of the name and circumcision; after these, the bringing into the temple and the Hypantesis [that is, the meeting, which the Latins call the purification of the Virgin]; finally, after thirty years, the baptism and manifestation of the Lord; then his teaching, miracles, sufferings, and last of all, the resurrection. But among us, these festivals are celebrated in another order and at another interval. For first we celebrate the conception, and then immediately the resurrection. ^C You see how great is the distance of the festivals in time and the conjunction of the days. Again, the assumption, the transfiguration, the nativity, and then the last of all, the manifestation, are celebrated. You see how great is the diversity of the events? The order of the days in the months was indeed preserved, but that of the events themselves was greatly separated, and a certain order was produced, as if without order.

But the time is come ^D to teach next what the reason is for the obscurity which is found in many psalms, and how many translations there are from the Hebrew language into the Greek, and by whom they were made. The cause, then, that so many things in the Old Scripture are found to be obscure, lies in the figures, whatsoever they were, that prefigured Christ, his actions, and the new grace (for all these things that seemed to pertain to the calling of the nations, the prophets intentionally obscured

^A for the most part because of the disobedience and hardness of their hearers, and they were uncovered to only a few of the saints and are rightly judged only from their outcome and end. The final reason is the translation of these things from the Hebrew to the Greek tongue; for every language, when translated into a foreign one, generally carries with it obscurity and difficulty of understanding. They were translated in the time when Ptolemy Philadelphus was administering the kingdom of Egypt. There have been seven translations of the Old Testament. The first was made by the seventy, who were Hebrews and ^B were chosen according to the number of the seventy elders whom Moses chose. These men, therefore, summoned by the king’s exhortation and designated for this task, arrived at one interpretation in all things. The second is that of Aquila of Sinope. He was a Greek from Pontus and was baptized in Jerusalem; afterwards, having become offended by and hostile to certain Christians, he despised his baptism and joined the Jews, and he published an interpretation of Scripture under the emperor Hadrian, who suffered from leprosy, three hundred and thirty years after the translation of the LXX. This man, therefore, being angry at the Christians, perverted many things. The third was made by Symmachus, a Samaritan by birth; who, when he did not attain the honor he desired among his own people, went over to the Jews, and having been circumcised a second time, and out of hostility to the Samaritans, he translated the holy Scripture under the emperor Severus. He also, in order to please the Jews, did not accurately translate those things that pertained to Christ, fifty-six years after the edition of Aquila. The fourth was by Theodotion of Ephesus, who, being of the heresy of Marcion, and having at one time been offended by his fellow heretics, published his own interpretation under the emperor Commodus. The fifth interpretation has no known author, but was found in Jericho, hidden in a jar, under the emperor Caracalla. The sixth, being anonymous, had a similar discovery in Nicopolis, which is by Actium, under the emperor Alexander (son) of Mamaea. ^C The seventh was produced by Lucian the great ascetic and martyr, who, having examined all these editions, and having compared them most diligently and with great labor ^D with the Hebrew truth, handed down to the Christians his own edition, having nothing lacking and nothing superfluous, which was found at Nicomedia, written in his own hand, in a certain tower, smeared with plaster by the Jews, after the struggle of Lucian himself and after the persecution which (was inflicted) by Diocletian and Maximian, when Constantine the Great was directing the kingdom.

This ^A agrees with the edition of the Seventy, rejecting what had been depraved by others.

It is clear to all that just as flocks are led and calmed by the playing of pipes, so too is the multitude of men led and called by melodies. And this is much more so among us for females than for males, and no less for the immature than for the aged, or for the fiercer than for the milder, or for the unlearned than for the learned; and in man himself there exists a rational part of the soul and another that is irrational and savage, but pleasure overcomes and surpasses them all. For this reason, therefore, the singing of the Psalms was introduced, through which the utility that comes from the psalms themselves ^B is attached and joined to human souls as if by a clasp; for the song itself, like a kind of honey, alters and moderates the austerity of the spiritual medicine, and seasons the useful things with the sweet. For what is pleasing is received more gladly and retained more constantly. This, then, is the first reason for song.

The second, however, is this: because the demon had destroyed man through empty and false pleasure, God devised through the same [pleasure], artfully arranged, to save him in return.

Thirdly, song was invented for mutual concord and love, inasmuch as it is able, just as it gathers the voices of those who sing, so too to gather their minds into one, and to harmonize them, all and each, to each other and to all; for what is as much a source of reconciliation as a common prayer-song, offered for each and all by each and all to God? ^C [And who is so brutish and ferocious as to be able to consider him an enemy, whom he knows to have appeased God on his behalf?] Moreover, harmony and song have great power to form character, or to correct it, by changing and regulating it; for among the ancients, they say, there were songs that were temperate, and others the opposite—erotic, or warlike, or peaceful, or mournful, or gracious, or strengthening, or dulling. They say that Pythagoras, when a youth was uncontrollably in love, by changing the musical modes, changed his love along with them; and another, who was rushing in with a sword, he likewise softened and restrained. And Timotheus, between the banquet and pleasure, while singing a certain song which was called the Orthian, they say, aroused the spirit of the Macedonian and caused him, having snatched up his armor, to leap up immediately. ^D For human nature is so familiar with songs and takes such delight in them, that even wailing infants are quieted by these alone. For nurses sing children’s lullabies to them, by which their eyelids are soothed. Travelers, furthermore, being often worn out in the middle of the day, comfort the exhaustion of their journey with a song.

^A All craftsmen also sing while working, as if the soul of the worker were soothed by song, and by singing he bears all his troubles and labors more easily. But what need is there to recount rational men, when even irrational creatures—horses, indeed, are prepared for battle by the trumpet, and sheep follow the flute, and then are more joyous and grow fat—and to many wild beasts, songs and carols are a solace; and for many, these serve in place of blows or snares? For the unicorn himself is overcome by beauty and song.

But those who have interpreted divine things more learnedly and sublimely say that by organic song the symmetry of the soul is signified. The symmetry of the soul, however, is a certain consonance and concord of those parts and powers which are within the soul, concerning which we shall speak more broadly. For consonance is the harmony of things that are different in themselves, but afterwards agree and harmonize into one melody. This, moreover, it will be possible to see when the proportions of the consonances especially correspond to the interior parts of the soul: that one thing be in the first position and command only, and never serve (I mean the rational part), ^B and another (namely, the irascible part) hold the middle position, and be ruled by the first, while itself commanding the last; and that the one which holds the last position be the concupiscible part, which may only obey and never command. For then the consonance of the soul can be found (I speak of the rational part in relation to the irascible), such that its string, which is called the *Hypate*, is related to the *Mese*. For they call this the highest and gravest sound, which preserves the *diatessaron* consonance; similarly also the irascible to the concupiscible, as the *Mese* string to that which is called the *Nete*—and this they name the highest and most acute sound, which is the *diapente*. In the same way also the irascible to the concupiscible, as the string of that which we called the *Hypate* to the *Nete*—this sound, indeed, which is fashioned from the gravest and the most acute, they call the *diapason*. ^C But if it is fitting not to pay attention to the positions or the names, but rather to follow the power itself and the efficacy of things: the rational part should rather be called the *Mese*, in that it holds toward the irascible—as if toward the *Nete* (for this is the most acute and most excitable part of the soul)—that proportion of consonance which is the *diapente*; and toward the concupiscible, as toward the *Hypate* (for this is looser and softer), it preserves the proportion which is the *diatessaron*, and it adjusts and combines the tension of the former and the remission of the latter; by which mixture it perfects a most excellent harmony.

These things having been premised, it remains for us to say how the divine Spirit, though He is one, is sometimes spoken of in the singular number: as that passage ^D: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore He has anointed me"; again: "Take not Thy holy Spirit from me"; again: "And by the Spirit of His mouth all their power." And sometimes in the plural: "The spirits," he says, "of the prophets are subject to the prophets"; again: "There shall rest upon Him seven spirits." It is manifest, however, that the Spirit is one, just as the Artificer is one, but the instruments are many. For the prophets were the organs of the Artificer, and for this reason the strikes or inspirations were various. And not only are there many things in many instruments, but also many and various things in the same one; the Artificer now instilling, now tightening, now changing, and now blending; but yet not all things at all times; for who can know their individual workings? But the most general matters are defined down to the most specific, according to quality and quantity, for they do not go beyond the seven.

^A

Let us now come to the modes of prophecy: for one speaks of things past, another of things present, and another foretells things to come; and one communicates by speaking, another by acting; and one clearly, another enigmatically. And there are, again, other kinds of these modes: one by sight, another by hearing, another by smell and understanding, or by touch—yet all are intellectual. For the mind has as many senses as the body; but all are called "visions" generally, as being the more superior or noble mode. Ezekiel, then, sees: "And I saw," he says, "and flesh was growing, and skin was being stretched out," and so on. But he also hears: "And you," he says, "son of man, hear him who speaks to you." But he also tastes: "And he fed me," he says, "with this scroll, and said to me: Son of man, your mouth shall eat, and your belly shall be filled with this scroll." Calling the mouth, the first and most active part of the mind, which is the first to taste of divine foods, the mouth; and calling the second and more capacious part—that is, the intellect—the belly, which he says shall be filled with the scroll: as if it were to be filled from the small seeds of the Holy Spirit with many divine utterances. Isaiah also sees and hears: "Who," he says, "shall go to this people?" And I said, "Lo, I am here, Lord." Here he hears; but there he sees. "And I saw," he says, "until thrones were set, and the Ancient of Days sat," the one having taken to himself the resurrection, and the other the judgment ^B. There are, therefore, many examples of hearing, seeing, and tasting. But what of touching? ^C Nahum calls the divine oracle a "taking" (assumption), as if the ruling part of the soul were being touched and fashioned by the Holy Spirit.

But to express the matter more briefly, whereas the others are engaged by different times and modes—and these indeed rarely and by few, since it only happens for them to act through two, or at most three times or modes—this one of ours alone, the Father of God and of the prophets, traverses all times and modes. For he now speaks of the past, now of the present, and now of the future, and now he sees: "And he saw," he says, "the Lord," or the things of the Lord ^D; now he hears: "For the Lord," he says, "said to David"; and now he is touched: "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer," not referring to the external tongue—for he would be speaking of that

^A rather than writing—but rather the tongue of the intellect, which, in a new and ineffable way, touched the Spirit itself, and felt it in the very way a pen is guided by a writer: for by it, he was elegantly writing the things that were revealed to him. And he did this not only elegantly, but also swiftly. Hence, he indicates both the manifestation of prophecy and also the vehement and powerful inspiration of the Spirit, by comparing it to a very swift scribe. Elsewhere, he testifies that the sense of taste is present in him, saying: "How sweet are your words to my throat, more than honey to my mouth" (Ps. CXVIII, 103). For his intellectual mouth and throat were delighted when he swallowed the divine sayings of the oracles, and brought them up again, experiencing great pleasure both in the swallowing and in the bringing up. In another place, he says his heart "uttered a good word" (Ps. XLIV, 2), referring by this to a certain most profound power of the intellect—if one may say so—most capable of receiving all things, as though it were completely filled with all the good spiritual foods of the Spirit. ^B The figure of the sense of smell is rarer in him, and much more difficult than the others; "Myrrh and stacte and cassia," he says, "from your garments" (Ps. XLIV, 9), perceiving the fragrance of Christ. Thus, through all the senses of his intellect, he took hold of all the things of the Spirit, both knowledges and powers.

He declares the prophetic habit through his discourse, and it makes no difference to him whether he speaks of things past (14) or things to come. Often, he shifts the order; he speaks of things that are to happen as if they had already occurred, and conversely. For this is how he uses the phrasing: "Why did the nations rage, and the peoples meditate on vain things? And the kings of the earth stood by, and the rulers gathered together" (Ps. II, 1), and other things of this kind, instead of "Why *will* the nations rage," and "*will* meditate," and "*will* stand by," and "*will* gather together." And the phrase: "They shall pass through the river on foot" (Ps. LXV, 6), instead of "they passed through." For it is a peculiarity of the divine Spirit to consider nothing as past or future, since all things are present to Him. ^C Having considered all these things, let us proceed to the particular interpretation of each psalm, having first premised only one necessary and general statement: that we shall not interpret all the sayings in one way—that is, only according to history, or according to prophecy, or according to allegory, or according to the moral sense—but we shall often subject one and the same saying to various senses. For just as in trees and ^D seeds there are many and various germs and powers—since in a tree there is root, trunk, and likewise branches, bark, leaves, and pith; and in seeds, there is the green blade, the stalk, the ears, the glumes, and instead of one fruit, countless ones—so too, and much more so, is it in those things which are of the Spirit. And you shall not accuse the author for what he has found, but rather forgive him for what he has omitted; for who could worthily say what is sufficient and just? In general, we are able to adapt the psalms, the enemies of the

Understand the enemies of the Christians as the demons, and for Saul and Absalom, or if there is any other tyrant of this kind, understand the devil in the same way; we understand all of these to have been signified in figure through the persons of those who persecuted and plotted against the blessed David. ^A But those things which befit the blessed David himself, both as one anointed and as king, we shall accommodate to each of us; for just as he was anointed with the royal oil for kingship, so too are we with the oil of baptism for the kingdom of heaven. Whatever of the expressions do not fit, these we shall recite simply as the voices of the Holy Spirit, sanctifying ourselves through them, such as those that are in the second psalm and in others like it. The first psalm, therefore, just as it is held among the Hebrews without an inscription, has been left so by all the interpreters. It is, moreover, not only moral, but also is filled with dogma; for it does not only exhort us to give heed to the divine oracles, but it also contains the accusation and punishment of the impious ^B and of other sinners.

INITIUM EXPOSITIONIS.

Psalm I.

VERS. 1. Blessed is the man who did not walk in the counsel of the impious, and did not stand in the way of sinners, and did not sit in the chair of pestilence. Blessed in the proper sense is God, as Paul says, ^C speaking of Him: "Who is blessed and the only Potentate." Yet He has granted this title to us as well, just as He did with that of "God," as when it is said: "I said: You are gods [and all of you sons of the Most High]"; and He has lavished upon us many other names of this kind. This name of "blessed," then, is the fruit of that perfection which consists in virtue; and according to the etymology of the Greek noun, it signifies immortality, as if one were exempt from all death, in the redundance of the μ; and although the prophetic discourse is uttered under the masculine voice, it nevertheless comprehends the feminine, as the whole by the part. For according to the Apostle, "The ^D head of the woman is the man"; and the parts of the body are joined to the head; and of those whose humanity is common, their deeds and their reward are likewise common. Now, by the nature of these things...

^A David, who followed, added a certain order to these expressions (16). For the counsel that resides in the heart is the root of the operations through the body, as the Lord also says, indicating the things that defile a man. Hence, we take counsel first, then we establish the counsel; and thereafter we remain fixed in what we have counseled. And since the impious man is he who is godless, or follows many gods; and the sinner is he who is indeed pious, but chooses an illicit and corrupted life; and the pestilent one is he who is not only a sinner himself, but also corrupts others, and transmits this disease—[the Psalmist] calls him blessed who has avoided all three: one who has not taken part in the counsel of the impious against the living God, not even, so to speak, in passing (for this, I think, is what "walked" signifies here); nor in the standing of the sinners in evil, even if he were somehow carried away; nor in the persistence of the pestilent in such a passion (17)—for this is what "chair" implies.

There is another way to interpret this: that the "counsel of the impious" might be understood as their synod, as Aquila and Theodotion interpreted it; and the "way of sinners" as the devil; for he who has not stood in him will come to the Lord, who said, "I am the way," through which men walk toward virtue; and the "chair" as the teaching of the wicked. And since the flight from vice is not sufficient for the perfection of virtue—"Turn away," he says, "from evil, and do good"; and Isaiah says, "Cease from your iniquities, learn to do good"—he very reasonably added:

^B Vers. 2. *But his will is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he will meditate day and night.* Blessed, he says, is he who not only did not communicate with any of the aforementioned, but also joined his own will to the law of the Lord, willing those things which the law commands, and always meditating on this, and from there regulating his own life and conduct. For thus also God legislated through Moses, saying: "And the words of this law shall be always in your mouth, and you shall meditate upon them, sitting, and rising, and lying down; and you shall bind them upon your hand, and they shall be immovable before your eyes." Then he shows the fruit that arises from it.

^D Vers. 3. *And he shall be like a tree that is planted near the running waters, that shall give its fruit in due season, and its leaf shall not fall off, and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.* For he who is thus, as we have said, is like a tree planted by the impulses [or: motions] of the divine oracles, and through

being watered by their teaching, he flourishes and makes progress, like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit, which are the virtues, in the appropriate season, and not casting off its leaves—that is, the humility which covers and preserves them. ^A One must consider the fruit to be the spiritual wealth gathered from labors, and the leaves to be the warm hope of salvation, from which they never depart, stripping away the feeling of pains. Reasonably, he likened the divine oracles to waters, because they irrigate and fatten souls just as those [waters] do plants. Thus also Christ called his own teaching: "If anyone thirsts," he says, "let him come to me, and drink; and he who believes in me, rivers of living water shall flow from his belly"; and, "Whoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." And to such a man God also cooperates in all things. "For by the Lord," he says, "his steps are directed, and he shall greatly delight in his way." And the Apostle also says again: "To those who love God, all things work together for good." The word "all" is added with precision, for he who has reached this point will never wish to do any evil; therefore he also prospers in all things from God. In this way, having urged them toward virtue through good things, he also anoints the athletes through the contrary things when he says: ^B

Vers. 4. Not so the impious, not so.

"But as dust, which the wind casts from the face of the earth." Just as the wind, falling upon it, carries away the dust and scatters it, so also do the opposing demons [scatter] the impious. By "face of the earth," one ought to understand its appearance. The same also for "back," due to carrying the bodies that are upon it; just as "bosom" refers to its depth. Here he calls all those mentioned above "impious," having shared the term. And the impious might be understood as the Jews who do not worship the Son, who were scattered when the proclamation of the holy apostles blew. ^D

Vers. 5. Therefore, the impious shall not rise in judgment.

while Moses handed down nothing to us openly regarding the resurrection, David was the first of all to teach us of it more clearly. ^A

"Nor shall sinners in the council of the righteous." In this place, he calls "sinners" those who are not indeed impious, but who are otherwise corrupted and base, who alone will be judged and banished far from the righteous. ^B For Aquila and Theodotion rendered "council" as the "congregation" of the righteous. Now, it is the custom of Holy Scripture to call "righteous" not only those who have practiced the specific virtue of justice, but also all the saints in general, as being justified by God.

"For the Lord knows the way of the righteous." He demonstrates that no one escapes God; for he indeed knows the ways of the righteous. For he says, "The Lord knows the ways of the blameless," and again, "The Lord knew those who were his." Since he himself also said, "I am the way," he knows those who walk through him—that is, through his commandments. ^C Yet, regarding evil things, as being unworthy of his knowledge, he pretends not to know them. For this reason, when Adam had sinned, he asks, "Where art thou?" He did the same thing with Cain, and with many others as well.

"And the way of the impious shall perish." For the virtues of the righteous remain, as their riches and crown; but the deeds and wickedness of the base—which he has now named a "way"—are wiped away and become empty, for he again expressed their actions by the term "journey." ^D To this saying also resembles that of the Apostle: "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss."

PSALM II

The second psalm likewise lacks an inscription and title among the Hebrews; it foretells the conspiracy of those who killed the Lord against him, then also the calling of the nations and the destruction of the Jews.

"Why did the nations rage, and the peoples meditate empty things? The kings of the earth stood, and the rulers were gathered together against the same?" ^D Looking upon their madness and fury with prophetic eyes, blessed David begins his discourse with a certain lamentation and weeping: "Alas!" he says, "why did they tumult with such fury, and move all things, and act so arrogantly?" For they who translated the Hebrew into the Greek language say that the word "raged" signifies just this. By "nations," therefore, understand the Roman soldiers who were with Pilate; by "peoples," the Jews who were with Annas and Caiaphas; by "kings," Herod; and by "rulers," Pilate. For it is recorded in this way in the book of the Acts. Now, "kings" and "rulers" are put in the plural according to the custom of the Hebrew tongue, which uses the plural instead of the singular; or perhaps it has a deeper meaning, for the king Herod was arming himself together with the

^A est: which often uses the plural number for the singular, or according to a certain higher sense, or perhaps for some other reason, because along with Herod the king, another king of sin, the devil, was armed against Christ, and along with Pilate the prince, many princes—namely, the powers of the demons—against whom (as the Apostle teaches) we have our struggle and contest. For since Christ consisted of a double nature, namely visible and invisible, he also sustained a double contest, that is, against invisible and visible enemies. He says "they meditated vain things," meaning "they tried in vain," while they thought they could take from the midst Him who rose again and lives forever. These words can also be said against the Jews alone, who, though devoted to the study of Holy Scripture, meditated upon it in vain, since they did not understand how much is proclaimed in it concerning Christ.

*Against the Lord and against his Christ.* ^B They rose up, he says, and stood by, and were gathered together, not less against the Father than against His Son—the Son, I say, whom the Father had anointed as King of all nations, for He had given these to Him as an inheritance. For the war which is waged by them against the Son reaches also to the Father. Therefore, by "the Lord" we must understand the Father, and by "His Christ" His Son, according to the explanation already given. For He Himself established Him as King over them, according to the principle of the economy. But if we say "against their Christ," as many copies have it, that relationship must be extended to everyone—to all the Jews, to the nations, and even to the demons themselves, since to Him "every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth."

*Diapsalma.* What the diapsalma is, we have spoken abundantly in the prologue.

*Ver. 3. Let us break their bonds asunder, and let us cast away their yoke from us.* ^C These words proceed from the Holy Spirit, commanding those who are to be believers to withdraw from both the idolatrous Romans and the senseless Jews: and from the former, to break the bonds of slavery by which they were held; and from the latter, to cast off the yoke of the law which lay upon them as heavy and death-dealing, and in its place to take up the light and life-giving yoke of Christ. Or, it may be understood as said from the perspective of those who killed the Saviour, who both in fact and in words refused the bonds of slavery and the yoke of subjection, to which, by the very law of nature, they were bound, both to the Son and to the Father.

*Ver. 4. He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them, and the Lord shall have them in derision.* ^D Those, therefore, who are blasphemed by the aforementioned men—namely, the Father who dwells in heaven, and the Son, who because of His divinity is called the Lord of all—shall laugh and have them in derision: for the preposition indicates intensity. They will convict them of having been foolish in attempting vain and impossible things, and for hoping to afflict with death the Lord Himself, or rather, Life itself: and for the fact that the Romans chose demons rather than God, and the Jews chose the shadow rather than the truth.

^A Ver. 5. *Then He will speak to them in His wrath.* By "then," understand that the Lord spoke to them when He openly rebuked the Jews and prophesied the evils that were about to befall them, saying, among many other things: *Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,* and that *the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you,* and so forth.

*And in His fury He will trouble them.* Being incensed at their wickedness, and for this reason speaking of impending calamities, He instilled in them great turmoil and suspicion; for many supposed Him to be a prophet. Others say this refers to the turmoil of the later uproar caused by the Roman siege. These words may also be understood of the future judgment, when He, in condemning them, shall subject them to punishments. Wrath and fury sometimes signify the same thing, but at other times they differ; so that fury is the state following the agitation of wrath, from *thuein* (to sacrifice/rage) and *hormân* (to rush); while wrath is from *orgân* (to swell) and the throbbing of a violent and sharp boiling over unto vengeance.

^B Ver. 6. *But I am established King by Him.* From this point on, He speaks in the person of Christ: for such is the manner of the prophets, to vary both their subjects and their persons, as they were, like certain organs and instruments moderated by their Artificer, speaking those things which the Holy Spirit supplied to them. Christ announces the kingdom which was delivered to Him by the Father as a man: *All power is given to me,* He says, *in heaven and in earth.*

*Upon Sion His holy mountain, preaching His commandment.* By the mountain which is called Sion, He signified the whole of Judea. The sense of the passage is this: I have been established King to teach the evangelical commandments, calling these mandates the "commandment of the Lord," in order to show that His will is one and the same with that of the Father: *For I have not spoken of myself,* He says, *but whatsoever I hear from my Father.*

^C Ver. 7. *The Lord said to me: Thou art my Son.* These words are spoken because of the eternal and divine generation.

*Today have I begotten thee.* This is on account of the economy of the flesh. But as for the word "today," understand it as spoken to distinguish it from eternity, so as to mark time—that is, "In these times." He put "begotten" for "created," for God is called Father of all creatures as their Former and Maker.

Ver. 8. *Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance.* Since Christ, regarding His flesh, was of the lineage of the Jews and had therefore come unto His own to teach His kinsmen, but they rejected Him, He naturally takes to Himself the ^D

^A nations, having been urged by the Father to ask and receive these as a possession; for indeed, having become the Son of God even according to the human nature, He was rightful heir. "And Your possession the ends of the earth." That is, He says, the authority of Your inheritance which reaches unto the ends of the earth. For the word of the Gospel has gone out into all the earth, and unto the ends of the world. And the Father is introduced by the Prophet as advising and urging the Son to ask for this inheritance, to show how much the Father desired the reformation of the human race; and the Son is said to ask for this not without cause, since He took on humanity and became the mediator between God and men. Let the Jews, therefore, be put to shame, having no one to whom they might apply these words. For who else has obtained such a possession?

"You shall shepherd them with a rod of iron." This is spoken by the Prophet: for He says, because they did not receive your words, you shall discipline them with a scourging, rigid [rod]. He signifies the Roman empire. For having denied His kingdom, and having confessed that they had Caesar, they brought upon themselves the authority of Caesar, by which they were destroyed. He called it "iron" because of its strength; since Daniel also saw it as iron in his visions.

"As a potter's vessel you shall dash them in pieces." This is a way of speaking by which the Prophet expressed how easily the Jews were to be utterly destroyed by God. Others say that this signifies the salvation of the nations, in that: You shall shepherd them with your all-powerful might, ^C and just as a potter, when he sees the vessels he has fashioned to be unfit, breaks them before committing them to the fire, and re-fashions them; so also You, O Lord, will break the minds of these nations with the Gospel, and re-fashion them with the laver of regeneration, and make them firm/strong with the divine fire of the Spirit.

"And now, O kings, understand; be instructed, all you who judge the earth." The word "now," in this place, implies a reason: as if it were said: Therefore, O kings of the Romans and of the other nations, and you who are judges all over the earth, you who judge earthly men, having learned what calamities overtook those who rejected Him, and having learned that He chose you as ^D an inheritance, be wise, having cast aside your former folly; and be instructed both by these things and by the divine Scriptures. But while kings and princes are being warned by the Prophet, they also consider the peoples subject to them to be warned as well.

"Serve the Lord with fear." Understanding, He says, that He is both God, and an avenger, and fearsome, and that you have now become His possession and His portion, and having been sufficiently disciplined in your ways, serve Him as Master.

and with your composed manners, serve Him in fear, as your Lord. I say "in fear," because where there is the fear of God, there is the observance of the commandments.

*And rejoice in Him with trembling.* And, as you serve, rejoice in Him as your Protector and Savior. For rejoice, says the Apostle, in the Lord always, rejoice. Yet let your joy be mingled with trembling, and not unrestrained. Rejoice, indeed, because of the hope; but tremble because of the sin. For God is the most diligent seeker and investigator of all things, and no one can be hidden from Him. ^B

*Vers. 12. Lay hold of instruction.* He adds greater intensity to these words than what he had said before, as if he were to say: Be instructed, I say, not superficially, but strive with the greatest zeal to obtain perfect virtue. However, this is said from the metaphor of those who hold something firmly in their grasp.

*Lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you fall from the just way.* By "the just way," He understands the life and conversation of just men. For "way" signifies many things among the Hebrews; or also because they walk toward it.

*When His anger shall be kindled in a short time.* He signifies the day of judgment. But as to the words "in a short time," it denotes vehemence and swiftness. For even if God is often angry in the present time, He does so more remissly, so that He may give room for repentance. ^C

*Blessed are all they that trust in Him.* Those who despise all earthly things and place all their hope in Him. There are some who say that this psalm should be connected with the previous one: and they derive their greatest proof from this, that the blessed David, having begun with a beatitude, ends in a beatitude.

*A Psalm for David, when he fled from the face of Absalom his son.*

PSALM III.

The inscription of the psalm is clear to those who have read the histories of the Kings. But the psalm can easily be adapted to anyone who sustains a struggle against enemies, whether visible or invisible. ^D

*Vers. 2. O Lord, why are they multiplied that afflict me?* The Prophet, bearing this ill—that he is afflicted by such an ambush of his own subjects and friends—stretches his soul toward God alone, asking the reason why, with many coming over daily to his parricidal son, his enemies and ambushers were multiplied, when he himself had never at any time been wicked toward any of them. These words can also be understood as being spoken because of the snares of the demons.

*Many rise up against me.* He expresses more clearly what he had said, "are multiplied."

*Vers. 3. Many say to my soul: There is no salvation for him in his God.* Many of those, he says, who have risen up against me, exhorting one another, say concerning my soul—that is, concerning me—such words as these,

since he who could so easily be driven away and put to flight ^A must deservedly be reckoned, because of his own sins, to be abandoned by God and to have lost His aid and help. Or many also say it—those, that is, who see my calamities. What he says, "in his God," means the same as: "In that God in whom he himself hoped."

Diapsalma. It has been said in the prologue of the work what a diapsalma is.

Verse 4. "But you, O Lord, are my helper." Let them say, he says, whatever they wish; but you are the helper of all who are afflicted, especially of those who are worthy of your aid. "My glory, and the one who lifts up my head." Others consider lineage, or fortune, or wealth, or something else of that kind to be great and glorious; but I trust and glory in you alone. For if you are my helper, you will also provide glory, and you will extol and exalt my head, which was formerly oppressed by frequent ^B calamities.

Verse 5. "I cried out to the Lord with my voice, and he heard me from his holy mountain." Only, he says, I cried out (understanding it as a cry either of the mouth or of the mind) and he immediately heard me. "For the Lord is near to all who call upon him." By the "holy mountain," he understands Zion, where God was believed to dwell and to speak to those who were worthy and acceptable to God. Or one must understand it as heaven itself, which we call the habitation of God.

Diapsalma. Concerning this, too, it has been said above.

Verse 6. "I slept." I fell down, he says, dragged down by the lethargic weight of my afflictions, and I remained inactive. "And I took my rest." For a long time I was held fast ^C by a passion of this kind. "I arose, because the Lord will help me." Perceiving as a prophet that you would bring me aid, I already raised up my mind that had fallen. But some say that these things are said concerning the resurrection, taking the time as a substitute for another time: that is, "I shall sleep as one dead, and I shall rest for a long time, the body remaining inactive; but I shall arise in times to come," either when Christ, having descended into Hades, shall raise up those who are there, or at the consummation of the age, when all the dead shall rise again.

Verse 7. "I will not fear from ten thousands of the people, of those who set themselves in array against me round about." Trusting, he says, in your help—the help of which I have spoken. And by "those who set themselves in array against me," ^D he calls those who are attempting to prevail against him, that is, historically, those around Absalom, or, anagogically, the demons. Moreover, in the case of the demons, one must understand the attack "round about" in this way: for they plot also from the front, when they hold out hopes of success; and from the rear, when they pollute the soul with the memory of past passions; and from the right, when, while helping us toward virtue, they incite us to vainglory.

as if to impel us toward empty glory; and from the left, when they bring manifest violence upon us, having cast aside every veil. ^A *Exsurge, Domine; salvum me fac, Deus meus.* "Arise, O Lord," he says, "you who until now have used long-suffering, such that you seemed in a way to be sleeping, arise and bestir yourself against my enemies." Or perhaps he predicts the resurrection of the Savior Christ, calling upon Him for the salvation of the human race; such that we may say the prophet has taken on the person of human nature.

**Vers. 8.** *Quoniam tu percussisti omnes adversantes mihi sine causa.* Foreseeing with prophetic eyes the perdition of his enemies, blessed David gives thanks to God and acknowledges the benefit bestowed upon him. ^B *Dentes peccatorum contrivisti.* By "teeth" he understands strength, translated from wild beasts, which possess their power in their teeth. By "sinners" he designates all his adversaries, signifying that they sin because they were fighting against him rashly, out of mere perversity of character.

**Vers. 9.** *Domini est salus.* This pertains to thanksgiving and signifies that God alone is the one who will save him, and no other. *Et super populum tuum benedictio tua.* "And let your blessing come," he says, "upon your people, who have suffered the injuries of my enemies along with me"; or simply upon all the people who are under my rule; or upon the people of the faithful Christians. By "blessing" we must understand peace and divine benefits, which are the cause of blessing. For the people themselves praised God, ^C and those who saw it acknowledged what aid they had obtained from God.

Unto the end, in hymns, a psalm of David himself. PSALM IV

This psalm is inscribed "unto the end," because, as we shall say below, it contains a prophecy of the resurrection and of those things which pertain to the future age, which no one doubts is the end of the present age. It is added "in hymns" because it proclaims the wonderful works of God, through which it came to pass that he overcame the tyranny of Absalom, upon which he sang this present psalm. It is also suitable for anyone who has been delivered from danger. ^D

**Vers. 2.** *Cum invocarem, exaudivit me Deus justitiæ meæ.* Contemplate the swiftness: while he was still invoking, he was heard; just as it is also said elsewhere: "While you are yet speaking, I will say, Behold, I am here." For it is not a wealth of words that persuades God, but the pure disposition of a simple soul. As for the phrase "God of my justice," it is a circumlocution for "God of my righteousness," that is, "God of me who am just," inasmuch as I was wronged by the injustice of Absalom—for indeed he did no wrong.

^A He employs this manner of speaking in many places, when he calls himself just and holy and the like, not out of boasting, but as he compares himself against the wickedness of those who were warring against him.

"In tribulation thou hast enlarged me." Joy is accustomed to dilate and expand the soul, but affliction to constrict and straiten it. But thou, he says, in the time of sorrow and sadness, hast made me not faint-hearted, but rather magnanimous: so that I even commanded that mercy be shown to the parricidal son.

"Have mercy on me and hear my prayer." He further allures God toward mercy, and asks that his prayers be not despised if he should perhaps fall into temptations again.

^B "Vers. 3. O ye sons of men, how long heavy-hearted?" He directs his speech to those known to him, and to his friends, who, as calamities increased, were intent on helping him with present and temporal aids, and he says: "How long, amidst your afflictions, do you not lift up your heart to God? How long will you weigh down your soul and heart with human reasonings and be distracted by vain anxieties?" And what he says, "O ye sons of men," is a periphrasis and circumlocution for "O men"—and this is an idiom of the Hebrew language.

"Why do you love vanity, and seek after lies?" Human endeavors are useless; even if at the first glance they seem to applaud those hopes conceived in the mind, they are afterwards frustrated. Or perhaps these words are spoken to those who are intent upon present things as if they were perpetual, even though they are not stable; they seem to exist because that is how they appear on the surface, but in reality, on account of their constant mutations, they are to be judged to be no otherwise than if they were not. For the blessed David himself was king, ^C and yet he lived a private life and was enduring persecution.

"Vers. 4. And know that the Lord hath made wonderful his holy one." The conjunction "and" is superfluous in this place, just as, according to the custom of the Hebrew idiom, some things are found to be superfluous in many other places. "Learn, therefore," he says, "that God has rendered me celebrated and conspicuous; me, I say, who am sanctified to him, that is, offered and dedicated, and who have set my hope to be fixed in him alone." And truly celebrated and famous was the blessed David, who destroyed the destroyer, who, a fugitive, overcame his pursuer; who, with a small hand of soldiers, overcame many hosts.

"The Lord will hear me when I cry unto him." After I perceived that by the help of God I was so quickly delivered from so great a danger, I immediately recognized the supreme mercy of God toward me: ^D and therefore I trust that he will again hear me crying out and established in afflictions.

"Vers. 5. Be angry, and sin not." He does not forbid being angry, inasmuch as we are men, but he admonishes that...

(Note: [alt-version omitted] regarding 24)

we should not be driven away by the vehemence of passion, or go beyond measure in our anger, or rashly take vengeance on anyone. For anger was implanted in men ^A against wickedness. He who avenges himself, acts and sins; but he who corrects another, acts, and does not sin, just as a father who is angry with his son.

"Vers. 4. What you say in your hearts, be pricked in your beds." Go, he says, to your bed, where the greatest security is present; and there, with ample leisure and quiet, judge yourself regarding the thoughts of the day, and for the things you thought about improperly during the day, repent ^B during the time of your rest. I too, doing this, prosper, and having learned the benefit from thence by experience, I advise you to do the same. If thoughts must be chastised, how much more so actions? See how he used both preventive and corrective medicines; for that which he said, "Be angry, and sin not," is preventive; but that which he said, "What you say in your hearts, be pricked in your beds," is corrective.

"Vers. 6. Sacrifice the sacrifice of righteousness, and hope in the Lord." Bring forth only righteousness as fruit to God, harming no one, and await the help from God, who is accustomed to help the oppressed most of all. He also prefigures the ecclesiastical way of life, which was to offer to God ^C spiritual virtues instead of animals as a sacrifice. For here we should understand righteousness not as a particular virtue, but generally for every virtue.

"Many say: Who will show us good things?" Having brought forward the admonition from his own example, as we saw above, the Prophet now brings an objection which is wont to be made by the faint-hearted. For some, he says, when they fall into calamities, bearing them poorly, immediately despair, and do not believe that God is near to those who call upon Him, but say: "Who will help us?" which is a sign of ultimate despair, as if to say, "No one." These words are ones of utter despair. Or, alternatively, the discourse is about those who follow the desires of the flesh: who, having placed their highest good in ease and luxury, pursue ^D these with full sails; but they exceedingly hate the afflictions which are brought upon us by divine dispensation. By those words, "Who will show us good things?", understand the affection of a soul that is burning and immoderately desiring.

"Vers. 7. The light of your countenance, O Lord, has been signed upon us." But I, he says, feel far otherwise. For in me the light of your protection is signed; which light is to be understood as one dissolving the darkness

the shadows of despondency, and, as if deeply inscribed, it has made me known and conspicuous even to those who are afar off. Some say that this passage contains a prophecy concerning Christians, for whom this name, by which they are called Christians, serves as a certain sign and mark; for Christ is the light of the Father. And the Prophet associated himself with them because of the kinship and familiarity of their virtues. ^B *Thou hast given gladness in my heart.* Either on account of the aforementioned help, or on account of the naming of the faithful after Christ.

*From the fruit of corn, wine and oil they have been multiplied.* The discourse is again about carnal men, to whom, although they think only of earthly things, God in His great kindness has supplied all things in abundance. For the Prophet bears witness that they have been multiplied from the fruit of corn, wine, and oil; that is, they have been filled, those things having been enumerated, through which, as more essential, he also included the other kinds of food.

*In peace I will lay me down at once, and sleep.* Putting aside the fears that trouble me, I will sleep without disturbance, and not only this, but even to satiety. For "at once" ^C intends to signify "together," as if to say, I will do both these things, I will sleep and likewise take my rest. By this way of speaking, he expressed the intensity of his reclining and rest. Or perhaps the Prophet here foretells the things pertaining to his own death, namely, that he was not to die a violent death, but a natural one; where we may also understand "at once" as referring to body and soul, saying: I will sleep in peace together, both in body and in soul; the former being delivered from visible enemies, the latter from invisible ones. But the word "I will take my rest" seems to signify the long time of the resurrection.

*For Thou, O Lord, hast made me to dwell singularly in hope.* Thou hast made me, he says, to dwell apart from the wicked and in the hope of salvation. But some say that this was prophesied ^D concerning the resurrection from the dead, and that blessed David fashioned the discourse as if from the person of his own body, saying: Thou, O Lord, hast made me dwell in the sepulchre, and hast appointed me to be there single and solitary, separated from the soul that is my own and my companion. But this, not simply, but in the hope of resurrection, since I hope that I shall receive the soul again. However, the word "for" seems to be redundant in this place, as it is often elsewhere, according to the property of Holy Scripture and the Hebrew idiom; although frequently this word among the Hebrews also signifies the same as "truly," and is used as an adverb of affirmation.

*Unto the end, for her that obtaineth the inheritance.*

PSALM V.

^A when the shadow of the Law received its end, and this is confirmed by what follows; for the Prophet composes this psalm in the person of the Church of the believers of later times, although it also fits the affairs and circumstances of the blessed David himself. You will understand this Church, then, to be the one which the Prophet says obtains an inheritance: for the very reason that it has been adopted through the regeneration of baptism, and has attained the privileges of adoption. The inheritance, moreover, which is owed to it, is that which "eye has not seen, nor ear heard," etc. Regarding this Church also, as if of a bride, Paul said: "I betrothed you to present a chaste virgin to Christ"; and John: "He who has the bride is the bridegroom"; and this very David himself: "The queen stands at your right hand." He says, "She that obtains the inheritance," and not "She that has obtained it," or "She that is about to obtain it," because the Church is always the heir, and that inheritance is never to have any end.

^B Vers. 2. "Give ear to my words, O Lord; understand my cry, attend to the voice of my supplication." He repeats the same sense with other different words of equivalent meaning, as is the custom for those who supplicate from the heart. Or by "words," understand prayers, as if they were discourses. He added "cry," however, so as to show that he poured forth his prayers with the tone and intensity of the spirit; and he added "voice," for that reason, to signify that he had spoken clearly and openly; since otherwise a cry is wont to make a voice unintelligible. The other words, moreover, which are mixed with these, are set in their proper signification. "Give ear," he says, not simply, but understand, and with your very intellect perceive what my prayers intend; and do not think that they have been offered to you by chance, whether they are offered to you by the lips or by the heart itself. It is the custom of divine Scripture to ascribe human operations to God, as we see happening in this place.

^C "My King and my God." For I have you alone, he says, as King, as one who has care and providence for me alone: in the same way I worship you alone as God, as the true Creator of all things. For I have cast away all idols.

VERS. 4, 5. "For to you will I pray, O Lord." Hear me, he says, because from now on I will pour out my prayers to you alone, and not to another god, as formerly.

"In the morning you will hear my voice, in the morning I will stand before you and you will see me." In that morning, I say, in which Christ, the Sun of righteousness, will dawn upon men. For then I shall be gathered from the Jews and from the Gentiles, and I will call upon you, and by praising, I will display a life of approach. ^D You will then see me approaching you and standing by. "For the eyes of the Lord," he says, "are upon the just." Some copies, however, carry "I shall be seen," that is, "I shall be made manifest." But if we interpret the psalm according to history concerning the blessed David, "in the morning" is to be taken as the matutinal time. For before every work, he says, there will be approach.

^A It is as if he said: It will be more grateful and pleasing to me than all things to offer my prayer and supplications to you, O God, in the morning time: which we also are accustomed to do as soon as we have risen from bed; yet I do not say this as if one should not pray at another time, for "I will bless," he says, "the Lord at all times."

"For you are not a God who wills iniquity." For you are far removed from the perversity of idols, which love iniquities. By iniquity, he understands every kind of sin [which is outside the norm of equity: or, as the Greek word *anomia* more significantly expresses, that which lacks any reason of law. For the lawless man, ^B whence comes *anomia*, which the Latin interpreter constantly calls *iniquus* (unjust), signifies an outlaw rather than one acting unjustly; but through poverty of vocabulary we call it iniquity.] [c.p. "broken in heart"]. Likewise: "Nevertheless, [the Lord] is near to those who fear Him." By the "malignant" the Prophet has pointed to the sinner of every kind.

^B VER. 6. "Neither shall the malignant dwell by you." The gods of the Gentiles are not only themselves filled with crimes and vices, as we are taught by their profane books, but they also foster as their own and their proper ones all those who are lovers of similar vices, and they open their own profane temples to them. But your intimacy, O God, or your approach (for so we must understand what he says: "Neither shall the malignant dwell by you") no man shall ever attain. For "the Lord is near to those of a contrite heart," and "near to those who fear him." For in saying "malignant," he indicates a sinner of every sort.

"Neither shall the transgressors of the law remain before your eyes." They say that this prophecy is contained in these words concerning the Jews, who, as long as they kept the law, were seen as worthy of the protection and custody of God; but when they began to transgress His commandments, they were justly and deservedly cast out by Him.

^C VER. 7. "You have hated all who work iniquity." This was said on account of the infidel nations, who did not receive the law of God; [and whom, according to the truer meaning of the Greek name, as we have said, we can call outlaws rather than unjust. But the transgressor of the law differs from the outlaw], because the former knows the law but does not keep it; the latter, however, is called one who receives no laws at all; although very often one is put in the place of the other. Now he sets forth in detail what seemed to him the chief heads of sins.

"You will destroy all who speak a lie." This was said primarily on account of those who worshipped a god other than the true God, and on account of heretics; consequently on account of all other liars and ministers of the demon, for Satan is called the father of a lie, whether they are from the Jews or from the Gentiles. But by saying "you will destroy," he has signified their most severe torments. ^D Or perhaps it was said by the Prophet in this way to deter those who are, with a certain ease, prone and slippery toward lies, who not only harm themselves, but also become the cause of perdition for many.

^A Vers. 8. *Virum sanguinum et dolosum abominabitur Dominus.* See how he has joined the deceitful man to the murderer. For he who deceives, and casts someone into danger, is also seen to kill.

*Ego autem in multitudine misericordiæ tuæ introibo in domum tuam.* I, says the Church, having been liberated from errors through your great mercy, will enter into your house, which I once foolishly used to tear down. Or otherwise: I will enter into your house, having been made worthy of this confidence before you, not on account of my own virtues, but on account of your mercy alone. Some understand by the house of God a life and character endowed with virtue. For God rests and dwells in those who pursue virtues, just as he said in the Gospel: *I and the Father will come to him, and will make our abode with him.*

*Adorabo ad templum sanctum tuum in timore tuo.* Having entered, she says, I will worship with great reverence in fear. Understand this either as your earthly temple, or the heavenly one in which she is to worship; for the nations were wantonly and dishonestly abusing the shrines of their own gods. But since the Church has thus far recounted by their heads the types of vices which pertained to the task she had set for herself, and has shown them to be abominable to God, she now turns back to herself, and promises that she will truly and ingenuously, and not sluggishly, serve the divine worship: nor does she say this as one who has been justified by herself, but as one who has obtained mercy: although by crying out against sinners, and introducing herself into the temple of God, she may appear to signify something else.

^B Vers. 9. *Domine deduc me in justitia tua.* Lead me, O Lord, by the hand of your Son: who, as the Apostle says, is justice, and sanctification, and redemption: or in your law, which is human justice.

*Propter inimicos meos dirige in conspectu tuo viam meam.* On account of my visible enemies, who sow scandals in my paths, and lay snares, make plain, I pray, O Lord, my way to you: for thus Symmachus rendered it. Or: Direct me, lest I decline to the right or to the left on account of my enemies, who watch me secretly in ambush. These words can also befit the blessed David himself.

*Vers. 10. Quoniam non est in ore eorum veritas, cor eorum vanum est.* And they lie assiduously like deceivers: and they are always thinking of useless and vain things as wicked men.

^D Vers. 11. *Sepulcrum patens est guttur eorum.* On account of their dead dogmas he says this, and on account of the putrid blasphemies of heretics, and the dishonest words of intemperance. Or according to history, on account of the base insults, and the quarrels which were spoken against David by his enemies. [Their throat, he compared not to covered and closed tombs, but to an open and patent one, emitting a foul odor.] For if the tomb were closed, it would hide all filth and that heavy spirit.

^A With their tongues they practiced deceit. If anyone is deceitful, he is also a liar; but not everyone who is a liar is also deceitful. For the malice of the deceitful man is more grievous. He says, therefore, that they were plotting against me treacherously, and were deliberating together.

Judge them, O God. Condemn those who act in such a way, O You who hate all such, ^B as You have previously made known.

Let them fall from their counsels. Let them be frustrated in their designs.

According to the multitude of their impieties, cast them out. Cast them out on account of their impiety; for they do not honor You. And this I do not ask for my own sake, even though I am Your portion. Or alternatively: as much as they are impious, by so much let them be driven far away from Your benevolence. But the impious man is not only he who does not worship God, but also he who does not worship God as is fitting.

For they have provoked You, O Lord. For it is not so much on account of the things they do against me that I am concerned, but I grieve for what is Yours; for they have provoked You, by reason of the aforementioned pursuits of theirs. Furthermore, in fighting against me, who keeps Your commandments, they provoke You, my Master.

And let all those who hope in You rejoice. For while Your enemies are afflicted, the pious, by contrast, rejoice, because, relying on You alone, they overcome such and so great enemies.

They shall delight for ever. That is, continuously, always having Your consolation near.

And You shall dwell in them. Resting in the beauty of their souls. For, He says, I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

And they shall glory in You, all those who love Your name. Because they alone have understood the true God, and have placed their hopes in Him alone. And alternatively, Christians so love the divine naming of Christ that they wish to be known by this alone, and they glory in Christ alone, according to the Apostle: For to me, he says, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is to say, in the crucified Christ.

For You will bless the just, O Lord. Not only by acclaiming them in the present life, but also in the world to come, when You shall say: Come, O blessed of My Father. You, therefore, will bless him, and

the wicked speak evil of him. But in this he consoles those who are accustomed to be assailed by blasphemies and curses on account of their virtue.

*With the shield of good will you have crowned us.* You, Lord, he says, have fortified us greatly, and have encircled us with your cross, which is the shield of good will: this is the shield that is pleasing and acceptable to you. It must be noted, however, that this is a certain way of speaking in Holy Scripture, which is accustomed to say "son of power" instead of "powerful," and "man of bloods" for "sanguinary," and "man of peace" for "peaceful": so also here, "shield of good will" [is used] for "shield that is acceptable and well-pleasing." The order may also be taken this way: You have fortified us, Lord, with your power as with a tested and strong shield. For a crown is of circular form; and fortifications are also used to be made in a circle and round about. ^B

*Unto the end, in hymns, for the eighth, a Psalm of David.*

PSALM VI.

What is meant by *Unto the end* has been set forth. In this present psalm, the Prophet praises and magnifies God, and prays and pours out petitions for the eighth [day], that is, for the age to come. For the present age, revolving and completed, and as it were measured by a week, is marked by the number seven, and is called the seventh; but the world to come is called the eighth, as following after this seventh. And the Prophet pours out his prayers to God not only in his own person, but for us all, [to God] who is about to judge everyone in that future age. The blessed David composed this psalm after he had fallen into straits and ^C afflictions, which had come upon him for his sins.

*Verse 2. Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.* But how is it that we read in the book of the blessed Job: *Blessed is the man whom the Lord rebukes on account of wrath* [Job v, 17], and how he himself also said elsewhere: *Blessed is the man whom you, Lord, shall discipline* [Ps. xciii, 12]? Truly, in this passage, the Prophet does not refuse to be rebuked or punished by God, but what he asks for is only this, that he not be rebuked with indignation or with wrath. For since he knows that the anger of God is unbearable, he fears that he might be utterly destroyed by it: however, he desires to be disciplined mildly, so that having become more approved, he may the better escape the punishments of the future judgment. Consequently, after the rebuke, he added discipline as following upon it. Now the Divine [nature] is free from anger and every passion. But the prophets attributed such stances to Him, wishing to persuade men that God provides for all, and sees, and hears, and rejoices, and is grieved, and judges, and is angry, and feels wrath, and all things of this sort, so that having been made afraid in this way, they might refrain from wickedness. And otherwise, the prophets explain divine things by human operations: and because both those who speak and those who hear are men, the response is also human. ^D And furthermore, one does not attempt to converse with those who are in the body, unless bodily; for we use the dialect of the Barbarians when conversing with Barbarians; and when speaking to an infant, we lisp; and even if we were ten thousand times

wise, we humble ourselves to their level. Let this, therefore, be a kind of universal rule for you. Thus, what he says, *Do not rebuke me in your fury*, means the same as, "Do not wish to condemn me according to my merits, nor to exact from me the punishments I am owed."

^B VERS. 5. *Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak.* If my intellect, he says, had not been weak, the passions would surely not have overcome it; or, I am weak against the invisible enemy, who sets snares both openly and in secret; or, that I have become weak, being crushed. Consider, therefore, you also, O God, my weakness, and do not condemn me utterly, as if I had been defeated by my own choice. Moreover, we all always have need of the voice, *Have mercy on me*; for further on he says: *If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, who shall stand?* And, *For no living man shall be justified in your sight.* And another prophet has said: *Who shall boast to have a pure heart? Or who shall be confident to be clean from defilement?* All of us, then, need mercy, but not all of us obtain mercy; for divine mercy seeks those who are worthy. We are all weak of ourselves; for *unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the guard watches in vain.*

*Heal me, O Lord, for my bones have been troubled.* The pain from trials reached down even to my bones themselves, which are devoid of feeling, and shook them. By this, he demonstrated the intensity of his suffering. ^C Or, by "bones," we may understand the powers and virtues of the mind, by which the mind itself is supported.

VERS. 4. *And my soul has been troubled exceedingly.* Not being able to endure the violence of the pains. This verse is also very aptly applied whenever someone is goaded toward irrational anger or toward shameful desire. For then the devil, breathing excessively, is accustomed to trouble both the soul and the body, just like a strong wind rushing into the sea; for both are stirred up and tossed by waves, and they do not keep their own order and state.

*But you, O Lord, how long?* These words are not those of one accusing, but of one placed in pains. ^D Long, he says, has been the oversight from you upon me, such as I am. To those, then, who are suffering trials on account of sin, He does not immediately grant aid, according to His dispensation. For *in an acceptable time*, He says, *I have heard you.* But to those who are suffering on account of the malice of the wicked One, He is present very quickly; for *while you are still speaking*, He says, *I will say, Behold, I am here.*

*Turn, O Lord, deliver my soul.*

^A *Turn to me*, he says, *even if you have turned away because of the things in which I have sinned; and deliver me from my afflictions.* *Save me for your mercy’s sake.* Not for my own virtues, he says, do I ask this; for I have none by which I might deserve it.

VERS. 6. *For there is no one in death who is mindful of you.* By death, he understands sin, the minister of death; for from the beginning sin introduced death; he says, therefore, that he who commits sin is not then mindful of God, being drunk with it and hardened. Or he calls death the time following upon decease; for after one has died, the ability to be mindful, that is, to call upon God, is taken away, for it is then useless. *For in hell who will confess to you?* For before death repentance is possible; but after death there is only a time of retribution.

VERS. 7. *I have labored in my groaning; every night I will wash my bed; I will water my couch with my tears.* Not simply, he says, have I labored, but with groanings; for this denotes an intensity of labor. Nor did he say simply: I will pour out tears, but: *I will wash my bed*; and I will not do this once or twice, but *every night*. And because in the day time various thoughts distract me, I will make the time of rest a time of confession, with no one then disturbing me; for that time is most suitable for repentance. ^B And what he says: *I will water my couch with my tears*, is stated by way of exposition of the preceding, and for the clearer sense of those words: *I will wash my bed every night*. Let us indeed, as little men, heed the repentance of so great a king, and let us imitate it. Blessed David brought forth these words to arouse the mercy of God toward himself, and that he might more effectively bend God toward it, lest perhaps the great accumulation of calamities might cast down his strength and render him useless.

VERS. 8. *My eye is troubled from anger.* The eye of the soul, that is to say, my mind. For considering, he says, your anger against sinners on the day of judgment, I have been greatly troubled. ^C And he has fittingly called the mind an eye, as it is the guide of man. For the mind sees, and the mind hears. Some, however, also say that the eye of the body of blessed David was troubled, when he was angry against his enemies. For it is proper and peculiar for those who are angry that their eyes are troubled.

*I have become old among all my enemies.* Like worn-out garments, I have been neglected and despised by my enemies, who nevertheless, before the offenses I committed, used to fear me. Or: *I have grown old*, that is, I have become weaker. For old men are accustomed to become weaker in their strength.

VERS. 9. *Depart from me, all you who work iniquity.* Now feeling and knowing the divine ^D

of the conflict; he takes heart, and here he strikes fear into his enemies, commanding them to flee, whether they be visible or invisible.

*For the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping; the Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord hath received my prayer.* He sets these forth as the causes of his own confidence, and of the flight of those others. Or rather, as we have said elsewhere, these three signify the same thing. Or, because someone might weep also for poverty or other such miseries, by the word "supplication" he has distinguished [it] from the ambiguity of "weeping," which occurs [when one] asks for help, and to these he has added the name of "prayer," so that it might denote a greater intensity of his petitions. ^B

*Let all my enemies be ashamed and sore troubled.* He asks that those things which were signified to him might attain the speediest end. And for what reason should his enemies not be ashamed, seeing that the hopes they had conceived were vain? They had hoped that they could easily have blessed David in their own power, as if he were deprived of divine benevolence; but if they should be ashamed and confounded in their [sense of] shame, how will they not also be afraid?

*Let them be turned back and ashamed very speedily.* Thus feeling, let them go backward; and that which he says, "Let them be confounded," signifies an increase and intensification of [their] shame. Moreover, the expression "very speedily" is to be joined to all these words, for he desires and prays that they might suffer all these things as quickly as possible. Some say that these words have rather the likeness of prayer than of cursing, and that the Prophet prays for his enemies, that they might be ashamed of their wicked counsels, and fear the God who is the helper of the Prophet himself, and might turn away from their own wickedness, and in this way become better.

*A Psalm of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Chusi, the son of Jemeni.*

PSALM VII

The present inscription seems to contain things almost contradictory to the history which is recorded in the Books of Kings, where the affairs of David are written down. For there, Chusi is recorded as the son of Arachi, not of Jemeni. Nevertheless, these things are rightly reconciled, as we shall say: either because his father had a double name, or because ^C he himself subsequently obtained this surname, so that he was called the son of Jemeni. For this Chusi, the son of Arachi and a companion of blessed David, mindful of their old friendship—when Absalom, the son of blessed David, had risen up against his father—feigned that he was defecting from the king and passing over to Absalom, with this plan: that he might dissolve the counsels of Achitophel, the leader of Absalom; which he also accomplished. For by delaying and hesitating, he so detained Absalom against the counsel of Achitophel, that he provided an opportunity and time for blessed David both to flee further away, and to gather greater ^D forces, as we shall find more fully in the Book of Kings. From this manly deed he obtained this appellation; for *Chusi* is interpreted as "son of the right hand." For it is the custom of Scripture often to name sons from their deeds or from their fathers—as, for instance, "son of peace," and "children of wisdom," and "son of perdition."

^A Thus also "son of the right hand" means the right-handed man, and the most capable. But the inscription says "concerning the words of Chusi." Yet throughout the entire Psalm, David does not make mention of Chusi, and this again seems a difficulty. However, I must not hide from you what has been discerned: for the Prophet, having repented of having hoped in the prudence of Chusi—since he had suggested how to deceive Absalom and scatter the counsels of Achitophel—sings this Psalm to God, not for the benefits he received from the prudence and counsel of Chusi, but because, having lost that hope which should have been placed primarily in God, he instead relied too much on the words of Chusi, whom he had sent to Absalom. This Psalm, therefore, is a propitiatory one, rendering God placated and benevolent on account of his committed error, and calling upon Him for his help.

VERS. 2. *O Lord my God, I have hoped in thee; save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.* Although, he says, I have been helped by the prudence of Chusi and have taken a short breath and gained time to gather an army, nevertheless, now I do not trust any more in him; and although the day of battle stands before me, I hang upon You alone, in whom alone I have placed all my hopes. For all other things—friends, to be sure, allies, and soldiers—I consider in the second place. For it is written: *Cursed is the man who puts his hope in man.* Likewise: *Blessed is the man who hopes in thee*; and just as we ought not to worship any other than God, so also it is unbecoming for us to hope in any other than God. Now, he is said to be saved who is kept preserved from wounds in war; but he is said to be delivered who is freed from the invasion and assault of enemies. The phrase "from all them that persecute me" is said on account of those who followed the parricide son and sought his death. Or otherwise: he who is infirm is said to be saved, but he who is a captive is said to be delivered or freed. Save me, therefore, as one who is infirm, and deliver me as a captive; for I fear lest I be apprehended by the enemies. Or, save me from the enemies of the present life; and deliver me from the invisible enemies, who, after my death, are about to scrutinize all the stains of my soul, if by any way they might perhaps be able to apprehend it; and thus the petition will be twofold according to this sense, concerning the present life, that is to say, and the future.

^D VERS. 3. *Lest at any time he seize my soul as a lion.* He compares his son Absalom to a lion, because of his extreme rashness, ferocity, and shameless audacity. Or perhaps the discourse is about the demon, who is fittingly compared to a lion, because just as the breath and jaws of a lion smell foul, so also the mouth of the demon, belching forth blasphemies, smells foul. Even the figure of...

these words should be understood as those spoken by the Lord at the time of His Passion: "Now shall the prince of this world be cast out, and he shall have nothing in me." If, however, we understand the psalm as referring to Absalom, then interpret "soul" as life, which seemed in a certain sense to be taken away by the killer. For the soul is the cause of life, and we often designate the effects by the names of their causes, just as the Lord is called peace, and justice, and other things of this kind, because He is the author of peace and justice. For this reason also, the demon is called sin and perdition, as being the cause of these things. But the word "tear" is used improperly for "kill." This psalm also applies to all who are placed in trials and dangers of the soul, if you understand the "persecutors" to be the demons, and the "lion" to be the prince of the demons, Satan, who snatches souls to sin and to despair, and who raps them once they have departed from the body.

^B "When there is no one to redeem, nor to save." These things are also appropriate and correspond in their order to the preceding words: "Save me and deliver me." You, he says, not helping, there is no one who can save or redeem.

Verses 4, 5. "O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice in my hands, if I have rendered evil to those who render evil to me, I shall deservedly fall empty before my enemies." The Prophet does not disclose the type of sin, still sparing his son; for he did not even declare him by name, blushing as it were for his son: but rather obscurely, "If I have done this," he says, "which my son has done against me (for he was indeed a criminal and a parricide), if I have at any time inflicted injury with my hands, that is, by my deeds," even though he had often perceived his wickedness; "or if I have harmed those who in battle brought aid to Absalom against me, and who now for the benefits I bestowed upon them render evil to me; if," he says, "I have committed any of these things, I pray that I may not prevail against my enemies, but that I may fall empty, leaving the matter unfinished." [But some raise a question of this kind: If David did not fall empty, nor depart with the matter unfinished, but prevailed against his enemies, he surely in this way inflicted the punishment of the committed sins upon them.] How, therefore, does he say that he does not render evil to them? We can say that he signifies times past, because although in the past he had often had the opportunity to return the injury, he nevertheless held back: in the present, however, when the danger of life was looming over him, he was proceeding to his own defense, no longer tolerating the sins of such wicked men. ^C Or otherwise: "I shall fall from my enemies empty," that is, frustrated of all hope. But the hope was not of taking vengeance, but of repelling the invaders: so that at least in this way they might cease to pursue him. For it is possible to see how he commanded his soldiers to spare his son, and how, having learned of his death, he lamented bitterly. ^D Or again. We must consider the "enemies" to be invisible, from whom he says he would fall empty and ineffectual, if he did not conquer and put them to shame through the resistance of the virtues. He does not say these things while boasting, but because he has fallen into necessity, he puts these forward in place of a petition. We may interpret this passage also toward others, as if he meant: "I have not wronged anyone, nor by the violence of the kingdom have I driven them out, nor did I..."

repay death to him from whom I had received benefits," ^A even though I had him in my power, as the history of the Kings sets forth. Whether, therefore, you adapt the words to Absalom and those who were with him, or to another, or even to Saul himself, the truth is not thereby harmed. The name of "retribution" is used here in the first instance improperly, for "repaid." For he who first brings some good or evil is said to "give," but he who gives back a like return for what has been given is said to "repay"; to "render in return," however, or rather (as the Greek term expresses more significantly) "to render against," is said of him who gives back according to the vicissitude of benefits or injuries. The use of this verb is frequent in Scripture, especially in the blessed David.

VERS. 6. *Persequatur inimicus animam meam et comprehendat.* Let the enemy pursue, he says, my soul: that is, myself (for it is a circumlocution), and let him seize. *Et conculcet in terra vitam meam.* By "life" in this place he understands the blood, which is the cause of life, as the principal element among the others that are in the body and which hold it together. *Et gloriam meam in pulverem habitare faciat.* By "glory," he understands his own glorious and noble body, which both on account of its very great powers and on account of the magnitude and glory which had come to him from his rule, was famous and known among all. But "to dwell in the dust" is the same as to lie low and be dissolved into the earth. We can also transfer this discourse to the invisible enemy, so that he imprecates upon himself to suffer ^B persecution from him, and to be seized, and not be able to escape his snares; nay rather, that his life be submerged into the earth, that is, into earthly affairs. For these words mean: *And thou shalt trample my life into the earth,* so that when he is lying there, the demon may rise against him and shamefully insult him. And not only this, he says, that he should trample upon the body, but he also imprecates that his "glory," that is, even his intellect—which is the honor and glory of the soul—should be brought down into the earth and attached to earthly things, ^C so that it can no longer be lifted up to God on the wings of contemplation.

VERS. 7. *Exsurge, Domine, in ira tua.* For it is possible to "arise," and not "in wrath," as when he says: "Arise, O Lord, save me, my God." But now he calls upon Him for punishment and for penalties. We ought, however, to understand God to "arise" not corporally, just as we do not understand a bodily seat when we read that He "sits," but rather we consider His royal dignity, stability, and authority for judging to be described. In this manner also, when we say that God "arises," we denote His purpose of punishing or defending. Likewise, we understand "wrath" in God not to be a passion, ^D but the chastisement and punishment of those who are worthy of His divine wrath. *Exaltare in finibus inimicorum tuorum.* When

you are high, appear so to men as well. You will appear so in the ends, that is, in the overthrow of your enemies; for the end of each person's life is death; and my enemies are also yours, inasmuch as they have transgressed your commandments.

*Exsurge, Domine Deus meus, in praecepto quod mandasti.* Do not be long-suffering any longer, but take vengeance for the sake of the commandment which you have commanded, which you delivered through Moses, ordering that parents should be honored by children. But at present, my son has been seized with fury against his father. However, it is possible to interpret the statement in another way, namely that the Prophet is praying for the mystery of the resurrection. For the Lord said in the Gospels to the Jews regarding His own body: "Destroy this temple of God, and in three days I will build it up." ^B Therefore, "arise" according to the command which you have given; for you said, "Destroy," and they will destroy.

*Et congregatio populorum circumdabit te.* If you are a helper to me, many will see and will fear and will turn to the Lord. As for the expression "will surround you," it is equivalent to "they will be occupied around your commandments, not departing from them"; for God is immense and cannot be encompassed. We can also understand this text regarding the time of the resurrection: for the congregation of the nations encircled Christ as if by a crown, when the nations approached Him from all the ends of the earth. Or "will surround you" means "will sing and praise you." For since they would offer hymns in a choir, by the figure of the event, He signified the event itself. ^C *Et propter hanc in altum regredere.* For the sake of this, I say, congregation of the nations, ascend, O Mediator, to the Father, and return to the height of your glory, which you had before the world was, and complete the ineffable mystery.

*Dominus judicabit populos.* The Lord will not disregard the things that have been plotted against me, but will examine everything. Or, "He will judge the peoples," condemning the wicked and stationing the good on His right hand.

*Judica mihi, Domine, secundum justitiam meam, et secundum innocentiam meam quae in me est.* After he mentioned judgment, he says: "Be my judge, examining my justice, which I have maintained against the parricidal son and his accomplices," and furthermore, I also ask that it be done to me according to my simplicity. But how does he say elsewhere, "And do not enter into judgment with your servant," when here he desires to be judged? Because, of course, there he refuses to be judged with God and to have his life compared with His ^D benefits; but here he seeks to be judged [together with his son] and with those who had brought injuries upon him and desired to kill him.

*Consumatur nequitia peccatorum, et diriges justum.* For if their malice...

^A should cease, the just shall be directed; that is, they shall walk without hindrance upon the path of virtue.

*Scrutans corda et renes Deus juste.* You, O God, he says, justly investigate and search out the reins and the heart—that is to say, all the germs of wrath and indignation that are stirred up in the heart, and all the roots of desire that are wont to be in the reins. For from these—namely, from those passions of wrath and desire—all sins have had their beginning. Or otherwise: God is one who probes and searches both the heart and the reins. And you shall connect the word *Juste* with what follows, reading: *Juste adjutorium meum a Domino*.

*Vers. 11. Adjutorium meum a Domino qui salvos facit rectos corde.* When I am simple and upright of heart, and direct myself upon the straight path of virtue, I await aid not from man (for that is indeed useless), but from God, who is powerful to save me.

*Vers. 12. Deus judex justus fortis et longanimis.* These things appear to be spoken to those who had been almost scandalized by the providence of God, because He had allowed a son to rise up against his father. He is, therefore, *just*, as one who compensates each with equal measure for their deeds; *strong*, as one who can do whatever He wills; and *longanimous*, as one who does not at once inflict punishments.

*Et iram non afferens per singulos dies.* This is said for the purpose of demonstrating the longanimity of God. For although we commit sin daily and therefore render ourselves worthy of punishments, He, being longanimous, grants time for repentance. By *iram* (wrath), therefore, we should here understand punishments. Some raise a question: If God is just and renders punishments that are deserved, how can He be called merciful? To this it must be said that God is indeed just, as one who renders to each individual deserving punishments; but He is also merciful, because He does not chastise immediately, but sustains and allows time for repentance and conversion, nor does He permit the demon to perform all the things he desires, and finally, because in every respect He thirsts for our salvation. ^C

*Vers. 13. Nisi conversi fueritis, gladium suum nitidabit, arcum suum tetendit et paravit illum.* The blessed David, knowing as a prophet that all nations would always have his Psalms in their mouths and in their hands, mingles instruction with them. For unless you, he says, who have turned aside from the straight path into the ways of error, and have turned to material things, shall return again from these to God, you shall surely not escape punishments. By the *gladium* (sword), moreover, he indicates bitterness, and by the *arcum* (bow), the swiftness of death. Furthermore, *nitidare* (to polish) and *tendere* (to stretch) signify the preparation of punishments and that divine longanimity will not be perpetual, but for a time. But *parare* (to prepare), you may say, refers to the nearness of the scourge. ^D

^A

VERS. 14. *And in it he has prepared the instruments of death.* In that very kind of punishment which he denoted under the figure of a bow. For the kinds of death are various: namely, the sword, fire, water, earthquake, the opening of the earth, and those types of diseases that we know; they all stand as instruments of death, through which it is brought to pass. ^B It must be understood that, although the words are used in a human manner, the meanings are worthy of God; and he employed the crudeness of the language so as to strike the crudeness of the hearers. For this reason he also introduces God as possessing a sword, and a bow, and arrows, and weapons of war, both shining and being drawn, in order that he might increase the fear in the hearers from these things, and by means of familiar names might shake their stony mind; for He who alone looks upon the earth and makes it tremble does not need these things—He in whose hand is every breath, who dissolves mountains in His might, and whatever else the revealers of divine things have handed down concerning His ineffable power.

*He made his arrows for the burning ones.* By these words he consoles the good; for the punishments of God, he says, were made against the unworthy. He called those "burning" who possess no moisture of virtue; they are so dried up in regard to the doing of good that they are easily ignited by the fire of punishment, and are already being punished by the expectation of it. Or, he says "for the burning ones" by the fire of the passions—of anger, pleasure, avarice, and others of that kind. Having thus depicted the multiform impulse from above, and having suspended it over the wicked, he proceeds to instruct us also from the present circumstances, and transfers the discourse to Absalom. ^C

VERS. 15. *Behold, he has travailed with injustice.* This apostate, he says, has become pregnant with injustice, having plotted unjustly to expel me from the authority given to me by God. He used the name of parturition, wishing to show what kind of pains and sharpness are suffered by those who contemplate doing injustice to their neighbor; for they are filled with indignation, are interrupted by anger, are wasted by their thoughts, go through countless paths, are afraid, are anxious, and altogether cannot bear such scourges, even before they bring them into action, even if they are not liberated from the judgment of their own conscience after the deed. Wherefore, whenever Scripture wishes to express an unbearable pain, it describes it by the name of labor—by which name the Greeks especially and more frequently use for pain, the process of birth. ^D

^C For vice is not innate in us, but is experienced from without, and grows, and envelops us with labor pains. ^B *He has conceived labor, and has brought forth iniquity.* Now, in the case of embryos, conception comes first, then labor follows, once the infant has grown and is perfected; but in that case, it is called conception and labor with respect to the embryo itself; here, however, it relates to one thing and then another. For having been in labor with iniquity, and having been grievously affected by it, both for the reasons mentioned above and because he had not yet found a suitable time to carry out his crimes, he "conceived labor," that is, he acquired bodily pain; for when the soul is strained, the powers of the body also collapse. Thus, he was not only in pain in his soul, but he also fell into bodily afflictions until he brought forth iniquity. For it is truly dishonorable to dishonor one's father, to persecute him, and to defile his concubines. Some, however, accepting a more concise interpretation, say that "labor" here means the train of thought, and "conception" the firm establishment of the intention of tyranny. Or else, that because he was in labor and had suffered much from this obsession, and not resting, he conceived again another (39) concerning the same matter, which itself also became a self-inflicted pain and a second labor.

^C *He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, and he shall fall into the ditch which he made.* A danger, he says, he prepared for me, and such a danger from which I could scarcely be freed; he indicated this more broadly through the likeness of the pit. For just as one who falls into a pit can no longer escape from it, especially if that pit is not merely dug but hollowed out, and twice excavated so that it is deeper; so also has the parricide prepared against me a depth of wickedness and a deadly trap. But he himself shall fall into the danger, and on account of that which he hastened to ensnare me, he shall be caught.

*His labor shall return upon his head.* And both things have turned out exactly so; for Absalon both fell into danger, and his endeavor finally recoiled upon his own head. For as he was hurrying to encourage his own troops in the battle, while he was rushing forward on horseback, his hair became entangled in the branch of a tree, and having been suspended by it, he was bitterly slain.

*And his injustice shall descend upon his crown.* The injustice which he began shall fall upon him; for by the most vital part of the body, he indicated the man himself. And certainly it happened in this way; for having organized a war against his own father, he himself was destroyed in it instead.

*I will confess to the Lord according to His justice.* I, he says, after the outcome of such a war, will give thanks to God for His just judgment.

And I will sing to the name of the Lord Most High. I will sing to his name the songs of victory, he says, because I called upon him and he heard me. For if his name has such power, who would not fear the Lord himself? And "Most High" means him who is above all things, who is insuperable, or even ^A supercelestial, as we said before. These words, however, are not those of one rejoicing in the slaughter of others, and least of all of his son, especially since he made that day of victory a day of mourning; but they are the words of one accepting the judgment of God, which justly overtook those unjust men. But some, in interpreting more briefly those words "He dug a pit," and what follows, down to "His injustice will descend," say that this signifies metaphorically that Absalon was destined to suffer the very things he was plotting against his father. With words of this kind, we too can pray against the devil.

For the End, concerning the winepresses, a psalm of David. PSALM VIII.

What the words "For the end" signify, has been said in the preceding pages. By "winepresses" he calls the Churches that are everywhere in the world. For Christ is the vine, and the apostles the branches; and the grape and the cluster signify the faith which, being pressed in the Churches, ^B provides teaching, like wine, which gladdens the hearts of the faithful. In the person, therefore, of these spiritual winepresses, that is, of the Churches, this psalm has been uttered by the Prophet. For formerly, one temple had been built, and in one city, Jerusalem; because it had been assigned to one nation only, concerning which Isaiah says: "I built a tower, and I dug a winepress in it," calling the temple the tower, and the altar the winepress. But at the end of the ages, that is, at the end of the legal worship, the latter has been destroyed; and in its place, throughout the whole earth, countless churches have been erected, since all nations have come to the knowledge of God.

Vers. 2. O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in all the earth! For the unbelievers, Christ is Lord in one way, by the ^C principle of creation; but for the faithful, in a double way, by that of creation and that of knowledge; and for this reason, there is a reduplication here. For the Churches of the faithful say: O Lord creator, our Lord who hast recently become so through [the gift of] knowledge. How admirable is thy name in all the earth. For it alone, being invoked, puts demons to flight, raises the dead, drives away diseases, transforms the elements, and can do all things. And elsewhere he calls the same thing "terrible." It is, therefore, "admirable" because of the supernatural works it performs, and "terrible" because of his ineffable power. And see how blessed David wished to number himself with us, calling him "our Lord" by a common name, foreseeing ^D clearly the mystery and the faith which in the ends of the world... What then will the Jews say about this? For the name of the Almighty among most of the nations was held in contempt; he says

For, as Isaiah says: "Because of you my name is blasphemed among the nations." [82a] Whence it is clearly proved that these words refer to Christ.

*For thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens.* By magnificence in this place he refers to the divine incarnation; for it is truly great and surpasses all human intellect. It is elevated, he says, and transcends even those powers which are above the heavens, in that it cannot be comprehended even by them. Whence it is a cause of the greatest wonder to them; for not only do men, but the very angels themselves stand in awe of this mystery. Or, in another way: wishing to signify to us the immeasurable power of the divine nature, he says: "Thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens," since the earth could not contain it. Which another prophet expresses: "His virtue covered the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise." [82b]

VER. 5. *Out of the mouth of infants and sucklings thou hast perfected praise.* He proclaims beforehand their hymn-singing. But of the many miracles and signs which Christ performed, the Prophet mentions only this miracle of the children, as being more worthy of wonder. For before this, even a dead man had been raised, a leper had been cleansed, and a demon had been cast out; but that suckling children should speak, we read then for the first time. For they are not said to be children simply, but infants and sucklings: which is worthy of the greatest admiration. But "thou hast perfected," that is, thou hast made perfect that praise which, from the mouth of an angel (since otherwise their tongue would still have been imperfect), was brought forth.

*Because of thy enemies, that thou mayest destroy the enemy and the avenger.* He also explains the cause of the miracle. It was done, he says, because of your wicked enemies the Jews. For in other miracles the Jews might perhaps have suspected that Christ was deceiving and deluding their eyes; but in the praise of the infants, who were living among them—nay, who were their own children—every suspicion was absent. Moreover, this was ordained by God for the destruction, that is, for the confusion and shame, of the Jewish people, who were at once the enemy and the avenger of God: the enemy, as they were warring against His Son; and the avenger, as one who thought he was doing this on behalf of God. We may also call the devil the enemy and the avenger: the enemy, as he opposes the commandments of God and wars against His friends; and the avenger, since he is accustomed to upbraid those who have been cast off by God, because they were contemners of God: and therefore he drags them to punishment, because they have transgressed the divine commandments. For through that praise of the infants, the demon himself also appeared to be confounded and destroyed. And the Prophet relates future events as if they were already done, as one who had seen them with prophetic eyes; or these things are brought forth as if from the person of the Churches, as we have said, as if they were things that would one day be uttered by them in this way.

VER. 4. *For I will behold the heavens, the works of thy fingers.* ^{C D}

^A Formerly the nations thought the world was made by their false gods; but when the truth shone forth, the Church of the faithful sang: "I will behold the heavens, which are the works of thy fingers." By "heavens," he refers to the heaven made in the beginning, and the firmament. Or he used the plural number instead of the singular according to the Hebrew idiom. However, through the heaven, as that which contains, he also indicated the creation in the midst of it. Some say that by saying "fingers," he wished to represent that such great and such things are works of the minutest particle of thy power. But to me it seems indifferent; for in another place he says, *And the heavens are the works of thy hands, the moon and the stars which thou hast founded.* Having mentioned the heaven, he also added the ornament of the heaven, because "I will know thee to be the maker of the stars." But having appointed the moon, he did not pass over the sun; rather, through her he indicated it. Since she is illuminated by it, and both are joined together in the knowledge of men; for both are great luminaries, and one who mentions either introduces the other. Indeed, in another place he mentions only the sun, when he says, "For thou hast fashioned the dawn and the sun," as if by one, both were understood. "Which thou hast founded": namely, the stars, or "the works which thou hast founded," that is, fashioned; ^B you have stabilized them so that they can never fall from their allotted places, or be moved from the place where they were positioned by you, even though they appear to be hanging in some way.

VER. 5. *What is man, that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou visitest him?* This also was said on account of the Incarnation, the Prophet having foreknown its mystery. "For what," he says, "is man of such great account, that when he had become rebellious against thee and ignored thy dominion, thou nevertheless takest pity on him?" This speech is metaphorical, and transferred from the person of those who at a certain time have forgotten something, and then, moved by compassion, remember it; and not only do they remember it, but they also move to his aid and defense. And this is the visitation that he speaks of. For neither did any angel, nor any ambassador, but the Lord himself coming in person, save us. What, therefore, is man of such great account, that these things should happen for his sake? And when the angels had fallen, thou didst nothing of the sort; but when man fell, thou didst descend to this extreme dejection of ours. "Man" and "son of man" signify the same thing equally; yet Scripture is often accustomed to use this periphrasis, so that it might say "son of man" for "man."

*Thou hast made him a little less than the angels.* ^C He remembers also the benefits from the beginning that were conferred upon man. For having been created, he was made a little less than the angels, on account of the complication of the body and ^D the things of the body; and this, according to the dispensation. And so that, when he is lifted up...

by the mind, he may be brought down by the [earthly] dust. For if, being burdened by the body, he is so puffed up with pride, what would he be if he were living without a body? ^A

"Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor." With glory, because he was made in the image and likeness of God; with honor, because all living creatures are subject to him.

VERS. 7. "And Thou hast set him over the works of Thy hands." Thou hast ordained him king of the entire creation which Thou didst make; for it says: "Increase and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it."

VERS. 8. "Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, sheep and oxen all, and moreover the cattle of the field; the birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass through the paths of the sea." This also is taken from the Mosaic Genesis; for it says: "And have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over all cattle, and all the earth." Having mentioned all things, the Prophet then proceeds to distinguish them: first, he recounted the more gentle sheep; but by "cattle of the field" he comprehends all four-footed animals that inhabit the fields. And according to the etymology of the Greek name, all animals are understood which look down toward the earth. By "cattle," therefore, he signified all terrestrial animals, whether wild or feral. For all were produced for the service of man; and that man who has preserved the original dignity of his soul will still exercise dominion over them all. He called them "birds of the air," instead of "birds of the sky." For "heaven" is often used for the air, which in the likeness of heaven is poured around our head. ^B Touching the fishes also, although they are of innumerable kinds, he has encompassed them all in one expression, saying: "That pass through the paths of the sea." And he crossed from the masculine gender to the neuter, wishing in this manner to denote the various species of fish. But these things we have understood concerning the man of simply human nature. According to the anagoge, however, they pertain to the humanity of Christ, just as the Apostle declares to the Hebrews: "For what," he says, "is this human nature assumed by God the Word, that Thou art mindful of him, saying: 'This is My beloved Son'?" He called Him "Son of man" in order to refute those who assert that the flesh of Christ descended from above; for which reason the Lord Himself also, in the Gospels, often calls Himself "Son of man," signifying that from the virginal womb and from her most pure blood He had constituted a temple for Himself. For he is truly called "son of man" who is the son of a woman. For a woman is also truly human. "And God visited him," according to what we read elsewhere: "I foresaw the Lord in my sight always, since He is at my right hand." ^C Thou didst diminish him a little lower than the angels, on account of the hungering and ^D

^A thirsting and subjection to the blameless passions of the body. "Thou hast crowned him," that is, Thou hast adorned him: with glory, indeed, by His divinity; but with honor, which the angels offered Him. For they frequently ministered to Him. Or perhaps both were offered to Him by men, for those who believed in Him called Him God and worshipped Him with all reverence. "And Thou hast subjected all things," as to a new Adam who preserved the image of God.

According to the anagogical sense, the sheep are those from the Gentiles who have believed, whom Christ found wandering on the hills and mountains and gathered into His own fold. The oxen, however, are the Jews, drawing the heavy yoke of the law. The beasts of the field are those who have received neither the law of Moses nor that of grace, but are idolaters, walking in the plain and in the lowliness of the pleasures of this life, because they are not able to ascend to the height of contemplation. The birds of the air ^B are the angels; the fish of the sea are the demons, who frolic in the waves of this life and live off the saltiness of our wicked deeds. For all shall eventually be subjected to Christ, because "to Him every knee shall bend, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth."

It is not untimely to also set forth a more refined exposition: that the phrase "Thou hast diminished him" is not said in relation to the angels, but in relation to the glory of the Father. For it should be read thus: "Thou hast diminished him a little," that is, from Thy own dignity, on account of the nature of the flesh; and then what follows should be read by itself: "with glory and honor Thou hast crowned him," to an even greater degree. For no angel has either received the divine name or attained such ministry. ^C

Indeed, let the Jews tell us when infants and nursing children uttered this praise, of which the Prophet now speaks, and what enemy this praise has destroyed. To which the blessed David also said: "I will behold the heavens, the works of Thy fingers," when Moses had already taught concerning these: "In the beginning," he says, "God created heaven and earth." ^D

VERS. 10. "O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is Thy name in all the earth!" Since this psalm foretells the mystery concerning Christ, and Christ descended from heaven and again ascended to the Father's glory—having returned from whence He came in a kind of circular motion—this Psalm

Psalm IX

[...continued from the previous page] ^A Christ, and like a circle, there it receives its end where it took its beginning: beginning and ending, he is filled with the same admiration, saying: "O Lord our Lord," etc.

For the end, concerning the hidden things of the Son. A Psalm of David.

PSALM IX.

What "for the end" signifies has been stated in the preceding remarks; and in another way, the death on the cross may fittingly be called the end of the life of the Son—human life, that is—the death of which the Prophet calls "the hidden things of the Son," just as the Hebrew text explains more openly by saying, "For the death of the Son." And elsewhere we read that there is a mystery hidden from the ages, unknown even to the angels themselves. For Paul says that it was hidden from the rulers of this age: "For if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." This psalm, therefore, pertains to the death of the Lord, through Whom all the power of the enemy has been destroyed. ^B This psalm is long, and this comes from the wisdom of the Spirit. For He did not make all the psalms short, nor did He draw them all out to great length; but He rendered the book varied, stimulating indolence with length and mitigating labor with brevity. The Prophet speaks, either as if he himself were affected by the benefits, or as in the person of those who had been affected by the benefits and delivered from the tyranny of the enemy.

It must be known, in general, that some things in the sacred Scriptures should be taken according to history alone, as in the passage: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"; while other things according to the anagogical sense alone, as that: "Let your fountain of water be for yourself alone." For unless you inquire into the meaning of this, it would be of the greatest inhumanity forbidding one to share water with anyone. It is clear, therefore, that in that passage the discourse is about a lawful wife, inasmuch as she is sweet by nature and pure at the same time, devoid of any strange commingling. Finally, some things should be taken according to both history and the anagogical sense simultaneously, as those things which are handed down concerning the bronze serpent which Moses erected. For they did indeed occur in reality, and they are referred to Christ by way of a figure. Thus, in the Psalms, most things are to be understood in these various ways, not in one way alone. ^C

VERS. 2. *I will confess to thee, O Lord, with my whole heart.* The name of confession signifies two things: the revelation of sins, and the giving of thanks. As here: I will give thanks to Thee, he says, for the benefits received and for those which I shall receive, not simply, but with my whole heart.

*I will relate all thy wonders.* He calls benefits "wonders," as if they were certain admirable trophies won over the enemy.

VERS. 3. *I will be glad and rejoice in thee.* I will be glad, he says, as one who has received the experience of Thy help and power. "For I remembered God, and was delighted," he says elsewhere. For God alone is to men ^D [...]

a true consolation; just as He alone is the one who saves men. Exultation, indeed, is a certain greater intensity of joy, which, through excessive gladness, causes the heart to leap up and be greatly uplifted. ^A I will sing to Thy name, O Most High. It was customary for those who were amorously affected toward someone to compose songs and chants for him, and thereby to soothe the longing of their soul. The prophet, therefore, having made use of such a metaphor, declared the intensity of his love for God, saying, "I will sing to Thy name," which expression denotes a musical and harmonious chant. I shall sing, therefore, he says, not to Thy nature—since that is incomprehensible—but to Thy name, weaving and intertwining for it fitting praises.

^B When my enemy is turned back, they shall be weakened, and perish from Thy face. He begins to recount the kinds of benefits for which he gives thanks to God. For the tyrant demon once dared to attack the Savior Himself, as if He were a mere man; but as soon as he heard, "Get thee behind me, Satan," and perceived His inexpugnable power, he immediately retreated in great ignominy. With him turned and put to flight, all the powers under him were likewise weakened and perished, having lost that tyranny which was, so to speak, their life. For since Jesus lived without sin, whence He destroyed the demon, and likewise clothed us in the weapons of salvation; since He also left behind for us, in place of a way and a path leading to heaven, the holy baptism, and the meditation and keeping of the divine oracles, and His own manner of life and conduct—consequently, the other demons have been totally rendered vain, and have no power against us, unless we ourselves, through sloth, willingly draw them to us again by neglecting the commandments. But "from Thy face," that is to say, from Thy fear. For in war, the face of valiant and powerful men is wont to appear terrible and fearful to the enemy.

^C For Thou hast done my judgment and my cause. For Thou didst judge me who believed in Thee, who was formerly held under the power and bitter tyranny of the demon through my ignorance. And when Thou didst see that the wicked one had enviously enslaved Thy creature, Thou justified me, having brought me out from his hands and freed me from error; for here he calls righteousness a "cause."

^D Thou satest on a throne, Thou that judgest righteousness. This is said on account of the Ascension of the Savior into heaven. For having completed the dispensation in the flesh, He returned to His judicial throne, that is, to the power of the Godhead, which He had not left when He descended to us in arcane and ineffable ways. For He was taken up into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father, as one who has received all power in heaven and on earth, and has brought aid to His own creature, for whom He had laid down His immaculate soul. These things, however, must be understood not in a human manner, but in a way worthy of God. For to be seated upon the throne, the judicial power might be understood [as residing] in the Word and God.

^A For you have attained to judicial power, and have taken on the aspect of a judge, you who are the only just judge, and are hindered by no ignorance or disposition from [acting with] uprightness; which though you possessed it before, you nonetheless concealed on account of the dispensation in the flesh, so that the whole [plan] might be fulfilled. You have been, he says, in judicial power, and have assumed the person of a judge, who alone are the just judge, and whom no ignorance or passion hinders from persevering always in equity.

^B VERS. 6. *You rebuked the nations, and the impious one perished.* You have rebuked, he says, the nations, you have charged them with their error, and Satan has fled from them, unable to bear the truth. For the apostles sometimes used to rebuke the Gentiles harshly, just as Paul who called the Galatians foolish; and when they perceived this, they withdrew from their idolatry; and this [idolatry] having perished, its leader, the Devil, also vanished along with it. So much did the rebuke alone avail.

*You have blotted out his name forever and ever.* Having snatched the honor due to God, the demons had names bestowed upon them by men who were enslaved to them, even as the babbling *Theogony* of Hesiod sets forth; and to pass over others, I will mention by way of example the names of Zeus, Ares, Apollo, Hermes, Artemis, Aphrodite, and such a swarm—names which, after the word of the dispensation was sown, were blotted out, not only throughout the whole of the present age, but even much more in the one to come. For this must be considered [as] age of the age, which is truly an age because it is always. It is customary for Scripture to denote the most venerable things through such a pattern: for example, "Holy of Holies," "Song of Songs," "Sabbath of Sabbaths," and things of that sort. ^C Or "unto the age of the age" is an intensifier, meaning "unto all eternity." For the demoniacal rites have been completely forgotten for the future, with their names also being extinguished for them.

VERS. 7. *The enemy’s swords have failed unto the end, and you have destroyed their cities.* By "swords," that is, blades or weapons of the enemy, must be understood those shameful passions and affections by which the human soul, being struck as [if] by a sword, lay dead to virtue in the body as in a tomb. And the cities were destroyed, with their impiety being pulled down and piety being built [in its place]. Or one should understand by "cities" the men in whom the demons previously dwelt and rested. Although it would not be foreign [to the meaning] to understand by "cities" the foul shrines of the idols.

*His memory has perished with a sound.* For no one any longer knows how to offer sacrifice to him, or to invoke him at all. But what he says, "with a sound," means the same as "with a clamor." For the demons fled from the Lord with clamor. Or "with a sound," that is, with that boasting and pride; or ^D with those clamors and songs of the sacrifices. He inveighs against the demon in the singular, calling him "impious" and "enemy," by this means railing against the leader of the opposing powers, who is also the cause of apostasy 46 for the others.

And the Lord remains forever.* The faithful from among the nations, he says, believe that the Lord will remain until the consummation; for the Word teaches the immutability of the piety of those who have received it.

*He has prepared His throne in judgment.* Since a little above he spoke of the assumption of the Savior which took place in the present life, now he hints at His coming one, the universal and final and fearful appearance, when He shall render to each according to his works. The phrase "He has prepared" is spoken in human fashion.

*And He Himself shall judge the world in righteousness; He shall judge the peoples in uprightness.* By "the world" [or, as it is in the Greek, "the habitable world"] he understands the faithful, among whom God is believed to dwell in all the churches. By "peoples," he calls the other men, among whom thick forests of passions exist, in whose lairs demons dwell like wild beasts. For the Lord will judge the others in one way, and these in another, testing the powerful mightily, according to their faith and their unbelief. Or, by introducing "peoples," he clarified the meaning of "the habitable world," indicating the contents by that which contains them. Through "judgment," he proclaims justice and uprightness, [showing] the ^B inflexibility of the Judge.

*And the Lord became a refuge for the poor.* For the people from the nations, who have believed, are "poor" in piety and virtue, and for them God has become a refuge; for wealth in money is faithless and unstable. Or perhaps the prophet wishes to signify by this that there is no respect of persons with God; for He receives the poor man who flees to Him, and does not turn him away.

*A helper in opportune times, in tribulation.* He helps those who flee to Him, both in "opportune times"—that is, in prosperity—and in "tribulation"; for each [clause] must be read absolutely by itself. For not only those in calamities, but also those in prosperity have the greatest need of a helper, so that they may preserve their happiness and not fall into sloth, the mother of calamities. And some interpret "in opportune times" ^C as "opportunely," explaining that the Lord became a helper in tribulations opportunely—that is, in a time needing help.

*And let those who know Thy name hope in Thee, for Thou hast not forsaken those who seek Thee, O Lord.* Henceforth, he says: They will hope in You, as in Him who alone is able to save—those, I say, who know Your name, that is to say, You, by periphrasis; that is, those who believe in You. For some, from the Hebrew, [understand] the "Epsa" ^D

they shall hope, having interpreted it in a future tense instead of the imperative mode. But the Prophet perhaps used the imperative in the manner of a teacher and one instructing, commanding those things to be done which he knows well and firmly. Furthermore, he also rightly said, "who know Your name." For no one knows the nature of God. And finally, he added the cause of his hope, saying: "For You have not forsaken those who seek You, O Lord." Nor did he say "seeking" [quærentes], but "diligently seeking" [exquirentes], that he might denote that a certain investigation must be made from the whole soul. ^A

VERS. 12. Psallite Domino qui habitat in Sion. Since the Lord is such as we have demonstrated above, "Psallite," that is, "Sing to him." But he said "who inhabits in Sion," not because God is enclosed by a place, but that by saying this, he might show a certain benevolence of God toward that place. God is also said to inhabit in the faithful, not because he is contained by them, but because he is joined to them, as it were, by a certain benevolence and familiarity. ^B Therefore, the Prophet encourages either the Hebrews who were then [present] to sing the praises of God, or the faithful who are now [present] from the Gentiles, of whom He was about to be the God. "Who inhabits in Sion," that is, who gives responses and oracles in Sion, where He speaks to those worthy of Himself. Or understand Sion as the Church gathered from the nations, which the Lord afterward inhabited.

Annuntiate inter gentes studia ejus. These things are said to the apostles, who went about and taught all the nations. But whereas the LXX said "studies" or "exercises" here, Symmachus expounded "arts," and Aquila "changes." Therefore, announce his exercises and studies, that is, his deeds; or his arts, that is, his wondrous wisdom; or his changes, which, indeed, succeeded in the place of others. ^C For those who were far off have been made near; and those who were in the darkness of error have come to the light of truth; those who were in oblivion have been held in memory; and those who were formerly cast away have at length been assumed; and God has been made man, and man God.

VERS. 13. Quoniam qui exquirit sanguinem, eorum recordatus est. God arranged and ordered these things thus, after He remembered them. For previously He had not remembered [them] on account of their infidelity. But He remembers, no longer enduring their blood to be poured out in sacrifices [for they sacrificed their own sons and daughters to demons]; rather, He demanded that blood from the hands of those who were shedding it, which they had not laid [upon themselves]. ^D Or [this] indicates the vengeance of mutual slaughters, which they performed at the command of demons, so that it might be manifest that every murderer pays the penalty; as we also read in Genesis: "For your blood," he says, "I will seek."

Non est oblitus clamorem pauperum. For human nature, held under the tyranny of invisible demons, seemed in a certain way to cry out to the Creator, on account of the cause of such great calamity and misery. Or perhaps these words signify that the prophets of old, looking forward to the mystery of the divine Incarnation, cried out, calling for the God who was to be incarnate for the help

of those who were otherwise poor, on account of the simplicity of their cry, and for this reason He did not forget their clamor. ^A

VERS. 14. *Have mercy on me, O Lord; see my humiliation from my enemies.* These words are spoken in the person of every Christian: "See," he says, "the depression and dejection inflicted upon me by visible and invisible enemies." For they strove to utterly destroy the entire race of Christians.

VERS. 15. *You who lift me up from the gates of death.* He called the varied tortures of the martyrs the gates of death. Those who overcame these gates were seen to be made more brilliant and illustrious by the Savior; for through tortures a person is led to death. These things can also be understood of blessed David, who, having been humbled many times by enemies, was miraculously delivered from death, and became even more renowned through the aid which was granted to him by God.

*That I may declare all Your praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion.* This is the cause for which he was delivered from death, or for which he sought to be shown mercy: "That I may declare," he says, "all Your praises"—namely, those of creation, of providence, of wisdom, of justice, and of the Incarnation, for each of which You deserve to be praised. By Sion here he names the Church of the saints which is in heaven; and by her gates, the local Churches, through which one walking arrives at that ^B Church. For those who suffered for Christ, dwelling in the Churches, declared the divine miracles, strengthening the faithful. And David himself, through the book of the Psalms, declares the praises of God in every Church. And he called the one above daughter of Sion, as being beloved and established by God.

VERS. 16. *We will exult in Your salvation.* By salvation he signifies the Incarnation of the Lord and His death, which became the cause of human salvation; whence also blessed Symeon later sang: "Because my eyes have seen Your salvation" (Luke 2, 30).

*The nations have become stuck in the destruction which they wrought.* By nations in this place are to be understood the Jews, as having become like the ungodly nations in malice and envy; and by "destruction," simply death. For having hastened to put to death the Author of life, they themselves were utterly destroyed by the Romans; and having prepared death for Him, they themselves were seized by it entirely. Or the discourse is also about those who make war upon Christians; for being eager to destroy them, they themselves were destroyed instead. Nor would it be out of place to understand these things of the demons, who, having devised to check the power of Christ through death, were themselves checked in their own power by such a death.

*In this snare which they hid, their [foot] was caught.* ^{C D}

^A He repeats the same thought again with another image, as it were celebrating a procession or a triumph over the destruction of his enemies. By the "snare," he understands the schemes and plotting. For every snare is in secret, just as this one was; for while they were plotting secretly, they were bringing their slaughter into the light. ^B *The Lord is known by executing judgments.* By judgments, he means retributions; for the Lord renders to each according to his worth. *The sinner is caught in the works of his own hands.* This is also similar to what came before. For a reason is given why the Lord is known for executing judgments: because from this, he can be seen most especially as a righteous judge, since he arranges for those who lay snares for others to fall into their own snare, by a reversal of fortune. You may understand the "sinner" here as being in one of the three ways already mentioned when we interpreted the word "nations," or else take it generally for any deceitful person. *Diapsalma.* This has been spoken of. *Let the sinners be turned back into hell.* By "sinners" here, he understands the infidels, and by "hell," the punishments. "Let them be turned back," that is, let them be brought down from the present life; for places of punishment are said to be under the earth. Or alternatively, those who were born from the earth are turned back to it, as they are able to think of nothing ^C but earthly things. Whom he means by "sinners," he declares by what follows, saying: *All the nations that forget God.* They forget, that is, through voluntary forgetfulness. *For the poor man shall not always be forgotten.* This, he says, will happen to such nations, because the faithful man will not be forgotten forever. He calls him "poor" who is indeed poor in temporal riches but is rich in the wealth of virtues. Or he calls the people from the nations "poor," as those who had lost the dignity of their soul and were impoverished of the treasure of piety and virtue. *The patience of the poor shall not perish forever.* By "poor" he refers here to those from the nations, whose expectation will not be in vain to the end. The expectation of the nations is Christ. And He, he says, *will be the expectation of the nations*, to whom He also cries out through another prophet: *Wait for me in the time of my resurrection.* ^D *Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail.* Another interpreter rendered it, "Let not man do anything rashly." The prophet says this because of the mutual insurrections and insolence of the nations. For men, lacking true teachers and therefore ignorant that they are earth and dust, were becoming insolent beyond their own nature; and while they were daring all things, they even enrolled themselves among the gods. Arise, therefore, he says, and restrain such arrogance. It is also

^A possible to say that, in as much as man was made according to the image and likeness of God, he is called "God"; but in as much as he is held by earthly affections and passions, he is deservedly called "man." Since, therefore, these passions were prevailing in men, the Prophet exhorts God to arise from the dead, and to teach through the holy apostles how passions ought not to exalt themselves above the soul, nor dust above the intellect. And in another way: after the resurrection, once the preaching of the Gospel had been spread throughout the whole world, those mutual insurrections and insolences of the nations ceased.

*Let the nations be judged in thy sight.* That is, let them be made worthy of thy inspection and protection. For he who judges is accustomed to look upon him who is judged. But understand by "judgment" that which was to be made against the devil; concerning which God says through Isaiah: *Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased; I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall bring forth judgment to the nations.*

*Set, O Lord, a lawgiver over them.* ^B By the "lawgiver" he here suggests Christ, according to that saying: *But I was appointed King by him*, for he gave them a new law, namely, the holy Gospel.

*Let the nations know that they are men.* May they at some late hour at least learn to live as men, and not as wild beasts. [Or otherwise: Let them be taught, he says, that they are corruptible, and that they are far from being gods: which is what their own boasting and pride persuade them to think.]

^C *PSAL. X ACCORDING TO THE HEBREWS. Ver. 1. Why, O Lord, hast thou stood afar off?* Here he begins to treat of divine Providence, and concerning how the affairs of wicked men proceed well and happily, while on the contrary, just and good men lead an unhappy life. He frames his discourse from the person of the just who are in afflictions, and in a way seeks the reason from God, saying: "Why dost thou permit men to be carried rashly and by chance wherever fate commands, and hast no care for them?" This is taken from the metaphor of those who have departed far away and have no care for those they have left behind.

*Thou despisest in prosperity, in tribulation?* To despise is to dissimulate, not to see, and as it were to look downward ^D and not at that matter which is placed before the eyes. Why, therefore, he says, thou who art present to all, dost thou appear to be absent by reason of thy long-suffering and patience, and though thou seest all things, dost thou pretend not to see, that thou mightest not bring help to our affairs, and this at that time most especially, when we most of all need thy protection, namely now, when we are placed in tribulations? The Prophet says these things not accusing or blaming God, but praying and exhorting. For otherwise God could have answered him, as is written elsewhere: *Your sins distinguish between me and you.*

*Ver. 2. While the impious behaves proudly, the poor is set on fire.* When, he says, someone is exalted, when all things succeed well for him, then if there is any one of the faithful who is urged by frequent calamities, he is set on fire with a certain zeal and emulation of opinion and of good reputation, [emitting] like smoke the sighing because...

being such a one, he is yet obscure and unknown. Or understand it also in another way: that while the impious demon sets himself against the human race, he who is poor in virtues is set on fire toward the passions.

*Coadjuvantur in consiliis quæ cogitant.* [They are helped in the counsels which they think.] This is also said concerning the impious. They are helped, he says, in those things which they consult. But understand this "help" as prosperity. Or they are helped by those like themselves. One must observe, however, that the Prophet oftentimes, speaking as much of wicked men as of good men, uses the singular and sometimes the plural number; for in number indeed they are many, but in virtue or in vice they are one. Or otherwise: Because the Greek word *syllambanontai* signifies not only "are helped," but also "are seized," we can say that the Prophet here speaks of those faithful who are seized in their own thoughts, which they ponder regarding the impious and their prosperity; as if he were to say that they fall because of their own infirmity, not being ^B able to perceive or consider the judgments of God.

VERS. 3. *Quoniam laudatur peccator in desideriis animæ suæ, et injustus benedicitur.* [For the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul, and the unjust man is blessed.] It is to be observed that the word *quoniam*, or *quia*, does not always render a cause among the Hebrews, but sometimes it is an adverb of affirmation; at other times it is also redundant according to the usage of the idiom. So, says the Prophet, vice has prevailed among them, so that sinners are even praised for the sins which they commit by obeying their own fleshly lust, and those likewise who afflict anyone with injury, acquire from their own kind a greater glory for the wickedness ^C thereby.

VERS. 4. *Irritavit Dominum peccator.* [The sinner has provoked the Lord.] He has moved God to vengeance, urging and inciting Him by his own sins. *Secundum multitudinem iræ suæ non exquiret.* [According to the multitude of His wrath, He will not seek.] He will not exact, he says, the punishments worthy of His wrath, according to that: "If Thou, O Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" For he calls the wrath of God a just punishment and a condign retribution. God, he says, is merciful: He does not inflict the highest and earned punishments. Others read: "The sinner has provoked the Lord according to the multitude of His wrath," that is, worthily, and as the divine wrath demanded, which had been instigated and kindled ^D by the sinner himself through his own crimes; and that which follows, *non exquiret*, they say should be read as a question, or even absolutely, and then the sense is that God will not seek out through repentance him who has so provoked Him.

VERS. 5. *Non est Deus in conspectu ejus.* [God is not in his sight.] The sinner thinks that God does not see him committing sins. Or otherwise: God, who is present everywhere, is not perceived by the eyes of the sinner. *Inquinatæ sunt viæ illius in omni tempore.* [His ways are polluted at all times.] When

he does not think he is being seen, the actions of the sinner become base and polluted.

^A *Thy judgments are taken away from his face.* Your judgments, he says, are taken away from his intellect. For the intellect, indeed, has eyes. But a sinner of this sort is of such blindness that he does not see the judgments which are brought forth by you, nor does he consider nor note that you are a just, strong, and long-suffering judge. The preposition *anti-* is redundant and used abusively, just as we have interpreted it in the case of retribution; for it was enough to say, *are taken away.* Or, in another way: the judgments of God are the abolition of sin, for the one who sins, by meditating upon them, ceases from sin; but the *anti-anaeresis* (counter-abolition) of these is, again, their oblivion.

*He shall have dominion over all his enemies.* He will take vengeance upon all who rose up against him, God, by his long-suffering, frequently permitting him to conquer even in wars.

*For he said in his heart: I shall not be moved.* He thought his prosperity would be permanent; but by "moved," understand it as being changed from his former power and his own strength.

*From generation to generation without evil.* Subunderstand the word "I shall be," or "I shall pass through." For that sinner thought and believed that he would be from generation to generation—that is, throughout his whole life—without any affliction. For here he has put "generation" for "life," as if to say, from his life to that which will be after his death.

^C *Whose mouth is full of cursing, and bitterness, and deceit.* The words *his mouth* are placed according to the Hebrew idiom, as is found in many places. For the Hebrews are accustomed to join pronouns with articles; such is also that saying: *Blessed is he whose God is the God of Jacob his helper,* and that: *Blessed is the man to whom there is help from thee.* Moreover, his mouth is "full of cursing," when he curses everyone; and of "bitterness," when he speaks irascibly to all; and of "deceit," when he does not put forth speech from his heart, but says one thing while hiding another in his mind.

*Under his tongue are labor and sorrow.* He speaks those things which provide labor and sorrow to those whom he ensnares. Or, because in his teaching there is labor and sorrow, of which those who obey him will be partakers, finding no rest; or, his tongue was in labor and sorrow, bringing forth words of labor and sorrow against those whom he was attacking. By this mode of speaking, he indicated his loquacity and malignancy.

^D *He sits in ambush with the rich.* "Ambush" is a hidden place where one, entering, secretly attacks those passing by. The word now enumerates the manifold vices of the wicked which they are accustomed to commit: the deceits, the intrigues, the rapines, the mur-

murders, and other things of this nature. He hides himself, he says, in ambush along with those who are richer in vices; that is, those who are more illustrious and famous for their crimes: for he associates them to himself as those who feel exactly as he does. Then, clarifying the ambush, he also adds the cause of the ambush: ^A

In secret places that he may kill the innocent. That is to say, so that he may deliver to death without cause one who has caused him no injury. The ancients were accustomed to use this particle, for it signifies cause.

Ver. 9. His eyes look upon the poor. He describes the constant and perpetual attention of this insidiator: who, when he sees someone passing by, considers with the greatest anxiety of soul how he may seize him.

He lies in wait in secret like a lion in his den. At last he repeats the sentiment in a somewhat varied way, revealing and bringing into the light the wickedness of their crimes, full of acts and malice in every respect; he demonstrates that they have become, in a way, wild beasts. For just as a lion, hiding in its own cavern or lair—for this is what "den" implies—plots against weaker animals who pass by feeling secure and fearing nothing of the sort, so too does this man act, using the secret place as a lair. ^B

He lies in wait to seize the poor, to seize the poor when he draws him. For having compared him to a lion, both in regard to the plot, and the savagery, and the murder, he persists in the comparison, teaching that the works of the lion suit him. He seizes, he says, by falling suddenly like a lion, and drags him to his own den. He lies in wait, he says, not to catch a wild beast that is pernicious or an enemy, but to catch a poor man—a poor man, I say, both in goods and in human strength. And while he speaks of drawing him, he reveals more clearly the method of the robbery. By that repetition, "to seize," he denotes the total impiety of this man. Perhaps he doubled the expression for this reason, so that by a kind of exaggeration he might stir God more to vengeance.

Ver. 10. In his snare he will humble him. This is: through his deceit and cunning he will dominate him: or he will cast him to the ground, once killed. For "lowly" is he who lies prostrate on the ground. ^C

He will incline, and fall, when he has dominated the poor. Where that powerful man has dominated the poor, then he too, humbled, will incline and perish. For those who fall are first inclined. Now all these things will come to pass, so that his incurable vice may be revealed, and likewise the forbearance of God, and the patience of those who are oppressed, and finally the vengeance upon the same.

Ver. 11. For he has said in his heart: God has forgotten, he has turned away his face so as not to see to the end. He to whom we said it is permitted to fulfill the concupiscences of his soul falls into very absurd opinions: while he considers within himself that God has forgotten His own providence, by which He governs the world, that ^D

^A He shuts off His protection, so as not to look upon things that are happening. For the expression "to the end" is taken in one place to mean "altogether," and in another "continuously." But correctly considered, both meanings lead to the same result. It is necessary, however, to know that what has been foretold is understood as applying also to the Jewish people and to Christ, being adapted to each part. For that people, along with the rulers of the people, lay in wait for Him who was innocent of sin, who for our sake became poor, and they were always observing Him; they were doing everything against Him, and finally, when they had killed Him and persecuted the apostles, then they themselves were utterly destroyed by the Romans.

^B "Arise, O Lord my God, let Your hand be lifted up." Be moved, he says, to vengeance. But the phrase "Let Your hand be lifted up" is spoken by way of metaphor; for those who punish someone are accustomed to raise their hand to inflict blows and scourging. Or alternatively: though Your power is always exalted and sublime, yet now especially, I ask, grant that it may be apparent to all. For by the "hand of God" we ought to understand His power.

"Do not forget Your poor ones to the end." "To the end" here means "forever."

"For what reason has the impious one provoked God?" The Prophet, feeling deeply grieved at such wicked deeds of the impious, frames his discourse in the form of a question; and then he resolves the doubt by replying, saying: "For he has said in his heart, He will not require it." This, he says, is the cause of the impiety, for he thinks that God will not inquire into the things being done.

^C "You see, for You behold toil and anger, that You might deliver him into Your hands." The word "You see" should be read by itself, observing a full stop, so that the meaning is as follows: Even if the wicked man thinks this a thousand times, carried away into madness on account of Your longsuffering, yet You see all things, penetrating everywhere, because You strictly look upon both the toil of those who are wronged and the anger of those who wrong them. For consideration is a meticulous discernment. And You see strictly so that You may hereafter deliver him into Your punishments; for this is what "hands" are understood to mean here, and "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

^D "To You the poor one is left." Since all have turned away, to You alone has he remained for help. "You were a helper to the orphan." As his Creator and Lord. These things are understood, indeed, concerning the poor and orphans simply, but not least also concerning the people from the nations, who were poor for the aforementioned reasons, and orphans because they did not know their own Father and Creator, God.

"Break the arm of the sinner and the evil man." By "arm" he means power; for indeed, for that reason he understands power and strength.

^A For with this is the strength of man; but the "sinner" is he who is enslaved to tyrannical desires, and the "evil man" is he who has, by his own purpose and will, become depraved and wicked. "His sin shall be sought, and shall not be found." For if you search for his sin and be not longsuffering, he himself shall immediately perish, adjudged worthy of death. Yet the statement can also be understood of Christ, predicting what Pilate was later to say, that "I find no fault in this man," and again, what Christ Himself said: "Now the ruler of this world is coming, and he will find nothing in me." For neither did Pilate find any sin for which Jesus ought to have been killed, nor was the devil himself, at the time when that immaculate soul of Christ was separated from His body, able to find even the slightest sin, although he labored much upon it.

VERS. 16. "The Lord is King for ever, and for ever and ever." These words are addressed to those who are offended because wicked men are not immediately punished. The kingdom, he says, and the judgment of God are not for a time, but are perpetual. Wherefore, although they may pay no penalties now, they shall nonetheless pay them eventually. Or it foretells the kingdom of Christ, which He always possessed as God, but which He received anew as man after the Resurrection: "For all power," He says, "has been given to me in heaven and on earth," so that He might reign not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. "You shall perish, O nations, out of His land." By "nations" he here means those who have not accepted the evangelical law; for the nations are without law. And by "His land" he understands the whole world (since it is said: "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof," from which he predicts that these shall be exterminated) once the faith has been spread abroad. Or, by the land of the Lord, he understands His kingdom, from which all who have lived wickedly shall fall away. ^B

VERS. 17. "You have heard the desire of the poor, O Lord; Your ear has hearkened to the preparation of their heart." You have heard, he says, the desire of the poor and the preparation of their heart, which were, in a way, crying out to You and desiring the destruction of the unjust. For these poor were prepared and upright in heart, and unimpeded by any vice. Or perhaps these words pertain to the desire of the prophets, who longed for the Incarnation of the Lord and were ready for the reception of faith: namely, those who later did accept it. ^C

VERS. 18. "To judge for the orphan and the humble." You heard, he says, and hearkened, so as to become judge for the orphan and the humble, and to exact vengeance for them. "That man may no more magnify himself upon the earth." That every man, seeing the vengeance of the oppressed, might lay aside his boldness and rashness, and that no one might boast any further or exalt himself over the humble. ^D

[..] against those subordinate to them. But the phrase "upon the earth" signifies in general the encompassing of human beings.

To the end. A Psalm of David. Psalm X.

David sang this psalm when he was being pursued by Saul. And it is inscribed "To the end," because it contains a prophecy of the vengeance that God was about to exact upon Saul by His grace.

^A VERSE 2. *In the Lord I trust: how say you to my soul, Transmigrate to the mountains like a sparrow?* When blessed David was fleeing into the desert, his well-wishers were advising him to go rather to the mountains, asserting that he would be safer there. Therefore, he reproaches such friends in the present psalm as giving counsel that is not right. "I," he says, "trust in the Lord, and I reject every other help. Why then, do you say to my soul"—that is, to me myself—"that I should flee like a sparrow to the mountains, and remain there like a timid bird?" Note that the Prophet frequently refers to himself by paraphrasing as "my soul," as we have said before, in the passage: *Many say to my soul.*

VERSE 3. *For behold the sinners have bent their bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver.* By the tension of the bow and the preparation of the arrows in the quiver, he indicated the whole preparation for war. Or, perhaps, because they were using these weapons against those who were fleeing. These words set forth the reason for David’s trust. "I have confidence," he says, "because ^B it is sinners who are warring against me. For they sin by pursuing me though I am innocent, and by wishing to inflict death upon me in exchange for the salvation I provided them, when I slew Goliath and when I cast out the demon that was suffocating Saul."

*That they may shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.* They have prepared themselves to destroy us, the blameless, who have nothing crooked in our hearts. "To shoot" signifies "by treachery and in secret"—for this is what "obscurity" signifies here. ^C For those struck on a moonless night do not see those who are striking them. Or, one may understand the adverb "as" here, so that the sense is that the enemies, darkened by their supreme envy as if by a certain moonless night, do not recognize or see whom it is they are striving to shoot, and that they are directing their weapons against a friend and benefactor.

VERSE 4. *For what thou hast perfected, they have destroyed.* This is also another cause of his trust. "I trust," he says, "also for this reason, because they destroyed him whom Thou didst anoint as King." He used "to perfect" here to mean "to make," and "to destroy" for "to cast down," which is metaphorically drawn from buildings that are overthrown. Since they dare such things, they have Thee for an enemy, whom they shall not withstand, because they have overthrown the laws which Thou hast established. For Thou didst command that no one should be harmed by injury; Thou didst command that the innocent not be slain, [which precepts are utterly neglected by them].

Psalmus X

What then did the righteous one do? What, he says, did the righteous one commit, that he should suffer such persecution? He speaks this concerning himself, as one who had in no way injured those who were so hostile to him. Or, he intends to speak of the supernal guardianship and protection of God, saying: God—who is properly and truly called righteous, who always hates injustice, who alone judges rightly—what has He done, given that such deeds have been perpetrated by them? Has He perhaps overlooked them, or does He not see? By no means.

VERS. 5. *The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven.* He is, he says, the Lord in the temple of Jerusalem; the Lord is also seated in heaven. As though he were to say: God is present everywhere, and He looks upon all who are afflicted by injury; which he explains even more clearly through what follows, saying:

*His eyes look upon the poor; His eyelids examine the sons of men.* He did not say "behold," but "look upon," signifying that protection which He has from on high. Now, the eyes of God are to be understood as that exquisite science and knowledge of all things that come to pass; while His eyelids are the veil of this knowledge. ^B For eyelids are the coverings of the eyes. Therefore, by the eyelids he wished to signify that if at any time God seems not to be looking, but to be lingering in the hidden things of the soul and mind, then nevertheless He sees; or that He looks upon all things, as one who beholds not only with His eyes but even with His eyelids, and knows all things from every side. To "examine" is also the same as to "know." He used "sons of men" simply for "men."

Now, a "poor man" is spoken of in two ways: namely, in the possession of property and in virtues. But this is manifest: that the Lord looks upon the one who is poor in money but who is rich in virtue; and that, on the contrary, He turns away from the one who is poor in virtues, although he may be rich in money. Therefore, the Lord looks upon the first poor man, who abounds in those things which the second lacks; ^C but He turns away from the second, who lacks what the first abounds in, through an exchange.

VERS. 6. *The Lord examines the righteous and the ungodly.* By this it is declared what those words "sons of men" signify: namely, the righteous and the unjust, whom he also calls ungodly because they neglect God while they disdain to observe His precepts.

*But he who loves injustice hates his own soul.* This is the cause why the Prophet has confidence. Moreover, these words contain the proof that every unjust person works the death of his own life, having become an enemy to his own soul. For by his depraved and wicked actions, he always irritates God more and provokes Him against his own soul.

VERS. 7. *He shall rain snares upon sinners.* The Lord, he says, will bring punishments upon sinners, by which, being held fast, they will be checked from their former impulse. ^D Now, by this metaphor of rain, he denoted the utter abundance and perpetuity of the punishments.

*Fire and brimstone and the spirit of a tempest shall be the portion of their cup.* Fire indeed is most efficacious; brimstone, however, is its rich and thick fodder. For by this kind of fuel, fire is greatly nourished. The spirit, or [tempest...]

Psalmus XI

^A "But what has the righteous man done?" What has the righteous man sinned, he says, that he should be persecuted in this way? He speaks this concerning himself, as one who did not wrong those who were wronging him. Or, does God wish to teach concerning the overseer from above—God, who is truly righteous, who hates injustice, who alone judges rightly—that, these things being so, what did He do? Did He perhaps overlook them? Not at all.

VERS. 5. "The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven." The Lord, he says, is in the temple at Jerusalem; the Lord is also seated in heaven. As if to say: God is present everywhere, and He looks upon all who suffer injustice: which he declares even more clearly in what follows, saying:

"His eyes look upon the poor; His eyelids examine the sons of men." He did not say "look," but "look upon," signifying that overseer from above. The eyes of God are the exact knowledge of things that occur; His eyelids are the covering of such knowledge—for eyelids are the coverings of the eyes. Yet by means of the eyelids he signaled that, even when God seems not to see—as in the hidden things of the soul—He sees no less. Or else he shows from this His all-seeing nature, that He sees not [only] with eyes, but also with eyelids, and knows all things from every side. "To examine" is the same as "to discern." By "sons of men," he meant all mankind. Furthermore, the poor man is twofold: both in possession of wealth and in virtues. But it is clear that the Lord looks upon the one who is poor in money but rich in virtue; and on the contrary, He turns away from the one who is poor in virtues, although he may be rich in money. The Lord therefore looks upon the first, who abounds in those things in which the second is destitute; and He turns away from the second, who lacks what the first abounds in, by way of exchange.

VERS. 6. "The Lord examines the righteous and the ungodly." By this it is clarified what those words, "sons of men," signify: namely, the righteous and the unrighteous, whom he also calls ungodly because they neglect God while they scorn the keeping of His commandments.

"He who loves injustice hates his own soul." This is also a cause for confidence, and a lesson that every unjust person works the death of his own life, becoming an enemy to his own soul. For by his unholy actions, he provokes God against it.

"He will rain snares upon sinners." He will rain, that is, He will bring down from above upon sinners, snares, or punishments, by which, being captured, they will be restrained from their impulse. However, by the term "rain," he hinted at the abundance and continuity of the punishments.

"Fire and brimstone and the spirit of a storm are the portion of their cup." Fire is indeed efficient; brimstone is its oily and thick nourishment. For this kind of fuel greatly feeds fire; and the spirit of a storm [is]...

Psalm XI

^A ...and the Sabbath returns. As to the "eighth," it is not inscribed "Concerning the eighth," but "For the eighth"; for it does not teach what the eighth is, but prays for that day to come quickly, for the sake of the vengeance of those who are tyrannized by the devil and enslaved to idolatry.

Vers. 2. *Save me, O Lord, for the saint has failed.* A "just man" is one who, in human affairs, does not decline from what is honest; but a "saint" (ὁσιος) is one who is pious toward God; and "holy" (ἅγιος) is one who, through the end of the virtues, has participated in deification. These appear to be like a ladder, leading those who walk by them toward God. It has been said that the Scriptures sometimes call the perfect person in virtue "just," but our discourse now is not concerning that one. Since, then, there are some who possess human and partial justice, while the saints have failed—some by death, others by being driven out by the unholy—the Prophet prays to be saved from the prevailing evil men. The Prophet makes this petition in the person of those who were about to receive the preaching of the Gospel. For at that time the saints had failed most of all, when Christ also visited us in the flesh.

^B *For truths have diminished from the sons of men.* The saints had failed entirely, but truths were left in a small degree among men. For the genitive case is used here instead of the dative; for while they lied about the most critical matters, they spoke the truth in the most minor ones.

Vers. 3. *Each one has spoken vain things to his neighbor.* "Vain," that is, deceptive. For they did not only deceive strangers, but even their own family and household. For he calls a "neighbor" not one nearby in place, but one close by familiarity, friendship, or some other bond of connection.

*Deceitful lips in a heart, and with a heart he has spoken evil.* By "deceitful lips," he understands the deceitful man himself (as the whole by a part), who, in the duplicity of his heart and mind, has spoken evil and harmful things, keeping one judgment within his soul and expressing another with his words.

^D Vers. 4. *The Lord will destroy all deceitful lips, and the great-speaking tongue.* Often in Sacred Scripture, we find the optative mood formed into the future of the indicative, as is the case here. For the Prophet prays that the deceitful may be utterly destroyed, and likewise those who are accustomed to boast and vaunt themselves against the weaker ones, and to speak great things about themselves. Or he is also prophesying the...

future extermination of those very people; and, teaching who these people are who "magnify their tongue," he adds: ^B *They that have said: We will magnify our tongue.* He means those who have pondered within themselves, saying: "We will magnify our tongue," that is, we will prepare great and vaunting things for our tongue to speak. *Our lips are with us; who is our Lord?* They also said this: "We have authority over our own lips, and whom then do we fear so that we should not say such things? And who is there to restrain us from such words?" ^C *For the misery of the needy and the groan of the poor, now will I arise, saith the Lord.* The word "now" is to be taken in the sense of "then," according to the fitting time, so that the sense is: "Then," says Christ, "I shall arise from the sepulcher for the sake of the misery of those who have been ignorantly taken captive by error." Now that misery served them in place of a cry and a groan, according to those things we said above in Psalm IX, where it is written: *He hath not forgotten the cry of the poor.* Blessed David heard this with prophetic ears. *Needy* (inops), according to the etymology of the Greek word, is said of one who has fallen from his estate, whom we also call "without resources" (quasi sine opibus), according to the passage: *The rich have become needy.* But *poor* (pauper), according to that same etymology of the Greek, can be said of one who gains the necessary food for himself through his own labor, of which sort were all those who were to be the first to receive the faith; for they were deprived of all goods, and provided for themselves all things necessary with their own hands: although the one is often used indiscriminately for the other. ^D We can also say otherwise: God said, "For the groan and misery of those who are oppressed, now I will move myself," that is, immediately, forthwith, quickly. Understand "I will move myself" and "I will avenge" in a manner worthy of God, even if they are spoken in a human way.

*I will deal confidently in him.* Having remembered the resurrection, he also remembers the burial, turning his discourse to the death which He endured on the cross; for these things are said in the person of Christ. *I will be put*, he says, that is, I will be fastened, upon the cross, which we believe to be that salvation of which He now speaks, since with this dart of the cross, Christ pierced through the tyrant demon; whence He both saved us, and granted to us the freedom that is free and salutary from errors; and whereas we were before infirm, He made us strong against the demons. But what he says, *I will deal confidently in him*, means the same as if He were to say that on the cross itself He will make public and openly proclaim His power that was hidden and unknown before. For both the veil of the temple was then rent, and the sun was darkened, and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split, and other wonderful things came to pass. Or otherwise: since the Greek word, as a future middle, has both an active and a passive signification, you may read it in another way: *I will put in salvation*, that is, I will put them into salvation: this is, I will make them worthy of salvation; and in such salvation I will deal confidently: that is, I will speak freely, and will openly declare to all my powers. [index: entries preserved] *The words of the Lord are pure words.* Having said that these...

words of the Lord are truthful, he testifies that they are clean and pure from every lie.

^A *Silver tried in the fire, proven for the earth.* The sayings of God are so clean and bright, and free from all deceit and deception, that they may be compared for their purity and cleanliness to refined silver, which is usually free from all base matter. He said *proven for the earth* instead of "in the earth," for craftsmen pour molten silver into the earth. Or, *proven for the earth* means "proven from the earth." Then, extolling this cleanliness of the words of God even more, he adds: *Purified seven times.* *Seven times,* that is to say, very often. For the Hebrews are accustomed to using "seven times" for "often." Now, silver that has been melted down many times is usually altogether clean and pure. Therefore, the sayings of God are as true as silver melted down many times. He called them "oracles" (logia), not as a diminutive of disparagement, but because they had become accustomed to calling oracles "logia" because of their brevity. For in a few words, they contained a great strength of thought.

^B V. 8. *You, O Lord, will preserve us, and protect us from this generation for ever.* You, O Lord, will preserve us from external enemies, and will protect us from those who prepare snares within. Or, you will preserve us from the present generation, and will protect us from those who are to be in the world hereafter—that is, you will always and perpetually protect us. For the faith of those who have received the Gospel has remained stable from that generation, and will remain unconquered for ever, so that neither the Gentiles, who openly attack it, nor the heretics, who secretly prepare snares against it among us, can prevail, ^C nor will they be able to prevail.

V. 9. *The ungodly walk in a circle.* On every side, he says, they surround us, striving to besiege our faith. This is what one understands if one speaks of the Gentiles. But if you understand the Prophet to be speaking of the heretics, it may be said: They walk in a circle, that is, not straightly, but obliquely; for they interpret all Holy Scripture perversely.

*According to your height, you have esteemed the sons of men.* You, he says, having been exalted upon the cross, deigned to have the greatest care for men, for which cause you even underwent death. And as for what is said, *you have esteemed,* in Greek it is *epolyrōsas* (you have highly valued); and just as among the Greeks *oligoria* means disparagement and neglect, so *polyōria* is the opposite of this. Or otherwise, when you were exalted even to the heavens, in the time of your assumption, you conferred great benefits upon human nature by sending to it the Spirit, the Paraclete, who illuminated the apostles and directed them into the preaching of the Gospel. ^D This Psalm can also be historically accommodated to the blessed David; for when he was fleeing from the face of Saul, certain men, feigning friendship toward him, attempted to betray him to his pursuer. He denounces their faithlessness, and their judgment, and their deceit, and their craftiness, and he calls upon God alone as Savior, as they, being friends, had joined themselves to his enemies, and he foretells their destruction. But he also [prays] that the pride of those around Saul be extinguished.

[LATIN COLUMN] 177 COMMENT. IN PSALMOS. 178 ^A et scelera hoc Psalmo reprehendit, unicum ad propriam salutem Deum invocans: quasi nulla jam amplius ei spes superesset in auxilio amicorum, qui sese hostibus adjunxissent, et quorum interitum hic prædicit: ipsius etiam Saul ac sociorum jactantiam evertendam esse prænuntians. Pro octava vero inscriptus est propter illa verba, Nunc resurgam, quæ tamen resurrectioni Salvatoris congruere magis videntur. Nam quis trahere velit sensum verborum ad beatum David, tanquam ipse audiverit Deum promittentem se ei, insidiarum tempore in auxilium adventurum, et ad ejus vindictam: et positarum insuper pauperes omnes atque inopes in salute, demum libere se acturum, hoc est, fortem ac justum se conspiciendum esse, propter illorum salutem: si quis, inquam, sensum Psalmi illuc trahere voluerit, non videbuntur verba Psalmi inscriptioni, Pro octava, convenire. Sciendum est etiam, quod salutare hic neutrum nomen substantivum est, et ponitur pro salute.

In finem Psalmus ipsi David. PSALMUS XII.

Post adulterium Bersabeæ ^B et post cædem Uriæ, cum in varias incidisset calamitates beatus David: quippe cum et filia ejus Thamnar ab Ammon fratre fuisset corrupta, et Amnon a fratre Absalone interemptus: unde non mediocris confusio in regia illa domo orta est: præcipue cum ipse Absalon postremo tyrannidem etiam affectaverit, et patrem regno expulerit, et crescente in immensum furore, copias etiam collegerit et persecutus sit patrem, et interimere etiam eum conatus sit: cum igitur in has omnes calamitates incidisset beatus David, atque animo eas semper revolveret, existimavit se ob commissum adulterii, et cædis crimen tantis opprimi malis: et quanquam olim sibi remissum fuisset peccatum, veritus tamen se a Deo fuisse derelictum, hunc Psalmum conscripsit, post tertium, quando Chusi fregit consilium Achitophel, ut jam prædiximus. Hoc autem Psalmo, et Absalonis filii cogitationes explicavit, et quæ eventura erant prædixit: atque ideo in finem inscriptus est: quia profligationem Absalonis prædicit, quæ verum finem erat consecutura. Exsultabit, inquit, cor meum in salutari tuo. ^C

VERS. 1. Usquequo, Domine, oblivisceris mei in finem? Oblivio est memoriæ deperditio. Deo vero omnia præsentia sunt: nec tantum actiones nostræ, sed ipsius etiam mentis cogitationes ac motus. Oblivisci vero dicimus Deum alicujus, quando ob illius delicta eum Deus derelinquit, tentarique permittit atque affligi, ut flagello erudiatur. In finem autem posuit pro diu.

Usquequo avertis faciem tuam a me? Facies Dei potentia illa in Deo est, qua aspicit nos, ac custodit et beneficiis donat. Aversio vero Dei contraria operatio est: quando nimirum indignos quosque a custodia et protectione sua avertit, tanquam ea operentur quæ in ipsius conspectu abominabilia videri possint: verum humanis loquendi modis Propheta divinas nobis ^D actiones exprimit. Nam qui aliquem derelinquunt, illius pariter memoriam perdunt, et qui aliquos non vident a quibus aversi sunt, avertunt ab his oculos.

Psalm XII

Vers. 2. *How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart day and night?* I am anxious, he says, and troubled as to how I might be delivered from these temptations, and being unable to find freedom, I am vexed continually. ^A

Vers. 3. *How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?* The parricide, he says, who has for a long time manifested his hostility to me (since the time he killed my son Amnon). "Shall be exalted" is used in place of "shall prosper." For he who rejoices lifts up his head; whereas he who is distressed bows down, being humbled. Or, by "enemy" we must understand the devil; for he is the cause of temptations, trampling upon those who suffer, and as it were crushing them, when they are deprived of the help of God. ^B

Vers. 4. *Look upon me, hear me, O Lord my God.* To the word "turn away," he fittingly adds the word "look upon." Make me worthy, he says, of your benevolence: look upon me who am suffering grievous things, and having had mercy, hear me, as I call upon you for aid. *Lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.* For the dark night of calamities has been poured upon me, and my eyes have been held fast by the slumber of sorrow; for those who are sad are accustomed to be borne into sleep, sorrow of heart causing a certain darkness and weight upon the eyes. Lighten them, therefore—that is, grant that they may see clearly and purely—having distilled joy into my heart, by which, because it leaps for joy, it will drive the sleep from my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; or, lest this sleep should end in death for me through the excess of sorrow, lest I sleep a mortal sleep. Or he also means the eyes of the soul, namely the mind, which is darkened by the gloom of sin; he entreats that it be delivered from this darkness, lest he die the death of sins, being already dead to virtue; or lest he die the death of despair, all hope which he had in you having been extinguished and dead. ^C

Vers. 5. *Lest my enemy say, I have prevailed against him.* For if any such thing happens, the enemy will attribute my death to his own power; and just as from the beginning he was the cause of all my calamities, so now he will rejoice in having been the cause of my destruction. You may understand the enemy as being either visible or invisible.

Vers. 6. *They that trouble me will rejoice when I am moved.* If I be shaken from that security which I have in you, my enemies will rejoice, hoping that I shall henceforth be most easily cast down, as one who has no base or foundation of salvation. ^D *But I have hoped in thy mercy.* Since, he says, because of the wicked deeds I have committed, I have cast away all the confidence I once had in my own virtue, what remains is that I hope only in your mercy; even though I know this to be a most abundant and inexhaustible remedy for me.

My heart shall exult in thy salvation. ^A Beholding beforehand with prophetic eyes the defeat of the enemy, blessed David says: I shall rejoice, he says, in the salvation granted to me by you. I will sing to the Lord who has done good to me, and I will chant to the name of the Lord Most High. I will sing with my tongue, I will chant with the instrumental psalter. Or, I shall rejoice both contemplatively and practically. This Psalm is suitable also for all who are being wronged.

To the end, a Psalm for David.

PSALM XIII.

Verse 1. *The fool said in his heart, There is no God.* The fool, Sennacherib, said in his heart that there was no God—the God, I mean, of the Jews. For if he had been wise, he would not have fallen into such an error, especially when he was constantly hearing what wondrous things God had done against those of the enemies who had tried to attack the Jewish race. But having reasoned this way within himself, he also blasphemed God by spoken word, having sent the commander of his forces, Rabshakeh, to the walls of the city, and having through him threatened them, as those reading the history of his time will discover. ^B

*They have been corrupted, and have become abominable in their practices.* Those around Sennacherib were indeed corrupted, having fallen away from right opinion; and they became abominable to God because of their impious deeds. For they were reviling God, and as if God did not exist, they reproached Him for weakness and impotency, and threatened the total destruction of His people. And being so boastful, they were furthermore immersed in and defiled by drunkenness and debauchery. ^C This verse may also be understood by the figure of hyperbaton, in this way: "They have been corrupted in their practices, and they have become abominable."

*There is no one who does good.* No one, he says, is good among them, but all are wicked.

Verse 2. *The Lord looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there is any who understands, or who seeks God.* "Upon the sons of men," that is, upon those men who are disposed as we have said. And he says "From heaven," because there seems to be a certain opinion that God dwells there, according to what is said elsewhere: *He who dwells in the heavens shall mock them.* ^D He looked down, then, to see if there was any among them who understood God from the miracles and wonders, or at least who sought Him—that is, who called upon Him, as in the text: *I sought the Lord, and He heard me*; for some understand.

^A And if in some matters some have understood Him, they nevertheless pursue worse things. The Prophet, speaking in a human manner, depicted God as though He were leaning down from an upper room and looking: yet God is everywhere present and knows all things most exactly. It should be noted that this manner of speaking is frequently found in Scripture. In another way, it signifies how God sees and looks upon all things, and knows all things, and how so great a distance is no impediment to Him.

VERS. 3. *All have turned aside, together they have become useless, there is none who does good, there is not even one.* They turned aside to the pursuits and practices already enumerated; but they became useless, having become abominable so that not even one could be found among them who might be called good.

VERS. 4. *Shall not all who work iniquity know?* This is to be read as an interrogation, so that the meaning is as follows: Will not all these people, who said that the God of Israel is not the true God, and who are intemperate in their tongues and all other pleasures, eventually know in the end that the God of the Jews is the true God? They will indeed know it, when one hundred and eighty-five thousand of them are destroyed by the angel of God. ^B And Sennacherib himself, fleeing shamefully, will then know who it was that raised the trophy against this people. And not only the Assyrians, he says, but all the other lawless nations, having learned of such a great destruction of the Assyrians, will recognize that it is God who has destroyed them.

*They who eat up my people as they eat bread, have not called upon the Lord.* This passage is spoken in the person of God: that is, those who consume and devour my people like bread, through the mouth of siege, famine, and threat—they, I say, have not called upon me, the Lord of all; that is, they have not acknowledged Him as God. The people of David might also be called those who were besieged at that time, as being descended from his kingdom, so that the speech is made in the person of David, calling not himself, but God, Lord.

VERS. 5. *There were they in great fear where there was no fear.* ^C In Jerusalem at that time, those around Hezekiah feared the power of Sennacherib, where there was no fear—that is, where they ought not to have been afraid, because he was not able to cause fear, having God as his opponent; for he declared this through what follows, saying: ^D Illud tamen advertendum, quod aliqui legunt: *Cujus non erat timor*, cujus lectionis diversitas ex vicinitate provenit Græcarum vocum.

VERS. 6. *Because God is in the generation of the righteous.* By the righteous he here understands the faithful and those pious toward God. Such was King Hezekiah, who ruled the peoples subject to him with great piety and religion toward God. He used the term "generation" because all the Israelites were from one root. *And again: There were they in great fear, those around Sennacherib…*

it as a saying of the Israelites, since all are from one root. ^A Alternatively: *There they trembled*—namely Sennacherib and those who were with him—*with the fear of God*, of which God they had no fear before they experienced it. The Prophet declares in this verse the reason why they later feared: because God was present among the generation of the besieged Jews and was fighting for them. Or differently: The Assyrians trembled with the fear of King Hezekiah, whose fear was not of such a kind as ought to have been feared, since he himself was rather fearing them greatly and expecting that he, together with the whole people, would be put to death the following day. For when the Assyrians were being slaughtered, they thought they were being killed by the King of the Jews. And thus they learned how the God of the Jews is the true God, since He brought such great help to His people.

*You have confounded the counsel of the poor man, but the Lord is his hope.* ^B He directs his speech to the Assyrians: You, O Assyrians, have neglected and vilified the counsel of Hezekiah the king—poor in terms of the whole apparatus of war—when, having despaired of every other salvation, he fled to the Lord in sackcloth and ashes. Recognizing this, Sennacherib began to mock such a counsel as vain and useless; but Hezekiah had rightly placed his hope in God, asking for help only from Him who was truly able to provide it.

Vers. 7. *Who will give out of Sion the salvation of Israel?* Which of those, he says, who dwell in Sion will give salvation to the infirm and weakened people of Israel? Who will snatch them from the hand of the enemy Sennacherib? Truly no man, but God alone, in whom they hoped, and who seemed to dwell in the temple of Sion. ^C

*When the Lord shall turn back the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad.* He does not speak of a captivity that had already occurred, but of that which they all at that time, because of the immense fear, judged to be impending, and such as had never before seemed to threaten; for the Jews, surrounded and walled in by the arms of the enemies, seemed to be held by them and to be, in a certain way, captives. By Jacob, however, and by Israel, he understands the Jewish people themselves, descending from their root. The sense is that when the Lord has freed them from this captivity of which we spoke, they will then rejoice and be glad: they will rejoice corporally, but be glad in soul and spirit; the one on account of the abundance of food, the other on account of the study and meditations of the words of God, all of which they lacked when the city was besieged. ^D And this interpretation is according to the sense by which we understand the Psalm concerning Hezekiah and Sennacherib. Another exposition is also given, so that a prophecy may be delivered in it which contains the deeds of the times in which the Lord was incarnate. The foolish people of the Jews, and not understanding the prophecies about Christ, said that the Lord Jesus, who had otherwise wrought great and divine miracles and signs among them, was not God: and when they had first said and thought this within themselves, afterwards

^A leaning down, He descended to earth unto men; for to lean down means to bend from on high to the earth. The following verses are to be understood in accordance with the preceding explanation. The words, *There is none, even unto one*, are to be taken as meaning "except for one," that is, Christ alone, the worker of good ^B among them, who turns back to them. And the words, *Shall not all the workers of iniquity know?* should be read here as a judgment; for they, who like lawless nations envied and practiced malice, did not wish to recognize Him. The words, *Who eat my people*, should be spoken in the person of Christ against the ungrateful Jews, who devoured His disciples like the eating of bread, with the mouth of the sword and of every cruelty, and who did not call the Lord Himself, that is, the Son of God, God. There they feared with a fear where there was no fear; for they were afraid to confess that Christ was God, lest they break the Law, which declares, "There shall be no other God for thee." And again they feared when there was no fear; for when they had hung Him upon the cross and thought they had been rid of Him, He being now dead, then they feared exceedingly, seeing the earthquake and the signs that occurred at that time; and again they were afraid lest His disciples come by night and steal Him. And for this reason, having placed soldiers at the tomb, they feared there with a fear where there was no fear; for no such thing had entered into the minds of the disciples, He having foretold that He would of His own power rise again after the third day. ^C But, *The Lord is in the generation of the just*, means in the assembly of those from the nations who believed, who, after the recognition, walked in a just and royal path. For since the Jews did not receive Him, He transferred Himself to the nations. And by the words, *You have confounded the counsel of the poor*, we should understand it to be spoken to the Jews on account of the people from the nations, who were once poor in the substance of the knowledge of God—from which they had fallen, having been brought down to idols—but later were made poor in worldly goods on account of Christ; for the Jews despised the counsel of this people, and mocked it as vain. This counsel was the acceptance of faith in Christ. And the words, *Who shall give from Sion the salvation of Israel?* are equivalent to, "Who, having ascended the mountain called Sion which surrounds ^D Jerusalem, shall declare salvation to the people?"—that is, the laws. For it was the custom to do this on appointed days. But the prophet says this prophesying that, after Jerusalem had been besieged by the Romans and the Gospel had encompassed the ends of the earth, this will no longer happen. *When Christ shall turn the captivity of His people*, for He says: "I will give thee the nations as thine inheritance, which the devil led captive with the spear of error; Jacob shall exult, and Israel shall rejoice," that is, the prophets who sprang from the root of Jacob, who foretold this. And they shall exult and rejoice, seeing the fulfillments of their own prophecies. For Jacob and Israel are those who have believed, as having been introduced in place of the Jews, of whom Jacob was the ancestor. Turning...

us, as to return to their own estates, from which they had fallen. To the end, a Psalm of David.

PSALM XIV

This psalm is inscribed "To the end," ^B because it describes most perfectly and completely what kind of man one ought to be who is endowed with virtue. [For the Greek word *telos* signifies not only an end, but also perfection.]

Vers. 1. *Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle? or who shall rest in thy holy hill?* When the Jew hears "tabernacle of God" and "holy hill," he immediately turns his mind to the temple which was in Jerusalem and to the mountain nearby, Sion. One must know, however, that at the time of the blessed David, the temple had not yet been built, nor had Mount Sion been sanctified; for all these things came to pass after his death. It remains, therefore, that these words be understood through anagogy. The blessed David therefore frames his discourse by way of interrogation, asking who shall do this or that. *Lord, who shall be a dweller in thy tabernacle?* Now, a sojourner is one who resides for a time in another's house or region; and the body is the tabernacle of the soul, in which it is settled ^C as a sojourner. The Prophet asks, desiring to be taught who he is who considers this life in a human body to be a sojourning or pilgrimage, and who uses this body as if it were an alien thing, caring little for it. He added the possessive pronoun "thy" to "tabernacle," declaring that it is the work of God and the Word, and was built by Him for the soul—or that God the Word Himself would one day dwell in it, having become man for our sake. *Or who shall rest up on thy holy hill?* By "resting" is meant the sure cessation of travel; and by "holy hill," the supercelestial place, raised above those who are humble and worldly. For the Apostle says: "You are come to Mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." And who, he says, having run straight from the course of the present life, which is as a stadium, shall rest in the heavenly tabernacles, those which are eternal?

*He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice.* This is the answer to the interrogation, as if to say: ^D that man shall dwell and rest who possesses these things, and he sketches out with his word the man of virtue. "That man," he says, "who walks blameless and works justice." And by "blameless," we must understand him who is being perfected in contemplation; for through this...

the mind ascends and enters into heaven. And by "just," or "he who works justice," he means one who has proven himself superior through moral actions. For activity relates to actions. The Prophet employs the present tense for both, as if to imply that one must never cease from such contemplation or from good actions. And since the active life is multifaceted and divided into many parts, he has labeled it by the single name of "justice," because this virtue stands above all others. For justice is truly said to exist when everyone does what is his own and what pertains to him. And once he has established justice in a general sense, he then pursues the individual parts one by one. ^A

VERS. 3. *Who speaks truth in his heart.* That is, he who perceives true doctrines in his mind and utters them with his mouth.

*And has not practiced deceit with his tongue.* And again, he who speaks true and guileless things: that is, he who thinks truth within himself and speaks it to others. For what he says, "in his heart," denotes a sound, upright, and inwardly well-disposed discourse; likewise, regarding that which is uttered by the mouth, he says, "in his tongue."

*And has not done evil to his neighbor.* We are all neighbors to one another, whether through the sharing of our humanity, the unity of the faith, or the bond of kinship. By "evil," he means harm; and he follows a logical order, first mentioning the heart, then the tongue, and lastly actions. For one first thinks, then speaks what one has thought, and finally performs what one had previously spoken. ^B

*And has not taken up an opprobrium against his neighbors.* Here the name "neighbor" signifies the same as "near one." And he says, "who did not take up," that is, he who did not take up opprobrium as if it were a weapon against his neighbors, meaning he who does not subject a neighbor—who has sinned, or is maimed in a limb, or is oppressed by some other misfortune—to reproach or contumely. For opprobrium tends toward derision, whereas rebuke tends toward the amendment of a fault. Hence, we accept rebuke as a good thing, but opprobrium never; rather, it is something entirely contrary to rebuke.

VERS. 4. *The malignant is brought to nothing in his sight, but he glorifies those who fear the Lord.* He distributes to each one what is fitting, as is proper. For he considers the malignant to be of no account, even if that man should perhaps glory in riches, or nobility, or appear brilliant in some other splendor; but those who fear the Lord he esteems highly, even if they are held fast by adverse fortune. For blessed are all those who fear the Lord. ^C

VERS. 5. *Who swears to his neighbor and does not reject it.* The ancients called an oath a confirmation of speech. For an oath is nothing other than a confirmation of words, in which we take God as our witness. And under the ancient law, the oath that was made in accordance with God was indeed permitted, so that [the people, who were led astray by idols, might not be further led away]. ^D

swearing by idols, might be led astray (for truth was being spoken, lest they might perhaps be seduced by the idols); but the law of the Gospel, which ordained more perfect things for the more perfect, utterly cut away the oath. Yet there are some forms of speech which possess the outer shape of oaths, but are not oaths, but a kind of therapy for the hearers. "By the health of Pharaoh," he says; and the Apostle to the Corinthians: "By your boasting." But the divine Paul left behind a pattern of oaths for Christians, saying, "God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit," and again, "I call God for a witness," and such like.

"He does not put out his money at interest." Among the ancients, usury was held to be a matter of the greatest shame, reproach, and abomination. For he who is merciful, and lends in time of need, deems it worthy only to receive back what he gave. But it could also be understood in this way: that he did not deposit the discourse concerning piety, which is silver refined in the earth and proved, with anyone for the sake of obtaining some worldly good in return, but rather taught all men freely and without payment.

"And he has not taken bribes against the innocent." For the sake of the innocent; that is, so as to harm those who are guiltless.

"He who does these things shall never be shaken." Having described the man perfect in virtue, he attached a worthy end to his discourse. For he who does the things aforesaid, he says, being perfect, shall not be shaken from his foundation in God. And "for ever" means "continually," or "throughout the present life." And if in the present life, how much more in the life to come. ^C

The inscription of the title, for David. Psalm XV.

^D Pillars, images, and statues are bestowed upon the victors for imperishable glory, proclaiming their prowess. Whence, instead of these, the present Psalm was set down for the victorious Christ, who by the spear of the cross brought down both death and the devil, who held the power of death. For since He remained without sin, neither was His soul left in Hades—especially as He had despoiled it—nor did His flesh see corruption, being resurrected on the third day, concerning which the Apostle Peter also discoursed in the book of the Acts, applying the present Psalm. Therefore, upon His own achievements, the Saviour erected this pillar through the tongue of David, the most holy Spirit inspiring and moving the prophet. And he describes the kind of victory, and all that occurred before the end of the victory.

Psalmus XV

^A Ver. 2. *Preserve me, O Lord, for I have hoped in thee.* The words of the Psalm are spoken in an entirely human manner. For He did not vanquish the demon as God, but as man, teaching us that he is most easily overcome by those who are vigilant, and at the same time he leaves behind for us the methods by which he defeated him as an accurate archetype for imitation. Therefore, He prays as man to God; for we read in the Gospels that He prayed in various ways; and He beseeches that He be preserved from every snare, both manifest and hidden, saying: Protect me together, for I have hoped in thee alone, having confidence in none of the others; for I know that thou savest those who hope in thee.

*I said to the Lord, Thou art my Lord.* I said to the Father, the Lord of all, that Thou art also my Lord, as I am a man and not God, and for this reason, keep me in thy care. For as man, He stood in need of protection from God; for, "I was subject," He says, "to the Lord, and I beseeched Him."

*For thou hast no need of my good things.* To this I also said further, that Thou hast no need of the sacrifice of my gifts, so that I might sacrifice to Thee and thus have Thee as a helper. For even if God accepts things offered with piety and religion, it is not as one who lacks them, but so that He may deem these a proof of gratitude and benevolence, and make them a pretext and occasion for the retribution of greater gifts.

^C Ver. 3. *To his saints who are in his land, the Lord has performed all his wonders.* I am, he says, of good hope, knowing that the Lord has done wonderful and marvelous things for the saints who are in His land. Now, a saint is he who sincerely loves God and trusts in Him, such as the one who spoke the words of this present Psalm. By the saints of whom he now speaks, understand everyone who pleased God before the coming of Christ. But by "His land," understand either that of which it is written elsewhere consonantly, "The earth is the Lord’s," or the heavenly Jerusalem, in which they lived even while they were still on earth, and in which they are considered to dwell after death. Or we may understand by the saints the apostles and those who believed through them, who were delivered by the Lord from many kinds of dangers and deaths, and he sets forth the reason why God did these wonders for them.

^D *All his wills are in them.* For where the wills of God are done, there God is always present, directing and governing.

Ver. 4. *Their infirmities were multiplied; afterwards they hastened.* By infirmities, he understands their labors and tribulations, which were multiplied as God dispensed and permitted, and which afterwards, with His consent, quickly passed; for, he says, many are the tribulations of the righteous, and from all of

^A these the Lord delivered them. Or otherwise: The infirmities—that is, their sins, namely those of them who believed in Christ—were first multiplied. For where the soul is infirm, sin arises. But when the Gospel was truly preached, they hastened toward religion and piety. What follows next must be set forth not as from a man, but as from God.

"I will not gather their congregations from blood." This is said concerning the Jews who slew the Lord, and a great part of whom God declared He would not gather from that slaughter, since they were to be destroyed by the hands of the Romans.

"And I will not be mindful of their names through my lips." For that people used to be called the people of God, and a peculiar people, and a vine, and a portion, and an inheritance, and a measuring line, and other such things. I will no ^B longer, he says, call them by such names as before; but rather, "reprehensible children," "a crooked and perverse generation," "a brood of vipers," "a wicked seed," or anything else of that sort. Or, we may understand both expressions as referring to those who have believed from among the Gentiles: I will not gather their assemblies from bloody sacrifices, but from sincere faith and spiritual offering; nor will I be mindful of the names by which I used to call them of old through the prophets; but instead of enemies, I will call them friends; instead of unbelievers, believers, and whatever else corresponds to these. ^C Now, the "lips of God" may be understood as His words, since lips are the instruments of words. Otherwise: Our Savior, having become man, called both the Jews and those from the Gentiles by names contrary to their former ones, as has been declared.

"The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup." I did not become man, he says, against the will of my Father; for He Himself, by His own clemency and good will, became a partaker of the people who believed from among the Gentiles; for this is what he calls an "inheritance," as was previously said in the second Psalm; and furthermore, a partaker of death. For "cup" and "goblet" (as we have said elsewhere) are found in many ^D places in Scripture to denote death. Hence in the Gospels: "The cup that I drink, you cannot drink"; and again, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." For the Father consented both to the calling of the Gentiles and to the death of the Son. Or by "portion," you may understand "wealth," so that the meaning is: God the Father is the treasure and wealth of my inheritance from the Gentiles, and moreover the treasure of my teaching; whence in the Gospel Christ everywhere makes mention of the Father. This name of "part" or "portion," therefore, is taken for wealth, according to that: "You are my portion, O Lord, in the land of the living." Whence, among sons dividing their father's substance, the individual portions, as they fall to each, serve as wealth. Wherefore

it quite properly fits that the same thing be called a portion, and riches, and an inheritance: for that very reason, because it is both divided, and because it renders one rich, and because it is left by the Father. The cup can also be understood as doctrine, ^A which is deservedly compared to wine, both because it gladdens, and because Christ is called the vine.

"You are the one who restores my inheritance to me." The nations, which had once been created by the Father and the Son, and were called the workmanship of God, had departed from Him, and having turned to idolatries, were at last restored to Him again through faith: but the Son refers this grace of restoration back to the Father, as to the principle. And this passage is truly interpretive of the one that preceded it. For because of this, He says, you are a participant of my inheritance, and of my cup, because you restored this to me. And He placed the inheritance before the cup, because it was the cause of His death; for because of it He died. Yet we must also state a certain not inelegant speculation ^B concerning what has been set forth: that the enemy lured and tyrannized over man, who had been fashioned in the image and likeness of God, and was therefore the inheritance of the Creator, and dragged him off and usurped another's property; to whom the Son of God and heir sent letters, writing to him through the prophets, demanding back that inheritance of which He had been defrauded. And because the demon resisted all the more persistently, and refused to return the plunder, the heir, having received the testament of His Father, went down to the ravisher, and the Father became judge between them. And having condemned the despoiler, He restores the inheritance to the Son. By reason whereof, the Son now called him a participant of so noble a work.

VERS. 6. "The lines have fallen to me in my excellent things." Those who divide ^C the land, determining it by measuring it with lines, delimit it. The meaning is: My inheritance having been restored to me, many lines have fallen to me, that is, they have come to me, and have happened to me as if by lot. But by "lines" He understands the multitude of believers. By this mode of speech, he also seems to denote that this inheritance of His had been signaled out and determined, and that it ought to have been most known to all. For these are the two functions of the measuring line, as we have said. But that he signifies his inheritance by "excellent things," he declares more fully in what follows, saying: "And indeed my inheritance is excellent to me." Above, he said "excellent things" in the plural number on account of the faithful who are in various places, but now he has called it "excellent" in the singular, ^D because the congregation of all the faithful, who are in the diverse parts of the world, is one [one Church], one opinion and faith. He calls it "excellent" as if it were preeminent and beloved. Or [according to another meaning of the Greek word, not only excellent, but] he calls it "most strong" and "most powerful," since it has overcome the opposing and powerful demon. "Lines" can also be understood as the bonds that fell to, that is, bound Christ: from the Jews, indeed, when He was led to Pilate. But they fell to Him on account of the "excellent," that is, on account of the faithful, for whom He willed to suffer. Formerly, the people of the Jews were said to be God's inheritance: "For," he says, "the Lord’s portion is His people, Jacob, the line of His inheritance, Israel." But when these were cast off, He took to Himself another inheritance, the kingdom from the nations, which He called "excellent," as being superior to the older one.

^A "I will bless the Lord who has given me understanding." From here on, he speaks as a man; for the Evangelist says concerning Him: "And the child grew and became strong, being filled with wisdom." He gives thanks, therefore, to Him who bestowed upon Him the treasure of wisdom.

"And indeed, even until night my reins instructed me." By "reins," we must understand the desiring part of the soul, for it lies around the reins, as we said in what was previously explained; and by "night," the Lord’s death. For "until death," he says, "my desire instructed and corrected me," longing only for things divine, and not desiring any earthly thing. Or, "by night" we should understand the hidden mysteries, so that the sense is: "My desire instructed and led me even to those mysterious things that are unknown to other men."

^B "I foresaw the Lord before me at all times." Before all others, I always saw God with the eyes of my soul, appearing before me.

"That He is at my right hand, that I might not be moved." I saw Him before me because He is in the right actions I perform, resting in them; for God draws near to those who draw near to Him. He is at my right hand so that, being helped by Him, I might not be moved from the straight path toward the opposite one; "for the Lord guards all who love Him."

^C "Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue has rejoiced." For my heart having been filled with joy, as though having received the inheritance and having fought down the enemy, and having such a helper, my tongue also shared in this extreme gladness, as though singing a song of victory and recounting the greatness of God.

"Moreover, my flesh also shall dwell in hope." This is said concerning the burial of the Lord’s body, for it rested in the tomb in the hope of a swift resurrection; for the Lord, knowing this, had often said to His disciples that "after three days I will rise."

^D "For You will not abandon my soul to Hades." He also sets forth the cause of this hope: "For indeed, You will not abandon my soul to Hades, where the souls of the dead are held." For Hades is a place established under the earth for the souls of those who have died. Where, then, are the trifles of Apollinaris, who, like a senseless man, dogmatized that the flesh assumed by Christ was soulless and mindless? But oh, how much more is he himself convicted of having been without a mind!

*Neither will you give your holy one to see corruption.* ^A This is likewise said concerning the body of the Lord: "You," he says, "to whom I have been offered, dedicated, and sanctified because of my manifold virtues, will not permit me to undergo the corruption of the body; but rather, as one who is free from all such things, you will preserve it indissoluble in its parts, so that when the soul returns to the incorrupt body, I may rise again quickly." It should also be noted that "destruction" in the dead is the disjunction and separation of the soul from the body, whereas "corruption" is the resolution of the members and other parts into earth and dust.

VERS. 11. *You have made known to me the ways of life.* You have shown me, he says, the virtues that guide man toward immortal life [through which I myself walked and handed down that my disciples should walk]. ^B Or in another way: You have revealed to me, he says, the ways of life, that is, the modes of my resurrection and renewed life; by which ways, teaching my disciples, I have arrived.

*You will fill me with joy with your countenance.* The Son is the countenance and face of the Father. For, he says, *he who has seen me has seen my Father*. For he is also called his character and image. After the resurrection, he says, you will gladden me—me, I say, the assumed man, and joined to the assuming Divinity. For before the resurrection he was sorrowful and sad, and wept, and was full of anxieties, according to the law of human nature. Or otherwise: *With your countenance*, he said by way of circumlocution; that is, with you. For the body of Christ itself was united to the Son, and the Son to the Father; whence their joy was common on account of the human salvation which the death upon the cross had wrought.

*Delight is in your right hand even to the end.* The right hand ^C of the Father is called the Son, just as it is called his arm, and power, and delight. He says, therefore, that there will be perpetual exultation for the Son of God, because he has caused those who had formerly fallen on account of sin to rise again with him, and has received his inheritance.

*A prayer of David himself.* PSALM XVI. Enduring persecution from Saul, blessed David, and being assailed by many injuries, wrote this psalm, in which he calls upon God for aid. Yet it can be adapted to every man endowed with virtue and oppressed by enemies.

VERS. 1. *Hear, O Lord, my justice.* Hear, he says, my justice: that is, my affection and love toward justice, which cries out to you through its actions ^D and operations as if by a tongue. For when I could have frequently killed Saul, my greatest enemy, I abstained nonetheless for the love of this justice, because he was established as king by you. Nay, I did not even dare to reproach him with words, since he is the head of the people, and to abstain from his injury

^A should always be just. [For it is written: “You shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people” (Exod. xxii, 28).] Or perhaps by “justice” in this place he understands his own justification and the reasons for his right, by which his cause is justified, and which he puts forward in his progress. By this means we shall vindicate the Prophet from the suspicion of boasting, since we shall see that he makes such a request for a very good reason.

Intende deprecationi meae (Attend to my supplication). He accepts “supplication” as the figure and form of his prayers, which was pitiable, full indeed of sorrow, contrition, and humility, and which by its mere appearance could reconcile God to himself.

Auribus percipe orationem meam, non in labiis dolosis (Give ear to my prayer, not in deceitful lips). This should be read as a hyperbaton, so that the meaning is: Receive my prayer, offered to you not with deceitful lips. For my lips are clean from every lie and deceit. Nor am I conscious of having ever spoken deceitful things to Saul; ^B rather, I have publicly confessed my love and affection for him, and I still preserve that confession intact, even though he has broken the pacts entered into with me and has lied. He puts forward three things for his aid: his justice, the form of his supplication, and his prayer coming from lips free of deceit, so that by these three things he might move God all the more to his aid.

Vers. 2. De vultu tuo judicium meum prodeat (Let my judgment come forth from thy countenance). “Would that you,” he says, “were judge for us, who know all our affairs most exactly; and you alone are a just judge, and powerful, who can bring your own sentence to its outcome.” By “from your countenance,” he spoke circumlocutorily: that is, from yourself, or in your presence. “My judgment,” that is, the sentence which is to be rendered concerning me. ^C This judgment, I say, I desire to be rendered by you, for I consider it unjust that I should be judge in my own cause, and that I should punish by my own hand him who hastens to my destruction.

Oculi mei videant aequitates (Let my eyes behold equities). “Would that I,” he says, “might see verdicts and fair sentences to be brought forth from you concerning us.”

Vers. 3. Probasti cor meum et visitasti nocte (You have proved my heart and visited [me] by night). “Not only,” he says, “have I abstained from unjust actions, but even from wicked thoughts. For you, who are the searcher of hearts, have investigated me and found no wicked thought in my heart against Saul. You knew that my mind was always right, not only in ^D favorable fortune, but even in that very night of trials and afflictions, which is wont to darken the minds of men and provide occasions so that one might deviate as a wanderer from the right path. For, as it were, to use the words of blessed Job: ‘I walked in the light in darkness,’ because ‘your law was a lamp to my feet and a light to my paths.’” Or perhaps he calls that night the one during which he had Saul in his power in the cave, and yet would not kill him.

Igne me examinasti, et non est inventa in me iniquitas (You have tested me by fire, and injustice was not found in me). “You have tested me,” he says, “with the fire of trials, just as craftsmen examine gold with fire,”

^A nor did I, out of necessity, harbor thoughts of evil. “So that my mouth might not speak of the deeds of men.” The present verse is not disconnected from the preceding ones, as some have thought; rather, it seems to be the cause of the burning. For this reason, you allowed me to be burned by temptations, so that by not remaining superior to them, I would not be puffed up ^B or speak against those around Saul, celebrating the unjust things they do. Or also, so that by turning quickly to you (for I remembered you in affliction), I might speak of your works, and how you direct all things towards the better. We are accustomed, indeed, in afflictions to remember you more.

“Because of the words of your lips, I have kept hard ways.” By the words of the lips of God, he understands the commandments of the Law which were given through Moses; but he calls them "of the lips of God" improperly, as if those commandments were uttered by God Himself. Because of these commandments, therefore, he says, I have kept—that is, I have walked—hard ways, namely, the ways of the virtues; for these are rough and arduous, and completely devoid of all bodily pleasure. We also find "to keep" used very often in Scripture to mean "to perform," as in that passage: "I have kept your commandments," which is to say, I have fulfilled them.

^C VERS. 5. “Perfect my steps in your paths, so that my steps may not be moved.” He mentions steps twice, and by them, in the first instance, he understands the movements of the mind, but in the second, the movements of the body. He says, therefore: Lord, make my thoughts perfect and straight in your commandments, which lead those who walk through them to you. For if these thoughts of the mind are made more perfect, then the remaining operations of the body will not stumble, but rather they will be safer. Or, "perfect my steps," that is, all my actions, as I walk along your paths, which you have established in your commandments for those who are hastening to come to you: so that if, perchance, my steps, once recalled, did not receive any perfection from you, they might not at some point deviate from what is honorable, and follow things which are worse. For you are the one who teaches man knowledge.

VERS. 6. “I have cried out, for you have heard me, O God.” ^D I do not pour out prayers to you in vain, he says, for on other occasions when I prayed to you, I was heard. “Incline your ear to me and hear my words.” And yet ears in us cannot be inclined, but when we lower our heads toward the one whom we are about to hear, we condescend, and our ears also seem to be inclined. We have already said in the passages above how the Prophet frequently expresses divine matters through human operations, on account of the weakness and coarseness of those who hear. For those who wish to hear something more accurately

and with greater attention, they naturally incline their heads; hence, with the head, they seem to incline their ears as well. Incline, therefore, also your ear, O God, as one exalted to a humble man, as a physician to one who is ill. Moreover, the vision of God is a certain simpler knowledge of things, but hearing is a more exact and perfect knowledge; for things that are visible are coarser than things that can be heard, on account of the matter which exists in visible things. The blessed David, therefore, supplicating both above and below, has used words of this kind which seek a greater knowledge of God and greater attention. Exaudi, he says, intende, auribus percipe, and other such things; he repeated these words quite often, no doubt for greater emphasis and a deeper significance of his utmost affection, desiring from his whole soul that the petition offered by him be fulfilled.

^B VERS. 7. *Mirificent thy mercies, O thou that savest them that hope in thee.* Cause, he says, that thy mercies may appear worthy of admiration. Here he calls the divine help the mercies of God. For all who saw that the blessed David was helped by God and saved from so many dangers, admired such swift and powerful help: furthermore, they also admired that God grants aid not only to the just, but to sinners as well.

VERS. 8. *Keep me, O Lord, from those that resist thy right hand, as the apple of the eye.* Keep me, O Lord, from the plots of Saul and his accomplices, who resist your choice made through you. For by the hand, he indicated this. For you, through the prophet by whom I was anointed, chose me as king; but these men, not accepting what you did, prepare death for me. Truly wonderful is the protection that the eye grants to the pupil; for membrane upon membrane, and certain coverings, fortify it: some are thin and transparent, so that they may not bring roughness to the pupil, which by its own nature is moist and soft; others, however, are thicker on the outside, like the membrane of the eyelids, which is divided into two semicircles, so that it may repel the injury of dust and air, and any tiny living creatures. It is worn down, moreover, so that it may arrest the sweat flowing near; for it is sharp and annoying. Above this is the valley of the eyebrow. It is shaped like a firm roof; and this too is thickened with hairs, so that the sweat flowing from above may not fall into the dwelling of the pupil; but, pushed back from there, it is diverted to the temples. And it is adorned and fortified to this end with many thick hairs, lest the sweat flowing from above should rush into the dwelling place of the pupil. For from there, being repelled, it rolls onto the temples.

^D VERS. 9. *In the protection of thy wings shadest thou protect me from the face of the ungodly, who have afflicted me.* Having found another analogy for protection, the Prophet asks to be protected in the manner of a chick. By wings, however, he understands the powers of divine Providence: by which God is accustomed to contain, preserve, and cherish all things. This is taken from the metaphor of birds, which guard and protect their own chicks with their wings. But as for the fact that he says, *thou shalt protect*, understand the future tense used for the optative, as we often find it used in Scripture. Or because the blessed David, as a Prophet, predicts the help that was to be granted to him by God. Understand also, the face of the ungodly as the ungodly themselves. But he improperly calls those around Saul ungodly, as they live like the ungodly in iniquities, and thirst to take

^A the innocent, and as not reverencing the election of God bestowed upon him; and these truly oppressed him, making him endure every hardship during his flight.

Vers. 10. *My enemies have surrounded my soul.* By "soul" he indicates himself, expressing the whole by a part. And they have "surrounded" him, laid snares, of course, on all sides. *They have closed up their fat.* By "fat" he indicates the heart and the inward parts, since much fat is accustomed to be around these. He says, therefore, that they have shut up all mercy from their heart and inward parts, from which source mercy is accustomed to descend. Others, interpreting "fat," say it refers to their prosperity and success, which they have shut up and, as it were, contained, as if it would no longer depart, but would be with them perpetually. *Their mouth has spoken pride.* For they boasted that they would soon seize blessed David, and that he could not escape from their hands; as if from no quarter was he to expect any further aid.

Vers. 11. *Casting me out, now they have surrounded me.* They have driven me, he says, from all my goods; nor was this enough for them, but now they have again surrounded me, hastening to deliver me to death. ^B *They set their eyes to decline into the earth.* They determined, he says, to decline their eyes, away, of course, from Thee, who dwellest in the heavens, and from Thy commandments, which command one not to harm the innocent; and this that they might turn them unto the earth—that is, unto earthly lusts, which is nothing else than to satisfy without any reason whatsoever the libido demands. Or, read the text otherwise: *Their eyes they set* to decline into the earth; and then interpret "set" as established and made firm, observing, of course, so that they might incline and cast down to the earth him whom they formerly contend to deliver to death. For the Greek phrasing receives both meanings.

Vers. 12. *They took me like a lion prepared for prey, and like a lion’s cub dwelling in hiding places.* ^C As far as their hope goes, they have so taken me; as if to say: They hoped to approach me, and to take me—that is, to take me up, and lift me from the earth, and carry me off torn to pieces. Some have provided a difference between the lion and the lion’s cub, saying: that a lion, trusting in its own strength, seizes openly and plainly; but the cub, not yet confident in seizing openly, sits hiding itself. Thus, also, of the enemies of blessed David, some rushed upon him in open warfare, trusting in their own forces; others, however, as if more timid and not so confident in themselves, laid snares secretly; although nothing prevents both from intending and signifying the same thing. For the Prophet is frequently accustomed in ^D pathetic discourses to use tautology, with an exchange of terms, so that he may increase the pathos and draw [the reader] to pity.

^A

VERS. 13. Exsurge, Domine. Seeing that because of [Your] long-suffering You seem in a certain way to be sleeping, arise, therefore, and be moved to vengeance.

Præveni eos. Do You, he says, anticipate them before those things which they have plotted produce any result.

Et supplanta eos. Be a hindrance to them while they run and hasten against me. This is stated from the metaphor of those who, while wishing to impede one running, thrust their leg or foot against the one passing by, so that with such an obstacle they may cast him to the ground.

Eripe animam meam ab impio framea tua, ab inimicis manus tuæ. By Your sword, he says—that is, by Your own weapon—deliver my soul from the impious Saul and his associates, who, as enemies, oppose Your election of me. Or, deliver me from those who are enemies of Your hand and Your power—that is, from Your enemies; for those who attack me, who have been chosen by You, appear to be fighting against You also. Why he calls this man "impious" has been stated above. But the words are to be read absolutely in themselves. Moreover, those words: "Deliver my soul," are spoken appropriately, so that they may respond to the former words, where he said: "My enemies have surrounded my soul." Some wonder how blessed David, who in the cave spared his ^B enemy Saul, now prays that he be killed by the sword of God. And it must be said that, while he himself did not wish to be the slayer of his king, as we explained in the introduction to the psalm, he nevertheless calls upon God for vengeance, as one who was afflicted with every kind of calamity. For if we say that to kill the king is unjust, we do not likewise say it is unjust to call upon God for vengeance. Or otherwise: Deliver me, he says, by Your sword, not that You may kill, but that You may only terrify and repel the enemies with it. This also is spoken in a human manner; for when anyone wishes to rescue an associate held by enemies, he rushes upon them with drawn sword. But that blessed David does not ask that Saul and his associates be killed, but only that they be separated and broken up, is made manifest by what follows.

VERS. 14. Domine, a paucis de terra divide eos in vita eorum. While they are still living, he says, divide and separate them from upright men, so that they may not be in their number; which he says in other words elsewhere: "And let them not be written with the just." For if they are separated, they will someday pay the ^C just penalties. The Scripture is also accustomed very often to signify ^D by "few" the upright men, because the wicked are many and always overcome the better in number. For few, he says, are they who are saved, and few are they who are elect. And after he said "from a few," he added "from the earth," denoting

^A virtue. And the structure is as follows: Separate them from the few who are from the earth.

*And of thy hidden treasures their belly is filled.* By hidden things some understand gold and silver, and other such metals, which are hidden in the secret parts of the earth and are dug up by those who seek them there. He says that their belly is filled with these goods—signifying the whole by a part—that is, those things with which they are replenished; for their storehouses and repositories are filled and stuffed with such goods as if they were a belly. Or understand their bellies to be filled with the delicacies with which they are abundantly satiated. Many also say that by "hidden things" we must understand the punishments which ^B are stored up with God as in a treasury, since Moses too in Deuteronomy, when speaking of various kinds of punishments in the person of God, said: *Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up in my treasures?* These words, therefore, contain a prophecy and predict that the belly of their enemies—that is, the enemies themselves—is to be filled with the hidden and secret punishments before God; whence he most fittingly applied the name of "belly" to their insatiability and gluttony. He used the future tense for the present, because, looking forward with prophetic eyes, he revealed them as if they were present.

*They are satisfied with swine.* The Hebrews held the swine to be unclean, both because it does not chew the cud among those animals that have cloven hoofs, and because it loves to wallow in ^C muck and filth. By the swine, therefore, he intended to denote their uncleanness here. For, he says, they are satisfied with filth, having consumed, of course, their patrimony and all their goods in various pleasures. But more learned interpreters, explaining it differently, read: *They are satisfied with children*, and not "with swine," saying that in the Hebrew the word *banion* is found, which signifies children, not swine; and that the error of this variant reading arose from a scribal mistake, since the Greek words for "swine" and "children" have the greatest similarity of letters. They say, therefore, that the sense is that those enemies were as satisfied with children as they were with wealth, having become, clearly, fathers of many children. Or, according to a double interpretation, they are satisfied either with wealth or with punishments, along with their children, the preposition being understood; for not only they themselves, ^D but their children also were punished.

*And they have left the rest to their little ones.* Because the remainder was so great that it sufficed for the descendants of their children. For what he says, "to their little ones," explain as "the little ones of their children," so far that those riches, or punishments, extended to the whole generation. And if you understand punishments, it will be a prophecy of the evils that were to happen to the enemies of the blessed David. But if you understand riches, this will be a sort of exaggeration in their accusation, because, having been filled with such goods, they nevertheless lived wickedly and unjustly, despising the supreme long-suffering of God.

"But I will appear in thy presence in righteousness." Indeed, for my righteousness, concerning which we spoke at the beginning of the Psalm, make me worthy of your guardianship, and I shall appear before you at the time of the final judgment and retribution. ^B "I shall be satisfied when your glory appears." When I see your glory, he says, then my desire will be fulfilled, that I might be seen by you, and that in turn I might behold your glory. For sinners will not see the face of God; and the Lord says in the Gospels: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied," namely, with the eternal and desirable good things for which they long. This Psalm is also appropriate for every man endowed with virtue who is harassed by the snares and persecutions of enemies, and who, not loving deceit, asks to be judged against his enemy; for he will now consider Saul his enemy, whether he be visible perhaps, or invisible. He will also understand the words of God's lips to be the evangelical commands. And he will consider those who resist the right hand of God to be demons, as adversaries, apostates, and rebels. He will call these same ones ungodly and enemies who cast him out from the protection of God, or from paradise, and he will explain what follows in sequence to these. He prays, furthermore, ^C that the demons may be scattered and divided from righteous men as long as these righteous ones live; for after death they have nothing more to fear. Moreover, what is said concerning riches, or even punishments and torments, he will apply to the demons as rulers of the world, whose sons and descendants he will understand to be those we call disciples and ministers of demons: namely, wicked men, of whom the devil is the father.

"Unto the end, to the servant of the Lord, David, who spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul; and he said: I will love thee, O Lord, my strength."

PSALM XVII

"Unto the end" is inscribed on this Psalm because it contains prophecies that were to come to pass at the end. For it treats of Christ and the calling of the nations. ^D Or because the Prophet offered this hymn to God in thanksgiving for all the benefits he had received, upon the destruction and dissolution of his enemies; or because he composed the present Psalm at the end of his life. And he is called "the servant of the Lord, David," and not "king" or "prophet," because while being king or prophet was a gift of God, it was not a gift in the same way as being a "servant." For who is called a servant of the Lord, whether because of the gratitude of his soul, as a faithful slave, or because he is pleasing to God, as a beloved child? Therefore, blessed David, by both reasons, obtained both significations of this name.

^A And the words that he spoke to the Lord, are missing, they are the same, that is, he spoke the words of this Ode. He wrote "Ode," and not "Psalm," because he did not sing this Ode with musical instruments, but from his mouth alone, having already grown old, as is recorded in the Book of Kings. We, however, improperly call these Odes Psalms. "In the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies," that is to say, on the day when he seemed to be liberated from all his enemies up to that time, both foreigners and those of his own race. Having separated Saul from the other enemies, he placed him separately and last, either as one who had been his greatest enemy, or sparing him from being listed with the other enemies, as he had once been his king, his benefactor, and ^B his father-in-law.

VERS. 2. I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. Many, he says, and great goods I have obtained from you, and I am not able to repay; for what shall I render to the Lord for all that he has rendered to me? Therefore, what I alone am able to do, that I will do: I will love you, not as if I were not loving you before, but as one who will love you all the more for the future; for this is also the first of the commandments. For, he says, you shall love the Lord your God with all your strength, and with all your heart. He called God "strength," as one who strengthened his own weakness against such and so many enemies.

VERS. 3. The Lord is my firmament, and my refuge, and my deliverer. He calls God "firmament," as one who makes him stable, confirms him, and renders him immovable against the onslaught of recurring temptations; "refuge," as one who receives him when he flees within his own protection, and preserves him behind the wall of divine aid; "deliverer," as one who rescues him from those hoping to besiege and take him captive.

My God is my helper, and I will hope in him. My God alone is always my helper; wherefore I will hope in him alone, not growing faint at what befalls me, nor despairing of my salvation.

^D My protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper. In wars, he places his protection before me, that I may not be struck. For those who protect others in war are accustomed to hold shields before them, to ward off blows and missiles from every side; and in this way one is said to protect another. The "horn of salvation" means a saving defensive bulwark; for horned animals fight most powerfully with their horns in battle. And since some weapons are for defense and others for offense, he says that God became both for him: both shielding him in war and destroying his enemies. And "helper,"

^A because he assists me when I am brought down into despondency, and refreshes me amidst afflictions.

VER. 4. *Laudans invocabo Dominum et ab inimicis meis salvus ero* (I will call with praise upon the Lord, and I shall be safe from my enemies). Having praised God with such various and manifold titles of divine assistance, as if He who had brought him aid in many and diverse ways, he subsequently adds, saying: I have not catalogued these so many and such names of God’s help merely with the intention of thanking Him for the benefits received, as if I no longer needed His assistance; but by these means I have praised and magnified God for the gifts bestowed upon me, and shown the gratitude of my soul, so that I might acknowledge that I must call upon Him throughout the whole time of my life, and that all my hopes must be placed in Him. Therefore, he says, "I will hope in Him, and I shall be safe from my enemies." For although I have been delivered from the enemies I have had thus far, yet it is probable that if I live longer, others will rise up against me once more. Having said this, he turns his discourse and enumerates his various dangers ^B and the manifold defenses of God. He uses allegorical language for greater emphasis of the facts and for greater efficacy of his speech.

VER. 5. *Circumdederunt me dolores mortis* (The pains of death compassed me about). What we read in Latin as *dolores* (pains), in Greek is *ōdines* (birth-pangs): which word properly signifies the pains of a woman in labor. Thus, by such pains in human affairs, we may understand the toils and distresses that arise from afflictions and straits, occurring most painfully in the likeness of those pains which arise in the childbirth of women for the narrowing and compression of the passages. But in a woman, they are to be called pains of life rather than of death, since they bring ^C a human being to the light of this life. Here, however, exactly the opposite occurs; for they are called pains of death because they lead the one they seize into the darkness of death. He says, therefore, that he was held by intolerable pains, for he expressed the maximum gravity of pains by the word we noted as occurring in the Greek.

*Et torrentes iniquitatis conturbaverunt me* (And the torrents of iniquity troubled me). By "torrents of iniquity," he understands the sudden, temporary, and impetuous incursions of impious nations; for such is the nature of torrents, which flow in winter, immediately and with force. For they were acting wickedly and with an evil intent, seeking to destroy him. ^D He also applied the word "troubled" most aptly. For torrents roll down and disturb everything into which they fall. Therefore, the Prophet says that he was even rolled about on all sides, and suffered a sort of bewilderment due to such of a sudden movement of new and unexpected events.

VER. 6. *Dolores inferni circumdederunt me* (The pains of hell compassed me about). This verse signifies the same as the one above: "The pains of death compassed me about," or (as the Greek reading there more truly has it) "held me fast." For to compass and to hold fast or embrace signify the same thing. Similarly also death and hell. Now hell, according to the etymology of the Greek name, signifies an unpleasant and joyless place of the dead, which is beneath

^A holding and receiving them. Or, "the pangs of hell" are pains leading toward hell, or the ministers of hell.

"The snares of death prevented me." He says, "Ambushes occupied me," [snares] which work death. For that which snares are to hunters against wild beasts, these ambushes are to enemies against their enemies.

VERS. 7. "And in my tribulation I called upon the Lord." To my aid, that is. "And I cried to my God." Established in straits, I raised my voice to my God, crying out. "He heard my voice from his holy temple." You must understand the holy temple to be heaven, as we have said before, or the tabernacle of testimony. For there was no temple in Jerusalem as yet; it was built later by Solomon. But understand that God "heard," not in a human manner, but in a manner becoming to God; although we, who can neither comprehend in our mind nor express in language the powers and energies of God by which he contains the whole world, reduce them to the likeness of sensible things, through which we comprehend those things which truly are. "And my cry is in his sight." My cry is always in his sight, because, established in straits, I cry to him alone. ^B "It shall enter into his ears." In a favorable time, also, he will hear me. Now we are accustomed to use these words when we give thanks and at the same time relate the assaults of the demons.

VERS. 8. "The earth was shaken and trembled." From here he begins to prophesy concerning Christ, relating future things as having happened, after the custom of the prophets; for nothing of the sort is recorded to have happened to blessed David. And as for what the LXX interpreters said, "The earth was shaken," or rather, "fluctuated and trembled" (Aquila said, "It was moved and shaken"): by "earth" now understand the men who are in it, those who inhabit the earth. For when Christ was teaching, both the Jews and the nations were troubled because of the report and fame that had grown concerning him; for "fluctuation" is the same as "trouble." And they feared, seeing the signs and wonders that he was performing; for he put "trembling" for "fearing," because timid men are accustomed to be seized by trembling. ^C And in another way: they were moved, flocking to him because of the report; and they were shaken, being stirred up in their own judgments.

"The foundations of the mountains were troubled and shaken, because God was angry with them." By mountains understand the demons, because of their extreme elation and pride; and by "foundations," their deep cogitations. For the demons, seeing the impregnable power of God, were confounded in their own thoughts, doubting who he was and considering what they themselves were destined to suffer. Their thoughts, therefore, were thus troubled; and they themselves also were shaken in like manner by that power, in which, while they were strong, they were more powerful and robust. This, however, was because God was angry with them for having tyrannized and enslaved to such an extent D

that it brought about these things. These verses can also be understood as referring to the events that occurred at the time of the Lord's Passion, when the earth was shaken and the rocks were split, for God was angry with them, that is, with the Jews.

9. *Ascendit fumus in ira ejus* (He ascended in smoke in his anger). Inasmuch as the Creator was angry because of the destruction of His creature, smoke went before His vengeance, which restrained the tyrant demon in part. For He both drew the faithful away from his errors and drove the unclean spirits out of those who were possessed. This was the beginning of the final and greater vengeance, for smoke is accustomed to precede fire. For the demons, as they were going out, cried out: "What have we to do with Thee, Son of God? Hast Thou come to torment us before the time?" (Matt. VIII, 29).

*Et ignis a facie ejus exardescet* (And fire shall be kindled from His face). If smoke went before, fire will also follow, which is a more perfect vengeance and the utter impotence of the demon. "From His face," that is, from God himself, who in three persons has one face of Divinity. Or, "from His face," that is, in His presence. For it says: "Fire shall go before His presence, and shall burn up His enemies round about" (Ps. XCVI, 3). "Shall be kindled," that is, shall be ignited.

*Carbones succensi sunt ab eo* (Coals were kindled by Him). Because God is a consuming fire for all evil power, His own disciples were also made partakers of such efficacy and virtue, and from this very fire, which is God, they were kindled as coals, which would burn up the entire power of the enemy with the fire of their own faith. ^C For He says: "Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy" (Luke X, 19).

10. *Et inclinavit caelos, et descendit* (And He bowed the heavens, and came down). The Prophet, wishing to signify to us the hidden mystery of the divine incarnation, said that He bowed the heavens down to the earth, and came down without a sound. For, hidden and unnoticed by all the powers, He dwelt in the Virgin’s womb. The Prophet described this event more bodily and sensibly, as will appear even more from what follows. For he says:

*Et caligo sub pedibus ejus* (And darkness under His feet). By darkness, understand gloom; and by feet, the way. For the way of the Lord’s assuming humanity and His incarnation was obscure, and its manner incomprehensible. Or otherwise: Just as earthly men, or those who inhabit the earth, are often called "earth" in Scripture, so too the heavens—that is, the heavenly angels, or those who dwell in heaven, whom He bowed down while coming down to earth—can be called "heaven." For it is written in the Gospels: "The angels were ministering to Him" (Matt. IV, 11). And you should understand the descending of God as being bodily, for He is uncircumscribed. ^D

He is God, and He fills all things, even though it is in a way beyond our ability to comprehend and ineffable. ^A

VERS. 11. *And He ascended upon the Cherubim and flew, He flew upon the wings of the winds.* This is a prophecy concerning the Assumption of Christ. That the Lord, when ascending, was received by the Cherubim, Ezekiel declared in his vision, saying: *And the Cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels were beside them, and the Lord of Israel was upon them from above; and the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city* (Ezek. XI, 22, 23). These words are spoken without contradiction of the Lord's Ascension. For Paul also called the Lord Himself the *brightness of [His] glory* (Hebr. I, 3). He flew, then, on the wings of the Cherubim, which he also called winds on account of the speed of their movement. And in truth, the Lord was indeed carried into heaven upon the Cherubim, which are nearest to the Divinity, ^B even though to the Apostles He appeared to be carried on the wings of the winds—that is, by the very winds, which the Prophet introduced as being winged because of their rapid movement in the air. For all things that pass through the air are winged; since we read concerning the Ascension of Christ that *that cloud was carried by the winds* (Acts I, 6), just as all others are always wont to be carried.

VERS. 12. *And He made darkness His secret place.* By darkness, he signifies that He could not be seen. For it was invisibility that covered Him. This invisibility, therefore, He put around Himself as a secret place, because once He was assumed into heaven, He remained hidden from their eyes. Alternatively, understand by darkness the flesh of the Lord, which concealed the Divinity within itself; or, [understand it as] the incomprehensibility that veiled His Divinity. For those who desire to penetrate the depth of the divine knowledge too exactly are darkened and blinded. ^C

*In His circuit is His tabernacle.* Here he calls the assumed flesh a tabernacle, which the Lord Himself also named His temple, saying: *Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up* (John II, 19). He said "in His circuit," because God dwelt within that very flesh, not as being circumscribed by it, but as omnipotent, remaining there in an ineffable manner. And He said this to show that Christ was assumed into heaven together with His flesh, and that He did not lay it aside when ascending there, as some foolish people later claimed. Or, by the tabernacle, he understands that divine splendor to which no one can approach, since He is said to *dwell in the light which no man can approach unto*, which, existing in the circuit of the Divinity, conceals it and powerfully turns away the eyes of those wishing to behold it. ^D

*Dark water in the clouds of the air.* By water here, he understands the hidden mystery concerning Christ, and by "the air" (or, as the Greek reading more truly has it in the plural number, "the airs"), the prophets; and the sense is that the proclamation concerning Christ in the prophecies of the prophets is "dark"—that is to say, obscure—and difficult to perceive.

^A Water, on the one hand, is called such as refreshing those who are frenzied in error; clouds, as having that which is signified hidden; airs, on account of the purity and subtlety of the mind. That Scripture often calls the prophets "clouds," Isaiah has shown: for when he had called the house of Israel a vineyard, he introduced a command to the clouds not to rain upon it, which is to say, that the prophets should no longer prophesy. ^B VERS. 13. *From the brightness in his sight clouds passed.* By the brightness, he says, of his divine presence—which brings light not only to those near, but also to those who are far off—the dark and obscure prophecies have passed, that is, they have been dissolved: whence, their obscurity having been destroyed, that which was hidden and veiled has appeared. For when the sun has risen, the gloom of the clouds is dissolved, and the part that was hidden by them is made manifest. Or one must understand by "clouds" in this place the cloud of the dark law; for when Christ shone forth, the veil of its riddles and figures was dissolved, and these things appeared, depicting and foreshadowing Christ. But having given these explanations, you will connect "in his sight" with "from the brightness," so that it may be: "from the brightness in his sight," that is, of his presence. Or, in another way, you may distinguish "from the brightness," and having placed a stop, you will refer the rest to what follows, and will give such a meaning as this: that when the Lord had shone forth according to his life in the flesh, the apostles, in his sight—that is, in his presence, and in his stead—distilling the word of the proclamation, passed through the inhabited world, filling the fields of souls like clouds, and rousing them to the fruit-bearing of virtues.

*Hail and coals of fire.* We shall adapt this also to the first interpretation; for the prophecies are compared also to hail, on account of the hardness of their obscurity, and to fire, on account of their burning up the contentions of those who do not believe. So that the same thing is understood by "cloud" and "hail" and "fire," on account of the reasons given. ^C Yet no less does it fit the final interpretation, for we shall likewise understand the apostles as hail and fire: the former, as blinding and destroying error; the latter, as burning up impiety.

VERS. 14. *And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the Highest gave his voice.* "Lord" and "Highest" is God, as Master and exalted. But "he thundered and gave his voice" when the Son cried to the Father, saying: *Father, glorify thy name.* ^D For there came, he says, a voice from heaven: *And I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.* The crowd, however, that was standing, and

^A hearing, said that it had thundered. So the phrase *it thundered* is spoken in regard to the perception of the hearers, but the phrase *He gave His voice* refers to the truth. For since it was a voice, it seemed like thunder to those who heard it. We should not be surprised when the prophecies do not maintain order and sequence of events; for it is demonstrated from this that the prophets did not prophesy what they themselves wished, but what they were prompted to say by the Holy Spirit.

VERS. 15. *He sent his arrows and scattered them.* By arrows he means His disciples, who were sent out into the whole world. By them, Christ scattered the demons, whom he has identified by the use of the pronoun. For the Holy Spirit hates their very name, just as He hates them.

^B And *He multiplied his lightnings and troubled them.* Understand the disciples to be both the arrows and the lightnings: the former as shooting at and overturning their error, the latter as burning up their impiety and the sacred groves dedicated to them. For defeated by the prayers of the disciples, and unable to endure the lightning of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, the enemies were troubled and reduced to a state of helplessness and confusion.

VERS. 16. *And the fountains of waters appeared.* By the fountains of waters the apostles are again to be understood: as the first teachers of the faith in Christ, chosen by the Lord Himself. For in Scripture, doctrine is often signified by water, and the preaching of the Gospel as well; and the fountains are the first springs of this, the apostles themselves, as we have said, because they appeared to all, in that they were sent to all.

*And the foundations of the world were revealed.* These same men are to be called the foundations of the world, in that they were the first to believe, and they laid down a firm and unshakable seat of faith for the world, upon which all are built up. They were revealed through the radiance of their lives and the brightness of the miracles performed by them. And while the foundations of other buildings are hidden in the earth, the foundations of the faith, on the contrary, shining forth through both deeds and words, were made manifest to all and can be seen by all.

*At thy rebuke, O Lord.* These things were done because You rebuked the demons and struck them with the greatest fear.

*At the blast of the spirit of thy wrath.* Wrath is like fire. Once kindled and stirred up, it emits a kind of smoky vapor, and passes through the nostrils of an angry man into the air. Whence it is called the "spirit of wrath," and we say of those who are very angry that they "breathe wrath." Using this analogy, the Prophet signified the movement of wrath, speaking in a human manner. To such an extent, he says, were You, O Lord, wrathful, that the breathing (if I may say so) of the spirit of Your wrath was in the air, and scattered the enemies.

VERS. 17. *He sent from on high and took me.* What follows is spoken by the Prophet concerning himself, in relation to the ser-

sequence of his discourse. For he said, God sent help from on high, and rescued me. ^A *He took me from many waters.* In Holy Scripture, waters are sometimes taken to mean some sort of purification or refreshment—as when we understand by waters the doctrine [which both refreshes and purges]—and sometimes they are meant for drowning and destruction, as is the case here. For such is the nature of waters: on the one hand, they cleanse; on the other, they choke, especially when they are many and deep. You must, therefore, consider "many waters" to be the multitude of calamities or of enemies. And "he took me" means, he drew me out toward himself; for he who helps someone and leads him out of danger is accustomed to draw that person toward himself.

*He will rescue me from my strong enemies.* By "strong enemies" here, one must understand the demons, who wage war both openly and secretly, by night and by day, through every sense, and who possess an indefatigable nature in battle; for they are spirits. Therefore, the God who rescued me from sensible [enemies] ^B will himself rescue me also from the intellectual and invisible enemies, who are strong unto wickedness and destruction. *And from those who hate me, because they were confirmed over me.* For those same demons, being haters of mankind, hate me also, especially because I am helped by God. But the Lord will rescue me from them for the reason that they conspired against me and were joined together; or rather (to speak more accurately) because they became stronger and prevailed over me, while I was not armed with the weapons of virtue, as I should have been, but was rather soft and weak; or because the demons possess a nature lacking matter, and easily see him whom they wish to strike, whereas I, having a nature admixed with matter and body, do not see those who strike me. ^C

VERS. 19. *They reached me in the day of my affliction.* The word "to reach" does not always mean to anticipate, but sometimes simply to occupy and to attack, as is the case here. "For my enemies," he says, "whether visible or invisible, fell upon me in the time of my affliction," that is to say, in the time of the weakness of my military preparations, whether against the visible or against the invisible; for seeing me weak, they attacked me all the more. *And the Lord became my support.* When I was about to fall, He became a prop to my weakness. "Support," in place of a staff that sustains. ^D

*He brought me out into a broad place.* From the narrowness of my afflictions into the breadth of joy, that is, a release, according to that: *In affliction you have broadened me.* Or also because the enemies, by surrounding me, narrow the

^A closed approach and force me into straits, and urge me with cruel threats, I seemed in a certain way to be driven into a tight spot: now, delivered from such great difficulties, I seem to run out into wide and spacious fields.

He will rescue me, because he delighted in me. God, who deemed me worthy of such great care and zeal, will deliver me in the future also from all evils attacking me. For he delighted in me, that is, he chose me.

VERS. 21. And the Lord will reward me according to my justice. I have never done any injury to those who lay snares for me, and therefore, being compared to them, I shall seem just; and from this I shall also receive a reward from God: for in return for this, he will pay me back his own help as if it were a debt.

And according to the purity of my hands he will restore to me. While he speaks of the purity of his hands, he explains what his justice is. For, he says, I have not plundered, I have not circumvented anyone, I have not laid snares for those who laid snares for me; hence, if my hands are compared to the hands of my enemies, I preserve them most pure from every defilement. Or by hands, he signifies his actions and operations, inasmuch as works are accustomed to be done through them. ^B

VERS. 22. Because I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not acted wickedly against my God. He places this as the cause of the purity of his hands. For they were clean, he says, because I kept the ways of the Lord, that is, his commandments; nor did I ever depart from them in the manner of the wicked. For he who observes divine precepts, and walks through them, is necessarily also clean.

VERS. 23. For all his judgments are before me, and his justifications have not departed from me. It is one thing to speak of law, another of a commandment, another of a testimony, another of a judgment, and another of a justification. For that is called law, which contains all the commandments in general [and which orders and moderates life and proper conduct], just as the law was given through Moses. But a commandment is that which orders [in the manner of the Lord and King, or] anything else specifically; such as: *You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery* and whatever other things are commanded in this fashion in particular. A testimony, moreover, is also [what testifies against sinners and teaches the punishments for transgressions] which the legislator commanded to his hearers with a certain attestation and confirmation: just as when Moses was saying: *If you do this or that, I call heaven and earth to witness against you, that you shall die the death.* A judgment, however, is that which demonstrates the sentence of God [and teaches what good things he will obtain who has observed the commandments of God, and likewise what punishment awaits the transgressors, as are all those things that are recorded to have been judged by God]: such as that which we read written about the blasphemer of the fearful name of God, when Moses reported the judgment to God, and God ordered him to be stoned: which judgment ^D was later [held for a certain law].

Those are called justifications, which teach what is just, and forbid what is unjust, [and declare those who live according to virtue to be righteous,] as that is: "If anyone shall acquire a Hebrew boy, let him serve him for six years," and other things of this sort, which are full of the highest justice. And truly the distinction of these names is such, yet often one is taken for the other interchangeably, and especially in the one hundred and eighteenth psalm. But in this place, by the names of judgments and justifications, he comprehends all the commandments, as if [setting forth] the whole by a part. For he says, "All his commandments are in my sight," for I often read and revolve them, nor do I ever allow them to be far from me.

^B VER. 24. *And I shall be immaculate with Him.* That is, through Him, or existing with Him. *And I shall keep myself from my iniquity.* He uses "keep" here for "abstain," and "iniquity" for "sin." He said "my" however, because sin is properly of the flesh itself, or because he confesses himself also to be a sinner. For among men there is no one without sin.

VER. 25. *And the Lord shall retribute to me according to my justice, and according to the purity of my hands in the sight of his eyes.* But if I was such in the past, and shall also be so hereafter, I shall altogether obtain the retribution, as we have previously stated. He calls that the purity of his hands which shall be in the sight of the Lord, so that he may teach that he does this not for any ostentation, nor that it may be seen by men, but that it may please God.

VER. 26, 27. *With the holy thou shalt be holy, and with the innocent man thou shalt be innocent, and with the elect thou shalt be elect, and with the perverse thou shalt pervert.* The "holy" is properly called he who is pious and religious in those things which pertain to God. The "innocent," truly, is he who is blameless in regard to human conduct. And the "elect" is he who is perfect in virtues. The "perverse" also is that one who is of habits not straight, but oblique, and as it were twisted and ^C malicious. But this discourse is full of teachings, and pertains in general to all; and the sense is: "Whatever sort of person each one is with whom you dwell, such also you shall become." Being transformed, of course, into his habit and nature. But what he says, "thou shalt pervert," is the same as "thou shalt make straight," or, "thou shalt convert," namely, the perverse intent into a good one. These sayings can, however, be referred also to God, so that the sense may be: "Thou, O Lord, shalt render to all things worthy of their merits, as thou art most just. And thou shalt indeed sanctify the holy, and shalt make the innocent innocent, shalt even choose the elect; and shalt pervert the perverse, to good indeed, and by hindering him from evils." And here is a certain figurative mode of speaking, in which a nominal noun is wont to be placed for a participle of a verb: as "holy" for "sanctifying," [and "elect" for "choosing": which figure of speech is perceived more clearly in the Greek reading than in the Latin.]

VER. 28. *Because thou shalt save the humble people, and shalt humble the eyes of the proud.* The humble, I say, in virtue. By the eyes of the proud, however, he understands the proud themselves, as if the whole by a part: or because the proud have been wont to be known chiefly from their eyes, while they lift their eyebrows, which are above the eyes (just as the etymology of the Greek name rightly declares). Therefore, these eyes of the proud thou shalt make to look down to the earth, through afflictions of course, ^D

forcing them to look downward. But as for the proud [man], understand the Jew, who acts arrogantly regarding both the law and his ancestors. ^A

VERS. 29. *For thou shalt enlighten my lamp, O Lord my God, thou shalt enlighten my darkness.* The intellect in us is a kind of eye of the soul; and the eye can not undeservedly be called a lamp, since, as a guide, it shows the way in the darkness. By the darkness of the soul, we understand anger and concupiscence. Thou, O Lord, he says, shalt enlighten my intellect and mind with divine light and splendor: in doing so, thou shalt likewise enlighten my darkness (for together with the intellect, the other parts and powers of the soul will advance). And this is what the Savior said in the Gospel: *If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great shall the darkness be?* This is to say: If the intellect is darkened, much more so will the remaining parts of the soul be wrapped in darkness. We can also say that the intellect itself is both light and darkness: relative to the nature of material things, it is light; but relative to God, it is darkness, since He is invisible to it. Or [understand] by the lamp the Mosaic law, guiding those who read it toward good things; but by darkness, the veil of obscurity placed upon the law itself, whose hidden things David now prophesies will be illuminated and revealed, clearly when God is incarnate. Or the lamp is the preaching of the Gospel, illuminated and made known to us by its Savior; but the darkness is the error of idols and the irrational ignorance of the true faith. Or the lamp is the intellect, which guides man; but the darkness is the body, because of the obstruction and density it presents. ^B Both will be illuminated: the one by divine splendors, the other by purification and cleanliness. Some, however, say that the lamp called here is Jesus, born of the seed of David, ^C whom the Word of God illuminated by being united to Him, and granted Him to cast forth His rays everywhere, for He says: *I am the light of the world*; but by darkness [they understand] the flesh which He took, which He deified and illuminated.

VERS. 30. *For in thee I shall be rescued from temptation.* In thee, that is, through thee. From temptation, that is, from trials brought about by men or demons. *And in my God I will pass over a wall.* With my God assisting me, I will leap over the sins that block the path to Him for me; within these, Satan used to have his power and through them had blocked my ascent to heaven, as if with a wall. Or "temptation" is to be understood as the life of man, according to Job, in which there is much bait, and many enticements of pleasures, and many snares of death, and many enemies, both intellectual and sensible; and the wall is the body, set in front of the soul, and blocking from it the divine rays; or else the wall,

^A understand the demons themselves dwelling in the air: who hinder the soul that desires to pass over to God, like a wall.

VERS. 31. *My God, his way is undefiled.* This is also a certain figure of speech common in Holy Scripture. For instead of saying that the way of my God is undefiled, he said: *My God, his way is undefiled.* Now the way of God is virtue, which leads to Him. It is necessary, therefore, that those who are to proceed along this way should be blameless. Or the discourse is about our Savior, who, walking along this way, committed no sin.

*The words of the Lord are tried by fire.* That is, true and pure from every stain, like gold that has been melted; for it is said elsewhere: *The words of the Lord are pure words, silver tried by fire.*

*He is a protector of all who hope in him.* For having promised to provide help, He does not lie. ^B

VERS. 32. *For who is God besides the Lord?* The word "for" is redundant in this place. Or the meaning is: For who else by nature itself is God, besides the Lord? That is to say, besides God the Father.

*Or who is God besides our God?* He called the Son God in this place. By saying "our" God, the Prophet joined Himself to us believers, foreseeing the simplicity of the faith.

VERS. 33. *God who girded me with power.* This is said concerning the Holy Spirit. And if one were to say that these three verses signify the same thing as a parallel, it would not be unreasonable; for He girded me with power, in war, that is. ^C

*And he set my way unblamable.* The Lord composed and directed the conduct of my life by His commandments. Or the discourse is about the Savior, speaking in the person of the Church of the faithful: that the Savior made the way plain for her by His own walking, and rendered it unblamable.

VERS. 34. *Who perfected my feet like a hart’s.* He "perfects," that is, prepares or makes perfect for running, in the time, namely, of flight.

*And set me upon high places.* Who keeps me in the mountains, and makes me stand there, and rest from the running, in the manner of harts that are fleeing and ascending into the mountains, and, upon the removal of fear, are standing and breathing; or, Who made me most swift in running, so ^D that I might escape the demons seeking to catch me, and lead me up to the summit of the virtues.

VERS. 35. *Who teaches my hands for war.* He further taught me the skill of the art of war, but in such a way that I am able to contend not only against visible enemies, but also against invisible ones, being armed, of course, with the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit: indeed, not only to contend with them, but with the hands themselves—that is, with those virtues which pertain to actions—to make war against them. May it be

^A furthermore noted that the stretching forth of the hands to God against enemies is a most powerful kind of struggle.

*And you have placed my arms like a bronze bow.* Supply the word "as," so that the sense is: *You have placed my arms like a bronze bow*; that is, you have given me most powerful arms, which would not grow weary in the frequent discharge of arrows. ^B

*Verse 36. And you have given me the protection of salvation.* You provided me an aid not useless, but even saving.

*And your right hand has helped me.* For those who bring help to anyone are accustomed to use their right hand; for it is more active, and more powerful, and more fitted than the left. By "right hand," one must understand the Creator of creation become man, who took up our nature. ^C

*And your discipline has corrected me unto the end.* By "discipline" understand here the law, by which he was instructed and trained unto virtue: or the calamities and temptations into which God permitted him to fall, for the sake of discipline and training. From both sides, he says, you have worked things useful for me, while you brought aid in dangers, and permitted me to be afflicted and instructed by temptations.

*And your discipline itself will teach me.* And you will still teach and instruct me as a son. For in tribulation, he says, is your discipline for us. When in prosperity, we are careless; but when we fall into calamities for the sake of the faith, then we are aroused, we are raised up, and we become more sober. ^D

*Verse 37. You have enlarged my steps under me.* By having scattered, that is, the snares and traps through which, when I had to pass, I was—as it were—held in certain straits: but now, with all fear banished, I walk securely, since no longer are any ambushes arranged against me.

*And my footprints have not grown weak.* For whereas before I was fleeing from my enemies, I was treading the earth only on the surface and lightly, so that my footprints were almost uncertain and invisible. I did this studiously, that I might not be identified by those who were pursuing me, and that they might not track me by them—but now I step firmly and strongly, fearing no one. The statement may also be taken from the person of the Church giving thanks to God: that her way is being enlarged, with many walking along it assiduously, and the characters—that is, the impressions—of the evangelical conversation are not being blotted out, nor do they become obscurer, but rather through the assiduity and frequency of the faithful they are always increasing and are rendered clearer.

*Verse 38. I will pursue my enemies and will overtake them.* Made more confident by the preceding marvelous works of God, the Prophet says concerning the future: If enemies should again rise up against me, again I shall...

pursue them; for they shall not be able to withstand me, nor to escape from my hands. And I shall not turn back until they have failed. Having seized them, I shall not depart, leaving them as if already defeated, but rather I shall utterly destroy them all. ^A

VERS. 39. I shall crush them, and they shall not be able to stand. Having said that He will pursue the enemies, He also states the manner: I shall constrain them, pressing and squeezing them from every side; and they shall not be able to stand in battle order against me. They shall fall under my feet. When they are seized and caught in an inescapable net, they shall fall while supplicating. ^B

VERS. 40. And You have girded me with strength for battle. He again commemorates the benefits bestowed upon him by God. You have supplanted all those rising up against me beneath me. For You have hindered them and destroyed them. VERS. 41. And You have given me the back of my enemies. That is, You have caused them to turn their backs, which is to flee; for those who flee turn their backs and show them. Or, You have given them to me for a back, that is, over their backs, so that I might strike them more securely and with a more certain blow. And those who hate me You have exterminated. This means You have utterly eradicated them from the earth. VERS. 42. They cried out, and there was no one to save them; to the Lord, and He did not hear them. He said they cried out, and added to whom, although for their sins they were not heard. ^C VERS. 43. And I shall beat them small as dust before the face of the wind. I shall wipe them away, He says, like dust beaten small in the sight of the wind; for the wind, rushing in straight, lifts the dust from the earth, as being most light and thin. As the mud of the streets, I shall crush them. I shall crush, that is, I shall tread underfoot; for mud which lies in the streets is crushed by treading. From what follows, he has indicated what precedes. A "plateia" (street) is a broad and wide road, or a royal one, through which the people walk. There are also other ways, called "amaxiti" (carriage-roads), through which carts pass. "Platea" is said as if from "platus," which means "broad." A street is broad in comparison to a lane or path, which are narrower. ^D

VERS. 44. You will deliver me from the contradiction of the people. You will make me superior to the contradiction of the people subject to me, so that they might fear me as their king, and might not dare to oppose my commands. You will set me as the head of the nations. You will not only take away from me every contradiction of my subjects, the Jews, but You will also subject nations to me. But these things seem to be more fittingly referred to Christ than to the blessed David, so that from His humanity it is spoken to the Father: You will set me as the head of the nations, according to that which is said: I will give You the nations as Your inheritance. For when the Jewish people, who were formerly called the Lord's peculiar people, did not receive Christ, but were disobedient, and spoke against Him, and finally slew the Master, He was delivered

from them and rescued on this account: because He rose from the dead, which had been permitted to them, and escaped from the hands of the guards who were standing by the tomb; and consequently He reigned over the Gentiles, having accepted their voluntary subjection.

^B VERSE 45. *A people whom I have not known, served me.* A people, truly, from the Gentiles who was previously unknown to me: as one who did not know me before. For God is said to know only those who know Him. *In the hearing of the ear he obeyed me.* This means, in the hearing of his ear he received my Gospel.

VERSE 46. *Strange children have lied to me.* We understand this verse to be spoken from the person of the Prophet, rebuking the race of the Jews: for they lied concerning their ancestral lineage, in that they claimed to have Abraham and David as their parents, and yet followed practices contrary to them. He calls them "children," since they were descended from him; but "strange," because of the dissimilarity of their conduct and pursuits.

*Strange children have grown old, and have limped away from their paths.* They have been judged of no value, and have become useless, like old vessels. This, however, was caused by their wickedness. For they limped, that is, they were perversely turned away from the path of God's commandments, by which the Lord had commanded them to walk. For the gait of the lame is distorted, because of the twisting of the joints.

VERSE 47. *The Lord liveth.* This is a prophecy concerning the ^C resurrection of the Lord, which the blessed David foretold for the instruction of those Jews who believed that Christ was still dead, crying out that the Lord lives, because He rose again.

*And blessed be God.* For He is worthy to be blessed and praised.

*And let the God of my salvation be exalted.* By his prayer and vows, the Prophet hastens Christ toward the Ascension, so that, having departed, He might send the Paraclete to the apostles, who were about to go forth for the preaching of the Gospel. Yet, formerly the Son was the God of creation, but now He is the God of recreation, that is, of salvation. The Prophet also added the pronoun "my," making what is ours common to Himself. We can also understand it otherwise, from the person of the Prophet: *The Lord liveth,* that is, He is eternal, having neither beginning nor end, but always existing. For the Prophet very often mixes dogmatic truths into his discourses for the benefit of his readers. "Blessed," moreover, because of the wondrous things He has done. "Exalted," indeed, means "let Him be esteemed great by us."

VERSE 48. *God who gives acts of vengeance to me, and has subjected the peoples under me.* ^D Acts of vengeance, that is, upon my enemies. But as for the peoples whom He subjected, understand the Jews, who together with Saul were fighting against him: who finally, even against their will, submitted to him as king. But if you consider this in reference to Christ, understand acts of venge—

concerning the Jews, destroyed by the Romans, and ^A by the subjection of peoples, the conversion of the Gentiles to the faith. "My deliverer from my angry enemies." These things are all said to God in thanksgiving, and while they are pronounced in the direct case, they have the force of the vocative. By "angry enemies" he understands those around Saul, who never ceased their anger until they succumbed, or else the demons. "You will exalt me from those rising up against me." He repeats the same things he said above, rejoicing to revolve and iterate them again, for they are the occasion of joy. "Deliver me from an unjust man." If some shall rise up against me, like the servants of Saul, you will set me higher than them; and if anyone like Saul acts unjustly, laying snares for the one who saves me, deliver me also from such a man. "Therefore I will confess to You, O Lord, among the nations." Because You are such as my word has celebrated, I will give You thanks among all the nations; and truly he has done this through the book of his own Psalms, which is spread among all nations. "And I will sing to Your name." That is to say, to You, according to: "I will sing to You on the harp." "Magnifying the deliverances of the king." ^B [It is understood: O Lord, so that the sense is: You, O Lord, make my deliverances great. For he understands himself through the king.] "And showing mercy to His Christ." To him who was anointed by You, that is to say, by Your command. "To David and his seed forever." Having spoken of a king, then of a Christ, he added the name David. Now, to be shown mercy by God might be applied to the Jews who reigned from the lineage of David; but to say "forever" is inappropriate. For after the return from captivity, only Zerubbabel ruled, leaving no successors in the kingdom. It remains, therefore, that we understand Christ in this place to be the seed of David, since His mother was descended from David, and of His kingdom there shall be no end. For this reason the evangelist also said: "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David." And He who shows mercy to this seed is the Word and God, who is united to Him and makes Him divine. ^D

To the end, a Psalm unto David. PSALM XVII.

This Psalm is also inscribed "to the end" because the blessed David was old when he composed it, looking already toward the end of his life; or because the things foretold in it were to attain an end. For he refutes the future impiety of those who would say that all things came to be spontaneously and by chance.

"The heavens declare the glory of God." They themselves, he says, the heavens, always proclaim the magnificence of God, using their appearance as a voice. For from... [original-script column: see facsimile]

^A the greatness and beauty of created things, its maker is perceived by analogy. And everyone who beholds the magnitude of the heaven, and its form, and beauty, and position, and things of such a kind, having the visual sight as it were a teacher, most easily both discerns and believes in the power of God. By "heavens," however, he refers to that which is above the firmament, using the plural character, instead of the singular, according to the Hebrew dialect, which sometimes employs the plural and sometimes the singular in naming "heaven." For even if it is invisible, nevertheless from the firmament we infer even that one. Or perhaps he calls the firmament itself alone the "heavens," since it alone is what is seen, according to which sense the following verse will be an interpretation of the present one.

^B "And the firmament declareth the work of his hands." If you understand the second verse to be an exposition of the first, calling that "heavens" in the one which he here calls "firmament"; and what they "tell" in that verse, this one "declares"; and what is "glory" there, is "work of his hands" here, that is, craftsmanship. To speak briefly, he is saying this, that the heaven, alone being visible, is a sufficient and suitable teacher of the magnificence of the God who made it; for this he has named both "glory" and "work of his hands."

"Day unto day uttereth speech." If the world were governed by chance and of its own accord, the days and the nights would not keep their own proper boundaries. But now, so much is He the Provider of the all, that because of the extreme orderliness, the first day seems always to teach the following one regarding the boundary of the order allotted to them. For in a certain manner, it "utters," that is, it signifies, "speech," ^C that is, the command of God, which was established by Him concerning this kind of order.

"And night unto night announceth knowledge." This, he says, it is possible to see also in the case of the nights. By "knowledge," however, he means the instruction concerning the constitution of this order, so that they do not harm one another, but rather with a certain order, this one excels the days, and that one the nights, and this one shares equally, and through all things demonstrates total harmony. Or, "utters speech and announces knowledge," because it is the providence of God; for order is the teacher of providence.

Otherwise: "Day" signifies the Father; and "day" also the Son, on account of the radiance of the Godhead. And the Father speaks to the Son—for He says: "I have not spoken of myself, but the Father who sent me, He gave me commandment what I should say and what I should speak." And "night" again is Christ, according to his humanity, if compared with the Godhead; ^D and He "announceth to night," that is, to other men, "knowledge and cognition" of God.

"There are no speeches nor languages where their voices are not heard?" This must be read interrogatively,

^A as if David were saying: "Are there not speeches, nor words, of these inanimate creatures, nor are their voices heard?" For if their voice is not heard, then, because it does not exist, it is clear that there will be neither speech nor word; for these are parts of the voice. Having thus raised the problem, he introduces the solution. "Into all the earth their sound hath gone forth, and their words unto the ends of the world." "Yes," he says, "so great are they; for the whole earth has been filled with their sound," in the way we have described. The expression "unto the ends of the world their words" means the same thing; he has repeated it for the sake of emphasis. ^B Indeed, "ends" is emphatic regarding length and breadth, just as "speech" and "word" are the same thing. It is the custom of the Prophets, and especially of David, to express the same thought in different words.

One may also say it in another way: that the Prophet, having taught that the aforementioned creatures, as it were, emit a voice—in that there is a providence of God which carries through and holds together all things—wishes to declare that there will be, in every nation, some who understand such a voice of inanimate things. Therefore he says: "There are no speeches nor words of any vernacular dialect by which they are not heard," that is, by which the aforementioned unspoken voices of the creatures are not proclaimed. ^C And this has been fulfilled; for everywhere on earth, in every nation, there are those who understand and proclaim that there is a providence of God. In the case of the present thought, however, we must understand "are heard" as "shall be heard," by an anachronism. Or else he used the present tense because of the prophecy, seeing future things as if they were already happening.

"In the sun he hath set his tabernacle." The sense of the saying is this: that God has appointed for the sun a dwelling in the heaven; for Moses says concerning the two great lights, "And he set them in the firmament of the heaven, so as to shine upon the earth." ^D It seemed disordered to many; but as for us, placing a comma after "tabernacle," and understanding "his" not as a pronoun but adverbially, we easily construe the statement; for example, "He set and determined for the sun its tabernacle and dwelling," which is there, namely in the firmament of the heaven—the preposition "in" being superfluous, as we have observed in many other passages. And so the sun, never forsaking the tabernacle appointed for it in the heaven, becomes a herald of the glory and providence of God.

"And he as a bridegroom coming out of his bridal chamber." One must supply the word "is." "He is beautiful," he says,

^A in the beauty of his flashing rays, like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber. "He shall exult as a giant to run his way." Here, too, we understand a change of tense; for he rejoices to run the course allotted to him, as a giant confident in his strength—that is, he is always tireless, serving the command of God for so many years.

"His going out is from the end of heaven, and his course as far as the end of heaven." By "going out," the sunrise is meant, according to which he rises above the eastern horizon; by "course," his sunset, according to which he descends into the evening horizon, and in one day he runs through the entire hemisphere; or, if you will, the entire sphere in one day and night.

"And there is no one who shall hide himself from his heat." There is no man, he says, or place, so that through "place" the elements are comprehended, and through "man" all living creatures. For this is most worthy of admiration, ^B that while the sun is so far distant from us, it both illuminates and warms. For this fire of ours here below illuminates from afar, but does not warm unless you approach it. Furthermore, the Prophet, praising the sun's beauty, strength, course, and utility, manifests to all the magnificent and generous power of God.

And this, indeed, is the literal interpretation of the words. But some, introducing an allegory here, say that by "heavens" are meant the celestial orders of incorporeal beings, who praise God perpetually, as Ezekiel and Isaiah heard; or those men who, transcending earthly things and intent upon prophetic contemplation of God, reach toward heaven. By "firmament," those men who are stable and constant ^C regarding the affairs of this world, and unbroken by any assaults of calamity; and by "day," again, those illustrious celestial and incorporeal powers, which are called secondary lights, conveying the divine commands to one another and reporting them. By "night," on the other hand, mankind, because of the darkness of carnal density which surrounds the soul—and so on, following this sequence.

But the words, "Their sound has gone out into all the earth," the great Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews opportunely transferred and applied ^D to the evangelists and apostles of Christ. As for the words, "He has set his tabernacle in the sun," they allegorize it in this way: that Christ dwells in the man who shines with the rays of virtues. "For I," he says, "and the Father will come, and we will make our abode with him." Or, the tabernacle of Christ is the assumed humanity: having dwelt in which, he set it in the light, living under the sun, and himself living openly as a bridegroom. "For he is fair," he says, "in beauty beyond the sons of men," as one who is brightened by the rays of the virtues, or grace...

^A having also leaped forth to run the way unto death for our sake, and descending from the highest heaven, he returned unto it again. Furthermore, no one shall be hidden from the heat of his words; for some shall truly be warmed, while others will learn at least that to him "every knee shall bow," of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, as the Apostle said.

VERS. 8. The law of the Lord is blameless, converting souls. It would suffice, he says, for the imparting of the knowledge of God to us, that the unwritten law speak through the magnitude, and beauty, and good order of the creatures; but now he has also given a written one, by which one might learn of his providence and wisdom. He calls the law by various names: the law, as it regulates our manner of life; testimony, as it bears witness against those who sin; justifications, as it teaches what is just; command, as it enjoins what must be done; fear, as it is inexorable; judgments, as it delivers sentences, as we have already spoken of more at large in the 17th psalm.

The law of the Lord is blameless, converting souls. For what could one find in it to blame? Seeing that ^B it was ordained for the conversion of souls, teaching the greater things through the lesser.

The testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to the simple. Worthy of belief, since it is also from God; and by "simple" he means either those in age, as was Daniel and those like him, or those who are in ignorance of human wisdom, or those who are innocent.

VERS. 9. The justifications of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. Having nothing crooked, but rather a mind, and delighting by teaching the causes. Or he calls them "right" justifications of the Lord, as those producing straightness in all things.

The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes. Understand the eyes of the soul; for through them, he will enlighten also those of the body, so as not to walk in a wicked way.

VERS. 10. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. ^C Clean, as it arises after cleansing; and "enduring," because whereas that former fear, reaching only unto the point of cleansing, is cast out by love, this one, having been introduced in its stead, abides eternally. Clean, as being pure from calumny; for human fear is calumniated, being called cowardice. Or he calls "fear" here that which is perfecting, which alone is clean, consisting only in the not falling from the intimacy of God.

Initial fear, however, is not clean, because it is born from one's own sins. Or this fear is called "clean" here because it is the cause of cleanliness and renders men clean. ^D [Furthermore, there is another difference of this fear from others: human fear, or...]

[alt-version omitted]

that which we have called "initial," is often extinguished in time and does not endure permanently; not so this more perfect fear which the Prophet praises, which extends throughout the whole life of man, as those words denote: *For ever and ever.* It is perhaps called "clean" because it is born after the purification of the soul; and it is "enduring," because that fear which reaches unto purity is cast out by love (for "love," he says, "casts out fear"), but this fear, which follows upon purity, remains for ever.]

*The judgments of the Lord are true.* They are true as being the only ones strictly free from all error. For human judgments, if compared to the supreme and exact examination of divine judgments, will appear to be erroneous, owing, of course, to the infirmity of human intellect.

*Justified altogether.* That is, those which are at once true and just. For what is strictly true will also be just.

Ver. 11. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold.

*And sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.* For the words of God are sweeter than honeycombs, which are pleasant to both the sight and the taste. By the most precious materials and the sweetest food, he has demonstrated the desire and sweetness of the divine judgments. ^C

Ver. 12. *Moreover by them is thy servant warned.* The Prophet says this concerning himself. Or, in a general sense, that everyone who is a servant of God, and thus disposed through virtue, necessarily observes all that has been mentioned above. For he put "is warned" (or "maintains") for that which is: he loves and acts.

*And in keeping of them there is great reward.* Not only in the life to come, but also in the present.

Ver. 13. *Who can understand his errors?* Since the observance of the aforementioned things proceeds from an abstention from sins, and since this is most difficult, the Prophet rightly doubts who among men will be so wise as to discern sins so as not to fall into them, since some sins are most hidden, especially those which consist in the soul. ^D

*Cleanse thou me from secret faults.* He calls "secret" the sins which are committed in secret, or the base thoughts which dwell in the mind, for which he earnestly supplicates. For the more they lie hidden, the more difficult they are to expel and overcome, inasmuch as they defile our soul with total security. For manifest sins are more easily overcome, unless one be of entirely perverted character. Or by "secret faults," understand the sins which are committed through ignorance.

*Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.* In the sins of others, he says, spare me, since I know that kings, pontiffs...

For the king is held accountable for the sins of his subjects, the high priest for those of the people, the father for those of his children, and the master for those of his servants, whenever they fall into sin due to their negligence. Or, he refers to "alien" sins—those that happen by chance and accident, not by deliberate choice—or he may mean "alien" in the sense of the enemies, whether visible or invisible. ^A For if these do not gain dominion over me, then I shall be blameless. If these things, he says, do not conquer me, then I shall attain perfection; for at present, even though I observe the Law, I still fear these sins. And I shall be cleansed from a great sin. He calls the aforementioned things a "great sin," even if they seem contemptible to some; for a thought within the mind drives away the grace of the Spirit. Overlooking the transgressions of those under one’s authority is subject to the same condemnation, or even a greater one. And the words of my mouth shall be for pleasure. ^B Then, he says, the words of my prayer will be pleasing to you, and you will accept them, once I am cleansed from the aforementioned things. And the meditation of my heart in your sight always. It is to be understood that the verb "will be" is implied; for unless my heart desists from meditating on shameful things, it will never meditate on your things, and those things in which you yourself delight. Lord, my helper and my redeemer. For you will both help me to be redeemed and you will redeem me from the aforementioned sins. Or: "Lord, you who help me in those things in which I do well, and who redeem me in those into which I fall." However, the words, "Cleanse me from my secret faults," and everything that follows, ^C are appropriate to be spoken by all the faithful.

To the end, a Psalm of David. Psalm XIX.

This psalm is also inscribed "To the end," because it predicts future events and those things that were to have their completion in the time of King Hezekiah. For when the Assyrian Sennacherib, through Rabshakeh, caused those blasphemous words to be announced to the people, Hezekiah, grieving and taking it ill, ran to the temple of God, as the Book of Kings records, and announced everything to God, calling upon Him for defense. All those around the king, among whom was also Isaiah the prophet, ^D seeing the contrition of his soul, as it were, spoke to him the power of the present verses, praying that the supplication of the king might be heard. But observe how divine grace revealed to our Prophet not only the things that were to happen in future times, but even the very words which it was likely that the king’s household would speak.

Vers. 2. May the Lord hear you in the day of tribulation. For when Hezekiah had sent messengers to Isaiah, this

is what they said: “A day of tribulation and of reproach.” ^A May the name of the God of Jacob protect you. By this he mentions that which was despised and insulted by the Assyrians; and he remembers the patriarch Jacob, because he too had encountered great temptations and fears, and was delivered from them all through God. May He send you help from the sanctuary. The ancients called the temple “the sanctuary,” because they believed that God appeared there. May He support you from Sion. For Sion was dedicated to God; and God, who is in Sion, moved by this, may He help you.

Vers. 4. May He be mindful of all your sacrifices. That which, as a pious and religious man, you offered to Him in a time of peace. ^B And may your burnt offering be made fat. By “burnt offering” he understands the victim which he was about to offer in its entirety and completeness. This victim, he says, should be made fat. It will become fat if free pastures are granted to it, which will happen when the siege is dissolved. Therefore, by the “fatness” of the victim, he desires also the dissolution of the siege. Or, “be made fat,” that is, be considered rich and acceptable. “Holocaust” is a Greek term, so called from the etymology of the name because it is entirely consumed by fire. For some sacrifices were entirely consumed, while others were consumed only in part, such as the caul, the kidneys, the fat, and other such things, as Leviticus has taught.

Vers. 5. May the Lord grant you according to your heart. As your heart desires. The Prophet often calls the soul the heart, because it is stirred by the soul more than other members, as in: “My heart and my flesh have exulted in the living God.” ^C And may He fulfill all your counsel. Whatever is right and just.

Vers. 6. We will rejoice in your salvation. We hope, he says, that because of His own mercy and your goodness, God will grant you salvation and make you invincible, by which benefit we too shall equally rejoice with you. And in the name of our God we will be magnified. For if God crushes the enemies, He will be formidable to the nations, and this name of the God of Israel will alone be invoked; by which name even we will be magnified, as our invocation will be heard. ^D

Vers. 7. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. They persist in prayer because of the long and constant contrition and humility of the king. Now I know that the Lord has saved His Christ. These words are spoken as if by each one of those who were praying together, having received a certain assurance of salvation from the Holy Spirit. For the king is called Christ (Anointed), as being anointed. May He hear him from His holy heaven.

^A For He dwelt in the heavens, and He overshadowed in the temple. Therefore, sometimes they invoked Him from the temple, and sometimes from heaven. But by "holy," you must understand heaven, as it is sanctified and dedicated to God.

"In mighty acts is the salvation of His right hand." That is, the salvation which comes from the grace of God is founded upon a certain abundance and overflow of divine power; and therefore we ought to be confident and not fear the armament of our enemies, however immense and intolerable it may appear.

VERS. 8. "These in chariots, and these in horses." Those who surround us are in chariots and horses, in which they trust. He understands the same enemies in both cases, [even though the article is repeated], and this is also an idiom of the Hebrew language.

"But we will invoke in the name of the Lord our God." But we, he says, will invoke in our aid that name of God which has been reproached and abused by the enemies: or, for the sake of the name of the Lord, which has been scorned by them, we will invoke the Lord as our helper.

VERS. 9. "They have been yoked and have fallen; but we have risen and have been set upright." The preceding words were uttered at the time of lamentation and weeping; but the following were spoken after the invisible slaughter of the Assyrians, the siege having been dissolved, when everyone was rejoicing and glorifying God, and saying such words as these: For they were yoked by the divine power and brought down to a deadly ruin, but we, who were in great fear, have arisen in our spirit and confidence.

VERS. 10. "O Lord, save the king, and hear us in the day that we call upon Thee." Just as You have now saved him from the hand of enemies, so save him also for the future, since for his own virtues he is worthy to obtain salvation from You; and hear us again, as often as we call upon Thee, just as we are heard now. ^C Thus, then, by these words, we have completed the exposition of the present psalm concerning Hezekiah. Some argue that it refers to blessed David, when he stood in battle array against enemies, and that it was written by him in the person of the companions who were with him. It also applies to every faithful person struggling against demons, the body itself, of course, offering prayers for the soul. For the demons have also despised the name of God. By "holy," and by "Sion," you will understand heaven, as has been said many times. By "His Christ," and "king," you will understand every Christian, as we have said elsewhere. But by "chariots and horses," demons are signified, on account of their speed and their armament in wars. ^D This psalm may also be spoken against our sensible enemies, the Barbarians, and for our faithful kings.

To the end, a psalm of David. PSALM XX.

^A This psalm, in like manner, is inscribed "To the end," as if it contained a prophecy that received fulfillment in the time of King Hezekiah. For they say that after that incurable sickness, when fifteen years of life were added to him, as is recorded in the book of Kings, his family and household gave thanks to God; and the present psalm imitates and fashions their words and voices. For "Life," he says, "he asked of thee, and thou gavest it to him." Or otherwise: the blessed David, foreknowing that these things would come to pass, offered this present psalm to God on behalf of King Hezekiah.

VERS. 2. *O Lord, in thy strength the king shall rejoice.* In that strength, namely, which has been of assistance to him hitherto, and he shall rejoice in the future. For so we believe, on account of the benefits received from thee in the past.

*And in thy salvation he shall exult exceedingly.* That is, in the salvation which he has obtained from thee.

VERS. 3. *Thou hast granted him the desire of his soul.* Either victory over enemies, or length of life, or in short, his every desire.

*And hast not deprived him of the request of his lips.* He repeats what was said above, as if taking delight in giving thanks. For what everyone desires in his heart, that he also asks for with his mouth and lips. By "request," therefore, understand here his petition.

VERS. 4. *For thou hast prevented him with the blessings of goodness.* Because thou didst anticipate him, and didst often favor him with thy benefits before he himself asked anything of thee. We must understand "blessing" here as benefits, which proceed from the goodness of God; and therefore he says: *In the blessings of goodness.*

*Thou hast set upon his head a crown of precious stone.* He commemorates the benefits bestowed upon him, and first of all: Thou didst bestow upon him, he says, the royal diadem.

VERS. 5. *He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him.* So that he might not be killed by enemies nor succumb to disease. For we must understand both of these in this statement.

*Length of days for ever and ever.* You not only gave him life, but you also bestowed it as long. But regarding what is said, *for ever and ever*, the Prophet is accustomed to use these words properly when he denotes the future and unending age; although at times he may signify by the same wording either a long span of time, or a firm and immutable resolve, as in the present passage: Thou didst give him, he says, life—I mean long life—and a firm and stable length of days. Nor, however, should it be believed that these words were said without regard to eternal life.

VERS. 6. *His glory is great in thy salvation.* For after this divine help and benefit received from God, he became great, celebrated, and conspicuous before all, so that many embassies came to him from other kings, and very many gifts were brought to him, all of which happened to him on account of such divine protection.

^A You will set upon him glory and majesty. You will further grant him glory, and make him greater, on account of his good deeds.

*For you will give him a blessing forever and ever.* ^B The word "blessing" sometimes signifies praise, as in: "Bless the Lord, O my soul" (Ps. 102:1, 2). Sometimes it signifies grace or benefit, as in: "You forestalled him with blessings of goodness" (Ps. 20:4). Sometimes it signifies participation in sanctification, as it does here. Sometimes it denotes blasphemy and cursing, as in the book of Job: "Unless he will bless you to your face" (Job 1:11). It also signifies a greeting, as in the Fourth Book of Kings, where Elisha says to Gehazi: "If you find a man, you shall not salute [bless] him, and if a man salutes [blesses] you, you shall not answer him" (IV Reg. 4:29). "You will give" is used instead of "You shall give," an optative form for the future tense.

*You will gladden him with joy in your presence.* Symmachus translated this as "from your presence," that is, by your oversight; for you will look upon him, and he will be filled with joy. Or, he will not merely have joy, but will have it alongside your benevolence. He adds the cause: because he has a sincere hope in you.

*For the king hopes in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be shaken.* He does not rely any longer on armies, or on wealth, or on any such things; but on God alone, who is his helper; therefore he will not be overthrown.

*Let your hand be found by all your enemies.* The hand of God is divine power, into which he prays that all who blaspheme God may fall. Let it, he says, be found by them to their punishment. ^C *Let your right hand find all who hate you.* "Find," that is, catch.

*For you will make them like a furnace of fire in the time of your presence.* You will burn them, he says, with the fire of your wrath. By "furnace of fire," he refers to the oven in which bread is accustomed to be baked. "In the time of your presence" means in the time of your visitation, when you look upon them severely and grimly. "For the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to destroy their remembrance from the earth" (Ps. 33:17).

*The Lord in his wrath will trouble them, and fire will devour them; you will destroy their fruit from the earth, and their seed from among the sons of men.* He foretells the destruction of his enemies, and enumerates the types of their punishments: for, having tasted of the divine wrath, they will be troubled from every side, being utterly destitute; and they will be burned with fire, and the fruit of their fields will be destroyed, and, to speak simply, they will perish in their entirety. For this is what is meant by "seed" here. ^D For he called the seed of men the "sons of men."

*For they have inclined evils against you.* They will suffer these things because they have moved toward you with evils, blaspheming your name and plotting against your servants and harming them.

^A *They have devised plans which they shall not be able to stand.* For even if they have pondered many things against you and your servants, they shall not prevail to carry out their decisions, for their plans shall be overturned. *That you shall make them a back.* One who flees and turns his back is called a "back," for nothing else of his body can be seen in that case than the back.

*In your remnants you shall prepare their countenance.* This should be construed as a hyperbaton figure if we wish to preserve the sequence of the thought, in this way: "In your remnants you shall prepare your countenance." It is as if he were saying that not even those who were left behind and survived the slaughter of the war would be saved, nor even those who turned to flight; but against them too you will prepare your visitation, so that they may not be able to escape. [And this, indeed, would be the sense if you read: "In your remnants your [countenance]," etc. But because the Greek phrasing can also be understood in reference to what precedes, so that the reading is: "In your remnants," etc., we shall treat this reading a little later, after the second exposition of the psalm.]

VER. 14. *Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength.* In the seventh psalm we explained what this word *be exalted* signifies. For this verse has the same meaning as the one there: *And be exalted in the borders of your enemies.*

*We shall sing and psalm your powers.* At the end of the twelfth psalm, we explained what is meant by the words "sing" and "psalm." Some assert that this psalm also corresponds to the blessed David himself, saying that he sang it on his own behalf. If we accept this (for nothing hinders it), it can be interpreted as we shall set forth below. What is said, therefore, at the beginning of the psalm: *In your strength he shall rejoice, and in your salvation he shall exult,* we shall understand to have been said on account of Christ, who is and is called the power of God, according to the Apostle ^B and the Savior. For He, as the Evangelist says, *shall save his people.* The Prophet therefore says to the Father: *O Lord, in your strength,* and to the Son: *In your salvation,* that is, in that salvation which was given to the human race through you. In this way also, in what follows, some things should be referred to the Father and others to the Son. Truly, however, the blessed David, after his death, rejoiced and exulted, discerning and contemplating the mystery of the divine incarnation. For if, while he was still clothed in the darkness of human flesh, he nevertheless looked forward to future things with the eyes of his soul and mind, much more, having laid aside such darkness of the body, must we believe that he beheld all things more purely and clearly. And consequently, by "desire of the heart," we shall understand the desire to see this divine incarnation, of which he had seen the type and figure; and by the "will of the lips," that ceaseless and perpetual zeal for singing and praising God, by which desire he was never frustrated. For he sings to God ^C assiduously, using the mouth and lips of all the faithful. He sought life from God, and received it, having often been in danger of death from enemies and having been rescued through prayer. *And great is his glory in your salvation,* that is, because of the salvation from you; for he was glorified ^D

truly, that from his root our salvation blossomed, and he has become great and renowned. "You will make him glad with the joy of your countenance," that is, you will gladden him through your Son. For the countenance of the Father is the Son; for he says, "He that has seen me has seen the Father." ^A By the enemies of God you shall understand the Christ-hating Jews, upon whom the Prophet calls down most grievous things, and prophesies all that they have suffered, whose seed has been destroyed with utter destruction, that is, those who crucified the Lord. For those in the dispersions have escaped that destruction. "You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of your countenance," that is, of your Son, as we have said. For after the coming of Christ they have suffered, and evils began to sprout up against them from the time when Christ said to them, "The kingdom shall be taken from you." — "And in your remaining ones," that is, in those of them who have believed in you, the Son, and have been left over. You shall "prepare," that is, you shall adorn and glorify their race; for it is a glory to the Jews heretofore that they have become ^B the fathers of the apostles, even if they themselves are lowly and abominable in their own persons. We accommodate this psalm also to our faithful king against the Barbarians, just as we did the one before it.

To the end, for the morning aid, a Psalm of David. Psalm XXI.

This Psalm clearly refers to Christ; for it foretells the things of his assumption and his saving passion, which already have received their end. It is inscribed "for the morning aid" because it contains the supplication of Christ, by which at the time of the passion he sought aid from the Father. For the "morning" aid—or, as the Greek term sounds, "oriental" aid—the Prophet called Christ, who is called "Morning" and "Orient," that is, the beginning of the day. For truly he has risen for us who sat in the darkness of error as a sun of righteousness ^C and light of knowledge. But he makes supplication as a man, teaching us to pray at the time of death. For by nature, even the most righteous man is then afraid of the strangeness of the separation. Some, however, understanding the preposition "for" instead of the preposition "about"—for this is a custom among the ancients—say that this psalm is about the passions of Christ. For they say that the passions of Christ are signified by "the morning aid," because in the mentioned time of the passion, that "morning" and "orient" which we mentioned—that is, Christ—afforded us the greatest aid, having overcome by his own death that tyrant who had previously occupied the empire of death.

Vers. 2. "O God, my God, look upon me, why have you forsaken me?" ^D This is a word of human fear, by which...

^A His incarnation is confirmed, and that Christ was a true and perfect man, and prone to natural fear. "Look upon me," he says. For those who hand someone over to the executioner are accustomed to turn away their eyes. "Why have you forsaken me?" he says. And yet God never departed from Jesus, from the moment he was united and joined to the Son of God; but he says he was forsaken on account of his fear. For he says: If you had not withheld the help that comes from you, I certainly would not have feared death. The Evangelists also treat of this fear of Christ, both when he prayed, saying: "Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me," and when they introduce him on the cross, having uttered the words of the present verse, saying: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"—that is to say, why have you left me in this fear, knowing that the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak? Or, why have you yielded me to death, knowing that I have done nothing worthy of death? ^B

"Far from my salvation are the words of my offenses." The state of my sins, he says, is far from my salvation, that is, they are no impediment to my salvation: for "the Scripture," he says elsewhere, "has done no iniquity," but there is much for those who sin. Alternatively: The Lord draws near and takes upon himself the person of the whole human nature, as being akin to us; and he says: Why have you forsaken me, a man—that is, why have you forsaken this entire human nature, allowing it to be oppressed by death? And he provides the cause: Because the condemnations of my crimes are far from my salvation. For I have been kept far away from you along with them: whereas if I were with you, I would certainly be saved from this death. ^C

Vers. 3. "My God, I will cry by day, and you will not hear; and by night, and not for my lack of understanding." This happened on the day when he ate the Passover with his disciples. For the evangelists report that he prayed that night. And it is likely, nay, it must be believed, that he also prayed during the day. Do not be surprised that he placed last what preceded—for he says, "And you will not hear: and by night; when he should have put the cry made by night first, and only then afterward added: And you will not hear"—for such modes of speech are frequently seen among the prophets; and this is done for the very reason ^D that they may not appear to speak from themselves, but to recite in whatever way and whatever things they heard, just as the Holy Spirit sounded those things within them. "By day," he says, "I will pray that the hour of death might pass from me, and I shall not be heard." For I know that you are doing this for the salvation of the human race, for which I have also been incarnate. Some understand the day and night as the very time of the cross. For from the sixth hour until the ninth, darkness occurred, to such an extent that that time could deservedly be called day and night; and they understand that he prayed to the Father to forgive the sins of those who had crucified him, and that he was not heard, as they were subsequently utterly exterminated: and the cause of his not being heard was that he clearly knew they were going to slander his resurrection, and increase their own sin.

^A "But thou dwellest in the holy place, the praise of Israel." By "the holy place," he understands the person of the Son joined to human nature. For "I," he says, "am in the Father, and the Father in me." The praise of the people of Israel, therefore, is God the Father, who dwells in the Son. The Jews, indeed, boasted that they alone knew God, even though they performed neither judgment nor justice, nor followed the paths of virtue. But by saying that "thou dwellest in the Son," he showed that the Son also wills the salvation of men, and does not refuse the death of the assumption [of the body]; for there is one and the same will in the Father and the Son.

"On thee did our fathers hope; they hoped, and thou didst deliver them; they cried to thee, and were saved; they hoped in thee, and were not put to shame." He joins himself to those who are oppressed, and says: Just as our fathers according to the flesh, who shone in this life before my advent, hoped in thee, and crying to thee in dangers, were delivered from them; so I, imitating them, and as one like unto them, likewise make my supplication. It is the custom of the Prophet often to repeat and triplicate words, for the sake of emphasizing the intensity of the heart. By deliverance from danger, those who are learned and versed in the Holy Scriptures understand not only the deliverance of the body, but much more that of the soul, whenever it nobly endures pains and suffers nothing of injury to its fixed purpose. For in this way we say that the holy martyrs, even though they were killed, were victorious and were delivered, because of the unconquerable fortitude of the soul.

^C "But I am a worm, and not a man" (79). He said this while humbling himself. For David the prophet and king also called himself a dead dog in the book of Kings. But if the sinless Jesus thus disparages himself, what should we do, who are sinners and so worthless? Some say that this was spoken because of the incontaminable birth. For as the worm is generated in the earth from rain falling from above, so also Christ was born from the Virgin by the Holy Spirit descending from above. He might be called a worm for these reasons; yet a man, again, because of the supernatural birth and conception. Or in another way: because he offered his flesh as bait to the demons, beneath which the hook of his divinity was hidden; for the worm is bait for fish. For he became bait for the capture of the intellectual whale, which swims in the sea of the present life. To the hook of the divinity was attached the humanity. The whale, gaping at the bait, was imperfect in form but destructive of the substance; so also Christ, while imperfect in appearance, was destructive of the opposing power. ^D

^A Opprobrium of men, and neglect of the people. These words clearly foretell the things which the Jews said contumeliously against the Lord at the time of the Passion, mocking and deriding Him, of course. Understand "opprobrium of men" and "neglect of the people" as signifying the same thing. By "men" here, understand the Roman soldiers, and by "people," the populace of the Jews.

VERS. 8, 9. All who see me have mocked me; they have spoken with their lips and moved their head: He hoped in the Lord, let Him deliver him, let Him save him, since He desires him. These things you will find very clearly written in Matthew. For he says that those who were passing by blasphemed Him, moving their heads and saying the things that follow there.

VERS. 10. For You are He who drew me from the womb. The intercourse of a man naturally opens the virginal gates of the womb; for the injected seed opens the womb, which subsequently holds what is enclosed until the fetus is perfected. And finally, being burdened by the weight, it opens again and permits the fetus to slip out. In our Savior, however, just as the conception was without any intercourse of a man, so also the progress of the fetus was supernatural, the divine power itself drawing Him forth, the gates not being opened in any way.

My hope from the breasts of my mother. You, He says, were my hope from the very milk. For from that time I knew all my hopes were placed in the One, having been taught, of course, by the divinity joined to me. For Luke writes concerning Christ, that the child grew and became strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.

VERS. 11, 12. Upon You I was cast from the womb. By Your providence, He says, I was cast from the womb, as one who had no father on earth.

From my mother’s womb You are my God. Immediately, He says, I knew You as God, being taught by the divinity Itself, as has been said before. But He said "from the womb" either because He was in the flesh or because He had come forth from the womb; these things, however, are said in the person of Christ. I am, He says, God and the eternal Son, but after I assumed for myself the flesh created in the womb of the Virgin, from then on, O Father, You are my God.

Do not depart from me, for tribulation is near, for there is no one to help me. Concerning this also, the evangelists report that He began to be sorrowful and troubled, and again, that all the disciples left Him and fled. ^D

VERS. 13. Many calves have surrounded me, fat bulls have beset me. By "calves" He understands the plebeian multitude of the Jews, as being youthful and entirely lacking in any rule; by "bulls," however, the chief priests and scribes and elders of the people, because of their seniority and leadership.

^A And those he also calls "fat ones," because they enjoyed divine gifts more than others. To this sentiment contributes what Moses said elsewhere: "Jacob ate and was filled, and the beloved kicked; he grew fat, grew thick, and forsook God who made him."

"They opened their mouth against me, as a lion ravaging and roaring." When they were gathered together, they shouted: "Take, take, crucify him."

VERSE 15. "Like water I have been poured out, and all my bones have been scattered." By the bones of Christ, we understand the apostles, as those who strengthen and hold together the rest of the members of the Church of Christ; for all, having abandoned him at that time, fled. For Zechariah says: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." By "poured out," he signifies their departure from him and flight.

"My heart has become like wax melting in the midst of my belly." My heart, he says, melted like wax, having been dissolved by the fire of afflictions, and having utterly weakened. By "belly" he now means the whole cavity of the body.

"My strength has dried up like a potsherd." Fixed in the aforementioned fire of afflictions, whence its efficacy was dried up.

"And my tongue has stuck to my throat." That is, when false witnesses were accusing him, he answered nothing, but stood silent; or else when he thirsted on the cross.

"And you have brought me down into the dust of death." The "dust of death" is the tomb, inasmuch as those being buried are covered over, into which you have willingly brought me down, he says, for the salvation of men.

VERSE 17. "For many dogs have surrounded me." He called the Jews "bulls" above, as being under the yoke of the law, even if they were transgressing the law; but now he rightly calls the Roman soldiers "dogs," as being unclean according to the law, and furthermore also exceedingly shameless. For which reason the Lord said in the Gospel to the Canaanite woman: "It is not good to take the bread of the children and give it to the dogs."

"A synagogue of evildoers has besieged me." Namely, of the envious Jews. ^B

VERSE 18. "They have pierced my hands and my feet." Those, namely, that were piercing them with nails.

"They have numbered all my bones." Hanging me naked, and stretching me greatly [on the cross], so that even the joints of my bones were visible and could be numbered by those who wished.

"They themselves have looked." They pried curiously into me while I was suspended, [asking] whether I might be the Son of God. For they said: "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

^A *And they have looked.* And also, *they recognized me* (85), seeing all creation suffering with me, even if they themselves remained hardhearted. For Matthew writes that the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things that happened, were terrified, saying: "Truly, this was the Son of God." Or alternatively: they pried curiously into me, lest I be taken down from the cross by my disciples—and because of this, "they have looked upon me," that is, they kept watch over me with a guard of soldiers.

*They divided my garments among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.* The evangelist John clearly interprets this, for he says: "The soldiers, therefore, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments (and made four parts, to each soldier a part) and also the tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore to one another, 'Let us not tear it, but let us cast lots for it, to see whose it shall be,' that the Scripture might be fulfilled," namely the present words, which he also cited there. Thus, by "garments" he means the sewn clothes, which they divided among themselves; but by "clothing" he means ^B the seamless tunic, woven from the top, for which they cast lots.

VERS. 20. *But you, O Lord, do not remove your help far from me; pay attention to my defense.* While all these things are happening, [do this].

VERS. 21, 22. *Deliver my soul from the sword, and my only-begotten from the hand of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth, and my humility from the horns of the unicorns.* By "sword" he understands the Roman soldiers, since they carried swords (*frameas*), that is, blades and arms; and he also calls them "dogs" for the reason we stated above. By "lion," [he means] the Jews, on account of their extreme cruelty, and because they thirsted for his death, and because they used snares; for by this name he also called them just a little earlier. He also calls the same ones "unicorns," as if they believed in only one person of God. The unicorn is a wild animal, and according to the etymology of its name, it carries one horn on its forehead. He used the singular number for dog and lion because of the species, ^C through which we recognize each individual. He calls his own soul "only-begotten," as being unique and singular among the others, because it alone among all others did not commit sin, and because it alone has the Son of God united with it in the same person. Regarding his own humility, he himself also taught in the Gospels, saying: "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." We have already spoken of why he pours out such prayers, and what kind of liberation of the soul he was seeking.

VERS. 23. *I will proclaim your name to my brethren.* Observe how the divine Spirit recounts some things as though already finished, as one who foresees that they are to be in the future, ^D

^A according to the law of prophecy. By the name of God, he understands the name of Fatherhood; for the Hebrews always confessed God, but they did not know the Father of the Son, as He has said in the Gospel according to John: *I have manifested thy name to men.* By "brethren," He understands the apostles, just as elsewhere after the resurrection He called them such, saying to those women: *Go and tell my brethren.*

*In the midst of the Church I will praise you.* For He did not merely teach the apostles in private, but He also spoke openly and freely in the synagogues of the Jews, recounting, of course, the great works of God and the Father. ^B It is concerning these that the present prophecy speaks. This He continues to do even now through His Gospel, being read both privately and publicly.

*You who fear the Lord, praise him.* As though he had already been heard by the Father, he encourages other believers to thanksgiving; and first of all those from the nations, because it was to the nations that He sent the apostles first after His resurrection from the dead. For He says: *Going, teach all nations*; whom he also calls those who fear the Lord, addressing them according to their virtue. For indeed, Peter also called them this in the Acts: *Men, Israelites, and those among you who fear God.* ^C But since the Church of the faithful was composed not only of Gentiles, but also of Jews, he urges these likewise to glorification; for he says: *All the seed of Jacob, glorify him.* All those who have believed from among the Jews; for Jacob was the forefather of the tribes.

*Let all the seed of Israel fear him.* Here he speaks of both parts, because everyone who has acknowledged Christ is Israel; for Israel is interpreted as "a mind seeing God." He commands those who now exist both to praise God and always to fear Him as all-powerful; or he also commands the other Jews to fear Him, as one who is about to bring upon them utter destruction ^D because of their rage and fury which they demonstrated toward His Son.

*For he has not despised nor has he been displeased at the prayer of the poor.* He did not overlook, nor did he consider burdensome, my prayer, he says—that which concerned overcoming the devil and granting you the victory. He called Himself "poor," both on account of the prayer of the poor man, and because otherwise He was destitute concerning money and possessions.

*Neither has he turned his face away from me.* We have spoken about this idiom previously in the explanation of the twelfth psalm.

*When I cried to him, he heard me.* Immediately, he says, as I cried to Him, I was heard.

*With you is my praise.* That is, when the voice was brought down from heaven, saying: *This is my beloved Son,* in whom I am well pleased. And again: *I have glorified, and I will glorify again.* In the church...

great will I confess thee.* By confession in this place, he understands praise. Now the Church of the faithful is truly great, which has reached even to the furthest ends of the earth; or because it also consists of great and supreme men. But Christ constantly praises the Father in the midst of the Church, through his Gospel; and whereas above he called the synagogue of the Jews the church (unless perhaps you might understand there by "church" the individual churches of the faithful existing in every place), now he speaks on behalf of the universal Church itself.

*My vows will I pay in the sight of them that fear him.* By vows, he understands promises made to God: that he would, of course, narrate the name of the Father, and would praise him.

VERS. 27. *The poor shall eat and shall be satisfied.* Those, namely, who had been poor in such a degree in religion and piety, or even in human riches. For all true Christians are poor, who nevertheless eat the spiritual food of the evangelical doctrine, by which the soul is truly nourished and grows. ^B *And they shall praise the Lord who seek him.* Because he did not spare his own Son for the salvation of the human race. And he who walks by the path of his commandments, by which we are led by a straight road to him, seeks God. Or otherwise: The faithful shall eat the body of the Saviour, with which his blood is also included, and they shall be satisfied, being filled of course with the holy Spirit, and they shall extol God with hymns and praises at that table: so that the previous little verse contains not only a prophecy about the Gospel, but also about the mystical sacrament of that table.

*Their hearts shall live for ever and ever.* For the Lord says in the Gospel: *I am the bread of life.* And again: *If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever*, keeping of course the commandments as well. By the heart, moreover, ^C he understands the whole man, for the reason that that part, in any living creature whatsoever, is more a partaker of life. Though they may die, he says, they shall nevertheless rise again to eternal life.

VERS. 28. *All the ends of the earth shall remember and shall be converted to the Lord.* We speak of remembering regarding a thing once foreknown. By these words, therefore, it is pointed out to us that the knowledge of God is natural in men, even if the nebula of error which was in all nations obscured and hid that knowledge; but when that nebula was dissipated, and Christ, the sun of justice, began to shine, they immediately began to remember the Creator, and were turned to him. Or, understand *shall remember* in a passive signification, that they shall be mindful [for by the force of the Greek word, ^D either sense can be elicited: so that the thought may be], that they shall be rendered worthy, of whom God might be mindful, even if they had seemed to have been cast off and neglected until then. Consider also how orderly and aptly the Prophet has used the words; since he said first *They shall remember*, then *They shall be converted*, and finally, he brought in, *And they shall adore*.

^A And *all the families of the nations shall adore in his sight.* Yet neither did all the ends of the earth believe, nor all the families of the nations; but since the Gospel has reached to all the ends of the earth and to all nations, it denotes the part by the whole, just as in other places, conversely, it denotes the whole by the part. Otherwise, by "families" (which, according to the force of the Greek word, we might better call kinships), he understands lineages. It is indeed manifest that from all nations very many who were kin to one another believed in Christ, and through Him adored the Father.

*For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He is the master of the nations.* He is both their King and Master, in accordance with that: *Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thy inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession;* and for this reason they shall adore Him, having been liberated from the tyranny of the devil.

^B *All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and adored.* By "fat ones of the earth" he means the rich—rich, I say, in piety and religion, who had previously been poor, as we said before.

*All those who descend into the earth shall fall before Him.* All mortals who are turned into earth shall adore Him: for after the general resurrection, every knee shall bend to Him, according to the Apostle; some, to be sure, willingly and with desire, but others, unwillingly and with fear.

*And my soul lives for Him.* He Himself is the one who quickens it, and does not allow it to be killed by sin; this, however, can be understood both of the Father and of the Son. Otherwise: My soul lives for God, he says, as being active towards Him, just as, conversely, it is said to be dead to the demon when it proves immovable to his suggestions.

*And my seed shall serve Him.* The seed of Christ, that is to say children, are all those who were born to Him through the Gospel, whom He also subjected to the Father.

*The coming generation shall be announced to the Lord.* The generation of the faithful from among the nations, which is to come in the days of the Incarnation of the Son, shall be made known to God.

^C *And they shall announce His justice to a people that shall be born.* Those who have been born through faith shall announce it to those who will be born, and these in turn to others hereafter. And he calls it "justice" because He destroyed the enemy who wronged human beings, who had always afflicted it with injury and ruin.

*Whom the Lord hath made.* That is, whom He constituted as a people for Himself, though previously it was not called the people of God: nay, it had been rejected and cast off. Or otherwise: Whom He made, that is, whom He created. And what is said ^D

is: "Annuntiabitur Domino generatio ventura," some have expounded it differently, saying that the prophecy contained there concerns those Gentiles who in Jerusalem were seeking to see the Lord. For John writes that they went to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying: "Sir, we wish to see Jesus"; and that Philip then told this to Andrew; and that both of them finally reported it together to Jesus; and that Jesus replied, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified." Behold, therefore, how that generation of the Gentiles was announced to Christ by the apostles: those Greeks, in particular, who, going out and approaching Jesus, were the beginning, as it were, and the first fruits of all the Gentiles who were to believe in Christ.

A Psalm of David. Psalm XXII.

^B

Vers. 2. *The Lord shepherds me, and nothing will be wanting to me.* For the Lord Himself says in the Gospel: "I am the good shepherd." For when He had found those from among the Gentiles as sheep wandering in a place of destruction, He led them to His own fold and fed them; for which benefit each one of them is introduced by our Prophet in thanksgiving to sing and say to God: The Lord shepherds me, and therefore I have no fear that anything necessary or opportune will henceforth be lacking to me. It should be known, however, that things which are clearly perceived are accustomed to be expressed without an article.

^C

*In a place of green pastures, there He has settled me.* The place of pastures is practical virtue; the water of rest, however, is contemplative philosophy. He set me, he says, in a place where there were the best pastures for herbage. For the Prophet persists in the metaphor of shepherding. The herbage and the water of which he will speak below provide abundance for the flock: and the sense is that the Lord has given him most abundant food to feed upon. Or, by the place, he understands the Church, and by the grasses, the faithful flourishing in virtues. Or, by the grass, understand the faith of the Christians, which is always renewed and flourishes. For the faith of the Gentiles has grown old and withered like hay. [Or, by the pastures of herbs he signifies moral virtues, and by the water of rest, the most peaceful refuge of contemplative philosophy.]

^D

Vers. 3. *Upon the water of rest He has brought me up.* This is said because of the laver of baptism, by whose water we are cleansed, casting off all the labor and weight of sins, and henceforth we rest. Wherefore the Lord said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will make you rest." Or otherwise, by the water understand that life-giving spring of the doctrine of Christ, of which it was said in the first Psalm, in the exposition of that verse: "Which is planted near the streams of water."

*He has converted my soul.* From the error of idols.

*He led me upon the paths of righteousness.* By righteousness here

^A he understands that universal justice which embraces all the virtues; and by paths, the individual virtues that tend toward it. For the Lord himself, having become incarnate, opened these ways to us, and walking in them, pointed them out, having led us by deed and word.

*For his name’s sake.* Because I am called a Christian; or that his name may not be blasphemed among the infidels because of our deeds.

*For if I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.* The shadow of death is this present world; for just as death separates the soul from the body, so also this present world separates the lover of the world from God. ^B But whoever is with God, God is also with him. The shadow of death is the pain of every danger, as it is akin to death because of the bitterness of the suffering; it is a shadow, however, because of the resemblance; and the evils are temptations. The Lord is present with all who are truly Christians; for his is the word: *And behold, I am with you all the days, even to the end of the age.*

*Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.* The rod is the judgment of God; the staff is his providence, which advocate for salvation. Or the rod is the discipline of those who stumble; ^C the staff is the support of the faint-hearted; that is, you have disciplined the man who sins, and supported the man who has grown weary, and by both you have benefited us. And the construction is also this: *They have comforted me, thy rod and thy staff.* "They have comforted" stands for "they have admonished." For he who admonishes, calls and draws to what is advantageous. Some, however, have called the rod and the staff the cross, as consisting of two parts, of which the upright one is the staff, by which we who were lying in error have been set upright; and the transverse one is the rod, by which he struck and put to flight the demons. For those who strike firmly strike sideways, and deliver the blow. They say the rod is mentioned first ^D because first through the cross he overthrew the tyrant, then through it he also redeemed us. So that the interpretation is, "Thy cross has exhorted me unto piety." And otherwise: The rod can be taken for the judgment of God, and the staff for providence, both of which exhort us to salvation.

*Thou hast prepared a table before me, in the presence of those who afflict me.* Not only, as I said before, have you bestowed benefits upon me, but you have also granted spiritual enjoyment—for this is what the table signifies here—and this in the presence of my enemies, so that they might be pained at the sight. *In the presence of* stands for "the opposite of that which they themselves desire." For they are always eager to afflict me; and the table signifies the enjoyment of the goods

of the good things which God has prepared for those who love him. Or, consider the table of the altar on which the mystical supper is set; by the table, understand practical virtue, and by the oil that increases the fatness of the mind like a head, understand the contemplation of the reasons inherent in existing things; by the cup, the knowledge of God; and by his mercy, his Son and God, who through the incarnation always pursues us until he catches those who are to be saved; and by the house, his kingdom in which all the saints are restored; and by length of days, eternal life.

^A Thou hast anointed my head with oil. By the oil, one must understand that of spiritual grace; and by the head, the mind, as the contained is understood from the container. For the grace of the Spirit makes the mind joyful and fats it. Perhaps also it predicts the unction of baptismal oil, or that ointment with which the Lord was anointed by the woman, in all of which, through the head, we may understand the whole man.

And thy cup which inebriates me, how excellent it is! The drink, I say, of the evangelical words, which makes me drunk. For it makes me depart from my former frame of mind, as being powerful against the enemies. Or also, by the cup, understand that of the unbloody sacrifice.

Vers. 6. And thy mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life. — Shall pursue, that is, shall follow, thus obviously for one who walks and flees from error. Or, shall pursue, that is, shall seek me out, and will not depart.

And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days. It will pursue me, so that I may dwell safe under the protection of God. Or, by the house of the Lord, he means the Church and the congregation of the faithful, in which the Lord dwells, appearing to those who are worthy, that is to say: And I shall be counted worthy of mercy, and I shall be protected, and I shall remain faithful. Or otherwise: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, shall be for me for length of days, that is to say, throughout the whole of life. Or otherwise: The cup is the knowledge of God, but his mercy is his merciful Son, God, who through his incarnation always pursues us, until he comprehends all who are to be saved. The house of the Lord is also his kingdom, in which all the saints are restored; by length of days, understand eternal life.

Psalm by David, of the first of the sabbaths. PSALM XXIII

This psalm has the inscription: Of the first of the sabbaths: that is, of that day on which Christ rose again; for it predicts that day which the Evangelists clearly called the first of the sabbaths: although at the end it treats also of the assumption of Christ. ^D [It must be observed, however, that in the Greek reading we read "first of the sabbaths," which Latin interpreters translated as "on the first day."]

VERS. 1. The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof. When, obviously, he had risen from the tomb, and appeared to the disciples, and said: All power is given to me in heaven and on earth, from that very time in which these things happened, the earth became Christ's, which was previously possessed by the demons. Everywhere in the world, in place of idols, divine temples were erected, of the pr

edication of the faith extended even unto the ends of the earth, as we have said before; the "fullness" thereof is the men who inhabit and fill it. Yet by mentioning the whole, he indicates the greater part; for not all men have become the Lord's, nor have all believed the Gospel. By the name "earth," however, he also included the islands, for they too are parts of the earth.

*The world, and all who dwell in it.* This is an interpretation of what was stated before; for what he called "earth" there, he here calls "world," and what he called "fullness" there, he here calls those who "dwell in it." Or otherwise: even if not the whole earth and not all men have become the Lord's, yet among those who believe, all things are accounted as the Lord's, for they have become certain that He is their Creator and Lord. ^B

VERS. 2. *He founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the rivers.* It should be known that the great Basil said that only the Lord's command is the foundation of the earth, not water or anything else; and that by the present verse it is only shown what the state of the waters was from the beginning of the creation of the world: namely, that water lies beneath the earth, and as it were keeps and contains it, and does not flow away from its surface. According to this sense, it might be more congruously read—which the Greek text does not deny—"He founded it in the seas, and prepared it in the rivers." Indeed, it is not without reason that the water is called by the Prophet "the sea" and "rivers," on account of the multitude of waters in them, since Moses also called it "the abyss" because of its depth; for he says, "And the Spirit of God was moving over the abyss." ^C But John Chrysostom says this statement is aimed primarily at demonstrating that waters lie beneath the whole earth like a foundation; and it is no wonder, for He Himself is God who founded it from the beginning: "For all things," he says, "were made through Him." Yet the Prophet, exaggerating the admirable nature of the foundation, combined these together: that He founded it upon the seas, and that He established it upon the rivers. But you should not understand this universally. For otherwise water would be inferior, but Moses taught that the earth was the lower; whence it is manifest that this statement is made with respect to a certain part of the waters. For in many of the earth's ^D hollows and cavernous places, certain parts of the sea run beneath, which he called "seas." Regarding the rivers, it is most obvious that they are carried for a long distance under the earth, and at length emerge. Yet it is wondrous how such great weights of earth do not subside. For all the mountains are established upon such waters, and yet the earth remains founded upon them, held together only by the command of its Maker. "Prepared," moreover, means "adorned."

*Who shall ascend into the mount of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy place?* This, I think, was said concerning the priests, describing what sort of men they ought to be. By the mount of the Lord you are to understand every common temple, on account of its exalted

^A excellence and the conspicuous clarity it possesses for all, so called because it is surrounded on all sides by the adverse winds of the enemies of the faith; and by the holy place, the altar which is in the sight of God. Consider also the diligence of the prophetic language. For he said, "He shall ascend," because before the entrance of the temple, some steps were accustomed to be constructed. Some understand by the mount of the Lord the sublimity of those virtues which the Lord ordained in the Gospel, and by the holy place, the heavenly and promised kingdom for us. Or otherwise: by the holy mount, understand the sublime theology concerning Christ and the correct doctrines of his Incarnation; ^A and [he who is] a successor, and who is breathed upon by the opposing gales of the enemies of the faith; and as the holy place, that which is before the altar. Observe the precision of the expression: for he said "He shall ascend," because before the entrance, steps are accustomed to be built. Some say the "mount of the Lord" is the height of virtues, which Christ commanded through the Gospel; and "holy place," that of the promised kingdom of heaven. Or otherwise: the mount is the height of the theology concerning Christ, and of the orthodox dogmas of his becoming man.

^B VERS. 4. Innocens manibus et mundo corde. The Prophet, having formed the preceding words of the verse by way of a question, now answers it. By the hands, he signifies actions; by the heart, thoughts. He says that he will ascend and stand, whose actions are irreprehensible and whose thoughts together are pure and clean. He seems to deny that he who is not of this kind will ascend or remain, even if he should appear otherwise. Observe also how he has joined both these [namely, works and mind]; for without the one, the other is not approved. ^B Having shaped the preceding speech as a question, the Prophet then answers: and by the hands, he signifies the deeds; but by the heart, the thoughts; that that man shall ascend and stand who is blameless in deeds and has clean thoughts. "Innocent" here means the blameless one, and he who is not such, neither ascends nor stands, even if he may seem to. See how he has joined both: for either one is worthless without the other.

Innocent in hands, and clean in heart. For he ^C did not receive his soul in vain—he did not receive his soul from God for the sake of something vain, so that he might busy himself with vain things; or he did not use for evil his soul, which was created for good. And he did not swear in guile to his neighbor. He did not commit perjury; for he who swears with guile, does so either that he may be released from a debt, or that he may receive what is not owed to him. We have similar sentiments in Psalm XIII, and you may seek there more broadly concerning the oath, where it is written: "He that sweareth to his neighbor, and deceiveth not."

^C VERS. 5. Hic accipiet benedictionem a Domino. [Benedictionem, hoc est] Grace, or some divine gift, bestowed in the present life; this man, he says, who has been upright in his actions and clean in his thoughts, and who has separated himself from vain things, and has not perjured himself against his neighbor [shall receive a blessing, etc.] And mercy from God his Savior. Namely, in the future time. For everyone, even he who is held to be most just, is in need of the mercy of God; for if God does not commingle his compassion, no living man will be justified in his sight. For what works are there that are worthy of the kingdom of heaven?

^D VERS. 6. Haec est generatio quaerentium Dominum. That generation, he says, which has lived in this way [as we have taught] may deservedly be called the generation of men seeking, that is, loving, the Lord; for he who loves, seeks. ^D This is the generation of those seeking the Lord. This generation, living in this way, is a generation of men seeking the Lord, that is, loving [him]: for he who loves, seeks.

^A *For the sake of the face of the God of Jacob.* The God of Jacob was thought by the Hebrews to be the Father; but the face of the Father is the Son: "He who has seen me," he says, "has seen the Father." * But the prophet frequently mentions the patriarch Jacob in the Psalms, as the father of the twelve tribes. Or otherwise: [it is a generation] of those seeking to see God in the future age, when the worthy shall see him face to face, as Paul says.

Diapsalma.

*Lift up your gates, O princes.* From this point he foretells the ascension of the Savior into the heavens; for he introduces the angels who were ministering to Christ on earth, ascending with him, and going before him, and ordering those who guard the entry to the heavens to lift up the gates. The phrase should be arranged as follows: "O ye princes, lift up your gates," that is, the gates over which you preside and of which you are the princes, lift these up. "Your" [gates], instead of "of which you are princes." He did not say: "Open," but: "Lift up" entirely, thereby indicating the incomprehensibility of the glory of the one about to enter; and by "gates" we must understand the guard.

^B *And be lifted up, O eternal gates.* The guard itself is eternal, because the protecting angels are eternal. Or he calls them eternal because from eternity they had never before been opened. For the Lord had descended to earth with the doors closed, hidden from all the celestial powers.

*And the King of glory shall enter.* He is called King of glory and also Lord of glory, as being most glorious, and as the dispenser of that glory, and as reigning over and being Lord of all who are glorious.

*Who is this King of glory?* The princes of the gates, having heard this, were at a loss—since they knew only God as the King of glory, whom they understood, as existing in three persons, to inhabit the supercelestial place. Furthermore, the covering of flesh astonished them. ^C Whence they ask, and in turn they hear: *The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.* "The Lord is the one whom you know, the strong and the mighty"; then again: "The Lord is the mighty one in battle." This repetition leads them to a greater recognition; and at the same time it glorifies the victory over the tyrant, whom he fought and defeated when he attacked, and whom he pierced with the cross as if with a spear.

*Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be lifted up, O eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter.* The princes of the second heaven, that is to say, of the firmament, having heard what was said by the preceding angels, and having seen [it], and having been overjoyed at the salvation of men, ^D ran forward, commanding the very same things to the princes of the gates of the first heaven, that is, [the heaven] above the firmament.

*Who is this King of glory?* By the same...

Likewise, they are in doubt and inquire about the same things, and they hear: "The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory." The Lord is powerful, the grantor of hosts, or he is the Master of the mighty; He is the one proclaimed by us as the King of Glory. It must be known that the Jews attribute this present psalm, as well as the one immediately preceding it, to those who were captives in Babylon; the former one as narrating joyous things during their return, and this one as a consolation for the sorrows they suffered in captivity, and as instruction not to be distressed by that place, since all the earth is God’s, and everyone, wherever among the nations he may be, is able to please God. But such interpreters are clearly proven to be deceived, both by the very order of the psalms—since, indeed, that one should rather have been placed after the present one, as it announces things that happened after the return of the captives—and, indeed, also from the very words. For let them show us, I ask, where the mercy of God remained with them throughout their whole life, as is contained in the present psalm, and what eternal gates Jerusalem had, which are named here, not to mention all the other things.

Psalm to David. PSALM XXIV.

Some say that blessed David wrote this psalm as a form of supplication and prayer to God, and that it is appropriate for all who invoke God in the midst of calamities and distress, and teaches how we ought to make our supplication. Yet nothing prevents us from saying that blessed David brought it forth primarily for his own sake, when he was being attacked by enemies.

VERS. 2. *To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul.* I lifted up, that is, I raised, I stood upright, lifting it away from earthly things, in which there is no salvation for me. *O my God, in thee I have put my trust, let me not be ashamed for ever.* Either for the present time, or for the future; or "for ever," instead of "for a long time," and "always."

VERS. 3. *And let not my enemies laugh at me.* Whether perceptible or conceptual. For they will laugh if they conquer me. *For all who wait for thee shall not be ashamed.* He used "wait" for "expect," as he does in many places; for so Aquila interprets it. For he who expects thee as a helper shall not be ashamed.

VERS. 4. *Let those who act unjustly in vain be ashamed.* Some act unjustly because of some accident or misfortune, others because of the infirmity of nature. Therefore, whoever transgresses for any other cause can be said to act unjustly in vain, that is, without reason, but from sheer malice, such as were the visible and invisible enemies who fought against blessed David. For without cause and in vain is one fought against who brings no injury to another.

^A *Show me thy ways, O Lord, and teach me thy paths.* In these two verses he expresses the same sentiment everywhere, as he is accustomed to do in many places, when he wishes to demonstrate the intensity of his heart's desire. The "ways" and "paths" are all things that are pleasing to God, through which the one who performs them walks toward God without error. He prays to be taught these things by God on account of their precision, for those who are worthy learn what must be done from God. Some say that "ways" and "paths" are the dispensations of affairs through which divine providence moves, with the Prophet seeking to learn how all things are governed, so that through practice he may also attain to contemplation. And by "ways" [he means] the more universal [things]; by "paths," the more particular. Others say that "ways" and "paths" are the commandments, which, having learned in the Book, he prayed to learn in deed, so that, being compelled by God to perform them, he might know by experience what he previously knew only by reason.

*Lead me in thy truth.* ^B So that I may not be led astray by human thoughts, choosing one thing instead of another.

*And teach me, for thou art the God my Saviour.* And yet he knew that He was his God, but he seeks to learn this also by deed; and he will learn it when he is delivered from his enemies. For then the proof will be indisputable, that, relying on Him alone, he was delivered miraculously, with no man helping him.

*And thee have I waited on all the day.* In deed as well as in fact, he says, teach me that thou art the God who saves me, and that I truly waited on thee and expected a helper, and was not deceived. But what he says, *all the day*, the Prophet uses in many places for "always," just as [he does] with the words, *for ever*. And in another way, the Hebrews speak of the "all the day" as the whole of their life, for when we are asleep at night, we do not seem to be living. Now these things are said according to the historical sense. ^C According to the anagoge, these things can be understood of Christ, whose incarnation the Prophet, foreseeing with the eyes of the spirit as if it were present, and yet desiring to understand [it] better, asks more truly and more sincerely that those ways and paths be shown to him through which the God who was to be incarnate was to walk. And the "truth" of Christ is his doctrine, which the Prophet himself desires to learn; for he says in the Gospels, "I am the truth," and again, "I tell you the truth." Teach me, says the Prophet, this [truth]; then there must be a pause, and what follows must be read as a new beginning, in this way: Teach me these things, O God. And thou art the God my Saviour, and I have been fully persuaded of this. For Jesus is interpreted as Saviour, and ^D the Saviour in truth saved him when he descended into Hades and led him out from there. Thee therefore, he says, I always await, and I do not despair. [It should be noted, however, that according to such a sense it should not be read: Teach me that thou art my God, but: Teach me that thou art my God. For the Greek expression ὅτι has both meanings.]

^A *Verse 6. Remember thy compassions, O Lord, and thy mercies, for they are from old.* "Remember," he says, "that from old"—that is, always and by thy nature—thou art merciful and a compassionate one. But the translators have placed the word "mercies" in the accusative case indiscriminately, either because that Hebrew expression possesses such a case, or because the ancients had the license to interchange cases, as we shall find in many places. "Remember" [means] not as if thou hadst forgotten, but as one who seems to us to have forgotten these things when thou art slow to come to our aid.

^B *Verse 7. The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not thou remember.* See how he supplicates even for the sins [committed] in youth and for those in ignorance, because he has since become perfect, even if we do not consider such things at all. But why did he not also supplicate for those [sins committed] in knowledge? Because the former are wiped away by prayer alone, but the latter require also practical repentance [by deeds, of course, and works]. *According to thy mercy remember thou me.* Just as thy mercy is great, so also in thy great mercy remember me; that is, that thou mayest show mercy, not that thou mayest punish. *For the sake of thy goodness, O Lord.* Because thou art good by nature, he says, even if, beyond thy will, thou also punishest because of our sins.

^C *Verses 8, 9. Good and upright is the Lord.* Good, indeed, as one who is merciful; upright, however, as one who exacts the penalties for transgressions. For here he understands "upright" in judging. *Therefore he will give a law to those who sin in the way, he shall guide the meek in judgment.* Since he is both merciful and steadfast, he will give a law—he will instruct by law—and he will chastise those who sin in the way, that is, in this life. For he calls this *the way* now, because all pass through it, no differently than along a road. But he shall guide the meek, that they may not be led astray. "In judgment," that is, with judgment, ^D as those worthy of guidance. "He will give a law" can also be understood in another way: that he will set laws for those who sin. Now it pertains to a most just legislator to bring forth laws by which those who sin are not so much punished as guided. These things can also be referred allegorically to Christ, who set for sinners that way in which he himself walked, so that those traveling along it might no longer sin; and he guided the meek by beatifying them, and thus inciting them: "For blessed," he says, "are the meek."

*He will teach the meek his ways.* This is said manifestly concerning Christ and his disciples; for these have become meek, as not being opposed to him. "Learn from me," he says, "for I am meek, and humble in heart." And Christ taught them the ways

^A of his own manner of life, as eye-witnesses and followers of him.

"All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that seek after his covenant and his testimonies." By "ways" here we understand the legal commandments, which are mercy and truth to those who search the written law; for they appear so, because God, in having mercy upon men, gave these laws, and they are true in what they say, as having been enacted by the true God. He called the law a covenant and testimonies: a covenant, because he disposed it to the sons of Israel; testimonies, because he testified in it. ^B And all the courses of his sojourn on earth are mercy and truth to those who seek after his new covenant, that is, to those who believe in his teaching, and in the prophetic testimonies concerning him. For in his entire way of life, he showed mercy by doing good, and he showed truth by teaching.

"For thy name's sake, O Lord, and be thou propitious to my sin, for it is great." The word "and" is redundant here; for this is an idiom of the Hebrews in many places. He says, therefore: Because thou art called merciful and good, for this reason propitiate my sin, which is surely finished; for it is great, if compared to the amount of purity I ought to have rendered. And these words can also be referred to Christ, who is called the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. ^C

"Who is the man that feareth the Lord? He is rare indeed. But if any one is found, hear what rewards are promised to him:"

"He shall appoint him a law in the way that he hath chosen." The ways of those who are saved are various, that is, their manners of life; for one is the common life, and another is the solitary life. And one is the practical, another the contemplative, and another otherwise again; yet all lead to God. And whichever of these a man who fears God chooses, in that, God will become his teacher in what must be done, as we have declared above. Do not understand the fear of God simply, but as fixed in the heart. ^D

"His soul shall dwell in good things." Having departed from the body, it shall be in those good things "which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard," etc.

"And his seed shall inherit the earth." Since the procreation of children was desirable to the Hebrews, by promises of this kind he encourages them to virtue, promising that those who fear God shall have children as heirs of the land they possessed. But "seed" is also understood as doctrine, and through it, those who are mentored again. For he says that not only shall he himself be saved, but also those who are his children according to the spirit shall inherit the land of the meek.

^A Ver. 14. *Fortitudo is the Lord for those who fear him.* God becomes the strength of such people, that is, a force and a wall. *And his testament shall manifest itself to them.* His law, he says, shall declare to them that God becomes the strength of those who fear him; for thus the law promises. Understand "testament" simply as a teaching from God, declaring what must be done. And not only what must be done, but also the divine mysteries, which the law also provides to those who approach it with purity.

Ver. 15. *My eyes are ever towards the Lord, for he shall draw my feet out of the snare.* By this he understands the eyes of the soul, which, he says, I always keep fixed towards God, as I know that he alone shall draw my feet out of the nets and the ambush of the visible enemies, even if they should attack.

Ver. 16. *Look upon me and have mercy on me.* We have said previously in other psalms how God is said to look upon us.

*For I am an only-begotten and a pauper.* But why does blessed David call himself an only-begotten? Did he not have many brothers? However, the Prophet often uses this term for someone solitary, alone, and unique, as if he were alone and destitute of others. Elsewhere the Prophet also uses this term, saying: *And my only-begotten from the hand of the dog.* He also calls himself a pauper, as if stripped of all worldly aid.

Ver. 17. *The tribulations of my heart have been multiplied.* He says "tribulations of my heart," because every tribulation, whether from wicked men or from passionate thoughts and afflictions of soul, is always brought to the heart. ^B *Deliver me from my necessities.* From the calamities that constrain me and bring violence upon me.

Ver. 18. *See my humiliation and my labor.* By "humiliation," according to the historical sense, understand the weakness of body and strength against such great power of the enemies. But according to the spiritual understanding, interpret it as the total contrition of the soul. In the same way, by "labor," according to the first sense, understand the bodily exhaustion which he suffered while fleeing his enemies and being involved in many straits; and according to the second sense, understand the labor which he endured from abstinence, from his steadfastness, from sleeping on the ground, and from the rest of the exercises of virtue. ^C *And forgive all my sins.* Those which have passed, from which I have since abstained. Observe, however, how there is a need not only for abstaining, but also for much humility and labor for this purpose, so that sins may be fully remitted to one.

Ver. 19. *See my enemies, for they are multiplied.* Whether you speak of the sensible ones or the intellectual ones. *And they have hated me with an unjust hatred.* For neither the visible ^D enemies did I wrong, by doing them any harm, nor the invisible ones; for having sinned, I did not...

invisible ones; for if I have sinned, I have injured not them, but myself. It remains, therefore, that they have no ground for hatred against me, but that the whole cause lies in envy alone. ^A

VERS. 20. Custodi animam meam. Lest it fall into them. And by the soul, understand also the body, for it is that which governs the body. ^B

And deliver me. Should I ever fall. Or else: Custodi animam, from the invisible enemies, namely; and deliver me from the visible ones, who seek to have my body in their power.

Let me not be confounded, for I have hoped in thee. Knowing, he says, that all who hope in thee are not disappointed of their expected hope (as it is said at the beginning of the psalm), I pray that I may not be confounded, since I also have hoped in thee.

VERS. 21. Innocents and straight adhered to me, because I continued in thee, Lord. He speaks of a past happening; for at another time, he says, having awaited thee and not being confounded, I drew many to the same zeal, being persuaded by my own example that thou alone art the true helper and in no way deceitful; whence they also "adhered to me," that is, were bound to me by the law of friendship, keeping close to me, because I awaited thee, having thought rightly. But who are these? Whosoever are innocent, that is, good, and straight, that is, just. For the sake of such, therefore, hear me.

VERS. 22. Libera, Deus, Israel ex omnibus tribulationibus suis. When the Prophet has prayed abundantly and sufficiently for himself, finally he supplicates for the people also, who were suffering along with him. For not only during the time that the Philistines were invading when blessed David was reigning—if we concede that this psalm was composed at that time—was the people distressed, but also before that time when he was being put to flight by Saul; and later, during the time of Absalom, when many were oppressed for his sake, whom he now called Israel, as if descended from him. Yet it would not be unreasonable to understand that the Prophet calls himself Israel, by reason of the fact that he drew his lineage from him. And if you wish, you may even refer this prayer to Christ, so that the Prophet might ask Him to be present to those who are afflicted by the enemies of the faith for His sake. For we have already predicted ^C that Christians can rightly be called Israel; they, of course, who by faith see Christ as God. For Israel, as we have said, is interpreted as "a mind seeing God." ^D

Psalm of David. PSALM XXV.

Blessed David wrote this psalm at the time when, fleeing from Saul, he was sojourning among the Philistines. It is also fitting, according to its virtue, for those who were later held captive in Babylon. The Prophet, knowing God to be truly just, attempts before all else to demonstrate how he was fostering a most just cause, while the enemy fostered an unjust one.

VERS. 1. Judge me, O Lord, for I in my innocence have

^A walked. Although you know all things, he says, judge me—or rather, examine me still further—for I trust that I have walked in my innocence until now. By "innocence," he means forbearance and long-suffering. For he says that although he was wronged many times by Saul, he rendered nothing back to him, even though he had the power to do so, as the Book of Kings makes clear.

*And hoping in the Lord, I shall not be weakened.* And hoping in the Lord, he says, I shall not waver in my resolve, but rather it will grow ever stronger and be confirmed because of the supreme hope I have in Him. These words are directed toward his enemies.

VERS. 2. *Prove me, O Lord, and try me.* He does not say this out of pride, but as though ^B begging and beseeching these two things: to be "proved," that is, to have his past actions examined and sought out; and to be "tried," that is, to be put to the test for the future, to see if he will conduct himself as he has before.

*Burn my reins and my heart.* "Reins" signify desire; "heart" signifies anger. "Burn," he says, is akin to "test," just as goldsmiths test gold through fire; for I have neither coveted the kingdom nor returned injuries upon Saul.

VERS. 3. *For thy mercy is before my eyes.* I am thus disposed, he says, because I keep before my eyes that mercy of yours which you afford to all who endure all adversities with a patient ^C spirit.

*And I walked in thy truth.* When he intends to treat of his other virtues, which he sets forth in the progress of the psalm, he first tempers his discourse and gives thanks to God, because he has made progress in the remaining virtues by His truth. For you promised in your Law, he says, that you would show mercy to those who were pleasing to you. Therefore, your mercy and your truth were the cause of all these good things for me. Then he recounts his virtuous deeds.

VERS. 4. *I have not sat with the council of vanity.* That is, with those who met for trifles, for untimely conversation, or for mythical tales.

*And I will not enter with those who do evil.* With those who intrigue either against one another or against Saul himself; for it is likely that he was frequently tempted by some to join in a conspiracy.

VERS. 5. *I have hated the assembly of malignant men.* The congregation and gathering of all the wicked; for he included all the bad under the name of "malignant."

*And I will not sit with the ungodly.* By "ungodly," he means the Philistines, among whom he was an exile; yet he abstained from their company. Or, understand "I will not sit" as "I will not linger."

VERS. 6. *I will wash my hands among the innocent.* ^D When the ancients wished to protest that they were blameless of some crime, they would wash their hands before the multitude

^A to signify the purity of their soul, just as we read that Pilate did at the death of Christ. Therefore, the Prophet says: “I will wash my hands with other innocent men,” testifying that I am innocent of all the crimes that have been spoken of.

*And I will encompass thy altar, O Lord.* The propitiatory, indeed, was inside among the Hebrews, but the altar was outside the veil. And the Prophet declares that he will encompass this altar on account of his innocence, with a multitude of sacrifices and those who minister about them.

VERS. 7. *That I may hear the voice of thy praise.* So that I may hear the voice of those who sing, and of those who rejoice because of the peace granted to us by thee.

*And tell of all thy wondrous works.* By the leisurely reading of thy divine law and the other books of Moses, which were ^B read aloud to the assembled people, as the law commanded. By "wondrous works," he understands those miracles which were performed in Egypt or elsewhere afterwards; or, always to be wondered at, all things which God has wrought from the beginning of the world.

VERS. 8. *O Lord, I have loved the beauty of thy house.* I have loved it, and therefore I desire to see it again. By the beauty of the house, he refers to that admirable order of the Mosaic tabernacle. For the temple was not yet built.

*And the place of the tabernacle of thy glory.* Furthermore, I have loved the very place in which the tabernacle of thy glory is fixed. Or, by the “place of the tabernacle,” as is often his custom, he understands the tabernacle itself.

VERS. 9. *Take not away my soul, O God, along with the impious.* Among whom I now spend my life; but restore me to the city. For destruction is about to overtake these Philistines, because of their greatest crimes.

*And my life with men of blood.* For they are not only impious, he says, but also men of blood; ^C that is to say, bloodthirsty.

*In whose hands are iniquities.* To whom iniquity is always ready and at hand.

*Their right hand is full of gifts.* They are not only impious and murderous, he says, but also takers of bribes, bartering justice for gifts.

VERS. 11. *But as for me, I have walked in my innocence.* Again he commemorates his own innocence, setting it forth before God as a kind of mediatress for himself.

*Redeem me, O Lord.* From this unjust exile, and from the danger which exists around such men.

*And have mercy on me.* So that I may not fall among men of this kind again. ^D

VERS. 12. *My foot hath stood in uprightness.* This I ask of thee, he says, because my foot has been established in uprightness.

lack of crookedness, which is to say that the journeys of my life are entirely free from obliquity and tortuousness: which is of the same sentiment as the words already spoken: *I walked in my innocence.*

In the churches I will bless you, O Lord. Having thus arranged these things, he says, I will compose psalms, through which I will praise you in all the churches. And truly every Church of the Christians has blessed David as its chanter and preceptor. This psalm can also be applied to every faithful person placed amidst the snares and persecutions of enemies, who in a similar way will be able to justify his own cause, as blessed David did, if he can truly say that he has borne all things patiently when afflicted with injury, and has caused injury to none of those who were hostile to him. Here he will also count all who are of a different faith as impious. And according to this meaning, you will understand the altar and the temple, which was in that region, as the whole from the part: which is similarly signified by the house of God; and according to this analogy and proportion, the remaining things can be accommodated.

A Psalm of David before he was anointed. PSALM XXVI.

We read that blessed David was anointed ^B for the kingdom three times: first by Samuel in Bethlehem; then by the tribe of Judah, in Hebron, after the death of Saul; and thirdly by all the tribes, after the death of Mephibosheth: he wrote this psalm, however, before the second anointing, while Saul was still persecuting him. Yet it can be applied to each of us among the faithful, if we understand its words as spoken against visible or invisible enemies, according to analogy.

VERS. 1. *The Lord is my illumination and my savior, whom shall I fear?* God is called illumination, as one who dissolves every mist of sadness from our eyes, and then illuminates them with the light of His aid; but He is savior, because He frees us from the snares of enemies. That which he says by way of interrogation: *Whom shall I fear?* means the same as if he were to say: I fear no one. *The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?* For whom ought he to fear, whom God protects? But what it is to protect has been stated in Psalm XVII.

VERS. 2. *While the evildoers drew near against me to eat my flesh, my afflictors and my enemies, they themselves were weakened and fell.* With the greatest admiration, the Prophet announces the benefits conferred upon him by God. While those enemies drew near to me, he says, who had arranged many snares against me for this purpose, that they might, in a most savage manner, eat my flesh, they themselves were rather weakened, not being able to do me harm in any matter; and they fell, having failed in what they desired. ^D

VERS. 3. *If camps should stand against me, my heart shall not fear.* By camps, the Hebrews understand an army. So wonderfully, he says, have I been delivered, that henceforth I shall not fear even entire and whole companies of enemies, let alone their snares.

^A If war should rise up against me, in this I will hope. In this heart of mine, no longer fearing because of the help of God. Some, however, interpreting it as an ellipsis, supply from outside "in the hope" which is in God. Nam quod hic dicitur: In hoc, necessario referendum videtur, vel ad ipsum spem, ut dictum est, vel ad cor, non autem ad prælium, cum in Græcæ lectione tam pronomen, hoc, quam dictio cor, femineæ voces sint, dictio autem prælium masculino varietur articulo. Unde conjungi ea minime consentaneum est.

Verse 4. One thing I have asked of the Lord.

"To behold the delight of the Lord, and to visit his temple." That I may, he says, by beholding his delight, be myself delighted, and at the same time I watch, lest anything of what is required be neglected; for he was very God-loving.

"For he hid me in his tabernacle in the day of my evils." Because I was greatly benefited by him; for in the day of my danger he hid me in his shelter. For this he called a tabernacle, because he protected the one who fled to him like a tent. ^C "He covered me in the secret place of his tabernacle." He says the same thing again, declaring the benefit more clearly. By "secret place," he means the innermost and more interior parts of the tabernacle; that is, he made me utterly invisible to those tracking me. "He set me up on a rock." In security and fearlessness he stationed me, from the metaphor of those who flee and climb up on a steep rock. ^D "And now behold, he has lifted up my head above my enemies." Perceiving in an ineffable way that his petition had been confirmed by a divine decree, he prophesies about future things as if they had already come to pass, saying that because the Lord heard me, behold, he has made me superior to my enemies. For the victors used to carry their heads high against the defeated.

Variæ lectiones.

^A For otherwise the petition could not have been fulfilled unless his enemies had been destroyed beforehand.

^B *I went round and offered sacrifice in his tabernacle.* What he said in the preceding psalm as a future event, he now states as having attained its end. There he said: *And I will go round your altar, O Lord*; here he says: *I went round and offered sacrifice.* But Aquila rendered it: *I will exult, I will go round, and I will sacrifice*, using one tense for another. By "tabernacle" he means the one which Moses pitched.

*A sacrifice of praise and shouting.* Of "praise," because I have been protected by him; of "shouting," because I have been victorious over my enemies. For "shouting" is a cry against enemies, although in this place it is put for a certain triumphal song. By "sacrifice," however, he understands a thank-offering, offered at once for help and for victory.

*I will sing and make melody to the Lord.* Concerning the difference between "singing" and "making melody," we have spoken previously in the twelfth psalm.

*Hear, O Lord, my voice with which I have cried out.* Having foretold by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the things which pertained to himself, he returns again to his former purpose, calling the voice that which concerns the one petition.

*Have mercy on me and hear me.* It is not that you owe it to me to hear me on account of my unworthiness, but hear me on account of your own mercy.

*My heart has said to you: I will seek the Lord.* From the depths, he says, my heart has spoken thus. For I did not speak as if superficially with my lips alone. I said, "I will seek the Lord," that is, my Master, having utterly neglected and spurned all other human assistance.

*My face has sought you.* The preposition "ex-" denotes a certain greater intensity. He says, therefore, that he sought God as a helper with the greatest diligence. And by "my face" he understands himself by circumlocution, as if he were saying: "I myself have sought you."

*I will seek your face, O Lord.* That is, I will seek your visitation, and I will continue to do so; I will never cease.

*Do not turn your face away from me.* That is, your visitation, by which I was protected in the midst of distress.

^C *And do not turn aside in anger from your servant.* Do not depart from me in anger, you who have stood by me thus far with the greatest zeal and care; and if I should sin as a man, do you chasten me humanely and mercifully, and then help me again when there is need.

*Be my helper.* For the future.

*Do not cast me off.* The translators who rendered this into Greek took this word from a Greek proverb.

*Do not abandon me, O God, my savior.* The Prophet frequently asks and pours out prayers, showing that his perseverance in praying is total and proceeds from the heart.

^D *For my father and my mother have abandoned me.* For, he says, when every support of my parents...

...comfort, and not only of the alliance of friends; for all fear Saul. ^A *The Lord, however, took me up.* He said this to console himself: "Even if all have abandoned me," he says, "the Lord has yet taken me up," protecting and delivering me from perils.

*Set a law for me in your way.* Instead of "set a law," Aquila said "teach me"; that is, teach me your saving laws, as I walk in the spiritual way that leads to you.

*And lead me in a straight path.* A path of salvation, so that I may not be led astray, falling into crooked thoughts.

*Because of my enemies, do not deliver me into the souls of those who afflict me.* "Into the souls of those who afflict me," that is, by periphrasis, into the soldiers who afflict me. Do not deliver me, therefore, into their power, so that my enemies, having sent them to seize me, may not rejoice; he speaks of Saul.

*For unjust witnesses have risen up against me.* For Saul was bearing witness against him unjustly, as one meditating to kill him.

*And iniquity has lied to itself.* Such testimony has lied to itself, that is, it was found not to be true. For I did him no injury, but rather I even aided him. Or otherwise: This injustice, which promised itself that it would seize me, has lied, not having attained its goal.

^C *I believe to see the good things of the Lord.* I believe, he says, the Holy Spirit who assures me about all these things, that I shall overcome [my enemies], and shall receive the kingdom, and shall enjoy its good things.

*In the land of the living.* In this world; for this is the land of the living, but the land of the dead is Hades. But it is also possible to say that he is teaching the dogma of the resurrection of the dead, calling the kingdom of heaven the land of the living, and the good things, those which God has prepared for those who love him.

*Wait for the Lord.* This and the following utterance he directs to himself, soothing himself in his sorrow, and exhorting himself not to fail. "Wait," that is, "expect," "hope for the helper."

*Be manly, and let your heart be strengthened, and wait for the Lord.* These exclamations are heartening and strengthening for the soul; for being left alone, he was comforting and encouraging himself. Again, the phrase "Wait for the Lord" [is repeated] for greater consolation and delight of soul.

Psalm by David. PSALM XXVII.

This psalm, too, he wrote while still being pursued by Saul.

*To you, O Lord, I will cry out.* As looking to no one else; for I am deprived of all other help. Through the cry, the intensity of his prayer is demonstrated.

^A *My God, do not be silent to me.* Do not be deaf to me; this is said metaphorically. For those who are deaf are accustomed to being silent, and to saying nothing to those who ask. *Lest you be silent to me.* Lest you ever be deaf to me, for I am always in need of your assistance. *And I will be like those who go down into the pit.* If you are deaf to me, he says, I will immediately be like the dead themselves: that is, I will die immediately. For the pit means the tomb. Or, we may understand "pit" to mean a ditch, into which, if anyone falls, he becomes helpless because he cannot escape from it.

^B *Hear, O Lord, the voice of my prayer, while I pray to you, while I lift up my hands to your holy temple.* By "temple," as we have said, he means the tabernacle toward which he was stretching his hands while praying, even though it was far away. For so also did Daniel, when praying in Babylon; he would open the windows that were turned toward Jerusalem, not because they wished to circumscribe the Divinity there, but because they knew that the divine manifestation had taken place there. Alternatively, by "temple" we must understand heaven, according to the words: *He who dwells in heaven shall laugh at them* (Ps. II, 4).

*Do not draw me away with sinners.* With whom I often associate. Do not, therefore, because of this association, draw me away with them to pay the penalty; for you know that I do this even against my will; and the "with" (simul) is redundant. But as we pray these things for ourselves, we shall understand by "sinners" the heretics, or the demons, or even all the impious.

^C *And with those who work iniquity do not destroy me.* This is for a fuller explanation of the previous statement, for it signifies the same thing. *Who speak peace with their neighbor, but evil is in their hearts.* For some of those who were with Saul, while feigning outward friendship toward David, were secretly plotting against him, and especially Saul himself among the others.

*Give to them, O Lord, according to their works.* That is, things worthy of their wickedness. ^D *And according to the wickedness of their endeavors.* This too is said as an explanation of the preceding verse. *Give to them according to the works of their hands.* By this tautology he reveals the pain of his soul, inflamed as it is with the zeal of hatred for wickedness. *Render their recompense to them.* Render to them the retribution owed for their malice; but from these words it is demonstrated that he does not curse them as a bitter enemy, but as a lover of justice, he desires that the due penalties be applied to them, so that by this means all the wicked might be made better.

*Because they have not understood the works of the Lord.* Because up to the present they have not understood the divine dispensations, namely, that God sustains the wicked, so that[

^A their baseness may be exposed and that, at the proper time, they may be punished without excuse. "And upon the works of his hands." By "works," I mean those things which He effects with intent and not by chance; for "hands" here signify a certain consideration and diligence manifest in divine operations. "You will destroy them and will not build them up." The Prophet predicts the perdition of his enemies, which was to be of such a kind that, once they had fallen headlong, they would be unable to rise again or lift themselves up.

"Blessed is the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplication." "Blessed," that is to say, worthy to be blessed and praised. Since he is now certain of what he has requested, he says, "Because He has heard me."

"The Lord is my helper and my protector." This, in a similar way, pertains to that certainty which he had conceived concerning divine help.

"In Him my heart hoped." As in the only true and non-deceitful God.

"And I have been helped." And I have not been frustrated in the hope I conceived.

"And my flesh has flourished again." Which, before this, had been wasted away by anxieties and various afflictions.

"And with my will I will confess to Him." With a ready mind, he says, and from my heart I will do it, not as one compelled. This is similar to, "I will voluntarily sacrifice to you." By "confession," understand thanksgiving. ^B

"The Lord is the strength of His people, and the protector of the salvations of His Christ." The Lord, he says, makes His people, dedicated to Him, stronger, and fights for the salvation of him who was anointed as king by His command [for "Christ" signifies "the Anointed"]. He speaks, however, about the entire people and about himself, as one foreknowing the change that was to come.

"Save, O Lord, Your people, and bless Your inheritance." As though he were now about to receive the kingdom, and was closer to this event than he had been before, the Prophet prays for the people of God; and his calling them "Your inheritance" is similar to what we read in Exodus, where God called the Israelites His "peculiar people," that is, His "hereditary" people.

"And shepherd them." Ruling together with me, and taking counsel with me. ^C

"And lift them up even unto the age." And exalt them with perpetual trophies.

This imprecation made earlier: "Give to them, O Lord, according to their works," and the rest, can also be referred to the Jews who crucified Christ, who, being filled with every iniquity, did not understand the miracles done by the Lord. Therefore, they were destroyed and were never again raised up; but, on the contrary, God strengthened His faithful people, and so on. And again, let the prayer be referred to Christ, for His people from the nations, who were given to Him as an inheritance, and whom Christ has shepherded and truly exalted. ^D

Psalm of David, for the going forth of the tabernacle. Psalm XXVIII.

^A According to the history, this present psalm contains a commandment to the priests and Levites concerning the going forth of the tabernacle, or rather the going out from the temple, as to what those leaving were expected to do on the following day: namely, to bring the male offspring of rams, newly born, and glory through hymns of praise and psalms, and honor through good order and reverence, and that this should be in the court of the temple, and in no other place. According to the anagogical sense, however, it can be understood concerning the departure from the body, which the Apostle calls a tabernacle. For the body is the tabernacle of the soul. The Prophet therefore admonishes us in this psalm as to what we ought to do, that we may be prepared for the departure from this body; for our actions in this life will then become the soul’s provision for the journey.

^B VERS. 1. Bring to the Lord, O you sons of God, bring to the Lord the sons of rams. The sons of God are indeed the apostles. For thus the Lord also addressed them, saying: "I ascend to my Father and your Father." But the sons of rams are those from the nations, whose fathers were irrational on account of their wandering. The Prophet therefore urges the apostles to bring the nations to Christ; and thus the words are to be arranged: "As many as are sons of God, bring to the Lord, bring the sons of rams." For the repetition is indicative of zeal. Or, in another way: the sons of God are those who through the regeneration of baptism have been adopted by Christ and initiated into the virtues; but the sons of rams are those who, having been born to the apostles through the preaching of the Gospel, are not yet perfect. For you may understand the apostles as rams, if you will, as leaders of the flock. That is: "You who are more perfect, lead those who are less perfect by the hand; for this is acceptable to God." For He says to Peter: "If you love me, feed my sheep." Bring to the Lord glory and honor. Glory, through hymnody; but honor, through fear or the keeping of His commandments. For if, to speak according to the Apostle, through the transgression of the law you dishonor God, it is manifest that you honor Him through its keeping.

^C VERS. 2. Bring to the Lord glory to His name. Through praiseworthy actions; for it has been said to those who sin: "My name is blasphemed among the nations because of you." For when the Gentile sees the conduct of the believer, if it is good, he praises Christ as a teacher of virtue; but if it is evil, he disparages Him all the more, as an instructor of vice. Bring therefore to the Lord praise for His name, that is, for Him, by way of periphrasis. Worship the Lord in His holy court. ^D That which was formerly the holy court to the Jews, in

^A *Let all the earth worship you, and sing to you.* Here, the calling of the Gentiles is set forth more clearly and openly. Let them worship first, that is, let them be subjected to you; then let them sing. The Prophet commands this with great confidence, as one who was certain of the future judgment. *Sing to your name, O Most High.* This is like that which we read in the ninth verse of the ninth psalm. Out of great joy, he is reminded of the wonders of God, and commands all to sing and praise the redeeming God.

^B *Come and see the works of God.* Those which he has wrought everywhere among the nations, worthy of the greatest admiration. And he calls upon all the nations.

*How terrible in counsels concerning the sons of men!* Symmachus rendered this as: "in schemes." Terrible, therefore, in his schemes, because he uses great contrivances whenever it pleases him to save his people; just as those things which he devised against the Egyptians, always overcoming the thoughts and conspiracies of men. He then enumerates the ancient miracles.

*Who turned the sea into dry land.* This took place at the Red Sea, as the book of Exodus teaches. He spoke here in an inverted chronological order: "Who turns" instead of "Who turned."

*They will pass through the river on foot.* This, too, happened at the Jordan, when the Ark was crossing. There is an inversion of time here as well: "They will pass through" instead of "Our ancestors crossed." By "on foot," he means "on foot or journeying through." By saying they traveled on foot through the river, he signifies that they walked on dry ground. He reminds God of those miracles which occurred during that journey, because of the return set before them now, so that, according to custom, He might make this return easy for them as well. Symmachus, however, kept the tense, for he translated it: "Who turned the sea" and again, "They crossed the river."

^C *There we shall rejoice in Him, the One who rules by His power for ever.* "There," that is, in the place to which we are hastening. By the power of God, we understand His infinite and insuperable might. God rules both the present age and the age to come, as He possesses an endless kingdom.

*His eyes look upon the nations.* As one about to inherit them and take them as His own through faith. Understand, O Jew, that He has transferred His providence away from you.

*Let not those who provoke [Him] exalt themselves in themselves.* Henceforth, let not the Jews be lifted up within themselves, as if they alone were known of God; for he calls those who are always murmuring and gainsaying "provokers."

^A likeness to cedars, because of the height of their canopy and because they are thick and fruitless. The text foretells their destruction, and by these, it hints also at the destruction of all such groves.

"And He will break them in pieces like the calf of Libanus." And just as the calf built for the Hebrews in Horeb was broken in pieces and scattered by God through Moses, so also [will] these [be]. Then one must stop, and read the word "Libanus" by itself, so that it may be understood that He will break them, I mean the whole of Libanus, not just a part, but that it will be entirely broken.

^B "And my beloved as the son of unicorns." The discourse is about Christ; for He is beloved as the Only-begotten. For so the Father called Him, saying: "This is my beloved Son." He is the son of unicorns because of the fact that such a creature is unconquerable and unsubduable, for the book of Job says this is the nature of this animal. Observe, however, how when the Son offers Himself to the Father as a sacrifice for our sins, He is called a Lamb and a sheep, as in: "Behold the Lamb of God," and: "As a sheep He was led to the slaughter." But when there is need to defend and to bring down the power of the wicked one, [He is called] the son of unicorns. And Christ might also be called the son of unicorns as being begotten in a unique and singular way from two points of view: from the Father, without a mother, and from the mother, without a man. ^C When these, therefore, are crushed and broken, Christ will be unconquerable. For the gates of hell shall not prevail against His Church.

"The voice of the Lord, who divides the flame of fire." Here, too, the word "is" is missing. The Prophet foretells primarily the things which happened to the three children in the Babylonian furnace, which, being "divided," received a whispering spirit of dew; and consequently, [he foretells] also the things concerning the martyrs of Christ. These words can also be understood as pertaining to the judgment of God on the day of judgment, when God will divide and partition the flame of fire, so that its illuminating and brightening power may be allotted to the righteous, while its scorching and burning [power] will be meted out as punishment to the sinners.

"The voice of the Lord, who shakes the wilderness." ^D He calls the nations a "wilderness" because of their destitution of the knowledge of God, their aridity in spiritual teaching, and their barrenness of virtues—a wilderness which Christ, upon appearing, settled, moving it towards Himself and plowing it with the plow of faith.

"And the Lord will shake the wilderness of Cades." He will shake, he says, not the whole wilderness, but that of Cades—that is, the holy, the set-apart, and worthy [wilderness] of Him; for "Cades" interprets as "holy" among the Greeks.

^A Some insist that the words, "The voice of the Lord breaking the cedars," and other expressions of this kind, are not elliptical, nor are they oblique constructions, but rather belong to a shape that is at once heterogenous and heteroptotic. "Breaking" (*syntribontos*), for instance, is used instead of "the breaker" (*syntribousa*); it is heterogenous because the masculine is used for the feminine, and heteroptotic because the genitive is used for the nominative. By "harts" he means the disciples of Christ. For just as the hart despises the harm of venomous reptiles and pursues them by means of its own scent, and drawing them in with the force of the spirit that is from its mouth, destroys them, so too has every disciple of Christ "received authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." This very voice of the Savior, therefore, prepared them for the course of the proclamation and of virtue, that which says: "Behold, I give unto you authority," and so forth. And they both pursued the intellectual serpents with the scent of the spirit, and destroyed them by the power of the word sent forth from their mouths.

^B "And He will reveal the woods." By "woods" he means the woody and barren souls of the nations, in which the diverse and savage passions were lurking like wild beasts; these He will reveal, stripping away the density of their darkness by the Word, which, he says, "is sharper than any two-edged sword"—so that the beasts become manifest and easy for the harts to attack. [It should be noted, however, that the Greek word *drymous* signifies both woods and thickets, or density. For woods are accustomed to be dense with trees and brush.]

^C "And in His temple everyone says glory." [He means] in every place, and everyone who has believed, not [in that] in Jerusalem, nor the Jews only. He says "glory" [meaning] "sing a hymn," giving thanks to Him as Redeemer and Savior. He speaks, moreover, at the time that the moment calls for it.

"The Lord will inhabit the flood." By "flood" he refers to the nations that were inundated by the deluge of the passions. These, he says, Christ will cause to dwell in the regions, [that is,] in His Churches. Or, by "flood" he signifies the divine baptism, flooding away sins, which He will cause to dwell in the Churches. "And the Lord shall sit as King forever." King of the faithful, of those who have been cleansed. "For," He says, "authority was given to Me in heaven and on earth." "Shall sit" is used instead of "shall remain," on account of the stability that is seated in the act of sitting.

VERS. 11. *The Lord will give strength to his people.* To the people of the Christians, that is to say, who were once oppressed under the tyranny of demons and passions. ^A

*The Lord will bless his people in peace.* He will strengthen the people oppressed by war, and in the time of peace he will bless them: that is to say, he will deem them worthy of grace through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Or "bless" means "will praise," as one who is pleasing and acceptable to him.

Psalms of the Canticle of the Dedication of the House, of David himself.

What "Psalm of the Canticle" is, has been stated in the preface to the explanation of this present book. Regarding the rest of the inscription of this psalm, there are various opinions of interpreters. For some say that by "house" in this place, the soul of the blessed David himself is understood, which was a certain habitation of the prophetic gift; and by the "dedication of the house," they understand the renewal of divine grace, when, after the crimes of adultery and murder, having performed penance, he was again rendered worthy—to whom the gift of prophecy was restored by the Lord. Others say the house is the Church of the faithful, and by the "dedication of the house" they understand that renewal which is brought about through the regeneration of baptism. Others again called the "dedication" that renovation similar to the dedication which King Hezekiah celebrated in the temple after the profligation of the Assyrians; for the temple is the house of the Lord. So that this present psalm, which bears the inscription "Psalm of the Canticle of the Dedication of the House," announces what words were spoken by the blessed David, if we refer the words of the psalm to him, or what would be likely to be said by the Church, or by Hezekiah himself. For it can be adapted to any one of them. And that which it says, "of David," is to be read by itself, so that it expresses only the name of the author. ^B

VERS. 2. *I will exalt thee, O Lord, for thou hast upheld me.* But in what way will a humble man be able to exalt him who is high? Surely by confessing and proclaiming that he is high and sublime. In this way, someone is also said to magnify God, who asserts that he is great, just as, on the contrary, he humbles or brings down God, who speaks base and mean things about him. "Thou hast upheld," indeed, means "thou hast exalted and lifted up," having—as one might say—put the hand of thy help under me, when I was lying prostrate under the weight of sins.

*And thou hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me.* If you interpret the psalm concerning the blessed David, by "enemies" understand those to whom God had threatened, through the prophet Nathan, that he would give away his kingdom; if concerning the Church, the demons; if, however, concerning King Hezekiah, the Assyrians. "Thou hast not made to rejoice," moreover, means: "Thou hast not permitted them to rejoice against me." ^C

VERS. 3. *O Lord my God, I cried to thee, and thou hast healed me.* Not late, he says, didst thou cure me. For where the blessed David confessed his sin, saying, "I have sinned to the Lord," immediately it was said to him by Nathan: "The Lord hath taken away thy sin." The Church also, in like manner, when it invokes God at the time of baptism, is immediately washed from the wounds of sins; and the blessed Hezekiah, clothed in sackcloth and supplicating God, was immediately delivered from the wound of the siege. ^D

^A *And thou hast brought up my soul from hell.* According to the blessed David and the Church, this refers to the darkness of sin. Or, this also signifies the destruction of hell and the liberation of souls. According to Hezekiah, it refers to the darkness of servitude, or it produces a darkening. *Thou hast saved me from them that go down into the pit.* He repeats the same sentiment again in other words; for it is the custom of those who give thanks for benefits received to vary the narrative of the good deed. By "pit," understand the inescapable danger—for such is the pit or the grave or hell; for these things are in the depth of the earth and are inescapable. "Thou hast saved me," he says, "from them that go down into danger." According to David and the Church, this is spiritual danger; according to Hezekiah, it is bodily. It must be known that not all the subsequent expressions correspond to these three [parties], but only some; for this is generally the way of prophetic words.

*Sing to the Lord, O ye His saints.* That is, His righteous ones, those who are virtuous; for those who are not in such a state, even if they sing, they do not sing to the Lord. For a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruits, nor can a heart laden with death utter words of life.

*And make confession to the memory of His holiness.* Give thanks also to His memory, because He remembered us, who had been forgotten because of our sins.

*For wrath is in His indignation, and life in His will.* By "wrath," He now names the punishment; by "indignation," ^B the resentful anger. The sense is this: that punishment resides in His indignation, but life in His will. That is to say, though being righteous He punishes when He is provoked, yet as merciful He always desires and wills to show mercy, so that the former, that He punishes, is shown to be not so much by the choice of God, but by chance, as it were, because of the sins of men; whereas the latter, that He restores to life, is seen to be of His nature and voluntary. Just as He teaches elsewhere through Ezekiel, saying: *Do I will the death of the sinner, but rather that he should turn and live?* The Prophet also places the sorrowful before the joyful, because good things that come after sad ones seem sweeter, as is said: *I will kill and I will make alive; I will strike, and I will heal.*

*At evening sorrow shall lodge, and in the morning joy.* This is intended to signify that repentance brings about swift forgiveness. For he who has wept in the evening shall rejoice in the morning, comforted by the arrival of the Holy Spirit. There is also a prophecy here concerning the Apostles, who, when they were weeping on the evening of the Sabbath, after the burial of the Savior, in the morning of the Lord's day the women brought the joyful message that the Lord had risen. ^{C D}

^A And those with Hezekiah also, after the threat of Sennacherib, being gathered together in the evening and weeping, as though they were already about to be taken, were filled with joy in the morning, because of those many thousands of those men who had been invisibly destroyed during the night. "Shall lodge" means, "shall dwell."

Ver. 7. *I said in my abundance: I shall not be moved forever.* This can be applied both to David and to Hezekiah, who, in their times of prosperity, thought that it would be always stable and never adverse. For by "abundance" he understands a good and happy state, and by "motion" or wavering, a turning away from stability.

Vers. 8. *Lord, in your will you granted power to my beauty; you turned your face from me, and I became troubled.* These words can also apply to the same men; for he says that the power which my beauty previously had—that is, the splendor and magnificence of my kingdom—I had because you willed it, and not because of my own virtue. For you turned away your regard because of my pride, and I was immediately plunged into disturbance and calamity.

Vers. 9. *To you, O Lord, I will cry.* Having obtained timely help from you, I will cry to you in the future. The prophet uses this word very often when he signifies prayers sent forth from the depths of the heart. ^B *And I will pray to my God.* He repeats the same meaning. Or, that which he says above, "To you, O Lord," was said to the Father; and that which he says now, "To my God," pertains to the Son. And the blessed David seems to me to be predicting the day in which his son Absalom pursued him, in which persecution he called upon God; or the day on which Hezekiah was made certain by the Prophet that on the following day he would die, upon hearing which he immediately supplicated God for his life. "I will cry," he says, "and I will pray, saying thus:"

Vers. 10. *What profit is there in my blood, when I descend into corruption?* By "blood" he means his own flesh, for flesh is thickened blood. What profit, he says, is there in my flesh, so increased and adorned, if I am going to descend into corruption? It would have been better never to have been born. The Prophet despises human nature in this place, as mortal and soon to be extinguished; whence he also says elsewhere: *Man has become like to vanity.*

*Shall the dust praise you, or shall it tell of your truth?* These words are similar to those: *The dead shall not praise you, O Lord, nor all they that go down to hell; but we that live bless the Lord.* For, trusting in the supreme patience and long-suffering of God, he justifies his case, saying: Shall the dust, into which I am in danger of being dissolved, give thanks? Or shall it teach

ignorant that Thou art truly God, or that Thou art truthful? The former, since other gods are false; the latter, as Thou fulfillest Thy promises. It is therefore better for me to still live, if not for my own sake, yet that I may glorify and praise Thee, and preach Thy truth. ^B VERSE 11. *The Lord heard, and had mercy upon me.* Perceiving the future divine assistance as if it had already happened, he narrates it. "He heard my cry," that is, He accepted my prayer; for those who are not accepted are not suffered to be heard. *The Lord became my helper.* Having heard, He had mercy, and having had mercy, He helped me, delivering me from the death which then hung over me.

VERSE 12. *Thou didst turn my mourning into joy for me.* To mourn (*plangere*) is the same as to grieve and to strike the breast and cheeks; for *plango* is to strike. ^C He therefore changed my sorrow into joy. [The Greek word preserves the same etymology.] *Thou didst rend my sackcloth, and didst gird me with gladness.* Sackcloth was a symbol of repentance and humility. For those who fell into great and inconsolable calamity used to clothe themselves in sackcloth and sprinkle their heads with ashes; but when they were comforted, they would rend it and gird themselves with garments of gladness. "Thou didst rend," that is, Thou didst strip me of mourning; "and didst gird me," that is, Thou didst clothe me with gladness.

VERSE 13. *That my glory may sing to Thee.* That my life, having attained glory, may praise Thee; I say "attained glory" because of the help afforded me by Thee. ^D Or otherwise: by "glory" he understands the mind, or the intellect, by which we are especially honored, as we are said to have been made according to the image of God. *And I shall not be pricked.* For "I shall not be pricked," Symmachus interpreted: *And I shall not be silent.* From that which precedes, that which follows is signified; for silence accompanies compunction. Or otherwise: "I shall not be pricked," meaning, I shall no longer sin; so that by the consequent, the antecedent is signified. For after sin follows compunction. *O Lord my God, I will confess to Thee for ever.* Perpetually, he says, I will give thanks to Thee, since Thou hast deemed me worthy of such salvation. Or otherwise: Throughout this present age, the blessed David always gives thanks to God, through the mouths and lips of all the faithful who sing his most celebrated psalms to God.

*In the end, a psalm of David for an ecstasy. PSALM XXX*

*In the end*, for the reason that the prophecy contained here looks toward the end. And it is called a *psalm of ecstasy* [alt-version omitted] because it records the turning away which he suffered...

after the adultery with the wife of Uriah, and the slaying of him; for they interpret "ecstasy" as [meaning] the transgression of rectitude. It was spoken at the time when he was being pursued by his son, Absalom. Nevertheless, the words of the psalm are fitting for each of us as well, when we consider Absalom and Ahithophel and such enemies to be the devil and the other demons, and understand the other things in a way appropriate to that. ^A

*Vers. 2. In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be put to confusion.* These words have the same meaning as those others: *O my God, in thee I have put my trust, let me not be ashamed for ever;* which we explained in the second verse of the twenty-fourth psalm. ^B *Deliver me in thy justice, and release me.* Although I am unworthy of help, yet for the sake of thy justice—which condemns all the impious and parricides, and in short all who do wrong—deliver me. Moreover, in this place, "to deliver" is the same as "to rescue," namely from the snares of enemies, or from death itself.

*Vers. 3. Incline thine ear to me.* Concerning the inclining of the divine ear, we have spoken in the sixteenth psalm, there where it says: *Incline thy ear to me, and hearken to my words.* ^C *Make haste to deliver me.* He says: Do not merely deliver me, but make haste to do it. *Be unto me as a protecting God.* For "be unto me a protecting God" [instead of "a protecting God"]; for this is an idiom of the Hebrew language. Perhaps for this reason he says "protecting God," because while God was indeed his God before, now in the time of adversity he does not ask merely that He be present as God, but also as a protector. *And into a house of refuge, that thou mayst save me.* That thou mayst save me in the time of flight, as I flee to thee as to some fortress, impenetrable and unassailable.

*Vers. 4. For thou art my strength and my refuge.* Because both of these things which I ask, thou hast granted to me before. For I have experienced that thy help has been at hand for me at other times as well. ^D *And for thy name’s sake, thou wilt lead me, and nourish me.* And I trust, he says, not on account of my own virtue, but for the sake of thy name, because thou art called merciful. Thou wilt lead me to a place of life, drawing me away from dangers, and thou wilt nourish me, [who am] placed in the distress of necessary things. Or, "for thy name’s sake," he said by way of periphrasis, that is, "for thyself."

*Vers. 5. Thou wilt bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me.* By "snare" now understand the counsel given to Absalom by Ahithophel, how he strove in some place to enclose the blessed David, from whence he could not escape. For a snare is so called because it catches him who falls into it. Hidden...

^A, however, by this it means, he secretly contrived, that it might be concealed. For snares are wont to be secretly disposed. Or otherwise, by the snare, understand the traps newly arranged by the demon.

"Quoniam tu es protector meus, Domine" [For Thou art my protector, O Lord]. Again, he ascribes the help afforded him to God alone; partly that he may show himself grateful, as one who has previously received good things; and partly, by the frequency of his words, that he may more and more call God to mercy, whilst he shows that he has no other worthy helper in such great dangers.

„In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum.” To Thy power, he says, I will entrust my soul—that is, myself—trusting in no one else. And by the "hands" of God, he signifies His strength; for in the hands we have power and vigor.

“Redemisti me, Domine, Deus veritatis.” For oftentimes Thou hast saved me—from Goliath, for instance, and from Saul, and from many other dangers. Or otherwise, he prophesies concerning his own salvation. And "God of truth," interpret as "true God," as we have explained in the fourth verse of the twenty-eighth [twenty-ninth] Psalm. ^B

“Odisti omnes observantes vanitates supervacue.” You have turned away, he says, all those who observe empty counsels, and who do not repent of the crimes they have committed, but rather trust in them, such as were Absalon and his accomplices. And the word "supervacue" (in vain) is added, meaning uselessly and superfluously, because they strike in vain and far from their target.

“Ego autem in Domino speravi.” And not in craftiness, as they do.

“Exsultabo et lætabor in misericordia tua.” By this repetition of the sentiment, he wishes to demonstrate the exceeding great pleasure and joy which was to be. Or, that difference might be assigned which we have given in the third verse of the ninth Psalm. "In Thy mercy," however, which Thou shalt surely show toward me; for I deem myself worthy of Thy mercy because of the things which I have suffered. ^C

“Quoniam respexisti humilitatem meam.” "Humilitas" [humility] is sometimes accepted for that virtue which is directly opposed to pride, but sometimes for depression and affliction, as it is here. I trust, he says, that Thou hast looked upon my contrition and my misery, which I suffer from those who persecute me: for the eyes of the Lord are upon the just.

“Salvasti de necessitatibus animam meam.” Behold how he now predicts his own salvation, narrating it as if it were already accomplished, according to the law of prophecy. Or otherwise, he commemorates ancient benefits; and by "necessities," he means misfortunes and dangers, and by his "soul," he signifies himself. For the soul is often understood to mean the man himself, according to what we read in Leviticus: "Every soul that shall eat that which ^D died of itself, or that which was caught by a beast," and the things that follow.

Just as sometimes "flesh" is taken for "man," according to that text: "To thee all flesh shall come."

"And thou hast not shut me up into the hands of the enemies." This is clear in itself.

"Thou hast set my feet in a spacious place." That is, in the breadth of liberty, far from the constriction of the enemies surrounding me.

^B Ver. 10. "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted." Again, he flees back to the proposed consolation, accelerating his salvation by means of a deep remembrance of divine mercy.

"My eye is troubled in wrath." Specifically, in thy wrath. For if thou hadst not been angry with me on account of the faults and errors I have committed, I would surely never have fallen into such misery. Wherefore my eye is troubled, by reason of continuous weeping. For as to what the Seventy said, "is troubled," Symmachus rendered it "is dimmed."

"My soul and my belly." My soul, indeed, on account of supreme sorrow and weariness; my belly, truly, because it would not receive food. These things can also be understood according to an anagogical sense: the eye being taken for the intellect, as we mentioned in the sixth psalm; the soul for hope, which refreshes those who are faint-hearted; and the belly for that mnemoni ^C cal part of the soul, in which rational food is stored.

Ver. 11. "For my life hath withered in sorrow, and my years in groanings." One must take the words "Have mercy on me, O Lord" in common; for he says that my life has withered because of excessive sorrow, and my years—that is, the days of my life—because of bitter groanings. Both phrases signify the same thing. It is also a peculiar idiom in the Holy Scriptures that someone, placed in extreme sorrow, is wont to call himself dead, because of the infirmity of the forces of the body, of course.

"My strength is weakened through poverty." By poverty here, understand starvation and fasting, which can also be observed from the history itself.

"And my bones are troubled." They have been moved from the firmness and solidity that I possessed, no longer being strong ^D enough to sustain me as before. Strength is also taken for the manliness of the soul, and by poverty here you will understand that which one suffers when one is abandoned by God, and by bones, the solid and firm thoughts.

Ver. 12. "I am become a reproach above all my enemies." For all reproach me and cast at me my cowardice, as if I had fled and been defeated because of my own sins.

"And to my neighbors exceedingly." I have become a reproach even to the nations neighboring my kingdom, who, because they formerly envied me for my prosperity, now vehemently reproach me for my misfortune and calamity.

And fear to my acquaintances; they fear ^A lest they should be in danger on account of their intimacy with me.

Vers. 15. They that saw me, fled from me. They turned away from me, he says, that they might not cast any suspicion that they were adhering to me, and thus suffer irreparable things.

I was forgotten as a dead man from the heart. From the heart, he says, of my friends I was forgotten; that is, I was left alone, as one already dead, because of the inescapability of the slaughter. Just as a dead man is cast into oblivion, so too am I, for they were afraid of the suspicion.

I became as a lost vessel. Just as a vessel, while it is being saved, seems useful, but being lost ^B falls into oblivion, so too is it for me.

Vers. 14. For I have heard the reviling of many, dwelling round about. Here, too, the word "Have mercy" must be taken from the common sense; for I heard, he says, with my own ears the reviling of many, among whom was also Semei, who was abusing and slandering David as he fled.

When they gathered together against me, they conspired to take my soul. My enemies, having gathered together against me in the same place, took counsel that they might take my soul away from my body. For the phrase "from me" here signifies "from my body." He speaks also of the counsel which Achitophel suggested; for he learned everything through Sadoch and Abiathar ^C the priests, as the Book of Kingdoms reveals.

But I hoped in thee, O Lord. They indeed, he says, conduct themselves in this way; but I place my trust in thee alone.

I said, Thou art my God. Who is my protector, for that is what "God" signifies here; therefore, as thou willest, order my affairs. ^D

Vers. 16. My lots are in thy hands. My lots, of my death and my life, or of my adversity and my prosperity, lie in thy power. For we must understand "hands" here as power. For the Lord kills and makes alive, humbles and exalts; so that, if thou willest, I shall either conquer and live, or be conquered and die.

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from them that persecute me. I know that thou dost not will my death, as it is most unholy; for he who seeks it is my son. And not only were his enemies those who were casting him out of the kingdom, but they were also persecuting him as he fled.

^A

VERS. 17. *Show thy face upon thy servant.* "Show," that is, "turn." For you turn your face away when, because of my sins, you cease to offer me your help. By the "face of God," however, he understands His visitation, His guardianship, or even His benevolence. *Save me in thy mercy.* If not for my sake, at least for the sake of your mercy. For you said in the book of Leviticus: *"I am merciful."*

VERS. 18. *O Lord, let me not be confounded, for I have called upon thee.* This is similar to what we read in the twenty-fourth Psalm: "Let me not be confounded, for I have hoped in thee."

*Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them go down into hell.* He calls Ahithophel wicked, as one who did not fear the laws of God regarding parricide, when he incited the son against the father. Some, however, say that these words, while taking the form of an imprecation, ^B possess the force of prophecy; for he foretold what Ahithophel was about to suffer. And he was indeed shamed, for the counsel of Hushai was preferred to his, and he was destroyed, having tied a noose for himself. Blessed David invokes divine indignation against the enemies attacking him for many reasons: first, so that when chastised they might be improved; for He says: "Strike the reprobate silver, and it shall be purified." Second, so that by being affected by torments in this life, they might be freed from eternal punishments in the next. Third, so that posterity might become more moderate in this way; for a wicked man, seeing one like him struck down, is instructed. Fourth, so that the present life might be freed from such a pestilential vice. Fifth, so that others might not be added to their number, clearly seeing and fearing the blows inflicted upon them. Sixth, ^C so that no one might be able to say: "There is no salvation for him in God."

VERS. 19. *Let deceitful lips be made dumb, which speak iniquity against the just with pride and contempt.* By "deceitful lips," he understands the lips of Ahithophel, as those which had hidden his ancient deceit until that time, and which were made dumb because he was put to death a little while later. He calls himself "just" in that he had never harmed either Absalom or Ahithophel or any of their associates. By "iniquity," he understands their counsel, by which they incited the son against the father. He adds "with pride," because Ahithophel boasted that he would make an attack that night ^D and slay David himself, as is taught in the Books of Kings. And "with contempt," because he had afflicted him with reproach and insult.

VERS. 20. *O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee!* "How great," for "very great": the prophet philosophizes by admiring now the long-suffering of God, now His retribution, and he says that it is very ample, which for a time he hid.

from your servants, ^A exercising their patience, while He delays longer to be present to them.

"You have perfected it for those who hope in You, in the sight of the sons of men." You have fulfilled and made your goodness manifest to those who hope in You, since You wished to make known to them that You do not abandon men who are dear to You. And as to what it says, "the sons of men," understand it as we have declared in the third verse of the fourth Psalm.

VERS. 21. "You will hide them in the secret place of Your face." He mentions various kinds of God’s help, and how He frees those who fear Him from every kind of danger. For if, he says, they are sought out by enemies, You will hide them in the secret place of Your face, that is, in Your own secret place. For it is a kind of circumlocution.

"You will protect them in a tabernacle from the disturbance of men." In the time of disturbance or contention, You protect them, he says, in the tabernacle of Your protection. Or, You protect them like a tabernacle.

"From the contradiction of tongues." The verb "protect" must be taken from the preceding clause. "From the contradiction of tongues," that is, from the contradiction of the people. For by "tongue" he indicates those speaking, and by "contradiction," the disobedience of the subjects. ^B

VERS. 22. "Blessed be the Lord, for He has made wonderful His mercy in a city of defense." "Defense" here means the wall; and "city of defense" means the city surrounded by walls. He says, therefore, that God is to be praised, because He caused His mercy to be wondered at in me, who came to be called a "city surrounded by walls"; for I shall be unconquerable—like such a city—through His protection. He is to be praised, he says, especially because He made His mercy toward me known and admirable to all, so that I might be called a well-fortified city; because, on account of the supreme guardianship of God over me, I am inexpugnable, like a well-fortified city. ^C

VERS. 23. "But I said in my ecstasy, 'I have been cast away from the sight of Your eyes.'" By "ecstasy," as we have said before, he means the turning aside from the straight path of the divine commandments. At the time, he says, when I transgressed, committing adultery and murder, and subsequently turned to repentance, I said that I had been cast away from Your presence and the sight of Your protection.

"Therefore You heard the voice of my supplication when I cried out to You." Because of my repentance and my contrition, You heard me crying out to You. For I was confident that You would afford me help.

VERS. 24. "Love the Lord, all His saints." Feeling the divine help, the prophet exhorts other saints and those endowed with virtue to love the Lord, and not simply, but with their whole heart. This he signified by what follows, saying: ^D

"For the Lord seeks out truths." That is, true loves, and those from the heart.

Varia lectiones. (7) Or: *he felt*.

And He repays them that abundantly do pride. ^A This, as we have said before, is spoken with regard to Achitophel. With those, therefore, who are simply proud, the Lord is long-suffering; but with those who are excessive in that vice, He does not long delay to repay punishments commensurate with their transgressions.

VERS. 25. *Act manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all you who hope in the Lord.* The Lord will help you beyond a doubt, and He will not despise you. For those who trust in Him shall not be put to shame. These things also he echoed for himself at the end of the 26th Psalm.

*A Psalm for David himself, of instruction.*

PSALM XXXI

VERS. 1. *Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.* Since he had suffered many labors after the transgressions committed by him, he now calls those blessed to whom it happens without any labor to wash away their own sins: pointing, indeed, to those who have obtained this gift of remission by the laver of baptism; and because of these, some were to be from the Gentiles, and others ^C from the circumcision, he spoke of "iniquities"—which in the Greek phrase means those who are lawless—concerning the Gentiles, who were entirely devoid of law; but "sins" concerning the Jews, who were under the law. For sin is a neglect or contempt of the law.

VERS. 2. *Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.* To whom, for this reason, He shall not ascribe sin, because it has already been washed away and utterly destroyed by the laver of regeneration. He used "sin" indifferently for "fault." But some, contending that both terms signify the same thing, interpret the preceding statements indifferently.

*And there is no guile in his mouth.* Nor has he, after baptism, lied or violated the covenants which he has with God. For we must understand "guile" here as "falsehood." For he who is baptized professes to renounce the works ^D of the demon, and to attach himself to the mandates of Christ.

VERS. 5. *Because I was silent.* These are blessed; but I, having become weary from lamenting, was silent. *My bones have grown old, whilst I cried all the day.* This was the cause of the silence. By "bones," however, he understands his own strength; for the bones support the body and render it stable. "Have grown old," however, is to say "have been weakened and debilitated." For that which is old becomes weaker. My strength, he says, is weakened. "All the day" he says for "always" and "assiduously." For as often as he fell into temptations, he lamented that sin, as if from thence all the unevenness of his life flowed. For since

^A for adultery and murder, death was the penalty, this was remitted to him through the prophet Nathan, when he confessed that he had sinned, the prophet saying: "Thou shalt not die." But calamities were threatened to him and his house, even by this one, such that he grieved to have them before his eyes.

"Because day and night thy hand was heavy upon me." This is again the cause of his crying out; for "hand" here is the punishing power, for one chastises with the hand; and "was heavy" is used instead of "was borne heavily upon me," and "day and night" instead of "at all times."

"I am turned into wretchedness while the thorn is fixed in me." He calls sin a thorn, as something grown into him, not internally, but penetrating from the outside, and as something piercing and causing pain. Since, therefore, this was fixed in me, my affairs of good fortune were overturned into wretchedness.

"I acknowledged my iniquity, and my sin I have not hidden." Lest he appear to grumble, he changes his speech and relates how he obtained mercy. For this ^B Nathan having acted out the transgression under another person, and then having added, "Thou art he concerning whom these things are said," I acknowledged, he says, my own transgression, and I did not deny it. For this is what "I have not hidden" signifies; for you shall understand "iniquity" as the transgression, which he also called "sin" again.

"I said: I will confess against myself my iniquity to the Lord." Knowing that I had fallen into an inescapable condemnation, I said within myself: "I will do this." For straightway he confessed, saying: "I have sinned against the Lord."

"And thou hast forgiven the impiety of my heart." Through the prophet Nathan, who said straightway: "And the Lord has taken away thy sin." He calls sin the "impiety of the heart," such as that of the adultery, because he had not respected the laws concerning adultery and murder. And "thou hast forgiven" is used instead of "thou didst remit." But some doubt: if the sin was remitted, how does he say that the punishing power of God was heavy upon him? And we say that, since David himself, judging the case ^C disguised by Nathan, had declared him who had so sinned to be guilty of both death and loss; as for the death, he was immediately forgiven because of the warmth and sincerity of his confession; but the loss was exacted through the subsequent calamities, in accordance with his own judgment, so that he, having been entirely and quickly delivered, might not easily forget, and fall into them again.

"For this shall every holy one pray unto thee in time" ^D

^A of righteousness. By "for this" is meant "from this" sin, moved by which, every holy man shall beseech thee; for having learned that I, upon confessing, was immediately forgiven, he will imitate me in a time of repentance; for he has called this a convenient and fit time, and it shall be a model for those who repent; for the ungodly man does not repent. It is possible, however, to say otherwise: that it prophesies concerning the faithful who, in a convenient time—that is, the time after the preaching—using his psalms concerning sin, seem to pray to God for its remission.

"But in the flood of many waters they shall not approach unto him." The word "but" is to be understood as a conjunctive particle, so that the sense is: even in a flood of temptations—for by "waters" these are to be understood, as in, "Deliver me and rescue me from many waters"—these waters shall not approach the one who has thus confessed and been forgiven. By "approaching," he alluded to touching and biting. Alternatively, by "flood," understand baptism, which is performed in water and washes away sins. He calls the waters of baptism "many," considering the quality and power of the Spirit rather than the quantity of the streams; for thus we are accustomed to say "a great wind," meaning "a strong one." "He shall pray," he says, "unto thee": but in baptism, sins shall not approach him; they are, of course, overwhelmed and destroyed therein. ^B

"Thou art my refuge from the tribulation which hath encompassed me." From this [tribulation], I flee to thee, as unto joy and gladness. "My exultation, deliver me from those who encompass me." This invocation is opportune. O God, he says, thou who art my joy, deliver me from the temptations by which I am held, being as it were encompassed, whether you understand by this visible or invisible enemies. [Diapsalma.]

"I will instruct thee, and likewise I will come in this way in which thou shalt walk." The diapsalma in this place indicates a change in the sequence of the discourse. For the words that follow are to be spoken from the person of God, answering the Prophet, to whom alone it was heard: "I will make thee prudent," in order that thou mayest emerge superior to thine enemies, and at the same time I will come with thee in this journey, on which thou art being girded for war; for *bibo* sounds the same as *baino* (to walk). The construction, however, is indifferent in this place also. ^C

"I will establish my eyes upon thee." I will not simply look, he says, but I will observe thee constantly and unceasingly: like those who take care of someone in war, and fix their eyes upon him, that they may aid him when he is in danger and be present to assist him. We have often said that Scripture frequently describes divine actions from human affections or customs, condescending to the weakness of the hearers. ^D

"Be not as the horse and the mule, which have no understanding." From this, David himself again gives counsel based on what he has suffered, saying: "Be not wanton, as a horse," and for this reason, be not unfruitful toward virtue, as a mule, which are unreasoning ^A regarding good and worse, as they were not honored with reason, just as you are.

"Constrain their jaws with muzzle and bit, who draw not near to thee." Having made mention of the horse and the mule, he has appropriately added the bit, imprecating against those who, through the likeness to the unreasoning animals just mentioned, have become far from God. "Constrain," he says, "and tame, and squeeze their jaws," of those who do not draw near to thee through virtue. Now the muzzle is the bit; the one, as it bends the neck; the other, as it is slackened into the mouth. The bit could be the disciplines through temptations. By the jaws, he has indicated them as a whole, as the whole by a part. He imprecates against such people as being inexcusable, following his own example. Others say that "constrain" has the form of the optative, but that in this place it should be taken for the future.

"Many are the scourges of the sinner." This, he says, I say, knowing from my own experience that many chastenings await the sinner.

"But mercy shall encompass him that hopeth in the Lord." But if anyone, after the scourges, shall transfer his whole hope toward God, he shall be shown mercy from every side. ^C

"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and glory, all ye that are upright in heart." Having addressed his exhortation to the weaker ones, he now passes on to the stronger ones, whom he indeed calls righteous, for living righteously, and upright, for the uprightness of their life. And he says: Be glad, and rejoice, and glory, not in your virtues—for these are unstable if they are not guarded by God—but in the Lord alone who helps and protects you; for I also, trusting in my virtue, slipped. We have previously stated the difference between gladness and rejoicing at the end of the explanation of the thirteenth Psalm, even if they signify the same thing by parallel. And what he says, "in the Lord," is an indifferent construction for "in the Lord."

Psalm to David, without inscription among the Hebrews.

PSALM XXXII

This is without inscription among the Hebrews. But it seems to have been composed for the subject concerning Hezekiah, exhorting those who are worthy to praise God, who invisibly destroyed the Assyrians. And it might also be appropriate for us. ^D

"Rejoice, ye righteous, in the Lord." What rejoicing is, we have already stated before; but he calls those righteous who are endowed with virtue, whom he commands to rejoice in Christ alone, who is the helper and the victor, and not in any

^A of the others; for neither strength, nor army, nor riches, nor wall aided them.

Praise is becoming to the upright. By "exultation," he has signified praise; for he who exults in anything, in every way praises it. And because he assigned such exultation and praise only to men endowed with virtue, he immediately adds the reason, saying that the praise of God is becoming to those who live rightly. For, as it is said elsewhere, praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner, nor does a crooked foot fit into a straight shoe; for the Lord our God is upright, and His countenance sees uprightness. But the devil is crooked and tortuous, like a serpent, and for this reason he delights in those who are like him.

^B VER. 2. Confess to the Lord on the harp; sing to Him on the psalter of ten strings. For the law of those of old was to praise God on the harp, and on the psalter, and on other musical instruments, as we have clearly set forth in the Proem of this present work, teaching also what difference the psalter has from other instruments. But one must know, and also speak according to anagoge. By the harp, understand for me the body, because it is constructed for us from below. For the great Basil says that in the harp and the lyre, the copper underneath resonates to the plectrum. Therefore, confess to the Lord, that is, give thanks to God, you, indeed, whoever have been wondrously delivered from the siege of the intellectual Assyrian: and first of all with the body itself—fasting, weeping, sleeping on the ground, and also psalling, that is, singing: if there are any other gifts besides these which pertain to mortal virtue, and by which thanks can be given to God, offer all these to God. By the psalter, however, the intellect is signified; for just as in the musical psalter ten strings are stretched, ^C which have the causes of sounds, or voices, from above, as we have described in detail in the mentioned Proem, so also in the intellect there are ten intellectual commandments lying upon it; from above they were sounded forth by God, and he who keeps them through their symphony and unison, sings an intellectual song to God. Therefore, come from the harp to the psalter, and sing mentally, through the virtue of contemplation.

VER. 3. Sing to Him a new song. According to the historical sense, he speaks of a new song, as if composed recently and lately, on account of the wondrous work of God by which they had been delivered from such a great siege of the Assyrians; but according to the anagoge, he understands the Christian songs, as many as the ^D faithful have composed, which are new in comparison to the ancient commandments.

Sing well to Him in exclamation. Exclamation is the repeated voice of soldiers, which provides courage against enemies. And through such exclamation he exhorts us to be confident, saying: Sing with a jubilant voice that provides confidence, after all the enemies have been terrified and put to flight. But what he says, "Sing well," is the same as, sublimely, or excellently, and with one's whole soul.

VER. 4. Because the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are in faith. He says something of this sort: The word is right which He announced through the prophet...

Isaiah concerning the breaking of the siege. And behold, the works which He did against the Assyrians are faithful, confirming the word. Or, all His works are in faith—that is, they incite the observer to faith in the Creator God. For instance, to pass over other things, the very fine sting of the bee, being tubular so that the poison may be poured out through it, is instructional that it was not by chance, but by divine power, that such delicacy was hollowed out. Otherwise again: the word of the New Testament of the Savior is right, having nothing crooked or difficult to solve, as those of the Old. Moreover, all the works He performed while living in the flesh confirm His word, ^A being consonant with it; and they themselves are also faithful, as they are true and irrefutable. Or, "the Word" is the Son Himself, who is straight, as an unturning way and truth; for He said: "I am the way and the truth." And all the signs which He did, He did for the sake of the faith of those who saw them, so that they might believe in Him.

^B VER. 5. The Lord loves mercy and judgment. See how He prefers mercy to judgment, and how God loves it more. For by this reasoning, in the case of those who sin, God first waits for their repentance, which belongs to mercy; then, if they remain incurable, He punishes, which belongs to judgment. Or, it is because He tempers all His judgment with mercy. For He says: "If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, who shall stand?" Or, He loves mercy for those who have been corrected, but judgment for the incorrigible. Or, mercy in the present age—for "I did not come," He says, "to judge the world"—but judgment in the age to come. Such also is the verse: "I will sing of mercy and judgment to You, O Lord." "I will sing," that is, I will make a song to You, and a hymn concerning mercy and judgment, meaning that since You have come, You judge in the manner we have spoken of. ^C And mercy is mixed with judgment, and judgment with mercy, so that mercy alone may not create laxity, nor judgment despair. Now, if you refer the psalm to the time of Hezekiah, say that the Lord had mercy on besieged Jerusalem, and that by His judgment He condemned the Assyrians who were unjustly besieging it.

VER. 5. The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. For He has mercy on all, even the impious; for otherwise, He would not allow them to live; yet He has more mercy on those who have believed, and less on the others. Or, by the "mercy of the Lord," understand the preaching of the Gospel, which is full ^D of mercy, as it was given out of the mercy of Him who created us, of which the whole earth is full through the teaching of the apostles.

He then moves his discourse to praise, narrating the wonders of God, and says:

^B VERSE 6. *By the word of the Lord were the heavens established, and all the power of them by the spirit of his mouth.* To take this in an obvious sense, it says the same thing in parallel: for God said in each case, "Let it be, and it was"; and the word is indeed the spirit of the mouth striking the air; and such as is the spirit of the mouth which strikes the air, such is the word itself. Similarly, "establishment" and "power" are taken for the same thing. For the heavens are difficult to corrupt, and are firm and stable. But according to a higher sense [by which we may say that blessed David is here philosophizing about the holy Trinity], by "Lord" understand the Father: by "word," the Son: and by "spirit of his mouth," the Holy Spirit. He said "of the mouth" because He is of the same substance with Him from whom He is sent forth, and was not created from elsewhere. By "the power of the heavens," understand the heavenly powers of the angels. Nor is it to be divided such that the Son created men and the Spirit the angels; but the Son produced all things into being—"For all things," he says, "were made by him"—while the Holy Spirit sanctified the angels after they were created; for which reason they are not easily moved toward evil. Established in the good, the angels are in no way moved to evil, since from the very beginning they were consolidated and strengthened by the Holy Spirit Himself as if by a certain tincture. But the "heavens" can also be understood as the apostles, since they savor of heavenly things and are superior to earthly things, who have been made firm to faith and to tribulation by the word of the Savior’s teaching, and all their power has come into being by the spirit of his mouth—for this is understood therewith. For He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John xx, 22), and "power" is that which is manifested through the signs that were performed.

^C VERSE 7. *Gathering as into a bottle the waters of the sea.* The preposition "into" is to be understood, so that the order is "gathering as into a bottle." Gathering, he says, the waters of the sea into the concavities of the earth, as into a bottle. Or otherwise: "Gathering the waters of the sea as a bottle," that is, like a bottle, swelling, of course, not otherwise than a bottle, by the force of the winds, and in the same way subsided when the winds cease. Or by "bottles," he understands the fluid which is contained in a bottle, signifying the content by the container, so that the sense is: *Gathering the waters of the sea*, in the way that some fluid is contained in a bottle. For the waters of the sea are contained in themselves by the command of God, and are not dispersed unto the earth, not otherwise than that fluid which is contained in a bottle as if by certain bonds. Some also say that the Prophet is speaking here of those vapors which are generated from the sea, and are gradually carried around and settle in the air, and are condensed like a bottle and become a cloud.

*Laying up the abysses in storehouses.* "Abyss" is called the deep of the waters. It is, moreover, a Greek expression, *abyssos*, and according to the etymology of the name it is so called as if...

it were a place into which one might descend. The storehouses of the abysses are the cavities of the earth, from which fountains and rivers spring forth. Or, by the storehouses, understand the place above the firmament, where God from the beginning placed ^A half of the waters; he called this place storehouses, either because of the vastness of the place, or because it lies hidden and concealed, although at the opportune time it is opened by God, and closed. Such, then, are the storehouses properly so-called. I, however, think that this verse corresponds to the apostles, who were the storehouses, the custodians, indeed, and the conservators of the abysses, that is, of the deepest mysteries of the faith.

Vers. 8. *Fear the Lord, all the earth.* The Scripture frequently calls men the "earth," as it does now, either because they were fashioned from the earth, or because they dwell upon the earth. For when he has shown the power of the Creator from the magnificence of the creatures, what remains is that he admonishes that he is to be feared and revered, as the only God. Or by "the earth," he now designates those who think only on earthly things, whom he commands to fear God and keep his commandments. For we find that this is often signified by "the earth" in Scripture.

*And let all the inhabitants of the world be moved by him.* Because of his fear, he says, let men tremble, because he is great and terrible. The great Basil, however, interpreted this verse otherwise. Let the inhabitants of the world, he says, be moved by him—that is, let them be moved in the way God himself wills—so that the sense may be that the Prophet is praying that for all the inhabitants of the world, the movements of body and soul may be according to God, and directed by divine fear. I, however, think this is said concerning Christ, by whose deeds and words all have been moved; some, indeed, having been changed to the faith, while others were affected by terror and perturbation.

Vers. 9. *For he spoke, and they were made.* Here the just cause of fear is handed down. For he himself, he says, is the Creator of all. For he said, "Let this or that be," and it was made immediately.

*He commanded, and they were created.* These words mean almost the same thing as those immediately preceding. Or the word "commanded" is added for the explanation of the word "spoke," for he did not simply speak, but he also ordered, as one who is omnipotent. Or, that which he says, "He spoke, and they were made," is to be referred to the creation of men alone. But what he subjoins, "He commanded, and they were created," is referred to the regeneration which came about through the preaching of the Gospel. For he commanded the apostles, saying, "Go, teach all nations," and so forth; for the faithful are also called a new creation.

Vers. 10. *The Lord dissipates the counsels of the nations; he rejects the thoughts of the peoples, and rejects the counsels of princes.* These words receive various meanings. For they can be understood of the Assyrians, who besieged Jerusalem; and of the crucifiers of Christ; and of those who oppressed the apostles and martyrs by force and tyranny. And if indeed you understand it of the Assyrians, say that the Prophet calls them "nations" because they gathered against Jerusalem from different nations.

and ^A by "peoples" he understands the Hebrews themselves. For some of them thought it necessary, on account of the straits in which they were placed, to deliver themselves into the hands of the enemy. By "princes," however, the leaders and prefects of the Assyrians. But if you explain the psalm regarding the crucifiers of Christ, you will discern the difference of the persons if you read the exposition of the second psalm; but if you prefer to understand it of tyrants, by "nations" understand the various races throughout the cities; by "peoples," the Hebrews; and by "princes," the kings and rulers.

^B VERSE 11. *But the counsel of the Lord abideth forever.* By the counsel of the Lord, understand the evangelical preaching, which wills that all men who believe should be saved through it; which abides unconquered unto the future age.

*The thoughts of his heart unto generation and generation.* As he said "counsels and thoughts" above, so also now. Now counsel is a sentiment which is considered to be correct, but a thought is a simple consideration. By "unto generation and generation," the ancients are accustomed to say "always," that is, unto every generation by succession. But "the heart of God" is spoken in a human manner to mean His will. And the scope of the sayings is such that what God wills, ever abides; and not only this, but also whatever He has conceived. For the divine thought, he says, is now a work. But it is also possible to say otherwise, that the thoughts of the heart of God are the Old and New Testaments; and by "generation and generation," that of the Jews and of the Christians; for the one remains for those, the other for these. We also expect the sayings to be understood simply with regard to the visible or invisible enemies who plot against us, ^C that the Lord will scatter their counsels, and that He Himself will perform whatever He has willed for our salvation.

VERSE 12. *Blessed is the nation whose Lord is its God.* Blessed is the nation which is ruled and governed by its own God; and this would be the nation of Christians alone, to whom the Savior promised, saying: *And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.*

*The people whom he hath chosen for an inheritance to himself.* We are called a nation, as having been gathered from the nations into one Church; and a people, as having been introduced in the place of that cast-off people of the Jews. For God has chosen us for an inheritance, according to that: *I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance.* ^D He calls us blessed, on account of the enjoyment of the good things prepared for us.

VERSE 13. *The Lord looked down from heaven.* These words are also had in the thirteenth Psalm: *The Lord looked down from heaven upon the sons of men.* See what is said there.

*He saw all the sons of men.* For all dwell under heaven, and no one is hidden from Him.

^A *From His prepared dwelling-place.* That is, ready and convenient, so that He may easily perceive all things from there. *He looked down upon all who inhabit the earth.* While the Prophet repeats that God looked down, he seems to wish to strike fear into the reader, as if from the fact that the evils they commit cannot be hidden from God.

^B *Who fashioned their hearts individually.* He says something even more formidable. For if God fashioned all of them, He certainly also knows the thoughts and movements of all those to whom He gave existence. We must therefore fear God, since not only our wicked deeds but not even our own thoughts can be hidden from Him. But what he says, that God fashioned their hearts "individually" (sigillatim), is the same as if he said that God made them singular, and separated from vices and from the bonds of the passions, or indeed "individually," that is, separately from other animals, as being rational.

*Who understands all their works.* And this is also a great thing, that God needs no senses to perceive what is done, or said, or thought, but understands all things purely, simply, and sincerely.

*A king is not saved by great power, and a giant will not be saved by the multitude of his strength.* By "great power," understand the multitude of soldiers, and horses, and weapons, and wealth. By "giant," understand any robust man who is of a noble and excellent body. So that if any of these is ever saved, he is saved by the grace of God, and not by his own strength.

*A horse is a false thing for safety.* Unstable, that is, and not secure. For it is uncertain whether it will save its rider.

*And he will not be saved by the multitude of his power.* The horse, that is. Whence Sennacherib, who abounded in counted forces, was nothing helped by them, but rather was miserably destroyed.

^C *Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him, upon those who hope in His mercy.* These things are said concerning all who are such, but primarily on account of King Hezekiah and his companions: for such were they. Then he adds the cause of this divine protection and guardianship, saying:

*To rescue their souls from death.* From that death, I say, which was expected after that day, as we have said before. For, he says, *at evening weeping shall tarry.*

*And to feed them in famine.* That is, the famine caused by the siege; all of which things followed, as is handed down in the books of Kings.

^D *Our soul shall wait for the Lord.* And we, he says, shall wait for the Lord in the time of temptations; for because of Him we are hated by those of another faith. Then he also introduces the cause of this patience.

For because he is our helper and protector. ^A For we are convinced by many things how he helps us. “For our heart shall rejoice in him.” We shall wait, he says, because the Lord is our helper, because through him we shall rejoice when we have conquered. “And we have hoped in his holy name.” He spoke periphrastically, instead of “in him,” or “in the invocation of his name,” which is able to put enemies to flight. This might also be understood of Christians, who hope to conquer as often as they name the name of Christ; for that name alone, even when merely pronounced, has performed and continues to perform many miracles, such as: “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk,” and other things of this kind. ^B

VERS. 22. “Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in thee.” Let it be so, as we have hoped. And we have hoped fervently; therefore, may your mercy be great.

A psalm of David when he changed his countenance before Abimelech, and he dismissed him, and he went away.

PSALM XXXIII

David, fleeing from Saul, came to Nob, a city of the priests; and meeting ^C Achimelech, who excelled among them in dignity, he feigned that he had been sent by Saul on certain business, and asked of him bread and a sword. And finding no other, he took the loaves of proposition, and ate them together with his companions, driven by the hunger, contrary to the law; for it was permitted only to the priests to eat them. He also took the spear of Goliath, which was kept there as an anathema, that is, as an offering to the Lord. And going out from there, he departed to Achis, the Philistine king of Geth. And when some of the king's household recognized him and whispered I know not what, he, seized with fear, feigned madness. He was carried around, and with a clamor he would beat upon the doors, and he would fall, and foam flowed from his mouth. Wherefore they thought he was seized with the sacred disease, and in this way he was dismissed and saved. ^D The history, indeed, is of this sort. And some call Abimelech the same person whom we mentioned above as Achimelech, the chief among the priests, and they claim he was of a double name, and they understand by the “change of countenance” of David the fiction of that business for which he said he had been sent by Saul, fearing that if his flight were known by the priests, it might perhaps be reported to the king. But although we concede that the priest Achimelech was of a double name, the history of the Books of Kings nevertheless relates that he changed his countenance only before Achis, and not before Achimelech. Whence, for the understanding of the present inscription, the Great Basil, observing...

that the name Abimelech was a name common to all the kings of Geth, just as the names of Caesar and Augustus were for the Roman emperors, and the name of Pharaoh for the kings of Egypt, and other such things, conveys that the private name of that king of Geth was Achis, but the common name shared with other kings was Abimelech. Being delivered ^A from the hands of this king, therefore, David, fearing that he might be recognized, sang this psalm to God in thanksgiving, because He had rendered him wise, so that by the pretense of madness he might find a way of liberation. This psalm also befits any faithful person who has been delivered from dangers.

VERS. 2. I will bless the Lord at all times. Having already escaped the danger, I will requite my Savior with thanks: namely, with perpetual praises, because He has always been my helper. Being instructed from this, the great Paul said: Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks. Always His praise shall be in my mouth. But how will someone, while talking about necessary matters of life, or eating, or drinking, or sleeping, have His praise in his mouth all ^B the time? Or is it clear that there is also an intellectual mouth, the one within man, through which he partakes of the food of divine thoughts, concerning which he says: I opened my mouth and drew in the spirit; and: Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it; which can never be prevented, if one wishes to be sober, from always remembering God. Or otherwise: at all times, that is, at the proper time; and at all times, that is, whenever it is necessary. It is necessary to praise God with the physical mouth whenever no other necessary task stands in the way; but with the intellectual mouth, always. For one ought to remember God rather than breathe. And in the Song of Songs, it is also said: I sleep, and my heart watches.

In the Lord shall my soul be praised. I shall not be praised by men ^C for my own virtue, but because of God, as having God for a help. For blessed, he says, is he whose helper is the God of Jacob. And my soul, instead of saying, "I," is a periphrasis.

Let the meek hear, and they shall rejoice. Let them hear that I have been saved paradoxically. By "meek," he means the long-suffering, such as he himself was. And let them rejoice, because God does not overlook such people, but even saves them when they are in danger. Let them, he says, have me as an example, and let them take courage.

VERS. 4. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. He still directs his address to the meek, and calls upon them to magnify and exalt the Lord together. And how someone can magnify and exalt God, we have ^D said at the beginning of the twenty-ninth psalm. Then he narrates how he was saved.

^A Ver. 5. *I sought the Lord and he heard me.* The preposition "ex" [from/out of] denotes a certain greater intensity of seeking. In the midst of dangers, he says, being abandoned, I with labor sought the Lord for help, and he immediately heard me. *And out of all my tribulations he delivered me.* For various kinds of tribulations held him, as he feared lest he should fall into the hands of Saul, lest he should be insulted, and lastly, lest he should be cruelly put to death.

Ver. 6. *Come to him and be enlightened, and your faces shall not be ashamed.* Affliction is accustomed to confound and darken the minds of men. You, therefore, who are placed in the darkness of afflictions, come to him, that just as I did, you may in like manner seek him. *And be enlightened*; that is, let the joy and alacrity itself, dissipating the darkness and gloom of calamities, ensure you are not confounded even in hope; in the hope, I mean, of salvation. According to anagogy, this exhortation of the Prophet can be understood of divine baptism. Come, he says, to the faith of Christ, you who are in error, and be enlightened through baptism, by which the soul is accustomed to be illuminated, and the eye of the soul to be purified: *and you shall not be ashamed*, because you will wash away all the matter and origin of confusion therein. By *your faces*, he has said through periphrasis, instead of "you," as if the whole from the part.

Ver. 7. *This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his tribulations.* What he says, "this," is stated demonstratively, as if he were to say: "I myself, whom you see." He calls himself poor because he was in need of human help, or also because of the weakness of the human race.

Ver. 8. ^C *The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him, and shall deliver them.* The Lord places a camp around each one of the men [who fear God], shielding him, that is, against every harmful adversity. But consider the power of that angel who guards the life of each one of us. For when he is but one in number, he resists the whole and entire army of enemies. He calls those *them that fear* [the Lord] who keep the commandments, for where there is fear, there is also the observance of the commandments.

Ver. 9. *Taste and see that the Lord is good.* Know, he says, also yourselves; for by "taste" he here means experience. You will taste, however, if you follow my example and cry to him with your whole soul, or if you seek him diligently, if you maintain an unquestioning hope in him. Or otherwise, the Prophet exhorts us to the participation of the Lord’s body and blood: those who—all who taste these worthily—shall ^D immediately perceive that strength and help are granted to them by God. *Blessed is the man that hopeth in him.* For if he is cursed who hopeth in man, conversely, he will be blessed who hopeth in the Lord.

Ver. 10. *Fear the Lord, all his saints.* He calls those saints who have been offered to God and sanctified to him. Fear...

^A therefore, for this kind of fear restrains inordinate impulses. "Pierce," says he, "my flesh with your fear." Then he brings in the profit which comes from this fear: ^B *For there is no want to them that fear him.* For those who have planted the divine fear in their soul do not fail in virtue, since fear constrains them. It is also possible to say that there is no deficiency for them; for they have the divine baptism as a garment, and the nourishment of the divine body and blood, and the precious cross as a weapon, and, in short, they enjoy whatever they need.

*The rich have become poor and hungry; but those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good.* Having stated that there is no want for them, he confirms his word demonstratively; for the rich of this world have often become poor and hungry; for perceptible wealth is changeable and unreliable. But those who, through divine fear and the way of the commandments, seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing, clearly of that which is reserved for those who have pleased Him. For they will certainly be in need of human goods, walking as they do along a narrow and afflicted path. The discourse ^C also hints at the Jews, who, being rich formerly in cities, and in multitude of soldiers, and in the renowned temple, and in the divine law, and in conversation with God, later were deprived of all these things and became poor, for the reason that they foolishly killed the Lord, who is rich in mercy and became poor for our sake, and they hungered, because they took away the bread of life; but those from the Gentiles who seek the Lord shall increase ever and more.

*Come, children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.* This is the voice of a teacher; for the disciple is a child of the one teaching, being fashioned ^D and, as it were, formed for virtue. He said "the fear of the Lord" in distinction to the fear of demons, which the latter induces, concerning which it is said in other places: "Deliver my soul from the fear of the enemy." For a demon can indeed inspire fear.

*Who is the man that desires life?* Having said "come," he does not call everyone, but if anyone desires life—not this common life, which even irrational animals live, but the true and eternal one. For the present life is rather to be called death, concerning which the Apostle was saying: "Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" calling the body death, or rather the life in the body.

*Who loves to see good days.* Not those of this age; for Jacob says that the days

^A of my years are few and evil. And the great Paul says: *Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.* But he speaks of the days of the future age. For that is the age which has good days, seeing that it possesses truth and ineffable joy; and it is called "days" because it is light throughout.

VERS. 14. *Restrain your tongue from evil.* Now he subjects the works, as the fear of God is wont to effect. I speak now of the initial, not the perfect, fear of God. And he orders one to restrain the tongue first, as it is a member more ready than others for every genus of vice. For it serves us for the insults of men and for the blasphemies of God; it serves even for shameful lusts, slanders, accusations, weaving deceits, cheating, bearing false witness, swearing falsely, and is, in short, an instrument of all evil.

And your lips from speaking guile. Guile is hidden wickedness fashioned under the simulation of good: and whereas he said above: *Restrain your tongue from evil,* he embraced all evil speeches in general; but now, having narrowed the focus, he brings up guile again, as being most grievous, because it is secret and unavoidable, and therefore least possible to be avoided: and as it were in a matter ^B which is spread as widely as possible in the human race, in the way the devil first poured the lethal poison when he deceived Eve.

VERS. 15. *Turn away from evil, and do good.* Consider the best order: since words are more ready at hand than deeds, he first warns us against evil by abstaining from words: *Restrain,* he says, *your tongue from evil.* For the word is a road to action, as the wise say. And then he turns us away even from evil deeds, saying: *Turn away from evil.* And consequently, the impediments having been removed, he leads us besides to do good, saying: *And do good.* Just as it is impossible for one who is infirm to be restored to health, unless he is first freed from disease, so too it is impossible for one to do good, who has not first departed from vices. Consider also this, how abstaining alone is not sufficient from vices, but there is also a need for works of good. [Or otherwise: *Turn away from evil, and do good*] the one so that you are not punished; the other, so that you may be honored. In another way, to vice, which is permitted, it is one thing, and to ^C what is not to do good is another sort of vice, which is idleness from good. Such idleness is manifestly vice.

*Seek peace, and pursue it.* Peace is the head of all goods, which the Lord left to His disciples as a kind of inheritance: *Peace,* He says, *I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.* For he who is peaceful toward God and men surpasses all passions.

You should not seek it simply, but with diligence. For this is what he now signifies by *seek*, or rather *pursue*, running in its footsteps, so as to overtake and attain it.

*The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears [are open] unto their prayer.* By the eyes of the Lord, understand His power of seeing, and by His ears, the power of hearing. He says, therefore, that God is always watching the righteous, delighting in their deeds; and He hears their prayer, as being worthy to be heard. By "righteous" it is the virtuous that he now calls.

*The countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil, to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.* He sees, he says, even those who do evil, but not as He sees the righteous. For the latter He sees so as to guard them, but the former so as to exact vengeance from them. And indeed, every such person, when the time calls, is destroyed from the earth, whether this one, or the earth of those who are saved. Let all sinners, therefore, fear, as they are not hidden in what they do. Or, by the *countenance of the Lord*, he means His manifestation in the future judgment, when He will look upon them with a bitter and severe gaze. ^B

*The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of all their afflictions.* He who asks not for lowly and earthly things, but for great and heavenly ones, even if he is silent with his tongue, yet in his mind and spirit he cries out clearly, and his cry reaches the ears of God. Thence it is that he is heard, and is delivered from every affliction; the one being by being released from it, and the other by overcoming its assault through endurance. Or this too is deliverance, as we have said in other places.

*The Lord is near unto them that are of a contrite heart.* God, indeed, because of His goodness, is near to all, for He says: *I am a God coming near.* But we, because of our wickedness, become far from Him; for he says: *Lo, they that alienate themselves from Thee shall perish.* Those who are "contrite in heart" are those who are pricked in their hearts over their own sins. For remorse greatly breaks down the mindset.

*And He will save the humble in spirit.* Remorse goes before, and humility follows. He says "humble in spirit," that is, in soul, and not in the body—which is in outward appearance, or in words, or by some necessity. ^C

*Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver them out of them all.* For the Lord allows them to descend into the gymnasium of virtue, but does not allow them to be overcome by their labors, which is victory, as has been said before. Therefore He says: *In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer*; and whatever the ^D

the Apostle: "In all things troubled, but not distressed," and many other things of this kind are held.

VERS. 21. *The Lord keepeth all their bones; not one of them shall be broken.* And yet, the bones of many martyrs have been broken. But since man is said to be not only the exterior, that is to say the body, but also the interior, namely the soul, he surely has members synonymous with those of the body, as where it says: "The commandment of the Lord is lucid, enlightening the eyes," clearly of the soul; and: "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear"; and: "I opened my mouth, and drew in the spirit"; and: "Thou hast broken the teeth of the sinners"; and: "I have pain in my belly"; and: "The foot of the just shall not stumble," and as many such powers of the soul ^B exist. Thus, therefore, even now, by "bones" he understands certain more solid thoughts of the soul, which support and confirm it no otherwise than bones do the body. The Lord keepeth these, which we have called the bones of the just, because they are pleasing to Him, and nothing of them shall be broken by the violence, namely, of sin.

VERS. 22. *The death of sinners is evil.* This is, laborious and painful [which is better perceived from the etymology of the Greek word]. For at that time, they more certainly perceive the punishments that are reserved for them. But the death of the just is sweet, because they feel the joys that are prepared for them.

*And they that hate the just shall be delinquent.* They who are in sins hate the just; for if the like rejoices in its like, it follows clearly that the unlike hates its unlike: of those whose life is dissimilar, their opinions also are fighting amongst themselves, and contrary. And they shall be delinquent, because to all their other delicts they have added this sin of hatred. For not only have they not imitated him who was just, but they have even pursued him with hatred. Therefore, "shall be delinquent," that is to say, they shall sin, or they shall be endangered, must be understood.

VERS. 23. *The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants.* From human and diabolical snares, which they will overcome by their own patience.

*And none of them shall be delinquent that trust in him.* They shall not sin, for being led by a valid and constant hope toward the Lord, they shall sustain no danger at all to their soul. ^D

Psalm to David. PSALM XXXIV.

Blessed David composed this psalm also, while he was sustaining persecution by Saul, and nowhere was he given to stand in safety; and it is fitting for all others who sustain the persecution of enemies. But as for the imprecations which are both in the present psalm and elsewhere, we ought to use them against demons: for they are the ones who excite our enemies.

Psalmus XXXIV

^A Judica, O Lord, those who wrong me, fight against those who fight against me. First, he says, judge Saul and his associates; then fight and punish, as they are revealed to be unjust. The syntactical constructions, however, are indifferent, according to the custom of the ancient dialect.

^B Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up in my help; draw [pour out] the sword, and close up against those who pursue me. Having made mention of battle, he consequently also added the types of weapons: not because God uses such things, but he spoke in a human manner, terrifying the wicked with the fearful inventory of the shape of armor. For to God, will alone, or a word, is sufficient for the punishment of the unjust and the salvation of the wronged. And "draw out" [pour out], for "pull out": for the sword, when it is drawn, seems to be poured out of the sheath because of its smoothness. And "close up," for "fence in" before them, so that they may not be able to escape the danger from You.

Say to my soul: I am your salvation. With your intellectual voice speak to my intellectual soul only, that "Do not fear, I am your salvation." For the ancient dialect says "say," for "speak," just as [it says] "do" [for "make"]. ^C But notice this: that the Greek word which is found here is not of the indicative mood and past tense, as is regularly found, but an aorist of the imperative mood, so that it may be for "say," in the same way that we say "do."

Let them be confounded and ashamed who seek my soul. The words "let them be confounded" and "let them be ashamed" signify almost the same thing. For there will be total confusion for them if they are unable to capture me. But he said "my soul" by circumlocution, for "me myself."

Let them be turned backward. Vain, surely, and with their business left undone.

Let them be confounded who think evil against me. The word "let them be confounded," repeated here, especially according to the force of the Greek diction, adds intensity and signifies greater confusion. But he said "to think evil" for to consider and zealously investigate.

^D Let them be as dust before the face of the wind. As if he were to say, let them be scattered and dispersed while fleeing, like dust; for when dust is very fine, it is easily scattered by winds.

And the angel of the Lord driving them away. "Let them be" is missing; for angels are frequently sent by God to punish some: as the one who destroyed the firstborn of the Egyptians, and the one who killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians.

^A VERS. 6. *Let their way be darkness and slipperiness.* This is a most severe imprecation; for he prays that for them as they flee, their way may be dark, so that they cannot walk aright, and slippery, so that they may fall headlong. *And let the angel of the Lord pursue them.* As for these men, having fallen into such great and many evils, let the angel of the Lord, who brings affliction, pursue them still further. What, then, is likely to befall one who is helped neither by his eyes nor by his feet, but is also pressed hard by the persecuting angel?

VERS. 7. *Because without cause they have hidden their destruction for me in a snare.* Symmachus used the word "without cause" for "gratis." He says: having been in no way injured by me, they nevertheless hid for me the destruction of their snare. This is a metaphorical expression transferred from hunters who secretly set snares through which they bring death to wild beasts.

*In vain they have reproached my soul.* By "my soul" he means "me myself," using a periphrasis. It should be noted that this figure of speech, which is called *periphrasis* in Greek, occurs very frequently in the blessed David, as in: "my soul," "my life," "my face," "thy name," and things of this sort. Being liars, he says, they reproached me, calling me ungrateful and a conspirator against the king.

^B VERS. 8. *Let a snare come upon him, which he knoweth not.* Let an unexpected calamity come upon him, he says—that is, upon him who hid destruction for me, and who reproached me—whether you understand Saul, or anyone else who incited Saul against the blessed David himself.

*And let the net which he hath hidden catch him.* And let the net which he secretly spread against me catch him, that is, let his own device be turned back upon its author.

*And let him fall into that very snare.* These words signify the same thing. For when he had said "into the snare," he added "in it"—in the very snare, I say, which that same man set.

VERS. 9. *But my soul shall exult in the Lord.* My enemies having been thus punished, I shall rejoice in the Lord who has afflicted them with just penalties.

*It shall delight in his salvation.* Because He destroyed them and saved us.

VERS. 10. *All my bones shall say: Lord, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from the hand of them that are stronger than he, the needy and the poor from them that spoil him?* ^C Now, all my bones, that is, all the members that are in the depths of the body. By these words, however, he seems to signify a most complete thanksgiving proceeding from the depths of the soul. Or, by "bones," he understands the more solid and vigorous thoughts of the soul, as we have often said. The Prophet calls himself "poor," as an exile, and destitute of all necessities, and alone. By "stronger," he understands those around Saul, who abounded in both riches and military forces; and while saying "poor" twice, and adding "needy," he revealed his own extreme affliction, at the same time and ^D

^A by means of these words, he denotes his own greatest lowliness, and by the humility of words of this kind, he excites God, in equal measure, to greater mercy. He also calls his very enemies "plunderers," having regard, of course, to their hope, for they were hoping to plunder him.

Vers. 11. *Rising up, unjust witnesses, they asked me things I knew not.* Saul himself, of course, and those who agreed with him—whom the blessed David calls "witnesses" because they bore testimony against him, and "unjust" because they were liars, or because such witnesses questioned him with a certain mocking and derision, asking whether he was aspiring to the kingdom; they asked this, yet simultaneously asserted that it was so. This, however, the blessed David says he was ignorant of, as being innocent. [For he had never aspired to the kingdom.] These words may also be understood of Christ, on account of the false witnesses who asked him if he had not blasphemed, as the history of the Gospels teaches.

Vers. 12. *They rewarded me evil for good, and childlessness to my soul.* For having killed the common enemy, Goliath, and having conquered the Philistines, and having driven away the evil spirit from Saul, he was nonetheless enduring persecution from Saul. ^B *They rewarded my soul with childlessness,* that is, with unfruitfulness. They strove, he says, to make my virtue unfruitful, by plotting to kill me and to cause my soul to cease from the fruitfulness of the virtues. Or, *they rewarded me with childlessness*—he said this by periphrasis, as if to say: For the benefits conferred by me upon them, they attempted to repay me with this, that they would kill me so that, by living, I might not beget children. [Alternatively, childlessness is taken as oblivion, because through children and descendants the memory of men is preserved.]

Vers. 13. *But as for me, when they were troublesome to me, I put on sackcloth, and humbled my soul with fasting.* Hence the Prophet teaches how it is necessary to dissolve calamities; for, being slandered by his enemies, he humbled his soul, that is to say, himself, with sackcloth and fasting, praying to be delivered from their treachery. ^C *And my prayer shall return into my bosom.* This means: my prayer shall be heard. For these words are to be understood so that the prayer would return to the Prophet who sent it forth; not as empty or vain, or with the matter unaccomplished, but rather as something to be received into his bosom like a most precious gift. Or, because it shall return in such a way that it will fill the bosom of the one praying with the things requested, although sometimes even a way of speaking of this kind may receive the completely opposite meaning, when, namely, one is not heard, and the prayer returns into the bosom empty and with the matter unaccomplished.

Vers. 14. *As a neighbor and as our brother, so I was well-pleasing.* Wishing to demonstrate his own supreme affection toward Saul, he made use of the name of brother and neighbor. For we say that parents and masters are properly to be honored, but brothers are to be loved, especially when we are without offspring. ^D Moreover, the construction of the verb "I was well-pleasing" is indifferent. *As one mourning and sorrowful, so was I humbled.* Seeing that he envied me, because the multitude and the people me

^A praised me, I was humbled, willingly feigning myself to be sad and downcast. For the humility of the one who is envied suppresses envy, just as pride and haughtiness increase it.

*Verse 15. They were glad against me, and gathered together.* While I was doing these things, and feeling in this way, they were glad at that time, thinking that my power was already slipping away, and they gathered together to plot a conspiracy.

*They gathered upon me scourges, and I knew not.* By "scourges" here, Symmachus says "strikers." He means, therefore, that murderers gathered against me without my knowledge, lying in wait for me. Scripture clearly teaches about this when Michal his wife revealed to him such a conspiracy, and by fleeing, he was saved.

*Verse 16. They were scattered, and were not pricked.* They were scattered, not having found me where they hoped; and yet they were not pricked in heart, nor did they repent.

*They tempted me, they mocked me with mockery, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.* Those around Saul, he says, at one time tempted me, putting to the test how I was disposed; at other times they mocked me, jeering at me in derision as weak; but now they have openly become like wild beasts. There is a gnashing of teeth when, through excessive fear or anger, people strike them together—as if clashing ^B them. Now, he says, burning with anger, they strike their teeth against me, as it were, desiring to tear my flesh.

*Verse 17. O Lord, when wilt Thou look on?* For being long-suffering towards these things, Thou seemest not to see them. When, therefore, wilt Thou look on, and avenge?

*Restore my soul from their malignity.* By delivering me from their wickedness, restore me to my former security.

*From the lions my only one.* To gnash is properly said of lions. Consequently, therefore, since he said they "gnashed," he subsequently called them lions, on account of their cruelty and their mind always intent upon conspiracy. He calls his soul "only one," that is, himself, for the same reason which we declared in the twenty-first Psalm; and the word "restore" is to be understood from the common ^C sense in this passage.

*Verse 18. I will confess to Thee in the great Church, in a heavy people I will praise Thee.* See what we said in explaining this in the aforementioned Psalm, there: *In the great Church I will confess to Thee.* *In a heavy people I will praise Thee.* For *barei*, "heavy," Symmachus has "frequent" [multitudinous]. It is an explanation of the preceding saying.

*Verse 19. Let not them that are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me*

who hate me without a cause, ^A and wink with their eyes. "Without a cause," that is, for no reason; for I have done them no wrong, nor have I made myself a target for hatred. By "those who wink with their eyes," he understands the flatterers who used to wink at Saul, mocking the blessed David with such gestures if he ever happened to say or do anything.

*Verse 20. For they spoke to me indeed peaceably, and in anger they devised deceits.* They were speaking peaceably to me previously, discoursing about friendship; but because of the anger which they concealed, they were plotting deceits, as to how they might secretly cast me into danger.

*Verse 21. And they widened their mouth upon me.* And later, they also accused me openly and with wide mouths, no longer secretly or with a suppressed voice. For those who wish to go unnoticed whisper with compressed lips. They said, "Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it." The term "Aha" (*Euge*) was an ancient interjection of those who obtained what they had prayed for, expressing through the doubling of the word the great pleasure of the matter. Seeing me, he says, fleeing and suffering, they shouted that exclamation of joy, "Aha, aha," which signifies that their affairs were going well. What follows, "Our eyes have seen it," should be read by itself, for instance, in the sense that "they have seen what we desired." Something is lacking, as is common in thought. Or read together: "Well have our eyes seen," that is, precisely as we wished.

*Verse 22. You have seen, O Lord.* That is, the things which I am suffering. ^B Do not keep silent. Do not endure; for those who endure are accustomed to keep silent. Do not depart from me. For there is no other helper for me.

*Verse 23. Arise, O Lord, and attend to my judgment.* These things are spoken in a human manner, as we have often said. "Arise," he says; for being longsuffering and not helping, you seem to sleep. And as for "Attend," you will find it in the exposition of the fifth Psalm.

*My God and my Lord, attend to my cause.* Here, the word "Attend" must be taken in a general sense, and by "cause" he again understands the judgment. But those words, "My God and my Lord," and other such repeated phrases, are specific to an intense and wholehearted supplication ^C and of an ardent desire toward God. Such an invocation also brings with it a certain consolation, according to the saying: "I remembered God, and I was glad" (Ps. LXXVI, 4).

*Verse 24. Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness.* ^D

^A *Judge me, O Lord*, he says, *because I am righteous toward them, [yet] I have been unjustly treated by them.*

*O Lord my God, and let them not rejoice over me.* The conjunction "and" is superfluous; or a word is to be understood, [e.g.] "I pray," so that the sense may be: "I pray, O Lord my God."

*Verse 25. Let them not say in their hearts: Euge, euge, to our soul.* Here also something must be understood, [so that the sense may be: "Let them not say in their hearts: It is done: Euge, euge, to our soul."]

*Let them not say: We have swallowed him.* By the mouth of the sword, that is; for this they would say if they were to hand me over to death.

*Verse 26. Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together who rejoice at my evils.* The words "be ashamed" and "be brought to confusion," or "be put to shame," signify the same thing, just as those in the following: "Let them rejoice and be glad." They will be put to shame, having turned back empty and without success. And "together" signifies the same as if he had said, "All at the same time let those be brought to confusion who rejoice at my evils," that is, at my misfortunes and calamities.

*Let them be clothed with confusion and shame who speak great things against me.* That is, who boast against me, and who glory that they are going to bring evils upon me.

*Verse 27. Let them exult and be glad who desire my justice.* That is, who desire that which is just in my cause. For it would be just that my enemies should not attack me rashly, but rather bring me aid in my dangers, since I have always treated them with countless benefits.

*And let them say always: Magnified be the Lord, who desire the peace of thy servant.* Let them say this, seeing, of course, that I have overcome my attackers. ^C But "Magnified be" means, "Let him be believed/reckoned to be great by all."

*Verse 28. And my tongue shall meditate on thy justice.* Provided that those things I asked for are brought about. But by the "justice of God" he understands His just judgment.

*All the day thy praise.* From the common sense, the word "shall meditate" must also be taken in this place. *All the day*, however, means "throughout my whole life"; for those who sleep do not seem to live in a certain sense. Therefore "it shall meditate," that is, "it shall proclaim thy praise," which will be a perpetual work for him.

And these are the things which pertain to the exposition of the present psalm. But the reader must also be warned to take care lest he might perhaps sometimes take from this psalm an occasion for cursing [his] enemies: either because blessed David lived a legal life and manner of conduct, and not an evangelical one, according to which Christ, later teaching a more perfect doctrine, said: *It was said to the ancients: Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy. But I say to you: Love your enemies, bless those who persecute you.* Besides, David does not curse

rather, he proclaims in the manner of an imprecation the things that are about to happen to his enemies. And if he does indeed curse, this is in accordance with the Law, as has been said before. And in another way: "Strike the rejected silver," he says, "and it shall all be purified." For he cursed them, not as one embittered, but as a hater of wickedness, so that by being scourged they might flee the future judgment; or so that, while they suffer these things, others might become better. It must be known that the greater part and the more vital parts of this psalm are interpreted as referring to Christ, against whom the ungrateful Jews were pursuing. ^A

To the end, to the servant of the Lord, David. PSALM XXXV.

When blessed David, fearing the persecution of Saul, was lingering in the desert—and having entered a cave there to take his rest, Saul also came to that place and rolled himself in there, not knowing that David was hidden there—David arose by night and stood over him while he was sleeping; and sparing him, he removed only the hem of his cloak as evidence of the act. Then, the next day, as Saul was going out from there, David followed him, and shouted from afar, and reproached him for his unjust plotting. He also announced his own righteousness, having shown the hem of the cloak. Saul, covered with shame, confessed, felt compunction, and used words gilded with affection toward David; yet he pursued him again. Wherefore, feeling despondent, blessed David composed the present psalm, principally taking him to task, and then branding the wickedness of every deceitful person. It is inscribed "To the end," because it prophesies in it the destruction of the enemies that has come to pass "to the end." David is called the "servant of the Lord" for the same reason I explained above in the inscription of the seventeenth psalm. ^B

"The lawless man says that he will sin in himself." By "says," you will understand "thinks"; and the "that" is superfluous, so that the sense might be: The lawless man thinks himself to sin in himself, that is, in his own conscience alone, secretly, as if God were seeing nothing. Or else: "The lawless man says in himself," that is, he meditates, so as to sin; for this [in Greek] is sometimes used adverbially, signifying "so as to," and sometimes it is superfluous. And the "lawless man" is Saul, who hated his friend and son-in-law. ^C

"There is no fear of God before his eyes." Of such a one, there is no fear of God before the eyes of the soul; and therefore he thinks such things, or meditates, not reflecting that he cannot be hidden. ^D

"For he dealt deceitfully before him, to discover his iniquity, and to hate it." See, he says, what he has done. He spread deceit before himself, that is, he acted wickedly to know his...

sin; for the [phrase] "He would not understand to do good, and to hate it" is redundant here. ^B

VERS. 3. *The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit.* What he spoke to me for peace, he says, were full of iniquity and deceit, containing a poison hidden within. For it was a thing that was simultaneously both wicked and deceitful; for Saul wished me to be secure and confident, that in this way, fearing nothing, I might be caught.

He would not understand to do good. He would not choose to obtain understanding, so as to perform what is good, or to cease from his plots.

VERS. 5. *He hath devised iniquity on his bed.* Even lying in his bed, he kept revolving wicked things in his mind. For he did not rest, not even at the time of rest and sleep; and from this the sum of his malignity is demonstrated.

He hath set himself in every way not good. He is ready for every evil deed.

And he did not abhor malice. Malice, he says, he did not consider to be a grave thing: that is, he did not cast it away from himself.

VERS. 6, 7. *O Lord, Thy mercy is in the heaven, and Thy truth unto the clouds; Thy justice as the mountains of God, Thy judgments are a great abyss.* Just as he demonstrated above the sum of Saul's depravity, so now he describes the sum of God's goodness and long-suffering, saying: *O Lord, Thy mercy is in the heaven,* and *Thy truth unto the clouds,* that is, as far as the very heaven itself. For clouds ascend as far as the heaven. *Thy justice is as the mountains of God*, and by the mountains he signified both magnitude and height. Now, the mountains of God are called [such] as being created by God. *Thy judgments are a great abyss*, that is, Thy dispensations are a certain immense and incomprehensible deep. ^C

VERS. 8. *Men and beasts Thou wilt preserve, O Lord.* To save, or to be saved, is sometimes said of eternal salvation, according to that: *And the just shall be saved*; but sometimes, indeed, of temporary salvation, as it is here. For we must explain it: *Thou wilt save*, that is, Thou wilt quicken, or Thou wilt grant life to them. So great, O Lord, he says, is Thy mercy, that Thou grantest life not only to men, but even to irrational animals themselves. For by the "beasts," which are cleaner than all other living creatures, he signified every irrational animal. He also said *Thou wilt save* [future] for *Thou savest* [present], putting one tense for another. Or, by "men" understand those who live under the guidance of reason; but by "beasts," those men who, having abjured all reason, live like irrational creatures. Or, by "men" understand the Jews, who were instructed in the law; but by "beasts," the nations [Gentiles] who love pleasure. ^D

^A "How you have multiplied your mercy, O God." The "How" here is an exclamation (28). For the Prophet, struck by the greatness of the goodness and mercy of God—by which He saves both these and those—cries out, saying that You have multiplied Your mercy toward us exceedingly.

"And the sons of men shall hope in the shadow of Your wings." "Sons of men," that is, men, as we have said in the fourth psalm. He says, therefore, that all who truly are men, not having falsified the name through wicked deeds, shall hope in the shadow of Your warmth and protection. Or, otherwise: this is a prophecy about Christians.

"They shall be inebriated from the fatness of Your house." He calls joy "inebriation" here, just as he calls wealth "fatness." For wine, as the Prophet says elsewhere, gladdens the heart of man; and fatness is an abundance of oil. The meaning of the statement is such: that such men will be gladdened by the wealth of Your house; for the house of God is the Church, and its wealth is the pious dogmas, gladdening spiritually those who partake of them. Or, the house of the Word and God is the living flesh He took upon Himself, in which He dwelt; and "fatness" is the teaching from Him, watering souls and fattening them, and gladdening them, so that they can say with Paul: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

"And You shall give them to drink of the torrent of Your delight." The conception here is the same; for having mentioned inebriation, he followed it up by dealing with the drink as well. "And you shall give them to drink," he says, "of the river of the joy that is dispensed by You." He called the teaching of Christ, which is full of pleasure, a "torrent of delight": a torrent because of the timely teaching that flowed from the mouth of Christ at a certain time, and because of its force and power (if I may say so) that cannot be held back, and because of the many things gathered together from the prophetic words. For a torrent flows for a time, and is vehement and violent, and collected from the confluence of many waters; and he called it "delight" because it gladdens and fattens, as we have said. ^B Some say that the "fatness" of the house of the Word and God is the blood that flowed down from His undefiled side, ^C and that the "torrent" ^D is the water that was poured out with it. For they flowed in the time of winter, and both inebriated us, so as to make us act with Bacchic frenzy toward salvation, and to divert us from our former impiety and error, and they gladdened us. (For it was winter when the Lord suffered.)

^A

VERS. 10. *For with thee is the fountain of life*. Since thou art he who bestows life. *I am*, he says, *the way, and the truth, and the life*; for Christ possesses the source of life in himself, so to speak, and not from elsewhere, as those saints who sometimes raised the dead; or: Because with thee the Father, the Son, who is the perennial bestower of life, remains inseparable: *For I*, he says, *am in the Father, and the Father in me*. He calls him the fountain of life, just as Jeremiah also says elsewhere speaking in his person: *They have forsaken me the fountain of living water*.

*In thy light we shall see light*. Here he delivers theology concerning the holy Trinity, speaking in the person of the faithful. We, he says, O Father, who are to be believers, through the light, that is, through the divinity of thy Son, shall recognize the light of the holy Spirit. For if ^B God is a threefold light [as Gregory the Theologian says], consequently each of the three persons in God must be called light. The Son, therefore, taught concerning the holy Spirit, calling him another Paraclete, and signifying that he is of the same power and the same honor. Or otherwise: We, illuminated by the holy Spirit, shall contemplate the rays of the light of thy Son. For *no one can say Jesus is Lord, except in the holy Spirit. And, God has revealed to us by his holy Spirit*.

VERS. 11. *Extend thy mercy to those who know thee*. Perpetually show mercy to those who are accounted worthy of the knowledge of God: this the Prophet says in the manner of one beseeching. ^C

*And thy justice to those who are upright in heart*. And continually grant thy just help to those who are upright in their words and in their actions.

VERS. 12. *Let not the foot of pride come to me*. By the foot of pride he puts pride for the whole, as a part for the whole. Let not pride, he says, rule over me. But by the name of pride he has signified every vice: for pride is the summit and mother of all sins.

*And let not the hand of the sinner move me*. That is, the sinner himself, signifying the whole by a part [as we said above], and by the sinner he understands the demon, or Saul, or some other person wicked in every part. But "move me not," that is, do not shake me from that certain stability and seat which I have placed in virtue.

^D VERS. 13. *There have fallen all who work iniquity*. *There*, that is, in that place, or at the time appointed by God. And he did not say, "They shall fall," but *They have fallen*: as one who, with prophetic eyes, beheld their ruin. He understands by this Saul and his followers, or other wicked men of this sort.

*They have been expelled, and could not stand*. They have been already expelled from God’s help, because of their wickedness, and henceforth they are unable to stand.

[…their] vices are already cast out from the help of God, and henceforth they cannot be established so as to live.

Psalm to David. PSALM XXXVI

This psalm contains admonitions; it warns everyone to endure patiently the things that befall them and not to pay attention to the prosperity of the wicked.

Verse 1. ^A *Do not emulate those who do evil.* He calls emigration "imitation," as if to say: "Do not imitate those who do evil, even though you see them enjoying good fortune." We may also understand "emulation" as irritation (as the Greek term more significantly expresses *zelos*, calling it emulation, from which it also derives its verb), as if to say: "Do not be irritated or sorrowful when you see the wicked living a happy life." But the construction is indifferent in this place, according to the Hebrew idiom. ^B *Nor emulate those who work iniquity.* For many, as often as they see the wicked abounding in these external goods, being led by pusillanimity, are incited to imitate them, which the Prophet denounces as something ruinous. *Zelos* (emulation) is an appetite for possessing that good which one sees in another; it is properly used for good, but often also for evil. This verse declares the one above it, and is of the same sense as it. Or "Do not emulate" means: "Do not call them blessed, nor pray to become like them."

Verse 2. *For like grass they shall quickly wither.* Not having a solid root. *And like the greens of herbs they shall quickly fall.* He repeats the same thing again. He says "greens of herbs" for the herbs themselves, which are alive and flourishing, or for those which pertain to the genus of herbs. For all these fall away when they have dried up. ^C

Verse 3. *Hope in the Lord and do goodness.* Hope, he says, in the Lord, who will not despise the labors of your virtues, and do what is good; for he has put "goodness" for the Good. *And inhabit the earth.* Doing so, he says, possess the habitation you have without fear; for you have God as your guardian. *And you shall be fed on his riches.* And you shall be fed by God on his goods, so that you may enjoy what is useful and not be harmed by what is harmful.

Verse 4. *Delight in the Lord.* Delight, he says, in the Lord, through his immense and insatiable love, or through the inexhaustible contemplation ^D of his commandments and of the divine law. *And he shall give you the requests of your heart.* "Give," for "he will give," an optative for the future. For when you love God, you will ask for nothing unworthy from him.

Verse 5. *Reveal your way to the Lord.* By "way" he now understands the conversation and manner of life, which he bids to be made worthy of the visitation and custody of God; for the Lord knows the ways of the righteous. And seek more clearly at the end of the first psalm.

^A *And hope in him.* Again he extends hope as necessary for those who are established in afflictions; for hope alone alleviates their pain. *And he shall do it.* He will surely do what you ask, and what is expedient.

VER. 6. *And he shall bring forth thy justice as the light.* Justice in this place is to be understood as a just judgment. And he shall bring forth, he says, the just judgment concerning you, shining like a certain light, and will set it visible before all. For your Father, he says, who sees in secret, will reward you in the manifest. Or he might bring your virtue into the center, publishing it as a pure light, and proclaiming it at an opportune time.

*And thy judgment as the noonday.* He repeats the same sentiment. For the noonday is the pure, sincere, and most brilliant light of the day. Or, *thy judgment*, that is, the manner of life and conduct which you have proposed to yourself to follow according to your own judgment, he will make public and known to all, as the noonday; for the noonday is manifest to all, as the most brilliant and shining part of the day.

*Be subject to the Lord.* Observing, namely, his commandments, and not bearing ill-will toward the lashes sent by him, but giving thanks to him as one who instructs and chastises you.

*And entreat him.* So that you may be pitied and protected.

VER. 7. *Be not emulous of him who prospereth in his way, of the man who worketh iniquity.* These words have the same meaning as those: *Be not emulous of evil-doers, nor envy them that work iniquity*; but they are clearer. And while he says, *in him who prospereth in his way*, he has distinguished as to whom he is speaking; namely, of the unjust. For otherwise, if the one who prospers were just, we ought to imitate him.

^C VERS. 8. *Cease from anger, and leave rage.* When you see, he says, unjust men in good fortune, do not grow angry, nor be indignant toward them, as if they were prospering beyond what is fitting; nor grieve within yourself because, on account of your supreme love for virtue, you are rather more unfortunate. Now, anger and indignation here signify the same thing; but if you seek their difference, see what we said in explaining the beginning of the sixth psalm.

*Be not emulous, so as to act wickedly.* Since one may be emulous for both evil and good, he turns away from the first sort. For to be emulous towards the good is right. And observe how at the beginning he stated the *be not emulous* in a way difficult to understand, but as he progressed, he added it more clearly, and now he finally makes it fully manifest. The Prophet repeats the same things often, and turns them over above and below, hoping by this perpetuity of speech to instill firm and stable doctrine into the ears of his hearers. Then he puts the cause why one ought not to act wickedly.

^A "For those who do evil shall be utterly destroyed." This applies to them in terms of physical danger, and also in terms of their souls. "But those who wait for the Lord, they shall inherit the earth." That is, the heavenly dwelling; yet often also the present one. Furthermore, there is a heavenly earth, just as there is also a heavenly Jerusalem; or, he refers to the earth of paradise. "And yet a little while, and the sinner shall not be." He shall not last long; for his wickedness shall be extinguished, even if it seems to us to last a long time. Yet this is not spoken according to our faint-heartedness, but according to the long-suffering of God. "And you shall seek his place, and shall not find it." You will not find the sinner himself, for he is already dead, or you will not find his place, as it has already become another's.

^B "But the meek shall inherit the earth." That is, those who are long-suffering and patient. This the Savior also said in the beatitudes of the Gospel; for what he spoke through the prophets, he confirmed later with his own mouth. Deservedly they will inherit that land there, because they are deprived of this one and its goods on account of their meekness. "And they shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." And they shall fully enjoy that land in great peace; for there, pain, sorrow, and sighing have fled away.

"The sinner shall watch the righteous." He shall look askance at him, contriving evil. "And he shall gnash his teeth at him." He shall grind and grate them, seeking almost to devour him, which is a symbol of the madness in his heart. The sinner is also understood to be the devil, who watches and ^C gnashes, as it were, mentally, being incorporeal. "But the Lord shall laugh at him." He shall despise him as weak, and as nothing else but wicked. "For he foresees that his day shall come." For as God, He foresees the day of his destruction approaching.

"The sinners have drawn the sword, they have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay the upright in heart." Not bearing to look upon them. For they consider the righteousness of these men to be a conviction of their own lawlessness. Now, "to cast down" is set against the bow; and "to slay" is set against the sword. By the difference of weapons, he hints at the different kinds of plots. He uses "poor" and "needy" indifferently, to emphasize pity.

^D "May their sword enter into their own hearts, and their bows be broken." May their plots be turned against themselves, and may they fall into the pit which they have dug. He curses them as wicked men; for, he says, everyone who takes...

^A a sword shall perish by the sword (Matt. xxvi, 53). Moreover, "sword" and "bow" can here be taken for the tongue of the malicious. "For their teeth," he says elsewhere, "are weapons and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword" (Ps. lv, 5). Therefore, their own tongue shall slay them, and may their lips be withered by death.

VERS. 16. *Better is a little to the righteous than the great wealth of sinners.* But it is judged by the righteous man as much better to have a little that is justly gained; and for this reason, he does not crave more gained with injustice. It is we, therefore, who ought to emulate their happiness.

VERS. 17. *For the arms of the sinner shall be broken.* By "arms," he means the powers, for therein consists almost the entire strength for working and laboring.

But the Lord upholds the righteous, who are vexed excessively by the wicked, or even by demons. Consider, moreover, how the Prophet exhorts us to virtue from both sides, while he relates both the punishments of sinners and the rewards of the righteous.

VERS. 18. *The Lord knows the ways of the blameless.* For He Himself has ordained them. Or interpret it otherwise, as we said near the end of the first Psalm.

*And their inheritance shall be for ever.* The inheritance of the righteous is the kingdom of heaven. *Come,* He says, *you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you* (Matt. xxv, 34). But the phrase "for ever" means the same as "perpetually." For there shall be no end to that inheritance; or it shall be "for ever," that is, in the age to come. For in this present age, these men possess no inheritance, knowing themselves to be ^B guests and strangers.

VERS. 19. *They shall not be ashamed in an evil time.* They shall not be overcome in a time of affliction, that is, in time of temptation; for they have God as their helper. Or he calls the "evil time" the future judgment, which shall be most grievous and troublesome to sinners.

*And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.* Just as Elias, who was fed by a raven, and many others who miraculously received nourishment from God. Or they shall be satisfied with the hope of future blessings, no longer craving corruptible food. *For man shall not live by bread alone* (Matt. iv, 4). Or by "famine," he signifies figuratively every kind of necessity, and by "satisfaction," the divine visitation and protection.

*For sinners shall perish.* For happiness does not remain with them for long. But he is called "perishing" not only if he perishes in this world, but also he who has suffered the loss of eternal salvation. For the sinner perishes and is blotted out from the inheritance of the righteous.

VERS. 20. *But the enemies of the Lord, as soon as they have been glorified and exalted, vanishing like smoke, they have vanished.* These things are to be understood concerning the Jews who killed Christ, who, having been ^C glorified by the multitude,

and having exalted themselves in the slaying of the Savior, not long after were utterly destroyed by the Romans, being scattered like smoke and brought to naught. This might also be said concerning idols, which for a time were glorified and exalted, but afterwards vanished and were destroyed; and through these, likewise, the demons who dwelt within them.

VERS. 21. *The sinner borroweth, and will not pay again.* He says that the sinner not only does not bestow or share his own, but he does not even repay what is owed; for such is his cruelty and lawlessness. *But the just showeth mercy and will give.* He shows mercy by giving of his own; and he gives—that is, he repays what had been borrowed from others—walking a path entirely contrary ^B to that of the sinner. Or otherwise: the just man, knowing the sinner is an ungrateful debtor, nevertheless lends to him in a time of need.

VERS. 22. *For such as bless him shall inherit the earth: but such as curse him shall be rooted out.* God has such great care and concern for the just that He shows mercy to those who bless them and punishes those who curse them. For we read that it was said by God to Abraham: *I will bless them that bless thee, and I will curse them that curse thee* (Gen. XII, 3). Here, he calls contumely a "curse." The word "for" in this place does not provide a reason, but merely asserts a sentiment, or is redundant, as is very often found in the Prophet according to the Hebrew idiom.

VERS. 23. *The steps of a man shall be directed by the Lord.* He teaches clearly that without help from God, a man can accomplish nothing good. For *unless the Lord build the house,* he says, *they have laboured in vain that build it* (Ps. cxxvi, 1). For He is accustomed to cooperate with our readiness. By "man," he means the just man. *And he shall like well his way.* The Lord shall accept the manner of life of the just man, as being blameless. But Symmachus, instead of "shall like," said "shall prosper." ^C

VERS. 24. *When he shall fall, he shall not be bruised, for the Lord putteth his hand under him.* If he is vexed by adverse fortune regarding external goods, as Job was, or if he has slipped in spiritual matters, as David did, he shall not remain in this fall, because the Lord "putteth his hand under"—that is, He places His hand beneath him, by which I mean help; for repentance also is the hand of God, as it comes from above, and lifts him up from the fall. ^D

VERS. 25. *I have been young, and now am old, and I have not seen the just forsaken.* The conjunction "and" is redundant; the sense is: I was a youth, and I have now grown old, and in

all the intervening time I have not seen a just man forsaken by God. For, he says, ^A the Lord preserves all who love Him. But if God appeared to forsake some for a short time, as [He did] even him [David], He did not truly abandon them; but by divine dispensation He permitted it, so that, having suffered, they might afterward become more attentive. ^B *Nor his seed seeking bread.* Nor his child in need; for even if he should suffer hardship for a short time, he will not do so until the end. Otherwise, the statement is particular; for David himself asserts that he had not seen such a thing. Or it can be understood more loftily, saying he has not seen the seed of the just suffer famine, that is, lack spiritual food; according to the text: *The Lord will not kill the souls of the just with hunger.* For otherwise, the seed of Jacob sought bread in Egypt.

VERS. 26. *All the day he shows mercy and lends, the just man.* "All the day" means "always"; and sometimes he lends money to those who ask, and sometimes words of benefit.

*And his seed shall be for a blessing.* For God said to Moses that He shows mercy to children because of the goodness of their fathers, and in turn recompenses [the children] for the wickedness of their fathers. "For a blessing" means: he will be blessed and praised on account of the parent’s merits.

VERS. 27. *Decline from evil and do good.* This has also been declared in the thirty-third Psalm.

*And dwell for age upon age.* ^C Since, he says, you have by now learned what the rewards of virtue are, and what those of wickedness are, choose the better path, and dwell [there] for a long time. For this is what the words *for age upon age* signify: for the just who lived in olden times were long-lived. But if some of them died in their youth, this happened by divine dispensation. For Solomon also promises long life to those who fear the Lord. Or: dwell in the age to come, you who are a sojourner in the present age, since we live here not perpetually, but for a certain, short time.

VERS. 28. *For the Lord loves judgment.* That is: the Lord is judge. Or by "judgment" he understands justice.

*And He will not forsake His saints.* ^D For it is just that He should not forsake those who have not forsaken Him. By "saints" here he understands the just, or men excelling in virtue.

*They shall be kept for the age.* Namely, both in the present and in the future.

*But the unjust shall be cast out.* From present and future goods.

*And the seed of the wicked shall be exterminated.* This was spoken of a little above, where it says: *And his seed shall be for a blessing.*

VERS. 29. *But the just shall inherit the land, and shall dwell for age upon age upon it.* Regarding this

^A a little above it was said, where it says: *But they that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth*; and: *And his inheritance shall be for ever.* The Prophet repeats the same things often, wishing—as we said—to imprint a more constant and lasting memory in the souls of his hearers.

*The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom.* ^B Willingly does blessed David relate the works of the just man, in order to draw others to the emulation of virtues. The divine wisdom, he says, which has been revealed to us in the holy Scriptures, the just and holy men always meditate upon.

*And his tongue shall speak judgment.* The judgment of God, I mean, which has been declared to men. Or, by "judgment" he understands speech that is uttered with judgment and discretion. For when the just man speaks, he never brings forth an inconsiderate word.

VERS. 31. *The law of his God is in his heart.* It remains indelible in his mind, whether you understand the written or the unwritten law of God.

*And his steps shall not be supplanted.* His way to God shall not be hindered, whether you understand visible or invisible enemies; for nothing can be an impediment to virtue.

VERS. 32. *The sinner watcheth the just man, and seeketh to put him to death.* "Watcheth," that is, observeth, layeth snares. By "sinner," however, you should understand not only the unjust man, but the devil himself, as he who is the cause and father of sin.

VERS. 33. *But the Lord will not leave him in his hands.* ^C He does not abandon him completely, so that he may rule over his will and judgment together with his body; but rather, he rescues him from danger amidst temptations, and shows him to be a victor in the spiritual battle of the soul. Or otherwise: Although the Lord often permits snares to be laid for him, finally he spares his servant.

*And will not condemn him when he shall be judged.* Neither in the present life will God so abandon the just man, nor will he condemn him in the time of the future judgment, when the sinner is judged together with the just man whom he had formerly pursued with snares. For this is what the word "judged" signifies. And otherwise: The demons will then be judged with the just, and will reproach them if they had sinned in any minimum way in this life.

VERS. 34. *Wait on the Lord.* While you are being tempted and attacked by snares, wait for the Lord who will rescue you from dangers—that is, hope in the Lord.

*And keep his way.* Which he has shown us through his commandments. "Keep," however, means "love."

*And he will exalt thee to inherit the land.* ^D He will make you superior to those who lay snares for you, or he will demonstrate that you are lofty and great among men. And because many desire the inheritance of the land, and the enjoyment of its goods, either long life, or

^A deliverance from enemies, and such like, these things were highly desirable to the many; the Prophet urges all to virtue by promises of such things. And this is the reason for his often repeating them; but for those who are more advanced, even higher things are understood, as we have said above.

*When sinners shall be exterminated, thou shalt see.* The Prophet, consoling the pusillanimity of many who bore ill that God uses such patience and long-suffering toward the wicked, says: "Take heart, for you shall see the extermination of the unjust and of all the wicked." And he confirms his word from those things which he himself has seen. For he says:

*Ver. 35. I have seen the impious one highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Libanus.* The Prophet himself indeed spoke of the impious one indefinitely, but we can understand Goliath, ^B or Saul, or Naas the Amanite, or others of this kind, whose exaltation he first saw, and then their destruction. And as to what he says, "highly exalted," understand it as exalted by those subject to him and by other men; but "lifted up" as originating from himself and from his own pride, although through both expressions we can also understand the same thing. He compared the impious one to cedars, because they are tall, fruitless, and bitter of sap.

*Ver. 36. And I passed by, and lo, he was not.* Presently, he says, I dismissed him as he was glorying, I passed by, and immediately he vanished. For the word "lo" in this place signifies "immediately."

*And I sought him, and his place was not found.* And after a time I sought in my mind to see him, and his place was not found, the place, namely, that would contain him somewhere as existing. For how shall he be found, when he does not exist? Or by his "place" you must understand the body itself, which was before the domicile of the soul, and afterwards was dissolved by putrefaction. [If you ask whether he has a place, you will find none: for the mansions of those who are saved are spoken of. But for those who perish, hell, or something of this kind, is not said to be a man's place, but perdition.]

*Ver. 37. Keep innocence.* — Symmachus said: "Simplicity."

*And behold uprightness.* Observe, he says, that you may be upright [and walk rightly].

*For there are remnants for the peaceful man.* He calls "remnants" the memory; and this is preserved in a twofold manner: namely, through offspring, and through good works. ^C

*Ver. 38. But the unjust shall be exterminated in like manner*. — "In like manner" means the same as "together," that is, together with their memory. Which he also declared more clearly in the following verse, saying:

*The remnants of the impious shall be exterminated.* By "the impious" you are to understand all the wicked.

*Vers. 39, 40. But the salvation of the just is from the Lord, and he is their protector in the time of tribulation: and the Lord shall help them, and deliver them, and rescue them from sinners, and save them, because they have hoped in him.* See how variously and multiply he has announced the many and manifold aids which God bestows upon the just. For their modes are various, and they are variously administered, according to the manifold ^D wisdom of God. But the words are clear, and have nothing difficult to understand.

God’s wisdom. These words are plain, and have nothing difficult to understand.

A Psalm of David for remembrance. PSALM XXXVII.

This Psalm is similar to the sixth, beginning in the same way, and like that one, it laments the calamities brought upon him by sin, and begs to be delivered from them and to obtain relief. It is likely that this too was uttered when he was being pursued by Absalom. It is inscribed "for remembrance," that is, for the remembrance of his transgressions and the sufferings and calamities arising from them.

^A Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. We have spoken before about these things in the sixth Psalm; one must not think that God’s anger and wrath are passions [or affections], but rather the most severe sentences that are due to those who sin.

^B For your arrows have been fixed in me. By "arrows of God" here, understand the reproving words which were sent against him through the prophet Nathan; or the laws against adulterers and murderers, which were so deeply fixed that they constantly pierced and pained his soul; or understand as arrows the pains that arise from the calamities brought upon him, which, like arrows, pierce and bite the heart. These are also called arrows of God, as being brought on by his permission. And where Symmachus says "they have been fixed," he rendered it as "they have been driven home."

And you have strengthened your hand against me. "You have strengthened," instead of, "You have struck repeatedly, while whipping me continuously"; or, "you have made the blow of your hand heavy upon me, so that I cannot bear it," striking heavily; and by "hand," one must understand the power of punishment.

^C There is no healing in my flesh from the face of your wrath. The phrases "from the face of your wrath," and "from the face of my sins," and "from the face of my folly," and similar ones, are spoken by circumlocution, for the sake of: "because of your wrath," and "because of my sins," and "because of my folly." Therefore, he says, there is no healing in my flesh, that is, no release from the suffering that I brought upon myself, because of your wrath—that is, your threat, the one delivered through the prophet Nathan, or the one threatened by your laws. About such suffering, he speaks in other psalms, saying: "I humbled my soul with fasting"; and, "My flesh was changed because of the oil"; and, "My bone cleaved to my flesh"; and, "I grew weary with calling, and my throat became hoarse," and the like.

^A "There is no peace to my bones, because of my sins." There is no stability nor firmness in them, because they are shaken and trembling on account of my sins.

"For my iniquities have gone over my head." That is, they have grown and risen high. He alludes here to the greatness of them, just as elsewhere he refers to their multitude, saying: "They are multiplied above the hairs of my head."

"As a heavy burden they are become heavy upon me." And they are burdensome and grievous to me, because I cannot bear the memory of them; or because they bow me down like a load. For those who are sorrowful are accustomed to look down at the ground, just as those do who carry some weight.

^B "My scars have stunk and are corrupt, because of my foolishness." The scars of my soul, he says, which were made by the fiery arrows of the devil, have stunk, and they did not stink merely on the surface, but they have even rotted through entirely. By these words he signifies a great lesion of the soul, while he declares that he cannot endure the foul stench of his wounds. This, however, happened because of my foolishness; for if I had not lost my prudence, I would not have been wounded in this way. Observe also how he magnifies his transgressions and confesses them with great fervor of soul: for he said that they are great, and heavy, and what is more, that they stink. For the greatest sign of repentance is when one senses the putridity of sin, because then one vehemently abhors it.

^C "I have become miserable and bowed down even to the end." I have become weary on account of the things I have already mentioned. Or otherwise: while I desire to heal my body, which is grievously affected, I have become weary and weakened and bowed down even to the end, that is, entirely and completely.

"I went along sorrowing all the day long." Although I was a king, I still always lived in sadness, like one who was stung by his own conscience as a witness, and to whom joy was not allowed to spread.

^D "For my loins are filled with illusions." If the affection of concupiscence is an illusion, and consequently a lie, rather than the truth, then concupiscence is not pleasure, but rather the shadow of pleasure. For this reason the Apostle said: "Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth," that is, with the true pleasure which rises from chastity and temperance, and from justice. Symmachus, however, called the loins the flanks; and by both terms the concupiscible part of the soul is signified. For the kidneys, in which the appetite of lust most especially resides, are near the flanks. He says, therefore: "My concupiscence is filled with the illusions of the demon." For the demon mocked him, inciting him toward iniquitous and shameful movements.

^A "And there is no healing in my flesh." And subsequently, he says, because I was thus mocked, there is no rest for my flesh; for I punish it, as was said before, and exact penalties for the illicit pleasure from it.

"I was afflicted." By hunger, thirst, vigils, sleeping on the ground, and anything else of this kind.

"And I was humbled exceedingly." "Exceedingly" is a Hebrew idiom, and it signifies the same thing as "very much."

"I roared from the groaning of my heart." From the severity of the groaning of my heart, by which I was tormented, I seemed to roar like a lion. For what the Septuagint said, "I roared," Aquila rendered as "I gnashed." [But by these words the blessed David reveals his upright attitude toward God to everyone]: for when a sinner has fallen into the depth of evils, he is accustomed to be contemptuous, but the just man always fears even the smallest of sins.

^B "Lord, before thee is all my desire." Namely, the desire which was born in me after my sins. For thou knowest that I long for my salvation and to be delivered from present straits and pains.

"And my groaning is not hidden from thee." For thou perceivest it with thy ears, as it were a voice sent forth from some deep place.

"My heart was troubled." From my conscience, that is to say, and from repentance.

"My strength has failed me." By every kind of suffering, that is, as was said before.

^C "And the light of my eyes, even it is not with me." Because of my very hard and bitter life, and because of constant tears, I came into a kind of dimness of vision, and almost into blindness. The structure, however, should be understood as follows: "And the light of my eyes, it is not with me," having perished; the second conjunction "and" being placed redundantly. Or, by the light of the eyes of the soul of the blessed David, understand the Holy Spirit, which, because of the crimes committed by him, had in large part flown away. Some understand this verse and the next as being spoken in the person of Christ, and as speaking of the disciples.

"My friends and my neighbors drew near and stood opposite me." He alludes to Achitophel and ^D many others of this kind. "My friends," he says, "and my kinsmen came against me." For these words signify this: "They drew near and stood against me," God surely permitting this because of my falls. Hence the sea of misfortunes rolled over me.

"And those who were near me stood afar off." We must understand them to be the same people, who indeed drew near out of enmity, as if pursuing; but in good will they have become far, as having departed from his friendship. The other...

^A interpretation is that we should understand his friends and subjects, who, out of fear of Absalom, were deserting from blessed David to him.

*And they used force who sought my soul.* They constrained me, he says, by every device, they who sought my soul—that is, me myself; he uses a periphrasis—or they who sought my soul so as to take it away, as he says in the 39th Psalm.

*And they who sought evils for me spoke vanities.* And they who thirsted for my ruin spoke blasphemies against me, attacking me with insults and calumnies. He called these "vanities" as being, so to speak, certain lies and untruths.

*And they meditated deceits all the day.* That is, plots: how by any means they might lead me astray and catch me.

VERS. 14. *I as a deaf man did not hear.* In truth, I did hear, but I did not appear to hear, because I was silent and was not troubled. For while Shimei ^B was pursuing him with insults and cursing, and many others were doing the same, blessed David was silent, as if he heard nothing.

*And as a dumb man not opening his mouth.* The word "I was" is to be understood. It is logical that a person does not speak of that which he has not heard.

VERS. 15. *And I became as a man not hearing, and not having in his mouth reproofs.* These things were said to clarify the verses immediately preceding. In this place, he calls "reproofs" the contradictions by which one is accustomed to rebuke those who speak evil.

VERS. 16. *For in thee, O Lord, have I hoped.* I became mute and silent, because I hoped to obtain vengeance from thee. For, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord."

*Thou shalt hear me, O Lord my God.* And because thou ^C understandest all such blasphemies, thou wilt repay due punishments to the calumniators. Or, "Thou wilt hear those who suffer such things and are silent."

VERS. 17. *For I said: Lest my enemies should rejoice over me.* For I said in myself when pouring out prayers to God, I said that I desired to be heard, lest at any time my enemies should rejoice and delight over me.

*And whilst my feet were moved, they spoke great things against me.* And behold, when my path had turned aside from the way of the divine commandments, they immediately took a shameless liberty, boasting and bragging that they wished to kill me.

VERS. 18. *For I am ready for scourges.* Because, having sinned and been stripped of divine assistance, I became ready for those who wished to punish me. Or, understand the word "for" to be superfluous [as we have often said is found in frequent usage], and the order is: "I am always ^D ready for thy correction and amendment." For, because of my sins, I receive it promptly and willingly.

^A And my sorrow is before me always. And the memory of my sin, which causes me sorrow, is ever before my eyes, pricking me, and I have not forgotten it, as some unfeeling person might.

VER. 19. For I will declare my iniquity. Because I will make my sin public, and I will come forward as an accuser against myself.

And I will be anxious about my sin. And I will concern myself with its cure. He has called faults iniquity and sin interchangeably.

But my enemies live. Those who are campaigning with Absalom. And they live, that is, they are strong, because I am weak. ^B And they have been strengthened above me. This is an explanation of "they live." Either "they live" means "they are healthy," and "they have been strengthened" means "they have been empowered."

And those who hate me unjustly have been multiplied. They not only live and are empowered, but they have also been multiplied and have increased. They hate me unjustly, as they have no reasonable cause for which to reproach me or for which I am worthy of hatred.

VER. 21. They who render me evil for good, were slandering me, because I followed goodness. He says this on account of Absalom; for he, repaying the ^C goodness and paternal affection shown to him with envy and treachery, slandered him before those who were litigating in the courts, as an unjust and lawless king, always drawing such people to himself as allies, as the Book of Kings has taught. They were slandering me, he says, because I was seeking and loving goodness, and I did not wish to harm him, even though he was acting in such a way; for from this he increased his wickedness, and became more depraved. Or by "goodness" here he means "justice." For he was reviling me, he says, because I thought justice was to be preferred, and I did not love injustice as he did.

VER. 22. Do not forsake me, O Lord my God, do not depart from me. For I am deprived of significant support, and I have Thee alone as a helper and guardian.

VER. 23. Pay attention to my aid, O Lord of my salvation. ^D Be diligent about my help. You who are the master of my life.

But these things certainly fit David according to history; yet they also fit all those who are in sins, in whose case we might call the good angels our friends and neighbors, who rejoice at our good deeds, and guard us; but when they see us having sinned, they come and stand before us, sorrowful; and at first they stand quite close, but later they move away because of the stench of sin. Thereafter, the evil demons compel us toward worse lapses, and they speak unspoken, vain, and base words into our ears, and they devise snares for us. But those who imitate the sober-mindedness of David block their ears

of the soul, and they do not even deem them worthy of a word; they invoke only God for their defense. But the same demons again, because those who have become sober-minded choose good repentance, harm them more vehemently through continuous temptations, and even slander them before all as sinners. ^B

To the end, a song of Idithum for David. PSALM XXXVIII.

We have said enough in the Prooemium of the work as to how this psalm is that of the blessed David, even though the name Idithum is in the inscription. It is inscribed "To the end" because, lamenting the frailty of human nature, it treats of its end, saying: *Notum fac mihi, Domine, finem meum*, and what follows.

VER. 2. *Dixi: Custodiam vias meas, ut non delinquam in lingua mea.* Our Prophet composed this psalm mindful of the things he suffered when he was fleeing from Absalom. For fleeing, he says, I said within myself: henceforth I will keep my ways—the ways, I mean, of my tongue, that is, my words—so that my tongue may no longer sin, nor emit any blasphemous word, which is wont to arise for the most part from faintheartedness. For *chastening, the Lord has chastened me*. That words are also called ways is evidenced by the great Paul to the Corinthians, saying: *I have sent to you Timothy, who will bring to your memory my ways.*

^C *Posui ori meo custodiam, cum consisteret peccator adversum me.* The tongue is most prompt to sin; for this reason he took great care concerning it. "To stand" here means to contend or struggle. By "sinner" he refers to Semei, either because of his degraded life, or because of the shamelessness and cruelty he displayed at that time; for he followed him, insulting, reviling, and throwing stones, yet he answered him nothing at all.

VER. *Obmutui et humiliatus sum.* I became speechless, as it were, of my own accord and willingly, and I was humbled when I recalled that it was because of my sins that he rose up against me.

*Et silui ex bonis.* Out of goodness; for, being able to avenge myself upon him, I would not out of modesty. When a certain companion of the blessed David rushed against this Semei who was insulting him, intending to kill him with a sword, he was held back by him; ^D and he even added a reason, saying: Let him alone, that he may curse me; for the Lord has told him to curse David, and the things that follow. I have been affected by reviling, he says, and I have kept silent.

^A And my pain was renewed. And the pain, he says, that came to me from my sins, was renewed by the memory; for then I knew clearly that I was paying the penalty for my transgressions.

VERS. 4. *My heart was heated within me.* When Semei afflicted me with abuse, although I bore it patiently, yet I was inflamed with anger within. But he says "within me," to show that he did not manifest such anger to outsiders. However, it is the mark of a perfect man, and of absolutely complete virtue, if he feels no abuse at all, and suffers nothing whatever from it; yet if one does feel it, but nevertheless bears it modestly and meekly, he must be said to be progressing in virtue, even if he is not yet perfect. *And in my meditation a fire shall be kindled.* By meditating, he says, and turning over in my mind the wicked deeds which I have committed, and the evils which I suffer, the fire of my pains will always be inflamed, and will increase the burning of my soul.

VERS. 5. *I spoke with my tongue.* Towards the enemy he was silent, as we have seen; but towards God he spoke. And what he says, *with my tongue*, means the same for him now as if he were to say: I spoke sensibly, quietly, and as if in a whisper. Then he says what he spoke. *Make known to me, O Lord, my end.* When will it be, or what will it be? How long, he says, will these sad things persist? ^B *And what is the number of my days, that I may know what I lack.* Signify to me, he says, the number of the days of my whole life, how great the total is, so that, having counted up my years, as many as I have lived so far, I may know what remains. For if I learn the measure of those years, I shall have no ordinary consolation from it in my calamities.

VERS. 6. *Behold, you have made my days measurable.* [That which the interpreter called "measurable," in the Greek we read *palaistas*, a word which we can translate into Latin according to one meaning as "palmares" (span-long). But so that you may more clearly perceive the Prophet's mind, it should be known that there are various measures which are accustomed to be made with the hands. Namely, the ell, the cubit, the palm, and the *palaeste* (span), of which the Prophet is now speaking, and which we can call a palm. Now a *palaeste* or palm is formed by the conjunction of four fingers, and it is the third part of a palm’s length, and is the smallest of all measures. By this name, therefore, he declared the paucity of the days of his life, calling his days "palmares," as if to measure them as modest and short; and because we said the word could receive another meaning, we shall follow up with another reading of the verse, according to which we can read: *Behold, you have made my days contentious or laborious*; that is, full of struggle and fighting ^C (for that word can also descend from *palaestra*, which signifies a wrestling-match among both Greeks and Latins. But in wrestling, we use much labor and contention). The Prophet understands, as we have said, the remaining days of his life, saying that he had lived for but a short time,]

and he desires that this too be signified to him by God at present. Furthermore, this remaining time of life can be called "a little," when compared to the life already spent. I also thought that this must not be omitted: that the word "behold" is an adverb, and is frequently used by the Hebrews; and (to speak generally) it either demonstrates something or denotes the immediate future. In the former sense it is taken here; in the latter, you see the Prophet using it elsewhere in these words: "I passed by, and behold, he was not." Which means the same as if he had said: "He was immediately reduced to nothing."

^A And my substance is as nothing before thee. Here he begins to declare openly how exiguous and fragile human nature is, and says: "My substance," or my essence—that is, I myself—am as nothing, if I am compared to thy blessedness and eternity. For that is what the phrase "before thee" signifies. For thou, as he says elsewhere, art the same, and thy years shall not fail; but I am changed, and have become an exile in place of a king; and my days pass away like a shadow.

VERS. 7. Verumtamen universa vanitas [But truly, the whole is vanity]. Some think the word "but" (verumtamen) here is superfluous; others say that it is used for "certainly." When the blessed David, therefore, had observed the things that had been done in the time of his ancestors, and those which were happening in his own time, and perceived that all things wither in vanity—that is, in the highest uncertainty and instability, such as wealth, glory, empires, youth, beauty, strength, and other things of this kind (he left his opinion witnessed to posterity in this universal statement)—you should understand him to refer not to the endowments of the soul, ^B but only to the excellence of the body and of the goods of fortune.

Omnis homo vivens [Every man living]. This is: all human life. But there is a mode of speaking peculiar to the Hebrews here, according to the verse: "Every man is a liar," signifying: "All human opinion is false." Therefore, all human life, he says, is vanity, which pertains to the explanation of the preceding verse. By human life, he understands life that is carnal and devoid of the Spirit.

Verum in imagine pertransit homo [Truly inside an image man passes]. He has set the word "truly" (verum) in this place likewise for "verily" or "certainly." "In an image," however, means "like an image." ^C For just as a painted image derives no benefit from its beauty or the variety of its colors or anything else of the sort, so neither does human happiness benefit a man. Or "in an image," that is, "in a shadow," on account of the inconstancy of human affairs.

Verumtamen frustra conturbatur [But truly he is disturbed in vain]. He has used "but" (verumtamen) here for "furthermore." The rest, he says, is that man is fatigued and distracted in vain.

Thesaurizat, et ignorat cui congregabit ea [He heaps up, and knows not for whom he shall gather them]. And what is most troublesome of all, he does not know his own heir: though he has suffered no small anguish and labor in gathering ^D riches, he finally stores up the fruits and conveniences for another and an unknown heir.

^A Ver. 8. And now, what is my expectation? Is it not the Lord? But, says he, with things being thus, what is my hope? Is it not the Lord alone? This verse must be read as a question. And my substance is from thee. And my existence—and I mean by this my very being—is from thee. Therefore, take thought for thy creature, who gratefully acknowledges its own creator.

Ver. 9. Deliver me from all my iniquities. For iniquities are usually the cause of temptations and calamities. He therefore asks to be delivered from such a cause. Or perhaps, by “iniquities” he figuratively signifies temptations, as the effect from the cause.

Thou hast given me up as a reproach to the foolish. To Semei, that is to say, who assailed me with revilings, calling me a lawless man and a man of blood. The Prophet has resumed his discourse, and by frequent commemoration of his miseries, he attracts the merciful God the more toward mercy. The demon, too, is accustomed to reproach those conquered by him with such a defeat, and to cast insults upon them.

Ver. 10. I was deaf. Willingly, that is to say, so that I seemed not to hear.

And I opened not my mouth. I said nothing at all in opposition.

Because thou hast done it. Because, he says, thou didst command him to revile me. For the Lord, he says, told him to curse David; and to me he also commanded silence: “For you have sinned,” he says, “be silent.”

Remove thy scourges from me. Meaning both the temptations and calamities that are brought upon me from without by thy permission, and the stings that are inflicted from within by my conscience.

^B Ver. 11. I failed by reason of the strength of thy hand. By “hand,” he understands here the power of punishing. “I failed,” he says, that is, I have become debilitated. Consider this, how in the preceding psalm the Prophet, exposing himself to be instructed by the scourges, said: “For I am ready for scourges,” and now, having been struck by them heavily enough, he begs to be released, lest he be swallowed up by excessive sorrow.

With reproofs for iniquity thou hast instructed man. While thou reprovest, he says, and rebukest—that is, while thou art piously healing—thou hast instructed man; and this because of iniquities, and for no other cause. Thy chastisement, therefore, is salvific; and by “man” he understands himself.

Ver. 12. And thou hast melted away my soul as a spider. By frequent temptations and scourges, he says, thou hast thinned out my soul, circumcision away, as it were, that denseness which had hardened due to sins. Now the spider is a delicate animal, to which he here compares his soul. For the soul is wont to become, in a way, too thick through sins, and conversely, to be thinned out by affliction and scourges.

Nevertheless, every man is vanity. He has returned once again to ^C

the corroboration of the sentiment by himself stated, the Prophet repeats the same discourse; yet the word "is troubled" must be understood.

VERSE 13. *Exaudi orationem meam, Domine, et supplicationem meam auribus percipe*. These words signify the same thing equally, being thus repeated by the Prophet after his custom. *Lacrymas meas ne sileas* (Hold not thy peace at my tears). That is, do not despise them. For those who despise someone are accustomed to be silent. The construction of the words "Exaudi" (hear) and "Ne sileas" (do not be silent) is indifferent. Consider also how our Prophet does not pray simply, but with tears. *Quoniam ego incola sum apud te et peregrinus, sicut omnes patres mei*. He is called ^A an "accola," or native, who is a permanent and perpetual inhabitant of some place; but "incola" (a sojourner) is he who dwells for a time, and who, at the command of the master of the estate, changes his dwelling. I, he says, if I am compared to other men, am an "accola," and a native of the possessed earth; but if I look up to thee, my God, I confess that I am a "sojourner." For when thou, the Lord of the earth, commandest, I am moved to another world. And he who is a "peregrinus" (stranger) is likewise he who, having stayed for a little while in a foreign region, returns afterwards to the place whence he had departed. To whom any mortal may be compared. For we live for a certain brief time, and finally, we are resolved again into that from which we derived our origin. ^B

VERS. 14. *Dimitte mihi ut refrigerer priusquam abeam*. Spare me, he says, stop the scourge, that I may be comforted a little and cast off afflictions before I die [or say, that he asks for the forgiveness of sins in the present life]. *Et amplius non ero*. And when I have gone where my fathers are, I shall not be any more, that is, I shall live no more. Or, I shall not be any more in the present world. These words also were spoken to appease the anger of God and to win his mercy; the expression, "Not any more," however, is added for the confirmation of the prayer.

In finem Psalmus ipsi David. PSALMUS XXXIX.

Blessed David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, sang this psalm in the person of the Church of the Christians, in which she gives thanks to God for the marvelous gifts with which she has been freely endowed by Him, and asks for aid from Him ^C against the tyrants rising up against her. It is inscribed "In finem" (Unto the end), because the things which are handed down here looked toward a certain end, which they afterwards had.

VERS. 2. *Exspectans exspectavi Dominum*. This kind of repetition of words is very frequent among the Hebrews, and denotes a certain intension of the mind, such as that: "Seeing I have seen," and, "Knowing thou shalt know," that is, "Thou shalt accurately know," and other things of this kind. Therefore, "Exspectans exspectavi Dominum" (Waiting I have waited for the Lord), that is, I have exceedingly awaited my helper, Christ. For he is the "expectation of the nations," ^D just as it was previously foretold of him by the prophets. *Et intendit mihi*. Upon me, he says, he [turned] his eyes

and looked with a kindly gaze; upon me, I say, established in the depths of misery while I was following the errors of idols.

*Et exaudivit preces meas*. That is, the prayers sent forth on my behalf. For the prophets used to pray for the future state of the Church, putting on her person, just as the blessed David now does.

VERS. 3. *Et exaudivit me de lacu miseriae, et de luto limi*. The ancients were accustomed to express the greatest dangers with such expressions. One may say that the "lake of misery" is that pit of error in which the nations, who have now been gathered into one Church, were once miserably afflicted in their souls as if in a certain prison; and that the "mud of mire," that is, slimy and putrid mud, is that collection of human passions and affections which generates a certain corruption in our minds and holds fast all souls, as if wrapped in a certain tenacious filth, that have fallen into it.

*Et statuit supra petram pedes meos*. Upon the rock, that is, upon the security of the faith.

*Et direxit gressus meos*. And with salvation shown to me through the evangelical precepts, and all tortuosity thoroughly exploded, he has so directed my path that I might no longer walk through oblique or devious ways.

VERS. 4. *Et immisit in os meum canticum novum*. Namely, the canticles which the Christians have composed about the marvelous and illustrious deeds of Christ. Or, the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father, who art in heaven," which Christ taught us.

*Hymnum Deo nostro*. This is said in clarification of the new canticle.

*Videbunt multi*. Truly the light of knowledge, whereas they were previously blind. Or, they shall see the signs and miracles of Christ and his saints.

*Et timebunt*. Christ, of course, who performs such miracles.

*Et sperabunt in Domino*. They shall hope—that is, they shall believe; for he who hopes also believes. Or, they shall hope because he will save those who have believed in him. By the Lord, however, understand Christ.

VERS. 5. *Beatus vir, cujus est nomen Domini spes ejus*. "The name of the Lord," that is, the Lord. When he says "Blessed," therefore, he means him who trusts in God alone and not in anything else. Elsewhere he also says: "Blessed is the man who hopes in the Lord." And the arrangement is: "Blessed is the man of whom the name of the Lord is the hope." We can also understand this saying concerning Christians, ^D and construct it by the figure of hyperbaton in this way: "Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of his Lord." To every Christian, however, the name of Christ is hope and salvation; which the holy martyrs especially attested before tyrants, to whom they stated most openly that they had placed all their riches, and all their glory and hope, in this, that they were distinguished by the name of Christ their God, while they were called Christians.

^A *And he has not looked upon vanities.* Such a man has not busied himself with vain things, that is, with those things which are regarded as good by the many.

*And false insanities.* We must again supply from the preceding, "he has not looked upon." False insanities are divinations; for those who practiced divination, being possessed, were cast out of their right minds and were carried away like those who are deranged; and they lied concerning the things they said. Through such divinations he intended to designate the entire cult of idols, taking the whole from a part.

^B VERSE 6. *You have done many things, O Lord my God, your wondrous works.* The blessed David, having marveled at the ineffable mystery of Christ’s incarnation, and being unable to find a word worthy of it, expressed himself only with an exclamation, as well as he could, upon such a great gift, saying: "You have done many wondrous things, O Lord my God." The Apostle Paul also does this elsewhere, when, filled with wonder, he cries out: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out!" By "wondrous works" he refers not only to those performed in the time of Moses, and Joshua the son of Nun, and Samuel, and the miracles older than these, but even more to the events surrounding the incarnation of the Savior, which the Prophet, foreseeing through the Spirit, wondrously proclaims in the words we have cited. ^C *And in your thoughts, there is none who shall be considered equal to you.* There is no one who shall be considered equal to you in your thoughts—I mean, those concerning providence and salvation. For behold what a great thing you have devised: to become man for the sake of man.

*I have announced and spoken; they have been multiplied beyond number.* I have announced, he says, and I have taught of your many wondrous works in many psalms; but they have been multiplied even further, and have appeared to be innumerable, such that they could not be encompassed by any number. For the things I have now known are incomprehensible because of the height and immensity of his nature. ^D Alternatively: Unable to say anything else, I have announced and spoken only this concerning them, that they have been multiplied beyond number.

VERSE 7. *Sacrifice and offering you did not desire; but a body you have prepared for me.* That the things which follow are to be spoken in the person of Christ, Paul the Apostle taught us in the Epistle to the Hebrews. For he says that the Son and God said to the Father after the incarnation: "From hereafter, you have rejected the legal sacrifice, and all the offerings instituted by the Law; but you have prepared a body for me from the blood of a virgin, that this might be offered as a sacrifice for the salvation of men."

VERSE 8. *Whole burnt offerings, and those for sin, you did not seek.* In the book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy you will find clearly what the whole burnt offerings were, and what the sacrifices for [alt-version omitted]

sin were, and in general the differences between the sacrifices and the offerings. For the time being, however, he says: Since I am the true and rational sacrifice, and I take away the sin of the world, you have no further need of any bodily ^A legal sacrifice.

Then I said: Behold, I come. When then? When you rejected the legal sacrifices; for then I said myself: Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son; for the words, "Behold, I come," are as if to say: "You see that I am prepared."

Verse 9. In the scroll of the book it is written concerning me.

To do your will, O my God, I have desired. Since the things concerning me were predestined and foretold by the prophets, for this reason I desired to do your will. For the article before "to do" here is redundant. The will of the Father is this: the slaughter of His Son according to the flesh for the salvation of men. Concerning this, Christ himself also said later: "I have descended, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me."

And your law in the midst of my belly. The phrase "in the midst of my belly" stands for "from the midst of my belly"—that is, from the heart, with my whole soul; it is a preposition used for a preposition. But ^C one must understand from the context again, "I desired to do," that is, to fulfill your law, by which I mean the commandments which you have given me, from my heart.

Verse 10. I have proclaimed your righteousness in the great assembly.

Behold, my lips I will not restrain, O Lord, you have known. As you see, He says, I will not restrain my lips from

speaking the saving truths. But You have known, that I will not restrain them, as You know me, just as I also know You.

VERS. 11. Your justice I have not hidden in my heart. ^A Again He speaks concerning the Gospel, saying that I did not keep silent regarding it; but rather, I have revealed these things to all. Your truth and your salvation I have spoken. He calls the Gospel thus again; for it is not only full of justice, but also of truth; for I, He says, tell you the truth; and not only these things, but it also promises salvation to those who believe.

I have not hidden your mercy and your truth from a great assembly. These things are also said concerning the Gospel. For it is called mercy, as it has been given to us because of the mercy of God toward us, who did not endure that His own creation should lie any longer oppressed under the unjust tyranny of the demon, and who did not spare even His only-begotten Son for the sake of our salvation. Thus he called the Gospel by various names, because of ^B its manifold grace and the various gifts which have been granted to us through it.

VERS. 12. But You, O Lord, do not remove your mercies from me. What follows is said again from the person of the whole Church of the faithful, supplicating that, after receiving the seal of grace, she might not be forsaken, since many dangers from both men and demons stood threatening against her.

Your mercy and your truth have always helped me. Your truth, that is, your true promise. For You said: Behold, I am with you all the days, etc. But some copies have They have helped me, and it is understood that they have helped until now; but the better reading seems to be: May they help.

VERS. 13. For evils have surrounded me, of which there is no number. For I look ^C around, He says, at the various snares set for me, and I am already surrounded by them.

My iniquities have overtaken me. See how just men, out of excessive modesty, ascribe the dangers and temptations by which it happens that they are vexed to their own sins. Thus also those three children, with one voice in the furnace of fire, said: We have sinned, we have acted unjustly, and so forth, even though they were suffering not so much because of their own sins as for the sake of God.

And I was not able to see. For temptations darken the eyes of the soul, so that they cannot see what is useful. This mist, therefore, is dissolved by that light of consolation which comes from God. But the word "of" is redundant here also.

They have been multiplied beyond the hairs of my head. These words also are of extreme modesty; and it is likely that, while some are mingled with the faithful ^D who live more negligently and less according to virtue, whose sins...

the just ascribe to themselves because of the unity and communion of the faith.

^A *And my heart hath forsaken me.* It seems that I have also lost my heart, as if I were not being strengthened unto courage; for the heart is what usually stirs the soul and provides boldness.

*Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me.* Have the will to rescue me from these.

*O Lord, look upon me to help me.* "Look upon me" means "Observe me diligently."

*Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together who seek after my soul to take it away.* Let them suffer both these things; let them be ashamed as having been defeated by our patience, and let them be brought to confusion as they observe thy invincible power which protects us, ^B as they seek after my soul to draw it away through every kind of torment. Or "together" means "all of them as one."

*Let them be turned backward and be brought to shame who wish me evil.* Let them be turned back empty-handed, with their deed undone, as I have not been overcome, and therefore let them be brought to shame. He curses them in various ways so that he may more openly express the sorrow conceived in his soul.

*Let them carry* forthwith *their shame, who say to me, Aha, aha.* Concerning "Aha, aha," we have said elsewhere that it is an adverb of mockery.

^C *Let all those who seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee, O Lord.* Consider "rejoice and be glad" to be synonymous, if you please; but if not, you have their distinction in the third verse of the ninth psalm. "In thee," that is, in the faith which is in thee.

*And let those who love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.* Those who love the salvation which is from thee. Or by "thy salvation" he means his incarnation; for that incarnation was the salvation of those who were perishing. And let those who have attained thy help thus say: "The Lord be magnified," that is, let him be esteemed great.

^D *But I am poor and needy.* This can be said in the person of every individual faithful one. For they are "inops" (destitute), as having abandoned all the goods of fortune, and "pauperes" (paupers), as those who provide what is necessary for themselves with their own hands. For the "ptochos" (the indigent one), who in Latin is "inops," is so named from the Greek etymology because of having fallen [falling], as if he had fallen away from all ancient riches and is now without resources. But the "penes" (the laborer), who in Latin is "pauper," is so named from labor; for he surely procures all things suitable for himself by his own labor.

*The Lord will be solicitous for me.* For I have taken refuge in him alone, and therefore he will not despise me who hope in him.

*Thou art my helper and my protector, O my God; do not delay.* "My God, do not be slow to..."

Variae lectiones: (47) Al. ἀναστάσεως. (48) Al. ταυτοσήμαντα.

I have understood. I have deeper thoughts on these words, and they seem to me to signify something profound if we accommodate that verse to the blessed David: "I am poor and needy." The Prophet had foreseen those masses of riches which, through the grace of God, were to be poured out upon the Christians. When he desired them with no small longing, eventually, as one who knew he was far off from that time, he was saddened. Calling himself miserable on account of this, he says: "I am poor and needy," unable to participate in such riches. "Nevertheless, God will be solicitous for me," so that He might share with me that selfsame glory which the faithful are about to receive in the kingdom of heaven. Indeed, we read it said by the Lord Himself that David yearned to see His day. For this reason, the Prophet now asks God, saying: "Do not delay," that is, your incarnation. These are the words of one supplicating to God the Son, ^A that He might help us.

To the end, a Psalm of David itself. PSALM XL.

"To the end" is inscribed because it contains a prophecy which extended toward an end. For it predicts the rebellion of the traitor Judas. The argument of this present psalm is clear: it treats of love and charity toward the poor. Yet, considering it more deeply, it pertains to the mystery of our Savior Christ, who chose to become indigent and poor for the sake of human salvation, and who, in the Gospel according to John, testifies that the words of the present psalm were spoken concerning Himself and Judas, when He says to the apostles: "I do not speak of you all; I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, which says: 'He that eats bread with me, has lifted up his heel against me.'" For nowhere else is such a testimony found in Scripture, except what is said in this present psalm: "He that eats my bread, has magnified his betrayal against me."

^B VERSE 2. "Blessed is he who considers the poor and needy."

"Who considers," that is, who contemplates, who thinks upon what is proper. For understanding is diligent and exact consideration. He is accustomed, without distinction, to call the destitute "poor and needy." But the ancients understood by "needy" a beggar, as one who is altogether lacking in help and—as we said elsewhere from the etymology of the Greek term—has fallen from an original state; whereas they understood by "poor" one who provides for his daily sustenance by the work of his hands, as we said in the preceding psalm. Blessed, therefore, is such a man, for he has God as his debtor. For we are taught through Solomon that he who pities the poor lends to God; and this Christ confirmed with His own mouth, saying: "As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me." And this, indeed, is interpreted simply concerning the poor; but by understanding it more profoundly, as we have said, the psalm can be explained concerning Christ: that he is blessed who understands and considers that Christ is God, even though He appeared surrounded by such indigence and poverty that He did not even have where to recline His head. For, considering correctly, he will fully understand this from the things which He both taught in His discourse and confirmed by His works.

"In an evil day the Lord will deliver him." He teaches the profit which one receives from such an understanding. What is the...

is an evil day, as we said before in the thirty-sixth Psalm, where it says: "They shall not be ashamed in an evil time." ^A For it signifies the same thing to say "evil time" and "evil day." *The Lord preserve him.* The Prophet prays for such a man, as one who is good. *And vivify him.* That is to say, make him live. *And bless him on the earth.* And show him to be blessed and enviable, not only in this present life, but also in the kingdom of heaven. *And deliver him not into the hands of his enemies.* Neither into the hands of visible nor invisible ones.

*The Lord help him upon the bed of his pain.* ^B *Upon the bed of pain*, that is, the one receiving him as he suffers in his illness. But Aquila and Theodotion did not render all these words in the optative mood, but in the future indicative, namely: "He shall preserve," "He shall vivify," and "He shall give help," thinking that all these things are said as a sort of reward and recompense.

*Thou hast turned all his bed in his sickness.* By "bed" he means the couch. ^C But *Thou hast turned* is equivalent to "Thou hast changed." He says, therefore, that at the time of this man's sickness, Thou hast changed his couch, truly from a diseased state to a healthy one. And "all," is equivalent to "completely." *Thou hast turned* is equivalent to "Thou shall turn." Or, by way of conjecture, or rather in the prophetic manner, he speaks of things that were to happen as if they had already occurred.

*I said: O Lord, have mercy on me.* All that follows is spoken in the person of Christ; ^D and He entreats God as a man, showing that every human being is in need of the mercy of God. *Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee.* But how, one may say, do we read elsewhere that Christ did not commit sin? It is most certain that He never sinned; but because He became for our sake the same as we are — that is, a man — He consequently claimed as His own our passions and affections, and what our nature, which had sinned, ought to have cried out, He cried out before it and on its behalf, as He was of the same nature as it, even though He was without sin. Just as the victim which was sacrificed for sin according to the Law took the sin upon itself and was consumed together with the victim, so too Christ, being sacrificed for our sins, took all our sins upon Himself; and, just as if He Himself had sinned, so He both prayed for their remission and died, on account of the exceeding and ineffable greatness of His mercy.

*My enemies have spoken evil to me.* The enemies of

^A Christ, the Jews, who were cut to the heart by envy, spoke evil; by which is meant "evil words," and by "evil" is meant "harmful to me." What they said, hear through the verses that follow: *When shall he die? For he is a burden to us,* they say, *and a sight to behold.* *And his name shall perish.* For they saw Him filled with great power, healing every disease and every infirmity, and they thought that He would at some time be extinguished by death.

*And he went in to see.* The traitor Judas, as one of my familiars, he says, entered without hindrance where I was, to see if it was an opportune time to betray me. ^B *His heart spoke in vain.* His heart spoke in vain to itself regarding the betrayal, at the time that he entered to see. Or, in vain did he strive to hide from me; for I knew, as the Knower of hearts, all that he was plotting and willing. *He gathered iniquity to himself.* The wretch could accomplish nothing else by such thinking, except that he stored up iniquity for himself, as he laid snares against his own teacher and Savior. Some place a full stop after the words "spoke in vain," so that the sense might be: "He spoke peacefully to me in vain, while plotting enmity in his mind." But the sense that we mentioned ^C in the first place is better.

*He went out and spoke to the same effect.* For, having received the morsel of bread, Judas immediately went out. The expression "to the same effect" means the same as "together." He was speaking, he says, together with my enemies about the things pertaining to the betrayal: "What are you willing to give me?" and what follows. All these things the evangelists clearly record as having occurred. *All my enemies whispered against me.* They whispered to one another in the ear the things of the conspiracy, to be sure fearing the crowd to speak openly. *They thought evil things against me.* They were meditating death-bringing things ^D against me, for they held a council, he says, against Jesus, so as to put Him to death.

*They laid an unlawful word against me.* For "laid" read "answered." For when interrogated by Pilate, "What shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?" they answered, "Let Him be crucified." But the word is unlawful; for it was not permitted to deliver an innocent man to death. And this very thing Pilate many times reproached them for, saying that he found no cause of death in Him, and that "You shall see." Or "laid" means "concocted" or "machinated." For they said that He stirs up the crowd against Caesar—which words were also unlawful. For it was not permitted to bear false witness.

*Shall he who sleeps not add that he shall rise again?*

^A He says this by way of questioning, as God: "Does the man who is sleeping truly not wish to rise again?" For the Hebrews often use the word "add" for "to be willing." But if he who sleeps shall rise again, I too, having died in the flesh, shall rise again more quickly; for my death is like sleep. For just as someone sleeps of his own volition, so too shall I die and rise again of my own volition.

*For even the man of my peace in whom I hoped, who ate my bread, has magnified his supplantation against me.* The conjunction "for" is redundant here, and the meaning is as follows: "Even he who was my intimate friend and most closely joined to me became an adversary against me." By "man of peace," the Hebrews mean a "peaceful man." He says, therefore, that even my peaceful one, that is, my friend—and he refers to Judas, in whom I trusted as in myself, whom I fed together with the other disciples—he magnified, that is, he strengthened against me, his guile. For "supplantation," the word used, is derived from the metaphor of those who, while running, guilefully trip someone up with their heel. Judas strengthened this guile through his agreement ^B with the chief priests and Scribes, and in some measure supplanted Christ through that convention and conspiracy which he entered into with the scribes and the pontiffs.

*But You, O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me up, and I will recompense them.* The words "have mercy" and "raise me up" befit a human being; for having become man, He did not refuse to pour out prayers to God, which is proper to that nature, for He prayed often. But "I will recompense" befits divinity. And He did recompense them when He delivered them over to the Romans to be destroyed.

*By this I knew that You have delighted in me, that my enemy shall not rejoice over me.* "You have delighted" is used instead of "You have loved," for what anyone loves, that he also desires to have. "By this," He says, "I knew that You loved me: in that my enemy has not rejoiced over me," that is, in that I have returned to life, and in that My name has been proclaimed to the whole world, which is a source of grief to him. For he seeks that I should die and that My name should utterly perish. By "enemy" you may understand both the devil and Judas privately.

*But as for me, because of my innocence, You have upheld me.* These words are likewise spoken by the assumed flesh. By "innocence," He means purity; for He did not, He says, commit iniquity. ^C *And You have established me in Your presence for ever, and You have set me beside Yourself*; according to that which is said: *Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies your footstool.*

*Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting. So be it, so be it.* Having foretold the things said, and the ineffable ^D summation of God's

having narrated with much admiration the mercy and ineffable condescension of the Savior, he composes a hymn to Him, saying: ^A Laudable is the God of the true Israel—that is, of the faithful—as we explained in the twenty-first Psalm, expounding that verse: "Let all the seed of Israel fear Him"; and from this world until the world to come. Then he prays that the incarnation of the Lord, of which he had spoken above, might be hastened, saying: "Let it be, let it be." We understand by this that the Prophet is praying for what he had before mentioned. And that repetition of the word "let it be" demonstrates the intensity of the prayer.

To the end, for understanding, to the sons of Core.

PSALM XLI

Of the sons of Core, we have spoken in the Prooemium of this work. It is inscribed "To the end" because of the prophecies contained herein, which tended toward the end. ^B Since it was to come to pass that the Hebrew people, on account of their own transgressions, would be led captive to Babylon by the Assyrians, where they were detained for seventy years, the blessed David, foreseeing this and being inspired by the prophetic spirit, takes on the persona of any pious and religious Jew living in that captivity—such as Daniel, Ezekiel, the three youths, and their like—and recounts what happened during that time. He used the phrase "for understanding," judging that those among them who were endowed with greater intelligence were crying these or similar words to God; or perhaps it is because, in order to grasp the sense of the entire Psalm, the reader has need of much understanding.

VERS. 2. *As the hart panteth after the fountains of water, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.* The Prophet, wishing to show the intensity of his burning desire, ^C took as an example the hart that is exceedingly thirsty; for this animal, being by nature very hot and even more inflamed by the flesh of reptiles and serpents, which it is accustomed to eat, loves the fountains of water most of all and ever desires to remain near them. Here, he used "panteth" (desiderat) for "hasteneth" (festinare), and thus did Aquila render it. And as for the words "so panteth my soul after Thee," I mean [after Thee] Who dwellest in Jerusalem. For the people who were in Babylon thought that they could not enjoy the divine presence there, because that whole region was given over to the worship of idols.

VERS. 3. *My soul hath thirsted after the strong, living God.* "Hath thirsted"—that is, hath ardently desired. ^D Thus, from every side, he shows the ardor of his desire. He calls God "strong and living" on account of the infirm and dead gods of the Babylonians. Some say that from this verse was taken that hymn which the Greeks call the Trisagion [by which we are accustomed to praise God, saying: Holy God, holy strong One, holy immortal One].

*When shall I come and appear before the face of God?* [That is, before God Himself.] It is the utterance of one who is longing: "When," he says, "shall I come to Thee in Jerusalem and shall I appear before the

^A face of God; that is, before God, in a paraphrase; "and I shall appear," through the worship and the standing in the temple, which is not possible in Babylon.

"My tears have been bread to me day and night, while it is said to me every day: Where is your God?" In the Babylonians mocking the weakness of my God to me, my tears became bread to me, not as something to feed upon, but as something I craved. For I was yearning for tears as for bread, and these were as necessary to me as food is to all men. And such longing and necessity were not only by day, but also by night.

"These things I remembered, and I poured out my soul beyond me." "These things," instead of "such things," I say, meaning: "Where is your God?" And "I poured out," instead of, "I loosened my soul within myself," I released it from its tension; for that which is compact is strengthened, but that which flows is slackened. One must know in general that the Hebrew dialect frequently uses constructions indifferently, as it does here, saying "upon me" (ἐπ' ἐμὲ) instead of "in me" (ἐν ἐμοί). But if you refer the, "These things I remembered," to the following verse, you will make a different meaning, that "I remembered these things, and I poured out," that is, I loosened my soul, which had been straitened within myself. These things he does, clearly [alluding to] the following verse; for he says:

"For I shall pass over to the place of the wondrous tabernacle, [even] to the house of God." ^C I was heartened, he says, remembering that I shall walk again in the temple as far as its inmost sanctuary; for by the "wondrous tabernacle" he means the renowned temple of Solomon, and by the "house of God," the inmost sanctuary of the temple. But concerning the second interpretation: you shall understand the "for" as confirmatory, as if the speaker is prophesying. Otherwise: the "tabernacle" may be the holy flesh of the Word from us; and this is "wondrous," as it was fashioned without seed; and the "house of God" is its rational soul, for through the midst of it God conversed with the flesh; and the "place" is the Word Himself, who both upheld and fashioned the assumed nature in Himself. I shall pass over, therefore, he says, guided by the Word of God, as far as the soul of the assumed nature, philosophizing about them, and contemplating [them] according to my ability; but to proceed further, I shall not be permitted. ^D "In the voice of exultation and confession, the sound of one celebrating a festival." I shall pass over, moreover, in a voice of joy and in a voice of thanksgiving, a sound of a festal character, that is: I shall keep festival again, as of old, and I shall use the worship of the law.

^A

VERS. 6. *Quare tristis es, anima mea, et quare conturbas me?* Why dost thou distress me, he says, and confuse me, and not allow me to rest? He began to speak these words after he had become certain of his return to his homeland.

*Spera in Deo, quoniam adhuc confitebor illi.* Because I shall give thanks to him, that is to say, once I have returned.

*Salutare vultus mei, et Deus meus.* Thinking upon the later benefit of God, he calls upon Him with joy, saying: O my salvation, paraphrastically, and O my God.

*Ad me ipsum conturbata est anima mea.* To me myself, that is, in myself, with no one else outside knowing of this sorrow of mine. It was troubled, however, as it considered the sins for which we were handed over to our enemies, or pondering the delay and slowness of our return to our homeland. ^B

*Propterea memor ero tui de terra Jordanis, et Hermoniim a monte modico.* Therefore, he says, being afflicted I shall remember thee, that is, I shall call to mind the care and concern thou didst have for us, and especially on account of those good things which, with thee as the author, we enjoyed in the land of promise. For by the Jordan and the mountain next to it, which is called both Hermoniim and Hermon, he signified all of Judea. And he added the specific quality of that mountain, that it is small.

VERS. 8. *Abyssus abyssum invocat in vocem cataractarum tuarum.* ^C Mindful of the ancient benefits of God, he laments that in the present he appears abandoned by Him, understanding by "abyss" a vast sea of calamities, in which he then saw himself caught. A deep, he says, and vast calamity, always calls another vast calamity, to the voice of thy *cataractarum*, that is, of thy crushed ones. For such alternate and frequent calamities attack us who are thy crushed and broken servants, that they seem to urge one another on; and they afflict and sting us to such a degree that, on account of the excessive pain, they even provoke us to a cry. The expression *cataractarum*, however, is Greek, and signifies the same here as we have said, namely, of the crushed or broken. [For it is a verbal noun, and descends from a verb that means to crush or to break. ^D And although this verbal noun is properly of active signification, it is here used in the passive. But if you take the expression in an active sense, the letter should be read: *In voce confractorum*, that is, of thy crushers or breakers; and then explain the whole verse in this way: The immensity of our sins invokes the immensity of thy mercies: and this at the voice of the preachers of the Gospel, that is, the apostles. For the apostles are certain very strong breakers, crushing, indeed, every diabolical pride. But if you read the text as it can also be read: *In vocem cataractarum tuarum*, you can understand, according to a higher anagogy, that *abyssus* and *abyssus* signify the Old and New Testament, on account of the depth, indeed, of the hidden meanings: and say that the New calls upon the Old Testament, in the voice of thy *cataractarum*, that is, through the voice of thy prophets. For they are deservedly called pro-

- phets as certain cataracts, because they pour out the waters of divine and heavenly prophecy, with a certain vehemence, like cataracts. Therefore, the New Testament calls the Old Testament to witness, to show that the prophets themselves also foretold the mysteries of Christ.

^A Omnes sublevationes tuæ, et fructus tui super me transierunt. By "sublevations" and "waves," he signifies the incursions of temptations and calamities. He says, therefore: All thy scourges have made a path over me. He says "all" on account of their multiplicity.

VERS. 9. Die mandabit Dominus misericordiam suam. "In the day," that is, in the day; for, openly and clearly. But "mandabit," that is, he will send. For he who sends seems to command or mandate; or, he will ordain and dispose his mercy. The discourse here predicts how their return to their homeland will become manifest to all.

Et nocte canticum ejus apud me. Through this whole time of captivity, and at night, when I can do it more safely, I will sing to my God. For in the day no leisure is given me, when I serve masters and lack an opportune time.

Oratio Deo vitæ meæ. And not only will his song be with me, but also prayer; the song, indeed, in thanksgiving for the opportune and long-expected liberation, but the prayer for the speeding up of this liberation. And as to what he says, "to the God of my life," explain it as: to the God who is the giver of life, as in that saying, "God of my salvation," that is, my Savior.

VERS. 10. Dicam Deo: Adjutor meus es, quare oblitus es mei, et quare contristatus incedo dum affligit me inimicus? God seemed to have forgotten the Jews, because they had long been left by him in the power of their enemies, where they were afflicted, ^C as is likely to be the case for those who are established in captivity.

VERS. 11. Dum confringuntur ossa mea, exprobraverunt mihi inimici mei, dum dicunt mihi per singulos dies: Ubi est Deus tuus? By the crushing of my bones, he means because of the heavy burden of servitude, or because of the blows and stripes which are constantly inflicted upon me by the Babylonians. Or, "I am exhausted and weakened in my strength." For by "bones" he understands strength. Since, therefore, I was in such a state, my enemies mocked me, always throwing this at me: Where is thy God, who should snatch thee away and liberate thee?

VERS. 12. Quare tristis es anima mea, et quare conturbas me? spera in Deo, quoniam confitebor illi, salutare vultus mei, et Deus meus. He repeats what he had said above, which he does so that he might fortify himself with confidence and patience. This psalm also befits every pious and religious man who has suffered many calamities in the present life, and who longs to be dissolved [with Paul] and to return to God. And then, by those who reproach, you will understand not only the demons ^D themselves, but also the enemies; and by the "land of Jordan," this lower land of ours, which, by comparison, is far inferior to the heavenly. For Jordan is interpreted as "lower land"; Hermoniim, indeed, as "place of sorrow," and you shall explain the rest consistently according to this sense.

Psalm to David, which among the Hebrews is without inscription: Psalm XLII

^A The present psalm lacks an inscription, as it is of the same theme and sentiment as the preceding psalm, and in a certain way seems to be a part of it. For it agrees with it very much; and it is probable that he who uttered these words was the same as he who uttered those. These things also are spoken in the person of one alone, as one who is both the cause and the result of the whole people, because such a person is rare and almost unique, having taken upon himself the passions of the race. Which perhaps for that reason might be found by one who does so.

VERS. 1. *Judge me, O God.* The word "Judge," if it be joined with the accusative, signifies the same as "Condemn," according to what we read in the saying: "Judge them, O God"; but if with the dative [as it is here], it will mean "Be a Judge."

*And discern my cause from a nation not holy.* "From a nation," that is, "With a nation." Or, "discern the cause from a nation" that is wicked and unjust, and that does not worship the true God. He understands by this the Babylonians.

*From an unjust and deceitful man deliver me.* He calls him "unjust," as being lawless, and "deceitful," as a deceiver. And similar things to this are held in that prayer of the three youths. "For you have delivered us," they say, "to an unjust king and most lawless, beyond all that are upon the earth." ^B It is also to be noted, that he accuses them sometimes in the singular, and sometimes in the plural or collective name: because, of course, they lived together in both private and common wickedness. But you, by the "nation" and the "unjust and deceitful man," shall understand the demons themselves and the prince of demons; for they differ in nothing from man in their disturbances, seeing that, in the manner of men, they are seized by a mad love of pleasures, and are defiled by various lusts, since they are affected by bodily passions. ^C

VERS. 2. *For you are, O God, my strength.* That is, my stability and my powers.

*Why have you repelled me?* Placing me into captivity. For I am your servant, but these are your enemies.

*And why do I go about sad, while the enemy afflicts me?* He does not say this as accusing God, but rather as placating and soothing Him.

VERS. 3. *Send forth your light and your truth.* According to the anagogical sense, by light and truth he understands Christ. For He says: "I am the light, and the truth, and the life." According to the historical sense, he calls "light" the visitation and custody of God, which brings with it a certain utmost light of joy, by whose splendor all the darkness of afflictions is dissolved. But explain "truth" as "true aid."

*They have led me, and brought me into your holy mount, and into your tabernacles.* Time is used in this place for time, namely, the past for the future. "Your light," he says, "and your truth, they shall lead me and bring me into your holy mount, Zion, and into your tabernacles," that is, into the temple. ^D According to the anagogical sense, Christ shall lead and bring

the faithful to the Jerusalem above, and the heavenly ^A tabernacles; for "I," he says, "am the way, the truth," etc.

VERS. 4. And I will go in unto the altar of God. I will adore, he says, God, and will sacrifice to Him. To God who gladdeneth my youth. These things are spoken in the person of those who were born in captivity, and who were now ascending to Jerusalem. For it is likely that their parents perished as captives in Babylon. Or, by "youth," he understands the flourishing resolve of the soul. For they were being renewed, and were, in a certain sense, growing young again, when they were increasingly kindled with the desire for divine worship. According to the anagogical sense, by "youth" that renewal is understood which happens through baptism, when, the old man being put off, we clothe ourselves in the new.

VERS. 5. I will confess to thee on the harp, O God, my God. I shall recover, he says, my former and more pleasant state of life, and I will give thee thanks with musical organs and instruments, as of old; all of which, from the time we became captives in Babylon, we hung upon the willows, for the very reason that, since no use of music became us at that time, those instruments lay there as if condemned to leisure and inertia. According to the anagogical sense, by "the harp," we understand moral virtue, which is concerned with actions, as we have said elsewhere; but the words, "O God, my God," reveal a most ardent affection toward God. Why art thou sad, O my soul, and why dost thou disturb me? Hope in God, for I will still confess to Him, the salvation of my countenance, and my God. The same things he enjoins upon himself again for the greater confirmation of his mind.

In the end, for the sons of Core, for understanding, a Psalm of David himself.

PSALM XLIII

The inscription of this psalm is similar to that of the forty-first, of which we have already spoken. Now, it is necessary to say only this much: that the blessed David composed this present psalm in the person of Mattathias the Maccabee and his sons, who, at the time when the region of Judea was being ravaged by Antiochus, surnamed the Illustrious, and by the Macedonians, were exiles, but though late, they nevertheless regained their strength and courage. Whence, having collected forces for the time, and trusting in God, they girded themselves for the defense and vengeance of their own people, as Josephus has related more fully in their history. Since, therefore, these exiles, together with the other fugitives who had been gathered from the Jews, were trembling on account of the cruelty of the Macedonians, they composed for themselves an exhortation in the form of a prayer, which would commemorate every one of the wondrous deeds of their forefathers, so that, by these examples, they might be heartened and more confidently stirred up to battle.

VERS. 2. O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have declared to us the work which thou hast wrought in their days, in the days of old. What he says, "We have heard with our ears," is added for the greater confirmation and greater trustworthiness of the discourse. For we are accustomed, when we narrate some deed of which we are certain, to take the senses themselves as witnesses,

as it is written: "Our eyes have seen," and, "Our hands have touched." But having said, "We have heard," they add also from whom, namely, from the fathers—clearly, from the writings they have left behind. And what it is that we have heard, and what God has wrought, hear in what follows. ^B

Vers. 3. *Thy hand exterminated the nations, and Thou didst plant them.* By "nations" he understands the Canaanites and the other peoples who had lived in the land of promise before; and by His "hand," the divine power. *Thou didst plant them,* that is, Thou didst make our fathers to inhabit it. Consider the exquisite mode of expression: concerning those nations he says that God "exterminated" them, because they were utterly eradicated from that region; but concerning the Jews he says, "Thou didst plant them," because, in the seat of the nations from whence those had been exterminated and expelled, they themselves cast firm and stable roots. For those first fathers were never expelled from there, although their children, paying the penalties for committed sins, often later migrated elsewhere by God's command. Leaving aside all the preceding miracles, the Prophet draws the argument of his discourse chiefly from this: that if God placed strangers in an alien seat, they have now all the more hope that, having been driven from their homeland, they will again be brought back there by God and restored to their pristine state. *Thou didst afflict the peoples, and cast them out.* The nations, that is. For they were not merely cast out, but were first afflicted by war and divine calamity.

VERS. 4. *For they did not inherit the land by their own sword.* They did not obtain the land of promise by their own weapons. *And their arm did not save them.* Nor did their power deliver them from so many and such terrible nations. *But Thy right hand and Thy arm.* By "right hand," some understand help, and by "arm," power. Others, however, say that both terms denote power in parallelism. *And the illumination of Thy countenance.* That is, Thy visitation. For it says elsewhere, "Show Thy face, and we shall be saved." Divine visitation, or the divine aspect, is taken for His help: for if one wishes to be of help to someone in danger, he necessarily directs the keenness of his eyes toward him. ^C *Because Thou wast pleased in them.* That is, because Thou didst wish well to our fathers; for this is what the word "wast pleased" signifies in this place.

VERS. 5. *Thou art Thyself my King and my God.* Thou who didst work those things, Thou art the same also now, being immutable; and we too are the sons of those same men. It remains only that Thou shouldst at last work miracles in us, since we worship Thee as King and God, just as they worshipped Thee before. *Who commandest the salvations of Jacob.* By these words, the facility ^D

and speed of divine help are explained. Thou, he says, who usest the word alone to save that people which is descended from Jacob. Or otherwise: Thou who dost suggest in wars and dost provide for Thy people the method by which they ought to be saved, saying: Do this or that.

*In thee will we push down our enemies.* We shall overcome them; this is taken from the metaphor of animals, which fight with their horns.

*And in thy name will we despise them that rise up against us.* We are confident, he says, that by merely brandishing Thy name against our enemies, and merely crying out, "The God of Israel," we shall, strengthened by this name, despise them and consider them of no account.

*For I will not trust in my bow, and my sword shall not save me.* For even if I am equipped with such arms for war, yet I have no confidence in them.

*For thou hast saved us from them that afflict us, and hast put to shame them that hate us.* For we have received the trial of the help from Thee even before, and we know how Thou dost respond.

*In God will we boast all the day long.* For *In God will we boast*, Symmachus said *We shall be glorified*; for he who boasts praises himself. Not in another matter, he says, out of all things shall we boast, although we have many things to say, but only in this, that we know God. And as for what he says: *All the day*, Aquila translates it everywhere as *During every day*, but Symmachus, *Throughout all our life*.

*And in thy name we will confess for ever.* As for *We will confess*, some have understood it as *We will narrate*, as for example: In Thy name we will make a narrative, recounting to all the great things which this name of Thine has wrought, as much in our fathers as in us, beyond the belief of men. Or otherwise: We will give thanks to Thy name; the preposition is placed redundantly. As for *For ever*, all interpreters everywhere say it signifies "always."

*But now thou hast cast us off, and put us to shame.* Thou hast *cast us off*, indeed, as unworthy; ^C and thou hast *put us to shame*, that is, Thou hast caused us to be ashamed by not responding to us while we were suffering such things.

*And thou wilt not go out, O God, in our powers.* Here also there is a change of tense, as Symmachus has rendered it: *And thou wilt not go out with our armies*. For these, he called powers.

*Thou hast turned us back from our enemies.* From being first, standing by Thy guardianship, Thou hast turned us back to the lowest rank, and hast lowered us before our enemies.

*And they that hate us snatched for themselves.* They were snatching, that is, our goods.

*Thou hast given us as sheep of slaughter.* For *Thou hast given*, [he means] Thou hast handed us over, Thou hast delivered us, and not even as sheep of possession, but for slaughter; for these are viler than those [others], as being suitable for the knife.

*And among the nations thou hast dispersed us.* Into slavery. ^D

^{A B C D} Different nations were fighting alongside the Macedonians. For in the person of the captives and the exiles, the Prophet speaks these things.

VER. 13. *Thou hast sold thy people without price.* Thou hast delivered into slavery, he says, thy people formerly beloved to thee, without a price. By saying this, he declares the worthlessness of the people; for we are accustomed to sell off very wicked servants as useless and worthless, without any price, considering their removal a gain. This is also what God says through the prophet Isaiah, when he says: *Ye were sold for nothing.*

*And there was no multitude in our exchanges.* And our prices, he says, were not great; for the exchange of a servant is the price paid in his stead. They are speaking ironically against themselves by saying this, for they had been delivered into slavery even without any price at all. Certain copies, however, have *in our shoutings*, so that the sense is that the number of the enemies was not great when they used shoutings to celebrate their victory. For they conquered us when they were few in number compared to us.

VER. 14. *Thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and a derision to those who are round about us.* By "scorn" he means being despised, and by "derision," a mocking jest. By "neighbors" and "those round about us," he understands the foreigners, such as the Idumeans, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and others of that kind.

VER. 15. *Thou hast made us a byword among the nations.* For "byword" he said "example," for they were accustomed to say: "May it happen to all our other enemies just as we see it happening to the Israelite people." Or [he means] "into a story," or "into a fable," for the calamities of the Jews were told by all.

*A shaking of the head among the peoples.* The verb must be taken from the common context: "Thou hast made us a shaking of the head among the peoples of the nations." For they shake their heads at us, some pitying us, but others, rather, rejoicing and as it were saying, "Aha! Aha!"

VER. 16. *All the day my disgrace is before me.* It is always in my sight. *And the shame of my face hath covered me.* Thus ignominiously have I been despoiled and dispersed. Both these phrases mean the same thing.

VER. 17. *By the voice of him that reproacheth and slandered by the face of the enemy and persecutor.* I have disgrace, he says, both from what the reproaching neighbors say and from what the enemies, who view me with arrogance, look upon; I am not even able to look them in the face. And as for what we read here as "slanderer," Aquila called it "blasphemer."

VER. 18. *All these things have come upon us.* We have endured all these calamities.

And we have not forgotten you.* So that we might call upon a different God. *And we have not acted unjustly in your covenant.* We have not transgressed your law; for he who transgresses the law acts unjustly and does injury to the law itself.

*And our heart has not turned back.* It has not turned toward worse things. Now all these things are said by the more god-fearing members of the people, who, even in such afflictions, observed the commandments of God, and on behalf of all the remaining ones, they offer a defense to God, inciting these others as well to courage. ^B

*You have turned our paths aside from your way.* And you have changed our paths away from your way—that which leads to your temple—so that we can no longer walk toward it, since some of us are captives and others have fled far from their homeland.

*Because you have humbled us in a place of affliction.* In a place of distress, or captivity. *And the shadow of death has covered us.* This is the present calamity, which is so bitter that it seems almost equal to death. He called it a shadow because shadows are wont to be like those things whose forms they represent.

*If we have forgotten the name of our God.* That is, if we have forgotten our God. He used ^C the circumlocution. *And if we have stretched out our hands to a foreign god.* These words were said as an exposition of the preceding verse.

*Will not God search this out?* If we have done this or that, will not God search all these things out? *For he himself knows the secret things of the heart.* As if to say: "We have not even once brought such a thing into our mind."

*Because for your sake we are put to death all the day long.* By our own resolution and willingness. For although we could be at peace and live safely among the idolaters and enemies of God, yet for your sake we endure all things, and we are ready to face death for you. The word "because" here is superfluous.

*We were reckoned as sheep for the slaughter.* Because, clearly, we are exposed to death, such that we are unable to help ourselves. ^D

*Arise.* For the vengeance of your people. *Why do you sleep, O Lord?* Why do you remain quiet, exercising such great long-suffering? For one who sleeps appears to be quiet.

*Rise up.* For our help, that is. And "Rise up" in this place means the same as "Arise." We are accustomed, as we have often said, to attribute human actions and passions or affections to the Divinity, not being able to explain the meaning otherwise, because of the weakness of the hearers.

And do not cast us off forever. Since you have cast us off ^A in part and for a time, do not cast us off for all time. VERS. 24. Why do you turn away your face? This means, your visitation and guardianship, as if from the unworthy. You forget our poverty and our tribulations. Once again, the word "Why" must be taken from the common sense; for here "poverty" signifies trouble and suffering. Why, therefore, do you forget our poverty, that is, why do you have no regard for our calamities? VERS. 25. For our soul is humiliated in the dust. We ourselves, he says, lie down like humble and abject people on the ground, and we are prostrate upon the earth. Our belly is glued to the earth. By lying upon the ground, that is to say. Or while we are pressed down by the weight of our calamities, and bowed, we look toward the earth. He even who is humble is lowered to the earth; whoever is immersed in worldly business, he is glued to the earth; the glutton is, or the fornicator, or whoever else clings to seductive pleasures. VERS. 26. Arise, O Lord, help us. For you seem to be sitting and looking down upon us perish ^B. And deliver us for the sake of your name. We do not ask for this on account of the merits of our own virtues, since we are sinners and unworthy of salvation; but so that your name may be feared and held in veneration, and may not be blasphemed by the idolaters. And according to the historical sense, we have explained this psalm abundantly. But according to the anagogical sense, we could say that the words of this psalm are those of the holy martyrs to Christ, who have suffered many and heavy things by the grace of Christ himself, and are put to death all the day long. Or, they are the words of any of the faithful and religious men who are harmed by bloodthirsty nations. *In the end, for those who are to be changed, for the sons of Core, in understanding, a song for the beloved.*

PSALM XLIV

because indeed this treats of Christ, who is beloved to the Father himself, as the only-begotten Son, and equally to us, because he is a most solicitous father to us all: whence we read that it was said of him by the Father: *This is my beloved Son*. But for *concerning the beloved* [pro dilecto] instead of *of the beloved* [de dilecto]—it is a preposition for a preposition, as we have said is often used by the prophets elsewhere.

^{A B C D} [For it would seem that] it was sent forth from the heart of our prophet, with a certain supernal force impelling it, when it had been filled with the most sweet banquet of the holy Spirit.

VERS. 2. *My heart hath uttered a good word.* The prophet, perceiving that certain great things were to be proclaimed by him concerning Christ, uses a certain prologue, saying that he is about to bring forth a good and salutary discourse. You, however, also consider the emphasis of the word, *hath uttered* [eructavit]. For that seems to indicate to us, that just as an utterance [eructatio] comes forth even from the mouth of one who is unwilling, as the human belly sends it forth with a certain force, so also this psalm concerning the Beloved was sent forth from the inmost parts by me, having been filled with the sustenance of the holy Spirit.

*I speak my works to the king.* I proclaim, therefore, to Christ the King my works, that is, the prophecies which I pronounce concerning him through the Spirit. For it is the work of a prophet to weave together prophecies.

*My tongue is the pen of a scribe that writeth swiftly.* By these words also he demonstrates how he is not about to say anything from himself. Just as a pen, he says, serves the hand of the writer, and is moved only in the direction that the hand urges it, so also my tongue performs the office of a certain pen for that supreme scribe, namely the holy Spirit, and is moved only as the Spirit directs it. He said *of a scribe that writeth swiftly*, in order to show the ease of the utterance. For men, on account of the feebleness of their own minds, can scarcely speak and write at the same time, while they are occupied more attentively with the invention of thoughts and the connection of words. Thus far have been the words of the prologue. Now, however, he approaches the discourse, and directs his words to Christ, speaking of the virtues of the assumed man.

VERS. 3. *Thou art beautiful in form above the sons of men.* The word *art* is understood. Understand this appearance, however, that is, this beauty, not of the body, but of the soul: which Christ always preserved whole, remaining alone above all without sin. For Isaias, saying: *We have seen him, and he had no form, nor comeliness, but his appearance was ignoble and failing above the sons of men*, speaks of his body—that is, what kind of form Christ was to have at the time of the Passion, when he was to be afflicted with reproaches and stripes, and to suffer many ignominies.

*Grace is poured abroad in thy lips.* For the Evangelist says that the crowds wondered at the words of grace that proceeded out of his mouth. We can also understand by his lips the holy apostles, in whom the grace of the holy Spirit was so abundantly poured forth, that by it

they might silence all men with the power of the word, and persuade whomsoever they wished with greater ease. ^A *Therefore hath God blessed thee for ever.* Because of these virtues of yours, therefore, God hath blessed—that is, glorified—you; for elsewhere he says: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." Alternatively, "hath blessed" is used in place of "hath made blessed," that you might always be praised and honored by the faithful. For the old Adam was cursed on account of disobedience, but the new Adam is blessed on account of obedience; and this blessing he has also shared with us, for the Prophet says elsewhere: "Blessed are we by the Lord."

VERS. 4. *Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty.* Having previously called him specious in form and beautiful of mouth, he now demonstrates that he is also a valiant soldier. Those former things were signs of his sinlessness and his teaching; these, however, denote his battle and struggle against the devil. For the Prophet calls Christ ^B to the struggle with the devil, so that, having set up a trophy, he may liberate us, who were long held captive, and that He might constitute Him terrible and more formidable to the demons; primarily, he arms Him in the human manner, so as to show Him to be awesome, for soldiers gird their swords upon the thigh. The meaning of the words is, in brief: "Be armed and do battle with the tyrant." By the weapons of Christ, we understand the punishing power which He is accustomed to use against His enemies. He calls Him "most mighty" because of His united and conjoined Divinity.

VERS. 5. *In thy splendor and thy beauty.* Gird, he says, thy sword along with your beauty and splendor, so that with the sword you may strike fear into your enemies, and with the splendor of your virtues you may draw your friends to you. It is not unreasonable for "splendor" and "beauty" to signify the same thing. [Alternatively, understand by "sword" the Word of God, and by "thigh" the Incarnation: which Incarnation, according to another sense of the Greek term, was brought about in "tempestivity," that is, at the proper time. For the word signifies both splendor—that is, beauty—and timeliness.]

*And bend.* That is, increase your forward motion and impulse. ^C *And proceed prosperously.* That is, by that very virtue, accomplish whatever you desire. *And reign.* Rule, he says, over all those who have resisted you. And although these words might seem to be in the imperative mood, they nevertheless possess the force of the optative, as is frequently repeated in Scripture. "Hallowed be," he says, "thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done," and the rest. [Which words are not in the optative, but the imperative mood, as is most manifestly apparent from the Greek reading; and yet they convey the spirit of one offering a prayer.]

*For the sake of truth and meekness and justice.* Accomplish all these things, and conquer, as one who is true, meek, and just. For the ^D Lord himself says: "I am the way and the truth"; and, "Learn from me, for I am meek"; and, "For so it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Alternatively: do what has been said, that you may sow upon the earth truth, meekness, and justice, in place of falsehood, savagery, and injustice.

and shall guide you wondrously with your right hand. ^A Your right hand, he says—that is, your good and upright nature—shall guide you to preeminent things; these, indeed, are works of virtue. For you yourself are sufficient for yourself, and you need no other help. But it is worthy of the highest admiration that one should be guided to the straight path of virtues by himself.

Vers. 6. *Your arrows are sharp, O Mighty One; peoples shall fall under you in the heart of the king’s enemies.* All interpreters arrange the words of this present verse by hyperbaton, in this manner: "Your arrows are sharp, O Mighty One, in the heart of the king's enemies." The fact that he says, "peoples shall fall under you," lies in a parenthesis. Now the arrows of Christ are the words of the Gospel, as much because they quickly run through the whole world, as because they strike sensitive souls with great accuracy; and they are called "sharp" on account of their brilliance and their power to cut. For they shine with truth, and they cut away sin. He calls Christ "Mighty," not only on account of his omnipotent divinity, but also because by the fortitude and strength of human virtues he overcame the devil. These arrows, then, have fixed themselves in the hearts of those who were formerly enemies of the King, God, so that their multitude can now say [what we read in the Song of Songs]: "I am wounded by love," that is [by the arrows or darts of charity]. Now such arrows wound with their strike, but they do not kill; on the contrary, they bring to life those who were once dead in their virtues, and draw them to divine love. ^B It follows: "Peoples shall fall under you," that is, many shall submit themselves to you through obedience, namely, as many as have been wounded. And the apostles of Christ may also be considered his arrows, sharp on account of the brilliance of their life, and because they penetrate into the hearts of those being discipled through their teaching. Having dwelt up to this point on the words concerning the humanity of Christ, he now ascends to those concerning his divinity.

VERS. 7. *Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever.* The throne, being a symbol of royal dignity, hints at the kingdom. He says, then, that your kingdom is eternal. Observe, moreover, how clearly he has named Christ God.

*A rod of correction is the rod of your kingdom.* The rod is a symbol of judicial authority. Your judicial authority, he says, then, is one of correction, judging aright. Or otherwise: understand by the rod my disciplinary power; ^C this, therefore, is one of correction, justly chastising.

*You loved justice and hated iniquity.* By iniquity he means injustice. In various ways the Prophet ascribes justice to Christ, as all ^D

things which are to judge the entire world. Then, again, he turns his speech toward the ^A assumed man, saying: *Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions.* Companions are those who are partners. Now all kings share in this name with Christ, for they are also called "christs" [anointed ones] because they are anointed with oil. But whereas in the old days prophets anointed them with a common and ordinary oil as a symbol of royalty, God anointed you in a different manner than them, as King. "I, however," he says, "have been appointed King by Him," and not with such oil, but with the anointing of gladness. Just as, therefore, when we hear of the sword of God, and bows, and arrows, or anything of the sort, we do not conceive of these ^B in a coarse manner, but rather we understand their energy, so too with the oil now, we consider it the anointing. The anointing of gladness is the visitation of the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is joy-producing. Moreover, the anointing is total, because the whole [Spirit] was with the Whole, and not from a partial grace, as is the case with the spirit-bearing men; and it is in this regard that He differed.

*Myrrh and stacte and cassia, from your garments.* By the garments of the divinity of the Word, we understand the soul and flesh of the assumed man, with which That [divinity] was ineffably clothed, which indeed the Apostle calls the veil. But the Prophet wishes to say now that ^C from your flesh there shall be incorruption and freedom from decay—for myrrh is a symbol of these, seeing that it is used to embalm the bodies of the dead for the sake of incorruption—and from your soul, a descent into Hades. For stacte is the liquid of myrrh; whatever of it drips down, every drop is downward-tending, as the great Basil explained. And cassia is a fragrant, barky perfume. By this he hints at the fragrance of the Lord’s body; for by nature it was fragrant because of His sinlessness.

*From ivory palaces.* In the Greek we read "from palaces." Palaces are also called houses and temples. By "palaces," or rather temples, he understands the soul and the assumed body of Christ—which he earlier called the garments ^D of the divinity, and now calls the houses or temples of the same. The order, then, should be: *Myrrh and stacte and cassia shall be from your garments;* from your ivory palaces, I say, or temples. He said "ivory" instead of "splendid." For ivory is white and is resplendent.

^A *From these, the daughters of kings have delighted you in your honor.* Because of these—namely, because of your death, incorruption, and descent into hell, and all that pertains to your voluntary passion for the sake of men—believing and faithful souls have delighted you. For we must understand these to be the "daughters of kings." And if the apostles are sons and co-heirs of the kingdom, it is evident that they are kings; and these gave birth to the souls of those who believed through holy baptism. For Paul says, "Through the Gospel I have begotten you." And how have they delighted you? By honoring you without falsehood. But these things are said according to a more elevated interpretation; but according to the plain sense, you will understand the words differently: that a variegated fragrance of virtues breathes from your dwelling, and not from this alone, but also from your splendid temples in various places. For the variety of aromatic kinds signifies the variety of the fragrance of virtues, from which temples those who built them zealously out of faith have delighted you. He says "have delighted" as if it had already come to pass, according to the law of prophecy, ^B as he will do. And "the daughters of kings in your honor" means that not only commoners, but kings shall honor you; and what is more paradoxical, those who are guarded by innumerable eyes and dwell in the inner chambers of palaces, daughters of kings, such as the most wise Catherine and many others.

^C *The queen stood at your right hand.* By the queen here, he means the assembly of the most pious Christians, whom Christ the King betrothed to himself through faith in Him, she who was formerly enslaved to idols; she who reigned over the passions, and reigned together with the Bridegroom in the heavenly kingdom. And the Bridegroom indeed sits at the right hand of the Father, as consubstantial and of equal honor; but she has stood at the right hand of the Bridegroom, together with the incorporeal powers. For even if she is a bride and a queen, yet she is of created nature, and it is a very great thing for her to be deemed worthy of such a station and standing. And Paul does not say anything contrary to this when he speaks of God, that "He raised us up, and made us sit with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus." For through Christ, he says, the Lord, who sits as our Head, the rest of the body of the Church ^D also partakes of the honor, Christ being seated there, which is common to the rest of the body of the Church.

*Clothed in a garment of gold, adorned with variety.* "Clothed" indeed in a splendid garment, that is, the grace of holy baptism, or the covering and garment of the Holy Spirit, and the power of honorable virtues.

For he speaks of an intellectual covering and variety, as he will show more clearly as he proceeds.

^A Ver. 11. *Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear.* See how the Prophet betroths her to Christ. Yet he calls her the daughter of Christ, whom he has made his spouse. For among men it is impossible for the same person to be both the spouse and the daughter of the same man, but in Christ it is possible. For these things happen in a spiritual manner; inasmuch as Christ chooses us for himself as a spouse through the Gospel, and through the regeneration of baptism adopts us as children. Hear therefore, says the Prophet, what I say, and see how much the Bridegroom has suffered for your sake, or how many miracles he has performed; and incline thine ear. Apply it to his commandments.

*And forget thy people.* Thy nation, that is to say, their wicked way of life and thy former conduct.

*And thy father's house.* And the temple of the devil, thy father: *For every one,* he says, *that committeth sin is born of the devil.* Forget also the wicked sacrifices and those abominable rites which you once performed impiously. Or perhaps he says "father's house" because the Gentiles of old used to ascribe those fabulous gods to themselves as parents and progenitors. What then will the Jews say to these things? For it is certain that the Prophet is not speaking of their Synagogue, since it was provided by the Law that they should not depart from the customs of their fathers.

^B Ver. 12. *And the King shall greatly desire thy beauty.* He will love you, he says, if you do what I have said. But by beauty, as we have said, he understands the beauty of the soul.

*For he is thy Lord God, and thou shalt worship him.* Be betrothed to him, he says, and be adopted by him. For he is your Lord, as Creator. O the immense mercy and kindness of God! You shall worship him, he says, as a servant, even though he has made you his spouse and daughter.

^C Ver. 13. *And the daughter of Tyre with gifts.* Tyre was filled with idols and was the most impious among all other cities. He predicts, therefore, that even Tyre itself will bring gifts to Christ; the building of temples, that is, offerings, and the rest which pertains to divine worship. *She shall be,* he says, *with gifts.* "The daughter of Tyre," that is, Tyre herself; for this is also a Hebrew idiom, according to which we also read "the daughter of Babylon," and "the daughter of Zion," and many other things of this kind. He calls the city the daughter in comparison to the whole province, of which Tyre itself is a part. You will find a similar manner of expression at the end of the 72nd Psalm [where it is written: *That I may tell all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion.*]

^D *All the rich of the people shall entreat thy countenance.*

^A By "countenance," or if you prefer it rendered so, "face," he understands the head itself. The head of the congregation and of the Church of the faithful is Christ, whom they will entreat, that is, whom they will supplicate, or whom kings and leaders will honor, as Theodotion rendered it. And if these men honor him, how much more will the peoples subject to them do so? Or, alternatively: by "countenance," or (as we have said) the "face" of the Church, we may understand the priests, whom even kings themselves honor as intercessors before God for them.

Vers. 14. All the glory of the Kings daughter is from within.

*In golden fringes, [she is] clothed about with variety.* Higher up he said "in raiment," but here "in fringes," that is, in girdles. Hence some have translated it as "belts," from which certain fringes hang. By the girdle, however, you shall understand temperance or modesty, which constrains the concupiscible part of the soul, from which many other virtues depend. For whoever has curbed concupiscence with the belt of temperance will accomplish many other noble tasks. Others, however, regarding the phrase *in fringes*, have interpreted it as "fringes," calling the differences in the virtues, or the differences in spiritual gifts, "fringes."

^C

Vers. 15. Virgins shall be brought to the King after her.

*Her neighbors shall be brought to Thee.* Those, namely, who are close in conduct and in doctrine, and who are not separated by a great interval from the bride, the king’s daughter.

^D

Vers. 16. They shall be brought in gladness and exultation.

free from what anxieties these virgins are, and as they look only to the one and heavenly Spouse, they rejoice spiritually. ^B *They shall be brought into the King's temple.* Either because orders of virgins shall be established in the Church; or by "temple" he understands the heavenly palace, to which the virgins shall be brought by the angels.

VER. 17. *Instead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee.* These things are said to the Church of the faithful: since the Prophet had commanded her to depart from her father's house, he now consoles her, saying that her children—namely, the faithful who were to be regenerated through baptism—shall be born in place of her parents, and will sufficiently fill their dignity; and they shall be established as bishops and guardians of men and presiding officers of the Churches throughout the whole world: which he explains even more in the following, saying: *Thou shalt make them princes over all the earth.* He directs his speech to Christ, whose parents or fathers, from the maternal lineage, were Abraham and the rest of the patriarchs and prophets; but his sons are the apostles, who were substituted in the dignity of Christ's fathers; having indeed become patriarchs themselves, and fathers of many nations, whom they begat for themselves through baptism: who also were deemed worthy to receive the grace of the Spirit, and to be sent out as if certain excellent leaders into the whole world. *Go ye therefore*, he says, *and teach all nations* (Matt. xxviii, 19); nor did they retain this headship only while they lived, but even after death. For the faithful in every nation obey their precepts and admonitions, and are guided by them. Let the Jews, therefore, show which of their sons ever ruled over the whole earth, when they themselves rather serve the whole world now.

VER. 18. *I will be mindful of thy name in every generation and generation.* This is spoken from the persona of the Church, after she was deemed worthy of such illustrious gifts. That repetition of "generation" signifies perpetual offspring and succession; and indeed the Church has always been mindful of Christ, in whose name she is marked and glories in a wonderful manner.

*Therefore shall peoples praise thee for ever.* Because you have used such great providence and care for me, the peoples of the faithful will give you unnumbered thanks while they live.

*And for ever and ever.* Not only in the present age, but also in the one to come, which is called the age of ages, as it is more noble and concluded by no end.

*Unto the end, for the sons of Core, for things hidden.*

PSALM XLIV

^A this psalm. He predicts the insurrections of the tyrants which were soon to be stirred up against the Church from the beginning of the evangelical preaching. He also predicts the patience of the Church itself, and the peace that finally followed. Whence not undeservedly is it placed after the preceding psalm. For that one contains the vocation of the Church, but this one contains those things which followed after the vocation. In some ancient copies, however, it was inscribed: *To the sons of Core*, without the word *for*; but it is clear that this was effected by the carelessness of a scribe, from whom the error emanated to the rest. We are also able to interpret the inscription by taking the preposition *for* instead of *by*; as, for example, *By the sons of Core*. For it was composed by David, but it was set to music by the sons of Core. For they say that the Hebrew word signifies both *By the sons* and *For the sons* in the same way. But ^B *For the hidden things*, interpret as: that is, concerning hidden things. For to many, things are hidden—that is, obscure and unknown—which the words of this psalm set forth, uttered in the person of the apostles or of the martyrs.

VERS. 2. *God is our refuge and strength.* Christ, in whom we believe, is a refuge to us as often as we are put to flight by enemies, and strength also—that is, fortitude or power—as often as we resist, sustaining their onslaught. For He Himself commanded us both to flee from temptations and, when enemies rush upon us, to resist through patience, so that we might not be overcome by them.

*A helper in tribulations which have found us, exceedingly.* Chrysostom says that the word *exceedingly* is to be referred to the word *Helper*. Now consider this, as our Prophet teaches us, that afflictions and calamities are wont to find those men who live according to God, and that, God permitting it, they pursue them so that, through exercise, ^C they may become more proven. For "tribulation," he says, "works patience, and patience probation." For this reason God does not immediately forbid the temptations surging against us, but when they have arrived, He bestows His help upon us.

VERS. 3. *Therefore we will not fear when the earth is troubled, and the mountains are transferred into the heart of the seas.* Neither the great Basil nor Chrysostom expound this passage according to anagoge, but with one mouth they say that according to the letter these words are spoken in the person of the saints, who confess that, with Christ helping them, they will never fear, not even if the whole earth be shaken by horrendous earthquakes, nor if the mountains, torn from their stability and their natural seat, be transferred into the deep of the sea. ^D As if they were to say: If we are not going to fear when the elements are so confounded, much less shall we tremble at the tyrants rising up against us. Whence also the Apostle was saying: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [tribulation, or distress, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or persecution, or the sword?" and what follows there.]

^A VERSE 4. *Their waters sounded and were troubled; the mountains were troubled by his strength.* They say this, because the Almighty is our helper; for often the waters of the seas have sounded and been troubled, swirling and foaming by the force of the winds rushing upon them. And furthermore, the mountains were shaken by an earthquake. But these things happen through his power. For he, he says, is the one who turns the depth of the sea, and "who looks upon the earth and makes it tremble." He said "seas" in the plural, according to the custom of the Hebrew language, as we have said elsewhere. Or, by "seas," he understands the various gulfs of the sea, such as the Aegean, the Ionian, and others of this kind. Yet it would not be out of place to adapt an anagogical sense to these words as well: "We will not fear," they say, "when the earth is troubled," that is, when tyrants and their subject peoples, who mind earthly things, are troubled. [They were indeed troubled, their ancient and ancestral way of life being changed.] Furthermore, we will not even fear when the mountains, that is, the proud and haughty-minded and swelling demons, are transferred into the hearts of men who have become bitter and, like the sea, fruitless; that is, when we see them rushing upon such men, so as to incite them to rage and madness, and even compel them to rave against us. For many such deeds are reported to have occurred in the Acts of the Apostles. [And what he says, that their waters sounded and were troubled, is to be understood in such a way that the prayer is directed toward the mountains, as if it said: "The waters of those mountains."] But by the waters of the mountains he understands diabolical and idolatrous men, who like waters are driven hither and thither by the spirit of deception, and who, with shouting, "sounded," and by provoking one another to the slaughter of the faithful, were "troubled" and terrified by the wonderful works of the servants of God and by their invincible strength. The mountains also were "troubled," that is, even they, the demons, became weaker and were put to flight.

VER. 5. *The streams of the river make glad the city of God.* Hidden mysteries are taught here. And Christ is called the river on account of the sweetest streams of his doctrine, which irrigate the faithful souls, fatten them, and lead them to the most abundant fruits of virtue. Whence he says through a certain prophet: "Behold, I will decline toward them as a river of peace." But by the "streams" of this river we understand the holy apostles, who were sent and impelled by him for the instruction of the faithful. For "Going," he says, "teach all nations." But the city of God is the congregation of the faithful, the very Church of the Christians, which is said to be of God because their life and conversation are pleasing to God. Therefore, the apostles make glad the Church, by example and by doctrine. Or otherwise: By the "streams of the river," we can understand the gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit, with which the Church has been adorned by him. ^D *The Most High has sanctified his tabernaculum.* This is

the city, and the tabernacle of God: *for I will dwell in them,* he says, *and walk among them.* ^A

*God is in the midst of her, and she shall not be shaken.* And lo, he says, *I am with you all the days.* And: *Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.* She shall not be shaken by the violence of those who attempt to overthrow her—the visible and invisible enemies; for the gates of hell, he says, shall not prevail against her.

*God shall help her at the early morning.* He shall help her, he says, by God, as quickly as possible, as often as she has been placed in dangers. For the expression *at the early morning* signifies an intensification of speed, and a comparison of one morning with another morning; therefore you should construct the article with the second "morning," for example: "The morning, as it relates to another morning." ^B

*The nations were troubled.* As the evangelical proclamation was being sown, all were moved: some, running toward the faith; others, running against it.

*Kingdoms have inclined.* Those fighting against the Church were defeated, having renounced their hostility, or they bowed down to her through faith; for both this and that have occurred in different cities.

*The Most High gave his voice, and the earth was shaken.* From this he has declared the omnipotence of God, that he merely speaks, and immediately the earth trembles. For elsewhere he says: *He who looks upon the earth, and makes it tremble.* Such things, however, are said metaphorically, after the example of those who command that some be punished, or who look upon someone wrathfully; and we speak of the wrath of God as his decree. Or alternatively: He *gave his voice* into the world through the Gospel, and all were moved, as we said before; for you should understand "the earth" to be those who inhabit the earth, as in the passage: *And all the earth was of one lip.* ^C

*The Lord of hosts is with us, a helper is to us the God of Jacob.* The Church speaks these words, strengthening and encouraging herself. Opporturnely does she mention the patriarch Jacob, because God very often delivered him, when he was being plotted against—at one time by Esau, at another by Laban, and at another by various others—and because he himself was the first to more openly prophesy the calling of the gentiles, saying: *A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor*

^A a leader from his thighs, until He comes to Whom it is reserved, and He Himself is the expectation of the gentiles.

Verse 9. *Come and see the works of the Lord, which He has placed prodigies upon the earth.* The Prophet summons those who are sharper than others, and who are able to see and understand. He calls "works" the achievements of the Gospel, which he also termed "prodigies." For these, he says, are the prodigies that God has placed upon the earth, so that through them His ineffable power might be proclaimed. For they did not occur according to the natural course of events—since fishermen overcame philosophers; a few men, the whole world; the naked, the armored; the poor, the kings; and those who were mortal and visible, the immortal and invisible demons.

*Removing wars unto the ends of the earth.* For when Jesus was born, the wars that had previously raged between the nations ceased, since the empire of the whole world had shifted to Rome alone. For there went forth, says Luke, a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be registered. ^B Therefore, when there was deep peace throughout the whole world, weapons were rendered useless, as all men turned to agriculture and the other arts—a fact which Isaiah also signaled when he said: *They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, and nation shall not take up sword against nation.* Observe also the power of the Greek term *antanairon* [removing in turn, or destroying in turn]; for before Christ, wars used to destroy—that is, ruin and slay—men. Christ, however, conversely destroyed the wars themselves, in place of those whom they were destroying—*antanairon*, that is, extinguishing [them].

Verse 10. *He shall crush the bow, and shatter the weapon, and burn the shield in the fire.* All these things came to pass according to history, just as Ezekiel teaches. He uses "weapon" here for a sword, or for any weapon of hand-to-hand combat. And not undeservedly does blessed David attribute the glory of such a noble deed to God.

Verse 11. ^C *Be still and know that I am God.* Be free, he says, from wars, whether visible or invisible, and know that I am truly God. This becomes clear from the signs and wonders that have been performed through the power of the Gospel.

*I will be exalted among the nations.* Being great by nature, I shall also be considered greatest among all nations on account of my miracles.

*I will be exalted in the earth.* In heaven, indeed, all the incorporeal powers have known my loftiness; it only remains that in the same way it be known also on earth by men. And when he says "earth," understand the whole earth.

Verse 12. *The Lord of hosts is with us, a helper*

our God, the God of Jacob. The Church repeats the aforementioned heartening exclamation, in order to increase [her] courage and perseverance, as she sets upon and leaps over the enemy. ^B

In the end, for the sons of Core. A Psalm by David.

PSALM XLVI

In the end also this Psalm is inscribed, on account of the prophecies it contains, as we have often said, and because they tended toward the end. For it predicts, in succession to the previous Psalm, the supreme and invincible virtue of the evangelical life. And what it says: "For the sons of Core," we have already explained in the preceding Psalm; for that one was inscribed in the same way. There is nothing hidden in the present one; everything is clear and easy to discern. David sets forth the words of the Psalm in the person of the apostles, who, as they advance successfully and happily, and bring many to the faith, out of the overflow of joy which they themselves were reaping, bid all the nations to whom they had been sent by the Savior to rejoice in like manner; to rejoice, that is, because they have become the inheritance of God.

VERS. 2. All nations, clap your hands. And this clapping of hands is a symbol of overflowing joy. By means of this symbol, then, he bids them display joy—not that you should use bodily clapping, but that you should rejoice in soul, having been deemed worthy of such a Master, one who is merciful and omnipotent.

Jubilate to God with a voice of exultation. The word "Jubilate" is used metaphorically here, as if to say: "Sing a hymn of victory to God." For *jubilus* [a shout of joy] is properly a certain military cry that victors in battle were accustomed to make, so as to terrify the enemies who had already turned to flight all the more. And the voice of exultation is a voice full of gladness: then he adds the cause:

VERS. 3. For the Lord is most high, terrible, a great King over all the earth. For Christ, who is most high according to His divinity, shows Himself terrible [or, as the Greek phrasing better sounds, to be feared] to all, namely on account of the signs and miracles which He performs every day. For even His name alone torments and expels demons, and heals diseases; ^D because He is also a "great King over all the earth," inasmuch as He has acquired an inheritance for Himself throughout the whole earth, through us, that is, the apostles, whom He sent into the universal world for the preaching of the Gospel. And he called Christ a "great" King, on account of those temporary kings of ours, who are both insignificant by comparison to Him, and reign for but a brief time.

VERS. 4. He has subjected peoples to us. By "peoples," he here understands the Jews who were the first of all to believe in Christ: namely those three thousand, and those five thousand, who immediately after the advent of the Spirit, the Paraclete, having laid aside their hostilities, fled to the apostles before they went out to the nations.

And nations under our feet. And those who from the nations have believed, who were ardently inclined by faith to the feet of the apostles, and piously and religiously embraced their footsteps.

^A

VERS. 5. *He chose his inheritance for us.* Through us, the dispensers of His Church, He chose those from the nations who were worthy to be His inheritance, according to that saying: *I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance.* [Ps. II, 8] And through us, as though we were some kind of commanders, this great King recruited them for Himself.

*The beauty of Jacob, which He loved.* And not these only, but also those who were more useful from the race of Jacob; for he called these the "beauty of Jacob," as being finer than those of Jacob—that is to say, he loved those whom he deemed beautiful, because they were adorned with virtues. Now, above, He commanded the Jews first, as being the ones who believed after the resurrection of Christ; but here, He did the opposite, because those from the nations always believed in great numbers, and those from Israel who believed are a very small part compared to the nations.

VERS. 6. *God is gone up in jubilation, the Lord in the sound of the trumpet.* Here David foretells the ascension of Christ into heaven, as we noted in the twenty-third Psalm. [Ps. XXIII, 7] By "jubilation" and by the "sound of the trumpet" he understands the voices of the angels preceding Him at that time. "Jubilation," because of those words then brought forth by the angels: *The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle*—for this is a song of victory; since even "jubilation" is a cry of victory. The "sound of the trumpet" [he attributes] because of those words: *Lift up your gates, O ye princes,* [Ibid., 7] and what follows. For trumpeters are accustomed to go before whenever the leaders of armies return home with victory. Or otherwise, by "jubilation" and the "sound of the trumpet," he understood the voices of the angels, because such words clearly and manifestly reached all the ends of the world through the teaching of the apostles. ^B

VERS. 7. *Sing praises to our God, sing praises to our King, sing praises.* Having recounted the greatness of Christ's noble deeds, he subsequently calls the world to praise Him with great zeal. For this is what that repetition of the word "Sing praises," that is, *Chant*, signifies for itself. And then he adds the reason why it must be sung:

VERS. 8. *For God is the King of all the earth, sing ye praises wisely.* Chant, he says, to our God and King, that is, to Christ: for He is King of all the earth: *For all power is given unto me in heaven and on earth.* [Matth. XXVIII, 18] But sing not simply, but wisely—that is, not with the tongue only, but with heart and intellect, understanding, to be sure, what you are singing, and what His noble deeds are. ^C

VERS. 9. *God has reigned over the nations.* Previously, indeed, God also ruled the nations, but as those who were unwilling and rebellious; now, however, He reigns over those who are willing, as a Redeemer. And because Christ has a dual nature, we say that before the incarnation He reigned as God, but after the resurrection from the dead, He received it also as man. For then He said: *All power...* ^D

all authority, and so forth. But "over the nations," meaning clearly everyone, because in all nations believers have been found; and in one place, the entire nation in general; in another, half; and in another, in part. For into all the earth their sound went forth, the sound of the apostles.

^B God sits upon His holy throne. The throne is a symbol of royal dignity; sitting is the mark of stability. He says, therefore, that Christ is established in His kingdom, according to the words: "He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high"; and the expression of the great Paul. He called the throne "holy" as being pure of all partiality and above all reproach.

^C *Princes of the peoples have been gathered together with the God of Abraham.* Here he shows the power of the evangelical preaching, that it reached not only the unlearned and private men, but also princes and rulers. For even these themselves were gathered with Christ, having become His portion; and he said "of Abraham," implying that this One was the God of that man and of those from him, and that this same One is the Lawgiver of the Old Testament and of the New.

*For the strong ones of the earth have been greatly exalted.* They have been gathered with the God, because the apostles (for these he named "the strong ones of God," as being strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, and as having mastered demons and tyrants) have become much superior to all earthly things, having been overcome neither by pleasures nor by sorrows.

Psalm of a song, for the sons of Korah, on the second day of the Sabbath.

PSALM XLVII

What "A Psalm of a song" signifies, we have already discussed in the introduction of the present work, where the meaning of "for the sons of Korah" has also been clarified. As for "on the second day of the Sabbath," it indicates the day on which it was sung, for the Hebrews call the whole week "the Sabbath." This psalm contains thanksgiving from the perspective of those who returned from the Babylonian captivity back to Jerusalem. It will also be appropriate for those who have returned from the captivity of idols to the knowledge of God by faith.

Magnus Dominus (Great is the Lord). Great in power, in wisdom, and in goodness.

And greatly to be praised. And greatly worthy to be praised because of the wonderful things done for us, whereby we, who had been forgotten, have been miraculously recalled and have obtained His loving-kindness.

^A *In the city of our God.* He is truly worthy to be praised in the city of Jerusalem, in which He is known and worshipped; for those who do not know Him do not praise Him. *In His holy mountain.* Having mentioned the city, he consequently names the mountain adjacent to it, which is in a certain way united with it. Often, too, by the appellation of Mount Zion, Jerusalem itself is intended. Now the Church of the faithful, in which it is believed that God dwells, can be called the city of God; and it is also called a mountain, because it rises above all earthly vices and is lifted up towards heaven. *Well-founded, for the joy of the whole earth.* That is to say, on the mountain, which is well-founded, for the joy of the whole earth. For, after the word "well-founded," there must be a punctuation; then the word "joy" is to be read. And "for the joy of the whole earth" is used in place of "for the delight thereof."

^B *Mount Zion, the sides of the north, the city of the great King.* As often as someone has turned from a transverse direction and from the side, he may not unfairly be called by me "sides." For that which is oblique to me is rightly said to be at my "side." And because Mount Zion is not directly opposite the north wind—for the north wind does not blow straight against it, but from the side—it is no wonder if the Prophet called this mountain "the sides of the north," saying: "You, O mountains of Zion, which are from the transverse side of the north, and lie at its side [know that the Lord is great and highly to be praised, etc.]." Nor does he inappropriately invoke the mountain and the city together, and he calls the mountain "mountains" in the plural, according to the Hebrew idiom, as we have often said; but he calls God the great King, because Jerusalem was offered and dedicated to God alone.

According to the anagoge, we understand that by the "north," the devil is often signified. For "from the north," he says, "shall all evils be kindled upon the earth." ^C And in another place: "I will drive away the north from you." Now the sides, that is, the members of the north, were the nations. He says, therefore, that the members of the devil, over whom he once ruled, have become the mountains of Zion, that is, the heights and bulwarks of the Church of the faithful, because they have risen above the things that are dragged down to the earth, and because of their fortitude. But I have said too little in saying they have become "heights"; rather, they have become the seats and dwelling-places of Christ. For from them the Church of the faithful has been gathered, in which Christ the Lord dwells and resides.

*Vers. 4. God is known in her houses when He shall have helped her.* [For "houses" we read in the Greek "palaces" (βάρεις).] Now ^D these are magnificent and splendid houses, by which in this place the Temple is signified, which was in Jerusalem, wherein God was accustomed to manifest Himself and make Himself known to the priests when, with some war arriving, He was about to help them. These things, however, are said in praise of the city. According to the anagoge, by "city" is understood that communion by which the faithful are joined together in their life and conversation. And this city is one, because

^A of the unity of faith and religion. By "houses," however, are understood the temples which have been erected by Christians in various parts of the world, in which Christ is known and manifested whenever, upon the coming of persecution, He Himself assists His own Church. It should also be noted that the Church of the faithful is said to be both one and many: one, indeed, by faith; and many on account of the various temples which are everywhere in various places.

VERS. 5. *For lo, the kings of the earth were assembled.* Against Jerusalem itself, or against the Church of the faithful. *They passed on together.* They came over against it as one, shielding one another.

*They seeing so, were amazed.* The word "so" seems to signify in this place that those kings were amazed only then, after they saw the power of Christ. For before they saw, they were not amazed.

*They were troubled.* That is, they were tumultuous. ^B

*They were moved.* Because they desisted from their former opinion.

VERS. 7. *Trembling took hold of them.* They were affected with great fear.

VERS. 8. *There were pains as of a woman in labor.* Afflictions were upon them, and pains, and suspicions of dangers, just as they are wont to be in those giving birth.

*In a violent spirit, You shall break the ships of Tharsis.* In the violent and strong impulse of Your anger, You shall break them as easily as You are accustomed to break the ships of Tharsis. They say that the word "as" must be added, as if to say, "as the ships of Tharsis." Now ^C Tharsis is the name of a place where conspicuous and very tall ships were accustomed to be built. Or otherwise: Even those ships of Tharsis, he says, which carry our enemies, You shall break. Some say that Tharsis refers to the Libyan Carthage. [There are also those who say it is a region of India.]

VERS. 9. *As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God.* These words are spoken in the name of those who have escaped the assaults of the enemies. We have seen, he says, in the city of our most powerful King all things consonant with those which we heard. For we heard that God has performed many wonderful things for His people; and we see ^D His wondrous works now, and those things which we see confirm what we heard.

*God has founded it for ever.* These words belong only to the Church of the faithful. For the gates of hell, he says, shall not prevail against it. For Jerusalem itself was razed from its very foundation and leveled to the ground. What, therefore, can the Jews say to these things?

VERS. 10. *We have received, O God, Your mercy in the midst of Your people.* We expected, he says, Your help, and we were not frustrated in our hope. However, some say that the word used here signifies "we have understood."

^A Ver. 11. *According to Your name, O God, so also is Your praise to the ends of the earth.* Just as Your name, he says, has been proclaimed and has reached to the ends of the earth on account of Your truly wonderful works, so also shall Your praise be spread abroad; because all men shall extol Your immense power with the highest praises. *Your right hand is full of righteousness.* Because by right You take vengeance upon all the unrighteous.

Ver. 12. *Let Mount Sion rejoice, and let the daughters of Judah be glad.* By "Mount Sion," he understands the men who dwell there; and by "the daughters of Judah," the women themselves, whom he bids to rejoice as being more fearful and more sorrowful than the men. For if even they are to rejoice, how much more so the men? Or, by "the daughters of Judah," he means the cities which were situated around Jerusalem and were subject to it. We may also understand by "Mount Sion" the one Church of the faithful, as we have said, and by "the daughters of Judah"—that is, of the faith—the souls of the faithful, or the churches which have been founded in various parts of the world. *Because of Your judgments, O Lord.* This is the cause of the joy: because by Your most equitable judgment You have compelled our enemies to pay the penalty to us.

^B Ver. 13. *Go round about Sion, and embrace her.* That is, Jerusalem itself, which, on account of the captivity of the people, was almost entirely ruined, and after their return was restored, and beyond everyone's expectation was made larger. The Prophet, therefore, bids the people to go around it and to observe in what a wonderful manner it has received its former strength and has obtained its ancient beauty. "Go round about" and "embrace," that is, look at it from all sides. Or perhaps both verbs mean the same thing. *Declare in her towers.* Declare, he says, while sitting in the towers of Jerusalem itself, what it previously suffered from the Babylonians, by what great evils it was afflicted, and how admirable it has now become. Chrysostom interpreted "Declare in her towers" as meaning, "Measure her towers, to see to what a wonderful height they have been brought."

Ver. 14, 15. *Set your hearts upon her strength.* Apply your mind, he says, and consider what kind of strength and how great a power it has recently possessed. *And distribute her houses.* What we read in the Greek as "houses" (in the Latin text, it is understood as *báreis*), ^C are called not only houses but also towers. He says, therefore: Distribute to each one of you her towers, so that each may conveniently and with the greatest diligence build and complete the work committed to him. *That you may recount it to another generation, because this is our God forever and ever.* All these things, he says, which I have said, perform, so that having perceived clearly from this the supreme power of God, you may tell your grandchildren and descendants that this is our God forever, that is, perpetually. But these things have been said thus according to history. According to the anagogy, the Prophet bids the apostles and teachers to go around the Church of the faithful, on account of the enemies who, both openly and secretly, ^D

prophet, to encompass the Church of the faithful on all sides ^A against visible and invisible adversaries. By towers, furthermore, understand individual churches of the Catholic Church, which are dedicated to God in every place, which he also calls "fortresses," that is, houses; and in them He commands them to recount the great wonders of God, and to divide them among themselves for protection, and to set their hearts—that is, to pay attention to strengthening her—so that, having restored her, they may describe her also to those who come after, using as a servant the tongue of those who believe.

"He shall shepherd us 74 for the ages." For He says: "I am the good shepherd."

To the end, for the sons of Korah. A Psalm of David. Psalm XLVIII.

The present psalm discourses concerning the future judgment, which is ^B the end of this present life. For this reason, it is inscribed "To the end," because it will speak concerning the final day. The rest of the inscription is clear from those things which were explained previously.

"Hear these things, all you nations; give ear, all you who dwell upon the earth." The Prophet summons the whole nature of men to a hearing. And since nations are simply all the races which use a different language and dwell in crowds in cities, in villages, in fields—while some do not dwell in crowds but live apart, in forests, in caves, ^C in the fissures of rocks—he added the more comprehensive phrase, "All who inhabit the earth" in any way, so that no one might be left out of the call. Now, "Give ear," although it seems the same as "Hear," yet it has a certain intensity, namely, not just to hear, but to take what is heard into the ear.

"Both the earth-born and the sons of men."19 The great Basil says that by "earth-born" are meant those who think only of earthly things and are entirely excited about the earth; but by "sons of men," those who are adorned by reason, for the rational faculty is proper to man. But Chrysostom handled the explanation differently; for he says that since the Prophet summoned all men simply, he suppressed them at the very outset, if perchance any swelling or pride ^D toward their neighbors had befallen them. This he achieves while calling to memory that all have come from the earth, from vile matter. Then, lest anyone should perhaps think that men sprouted from the earth from the beginning, according to the myths of the Greeks concerning the "earth-born," from whom it is handed down that men were once sown and thus produced from the earth, he added, "And the sons of men," as if to say: Hear, men, who are both earth-born, because of the first parent formed from the earth, and sons of men, because of the generation of other men, which emanated into descendants through mutual coition and the connection of the sexes.

"Both rich and poor together." I do not distinguish, he says, the rich from the poor; for equally all...

^A whom the Holy Spirit calls, seeking a soul capable of understanding, which not wealth, but the fear of God bestows. And "Together," signifies the same thing as "in unison" or "similarly."

"My mouth shall speak wisdom." ^B He stirs the hearers to attention, as one who is about to speak not of trivial matters, but of things lofty and venerable. By wisdom, he means the utterances filled with wisdom.

"And the meditation of my heart understanding." Here he promises that he will not speak rashly, but will say everything accurately. The meditation of my heart, he says—that is, the diligent and attentive consideration of my mind—will speak words full of understanding, or will speak words for the comprehension of which much understanding will be necessary.

"I will incline my ear to a parable." Being about to address you, he says, I will in turn incline the ear of my soul to the parable which is suggested to me by the Holy Spirit. By "parable" here he understands an ambiguous and enigmatic discourse. For all prophetic utterances are very ambiguous, on account of the obscurity of the meanings veiled by the words. He adds credibility to his own words by these expressions, as they are inspired from above.

"I will open my proposition on the Psalter." By "proposition," he understands a discourse offered for the exhortation and benefit of the hearers. "I will open," that is, I will manifest this discourse of mine, together with the harmony of the Psalter. For one who opens a door makes manifest everything that is inside. Thus, from the preceding, he indicated what follows. He says he will manifest it with harmony and song, so that his discourse may be more pleasant. According to the anagogical sense, he is said to open his proposition on the Psalter who both acts and teaches, and whose deeds correspond to his words. For the melody of the Psalter is produced by the hands, and the hands are a symbol of practical action. ^C

"Why shall I fear in the evil day?" These words must be read as a question. Do you wish to know, he says, why I must fear in the day of the future judgment? For he calls this day "evil," just as we have explained elsewhere in the 40th Psalm [there: "In the evil day the Lord will deliver him," where we have spoken]. Listen, therefore, to the cause of the fear.

"The iniquity of my heel shall encompass me." I fear, he says, because then the iniquity of my sin—that is, my sin—will encompass me. For he used "heel" for "deception," as we have also declared elsewhere in the aforementioned 40th Psalm [there: "He has magnified supplantation against me"]. [Which is nevertheless better understood from the Greek reading, since the Greek expression ^D is derived from the heel.] But sin is deservedly called "deception," because it deceives the one who sins. You have seen a discourse full of wisdom, by which the Prophet, in introducing himself as fearful, cautiously admonished others to fear sin, since the judgment of God will be of such a kind that it cannot be corrupted.

"Who trust in their power, and glory in the multitude of their riches." We must understand...

^A in this place the word, "Hear ye." The name of power, however, should be understood broadly, so that the address is directed not only to those who are powerful in deeds, but also to those who are powerful in discourse; in a similar way, he speaks of riches, not merely those which consist in money or other goods of fortune, but also those which pertain to learning and the studies of philosophy. Having therefore called these people aside, he says:

"A brother does not redeem, shall man redeem?" There, he says, not even a brother can redeem one from punishment—a brother, I mean, who is by nature most dear—for strength and riches do not pass along with us to that place. And if a brother does not redeem, shall man redeem? For the clause, "A brother does not redeem," must be read as a negation, and the clause, "Shall man redeem?" as an interrogation, with emphasis. Therefore, there is no redemption there, but here it is necessary for someone to redeem himself through repentance. For Scripture says: "If Noah, and Job, and Daniel were to rise up, they shall not deliver their sons and their daughters." ^B

"He shall not give to God an expiation for himself." Neither a brother, nor a stranger, shall be able to give an expiation there, that is, a ransom for himself, since he himself is also liable to punishment, being subject to sins.

"And the price of the redemption of his soul." He shall not give the price, that is, the purchase of the freedom of his soul; for the whole world is not equivalent to a human soul. And since our Savior, being about to redeem the human soul which had been taken captive by the devil, did not give the earth, did not give the sea, did not give the world, but poured out His own precious blood for us, what ransom, therefore, could anyone find there ^C that is sufficient? Behold also the wise steps, and prudent, and enigmatic.

"He has labored into the age, and shall live unto the end." Having pricked those who have not repented, he turns to those who are repenting, and comforts the labor of repentance with the hopes of the future. And he has labored, he says, in this age—he who performs repentance—and thereafter shall live forever; for this is what "He shall live unto the end" means. By life he means that which is properly so, and free from labor; for life here is called so improperly, as we have taught. By "the end" you shall understand the future age, for that is the end of the present one.

"He shall not see corruption, when he shall see the wise dying." Such a man, being fully convinced ^D of the future judgment, when he sees the wise in divine matters, that is, the virtuous, dying, shall not think that he sees their corruption, as if they were no more, but rather a change from corruption to incorruption. Or even when he sees the wise in worldly vanities dying, he shall not think he sees the corruption of body and soul together, as they themselves

define death; but rather he will judge it a migration to another world. These things, however, are said according to the simpler understanding of the Psalm. The great Basil, explaining these sayings according to anagoge, says that the words, *Redeem, O man*, and what follows, were prophesied concerning Christ. For since we were once held captive under the dominion of the devil, blessed David warns us that no brother—that is, no prophet—can deliver us from this kind of captivity. For the prophets are called brothers to us because they came for our sake and because they are of the same nature as we are. And while he warns of this, he simultaneously predicts that "man"—that is, Christ, who is true and perfect man, just as He is true and perfect God, who kept the dignity of human nature intact and, for this reason, is properly "man"—will redeem us; He who shall not give to God an expiation for Himself, nor the price of the redemption of His own soul. For he says, *He did not commit sin*; for our sake, therefore, and not for His own, He gave His own blood as an expiation. He is the one who also grew weary in the present age, when, wearied from His journey, He sat upon the well; and He is the one who will not see corruption, when others die. For *You will not give*, he says, *Your holy one to see corruption*. ^B

*Simul insipiens et stultus peribunt.* Together, he says, they will meet their day, and they will be separated from those who are to be saved. The "insensate one" is anyone who does not know God, according to the saying: *The insensate one said in his heart: There is no God.* And the "fool" is he who indeed knows God, but is so devoted to earthly things that he has called his soul away from heavenly things.

VERS. 12. *Et relinquent alienis divitias suas.* For suddenly dying, they will leave to others the wealth which they had amassed with great toil.

*Et sepulcra eorum domus illorum in sæculum.* They themselves indeed built for themselves magnificent houses, but when others take possession of these, the sepulchers will serve them as houses, for the whole of this present age.

*Tabernacula eorum in generationem et generationem.* Again he repeats the same thought and criticizes their empty counsel more and more. For their sepulchers, he says, will be their tabernacles. ^D

*Invocaverunt nomina sua in terris suis.* Consider another kind of wickedness. Driven by a desire for vain glory, they gave their names to certain places, seeking from them a perpetual memory. Byzantium, indeed, is named after Byzas; the Diogenian field after Diogenianus; the Hermonian theater after Hermon; and so on with many other places, even though one ought to be concerned not with the name, but with the care of the soul. For a man in honor...

^A being, he did not understand. In honor being, as one alone created according to the image of God, he did not understand his own dignity, but abandoning the imitation of the archetype, see what he has done. He was compared to the irrational cattle, and became like them. "He was compared," that is, he was ranked with them; for having been honored with reason, and commanded by this to rule over the irrational creatures, he ranked himself with the cattle, as much as concerns unreasonableness, as one not contemplating heavenly things, but turning toward earthly things alone, and like the irrational animals being carried toward passions, as often as desire or anger might stir, and pursuing the pleasure of the flesh by every means. And he calls all irrational creatures simply "cattle." ^B This is their way, a stumbling block to them. The likeness to the cattle is a hindrance to them, and a great harm. And after these things they will be well-pleased in their own mouth. And those who are such are made like to the cattle, having done base deeds, and through their mouth they will be well-pleased with the deeds committed; for this is what "they will be well-pleased" signifies here; which is worthy of even greater accusation, that they not only do evil, but also by word boast of it. As sheep he set them in Hades. Henceforth, God set such men in Hades as sheep, that is, as having become irrational, or as not being able to help themselves, or as ready for slaughter. Death will shepherd them. Having spoken of sheep, he has added a shepherd, preserving the figurative language of the text. By "death," he means the punishment; for not even when destroyed will they be rid of punishment. "Will shepherd," that is, will regulate; and it is necessary to know that the Scripture is accustomed to call the punishment "death of the soul" and "destruction of the soul." And the upright will rule over them in the morning. By "in the morning," he means, quickly. And "will rule over," that is, will be more powerful. He says that the virtuous who live rightly will quickly be more powerful than such men, even though they be poor; and not only there, where the crowns are, but also here, being protected by God, and honored by men, and not being overcome by their wickedness. For see Joseph, who, being in slavery, became more powerful than his own mistress. And their help will grow old in ^C the

^A Hades, that is, it will be useless. For that which is old is considered useless; and that which is not useful, as if it already were not, is cast aside. They trusted, he says, in the help of riches and friends, which in Hades will be of no use, because it is not something that continues with them. They were thrust out of their glory. And they have not suffered these things only because they rendered themselves like brute beasts, but they also lost the glory for which they were ultimately destroyed. For they were eager to leave behind a memory of praise for themselves, but they lost even this, which was either dimmed or turned into reproach.

VERS. 16. But God will redeem my soul from the hand of Hades, when He receives me. This is a prophecy concerning the Incarnation of God and the liberation of the souls that were then in Hades. He will redeem, ^B he says, my soul, when He receives me as a dwelling-place for Himself through the Incarnation.

VERS. 17, 18. Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, or when the glory of his house is multiplied, because when he dies he will not take everything, nor will his glory descend with him. He is speaking here of the unjust man [although he seems to speak of man simply]. Do not fear, he says, or think that God does not look upon human affairs; for nothing of these things will descend with him into Hades, but he will depart naked, having left everything behind. By "glory," however, he refers to magnificence, pride, and pomp. (78) The glory of his house: the glory of a house consists of porticoes, walkways, gilded ceilings, floors, animals inlaid with pebbles, meadows, gardens, herds of slaves, sumptuous furniture, vessels, and anything else of that sort. The glory of a person’s body is strength, beauty, stature, and the like. But the glory of the soul is virtue alone. It remains, therefore, that those words of the Prophet, "All the glory of man is as grass, or as the flower of grass," should be understood ^C as spoken regarding bodily glory.

VERS. 19. For his soul will be blessed in his life. For he himself, while he lives, will be called blessed, and praised by those who are ignorant of what true blessedness is. For when he is dead, he will suffer the exact opposite.

He will confess to you when you have done him good. These words are addressed to the poor man. When, he says, you have done him good, that is, things that are pleasing to him, then only will he give you thanks; but afterwards he will despise and look down upon you, even if you have mastered ^D every kind of virtue. Or these things may be said to God regarding the unjust man, as if he were saying: Whenever you have conferred some benefit upon this wicked man, then he will give you thanks; but when he encounters sorrows, he will resort to blasphemies and curses; but the just man, however, will bless the Lord at all times.

Variæ lectiones. (78) These words until the end of the Commentary are missing in another codex.

[Begin repeated text: He shall enter even unto the generation of his fathers. When he is dead, he shall enter into the lowest parts of the earth, unto Hades, where the generation of his fathers is.] ^A For ever he shall not see light. "For ever" is an age; and an age is always. Therefore, he shall not see light for ever, having been sent away into darkness. And man, being in honor, did not understand; he was compared to the senseless beasts and became like unto them. He laments again that even man, who was made a little lower than the angels, concerning whom Solomon says: "A man is great, and a merciful man is honorable," has been compared to the senseless beasts.

Psalm to Asaph. PSALM XLIX

We have spoken abundantly concerning the inscription of Asaph in the prologue of the work, and I consider it superfluous to repeat it here. However, this psalm is not placed after the immediately preceding one without reason; for in both cases the Prophet contests and reproves us. Although someone might perhaps say that the former is different, because there all human nature is summoned to hear, whereas here it is heaven itself and earth: "For He shall call the heaven from above, and the earth." And whereas in that one, in a general sense, everyone who lives wickedly is accused, in this one, only the Jews appear to be reproved. And another prophet introduces God judging and reproving in a similar way, saying: "Hear, O valleys, and foundations of the earth, for the Lord has a judgment against His people, and He shall dispute with His people"; and Isaiah: "Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth." Such a figure is customary in Scripture, which is most stinging and most shaming, because inanimate things are seated as judges of those who have souls, and at the same time it is most demonstrative of God’s philanthropy, that He has so far condescended as even to be judged with men. ^C Furthermore, the Prophet demonstrates therein the summation of God’s mercy toward us, when he relates that He so condescends to us that He even wills to be judged with us.

VERS. 1. God of gods, the Lord has spoken, and has called the earth. We find four meanings of the name "God" in Scripture. The first is said properly of Him who is the Creator and Lord of all things. The second, by way of similarity and imitation, we see someone called God, as in the present psalm, "God of gods has spoken." Likewise, "God has stood in the assembly of gods, and in the midst He shall judge gods," and: "I said, You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High." Likewise: "You shall not speak evil of gods, and you shall not speak evil of the rulers of your people." For it is manifest that in these titles He calls "gods" those who through virtue imitate God, and those who are like unto God in ruling and judging, as are the rulers and the judges. The third meaning is by analogy, as Moses was called "god" to Pharaoh, ^D as one performing wonders against him, and punishing him, and using his own will for the production of punishments, and [as] the prophet of his

^A will having Aaron, and being thought by Pharaoh to be the lord of death and life. But this differs from the second meaning, because he is not called "God" simply, as that one was, but "God of Pharaoh." Fourth, [following] the error of the worshippers, according to which meaning we read that which is written: "Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen," and again: "Ye shall not make for yourselves gods of silver or of gold." The Holy Spirit says through our prophet David, therefore, that God, the Creator of all the princes and judges of the earth, has spoken. But what He has spoken, another prophet has declared, as we have often said: "Hear, ye valleys and foundations of the earth," and He called the earth to hear. [But we can also understand by the appellation of gods those who, having been created in the image of God, have kept that image whole and uncorrupt, nor have corrupted it with earthly color or any vicious pigment.]

VERS. 2. From the rising of the sun unto the going down. He says, ^B He has called the whole earth. For by these limits the whole earth is contained. Out of Sion is the perfection of His beauty. These words and those that follow are spoken parenthetically, and contain prophecies. The meaning is that, just as formerly the perfection and beauty of Divine splendor was from Sion—because, namely, the Temple, which was a certain ornament and glory of the Divine Majesty, formerly shone forth most beautifully in it—so in the future likewise the perfection of Divine beauty shall be from Sion, because from it Christ shall emit the most radiant rays of His light: Christ, I say, the highest perfection of Divine beauty, and the true temple of the Divine Majesty. For by "beauty" here he understands the Divinity. For what is more beautiful than the Divinity itself?

VERS. 3. God shall come manifestly, our God, and He shall not keep silence. These words contain a prophecy concerning the second coming of Christ. For in His first advent Christ came unobserved, and not manifestly, indeed even deceiving the devil himself. For he would not have asked Him on the mountain, "If Thou be the Son of God," if He had been known to him. But in the second [advent] He shall come manifestly with power and great glory. In the first advent, therefore, He came in the person of a servant, as if to hunt the demon who had rebelled against Him. But in the second, He shall come as the Judge of all creation; and as the lightning comes forth from the east and is seen unto the west, so shall be the coming of the Son of Man, ^C indeed to all both formidable and manifest. And God shall not keep silence—that is, He will not forever endure evils with such patience.

Fire shall be kindled in His presence, and a violent tempest round about Him. He predicts by these words that the presence of God is terrible and, in a way, intolerable. We read that even the prophet Daniel saw Him in such a way: "A stream of fire," he says, "drew before Him; His throne, a flame of fire; His wheels, burning fire." But by "tempest" is meant a violent and unbearable rushing of wind.

VERS. 4. He shall call the heaven above, and the earth, that ^D

^A he may judge His people. He said "heaven above" for that which is on high. ^B But He shall call heaven and earth that He may judge His people who are living wickedly. He used "to judge" for "to reprove." Consider also that Moses, when leading the people into the land of promise, took heaven and earth as witnesses to the covenants, as being bodies more permanent and durable, and as things that encompass both those who sin and those who strive for virtue. This figure is called personification, when, to wit, we impose an animate person upon inanimate things.

VERS. 5. Congregate unto Him His saints. By "saints" He means the Israelites who were consecrated and dedicated to Him alone. Those who have set His covenant above sacrifices. Those who, as they imagine, administer and fulfill the covenant of God with them in sacrifices. He calls the law "covenant." For they, keeping only the matters concerning sacrifices, thought they were keeping the whole law; and regarding their sacrifices, they boasted as though they were most religious. "Congregate," then, to Him these saints on those days that are dedicated to the reading of the prophetic words. ^C

VERS. 6. And the heavens shall declare His righteousness. Since the Prophet is about to introduce God into judgment, he anticipates and predicts that God will judge all things justly. For He says, even these inanimate things shall declare His righteousness. Or, by "heavens," He understands the heavenly and incorporeal orders, which are always in the presence of God.

For God is judge. This is the confirmation of divine justice; because God, who is about to judge, is Judge, and therefore He will speak justly, having righteousness by nature itself.

Hear, O my people, and I will speak to thee. From this point the words of God begin, and He commands them attention before all else. For, "Hear," He says, that is, "pay heed."

O Israel, and I will testify to thee. From what has gone before, "Hear" is to be taken again. Having said "people," He added also the name proper and most pleasant to the people, that is, "Israel." ^D "And I will testify to thee," that is, "I will converse with thee."

I am God, thy God. I, who am speaking to thee, am thy God, tremble therefore. He says this to demonstrate His ineffable long-suffering, that He should converse with His own servants. Furthermore, He repeated the name of God for a greater reproach of their dullness and the insensibility of their ears.

VERS. 8. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; and thy burnt offerings are before Me always. I have not, He says, instituted the present reproof to accuse thee concerning neglected sacrifices. For thy burnt offerings are always upon the altar of My temple; and as far as concerns the sacrifices, thou hast remained blameless. But there are other things for which I accuse thee.

^A VERS. 9. *I will not take calves from thy house, nor he-goats from thy flocks*. Do not think, He says, that thou art performing a welcome service to Me, or that thou art ministering to Me, while thou art zealously sacrificing. For I do not need sacrifices, since I lack nothing, but am rather the supplier of all things to everyone; wherefore, from now on, I will not accept such sacrifices. ^B He rebukes these things more sharply through Isaiah, saying: *What is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats I do not want. For who hath required these at your hands?* And Jeremiah also says: *Why bringest thou Me frankincense from Saba, and cinnamon from a land afar off?* And again: *I did not speak to your fathers concerning sacrifices, and I did not command them concerning burnt offerings.* And the prophets say other similar things. And yet, He legislated many things concerning sacrifices through Moses. But the solution to this apparent contradiction is that He did not legislate concerning sacrifices primarily or from the first intention for His own sake—for He had no need of these—but by way of condescension for the sake of your hardness. For knowing that you had once learned in Egypt to sacrifice, and were inclined to this and difficult to tear away from it, He allowed this by way of an economy, transferring the sacrifices to Himself, so that by their frequent performance you might remember Me, and that the pleasure of the sacrifices might preserve the reverence for Me among a people who were ungrateful and easily forgetful. But now, after so long a time and after such great signs confirming to you everywhere among the nations that I am the only God, He strips bare His own intention and explicitly forbids the sacrifices as useless and superfluous. Let the Jews be ashamed, who twist the truth and close their eyes to this light which lies in the words of Scripture.

^C VERS. 10. *For all the wild beasts of the field are Mine, the cattle on the mountains and the oxen.* I will not accept, He says, the things mentioned, because all created things are Mine. By "wild beasts of the field" He means the clean quadrupeds which graze in the fields; for Scripture is accustomed to use the name "wild beasts" sometimes for wild animals and sometimes for tame ones. "They are Mine," then, I say, as I have created them. Some copies, however, have "wild beasts of the forest," in which case you will better understand the wild animals; for fields are tame areas, but forests are wooded and beast-filled. ^D And you will render it as an explanation, that: "Not only the tame are Mine, but the wild as well." By a few animals, He means to include all those that are suitable for sacrifice.

VERS. 11. *I have known all the birds of the air.* I know, He says, all these, and as their absolute Master, I have them all counted by Me.

^A *And the beauty of the field is with Me.* By "beauty of the field," he understands the fruits that grow in the fields, which also provide a certain beauty and ornament to all fields. For the Greek word denotes not only beauty, but also ^B seasonableness, which brings it about that each thing in the fields comes forth at its own time in marvelous order; say that God says this seasonableness is with Him, because it is within His power to grant it to the fields or to deny it. And consider how He mentions in few words all the things that were offered in sacrifice. For there were offered from the four-footed animals, oxen, goats, and sheep; from the birds, doves and turtledoves; and from the fruits of the earth, fine flour, wine, and oil.

VERS. 12. *If I should be hungry, I will not tell thee.* He says this by way of irony, refuting their crudeness, who thought that God needed sacrifices for eating, as if He were saying: Even if you rightly supposed that, I for My part would not ask food of you to eat. And He subjoins the reason: *For the world is Mine, and the fulness thereof.* Since therefore the earth is Mine, I would take, if need were, from Myself [whatever I pleased. But because God has no need of such supports, hear what He says].

VERS. 13. *Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?* These words are to be read as an interrogation. He refutes their folly even more expansively: Do I, He says (like the false gods of the nations), need such food and drink? Since even many of the more reasonable men avoid and spit upon such things.

VERS. 14. *Sacrifice to God a sacrifice of praise.* It is clearly manifest from these words that the legal worship is cast out, and the evangelical is introduced. For the sacrifice that is made through praise is assigned to Christians. By "praise," however, he means giving glory, or thanksgiving; for we ought to do both, for the things by which we were brought from non-existence, and obtained the things necessary for our use and enjoyment, and received the light of knowledge, and, to speak simply, have been endowed with such great benefits.

*And pay thy vows to the Most High.* That is, the prayers and supplications for your salvation; for you owe it to do this. Or by "vows" understand the promises which they had made to God. For thus the Jews promised to do for God, and we also promise, as servants to a Master. But only he who is endowed with virtue is pleasing to God; but to sacrifice animals is of no virtue at all. Nor are even the nations considered to excel in virtue on account of their sacrifices.

VERS. 15. *And call upon Me in the day of thy tribulation, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.* Sacrifice, He says, in this manner, and pay to God what you owe, and then confidently call upon Me, and I will deliver you from your tribulation, whether it be from men or from demons. And you shall glorify Me as a truthful and swift helper. It must be observed, moreover, how God, while opening to us the door of evangelical worship, has immediately also intimated the knowledge of the holy Trinity. For, He says, "Sacrifice to God," then, "And pay to the Most High," ^D

^A and lastly, "And call upon me." I do not say that we ought to call only the Father God, or only the Son the Most High, or only the Holy Spirit worthy to be called upon; but rather that by such distinction, the distinction of the Persons is indicated.

VERS. 16, 17. *But to the sinner God said: Why dost thou declare my justifications, and take my testament by thy mouth? And thou hast hated discipline and hast cast my words behind thee?* By "the sinner" in this place, He understands the class of Jewish priests and Scribes, who used to recount the legal justifications to the people, and who held the whole legal testament by mouth only, and not by heart; boasting in this alone, and deeming themselves justified thereby, they committed every kind of sin. Concerning whom the Lord said to the people: "All things whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do: but according to their works do ye not." ^B Why, He says, do you—who teach others—hate the discipline and the moderation of soul that you teach? Why have you "cast my words behind thee"? That is, why have you expelled and hated them? For one is said to drive someone "behind" who hates him. You have cast them away, insofar as you did not fulfill what is commanded therein. Therefore, with mouth and tongue you profess to receive my words, but in reality you cast them away and reject them.

VERS. 18. *If thou didst see a thief, thou didst run with him.* Behold here, as if on a tablet, the colors of sins. If, He says, you saw a thief, you either conspired together, or you rejoiced, and his actions were pleasing to you: while you did not instruct him, you did not punish him, but rather you covered his vices. *And didst place thy portion with adulterers.* By the same pact you communicated with adulterers, as you ran with the thief. By "adulterer," however (or, as is more truly held in the Greek, by "moechum"—that is, fornicator), He understands the fornicator ^C and whosoever else is intemperate or impure.

VERS. 19. *Thy mouth hath abounded with malice.* It has abounded with lying; the construction, however, is indifferent. *And thy tongue hath framed deceits.* This is clear by itself.

VERS. 20. *Sitting, thou didst speak against thy brother.* Conspiring, that is, with others. *And didst set a stumbling-block against the son of thy mother.* He says the same thing again, by his account increasing the accusation. A "stumbling-block," however, is a trap or some kind of snare. *These things hast thou done, and I held my peace.* I have been long-suffering, awaiting your repentance.

VERS. 21. *Thou thoughtest wickedly, that I shall be like to thee.* You not only have not performed those things which are right and in accordance with virtue: but you have even conceived wicked things. And the wickedness was to think that I was like unto you, ^D and that I ought to consent to and spare sinners.

I will reprove you, and I will set your sins before your face. On the day, that is, of judgment.

VER. 22. Understand these things, you who forget God. Consider the things that have been said, you who forget God, and do not perceive how long-suffering He is in your sins. Lest at any time He snatch, and there be none to deliver. O incomprehensible long-suffering! He is still using forbearance, desiring that they be in safety. Lest at any time, He says, He himself suddenly snatch your souls by violent angels.

VER. 23. A sacrifice of praise shall glorify me. Again He enjoins what pertains to the new sacrifice. For this, he says, shall glorify, that is, honor me, and not the sacrifices of animals. And there is the way by which I will show him my salvation. And in that sacrifice, he says, that is, in that kind of sacrifice, there is a certain way to salvation, through which way I will show to any one sacrificing that salvation which comes from me. But some of the copies have: "Which I shall show," and one might understand it as "by which." And some also, placing a point after "I shall show," say: "It is my salvation itself"; but the way to salvation is to be understood as either baptism or repentance.

^B To the end, a psalm of David himself, when Nathan the prophet came to him, when he went in to Bersabee, the wife of Uriah.

PSALM L

The inscription "to the end" signifies that this psalm contains prophecies ^C which move the reader to look toward their end. For not only did the blessed David construct here a healing remedy for the wounds of adultery and the murder of her husband Uriah by means of this present psalm, but he also treated of various other matters. Moreover, he also predicted the rebuilding of Jerusalem which took place after the return of the people from Babylon, where he was detained captive; for the grace of the Holy Spirit had by no means deserted him, since, among other things, he even knew that he was soon to wash away all the filth of his transgressions, and would become even brighter than he had been before. For this reason, he did not seek to have the Holy Spirit restored to him, but that He not be taken away; for he says: "And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me." But this humble confession of our prophet can be applied to all sinners. And it was made at the time when Nathan the prophet came to him to rebuke him for the transgressions he had committed. For then the blessed David returned to himself. For until then he had not in the least weighed the enormity of his sin. But what he says, "When he went in to Bersabee," does not mean that the prophet Nathan came to him immediately after such an entry. For a certain interval of time elapsed, as is recorded in the first book of Kings. But that adverb, "when," denotes in this place a time future some while after, ^D as it were, "After he had gone in to Bersabee and made her pregnant."

Psalmus L

^A Ver. 3. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy great mercy. According to thine immense mercy, he says, have mercy on me, because I have sinned greatly. And according to the multitude of thy mercies erase my transgression. He has doubled the same name, for this is customary for those who are in need. By "transgression" he means the lawlessness of adultery and murder; for the law forbade both. He called this a "transgression" because, like a foreigner who is not under the law, he violated it; and he confirms that he is "lawless," that is, as one who is an outlaw, acting like an alien who is not under the law, to have committed these wicked crimes.

Ver. 4. Wash me thoroughly from my transgression. Pardon had indeed already been given to him through the prophet Nathan, who said, "The Lord has taken away thy sin." But out of a certain intense fervor, he asks to be washed still more; or take "thoroughly" as meaning "greatly." And cleanse me from my sin. Again he calls the crime he committed by the name of "sin," which he previously called "iniquity," or [as we have said] transgression of the law; for he is properly said to sin who transgresses the law. But the Prophet is accustomed to use these names interchangeably.

^B Ver. 5. For I recognize my iniquity, and my sin is before me always. Have mercy on me, he says, and cleanse me, because I have not forgotten my sin, as if it were of no account, by reason of the weight of my kingship; but even if it were hidden from men, I myself know its enormity, and I discern it with the eyes of my conscience day and night, for it constantly and most bitterly goads my soul. This thing provides a certain sign of sincere repentance, and is a motive for forgiveness.

^C Ver. 6. Against thee only have I sinned. As I am king, and have only thee as the judge of the crimes I have committed, I seem to have sinned against thee alone, that is, I am subject to thee alone as Judge. For I am lord of all others, and because of my power, whatever I wish seems permissible to me. Or, because I have transgressed thy laws, for that reason I seem to have sinned against thee alone, as their Lawgiver. And I have done evil before thee. For thou seest all things, not only when they are done, but even when they are about to happen. But he says this, shaming himself, because he did not fear God, who was watching as the sin was committed. Consider also how he ^D seems to be speaking as if about one sin, although there were many; for this very reason, that one depended upon the other, since he was driven to murder by adultery. That thou mayest be justified in thy words, and overcome when thou art judged. The crime, he says, which I have done before thee,

^A regarding my own head, so that whenever thou art judged with me, and the cause between us is discussed—namely, that thou didst make me king from being the lowest, and so glorious, and I, on the contrary, set thy laws at naught and provoked thee—thou mightest be justified all the more, and condemn me, the wretched one, as ungrateful toward my benefactor. For such was the purpose of the demon who compelled and conquered me, to make me myself the occasion of my own trial. God was justified, and debated with David through Nathan, and rebuked him: how he, who had taken him when he was a shepherd and made him king and rescued him from ten thousand dangers, had been repaid by him with evil deeds for his kindness. And he added the condemnation, saying: Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and the rest, as the cited book sets forth.

^B Behold, for in iniquities I was conceived, and in sins did my mother conceive me. Seeking to draw God to compassion, he mentions his own birth. For if Adam had not sinned, he would never have needed to be joined to Eve. Therefore, sin produced the union, and the union produced those who were born of Adam and Eve; and these produced others, and so on, right down to David. For even if marriage has become honorable under the Law for the sake of begetting children, yet by nature it has its movement from sin. So that out of sin I was both conceived and born; for Symmachus said "she gave birth" where it says "she conceived." And it is no great thing if I too have sinned, sustaining the condition of my nature.

Behold, for thou hast loved truth. This is said in regard to the aforementioned confession; for he says that "Thou hast loved truth," and for this reason I confessed this, that I have sinned. But "behold, for" stands as a redundancy, both in this verse and in the one before it, according to the Hebrew custom; for it puts much that is redundant in this way.

The hidden and secret things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me. He said this to his own shame, that thou hast loved me so much that thou hast made known to me even the ineffable things of thy providence through the prophetic spirit, while I have appeared ungrateful.

Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed. Many are the things that have been said by many regarding this verse, but none has reported anything clear or irrefutable. I, however, say that David is prophesying about himself in these words, that he will both be forgiven his sin more perfectly, and will be filled with joy. For since the Law purified some of the unclean by the sprinkling of hyssop—for the hyssop is a type of herb, extremely remains of this page unfinished in source text, no further text provided; next page begins with a continuation of this sentence

^A abstersive—he says, according to the metaphor of that purification: "You, Lord, will sprinkle me with a cleansing sprinkling." This could be a word of absolution, or even the tear of repentance; for this, too, is granted from God. [For if these gifts from You are present to me in cleansing away my stains, they will take the place of hyssop.] "You will wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow." He repeats the same sentiment for joy.

VERS. 10. "To my hearing You will give exultation and gladness." Because You will instill into the ears of my soul the news of my being born to You. Now, exultation and gladness signify the same thing.

"The bones that have been humbled shall exult." My bones, he says, depressed by the weight of sins, shall exult, having been lightened by the laying aside of that burden. But by "bones," he signifies his whole self. Some, however, say that those words—"To my hearing You will give exultation"—pertain to the Incarnation of the Savior, so that the meaning is: "You will announce to me the most joyful news," that is, the ineffable Incarnation; ^B and then my bones, which are now humbled, will exceedingly be captured and skip for joy.

VERS. 11. "Turn Your face away from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities." All my sins, he says, lie in Your sight, because You behold all things: but I pray that You remove Your gaze from them, and blot out the crimes committed by me from the book of my deeds.

VERS. 12. "Create a clean heart in me, O God." The heart means many things in Scripture. Sometimes it is taken for the singular member of the body; sometimes for that interior part of reason and intellect, by which we are guided, according to that: "Why do thoughts ascend into your hearts?" Sometimes it signifies intent and purpose, according to that: "But their heart is far from me"; sometimes good pleasure and affection of mind, ^C according to that: "I have found David, a man according to My own heart." And sometimes the soul, as here: "Create a clean heart in me, O God." I do not ask, he says, that You create another nature in me, but that You restore the one I have to its ancient beauty. You will create a clean heart in me if You wholly remove from it the old age which adheres to my soul on account of the filth of sins. Therefore, he said "create" in this place for "restore."

"And renew a right spirit in my inward parts." Renew, for "impute anew." Subsequently, he says, impute a right spirit into me, that is, the grace of direction, which straightens out all the diabolical tortuosities in me. By "inward parts," however, he understands the most intimate parts of the soul. Similar also to these is that which we read in Ezekiel, where it is said ^D to those who were in Babylon: "I will give you," he says, "a new heart," as if he had said, "I will renew your infirm and languid heart and your promptitude."

^A "Cast me not away from thy presence." As one having become unworthy of thy oversight. "And take not thy holy spirit from me." He says the gift of prophecy; do not take this from me on account of the sins I have committed.

"Restore to me the exultation of thy salvation." The joy which I had from being saved by thee. But observe how, in the one, he asks not to lose what he had never lost, and in the other, he asks that what had already been taken away be restored to him; for before his sin he rejoiced, having this Savior.

"And stablish me with a princely spirit." Strengthen me, he says, with that spiritual grace which governs the perturbations of the soul and directs it toward better things. By this "princely" gift of spiritual direction, one may understand the various powers that are bestowed upon our souls by the Holy Spirit.

"I will teach transgressors thy ways, and the ungodly shall turn to thee." This is also a prophecy of the future; for since the evangelical preaching has run out to the lawless nations, the book of the Psalms of David has ever become their teacher of virtues.

^B "Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation." Historically, he calls "bloods" the unjust murders, the murder of Uriah; but anagogically, the demons may not unjustly be called "bloods," as they rejoice in blood and wallow in it, whether of men being slain or of other animals being sacrificed. And "the God of my salvation" is the same as "my Savior," as we have often said. Moreover, the doubling of the name—"God, God"—indicates the vehement desire of his heart.

"My tongue shall exult in thy righteousness." My tongue, he says, shall rejoice in the proclamation of thy righteousness. By "righteousness" here, he understands the justification granted to him by God, that is, freedom from sin; for he who is freed is justified. Some copies, however, have "thy righteousness"; and then the sense is that my tongue shall cause for itself an exultation in that justification which has been bestowed upon me by thee, exulting, that is, and leaping for joy to sing hymns and ^C praises to thee.

"O Lord, thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare thy praise." Being forewarned, he says, by the Holy Spirit, I know that thou shalt again open my lips to sing hymns and praises to thee, just as they were open before the transgressions I committed. For at present, they are closed on account of thy condemnation.

"For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would have given it; thou wilt not take pleasure in burnt offerings." See again the legal and irrational sacrifices being rejected. If thou hadst wanted them, he says, I would have given them; but thou wilt not accept burnt offerings, even though burnt offerings were more honorable than ^D the others. So that, even if David offered sacrifice after these events, he did so without preferring them,

but because of his reverence for the law, and because the day of the new sacrifice had not yet arrived.

^A VERS. 19. *Sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit.* The soul, he says, which has been contrite through a certain voluntary humility and self-abasement, renders a grateful and acceptable sacrifice to God. *A contrite and humbled heart God will not despise.* Often, as we have said, Scripture understands the soul by "heart," because it is the seat of the soul, and it is there that it chiefly dwells; and thus when the heart suffers, the soul instantly flies forth from the whole body. *Will not despise*, moreover, means "will not turn away," that is, He will not move His regard from it.

^B VERS. 20. *Do good, O Lord, in thy good pleasure to Sion.* He supplicates here for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, which was to take place after the return from Babylon. Certain copies do not have the word "Sion" in the accusative case, but in the dative; which is better understood from the Greek reading because of the article, according to which we too may most conveniently read the first letter: *Do good to Sion itself*, or in the dative: *Do good to Sion*; and then explain *Do good* as "Do well." For this is something other than the former, according to what we read elsewhere: *Do good, O Lord, to the good and the upright of heart.* And *in thy good pleasure*, that is, by thy aid and help. *And let the walls of Jerusalem be built.* This is in the language of one wishing, even if, from the Greek reading, it appears to be in the imperative mood.

VERS. 21. *Then shalt thou accept the sacrifices of righteousness.* Then, he says, thou shalt receive a just sacrifice. For in no other place now than in Jerusalem are sacrifices duly offered to thee, since the law commanded that they could be offered only there. *Oblation and whole burnt offerings.* By "oblation" he understands those sacrifices of which only a part was offered; but by "whole burnt offerings," those which were burned entirely. ^C Then *shall they offer bullocks upon thy altar.* These things are said according to the historical sense; but according to the anagogy, the Prophet foretells those things which pertain to the Church of the faithful and to the evangelical sacrifice. And by "good pleasure" he understands the incarnation of the Savior, as a certain good purpose; and by "Sion," the manner of life of Christians; and by the "walls" of Jerusalem, the bishops and teachers. And then, he says, you will accept the sacrifice of righteousness, that is, the sacrifice of universal virtue; and the oblation, that is, the holy confessors; and the whole burnt offerings, that is, the holy martyrs. For those may deservedly be compared to oblations, but these to whole burnt offerings, since both have been offered and sanctified to God; and confessors indeed seem to have offered themselves to God in part, because of their affirmation of the faith, but martyrs wholly, since they have devoted both their soul and their body in its entirety to God. Or, by oblations, understand the extremities of the members, severed from the body of the confessors; but by whole burnt offerings, the entire conflagrations or slaughters of the martyrs. Or otherwise: Oblation signifies virtue ^D indeed, but it is diminished in part—

as, for instance, "You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed; you shall wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow," and other such things.

PSALM LI

As blessed David was fleeing from Saul, and [as it happened] was hungry, he set out for Nob, the city of the priests, to Achimelech the high priest, where he ate the loaves of proposition and did the other things which we have recounted above in the exposition of Psalm XXXIII. When Doeg, the overseer of the royal mules, had seen this, he reported everything to Saul. Upon hearing this, [Saul] began to rage and behave so cruelly against Achimelech that he ordered the hundred and fifty priests to be brought to him and to be slain by Doeg, and that there be savage violence against the inhabitants of every age in that city. ^B When blessed David learned of this, he wrote the present psalm for the consolation of those who had been wronged. It is inscribed "In the end," because it bids those who have been wronged to look to the end of those who have inflicted the injury, and in the meantime to bear it patiently and to be long-suffering. And by "of instruction"—or, according to another meaning of the Greek word *syneseos*, "of prudence"—he said this because those who have been wronged stood in great need of prudence and understanding, so that they might bear the injuries inflicted upon them with a patient mind.

VERS. 3. *Why do you boast in malice, O mighty man?* The discourse is directed to Doeg, whom it would have better befitted to hide his malice than to boast of it. By "malice" he understands every sort of depravity in general. He called him "mighty" on account of the familiarity and friendship he had with Saul, or as mighty in harming and acting maliciously.

VERS. 4. *All day long your tongue has plotted unrighteousness, injustice.* For "plotted," Theodotion rendered "has spoken." But as for what he says, "all day long," Symmachus said: "every day." The order is: Your tongue has always spoken unrighteousness, injustice, without a conjunction, meaning unlawful and unjust things. The Prophet seems to reproach his life and behavior as being utterly depraved; for he would never have devastated a city of that kind had he not been of entirely lost morals.

^D *You have wrought deceit like a sharpened razor.* Here he calls "deceit" the calumny which Doeg had prepared, [a deceit] so active that it mowed down the city of the priests like a razor.

^A For he slandered those around Ahimelech, as being accomplices of David.

*Verse 5. Thou hast loved malice more than goodness, injustice more than to speak righteousness.* Thou hast always loved evil rather than good, and doing unjust things rather than speaking just ones.

*Verse 6. Thou hast loved all words of overwhelming, O deceitful tongue.* All words of overwhelming, which are wont to destroy and wipe out the men upon whom they might fall, just like waves; these things, therefore, he loved in a deceitful—that is to say, plotting—tongue. Some of the [manuscript] copies write "a deceitful tongue" [in the accusative]; in these you will separate "tongue" and "deceitful," so that the sense might again be: *Thou hast loved a deceitful tongue.* ^B

*Verse 7. Therefore God shall destroy thee for ever.* As [one] badly built, even if thou wert exalted because of the denunciation [made] by thee to King Saul, for which thou wast promoted to greater honor by him. But if you understand the word *destroy*, and the others which follow, not as the words of one praying, but as [those] of one cursing, they contain a prophecy of the future utter destruction of this Doeg. *He shall pluck thee up.* As one badly planted in His vineyard. *And make thee emigrate from thy tabernacle.* That is, thy soul from thy body. Or, [he shall] make thee emigrate from thy house, and [have thee] carried forth from it as a dead man. *And thy root from the land of the living.* By "root," he understands both his past and future generation and lineage. For the roots of Doeg can be called both his parents and his children and descendants; his parents, because they produced him; his children and descendants, because they are a root of others who are generated by them. ^C Through "root," therefore, he has indicated both the ascendants and the descendants, and in a word, the entire generation. By "land of the living," he means both the present [earth], which living men inhabit, and the place in the heavens, which is the location of those who live forever.

*Verse 8. The just shall see and shall fear.* They shall see the coming total destruction of Doeg, and fearing the inescapable retribution, they shall become more cautious. *And they shall laugh at him.* They shall rejoice, he says, when they see him paying the penalty for such a great crime; according to which sentiment it is said elsewhere: *The just shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance.* The construction is indifferent in this place also.

*Verse 9. And they shall say: Behold the man who did not set God as his helper.* Who, when I had been treated unjustly by the king, did not want to hide me, but rather to betray me; ^D for which reason he made God his enemy, [God] who is accustomed to fight for men who have been treated unjustly. *But he hoped in the multitude of his riches.* It is likely that this Doeg was wealthy. Or, by "riches" he refers to his malice, by which he also called him "mighty" above.

And he was strengthened in his vanity. ^A He called the aforementioned wealth vanity, as it did not benefit him at all in his danger.

I, however, [am] as a fruitful olive tree in the house of God. He prophesies even now concerning himself, that while they indeed lay snares for me so frantically, and destroy cities, and spare no one, I, however, shall be preserved, just as a fruitful olive tree, whose fruit did not perish. I shall be preserved, moreover, in the shelter of God, just as that one in the garden. By "house of God" he means the tabernacle, predicting that after he has removed Saul, he will hold the kingdom, and the cities, and the tabernacle.

I hoped in the mercy of God forever, and unto the age of the age. I hoped not in wealth, or in any power, as they did, but only in the mercy which comes from You, O God, which You Yourself give to those who are wronged; this hope in the mercy of God I have both in the present age, and in the future, when there is the judgment of deeds.

I will acknowledge You forever, because You have done [it]. I give thanks to You, Lord, always, because You have done [it]—and one must supply: "vengeance." The sound of "You have done [it]" is intuitive, sent forth from the heart; and for this reason it is elliptical. For those who are taking vengeance are accustomed to utter elliptical words, as if joy cuts off the rest of the utterance, such as: "Our eyes have seen" (Ps. CXVII, 20). ^B For "vengeance" is understood, or something similar. For the Prophet clearly foresaw the destruction of those who were plotting against him.

And I will wait upon Your name. That is, I will wait for You as an avenger. It is a periphrasis, or perhaps out of great reverence he uses the name of God instead of God Himself.

Because it is good before Your saints. Because, he says, this is most useful among those who have been consecrated and dedicated to You. This Psalm could also be recited by any faithful person against the demon, as against him who is always working iniquity and deceit, and as far as the words: "and ^C make you emigrate from your tabernacle," all things easily fit this sense. By "tabernacle," however, understand the principality of the demon, which he held over the human race, and by "root," the stability of this principality. But all the just shall see the downfall of the demon, our enemy, and then they shall more greatly fear the Lord, who is accustomed to bring aid to those who fear Him. By "man" here, we shall judge this to be the devil, just as it will be interpreted in the first verse of the fifty-fifth Psalm; and we shall fittingly take the following words as well ^D according to this sense.

PSALM LII

In the end, for Maeleth, of understanding, by David. This Psalm is the same as the thirteenth, having only two verses more than that one, which we shall explain. For all of its other explanation in [index: entries preserved]

^A that place we provided. These verses, however, are included here for this reason: so that it might not seem that the same Psalm was set down twice, 86 but to teach that, even if they are the same in their proclamation, they differ as to their meaning. For the former [psalm] censures the madness and malevolence of Sennacherib and Rabshakeh against Hezekiah; but this one [censures] the rage of the Jews against Christ. For if this were not so, this [repetition] would not have escaped all the interpreters, nor even the Jews themselves, as being twice set down, or as being repeated without reason. But as it is, they have no argument, even if the Jews do willfully blind themselves. For this one has received a different inscription from the other, pointing toward the end because of the prophecies in it against the Jews, so that those who read it must look to their end. And the words, “concerning Maeleth,” they have interpreted as, “concerning the dance.” For when we Christians read this, we dance because of the outcome of the things prophesied. For he says, “Jacob shall exult, and Israel shall rejoice,” which is who we are, as we discussed in the thirteenth Psalm. And the word, “of understanding,” teaches that those reading need understanding to perceive that, even if it is the same as the thirteenth in its proclamation, it nonetheless has a mysterious difference in its meaning. Now, therefore, we must explain the two verses that we said are added here.

PSALM LII

Verses 1, 2. *The fool said in his heart, There is no God; they are corrupted, and have become abominable in iniquities.* Look at what we said in explaining the thirteenth Psalm; where it says here “in iniquities,” there it said “in pursuits.”

*There is none that doeth good.* In the aforementioned Psalm it was written: “There is none that doeth kindness.”

*God looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there were any that understand, or seek God; they have all gone aside, they have together become useless; there is none that doeth good, there is not even one. Shall not all the workers of iniquity know? who eat up my people as food for bread; they have not called upon God. There they feared a fear, where there was no fear.* Look likewise at the explanation of these in the aforementioned Psalm.

*For God has scattered the bones of men-pleasers.* He calls the Jews “men-pleasers,” whom Christ also often reproached, calling them hypocrites and those who judge according to appearances; for even in order to please Caesar, they cried out, “We have no king but Caesar,” and to Pilate, “If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar.” For He scattered the bones, that is, the tribes by which they were held together; for they were dispersed into the servitude of every nation. ^D

and that, having been destroyed by the Roman sword, they have become carrion and corpses for the beasts and the birds. ^A They were shamed, because God despised them. With shame were they added to all nations, having become the most wretched, most unfortunate, and most pitiable of all men who have ever lived; and they have suffered this because Christ has made them a subject of scorn and reproach.

"Who shall give from Sion the salvation of Israel? When God shall turn the captivity of His people, Jacob shall dance for joy, and Israel shall be glad." And the explanation of these words is set forth in the thirteenth Psalm.

*For the end, in hymns, an instruction for David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, "Does not David hide himself with us?"*

PSALM LIII

Fleeing from Saul, blessed David went into the desert of Ziph; the Ziphites, while feigning friendship toward David, reported him to Saul; and he marched out against him. But a war with the Philistines that suddenly arose drew Saul away at once, and David, having escaped from there, fled, and composed the present Psalm as a thanksgiving, since God had skillfully frustrated the plot. ^C Therefore it is also inscribed "in hymns," for he says, "I will confess to thy name, O Lord, for it is good, for thou hast delivered me out of all trouble." "For the end," he says, because the prophecy contained herein hastens toward the end; for he foretold the destruction of those plotting against him, saying, "He shall return evil to my enemies; and in my enemies mine eye hath seen," which we shall clearly explain in their proper places. And "of instruction," because it is characteristic of a prudent man, at such a time, abandoning all things, to praise God, and to call upon Him as judge.

^D "O God, in thy name save me." Because of thy name, for you are called Savior, and merciful, and just; save me yet again and again; for plots encompass me on every side.

"And in thy power judge me." And being powerful, I know well that you will judge me, along with those who oppress my weakness—I mean Saul—and you will take vengeance. The construction of this word "judge me" is indifferent here.

"O God, hear my prayer, with thine ears..."

^A *Give ear to the words of my mouth.* The phrases "Hear," "Give ear," and others of this kind, do not seem to me to differ in meaning, but rather to signify the intensity and persistence of the prayer; just as one can see at the beginning of the fifth Psalm, and at the beginning of the sixteenth, and at the beginning of the fourth, and in many other places, even if the more diligent might find some variation. We can interpret "prayer" here as that which is done in the mind, and "words of the mouth" as the supplication poured forth through the lips; for this was what was meant by, "O God, by thy name save me," and anything else of that sort.

^B *For strangers have risen up against me, and mighty men have sought after my soul.* He designates those around Saul in this way: "strangers," as enemies to him; and "mighty," as those powerful in their military preparation. Or, he understands by "strangers" the Ziphites, as those who had become alienated from the true and right goodwill they owed him; and by "mighty," Saul and his associates.

*And they have not set God before them.* They have not set Him [before them], that is, they have not held Him in their minds; for he who fears God sets God before the face of his soul through a mental image, as one who forbids evil. ^C *For behold, God is my helper, and the Lord is the protector of my soul.* The conjunction "for" is redundant. Having already received assurance regarding the help from above, he proclaims it to all out of joy; and the word "Behold" signifies the nearness of time in this place, as if to say, "now."

*He shall return the evil to my enemies.* That is to say, those evils which they were plotting against me, He will turn back upon them.

*And in thy truth destroy them.* Here he understands "truth" as justice. Or alternatively, because truth destroys and extinguishes falsehood, do You, in that You are true, destroy them, being as they are liars; for the Ziphites lied about their disposition toward him; and furthermore, Saul had also many times confirmed with his own words that he would no longer plot against him. ^D

*I will freely sacrifice to thee.* "Freely," that is, readily and joyfully. Not so much compelled by the commandment of the law, as by a certain ardor of spirit, will I sacrifice to Thee, as the supreme and most powerful defender of those who suffer injustice.

Psalm LIV

*I will confess to thy name, O Lord.* That is, I will give thanks to Thee.

*For it is good.* That is, to give thanks. For it is good, he says, to confess to the Lord.

"For out of all tribulation Thou hast rescued me." ^A For with the attack of Saul now interrupted, by which he was being carried against me, Thou hast diverted him toward another war. "And upon mine enemies mine eye hath looked down." With the eyes of the soul, in the manner of a prophet, he discerns the destruction of the Ziphites and of Saul. The phrasing, however, is elliptical, and is understood as follows: My eye, he says, looked down and beheld in my enemies all those things which it desired, or all those things which they are about to suffer, just as we have also explained in the thirty-fourth Psalm. This psalm may also be brought forward by us against the demons, who are aliens to God as rebels and adversaries, and similarly against the strong spirits, and as the rulers of this world, who are like incorporeal beings ^B set to commit wicked deeds.

Unto the end, in hymns, understanding, to David.

PSALM LIV

Blessed David composed this psalm in like manner, when he was fleeing from Saul and was wandering in the desert. But while the Prophet narrates his own sufferings, he in a certain way describes the passions of Christ. And therefore it is inscribed "Unto the end," and "In hymns," and "Understanding," as if sending the listener forward to the end of those things which are prophesied here concerning Christ; and he persuades and urges us to the praises of Him who for our sake endured such great sufferings. He also admonishes us to listen to all these things with understanding, on account of the shadow and obscurity of the prophecy.

^C "Hearken, O God, to my prayer, and despise not my supplication; give heed unto me, and hear me." We have expounded words and sentiments of this kind above in the second verse of the fifty-third Psalm. It is to be noted, however, that in the sixteenth Psalm there is an order of words other and different from what is had here. For there, it is placed: "Hear me," then, "Give heed," and in the last place: "Hearken"; so that it is manifestly clear that there is no difference among these expressions for the Prophet.

"I was grieved in my meditation." ^D Because we read here in Latin "meditation," in Greek *adoleschia* is used, which word properly signifies idle talk, or (as others have more closely rendered it for this sense) captious reasoning; and it is found very often in our Prophet for assiduous meditation, according to what he says elsewhere: "And I meditated in Thy justifications." [For as concerns what he says, "I meditated," it is read in Greek "I was grieved in my meditation," I say, by thinking by what means I might be able to avoid the snares of my enemies; and when I could find no art or counsel, I was grieved. *Adoleschia* is also taken for that more sublime and divine contemplation, according to that: "Isaac went out to meditate in the field, when the day was now declining" (in the Greek we see the Prophet used the same word there).]

"And I was troubled from the voice of the enemy, and from the tribulation of the sinner." He calls Saul the enemy, as though

an insurgent; and sinner, as though he were committing sin ^A in striking the innocent. Moreover, he was sinning all the more gravely, in that the blessed David was not only innocent, but had even earned great merit from Saul. For he was seeking to put his benefactor, an innocent man, to death. Understand, therefore, by "voice" the reproaches of Saul, and by "tribulation," the persecution itself.

VERS. 4. *For they turned aside iniquity upon me.* Because the friends of Saul stirred up iniquity against me—that is, because they laid a charge upon me, saying that I was laying snares against Saul. But some copies have "iniquities" in the nominative case; and in that case, explain it as meaning that "iniquities," that is, iniquitous men, were moved against me. For we often use "injustice" for an "unjust man." For when we wish to censure someone more vehemently, we do not call him "a wicked man," but "wickedness itself."

*And in wrath they were hateful against me.* And while they were angry against me, they kept a memory of hatred [which is expressed more significantly by the Greek word *enekotoun*], which, from its etymology, seems to denote a more constant and long-lasting state of anger and hatred. ^B

VERS. 5. *My heart is troubled within me.* By "heart" he understands the soul, which he says is troubled, as being constantly occupied with the snares of his enemies.

*And the fear of death is fallen upon me.* But how does he say elsewhere: "I will not fear ten thousands of the people round about me," and many other things of this kind, and yet now openly confess fear? It is because, indeed, while he felt the divine assistance, he was full of the greatest confidence; but when, by divine dispensation, he was abandoned, so that his patience and steadiness in the expectation of divine consolation might appear more clearly, then he was afflicted and tormented by interior fear. ^C

VERS. 6. *Fear and trembling are come upon me.* He repeats the same thing again, indicating a more intense dread. For when dread is increased, fear ensues; and when fear is increased, trembling follows.

*And darkness covered me.* Darkness, certainly, of despondency and grief; for these things in a special way darken and confuse the soul.

VERS. 8. *And I said: Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest?* The blessed David did not seek wings like a dove without reason. For the flight of a dove is very swift. Furthermore, it is a gentle, domestic, and simple animal, just as David himself was. And I will fly, he says, into safe places, and I will be at rest, that is, I shall enjoy quiet, having been liberated, as it were, from such great fear and labor. ^D

VERS. 7. *Lo, I have gone far off flying and I abode in the wilderness.* He said "flying" in place of "fleeing," or "taking to flight."

VERS. 9. *I awaited God, who saved me from pusillanimity and from a tempest.* Dwelling in the desert, I have awaited no other helper until now, than Thee alone, O God. By tempest [alt-version omitted]

^A he understands the vehement storm of temptations.

VERS. 10. *Drown, O Lord, and divide their tongues.* What follows is spoken against the Jews and concerns Christ. Drown, He says, O Lord, their tongues, which blaspheme Thy Son. Drown those tongues, that is, send them into the deep; make them to be suffocated in the depths of their own throats; and divide them, causing them to no longer agree on the same opinion, so that they may no longer be able to conspire against the Savior. This, in fact, is what happened to them after they were destroyed by the Romans.

*For I have seen iniquity and contradiction in the city.* Because, He says, I saw with prophetic eyes in the city of Jerusalem: iniquity, indeed, while they wickedly sought to slay the Author of life; ^B and contradiction, in that they spoke against Him while He was teaching things pertaining to salvation.

VERS. 11. *Day and night it shall compass it upon its walls.* Day and night, He says, the iniquity which we mentioned will surround that city even up to its walls. The Jews were most wicked even after the death of Christ, until the Romans, having sent an army, scattered them completely.

*And iniquity and labor in the midst of it, and injustice.* Again He reproaches their iniquity, rebuking them the more inasmuch as, while they boasted of living according to the Law, they always did the more wicked things. And when He said that iniquity would compass it up to its walls, He teaches ^C how that same iniquity will not depart from the midst of the city, but will continue to dwell there just the same: iniquity, indeed, is found in their judgments; labor, in the snares and machinations they devise against the innocent; and injustice, in their greed and love of possessing more.

VERS. 12. *And usury and deceit failed not from its streets.* In every city there are broad ways, which are called streets, and there are others that are narrower. And through the streets, indeed, carriages pass—which we call "airy"—but through the narrower ways we go on foot. He calls them "streets" in this place because ^D the markets or centers of exchange were there. He says that usury also was practiced by them because, under the pretext of a loan, they secretly exacted interest, which was forbidden by the Law. He asserts that deceit was also present there, because of the fallacies they framed in their mutual dealings, or because of every other kind of snare: and in this way, He testifies that every kind of vice was present there.

VERS. 13. *For if mine enemy had reviled me, I would have endured it; and if he that hated me had spoken great things against me, I would have hidden myself perhaps from him.* That which follows is to be spoken from the person of Christ against Judas. And what He says, "had reviled me" [or according to another reading of the Greek word], [alt-version omitted]

is put for "had scorned me," and "had slandered me." But as for what He says, "had spoken great things," interpret it as having spoken impudently and threateningly. For he committed both crimes. For he both uttered reproachful things against Christ among the Jews, and threatened that he would deliver Him to them for execution; the word "that," in this place, has the force of a narrative conjunction, as it is said elsewhere. ^A

Verse 14. *Tu vero, homo unanimis, dux meus, et notus meus.* From the common sense, the word "had cursed" must be supplied. He calls him "unanimous" for "friend." And He calls Judas His "leader," because He had appointed him alongside the other apostles as a leader for the faithful. "For you shall appoint them princes over all the earth." "And my acquaintance," that is, known and familiar to me.

Vers. 15. *Qui simul mecum dulcorabas cibos.* "You who were together with me, you made sweet," that is, you prepared the food. For what is prepared is felt to be sweeter. By "foods," however, He understands the evangelical doctrine by which the souls of the faithful were nourished. This doctrine, indeed, even Judas himself, as an apostle and sent to preach, had previously "dulcorated," that is, he rendered it pleasant and agreeable to Christ.

*In domo Dei ambulavimus cum consensu.* Unanimously, He says, we went into the temple. For I held him as so familiar to me that I would never suffer him to be torn from my side. ^B

Vers. 16. *Veniat mors super eos.* When the blessed David had foreseen these things, he prays hereafter against Judas, against Caiaphas, against Annas, and the rest of the Christ-killing Jews.

*Et descendant in infernum viventes.* But how shall they descend living into hell, if the death which he has imprecated come upon them? Because, of course, some of them were to be killed by a violent death. For He is not imprecating some natural death, but a violent one. And others, through fear of the Romans, betook themselves into crags, and lived in caves and caverns, tortured by hunger and thirst and terror, as Josephus reports in his *History*. The Prophet called such pits and caves "hell." For there, finally, they were entombed. For, not bearing the hardship of that life, they perished there for want of food. Others say that, since both the Jews and the demons plotted against Christ, he imprecated death upon the Jews—I mean the death of penalties and punishments—but upon the demons, the descent into the deepest bowels of the earth; and that he called these demons "living," as being immortal. ^C *Descendant, inquit, in infernum viventes, juxta eorum naturam.*

*Quoniam malitia in habitaculis eorum, in medio eorum.* Because malice dwells in their dwelling-places and in the midst of their city; as if to say: Their malice is not only on the surface and from the outside, but in the middle, that is, in the depths, in their hearts. And he called their dwellings "habitations," because ^D

^A they were but temporary, as one says, and destined soon to perish.

Ver. 17. *I called upon God, and the Lord heard me.* Being already assured, he says, that He heard me. But it is more elegant to say, that I indeed cried out to the Father, but the Son heard me. For He Himself destroyed the Jews, according to the passage: *But do thou, O Lord, have mercy upon me, and raise me up, and I will repay them.*

Ver. 18. *Evening and morning and at noon I will tell and declare, and He shall hear my voice.* He signifies the times of the three great synaxes, which we may call congregations or collections: namely, the vesper, the matutinal, and the meridian. *I will tell*, he says, the wonders of God, and I will declare them to all who are with me; so that to tell is the same as to declare. Or perhaps, I will tell of ancient things, but I will declare those which have happened lately to me. ^B

Ver. 19. *He will redeem my soul in peace from those who draw near to me, for they were with me in many things.* "In peace," that is, without toil. He calls those who draw near to him the ones who were with Saul, as being his kinsmen and former fellow-soldiers; then he sets forth the reason for this drawing near: "Because," he says, they were living and warring with me alongside many other soldiers; that is, because they lived with me and campaigned with me. ^C

Ver. 20. *God will hear and will humble them, He who is before the ages.* For God Himself made the ages; it is no surprise, therefore, if He is said to have existed before them. *For there is no change for them, and they have not feared God.* There is no mutation for them, he says, from malice to goodness, or from vice to virtue, but they remain immutable. Symmachus rendered it in this sense. These words may also be spoken against the Christ-killing Jews, against whom, since he had previously prayed, he now says: Christ will hear me, and He will humble them; as we see has come to pass. For ^D some of them were destroyed; but the rest, who were left, are scattered throughout the world, cast down and humbled, serving all nations. And what he says, *Who is before the ages*, should be referred to the divinity of Christ. For the Jews themselves asserted that He had His beginning from the mother of Jesus alone. And what follows, *There is no change for them*, has another meaning when understood also concerning the Jews. For because Christ was given as an exchange for the entire human race, and the Jews were unwilling to receive this exchange—that is, the Lord Jesus Himself—it remains, says the Prophet, that there is no other exchange for them anymore. *He hath stretched forth his hand to repay.* He hath stretched

^A forth His chastising power, in order to render unto them the punishment that is due.

*Vers. 22. They have profaned his covenant.* Saul and his accomplices profaned, that is, they despised the law of God, which commands: *Thou shalt love thy neighbor* (Deut. vi, 5), and other things of this kind; but the killers of Christ profaned the Gospel. For "profane" is that which is common and not sacred.

*They are divided by the wrath of his countenance, and their hearts have drawn near.* The Jews, he says, were divided by the wrath of the countenance of Christ; for while the Romans were besieging them, they were divided among themselves. For some of them were saying that they were suffering these things on account of Christ—among whom was Josephus, who even in that work of his on the *Siege of Jerusalem* testified that Christ was almost God. And their hearts drew near to the truth, when they reasoned that perhaps He was God; for doubt is a drawing near.

^B *Their words are smoother than oil, and yet they are darts.* This is said generally of all the killers of Christ, who, before they killed Him, offered fair words to Him in hypocrisy, calling Him Rabbi and saying: *We know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth* (Matt. xxii, 16), and other things of this kind. Yet they themselves were inwardly sharpened arrows, reaching after His blood. These words could also be said regarding Saul, who, speaking smoothly but deceitfully to our Prophet, said: *O son of David*, and other things of this kind. ^C

*Vers. 23. Cast thy care upon the Lord, and he shall nourish thee.* He offers a common exhortation to all who are beset by snares; for the Lord Himself, he says, if you have placed your trust in Him, shall nourish you; and if He shall nourish, He shall also clothe; and if He shall clothe, He shall also guard and deliver.

*He shall not suffer the just to waver for ever.* He shall not give the just person over to a tempest or a storm of temptations for long; for the Apostle says: *God is faithful, who will not suffer us to be tempted beyond that which we are able* (1 Cor. x, 13). But he said "He shall not give," in the sense that, by permitting temptations to be brought upon us by the devil, He Himself ^D is seen in a certain way to be bringing them, because He could have prevented them and did not.

*Vers. 24. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction.* Those, I say, who lay snares against the innocent. By the "pit of destruction," he understands certain vast and, as it were, inescapable punishments by reason of the depth of the place; for if anyone has fallen into a pit, an exit is not easily found therefrom.

*Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days.* And yet, in the seventy-second Psalm, the Prophet says of such men that *full days* shall be found in them. Truly, he meant "full days" there, looking not to the duration of life, but to the multitude of their vices and

^A their extent. For their days were full of vices. In this place, he says that God, foreseeing the immensity of their wickedness, tears them up before their time, so that they may not sin more; whence divine chastisement becomes for them an act of mercy. And this statement is not universal, although it happens in many cases, for we see some grow old in their sins. He said this, however, to terrify bloodthirsty and deceitful men. He called them "men of blood and deceit," as those who act manfully in murders and deceits; and through "deceit," he implies every vice. Furthermore, just as the Scripture often terms a "man of peace" one who is a peacemaker, so we see that a "man of blood" is now set forth for a bloodthirsty man, that is, for one who delights in blood. And other things of the same kind.

^B "But I, Lord, will hope in Thee." This is the usual invocation of the blessed David; for once he has tasted the fruit of hope in God, he both hopes entirely and confesses that he hopes. This psalm will be appropriate for all the faithful, save for a few points which we shall indicate in the course of our exposition. We shall not explain everything over again, but only the more obscure parts. For those things which are easy we shall allow to be understood according to the explanation already rendered. "I was grieved in my meditation," that is, in the conversation I had while my thoughts were most perturbed and filled with feelings and passions. For thoughts of this kind bring me sorrow following repentance. Or [because, as we said above, the Greek word signifies not only meditation, but also babbling or argument], according to another sense, say: "I was grieved by my untimely speech, which I use superfluously in daily conversations, and I was troubled by the suggestion of my enemy and of the sinful demon; I was even distanced from God, and I adhered to the devil, through my wretched actions, and I remained in solitude, or [as it is more explicitly held in the Greek] in the wilderness, ^C that is, in the desert, and in the sterility of virtues. Sink, O Lord, and divide their tongues," the demons' tongues, that is, so that they are no longer able to conspire or weave snares against me: "For I saw iniquity and contradiction in the city," that is, in their common conversation. For they act iniquitously while they sin and contradict Thy commands, while they transgress them; and by the "walls of the city," we can understand those demons who are more powerful among them. And what he says of "labor being in the midst of that city" is said on account of those who struggle strenuously against them. The "plazas" of that city are the ways of the demons, as being opposed to that divine way which we read in the Gospel is narrow. ^D Usura

which adds an increase to the lot, signifies an increase of previous sins. But when he says: *For if my enemy had reviled me*, and the words that follow even to those words: *Let death come upon them*, these things are said in the person of Christ against Judas, as we have said. But let death come upon them—that is, the demons—so that their inefficacy may be complete. And as for what follows: *And let them descend*, etc., we have already explained this above. And because he says: *For their malice is in their dwellings*, it can be read in another way: *For their malice is in their pilgrimages*. [For the Greek word *paroikia* signifies pilgrimage and sojourning.] Therefore, by the pilgrimages of the demons, he understands their insults and encroachments that they inflict upon us. He also understands the same ones to be those he calls "encroachments," for the reason that they are always rushing upon us with force; and what he says, *and they were with me in many things*, interpret by changing the prepositions: *and many were against me*, as if he were to say: "and many gathered against me." There is no ^B change for them, that is, no alteration from malice to good, as we have said before. *They profaned his covenant*, that is, they despised it. *And their hearts drew near to us*, that is, their counsels. *Their words became softer than oil*, while they instill their counsels into us. For in the beginning, they flatter us with certain empty words, but in the end, they actually result in evil.

*In the end, for the people who have been removed from the saints, for David, for the inscription of the title, when the Philistines held him in Geth.*

PSALM LV

Just as we have seen those psalms to which "for understanding" is inscribed placed in conjunction, so too are those to which "for the inscription of the title" is inscribed held in conjunction, of which the present is the first. By "people" he means the Jewish people, who, serving as captives under the Babylonians, had been removed from the saints—that is, from the temple and from all the holy things that were in Jerusalem. For this reason it is also inscribed *to the end*, because it tended to the end of those things that had been predicted in it concerning the people. By the name of "the people," we can understand everyone in general who for a time has been removed from holy men while they are held captive under the yoke of sin. And that he says, *for the people*, it means the same as if he had said: "In the person of the people." Then a second inscription follows: ^C *For David, for the inscription of the title*, etc., so that there is a double argument for the psalm. We said in Psalm XLIII that the blessed David, fleeing from Saul, went to Geth to Achis, the king of the Philistines, and because a suspicion had arisen that he was the David who had killed Goliath, and he began to be in danger, he feigned madness, as if he were suffering from the falling sickness, and so he was dismissed and saved contrary to expectation. Therefore, at that time, he wrote this psalm, adapted both to his own sufferings then and to those of the people later on. Wishing, moreover, that such a great benefit of God toward himself should be proclaimed forever, he prefixed to the psalm the words we have seen: *For the inscription of the title*, or rather, in the state or column inscription [as we have said more truly elsewhere to be signified by the Greek word]; as if he were saying: "For an everlasting memorial of this deed." We believe this way of speaking is taken from the metaphor of those who inscribed certain words on stone or bronze columns, as a monument to posterity forever.

VERS. 2. *Have mercy on me, O God, for man hath trodden me under foot.* "Trodden under foot," interpret as meaning *broken*. From

^A the account of the captive people, "man" refers to the King of the Babylonians; if, however, it is from the person of sinners, it means the devil, whom Scripture sometimes expresses under the name of man, as in the parable of the tares. "An enemy," it says, "hath done this." Finally, if you read it from the person of the blessed David, understand "man" as Saul. And then, as for what he says, "he hath trodden under foot," explain it as: he has despised; just as it is written elsewhere: "Who hath trodden under foot the Son of God."

"Tota die (All the day) bellans (warring) afflicted me." "Tota die" is said for *daily*. "Bellans," however, means injuring or making an attack.

VERS. 3. *My enemies have trodden upon me all the day.* Whether you understand the Babylonians, or the diabolical powers, or Saul himself.

*For many are they that war against me from on high.* By "on high" in this passage he understands power and strength. Or he said "on high" for this reason, because those who fight from above strike with a more certain blow those who are standing below and in a lower position.

VERS. 4. *In the day I will not fear; but I will trust in thee, O Lord.* By "in the day" he now refers to the prosperity of his enemies; for by consoling himself and prophesying his deliverance, he says that he will not fear such prosperity.

*In God I will praise my words.* He has used "I will praise" here for *I will adorn*. I will make my words praiseworthy, he says, in Him, while they speak of God. For that ^B speech alone can deservedly be seen as adorned, which remembers God. Or otherwise: because the blessed David had boasted, saying, "In the day I will not fear," he now corrects his own speech, saying, "In God I will praise," that is, I will extol and magnify my words.

*In God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.* He says "flesh" for a carnal man, who is subject to affections and passions.

VERS. 6. *All the day they abhorred my words.* This means they despised whatever I might have said. And that was done because they neglected me.

*All their thoughts were against me for evil.* In order to bring evils upon me, that they might afflict me.

VERS. 7. *They shall dwell and hide.* They shall lie in wait for me; and they shall secretly set snares and traps.

*They shall observe my heel.* They shall investigate the path of my life, he says, that they may catch me in their snares: by which words he indicates their various treachery.

VERS. 8. *As they have waited for my soul, so shalt thou bring them to nothing.* Just as they, he says, lurking in ambush, waited for me, so also do thou drive them out, that is, expel them; and what he says, "for nothing," is the same as *easily*, as if they were as nothing.

*In thy wrath thou shalt break the peoples.* Being moved to wrath alone, thou shalt break, that is, thou shalt crush, all the multitudes.

^A *God, I have declared my life unto thee.* I have made known unto thee my manner of life, which I am now living. *Thou hast set my tears in thy sight, as also in thy promise.* Thou hast looked upon my tears, as thou didst also promise in thy promise. For when establishing the law, thou saidst concerning all those who suffer injury: *He shall cry unto me, and I will hear him; for I am merciful.* ^B *My enemies shall be turned back.* This is to say, they shall flee. He predicts what was about to happen. According to the anagoge, however, we may say that just as demons are wont to take the lead as often as they have overcome us and to show us the way that leads to perdition, so as often as they have been defeated by us, they follow behind, barking. *In what day soever I shall call upon thee, behold I know that thou art my God.* As often, he says, as I have called upon thee with an ardent soul, I have instantly known—that is, I know—that thou art my God. For he has used the past tense for the future. But how do I know? By the fact, of course, that thou hearest me.

VERS. 11. *In God I will praise the word, in the Lord I will praise the speech.* The term "praise" has the same meaning here as we said above in the verse: *In God I will praise my words*; and by "word" he understands a shorter speech, but by "speech," a longer one. *In God have I hoped, I will not fear what man can do unto me.* He refers, of course, to the man of whom he spoke at the beginning: ^C *For man hath trodden me under foot*, meaning this same one now.

VERS. 12. *In me, O God, are vows, which I will render of thy praise.* In my memory, he says, are those promises of thy praise which I affirm I will render. For the blessed David had promised that he would praise God his benefactor.

VERS. 13. *For thou hast delivered my soul from death.* My soul, that is, myself. But if you wish to understand the soul by its own proper meaning, understand by "death" sin, as that which first of all became the cause of death for the first-created man. *My eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.* By "falling," understand either a precipice or a snare; and by "feet," if you will, the course of this life. ^D *I will please before the Lord in the light of the living.* [First, we must observe that the Greek expression signifies not only "I will please," but also "I will perform what is pleasing"]. According to this meaning, he says, I will do what is pleasing to God, as long as I see this light which shines for the living. For after death, there will be no more time to please him. And otherwise, by the "light of the living," he understands the commandments of God. For, he says, *The commandment of the Lord is lightsome, enlightening the eyes*; and, *Thy word is a lamp to my feet*; or, I shall appear grateful and acceptable in the eternal light of those who are to live forever.

To the end, do not destroy, a Psalm of David for the memorial inscription, when he fled from the face of Saul into the cave. PSALM LVI.

^A Having escaped in a paradoxical manner the danger in the cave of the wilderness of Gad, when Saul had entered while he was hidden there, and had rested for the night, as we have previously stated, he composed this psalm. And similarly to the one before it, he inscribed it "For the memorial inscription," for the reason we have already mentioned. "To the end," then, this one is headed, as it is being referred to the end of those things prophesied in it concerning the Church of the nations. As for the "Do not destroy," it must be read separately and by itself; for on that night, when Saul was sleeping and David stood over him with a sword, being moved by anger, he kept chanting this expression to himself repeatedly, and thus suppressed his anger and did not slay him. ^B Whence he wrote this, at once teaching how he himself mastered his anger, and at the same time exhorting everyone not to destroy their own long-suffering. It is necessary to know that he composed this psalm after he had come out of the cave; but the hundred and forty-first [he wrote] while he was still inside it and in anguish, as if already hemmed in by enemies.

"Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for my soul trusts in Thee." The duplication of the "Have mercy on me" indicates the intensity of the supplicant's mind. "I do not trust," he says, "in any other of all things, if not only in Thee. Therefore, have mercy on me, who am being pursued in this way."

"And in the shadow of Thy wings I will hope, until iniquity shall pass by." By "shadow of wings" he signifies the protection, concerning which we spoke clearly in the 15th psalm, at the words, "In the protection of Thy wings Thou shalt shelter me." By "iniquity," [he means] the conspiracy, as Aquila has rendered it. It could be understood either as the enemies who are visible or those who are invisible. And it will certainly pass by when one departs to God to be crowned. ^C

"I will cry unto God most high, the God who has benefited me." He calls Him "Most High" because He transcends all the heavens by far; and he says "who has benefited me" because He has deemed him worthy of His aid beforehand and now as well.

"He sent from heaven and saved me." He sent power from on high; for I was not rescued by human aid from the danger that was impending over me in the cave.

"He gave to reproach those who trampled upon me." For when those around Saul learned of what had happened, they were greatly ashamed, ^D as having blundered so significantly, and having appeared ridiculous. And what it is to "trample upon," has been said in the preceding psalm.

^A *God sent forth His mercy and His truth, and He delivered my soul from the midst of the lion's whelps.* Having first said that He sent forth, he adds also what He sent. It must be noted that in many places he calls truth itself righteousness, as here also. For it is from truth that righteousness is understood. He sent forth, therefore, mercy, that He might have mercy on me; and righteousness, that He might condemn those who were acting unjustly against me. By the lion's whelps, he means those around Saul, as being at the height of their power, and as fierce and bloodthirsty. Such, indeed, are the whelps of the lion. The passage is also understood as applying to the person of the Church of the faithful, namely, that the Father sent the Son and saved me, who was lost. He gave over to reproach the demons that had formerly been trampling me down. Now the essential mercy and truth is the Son; for having had mercy on us who were lost, He became man, and He Himself has said: *I am the truth.* And the significance of righteousness is also, as the Apostle says, that *He was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.* Understand, therefore, the demons as the whelps here. ^B *I slept troubled.* That is to say, when those around Saul entered into the cave; for I was sleeping a little, but trouble was stirred up by the danger that was surrounding me on all sides. ^C *O ye sons of men, their teeth are arms and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.* O ye sons of men, he says, listen: the teeth of those who are plotting against me, like wild beasts, are arms and arrows, and so forth. By the teeth and the tongue, he indicated their words, because they wound with slanders and certain deceitful tricks, and, as far as they are able, kill. And he does not call them arms here for the sake of protection, but for the sake of causing injury. ^D *Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and Thy glory above all the earth.* May Thou be known as lofty and heavenly even to those who do not know Thee, and may Thy majesty, through which Thou performest such wondrous things, run over all the earth. Some also refer this word to Christ, that after Thou hast finished the mystery of the incarnation, Thou hast ascended again to the heavens from whence Thou didst descend, and may Thy honor and glory spread throughout all the earth. *They prepared a snare for my feet, and bowed down my soul.* They have fashioned for me certain snares and toils, he says, like hunters, by which they have humbled me, having arranged them most cunningly. By such words, he signifies the manifold plots of his enemies. [index: entries preserved]

They have dug a pit before my face, and have fallen into it. They have prepared danger before me, but they themselves have fallen into it. For I, having been protected by God, have escaped unharmed; but they themselves have run into danger, having fallen into my hands. ^A

VERS. 8. *My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready.* I am prepared, he says, for the future, so that I may resist all temptations rising up against me, having you as my defender; or, I am prepared for your praise, or to carry out your will. *I will sing and chant in your glory.* Regarding these words, "I will chant and sing," we have spoken often elsewhere. By "his glory," he understands his own prudence, on account of which he was held in such great esteem among all people. ^B

VERS. 9. *Arise, my glory.* By "glory," he again understands the spiritual gift. *Arise, psalter and harp.* By "psalter," he means the soul; but by "harp," the body itself, for the reasons we have previously provided in the 31st, 42nd, and 47th Psalms. The Prophet rouses his whole self to the praise of God, so that in spirit, soul, and body, he may praise his Benefactor. *I will arise at dawn.* Quickly, indeed.

VERS. 10. *I will confess to you among the peoples, O Lord; I will chant to you among the nations.* "I will confess" means "I will give thanks." "Among the peoples" means among the Jews. And indeed, both among the Jews and among those from the nations, blessed David always gives thanks and chants to God. ^C

VERS. 11. *For your mercy has been magnified even to the heavens, and your truth even to the clouds.* The same things were said in the 35th Psalm; look there for the explanation. He says that your mercy and truth are so great and sublime that they reach from the earth even to the clouds and to high heaven itself.

VERS. 12. *Be exalted above the heavens, O God, and your glory above all the earth.* We discussed these things a little earlier.

*Unto the end, do not destroy, for David, for the inscription of the title.*

PSALM LVII

This psalm is of the same argument as the previous psalm; and for this reason, it has received the same inscription. ^D

VERS. 2. *If you truly speak justice, judge righteously, O you sons of men.* Primarily, the discourse is directed toward Saul and his companions; subsequently, however, it is directed toward all others who imitate their wickedness. He says, therefore: If you truly speak that which is just, saying that you persecute me for the reason that I first plotted against you, or brought some other grave offense upon you, I appoint you yourselves as judges over me: there is only one thing that I ask, that you decree true judgments—that is, that you pronounce righteous sentences, declaring in what matter you have known me to be in the wrong.

VERS. 3. *For even in your heart you work iniquity; your hands weave injustice on the earth.*

The phrase "weave," he says, is a metaphor taken from those who weave snares, on account of the complexity of their schemes. And the addition of "on the earth" is because they do these things on earth; in Hades, they shall not have this power ^A. For in Hades, even if the depravity of their souls does not cease entirely, the faculty for doing evil will be altogether absent.

VERS. 4. *Sinners are alienated from the womb.* He inveighs against men persistent and fixed in sin, and teaches briefly what sort of people they are and what ruin they have suffered. From their very cradles, he says, they were alienated from God, according to what had been foreknown by God—namely, that they would soon be alienated and miserably perish. *They went astray from the womb.* From the Church, clearly. For the Church is like a womb and internal parts for those who are adopted by God, in that she forms them into new men through the wondrous laver of baptism. They went astray, therefore, from the way of God's commandments, wandering from that time forth—not by their works, as we have said, but according to the foreknowledge of God. For thus also God said to Jeremiah: *Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you came forth from the womb I sanctified you* (Jer. 1, 5). *They have spoken lies.* They did not speak lies from the womb, but as soon as they reached a more mature age.

VERS. 5. *Their fury is according to the likeness of a serpent.* They say that a serpent, when it begins to rage against someone, never lays aside its anger or fury until it has injected its poison or death has taken away its rabies ^B. Therefore, their fury is equally implacable; for they remain angry and are perpetually contriving snares. *Like that of a deaf asp, and of one that stops its ears.* He transfers the image of fury also to the asp itself. Their fury, he says, is like the fury of a deaf asp—not that I mean an asp which is deaf by nature, but one that voluntarily and by a certain cunning refuses to hear; and for this reason he consequently added: *And of one that stops its ears.* Then he relates the time when it becomes most deaf.

VERS. 6. *Which will not hear the voice of the enchanters, and of the sorcerer, enchanted by the wise man.* By those who enchant, he means those we call "enchanters" or "juggling imposters," who by certain spells or tricks check the fury of creeping things and venomous animals ^C. By their own artifices they appease their savagery, and in this way they hunt them and keep them for the use of physicians. The asp, therefore—and more specifically that which is called "palamnaea"—foreseeing this by certain proofs, is accustomed to stop its own ears, and in this way escapes their arts. The order of the words, then, is as follows: which asp will not hear the voice of the enchanters, and will not hear the voice of the sorcerer, even if it is enchanted and enticed by the arts of a wise man. For here he calls the very craftsman and enchanter "wise." Just as one might speak of that art

of surpassing wickedness. For thus Saul also lived only a short time in his wickedness. ^A And he was a master and a king; but this man, a servant and a dead dog and a flea, was willfully deaf, like an asp.

"God will crush their teeth in their mouths." By teeth, he names the destructive powers of such men; and by mentioning teeth and also the mouth, he brings to mind their encompassing wickedness.

"The Lord has broken the grinders of the lions." In the previous psalm he called them lion's whelps, but in the present one he says they have lion's teeth. This verse is, moreover, a repetition of the one before it, as we have said in many places. Since, indeed, the molars are also teeth. Or, if you wish, by teeth you may understand the incisors, and by grinders the inner teeth, which we also call molars, so that through these terms, one might understand the lesser and greater injuries with which they harmed those who fell into their hands. Observe also how at times he speaks in the future tense, "He will crush," and at other times in the past, "He has broken." For such is the law of the prophets, as has been said often. ^B

"They will be brought to nothing, like water running away." Not like a river or a fountain, but like water poured out by someone, or carried and scattered by chance. And where it says, "They will be brought to nothing—or, as it is expressed in Greek by a single verb, they will be annihilated—explain this as meaning they will be despised and counted as nothing.

"He will bend His bow until they are weakened." He will bend His punitive power against them, and He will strike.

"They will be taken away like melting wax." They will be taken away, he says, easily, like melting wax. For such is what their ruthless and savage mind deserves. For as soon as this is brought near the fire, it melts at once.

"Fire has fallen upon them, and they have not seen the sun." Having mentioned the wax, he adds the fire, calling the vengeance brought by God "fire." Therefore, they perished immediately from the sight of the fire, so that they did not arrive at the following day. For by "sun" he understands the day.

"Before your thorns recognize the rhamnus." The address turns to Saul by way of apostrophe; for he turns his speech toward him. This fire, he says, will fall upon you before your sins have increased to a vast size. But in order that the meaning of what we are saying may be clear, take note that Scripture often understands "sin" by the word "thorn." ^C Rhamnus, however, is a species of thorn-bush that is large and most prickly. He says, therefore, that the aforementioned fire will fall before your thorns—that is, your sins—"recognize" the rhamnus; that is, before they learn and come into the state of the magnitude and sharpness of the rhamnus, which is

of your own, that is, your sins, may understand the rhamnus—that is, before they reach the highest peak; in the same way that thinner thorns, when finally enlarged, take on the appearance of the rhamnus: which is what happened in reality. For Saul did not live long afterwards.

*Quasi viventes, quasi in ira absorbet eos*. That fire, indeed, which we have mentioned. Moreover, he said "as though living" because from the time Saul had foreseen his own destruction from the pythoness—his death having been known beforehand—he seemed not to be living. And "as though in anger," because of the violent nature of his death. He also said "absorbs," indicating that it would be easy for God to destroy them at His will.

^B VERSE 11. *Lætabitur justus, cum viderit vindictam.* By "just" here he designates him against whom unjust intrigues are being woven. He shall rejoice, however, not at the fall or ruin of wicked men, but at the most equitable justice of God, who has not looked down upon men suffering injury, lest the spirits of the infirm be harmed by the wicked sinning with impunity.

*Manus suas lavabit in sanguine peccatoris.* He will not wash his hands by dipping them in blood, but as an innocent man, he will wash his hands in that very blood. We have seen this mode of speaking elsewhere, in Psalm XXV, where it says: "I will wash my hands in innocence." Others say that it must be understood as follows: that while the blood of the sinner is shed, the just man will wash his hands—that is, he will cleanse his actions, having surely become more cautious from the torments inflicted upon the sinner. And he shall rejoice, not because he takes pleasure in his being afflicted, ^C but because by his example he himself becomes more prudent and secure. Similarly, he "will wash his hands," because he will cleanse his actions while that sinner is being killed—that is, while he is being punished.

VERSE 12. *Et dicet homo: Si utique est fructus justo, utique est Deus judicans eos in terra.* And some wise man, he says, seeing him to be a victor—he who was previously being oppressed—will prepare for himself by such an argument a path to virtue, saying: "If there is any fruit for the just, if there are any rewards laid up for the just [it is clear that such vengeance, which God takes upon the enemies of the just, is reckoned as fruit for just men], it must necessarily be said that there is a God who judges both the unjust and the just in this life." From where, considering such reasoning, he will become more ardent ^D to pursue the virtues.

To the end, destroy not, a Psalm of David, for the inscription of the title, when Saul sent and watched his house to kill him. PSALM LVII.

Saul, inflamed with envy against the blessed David, laid most frequent ambushes for him. [When, one day, Saul had seized a spear and cast it at him, the blessed David evaded the blow and went away to his house. But as the king's anger persisted, an order was given that his house should be watched with a diligent guard of soldiers, so that, of course, he might not escape. Seeing this, Melcho, his wife and Saul's daughter, reported everything to her husband, and arranged for his escape through a certain window, as the first book of Kings relates more broadly. Having escaped, he composed the present psalm; concerning the present

^A inscription "To the end, do not destroy," it must be explained differently from how we explained it elsewhere. For the Prophet urges us to look to the end of temptations and not to cast away patience. Then, what follows in the inscription, "To David," he says was composed for the indelible memory of the things that had occurred.

"Deliver me from my enemies, O God, and from those who rise up against me, redeem me; deliver me from them that work iniquity, and from men of blood, save me." By "those who rise up," he means those who attacked and stormed him, namely Saul and the soldiers around him, as well as the demons who were working with them. He calls these same persons "workers of iniquity" and "men of blood," for then one plots against those who are innocent; a man of blood is one who delights in bloodshed. ^B

"For lo, they have hunted my soul." "For lo," as you see, the thing concerning them has caught me, having surrounded my house, even if I have been saved through Thee. "The mighty have risen up against me." He calls them mighty on account of their wealth, their numbers, and the strength derived therefrom.

"Neither is my iniquity, nor my sin, O Lord." Supply, "is the cause." For I have neither acted wickedly, nor have I sinned against them, so that they might have even a cause for their madness against me. But if you seek a distinction here, by "iniquity," understand the great transgression, and by "sin," the lesser one.

"I ran and directed myself without iniquity." Without a fault, I ordered my life among them, and for this reason I achieved great things; or, "Without iniquity I achieved whatever I achieved." You might most appropriately apply to Christ: "Neither is my iniquity, nor my sin, my Lord," and what follows, since He was unjustly plotted against by the Jews.

"Awake to meet me, and behold." Come to meet me as I flee, and strengthen me, and behold what I suffer. ^C These things are spoken in a human manner, as we have often said; for the Divine is immovable and oversees all things.

"And Thou, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, attend to visit all the nations." By "hosts," he means the angelic orders. Or, "God of hosts" is said instead of "the powerful One" or the "Giver of power." Then he entreats Him to visit all the nations through the Incarnation, having foreseen this mystery. ^D

^A Do not show mercy to all who work iniquity. To those who remain unrepentant, like those around Saul, and Annas, and Caiaphas, and the demons, so that human beings might become more prudent through this example.

VERS. 7. *They shall return at evening, and they shall suffer hunger like a dog, and shall surround the city.* At evening, that is, at a late time eventually. For he predicts that there will be a time when some of the Jews will return to Jerusalem from their dispersion, and finding no food in it, because the city will be under the rule of foreigners, they will suffer hunger miserably. Furthermore, they will not be able to remain there, but as profane and therefore rejected people, they will mourn while lying outside the walls of the city: which we see happening to them even at the present time. He used the similitude of a dog because it is a famished animal and impudent. ^B

VERS. 8. *Behold, they shall speak with their mouth.* Bearing, that is, a sentence against Christ: as when they insisted most urgently that He be crucified. It should be noted, as we said before, that the expression, "Behold," often abounds among the Hebrews, and for the most part, it is superfluous.

*And a sword is in their lips.* He calls the most bitter speech of that wicked sentence, which we spoke of a little before, a sword.

*For who has heard?* He says: Such are the words brought forth by them. Because in their judgment no one heard; no one, I say, who could deliver Christ from the injuries He was suffering. Whence Symmachus, instead of "who," translated "no one." For he thought, he says, that Christ should be helped by no one. ^C

VERS. 9. *But You, O Lord, shall laugh at them.* This is similar to what we read elsewhere in the second psalm: *He who dwells in heaven shall laugh at them.*

*You shall lead all the nations to nothing.* Those who do not receive the preaching of the Gospel, who resist Your servants. Or, by nations, he understands the crowds of demons.

VERS. 10. *I will keep my power for You.* They say that the blessed David says this about himself. The kingdom, he says, which is owed to me upon the death of Saul, I will not rashly invade; nor will I kill him for that reason, but rather I will leave it entirely to Your judgment. For so, in this place, the word "I will keep" means this: waiting to be given, when You wish. And as for the words, "for You," it is said instead of "with You."

*For You, O God, are my helper.* For You, he says, who govern all things, are an aid to me.

VERS. 11. *My God, His mercy shall go before me.* See, he says, what kind of God I enjoy, who is always so ready for me that His supreme mercy long precedes my prayers.

VERS. 12. *My God shall make me look upon my enemies.* Something must be understood here, for example: ^D whatever I wish, or whatever is fitting; such…

a figure of speech we have seen in Psalm 53, where it is said: *And my eye has looked down upon my enemies.* ^A *Ne occidas eos, nequando obliviscantur legis tuae. Disperge eos in virtute tua, et depone eos, protector meus, Domine.* See the admirable patience of the Prophet, which it becomes us also to imitate. For he asks that his enemies not be killed, lest, being prevented by death, they might forget the commandments of God. For he who dies, already forgets the law. For he says: *For there is no one in death who is mindful of you.* But he asks that they be dispersed, defeated, and humbled, and thus be corrected. David himself requested this, but God rendered a just judgment, and those who were incurable He destroyed; but others, who were at some point to become better, He allowed to escape, and in this way He granted the request of the petitioner. And that which he says, *Depone* (depose), is said for *Deprime* (depress) and *Humilia* (humble).

VERS. 13. *The sin of their mouth, the word of their lips.* He returns again to the speech of the Christ-killers, saying that the sin of their mouth was that impious word which they uttered against Christ, saying: *Let Him be crucified,* or anything else of the sort. ^B *And let them be taken in their pride.* Symmachus translated it: *with their pride.* For they boasted and vaunted themselves in vain, because they were the descendants of Abraham, and because they alone possessed the divine law; they were then conquered by the Romans, and paid the penalty.

VERS. 14. *And they shall be announced in curse and falsehood in the consummation.* By "curse" he here means the blasphemy which they impiously poured forth against Christ; but "falsehood" he calls that which they invented, testifying that Christ prohibited the giving of tribute to Caesar, although the Lord had clearly commanded, saying: *Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's.* The sense, therefore, is that because of their blasphemy and falsehood, the Jews shall be a subject of talk and a fable to all. For their former noble deeds will no longer be recounted, but rather their destruction, which he here calls the "consummation." ^C *In the anger of the consummation, and they shall not be.* He did not say simply *In the consummation,* but *In the anger of the consummation.* And that which he says, *They shall not be,* is stated because they would no longer live as they did before, nor would they have a common commonwealth.

*And they shall know that God rules over Jacob and the ends of the earth.* By "God" in this place he understands Christ.

VERS. 15. *They shall return at evening, and shall suffer hunger as dogs, and shall go round about the city.* He confirms the prophecy stated above by the repetition of such words.

VERS. 16. *They shall be dispersed to eat.* Those of them who are left, not having a city of their own, shall be scattered, and like wretches, they shall beg even for their food. ^D

...But if they are not satisfied and murmur. He reproves them because, after the manner of their ancestors, they murmur even after the chastisement of dispersion. For they will murmur, he says, even then against God. VER. 17. *But I will sing of thy power.* I will sing, that is, I will praise thee in song. *And I will exult in the morning of thy mercy.* I will exult, he says, in thy mercy, or for thy mercy. But he said "in the morning" for "speedily," for indeed thou wilt not show mercy to me late. And the expression "I will exult" has an indifferent construction here. VERS. 18, 19. *For thou hast been my helper, and my refuge in the day of my tribulation. Thou art my helper, to thee will I sing, for thou, O God, art my helper, my God, my mercy.* All these things are clear in themselves; for he gives thanks to God as his benefactor.

TO THE END, FOR THEM THAT SHALL BE CHANGED, UPON THE INSCRIPTION OF A TITLE, TO DAVID HIMSELF, FOR DOCTRINE; WHEN HE HAD SET ON FIRE MESOPOTAMIA OF SYRIA, AND SYRIA SOBAL, AND JOAB HAD RETURNED, AND HAD SMITTEN THE VALLEY OF SALT, TWELVE THOUSAND.

^B

PSALM LIX.

"To the end" indeed, because the Prophet bids us look to the end of the things contained in the prophecies; for he predicts to the descendants of the captive Jews the return from Babylon and the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. And what he says: "To them that shall be changed," is the same as if he were to say: To them who are to return from servitude to liberty. And "upon the inscription of a title," that is, for an indelible and perpetual memory of such a benefit from God—"to David himself," he indicates the name of the author, as if to say: A psalm composed for David himself. "For doctrine," that is, so that it may teach, namely, how to give thanks or how to do penance. The words that follow indicate the time when this psalm was composed, being inspired by the Holy Spirit. But none of the history regarding the Mesopotamia of Syria, and Syria Sobal, and the Valley of Salt is clearly stated, unless perhaps some things are held obscurely in the Second Book of Kings; yet it is likely that all these deeds were done, and were omitted along with many others. The Valley of Salt is a place, but by the appellation of the place he understands the inhabitants of the place, and he sets down the number of the slain. The great Basil says that those words, "to them that shall be changed," are said of Christians, on account of the transformation which indeed takes place in baptism, and on account of the liberation from the servitude of demons, concerning which we shall speak later. For now, however, we shall follow the former interpretation, according to which we have said that this psalm pertains to the captives who were in Babylon.

VER. 2. *O God, thou hast cast us off, and destroyed us.* Thou hast cast us off, because we provoked thee; and thou hast destroyed us, by delivering us into captivity to the Babylonians. For the Jews were then despoiled of their kingdom and of their strength. *Thou hast been angry, and hast had mercy on us.* Thou wast angry, because

^A of the things in which we sinned, and yet Thou hast had mercy on us for a time, in that Thou didst not destroy us immediately along with others, but didst desire that we should be brought to our senses through our servitude to the Babylonians.

*Thou hast shaken the earth, and hast troubled it.* By the shaking and the trouble of the earth, he means the destruction of the Jews, of the cities within it, their plunder, and the confusion of its people.

*Heal the breaches thereof; for it is shaken.* Having spoken of the shaking, he consistently adds breaches and instability; these are the works of an earthquake. But he alludes to the fall of Jerusalem.

*Thou hast shewed Thy people hard things.* By "hard," understand the painful things: those relating to the siege, the captivity, and the servitude.

*Thou hast made us drink the wine of compunction.* By the wine of compunction, he means the calamities and the straits that bring about compunction and repentance for the sins by which they provoked God against themselves.

*Thou hast given a sign to them that fear Thee, that they may flee from before the bow.* Those, he says, who escaped destruction had from Thee a certain sign of life, marked upon them secretly, as servants of Thine. And for this reason, when the battle took place about the walls of Jerusalem, they were not slain, but were preserved. Regarding this sign, Ezekiel also foretold: "Slay to destruction; but as for all who have the sign on their foreheads, do not come near." And by the "face of the bow," he means the arrow, as it is propelled from it; or, by circumlocution, the bow itself. For by the term "bow," every kind of weapon is indicated, as the whole by the part.

*That Thy beloved may be delivered.* This is the reason for the sign.

*Save with Thy right hand, and hear me.* By "right hand," he means strength. And hear me, the people who are in captivity.

*God hath spoken in His holy place.* The preceding things were spoken in the person of the captives; but the words of this verse are uttered by the Prophet himself: who here calls himself "holy," that is, sanctified and dedicated to God. Or, "God hath spoken in His holy [Spirit]," meaning, God, by the Holy Spirit, ^D affirms that those things were revealed to him by God, which he is about to say—what they are, hear.

*I will rejoice.* Namely, at the being well-pleased of the captives.

*And I will divide Sichem.* Sichem is a city of the tribe of Ephraim; this city, therefore, he says, I will rescue from the enemies who occupy it, and I will divide it to my people for a dwelling place.

^A And I will measure out the valley of the tabernacles. The valley of the tabernacles was a place lying before Sichem, which He promises to distribute by measure also to those in captivity. By these places, He indicated the whole of Judea, as the whole by a part.

VERS. 8. Galaad is mine, and Manasses is mine. From the descendant He ascends to the progenitor; for Manasses is the progenitor of Galaad. But through Manasses He indicated his tribe, and through the other names the other, more notable tribes, in which the rest are also included. He says, therefore, that the whole people is Mine now, even if at one time I rejected them when they provoked Me.

And Ephraim is the strength of my head. By "head" in this place He signifies the sovereignty, just as Symmachus also translated it. He says, therefore, that those from the race of Ephraim will be a powerful part of the Jewish kingdom. But by the pronoun "my," God claims their kingdom for Himself, as being His own people, encouraging them.

VERS. 9. Judas is my king. And from the tribe of Judah will be their king. For Zerubbabel, who was from the tribe of Judah, reigned over them, being descended from such a tribe. And in this place, too, the pronoun "my" shows that such a kingdom is in a certain way His own.

Moab is the cauldron of my hope. A cauldron is a vessel for service; by this He seems to indicate that the nation of the Moabites would be subjected to them, and would be in service. "Of my hope," instead of, for those who have hoped in Me, or in whom I hope, that they will be mine.

I will extend my sandal over Idumea. By "sandal" He signifies the journey; that is, I will subject this also to My people, having marched to war together with it.

Foreigners were subjected to me. Both the aforementioned Moabites and Idumeans, and those round about. But the statement "were subjected" is spoken according to prophetic idiom, putting the past tense for the future.

VERS. 10. Who will lead me into the fortified city? The discourse is from the person of the captives. The city of fortification was called Jerusalem, because it was surrounded by most strong walls and was well fortified on all sides. But they are introduced as saying these words out of exceeding joy, since previously they were detained in captivity, from which no hope of escape had appeared.

Who will lead me as far as Idumea? So that we may not only be restored to our homeland, but also may subjugate the neighboring peoples round about.

VERS. 11. Wilt not Thou, O God, who hast rejected us? This is to be read as an interrogation; and in like manner also the passage which follows. ^D

They ask this, as if expecting to obtain such salvation from nowhere else than from God.

^A And wilt not Thou, O God, go forth in our powers? This text is situated in the 46th Psalm, and you will find the explanation in that place.

Give us help from tribulation; and vain is the salvation of man. The conjunction "and" is superfluous here; for Symmachus rendered it thus: "Do Thou give us help; for vain is the salvation from man."

In God we shall make strength, and He Himself shall bring to nothing those who afflict us. "We shall make" is used in place of "we shall acquire" or "we shall possess"; for of ourselves we are weak. And in this way indeed we have completed the first exposition regarding the captives in Babylon in the time of King Zorobabel; but, as we have said, the words of this Psalm can be applied also to the faithful who were formerly held in the captivity of the demons, so that it is said in their person: "Thou, O God, hast rejected us" ^B formerly, before we had faith; "and hast broken us down," permitting us to perish by wars and mutual slaughters and many other such evils. And You were indeed angry, because we did not know You as our Creator; but You had pity on us, because we were previously led astray by demons. You have shaken the earth and troubled it, when You were living on earth and teaching. For at that time, the report of Your works and words troubled all who were on earth. He heals, therefore, their afflictions, because they turned aside from what was right. You showed us through the Gospel the hard ways, I mean the narrow and afflicted one. You gave us to drink of the wine of compunction, namely the preaching—called wine because it gladdens, and of compunction because it brings us to repentance for our sins. You gave to those who fear You a sign, the seal of the holy baptism, and the image of the life-giving cross; so that by it we might escape from the varied bow of the demons, and so forth. And furthermore, regarding the phrase, "God has spoken in His holy one," as has been interpreted beforehand, you will understand it—except that you will understand God to be Christ; and similarly also, "I shall exult." And I shall divide ^C Shechem, of the Jews, to My people, the Christians, and I shall measure out the valley of tabernacles to them. For the Christians subsequently possessed all these places, and erected churches in the regions. As for what it says, "Galaad is Mine, and Manasses is Mine," and the rest, Christ speaks, teaching that He is their kinsman according to the human nature. And He claims them as His own for this reason. Or otherwise, He makes the Israelites His own on account of the believers from among them. And the "shoe" of His divinity was the God-bearing flesh, through which He sojourned among men according to the region, and subjugated the Gentiles, and led them to faith. Then the prophet, having desired to see also in a sensible way what he saw in the spirit, says: Who will bring me into the city of the faithful Church, which is governed by the laws of the Gospel, and fortified ^D by the blood of Christ, and by baptism, and by the cross, or by the angels, and by the

to the teachers, or even to the virtue containing every virtue within it? And who shall lead me and take me away to the land of the infidels, so that I may see it having come to believe? Is it not Thou, O God, who hast cast us off? That is, Thou, who hast cast away the Jews born of me, the Christ-killers. The rest is spoken in the person of the faithful, except for a few things, as we said above.

Unto the end, in hymns, a psalm of David. PSALM LX

^B The present psalm also bids us to look unto the end, on account of the prophecies which are delivered in it. For it is spoken in the person of the people held captive in Babylon. It foretells, indeed, their return to their homeland. "I shall dwell," he says, "in Thy tabernacle unto the ages." Wherefore it is also placed in sequence after the preceding one. It is also fittingly applied to the people of the Christians, similarly to that one. It is inscribed "in hymns" because it praises the Benefactor, God, and commemorates His benefits. It must be noted, however, that where "in hymns" alone is inscribed, that hymn was chanted by the human voice, without instrumental melody; but where "in hymns, a psalm" is inscribed, this was sung with some musical instrument.

VERS. 2. *Hear, O God, my supplication; attend to my prayer.* Regarding these words, "hear" and "attend," we have spoken in the sixteenth psalm.

VERS. 3. *From the ends of the earth I have cried unto Thee.* By "ends of the earth," according to the historical sense, he understands Babylon, because it is situated in the furthest parts of this, our milder, inhabited world. But according to the anagogical sense, the "ends of the earth" would be earthly cares, which cause us to be far removed from God.

*When my heart was sad, Thou didst exalt me on a rock.* By "rock" he names the hope which he has in God, on account of its solidity and security, and also on account of its loftiness and rising. For as often, he says, as I was saddened, worn out by afflictions, Thou didst raise me up to Thy hope, as if to some rock.

VERS. 4. *Thou hast led me, for Thou hast become my hope.* Thou hast been my leader of old to good things. For I hoped that Thou alone wouldst be the author of my salvation.

*A tower of strength from the face of the enemy.* The verb "Thou hast become" is to be taken from the common sense. But "a tower of strength from the face of the enemy" he said for "a strong tower before the enemy," so as to be able to ward him off.

VERS. 5. *I shall dwell in Thy tabernacle unto the ages.* We have already said in these words that the prophecy ^D is contained concerning the

^A return of the people from Babylon and their restoration to their homeland. By "tabernacle," he understands the temple of God, as we have often said. And "unto the ages," he says for "perpetually." But such a prophecy has fallen upon us because of the wicked ways of the Jews. For they, having long since been destroyed by the Romans, no longer dwell in the temple, which was utterly destroyed from its very foundations by them; but the faithful Christian people always and everywhere dwell in the temple of God, since temples have been erected to Christ by him throughout the whole world, in which he assiduously worships God.

*I shall be protected under the cover of Thy wings.* This is similar to what we read in the sixteenth Psalm, there: "And in the cover of Thy wings Thou shalt protect me," which words we have explained there.

VERS. 6. *Because Thou, O God, hast hearkened to my prayers.* That is, when I called upon Thee.

*Thou hast given an inheritance to those that fear Thy name.* By "inheritance," according to the historical sense, he understands this lower Jerusalem, but according to the anagogical sense, the upper one. For "Come," He says, "ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you."

VERS. 7. *Thou shalt add days to the days of the king.* Thou shalt add, he says, very many days to the days of the life of King ^B Zorobabel, on account of his supreme love for Thee and on account of his supreme prudence. But what follows does not befit the ancient King Zorobabel, but our new Zorobabel, Christ the Lord, according to the flesh. For Zorobabel indeed held the type of Christ, for just as he led the captivity from Babylon back to the ancestral land, so also did Christ lead the faithful people, who were held captive under the error and deception of idols and demons, back to heaven, where our fatherland was. For the soul was given to us all by God from above.

*His years unto the day of generation and generation.* His years, he says, shall be unto the last day of the two generations, of the old people and the new, that is, even to the consummation. For unto that time shall this and that generation extend.

VERS. 8. *He shall abide unto the age before God.* These words explain the previous verse. But of all the kings who have been from the beginning of the age, only Christ lives before God; for although He died, He nevertheless rose again after three days, and sits at the right hand of God.

*Who shall search out His mercy and truth? Who shall understand?* In truth, no one. For it is a sea of mercy, and He is called Truth ^D itself. Moreover, mercy and truth were spoken of in the fifty-sixth Psalm.

VERS. 9. *So will I psalm unto Thy name unto the ages.* I will psalm to Thee, he says, as I do now, and I will praise Thee perpetually.

*To render my prayers from day to day.* That is, that I may fulfill day after day the things I have vowed,

...day by day, or in the succession of days. For he had promised often in the preceding psalms that he would praise God always.

To the end, for Idithum, a psalm of David. PSALM LXI.

^A "To the end," on account of the end of the prophecy which is contained herein. For it foretells the struggle of the Maccabees which they undertook for the sake of religion. And what it says, "for Idithum," means the same as if one had said, "to Idithum," for this psalm was sung by him. Now Idithum was the leader of the choir, as we have already stated in the preface to this work. This psalm also exhorts us to patience and to placing our hope in God.

^B VERSE 2. "Shall not my soul be subject to God? For from Him is my salvation." These words are uttered from the person of the assembly of the Maccabees, against the tyrannical enemies attempting to turn them away from the law of God and the customs of their fathers. And moreover, they can be adapted to all who imitate their steadfastness for the sake of virtue. But they are to be uttered by way of interrogation. "Shall we not," they say, "rather obey God, who commands us not to depart from His laws?" Surely we shall obey; for from Him depends our entire salvation.

VERSE 3. "For He is my God and my saviour, my helper, I shall not be moved any more." From now on, he says, I shall not fear, even if, before falling into such calamities, I feared like a human being. For here he called fear "being moved."

^C VERSE 4. "How long do you rush upon a man? You all kill as a leaning wall, and a pushed-down fence?" How long, he says, do you make an onslaught against a weak man in the way that one rushes upon a wall leaning toward ruin, or a shaken fence? For we are accustomed to rush upon these things so that they might be completely overturned. And the fact that he says "how long" indicates that they had attacked very often. Then, with those things which are said in the middle, the word "how long" is to be added by parenthesis from the general sense, so that the sentence is made in this way: "How long do you all kill?" They confess their weakness, as having sinned against God; and for this reason, they had suffered many things and been brought to destruction. ^D (They compare themselves to a "leaning wall" and a "pushed-down fence," because they had sinned against God, and for that reason had suffered many evils and been destroyed by slaughter.)

VERSE 5. "But they have consulted to cast away my honor." My enemies, he says, have meditated to throw away from me my service to God, and to despoil me of that which is my supreme honor and glory. For if it is an honor for a servant to serve a king, how much more so if someone serves God?

"They ran in thirst." They did not approach me simply, he says, but they hastened with great desire; for he called desire "thirst." But Antiochus and his ministers contrived with every artifice to persuade the Maccabees to despise their God, just as Josephus, who wrote about the Maccabees, relates in his account.

^A With their mouth they blessed, and with their heart they cursed. By their mouth they praised me, behaving as flatterers; but with their heart they reviled me as an enemy because of the difference in faith; and while seemingly taking counsel with me as friends, in secret they wove deceits like most bitter enemies.

Vers. 6. Nevertheless be thou subject to God, O my soul: for my patience is from him. My patience is from him: because he grants me constancy amidst calamities. These men, however, exchanged these mutual counsels among themselves, exciting one another to greater magnanimity.

VERS. 7. For he is my God and my saviour, and my helper, I shall not be moved. I shall never, he says, fall back from the servitude of God to the yoke of Antiochus.

VERS. 8. In God is my salvation and my glory. In God, he says, it is placed that I should attain salvation and glory, and not in men. Or: In God I have both salvation and glory, and in no other thing ^B whatsoever. God of my help. O God, my help. For they call upon him more often and with greater pleasure from the joy of the words spoken about him than they would derive from the words themselves. And my hope is in God. They repeat the same sentiment, on account of their supreme joy, openly and freely professing their hope in God. Furthermore, inciting others to the same emulation, they add:

VERS. 9. Hope in him, all ye congregation of peoples, pour out your hearts before him: for God is our helper. By "hearts" in this place he understands prayers and supplications; whence he says elsewhere: "I will pour out my prayer before him." For a sincere supplication is accustomed to be sent forth from the depths of the heart. "Pour out," he says, because speech ought to flow ^C from the mouth. Or otherwise: Bring forth and empty before him the hidden affections of your heart, by performing a sincere confession.

VERS. 10. Nevertheless the sons of men are vain. The term "nevertheless," while superfluous above, signifies "truly" in this place. For when the Prophet has admonished the whole human race as to what needs to be done, then, realizing that wicked men will not obey him, he brings forth a judgment against them, saying that the sons of men are truly vain, as those who wrongly busy themselves with the vainest of things. But "vain" is that which is useless and bears no fruit.

Lying are the sons of men in the balances, to act unjustly. They are lying in their judgments. For by "balances" he means the judgments themselves. ^D The seat of judgment in them is corrupted, he says. For they choose unstable things instead of stable ones, and evil instead of good: and they are such liars that they harm even themselves above all, stripping themselves of the virtues. This discourse, however, touches upon all wicked men in general, but especially Antiochus and his associates, who, on account of avarice, were inflicting injury upon the Jews.

"They [are vanity] in idipsum." Because of vanity, he says—that is, on account of vanity—they themselves harbor the same thoughts, so as to commit injustice. (For all are carried "in idipsum," led by the same vanity.)

Vers. 11. "Do not hope in injustice, and do not covet rapines." Blessed David admonishes all men in general, and he calls riches injustice, because for the most part they result from injustice. But as to the fact that he says "and in rapinas," the preposition "in" is superfluous, so that the sense is: Do not covet rapines. ^B "If riches flow, do not set your heart upon them." If riches, he says, are transferred from these to those, as often happens, since they possess an unstable and fleeting nature, or if they flow from others to you, do not in any way affix your heart to them, so as to pursue them zealously. Some manuscripts, however, have "Do not set your heart [upon them]," as if to say: Do not cling to them completely with your whole heart and soul.

Vers. 12. "God has spoken once; I have heard these two things: that the power is of God, and yours, O Lord, is mercy." Some have understood these words as being spoken concerning the sentence of God, and the sense to be that, together with the threatening sentence of God, the solution to that threat is always heard at the same time. ^C For this reason God threatens, so that when the purpose of the delinquents has changed, no place at all may remain for the threats. And the explanation of these things is this: It is also possible for one who speaks "once" to say things concerning many matters. For "once" pertains to the whole discourse; and the discourse is comprehensive of diverse things. But it is better to take "once" now to mean "firmly." Firmly, he says, God has spoken to me through the Holy Spirit. But what are the "two things"? That God alone is mighty, and that He alone is merciful. And what does he wish these things to signify? That He is able to repel our enemies, on the one hand, and to have mercy upon us, on the other. And so, that we might fear Him as mighty, and run to Him as merciful; but it is also understood simply as "He has spoken." ^D For He has often said such things to Moses, so that he might announce them to the people. "For You will render to every man according to his works." For in the future judgment, You will distribute to each person what is according to his deserts, whether the works that were performed were good or evil.

"A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judea."

PSALM LXII

Fleeing from Saul, blessed David occupied the wilderness that is called the Wilderness of Ziph, or of Drought, where he composed this present psalm, teaching what sort of love he had for God,

^A and at the same time predicting the ruin of those who were pursuing him; so that if we are likewise disposed toward God in the wilderness of pleasant things, our visible and invisible enemies may also be destroyed and put to flight. Some copies, however, write: "in the wilderness of Idumea." It is likely that that wilderness was formerly in the territory of Idumea, and later became a part of Judea.

Psalm LXII

VERS. 2. *O God, my God, unto thee I rise at dawn.* Toward thee, he says, I hasten early, O you who are called the dawn and the morning of the day. For having awoken from sleep, I am immediately present to you in my thoughts, preferring this conversation and discourse, which I hold with you, to all other affairs and businesses, and offering it to you as the first-fruits of the whole day. *My soul hath thirsted for thee.* By "thirst" he signifies the vehemence of love, of which it is spoken in the forty-first psalm (in the third verse). ^B *How manifoldly for thee my flesh.* For "how manifoldly," Theodotion translated "how many ways" [ποσαχῶς], which means "very often," that is, "assiduously." Toward thee, he says, I am assiduously stretched forth, and I am borne along into the love of thee. For by "his own flesh" and "his own soul," he means himself, speaking periphrastically; and by the word "how manifoldly," he introduces "many times" and "excessively."

VERS. 3. *In a desert land, and pathless, and waterless.* In this desert, he says, where I now dwell, I so behave myself that the place, which is otherwise completely void of all consolation, in no way diminishes my desire for thee. *So in the sanctuary have I appeared before thee.* Thus disposed, I appeared to thee in the tabernacle, when, as the law commands, I worshipped thee (for by "the sanctuary" itself he understands the tabernacle), just as I am affected now; and the sense is: that both in the tabernacle, and now in the desert, ^C he has preserved an equal affection and benevolence toward God. *To see thy power and thy glory.* This I do, that I might see thy power and thy might against my enemies, whom I hope to be put to flight by thee; and similarly, that I might see thy glory, while all men glorify thee, because thou helpest those who hope in thee.

VERS. 4. *For thy mercy is better than lives.* By "lives" he means lives dedicated to delicacies and pleasures. It is better, he says, that I should obtain thy mercy in the desert, than that I should live in human delicacies and pleasures. *My lips shall praise thee.* And therefore, he says, I will praise thee.

VERS. 5. *So will I bless thee in my life.* So, as I do now, sincerely, that is to say, with my whole soul. ^D *In thy name I will lift up my hands.* Toward thee alone, he says, will I stretch forth my hands. Or, calling upon thy name, I will stretch them forth, and I will ask for no other help than thine.

^A VERSE 6. *As if with marrow and fatness let my soul be filled.* Just as one is filled with marrow and fatness—for these are things that satisfy—so may my soul be filled with thy mercy. For it was of this that the discourse was. *And with lips of exultation shall my mouth praise thee.* And henceforth, with exultant lips, I will praise thee.

VERSE 7. *If I remembered thee upon my bed, in the morning I meditated on thee.* If, lying on my bed, I remember thee, in the mornings I meditate upon thee; that is to say, I am found pondering upon thee. He says that he falls asleep with the memory of thee, and wakes up again with the same memory, and not even sleep interrupts this. It is, therefore, a great good to sleep with the memory of God, and an averter of shameful imaginations. The tense of the verbs "I remembered" and "I meditated" is changed, for "I remember" and "I meditate."

*For thou hast become my helper.* This I do, because I have thee alone as a helper; and consequently, there is no need for me to keep anything else in mind. For all other things I deem superfluous and useless.

VERSE 8. *And in the protection of thy wings I will exult.* Regarding the protection of the wings, it has been spoken of in the 16th Psalm.

*My soul has cleaved unto thee.* Bound by the bond of thy desire, following after thee, so that it might never be separated from the memory of thee.

*Thy right hand has laid hold of me.* From this place he begins to foretell the help granted to him by God, and the destruction of Saul and his other enemies. ^B

VERSE 10. *But they in vain sought my soul.* For God is my helper.

*They shall enter into the lowest parts of the earth.* For, having died, they shall descend into Hades.

VERSE 11. *They shall be delivered into the hands of the sword.* Having said that they shall die, he also mentions the manner of it. He depicts the sword as having hands metaphorically, in order to indicate that its blow is inescapable (as if someone were about to seize them and strike them with a hand).

*They shall be portions for foxes.* He says that where they have been slain, the foxes will divide their carcasses among themselves for food. Or, he says they will be portions for foxes because they were not to be killed by brave and noble enemies, but by base, weak, and crafty ones, such as we know foxes to be. By such enemies, he says, they will be torn to pieces; and he seems to me to signify the neighboring foreigners (by whom Saul was slaughtered with his sons and his army). ^{C D}

VERSE 12. *But the king shall rejoice in God.* He calls himself king, as one already anointed by divine judgement as king. He will rejoice, however, not in their death, as he later declared by the fact itself, lamenting and mourning, but he will rejoice in God, who delivered those who love him. By "king" in this place you may also understand the one who masters [index: entries preserved]

is one who can understand, who is master of his own affections and passions: according to which sense I explain the following verse: that to ^A those who promise their life to God, provided with virtue, and who confirm what they have promised with works, ^B all shall be praised who swear by Him. It was formerly the custom to swear by kings, such as: "By the salvation or the life of the king." While Saul was alive, therefore, it would have been a danger to anyone who had sworn by the salvation of king David. But when Saul was dead, he says, that man shall be praised as a friend and benevolent, who shall have sworn by the salvation of king David.

"For the mouth of those who speak unjust things is stopped." This is stopped by death—the mouth of those speaking unjust things against him, David, when they were slandering him, disparaging him, and plotting with one another for his death. And this explanation pertains to visible enemies. But regarding the invisible ones, it can be explained in a similar way; but when we read here: "They shall enter into the lowest parts of the earth," then explain it, that is, into Tartarus itself. For as the Apostle Peter says, God delivered those who were cast down into Tartarus for judgment. And they say that Tartarus is beneath the earth. Explain "sword" also in that case as punishment.

Unto the End, a Psalm of David. PSALM LXIII.

This psalm has the same underlying subject as the preceding one. For it recounts ^C the snares of the aforementioned enemies, and prophesies their release from them, for which reason it is inscribed "Unto the End."

"Hear, O God, my prayer when I beseech Thee: deliver my soul from fear of the enemy, shelter me from the gathering of the wicked, from the multitude of those working iniquity." The rest is clear, but by "gathering" he means the assembly and the body of soldiers.

"Who have sharpened their tongues like a sword." So that they might easily slander and contrive snares. These words seem similar to those we saw in the LVI Psalm: "Their tongue is a sharp sword." ^D And he called it a sword, as something that wounds its neighbor from afar. For openly the enemies were praising him and blessing him, but secretly and hiddenly they were conspiring evils.

"They have bent their bow, a bitter thing, that they may shoot in secret at the blameless." He calls him blameless who is innocent, and he understands it as himself. The order is by hyperbaton, in this way: "They have prepared their bow, so that they might secretly shoot at the innocent man," and he calls it a "bitter thing," that is, grave and troublesome, that they have used such a contrivance (for it is said appositively, and by parenthesis); for it is grave and the work of some deceitful person, to attack someone with arrows in secret, who suspects nothing. By the bow, he understands the tongue, which wounds, so as almost to destroy; and likewise the bow, because it is grave and deceitful, for it is impossible to be on guard against shooting in secrets.

^A VER. 5. *Suddenly they shall shoot at him, and shall not fear.* Suddenly, he says, that is, unexpectedly, the one not anticipating it; and they shall not fear, neither the wrath from God, nor the censure from men. *They hardened for themselves a wicked word.* They confirmed among themselves a scheme of ambush, as one that would certainly be accomplished.

VER. 6. *They told so as to hide snares.* "They took counsel," Symmachus rendered. For they consulted so as to hide traps and snares, while they were setting up their arguments. *They said: Who shall see them?* Who will see them, or who will be the avenger of the one being plotted against? That is, no one.

VER. 7. *They searched out iniquity.* They sought it out so as to use it. *They failed in searching out searches.* That is, they were exhausted, seeking out deceitful arts and constructing traps.

VER. 8. *A man shall approach, and a deep heart, and God shall be exalted.* A man will approach these people as they are plotting, one who will serve their wickedness against me. And this man will have a "deep heart," that is, one who is deep-thinking, but for evil. For one may be deep-thinking ^B also for good: and even if this one achieves nothing, God will be further glorified, He who "catches the wise in their own craftiness," and shows their ambushes to be ineffectual. For it is probable that some, to gratify the enemies, approached and promised their efforts against the righteous man.

VER. 9. *The arrows of the weak became their wounds.* Ineffectual, indeed. For such are the strikes of the weak, or because of the feebleness of those who strike. By "wounds," however, understand here "afflictions." *And their tongues were weakened against them.* By "tongues" he refers to the calumnies and conspiracies which are woven by the tongue, and are the results of the tongue. They were weakened, therefore, among them, since they were ^C unable to accomplish anything further.

VER. 10. *All who saw them were troubled.* They were perturbed, he says, those who saw such and so many people failing in their attempts. *And every man feared.* Every one of those who saw them feared for himself, knowing that God is the avenger of those who are oppressed by injustice. *And they announced the works of God.* They announced to another the miracles that were wrought for my sake. ^D

and His works they understood. And they knew what kind of things the Lord does, helping His servants; for He spoke of things that were to come as if they had already happened, by the law of prophecy.

^A Ver. 11. *The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord, and shall hope in Him.* He shall be glad and shall hope, seeing His providence over me.

*And all the upright in heart shall be praised.* Those, he says, who bear nothing crooked or distorted in their heart—such as the blessed David was—shall always be praised by all, as though God were always present to them. For, *How good,* he says, *is God to Israel, to those who are of upright heart!* Some say that the words, *A man shall approach,* were spoken of Judas, who, being of a depraved mind, approached the enemies of Christ and promised to deliver Him to them. ^B But Christ was magnified and exalted all the more, having performed miracles worthy of great admiration both in His dying and in His rising again. For his glory is not diminished by the fact that He endured punishments, since His divinity remained entirely unharmed, and the excellence of His humanity and His name could not be taken away, as they had thought. But when the Gentiles perceived all these things, and furthermore saw the very crucifiers of Christ handed over to the Romans for destruction, they were troubled and feared Christ the Lord, on whose account the Jewish race was affected with such great punishments. According to this sense, by "the righteous," you shall understand all the faithful from among the Gentiles, who were justified through faith; who also, as being upright in heart, shall be glad in Christ, in that they never turned aside in their heart from that upright faith which they once professed.

To the end, a Psalm of David. PSALM LXIV.

^C This Psalm also is inscribed "to the end," because it predicts the return of the captives who were in Babylon, in whose person it was written by the Prophet. It also inserts the future religion and faith of the Gentiles (all of which tended toward their end). What a "psalm of a song" is, was said in the preamble of the book.

*To Thee a hymn is due, O God, in Sion.* For there, he says, You commanded that You be worshipped.

*And a vow shall be paid to You in Jerusalem.* See the prophecy concerning the return. According to the anagogical sense, by Sion and Jerusalem, the universal Church of the faithful is understood, and also the temples which were erected privately in various parts of the world.

^D Ver. 3. *Hear my prayer.* That is, the prayer concerning these things for which I always pour out petitions to You.

*To You all flesh shall come.* Here a prophecy is given concerning the salvation of the Gentiles; for by "flesh" he understands the nations themselves, as the whole from a part, or because they once lived carnally. Or perhaps the discourse is about the universal resurrection of bodies.

^A Ver. 4. *The words of the ungodly have prevailed over us.* The blasphemies of the enemies which they pour forth against us and against God Himself have prevailed over us; that is, they have oppressed us, since we dared not contradict, having become like servants. (And because in the Greek, for the word "prevailed," we read *hyperedynamōsan*, this word can be explained otherwise, so that it makes even the contrary sense, and the sentiment is: The words of the ungodly have made us very strong, in that God will not leave such injuries unavenged, and they have provided confidence that He will not overlook these things unavenged. Some copies, however, have: *The words of the ungodly have rendered us very infirm.*)

*And Thou shalt be propitiated for our impieties.* Thou, he says, shalt forgive those sins for which we were made captive, whence Thou shalt also deliver us.

^B Ver. 5. *Blessed is he whom Thou hast chosen and taken to Thee: he shall dwell in Thy courts.* According to the historical sense: Blessed, he says, is the people of the Jews who out of all nations has been chosen by Thee and is called Thy people. For having been recalled from captivity, they will again dwell with honor in Jerusalem: which he called the courts of God, because of the most celebrated temple that was dedicated to God therein. According to the anagogical sense, however, he speaks of the new people, whom the Lord chose from the nations for Himself as an inheritance; and by "courts," one must understand the churches which have been erected to Christ in all places. These words can also be understood as applying to every faithful one who lives piously and religiously, who shall be called chosen and taken to the heavenly Jerusalem, where the courts of God are the dwellings of the just.

Ver. 6. *We shall be filled with the good things of Thy house.* By the house of God, understand both this lower and the supernal Jerusalem, and the temples which are in all places. The good things of the house of God are the sacred dogmas, and other spiritual and temporal ^C benefits, which God grants men to enjoy and delight in. The Prophet asserts that the people shall be filled with these benefits as soon as they have been freed from the servitude of the enemies.

*Thy temple is holy, marvelous in justice.* By the temple, likewise understand that which is in the lower Jerusalem, and that which is in the supernal; and also the other temples which in various places of the world are dedicated to Christ. He calls it a holy temple, because it is said to be His who is holy, and because it is full of holiness. And "marvelous in justice" on account of the just men who dwell in it. Or, he understands the temple of God to be all men endowed with virtue, who can deservedly be called the habitation of God: and they are indeed "holy" on account of the purity of their life, and "marvelous" on account of their supreme integrity and supreme justice.

Ver. 7. *Hear us, O God, our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of those who are afar off in the sea.* This is also a prophecy concerning the nations who have believed. Hear us, he says, Thou who shalt be in the future the hope of all. He calls the men who inhabit the ends of the earth the "ends of the earth." By those, however, whom he says are far off in the sea, he understands the islanders. The word "far off" denotes distance or an interval from the land. [For islands are separated from the continent.]

Ver. 8. *Preparing the mountains in His strength.* Regarding the

^A divine power He now discourses, praising and extolling it. But what he says, *preparing*, Symmachus expressed as *stabiliens* (making stable). The substantive verb "is" is understood. He is the God, he says, who makes the mountains stable, so that they cannot be moved or fluctuate even by the most powerful and continuous blasts of wild winds.

*Girded in might.* Like a girdle, he says, you are circled in might, that is, in an immense power, as much in those things that pertain to created things as in all other things. Elsewhere also he uses almost this same kind of speech when he says: *The Lord has put on strength and girded himself.*

*Thou who troublest the depth of the sea.* He so disturbs the depth of the sea that the sand which lies there is carried upward, being suddenly levered by such a great chaos. Consider, however, that it is by the command of God that the winds disturb the sea.

*Who shall withstand the sounds of its waves?* Since they are indeed heavy, and terrible, and unbearable.

Ver. 9. *The nations shall be troubled.* Because of the strange and new character of the preaching, by which the ancestral religion and the ancient custom of their fathers will be destroyed and changed into something else.

*And they that inhabit the ends shall be afraid at thy signs.* They, he says, who inhabit the ends of the earth will be afraid at the multitude of miracles which shall happen everywhere in your name. But if those who inhabit the extreme parts of the world will be afraid, how much more those who dwell in the middle of it? We indeed say that these things were predicted concerning the marvelous works of Christ; the Hebrews, however, say they refer to things done by Moses; but they are refuted and convinced by the following verses. ^B

*Thou shalt gladden the outgoings of the morning and of the evening.* You shall gladden your people both at the outgoings of the morning, when the morning of the day begins to run, and again of the evening, that is, in the evening. *Vesperas* is in the Attic dialect, the genitive for the dative. The Word prophesies that they shall be gladdened both at the beginning and at the end of the day; they shall be gladdened, moreover, with divine hymns and sacred canticles. Some call the "outgoings of the morning" the eastern parts of the earth, and "outgoings of the evening" the western, because in the former the morning appears to be born, and in the latter, the night. You will gladden, therefore, he says, those who inhabit the east, as well as those who live in the west, having become man and conversed upon the earth. The following passages must be interpreted first historically, then anagogically; those of the anagogical sense are more suitable to these, as will be shown shortly. ^C

*Thou hast visited the earth and inebriated it.* After the return, he says, from Babylon, you undertook the care of Judæa, which had already grown desolate, and you inebriated it with rain. ^D

^A Multiplicasti locupletare eam. You multiplied the rain, so that you might render it more fruitful with a great abundance of produce. The river of God is filled with water. For the Jordan overflowed, which is the most famous river in Judæa. You prepared their food, for so is the preparation. You prepared, he says, the food for them, namely for those who returned from Babylon. For this is the preparation; the word “is” or “becomes” is understood—the earth, of course, having been previously inebriated by you through rain. Vers. 11. Inebriate its furrows, multiply its shoots. Having predicted the fertility of the earth, he subsequently asks that these things might come to pass. In its drops it will rejoice, budding. The earth, he says, will rejoice in its drops, that is, in those waters which are sent down for its sake. Indeed, because of the dew that will fall upon it, it will cause much grass to sprout. But as for what he says, "The earth will rejoice," it is spoken metaphorically. Vers. 12. You will bless the crown of the year of your goodness. You will sanctify, he says, the entire circle of that year—that year, I say, which is to be granted to us from your goodness. For this itself will be a gift of your goodness. And your fields will be filled with richness. With richness, that is, with an abundance of fruits. Vers. 13. The beautiful places of the desert will grow fat. By "desert" in this place he understands Jerusalem itself, which had been reduced to a desert and solitude by the Babylonians. But by the "beautiful places of the desert," he means those parts of the region which, at all times of the year, are more suitable and elegant and more ^C fruitful. Or [because the Greek word implies not only beautiful, but also seasonal], he says that by the "seasonal things of the desert" he understands the fruits themselves, as if brought to maturity in their season. And the hills will be girded with exultation. This is also metaphorical language; and the meaning is that from every side, all men will generally exult. And because he had spoken of the fields and the beautiful places of the desert, he now adds the hills, and proceeding a little further, he adds the valleys themselves. Vers. 14. The rams of the sheep are clothed. Clothed, that is, with a great abundance of wool, which comes from the richness of the pasture. And through the "rams" he has signified the flocks in every way. And the valleys will abound with grain. This is clear by itself. They will cry out, and for they will sing a hymn. As for what remains, he says, those who have been gifted by you with both liberty and such a great abundance of produce will cry out to you from their inmost heart, giving you thanks. And they will praise you as their Savior and benefactor. For the word "for" is redundant in this place. ^D But these things are spoken according to the historical sense; according to anagogy, however, all these things contain a prophecy concerning the evangelical preaching. Those words also, "You visited the earth," can be referred to the person of the Only-Begotten, who the whole earth, [variae lectiones: omitted]

^A and all the nations dwelling in it, has visited, and of whom it is said that "He visited us, the Orient from on high" (Luc. I, 78); who also inebriated the earth with that wine of compunction, of which we spoke in the sixth verse of the fifty-ninth Psalm, conveying the anagogical sense. Moreover, You have multiplied the evangelical irrigation, so that You might make that earth of which we spoke fruitful with the fruits of virtues. The river of God is our Savior Jesus, and the waters of the river are His teachings. For "the impetuous streams of the river gladden the city of God," as we previously explained in the seventh verse of the forty-fourth Psalm; from this river, certain rivulets flowed forth, namely the holy apostles, who subsequently irrigated the whole earth. ^B "And You prepared," he says, "the rational food," compounded by Your sacred and divine dogmas, and handed it to the apostles, teaching them the manner and method by which they ought to feed hungry souls: since the preparation of true food is of such sort that it is made in that way which You prepared, and not otherwise. By the furrows of this earth, we understand the depths of the hearts of men, which the Prophet requests be so irrigated that they might be inebriated with divine love, and depart from all hardness, and be softened toward gentleness. Its growths, moreover, are virtues, like the most elegant fruits of faith; and by its drops we understand those that drip from the teaching of sacred discipline, or the meanings emanating from the divine Scriptures, which like dew fatten the souls of the faithful, and by which that earth we spoke of, germinating, shall rejoice. The year of bounty also signifies the most excellent time of preaching, of which year the crown is Christ, ^C because the time of preaching is adorned and made most becoming solely by the very words and works of Christ. These words, however, are to be referred to the Father: You, He says, O Father, will bless it, that is, You will praise it, just as we read that He did when He said: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matth. III, 17). Regarding the fields, and the hills, and the valleys, we say in summary that in that whole discourse the advent of the Holy Spirit is announced, because, upon the Holy Spirit coming, all places were to be filled with the faithful: the fields, indeed, with ministers of churches; the mountains, with anchorites; and the valleys, with those saints who dwell in caves. And all such faithful were to be a certain fatness and fertility for these places, and provide exultation and abundance. Or otherwise, ^D by fields we can understand humble souls, which think of nothing sublime; and by mountains, others more elevated, which are lifted up to empty doctrines and to this external worldly wisdom; but by valleys, certain more dejected souls, which have fallen into the depth of sins. But beautiful are those souls of that earth, which is said to be deserted, in as much as they are fitted for the bearing of fruit; and the rams of the sheep are the apostles, as the leaders of the rational flock of Christ, who also "clothed themselves with the grace of the Holy Spirit" at the time of Pentecost, according to the word: "But you, sit in the city of Jerusalem, until you be clothed with power from on high"; or also [they are] the bishops and priests in every place, who "clothed themselves with Christ" through baptism; for "as many of you," He says, "as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ." It is also necessary to say this, that we do not find in history that those who returned [from captivity] were deemed worthy of such a prosperity

which we say are fit and suitable for bearing ^A fruit. The rams of the sheep, moreover, are the apostles, as it were certain leaders and princes of the rational flocks of Christ: these rams were clothed with the grace of the Holy Spirit, which on the day of Pentecost was diffused upon all the faithful; according to that which we read was said to them by the Lord: "But stay you in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high." Or [they are] bishops and priests, who are everywhere in the world, and who have put on Christ through baptism. For whoever, he says, have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ. It must also be mentioned that we nowhere find in history that the people who returned from Babylon had such abundance: from which it follows that the anagogical sense seems to fit this psalm better.

To the end, a song of a Psalm of resurrection. PSALM LXV.

^A Ver. 4. "Let all the earth worship you, and let them sing to you." The calling of the Gentiles is set forth here more clearly and openly. Let them worship first, that is, let them be subject to you, and then let them sing. The Prophet commanded this to be done with great confidence, as one who was certain of the future judgment. "Let them sing to your name, O Most High." This is similar to what we read in the ninth verse of the ninth psalm. But because of his overflow of joy, he calls to mind the wonders of God, and exhorts all to sing and to praise God the Redeemer.

Ver. 5. "Come and see the works of God." Which He has wrought everywhere among the nations, [works] worthy of the highest admiration. He calls upon all the nations.

"How terrible in counsels concerning the sons of men." Symmachus rendered this "in machinations." He is therefore very terrible in machinations, in that He uses certain great artifices whenever it pleases Him to save His people: such as those He devised against the Egyptians, always overcoming all human attempts and stratagems. Then he enumerates the ancient miracles.

"Who turns the sea into dry land." This happened at the Red Sea, as the book of Exodus teaches. He spoke [in the present tense] "who turns," instead of "who has turned," in an achronistic manner. ^B

"They shall pass through the river on foot." This also happened at the Jordan, when the Ark was passing through. There is an achronism here as well, [using the future for the past] instead of "our ancestors passed through." And "on foot" means on foot path, for to travel on foot is to journey by dry land. He reminds God of these miracles concerning the ascent, on account of the ascent now lying before them, so that He might customarily make this one easy for them as well. Symmachus, however, kept the tense; for he rendered it: "Who turned the sea; and again, they passed through the river."

^C Ver. 7. "There we will rejoice in Him who rules by His power for age." "There," that is, in that place to which we are hastening. By the power of God, we understand His infinite and insuperable energy. And God rules both the present and the future age, as one who possesses an unending kingdom.

"His eyes look upon the nations." As He is about to inherit them, and reclaim them through faith. Understand, O Jew, that He has removed His providence from you.

"Let not them that exasperate lift up themselves." Henceforth, let not the Jews exalt themselves. That is, in their own estimation, as if they alone were known to God; for he calls these the exasperators, as those who were always murmuring and contradicting; ^D and others...

prophets called them an exasperating house. Or, in another way, they might be called exasperators because they gave gall as food for Christ, and on his thirst offered him vinegar to drink. But the prophetic words are enigmatic and quite obscure for the reasons we have mentioned elsewhere. Furthermore, any faithful person who has God as his guardian can call both the demons themselves and hostile and barbarous nations exasperators.

VERS. 8. *Bless, O nations, our God.* I mean the nations to whom God’s care and protection have passed. ^B And make the voice of his praise to be heard. That is, extol it with a greater voice. Or: make the voice of praise heard to those men who are to come after you.

VERS. 9. *Who has set my soul to life.* By life he understands liberty, since slavery, as the wise men say, is like death. And who has not given my feet to fluctuation. Who did not permit my conversation and life to be perverted from piety and religion to impiety.

VERS. 10. *For thou hast tested us, O God.* These words can be applied to certain most excellent saints, such as Daniel and the three youths, and others of that kind. Then he enumerates the kinds of discipline. ^C You have tested us, they say, in temptations; that is, you have inquired in what way we had faith and patience. *You have examined us as silver is examined.* This is said because of the furnace of fire in which the three youths were. We can also understand through fire the tribulation itself and the flame of calamities.

VERS. 11. *Thou hast brought us into the snare.* This seems to be said because of the den of lions into which Daniel was cast, although every other kind of affliction can be understood. *Thou hast laid tribulations upon our back.* Namely, the stripes and beatings by which we were pressed. It is likely, however, that they were often afflicted with beatings. Or, by tribulations he signifies every kind of calamity, and by the back, the whole man, as if the whole from a part. ^D *Thou hast set men over our heads.* You have subjected us to our enemies and given us to them, that we might be trodden down. For the language is metaphorical. For of old, the kings who had defeated others were wont to trample upon the heads of their captives in triumphs.

VERS. 12. *We have passed through fire and water.* By fire and water, understand various calamities, both because they burn the soul and because they submerge and suffocate it. It seems necessary to inquire why the Jews blame God rather, and ascribe to him the cause of their calamities, rather than to the Babylonians by whi-

whom they had been afflicted. For they say to God: Thou hast tested us; also: Thou hast brought us into the snare, and other things of this kind. To which it must be said that they ascribe all these things to God because they knew that it was from Him that it had come to pass, since the enemies were able to do so much against them; but He frequently permits His servants to be chastised. ^A

*Thou hast brought us into a place of refreshment.* And yet, having had mercy on us, Thou didst lead us into rest. It must also be noted that those words: *Thou hast tested us*, and what follows, up to: *Thou hast brought us into a place of refreshment*, as Paul teaches, were spoken in the person of the martyrs of Christ. For indeed, the martyrs of Christ endured all these things, at least in part.

^B *I will enter into Thy house with burnt offerings.* According to history, the words are clear. According to the anagoge, the house of God is heaven; but burnt offerings are the complete operations of the virtues, which all just and holy men sacrifice to God.

*I will pay Thee my vows which my lips have uttered, and my mouth has spoken in my tribulation.* By vows he understands promises. But what he says, *My mouth has spoken*, is explanatory of those former words: *My lips have uttered*.

*I will offer Thee fat burnt offerings.* He did not say simply burnt offerings, but fat ones. And "fat" is that operation of virtue which is excellent and superior to all others.

^C *With incense and rams I will offer Thee oxen with goats.* According to history, as we have said elsewhere, the kinds of sacrifices are manifest. For all things mentioned here were offered in sacrifices. But according to the anagogical sense, incense can be called that good odor which breathes forth from a clean and pure soul; rams, the principal thoughts of the soul, which, as with a horn, strike down carnal passions; and oxen, the operations of the body itself. For the ox is a worker of the earth, and the body of man was created from the earth, and it cultivates the earth. By goats, moreover, we understand supplications for sins, since of old goats were sacrificed for sins. All these things, he says, I will offer to Thee, when Thou hast delivered me from the slavery of enemies.

^D *Come, hear, and I will recount, all you who fear God, what He has done for my soul.* The order of this verse is by hyperbaton, so that the sense might be: Come, hear, all you who fear God, and I will recount to you what He has done for my soul; that is, how many good things He has done for me. Then he explains how these benefits were provided to him.

*I have cried out to Him with my mouth, and have exalted Him under my tongue.* I have exalted, he says, my tongue, by invoking Him to my aid. It must be observed

it is the case that the preposition *sub* is placed for the preposition *in*, as if he were saying: In my tongue; and it is similar to what we read elsewhere: "Under his tongue are toil and sorrow"; and: "The poison of asps is under their lips."

Vers. 18. *If I have regarded injustice in my heart, let not the Lord hear me.* When, he says, I was entreating God, I was not considering any unjust or wicked thing in my heart; and making good his word, the Prophet, by means of an imprecation, says: If I were conscious of any such thing, may God never hear me hereafter when I call upon Him.

Vers. 19. *Therefore God hath heard me.* Because, of course, I offered prayers to Him with a pure and clean heart. If, therefore, we are to obtain anything from Him, it behooves us to approach Him in prayer with a clean conscience.

*He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.* This is similar to what we read in the third verse of the fifth Psalm.

Vers. 20. *Blessed be God, who hath not removed my prayer.* From Himself, I mean, He hath not removed it.

*Nor His mercy from me.* The verb "hath not removed" is to be taken from the common sense here as well.

*Unto the end, in hymns, a Psalm of a Canticle for David.*

PSALM LXVI

^A It is inscribed "Unto the end," because it predicts the incarnation of the Word of God, to the end of which it bids the reader to look: and "in hymns," because it admonishes that He is to be praised. But what "a Psalm of a Canticle" is, we have stated in the proem of the work.

Vers. 2. *May God be merciful unto us, and bless us.* ^B Foreseeing the mystery of the divine incarnation, the Prophet prays that what he foresees may be fulfilled. First, he asks God to have mercy on human nature, which was held fast under the cruel tyranny of the devil; then, he asks that it also be blessed, that is, sanctified. But as to what "to bless" means, see the fifth verse of Psalm XX.

*May His countenance shine upon us.* The countenance or face of the Father is the Son. For "He that hath seen me," He says, "hath seen the Father." ^C Therefore, in the manner of one wishing, the Prophet says: "May His countenance shine," that is, would that the countenance of the Father might shine upon us, meaning the Son Himself, by His very incarnation, and might shine upon us who are on earth. Or, "His countenance," that is, the countenance of Christ according to the flesh, meaning Christ Himself, may shine upon us.

*And have mercy upon us.* He asks God twice to have mercy upon him, as one exceedingly desirous of the thing wished for.

Vers. 3. *That they may know Thy way upon earth.* This, he says, is what I wish to happen, that men who are on earth [may know...]

the way of your manner of life, which you yourself walked, you will show to your disciples. ^A *In all nations thy salvation.* And, he says, that men in all nations may know your incarnation, which was brought about for our sake. For this he calls salvation, because by it we are saved; but in the phrase "in the nations," the article is wanting, just as in the following verse, ^B the article is wanting in "the earth."

*Let the peoples confess to you, O God, let all the peoples confess to you.* By "peoples," simply stated, those from the circumcision are to be understood; but by "all the peoples," those who have believed from the nations, inasmuch as they are many, gathered from many races. Moreover, "confess to you"—that is, let them give thanks and praise—because for their salvation you are about to assume human flesh.

*Let the nations rejoice and exult.* These things are clear. For we have spoken elsewhere at length concerning joy and exultation. Then he adds the cause of the joy.

*Because you will judge the peoples in uprightness, and will guide the nations on the earth.* For you will justly condemn the Jews, who were once your peoples, because they did not receive you. And by existing on the earth, you will guide the nations to the path ^C of virtues. Or, "you will guide the nations that are on the earth," with the omission of the second article.

*Let the peoples confess to you, O God, let all the peoples confess to you.* He has repeated the same things again, urging on the peoples and making them more prompt.

*The earth has given its fruit.* Since men were blessed, the earth also produced fruit abundantly. Or, he calls the fruit of the earth those who were born from the earth, and who were rendered as fruit to God through tribulation or asceticism; or, he means Christ himself.

*Let God, our God, bless us; let God bless us.* It is also written in this way: "Let God bless us, let God bless us, let God bless us." Behold the mystery of the most holy Trinity made plain and laid bare by this triplication: "God, and God, and God."

*And let all the ends of the earth fear him.* By this triplication, ^D as we have said, he expressed the three Persons, but by saying "him" in the singular, he signified the unity of the Godhead, commanding that he—and not "them"—be worshipped. For even if each of the three Persons is God, nevertheless all the Persons are said to be one God, not three gods.

*To the end, a psalm of a canticle for David himself.*

PSALM LXVII

*To the end*—namely, because this also announces the coming of the Savior more clearly, and the destruction of the demons.

^A What is meant by "a psalm of a canticle" has been stated elsewhere.

VERS. 2. *Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered.* Since the demons were exercising tyranny over the human race, and neither any man nor any angel would bring aid to those who were enslaved, the Prophet calls upon the Creator of those who were being tyrannized to come to their defense. You should understand "arise" in a manner worthy of God, as a movement toward the punishment of the wicked. And even if "Let him arise" and the following words are phrased in the imperative mood (as is clearly recognized from the Greek reading), they bear the meaning of an optative, as we have said elsewhere. The enemies of God are, properly speaking, the demons, as rebels and adversaries.

^B *And let them that hate him flee from before his face.* Let them flee from the presence and sight of God, being unable to endure his countenance in the flesh. We see that this actually happened; for whenever Christ was worshipped in any place, the demons would flee from his presence in such a way that they would never turn back.

VERS. 3. *As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish.* Just as smoke vanishes when the wind blows, so let these also be driven and scattered by the Holy Spirit.

*As wax melteth before the fire, so let the sinners perish before the face of God.* As wax, he says, melts at the sight of fire, so let the demons—at the sight of Christ, who is a consuming fire * of wickedness—flow away and vanish. And as for what he says: "Let them perish," he did not mean this because the demons are to be utterly destroyed, so that they exist no longer, but because they will no longer reign in those same places. ^C The Prophet calls the demons sinners, because they were the first of all to sin against God, and because they can deservedly be called the inventors and teachers of sins.

VERS. 4. *And let the just rejoice.* By "the just," he understands those who were to be justified through faith in Christ. Therefore, now that the tyranny of the demons has been destroyed, let them rejoice.

*Let them rejoice before God, and let them be delighted with gladness.* "Before God," who indeed protects and guards them, according to the text: *The eyes of the Lord are upon the just.* * The words "rejoice," "be delighted," and "be glad" mean the same thing; yet, when combined, they indicate the intensity of their joy.

VERS. 5. *Sing to God.* You who have been made worthy of such joy. ^D *Psallite to his name.* We explained this in the third verse of the eighth psalm.

*Make a way for him who ascendeth upon the setting, the Lord is his name.* This address is directed to the apostles, commanding them to run to the nations and to prepare the way of their souls—that is, the souls of the nations themselves—for the coming Christ through their preaching. This is similar to what we read in Isaiah spoken by the person of the Forerunner: *Prepare ye the way of the Lord.* * "Make a way," he says, for Christ, by removing every stumbling block. *For him who ascendeth*

^A upon the west, he said, because being unapproachable light, and the "Sun of Righteousness," he ascended upon the souls of men, having taken up his abode in them through faith; and they were "wests," that is, nights, on account of the lack of light and the gloom of error that had long been poured over them. Or, "the west" is the world, according to that: *And the light shineth in darkness;* (and the darkness comprehended it not).* Then he mentions his name, that the Lord of all absolutely, he is God, who ascendeth, as we have said.

Ver. 6. And exult before him.

Let them be troubled at his presence.

Father of orphans and judge of the widows.

God in his holy place.

Ver. 7. God maketh those of one manner to dwell in a house.

eternal in the heavens.* Symmachus, however, instead of "for men," whom the Prophet said were of one custom (that is, of one mind), rendered it "monks," as those who have been completely separated from every worldly business and are solitaries; and whom God uniquely causes to dwell in small houses. And according to this sense, the Prophet seems to proclaim the life of anchorites.

*Educating the fettered with might.* "Educating" [bringing out], that is, liberating them, of course, those who are bound and fastened with the chains of their own sins, and the bonds of demons—that is, in affections or passions and the disturbances of sins; by which expression he understands the faithful who were to be gathered from the nations. But he leads them out in might, that is, in divine virtue and power, by which he conquered the tyrant. Or also, in the virtue of the evangelical word.

^B Likewise those who exasperate, who dwell in sepulchers. Not only, he says, do you lead the Gentiles out of bonds, but even those from the circumcision themselves, the Jews, whom he calls the exasperating or exacerbating ones, for the reason we stated in Psalm LXV. These words may also be understood to contain a prophecy concerning the universal resurrection of the dead: that God will lead all those bound by the bond of death out from the monuments and will raise them up, and that he will similarly lead out the Jews. But those words, *who dwell in sepulchers*, were said for greater clarification, and by them he wished to signify all men, *whoever shall have been dead, wherever that happens to them*, whether on land, or in the sea, or in fire.

VERS. 8, 9. *O God, when you went forth before your people, when you were passing through the desert, the earth was moved; for the heavens also dropped.* When you said to the Jews: *Behold, your house is left to you desolate*; and when the prophecy of Jeremiah, brought forth in the person of Christ, received its end, which says: *Because they have forsaken my house, I have dismissed my inheritance.* Then indeed, after you had gone forth, withdrawing from the sight of the people who had been yours until that time, and passed over to the Church gathered from the nations, which was once desolate and naked of all knowledge and cognition of God, both sterile and unfruitful in the seed of virtues; then, I say, after you had gone out, the earth was moved, to wit, at the time of your passion and resurrection. And the heavens dropped, the Holy Spirit descending upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost. Or the earth was moved when the nations passed from error to the truth; and the apostles dropped the water of preaching, by which the souls of the faithful were irrigated. For the apostles are called heavens, both because they savor heavenly things and because they excel over all earthly things. That conjunction, "for," is superfluous.

*From the face of the God of Sinai, from the face of the God of Israel.* By a circumlocution he said "from the face of God," instead of "by God himself," so that the sense might be: These things have been done by Him who is the God of Mount Sinai. For He himself is the same who is called both the God of Sinai and the God of Israel. Of these names, however, he reminds...

^A us, showing that He who performed miracles at Sinai and appeared to Jacob is the same who does these things too; and there is no other God besides Him.

*Thou shalt set apart a voluntary rain, O God, for thine inheritance.* By the inheritance of God, he understands the nations, according to that word: "Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance." By rain, he means the message of the Gospel, which softens and irrigates souls. This rain is called "voluntary," because the Mosaic law was not given according to the primary will of God, but rather by way of dispensation; for He did not require sacrifices, nor such other observances. "For who," he says, "hath required these things?" And again, elsewhere, the Lord says: "For the hardness of your hearts, Moses wrote these things (but from the beginning it was not so)." But the word of the Gospel preaching corresponds entirely to the divine will. Or he calls it voluntary because the Law compelled even those who were unwilling to observe the law; otherwise, it would stone them, strike them, destroy them by fire, and finally slay them most cruelly. But evangelical preaching compels no one, but is offered only to those who are willing.

*And it was infirm, but thou didst perfect it.* It was infirm and weakened, and for a long time oppressed by the tyranny of idols. But thou didst render it whole and perfect, through the regeneration of baptism, renewing it, of course, and establishing it upon the unshakable rock of thy commandments.

*Thy living creatures shall dwell in it.* Those who are nourished by thee with spiritual food, and who have their life—that is, their subsistence—in thee. Or, by the living creatures of Christ, understand the apostles, whom Habakkuk called horses; saying, "Thou didst lead thy horses into the sea," calling the bitter infidelity ^C of the nations, a sea (which was once salty and barren).

*Thou hast prepared in thy goodness for the poor, O God.* By the poor, he understands the gentile people, who had received no spiritual riches of old. For they had neither the Law nor the prophets; but through His own goodness, God prepared for them other riches: namely, the aforementioned voluntary rain.

*The Lord shall give the word to them that preach the gospel with great power.* This he says of the apostles, to whom, although they were fishermen and unlettered men, God supplied a word of wisdom. And by "great power" he means that a divine power followed their steps, performing as many wonderful works as they desired.

*The King of the powers of the beloved.* He calls the only-begotten Son and God the "Beloved." For it is written that "This is my beloved Son." By his "powers," understand the apostles, as His soldiers, arrayed against the opposing powers; of whom the Father is King, having reigned over them through the zeal of the Son.

*By the beauty of thy house, to divide the spoils.* He shall give, he says, to them

^A the word, that they may divide the spoils, of the enemies, namely the nations. For the apostles, having conquered the demons, took them as spoils, snatching away from them those who had previously been enslaved to them; and they divided them for the most beautiful Church of the faithful, in which God dwells. And indeed they did divide them, one bringing in this nation, another that one. And the beauty of the Church would be the Gospel, through which they divided them.

*If you sleep in the midst of the lots.* To sleep in this present text, we take to mean to die. For the Prophet says to them, that these spoils shall be brought to you, if you die in the midst of the lots, that is, in the midst of the nations which were allotted to you. And indeed, while preaching, they were slain. Or otherwise, if you linger; for he who sleeps lingers without moving. ^B

*Wings of a dove covered with silver, and her shoulders in the greenness of gold.* We think the dove is Christ, on account of His gentleness and patience. By the wings of this dove, we can understand the body of Christ, as the exterior and more extreme part; by the shoulders—which the Greeks call by a single word ^C—we can understand the soul of Christ, as the interior and more hidden part. It says that His body is glistening and elegant, and shines like silver: for it is devoid of every stain of sin; yet His very soul also shines with no less light and brilliance, since it can be compared to the purest gold. For from the Divinity itself, to which it is united and conjoined, it takes rays of this kind of light. He called it "pallor of gold," because gold, which is most pure, is accustomed to be pale. ^D

Others, connecting the preceding verse to this one, explain it thus: If you be established in the midst of the two Testaments, of the Old, namely, and the New—for he who sleeps seems to remain established and immovable, as we have said: and the two Testaments can rightly be called "lots," since one was given as an inheritance to the ancient people before the cross, and the other to the new people after the cross. If, therefore, you shall stand in the midst of both Testaments, and believe that the New is in harmony with the Old—for the Old is a figure, and the New is the truth—then the wings of the dove, that is, the exterior and simpler senses of the Holy Spirit, will appear to you to be bright; and the shoulders, that is, the interior and more mystical contemplations, will demonstrate their brilliance and light to you like the most pale and pure gold. And although each of these metals is most splendid, the brilliance of the gold nevertheless shows a more intense radiance. And they understand the dove to be the Holy Spirit, because He also descended upon Christ while He was being baptized in the form of a dove.

^A VERSE 15. *When the Heavenly One discerns kings upon it, they shall be made white as snow in Selmon.* By "kings" he now designates the apostles, as heirs of the kingdom of heaven, whom he also called "princes" in the forty-fourth Psalm. Here he predicts the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them which occurred at the time of Pentecost. He says, therefore, that when the heavenly God sends or divides and distributes kings upon it—I speak of the aforementioned inheritance, that is the nations—for He said, "Go, teach all nations." They shall be made white as snow, which is to say, they shall be whitened and brightened by the radiance of the Holy Spirit. He also added the location, for Jerusalem was called Selmon, where they sat until they were clothed with power from on high. It should be noted that the preposition *en* [when/in] frequently signifies a later time, as is the case here: "When the Heavenly One discerns," stands for "After He has discerned." We have noted this observation also in the inscription of the fiftieth Psalm.

^B

The Mountain of God

Verse 16. *The mountain of God, a fat mountain, a coagulated mountain, a fat mountain.* He calls the Church of the faithful the mountain of God: a mountain, as being exalted above earthly things and tending toward heaven through contemplation and action; of God, as being made proper to God and having fallen under His power; fat, on account of the abundance and utility of the spiritual pasture that is in it; and coagulated, because of the consistency and firmness of the dogmas of the faith contained within it, for cheese is curdled. Then again, "fat," because of the abundance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Prophet praises such a mountain in various ways, on account of the variety of its powers.

^C Verse 17. *Why do you suspect coagulated mountains?* The discourse is directed toward the enemies of the Church, saying: Why do you suspect—that is, why do you imagine—other coagulated mountains, besides this one of ours? *The mountain in which it pleased God to dwell.* This is the mountain, he says, which God willed to be His own, so that He might dwell in it. "This," He says, is "my resting place forever and ever."

^D *And the Lord shall dwell unto the end.* He shall dwell in it unto the end, that is, perpetually. What would the Jews say to this? For the Lord did not dwell in Sion unto the end, but only for a fixed and limited time.

Verse 18. *The chariot of God is tens of thousandsfold.* Having spoken above...

Make a way for Him who ascends above the settings,* he now ^B mentions the chariot of God in a specific sense. By the chariot of God we can understand all those who have taken up the reins of faith, and who have been yoked to the sweet yoke of Christ, having Him as their rider and charioteer. Such men, indeed, can be called the chariot of God: nay, even a chariot multiplied beyond that ancient chariot of the righteous who were among the Jews.

*Thousands of the abundant.* Understand the word "are." Of the "abundant," by reason of the abundance and fertility of their virtues.

*The Lord is in them in Sinai, in the holy place.* Understand the relative "who," so that the sense may be: That Lord is in them, who was of old in the holy Sinai, and the other preposition "in" is redundant. One and the same, therefore, is that God who then gave the law in Sinai, and who now does so. He calls Sinai "holy" as though it were sanctified by the presence of God Himself, and dedicated to God.

VERS. 19. *You ascended on high, You led captivity captive.* "On high," that is, on the cross, or into heaven, at the time of the Ascension; and "You ascended," because of the voluntariness of the ascent. By the spear of the cross, having cast down the devil who exercised tyranny over us, You led captive the captivity of the nations, which he had previously captured, reducing them to servitude to himself. For Christ has said: *When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things to Myself.*

*You received gifts in men.* But the Apostle ^C Paul, referring to this verse, said not "You received," but "You gave," and both have come to pass. For from those who approach Him, God receives faith and thanksgiving, and in return He bestows upon them manifold gifts of charismatic graces.

*And indeed the disobedient, that You might dwell among them.* For You received those very men, who were previously disobedient, and You received them in order to dwell among them, if they were made a dwelling place worthy of You.

VERS. 20, 21. *Blessed is the Lord God, blessed is the Lord day by day.* See the discourse regarding the holy Trinity: "Lord God" and "Lord." For so too had Moses said: *Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God is one Lord.* And when he said that He is to be praised "of the day," that is, throughout the whole day, he clarified the obscurity of the expressions by adding, "in the day." Some understand these words, *Day by day,* simply, while others take it as "Always," and through the succession of days.

*The God of our salvations make a prosperous journey for us, our God, the God of salvation.* Here too it is permitted to contemplate the discourse concerning the Trinity. For the name of God is invoked three times here. And because in the Greek reading the term *salutaria* (of salvations) and the term *salutis* (of salvation), by the accent alone...

differ, some also read "God of salvations," and the sense is the same. And what follows, "God of salvation," pertains to the same sense, as if one were to say: "God our savior, and God the saving one."

And to the Lord belong the exits of death. It belongs to the power of God, he says, that someone should be led out from death to life. By death, moreover, you may understand both natural death and sin. For the one kills the body with respect to natural operations; the other kills the soul with respect to virtuous ones. This might also be a prophecy regarding the resurrection of the Savior from the dead; for he was the first whose exit from death occurred, and having passed out of it, he rose again in the flesh.

^A VERS. 22. Verumtamen God shall shatter the heads of his enemies. He will shatter, he says, the most principal and efficacious powers of the demons, which he called heads for this reason: because the powers of our body are superior and chief in the head. The word "verumtamen" (nevertheless) is redundant in this place. Yet, you are not to understand this shattering of heads to be corporeal, since demons lack bodies, but intellectually, since they themselves are intellectual substances.

^B Verticem capilli perambulantium in delictis eorum. "He will shatter the heads of the enemies perambulating the vertex of the hair," that is, of those trampling upon the vertex of the hair, I mean the hair of any delinquents whatever. For he used "hair" here for "head of hair." Now demons are said to trample upon the hair of delinquents because they trample upon all sinners as if they were subject to them. We can also, by changing the sense, explain it differently: that the Lord will shatter the heads of men "perambulating," that is, of those investigating the "hair of the vertex" in human transgressions, ^C which is to say, the very slightest human sins. For the demons seek out even these smallest things, whenever they see the soul is about to render an account to God.

VERS. 23. The Lord said: I will return from Basan. "Basan" signifies confusion, or filth. God therefore returns those from the nations who have been faithful from the confusion of idols and from the filth of sins. I will return into the depths of the sea. But God, as we have said, returns them from the filth, and this in the sacred bath of baptism, which he called the "depths of the sea." ^D For in it God has submerged bitter and briny sin, just as Micah the prophet also foretold: "He," he says, "will turn back and will have mercy on us, and will dissolve our sins, and they shall be cast into the depths of the sea." By the "depths of the sea" we can also understand the depth of sins, that is, any of the most grievous transgressions, from which God returned them, leading—

them into the light of virtue. And according to this sense, you will interpret "In the depths," ^A for "From the depths," treating one preposition as substituted for another.

Vers. 24. *That thy foot may be dipped in blood.* You will do this, O Lord, that you may completely overcome the fierce demons; for the language is metaphorical, and is drawn from the struggle of valiant soldiers, who, when they have been victorious, trample upon the corpses of the slain enemies and dip their feet into their flowing blood. For Isaiah also says in the person of Christ: *I have trodden them in my fury, and I have brought down their blood to the earth, and my garments have been sprinkled by their defeat.* ^B For these statements are meant to signify this, that he completely conquered them. And taken in another way, the foot of Christ can be understood as the Church, which carries him everywhere through faith; for Christ is the head of that same Church, and she in turn performs the role of the feet of Christ. This Church, therefore, is dipped in the blood of Christ, being in effect signed and dipped by it, so that just as iron is [strengthened] by tempering, so she too has been consolidated and strengthened by his blood; or you may also understand it as the blood of the martyrs, who are metaphorically slain.

*The tongue of thy dogs from the enemies by him.* From the common sense, the word "that it may be dipped" must again be taken. Now the dogs of Christ are the bishops, ^C who expel those who lie in wait, guard the rational flocks, and the intellectual tongue of these dogs is dipped, namely, in the blood which flowed from the enemies. For something must be supplied from the preceding verse, so that the order and the sense may be perfect: "That their tongue," he says, "may be dipped in the blood of the enemies," aided by God the Father himself. This language, moreover, is metaphorical. For when enemies have been slain, the dogs of the victors are accustomed to lick the blood of the slain and to tear apart their corpses.

Vers. 25. *Thy goings were seen, O God.* By "goings" he here understands the actions of Christ in his conversation in the flesh, and his life, of which we read that the apostles were all spectators, ^D according to what is said by another Prophet: *Afterwards he was seen on earth, and conversed with men.*

*The goings of my God, of my King, who is in the holy place.* See how ingenuously blessed David confesses Christ to be God, as one who already possessed the most certain knowledge of future things. But he calls the Father the "holy place," in whom the Son is ineffably: *For I,* he says, *am in the Father, and the Father in me.*

Vers. 26. *Princes went before, joined with those who sing.* He calls the apostles princes, just as elsewhere: *Thou shalt make them princes over all the earth.*

As we explained in the forty-fourth Psalm. These, therefore, anticipated all others from the nations, being the first to believe. And by "those who sing," he means the prophets, as those who voiced what concerned Christ; the apostles were joined to them, that is, they stood near them. They "followed after" them, which means they succeeded them both in time and in their preaching. ^A

*In the midst of the damsels playing on timbrels.* In the midst of the Jewish synagogues; they are called "damsels" because of the imperfection of their life and conduct—as it were, still young and therefore more imperfect—and "playing on timbrels" because they rendered to God in their religion not so much a spiritual as a bodily service. For a timbrel is made from a bodily skin. Or, they can be said to be in the midst of the churches, which are everywhere. They are "damsels" because of the new, pure, and sincere faith; and "playing on timbrels" because in the service of God they mortify their own body. For a timbrel is fashioned from the skin of a dead body. ^B

Vers. 27. *In the churches bless ye God.* This statement foretells the cessation of the legal worship and predicts the multitude of churches that were to be raised up in various parts of the world. For once, there was only one temple for all the Jews.

*O Lord from the fountains of Israel.* Bless the Lord again from the books of the law and the prophets; for these are the fountains of the Israelite people, gushing forth for it the knowledge of God. And, indeed, having drawn from those books, the God-bearing Fathers composed hymns to the praise of God. ^C

Vers. 28. *There is Benjamin the younger in an ecstasy.* There, he says, in the Churches, Benjamin was present—that is, the apostle Paul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin. He is called "the younger" [or, as the Greek word more properly suggests, "the junior"] because he came to the faith last of all the apostles. And he is "in an ecstasy" [or, as the Greek term properly signifies, "in an ecstasy"] on account of his being caught up to the third heaven, concerning which he himself says: *Whether in the body, I know not; or out of the body, I know not: God knoweth.* For in him, the things of the prophecy concerning Benjamin were fulfilled. *Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning he shall eat, and in the evening he shall divide the food.* For Paul ravaged the Church like a wolf; and at first, he devoured it with fury and slaughter; but later, he gave spiritual food to others, distributing the heavenly bread to them. ^D

*Princes of Juda their leaders, princes of Zabulon, princes of Nephthalim.* The leaders of these same churches, he says, shall be the apostles. For he understands the apostles when he names the princes of these three tribes. For both James and the rest of the brothers of the Lord were of the tribe of Judah; and Peter, Andrew, John, and Phi-

^A John, were from the village of Bethsaida; Matthew and James, the son of Alphaeus, are recorded as having lived in Capernaum; and Simon the Zealot happened to be a Canaanite. Now all these were places in the region of Galilee. And Galilee was allotted to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. And the others also were derived from such [regions]. He called them "princes," not as princes of the homelands, but as outstanding and more honorable, on account of their nobility of soul; or [read it as] "princes from Judah, and princes from Zebulun, and princes from Naphtali," with the preposition being understood from outside.

VERS. 29, 30. *Manda, Deus, virtuti tuae.* [Command, O God, thy strength.] These things are spoken to the Father, that He might command the Son regarding the matters of the preaching. For, He says, "I speak nothing from myself, but whatever things I hear from the Father." And Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

*Confirma hoc, Deus, quod operatus es in nobis, a templo tuo in Jerusalem.* [Confirm this, O God, which thou hast wrought in us, from thy temple in Jerusalem.] These things are spoken to the Son, that He might make the preaching of the Gospel, which He wrought in us, or for us, stronger and more powerful. Or, "confirm what thou hast wrought from thy temple," that is, what you accomplished through the assumed humanity, which is called a temple and a tabernacle of the divinity. For the phrase "from thy temple" should be explained as "through thy temple," which temple, that is, thy body, dwelt and preached in Jerusalem: ^B "For I," he says, "am established as King by him upon Sion his holy mountain, proclaiming his decree."

*Tibi offerent reges munera.* [Kings shall offer gifts to thee.] To wit, the kings of the nations. And the gifts which these kings offered are temples, and estates dedicated to God, and various other offerings piously presented by them to divine worship. These gifts, moreover, they will immediately offer as soon as they have recognized thee as their immortal King and God. Although, by changing the order of the verses, we can explain it differently, so that the sense may be: From this thy earthly temple, kings will bring gifts to thee, into the heavenly Jerusalem: because through the offering of these earthly gifts, they will obtain access and grace before God in heaven.

VERS. 31. *Increpa feras arundinis.* [Rebuke the wild beasts of the reed.] Cause to be silent, he says, the intellectual lions: that is to say, the savage and cruel demons, who, just like literal lions, lie in wait in the reeds, while they make their hiding places and nests in the levity and sterility of men who are unstable and inconsistent in the faith: according to what we read written about the devil in blessed Job, that "he sleeps under every tree, by the reed, and the papyrus, and the sedge." ^C For in such language ^D we understand the demon rests in those men who cherish the properties of the plants which we mentioned above: who are, namely, arid for bearing virtues, and who have much juice and moisture for nourishing pleasures. For the papyrus and the sedge are of such a property and nature.

^A *Congregation of bulls among the heifers of the peoples, excluding those who have been tested by silver.* By "bulls" he means the high priests and Scribes and the rest of the rulers of the Jews, as being bold and horn-striking; and by "heifers," the multitudes of the peoples subject to them; for the bull leads, and the heifer is subject. He says, therefore, that those who were eminent were in the midst of the peoples for the purpose of enclosing, that is, of hindering, the apostles who had been tested in faith and virtue, as they were hastening to preach. For, he says, having called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus. And the phrase "by silver" is used instead of "as silver"; for this also is a Hebrew idiom. Or the word "like" is missing.

*Scatter the nations that desire wars.* Both the intellectual and the sensible nations.

*Envoys shall come from Egypt.* By Egypt, understand for me the whole land of the nations over which the intellectual Pharaoh, the devil, once held dominion, from which whole land he prophesies that believers will come to Christ, acting as envoys on behalf of the whole world.

*Ethiopia shall anticipate with her hand toward God.* "Anticipate" [pre-reach] stands for "shall reach out," which is to say, "she shall extend." For he who reaches out by extending his hand touches what was far off. Therefore, he indicated that which precedes by that which follows. For Ethiopia extended to Christ the Candace, whom the Word also called her "hand"; for in the hand is the strength of man, since he also held power after the queen. And the preposition is redundant (46). Some, however, say that by Egypt the whole earth is signified—for the intellectual Pharaoh has held sway over the whole earth—and by Ethiopia the very ends of the world; for the Ethiopians who dwell in the East and West are the last of all men. For he says, *All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord*; but here we take "shall anticipate with her hand" simply, to mean: She shall extend her hands in prayer to Christ, having already believed.

*Ye kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, chant to the Lord.* This is an interpretation of the two aforementioned prophetic statements, universally commanding all nations to sing and chant to Christ.

*To Him who mounteth upon the heaven of heavens toward the East.* To Him who has ascended into the heaven of heavens in the East, that is, openly and manifestly, with the apostles who were on earth seeing it, and all the incorporeal orders of angels also seeing it. For while descending from heaven to earth, He descended in the West, which is hiddenly; but— ^D

^A escaping, it was hidden by the ineffability of the Godhead. But ascending from the earth to heaven, He ascended in the East; for this is what "toward the East" denotes. Some say that "toward the East" is stated because the Lord was taken up from that part of Jerusalem which is more easterly. For the Mount of Olives lies in this way. He names "the heaven of heaven" that which is above the firmament, which was created before all other heavens; for the latter is the heaven of the firmament, while the firmament is again our own heaven.

"Behold, He shall give to His voice a voice of power." The apostles are the voice of Christ, as speaking His words; to them, therefore, He gave the Holy Spirit at the time of Pentecost, which David here calls the "voice of power." "Voice," because, as Luke says: "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty spirit rushing" ^B (and the sound is certainly a voice); and of "power," because the Lord Himself has called Him power, saying: "Until you are clothed with power from on high." Or, otherwise: the precursor John is the "voice of God," of whom it is said: "Behold, I send my angel before Thy face." But Christ is the "voice of power," since divine power followed His words. For at the same time as He spoke, the miracles were also performed.

VER. 35. "Give glory to God." ^C This is an address to the faithful, commanding them to glorify God, in that they have been deemed worthy of such philanthropy.

"His magnificence is upon Israel." The great works of God, he says, are made known to those men who have devoted themselves to divine contemplation. For Israel is interpreted as "a mind seeing God." But he who has been blinded by affections and passions will not be able to contemplate how great and what kind of things God has accomplished for our salvation. And what he says—"upon Israel"—he said in the sense of "for Israel." Or otherwise: Upon the Church of the faithful, which sees Christ with mind and spirit, the wondrous works of God come to pass; and she is deemed worthy of them for ever.

"And His power is in the clouds." ^D By "clouds" he now means the apostles, as those standing above earthly affairs, and filled with spiritual water, which they drew from the depths of the Spirit, so that they might irrigate the psychic fields of those who believe.

VER. 36. "God is wonderful in His saints." Only the saints, he says, admire God, as being able to understand His magnificent and most ample administrations according to the dignity of their soul; therefore, He is wonderful and admirable to them.

^A

The God of Israel. Everywhere He calls Christ the God of Israel, showing that He who bestowed benefits upon His new people is the very same One who also benefited the ancient people, and there is no other besides Him. He Himself shall give power and strength to His people. To the new people—power, indeed, so that they might be rescued from the error and seduction of idols, and strength so that they might be able to remain steadfast in the blameless faith. Blessed be God. Who administered these things in such a way; who both created us and fashioned us anew, and deemed His people worthy of such great blessings.

The present psalm, therefore, has been interpreted in this way, according to anagogy, and in this way it has been entirely adapted for Christians. The Jews, however, attempt to adapt this also to their own historical circumstances, but they are absolutely unable to achieve this. One must, however, learn how they drag its meaning aside. For they say: Let God arise for the help of the fleshly Israel; and then by enemies they designate the Philistines or other alien nations; and in the same way also those who hate Him; and furthermore also sinners, as lawless ones; but by the righteous, the good men among the Jews. And as for what is said: Make a way for Him who ascends over the West, they say this is said concerning the Ark, when the Holy Spirit ordered a path to be prepared, by which God was about to ascend upon the western part of Jerusalem; for they record that the temple in which the Ark later rested had such a position. God is in His holy place, that is, in the temple; who makes the people of the Jews—whom they say are called "one-minded," or men of one custom, because they believe in one God—to dwell in His house, that is, in His temple. ^B

Then, they say, He enumerates the things that happened during the exodus from Egypt. For God brought them out by His own power, while they were held fast there in slavery; but the same ones, they say, were also provoking Him, as has been said before. And that they dwelt as in tombs in Egypt, being unable to act for themselves. But God was going forth before the people through the pillar of cloud and of fire, and He was passing through the desert with the people; when also the earth was shaken, with a tempest and commotion having taken place at Sinai, and the heavens dropped manna. By the "willing rain," they interpret the pleasing shower that produced the abundance of fruits. And their inheritance was "infirm," having been crushed in Egypt; but He perfected it, strengthening it with kingship. And those who are the "living creatures" of God, they call themselves, as being dedicated to God. "You prepared," they say, "the stated good things for your poor people, wandering in the desert and not having a land." And by those "who bring good tidings," they mean the ancient prophets, who were announcing to the people to divide the spoils of enemies, and to set them apart for the beauty of the temple; but in this they are lying. For they did not dedicate any spoils for the adornment of the temple. But this discourse is to be understood according to ^C anagogy, as we have said before. And by "beloved" they designate David, or Solomon. But concerning the saying, "If you rest in the midst of the lots," they say as follows: "If you abide in the midst of the places of the land of promise allotted to you, ^D so much will you abound in wealth,"

^A that the wings of the doves, which very rich men were accustomed to set up as gypsum images upon their roofs as a sign of supreme happiness, will be silvered over, and their scapulae, or the back parts of their backs, will be adorned with the palest and purest gold." But we have never read that the Jews ever observed such a custom as to set up doves on the roofs of their houses. "While he distinguishes," that is, while the heavenly God chooses kings over Jerusalem, those kings shall shine and glitter in it. He even calls the Mount of God, Zion, a "fat mount," because the cattle grazing there easily grow fat, and likewise a "coagulated mount," or cheesy, because the abundance of pastures provides milk constantly. But what is said: "For the Lord shall dwell even unto the end," as we have already predicted, cannot be explained correctly by them. They also understand themselves to be the chariot of God, as if God were resting specifically on them alone; and they say that this chariot is multiplied to infinity, that is, that it is very numerous, and that there are in them thousands abounding in riches; likewise, that the same Lord is in them who was once in Sinai with their forefathers.

And then they direct their speech to God, saying: "You have ascended on high," that is, You have been considered lofty and ^B exalted above all. "You have captured captivity through your people," who overcame your enemies. "You have received gifts," that is, offerings dedicated to God, "and those men who did not obey you before, you have taken as servants, so that you might make them dwell together with your people and serve Him." The things that follow are manifest. "From the Lord are the exits and the ways of death," who will crush the heads of the aliens, and the crown of the hair of men walking in their sins. They say that God also decreed long ago, and said: "I will convert," that is, I will rescue my people and bring them safely out of the Bassanitide region, in which Og the giant reigned, "and I will convert him from the depth of the sea of blood." For rivers of blood then overflowed, those who were with king Og being slaughtered, so that your foot, O Hebrew, might be dipped in the blood of the slaughtered men, and even the tongue of your dogs might be dipped in the same blood of the enemies by God himself. They say that the routes of God are the ways, that is, the footprints of God once on Mount Sinai. "For Moses and Aaron"—it says—"went up on the mount," and what follows. And a little later: "And they saw the place where the God of Israel had stood, and what was under his feet, as it were a work of sapphire stone." By "the holy one" [sanctum], they understand heaven itself.

^{C D} It follows: "The princes of the people went before these people." For while singing to God and psalming, they stood closer to the choir of those singing, in the midst of the young women playing the timbrel; and they understand this to have happened after the crossing of the Red Sea, saying that Miriam, the sister of Aaron, led the young women.

^A Rubri, when Mary the sister of Aaron, foremost among the other young women, began to sing the canticle. And what follows: "In churches bless God," they cannot in any way accommodate to their purpose. And by Benjamin they understand the whole tribe, and they say he is called the younger, or junior, because he was younger than the other brothers. They say he was in ecstasy and mental transport because the soldiers of this tribe seemed to go mad in battle, as it were, and to be carried out of themselves: but this sort of explanation seems very cold. They also say that the princes of Judah reigned among the Hebrew people. They say that the princes of Zabulon and Nephthalim were mentioned here because the men of these tribes were seen as more distinguished than the others, on account of the outstanding strength they always showed in war. Then, "Command, O God, thy strength," they say, that is, thy angels. For the strength of God is the angel: command, I say, those things which pertain to our defense, and strengthen the kingdom which thou hast already prepared in us, if not for our sake, at least for the sake of thy renowned temple. For they understand those words in this way: "From thy temple." Kings will also bring thee gifts, as was done in the time of Solomon, by Hiram, king of Tyre, who offered cedar wood for the construction of the temple. By "the beasts of the reed" they understand the savage nations, which dwell in hidden places and those difficult of access. They also assert that they themselves are the "congregation of bulls," settling as certain leaders among the subject peoples, and summoning the congregation, ^B and directing and preserving them: that they may exclude, that is, that they may free from confinement the people tested in the purity of faith like silver. What follows: "Ambassadors shall come from Egypt," they say was fulfilled in Solomon's time, when Ethiopia sent her hand to Solomon, that is, when she sent her strength and power, namely that queen who came to visit Solomon; and they try to accommodate what follows to their own affairs in the same vein, although, as we have said, they are proved unable to do so. That is truly worthy of admiration, how the Holy Spirit has intertwined the anagogical sense with the historical, and in certain principal passages has set down pure anagoge, entirely naked of history, to confound the opposing Jews.

^C

For the end, for those who shall be changed, a Psalm of David itself. PSALM LXVIII.

"For the end" is inscribed on account of the prophecies contained in these things, which tended toward the end, and "for those who shall be changed," because it treats of the mutation of things. Moreover, it was written in the person of the people, who were captive in Babylon, and through a change were freed from servitude and restored to their homeland. It can also be applied to any faithful person who has been freed from the oppression of visible and invisible enemies.

VERS. 2. "Save me, O God, for the waters have entered in even unto my soul." By waters, he understands the abundance of temptations and calamities which come from—as we have said—invisible or visible enemies: the depth of which calamities

like waters, easily suffocates all who fall into it. Such waters, he says, have covered me entirely and have reached even unto my soul; by this expression he demonstrates the vehemence of his pain.

^A VERSE 3. "I am stuck in the mire of the deep, and there is no substance." Some copies have "in the matter." [For the Greek words ἰλύς and ὕλη, the former meaning mire, the latter meaning matter, are distinguished by a slight difference in letters and sounds. For this reason, through the error of scribes, a variety of readings has easily been introduced.] But however you may read it, the Prophet meant metaphorically to signify that sediment which usually lies beneath the depth of water. Those, therefore, who are stuck in such sediment find no substance—that is, no stability—because that very sediment, on account of its muddy and fluid material, is always settling further downward.

"I have come into the depths of the sea, and a storm has submerged me." In these three following verses, the Prophet everywhere repeats the same thought, asserting that he is absorbed by manifold calamities, which he attempts to explain by various names: first calling them "waters," because they flow down with a certain force like water and suffocate; then "the mire of the deep," on account of its infinitude; and thirdly, "the depths of the sea," on account of the abundance and bitterness of the waters; and finally, "a storm," on account of the extreme vehemence of such calamities.

VERSE 4. "I have labored crying." Crying, that is, to thee.

"My throat has become hoarse." I have become hoarse because of constant and intense crying.

"My eyes have failed." Namely, they have become fatigued and weak while intent upon gazing at thee.

"While I hope in my God." This happened to me because I hope in thee alone. I ask for and expect help from thee alone, and for this reason I gaze upon thee so intently.

^B VERSE 5. "Those who hate me without cause are multiplied more than the hairs of my head; my enemies who persecute me unjustly have grown strong." And they are many, he says, and powerful, who persecute me and hate me without cause.

"What I did not steal, then I paid back." The expression is metaphorical, taken from those who return things they never took. And the sense is that he says he is being punished for those things for which he himself never caused anyone any annoyance. And the fact that he says "then I paid back" is to be referred to that time when such penalties were exacted from him.

^C VERSE 6. "O God, thou knowest my folly, and my offenses have not been hidden from thee." Thou, he says, who knowest all things, seest my folly, and if I have acted foolishly against them in any way, or if I have transgressed, nothing at all escapes thee.

VERSE 7. "Let not those who wait for thee, O Lord, Lord of hosts, be put to shame because of me." What he says, "because of me" [super me], is an indifferent construction, standing for "in me." Let them, therefore, not be ashamed in me, as if I had not obtained the help which I had expected from thee. They, I say, let them not be ashamed in me, who wait—that is, who expect thee to be their helper in the future. He called him Lord of hosts, or of powers, as one who is able to save all who call upon ^D him.

^A Nor let those who seek thee be ashamed in me, O God of Israel. This also is like the one before it; they are seeking thee who call upon thee in the midst of their suffering.

^A "For thy sake I have borne reproach; shame has covered my face." Concerning this reproach, it is also said in the forty-first Psalm: "For my enemies reproached me, saying to me each day: 'Where is your God?'" Indeed, shame follows upon reproach.

^B "I have become an alien to my brothers, and a stranger to the sons of my mother." What follows clearly belongs to Christ, as will be shown. Some, however, struggle to attribute the foregoing to him as well, as one suffering according to the law of human nature. By "brothers" he means the Jews, for he and they alike had Abraham as their father. Likewise, he calls them "sons of his mother" because of Sarah, the common mother of all. These people alienated and estranged him, saying: "As for this man, we do not know where he is from." And again: "Do we not say well that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?" And the Evangelist says: "He came to his own, and his own did not receive him."

"For the zeal of your house has eaten me up." This was fulfilled when, with great authority, he drove out those buying and selling from the Temple. For the disciples, he says, remembered that it was written: "The zeal of your house has eaten me up"; calling "zeal" that righteous indignation which he conceived ^C because they exhibited no reverence for the house of God.

"And the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen upon me." The great Paul also applied this present text to Christ, writing to the Romans. He says, therefore, to the Father, that I accounted thy reproaches as my own, because we are one; for the idolaters directed those reproaches at thee, throwing thy infirmity in thy face, as if thou wert honored only by the one race of the Jews, and as if few men in the world worshiped thee. Therefore, I spread the knowledge of thee to all the nations.

"And I veiled my soul in fasting." I humbled, I withered it with a forty-day fast, and ^D at many other times.

"And it became a reproach to me." And this became a disgrace for me; for the devil, having taken this as a sign that he was weak, reproached him as a mere man; and for this reason he tempted him in various ways.

"And I made my garment sackcloth." By sackcloth he means the flesh, because of its roughness and nature resistant to the touch.

"And I became a proverb to them. Those who sat in the gates were talking against me, and those who drank wine sang about me." It is likely that Christ,

^A after His death, was made a proverb to the Jews, in that they uttered against their enemies the same things they had seen Christ suffer, and that nearly the same things were spoken and shouted by those who were present at their councils and assemblies at the gates of the temple, where crowds of such men were wont to gather. And it is likely that they did not spare the fame and honor of Christ, for those who indulged in bouts of drinking and feasting—as such men, with wine giving them strength, are accustomed most easily to compose songs and chants with immodesty and bitterness—would have sung mocking songs about Him.

VERS. 14. "But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O Lord." The Prophet finished one discourse regarding the person of Christ, and again assumes another, saying: "I, for my part, knowing these things before my passion, was praying to thee with my prayer" (for the word "I was praying" is implied). Then he adds the very words of the prayer: "O Lord, the time of thy good pleasure." This is similar to that which we read in the Gospel: ^B "Father, the hour is come" (John 17:1). For by "good pleasure" He understands the death of the cross. For good pleasure signifies the same as good will. And the good will was that, through such a death, we who had previously died because of sin might be restored to life again.

"O God, in the multitude of thy mercy, hear me." We have said before that Christ was praying according to the law of human nature, and was seeking deliverance from temptations, just as the history of the Gospels teaches. This statement seems similar to that one: "Save me for thy mercy's sake" (Ps. 30:17).

VERS. 15. "Save me out of the mire, that I sink not." For that salvation which comes from Thee is the only true salvation. For man cannot help man. "In the truth of thy salvation," therefore, means "in thy true salvation." This is also an idiom proper to the Hebrew language. ^C What he called "mire" above, he now calls "clay." For he is using the same figure of speech now that we see he used there. "Let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters." Both visible and invisible enemies hated Him. And by "deep waters" he means hidden snares; for that which is deep is seen to be concealed and hidden.

VERS. 16. "Let not the tempest of water drown me, neither let the deep swallow me." We have already said that all these things are spoken metaphorically and figuratively. "Neither let the pit close its mouth upon me." Let me not be left in the pit of temptations. For he who falls into a pit ^D has some small comfort as long as the mouth of the pit is open; but when it is closed, he immediately begins to despair of salvation.

VERS. 17. "Hear me, O Lord, for thy mercy is good." For, he says, I am in need of thy mercy.

^A "According to the multitude of thy mercies, look upon me." As for the words, "According to the multitude of thy mercies," we have explained them in Psalm 50; and what follows in Psalm 25.

VERS. 18. "Turn not away thy face from thy servant, for I am in trouble; hear me speedily." Regarding the words, "Turn not away thy face," it has been spoken of in Psalm 27; but by "thy servant" he understands the Only-Begotten Son.

VERS. 19. "Attend to my soul, and deliver it." Attend to it when it is straitened.

"Deliver me for the sake of my enemies, that they may not rejoice at my death."

"For thou knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my confusion." Thou knowest how much they reproach me, calling me a glutton and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners, one who is possessed by a demon, and an adversary of God; and they shame and confuse me as seems good to them.

^B VERS. 21. "All they that afflict me are before thee." Those who afflict me, he says, are before thee; thee, I say, who seest and discernest all things. Or, "they are before thee," that is, they cannot escape thee. But if anyone should doubt how Christ could not, after so many and great supplications, escape the burden of his calamities and temptations, let him observe that Christ, as a man, prayed not to enter into temptation, so that he might hand down to us a pattern of praying in this manner, because "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." ^C But since it was necessary for him to suffer for the sake of our salvation, he accepted the sufferings, preferring the divine will to the human; for, while praying, he said: "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me," and later he added: "My Father, if this cannot pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done."

"My soul hath expected reproach and misery." I foresaw, he says, all these things. For he used to say to his disciples: "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him," and the things that follow.

"And I looked for one who would grieve together with me, but there was none; and for one to comfort me, but I found none." For "looked for," he put "sustained," or "sought." By those who would "comfort," he means those who would console. And this also came to pass, when, having taken Peter and the sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and very heavy. ^D For then, he says, Jesus said to them: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death; wait here and watch with me." And having gone forward a little and prayed, he comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping, and says to Peter: "So, could you not watch one hour with me?"

VERS. 22. "And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." The Evangelist says…

"After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, in order to fulfill the Scripture, says: 'I thirst.' A vessel full of vinegar was standing there; they, having filled a sponge with the vinegar and put it on hyssop, brought it to his mouth." By "Scripture" John understood the present verse. Matthew also says: "They gave him vinegar to drink mixed with gall." ^A And Mark again: "And one ran and filled a sponge with vinegar, and putting it on a reed, gave him to drink." Regarding "for food" and "for drink," it is instead of "for me to eat" and "for me to drink." But the Jews gave him both together, the gall and the vinegar, to drink. For he says, "vinegar mixed with gall." But the present prophecy has distinguished it, one part for food and the other for drink. It is possible, therefore, to say that, since he said "I thirst," they mockingly brought him—some vinegar only to drink, others only gall to eat, while others mixed the gall with the vinegar, making the bitterness more ^B pungent. It is also likely that the gall was given to him first for greater mockery, so that he might not, perhaps, find the drink distasteful if he had taken it while still fasting.

VERS. 23. "Let their table become a snare before them, and for retribution and for a stumbling block." Through the "table," some have said that joy is signified, but by the three, "snare," "retribution," and "stumbling block," sorrow and grief; so that the meaning is: Would that their joy were changed into affliction and calamity. For those who are at a table are accustomed to be joyful, whereas those who are in a snare or in the retribution of ^C punishments or in a stumbling block are sorrowful and sad. We can also contemplate it more deeply: by "table" we may understand the divinely inspired Scriptures, which were provided daily to the Jews of old in the synagogues, and whose knowledge nourished the hearts of those who understood them. But the Jews, imagining that they were nourished by them, and boasting and bragging that they would refute the Christians by these same Scriptures, are rather ensnared and entangled by them as if by certain traps, since all the Scriptures speak clearly and openly about Christ. And this exposition, regarding the "snare," proceeds correctly thus far; but regarding "retribution," say that the Jews received retribution while they pay penalties, because they were unwilling to understand these Scriptures; and regarding the "stumbling block," ^D they were made a stumbling block, since the scandal is generated for the Jews by them, because they understand everything according to the bare and literal sense, such as those things which are spoken in them about Christ; such as those things which are said about the coming of Christ by another prophet, that "the wolf shall then graze with the sheep, and the leopard shall rest with the kid, and the lion and the ox shall eat straw together," and other things of this kind; which, however, according to the more sublime sense, have been most perfectly fulfilled in Christ, even if they themselves, who according to

the sense of the body understand all things, take offense at this prophecy (and inquire how these things have already been fulfilled in Christ), and believers are scandalized that these things have not yet been fulfilled. Those words, however, "Let them be darkened," and others that follow, although they have the form of the imperative mood, in this place retain the signification of the future; for, "they shall be made," "they shall be obscured," and so on. For they predict future evils that were about to overtake them. It is also likely that Christ, as God, commands all things that are to come. ^A

VERS. 24. *Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see.* The discourse is about the eyes of the soul. They shall be darkened because they did not wish to see that light which enlightens every man, and because they did not wish to look upon the Sun of justice himself. For having eyes, they did not see, and having ears, they did not hear, just as Isaias himself and later Christ reproached them.

*And bow down their back always.* From the consequence, he denoted that which precedes. For by this expression, the Prophet wished to signify servitude to us. That, moreover, for the most part, follows all those who are servants, so that, burdened by a load or another kind of labor or calamity, they walk bent over. Consider also with what care the Prophet constrains his discourse against them when he says: *Always bow down;* as if he were to say: that they are no longer to be liberated from servitude, although they were often liberated in the past, but that even to the very end of the world, in whatever part of the globe they may be, they will serve other nations. ^B

VERS. 25. *Pour out upon them thy wrath, and let thy indignation take hold of them.* These two verses say one and the same thing, except that the second uses a more vehement mode of speech.

VERS. 26. *Let their habitation be desolate; and in their tabernacles let there be no one to inhabit.* By "habitation," he refers to Jerusalem as a whole, in which all the slayers of the Savior dwelt; but by "tabernacles," he understands their private houses. And surely it happened thus. For no one among them inhabited them anymore after that destruction brought upon Jerusalem by the Roman army. But the Apostle Peter applied these words to the traitor Judas as one of those who killed Christ. ^C

VERS. 27. *Because whom thou hast struck, they have persecuted.* He said, "thou hast struck," for, "thou hast permitted to strike." So also Zacharias said: *I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered* (Zachar. XIII, 7; Matth. XXVI, 31). And Isaias elsewhere: *The Lord delivered him for our sins.* This is also a property of the Hebrew language, to assign the deed to him who permits it, because he could have prohibited it and did not prohibit it. But what is meant by "they have persecuted," explain as: "they have punished with grievous torments"; or, "they pursued until they had killed." ^D

*And they have added upon the pain of my wounds.* They increased for me the pain of my wounds by the addition of reproach. Or, they added calumny above the pain of the wounds, saying that the disciples had stolen me away while I was buried, and denying that I had truly risen.

VERS. 28. *Add iniquity upon their iniquity.*

The commentators understand "iniquity" here as calamity, just as we have said before in the fifty-sixth psalm, at the phrase, "until iniquity passes by." ^A He predicts, therefore, that "You will increase their calamities, for they themselves will increase afflictions upon me." *And let them not enter into your righteousness.* They shall not enter, he says, so as to be justified by you and to obtain mercy, in the way that all those shall obtain it to whom it will be said by you: "Come, blessed of my Father." Some, however, say that "righteousness" is used here for the Gospel; for the Gospel is righteousness, in that it calls all equally to salvation and receives all who approach it.

VERS. 29. *Let them be blotted out from the book of the living.* This is the book of which we read, that when God was angry with the people who had made the calf, and Moses had said to him, "If you will forgive their sin, forgive; but if not, blot me out of the book which you have written," ^B God answered him: "Whoever has sinned before me, I will blot him out of my book." There is therefore one book in which all are written who are judged worthy of life, which the Prophet here calls the "book of the living," predicting that they [the wicked] shall die shortly after. There is another book, again, in which all the just are written, which he also signified by saying: *And let them not be written with the just.* It was regarding this book that Christ spoke to the apostles: "Rejoice, because your names are written in the heavens." He says, therefore, that they shall die and be numbered with the sinners. There is also a third book, in which sinners are written. For, he says, "Judgment sat, and the books were opened." By "books," however, Scripture figuratively means the varied and manifold knowledge of God. ^C

VERS. 31. *I am poor and suffering.* Regarding the poverty of Christ, we have spoken in the twenty-first psalm. And now we shall also say that the supreme King of kings, Christ, was born of a most impoverished mother, not in any house, but in a cave; and he was placed not on a bed, but in a manger of brute beasts; he was clothed in the most vile and contemptible rags, and he went about accompanied by no servant, and he was even lacking a hut of his own, and food was provided for him by others. Let those, therefore, who boast in riches be ashamed. The Prophet introduces him as "suffering" on account of the passions of his most holy body, which he endured for our sake. ^D Hitherto, however, he has spoken in the person of the only-begotten Son. What follows is written in the person of the Church of the faithful. *Your salvation, O God, has helped me.* That salvation, he says, which proceeds from you, has delivered me from the error in which I was.

VERS. 31-33. *I will praise the name of my God with a canticle, I will magnify him in praise; and it will please God better than a young calf pushing forth its horns and hoofs.*

Behold the evangelical sacrifice preferred to the legal, the rational to the irrational. The complete growth ^A of horns and hoofs is a symbol of strength or power. By these words, the Prophet also seems to indicate the future extinction of legal worship; for horns and hoofs are, in a sense, dead parts of the body.

*Let the poor see and rejoice.* By "the poor and the needy," he understands the faithful, as we have said in the 68th Psalm. "Let them see," he says, "all that God has suffered for their sake, and all the glorious things He has also accomplished."

*Seek God, and your soul shall live.* It shall live the blessed and happy life.

*For the Lord has heard the poor, and has not despised his prisoners.* ^B We have spoken of who these are whom He calls "prisoners" in the 67th Psalm.

*Let the heavens and the earth praise him, the sea, and everything that moves in them.* As if angels and men were not enough to give thanks to God, the Prophet summons even the elements to the praises of God, in the order in which Moses mentioned them at the beginning of Genesis. He added "creeping things" loosely; or perhaps because of the multitude of fish.

*For God will save Sion.* By Sion, he says, is now meant the new Sion, that is, the Church of the faithful. Or, He will also preserve that very Jerusalem for Himself. For it is dedicated to Christ, and to no other God, even though ^C the impious currently hold sway over that region.

*And the cities of Judea shall be built.* That is, temples will be built, and this by the Christians.

*And they shall dwell there, and shall inherit it.* The Christians, that is.

*And the seed of thy servants shall possess it.* The servants of Christ are indeed the apostles; for Paul says: “A servant of Jesus Christ.” And their seed are their disciples, the Christians, as if regenerated by them through the baptism of the new birth. The prefix of the verb ^D denotes intensity and singularity. For only Christians constantly inhabit it, with the Jews having been totally expelled.

*And all who love thy name shall dwell in it.* The Christians, surely, who invoke thy name. But just as many of the faithful strive to refer the beginning of this psalm up to the verse: *I have become a stranger to my brothers, and a foreigner to the sons of my mother,* to Christ, so on the contrary the Jews apply everything that follows from there to the end of the psalm to the people captive in Babylon. It is necessary, therefore, briefly to explain how they interpret these things.

^A "I have become a stranger to my brothers," ^B they say, because I am not permitted to live with them, since we were serving different masters, and because the law does not recognize kinship among slaves. The next verse repeats the same sentiment. "Reflecting," he says, "on the desolation of the temple, I am consumed with grief; and the reproaches that You, O God, suffer at the hands of the Babylonians, because I am unable to come to Your aid, I have considered as my own." For this reason, also, I was so wasted that I could not eat food. Rather, they mocked me, as one fasting in vain and at a time of seeking good—that is to say, of mercy. The things that follow are interpreted as we have already explained, except that here they understand "child" not as one by nature, but by adoption; for He says: "Israel is My firstborn son," or in another way, the servant. ^B Next, "I have looked for someone to sympathize with me, but I found none," because I was not permitted to have suitable conversation with my own kin, having been taken captive and thus expecting reproach and other hardships on Your account.

And as they expound the words: "They gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink," they fall into no small error. They think it is said in the person of the people, that the Babylonians threw a bitter cup to the people as if to some slave, and that they gave a thirsty man vinegar/sour wine to drink, and that because of the various afflictions it came about that his food seemed bitter and his drink sharp. ^C But the words that follow, "Let their table," and so forth, they understand according to the previous interpretation, and they say the words following these contain a curse against the Babylonians. By "dwelling place," they understand the city of Jerusalem. Moreover, that people whom You trained and chastened, or whom You permitted to be chastened, they say the Babylonians afflicted with the most grievous punishments, and upon the former sorrows they always added more. They fall into the same error in that verse which says: "And it will please the Lord more than a young bullock." To them, the parts that follow are more agreeable, as if they were more consonant with the return from the Babylonian captivity. We, however, following the more accurate opinion of the holy Fathers, embrace that interpretation which we have set forth above as the safer one.

To the end, for David, in remembrance. PSALM LXIX.

The blessed David composed this present psalm with almost the same sentiments and words as those we see stated elsewhere by him in Psalm XXXIX. He had it ready and at hand always, ^D whenever he remembered the sin he had committed against Uriah. For he used to sing it as some powerful spell against the demons, as if against those enemies, praying that he might no longer be mastered by them. Others say that whenever he remembered how much he had suffered at the hands of his enemies...

simply suffered, he used it. ^A *To the end*, because the prayer in this psalm reached an end. *O God, attend unto my help*. In the 39th Psalm he says: "O Lord, attend to help me." *O Lord, make haste to help me*. He interprets "Make speed to deliver me" in the 30th Psalm the same way. *Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion that seek after my soul*. And this is also to be found in the 39th Psalm. *Let them be turned back and brought to confusion that desire evil against me*. ^B And this is also placed there, except that the words—"let them be turned back and brought to confusion"—are written there as *may they be turned back and may they be brought to confusion*. Thus it is clear that, even if such expressions are imperative in form, they nevertheless possess the force of an optative. *Let them be turned back straightway blushing who say to me, Aha, aha*. Similar is, "Let those who say to me, Aha, aha, immediately bear their shame" in that same psalm. *Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee, O God*. In that psalm, for "O God," "Lord" is used. *And let them say, Let God be magnified, that love thy salvation*. Again, in that same psalm, instead of "let them say," it says "let them speak," and instead of "God," "Lord" is used. *But I am poor and needy: O God, help me*. In that psalm, instead of "O God, help me," it is written, "Lord, have care for me." *Thou art my helper and my deliverer, O Lord, make no tarrying*. In that one, instead of "deliverer," "protector" is used, and instead of "O Lord," "my God" is used.

*For David, a psalm of the sons of Jonadab, and of those who were first led captive. Without a title among the Hebrews.*

PSALM LXX

In the person, he says, of the sons of Jonadab, and of the others who were first led captive by the Babylonians, the present psalm was composed by David. The Seventy gave this inscription to the psalm, finding it without a title. ^D However, the descendants of Jonadab were at that time illustrious among the captives; in the person of all of whom, as we have said, the Prophet asks God for deliverance from the power of enemies and requests salvation; for which reason it is fitting for us also against our intellectual and sensible enemies. We can apply the words of the present psalm to adapt against visible and invisible enemies.

*In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded. In thy justice deliver me and rescue me; incline thy ear unto me and save me.* All these words are contained in the 30th Psalm, and for "save me," it says there: "Make haste to deliver me."

^A Ver. 3. *Be to me a God for a protector, and for a fortified place to save me.* Here he says not "fortified place," but "place of refuge." *For thou art my firmament and my refuge.* There he says "strength" for "firmament."

Ver. 4. *My God, deliver me out of the hand of the sinner, out of the hand of the transgressor and the unjust man.* For such were they who were ruling over them.

Ver. 5. *For thou art my hope, O Lord.* It has been said in the 38th Psalm: "And now what is my hope? Is it not the Lord?" And in the 24th Psalm: "And I waited upon thee all the day." *O Lord, my hope from my youth.* This is clear.

Ver. 6. *Upon thee have I been supported from the womb.* And not from my youth alone have I hoped in thee, but from the very mother’s womb; that is, immediately after being born, I was set upon thee as upon a certain support and defense handed down to me by my parents. From this, it seems that he had pious and religious parents. Or, otherwise: since they circumcised all infants on the eighth day, they were dedicating them to the Lord as if from the very womb. But it is necessary to know that these words, "from the womb," "from my mother’s belly," and other such things, are accustomed in the ancient Scripture to be spoken by hyperbole, that is, by excess, and signify the commencement and time of understanding and thinking, namely, that time from which one begins to think. We read something similar in the blessed Job: "If I have eaten my morsel alone, and have not imparted it to the orphans; if I was not a guide to them from my mother’s womb," and the rest. ^B For it is impossible from birth itself to accomplish such things. It is clear, therefore, that this figure of speech signifies the time from which I began to think.

*From my mother’s womb thou art my protector.* For if the divine power had not guarded the fetus, if it had not saved the infant, if it had not protected the child, he would certainly have perished amid various hazards by some misfortune. These three verses are also contained, with a few changes, in the 21st Psalm; but there, all things are referred to Christ.

Ver. 7. *In thee is my praise always.* In thee, he says, I always bear my hymns and my praises.

*I have become as a wonder to many; and thou art my strong helper.* I have become, he says, squalid and afflicted and disfigured from fasting and sackcloth and sadness, and for this reason I was thought by many to be a kind of monster, although in reality I was not so, but seemed so, at least to the imprudent and the baser multitude. For the Scripture often uses "the many" to signify the most wretched. Paul also, speaking of the opinion of the many, said in words consonant with our Prophet: "We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ." ^{C D}

Ver. 8. *Let my mouth be filled with praise, that I may sing thy glory, all the day thy magnificence.* "Let be filled" is the word of one commanding, but it is placed for the optative, as we have said. It will be filled, however, if by servitude...

^A from which I am now pressed, I shall have been delivered. Then with a mouth full of divine praises, I shall sing of thy great power, and whatever other things are wont to be commemorated by religious men to thy glory, or thought of concerning thee. Or, by "glory" he understands simply magnitude. And I shall not praise only once, but continually I shall do it; for thus Symmachus rendered those words which are had here: "all the day."

VERS. 9. "Ne projicias me in tempore senectutis." Thou, he says, O God, who wast my helper from my youth, do not cast me off in the time of old age. For I have now grown old by the long time of the Babylonian captivity. It is probable, moreover, that these words were spoken through the Prophet as if from the person of the elders of the people. For the rest, the old age of the body is known to all, and is manifest to the sight, but the old age of the soul is sin, in that it suppresses the operations of virtue ^B just as old age suppresses the actions of the body.

"Cum deficiunt vires meæ, ne derelinquas me." This little verse follows up the declaration of that which immediately precedes, whether you understand it of the strength of the soul or of the body.

VERS. 10. "Quoniam dixerunt inimici mei mihi." "To me," for "against me," or "because of me." And they said among themselves: "Et qui observabant animam meam consilium fecerunt in unum." This sentence of the former verse is here repeated and explained. For that which he says, "They took counsel together," is set down for the exposition of the word "they said"; by "observing," however, he understands in this place those lying in wait, namely, the visible and invisible enemies.

VERS. 11. "Dicentes: Deus dereliquit eum, persequimini, comprehendite eum, quoniam non est qui eripiat." These are the words of the enemies: "Pursue," they say, "because if this people takes flight, you shall pursue and shall comprehend him." For when God, whom they worship, has abandoned them, no one will be present any longer to deliver them.

VERS. 12. "Deus meus, ne elongeris a me." Although the stench of my sins be heavy and troublesome, and compels thee to turn away from me—which another ^C prophet also said to the Jews: "Your sins," he says, "divide and separate you from God"—yet I beseech and pray that thou be not far from me. For God is far off not by place or by his essence, for God is uncircumscribed and infinite, but only by providence.

"Deus meus, in auxilium meum intende." This verse also is had at the beginning of this present psalm.

VERS. 13. "Erubescant et deficiant qui calumniantur animam meam." For "let them fail," Symmachus said, "Let them be consumed"; but "my soul," that is to say, "myself"; by "calumniators," however, he understands as well the invisible as the visible enemies.

"Induantur rubore et confusione, qui quærunt mala mihi." Concerning shame and confusion, it was spoken in the preceding Psalm. These words, moreover: "Who seek evils for me,"

You will find also in Psalm cv: ^A "Let my calumniators be clothed with confusion; and let them be covered with their shame as with a double robe."

VERS. 14. "Ego autem semper sperabo in te, et adjiciam super omnem laudem tuam." That is, as my prayer attains its end. He said "all" [praise] because praise of the Lord consists not only in words but also in works; for the Savior says: "That they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

VERS. 15. "Os meum annuntiabit justitiam tuam, tota die salutem tuam." It will announce how you condemned the enemies and how you saved us.

VERS. 16. "Quoniam non novi litteraturas, introibo in potentatu Domini." Since the Prophet has promised that he will announce the justice of God and the salvation that has been received from Him, ^B and afterwards perceives that he is not capable of it, he expresses himself with moderation, saying: "I have not learned technical sophistries, so that I might be able to worthily announce them." Nevertheless, "I will enter" into the fulfillment [of the promise], in the power of God, and trusting in this, I will attempt it. The word "quoniam" is superfluous here, or it is an adverb of confirmation, in the sense of "truly." Some, however, say that the word "quoniam" in this place provides the cause, and thus, by understanding it this way, they place a stop after the word "litteraturas" and connect what follows. Others, instead of "litteraturas"—or rather (according to another meaning of the Greek word *grammateias*)—understand the mandates of the Scribes. For the Scribes thrice in the year ordered the people to enter into the temple ^C which was in Jerusalem. "I," he says, "will henceforth enter there, not because of the commands of the Scribes, but by divine power."

"Domine, memorabor justitiæ tuæ solius." I will never forget such justice of yours; rather, I will always hold it in memory. He said "of you alone," as if to say: "You alone will judge our cause and the cause of our enemies, and no one else." Therefore, I will remember not human justice, but yours alone.

VERS. 17. "Deus meus, quæ docuisti me a juventute mea, et usque nunc, annuntiabo mirabilia tua." What follows is understood to be from the person of blessed David, and the construction is formed by hyperbaton: "My God, I will announce your wonders, which you have taught me from my youth and until now." By "wonders" ^D he calls all the admirable works which we read that God performed for the salvation of the Israelite people, or also those which have happened in his own days.

VERS. 18. "Et usque ad senectam et senium, Deus meus, ne derelinquas me." By "senium" he understands the extreme part of old age, from which [we get] "senior" of the people. He who has been protected by God up to this point will not be abandoned even thereafter. Or you may understand the word "usque" (until) in an indeterminate sense, as is often found in Scripture, and the words that follow are to be understood in conjunction and under the same meaning.

^A regarding the "arm" of God, it is spoken of in Psalm XLII; regarding the "generation that is to come," in Psalm XXI. Some copies, therefore, write "until I declare," while others write "until I shall have declared."

"Your power and your justice, O God, unto the highest." The phrase "until I shall have declared" must be taken as applying jointly. Here "power" acts as an interpretation of "arm." As for "your justice unto the highest," this is by an ellipsis of the article or by hyperbaton: for example, "your justice [which is] unto the highest." For the heavens are the "highest"; it reaches as far as the heavens, as if the heavenly powers themselves were both learning of it and rejoicing over it. The verses that follow must again be understood as being spoken in the person of the people.

"What great things you have done for me." The "what" is in place of "how many." It should be read with feeling, and from the heart. Some, after the words "and your justice," place a full stop and connect what follows to this verse, following Aquila, so that the sense is: "The great and grand benefits which you have bestowed upon me were so marvelous that their fame reached even to the heavenly powers themselves. For you have honored me with your image, and established me as king of all things that are on earth; you provide nourishment, protect, guard, and rescue me from dangers, and finally bestow upon me many other things of this kind." O God, who is like you? No one, assuredly.

"How many tribulations, many and grievous, you have shown me." The phrase "how many tribulations you have shown me" must be read with feeling, in place of "so many"; then what follows must be added: that they were truly many and grievous. For I was not only treated with benefit, but also afflicted—the one by your goodness, the other, however, by my own wickedness.

"Turning, you have revived me." Turning toward me, from whom you had previously turned away. Or, "Having caused me to turn to you, you have revived me," rescuing me from manifest death. For it is customary for Scripture to call severe tribulations "death," and the deliverance from them, "life."

"And from the abysses of the earth you have brought me back." The "abysses of the earth," and hell, and the pit, and such names, are often used by Scripture to signify vast and immense calamities; hence, through Ezekiel, God says to the Hebrews: "I will open your graves and will bring you out from Babylon." ^D

"You have multiplied your magnificence upon me." That is to say, you have made it generous and abundant.

^A And turning back, you have comforted me, and from the abysses of the earth you have brought me back again. These words are rightly accommodated only to the people of the faithful, whom Christ converted while they were formerly errant in ignorance and in the darkness of idols, and called to salvation; and furthermore, He comforted them, saying: "Come unto me, all you that labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you." [*] Whom also, according to the nature of the flesh, the Lord brought forth dead from the sepulcher. For while Christ vivified His own dead body and caused it to rise from the sepulcher, and endowed it with immortality, He consequently made such a resurrection common also to all who are worthy of divine grace: which can be made clear even from the repetition of the words. For these words ought not to be seen as superfluously repeated, but as denoting what we have said, especially since the expression "again" in this place signifies a change of meaning.

^B For I will also confess to you among the peoples, O Lord. The particle "for" is redundant in this place, as we have also indicated in other locations. The blessed David therefore says that he is subsequently going to give thanks to God among the peoples, and not in one people only; for not only among the Jews, but among all nations, which he says even more clearly near the end of Psalm XVII.

VERS. 22. In the vessels of the psalm [your] truth, O God. By "vessels of the psalm," he understands various kinds of musical instruments. According to the anagogy, however, the "vessels of the psalm" are all the faithful, whose souls the blessed David, harmonizing and uniting into the highest harmony and consonance, plays [psalms] to God continually. But the word "I will confess" must be taken in a general sense. ^C And it would have been consequential for the Prophet to render the construction in the third case, where he placed the fourth. For the expression "I will confess" signifies the same as "I will give thanks." I will give thanks, he says, to your truth, because you are a true God, not only according to essence, but also according to promise.

I will sing to you on the harp, O Holy One of Israel. These words were said for the clarification of the preceding verse, where he says: "I will confess to you in the vessels of the psalm." For the harp is a vessel or a certain musical instrument by which they also used to sing the psalms; but by the harp, he understands the other kinds of musical instruments. In this place, however, I think the royal instrument, namely the psalter, is understood by the harp, as is evident from those things which we have handed down in the preface of the work. For this reason, he mentioned this instrument alone as being more excellent than all the others. But so that we might also accommodate these words of the psalm to ourselves, by "vessels of the psalm" we shall understand the mouth, the lips, the tongue, and whatever other organs of the voice there are; but by the harp, the soul itself. ^D But the "Holy One of Israel" is He who sanctifies Israel. God is said to be holy, and men are said to be holy; the former as sanctifying, but the latter as sanctified; the former by nature, the latter by position—that is, by participation. And that this is true, the Apostle Paul says concerning Christ: "Who is made to us wisdom from God, and justice, and sanctification, and redemption." For He has become wisdom to those who are becoming wise, and justice to those who have been justified—

sanctification, and redemption for those who are being sanctified and redeemed.

VERS. 23. *Exultabunt labia mea, cum psalluero tibi.* By his lips we can understand all the faithful, with whose tongues we see him always singing to God.

*And my soul, which thou hast redeemed.* Namely, from visible and invisible enemies.

VERS. 24. *But my tongue also all the day shall meditate on thy justice.* Concerning these words, *all the day*, we have remarked often that it signifies "always," and this must be observed for the future. "Shall meditate" means that it shall speak or remember. *When they shall be ashamed and confounded that seek evil to me.* These, he says, are the things which I promised I would do when I have been completely delivered from my enemies. It has been said above concerning divine justice, and those who seek evil things.

A Psalm of David concerning Solomon. Psalm LXXI.

^A It has been demonstrated in the preamble to the Book of Psalms that this psalm is not Solomon’s; and it shall be said even now that it was not spoken concerning Solomon. For he did not remain with the sun, since he has been dead for a long time; nor was he before the moon, nor did he rule over the ends of the earth, nor was his name before the sun. But since Solomon is interpreted as "peaceful," it is manifest that this psalm was spoken concerning Christ, who is peace, as Paul says: *He is our peace, who hath made both one, and breaking down the middle wall of partition* ^B, as the words of the psalm itself will demonstrate more in detail.

VERS. 2. *Give to the king thy judgment, O God: and to the king's son thy justice.* The blessed David, having foreseen the highest mysteries of Christ, desires and prays that these things be accelerated, and that they be given to Christ himself as man, which as God he always possessed. For thus also Christ said concerning the Father, that he had given all judgment to the Son. And again: *All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.* ^C David calls him "King" and "King’s son," as God and Son of God. By "judgment" he designates the faculty of judging, of which "justice" is the explanatory term. For Christ was a just judge as God; but he received this also as man from the Father; for he said: *But I am appointed king by him over Sion his holy mountain.* It may also be said according to his humanity that he is king, as being one who descended from a royal tribe; and "King's son," as the son of David: for *The book*, he says, *of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David.* ^D

^A *That he may judge thy people in righteousness, and thy poor in judgment.* This is the cause why the blessed David asks that the power of judging be given to Christ: namely, that he may judge, etc. By "people," however, he understands the faithful people, who, although they are called the people of Christ—that is, of the Son—are also said to be of the Father (*All mine, he says, are thine*); whom he also calls by another name, "the poor of God," because the true faithful have all become poor for the sake of God. By "justice ^B of God," you will understand the future judgment, in which God shall render to each according to his deserts: which he declares more fully a little later, saying: *in judgment*; that is, that he may judge them, together with the devil, of course, and with the Jews, and the other enemies of the faith. Others understand by "people" the Jewish [people], who were once called the people of God, and by "poor" the new people [gathered] from the nations, as we have said in the 69th and 10th psalm. *That he may judge them*, condemning some indeed with a just judgment, but justifying others unto salvation.

^B *Let the mountains receive peace for the people, and the hills justice.* Using the figure of personification, he commands the mountains to receive peace towards the people of Christ, and the hills to receive justice; and [he commands] that the mountains provide them a peaceful life by driving away, of course, the seditious and malignant spirits of the demons, and that the hills serve them justly, as if they were servants of the Creator God. By mountains and hills, as things more eminent, he covers the whole earth in which the anchorites, and hermits, and all the soldiers of Christ were to dwell. Or, by "mountains" he understands the archangels, as being the more eminent and superior powers; ^C but by "hills," the angels themselves, as being subject to them. Both orders of them, however, are elevated above earthly things, not otherwise than mountains and hills [are elevated] from the earth. He commands these, therefore, henceforth to behave peacefully with the people of Christ, and to bring them just and due aid, as to the inheritance of the Lord himself. For previously, the angels acted inimically towards us, on account of our ancient impiety. Or, by "mountains," understand kings and leaders, all the more excellent ones; but by "hills," other princes subject to them. For many of them have come to the faith, acting peacefully, and behaving most kindly towards the people of Christ.

^C *He shall judge the poor of the people, and shall save the children of the poor.* By "poor of the people," they understand the ruder ones of the Jews, who were poor in intellect and understanding, while, insisting on the bare letters of the Law, they were not able to look toward the hidden riches of the Holy Spirit; ^D but by "children of the poor," he understands the faithful in Christ, whose parents were poor in piety and religion, having no riches of the true knowledge of God, or even the disciples of the apostles themselves. For the apostles were fishermen and base in appearance. Therefore, he will condemn the former as unbelievers, but he will save the latter as believers.

^A And he shall humble the calumniator. The devil, surely, who first calumniated God Himself, asserting out of envy that He had forbidden men from partaking of the tree; and who even now calumniates and slanders everyone. Hence, according to the etymology of the name, he is truly and properly called "diabolus" (the same word in Greek meaning "calumniator" in Latin).

^B And he shall remain with the sun and before the moon, for generations of generations. Wishing to show that the divinity of Christ is without beginning and without end, the Prophet compared it to the two great luminaries, since among all visible creatures no better examples or more lasting semblances could be found. He shall remain, he says, with the sun, that is, he shall be as long as the sun shall be. It is, however, a peculiar mode of speech in Holy Scripture to determine a time up to a certain point, and not to deny what follows—as we have said elsewhere and shall say again—and in this way he explains the perpetuity of Christ on the side of the end. Then he also declares how it is without beginning, and says that He was before the moon. But the phrase "generations of generations" implies the same as if he had said "through the spaces of spaces," that is, through immense and infinite intervals of time. For by "generation" he understood a span of time; for example, how long one generation of men lasts, that is, how long one human being can survive. Or otherwise: take the sun for the divinity, since, as Gregory the Theologian said, God is to intellectual creatures what the sun is to sensible ones. With this divinity Christ's humanity remains forever, ever since it was once united to it, and it is never separated from it. And by the moon understand the Church of the faithful, before whose face and in whose presence Christ was "for generations of generations," that is, perpetually. For just as the moon receives light from the sun, so the Church receives light from Christ, the other "Sun of justice," whence she illuminates all who are in the night of error, pointing out to them the straight path.

^C He shall descend like rain upon a fleece, and like drops distilling upon the earth. What is hidden here is revealed: the incarnation of the Word, descending imperceptibly into the womb of the Virgin. For rain descends upon a fleece without any noise, and in the same way does the drop that falls upon the earth. But by "drops" he understands those very fine droplets, or rather dews, that fall to the earth intermittently before the rain.

^D Justice shall rise in his days, and abundance of peace until the moon be taken away. For when Christ was born, the various kingdoms of the nations were brought into one monarchy of the Romans. For "there went out," he says, "a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled" (Luke II, 1). Therefore, cities which had previously exercised enmities against one another, with one emperor governing all things, practiced mutual justice and peace. But the phrase "until the moon be taken away" he put for "until the moon shall cease from its office, which..."

is to be darkened in the day of the consummation. For the sun, he says, shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light. (63) The preposition is used superfluously, as we have explained in the seventh Psalm. (64) But if justice and peace do not remain for all until the consummation, but will be preserved among many cities for the meantime, do not wonder; for he is not speaking of universal justice or peace. And in another way, you might call justice and peace that which is toward God; for in the days of Christ, the blessed Trinity of the one Godhead will be duly, that is, worthily worshipped, and peace of things celestial and terrestrial has come, which shall be maintained until the consummation.

VERS. 8. *And he shall have dominion from sea even to sea.* By "sea and sea," because of the multitude of waters, he refers to the Oriental and Occidental Ocean, which are the ends of the inhabited world, in length; ^B and again, for the breadth, the Arctic and the Antarctic. For they say that the Ocean flows around the earth in a circle.

*And from the rivers unto the ends of the world.* This verse signifies the same thing; for what he called "seas" in the former, these he here calls "rivers," as parts of the Ocean river. And the ends of the earth from the Ocean, on the one hand, is the Hesperian, and from the Arctic, the meridional—and again conversely, so that I may say, even from rivers to rivers. ^C Or otherwise, by "river" you may understand the Jordan, the plural number being used instead of the singular according to the idiom of the Hebrew language; for from that river Christ began to prepare for himself dominion over those who believe, when, the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove, the Father bore witness to the Son from above (for he was at that time being baptized by John in the Jordan).

VERS. 9. *Before him the Ethiopians shall fall down.* The race of the Ethiopians is twofold, as we said in the sixty-seventh Psalm; for some of them dwell in the extremity of the East, and others in the extremity of the West. If then the ^D extreme nations shall worship Christ, far more those which are in the middle of the world. Or by "Ethiopians," understand the demons themselves, who are used to appear black and dark just like the Ethiopians, owing to their gloom and darkness; and what he says, "shall fall down," explain as "shall worship," if you understand the verse concerning the true peoples of the Ethiopians; but if you say the Ethiopians are the demons, then explain "shall fall down" as "shall be destroyed and humbled."

*And his enemies shall lick the earth.* That is, the Jews, the murderers of Christ, shall be slaughtered. For those who perish by a violent death are accustomed, from great pain, to bite the earth. Or because, as the Gospel...

^A interpretation opposes, many of them shall be converted and shall kiss the very soil and pavements of the holy temples of Christ. Or again, by the enemies of Christ, understand the demons, who shall be cast down to the earth by holy men, and shall be so trampled underfoot that they seem to lick the ground, unable to rise from it.

VERS. 10. *Reges Tharsis et insulæ munera offerent, reges Arabum, et Saba dona adducent.* By Tharsis, commentators generally understand the city of Carthage, which is the head of Libya, and by Saba, a certain most famous city of the Indians. The Prophet, therefore, by mentioning these notable kingdoms, seems to have denoted all other kingdoms as well; which appears more clearly from what follows, as he gathers together and enumerates all kings and all nations, just as we explained in the LXIX psalm. By islands, understand those which are in the sea. Truly, every nation has brought gifts to Christ: some, temples and offerings; others, virtues; and some brought sensible gifts, others intellectual ones.

VERS. 11. *Et adorabunt eum omnes reges terræ, omnes gentes servient ei.* They have not yet all adored him, although there is someone from every nation who adores and serves him, as was predicted in the LXVII psalm. ^B This verse is similar to those words which were predicted by the patriarch Jacob concerning Christ: "And himself," he says, "shall be the expectation of the nations."

VERS. 12. *Quoniam eripuit inopem a potente, et pauperem cui non erat adjutor.* He calls the Christian people the "needy" and "poor" here, as we said in the IX and XXXIX psalms. By "the potent one," he understands the devil himself, who for a long time held sway over the human race and the whole world. Or else the Prophet wished to strike fear into the powerful through these words, as if Christ were about to bring aid to all those who had been oppressed by them.

VERS. 13. *Parcet pauperi et inopi, et animas pauperum salvas faciet.* He repeats the same sentiment: he calls the Jewish people the "needy," as one who (according to the etymology of the Greek name) has fallen away from the aid and riches of divine help, and the Gentile people the "poor." ^C For God has pitied both peoples, and for the sake of both he became incarnate. But he dismissed the Jews, who did not receive him, while he saved the nations that ran to his faith. Or otherwise, Christ will deliver, spare, and save them—that is, all who have become needy and poor for his sake.

VERS. 14. *Ex usuris et injustitia redimet animas eorum.* By "usury," he understands the vice of avarice, which is the worst among the others. By the name "injustice," he includes every other type of sin in general. For everyone who sins acts unjustly; either himself

or another. But from these sins, Christ redeemed all men through the evangelical commandments. ^A

*And honorable is his name before them.* And truly his name is so honorable among the faithful that, for its supreme dignity, it is sufficient for them for nobility that they are called Christians.

*And he shall live.* Some say that these words signify the same as what is said elsewhere: *And of his kingdom there shall be no end*. For he shall live forever; but I think that his resurrection from the dead is signified here, that having died, he shall live again.

*And there shall be given to him of the gold of Arabia.* Arabia formerly abounded in gold, and was therefore called happy [Eudaemon] and golden by the Greeks. But he signifies through this province, as being more famous in Asia, that every region will offer gifts to the temples of Christ. Or otherwise: The Arabs were the first of all the nations to receive the faith of Christ, being taught, of course, by Paul, as he himself testifies in writing to the Galatians, saying: *But when it pleased him who separated me from my mother's womb, etc. I did not consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem, but I went into Arabia.* ^B

*And they shall pray for him always.* Christians shall always pray for him, or for his sake—that is, for the salvation which comes from him—so that he may help and save them. Some, however, refer this saying to the prophets, that, foreseeing his arrival among men, they implored the Father to send the Son more quickly, so that he might destroy the tyranny of the devil.

*All the day they shall bless him.* This means: the faithful will always praise him.

*VERS. 16. There shall be a firmament in the earth, on the top of the mountains.* Christ shall be a firmament in the earth—that is, to those who are on the earth—firming and stabilizing those who were previously wavering and being tossed about by the devil. And as for what he says, *on the top of the mountains*, he put this for "up to the summits of the mountains," which was said on account of the holy hermits and other soldiers of God who were to dwell there, as if he were going to establish them as well. ^{C D}

*His fruit shall be superextolled above Libanus.* He mentioned Libanus on account of its extreme height. The fruit, he says, of Christ shall increase in a wonderful way. By the fruit of Christ, he understands the evangelical doctrine. Or otherwise, Libanus might be understood as idol-worship, because in times past this mountain was full of idols. The sense, therefore, is that the fruit of Christ—that is, the evangelical preaching, as we have said—shall be superextolled above Libanus, that is, it shall surpass the worship of idols.

*They shall flourish from the city, as the herb of the earth.* By "the city" indefinitely, since believers were to flourish from every city; and as "the herb," on account of their propagation and their multitude. And the Church is also understood as a city.

Some specifically assume this city to be Jerusalem, from which the Jews blossomed, and then quickly withered like grass ^A as the preaching increased.

"His name shall be blessed unto the ages." This is clear. For he is always praised by believers everywhere. And he speaks of the name as Christ, or rather Jesus.

"Before the sun his name remains." That which is "He Who Is" holds the "Always," just as he names himself to Moses when appearing upon the mountain. But if you were to say that by "Christ," "before the sun" is understood as "above the sun," or "greater than the sun," [it is valid]. For the sun falls at the end of the age, as do the rest of the stars, ^B but such a name as this remains unshaken, known by all.

"And all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed in him." "Shall be blessed," that is, they shall be sanctified, they shall receive grace. For in being called Christians, we are glorified. This is what God also promised to Abraham concerning his seed, which was Christ. And he called the generations "tribes."

"All nations shall call him blessed." They shall praise him.

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who alone does wonders." Behold, he has revealed what was hidden, ^C proclaiming him to be God, and the God of Israel, to show that this one is also the God of Israel, the one who performed those wonders for his sake. And the word "alone" is placed for the sake of distinction from the falsely named gods.

"And blessed be the name of his glory unto the age, and unto the age of the age." The glory of Christ is his incarnation and the sufferings attending it; for through these he was glorified by the believers, because being God he suffered these things for us; and the name of this glory is Christ, who is blessed in the present age, ^D as was made clear above, and much more so in the age to come, because there will be no one to blaspheme, since everything will then be subjected to him. We can also say, periphrastically, "of his glory" instead of "of him."

"And all the earth shall be filled with his glory. So be it, so be it." This prophesies the faith of all the nations. Thus also God said to Moses: "But as I live, my name shall be filled with my glory, even all the earth." This also Isaiah the prophet heard, the Seraphim crying out: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth; the whole earth is full of his glory"; and the repetition of the word "so be it" is as I declared at the end.

the end of the fortieth Psalm. It is also necessary to know that the Hebrews divide the Davidic Psalms into five books, and they say that each of the four books has as the end of its final Psalm the word "Fiat, fiat" (May it be, may it be). They say the end of the first book is the fortieth Psalm, of the second the seventy-first, of the third the eighty-eighth, and of the fourth the one hundred and fifth; for the final Psalm of the fifth book closes the end. ^A

*Defecerunt (They have failed): the hymns of David the son of Jesse.* *A Psalm for Asaph.*

PSALM LXXII

We have shown in the prologue of the work that all the Psalms were composed by the blessed David; how then is it inscribed on the present Psalm that they have "failed"? It is because he says that the *hymns* have failed, not the Psalms. For of the Psalms that he composed, he used to sing some to God himself upon his own lyre; others, however, he gave to the leaders of the singers to perform, as is the case with the present one and the eleven following it, which he committed to Asaph, the head of one choir of singers to be set to music, and others to others, as has been set forth in the aforementioned prologue. The expression "have failed," then, does not deny that the following Psalms were composed by the blessed David, but it does deny that they were sung by him. ^B

It is, however, worthy of admiration how the grace of the Holy Spirit has mixed multiple and varied medicines through the Psalms for the multiple affections of human thoughts and the various maladies of the soul, just as it does in the present instance. For this Psalm pertains to the faint-hearted and to those who are easily scandalized by the inscrutable judgments of God when they observe that God not only tolerates the very many of the wicked, but that very often the most heinous of them live happily, while, on the contrary, the upright are for the most part established in afflictions and calamities and are almost neglected by Him. This Psalm should be brought forth from the person of the Israelite people, who were held captive in Babylon, and especially from those of them who were the most pious and religious toward God within that whole people; although it can also be accommodated to any faithful person who is eager to console the faint-heartedness of his neighbor. ^C

*Ver. 1. How good is God to Israel.* The expression, *How*, has the force of confirmation in this place. Surely, he says, God is good to the people of Israel; for He instructs and chastises him through afflictions and calamities, and He devises salvation for him. For God does not chastise anyone out of hatred, nor does He judge, but out of love and affection. *To them that are of a right heart.* Since God is so good, as we have taught, He is judged to be such even by those who think rightly. For by the appellation of "heart," the mind and the very act of thinking are understood here. ^D

*Ver. 2. But my feet were almost moved.* By "feet," he understands the thoughts, which, like feet, guide and sustain the religion of our soul. "Almost," he says, "I was perverted, and almost I slipped," so as to believe that God has no providence for the world. (Regarding what the Latin interpreter said, *moved* [moti sunt], the Greek expression conveys it somewhat more significantly, and we might more closely say *wavered*.)

^A *“My footsteps were well-nigh poured out.”* By “footsteps” he now understands the thoughts, or the opinions and sentiments of the soul. “Were poured out,” he uses for “were made loose,” for that which is poured out is loose. He then brings forward the reason for which he was in danger of being shaken and poured out: *“For I was jealous of the lawless, seeing the peace of sinners.”* By “zeal” they mean a reasonable anger against an unreasonable act. “For,” he says, “I was justly angry, as I supposed, at the lawless enemies, seeing them at peace,” that is, not being warred upon by a stronger nation, but enjoying security, even though they were sinners. *“For there is no withdrawing in their death.”* And that there is no refusal in their death, that is, their death is not to be shunned, ^B as it comes according to nature, and not by coming violently. *“And a firmament in their plague.”* Nor is there any persistence in their blow. For even if they are occasionally harmed, they are quickly liberated from the affliction. *“They are not in the labors of men, and they shall not be scourged with men.”* They are not in labors, as other men are; for to toil is proper to men. But they acquire good things without toil; nor, as they appear to me, will they be afflicted as other men are. *“Therefore pride has taken hold of them to the end.”* Because things, as it were, flowed along for them with the current, pride took hold of them to the end. *“They were clothed with injustice and ungodliness for themselves.”* And having become so arrogant, they henceforth were clothed with injustice and their own ungodliness as with a garment. ^C The word “clothed” signifies that which surrounds one and the constriction from everywhere. He has used this form in many places in the Psalms; as in: *“Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor;”* and again, *“Let those who slander me be clothed with shame, and let them be covered as with a mantle with their shame;”* and again, *“They clothed themselves with cursing as with a garment,”* and things of that sort. But in the present passage, it also signifies displaying and boasting. *“Their injustice shall come forth as from fat.”* That is, oily and abundant. For such is that which flows out from fat. Alternatively, he calls indulgence and luxury “fat,” saying that it comes forth from luxury, that is, from excessive luxury, the adverb being redundant. The word “shall come forth” is an alteration of time, in place of “has come forth”; for so Symmachus said. It is evident, therefore, that [the passage] *“Not…”*

…”* ^A they were scourged—we can understand. *They passed over into the disposition of the heart.* They came, he says, into a habit of injustice. For "disposition" is a habit of something, that is, a condition of the heart.

VERS. 8. *They thought and spoke in wickedness.* They premeditated, he says, and with consideration they spoke wicked things; they did not act by impulse. *They spoke injustice into the height.*—*Into the height*, that is, against the Most High God, saying that this one is not God. For it is injustice to deprive Him of His glory and to offer it to things created by Him. Furthermore, he speaks injustice *into the height*, and anyone who attributes to God things unworthy of His divinity acts in this way. For the Godhead is the *height*, than which there is nothing higher or more sublime. ^B

VERS. 9. *They set their mouth in heaven, and their tongue passed through the earth.* By *heaven* he understands God, who dwells in heaven; by *earth*, however, the men dwelling on the earth; as if to say: they moved their mouth in blasphemy against the heavenly God, and their tongue likewise raged against earthly men. For those persons, to whom everything was going well and who were addicted to luxuries, led by great rashness, assailed both God with insults and men with calumnies. Or this statement is spoken regarding philosophers, who *set their mouth in heaven* while they dared to philosophize about God and divine matters, and their tongue *passed through the earth* while they prated about earthly things concerning God. Or otherwise, he rebukes the astrologers, who *set their mouth in heaven* while they contemplate the stars and constellations that are in heaven too curiously, and their tongue ^C *passed through the earth*, filling the whole world with their empty nonsense.

VERS. 10. *Therefore my people shall return hither.* These words are spoken through the Prophet in the person of God. Therefore, he says—that is, on account of their aforementioned iniquity—my people, that is, the people who were established in captivity, shall return to their own fatherland, Judea. For *hither* signifies this; for the blessed David was there when he composed this psalm: in Jerusalem, clearly.

*And full days shall be found in them.* *Full*, that is, filled up, namely to the measure of life, or full of the works of virtue. And the sense is that they will grow old, or that they will be pleasing to God. These words can also be understood as having been spoken against their enemies, that their days will be found in them full of evils, so ^D that nothing is lacking to their wickedness.

VERS. 11. *And they said: How does God know?* As many of the people as were more faint-hearted, or those looking at [things] more foolishly...

seeing such great iniquities which those barbarians dared to commit against those holy men—they said: How does God know these things? And how does He tolerate [them]? Truly, God does not know these things. ^B *And if there is knowledge in the Most High.* The word "sought" must be supplied [in thought]. He refers to their knowledge, which had been turned against them.

VERS. 12. *Ecce hi peccatores et abundantes, in sæculo possederunt divitias.* So, considering [the matter] within themselves, they said: Behold, these Babylonians are sinners, and yet they abound in the present age and possess riches. Or, "They possessed them for an age," meaning for a long and extended time. Words of this kind are also spoken to God by the prophet Jeremiah, saying: "Wherefore, he says, doth the way of the wicked prosper? All they are happy that deal very treacherously? Thou hast planted them, and they have taken root" (Jer. xii, 1). ^C

VERS. 13. *Et dixi : Numquid in vanum justificavi cor meum?* I, he says, who trust that I possess somewhat greater powers of mind and prudence, was moved by my own reasonings, and I said: Is it in vain that I have cleansed my heart from every injustice and made it righteous? *Et lavi in innocentibus manus meas.* And I said: Have I washed my hands in vain among the innocent? What these words mean, we have said in Psalm XXV. But from the common sense, both here and in the two following verses, it must be understood: "Is it in vain?" For these words too must be read as questions. ^D

VERS. 14. *Et flagellatus fui tota die.* By fasting, to be sure, and by vigils and other afflictions of this kind, which I endure assiduously for the sake of pursuing virtue. *Et reprehensio mea in matutinis.* My reprehension, which I bring upon myself when the morning arrives. For I am accustomed to rebuke myself because I have resisted God in time past, and because I have not exhibited a life and conversation worthy of Him.

VERS. 15. *Si dicebam, Narrabo sic : ecce generationem filiorum tuorum reprobavi.* If I were to say within myself, he says, that I would tell others just as I myself have thought—that is, that I have justified my heart in vain, and the rest—behold, that is what I would have done, "reprobating the generation of Thy children," or (as the Greek term *isunthetēka* more nearly demands, behold that which is "not put together," that is, things not useful and not pleasing) I thought [these things] for Thy people. For by the "generation of the children of God," the Israelite people is understood. For so God Himself called them elsewhere, saying: "Israel is my son, even my firstborn" (Exod. iv, 22). And in another place: "I have brought up children, and exalted them" (Isa. i, 2). Or otherwise, they are the children of God who recognize Him as Creator and observe His commandments. But some copies read *isunthēkas* ("Thou hast been unfaithful"). Yet it may be understood in this way: the first verse, as we have explained, and the second, that "At last, as far as my narrative is concerned, Thou hast broken Thy covenants..."

^A with Thy present people, namely those relating to Abraham and our ancestors, and those regarding the land of promise and our nation, specifically those concerning our dwelling in it securely and being a great people; for 'to break' [ἀσυνθετῶ] is said, as is 'I break [παραβαίνω] the covenants'."

VERS. 15. "I thought to know this; it is troublesome in my sight." I hoped, he says, that I might be able to know and understand that about which I was in doubt. "It is troublesome ^B or labor in my sight." But, as it seems, this, namely to know the matter in doubt, is a great labor to me and difficult to discern.

VERS. 17. "Until I enter into the sanctuary of God." This labor, indeed, will be mine until I shall have entered into the temple of Jerusalem, where the people are accustomed to be sanctified. For when, having recovered my former good fortune [or happiness], I shall know that I have not in vain justified my heart, and so forth.

"And I shall understand their end." These words ^C contain a manifest prophecy; for he predicts that he himself will see the end of such transgressors. The discourse is about the Babylonians, whose happiness and empire were destined to have an end, as indeed happened later. For Cyrus, king of the Persians, having conquered them, delivered them to perpetual servitude, and the Israelite people, whom he found captive in Babylon, he restored to their homeland. According to the anagogical sense, by "the sanctuary of God" we understand the future judgment, in which God will render to each according to their merits. For the Greek verb [ἁγιάζω], which everyone generally interprets as "I sanctify"—whence "sanctuary"—one often finds it used to mean "I determine" [or separate] (it is no wonder, therefore, if it is accepted as "judgment," since in it the rewards or punishments of all men are to be determined). Then, therefore, even the small-minded themselves will understand what virtue profits and what vice harms.

VERS. 18. "Nevertheless, on account of their deceits, Thou hast set evils upon them." (Due to their deceits, of course.) From this passage, he predicts more clearly ^D the destruction of the Babylonians. The word "nevertheless" seems redundant, just as is often found elsewhere according to the Hebrew idiom. Symmachus, instead of "nevertheless," said "truly," and for "hast set," he said "hast prepared."

"Thou hast cast them down while they were being exalted." When they had already been raised on high and were exalted with wealth and every kind of happiness, Thou hast shattered them in return.

"How have they become a desolation suddenly?" Foreseeing their destruction, the Prophet wonders at the suddenness of the change; for "suddenly" signifies the unexpected.

VERS. 19. "They have failed, they have perished on account of their iniquity." The word "they perished" is placed there for a greater declaration of the word "they have failed." For they signify the same thing; but by this repetition, the Prophet demonstrates a certain supreme joy and alacrity.

^A "As a dream when one awaketh." That is, regarding them. For just as one who has seen a delightful dream, when he awakens, is despondent as though he had enjoyed something empty, so also do the Babylonians, once their prosperity has passed, seem to have prospered in vain. For such is human luxury, resembling dreams because of its instability and rapid change.

"O Lord, in thy city thou shalt bring their image to nothing." Because of thy city Jerusalem, thou shalt despise their prosperity. He calls their prosperity an "image," because it is not truly what it appears to be, but merely imitates it; for an image exists because of its resemblance. And the city could be the commonwealth of the people, or even the Jerusalem above.

"For my heart was kindled." By a fire of wrath, that is to say, by zeal; for he said at the beginning of the present Psalm, "For I was jealous of the wicked, seeing the peace of sinners." He here repeats the same sentiment. "And my loins were changed." By the loins he alludes to desire, as we have previously stated in other places. Formerly, he says, I desired things that were truly good, but afterwards I did not desire the same things again—that is, what was truly good—but what appeared to be good, when, that is, I envied the peace of my enemies.

"And I was brought to nothing, and I knew not." This verse and those that follow correspond to the time after the return from captivity. I was brought to nothing, he says, that is, I was cast away from thee at that time because of my sins; and for this reason I did not know what was puzzling me, not having the illumination from thee. ^B Symmachus, instead of "brought to nothing," said, "I was ignorant."

"I became as a beast before thee." Henceforth, I became mindless in thy sight, that is to say, I shall no longer pry into thy judgments; but like a beast, without prying, I shall follow thy will. For I have learned that thou ordainest all things with judgment. This "bestial" state before God is praiseworthy, but that before the demon is condemned, as in the scripture, "He was compared to senseless beasts, and became like to them."

"And I am continually with thee." The word "I shall be" is understood, meaning I shall always be thinking of thee, speaking thy words, and never departing from thy memory.

^C "Thou hast held me by my right hand." Like a guide, thou tookest hold of my hand, and didst lead me out of the land of the Babylonians and their slavery. Or, by the "right hand," he signifies the right action, meaning that by taking hold of this, thou didst lead me out; namely, that thou acceptest these actions with a benevolent spirit.

^A And in thy counsel thou didst lead me. Thou didst provide counsel for me, by which I was guided as I walked through the nations. And with glory thou didst take me up. And thou didst grant me an entry into thy city that was brilliant; for the return became renowned to all. And Cyrus sent forth royal decrees concerning this to all the nations.

Vers. 24. For what is there for me in heaven, and what have I desired from thee upon the earth? Certain people have understood these words as being spoken by God to man: "What other thing is there for me in heaven from the angels," he says, "than only service and obedience? And what other thing have I desired from thee upon the earth than these things only?" And: "And if not thou?"—that is, "And what other thing did I seek from thee upon the earth if not thee and thy help?" Aquila gave this sense. But to speak generally, the sayings are often deficient due to the narrowness of the Hebrew tongue, from which they were translated into the Greek language without receiving breadth, according only to the meaning of each word. ^B Or otherwise: "What other thing is of concern to me in heaven—"

Vers. 25. My heart failed. My heart was consumed again, having suffered the same thing, turning away from pleasure and being frequently afflicted. O God of my heart. He uses a circumlocution as if to say: "My God." But the words are full of desire and affection. And my portion is God for ever. And again, "O God, who art my portion," that is, my lot and my treasure always.

^C Vers. 26. For behold, they that distance themselves from thee shall perish. Sinners are said to be distanced from God not by place, but by manner of life; just as, on the contrary, he who pursues virtues is said to draw near to God. For such sins flee from the divine sight, as darkness from light; and by as much as one is distanced from God, by so much does he draw near to destruction. The word "For" here is confirmatory, meaning "Truly." He uses "perish" here for falling away from salvation.

^D Thou hast destroyed all who commit fornication away from thee. By "fornication away from God," he here understands rebellion, and departure from him, or idolatry and every other worship of demons, just as God also says through Jeremiah: "Thou wentest up upon every high mountain, and under every shady tree, and there thou didst commit fornication"; and again, "And thou didst commit fornication with wood and stone," instead of saying, "Thou didst worship." For the Church, being the bride

[A] wood, and a stone. For the Church is called the spouse of Christ, and is joined to Him through faith and the keeping of His commandments.

VER. 27. *But for me, it is good to cleave to God.* Namely, to be joined to God in the manner of a spouse, and never to be separated from Him.

*To put my hope in the Lord.* For I have never been frustrated in hope once conceived, as often as I have hoped in Him. It is therefore good and useful to do so.

VERS. 28. *That I may declare all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion.* That, being sheltered by Thy protection, I may recount all the wonders which Thou hast done that are worthy of praise. Or otherwise: That you may set forth in writing those praises which are due to Thee. He said "all" because the praises of God are as many as His powers; and that I may declare them "in the gates of Sion," that is, in the gates of Jerusalem. For that city is called by a double name, Jerusalem indeed, and Sion, from the neighboring mountain. And by "daughter of Sion," Sion herself is meant, just as by "Son of man" man himself is understood, according to the Hebrew idiom. For the ancients were accustomed to assemble councils and gatherings of men by the gates of the city or of the temple, and to relate to them whatever new things were occurring. According to the anagoge, by the "gates of Sion" we understand the particular Churches which are in various parts of the world. For through them, as through certain gates, we enter into the supernal Jerusalem.

*Of understanding to Asaph. PSALM LXXIII.*

Concerning Asaph, it has been spoken of elsewhere. He says "of understanding" because there is need of much understanding for those who read it. For those things are treated in this psalm which pertain to the final captivity of the Jews and to that destruction of Jerusalem which was wrought by the Romans. For even if they had been taken captive many times before by various nations, they never suffered such a great calamity as then. For they were cast off forever, and the temple was burned, and the houses were destroyed, and all was depopulated, and—what is the most evident sign of the evils of that nation—no Prophet henceforth existed among them. ^C It is, however, to be noted that while this psalm announces the calamities of the Jews, it simultaneously predicts the salvation of the faithful.

VERS. 1. *O God, why hast Thou cast me off unto the end?* After the manner of the Prophets, he narrates as if already done that which was to come. It is worthy, however, that we should admire the goodness of God, who, by the prediction of calamities, strove to avert them from such great savagery and impiety as they were about to use against the Savior, even though, on account of the freedom of the will which God gave to man, they remained immutable in their depravity. The Prophet utters these words also with the greatest grief, lamenting the plight of the people who had suffered such most heavy and miserable things. Or we can understand these words differently, as if said from the person of the more prudent Jews: and he says not only "Thou hast cast off," but "Unto the end," which signifies an altogether total destruction. For even if He had often cast them off before, yet not "unto the end." For to every captivity ^D a certain

^A time had been set by the prophets. But those words, "Unto what end?" appear indeed to be interrogative, and to be inquiring into the reason, yet, according to the usage of the Hebrew idiom, they seek to win over the divine mercy.

"Thy wrath hath burned against the sheep of thy pasture." Once more, "Unto what end?" is to be understood from what precedes. Regarding the wrath and fury of God, it has been spoken of by us at the beginning of the sixth Psalm. By "sheep," understand the people, and by "pasture," the sacred utterances of the divinely inspired Scripture, with which those who live according to God always nourish their souls.

VERS. 2. "Be mindful of thy congregation, which thou hast possessed from the beginning." "Which thou hast possessed," he says, as a possession; and "from the beginning" means from the first. It hints ^B that He shall also possess another later one, I mean the Church from among the Gentiles.

"Thou hast redeemed the rod of thine inheritance." He recounts former benefits. By "rod" is signified royal dignity, or the kingdom itself, as was said in the Psalm. Aquila gave for "rod of thine inheritance," "sceptre of thy portion." He understands the kingdom of the Hebrews, or even the people themselves, set under a king, who are called the inheritance of the Lord, because, as Moses says, "The Lord's portion is his people Jacob, the lot of his inheritance, Israel." And God redeemed them in various ways from wars and captivity.

"Mount Sion, this is that in which thou hast dwelt." This is that most celebrated Mount Sion, in which God caused the aforementioned rod of His inheritance to dwell. Or, "In which thou hast dwelt." (For the Greek phrasing admits of both interpretations.) And as for what he says, "In it," explain it ^C as we said elsewhere when explaining that verse, "Whose mouth is full of cursing." And the Prophet puts forward the memory of the mount among the first words, so that by the commemoration of the mount dedicated to God, he might render Him more favorably disposed to himself.

VERS. 3. "Lift up thy hands against their pride unto the end." Totally destroy, he says, the elations of the enemies, who, having taken Jerusalem, have become more brazen, and have foolishly been puffed up against Thee. But "Lift up thy hands," he says, by way of metaphor for those who raise their hands high, in order to strike down the enemy with blows.

"How great things the enemy hath done wickedly in thy holy place." By "enemy" he means the emperor Titus, and by "holy place," the temple itself, in which, having committed many base acts, ^D he wasted it in many ways. And as for the word "How great," it stands for "Alas, how great!"

VERS. 4. "And they have boasted who hate thee in the midst of thy solemnity." He means the festival of the Passover. For in the midst of that very solemnity, Titus besieged Jerusalem and captured them while they were celebrating the feast. And observe how they were justly required to pay the penalty on the feast of the Passover, in which they had crucified the Lord, having committed so great a crime.

^A Ver. 5. *They set up their signs for signs, and they knew not as at the exit above.* Every military order uses a sign attached to a pole, sent ahead before the line of battle so that it may be distinguished which cohort is which; this is what we call a standard. These very signs, then, the Roman cohorts, upon entering, set up as at the exit—that is, at the gates of the cities—above them. For the word "as" is redundant. And they set up such signs of theirs, signs of victory, instead of trophies; and those within did not yet know of this, because, being occupied with the feast, they were intent upon no other matters. Or "they knew not," the enemies themselves, that is, how they took the city, because it did not happen due to the weakness of the God of the Jews, but because of their blood-guiltiness against Christ.

Ver. 6. *As in a thicket of wood with axes, they cut down its doors at once.* ^B A "thicket" is the wood-bearing growth in the mountains. "After the manner of a thicket of wood," he says, "they cut down its doors entirely." And "at once" means all together.

*With axe and hammer they broke it down.* With an axe, indeed, the roofs and the doors of the houses of the city, and whatever was made of wood; but with a hammer, the walls and the fortifications, and whatever was made of stone. For the hammer is a tool for stonework, suitable both for cutting stones and walls and fortifications, and for tearing them down. And "they broke down" is used instead of "they cast down."

Ver. 7. *They burned thy sanctuary with fire.* He named the temple of God the sanctuary, as was said in the preceding psalm.

*They have defiled the tabernacle of thy Name to the ground.* "They have defiled," that is, they leveled it to the ground profanely and impiously. ^C But he expressed himself in an exquisite way by saying, "the tabernacle of the Name of God"; for the essence of God cannot have a tabernacle, since that divine nature is immense and uncircumscribed. But some take "of thy Name" circumlocutively, instead of "of Thee."

Ver. 8. *Their kindred said in their heart altogether.* All the kindreds of the enemies said together among themselves. "In their heart," that is, from their whole heart and with all the readiness of their mind. But the word "come," which follows, prevents us from being able to explain "said" as "they thought," unless one should say that it is placed not with the force of a verb, but adverbially, for ^D "Eia age" (Come now). But hear what they said.

*Come, let us cause all the feasts of God to cease from the earth.* The legal worships of this God, which the Jews revere; and this we shall accomplish by having wiped out their laws, and their state, and their city. Which, indeed, they have done, with God's permission.

*We do not see our signs. There are no longer prophets.*

^A That is, the signs which they used to claim God performed for them—we, who have besieged them, have seen none of these things; for no such marvel was worked against us.

*There is no prophet any longer.* The word "any longer" is used in place of "henceforth." And truly they were saying this: there is no one among them, he says, to prophesy anything against us, or to encourage them.

*And He will not know us any longer.* And being no longer present, He will not know our circumstances, how we are; for this "any longer" stands for "henceforth."

*How long, O God, shall the enemy reproach?* O God, the enemy shall reproach both us and Thee, as if we were weak and feeble.

*Shall the adversary provoke Thy name until the end?* He will utter blasphemous words against Thee continually, and words provoking Thee to anger; even if Thou art longsuffering, allowing such things to happen to them because of our sins. ^B

*Why dost Thou turn away Thy hand and Thy right hand from the middle of Thy bosom until the end?* It is to be noted that "until the end," which is placed often in this psalm, signifies the perpetual rejection of the Jews. He calls the same limb both "hand" and "right hand." Now the "bosom" of God would be the treasury of all good things, and the "right hand" is the bestowal of those good things. The meaning of the passage is: Why do you no longer share your good things with us, as you did formerly? It is a metaphorical expression, drawn from those who have a bosom filled with manifold good things, from which they dispense to friends at a certain time. For if they happen to become angry, they turn away the hand that distributes from the bosom, and do not put it there any longer to dispense the customary gifts to their friends. ^C

*But God is our King before the age.* The term "before the age" is not used in its literal sense, but catachrestically, meaning "from the beginning." For how could He be King of our race before the ages, when the sensible creation had not yet been produced? Or, you may understand "age" to mean the present life, so that the meaning is: Before our life, that is, from our ancestors, God was King of our race. He gladly reminds God of this, because he evokes the fact that He is the same God who in the time of their ancestors performed many miracles for their benefit.

*He worked salvation in the midst of the earth.* He said "in the midst of the earth" in place of "in the middle of men," that is, openly. By "salvation" he means the deliverance of the Jews from the slavery in Egypt.

*Thou didst strengthen the sea in Thy power.* That is, You solidified the divided parts of the Red Sea. A wall, he says, on the right, and a wall on the left, by Thy power the… ^D

flowing of them was held back and solidified. ^A

VERS. 14. *Thou didst crush the heads of the dragons in the waters.* ^B By dragons, he signifies the Egyptians on account of their extreme wickedness; and by the heads of the dragons, those soldiers, tribunes, centurions, and leaders who were sent by Pharaoh to pursue the people of Israel; who, in comparison with the common people, as being more important, could be called heads. All these, therefore, when the water flooded over them, were crushed—or rather, perished. *Thou didst break in pieces the head of the dragon.* By the dragon in the singular, he signifies Pharaoh; and by the breaking of the head, the reduction of his rule and kingdom. *Thou didst give him as food to the peoples, the Ethiopians.* For the Ethiopians, being neighbors to the Egyptians and long harboring designs against them, when they saw such a crushing of them, made raids and plundered Egypt, and those who remained they devoured by the edge of the sword. By "Thou didst give," he means "Thou didst deliver up." And through Pharaoh, he signifies the whole country under him.

VERS. 15. *Thou didst cleave fountains and torrents.* "Thou didst cleave" stands for "Thou didst cause to flow forth." He understands the water which flowed from the rock in the desert. He called them fountains because those waters bubbled forth like a spring, and torrents on account of the violence of their flow. Both are in the plural number, according to the custom of the Hebrew language. ^C But Symmachus and Aquila expressed them in the singular number. *Thou didst dry up the rivers of Etham.* Symmachus translated "Etham" as "the ancients." He understands the rivers and fountains of Sodom and Gomorrah, which God reduced to ash on account of their lawlessness. Or, he means simply: "Thou didst grant us new waters, and Thou didst dry up old ones, in whatever places it pleased Thee." Isidore of Pelusium, however, says that Etham is the name of a place not far from Jerusalem, which, having formerly been irrigated by rivers, was later—after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans—entirely dried up by the wrath of God.

VERS. 16. *Thine is the day, and Thine is the night.* ^D Having begun to praise God from certain particular and private things, he now turns the discourse to common ones: "The day," he says, "and the night were created by Thee, and like servants, they obey Thy command." *Thou didst prepare the dawn and the sun.* By the dawn, he understands the rising of the day or the daybreak itself. "Thou didst prepare," that is, "Thou didst make," and by the sun he signified all the other stars.

VERS. 17. *Thou didst make all the fruits of the earth.* By "fruits" (*fruges*), according to the etymology of the Greek word, he understands the annual produce of the earth—for *oros* is the year. And some write "the boundaries" (*oria*) instead of "the fruits" (*oraia*), that is, the limits; but "the fruits" is better, and this is clear from the following verse.

^A *Summer and spring, you have fashioned them.* For of these fruits, some are born in spring, some in summer, and some are brought to completion in the summer itself. He mentions only these two parts of the year, as if the other two were comprehended within them, as parts of it and of them. The word "them" is redundant; the word order could also be: "You have fashioned them, the summer and the spring." He placed summer first indifferently.

^B *Remember this.* Having said in the beginning of the psalm, *Remember your congregation which you have possessed from the beginning*, he repeats the same thing now. *The enemy has reproached the Lord.* This is Titus, or the Roman army. *And a senseless people has provoked your name.* He speaks again of the same people, who did not think correctly concerning God. Concerning the word *provoked*, we spoke a little above.

*Do not deliver to the wild beasts the soul confessing to you.* Having foreseen the things that were to befall the Jews, the Prophet pours out prayers to God, that He might not deliver them to the Romans, whom he calls wild beasts because of their savagery and inhumanity. By "soul" he indicates the man, as the whole by a part, just as we have said before. And *confessing* is instead of "giving thanks to you."

*Do not forget the souls of your poor ones to the end.* The expression *do not forget* is used indifferently. But *the souls of your poor*, is instead of "your poor," spoken periphrastically or even lamentably. He calls the Jews "poor" again, as those who were then brought to every distress by the siege from without of the enemies sitting by.

^C *Look upon your covenant.* (The Greek word signifies both *testament* and *pact* or *covenant*.) He speaks therefore of the pact which God established with Abraham and with our other forefathers, just as we said in the previous psalm, there: *Behold, to the generation of your sons you have broken the covenants*; and do not disregard this.

*For the darkened ones of the earth have been filled with houses of iniquities.* Because the earthly men, the Jews, whom he called "the darkened of the earth," as if darkened by their own passions and affections, have been filled with "houses of iniquities," that is, with a multitude of iniquities. ^D For he took "houses" as a measure instead of "multitude," just as when we wish to indicate a multitude of grain, we say: "So-and-so has houses of grain."

*Let not the humbled one be turned away in shame.* Your people, he says, who in this time of siege offers prayers to you, do not let him be turned away by you humbled and ashamed, while not being heard.

*The needy and the poor shall praise your name.* The people who were indicated before, as we said a little above in the verse, *The souls of your poor*, the Jews, he says, will praise you if you save them, but not so the enemies.

^A *Arise, O God, judge your cause.* For a cause existed between you and the enemies, which was about the insult. For it was not enough for them to rage against the people, but they also insulted you as well, as being weak. Or otherwise: The cause of your people is your own cause.

*Be mindful of your reproach, which comes from the foolish all day long.* By the foolish, he means Titus and every soldier of his, as he also said above, *And a foolish people provoked your name.* And *your reproach* all day long, means that which is happening continually.

*Do not forget the voice of your servants.* Of those who are beseeching you at that time, as we said. Some of the copies, however, write *your suppliants*.

^B *The pride of those who hate you has ascended continually.* Ascended, that is, was exalted, was lifted up—or ascended before you. But observe how no promise of good things is attached to these words, as is the case in other psalms. But thus it is according to the interpretation of the Hebrews. A truer interpretation, however, is that which leads the words from the verse that says, *He has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth*, and what follows, to Christ. For he truly wrought salvation by becoming man, freeing us from error, and showing us the way of salvation. And *In the midst of the earth* is instead of *In all the earth*. Some also say that Jerusalem is situated in the midst of the earth. ^C He also *strengthened the sea*, which means that He made the water of holy baptism powerful against the attempts of the demons. For Micah the prophet also called it a sea, saying to God: *You will cast our sins into the depths of the sea*. And it is called a sea as receiving the filth of the souls of those being baptized, and as cleansing it; and as being very great because of grace, just as the sea is due to the multitude of its waters. And the dragons could be the demons; but the dragon is the devil, their prince, whose heads the Lord shattered and crushed in the water of baptism. And the heads of these are their sins; for in these they hold the destructive poison treasured up. ^D Those *dragons* having been destroyed by baptism, such beings no longer live in us. The *peoples of the Ethiopians* are those who were black in their souls before, with the filth and smoke of sin, to whom He has given the intelligible dragon as food, that is, for consumption, after baptism, clearly. He also *broke forth*, that is, He provided fountains and torrents of spiritual teaching in what was formerly a desert, the world of the nations; fountains because of their ceaseless, pure, and sweetest nature, and torrents, as was said before in the Psalm. The *rivers of Etham* are the ancient prophecies among the Jews, in comparison to the new ones among the Christians.

for they withered because of their own wickedness, the prophets having failed. The following words show Christ to be the Creator and Lord of all. Remember this congregation, I mean the new one, and not that old one. The enemy, the Jew and the Gentile, reproached Christ as though He were not God, and as though He were weak, and with all manner of insults; and the senseless people—the Jewish and the Gentile—and the wild beasts—the Jews and Greeks and the demons—and "the needy," ^A that is, the Christians, as those who have left everything and followed Christ, as was declared simply in the ninth Psalm. The "testament" of Christ refers to other things regarding help, and also to the saying, "And behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." "The darkened ones of the earth" are all the unbelievers in general, not being able to see the rays of the light of truth. And the subsequent parts, if you investigate correctly, can be applied in a similar way.

To the end, do not destroy; for David, for a titlographia. A Psalm for Asaph. PSALM LXXIV.

This Psalm contains a prediction of the just judgment of God at the consummation of the world, and of the punishments for the sinful and the rewards for the just. ^B And therefore, it commands all men to look to the end of life, and not to destroy themselves by their own sins. Some explain "do not destroy" as "do not sin," "do not commit iniquity." Concerning Asaph and the rest of the inscription, we have spoken in the preface to the book of Psalms. This Psalm, moreover, is composed in the person of those who were captives in Babylon.

VERS. 2. *We will give thanks to Thee, O God, we will give thanks to Thee.* Where, he says, we have been freed from the yoke of servitude by which we are pressed, then we will render unto Thee the highest thanks. This repetition of the word "we will give thanks" signifies a certain intensity or certainty of thanksgiving.

*And we will call upon Thy name.* We will call upon that name of Thine for our help, which has been reproached by our enemies. I, however, think that these words apply more to those who were to believe in Christ, by whom the name of Christ has been called upon, ^C and who have been given the name of Christians.

VERS. 3. *I will narrate all Thy wonders.* Words of this kind are also contained in the ninth Psalm.

*When I receive the time, I will judge uprightly.* Some join these words with the preceding verse, saying: "When I receive the time..." ^D

is introduced as if from the person of Christ, saying: "Do not be faint-hearted concerning the nations. ^A For when I receive the time of judgment, I will justly judge both those who have done wrong and those to whom injustice has been done." And that which He says, "I will receive," must be understood piously: it is not that Christ, as God, is to receive a time from another person than Himself, or, as man, He will receive a time from God.

VER. 4. *The earth was melted, and all who dwell in it.* Melting is the dissolution of strength. Therefore, it was melted upon the coming of the judgment, or rather, it shall be melted; for He says, "Heaven ^B and earth shall pass away," but also all who dwell in it, for all shall die. *I have established the pillars of it.* By My command it was melted, because from the beginning I created it. By the pillars of the earth, the Prophet understands that command of God by which the earth was ordered to stand firm. For by this command the earth is sustained and governed, leaning on nothing else and supported by no other stability. There is also another way to speak: by melting, we may understand corruption, for the earth was corrupted by idolatries and the other sins of men; ^C but I, having taken pity on the perdition of the creature, confirmed the apostles. For we may conceive of these as the pillars of the world, inasmuch as they sustain and rule the believers among the nations everywhere by their own doctrines. For this reason, the great Paul also named them so, saying: "Peter and James, who seemed to be pillars." But some say that by "earth" Jerusalem is meant, which will be melted and burned with fire, having been besieged by the Romans. And in this way he also spoke of the apostles as its pillars: "pillars" because of the reason stated, and "of it" because they sprang ^D from it, or because after it was melted, they were to be established by the columns of the faith to the whole world; or because after they had been made, they were thereafter the pillars of the faith once more.

VER. 5. *I said to the transgressors: Do not transgress; and to the sinners: Do not lift up the horn.* Since the judgment is to occur, as has been said, the Prophet relates how he himself testified to all the transgressors, saying: "Do not transgress," and likewise to the sinners: "Do not lift up the horn," that is, do not boast, nor exalt yourselves as if for great achievements in your sins; for this is of the utmost foolishness. He calls the same people both transgressors and sinners in parallel. In many places in the Psalms, the "horn" is used sometimes for power and sometimes for boasting, for horned animals defend themselves and boast with their horns.

^A VERSE 6. *Nolite extollere in altum cornu vestrum.* He repeats the same thing again to confirm his protestation. *And do not speak injustice against God.* These words signify the same thing as those: *They have spoken injustice in the height,* which is found in Psalm 71.

*For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert mountains.* Glory, he says, and riches—likewise glory and poverty—do not come to us from the rising of the stars, nor from their setting, as astrologers assert; nor, furthermore, do these things come to men from demons. By "desert mountains" he actually means the demons themselves, because they are desert and barren of every kind of virtue, and are lifted up with pride like mountains. But all things are dispensed by the just judgment of God. By "the going forth," he understands the rising of the sun, just as he says elsewhere: *His going forth is from the end of heaven.* By "the setting," he means the west; and by "desert mountains," the climates of the north and south, for these are desert of men, one on account of the excess of cold, the other [on account of] heat. The structure is elliptical, for something is missing—namely, "nothing escapes His notice." Nothing, he says, will be able to escape the notice of God at the time of the future judgment. For all things will be manifest to Him, in whatever region they may be; and therefore, do not imagine that anyone can hide from Him if he has committed some wicked crime. For he then provides the reason why nothing can escape God. *For God is the judge.* Because it is God who judges, and who knows all things perfectly, even before they come to pass.

^B VERSE 8. *He humbles this one, and exalts that one.* He dishonors one and honors another according to the stewardship of the life lived by each, and [according to] the reason of His righteous judgment.

*For a cup in the hand of the Lord of unmixed wine, full of mixture.* The whole passage is metaphorical. By "the hand of the Lord," he understands His power; by "the cup of wine," the measures and modes of punishment. For in this place, punishments and calamities are understood by wine, which, just as wine, takes away the strength of men, dissolves the harmony of the mind, and makes us wander from the path. This wine is said to be "unmixed," as it is austere and severe in its efficacy, and mixed with no mercy. And this, indeed, is the cup of unmixed wine. But in the hand of the Lord there is also another cup, "full of mixture," that is, of mercy. For the mixture of wine is water, and the mixture of austerity is mercy. We ought, however, not to connect the words "full of mixture" to the following verse, but to read them by themselves, disconnectedly, understanding a conjunction, and taking words from the common sense: "A cup in the hand of the Lord," so that the sense is that in the hand of the Lord there is a cup of unmixed wine, and in the same hand there is a cup full of mixture. For otherwise, how could one and the same cup contain both the unmixed and the mixed? And that there are two cups is shown even more clearly from what follows.

^C VERSE 9. *And he inclined from this into this.* And from the measure of the unmixed punishment, he poured into the measure of mercy...

of His loving-kindness, so as to make a mixture and to give it as a drink to those who have sinned less and are still curable.

Ver. 10. *Verumtamen* (faex eius non est exinanita). By the dregs of the cup, He understands the thickness, so to speak, of the unmixed punishment, that is, the final torments of all, which are reserved for those who have sinned most greatly or who have been unwilling to be changed from their wickedness. *Bibent omnes peccatores terrae*. They shall drink the dregs. By "sinners," however, he now means those who never turn back from their sins.

*Ego autem exsultabo in saeculum, psallam Deo Jacob*. Having been liberated from the slavery of my ^A enemies, I shall indeed exult because my calamities have ceased, and I shall sing hymns in thanksgiving.

Ver. 11. *Et omnia cornua peccatorum confringam*. That is, of the enemies who have attacked me again. *Et exaltabitur cornu justi*. As soon as he has conquered. For the Jewish people, after their return from the Babylonian captivity, defeated the neighboring nations who rose up against them; and Christians, in a similar way, having been restored to liberty from the slavery of idols, crush the powers of the demons dwelling round about who set upon them, who in the meantime are in a circle round the world, seeking whom they may devour and attacking us with various temptations. By "the just," moreover, he understands any pious and religious man, or even Zerubbabel himself, who led the people back from captivity into their homeland. But more properly, Christ Himself is understood, as He who was free from all sin; and Zerubbabel held His figure. For as often as any faithful person or martyr overcomes the incorporeal powers of the demons who oppose him and insult him, ^B the power of Christ is exalted the more, and greater praise is attributed to Christ, who provided him with such strength and vigor.

*In finem in hymnis Psalmus ipsi Asaph. Canticum ad Assyrium. PSALMUS LXXV.*

We said in the introduction to the work that these words, *In finem*, which are found in the superscriptions of the psalms, indicate that a prophecy is contained therein, and command the reader to look toward its end. In this psalm, therefore, lies a prophecy which, according to the Hebrews, predicted that the power of Sennacherib was to be destroyed; but according to the Christians, it announces that the demon—whom we can truly call an intellectual Sennacherib—is to be put to flight. Or alternatively: the psalm is inscribed *In finem* because here the end of the world and of the future judgment is discussed; *in hymnis*, because it contains thanksgivings for the victory obtained. Regarding Asaph and the *Canticum*, we spoke in the Introduction to the work. *Ad Assyrium*, however, ^C because Sennacherib was an Assyrian. For many things that are contained in the present psalm pertain to him. But you, however, consider the way in which the Holy Spirit has interwoven Christian dogmas with Jewish history, so that it affords both comfort to the Jews, who follow only humble senses, and gladdens the Christian all the more, who tends toward more sublime and penetrating contemplations.

Varia lectiones. (77) A word is missing, such as "in this place" or the like. ^D

^A VERS. 2. *Notus in Judæa Deus.* The Jews indeed claim that God is known only in Judæa; but God says to them through the prophet: *According to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Israel you sacrificed to Baal.* It is manifest, therefore, that he is not speaking of that Judæa which is in Palestine, but by "Judæa" he understands the holy Scripture, in which Christ is known in all things. For both the Mosaic and all the other books proclaimed him; and the divine worship itself, which was established by the law, contained the figure and character of those things which pertained to Christ.

^B *In Israel magnum nomen ejus.* And yet not in Israel alone. For the Prophet says again: *From the rising of the sun even to the setting, my name is glorified among the Gentiles*; and elsewhere to the Jews: *But you have profaned it*; and again: *My name is great among the Gentiles.* Therefore, again, by "Israel" he understands the Scripture of the Israelites, given to the people of Israel, in which the name of Christ is sung as great and glorious. But Maximus the Great, the philosopher, understands by "Judæa" that part of philosophy which is concerned with active deeds, and by "Israel" that part which is devoted to contemplation. For "Judah" is interpreted as "Confession," and confession provides a certain beginning for the virtues of action; but "Israel" is interpreted as "Mind seeing God." Therefore, he who operates through virtue knows God, knowing that He is a just judge of the things lived by each person, and that He will render to everyone what is deserved for their actions in judgment: and for this reason he cleanses himself from all stains. He also knows God who is engaged in the contemplation of divine things, and considering the great works of God, he magnifies Him worthily. We can also understand by "Judæa" the new Church from the Gentiles, which has both confessed its ancient sins and which always beholds the true God through contemplation. And likewise the new Israel. For as the great Paul says: *For he is not a Jew who is one in the manifest, nor is circumcision that which is in the manifest in the flesh; but he who is a Jew in the hidden, and circumcision of the heart in spirit, not in the letter.*

^C VERS. 3. *Factus est in pace locus ejus, et habitatio ejus in Sion.* If Jerusalem had not been so often besieged and captured, the Jews might have had some color of an argument that these words were spoken of it. But in this place, by "peace" he does not mean Jerusalem itself, but peaceful men; peaceful, I mean, toward one another, while they both love their neighbors and are themselves loved by them in turn; and peaceful also within themselves, while they do not allow their affections and passions to rise up and fight against reason, but subject them to reason. In such a man, therefore, a certain noble place is formed, inhabitable even by God himself. But since Sion is said to signify the same as "Watchtower," he will deservedly be able to be called Sion who has watched from afar for the arrival of the enemy.

^D VERS. 4. *Illic confregit potentias arcuum, telum,*

and sword, and war. According to the history, this pertains to the destruction of the Assyrians; for there in Sion, God crushed the strengths of the bows, that is, dissolved them and rendered them vain. But by "telum" (for which in the Greek text we read ^A *hoplon*), one should not understand offensive weapons in this place, but defensive ones, such as a breastplate or something similar; whence among the Greeks they used to call a soldier armed with a breastplate a "hoplite," as a distinction from those soldiers who lacked such armor and whom they called "nude." He spoke of the "power of the bows," because the Assyrians used the bow most of all, and placed their strength primarily in that kind of weapon. Therefore, by "telum" he signified all defensive weapons, and by "bow" all offensive weapons. Finally, he added war itself, for which all kinds of weapons are made. For all weapons are instruments of war. According to the anagogical sense, by bows we understand the artful machinations of the demons, from which are shot the burning arrows of the passions. But the "telum" (the defensive weapon) of the devil, by which he is accustomed to protect himself, is divine permission, which supplies powers to him against us. For while that remains, the demon does not feel the blows we direct at him. His sword, furthermore, by which he is accustomed to cut, is that separation by which we are ^B disjoined from God through our affections and passions; but "war" is that fight and struggle by which he contends with us, or, by "war," the demon himself can be understood, so that just as God is peace, so the demon is called war. All these weapons, therefore, God has destroyed and put to flight in that man whom we have previously declared to have shown himself peaceful and intent upon contemplation.

Ver. 5. You illuminate wonderfully from the eternal mountains.

Turbati sunt omnes insipientes corde.

VERS. 6. Dormierunt somnum suum, et nihil invenerunt.

All the men of wealth in their hands.

elsewhere "men of blood" for "bloodthirsty men." He says, therefore, that the Assyrians thought that on the following day they would have all the rich Israelites in their hands; or, on the contrary: All the rich men of the Assyrians were captured by the hands of the Jews, who were besieged in Jerusalem. For when they had found them slain, they took them in order to plunder them.

^A VERS. 7. Ab increpatione tua, Deus Jacob, dormita-verunt qui ascenderunt equos. By the increpation of God, he understands the sentence against the enemies, and by "dormitation," the remission of their powers. For sleep is accustomed to dissolve strengths; but by those who ascended the horses, he understands the enemies themselves, who were trusting too much in the multitude of horses, which they used especially in war. Therefore elsewhere: "Some in chariots, and some in horses" [Ps. XIX, 8].

VERS. 8. Tu terribilis es. Et quis resistet tibi? These words are sufficiently clear in themselves.

Ex tunc ira tua. That is, from that time since they spoke blasphemous words against Thee; yet Thou gavest them a place of repentance, according to the law of Thy benignity. Or, from that time, understand it as "long ago," or "since long since."

VERS. 9, 10. De cœlo auditum fecisti judicium. For Thou hast made the sentence already spoken to be heard from heaven. For Thou hast sounded it into me as if into a certain prophetic organ. We may also understand these words concerning the future universal judgment. For God has made that judgment heard to the human race through Thy holy Scriptures; and in this way, what follows seems to be spoken most consequently.

^C Terra tremuit, et quievit, dum exsurgeret in judicio Deus, ut salvos faceret mansuetos terræ. By "earth," he understands human nature, to which it was elsewhere said: "Earth thou art, and into earth shalt thou return" [Gen. III, 19]. Especially, however, he calls those who savor earthly things. When, therefore, God arose to the universal judgment, all men grew quiet, with all other works whatsoever being deleted and extinguished for the future. But when He arose to judgment, to save righteous men, whom He calls "meek" or "mansueti," because it is the property and peculiarity of every righteous man to be meek and mansuetus.

VERS. 11. Quoniam cogitatio hominis confitebitur tibi. This is said to excite fear in those who labor under the vice of indolence. For then, he says, every human thought will reveal itself to God who is judging: "For with their thoughts," says Paul, "accusing or also defending one another, in the day when the Lord shall judge the hidden things of men" [Rom. II, 16].

^D Et reliquiæ cogitationis, diem festum agent tibi. Even the smallest particles of any thought will celebrate a feast to Thee, that is, they will manifest themselves to Thee. For a festival is nothing other than the declaration and manifestation of that solemnity whose feast is being celebrated. They will therefore celebrate the day

It could also be said otherwise, that not only will your thoughts be manifest to you, but even if anyone, being pressed by the demon to think of something evil, is not persuaded, and leaves off such a thought without having dwelt upon it, even this abandonment of such a thought will manifest itself to you; thus not even the slightest thing escapes you. ^A

*Vow, and pay to the Lord your God.* These things being so, promise to God the gifts of repentance, and pay them to Him, as a most necessary debt.

*All those around him shall bring gifts.* ^B Those around God are they who love Him; among whom God is said to be and to remain: for there, he says, *I am in the midst of them.* All these, therefore, shall bring gifts, namely, the virtues.

*To the terrible and to him who takes away the spirits of princes.* Spirits, that is, the souls.

*Terrible among the kings of the earth.* Among Pharaoh, certainly, and all the others who have heard of the plagues of Egypt and the rest of his miracles.

*Unto the end for Idithum, a psalm to Asaph. PSALM LXXVI.*

Unto the end, because this psalm also prophesies the things that those who were taken captive would suffer in Babylon, ^C and relates many of the words they were to say there. But the order and meaning of the inscription is of this kind: A psalm which was sung to him or by him, Asaph, the leader of one of the choirs, for Idithum. For since Idithum could not be free for this duty, it was sung by Asaph for him—that is, in his place; and it is composed from the person of the people once captive in Babylon.

*With my voice I cried to the Lord.* Leading, he says, a hard servitude in Babylon, I cried to God.

*With my voice to God.* The word "cried" must be taken from the common sense here as well; but it should be known that the words "with my voice" seem superfluous, but this is a Hebrew idiom, just as is that which repeats the same sentence twice: although the repeated words may carry a certain emphasis and a greater intensity of the act. ^D

*And he attended to me.* To me crying fervently and with my whole soul.

*In the day of my tribulation I sought God.* The word "sought" denotes a diligent search; he sought Him, however, for help.

*With my hands in the night before him.* The word "sought" must be taken from the common sense here as well. But how does one seek God with his hands? By extending them to Him with prayer; and "in the night," when all things are free from every distraction; and "before him," that is, in his presence, who sees all things. Others, however...

understand by "hands" actions; and by "night," because it escapes notice, implying that he sought God through good works while remaining hidden from men.

*And I was not deceived.* Having hoped to find Him a helper, I was not deceived in my hopes; that is, I did not miss the mark. It is clear, therefore, that these words are suitable for the people after their return from the Babylonian captivity, and indeed for anyone who has been saved from dangers.

*My soul refused to be comforted.* It refused, it gave up; it did not accept consolation from men, being exceedingly despondent.

*I remembered God, and rejoiced.* I had one sole consolation in so many evils, namely, the remembrance of God. For remembering that He is able to deliver me, I was comforted. ^B O the abundance of such consolation!

*I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.* What we read here in the Latin, "I meditated," is in the Greek text *edoleschesa*; but *adoleschia* properly, as we have said elsewhere, means superfluous speech; and we can call this "frivolity," according to that text: *The wicked have told me fables, but not as thy law* (for there, in the Greek, the same word "adoleschia" is found). It is also taken to mean meditation and anxiety, as here (and some have translated it with the milder term "ruminating," which seems to be a sort of mean between "frivolity" and "meditation," and can be very easily adapted to either sense). I ruminated, he says, and I meditated within myself, and I thought anxiously about how I might be delivered from such great sadness. And since I could find no solution or rest, my soul was held fast by anxieties on every side. ^C Of this kind also is what we read elsewhere: *I meditated on thy commandments*. Likewise: *But thy servant meditated on thy justifications* (although the Latin interpreter very often rendered it "I was exercised," or "I was exercised"); and many other things can be found in Psalm CXVIII. We also find it used for prayer; whence we read what was said by Anna: *Out of the multitude of my prayer I have fainted* (for the same word is found in the Greek for prayer).

VER. 5. *My eyes have prevented the watches.* Those who have the care of armies are accustomed to divide the night into four parts, establishing four watches, which they alternate in a certain order. My eyes, he says, have prevented all the watches of the night; that is, by keeping watch, they anticipated all the times of these watches. ^D For as I was meditating and was anxious, sleep departed from my eyes. Or otherwise: "My eyes," that is, my observers and enemies, have prevented all the watches, being anxious, of course, to catch me in their snares.

*I was troubled, and I spoke not.* I was confused by afflictions and anxieties, but I did not reveal these to my enemies, lest they be lifted up with greater joy.

VER. 6. *I thought upon the days of old, and had in my mind the eternal years.*

^A By the "days of old," he understands the times of Moses and Joshua son of Nun; how those of that time were set free from the slavery in Egypt, and traversed the Red Sea with dry feet, and, after receiving countless benefits from God, entered at last with glory into the land of promise. By "eternal years," he speaks as he did of "the days of old," just as we are accustomed to say "from the age" and "from eternity," sometimes using it for "ancient." And "I meditated," that is, I revolved in my memory: and those whom he had just before called "days of old," he afterwards called "eternal years." Hence some were moved, and interpreted those words, *My eyes prevented the watches,* in another way, saying: The eyes of my soul, that is, my mind, previously contemplated all the ways of life of my conduct. For this life may be called night, on account of the manifold errors that are found in it. The "watches" of this life are the various ways of living, or various rules of life, for example, the conduct that was before the law, then the legal, and then the evangelical. He says, therefore, that he contemplated both, and found no such abandonment. For God also gave aid to the patriarchs, and to those after the law, even unto the present captivity. Regarding such "watches," therefore, the Lord seems to speak in that place where he declares the vigilant servants blessed; for if he comes in the second, or in the third watch, and finds them so, blessed are those servants.

^B *Nocte cum corde meditabar.*—By "night," instead of "in the night," when there is quiet for all; and this meditation is also similar to the one mentioned before. But "with my heart," instead of "in my soul."

*Et fodiebat spiritus meus.*—"Fodiebat" (it dug), that is, it searched, it scrutinized; for so Theodotion rendered it. But what was it searching? Hear what follows.

*Numquid in sæcula projiciet Dominus, et non apponet ut complacitior sit adhuc?*—These utterances are dubitative, up to the verse: *And I said, Now have I begun.* I was searching, he says, whether he would cast us off entirely, and would not be willing. For this is what *he will not again be well-pleased* signifies, that is, to be well-disposed towards us from now on; with the "to" (to be well-pleased) being redundant.

^C *Aut in finem misericordiam suam abscindet.*—Or will he cut off from us for ever his accustomed mercy? And these words, although they seem to be the same as those: *Will the Lord cast off for ever?* yet they are full of greater emotion, and stir one to greater mercy.

*Consummavit verbum a generatione in generationem.*—Has he consumed the word of his discourse, which he commanded unto a thousand generations? concerning which, look into Psalm 104. But "he consummated," that is, he concluded and bounded it, from that generation unto this present one, so that there is no more room for it.

^D *Numquid obliviscetur misereri Deus? aut continebit in ira sua miserationes suas?* These

words, ^A although they seem similar to the preceding ones, yet specifically demonstrate that God is by nature merciful, just as light is by nature luminous and fire by nature hot; and that therefore God will never cast off that which is natural to Him. From this, therefore, he understood what he was doubting and anxiously pondering: namely, that God will not cast him off for ever, and so on; but that He brings on punishment in proportion to the multitude and the magnitude of sins.

*And I said: Now have I begun.* These are words of a grateful and kind soul. Reflecting on the sins I have committed, he says, I said: Now is the beginning of the punishment I deserve. For what I have endured up to now were only a sort of prelude to these pains.

*This is the change of the right hand of the Most High.* This transition from freedom and ease to the straits of slavery is the work of the divine hand punishing and chastening us.

*Vers. 12, 13. I remembered the works of the Lord.* He calls the Lord’s works the chastisements and corrections granted by God, which are given for the benefit of mankind.

*For I will be mindful of thy wonders from the beginning, and I will meditate on all thy works, and will be employed in thy inventions.* One must take again from the common sense: *And I said.* At that time, he says, I said that I will be mindful, and what follows. For the memory of them brought me ^B solace, as was said. By "inventions," however, he understands the various arts and counsels which God has used for the salvation of men (81).

*Vers. 14. Thy way, O God, is in the holy place.* By "holy place," he understands either heaven, as pure and clean, in which God is said to dwell; or Mount Sinai itself, as dedicated and sanctified to God, and to which God descended; or the temple, as sacred and venerable, into which God, in descending, used to give oracles and answers. Symmachus, instead of *In the holy place*, rendered it *In holiness*, signifying that every act of God is holy and irreprehensible, even if His corrections seem grave and hard to us at times.

*Who is a great god as our God?* Since he had promised that he would be mindful of the wonders of God, now, above all others, he praises Him, saying: Which god of the nations is so great, or of such ^C or such immense power, as our God?

*Thou art the God that doest wonders.* Thou art truly God, who performest admirable works.

*Vers. 15. Thou hast made thy power known among the nations.* By "nations," he understands in this place the gentiles—the Egyptians, to be sure, or any other peoples once contrary to God, who were eventually conquered by the Jews, and learned by experience itself that the God who assisted the Jews is a great and powerful God.

Varia lectiones. (81) The Greek adds: "Note, however, in this place the word *adoleschēsō* (I will be employed/meditate). For it signifies the same as what was said above."

^A "You have redeemed your people with your arm." By "arm," he names divine strength, or the power of God. "The sons of Jacob and Joseph." He calls the people the sons of Jacob, because all the tribes had him as their progenitor, as the father of all the patriarchs. He calls them the sons of Joseph, because Joseph, while he nourished all the patriarchs and the entire people, performed the office of a father. The benefits of this patriarch were therefore very great toward the entire people, whose strength and wisdom also produced immortal glory for the people.

VERS. 16. "The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and were afraid." The discourse is concerning those things which happened in the Red Sea. "The waters saw you," he says, "and out of fear they were divided." For God was going before the people in a pillar of fire and cloud. ^B "The abysses were troubled." The depths of the sea, he says, were troubled by the wind that had made an assault upon the waters.

VERS. 17. "A multitude of the sound of the waters." There was then a great multitude and abundance of the sound of the waters, that is, a great roaring of the waters. "The clouds gave a voice." The voice of the clouds is thunder.

VERS. 18. "For your arrows pass through." We read in ancient history that the sea was divided when a violent south wind blew. It is likely, however, that a storm having arisen, lightning bolts and thunder also fell to the greater terror of the Egyptians; therefore, by "arrows" he understands the lightning which passed through against the enemies. For the Prophet used tense for tense. Also, the word "for" is redundant, so that the sense is: "And your arrows were passing through."

"The voice of your thunder is in the wheel." And he says, the Lord bound the axles of their chariots and drove them with violence. The voice, he says, of your thunder crashed in every chariot; for he calls the chariot "a wheel," as if naming the whole by a part. Therefore, since the horses were disturbed in this way, the axles of the wheels were entangled with one another. Or otherwise: The voice of theology is said to be in us like a wheel which touches the earth with only a small part of itself, being lifted up from the earth in all its other parts. ^C

VERS. 20. "Your lightnings lit up the world." The brightness, he says, of such a miracle was seen and known by all who were present at that time. "The earth was shaken and trembled." All men were troubled, were thrown into confusion, and were afraid, having learned what things you wrought for your people. "Your ways are in the sea." This is an exclamation regarding the miracle. You, he says, walk through the sea whenever you wish. "And your paths in many waters." He repeats the same thing again, amplifying the praises of God. "And your footsteps shall not be known." Because, namely, ^D

Varia lectiones. (82) The Greek understands the people simply; but "the sons of Jacob," as of their progenitor; and "of Joseph," as of another most deserving of him and his glory, because of his wisdom and his strength.

And the sea was joined and united again into itself, so that no ^A traces of division remained.

Vers. 21. Thou hast led thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron. He compared the people to sheep to show the care and keeping they had, and their leading to ^B flourishing pastures and a safe fold; since God is also called the shepherd of Israel (according to that: Thou that feedest Israel, give ear). Some, among whom is Gregory the Theologian, adapt this psalm to the blessed David, saying that it is likely that after the liberation obtained from that strong army ^C of calamities by which he had been very often besieged, and having also suffered the captivity of his soul, that after such a liberation, I say, he composed this psalm and recounted his calamities in it, while at the same time weaving in prophecies about Christ, on account of which, I think, "Unto the end" is inscribed. "I cried," he says, "when I was detained by afflictions": and what follows is easily accommodated to all things up to the verse: "I have thought upon the ancient days," by which understand those days to be happier, when he had God as his protector. What follows next is also easy, up to the verse: "He hath finished the word from generation to generation": which verse is to be read not with hesitation, but firmly. For God accomplished and fulfilled all the sentences that He had predetermined ^C in the past concerning every man. For the term "Word" in this place is understood as "sentence." It remains, therefore, he says, that I also should suffer those things which have been decreed concerning me by Him. What he says, "from generation to generation," explain as: through the successions of each generation, or in each generation. But those words: "This is the change of the right hand of the Most High," contain a prophecy of the evangelical way of life. For seeing it with prophetic eyes as changed from the legal one, he says that this is the work of Christ. For He is called the right hand and arm of the Spirit, according to His divinity, as the maker of all things and as Power. What follows from there is clear, up to: "Thy way, O God, is in the holy place." And by "holy" here we mean Christ, the most holy, who did no sin. "In this," he says, "is thy counsel brought to pass"; that is, the counsel concerning the incarnation and the salvation of men; for "way" here means counsel. Then, having marvelled at such a mystery, he praises and magnifies Him: "Thou hast made Thy Son known among all the peoples of the nations." For Christ, he says, is the power of God; and he calls Him also the arm, through whom indeed His people were redeemed from the captivity of the devil; and we are called the sons ^D of Jacob and also of Joseph, as having been adopted in place of the ancient people, and having inherited that man's intimacy and calling. It has been spoken of concerning this also at the end of the 13th Psalm: "The waters saw thee and they were afraid," when, at the time the boat was being submerged, having been awakened, He rebuked the winds and the sea, and they were afraid and were calmed; then also the abysses of the sea were disturbed by the fear of the Despotic rebuke; as also was the multitude of the sound of the waves. And the clouds gave a voice at the Transfiguration, and: "Behold," he says, "a voice from the cloud saying: This is my beloved Son." And you may call "cloud" the prophets, as it is said before in the 17th Psalm; where also concerning the...

[COMMEN. IN PSALMOS.] ^A of arrows; and you will also find the arrows of lightning. The voice of the thunder is the word of the evangelical preaching, as coming from heaven, and as solid and audible to all men; while the wheel is the world, because of its instability. And the earth was shaken and became trembling, as we have explained again in the same psalm; for this entire verse lies also in that one. And in the sea is your way, when you went to the disciples, walking upon the sea; the same thing is again signified also by the following verse. For the waters are many, the depth of the waters. And your footsteps upon the sea shall not be known; for footprints do not persist on water. But some, calling the life the sea, on account of the brine of afflictions, ^B and because it is uncertain and unstable, say that, "In this life shall your way of life be according to the incarnation; but your footsteps, that is, the ways of your incarnation, are incomprehensible." And the people of the Father is a new one; that is to say, the Christian one. And the hand is the guidance and leading of Christ, who is Moses as the lawgiver of the evangelical law; and Aaron, as the great high priest, having sacrificed himself for his own people.

Psalm of Instruction to Asaph

PSALM LXXVII

*Attend, my people, to my law.* Zechariah says: "And many nations shall flee to the Lord, and shall be to Him for a people." ^C He says now the evangelical law, concerning which Isaiah says: "Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and He shall judge in the midst of the nations." And the "Attend" is indifferent. But some of the copies write "to my law."

*Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.* Incline, he says, simply for "Submit," or for "Repent from vain things heard, unto the evangelical preachings."

*Vers. 1. Attend, my people, to my law.* We read in Zechariah: "And many nations shall flee to the Lord, and shall be to Him for a people." To this people, therefore, gathered from the nations, Christ speaks; and He bids them hear not the Mosaic law, but the evangelical, ^D of which Isaiah, speaking, said: "Out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, and He shall judge in the midst of the nations." This construction of the word "Attend" is however indifferent; even though some copies do not have "my law," but "to my law."

*Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.* Submit, he says, your ears to my discourse, or turn your ears away from vain discourse, from inept fables to the Gospels.

^A *Ver. 2. I will open my mouth in parables, I will speak propositions from the beginning.* These words contain a prophecy of the evangelical parables; for Matthew says: *All these things Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, and without parables he did not speak to them; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.* Hence it is clear that this psalm was written in the person of the Savior. By "propositions," He understands the parables themselves—or, as is more accurately held in the Greek reading, by "problems." Matthew, indeed, referring to this place, called them "hidden things," which here are called "problems," using the Hebrew diction, which has both meanings; for all the evangelical parables contain hidden truth within them. And Aquila rendered it "enigmas." Furthermore, where we read here *from the beginning*, Matthew said *from the foundation of the world*, using the Hebrew diction in the same way. And for what is here *I will speak*, he himself said *I will utter*.

^B *Ver. 3. How great the things we have heard and known.* The word *how great* is not taken here in relation to the "problems" which he said he would speak about, but the whole verse should be read separately, by itself, in the manner of one marveling: "O, how great are the things we have heard from our elders and from the divine Scriptures!" For the intent of the Prophet is to recount how many and how great were the benefits God bestowed upon the ancient Jews and, conversely, how greatly they provoked God, and how many and how severe were the punishments they suffered on that account. He said *we have heard* because of the assumption; for He Himself, as man, heard these things just as we do. And *we have known* them, he says, meaning "we have been made certain about them." He says we have not heard them simply, but have received greater certainty concerning them.

*And our fathers have declared to us.* Having said that he heard, he now adds from whom he heard. He does not here mean fathers by nature; for it cannot be said that the faithful who are from the Gentiles were taught these things by their own parents. Rather, he speaks of the Fathers whom, on account of the obedience they always rendered to God, all Christians willingly adopt as their parents, so to speak. It is for this reason that we call Moses and many other divine writers, interpreters, and teachers of the people "our fathers," whose sons we might say Christ was according to the flesh, and the apostles, and the Christian people the sons of the apostles.

^{C D} *Ver. 4. They have not been hidden from their children in another generation.* And parents, he says, handed these things down to their children, and the children did not hide from the generation that was to come after them what they had learned. Nay, rather, they explained all these things to their sons and grandsons, and they in turn passed them on to their own descendants. For the Law commanded this, saying: *You shall teach them to your children and to the children of your children.*

*Recounting the praises of the Lord and his powers and*

^A his works which he hath done. The words, *And our fathers have recounted to us*, are connected to [the verse] *Recounting* by hyperbaton. He calls the same things "praises," as they are praiseworthy, and "powers," as they are wonderful; or else "powers" refers to those things which he performed against his enemies, while "miracles" refers to those which he administered among his own people, of which he will treat individually.

*And he raised up a testimony in Jacob, and set a law in Israel.* The [verse] *And he raised up a testimony in Jacob* is explained by the following: *And he set a law in Israel*; for "raised up" here means the same as "set." The Law is called a "testimony," as we have explained according to the text in the eighteenth Psalm. Jacob, moreover, was called Israel when he saw the vision of the ladder. But what is this law? Listen.

*Whatever he commanded our fathers, to make them known to their children.* The [word] "to" is redundant here. He decreed, he says, that all things which he had commanded our fathers should be made known to them again—to their children.

*That another generation may know.* And the reason why the fathers should recount these things to their sons is so that the generation which is to come after them may know all those things. Then he clarifies what this "other generation" is.

*Sons who shall be born.* That is, by succession. *And they shall arise and recount them to their children.* The sons of sons to their sons. "They shall arise," he used for "they shall be born."

*That they may put their hope in God.* Learning what things God promises to those who hope in him.

*And that they may not forget his works.* By meditating on the accounts concerning these; and he calls his "works" those which he previously termed "powers" and "miracles."

*And that they may inquire after his commandments.* He said "inquire after" for "follow." For he who inquires after someone follows in his footsteps. By "another generation," we might also understand the generation of Christians.

^B *That they may not become as their fathers, a generation crooked and exasperating.* Crooked, in that they did not have a straight faith toward the promises of God, but were unbelieving toward them at a time of trial; and "exasperating," in that they were murmuring whenever they would encounter any difficulty, and were ill-tempered, and dissatisfied with freedom. They considered their servitude in Egypt more preferable, as the book of Exodus ^C and that of Numbers recount in many places.

*A generation which did not direct its heart.* Its heart was not upright so as to believe in God simply and firmly, but it was crooked and doubting.

And his spirit did not remain faithful with God. And it became not faithful towards God, and towards the words of God. By "spirit" he now means the soul.

^A VERS. 9. *The children of Ephraim, being armed and shooting with the bow, turned back in the day of battle.* Ephraim was the son of Joseph. Now the tribe of Ephraim used the bow more than the other tribes; it was also of great utility for waging wars, whence it had prepared for itself a celebrated name. To all these things, the region itself, which had fallen to it by lot, also increased its fame. For that first portion received the ark and the tabernacle of testimony constructed by Moses. For Shiloh, where the ark of the Lord and the tabernacle were for a long time, belonged to the lot of the tribe of Ephraim. Therefore, this tribe, which was once celebrated in battles, was at length overcome and defeated in fighting because of the sin of idolatry. Or alternatively, by this tribe, which excelled in strength, it signifies all the other tribes which, on account of a similar vice of idolatry, fell into the hands of enemies, as the book of Judges teaches. The Prophet therefore says that the children of Ephraim, who stretch their bows from whence they might send forth arrows (that is, who use the bow most of all), turned back in battle: because they fled and gave their backs. Some say that a prophecy is contained in these words concerning the final fall of the tribe of Ephraim into idolatry. For when the ten tribes had separated themselves from the kingdom of Rehoboam, the tribe of Ephraim, which was the leader among them, persuaded the people to set up the calves and to depart from the true God: and therefore all were delivered into the power of the enemies, just as you will find in the third book of Kings. Other prophets also cry out many things against this tribe, as if it had been the origin and the very cause of idolatry among the people. ^B

VERS. 10. *They kept not the testament of God: and in his law they would not walk.* He directs his speech against all the tribes, bringing forward the cause for which they were cast down. By "testament," however, he understands the covenants which God often made with the people of the Hebrews when He led them into the land of promise. By "law," however, he means the commandments of God itself. ^C

VERS. 11. *And they forgot his benefits, and his wonders that he had shewn them.* Of the benefits which He conferred upon the people of Israel, such as that He led them through the Red Sea dry-shod, and the other things which he commemorates in a long series in those that follow. But he calls them "wonders," because He had changed the rivers of the Egyptians into blood, and other things of this kind which he passes through in a similar manner in those that follow, and he later calls them "signs" and "portents." But that which he says, that God showed these things to them, he does not say it (as if they themselves had seen them with their own eyes, but) because they received them in this way from their own ancestors. ^D

VERS. 12. *Wonderful things did he do in the sight of their fathers.* What miracles, he says, He did before their fathers; and then he also adds the place where these things were done. *In the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.* Tanis is a city of Egypt, where Pharaoh had his palace, concerning which Isaiah says: *The princes of Tanis have failed.*

Although Moses does not mention this place in the Book of Exodus, it is probable that the blessed David learned of it from that book where it is written: *But Hebron was built in Egypt, before Tanis.* Or perhaps from other apocryphal books, or from the histories of the Egyptians.

[Ver. 13] *He divided the sea, and brought them through.* He speaks of the Red Sea, as is set forth in the Book of Exodus; but he narrates it more concisely, and not everything, nor in sequence, but rather setting down whatever occurred to his mind and however it occurred to him. For he did not propose to weave a history, but to denounce the ingratitude of the Jews. And first indeed he placed that which seemed more wonderful than the others. *He set up the waters as a skin.* And the water, he says, was for them a wall on the right and a wall on the left. ^B He set up, therefore, that is, he raised up, the parts from here and there. And "as a skin," means swelling up like a wineskin.

*And He guided them in a cloud by day, and through all the night in the light of fire.* Moses says: *And God went before them, by day in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire.* The same pillar, therefore, by day guided and sheltered them from the scorching of the sun's rays, and by night it guided and warmed them; for the night, being moist, was cold.

[Ver. 15] *He divided the rock in the wilderness, and gave them to drink as in a great deep.* In the wilderness of Mount Horeb, as the same Book of Exodus teaches; and by "the deep," he signifies the abundance of waters.

[Ver. 16] *And He brought forth water out of the rock, and brought down waters as rivers.* This is another miracle, which took place in the wilderness of Kadesh, as the ^C Book of Numbers relates. For God brought forth water from the rock twice, at different times and places. Hence the place in Horeb, where the water was provided, was called "Temptation" and "Objurgation." For the Jews tempted God, testing his power, and not believing in the miracles which he had often performed in the past; and they upbraided Moses for having led them out of Egypt into such desolate places. But the place in Kadesh, where water was also given to the people, was called "Water of Contradiction," because the Hebrews contradicted God and murmured. For although he commanded them only to obey his precepts and to trust in him, they were both unwilling to obey and had no trust. The dividing of the sea and of the rocks, however, God accomplished through Moses.

[Ver. 17] *And they added yet more to sin against him.* The word "more" is redundant. As though their former sins were already known from the Mosaic writings, he said, "Yet," without further note; but as to what kind of sins they committed, listen. ^D

^A *They provoked the Most High in a waterless place.* That is, in a land without water. But how they provoked Him has been said a little above, in: *A perverse and provoking generation.* 18 *And they tempted God in their hearts by asking for food for their souls.* Concerning these things and what follows up to, *And fire was kindled,* Moses wrote nothing; but David recorded it, just as he did many other such things—whether he gathered them from apocryphal books, as we have said, or received them from the unwritten traditions of the ancients, or was himself divinely instructed by the Holy Spirit. He says, therefore, that they tempted God in their minds, doubting whether He could give what they asked; and they tempted Him by asking for food for their souls, that is, for themselves, by a periphrasis. 19 *And they spoke against God.* That is, they murmured, as if He were killing them with hunger and had taken away from them all the delicious and pleasing foods. *And they said: Will God be able to prepare a table in the wilderness?* These words are those of one doubting (and therefore they are to be read as if with hesitation). 20 *Because He struck the rock and the waters flowed, and the torrents were flooded, will He also be able to give bread, or prepare a table for His people?* Since He has done this, can He also do that? O the folly! If He did the former, how will He be unable to do the latter? *Were flooded,* means they flowed strongly. For he says, He brought out water like rivers. He understands *table* as meat. But you should consider how the blessed David says that water flowed from the rock before the bread and meat were given, whereas Moses in Exodus records the opposite. For there we read that God first rained upon them the bread of manna and the meat of quails, and afterwards the rock gave forth water. ^B There is, therefore, no other solution to this difficulty than to say that the Prophet is not speaking here of that bread and meat, but of what is recorded later in the Book of Numbers; for God rained bread and quails upon them twice. Thus, he calls the rock here the one that was struck at Horeb, and not the one at Kadesh—for the latter had not yet been struck. And if anyone should say that in Numbers they asked for meat, and not for bread, let him hear that he calls the consumption of meat "bread." For they also said thus: *Who will feed us with meat?* And David, having said, *Will He also be able to give bread?* clarified the statement through what follows; for he added: *Or prepare a table for His people?* The "Or" is not a disjunctive conjunction, but an explanatory one. ^C And when they murmured saying, *Who will feed us with meat?* they seem to me to have asked who it was that would feed them with bread as well.

^A VERS. 21. *Therefore the Lord heard and rejected, and a fire was kindled in Jacob, and wrath ascended against Israel.* Although they tempted God in their hearts and not with their tongues, He, however, who searches the hearts of men, heard them no differently than if they had spoken it openly. What the LXX rendered as *rejected*, Symmachus put as *was angered*. For it is the custom of those who are seized by anger to throw off—that is, to pull back—their garment as they prepare for vengeance. And the words of Moses support this sense and the literal reading of Symmachus, when he says that the Lord was moved to wrath and fire was kindled among them by the Lord, and it consumed a part of the camp. By Jacob and Israel, he means the people themselves who descended from them, as we have said elsewhere.

VERS. 22. *Because they did not believe in God.* They did not believe in the power of God, even though they had already seen so many miracles. The preposition "in" here is superfluous. *And did not hope in His salvation.* They had no confidence, he says, as those who had already seen so much done for their sake, and whom He was to satisfy in the future.

VERS. 23, 24. *And He commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and rained down manna upon them to eat.* He returns again to the earlier discourse, concerning the things recorded in Exodus. By *clouds from above*, he means those which are higher up; for some are closer to the earth. He calls these same higher clouds the *doors of heaven*, as being closer to heaven. He commanded them to rain down manna. *And the manna was as coriander seed, and its appearance as the appearance of crystal.* And the people went about, he says, and gathered it, and crushed it in a mill, and ground it in a mortar, and cooked it in a pot, and made it into hearth-cakes, and its taste was like the taste of a cake made with oil. These things are recorded in this way in Numbers; but in Exodus it is said that its taste was like a sweet cake with honey.

*And He gave them the bread of heaven.* Here, "heaven" refers to the air, according to the verse: *The birds of heaven*, or because the manna seemed to descend from the sky.

VERS. 25. *Man ate the bread of angels.* He does not say this as if angels eat manna, but because angels ministered in its descent. For Christ also reproves those who considered this bread to be truly heavenly, saying: *Amen, amen, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven*, that is, that which truly descends from heaven. And that the manna was not the food of angels, He asserts in the same place.

He says further: "I am the bread of life," and so on. ^A *He sent them food in abundance*. Food, that is, that which came from the manna, or bread.

*Ver. 26-31. He removed the south wind from the sky, and by His power He brought in the southwest wind; and He rained flesh upon them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the seas; and it fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents. And they ate and were filled exceedingly, and He brought them their desire. They were not deprived of their desire.* Moses indeed says in Numbers: "Behold a spirit from the Lord; and He sent quails from the sea, and drove them into the camp," and what follows. But David divided the spirit into the south wind and the southwest wind; for these blow through hot places, where the race of the quail dwells. He "removed" the south wind, that is, He stirred it up and sent it. He says "rained" because the quails were borne from above from the sky, dense and ^B like a kind of rain. And because their quantity was very great, he compared them even to dust and the sand of the sea. For so many were sent that six hundred thousand and fifty-five hundred men, in addition to others, were nourished to satisfaction from them for a long time. For He says: "For a month of days ye shall eat, until it comes out of your nostrils." For there were that many men in that people fit for war, from twenty years old and upward, apart from the younger age, and the women, and the whole tribe of Levi. And in the midst of the camp and around the tents, God rained that manna, so that they might not weary themselves gathering it. And by "camp" He understands the whole army, but by "tents" the private habitations of each individual. And what he says, that God brought them "their desire," understand it ^C as meaning that they received from God those things by which they fulfilled their desire and concupiscence. For God brought them what they desired; therefore, he uses "desire" for the fruition of the hoped-for thing, just as when he says: "But hope does not put to shame," calling the result of hope, which is the object of hope, "hope," just as Paul uses "hope" for the thing desired, so that it does not put to shame.

*While the food was still in their mouth, the anger of God ascended upon them, and He slew many of them, and shackled the chosen ones of Israel.* For although they had seen the quails, they did not believe the divine promise, namely, that they would be nourished by these birds for a month to the point of satiety, but they were afraid lest they fly away, or lest the quails be consumed quickly by all. ^D And therefore they dried them about the circle of the camp; and the flesh, it says, was still in their teeth, before it failed, and the Lord was angered against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague.

^A Observe how, before the meat in their teeth was consumed, they lost faith and forgot the power of God. Whence they were indeed filled according to their desire, that the divine Providence and power toward them might be seen; yet, because of their infidelity and the gluttony of their belly, that food eventually became nauseating to them: for which reason many of them perished, as we read in Moses. But whereas the Seventy here said "many" [plures] of them, Symmachus rendered it "the fat" [pingues], and Aquila to the same sense, "the abundant" [abundantes], understanding that they who perished were the wealthier and stronger ones in the people. It is likely that they, because they gathered more than others, satisfied their gluttony more than the rest. And I think Aquila and Symmachus were led to such a sense by the other words which are here kept close by: "And he bound the elect of Israel." The interpretation of the Seventy, however, used "many" [plures], as being more significant; for it is not comparative, but absolute, and signifies "in many" [in multis], or "many" [multos]; which agrees better with the Mosaic account. For the Lord, he says, struck the people with a very great plague; and a great plague is confirmed by the death of many. He called them "elect" as being warriors; for all those whom I mentioned above were warriors, selected for the purpose of being drawn up for battle.

VERS. 32. *In all this they still sinned.* To all these things, he says—that is, after so many examples both of benefits and of punishments—they still offended God in many ways, and among other things, because they so feared the inhabitants of the land of promise, not believing in the divine promise. ^B

VERS. 33. *And they did not believe in his wonders.* For they assumed that all those things had happened fortuitously and by chance. The Prophet everywhere arraigns their infidelity, on account of which they were in danger, and concerning which God himself also said: "How long will this people provoke me? And how long will they not believe in me, through all the signs which I have performed among them?" Whence also our Lord called the Jews an unbelieving generation, saying: "O faithless and perverse generation."

VERS. 34. [33] *And their days failed in vanity.* They performed no excellent work of virtue, but followed the concupiscences of the flesh. Whence they all died in the desert, as God said to them: "The land, he says, which I swore to their fathers, none shall see, but their children, who are here with me, whoever have not known good or evil." Item elsewhere: "In this desert, he says, your bodies shall fall." And again: "I the Lord have spoken; surely I will do this to this evil congregation, which has risen against me: in this desert they shall be consumed, and there they shall die." ^D

^A "And their years with haste." With haste, he says, they wasted away in vain things. Or, he says "with haste" because, on account of the fickleness that pleasure brings with it, the years seem to pass by quickly for all those who live idly and neglectfully. For to those who labor in virtue, on account of the intensity of the struggle, the passage of years seems slower. Or, he says they passed away with haste because they died quickly.

VERS. 54, 55. "When he slew them, they sought him." When God bestowed benefits upon them, they did not acknowledge the divine gift; but when he afflicted them with evils, they were rendered more disciplined and wise.

"And they returned and came early to God, and they remembered that God is their helper, and God the most high is their redeemer." Regarding this also, Moses says that they would rise early, weeping.

VERS. 56. "And they loved him in their mouth." They loved him, however, not with the affection of the heart, but only with fair-sounding words. Isaiah also finds fault with the Jews regarding this kind of vice, saying: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."

"And they lied to him with their tongue." By word, indeed, they professed to believe and obey him; but by deed, they were unbelieving and disobedient to him. For their reasonings contradicted their words. The apostle Paul also says: "They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works."

VERS. 57. "But their heart was not right with him." It was not upright toward him. Similar to this is what he says elsewhere: "A generation that did not direct its heart."

"Neither were they held faithful in his covenant." This also is similar to what we saw previously: "And his spirit was not faithful to God." For they did not have any faith regarding the things that God promised them.

VERS. 58. "But he is compassionate and will be propitious to their sins, and will not destroy." "He will be propitious and will not destroy" is used for "He was propitious and did not destroy," putting one tense for another; for he did not destroy them immediately at that time, but was long-suffering. For we read that he said to Moses: "I am appeased toward them according to thy word." Or, "He did not utterly destroy them."

"And he will abound to turn away his anger, and will not kindle all his wrath." These words also, "He will abound" and "He will kindle," are put for "He abounded" and "He kindled." God abounded, he says, in mercy, so that he might turn away his anger. This phrasing is elliptical, just like those words which are contained in Psalm LXIV: "Thou hast multiplied to enrich it." ^D God did not kindle all his anger; for all would have perished entirely if he had kindled all his anger. For he used the utmost mercy, while he was angry only in part. For he said to Moses: "Let me alone,"

this cause too he used greater long-suffering, because they were flesh—infirm, that is, and of short duration—and a spirit that does not remain with life, but having once departed from this life, does not return to it again. It must be observed that Scripture metaphorically says that God "remembers." For just as we say he is "forgetting" some when he delays to impart his aid and assistance to those who are suffering and afflicted, so, conversely, we call him "mindful" in a human way when he is present to them. The Prophet often uses this mode of speech to accommodate himself to the dullness of the reader.

^B VERSE 40. *How often did they provoke him in the wilderness, and stir him to anger in the desert land?* Often, indeed, as one can see from the history itself. But consider their depravity; for not only did they often provoke him, and stir him to anger, but they did so even in the wilderness and in the desert land, when, on account of their extreme need, they ought rather to have served God, to have been humbled, and to have supplicated him.

VERSE 41. *And they turned and tempted God, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.* Here, the word "turned" is taken in a bad sense; for they turned from one vice to another. And as for what he says, "tempted," some interpret this as "grieved." By "Holy One of Israel" he understands God himself, as if saying: God, who is so celebrated, so ^C praised and glorious.

VERSE 42. *They did not remember his hand.* By the "hand" of God he understands his divine power, by which good things were bestowed upon the Jews, but evil things upon their enemies. *In the day that he redeemed them from the hand of him that afflicted them.* Here, too, the word is to be taken from the common sense: "They did not remember." By him that "afflicted" him, he understands Pharaoh.

VERSE 43. *As he wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanis.* They did not remember, he says, how he wrought his signs, and the rest. Now, many say that "signs" and "wonders" signify the same thing and that the sentiment is repeated here. But some understand "signs" ^D to be all those things by which God, not departing from the natural order of things, afflicted the Egyptian people, such as the diseases of the cattle—for it is their nature to cause death—and the ravages of the locusts, for it is in the nature of these too to destroy the crops. But by "wonders," they say are signified those miracles which were done contrary to the course of nature, such as the transformation of the water into blood, and the fact that frogs, whose nature it is to live in water, dwelt on dry land, and other things of this kind.

^A

*Verse 44. And He turned their rivers into blood.* This was the first of the Egyptian plagues. By rivers, he means the Nile itself, for it is the only river that flows through all of Egypt. We have said elsewhere that it is a peculiarity of the Hebrew language to use the plural number for the singular. Some say that "rivers" is used in the plural because of the many branches that flow out from the Nile, which the Prophet, on account of the abundance of water, endowed with the dignity of "rivers." You should refer the word "their" to the Egyptians, just as the relation to the people of that providence says: *He placed His signs in Egypt.*

*And their rain, that they might not drink.* By "rain" he means the reservoirs in which they stored water from rainfall. Some, however, say that "rain" is used improperly here for springs.

^B *Verse 45. He sent among them a dog-fly, and it devoured them.* This is the fourth plague. For the second was that of the frogs, and the third that of the gnats. Just as he did not keep to the order when he previously recounted the benefits bestowed upon the Hebrews, so too he does not keep to the order here when narrating the plagues against the Egyptians. Let what we said there about the inversion of this order suffice. For the intention of the Prophet here was only to demonstrate how all the elements, by the command of God, waged war against Pharaoh. For Moses long ago had described the order of the events themselves. The dog-fly is a species of wild, impudent fly, which is the most audacious among other kinds of flies. Furthermore, the word "devoured" is used improperly for "bit."

*And the frog, and it destroyed them.* The frogs also devastated the Egyptians. For they were biting them, and snatching or fouling their food, and filling everything with the utmost unpleasantness and disgust. ^C

*Verse 46. And He gave their fruits to the blight, and their labors to the locust.* Although it may appear that no mention of blight is explicitly made among the plagues recounted by Moses, I believe that Moses did indeed refer to this as well. For the blight is a certain new germination, or a new brood of the locust, which Moses also describes in that place, and it is called the "cankerworm," as Aquila named it. By "fruit" he means all the crops of the earth, which he also expressed by the name of "labors," because they are prepared with the greatest labor. The plague of the locust, however, was the eighth in order; yet from the prophet Joel, it appears that the locust and the cankerworm are different things. ^D

*Verse 47. And He destroyed their vines with hail.* For He devastated them so that they would not produce fruit. And this was the seventh plague.

*And their mulberry trees with the frost.* Although this plague may appear to be omitted by Moses, it is nonetheless contained under the plague of the hail. For frost is formed and congeals from hail. There are many mulberry trees in Egypt, because that species of tree grows very well in warm places. And just as hail is most hostile to vines, so is frost to mulberry trees.

*Verse 48. And He delivered their cattle to the hail, and*

their substance to the fire.* Hail brought down together with fire, first of all struck down the vines and the mulberry trees, as they were not able to withstand the onset at all; then the cattle, as many as were grazing in the fields, for they survived for a little while; then also every herb and every plant the fire therein consumed. And the phenomenon was wondrous, fire running within water. By "substance," he means wealth, that is, the fruit of the herbs and of the plants. It must be known that although it is recorded that this plague destroyed every herb and every tree, yet some were left behind, which the locusts consumed having arrived after the fire-mingled hail, concerning which it is said, "And it shall eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees, which the hail left." ^B Generally, therefore, he said above, because almost everything was destroyed.

*Exodus 78:49. He sent forth upon them the wrath of His anger.* By "wrath of anger," one must understand here the intensity of the fury.

*Indignation, and wrath, and tribulation.* He named the punishments in this way. For God does not feel "fury"; or you will understand "fury" as the less punishing [judgments], "wrath" as the greater, and "tribulations" as others besides these.

*Sending by evil angels.* This signifies the transmission and delivery through evil angels, not by nature or by choice, but because they bring harm, namely labor and pain, and because they are ministers of punishments. For he calls them "evil" now because they inflict penalties and punishments.

*Verse 50. He made a way for the path of His anger.* He made a path, he says, for His anger, so that this anger which formerly was quiet for the sake of philanthropy, might walk against the hardened Egyptians. For the word "made a way," even if it is a compound, yet has a simple meaning. Or otherwise, ^C He made a path for the angel destroying the firstborn, so as not to turn aside to the sealed doorways, but to walk against the unsealed; for you will understand this "wrath" as a minister of wrath.

*And He spared not their souls from death.* This is the tenth plague. He did not spare their souls from death, that is, from dying—which is to say, during the act of dying, and notably those of the firstborn. Or otherwise, you will understand "souls" as the firstborn, as being like their own souls because of excessive affection. And he says "He spared not," because, He says, "Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on the throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is at the mill, and unto the firstborn of all cattle."

*And their cattle He shut up to death.* This is the fifth plague. For He says, "He finished all the cattle of the Egyptians; ^D and their cattle He shut up in death. This is...* [alt-version omitted]

to say, He contained them inescapably, or rather, caused them to die. ^B *And He struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt.* He repeats the statement concerning the firstborn, because this plague was more bitter than the others. *The firstfruits of all their labor in the tabernacles of Cham.* Here He calls the choice and more precious things "firstfruits." He destroyed, He says, every firstborn, that is, the firstfruits of all their labor. By "labor," He implies the possession of goods and substance, because they are acquired with labor; and under the name of "possession," children are also included. For He says, "I have acquired a son." The "tabernacles of Cham" refers to Egypt itself. For the king Egypt, from whom Egypt was named, had for his great-grandfather Cham, one of the sons of Noah; so that the same land is called the land of Cham, and the land of Egypt, and Egypt. For Cham was the first to dwell there. It should be noted that, of the ten plagues, David here mentions only seven, omitting the gnat, the boils, and the palpable darkness—two of which, however, he set forth in the 104th Psalm. *And He took away His people like sheep.* He led them out of Egypt, guiding and caring for them as a shepherd does his sheep. *And He led them out like a flock in the desert.* He repeats again the same thing He had said. *And He led them in hope, and they feared not.* He led them out as they departed in the first night in the hope of that promise which had been made by God to Abraham, when He said to him: "Know and observe that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not its own, and they shall enslave them, and they shall afflict and humble them for four hundred years; but the nation to whom they shall serve, I will judge, and they shall go out from there with ^C much equipment." They did not fear on that night, for later they were in extreme fear many times. *And the sea covered their enemies.* By "enemies," He understands those who pursued the people, about whom we have already spoken. *And He brought them into the mountain of His sanctification.* Having passed over in silence those things which occurred in the desert, since he had already occupied that place in the preceding part of the narrative, he now speaks of the land of promise. For he speaks of Mount Sion, as being the most famous in that whole region; and he calls it the "mountain of sanctification," because it was chosen among others so that the ark of the covenant might dwell within it. They used to call the ark of the covenant "the sanctification." It is also called the "holy mountain," ^D as having been sanctified by it.

^A “This mountain which His right hand acquired.” This mountain, he says demonstratively, at which we are now present; which not the power of the people, but Thy power prepared for us. For Thou didst first expel those who dwelt there. “And He cast out the nations from before them.” Those seven peoples who possessed the land of promise: the Canaanite, to wit, the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.

“And He divided them by the cord of the inheritance.” By lot He divided all that land unto them. The word “as” is to be understood, so that the sense may be: who divided as with a measuring cord. This is also a defective mode of speech familiar to the Hebrew idiom. For thus did God divide that land among the tribes, just as if some father were to divide it among others with that cord with which we are accustomed to measure fields. The syntax of “He divided” is indifferent. “And He made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tabernacles.” In the habitations of the aforementioned nations.

^B “And they tempted and embittered God the Most High. And His testimonies they did not keep, and they turned away, and they were defeated, just as their fathers were.” Those who were led into the land of promise were the children, as before said, of those whose limbs fell in the desert. Their descendants, however, tempted, or rather, grieved the Lord; for it is written in the Book of Judges that: “There arose another generation after them who knew not the Lord, nor the work which He wrought in Israel; and the children of Israel did what was evil before the Lord, and served the Baalim,” and what follows. By “testimonies,” he means divine warnings. They turned away from God, and they despised God, imitating their own fathers who had made the calf in the desert.

“They were turned into a crooked bow.” They were turned from piety to impiety, like a ^C crooked bow. For “into” is used instead of “as.” For just as a crooked bow does not shoot straight, so also their mind, being perverted, does not shoot the thoughts concerning God straight.

“And they provoked Him in their hills, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their carved images.” They were mingled, he says, with the nations, and they learned their works. For the nations used to sacrifice in the hills; and their idols were carved images. They provoked Him to jealousy, that is, they caused Him to be justly angered on account of the carved images.

“God heard and despised.” He heard their voice crying out, that is, their impiety, just as He heard the voice of Abel, and the voice of the Sodomites and Gomorrah; for sins themselves cry out before God, informing Him of their workers. By ^D “despised,” He means to signify that He was moved to vengeance.

^A It is also an idiom of the Old Testament in another way to say of God, “He heard,” signifying that He was moved to vengeance. And “He despised” means, in place of “He ignored,” He turned away from them.

And He greatly dishonored Israel. He disgraced them, He made them contemptible. For He delivered them into captivity to different nations at different times, as the book of Judges records.

^B VERSE 60. And He repelled the tabernacle of Silo. What follows is written in the first book of Kings: namely, how the ark was captured by the Philistines, and how the Israelites were slaughtered, and their cities seized. He repelled, he says, the tabernacle which was in Silo, in which He dwelt by means of the ark. For if He had not repelled it, He would not have permitted the ark to be taken by the enemies.

The tabernacle, which dwelt among men. He says this on account of the ark. For first, as we have often said, the ark dwelt in Silo; afterwards, however, He chose Jerusalem.

VERSE 61. And He delivered their power into captivity, and their beauty into the hands of the enemies. Some have said that by “power and beauty” were meant the valiant and best of the Jews in war; but it is better to understand the ark itself to be so designated, because up to that time it had provided strength and might and adornment to the people.

^C VERS. 62. And He shut His people in the sword, and despised His inheritance. For great Moses named them the inheritance of God, as though they were dedicated to God alone; for he says, “His people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, Israel the measuring line of His inheritance.”

VERS. 63. Fire consumed their young men, and their virgins were not lamented. These things are not written by name in the history, but since their cities and houses were laid waste, it is probable that the youths who were not yet serving in the army were burned along with the houses, and that their virgins, being led away into captivity, had no one behind to mourn for them, such as fathers and mothers and kinsmen; for some were slain, and others had been carried away into slavery. ^D

VERS. 64. Their priests fell by the sword. For Orphni and Phinees, sons of Heli, who had gone out with the ark of the Lord, were slain together by the enemy.

And their widows shall not be lamented. He has changed the tense, for it means “they were not lamented.” For they themselves, being one

or killed, or taken into captivity, they had no one to mourn them: for the cities were utterly destroyed. ^A

VERS. 65. *And the Lord was awakened as one who sleeps.* Just as someone who is sleeping, when they are awakened, shakes off their sleep, so too did the Lord, having at last been awakened to the aid of the ark and the people, since they had already paid their penalty, shake off the great forbearance which had allowed the enemies to do so much.

*As a mighty man, drunk with wine.* These words follow as a clarification of the previous verse. He says that God was awakened just like a mighty man who has been drunk with wine—for the conjunction "and" is redundant; for the mighty man who is heavy with wine, when he arises, moves more violently and impetuously. ^B

VERS. 66. *And He struck His enemies in the hinder parts.* In Scripture, the word "struck" is for the most part understood as "killed." Sometimes, however, it is taken simply as "beat," as it is here. He struck the foreigners in their hindquarters, as the history teaches, but for the sake of decency He said "backwards" or "in the hinder parts," indicating the buttocks. *He gave them an eternal reproach.* By "reproach," he implies that wound which they suffered in the posterior part of the body, for wherever they took the ark, they were seized by the pain of that wound. ^C

VERS. 67. *And He rejected the tabernacle of Joseph.* This means that God did not wish to dwell in the borders of the inheritance of Joseph. By "Joseph," he understands the very tribe of Ephraim, which was the son of Joseph. The Prophet expresses the same thought above when he says: *And He forsook the tabernacle of Silo*, for Silo was in the portion of the tribe of Ephraim, as was stated before. *And He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.* Namely, for the habitation of the ark, because of their lawlessness and iniquities. ^D

VERS. 68. *And He chose the tribe of Judah.* For the kingdom, of course; the blessed David says this for his own sake, but he remained silent regarding the matters concerning Saul, so that he might not seem to slander him. *The mount Sion which He loved.* Instead of the tribe of Benjamin, from which Saul came, He chose the tribe of Judah, from which David came; and instead of the mount of Ephraim, in which was Silo, He chose Mount Sion, in which was Jerusalem. He says God loved it because He honored it and made it famous among all, from the time when the ark of the covenant was brought there.

VERS. 69. *And He built His sanctuary like that of the unicorn.* "He built" is used for "He will build," employing one tense for another. It is a prophecy that he transmits concerning the temple that was to be built in Jerusalem by Solomon, and concerning the kingdom that was to be in the tribe of Judah. For it had been revealed to him.

^A God, saying: *I will raise up thy seed after thee, which is from thy belly, and I will prepare his kingdom; he shall build a house to my name, and I will establish his throne for ever*; which temple he called "sanctification" in this place. And as for the saying: *As of a unicorn*, the expression is deficient, and the word "horn" must be understood (which, that it may be more clearly distinguished, should be noted: the word "unicorn" is in the genitive case, which is plainly discerned from the Greek reading). The meaning, however, is that this temple, which was to be built by Solomon, would be built like a certain horn of a unicorn. For just as that horn is one, and is both maximum and at once most beautiful and most strong, so also clearly was the temple of God built in the whole land, both maximum and most beautiful and strong in its structure and uniquely of the one God alone. *In the land he founded it for ever.* That is, the tribe of Judah. For he established it, he says, in that land where it dwells, so that it might not be expelled from there by enemies. But the expression *For ever* is the same as "Always"; however, these things are spoken of the tribe itself inexactly, since we see that they were indeed expelled from there.

^B V. 70. *And he chose David his servant, and took him from the flocks of sheep, from behind those that were giving suck he took him.* See how truly and simply blessed David narrates those things that pertain to himself, how he does not blush to confess that he was not yet worthy of the name of shepherd. For as someone less suitable, he was following the ewes that were giving suck. Nay more, he was not ashamed to assert the lesser things about himself, and he omitted the things that were greater. For he did not commemorate his own strength, which he often demonstrated either against wild beasts or against Goliath.

^C *To feed Jacob his servant.* That is, the generation and offspring of Jacob. He used the word "to feed" metaphorically.

*And Israel his inheritance.* This is a repetition of the same sentiment, a mode of speaking which is very frequent among the Hebrews. Concerning the inheritance, however, we have spoken a little above.

V. 72. *And he fed them in the innocence of his heart.* That is, in simplicity, uprightness, and meekness.

*And he led them in the understandings of his hands.* By "understandings of his hands," he understands the actions themselves, disposed with reason, by which he directed the people with the greatest prudence. But this must be known: that God chose the tribe of Judah for the kingdom on account of Christ, who was to draw his origin from that tribe. ^D And in another way: by "Judah" you will understand Christ, who was born of that tribe, and by the "tribe of Judah," the very race of the Christians, of whom Christ is the Doctor and Father. For this tribe Christ founded in the whole earth "for ever," that is, for eternity. For *the gates of hell*, he says, *shall not prevail against it*; so that what indicates perpetuity is referred to the tribe of Christians.

Psalm to Asaph. PSALM LXXVIII

It has been spoken of above regarding Asaph. In this present psalm, the cruelty of Antiochus Epiphanes against the race of the Jews is foretold; it is fashioned into the person of those among them who at that time were the most pious and religious.

^A Ver. 1. *O God, the nations have come into thy inheritance.* We spoke of the inheritance in the preceding psalm. By "nations," he understands the Macedonians themselves and their auxiliaries. The word "O God" is an invocation. *They have defiled thy holy temple.* Trampling it with profane feet, sacrificing swine there, introducing idols and abominations, and profaning it in other ways.

^B Ver. 2. *They have made Jerusalem as the keeping of fruit.* By "the keeping of fruit," he understands some hut in which a fruit-keeper is accustomed to watch over ripening fruits against thieves. For they made Jerusalem itself as a kind of ruin and rubble, holding only the appearance of a city, a certain exterior guise and not the thing itself; just as that hut, which the Greeks call by a single word (and we, due to the poverty of the Latin language, call "the keeping of fruit"), presents the appearance of a house, although it is not truly a house, but a shack and a shanty, constructed from a few stones in a hurried manner.

*They have given the dead bodies of thy servants to be food for the birds of the air, the flesh of thy holy ones to the beasts of the earth.* By "dead bodies," he calls dead bodies, that is, the corpses themselves: by "servants" and "saints of God," indeed, he understands those who were killed from the Jewish race. For he calls the Jews "saints," because that race was dedicated and sanctified to God above all others; and although they had long abstained from sanctified works, they still retained the name of sanctity. In this way Scripture elsewhere called those who were false prophets "prophets," and the Apostle called the ^C branches "saints" which had been broken off because of impiety, because they were from a holy root.

Moreover, it can be said that the Maccabees, and many others of the just, were killed with them at that time, as is wont to happen in the sacking of cities, whom he calls by the name of saints. For we read in Ezekiel, spoken by the person of the Lord: "Behold, I am against thee, and I will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the just and the unjust." And again: "Behold, I kindle a fire in thee, and it will devour in thee every green tree and every dry tree." For by the "green" he understands any just person, due to the abundant moisture of virtue; ^D but by the "dry," the unjust, due to that sterility and unfruitfulness which they show in the works of virtue.

Ver. 3. *They have poured out their blood as water round about Jerusalem, and there was no one burying.* So much, he says, they poured out of blood, that it flowed like water and a stream, or rather like a river. They poured it out "round about Jerusalem," signifying "everywhere throughout Jerusalem"; and there was no one burying, as some had fled, and others had been taken into captivity.

^A

Vers. 4. We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those who are round about us.

He refers to the neighboring nations, who have long envied us and laid traps against us. The second verse is of the same sentiment as the first, and it uses a figure of speech called repetition. The neighbors reproached the Jews for such great desolation and for their great infirmity, and they mocked them as if they had been foolish to believe in God. They derided them—that is, they disparaged them. The neighbors of the Jews were the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Idumeans, and other such nations.

Vers. 5. How long, O Lord, wilt thou be angry for ever?

Here, "for ever" is taken to mean "vehemently." "Shall thy jealousy burn like fire?" Here, too, we must continue the phrase "How long?" By jealousy, we have often said, is understood the just wrath of God. For God himself, when giving laws, said: "I am a jealous God, a consuming fire" [Deut. IV, 24]. This way of speaking is used metaphorically, drawn from those who are angry with their wives whenever they find them suspected of adultery. For God formerly maintained the same analogy—that is, the same proportion or relationship—with the synagogue that a husband has with his wife, as one who loved her above all other nations and was loved by her in return. The prophet Hosea preserves this kind of metaphor, introducing God as repudiating the synagogue and saying: "She is not my wife, and I am not her husband" [Osee II, 2]. In the same place, he calls all her idols her lovers, and says she committed fornication and adultery whenever she fell into idolatry. Now, therefore, He no longer has the synagogue as his wife, since his only bride is the Church, concerning which it was said in the forty-fourth Psalm.

Vers. 6. Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

The peoples of the nations, he says, are most troublesome to us. For they not only wage war against us with arms, but they are also ignorant of thee, their Creator. By "kingdoms," he understands powers of every kind.

Vers. 7. For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his place.

Pour out, he says, thy wrath upon them, because they have devoured us with the edge of the sword.

Vers. 8, 9. Remember not our former iniquities.

Those committed up to that time; for by "former iniquities," he intends all our past offenses to be understood.

Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us, O Lord, for we have become poor; help us, O God our Saviour.

We have become poor, he says, cast down from all the goods we had, and if we ever possessed any virtues, we lack them all at this time. He calls God "Saviour," because He has often granted them salvation.

For the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us, and be propitious to our sins, for thy name's sake.

^A Even if we are unworthy of mercy, yet do deliver us, so that your name may not be held in dishonor among the nations, being reproached as if it were weak and as if you were unable to rescue your own people. The second verse repeats the thought; for "Deliver" is the same as "Be propitious," for he who is prepared to deliver is also propitious.

VERS. 10, 11. *Nequando dicant gentes: Ubi est Deus eorum?* This is clear in itself. *Et cognoscatur in gentibus coram oculis eorum ultio sanguinis servorum tuorum, qui effusus est.* May this be known among other nations while we are still alive. ^B *Intret in conspectu tuo gemitus compeditorum.* That is, of those who have been carried off into captivity. *Secundum magnitudinem brachii tui serva filios interemptorum.* "Save," he says, "the children of those who were slain, who escaped the slaughter, or save those who have been taken into slavery." By "arm," he means power and might.

VERS. 12. *Redde vicinis nostris septuplum, in sinu eorum, opprobrium suum, quod exprobraverunt tibi, Domine.* According to the custom of the Hebrews, "sevenfold" is used for "manifold," just as we very often see "seven" used for "many." By "reproach," he means contempt. He prays that the punishments be returned "into their bosom," because what is in the bosom is not easily cast off, and is always carried about.

VERS. 13. *Nos autem populus tuus, et oves pascuae tuae.* Even if we have sinned—yet we are always yours—and the divine commandments provide most abundant pasture. *Confitebimur tibi, Deus, in saeculum.* If you hear us, we shall thank you always for the salvation we have received. Or simply, they promise that they will give thanks. *In generationem et generationem annuntiabimus laudem tuam.* We shall proclaim your praises to all generations; that is, those praises which are owed to you for such great benefits. In this way, then, the psalm has been interpreted according to the sense of history. ^C Yet the words of the present psalm can be applied to the holy faithful Christians who have suffered persecution at the hands of tyrants. According to this sense, by "nations" you will understand tyrants and all other enemies of the Christian name; by the "heirs of Christ," the faithful themselves, just as we declared in the first psalm; by the "temple of God," each temple dedicated to God; by "Jerusalem," the very city of Christians; and by "dead bodies," the holy bodies of the martyrs. You will understand what follows according to the same reasoning. "Jacob" is also taken for the Christian people, as we have often said. And by our "neighbors," you will understand the Hebrews themselves, ^D for the reason that their Scripture is also set down for us as a pasture, and because they are closer to us in faith than the other nations. But you may also understand the heretics, as they are closer to us in the greater part of their doctrines. Those of the heretics who have blasphemed either against his divinity, as Sabellius and Arius, or against his humanity, as Apollinarius and Nestorius, have held Christ in contempt.

...of his humanity, as Apollinarius and Nestorius. ^A

*In the end, for those who are to be changed, a testimony for Asaph, a Psalm for the Assyrian.*

PSALM LXXIX

"In the end" is said, not only on account of the prophecies which are contained in the Psalm, as we have often said, but because it contains the end, that is, the consumption of the Jewish felicity. For it predicts the siege and the captivity of them and whatever else they suffered at the hands of the Babylonians, who brought an end to their former felicity, that is to say, a cutting off. But truly, that which it says, "for those who are to be changed," as we have already declared elsewhere, indicates a transformation of affairs. "Testimony," however, it says, because the Prophet bears witness in this Psalm and announces future calamities, striving, of course, so that the Jews might in some way become wiser through fear at least. About Asaph it has also been spoken of elsewhere. But by "the Assyrian," he understands Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian himself, who drew his lineage from the Assyrians. Therefore, for "the Assyrian," he said, "on behalf of the Assyrian," that is, concerning those things which the Assyrian, Nebuchadnezzar, carried out against the Jews. ^B

VERS. 2. *Who feedest Israel, attend.* By Israel, he understands either the patriarch Jacob himself, to whom God was solicitous, promising that He would always be present with him and would save him in dangers; or the very people who drew their origin from him. For it was said in the preceding Psalm that God led this people like a flock in the desert. But "who feedest," he put for "who hast fed"; and similarly, "who leadest," for "who hast led." This Psalm, however, must be uttered from the person of those who at that time escaped from the sword of the enemy. ^C

*Who leadest Joseph like a sheep.* He understands either the patriarch Joseph himself, to whom God, as an excellent leader, was present in dangers—for we read in Scripture [*] that the Lord was with Joseph—or the people themselves. For such great benefits were bestowed upon the whole people by this patriarch, and he had such care for all of them, that he seemed to be the father of all the tribes. Whence the Prophet frequently calls him the father of all the tribes (even though Ephraim and Manasses alone descended from him), whence he said in Psalm LXXVI: *The sons of Jacob and Joseph*. Where we also spoke. ^D

VERS. 3. *Who sittest upon the Cherubim, manifest thyself before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasse.* When the Lord had commanded Moses to make two golden Cherubim, and to place them on both sides of the propitiatory, He added: *And I will be known to thee from thence, and will speak to thee from above the propitiatory* [*]. "Manifest thyself before Ephraim, etc.," is as if he were to say: that Thou mightest be known to have come before those who were left behind, whom he has called Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasse.

^A For since he made mention of the patriarch Joseph, he fittingly made mention also of his two most beloved sons, Ephraim and Manasse, and of his brother Benjamin, most dear to him, whom alone he had by the same mother. And from these three patriarchs he named the entire people; and this, that because of the excellent virtues of this patriarch Joseph, God might be moved and become more placable toward his descendants. It should also be known that Manasse was older by birth, and yet Moses everywhere puts Ephraim before him, because he had been preferred by his grandfather Jacob, and had obtained greater blessings; and that Benjamin is everywhere joined by Moses with the sons of Joseph, as one who, for the aforementioned reason, was more closely bound to him, and because he was born immediately after that Joseph. Therefore, blessed David has followed Moses in observing the same order in their commemoration. ^B And since the tribe of Levi, which had been dedicated to the divine service, was taken away, the tribe of Manasse was taken in its stead for military service; fittingly, therefore, it is now set last, as being, so to speak, a half-tribe, and weaker than the Benjamite tribe, ^C just as that was weaker than the Ephraimite tribe. Furthermore, these tribes were bolder than the others; and in honor of the patriarch Joseph, both his sons became princes of tribes.

Excite thy power, and come to save us. Raise up Thy surpassing power for our succor, which seems to sleep in a manner by reason of Thy long-suffering. It has already been said by us many times that Holy Scripture frequently attributes human actions and passions to God, speaking in a very coarse manner to serve the habit of the Hebrews. But it is superfluous to repeat the same thing too often. And therefore it is proper to observe this rule in similar modes of speaking.

^D VERS. 4. God, convert us. From tribulation to joy, from flight to resistance, from servitude to liberty, from a foreign land to our fatherland. Or, Convert us to Thee, and cooperate with us, that we may be able to fulfill Thy will, according to the passage: Convert to Me, and I will convert to you [*].

Ostende faciem tuam, et salvi erimus. Show us, he says, and demonstrate Thy face; and this will be enough for us for salvation. The language is metaphorical. For when any leader or emperor arrives for soldiers who are struggling, he immediately bestows heart and strength upon his own, but fear upon the enemies.

VERS. 5. O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt Thou be angry against the prayer of Thy servants? He said, "Thou art angry," for "Thou dost not look upon"; signifying from what precedes that which follows. For those who are angry are accustomed not to look upon the petitions of those who have provoked them to anger.

VERS. 6. Thou shalt feed us with the bread of tears and shalt give us to drink

with tears in measure? ^A The expression "How long" is to be taken from the common sense. "Thou shalt feed us," is instead of "thou shalt give us to eat." That is to say: "How long wilt thou give us to eat bread in tears, and wilt give us to drink wine, likewise in tears?" He signifies that they brought forward their food and drink while weeping. Or alternatively: "Thou shalt feed us with bread of tears, and shalt give us of tears to drink," that is, instead of food and drink, thou shalt give us tears to eat and to drink. The expression "in measure" is used instead of "to measure," which is to say: "in proportion to our sins." But Aquila and Symmachus said: "Thou didst feed and didst give to drink."

VERS. 7. Thou hast set us as a contradiction to our neighbors, and our enemies have laughed us to scorn. By "contradiction" here he means reproach; he says the same things as were spoken in the psalm before this. For it is said: "We are become a reproach to our neighbors, a scoff and a derision to them that are round about us."

VERS. 8. O Lord God of hosts, convert us, and show thy face, and we shall be saved. ^B These things have also been said above. But by the repetition of the discourse, he demonstrates the intensity of his prayers.

VERS. 9. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt. He commemorates ancient benefits, telling from whence he brought over the race of the Hebrews into Palestine, and how many things he did for their sake; so that he might thereby move God, so as not to utterly overlook those for whose sake he had formerly wrought such great things. By this psalm, the Prophet depicts how it is necessary for us to appease God, and with what words we should use. And he calls the race of the Jews a vine figuratively, because of its flourishing. "Thou didst cast out the nations, and didst plant it." We have spoken about these nations in the seventy-seventh psalm. ^C But he maintains the metaphor of the words throughout the whole meaning. "Didst plant" is instead of "didst establish." Even if, having provoked him, they were later cast out.

VERS. 10. Thou madest a way before it. By plucking out all other impediments, like thorns, thou didst make a wide way for the people. Or, thou didst make a way for it, by providing the law through which they might walk. "And didst plant the roots thereof." These words declare even more the stability provided to the people. By "roots," however, understand the princes of the tribes, or the whole kingdom of the Jews itself. "And it filled the land." Not the whole earth, but the land of promise, which they possessed.

VERS. 11. And its shadow covered the mountains, and its boughs the cedars of God. ^D By "mountains," he understands the neighboring nations, and by "its shadow," the authority and power granted to the Jews; but by the "cedars," those princes who were higher and more illustrious among the nations; and by its "boughs," those men who had been constituted as leaders over the people of the Jews. He said they were "cedars of God," as having been exalted by God themselves. For in the time of David,

^A as well as in that of Solomon, many of the nations paid tribute to the Jews.

"Thou hast stretched out her shoots unto the sea, and her branches unto the rivers." By "shoots," he understands the increasing multitude of the people, and by "the sea," the Indian Sea; by "branches," however, he means the proselytes, who from among the nations joined themselves to the religion of the Jews and attained to the knowledge of God, and thus grew out from them. By "rivers," he means the Euphrates, according to the Hebrew idiom, as has also been previously stated in the sixty-ninth psalm. Yet the third book of Kings records "river" in the singular.

^B "Why hast Thou broken down her fence?" By "fence," he understands the divine protection which formerly guarded them.

"And all they who pass by the way do pluck her. And all the nations who walk by her do lay her waste." The preposition "by" (or "beside") here signifies proximity. "Whoever," he says, "makes the journey near her, that is, the path, they do her wrong." To these words of the Jews, the heavenly husbandman answers through Isaiah the prophet, saying: "Because I looked for it to bring forth grapes, but it brought forth thorns." ^C

"The boar out of the wood hath laid her waste." Namely, the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar, called a boar because of his wallowing in the mud of pleasures and because of his other impurity. By "the wood," Babylon itself is understood, because it was dense with the multitude of those living there, fruitless toward virtue, and a place and habitation for intellectual beasts. ^D

"And the solitary wild beast hath fed upon her." He speaks of the same person again; "solitary," as having marched against them alone, without allies; "wild beast," as having dealt with the Hebrews savagely and crudely. "Solitary" is a swine that travels alone and does not mix with others because of the excess of its wildness. Some, however, say that the one "from the wood" is the Assyrian Shalmaneser, who, before Nebuchadnezzar, ravaged Samaria. And so, while that one laid waste to the Hebrews in part, Nebuchadnezzar laid them waste entirely.

"O God of hosts, turn Thou again, look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine, and perfect it, which Thy right hand hath planted." "Turn again," that is, correct us. Or, as was said above, "Look down," instead of "heal what is broken." And "perfect," instead of "restore: restore to its former prosperity," which vine Thy power established here.

^A And upon the son of man, whom Thou hast strengthened for Thyself. Here, the word "Look down" should be taken as common to both. By the "son of man" here, the Jews mean Zorobabel, who was strengthened by God and, before King Darius, overcame the two young men, demonstrating [(95)] that women, wine, and the king are stronger than all things, but that truth conquers all things. Whereupon he was an object of admiration to all, and it was granted to him to go up to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple that had been burned and the city. We, however, say that the "son of man" is the man who was assumed. For God the Word strengthened [him] for Himself—that is, on His own account—imparting to him from His own power and strengthening him against the enemy. For the prayer now is directed toward the One who assumed, on behalf of the one who was assumed, that He might the sooner assume him. ^B "Burned with fire and dug up." The word "is" is missing. By the vine, He hints at its land, that is, the city of Jerusalem; for they not only burned it, but also dug it up. And these things the Babylonians have done, as the fourth book of Kingdoms records. "They shall perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance." By "rebuke" in this place, [He] understands divine wrath. Thy wrath, He says, will destroy the Hebrews, since Thou didst permit the Babylonians to do so. For the Babylonians would not have overcome them, hadst Thou not destroyed the hedge, as we have said. ^C "Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand." This, in like manner, they understand to be about Zorobabel. "Let Thy power come," they say, "upon him." Scripture is accustomed to call him a "man of the right hand" to whom the right hand is familiar. We, however, say that this also applies to the One who was assumed, [(96)] the Prophet praying that the signs might come, which are called the "hand of God" and the "finger of God," upon the man of the right hand of the Father; and the right hand of the Father is the Son, as the creator of all things. "And upon the son of man, whom Thou hast strengthened for Thyself." He speaks of the same Christ, repeating the same discourse. Christ was accustomed to call Himself the "Son of man" because of the flesh assumed from the Virgin. ^D "And we will not depart from Thee." The Hebrews [were led] by the leader Zorobabel, but we by Christ; for the Prophet has set this verse forth in our person. "Thou shalt quicken us, and we will call upon Thy name." Thou shalt quicken the Jews by the renewal of the city; but us, by the renewal of the dignity of the soul through the saving laver of baptism. For we were deadened by perdition—

^A and we appeared dead, both they and we. But we will call upon thy name, that is, we will not call upon another God, we will call no other God, we will seek thee alone for defense and aid. And the discourse is, in a proper sense, to Christ who has quickened us and said: *I am the life*, and by whose name we are all marked and called, having received his faith.

VERS. 20. *Domine Deus virtutum, converte nos et ostende faciem tuam, et salvi erimus.* These words are also found in the preceding verses: but there we referred the discourse to the Hebrews; here, however, we shall accommodate them to ourselves. *Domine Deus virtutum*: either thou who art the God of all angelic powers, or simply, who art the God of all powers and potentialities; or, *Domine Deus virtutum*, the giver and minister of powers; or also *Domine virtutum*, for *Lord powerful in strength*, as we have said elsewhere. *Converte nos* from error, *et ostende nobis Filium tuum*, who is thy countenance or thy face. For *he who has seen me*, he says, *has seen the Father*. And immediately *we shall be saved*, having believed. But the phrase, *show thy face*, is an explanation of *convert us*. But this is sufficient for this part.

^B The psalm, however, is also suitable for Christians, whose cities and temples, which are everywhere, the infidels have burned and laid waste, God permitting it on account of our sins. For we can call the Christian people Ephraim, since it signifies an abundance of fruit; and in the same way call them Benjamin, as being the right hand in faith: for Benjamin is interpreted as *son of the right hand*. And Manasseh in like manner, as one who has taken (received) the oblivion of former error: for Manasseh signifies *oblivion*. The following parts are easy. By the *vine* you shall understand the race of Christians, which has been transferred from darkness, and error, and ignorance—for these things Egypt signifies—to the good land of piety. The *nations* that have been cast out are the demons and idols, and the tyrants who were lost to the Christians; and the *way-making* for it are the evangelical ^C commandments, cutting away all foreign matter. And its roots are the doctrines concerning Christ. *It filled all the earth*: for *into all the earth has gone the sound of them*. And its shadow, that is, its glory, has covered, that is, has surpassed the mountains, and over them has been exalted. By the mountains, however, those are to be understood who, from virtue, have been raised to a high and sublime state. Again, by the *arbusta* (bushes) you shall understand the doctrines; and by the *cedars of God*, those men who, in philosophy and ^D active [life], have been raised on high, and by the cedars, those who despise... [index: entries preserved]

are accounted brilliant through the contemplation of things. But explain the branches and the tendrils as we have already said above. By sea also and by rivers, you will understand the entire ocean and all rivers, by which expression the whole world is signified. By the boar, explain the demon himself, because he delights in filth. By the forest also (which, according to the force of the Greek word ^A *drymos*, signifies a thicket), those souls can be understood which so abound in passions and affections that they might be said to be, in a certain way, dense and excessive in such affections, and yet they are barren and unfruitful. In these souls, however, that demon dwells who, by vice and depravity, is unique and singular, but is called wild by his inhumanity and cruelty: yet although he is called by that name primarily, secondarily any tyrant who is an enemy of the vineyard of Christ is understood by that name of singular and wild. The things which follow have been sufficiently clearly explained according to the anagogical sense from the things said above.

In the end, for the wine-presses, a psalm for Asaph itself. PSALM LXXX.

The eightieth psalm has a similar inscription ^B *for the wine-presses*, where we have clearly provided an exposition. Those wine-presses, therefore, are introduced by our Prophet as mutually bidding and exhorting one another to perform those things which are held in the beginning of the present psalm. The Jews are also rebuked in this psalm for their extreme ingratitude and infidelity toward God, on account of which it is consequently predicted to them that they were to be cast out. From which rebuke and prophecy, the new people are rendered more prudent and cautious, that it might not happen that they themselves should ever be cast out, if they had imitated the vices of that ancient one.

VER. 2. *Exult in God our helper.* At first sight, these words seem to be spoken from the person of the Jews who returned from the Babylonian captivity, as of those exulting in their return to their homeland, and in this way this psalm is explained by the Jews. But if you consider all the following matters, where many things filled with sorrow are present, we ^C prove that this sense of theirs is not correct. Those wine-presses, therefore, are to be interpreted as Christ, who had manifested Himself as ready to help them. *Jubilate to the God of Jacob.* We have spoken quite often about jubilation, and now we shall briefly repeat it: that to jubilate is the same as to cry out, and to sing a song of victory. But he said *to the God of Jacob* in order to recall to mind that this God, who was about to be incarnate, was the same who had once appeared to the patriarch Jacob in the likeness of a man, heralding His future incarnation.

VER. 5. *Take up a psalm, and give the timbrel.* Embrace the disciplines of God. This psalm is indeed filled with moral teachings. And strike and beat your body with the plectrum of temperance. ^D *A pleasant psalter with the harp.* By the psalter, he understands the mind itself or the intellect, and by the harp, the body, as we have related in the 32nd psalm: Move, he says, your intellect and your body, so that you may affect God with joy. And in both cases, the word *Give* is to be taken from the common sense. For he is not speaking of material instruments, even though the Jews think otherwise. But he said *pleasant*, to indicate that God delights most of all in this kind of psalter.

VER. 4. *Blow the trumpet in the new moon, on the notable day of your solemnity.* It was the law for the Jews on the first day of the seventh month, on which day there was a new moon, that is—

^A to blow the trumpet so that the priests might sound it in memory of that heavenly trumpet which had been heard by them on Mount Sinai. Metaphorically, therefore, and by the example of such law, the prophet David now bids the holy apostles to sound with the trumpet of the tongue and the voice, tirelessly proclaiming in the spirit that Christ has risen. And he bids this to be done on the new moon, that is, on the day of his resurrection, on which day creation was renewed. For he called this the notable day of the solemnity, because it is the most renowned and most celebrated of all festivals. Wherefore, not without reason did Gregory the Theologian call it the solemnity of solemnities. Moses also, praising the day of the new moon, handed it down as being a "day of signification."

"For it is a statute for Israel, and a judgment for the God of Jacob." Behold the method of the Holy Spirit; having woven the Gospel of the Savior’s resurrection together with the legal precept, he still continues to discuss the law, and thus leads his discourse toward the Hebrews. Thus, he says, I command it, because this is what was prescribed to the Israelite people by God; and "judgment" here means the decision, that is to say, the divine decree.

"He established it as a testimony in Joseph." By Joseph, he denotes the whole people, as was stated before in the seventy-sixth Psalm. He says that this commandment, namely to sound the trumpet on the new moons, God established as a testimony, that is, as a formal attestation and command among the people. Then he relates when He commanded this: "When he came out of the land of Egypt." Clearly, when the people came out.

"He heard a language which he did not know." The people, of course. By language, he means now the voice of God, ordering the Decalogue for them, and being heard by them. When, he says, "all the people feared, and stood afar off, and said to Moses, saying, 'Speak you to us, and let not God speak to us, lest we die.'" And the phrase "which he did not know" instead denotes "unaccustomed" or "strange."

^B "He removed his back from burdens." Having taught what sort of grace the people had been deemed worthy of by hearing the divine voice, he adds the preceding grace as well—I mean the deliverance from the hardship in Egypt. By "burdens," he means the loads of clay and brick, and such things; from all of which God freed the back of His people.

"His hands served in the basket." To "hands" one must mentally add the word "for." A "basket" is a kind of hamper in which they used to carry clay and brick; for the people were tasked with carrying these, and were building cities for Pharaoh.

"In tribulation you called upon me, and I delivered you." From this point the blessed David introduces Christ conversing with the Jews and teaching them that He is the very One who in time past had bestowed benefits upon the people. By "tribulation," he refers to the affliction in Egypt, that is, the one from the taskmasters ^C or rather from those who were pressing...

^A them in the works of building, whom they also called taskmasters; whence the Lord said to Moses: "Seeing, I saw the affliction of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. For I know their sorrow, and I am come down to deliver them." And again: "I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians press them." But you called upon me, and I delivered you, and other things of this sort, are said on account of their progenitors. For the progenitors and their descendants make up one race. For he addresses the very nation of the Jews.

"I have heard you in the secret place of the tempest." I have heard you, he says, that is, I have fulfilled your petition, while I was hidden in the secret place of that tempest which had troubled the camp of the Egyptians, and which had bound the axles of ^B their chariots, and had led them with great force into perdition. For a tempest is a violent and vehement storm of winds.

"I have tested you at the water of contradiction." Regarding this water we spoke in Psalm 76. I tested you, permitting you to thirst for a little while; and immediately I found you ungrateful and unmindful, which I knew before, but then your vice became totally manifest to everyone.

"Ver. 9. Hear, O my people, and I will testify to you." By "his people" he understands the Hebrews, just as at the exodus from Egypt he had said to their progenitors: "You shall be my peculiar people," that is, familiar and benevolent; or, for this reason Christ calls them his own people, because according to the flesh he was allied to them: "He came unto his own," he says, "and his own received him not."

"Ver. 10. Israel, if you will hear me, there shall be no new god in you, neither shall you worship a strange god." O people of Israel, if you believe in me, who have established the new testament, if, I say, you believe in me as God, be secure, because you will not transgress your law. For although it is written in the law: "There shall be no other gods for you besides me," nevertheless you should not have any doubt, for I am not another God. For what is said here: "a new god," is said for "another god," as he immediately explains, when he says: "Neither shall you worship a strange god." For if anything else exists apart from Him who is from old, it is called new, as if coming later and anew; and for this reason it is also called alien.

"Ver 11. For I am the Lord your God, who brought you ^C out of the land of Egypt." I am that very same, and not another. Moreover, the words of this verse are written verbatim in the book of Exodus.

"Open your mouth, and I will fill it." Open, he says, your mouth; I mean not the mouth of the body, but the intellectual mouth of your soul. For if you have prepared your mouth for spiritual food, and to perceive divine senses, I shall fill it with wisdom, and I shall lead you away from the earthly lowliness of the legal letter to the ^D high and exalted sublimity of the spirit which is hidden in the letter, and to a vantage point. The mouth itself may also be understood as the sensible one. For if you are obedient...

to me, He says, I shall fill you also with bodily food.

And My people did not hear My voice. I indeed thus testified and made such promises; but My people were not persuaded by Me. The evangelist John says that His own did not receive Him.

And Israel did not attend to Me. This is a repetition and an explanation. And “I hear” signifies also “I perceive” and “I am persuaded,” as in the present case; furthermore, it also means “I understand,” as in the text: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

^B And I sent them away after the pursuits of their hearts. I left them to be carried according to the wills of their hearts, as disobedient; and thereafter I turned to the Gentiles. Now, the interpreters have called “pursuits” the wills here.

They will go in their pursuits. Destitute of divine protection, and stripped of all heavenly grace, as if incurable. They will go in this manner, being abandoned, as soon as they have rejected the Savior.

If My people had heard Me, if Israel had walked in My ways, I would have humbled their enemies in nothing, and I would have laid My hand upon those who afflict them. The phrase, “If Israel had walked in My ways,” is an explanation of the preceding verse; and the phrase, “And I would have laid My hand upon those who afflict them,” is likewise a clarification and repetition of what preceded this. In the words “in nothing,” take it to mean “without labor,” “easily,” as if it were “nothing”; or else for “In a trivial matter.” For even of old, God scourged their enemies with frogs and locusts and other such insignificant ^C things, to show the greatness of His power.

The enemies of the Lord have lied to Him. The enemies of the cross of Christ, according to the great Paul, are the Jews. And they lied to Him, calling Him Rabbi and softening their words, as we prophesied in the fifty-fourth Psalm, yet acting hypocritically. Or otherwise: The blessed David placed the phrase “Have lied to Him,” teaching that they have disbelief as their ancestral root. For when God was establishing the Law of old, they promised through their progenitors to obey what He said, saying: “All that the Lord God has said we will do and we will hear;” * yet they lied ten thousand times, treating His words with contempt. It is possible also to say otherwise, that being kinsmen of Christ, they became His enemies, having lied regarding the kinship.

And their time shall be for the age. Hebrews and Syrians are wont to call calamities by the term “time.” He prophesies that they shall never be delivered from calamities. Or, understand “time” as the time of their condemnation, and “age” as the age to come.

And He fed them from the fat of the wheat and ^D

[…with honey from the rock He satisfied them. This God—the one whom the Jews did not believe—formerly fed them with manna, as if with the richest wheat.] ^A For the word “as” is to be understood; the order and sense being: He fed them as if with the fat of wheat. By the fat of wheat, understand the finest and purest part of the wheat flour, which they call *simila*; and by honey, understand that water which flowed from the rock, not that it was honey by nature, but by reputation and taste. For to those then exhausted and thirsty, it was so sweet that it seemed to be honey entirely; and for that reason Moses himself also referred to it in this way in the Canticle of Deuteronomy, saying: *He made honey flow from the rock.* By the commemoration of this kind of food and drink and fullness, he signified the abundance of all the goods bestowed upon them. Or otherwise: Christ fed four thousand men with seven loaves, and gave them to drink of His honeyed doctrine unto satiety. *For how sweet*, He says, *are Thy words to my throat! More than honey to my mouth.* For the rock, the Apostle taught, was Christ.

Psalm LXXXI

^B Some copies have the inscription as we have placed it: *A Psalm for Asaph*; but others: *An Instruction for Asaph*, either because this psalm makes all judges more prudent and intelligent, or because understanding is necessary for perceiving the prophecy contained in it. For it foretells that rebuke which our Lord used against the Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel.

VERS. 1. *God stood in the congregation of gods.* Christ stood in the midst of the congregation of the Scribes, Pharisees, and elders of the people, whom the Prophet calls gods here because they presided over others and judged the lower ranks, just as we have set forth more broadly in the first verse of the forty-ninth psalm. Gregory the Theologian, however, explains this differently in his second Oration on Baptism, where you may see it.

*And in the midst He will judge the gods.* Standing in the midst of them, He will judge—that is, He will rebuke—the princes and judges of the people, as has already been said. Or, He said *in the midst* for *in the presence of many*. For with great boldness Christ used to rebuke them, saying: *Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you do this and that.* But the Hebrew expositors say that God stood in the midst of the princes, being invisible to their sight; and in the midst of many He will rebuke them through the prophets, if they should exercise their leadership and power unworthily.

^D VERS. 2. *How long do you judge unjustly, and accept the persons of sinners?* To "stood" and "will judge" must be added "saying." So then, let us understand "injustice" as "unjustly"; or "do you judge" as "do you justify." By sinners here He means the unjust. And "accept," for "be partial." The law also says: *You shall not accept persons in judgment;*

for the judgment is the Lord's. And he is called a respecter of persons who fears the power and greatness of unjust and wicked men.

VERS. 3. *Judge the orphan and the needy.* Judge their cause, he says, and do not despise or neglect them.

*Do justice to the humble and the poor.* That is, to those who are suffering injustice. Either he is saying the same thing again, or else—as stated previously—the difference between the poor and the needy is explained in Psalm 10.

VERS. 4. *Rescue the poor and the needy; deliver him from the hand of the sinner.* See how much God cares for the poor and the needy, since the Prophet repeatedly cycles back to speak about them. Therefore, rescue him, and deliver him whenever he is oppressed. Here, too, he calls the unjust one a sinner.

VERS. 5. *They have not known, nor have they understood; they walk in darkness.* They have become blind of their own accord and have not known the divine words, that is, they have not understood. Indeed, for clarity, that expression was added by the Prophet: *they walk in darkness*; that is, they persevere in error. Or otherwise: *They have not known, nor have they understood what is good and honest*, and therefore they walk in the ignorance of justice.

*Commoveantur omnia fundamenta terrae.* Symmachus rendered this as: "I will trouble the earth on account of those dwelling in it." According to the first reading, God commands the earth to be shaken and to fluctuate, that He might strike terror into the unjust princes and iniquitous judges. Or, *Let the foundations be shaken*, and may they not endure their iniquities. By the foundations of the earth, he understands its depth. These words are filled with the greatest terror; for they demonstrate that the divine indignation against iniquitous judges and princes is extreme. ^C

VERS. 6. *I said, You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.* But where in the Old Scripture do we read that this was said? Some say that this sentiment is contained in those words brought forth by God: *Let us make man according to our image and likeness.* But it seems to me that judges and princes have been called gods in the book of Exodus, since God commanded the people, saying: *You shall not curse the gods, and the princes of your people you shall not speak ill of.* For by "gods" there, He understood the princes, just as we have already explained in Psalm 43. By "sons of the Most High," however, He understands the Israelites themselves. For it was said by God concerning them: *Israel is my firstborn son.* ^D

VERS. 7. *But you die as men.* As men simply. Even though you are honored with the image of God, or have been deemed worthy of the name of God, and are superior to

you are called, although for your principality you are more honorable, yet you shall die like simple men. For here he understands by "men" ordinary people, who neither know the divine law nor possess any prudence, of the sort that the Gentiles are. And by saying "You shall die," he also signified that they will retain this manner of living, even to death itself. And as if saying: You will keep this to death.

And as one of the princes you shall fall. He repeats the same thing again. For by princes he understands the leaders of the nations. And he said "You shall fall" in place of "You shall die." Some, however, understand by "one of the princes" the devil himself, as having once been a prince of the angelic order; according to which sense, interpret "You shall fall" as "You shall fall away" from your former dignity, namely, on account of your conceit and pride. For the devil also, having used his principality evilly, fell away from that divine honor. ^A

VERS. 8. Arise, O God, judge the earth. This is spoken of the resurrection of Christ from the dead without any contradiction. For the Prophet prays and entreats that Christ may arise and judge the earth, namely, through the apostles, whom He sent as princes over the whole earth.

For You shall inherit among all the nations. You, he says, shall obtain an inheritance among all the nations. Now the inheritance of Christ is all those who believe in Him.

A song of a psalm ^B to Asaph himself. PSALM LXXXII.

What a song of a psalm is, we have stated in the proemium of the work. This psalm is composed in the person of those who returned from the Babylonian captivity. For when the neighbors of the Jews had seen after this return that the temple was being rebuilt and the city restored, they gathered together as one, and, having collected barbarous nations, they attacked the Jews, although they were conquered and overcome by them, with Zorobabel as the leader of the Jews. ^C This psalm, therefore, handles such subject matter, fashioned into the form of a prayer.

VERS. 2. O God, who shall be likened unto You? The discourse is not of one asking, but of one praising and admiring, if I may so say, the divine incomparability. For the word "who," in this place, signifies not rarity, but impossibility; as if he were to say: No one can be found similar to You, from which the immensity of the divine power is established.

Do not be silent, and do not be still, O God. Do not be so long-suffering or patient. For so the other interpreters have rendered it. But hear why he says this:

VERS. 3. For behold, your enemies have made a noise, and those who hate You have lifted up the head. "Your enemies," who fight against your people, or who are hostile to us on your account; and "have made a noise," that is, they produced an inaudible cry, just as is wont to happen in armies when a great multitude of soldiers is present. Or otherwise: Those who formerly signified their enmity against us only by a whisper, have now brought it to be heard far and wide, being emboldened and acting arrogantly. They have lifted up ^D

^A their head; that is, they have acquired spirit, and having brought in many coadjutors with them, they have become more audacious.

^B VERS. 4. *Super populum tuum malignaverunt consilio.* "Consilio," that is, in a concordant and common sentiment of all. Some copies have "Consilium" in the fourth case, and then the sense appears to be that they initiated a common counsel with a malicious and perverse spirit. It must be known, however, that the Greek word which is here in the Greek, and for which the interpreter gave "consilium," sometimes signifies an "admonition," according to that of the Apostle: *Concerning virgins, I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give counsel* (1 Cor. vii, 25). Sometimes it means "counsel," as in this passage: *Super populum tuum malignaverunt consilio.* Sometimes, however, it means a "sentiment," like that of Daniel: *For what cause did this impudent sentiment go forth?* (Dan. ii, 15). Sometimes it is also taken for a "belief," or a "dogma," or a "mindset," such as is that which is said by the Theologian: *But to introduce one’s own opinion is the mark of a pious man and one who has intelligence.* (In all these places in Greek there is, as we have said, the word *gnōmē*.)

^B *Et consuluerunt adversus sanctos tuos.* This is an iteration of the discourse and an explanation of the preceding. Regarding the "saints," see what was said in Psalm LXXVIII.

VERS. 5. *Dixerunt: Venite, exterminemus eos ex gente, et non memoretur nomen Israel amplius.* This is the counsel they entered upon. "Exterminemus ex gente," that is, let us deprive them of this quality of being a nation, certainly by reducing them to nothing: and "non memoretur amplius," that is, let them in the future not be named at all, that nation being lost, that is, completely dissipated.

^C VERS. 6. *Quoniam consultaverunt unanimiter simul.* This is, they have wickedly and maliciously meditated a counsel. For he resumes the discourse regarding their counsel and common conspiracy, in this way rousing God to vengeance, who is wont to dissipate the counsels of the nations. The word "Quoniam" belongs to the narrator; the word "unanimiter" refers to their counsels; the word "in unum," however, refers to the place: and the sense is that they came together into one sentiment and into the same place.

^D *Adversus te testamentum disposuerunt.* He places "testamentum" for a treaty or pact (for because the Greek words are, both in voice and derivation/signification, in a way cognate, it was brought about from this that the one is often placed in the room of the other). Then he enumerates those who came together into one.

VERS. 7. *Tabernacula Idumæorum, et Ismaelitæ.* By the "tabernacula Idumæorum," he either signifies the Idumaeans themselves plainly, or their cities. For the Idumaeans descend from Esau, who was called by another name—

Edom. But the Ishmaelites are a different nation, descending from Ishmael, the son of Abraham.

VER. 8. *Moab and the Hagarenes.* The Moabites are nations who trace their origin from Moab, the son of Lot; the Hagarenes are a nation from Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, who, after she was driven out of the house of Abraham, joined herself to another man, from whom these descended.

*Gebal and Ammon, and Amalek.* The Gebalenes were peoples who dwelt near Idumaea. The Ammonites were so named from Ammon, the son of Lot. And the Amalekites were a nation from Amalek, who himself also traced his origin from Esau, though they inhabited a different region separately from the Idumaeans.

*The aliens with those inhabiting Tyre.* By the aliens, understand the Philistines, whom we now call Palestinians. For they inhabited a region closer to the Jews, and therefore were specifically called aliens. By those inhabiting Tyre, however, he understands the Tyrians.

VER. 9. *And Assur also came with them.* Assur are properly the Assyrians; but in this place, he calls the Samaritans [Assyrians] in this way, as being colonies of the Assyrians. For after the captivity of the two tribes, the Samaritans were sent there by the Assyrians to inhabit that region. The conjunction "And" is redundant in this place.

^B *They were for an aid to the sons of Lot.* By the sons of Lot, understand those whom he called the Moabites and Ammonites above; for these nations especially envied the Jews, and therefore they gathered the other nations against them.

VER. 10. *Do to them as to Midian and to Sisera, as to Jabin at the torrent of Cison.* The Prophet calls down curses upon the nations enumerated above, who could not bear the restoration of the city of Jerusalem, ^C and he recalls to memory the ruin of those men who had formerly been hostile to the Jewish people and had perished contrary to the expectation of all; and he desires that these now might perish in the same way, on account of their malignant mind toward the Jews, just as those former ones had. By *Midian*, he understands the army of the Midianites, which we read had covered the earth with the multitude and abundance of its soldiers, and yet was overcome by three hundred men, with Gideon as their leader, and these, moreover, all unarmed, carrying only lamps and trumpets, ^D as the Book of Judges relates. *Sisera* was the commander of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan, the most powerful. He had indeed nine hundred iron chariots; yet Barak, having been commanded by Deborah, who was judging the people of Israel in those times, overcame both of them. And Jael, the wife of Heber, having received Sisera as he was fleeing, lulled him to sleep when he had been taken in under the guise of hospitality, and then, taking a hammer and a nail, she pierced his temple, and in this way killed him. But Jabin himself was destroyed by Barak, who dispersed his entire army together with the king. The *torrent of Cison* is the place where that battle took place; and the aforementioned book teaches these things as well.

VER. 11. *They were exterminated in Aendor.* Aendor is a place

which some say is the same as the torrent of Cison, and that it has a dual name. *They became as dung to the earth.* Lying unburied, having rotted and decomposed.

VER. 12. *Make their princes like Oreb, and Zeb, and Zebee, and Salmana.* By "princes" he means the leaders of the aforementioned nations. Oreb and Zeb were the leaders of the Midianites, whom Gedeon, as we have said, killed. Zebee and Salmana, however, were their kings, whom he also killed in like manner.

VER. 13. *All their princes.* So that not one is left. But through the princes and the subjects, he offers up his prayer.

*Who said: Let us inherit for ourselves the sanctuary of God.* "Let us inherit," instead of "Let us rule," or "Let us have in our power," not so that we might honor it, but that we might plunder the holy vessels and the dedicated offerings; ^B by "sanctuary," he means the temple itself, in which God sanctified the people.

VER. 14. *My God, make them like a wheel.* Always unstable and rolling about with successive changes. For this is the nature of a wheel. *As stubble before the face of the wind.* So that they are easily scattered and find stability nowhere.

VER. 15, 16. *As fire that burns the forest, as a flame that scorches the mountains, so shalt thou pursue them with thy tempest, and in thy wrath wilt thou trouble them.* Pursue them, I beseech thee, in this way, and consume them, just as fire is accustomed to ravage the forest. For with the greatest force, fire is carried into the forest and snatches up everything. These words, however, are explained by those that follow, which say: *And as a flame that scorches the mountains.* And in a similar manner, those words: *Thou shalt pursue them with thy tempest,* are clarified by the following words: *And in thy wrath thou ^C wilt trouble them.* For he metaphorically called the swift and impetuous movement of wrath a "tempest." For it is the property of a tempest to trouble all things. But as for what he says, "Thou shalt pursue" and "thou shalt trouble," they are stated either prophetically, as if foretelling the future, or they contain the mode of an optative, for "Mayest thou pursue" and "Mayest thou trouble."

VER. 17. *Fill their faces with ignominy.* Namely, as they have been defeated. *And they shall seek thy name, O Lord.* Inquiring with fear and trembling, who is this God who so wondrously has delivered us, His people, and destroyed them?

VER. 18. *Let them be ashamed and troubled for ever and ever, and let them be confounded and perish.* Having prayed for their destruction in the present age, he also prays for it in the one to come. For that he calls the "age of the age," as we have handed down. ^D By "perishing" in the age to come, he meant not non-existence, but punishment. For in that age they are shamed, or rather confounded, those who...

for in that age, all the wicked shall be put to shame and shall be confounded, when their works are published and divulged: and they shall be troubled when they behold the steadfastness and severity of the Judge, and thereafter they shall also be punished.

VERS. 19. *And let them know that thy name is Lord.* Let them know, therefore, by necessity, since they would not of their own free will. *Thou alone art most high over all the earth.* The verb "let them know" is to be taken in the common sense: let them add, he says, that thou alone art the God of the whole earth. He has called God "most high" as being supercelestial. This psalm may also be accommodated to all those who suffer persecution for Christ.

For the end, for the winepresses, for the sons of Core, a psalm. PSALM LXXXIII.

The eighty-third psalm also has obtained such an inscription. See the exposition there; for our Prophet is now speaking of these same winepresses.

VERS. 2. *How beloved are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!* The expression "how" in this place signifies the same as we have said elsewhere in Psalm LXXII, where it is written: *How good is God to Israel!* By "tabernacles," however, he understands the churches which have been constructed in various places, and in which divine gifts dwell. For our Prophet, foreseeing these churches with the eye of his mind, loved them. As for the words *O Lord of hosts*, it has been spoken of in Psalm LXXIX.

*My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord.* My soul fainteth, desiring to arrive at such churches; which he also calls the courts of God, because Christ dwells and converses in them. Or *fainteth*, that is, is dissolved and weakened, being fatigued, naturally, by an excessive desire. For ardent lovers are said to faint, when they cannot bear separation from the thing loved. Whoever also seeks the celestial King can say, How lovely are those intellectual tabernacles of thine which are in heaven! Those, I say, celestial courts. But he used "longeth" for "hasteneth."

*My heart and my flesh have exulted in the living God.* Not only this, he says, has happened to my soul, but my body also has rejoiced in Christ. He called God "living" (or, as it is in the Greek, "the living one") on account of idols, which are said to be dead; or because Christ rose from the dead. Furthermore, the heart is first affected with joy, and then the joy is diffused throughout the whole body.

VERS. 4. *For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle dove a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, thy altars, O Lord of hosts.* He calls the soul a sparrow, as one that is attacked by the intellectual fowler with snares and other manifold traps. For, he says, my soul has been delivered as a sparrow from the snare of the hunters. By the turtle dove, similarly, [he signifies] every chaste soul, and

^A its little ones—that is, its offspring—the virtues. For such souls have protection in the Churches. But where he says, "he will place," it stands for, "Where he will arrange and will work." And otherwise: the sparrow is the Christian people, plotted against by both sensible and intelligible hunters—I mean demons and ungodly men—but the turtle dove is every bishop and teacher of piety, who in the Churches place those whom they regenerate spiritually. For he found, he says, the house, and the other the nest of your altars, or as it were your churches, in which the spiritual Lamb is sacrificed every day.

"My King and my God." ^B This verse is found also in the fifth psalm.

"Blessed are they that dwell in your house." For since blessed David himself desired to enter into the revealed courts, yet was far off, he henceforth calls blessed those who were to dwell in them. For by the house of God one must understand these very courts, namely, the churches of Christ. He uses the singular and plural number indiscriminately; for if you look to the localities, the churches are many in number; if to the religion and the communion of the faith, all the temples that are everywhere constitute one Church of the faithful.

"For ages of ages they shall praise you." ^C Through all time they shall have your hymnody ceaseless.

"Blessed is the man whose help is from you." Blessed is that man to whom there is help from you. Concerning this idiom, it has been spoken of in the ninth psalm, at the place: "Whose mouth is full of cursing."

"Ascents in his heart he has fashioned." Such a man has devised, thought out, and constructed within himself steps and certain ascents from earthly things to heavenly, and from sensible to intelligible, and from worse to better things. These might be good thoughts, through which one ascends, as if by a ladder, to high and divine gifts. Blessed, he says, is he who has your help. And your help shall be present to him who has fashioned these ascents in his heart.

"In the valley of weeping." He fashioned these ascents within himself, being in the place of weeping; but the "valley of weeping" is spoken of by metaphor from the place where God of old, having reproved the iniquities of the Hebrews, moved the people to weeping; ^D wherefore that place was called the Valley of Weeping. And because the position of any valley bears with it humility, we are taught that all repentance must be performed with humility. For the Prophet speaks of the penitent, blessing those who in the valley of weeping have fashioned ascents in their hearts. For according to the anagoge, the "valley of weeping" signifies to us the same as the "place of repentance."

"In the place which he has set." Being in the valley of weeping, and in the place which he has set for himself, that is, in the place which he has chosen.

"For the legislator shall give blessings." Blessed, he says, are they whom we have mentioned; for Christ also—

^A legislative of such things through the evangelical commandments, shall give them his blessings. These are the diverse beatitudes.

"They shall go from strength to strength." From virtue to virtue; for example, from humility to mourning, and from mourning to compunction, and thus advancing from one to the other, they shall ascend to the summit. He called virtue "strength," as it makes the one who pursues it stronger. One may also say simply that they journey from prayer to the reading of the divine scriptures, and from reading to the admonition of those who are weaker, and from admonition to thanksgiving for the divine scriptures and the hymnody of God. And again, in another way, from the strength of the gifts given here to the strength of the kingdom of heaven. ^B "God shall be seen in Sion." This is a prophecy of the Incarnation of the Savior, for he arose in Sion, according to the word: "I have been established king by him upon Sion his holy mountain, proclaiming the commandment of the Lord." He called him the God of gods for the reason we explained in the beginning of the forty-ninth (L.) psalm.

"O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; hearken, O God of Jacob." It is the same to say, "The God of hosts" and "The Lord of hosts," of whom we spoke at the beginning of this present psalm. By "prayer," he understands the petition which he is about to bring forward as he proceeds. "O God of Jacob" means: "O Thou who didst appear to Jacob of old in the figure of a man at the struggle."

"Behold, O God, our protector, and look upon the face of Thy Christ." This is that prayer which he asked to be heard. By "Christ," however, he understands in this place every Christian; for as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ^C This was also mentioned in the preface to the book of Psalms.

"For one day in Thy courts is better than thousands." Concerning the divine courts, it was said a little above. One day of this kind is better than thousands of other days which are spent elsewhere than in Thy court. The word "For" is confirmatory here, standing for "verily."

"I have chosen to be cast away in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners." He repeats the same thing again, but more clearly. Consider then with me how great was his love and desire for the divine house, since he preferred to be "cast away" in the house of God, because of the sanctification that is there perpetually, rather than to dwell deliciously with sinners. ^D

"For the Lord God loveth mercy and truth." The Prophet mingles in this psalm an admonition, encouraging us to both the active and the contemplative life, saying that God loveth mercy and truth;

...truth. But mercy relates to the active life, and truth to the contemplative. If God loves these virtues, it is clear that He must also love those who pursue them, since He Himself is mercy itself and truth itself. The word "for" is used in the manner of a narrative and is redundant, as we have often said, according to the Hebrew idiom. We may also say otherwise, that Christ, having mercy on us, became man and preached the true Gospel. ^B Gratiam et gloriam dabit [He will give grace and glory]. Grace of the remission of sins, as He gave to the harlot and to many others. Or, the grace of miracles, such as He bestowed upon the apostles and the other saints. And glory, both that which is from men and that which is in heaven. Or, grace to mean that of deification, and glory that of His kingdom. ^C Dominus non privabit bonis eos qui ambulant in innocentia [The Lord will not withhold good things from those who walk in innocence]. Some construct this passage by a hyperbaton, as follows: "He will give grace and glory to those who walk in innocence." Then, "The Lord will not deprive them of the good things in heaven." The construction of the word "privabit" is also indifferent. It implies "he will hinder." Some, however, say that the cases in the construction have been changed, being placed as "He will not withhold good things from those who walk in innocence" instead of "He will not deprive them of good things." Innocence in this place represents the abstaining from vices. (Consider also whether perhaps this verb, that is, the verb "to deprive" [privo] might be constructed in the same way as the verb "to take away" [aufero], which is sometimes joined with a dative and an accusative, such as: "I take that thing away from you," as we find in Aristides: "He took the sickness away from him." Likewise in Philostratus: "When fortune had taken away a great reward from him.")

^D Domine Deus virtutum, beatus homo, qui sperat in te [O Lord God of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in thee]. In Psalm 83 we also read: "Blessed is the man who trusts in him." Now, he is said to trust in God who despises all worldly things and depends on Him alone. The Hebrews, however, say that this psalm pertains to the people captive in Babylon, who longed to approach the Jerusalem temple and called blessed all who lived there. That people would have preferred to tarry in that temple even for a single day rather than elsewhere for the longest interval of time. But they cannot adapt this type of exposition to their purpose in every respect, since those words are contrary to them: "They shall praise thee for ever and ever." For both the temple, and the praises that were offered to God in that temple, have all passed away. Those words, "In the valley of tears," would have no coherence according to their exposition. And many other things besides will be discordant. For the very inscription at the beginning opposes them, which calls them "Wine-presses" in the plural number, whereas frequently in the Old Testament the Jerusalem temple is called the "Wine-press" in the singular number, or the "Tabernacle," and not "wine-presses" or "tabernacles."

Unto the end, for the sons of Core, a psalm of David. PSALM LXXXIV.

"Unto the end" is also inscribed on this psalm because of the prophecies contained in it, which tended toward the end. And in figure, indeed, it predicts those things which regarded the people of

^A the nations, who were held captive under the servitude of idols, and whom He predicts are to be freed from such a yoke.

Vers. 2. *Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam.* The Prophet, foreseeing with the eyes of his mind these things which we have mentioned, addresses God Himself, saying: *Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam*, or (as it is more accurately read in the Greek text): *Bona voluisti, Domine, terrae tuae.* For in the Greek there is the word from which "well-pleasing" is derived, or "good-will." In the Greek reading, however, the construction is indifferent. He says *terrae tuae*, because the earth is the Lord's, etc. Therefore, You have now willed good things to Your land. For formerly, on account of the transgression of our first parent, You did not will good things to it, but evil; saying, *Cursed be the earth in thy works.* But now, on account of the obedience of our new Adam, it is restored to Your favor; nay rather, formerly it was only Your creation, but now it has also become Your possession. And indeed, all the faithful follow this meaning. The Jews, however, through the "land of God," understand only Judea itself, as that which was destined for the people of God: to which they say God wished well, because after the captivity He permitted it to be inhabited ^B again.

*Avertisti captivitatem Jacob.* He sets down those things which were to be as if they were already done, by the law of prophecy. You have turned away, he says, the captive people of Jacob from the tyranny by which it was oppressed. By Jacob, however, as we have often said already, he understands the Christian people.

Vers. 3. *Remisisti iniquitatem populo tuo: operuisti omnia peccata eorum.* Elsewhere in the psalm the Prophet called this people blessed, saying: *Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.* For He has remitted our iniquities through repentance, and has covered our sins with the sacred waters of holy baptism. The Hebrews, however, say that God remitted the iniquities on account of which they had been led into captivity, and that He covered their sins in the deep of oblivion. But the people of the Lord is called not only that ancient Israelitic people, according to the account given in psalm LXXX, but also the new people of the Christians, as we said in the first verse of psalm LXXVI.

Vers. 4. *Sedasti omnem iram tuam.* Which You formerly had on account of these our iniquities and sins.

*Avertisti ab ira indignationis tuæ.* What the "wrath of indignation" is (or rather, as it is held in the Greek, "outburst"), we have seen in psalm LXXVII. You have averted, however, stands in place of You have turned away; namely, from indignation, and thus You have passed over to hilarity and benevolence. ^D

Vers. 5. *Converte nos, Deus salutarium nostrorum, et averte iram tuam a nobis.* Henceforth he speaks in the person of the people, or even the Prophet counts himself among them, supplicating that they might obtain the things mentioned above. But concerning the meaning of those words: *Deus salutarium nostrorum*, it is spoken of in psalm LXVI. Turn

us, moreover, from captivity to our former dignity.

^A Vers. 6. *Numquid in sæcula irasceris?* It has used "in sæcula" here for "perpetually," or for: "Will you be angry for a long time?" But some, however, do not understand this as being spoken by way of interrogation, and they explain the word *μή* (ne, "do not"), which is held in the Greek reading—as it can rightly be explained—as "lest," so that the sense might be: "Do not be angry with us forever."

*Or will you extend your wrath from generation to generation?* It repeats the same thing again. But by "into generation" it said "until another generation," about which it is spoken in the eighth psalm; and *extendes* stands for "you will prolong."

^B Vers. 7. *Deus, tu convertens vivificabis nos.* Converting us, certainly, from captivity to liberty, and from vices to virtues; or (because the Greek word can be taken in both senses, it can also be read: "Deus tu conversus," "God, you having turned"), let us say: "God, you having turned to us"; for previously you were turned away from us. *Vivificabis*, this is, you will render us alive to the works of virtue; for previously we were almost dead to them.

*And your people will rejoice in you.* Having obtained such a conversion, of course.

Vers. 8. *Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam, et salutare tuum da nobis.* These things, and those that follow, are to be understood concerning Christ. For the Prophet asks God the Father, in the person of the faithful people, that Christ, whom he calls both the mercy of God and the salvation of God, should be shown to him. ^C But he called him mercy and salvation because he was moved by mercy to assume flesh and save us. Whence he is deservedly called both merciful and Savior. We call this "your mercy, O God, and your salvation," because we seek that mercy and that salvation which is from you. For the Prophet speaks to the Father. You will truly give us that which we ask, so that we may at some time be able to sing with the Prophet: *A child is born to us, and a son is given to us.*

Vers. 9. *Audiam quid loquatur in me Dominus Deus.* Feeling the divine inspiration and breath about to come into himself, the Prophet prepares himself to listen. The fact that he says *in me* is intended to show that God was about to speak, not into the exterior ears of the body, but into the interior ears of the soul.

^D *Quoniam loquetur pacem super populum suum, et super sanctos suos, et in eos, qui convertunt corda sua ad eum.* I shall hear, he says, what he will speak. For God will certainly speak, and will evangelize peace to his people. And in truth, the people of God have peace always, both with themselves and with God, just as, on the contrary, the same people always have combat and war with the demon and with all who are friends of the demon or enemies of God. He has called these same ones the people of God, and holy—that is, sanctified, and

^A a soul; or by the heart he indicated the whole person, as if from a part, the whole.

VERS. 10. *Verily, His salvation is nigh unto them that fear Him.* This is what the Prophet heard God speaking within him. The expression, "Verily" (*Plerumque*), is redundant in this place, or it is taken for "Truly." He says: His salvation, that is of God, will be near to those who fear God; and the sense is that as soon as any shall be fearing Him, who surely were to become faithful, then Christ will be near them, that is, He will immediately at that time arrive.

*That glory may dwell in our land.* (What we read in the Greek can be explained as the Latin interpreter has explained it. Or also: *That He may cause glory to dwell*, although the readings tend toward the same [meaning].) Therefore Christ will be near, that He may cause glory, grace, and honor to dwell in the land of Jerusalem, either because He Himself was that glory who became flesh and dwelt among us, ^B or because after the incarnation of the Savior, even unto this day, that land of Jerusalem has become noble, honored, and desirable to all.

VERS. 11. *Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.* Some say that these verses are meant to enumerate those virtues which met together in Christ: for instance, mercy and truth. And Christ indeed demonstrated mercy by healing the sick, and truth by teaching and preaching. Righteousness and peace also met together in Christ. For it is signified to us by those words: *Have kissed each other.* Now, the righteousness of Christ appeared in judging rightly, when He both rebuked the wicked and praised those endowed with virtue; but peace appeared in His meekness and modesty. But to explain it more deeply: mercy can be called the divine nature of Christ, which has the power of forgiving sins ^C and healing infirmities; truth, however, is His human nature, because no guile was found in His mouth, and because He alone truly preserved that dignity and likeness of man, according to which he had been made in the image of God: and because He was true man, and not a phantom, as certain heretics have said. Therefore, what he says—*met together*—is the same as saying that they "converged into one," that is, they were united into one person. Likewise, righteousness is taken for the divine nature (for God alone is a just judge), and peace for the human nature, on account of its truly noble and native meekness. Therefore, these virtues have kissed each other, because they had a supreme union and harmony between them in Christ.

VERS. 12. *Truth is sprung out of the earth; and righteousness hath looked down from heaven.* When men have embraced the true faith through the Son, then the Father, by right and merit, undertook a more abundant providence for them, having destroyed the demon, their tyrant. Or otherwise, understand by "truth" Christ Himself. For He says: *I am the truth.* ^D Christ therefore having sprung forth from the earth, according to this lower generation, and all error and falsehood having subsequently been dissolved, the Father, who is, as we have said, supreme righteousness, looked down from heaven upon the earth.

turned away, because of the lie that had been poured out upon the earth, and ^A the things above were reconciled to the things below. For the Lord will give goodness, and our earth will give its fruit. See how steadily David foretells that the Father will give his Son to men, who is goodness. For there is no one good except one, God. For Symmachus also said, "the good." And the earth will give its fruit—the apostles, that is, and the other faithful who sprouted from Judea. But to speak more simply, once Christ is born, the Lord will give mercy to men, and henceforth the earth will prosper with all fruits. ^B Justice will walk before him. By justice here he signifies every virtue, whose light, walking before and flashing forth from him, displayed him to men like a lamp. And he will set his footsteps into a path. And henceforth Christ will set his footsteps—that is, the virtuous path that he himself cut and walked—he will set it, I say, so that it might be a path for Christians, by which, as they walk, they might ascend to him. But it is also possible to speak in another way: that the forerunner ^C John, whom David now calls justice because he kept the justice of the law and lived justly, will thus walk before—that is, in front of—Christ. For "Behold," he says, "I am sending my messenger before your face, who will prepare your path before you." For he cried out, "Prepare the ways of the Lord; make straight his tracks." But you may also understand it in another way, that the Godhead, which is justice itself, led before the things assumed and directed his steps into a straight path. For "I beheld the Lord," he says, "before me at all times."

Prayer of David. PSALM LXXXV.

^A possesses no significant strength against visible and invisible enemies, nor is able to contend with them. "Preserve my soul, for I am holy." ^B That is, dedicated and consecrated, as has been said also in the fifteenth psalm; or he calls himself holy as one pious toward God, inasmuch as his enemies were impious. "Save your servant, my God, who hopes in you." Save him, he says, from the impending danger, the one who relies on nothing at all but you alone. "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I shall cry unto you all the day." For "all the day," Symmachus interprets as "always." "Gladden the soul of your servant, for unto you I have lifted up my soul." Dissolve the sorrow by which I am held. Concerning the words "I have lifted up my soul," it was spoken of at the beginning of the twenty-fourth psalm. "For you, O Lord, are good, and gentle, and plenteous in mercy unto all who call upon you." For "gentle," Aquila and Symmachus have translated "propitious"; and "gentle" is the same as "meek." But "to those who call upon you" means not simply, but those who call upon you with their whole heart. For even in the one hundred and forty-fourth psalm, when he had said, "The Lord is near to all who call upon him," he added, "to all who call upon him in truth," that is, with their whole soul. "Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, and attend to the voice of my supplication." ^C You will find these words explained in the first verse of the sixteenth psalm. "In the day of my tribulation I cried unto you, for you have heard me." He calls that the day of tribulation which was already imminent. But concerning the words "for you have heard me," it was spoken of in the aforementioned sixteenth psalm. "There is none like unto you among the gods, O Lord, and there is nothing according to your works." For he says, all the gods of the nations are demons; but the Lord made the heavens. And you indeed are the true God, but they are demons. It seems that this saying was taken from the words of Moses, who says: "Who is like unto you among the saints, wonderful, glorious, doing wonders?" ^D Now the works of Christ are not only the creation and providence of the invisible and visible creature, but also the restoration of the creature, and the destruction of the tyrant, and furthermore that slaying of death, which he accomplished by his own death. Likewise, that fishing of the whole world, which he accomplished through a few and lowly fishermen: to all which may also be added the power of miracles. For although many others have performed similar miracles, none however could do it by his own authority, as Christ did; for they performed them by the invocation of the divine name. "All the nations, as many as you have made, shall come and shall worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name."

^A For you are great and do wondrous things; you are God alone. Here he prophesies concerning the faith of the nations. They shall come, he says, to you through faith; for he who acknowledges that he is watched by God is said to worship before God. And before God is every place of his dominion. "They shall glorify [you]," that is, instead of "they shall praise," they shall magnify, because you are truly great, and you are God alone, doing wondrous things.

"Guide me, O Lord, in your way, and I will walk in your truth." By the way of God, understand that virtue which pertains to action; by truth, that which pertains to contemplation. Therefore, he who has been guided by God to the former virtue will be able to arrive at the latter with ease. Regarding this way and truth, you will find also in Psalm 24, where it is said: "Show me your ways, O Lord," and a little later: "Guide me in your truth."

^B "Let my heart rejoice to fear your name." Let it rejoice, not with any worldly rejoicing, but in fearing you. Observe this strange rejoicing. Let your fear, he says, be my rejoicing. Elsewhere it is said: "Let the heart of them that seek the Lord rejoice." But he seeks the Lord who fears him. For not only the fear of God, but the simple memory of God gladdens all the pious and faithful, according to that saying: "I remembered God, and was glad."

"I will give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart." That is, I will offer gratitude. "And I will glorify your name for ever." That is, always.

"For your mercy is great upon me." He uses "great" for "abundant."

"And you delivered my soul from the deepest hell." ^C If you understand the psalm to pertain to the blessed David, by "hell" you should understand the deep pit of sin, namely of adultery and murder. But if to King Hezekiah, then understand "hell" as the death to which he was close, and from which he was most wondrously delivered. Hell may also be taken for any danger whatsoever, whether it threatens from visible or invisible enemies.

"O God, lawless men have risen up against me." ^D The enemies of the blessed David who plotted against him were lawless, and the Assyrians who besieged King Hezekiah; and our enemies, both visible and invisible, may all be called lawless.

"And a congregation of the mighty have sought my soul, and have not set you before them." Those same ones whom we called lawless. These words are also found in Psalm 53.

"But you, O Lord my God, are compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy, and true." As you are compassionate and merciful, you always sympathize with those who are oppressed; and as you are long-suffering, you do not immediately pardon sinners into the hands of their enemies.

as, since thou art very merciful, not once only, but many times thou dost show mercy; and since thou art truthful, thou savest all those who hope in thee.

VERS. 15. *Look upon me, and have mercy on me.* This verse is contained also in Psalm XXIV.

*Give thy strength unto thy servant.* Strength which can be possessed from thee against enemies. *And thy servant*, that is, thy slave.

*And save the son of thine handmaid.* That is, of thy female servant. By these words, however, the Prophet seems to indicate that he was sprung from pious and religious parents.

VERS. 16. *Show me a token for good.* Impose on me, he says, a token or judgment for good, that is, a good sign, such as thou didst once place upon the doorposts of the Jews when thou didst destroy the firstborn of the Egyptians. For there is sometimes a sign for evil, such as that which God had placed on Cain. For the sign of the Hebrews indicated divine custody and protection, but that of Cain indicated the wrath of God.

*And let them that hate me see, and be ashamed, because thou, O Lord, hast helped me and comforted me.* The order is formed by hyperbaton: "And let them that hate me see that thou, O Lord, hast helped me and comforted me; and let them blush and be ashamed, as though they were vanquished and overcome." (And according to this sense it should be read: *That* thou, O Lord, not *because*. For the Greek word, *hoti*, can accept either reading.)

For the sons of Core, a psalm of a song.

Of the sons of Core, it has been spoken in the proemium of the work. In this psalm, however, both the birth of Christ and the salvation of the Gentiles are openly predicted.

VERS. 2. *His foundations are in the holy mountains.* Of whom are his? Of Christ, doubtless: and this becomes more manifest from those words which follow a little later: *Mother Sion, shall a man say, and a man was born in her, and he himself founded her for ever.* Now the foundations of Christ are those dogmas which are handed down concerning Christ. For these dogmas are certain bases or roots of the Christian faith. These foundations of the Christian faith, therefore, were laid in the Apostles, whom the Prophet in this place calls holy mountains. Mountains, indeed, as being strong and constant in the faith, and as being lifted up from every earthly and lowly state; or also, because as earthly mountains are full of the thickest woods and trees, ^D so they are filled with manifold sprouts of virtues. He calls them holy apostles, as we have often said, as being sanctified and dedicated to God, or as being filled with the Holy Spirit. We can also understand the Apostles as the foundations of Christ in another way: foundations, indeed, as principles of the building up of the Church of the faithful; and Christ’s foundations, since they were in a manner laid by him and submitted into the work. Now these apostles were in the holy mountains, in Sion, namely, and in Thabor, and in other mountains which, beyond others, were by the conversation of Christ

^A sanctified. Some understand the foundations as the prophecies of Christ, as the principles of the Christian faith. For the holy mountains can not unworthily be called prophets, on account of the sublimity of prophecy and the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, so that the meaning is that the principles of the Christian faith are in the prophets.

*The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than all the tabernacles of Jacob.* The great Paul taught us that there is a certain heavenly Sion and a heavenly Jerusalem, thus naming that conversation which is in heaven. By these gates of Sion, therefore, you shall understand the local Churches, as we said at the end of the 82nd Psalm, which the Lord loveth, having preferred them to all the cities of the Israelite race. For by tabernacles he calls the cities, or he calls strictly "tabernacles" both Shiloh and the sensible Jerusalem, in which the ark rested, as is said before in the 76th Psalm. ^B

*Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.* Having heard from the Holy Spirit that God was to be seen in Jerusalem and would converse with men, the Prophet, struck with amazement, cried out to it, saying: "Great and wonderful things have been spoken to me concerning thee, O city of God." He calls this the city of God both because it was long ago dedicated to God and because it was later dedicated to Christ himself, on account of his sufferings and his burial therein.

*I will be mindful of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me.* This speech is uttered in the person of the Savior; and he prophesies that the Church will be constituted out of many nations, and those, indeed, some of the most impious. For by Rahab he hinted at the Canaanites; for Rahab was a Canaanite, and the Canaanites and Babylonians were the most impious of all. Then he lists other nations of the same kind. For by those "that know me" he speaks of those who have believed; the meaning is this: "To the body of those who have believed, I will deem them also worthy of memory," and again: "I will care for them also, as for believers." Some, however, say that Rahab is Arabia.

Lo, ^C the foreigners, and Tyre, and the people of the Ethiopians, these were born there. And foreigners, and Tyrians, and Ethiopians were appointed there, that is, in Sion, or in the gates of Sion, as is said, or in those who know God; but Aquila translated "were born" as "were appointed." Likewise also Symmachus. They were appointed through the birth of holy baptism. The term "Lo" is redundant, according to the idiom of the Hebrew writing; and the term "these" also seems to be superfluous. It is organized also thus: "And lo," instead of "And finally, these were born there." Who are these? Foreigners, and Tyrians, ^D and what follow. Concerning the foreigners it is said in

and the rest. Regarding the foreigners ^A mentioned in the eightieth psalm, all the enumerated nations were more impious and lawless than the others. If, then, such nations are to believe in Christ, how much more will all the other, less impious ones believe in Him?

VERS. 5. *Mother Sion, shall a man say.* He clearly and openly predicts that from whatever nation anyone has entered into Sion, he will say that Sion is mother. For the word "is" must be understood. Sion is called a mother, therefore, because she regenerates, as we have said, or because she nourishes all the faithful with the food of Christian and spiritual dogmas, just like a devoted mother. Or she is called a mother as one who is lovable. For there is nothing sweeter or more lovable than her. For the Church is truly lovable to those who enter it, in that the Lord Christ lived there according to the flesh, and sanctified the places of His sojourn.

*And a man was born in her.* This pertains to the generation of Christ, who was born within the borders of the Church: Christ, I say, who was a true man, and who preserved the whole dignity of humanity; but lest you should think Him a mere man, but rather recognize Him as God and man alike, he added: *And he himself, the Most High, founded her.* And that same One, he says, who was born in her as a man, did Himself found her from the beginning as the creator of heaven and earth, who is the Most High as God.

VERS. 6. *The Lord shall recount in the writing of the peoples and of the princes who were born in her.* Christ will teach the things concerning Himself from the Scripture, namely, the prophetic one. For Luke the Evangelist says: "And there was delivered to him the book of the prophet Isaiah, and unfolding the book, he found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, wherefore he anointed me; to preach to the poor he sent me,'" and what follows. He calls such prophetic writing the writing of the peoples and of their princes, as being given to the peoples of the Jews and their princes, and as being the proper possession ^C of those who were born therein, that is, who were born in Sion.

VERS. 7. *As the dwelling of all those who rejoice is in thee.* The word "as" is used as a confirmation. Truly, he says, O Sion, in thee is the dwelling of all who rejoice spiritually. The word "all," although it carries a universal meaning, is nevertheless very frequently used among the Hebrews so as to signify not so much "all" as "many."

A Psalm-canticle for the sons of Core, for the end, concerning Maeleth, for response, of the understanding of Eman the Israelite.

PSALM LXXXVII

What a psalm-canticle is, and regarding the sons of Core, we have said in the proemium of the work. It is inscribed "for the end" because the prophecy which is contained here tended toward the end. And the psalm immediately preceding predicted the birth of Christ, but this one, His death. As for it being inscribed "concerning Maeleth," it is instead of...

"for the dance." For they used to sing and at the same time dance while reciting this psalm. ^A And "for replying," it is instead of "in replying." For they danced while replying to the instrumental music. And of "understanding," because there is need of understanding for the readers, on account of the mystery hidden in the psalm concerning the death of the Lord. And "to Heman the Israelite," because this psalm was delivered by blessed David not only to the sons of Core, but also to Heman, the leader of the other choir; and it was sung by both choirs together, or sung by them in turns. Now, some of the manuscripts write "Heman," and others "Ethan"; but it is better to write "Heman" in the present instance, and "Ethan" in the one that follows. For in the first book of Chronicles both are recorded as choir leaders. And [the addition] "the Israelite" [was made], not as though the others were not Israelites, but as though there were also other men named Heman and Ethan who were foreigners, and to distinguish them from whom the designation "the Israelite" was [added] ^B.

"O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried by day and by night before Thee." Concerning the phrase, "God of my salvation," it has been spoken of in the sixty-seventh psalm; and Christ calls the Father Lord and God as a man, for you will find many such things in the twenty-first psalm. And "by day and by night" is instead of "continually." And this is an expression of faith in God; for whoever loves God with a sincere mind cries out before Him constantly, either with his mouth or in his heart, inasmuch as he is also constantly in need of help from God. Or he understands day and night specifically as that [time] during which the Lord was betrayed.

"Let my prayer come into Thy presence; incline Thine ear to my supplication." By prayer and supplication here you shall understand either that which He made for His disciples, or that which He uttered when He sought for the cup of death to pass from Him, as you will find in the Gospels. ^C But as a man He utters these humble words, just as it was previously stated in the twenty-first psalm. And regarding the inclination of the divine ear, we have explained it in the sixteenth psalm.

"For my soul is filled with evils, and my life has drawn near to Hades." "Evils," instead of "afflictions." For, He says, "My soul is sorrowful even unto death." For here we must understand by Hades, death.

"I have been counted with them that go down into the pit." "I have been counted," instead of "I have been numbered," [or] "I have been reckoned with those being buried"; for he calls these "them that go down into the pit." For it has been said that the tomb is also called a pit. The words before this present saying, then, are appropriate for the time before death, but this one [is appropriate] for the time after the burial.

"I was made as a man without help." He did not say: "As a man" simply, but: "As a man without help." ^D

^A For, as the Evangelist says, all forsook him and fled. By human judgment, therefore, he appeared to be destitute of all help, though it was otherwise. For we read that he said to Peter: "Do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he will place at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?"

"Free among the dead." Free from corruption, or also free because I was not led down into Hell by angels, but descended alone; for the word "I became" must be understood. I arrived among the dead "free," that is, blameless, the article being omitted. For all others have sin as the cause of death; for death is the punishment and penalty of sin. Christ alone, however, as sinless, approached death blameless. Alternatively, "free," because others die against their will and are therefore slaves to death, but Christ died of his own accord and willingly. For he says: "I have power to lay down my life." Or, in another way, "free," as one who was not held by the bonds of Hell, but descended there with authority and in dignity, and even conversed there, and rather dissolved the bonds of others. Moreover, Christ is called free in that respect because, as God, he was not subject to death.

VER. 6. "Like the wounded sleeping in the sepulcher." The word "I was" must also be understood here. But Symmachus rendered it thus: "As wounded men lying in the sepulchers."

"Of whom you are mindful no more." Since they are already corrupted and dissolved into dust.

"And they were cast off from your hand." Those, assuredly, who fell from your help because of their own sins. I am become, he says, like such men—in the opinion of many, at least—although it was not so. Even if, he says, I was pierced with nails and a lance, and was placed in the grave, yet I was not abandoned by you. For you have never forgotten me, who long ago had promised that you would not permit your Holy One to see corruption. Nor was I cast off from your hand. For, he says elsewhere, "You have taken me up because of my innocence."

VER. 7. ^B "They put me in the lowest pit." By "lowest pit" he means the tomb, the depth of which Christ called "the heart of the earth" in the Gospel, saying: "So shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth, for three days and three nights." But they—those who attended to my burial—placed me therein.

"In darkness and in the shadow of death." In dark places, I say. For with the stone placed over the tomb, darkness was made in the places of the sepulcher. And by "the shadow of death," he again refers to the dark places in the tomb; he signifies the same thing through other words. For darkness is also called "shadow."

VER. 8. "Your fury is confirmed upon me." Symmachus, in place of "confirmed," rendered "weighed heavy." Upon me, he says, has fallen the wrath that ^C

their sins had ^A voluntarily kindled, but I willingly endured it and appeased you. For by my passion and death I calmed all your indignation, just as when someone takes upon himself a blow directed at a child. For, "by his stripe," he says, "we are healed," and "the Lord delivered him for our sins," that is, because of our sins.

"And you have brought all your billows upon me." By the billows he understands the insurrections of temptations, which he endured; and he calls them God's billows, because by his decree they were brought on for the salvation of men. And "all," clearly, means as many as you willed.

VER. 9. "You have put my acquaintances far from me." Luke the Evangelist also says: "And all his acquaintances stood at a distance." He says "You have put far," because these things happened by the will of the Father.

"They have made me an abomination to themselves." The Jews, of course, among whom even today the name of Christ is an abomination.

VER. 10. "I was delivered, and I did not go out." I was delivered to the Jews by the Iscariot, and although I could go out from them, I did not do so, but I willingly remained always.

"My eyes have grown weak from poverty." From the poverty, that is, of tears. For when they had previously flowed most copiously, his eyes were at length emptied. It is probable, however, that the Lord, out of His supreme mercy, lamented the fall of Judas, and the rejection and destruction of all the Jews, just as we know He wept over Jerusalem. Some in this place understand by poverty the wasting away of the body from affliction.

"I have cried to you, O Lord, all the day." He said also at the beginning ^B of the psalm: "O Lord God of my salvation, by day I have cried." He cried, however, not only for himself, as a man, but also for his disciples and for the people.

"I stretched out my hands to you." Supplicating, that is, for the same ones.

VER. 11. "Will you work wonders for the dead? Or will physicians raise them, and shall they confess to you?" By the law of human nature he fears death and asks to live longer. For in the Gospels he also said: "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me." These words and those that follow are similar to those which are held in the twenty-ninth psalm, where it is said: "Shall the dust confess to you? Or will it declare your truth?" And seek there. Will you perform ^C wonderful works for the insensible dead, such as you often do for the living? Or will physicians raise them, and will they give you thanks? Not so. But the living recognize such things and give you thanks. Therefore, permit me to live, if it is possible.

^A VERSE 12. *Will anyone recount your mercy in the grave, or your truth in destruction?* These words pertain to the same sentiment. By "destruction," he again refers to the grave, as it corrupts and destroys the corpses lying there. We have said elsewhere that the Prophet often repeats the same sentiment in different words, especially whenever he wishes to express a certain feeling of the soul. No dead person, he says, but only one who is living will perceive your mercy, and he will recount it to men. Concerning the truth of God, it has been discussed in Psalm 29.

VERSE 13. *Will your wonders be known in the darkness, and your righteousness in a land of forgetfulness?* We have already said that by "darkness" the burial is understood; he likewise called it "a land of forgetfulness." It is seen as forgotten by men on account of its corruption, and by God because those who lie there no longer live. For those whom God remembers are said to live. All these words are of the same sentiment, and are to be read as an interrogation and with feeling.

VERSE 14. *And I to you, O Lord, have cried out.* I also, along with other men, since I am indeed a true man. ^B *And in the morning my prayer shall prevent you.* He said "in the morning" to mean "swiftly." For my prayer, he says, shall come to you swiftly. The preposition "pre-" is emphatic. My prayer comes to you swiftly because sins cannot be an impediment to it.

VERSE 15. *Why, O Lord, do you reject my soul, and turn away your face from me?* These things are similar to those found in Psalm 21, where it is said: *Why have you forsaken me?* And again: *I will cry out by day, and you will not hear.* Now, Christ speaks these things on behalf of us to the Father—on behalf of us, I say, who had previously been cast out. For he calls each faithful soul his own soul, subjecting each of us in his own person. Why, he says, do you still reject them? For I henceforth am paying the penalty for all.

VERSE 16. *I am poor, and in labors from my youth.* Gregory the Theologian, speaking of this poverty of Christ, said: "He who was rich became poor; he became poor, I say, because of my flesh, so that I might be made rich by his divinity." ^C Christ himself also said of this to the scribe: *Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.* And concerning "labors from my youth," it is said because from his very swaddling clothes snares were laid against him, and because as an infant he endured persecutions—namely, from Herod and from the Jews. By "labors," he understands tribulations.

*And being exalted, I was humbled.* Exalted by miracles, and depressed by insults, according to the opinion of the Jews. Or, exalted on the cross, and humbled in the grave. ^D

And I was destitute. And this also, as far as the opinion of the Jews is concerned. For He seemed to them ^A to be destitute and in need of help; and for this reason they said, "Let us see if Elias comes to save him."

Verse 17. *Thy wraths have passed over me; thy terrors have troubled me.* By the wraths of God, he understands those which God had conceived against sinners; and similarly the terrors. And he says that the wraths passed through and entered into Him, but that the terrors disturbed and restrained Him from vices. But Origen understands by the wraths and terrors of God the demons themselves: wraths, because they are always angry with men; of God, because they do this by divine permission; and terrors, because they strike terror. He says, therefore, that at the time of the passion, they attacked Him and troubled Him as a man. ^B

Verse 18. *They have compassed me about like water.* The Jews, that is to say; for in the twenty-first Psalm he said, "Many calves have compassed me; fat bulls have surrounded me." But he said "like water" because water surrounds those whom it catches from every side, and not from one part alone. *All the day long they compassed me about together.* He understands the day of the passion. And as for what he says, "together," explain it as "all at once."

Verse 19. *Thou hast put far from me friend and neighbor, and my acquaintances, because of my misery.* Because of my misery, he says, and because of the insults which were brought upon me, Thou hast put far from me my disciples, of whom we spoke above: "Thou hast put my ^C acquaintances far from me." He understands, however, friend, neighbor, and acquaintances to be the same people; friend, according to that, "You are my friends"; neighbor, because they lived together with Him; and acquaintances, because they knew Him, and were known by Him.

And thus, indeed, this whole psalm is referred to Christ. However, it is also appropriate for every faithful person in times of distress, as follows: "O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried by day before Thee, calling upon Thee for help." The parts that follow are clear: that "my soul is filled with sorrows," by which I am so exhausted that I have been "near to death." "I am counted with them that go down into the pit," as far as the desire and ^D intent of the most cruel demons are concerned: "I am become as a man without help," so that I could easily be caught. "I am counted among the dead," as far as their intent, as we said, is concerned, although I am still free from death, as one who has not yet truly died. "I am become like the slain lying in the grave," wounded myself by the dart of sin or the dart of sadness. You will explain what follows in the same way: The demons placed me in the depth and in the pit of sin, in the darkness of afflictions which, because of their extreme bitterness, seem to be a shadow and a certain likeness of death. "Thy fury is laid upon me"; for if Thou hadst not been angry with me, they certainly would not have overcome me: and all the uprisings and, so to speak, insurrections...

and inclinations, or assaults, which you have permitted to occur, are brought upon me. You have removed from me my acquaintances, that is to say, the holy angels, who before I sinned were most friendly and benevolent to me: to them I was then known, but now, on account of my sins, they abhor me. And therefore I have been delivered over to afflictions, from which it is not given to depart, but by which I am held fast with great force. ^A Moreover, those words: *My eyes have grown dim from poverty*, explain as we set forth above. I have cried out to You, constantly invoking You for help, and as for what follows, explain it as we said. *In the morning*, also—that is, as soon as possible, and immediately as I rise from sleep—before all things I shall pour out my prayer to You, saying: *Why, O Lord, do You reject my soul?*—that is, me myself, situated in distress and fervently supplicating You. Then, *I am poor*, having no help from elsewhere, and I am in labors on account of my error: and although I had been exalted by You in that You created me according to Your image, I have nevertheless been humbled because I have lost the dignity of the image; or, having been exalted in my own opinion and estimation, I have at length been humbled because I have fallen and slipped: and I am destitute of counsel, not knowing what I should do. Furthermore, *Your* ^B *wrath has passed over me*—that is, has reached me—while I pay the penalties in the present life, while I am stifled with sorrow: and Your terrors, which threaten me with eternal punishments, have troubled me and *surrounded me like water*. Or by the wraths and terrors of God, he understands the demons and tribulations. For by them, he says, I am constantly pressed, and these evils always surround me. You have removed my kinsmen, because, on account of the calamities and miseries by which I am held fast, all abandon me and flee.

Of Understanding to Ethan the Israelite. PSALM LXXXVIII.

The declaration of the present inscription is sufficiently covered by what we said in the immediately preceding one. But the blessed David treats in the present psalm of those things which pertain to his own affairs: and he praises God as his benefactor. ^C Yet he interweaves certain things in his speech concerning Christ. And for this reason it is inscribed "Of Understanding," because there is need of understanding for the reader to discern those things which are said sporadically in the psalm concerning Christ. He also foretells the Babylonian captivity.

VERS. 1. *I will sing of Your mercies, O Lord, forever.* The mercies, he says, which You have wrought in me, and for which he gives thanks more extensively in the second book of Kings. *Forever*, that is, always, I will sing, rendering them into a song and into hymns.

*From generation to generation I will announce Your truth with my mouth.* *From generation and generation*, he says, instead of "for every generation." ^D For one generation failing, another is introduced: and in this manner, it proceeds until the consummation of the age. Or, *for the generation of the Jews and for the generation of the Christians*; for to these two generations only, and not to others, does the blessed David announce the truth of God through his mouth. We can also say that the book of the Psalms is the mouth of the blessed David. By the *truth of God*, explain: the true promises of God, made namely to David himself, partly through the prophet Nathan, as the second book of Kings records, and partly through that pro-

prophetical grace which was given to him by the Holy Spirit. For God had promised him much, regarding both the victory over enemies and his future seed. By this seed, the Hebrews understand Solomon and others of his descendants, but we understand Christ, as will be said in what follows. ^B

VERS. 3. *Because thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up in eternity.* “Shall be built up” means, shall be performed. You said to me, he says, that mercy would be performed by you forever. The Hebrews, indeed, say that this mercy was performed for David himself, when God helped him. But we say that it is performed for all the faithful; for mercy could not have been performed in eternity and perpetually for David himself, since he has long been dead, but for the faithful it always could be. For Jesus Christ has been made an eternal mercy for them, whose body, if I may so speak, was built up and ineffably compacted from the most pure blood of the most holy Theotokos and Virgin. For the taking up of human nature by the God who took it is called a house; for “Wisdom,” it says, “has built herself a house [*].”

*Thy truth shall be prepared in the heavens.* Christ is called the truth of God, because he is truthful and not a liar, who also said of himself: “I am the truth.” This truth, he says, shall be established in the heavens. For the word “I prepare” is often taken among the Hebrews to mean “I establish,” and thus Symmachus rendered it. That Christ was to be established in heaven, the blessed David elsewhere handed down, saying: “The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand [*],” etc.

VERS. 4. *I have made a covenant with my elect.* These things are said from the person of God. By “covenant,” he means the promise which had been made concerning the seed of such elect ones. By “elect,” however, he understands Abraham himself, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom God had promised that he would magnify their seed. And therefore the great Paul says: “To Abraham were the promises made, and to his seed.” Then he added: “He saith not: And to seeds, as of many; but as of one: And to thy seed, which is Christ [*].” ^C

*I have sworn to David my servant: I will prepare thy seed unto eternity.* “I have sworn,” that is, I have promised most steadfastly. For the ancients understood that an oath in God is his constant promise. Among us, too, an oath is nothing other than a confirmation. “I have sworn,” then, that I will prepare, that is, I will establish, thy seed unto every age. By the seed of David, according to the more common sense, Solomon is understood, but according to the higher sense, Jesus Christ, who was born from the seed of David, that is to say, from the holy Virgin; for she was of the seed of David, being descended from there. He established him, however, by granting him an eternal kingdom: “For there is given to me,” he says, “all power in heaven and on earth [*].” Concerning whom we also read in Daniel: “And to him was given honor, and authority, and the kingdom; all peoples, tribes, ^D

^A and languages will serve him; his kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and the power that will not be corrupted;” which words would not befit Solomon.

VERS. 5. *And I will build up thy throne unto generation and generation.* To build, in this place, he puts for to increase and to perfect, and throne for kingdom. Consider this, how the Prophet called the kingdom of Christ the kingdom of David, because Christ was descended from him according to the flesh. For we are accustomed to call the kingdom of the son by the name of the father, on account of their relationship, that is to say, and such a close bond.

VERS. 6. *The heavens shall confess thy wonders, O Lord.* By the heavens, he understands the celestial powers. These, he says, the heavenly virtues will give thanks to thee for such wondrous works. Or by the heavens he understands those men who are wise in heavenly things, and who by their life and conversation are more sublime than others.

*And thy truth in the church of the saints.* The word "For" is redundant. They will confess to thee, he says, thy wonders, because thou doest wonders, and thy truth, because thou speakest true what thou dost promise. He says these things, rejoicing exceedingly in the promised wonder that has been spoken; but those heavenly virtues will give thanks in the Church of the saints who are in the heavens, concerning which Paul has said: “And the Church of the firstborn who are written ^B in the heavens.” But if, according to another exposition, by the heavens you understand those men who are wise in heavenly things, you will say that the Church of those saints is the Church of those who, living on earth, imitate the life and conversation of the celestial angels.

VERS. 7. *For who in the clouds shall be equal to the Lord? or who shall be like to the Lord among the sons of God?* That which we read here "In the clouds," some interpreters have rendered "In the highest," others "In the celestial places." But angels dwell in the highest and in the celestial places. Who, he says, is the angel who shall be equal to the Lord? Or who among all the saints can be compared to him? For by the sons of God we understand holy men, according to that saying: “I have said: You are gods, and all of you the sons of the Most High.” As if he said: No one surely can be compared to him. For thou art the maker, they, however, are the made. Truly the Prophet does not say these things so that he may compare men to God, but following a Hebraic idiom, from this dissimilarity he demonstrates the excellence of God, and praises him, as one who has promised great and saving things. And to these words are very similar those of the Apostle: ^C “that neither angel, nor man, but God himself saved us.”

VERS. 8. *God who is glorified in the council of the saints: great and terrible is he above all them that are round about him.* By council in this place he understands the congregation and the assembly of the saints, as we also said in the first psalm. For in the congregation of the saints ^D

God is glorified and praised. He says, therefore, that God is great and terrible in that congregation, that is, to be feared by those saints who have drawn near to Him in every way through the attainment of virtues. God is great and terrible to these saints, because they know His preeminence and power most accurately. By saints we may also understand the heavenly powers, which are likewise round about God.

Another interpretation of the words: "All who are round about him."

We read in Saint Maximus that he is said to be "surrounded" who has some around him in a circle—before, behind, to the right, and to the left. Since, therefore, God is said to have many around Him in His circle: by "behind" we understand those who follow Him through the virtue that pertains to action; by "to the left," those who direct natural philosophy toward spiritual things—for it is written in the book of Proverbs concerning Wisdom: "In her left hand are riches and glory."^A By those at the "right hand" of God should be understood those who have received the knowledge of immaterial and invisible things, pure and clean from every sensible and carnal phantasm; for it says: "In her right hand are length of days." And we shall say that those also are "before" God who, on account of their vehement love of divine beauty, are accounted worthy of the face-to-face enjoyment, and are themselves, in a certain sense, made gods.

^BVERS. 9. "O Lord God of hosts." These words we explained in the eighty-second [eighty-third] psalm. "Who is like unto thee?" (You will frequently find such a sentiment in blessed David.) These things are said not as if He were questioning, but as if He were struck with wonder, so that by this manner He might teach us His incomparability. "You are powerful, O Lord." In order to do what You have promised, whence I also believe that You will perfect all things thereafter. "And thy truth is round about thee." Not only are You powerful, but also truthful. For You have put on truth like a garment, which covers a man round about on every side; which words seem to indicate that God is always truthful.

VERS. 10. "You rule the power of the sea, and you mitigate the motion of its waves." He calls the violence of the waves the power of the sea. ^D You have, he says, the dominion over both the storms and the tranquility of the sea. And just as in the seventy-third [seventy-fourth] psalm he praised God by His wonderful works, saying: "You have done this and that," so He does also in the present case.

VERS. 11. "You have humbled the proud as one that is wounded." According to the historical sense, understand every proud and arrogant man. For "the Lord," he says, "resists the proud." But if we consider it more deeply, by "the proud" understand the devil himself, who became proud and on that account was cast down; and he calls him "wounded" because

the wounded, for the most part, are humble, as if afflicted by their toil. Others understand Pharaoh by the proud, and by the enemies, the peoples of the Egyptians, who were scattered and suffocated in the sea. ^A *In the arm of thy power thou hast dispersed thy enemies.* "In the arm of thy power," meaning, in thy powerful arm. And by "enemies" simply understand the ungodly and the very demons themselves.

Vers. 12. *Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth.* For thy creatures are they, and they serve thee; for he says elsewhere: "For all things serve thee." Concerning the heavens, we have spoken in the eighth psalm. *The world and the fulness thereof thou hast founded.* He repeats the same thing again; concerning this we have also spoken in the twenty-third psalm, there: "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof, the world, and all that dwell therein"; and look there. *The north and the sea thou createdst.* ^B Hesychius says that Scripture very often signifies the west by the name of the sea. Whence the Book of Numbers, which describes the tribes of the Jews, and says that some were arranged in a certain order toward the east, and others toward the west, and others toward the north, or toward the south of the tabernacle, by this expression "sea" signaled those who were placed toward the west. For it says: "The camp of Ephraim by the sea." Since, therefore, the northern region and the maritime region, that is, the western, are dark and wintry and cold, and it would come to pass that some, for that reason, would say that a demon was their creator, the Holy Spirit necessarily eradicated this error beforehand, teaching that these were made by the Creator. It is also necessary to know that when we look toward the east, we have the east itself before our face, the west behind our backs, the south on the right, and the north on the left. ^C

Vers. 13. *Thabor and Hermon shall exult in thy name.* Thabor and Hermon are mountains, and the boundaries of the land of promise. But through these mountains he signified that entire land, which he predicts will exult in Christ's name, that is, in Christ, or will exult in this, that it is named after Christ. But by "land" we understand the men who dwelled in that land. For Christ often walked in these mountains, inasmuch as He was transfigured on Thabor, and in Hermon He raised the widow's son; for the city of Nain, in which that miracle was performed, is situated at this mountain.

*Thy arm with power.* The sense is that Christ's virtue is most efficacious. For by "arm" he meant the efficacy of powers. But that Christ has been most powerful, we are taught by the Apostle, who, writing about Him, says that He is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Vers. 14. *Let thy hand be strengthened.* Against the enemies, that is to say. ^D

^A *Let thy right hand be exalted.* For our protection. By "hand" and "right hand" He signifies in the same way the power of God. And God invokes both powers of the hand for His assistance, so that He may both punish the enemies and protect the benevolent. Concerning these words, it has also been stated in the ninth Psalm: *Let Thy hand be exalted.*

*Justice and judgment are the preparation of Thy throne.* Aquila translated it: *Justice and judgment are the basis of Thy throne*; but Symmachus: *Stabilitas* (Stability). For it has been said before that the word "prepare" in Scripture very often signifies "to make stable." The meaning is: Thou, O Lord, art a just judge, and Thy judicial seat is fixed in justice and in judgment. Therefore, by justice and judgment, you shall understand a just judgment. Moreover, this figure of speech is frequent in the ancient Scripture, as we have said elsewhere; just as when "mercy and truth" are put together for "true mercy." Or, by justice, understand the habit of judging; by judgment, the pronouncement itself; by mercy, almsgiving, and by truth, the fulfillment of a promise. ^B

*Mercy and truth shall go before Thy face.* By these four, He indicated four things specifically in God: namely, that God is by nature wise in judging, that He judges, that He shows mercy, and that He speaks the truth. Therefore, He says, Thou wilt do judgment for human nature, which is coerced by tyranny, and Thou wilt pass sentence against the error of the idols, which has seized this tyranny over men, and Thou wilt have mercy upon Thy creature, and Thou wilt make true Thy promises, which Thou hast promised to me and to Thy other elect. We can also say it otherwise: Truth and mercy are said to precede God, because no one can approach the face of God—that is, to the knowledge of Him—unless he has first obtained mercy and been versed in the truth of doctrines. For mercy and truth go out to meet such a one. But some have understood all these things concerning the future judgment, that Thou art a most just judge; and in the judgment, mercy takes precedence over truth, because no one could ^C sustain the truth of Thy reproofs unless mercy were also mingled with it, so that the sense is: Thou art a most just judge, and in Thy judgment mercy precedes truth. Nor could anyone endure the truth of Thy reproofs if Thy truth were not also commingled with mercy.

*Blessed is the people that knoweth jubilation.* We have often said that joy (jubilum) is the voice of victory. The Prophet, therefore, calls those blessed who know how to sing hymns of victory to Him who overcame the devil; and he appears to be speaking of the faithful. Or otherwise, he calls them blessed because they know how to jubilate against invisible enemies, while they conquer them. ^D

*Lord, in the light of Thy countenance shall they walk.* The countenance of the Father is the Son, as we have said in the Psalm. The light of the Son, however, is His commandments: *For Thy law is a lamp unto my feet*, He says, *and a light unto my paths.* He says, therefore, that they in the Son's

mandatis ambulabunt ^A, who shall recognize this kind of jubilation in the commandments of Thy Son.

Vers. 17. *And in Thy name shall they exult all the day.* By calling upon and invoking Thy name. For if the righteous man rejoices in the memory of God alone (*For I remembered God*, he says, *and was glad*), much more shall he exult who names Him. Or, the address is to Christ, in whose name they exult, who shall be named Christians from Him.

*And in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted.* The Son is said to be the righteousness of the Father, because, as the Apostle says, *He was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification*, for He indeed exalted them, drawing them away from earthly things through the Gospel, and leading them up into heaven.

Vers. 18. *For Thou art the glory of their strength.* The strength of Christians is Christ, for He it is who makes them powerful in might; but the glory of Christ is the Father, in whom the Son Himself is so honored and glories, that throughout the Gospel He calls Him His Father, and refers all His own accomplishments to Him.

*And in Thy good pleasure shall our horn be exalted.* The good pleasure of the Father is the incarnation of the Word, and whatever other things pertain to an incarnation of this kind. We have spoken of what the "horn" signifies in Holy Scripture in Psalm LXXIV. But in this place, the blessed David joins himself to the Christians, just as he also frequently does elsewhere, because Christ was to be born from his seed, by which means he became related to the Christians. For Christians are the children of Christ, and Christ is the son of David. These words can also be understood as if they were uttered from the person of the Christians. ^C

Vers. 19. *For the Lord is our defense.* It is in God's power that we are helped. A similar mode of speech is that which we saw in the psalm: *Salvation is of the Lord.*

*And of the Holy One of Israel, our King.* He repeats the same thing again. It is in the power, he says, of God and of our Holy King of Israel, to help us. But God is called the Holy One of Israel (that is, the Holy One of the people of Israel), just as we said in Psalm LXXVI. He also calls God King, because by nature He is Lord of all.

Vers. 20. *Then Thou spakest in vision to Thy sons.* He set the word "Then" for a certain time, but one not expressly stated. "Then," therefore, Thou didst speak those things which pertain to me, David, and didst speak them in a vision; that is, in a certain other way more clearly to the sense. For we recognize those things which we see through the sense of the eyes more clearly and better than those which we perceive by other senses. Whence we read it written in Exodus: *And the people saw the voice of the Lord*, that is, they perceived it most clearly. But by the sons of God ^D he understands the prophets, as being beloved by Him on account of their virtue. For it is probable that to many there had been...

revealed the things which pertained to David himself, in that they harmonized in some parts with the events surrounding him; yet they are proven to have been spoken rather concerning Christ. ^A And wonderful is the grace of the divine Spirit: how easily it mixed things concerning David with those concerning Christ, and veiled the truth with the similarity.

And you said: I have laid help upon the mighty. I granted from myself aid to a mighty one. The Prophet seems to call himself mighty, as being a king; for the ancients used to call kings and lords "mighty." But it is more truly Christ according to His divinity. For Christ, he says, is the power and wisdom of God. I have exalted one chosen from my people. It seems at first glance to refer to David, having been chosen first from the people of the Jews for the kingship, and exalted later to glory on account of his brave deeds, but in truth it refers to Christ, chosen indeed according to His humanity for the hypostatic union from the people of the Jews; for she who gave birth to Him was from them; and exalted on account of the union. For it says: God also has highly exalted Him.

I have found David my servant. I understand this concerning David alone, and the following verses up to, And in my name his horn shall be exalted; although some refer these also to Christ. I have found, he says, him for the kingdom, having sought him among the sons of Jesse. For He said to Samuel: I have seen a king for myself among the sons of Jesse. ^B With my holy oil I have anointed him. And the first book of Kings tells the story of his anointing. For, it says, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brethren. And God called the oil of his anointing "holy," as being divine; for its confection was divinely taught and mystical.

For my hand shall help him, and my arm shall strengthen him. By hand and arm we have often interpreted the help and power from God. And shall strengthen him, that is, shall invigorate him.

^C An enemy shall not profit in him. The Hebrew often uses "to profit" for "to accomplish." Just as now, so also in the Gospel it is said: You see that you profit nothing, that is, you accomplish nothing.

And the son of iniquity shall not add to harm him. "Son of iniquity" is for "iniquitous," just as "Son of man" is for "man." So also "Son of injustice" is for "unjust," and "Son of perdition" for "the lost." And "sons of disobedience" for "the disobedient." For this also is an idiom of the Hebrew language. And "shall not add" is for "shall not undertake again," having been struck once by him. And I will cut down from his face his enemies. ^D

^A — "From his face," that is, "in his presence." "I will put to flight," means, "I will overcome."

VER. 25. *And my truth and my mercy shall be with him.* Either "my true mercy," as we have explained above. "Truth" refers to the promises, while "mercy" refers to the aid.

*And in my name shall his horn be exalted.* The "horn" of David is Christ, that is, his glory and honor. For just as certain animals grow horns from their heads, which are for them not only a strength but also an adornment; so out of the blessed David, who was the head of the Jews, as king—for we call rulers "heads"—there blossomed, like a horn, Christ; who also honors and glorifies him, just as the horn honors the horned animals. But he is called a horn not for this reason only, but also as being higher than all things because of his divinity; for the horn is superior to all the members of the body. God and the Father, therefore, says that the horn of David, that is, the Christ, would be exalted in his own name, that is, in being called God. With this statement, Zechariah also agrees in the Gospel, saying: *And hath raised up a horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning.* By these he meant the prophets whom the blessed David earlier called "sons of God," and by the "house of David" he meant his lineage. ^B

VERS. 26. *And I will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.* By the "sea" he signified the islands that are in the sea, and by the "rivers" the mainland, in which these rivers flow. By "hand" and "right hand," as we have often said, he understands power and dominion. But if we ask when the blessed David ever had dominion over the whole world, it can nowhere be found; yet Christ is clearly established as king of the whole sea and all the earth, and has attained his dominion, according to what we read in Psalm LXXI: *And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the rivers unto the ends of the earth.* Wherefore these things do not pertain to David himself, but to Christ. ^C

VERS. 27. *He shall call upon me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the helper of my salvation.* There is an ellipsis of the word "saying," which is understood from outside. "He shall call upon me in his time, saying to me: Thou art my Father," and the rest. But where do we read that the blessed David called God by the name of Father? Nowhere, indeed. But Christ everywhere in the Gospel calls Him his Father, as God, but calls Him God and helper, as man. ^D

VERS. 28. *And I will make him my firstborn.* Thus also the great Paul names him *the firstborn among many brethren*, and *the firstborn from the dead*, and *the firstborn of every creature*, as the firstfruits of the new people, and as the one who first rose from the dead.

^A to immortality, and as something exceptional and elect in the new creation of the faithful.

*Excelsum pra regibus terrae* (Exalted above the kings of the earth). Those who acknowledge him he has subject and inclined to him; but he is always higher than his enemies and those who reject his rule; and for this reason he is high above all the kings of the earth, whether those kings be faithful or infidel. But David, who ruled over only one province, could not be higher than all kings. ^B

*Vers. 29. In saeculum servabo illi misericordiam meam.* To him, I say, to Christ, who, according to his humanity, had need of divine mercy—if not for his own sake, at least for the sake of his own Christians and faithful ones, for whom he besought the Father, having become the mediator of God and man.

*Et testamentum suum fidele ipsi.* The promise that was made to David himself will be *fidelis*, that is, firm for Christ himself; that is, it will be fulfilled in him. For it was said above: *Usque in saeculum praeparabo semen ejus.*

*Vers. 30. Et ponam in saeculum saeculi semen ejus.* The seed of Christ is the evangelical discourse which was disseminated in the souls of the disciples, which discourse remains for ever and ever. Or, by his seed, understand the new people which has been generated in every nation. Symmachus, moreover, translated the words *in saeculum saeculi* as "perpetually." And truly ^C the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church of Christ forever.

*Et thronum ejus sicut dies coeli.* And again: I will make the throne of his kingdom as perpetual as the days of heaven, which are perpetual and will keep their limit until the end of the world. Similar are those words: *Et permanebit cum sole*, as we saw in Psalm LXXI. The days of heaven are called such because they are seen to be caused by the heaven itself, via the course of the sun. Let the Jews therefore show us the seed of David set *in saeculum saeculi*, that is, preserved in the kingdom, or his royal throne still remaining. But they will not be able. For indeed, in Jechoniah and Zedekiah the kingdom of David had its end. For both of them were led into captivity by the Babylonians; and Zedekiah was indeed blinded, ^D while Jechoniah was detained in perpetual servitude. Thus, then, the kingdom and throne of David were completely destroyed, and no one sat upon it further. For Zerubbabel, after the return from captivity, was not king, but a leader; so much so that the kingdom of David did not outlast the descendants for a period of four hundred years.

*Vers. 31-33. Si dereliquerint filii ejus legem meam, et in judiciis meis non ambulaverint: si justificationes meas profanaverint, et mandata mea non custodierint, visitabo in virga iniquitates eorum, et in verberibus injustitias eorum.* The sons of Christ are those who through the Gospel and the washing of baptism

are regenerated to Him. ^A Regarding the difference between law, judgment, justifications, and commandments, it has been clearly stated in Psalm XVII. ^B He says "profaned" instead of "set at nought"; for that which is profane is called such by way of contrast to that which is sacred, being equal to common or cheap. By "rod" and "stripes" he means temptations and calamities. The sense is as follows: I will chasten those who offend with the uprising of nations, with tyranny, with famine, and with other such disciplines; yet I will not utterly cast them off. Understand "iniquities" and "unjustices" as having the same meaning by way of parallel.

VERs. 54. *And my mercy I will not scatter from them.* Spare them, that is, and waiting for their repentance. O the immense mercy of God! For God shows mercy even while He scourges, and never inflicts sheer punishment; He smites and chastens them as those who have shown contempt, yet He shows mercy as to His own.

*Neither shall I act unjustly in my truth.* I will inflict, He says, no injury upon David; and the promises and covenants entered into with him I shall never transgress. I will not do this, moreover, because of my truth; because, namely, I am true.

VERS. 35. *Neither will I profane my testament.* I will not set it at nought, He says, nor will I despise my testament. For the authority of a testament lies in this, that it be both true and observed; just as, on the contrary, it is said to be "profaned" if it is infringed or not kept. And by "testament," or (as the Greek term more truly signifies) by "disposition," He understands those words by which He has arranged...

*And those things which proceed from my lips I will not make void.* These words follow as a declaration of the preceding. The Prophet introduces God here speaking in a certain human manner, while He makes Him call them His own lips. By the lips, however, and by the mouth and tongue of God, one must understand the very Word of God. ^C

VERS. 36. *Once have I sworn by my holy one, if I shall lie to David.* The term "once" signifies confirmation and a certain stability, as if He were to say: "Firmly have I sworn." Similar to this is: *Once God hath spoken.* And "I have sworn," in place of "I have steadfastly asserted." I have sworn, moreover, by my holiness; for everyone who swears, swears by something greater, yet God, not being able to swear by anything greater than Himself, swears by Himself, that is, into Himself, just as the great Paul taught us. The words, *If I shall lie to David*, mean the same as if He had said: "I will not lie to David." For this is also an idiom of the ancient Scripture, that in oaths it places the word "if" in place of a negative. You will find such a thing in Psalm CXXXI, there: *If I shall enter into the tabernacle of my house*, in place of "I shall not enter," and what follows.

VERS. 37. *His seed shall endure for ever.* Seed ^D

^A indeed, of David is Christ according to the flesh, as we discussed above, who also reigns eternally—over Christians indeed willingly, but over the unbelieving unwillingly; *For all power is given unto me*, he says, *in heaven and in earth*. But the seed of Christ is the Word of the Gospel, and those who have been regenerated unto him, as has likewise been explained above; and this seed, therefore, and that other, remains for ever, he says, according to my promise. *And his throne as the sun before me.* The kingdom of Christ, which is unto Christians, is signal and lasting, even as the sun. And why he took also the sun for an image of permanence has been stated in the LXXI Psalm, there: *And he shall continue with the sun.* *And as the moon perfected for ever.* One must read by hyperbaton, “as the moon perfected”; he says that his kingdom is signal and lasting for ever as the sun, and as ^B the full moon; for the “perfected” he calls the full moon. He took the two luminaries as an image, as also in the LXXI Psalm. *And a witness in heaven faithful.* Symmachus, instead of *Witness*, rendered *The one who testifieth*; he says that the one who testifieth, or rather, the one who promised me things concerning my seed, is in heaven, and is trustworthy. For those of the earth do not seem trustworthy. *But thou hast repelled and brought to nothing.* The things from here the prophet wrote from the persona of the Jewish people, lamenting the captivity by the Babylonians, and thinking that the promises made to David were made void. *But thou*, he says, *who didst promise the things spoken, hast repelled the seed of David, and didst dishonor it.* The discourse hints at Jechonias and Sedecias, as has been said. But the Jews are very foolish, supposing that God lies, which is impossible and impious. Therefore, the eternal seed of David for the kingdom is Christ, *Of whose kingdom there shall be no end*. And these indeed understand a bodily throne and kingdom; but this one’s kingdom is not of this world, as he himself has said, that is to say, not sensible, but intelligible. For his kingdom is the subjection and voluntary servitude of those who believe. *For I*, he says, *have been appointed king by him.* And again: *And I will give thee the Gentiles for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.* ^C *Thou hast delayed thy Christ.* He calls the king Christ of God, as having been anointed by the decree of God unto the kingdom. For so also in the first book of Kings, he names Saul the *Christ of the Lord*. And *thou hast delayed*, he says, that is, thou hast deferred; thou hast thwarted thy king, that is to say, David, by not fulfilling the promises joined to him. ^D

^A

VERS. 40. *Thou hast destroyed the covenant of thy servant.* Thou hast made void, he says, the promise thou didst make to him. *Thou hast profaned his sanctuary into the earth.* We have seen in Psalm LXXIII: *They have profaned the tabernacle of thy name into the earth.* By his sanctuary, I mean David’s, he understands that most celebrated temple which was in Jerusalem, as if it had been built by David himself, or, as one should rather say, because it was first decreed by him that it should be built, and because he left for Solomon his son the material suitable for so great a work. Moreover, he would have erected it himself beforehand, had he not been commanded by the Lord that not he, but Solomon, should build the temple. In the aforementioned Psalm LXXIII, he calls the temple by the name of both holy and sanctuary. It is also worth noting that the Prophet, who speaks in the person of the people, as we have said, casts all this calamity upon the blessed David himself, striving by this device to move God more to mercy, while he sees the people moved by such great compassion toward the blessed David.

VERS. 41. *Thou hast destroyed all his hedges.* By hedges, he understands the walls of the temple, or even the laws of Moses themselves. *Thou hast turned his strongholds into fear.* Speaking now of Jeconiah or Zedekiah, the prophet nevertheless shapes his discourse as if David were speaking of himself, because he reckons the calamity by which his descendants were overwhelmed as inflicted upon the progenitor. The strongholds, however, of both Jeconiah and Zedekiah were in the circuit of the walls; but each of them was led into captivity, and in place of such strongholds, each was surrounded by fear. Thou hast made him, he says, to be surrounded by fear, and to be fenced, as it were, by certain hedges of this kind. ^B

VERS. 42. *All that pass by the way have spoiled him.* For "him," read "his riches." By those who pass by the way, he means the neighboring nations who made their passage near him, and whom he called in Psalm LXXIX, *them that pass by the way*. *He is become a reproach to his neighbours.* This verse is also found in Psalm LXXVIII, except that there the people use the plural form in their discourse.

VERS. 43. *Thou hast exalted the right hand of them that oppress him.* That is, thou hast made the Babylonians superior to him. For those who are victors in war are accustomed to raise their hands above the conquered, and in this way to strike them. *Thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.* The neighboring nations, as we have said in the often-cited Psalm LXXVIII. ^C

VERS. 44. *Thou hast turned away the help of his sword.* Which thou wert accustomed to afford him in battles. *And hast not helped him in the war.* Which was waged, that is, against the Babylonians.

VERS. 45. *Thou hast caused his cleansing to cease.* Thou hast caused him to cease from his customary purification. For the Jews used sprinklings and purifications when they were celebrating some solemnity or festival. Hence, by the preceding, he signified that which follows, as if he were to say: Thou ^D hast utterly destroyed all his festivals. *Thou hast cast his throne down to the ground.* His kingdom

^A he has also overturned. For the language is metaphorical.

*Minorasti dies temporis ejus.* He refers to the promised time for the seed of David, which he had said would be unto the age of the age. But "thou hast shortened it," that is, thou hast cut it short, although thou hadst promised it would be longer.

*Thou hast covered him with shame.* For the disgraces of descendants seem to bring ignominy upon the progenitor as well. For they were put to shame by being enslaved and suffering the most dishonorable things.

*How long, O Lord, wilt thou turn away forever? Shall thy wrath burn like fire?* These words are similar to those which are held in the 78th Psalm, where it is said: *How long, O Lord, wilt thou be angry forever? shall thy zeal burn like fire?*

*Remember what my subsistence is.* Remember why I have come into being, that is, why I was fashioned; surely it was so that, living, I might glorify thy great works. Therefore, deliver me from death; for the dead shall not praise thee, O Lord.

*For thou hast not created all the sons of men in vain.* Thou hast not fashioned man idly and without cause, that he should perish like some useless and superfluous thing, as chance would have it; but thou didst honor him with thy image, and madest him great and honorable. Wherefore do not despise us ^B miserably perishing.

*Who is the man who shall live, and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of hell?* The "Who" is instead of "no one"; and this is also to be understood in the second clause, regarding the word "shall deliver." By the "hand of hell," he means its grasp, its tyranny. Since, he says, we must necessarily die, as having been allotted a mortal nature, grant us a share of thy philanthropy while we live.

*Where are thy ancient mercies, O Lord, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?* By "mercies," he understands the promises concerning the seed and the kingdom of David; for God, having had mercy on men, pledged these. They are "ancient" with respect to the suppliant people, because David was many years older than them; or "ancient," because they were ordained by ^C God before the ages; for Paul says: *The mystery which has been hidden from the ages.* Isaiah also called these things an ancient and true counsel. And "thou swarest," is instead of "thou didst faithfully promise." And "in thy truth," is instead of "in that thou art true."

*Remember, O Lord, the reproach of thy servants, which I have endured in my bosom from many nations.* By "thy servants," [he means] the Hebrews, which reproach I have endured from many nations, both from those who were taken captive and from ^D

of the surrounding nations, the reproach of which I have endured, or rather, have borne in my heart—for Aquila rendered "I carried" and Symmachus "I bore," instead of "I endured." He calls the heart a "bosom," because we store up there both sorrows and joys, as if in a bosom. (6) It should be noted that "of which" (ou) is used instead of "which" (ontina). For he added "of which" to the sequence of the reproach, according to Attic usage. He has done the same in the following two verses, with the word "Remember" taken in common and applied to this as well. The doubling of "They have reproached" is indicative of passion. ^B

VER. 52. *For thy enemies have reproached, O Lord; for they have reproached the change of thy Christ.* By "Christ of the Lord," he means David the King, as has been explained above. By the "change" of this Christ, or David, he understands Jechoniah or Zedekiah, who reigned after him in the place of David, to whom they also reproached their captivity.

VER. 53. *Blessed be the Lord for ever: so be it, so be it.* At the end of the psalm, he teaches us not to be faint-hearted in afflictions, but to beseech God and to remind Him of His kindness; and finally, to praise Him as One who governs all our affairs for our benefit. "Blessed," he says, should God always be; so be it, so be it—may He be blessed. Or "so be it, so be it," as He wills; for He wills whatever is profitable for men.

Prayer of Moses, the man of God. PSALM LXXXIX

Concerning this inscription, we have spoken in the preface of the present work. This psalm teaches us how we ought to beseech God in a time of affliction and calamity. ^C

VER. 1. *Lord, thou hast been a refuge for us in generation and generation.* This is: In every generation. For so Symmachus also rendered it.

VER. 2. *Before the mountains were brought forth, and the earth and the world were fashioned, even from eternity to eternity, thou art.* You are our refuge in every generation, therefore, because You always are, even before the creation of the mountains, or of the earth, or of the whole world altogether. And when he has said that the Creator God is prior to all creatures, he subsequently asserts in another way that He is eternal, without beginning and without end. For what he says: "From eternity to eternity thou art," is equivalent to saying: From everlasting to everlasting You alone are, and no other. For Scripture very often calls "eternity" (aion) the "always" (aei). The mention of the mountains being brought forth and the earth being fashioned is a tautology, just as are "the earth" and "the world" afterwards. Such expressions confer a certain majesty and magnitude to the discourse. ^D

*Variæ lectiones.* The interpreter has deliberately omitted the rest. We also omit it, following him as with other things of this kind; for they cannot be understood by those ignorant of the Greek language. Those who are skilled, however, do not need explanation, and they disdain such minor details.

^A *Ne avertas hominem in humilitatem*. Humility is accepted in Holy Scripture in various ways. For "humility" is spoken of as modesty—"Learn from me," He says, "for I am gentle and humble in heart" (Matt. 11:29)—and as the chastening that comes from affliction, according to: "It is good for me that You have humbled me" (Ps. 118:71). And as destruction, according to: "You have humbled the proud one like a wounded man" (Ps. 88:11). And sometimes as subjection, such as when one is subjected to his enemies; and in this sense it is used in the present psalm: "Do not allow me," he says, "to be turned into this humiliation, after I have taken refuge in You."

And You said: "Turn back, O sons of men." For You said, "O sons of men, turn back." We read that this was spoken by God in many places of the Mosaic Pentateuch. Receive us therefore, who are turning back. ^B *For a thousand years in Your eyes, O Lord, are like yesterday which has passed, and a watch in the night.* He uses this also for a demonstration of the eternity of God. He says that a thousand years before You are reckoned as a time so extremely brief, just as with us is one day, and that one having passed; for this is what "yesterday" signifies. And "which has passed" is explanatory of "yesterday." For that which has passed seems shorter than that which is present. And again, as a quarter of the night is reckoned among us—for this he called "a watch in the night"—since the night is divided into four parts for those guarding the camp by turns, he added an even much shorter fraction, the quarter of the night. For the night also always seems to flow away faster than the day, on account of the insensibility of those sleeping, and on account of the darkness, and on account of the rest from labors. Thus, a millennium is reckoned unto God, because it flows away, whereas He is immovable and eternal. The word "For" is placed for confirmation, meaning the same as "Truly." ^C *Their slights shall yet be.* The discourse having rendered the thousand years in them as cheap, he says that "I will still treat them with disdain," as though they were nothing in comparison to the eternity of God; their slights, that is, of the thousand years, shall be even more so, or rather, they shall continue to be for me. Then he introduces another, more contemptible slight. *In the morning let them pass away like grass.* "In the morning" here is used instead of "quickly," as we have seen elsewhere. Quickly, he says, the thousand years will pass away like grass that perishes quickly. *In the morning let it flourish and pass away; in the evening it shall fall...* ^D

^A that is, it shall fall to the earth; and thus, the moisture which it previously possessed being consumed, it will harden and be dried up. For all these words, although they retain the mood of a prayer, are nevertheless taken in the signification of the future. And the Prophet, in order to show how quickly grass perishes, described it as flourishing and drying up on one and the same day. Or perhaps he said it in this way because there are some herbs that flourish and perish on one and the same day. Certain people assert that these things were said about the Jews, whose religion and worship in the temple they say persisted for only a thousand years—from Solomon, that is, until the passion of Christ—so that the sense is: that these thousand years, because of their crimes, were counted by God as no other than "yesterday," and because of this, the contempt for them, the Jews, will be even more, and will always increase. And we surely see that they have never ceased to be objects of even greater contempt and mockery. And they understand other things consequently to the aforementioned: that, namely, their "morning," that is, their prosperity, will pass away like grass. Their prosperity, however, lasted only while Solomon was reigning; for afterwards they were always being shaken. The other words that follow, you shall refer to the grass in the way that we have already stated.

^B VERS. 7. *Because we have failed in thy wrath, and in thy fury we have been disturbed.* "We have failed," that is, we have been diminished and have perished, while you were wrathful at our sins. Concerning wrath and fury (or rather, according to the more accurate meaning of the Greek term, regarding excandescence), it has been said very often elsewhere, and especially in Psalm VI.

VERS. 8. *Thou hast set our iniquities in thy sight.* That is, manifest and conspicuous before you. And since they cannot be hidden, but are constantly open to your eyes, they therefore provoke you ever more against us.

*Our century in the illumination of thy countenance.* Our "century," that is, our life and conduct. All, he says, our life and conduct is manifest in your sight: and the sense is the same as in the preceding verse.

^C VERS. 9. *For all our days have failed.* All the days of our life have passed away. We are now near to death; for the vehemence of calamities persuades me, he says, to feel this. It is, moreover, the custom of those who are in distress to say that they have been oppressed by them, and have already perished, as if salvation were utterly despaired of. It has also been said very often, and we shall repeat it anew, that the term "because" or "for" is sometimes used to confirm, as "truly," and sometimes it renders a reason, and sometimes it only narrates, and seems in a way to be redundant, as it is here; and we find it often placed like this in the blessed David. Let this, therefore, be for you in the future a most certain norm. For it is superfluous to repeat the same things always. ^D

^A "And in your anger we have failed." He has said this also above, but he repeats the phrase after the manner of those who implore mercy.

VERS. 10. "Our years meditated like a spider." He puts "spider" for the web of the spider. But the verb "meditated" is here used in a passive sense, for "were considered" or "were reckoned." The meaning is that our years were reckoned by us—or are reckoned—as a spider's web, which is made with great labor but lasts for a short time. For because of their extreme thinness they are woven with no small labor, and because of their fragility they perish quickly.

"The days of our years in them are seventy years; but if in strong ones, eighty years." He determines the number of years, how many belong to strength and how many to violence. He says, therefore, that the days of our years—that is, our years—in them, that is, in ourselves, are seventy years. For up to that point we are our own men—that is, we are masters of ourselves and move with our own vigor. But if anyone intends to live in "strong ones"—that is, in violence, because it is then with difficulty that one can do anything—one will then live eighty years.

"And their greater part is labor and sorrow." Should anyone live beyond these years, it will be for him labor and sorrow, because of the extreme infirmity of that age. He has placed "labor" here for misery. Some, however, have understood these words, "And their greater part," as meaning that in those years which are beyond the aforementioned seventy or eighty years, there is little pleasure in them, but rather a greater affliction because of the frequent falls.

^B "For mildness has come upon us, and we are instructed." By "mildness" he means moderate chastisement from God. For he has called it by a milder name, because if it is compared with the chastisement and correction of which we were worthy because of our immense sins, it can be seen not as chastisement but rather as mildness.

VERS. 11. "Who knows the power of your anger?" If your minor chastisement has provided us with so much awareness, who will be able to know how great and what kind are the forces of your anger, which you use against those who have acted with great perversity and do not wish to be converted? They must indeed be great and intolerable forces.

"And from your fear your indignation to number?" And who, again, knows how to measure your wrath? That is, to know how great it is. Truly, no one will be able to, since you are exceedingly terrible and to be feared.

^D VERS. 12. "Make your right hand known to me in this way." You, he says, by thus directing me—namely, in mildness and moderate correction—make known to me your right hand on the day of judgment. You will make it known to me if you set me on the right side among your sheep.

"And those bound in heart in wisdom." And again, make known to me the righteous men, joining me to them,

^A so that through them I may be instructed.

Vers. 13. *Converte, Domine.* Either turn yourself toward us, from whom you have been turned away on account of our greatest faults, or turn us toward you, who wander here and there along the way. "Usquequo?" That is to say, you do not turn back; and this must be read as a question. "Et exorabilis esto in servis tuis." Those who are afflicted and call upon you.

Vers. 14. *Repleti sumus mane misericordia tua, et exsultavimus, et lætati sumus.* The present life can be compared to evening and night on account of the error intermingled in it, and because we are said to sleep within it when we die. On the other hand, the future life can be called morning and day on account of its brightness and on account of our rising from the dead. He says, therefore, that at dawn—that is, in the future life—we who will obtain your conversion, as has been said, that is, who will be converted, shall be filled by you with your mercy, and we shall exult ^B and be glad. For "morning" here is a temporal expression, just as Aquila and the other interpreters indicated. We have written in various places concerning exultation and gladness.

Vers. 15. *In omnibus diebus nostris lætati sumus.* In this place also, "we have been glad" is stated for "we shall be glad." "In all our days," that is, perpetually. For the joys of the future age are perpetual, and they neither cease at any time nor are they interrupted. "Pro diebus quibus humiliasti nos, annis quibus vidimus mala." You have humbled us with every kind of those afflictions in which the just abide. By "evils," he understands temptations and afflictions ^C.

Vers. 16. *Et respice super filios tuos, et super opera tua, et dirige filios eorum.* Look, he says, to our fathers and to our doctors who have served you, and for their sake direct us, their children, toward virtue; and look upon us, your servants, whether they be children to us according to the flesh or according to the spirit.

Vers. 17. *Et sit splendor Domini Dei nostri super nos.* The splendor of God is divine grace, which illuminates all who partake of it. He calls it the "splendor of God" for: the splendor that is from God. "Et sit," that is: may it be. "Et opera manuum tuarum dirige super nos." "Super nos" instead of "in nobis." "Et opus manuum tuarum dirige." Those things which ^D he called the "works of the hands" above in the plural number, now he calls the "work of the hands" in the singular. By "works of the hands" in the plural, he indicates the actions themselves—plainly those which are through

hands, which we pray may be guided so as not to deviate from rectitude, that is, from what is proper. Some, however, have understood "the work of the hands" to signify almsgiving in particular, which they say the Prophet mentions separately and as if with a certain honor, as it is a preeminent work and most pleasing to God. Moreover, he is not called merciful only if he bestows something, but also if he suffers with another; for from those who have no money, only compassion and consolation are required. Others have understood by "the works of the hands" the various works of active virtue; for "hands" is often understood as the active life. And "the work of the hands" is understood as that which belongs to the contemplative life, as being uniform; for the mind also is, in a certain way, hands, because by it, as if by certain hands, our soul is directed toward the virtues and led to God. ^B Psalm of David, without inscription.

PSALM XC

Concerning the Psalms that have no inscription, it has been said in the Proemium of the work. In this Psalm we are taught how great and incomparable are the powers of that hope which is in God.

VERS. 1. *He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of heaven.* He who makes use of divine aid as a kind of dwelling, or house—that is, he who does not live outside of this help, but trusts in it alone—this man shall be preserved in the shelter of God, that is, he shall be protected by God. He is called the God of heaven as Lord; and if He is God of heaven, it is clear that He is also the God of the earth and of all things whatsoever. Understand also the "aid of God" as the law of the divine commandments, which He gave to men as an aid against the demons. ^C

VERS. 2. *He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector, and my refuge.* He shall say to the Lord with boldness, "Thou art my protector, and Thou alone art my refuge." *My God, and I will hope in him.* Nor will he speak thus to God alone when by himself, but he will also bear witness to this faith of his before others, saying: "He is my God, and I will hope in Him."

VERS. 3. *For he hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters, and from the harsh word.* Snares are laid for us by both visible and invisible enemies. The enemies of this world, who hunt human bodies, are said to lay snares when they prepare ambushes. But the intellectual enemies, who do not hunt bodies but souls, lay snares against us when they suggest wicked counsels or incite us to concupiscence and to the passions. Symmachus rendered "the harsh word" as "the word of calumnies," that is, slanderous; for calumnies perturb the soul of the one being slandered. The Prophet now turns his speech to such a man, that is, to him who dwells in the aid of the Most High, and encourages him, saying: ^D

VERS. 4. *He will overshadow thee with his shoulders.* That is, He will protect thee. This is a metaphorical expression. For

he who fights for someone is accustomed to stand before him, and in this way covers and overshadows him with his own back. For those parts that are between the shoulders are called the shoulder-blades (scapulae). Therefore, the shoulders of God are accepted as that power by which He is accustomed to conserve and protect us; which power, by another name, he called the wings of God, saying: ^A *And under his wings thou shalt hope.* That is, thou shalt be confident, like a chick, obviously.

VERS. 5. *His truth shall encompass thee with a shield.* For "with a shield," read "by way of a shield." The sense is: If you have truth with you, it will encompass you like a shield, and will guard you from every side. Consider, therefore, how great are the praises of this virtue, since he has called it God’s own, as if it were familiar and domestic to Him. Rightly, moreover, is truth said to be God's, because if falsehood is ascribed to the demon as something proper to him, merit and truth are rightly applied to God as something proper to Him. We may also speak otherwise: God will encompass and guard you with a shield, that is, with the Cross—Christ, who is the truth of the Father: *For he who has seen me,* He says, *has seen the Father* ^B.

*Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night.* This fear is brought about either by demons or by men.

VERS. 6. *From the arrow flying in the day.* From whatever source that arrow may be sent. For arrows are sent: material ones by men, but intellectual ones by demons, which wound the soul with their passions.

*From the thing that walketh in darkness.* In darkness walks the thief, the plotter, the incendiary, fornication, adultery, the demon, and other things of this kind.

*From the ambush and the noonday devil.* "Ambush" (occursus) can be said of anything that happens unexpectedly or involuntarily. By the "noonday devil," some have meant the demon of accidie (listlessness), because he is accustomed to attack us more at that time. Others mean the demon who presides over base thoughts and incontinence; for when the stomach is burdened, he rises up more vehemently and attacks the souls of men. ^C

VERS. 7. *A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee.* The term "side" (latere), although used indefinitely, here signifies the left side. If you have dwelt, he says, in the aid of the Most High, as was said before, there will fall indeed from your left side a thousand arrows, and from the right ten thousand, and nevertheless they will not touch you. But contemplating more deeply, another sense can be accommodated to these words: Thou art attacked, he says, by many arrows indeed from the left side, but by much more at the right. We can understand the left side to mean when someone is attacked by open and manifest darts of the passions, but the right when by hidden ones. For the enemy, knowing that many do not accept his perverse suggestions ^D which he himself [presents] in the open and openly...

^A incites, tries to lead them to vices by cunning. For he begins from good works, but at last ends in evil.

VER. 8. *Nevertheless with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and see the reward of the ungodly.* But if you behold with the eyes of the intellect, you will understand that this is true, and you will see the punishments and penalties of those who commit sin.

VER. 9, 10. *For thou art, O Lord, my hope.* Having heard these promises offered, he who is about to dwell in the help of the Most High cries out, saying from joy: Thou, O Lord, art my hope. And then the Prophet replies to him with what follows: *Thou hast set the Most High as thy refuge? No evil shall come unto thee.* The words, "Thou hast set the Most High as thy refuge," should be read as a question; but what follows, absolutely and by way of a declaration. For the one who has God as his refuge, temptation does not touch; and the devil himself is a witness of this fact, crying to God concerning Job: "And thou hast hedged him about, both inside and outside." For it is only when God permits it that the devil attacks. By "evils," he means afflictions or dangers. ^B *And no plague shall draw nigh unto thy dwelling.* Or rather, no disaster shall approach thy house. But the addition is redundant. In another way, the "plague" may be sickness, and the "dwelling" of the soul, the body. But more elegantly: this means that for the man of God, such evils and the "plague" are contests and proofs, but for the sinner, they are scourges. For, he says, "Many are the scourges of the sinner."

VER. 11. *For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.* We had a thought of this kind in the [thirty-third] psalm, there: "The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him, and shall deliver them." Abraham also, encouraging his servant, said: "The good God shall send his angel before thy face." We read that Jacob also said: "The angel who delivered me out of all evils." From these [passages] we learn that God guards those who trust in Him through His angels. By "ways," he means actions. And the "thy" is redundant.

VER. 12. *They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.* The hands of the angels are their protective powers; and "they shall bear thee up" means, they shall sustain thee in difficulties, so that thou do not even dash thy foot against a stone. And in another way, the "stone" might be every sin and every obstacle [to virtue], and the "foot," that order and manner of our conduct by which we traverse this life. ^C

VER. 13. *Thou shalt tread upon the asp and the basilisk, and thou shalt trample under foot the lion and the dragon.* These poisonous and savage beasts shall never harm thee:

as we read has happened to many of the saints. ^A And according to the anagogical sense, through the treading upon and trampling of these truly poisonous and carnivorous beasts, he hints at the mastery over all wickedness and harm. The asp may be understood as calumny, for it too spits its venom into the ears of men; the basilisk as envy, for just as that creature has its fatal effect through the eyes, so also does envy wreak havoc through the eyes. The lion signifies cruelty, and the dragon signifies anger, on account of its heat, sharpness, and activity. The righteous man shall trample all these, and by them he shall not be harmed in the least. It is said that the devil is the asp, and the basilisk, and the lion, and the dragon, as he carries the malignity of these within himself.

VER. 14. *Because he hath hoped in me, I will deliver him.* ^B Since the Prophet has promised great and almost incredible things to him who has hoped in God—namely, that he shall trample the most savage and monstrous beasts and suffer no injury from them—he introduces God himself confirming what has been said and teaching what the fruit of such hope in God is. "In me," he says, "such a man hath hoped, and henceforth I will deliver him from every danger."

*I will protect him, because he hath known my name.* See how he said, "my name." For no one among all things can comprehend his divine nature. But he is said to know the name of God, not he who merely recognizes that this is God, but he who presents himself to Him in a manner worthy of Him by his virtues.

VER. 15. *He shall cry to me, and I will hear him.* ^C Because he will seek nothing unworthy of God or of himself.

*I am with him in tribulation.* In every temptation, as I was with the three children, and as I was with all the martyrs subsequently.

*I will deliver him.* From every anguish. See in Psalm XXXVI, where it says: "I have not seen the just forsaken." Also: "The Lord will not leave him in his hands."

*And I will glorify him.* Not only will I deliver him, but I will make him illustrious and renowned on account of his supreme benevolence towards me.

VER. 16. *I will fill him with length of days.* If he should seek this length from me. Alternatively, by length of days he understands eternal life, which is both one day and is called length of days, because it never ceases and has no successions. ^D

*And I will show him my salvation.* The salvation which is from me, for I am able to save him who hopes in me.

Psalm of a canticle for the day of the Sabbath. PsALM XCI.

What the "Psalm of a canticle" is, has been stated in the preface of the present book. This psalm is indeed anonymous, but not without a title. It bears the name of neither David nor any of the chief singers, because it was sung by all in a common choir at that time.

^A It is inscribed: "For the day of the Sabbath," for the reason, as some say, that the blessed David had destined it to be sung to God solely on Sabbaths. For then all the leaders of the choirs were accustomed to gather together to sing it. But they who contemplate divine things more sublimely say that this psalm pertains to the day of the future judgment, and treats of the punishments of the delinquent and the rewards of the righteous; and as the day of the Sabbath was void of all work, so that day of future judgment, which is the rest from the present life, frees men from all worldly care, and is therefore rightly called Sabbath, that is, rest.

^B VERS. 2, 3. "It is good to confess to the Lord." It is truly good to give thanks to God. "And to sing to thy name, O Most High; to declare thy mercy in the morning, and thy truth by night." And it is good to sing hymns of thanksgiving. Some have interpreted it thus: that it is good first to confess sins to God, and then to sing to Him, so that our psalmody which is sung to Him may be clean and pure. And when he said, "It is good" to do this and that, then finally he sets a fitting and suitable time for this good work, saying that it is good that in the morning, that is, in the beginning of the day, we should declare, that is, meditate upon and proclaim, the mercy of God—that, moved by mercy for us, He did not permit us to be buried by an earthquake, nor consumed by heat, nor drowned by waters, nor given over to wild beasts, nor to enemies, nor to others who might kill us—things which, ^C as a rule, are wont to happen in the night; and what is the greatest of all, He did not allow us to be overcome by the snares of demons. Similarly, it is good by night also to declare the truth of God, that is, to proclaim or extol His cognition and knowledge, from which nothing can be hidden. And to do this is good for this reason: that in the time of night, when we are more moved toward the pleasures of the body, by declaring these divine praises we might be restrained from vices, keeping in memory how nothing can be hidden from Him, even that which we might do or meditate. We can also say that by "the morning" he signifies the whole day, just as the whole by a part.

^D VERS. 4. "Upon an instrument of ten strings, with psaltery, upon the harp." Making the five senses of the body and the five powers of the soul harmonious and concordant with one another, and through all these things singing to Christ the Lord; seek the explanation of the third verse of the 32nd psalm, where nearly similar words are to be found.

VERS. 5. "For thou hast gladdened me, O Lord, in thy work; and I will rejoice in the works of thy hands." By "facture," some understand this entire machine of the whole world; and by "works of his hands," the particular species of this creature, whose magnitude, he says, and beauty, variety, harmony, utility, and other things of this kind, both in

^A providence, and in dispensations, and in miracles, and in things of this sort, he calls a duplication of the meaning. Others said that "creation" and "works of his hands" denote the same thing.

Ver. 6. *How magnified are thy works, O Lord.* The "how" is used here for emphasis. "Extremely great," he says, "are thy works"—not only those in the aforementioned creation, but also those in providences, in dispensations, in miracles, and in things of this sort. Concerning the works, it has been said in the 85th psalm.

*Thy thoughts are made very deep.* "Thy thoughts," he says, "have shown themselves to us as inscrutable and uninvestigable, and thy counsels as impenetrable." A similar sentiment of Paul's seems to appear ^B here: *Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!* (Rom. xi, 33).

Ver. 7. *A foolish man shall not know.* He calls him "foolish" now who has no knowledge of divine things, even if he possesses human knowledge, that which is from worldly wisdom. For such a man, he says, shall not know that thy works are great, and that thy thoughts are deep; but, trusting in himself, he will attempt to descend into their depth, and for this reason he shall fall, as it were down a precipice into an abyss.

*And a senseless man shall not understand these things.* He repeats the same meaning.

Ver. 8. *When the sinners spring up like the grass, and all that work iniquity are inclined.* The conjunction "and" is redundant in this place; but he used "inclined" for bent down and humbled, so that the sense is: When sinners had sprung up, and like the grass ^C had flourished for a time, they could not retain that flower and vigor for long, but they were inclined and fell; and he calls those who work iniquity the same as "sinners."

Ver. 9. *That they may be exterminated for ever and ever.* They were inclined and fell from their initial prosperity, in order that they might be punished in the coming age. For the blessed David is accustomed to call the punishments of the eternal age and that unconsolable perdition by the name of "extermination," and he says that the ruin and the fall from their present happiness is taken as a pledge of the future punishment; from which words the Prophet begins the discussion of the day of the future judgment, as we have stated in the beginning of the psalm.

*But thou art most high for ever, O Lord.* But thou art always unapproachable, and thy judgments are inscrutable.

Ver. 10. *For lo, thy enemies, O Lord, for lo, thy enemies shall perish.* The enemies of God are not only the infidels, but also all who ^D do wrong, because they obey the enemy of God, the devil. And they shall perish in the future age.

*And all who work iniquity shall be dispersed.*

into the various punishments.

^A *And my horn shall be exalted as the unicorn’s.* David called Christ his own horn, as one who sprouted from him according to the flesh, concerning whom it is said more amply in the 88th Psalm, where it says: *And in my name shall his horn be exalted.* It shall be exalted, that is, it shall be magnified, in the time of the coming judgment, clearly, when all his enemies have been humbled. It shall be exalted as the unicorn’s horn, that is to say, exceedingly.

*And my old age in abundant oil.* By oil he indicates cheerfulness; for it is said: *To make the face cheerful with oil.* He says, therefore, that since I have known that my horn will be exalted, my old age will henceforth be in abundant, that is, in great cheerfulness; that is to say, I shall pass it intensely and without sorrow, being comforted by the hopes of the future.

^B *And mine eye hath looked upon mine enemies.* Symmachus and Theodotion have rendered “shall see” instead of “hath looked.” But the Seventy interpreted what was to happen as if it were already done. By enemies he implies the demons and the infidels, in whom he will see the vengeance, or retribution, then. For such a turn of phrase is implied. *And mine ear shall hear of the wicked that rise up against me.* This also is elliptical. For mine ear shall hear the sentence ^C of the Lord against those whom he designates promiscuously as rising up and doing evil, with the conjunction omitted.

*The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree.* Having spoken above concerning sinners, that they shall flourish like grass, which quickly perishes, he now speaks concerning the righteous, that he shall flourish like the palm tree; and of the palm tree, neither does the flower fall away, but it turns into a most sweet fruit, nor does the branch wither, for it is ever-green.

*As the cedar that is in Lebanon, he shall be multiplied.* For the cedar is multiplied with boughs. ^D The righteous has also other similarities to the palm tree: in that but a small part of that tree is fixed into the earth, while the whole of it reaches above the earth, and its heart is stretched toward heaven; and its fruit is unattainable to wild beasts because of its height and inaccessible nature, and it requires much time for its perfection. With respect to the cedar, there is the fragrance, and the incorruptibility, and the abundance of boughs, and the shade. For he is filled with the fragrance that comes from virtues, and he is incorruptible, having been cleansed of every stain; and he begets many in the Spirit, and becomes a shelter for many. [index: entries preserved]

Vers. 14. *Plantati in domo Domini, in aulis Dei nostri efflorebunt.* By “planted” he means the righteous in the lower Church, in which the grace of the Lord dwells, and being rooted in the faith, they will flourish in the celestial courts of heaven, that is, they will appear there adorned with the flowers of virtue. Alternatively, it is understood thus: the house of the Lord is the knowledge of the Divine Scriptures, in which we find the Lord; and the courts are His commandments.

Vers. 15, 16. *Adhuc multiplicabuntur in senecta pingui.* By “fat old age,” he means a full old age. Although, he says, righteous men may have grown old, they will not fail in the progress of virtues, but rather they will always be multiplied more and more in virtues. ^B *And it will be well with them.* It will happen well to them, he says, in the future age: because, namely, they will delight and exult. *That they may announce that our Lord God is righteous, and there is no injustice in Him.* So that they may joyfully announce to one another that the Lord is righteous, providing rest to His servants in exchange for the labors which they endured in this life. But the phrase, “there is no injustice in Him,” is an explication and a doubling of the term “righteous.”

*In the day before the Sabbath, when the earth was inhabited.*

PSALM XCII

This psalm, among the Hebrews, lacks any inscription whatsoever. Certain copies of the edition of the Seventy translators have the inscription which we cited above, and some interpret this to mean that the day of the Sabbath is taken as the day of the universal judgment, as we said in the preceding psalm; and the day before the Sabbath, therefore, is the day of the Lord’s resurrection. ^C For that day was, as it were, a prelude to the universal resurrection. In that day, the earth was inhabited, by those men, namely, who were regenerated through the Gospel and baptism, and in a certain manner refashioned. However, the more accurate copies (even according to the edition of the LXX) lack an inscription of this kind.

Vers. 1. *The Lord has reigned.* The Son of God was indeed King from eternity, yet this was not always known by men; on the contrary, men were previously ignorant of Him; but when Christ rose from the dead, all the faithful, and those who believed in Him, were made certain that He is the Son of God and King. This, therefore, is what the blessed David now foretells to us, saying: *The Lord has reigned*, that is, He has been acknowledged as King. Or alternatively: Christ was indeed King from of old as God, but after the resurrection He reigns also as man: *All power*, He says, *has been given to me in heaven and on earth*. And again: *But I have been constituted King by Him*.

*He has clothed Himself with magnificence.* That is, He has manifested such glory and power, which is most fitting ^D

^A to Him, even as it is to God. Or otherwise: The Lord, having died in the flesh, had no form or beauty, according to the testimony of the prophet; but rising again, He put on the beauty He did not have before.

*The Lord has clothed Himself with power, and has girded Himself.* You must understand the word "clothed" in the same way here. For Christ always possessed the divine beauty and the divine power as God, ^B yet this was once hidden from men; but it began to be made manifest after He ascended into heaven, although He put on no such garment externally. This word "girded" must also be understood piously, as meaning "He was adorned"; for to be girded is a symbol of being adorned.

*For He has established the world, which shall not be shaken.* He has henceforth established the world, which was shaken by the deceit of demons, by His truth, so that it might no longer be shaken by error, having been established upon the rock of faith. By "world" one may also understand in particular the Church, which the faithful inhabit, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail, according to the declaration of the Lord.

*Thy throne is prepared from of old.* "Prepared," that is, firm and stable, as has been noted in the eighty-fourth Psalm; and "from of old," that is, from the beginning. Now "from the beginning," when applied to the divine nature, does not refer to a temporal beginning, but is expressive of eternal antiquity. It is [in that sense] similar to what is said of God, *from everlasting*. David says now that even if Thou dost put on the form of a servant, ^C nevertheless Thy kingdom is stable for Thee from the beginning, and Thou hast never fallen from it.

*Thou art from everlasting.* Thy kingdom, he says, is stable for Thee from the beginning, because Thou art from everlasting, that is, likewise from the beginning, as has been said.

*The rivers have lifted up, O Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices.* By "rivers" he calls the apostles, as they irrigate the souls of men with the spiritual streams of the Gospel; and he says that they lifted up their voices, that is, they preached the evangelical doctrine clearly, openly, publicly, and without any shame. It has been said to us many times that the Prophet very often uses the past tense for the future, or describes future things ^D as if they had already happened. The repetition of the word "lifted up" is expressive of intensity of joy.

*The rivers will take up their attrition.* Those rivers which are to come after the rivers previously mentioned—that is, after the apostles—will take up, that is, they will follow the paths which have been worn and formed by them. For by "attrition" are meant the cuts and channels, formed like a riverbed, which rivers are accustomed to carve and form by licking and wearing away the earth as they flow. And the meaning is that the teachers who are to come after the apostles will follow the same paths and the same disciplines which the apostles themselves also used.

“From the voices of many waters, the wondrous risings of the sea.” By “many waters,” understand the baptismal fonts which are performed everywhere in the Churches. The “voices” of these waters are the invocations of the Holy Trinity and of the grace from above, which are accustomed to be made in the sacrament of baptism. Moreover, by “sea,” in the singular, he signifies baptism itself, which is celebrated everywhere on earth, just as it is said in Psalm LXXII. It certainly seems manifold with good reason, because it is celebrated in various places and by almost innumerable persons; yet, in power, it is one and the same sacrament. ^A The “risings” of such a sea are the billows that flow from the immersion and emersion of those who are being baptized. He says these risings of the spiritual and mystical sea are therefore wondrously great, if they are compared to the risings of the elemental sea. For the waves of that sea are indeed to be feared by men, but are pleasant to demons; but these [baptismal waves], on the contrary, are to be feared by demons, while they are pleasant and sweet to men. And those destroy those who sail upon them; but these save those who are submerged in them. These risings have been rendered wondrous by that divine invocation, as was stated, and by the mystery that resides therein. ^B

“The Lord is wondrous in the heights.” Truly, God is wondrous, most of all in such high and sublime matters. Or the order may be: “The Lord, who is in the heights, is wondrous.” Whence he says elsewhere: “Who dwells in the heights, and looks upon the humble in heaven and on earth” (Ps. CXII, 6).

VERS. 5. “Thy testimonies are become exceeding credible.” Thy testimonies concerning Thee are exceeding faithful, that is, true. By these he understands the things which were variously predicted by the prophets concerning the incarnation of Christ, the dispensation in the flesh, and His life. ^C

“Holiness becomes Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days.” The house of God is the universal Church of the faithful, as has been said often. This house, he says, is befittingly sanctified, that is, it is holy, for the very reason that it is the house of a holy God: but this happens only if there be in those who inhabit that temple purity from every kind of defilement. Such purity and holiness always befit the house of the Lord. The house of the Lord is also the temple of God, which, according to the Apostle, every believer represents; and therefore holiness befits them all unto length of days.

Psalm, for David, on the fourth day of the week, without inscription among the Hebrews. PSALM XCIII

The present psalm is also without inscription among the Hebrews. But the words, “on the fourth day of the week,” were added by someone, when he had found that this psalm was sung on the fourth day of the week. For by “Sabbath” in this place, as often elsewhere, the week itself is signified. ^D By this psalm, the blessed David wishes to provide solace to all men who are oppressed by the unjust, and who are oppressed by those who do evil.

^A "The Lord is a God of vengeances." ^B He says "God of vengeances" instead of "God who takes vengeance." It is by this idiom that He is also called "God of mercy," and "God of compassions," and "God of consolation," and "God of peace," and things of that sort. He says, therefore, that the Lord is a God who takes vengeance. ^A "The God of vengeances spoke freely." ^B He "spoke freely," that is, he manifested his own righteous judgment; and, though he was long-suffering and patient up to the present, now he has employed vengeance. "Be exalted, you who judge the earth." ^A Having ascended to the judicial throne, or being about to judge and decree and take vengeance, "be exalted," that is, appear and be known to all. Regarding "be exalted," it has also been spoken of in the 56th Psalm. "Render a recompense to the proud." By the proud, he understands the very powerful who oppress or despise the poor. ^B "How long shall sinners, O Lord, how long shall sinners boast?" He calls the same people sinners again, because they sin against God, while they contemn his law concerning justice that has been handed down, and [sin] against the very ones who suffer injury, while they harm them. He addressed them in this way in the 9th Psalm as well. It is the custom of such men to boast in their own power. But the repetition, "How long shall sinners, O Lord," ^C is expressive of zeal, just as is the one that follows the word "shall speak." And although the Prophet speaks thus as if in doubt, he is not, however, ignorant that the prosperity of all those who act unjustly is momentary, but he bears the long-suffering of God with difficulty. ^D "Shall they utter and speak injustice? Shall all who work iniquity speak?" Regarding the word "shall utter," the expression "how long" must be taken from what is common; and in the second verse, regarding the word "speak," the expression "injustice" must be taken from what is common. The words "utter" and "speak" signify the same thing. "They have humbled your people, O Lord, and have afflicted your inheritance." We have already said that by the ancient people, and the ancient inheritance, the Jews are to be understood, but by the new people and the new inheritance, the faithful from among the nations. "They killed the widow and the orphan, and they murdered the proselyte." The leaders of the Jews used to do these things on account of greed, and many of our leaders do the same. For they are said to kill not only those who rage against them with the sword, but those also who steal their goods, who despise them whenever they are afflicted with injury, and who gratify those who injure them as if they were friends. The Jews called him a proselyte who had become a Jew from being a Gentile; but we, by "proselyte," understand every newcomer and stranger. "And they said: The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob understand." Even if the lawless do not say these things often with their tongue, yet they say them in their mind.

For they would not dare such things if they did not subscribe to such thoughts. ^A And he says "he shall understand," instead of "he shall hear" or "he shall know."

VERS. 8. *Understand, ye senseless among the people, and ye fools, be wise at last.* Notice those things which have long been known to all, and at last, even if late, be prudent.

VERS. 9. *He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? and he that formed the eye, shall he not consider?* He says "consider," for "see." For how is it likely that He who created the senses in others should be without sense? The Prophet confounds them, therefore, with such questions as are acknowledged by all.

VERS. 10. *He that instructeth the nations, shall he not reprove?* He who instructs and corrects the nations, he says, by the laws which are among them—for God Himself bestowed the knowledge of these laws upon them, and by their severity He chastises those who err—how shall He not also reprove and punish all those who commit any crimes or iniquities? *He that teacheth man knowledge;* He who grants knowledge and understanding to others, how shall He Himself not know, or how shall He be ignorant? ^B

VERS. 11. *The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are vain.* I speak of the thoughts of those who think such things, namely, that God does not care for human affairs. The Lord knows them, therefore, to be erring, but He is often patient and long-suffering, out of a certain dispensation. Or, He calls them the "thoughts of men" who think of those things which are of the belly, and not of those things which are of God. ^C

VERS. 12. *Blessed is the man whom thou shalt instruct, O Lord, and shalt teach him out of thy law.* Whom You shall make prudent by instruction from You, and teach out of Your law. Your law, whether natural or written, or even both; for these are the fountains of prudence and wisdom.

VERS. 13. *That thou mayest give him rest from the evil days.* So that in days of affliction he may become gentle and patient; and may not take it ill, nor be indignant against his toils, but may know from Your law that those who undergo calamities are being vexed for their own utility and benefit, and that, conversely, those who afflict them shall one day pay the punishment worthy of their crimes. *Until a pit be digged for the sinner.* Until danger be prepared for the lawless; until they fall into the pit. For then He will also have mercy on those who have done him injury.

VERS. 14. *For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.* He will not repel them, even though He often permits them to be afflicted for a time, just as He will continue to permit it even until the very consummation of the age, now allowing the wicked to oppress righteous men, and now imparting His help and assistance to the upright, and dispensing both to their benefit. But the people and inheritance of the Lord were formerly the Jews, ^D but, they having been cast out, Christians and the faithful have been adopted in their place, as we have often said elsewhere.

^A “Until justice shall return unto judgment.” Until Christ, who is Justice itself, having left behind His long-suffering, shall turn Himself unto judgment. That Christ is called Justice, the Apostle witnesses, saying of Him: “Who was made unto us wisdom from God, and justice, and sanctification, and redemption.”

“And all who are upright in heart shall take hold of it.” And for the rest, it is then that all the righteous shall be near Him, standing by Him, He who is to judge the whole earth.

“Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who shall assist me against the wicked enemies?”

Or “who shall stand together with me against those who work iniquity?” He repeats the same sentiment again, eagerly longing for help because of the intensity of the wickedness of the demons. Who, he says, shall stand with me as I array myself against the adversaries? Why, surely God, who has often helped me in various ways.

“Unless the Lord had helped me, my soul had almost dwelt in hell.” For if the Lord had not truly helped me when I was in danger many times, I should almost have died, whether I mean bodily death or spiritual death. “Dwelt,” however, here means “sojourned.” And by “hell,” one could also understand the pit of sin.

^B “If I said, My foot hath slipped, thy mercy, O Lord, assisted me.” If I said to God, “My stability has been shaken, and I am being dragged down”—if I confessed our own weakness, I obtained help. He teaches that whoever, having slipped, recognizes it and does not despair, nor grows slothful, but confesses it, finds swift succor. For God is merciful and compassionate.

“According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, thy consolations have gladdened my soul.” In proportion to the multitude of sorrows that I bore in my heart, consolations were supplied to me by Thee. For just as sorrows are various, so too are the refreshments which God grants to us; and according to the nature of the wound, the remedy is also applied.

“Shall the throne of iniquity stick unto thee?” The throne of iniquity is the devil, in whom iniquity both sits and reigns. “Shall not stick,” that is, may it not stick to Thee when Thou judgest. It is an imperative mood used for the optative, as in “Have mercy.” Some copies, however, write “shall not stick,” that is to say, it will not; or even so, understand the future tense as being used for the optative.

“Who frameth labor in commandment.” Who describes for us labor as an impediment to observing Thy commandments; or, who has set labor and sorrows before Thy commandment, so that we might pass through it as though it were laborious. Then

^A as if we were passing over something laborious. Then he also gives the cause why he prays that He might be present.

VERS. 21. *They will hunt down the soul of the just.* Because if the demon, he says, and his associates stand by you, they will immediately begin to spread out, as it were, certain snares and hunting nets against any of the just, accusing them, of course, of sins which they have committed either in ignorance or against their will, and this because of their immense malignity and inhumanity.

*And they will condemn innocent blood.* As much as lies within them. By "innocent blood," he speaks by circumlocution for innocent men. In such language he condemns them, that they inflict punishments without a trial, so that the meaning is that they inflict torments upon people who do not deserve them, and therefore, he says, they will not adhere to Thee.

VERS. 22. *And the Lord has become my refuge.* To me, he says, who am oppressed and enduring persecution in this present life.

*And my God unto the help of my hope.* I was indeed hoping to resist, but when I was oppressed and exhausted, I was failing and slipping away from the hope I had conceived, but God was present for me and confirmed my hope again, and granted that I should hope for even better things.

VERS. 23. *And He will render back to them their iniquity.* That is, condemnation for their iniquity.

*And according to their malice the Lord God will destroy them.* ^C "He will destroy," that is, He will take them from the midst. For they will no longer appear, being covered and buried, of course, in the fire already prepared for them for a long time. However, the aforementioned things may also be understood regarding depraved men. "The throne of iniquity," he says, "will not adhere to Thee," that is, no unjust prince will approach Thee. For such unjust princes are accustomed to put labor into a commandment, in that they do not permit the faithful to observe the divine mandates without labor. They also hunt down all the just, and condemn the innocent, and so on for what follows. But as for the phrase, "unto the help of my hope," it is the same as if he had said: unto the confirmation of that hope which I had held fluctuating before when I seemed to be forsaken. For God immediately confirmed it, as He was present for me. He will indeed render it to them in the future age, destroying them, of course, and putting them to death. ^D

Praise of a Canticle to David himself. Psalm XCIV.

This psalm also lacks an inscription among the Hebrews, but the Seventy inscribed it with the praise of David, because in the present psalm the Prophet praised God, and with "canticle," because it was sung with melody and human voice. And also because in it it is said: *Let us jubilate to Him in psalms.* By this psalm all the faithful in Christ are called together unto exultation, and all the Jews who have not yet believed are admonished, so that while they have a suitable time for repentance, they may turn to the Lord and adore Him. Blessed David, however, joins himself to both peoples as his own: to the Christians, indeed, by reason of piety and faith, but to the Jews by reason of the origin of his lineage.

Psalm XCIV

^A "Come, let us rejoice in the Lord." That is, in the Master, Christ; for we have been deemed worthy to be subjected to such a Lord, who is most exceedingly philanthropic.

"Let us shout to God our Savior." Let us shout to Him as the victor over the tyrants, and as the one who has rescued us from their captivity. For a shout of triumph is a cry of victory.

"Let us come before his face with confession." Let us forestall His second coming; that is, let us confess—which is to say, let us repent—before He appears to us again. For the confession of transgressions is the sign of repentance.

"And let us shout to Him in psalms." And we, likewise, after believing, let us shout to Him in psalms as a token of victory, to Him who says: "Take heart; I have overcome the world."

"For the Lord is a great God, and a great king over all the earth." For even if He appeared as man and suffered, He is still the great God and Lord, and so on. The Prophet dwells with pleasure on the narrative of His greatness, power, and might. ^B

"For in His hand are all the ends of the earth." In His power rests the whole earth. Or, interpret it differently, such that the Prophet says almost the same thing that we read elsewhere concerning God, according to Isaiah: "Who holds the circle of the earth in his fist."

"And the heights of the mountains are his." They are indeed His creatures and His possessions.

"For the sea is His, and He made it." For He is not only the Lord of it, but also its creator.

"And His hands formed the dry land." Through the very elements themselves, which he mentions, He signified also what is within them. He mentioned the heights of the mountains in order to use words worthy of such admirable works.

"Come, let us worship, and fall down before Him, and let us weep before the Lord who made us." Let us worship as slaves; let us fall down as those in need of His help; let us weep as sinners.

"For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand." By "people," he understands the more prudent ones, and by "sheep," those who are less prudent. And they are called "people" as of a king, but "sheep" as of a shepherd. We are called the "people of his pasture" as those who are nourished and pastured by Him, and governed by His providence; and "sheep of His hand," as those who are in a way led by Him from dangers into safety. ^C

"Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation." The expression "today" does not refer to any specific day ^D

^A but to every day in which it can be called "today." For thus the great Paul himself interpreted it: "Whenever, he says, you hear his voice"—that is to say, at any time whatever—"if you hear his voice," calling us through the divine Scriptures, and especially through the Gospel, "do not harden your hearts" by disobeying and rejecting that voice, as happened in the provocation.

"In the day of temptation in the desert." It is stated in Psalm 77 that they provoked the Most High in the waterless land, and that they tempted God in their hearts, and the rest that follows. For at that time also they hardened their hearts, rejecting the voice of God which they had heard at Sinai, and forgetting His benefits, and disbelieving that He can do all things.

"Where your fathers tempted me" (Ps. XCIV, 9). Where is that? In the desert, certainly; or at the time when you tempted me. Now, this discourse comes from the person of the Holy Spirit.

"They tested me and saw my works forty years." Those admirable works and benefits, specifically, which are detailed more fully in Psalm 77. Now, some join the words "forty years" to the preceding verse, while others connect them with what follows, reading it thus:

"Forty years I was grieved with that generation." That is to say, I held them in aversion; I was displeased with them because of their unbelief and their hardness of heart. "And I said: They always go astray in their heart." They are unstable. For a generation, he says, that did not direct its heart.

"But they did not know my ways" (Ps. XCIV, 10). By the "ways of God," Scripture often denotes, as it does here, the commandments, because they are an itinerary for us by which we attain to God. But it does not mean here the knowledge that is acquired by reading or contemplation, but that which is demonstrated through works and actions themselves.

"So I swore in my wrath, If they shall enter into my rest" (Ps. XCIV, 11). The word "So" is a confirmation. With great firmness, he says, I declared, when I was wroth with them, that they shall not enter into my rest. What Scripture means when it introduces God as swearing has been explained in Psalm 88, in the passage: "I have sworn to David my servant." Regarding the "wrath" of God, it was also explained in Psalm 6, in the passage: "O Lord, rebuke me not in thy fury, nor chasten me in thy wrath." We have also declared in many places that the word "if," among the Hebrews, very often signifies "not." By "rest," however, understand the land of promise, in which the Israelite people, after a forty-year wandering, found rest, being weary. For that region became a rest for them. Furthermore, those who disobey the voice of God shall not enter into the rest of the kingdom of heaven. ^{B C D}

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS

^A Praise of a canticle, for David himself, when the house was built after the captivity.

PSALM XCV

This psalm, too, lacks an inscription among the Hebrews. Why it has been inscribed by the Seventy as "Praise of a canticle" we have already explained in the preceding psalm. By the "building of the house" which took place after the captivity, we understand, according to the historical sense, the renovation of the temple which was accomplished by King Zerubbabel. According to the anagogical sense, however, it signifies the dwelling-place of the assumed humanity, in which the Son and God dwelt after that captivity by which the devil had once enslaved mankind, and concerning which it has been said: "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive." It may also refer to the constitution of the Church, which that great and wise Architect built. For when the blessed David foresaw that all these things would come to pass, he exhorted and commanded that worthy thanksgivings be offered to God for such great benefits.

^B Verse 1. *Sing to the Lord a new canticle.* What a new canticle is, we have stated in Psalm XLII. There, it says: "Sing to him a new canticle." And indeed we can understand that this is the new canticle which the angels sang to the watchful shepherds when the Lord was born: "Glory to God in the highest," and so forth.

*Sing to the Lord, all the earth.* For He has come to free the whole earth from the captivity of the devil. But how these words could be accommodated to the historical building of the temple, I do not see at all, since no other nations, apart from the race of the Jews, were profited in the least by a building of that kind.

^C Verse 2. *Sing to the Lord, bless his name.* Praise his name, because it is salutary; for "Jesus" is interpreted "Savior," or because His name is almighty if it is invoked with faith. And observe how he said "Sing to the Lord" three times, because obviously there is the same divinity in the three Divine Persons; hence the same worship ought deservedly to be rendered to the Holy Trinity itself.

*Evangelize from day to day his salvation.* That is, continually announce the salutary preaching of the Gospel. He is speaking, moreover, to the apostles and to the successors of the apostles. See what is said in Psalm XXXIX in the exposition of that verse: "I have declared thy truth and thy salvation."

^D Verse 3. *Declare his glory among the nations.* Namely, His incarnation and all the sufferings which He endured for our salvation. For it was indeed His glory that He should suffer so much for the redemption and salvation of His servants.

*His wonders among all peoples.* Namely, the wonderful works which He performed while He was dwelling among men.

Verse 4. *For the Lord is great and exceedingly to be praised.* Great, indeed, as almighty; to be praised, however, as merciful.

*He is to be feared above all gods.* For He is able to punish in the present age and in the future; nor indeed—

nor indeed body alone, but also the soul; whereas they cannot do so at all. And He, on the one hand, is truly fearful in truth; they, however, are so only in imagination. He calls the gods of the nations by that name. ^A *For all the gods of the nations are demons.* The Greeks used to call their gods demons as being experienced and knowledgeable of the good; we, however, call them demons as being experienced in evil. *But the Lord made the heavens.* And yet, He made all the rest as well. For, he says, *all things were made by Him*. But he chose the more magnificent [things] as being more marvelous. ^B *Confession and beauty are in His sight.* By these habits of virtues, he intended to signify those men who are endowed with such virtues: by "confession," namely, those who confess their own sins; and by "beauty," those who become beautiful from this, as having been washed through repentance. Such people, therefore, are in His sight, according to that [verse]: *The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears [are] toward their prayer*.

*Sanctimonia and magnificence are in His sanctuary.* (In the Greek, we read *hagiasmati* for "sanctification," which word signifies not only sanctification but also a sanctuary.) Therefore, by "sanctuary," understand any temple dedicated to God, which he calls a sanctuary because it is sanctified by God, and because it sanctifies all those men who enter it with faith. In this sanctuary, therefore, magnificence and sanctimonia reside—that is, cleanliness and purity, and all the works that become great men.

^C VERS. 7. *Bring to the Lord, O you kindreds of the nations, bring to the Lord glory and honor.* By the kindreds of the nations, he understands the various nations of the world. Or (because the Greek word signifies not only kindreds but also, in a way, paternities), by this name of the nations he perhaps understands their fathers, whom we call both their priests and teachers. What glory, however, and what honor he commands to be brought to God, we have already stated in Psalm XXVIII, where almost the same words are contained. Or otherwise: bring to Him glory as to God, to whom glory is truly and properly due; [bring] honor as to the Father. *For honor*, he says, *thy father*. For He is God of all men as Creator, and Father as having adopted us through baptism.

*Bring to the Lord glory to His name.* These words also are held in that same Psalm XXVIII, where we explained them. Or otherwise: he commands all those who are clothed with the name of Christ, and are called Christians, to glorify Him through a praiseworthy manner of life; and for a third time he repeats here, *Bring to the Lord*, according to the explanation given at the beginning of the psalm.

^D VERS. 8. *Take up sacrifices, and enter into His courts.* He commands specifically that spiritual sacrifices be taken up. For God is a Spirit, and those who adore Him must adore in spirit and in truth. But such sacrifices are virtues; and His courts are, now, the churches in every place. *Worship the Lord in His holy court.*

^A This verse has also been expounded by us in that same Psalm. But we must note this: since he previously said "courts" in the plural, he has now again named the "court" in the singular, teaching, of course, that while churches are many in number, the Mother Church of all is one in faith. For they are divided by places, but joined by unity of opinion.

^B *Ver. 9. Let the whole earth be moved at His presence.* At His advent, he says, let the whole world be moved from error toward truth. Hence another prophet called the advent of Christ an earthquake. Perhaps the Prophet understands here also that commotion of the earth which occurred at the time of the passion. Or he predicts that the earth is to be moved because, at the preaching of the Gospel, by which the advent and incarnation of God are announced, all peoples and nations have been disturbed.

*Say among the nations that the Lord hath reigned.* These words also have been expounded in the ninety-second Psalm; or: Say that the Lord hath reigned, for until now the devil and sin had reigned. Or otherwise, Christ is said to reign here on account of the voluntary subjection of believers. For otherwise, He reigns from eternity even over the impious and the unwilling.

^C *Ver. 10. For He hath directed the world, which shall not be moved.* He prepared, he says, a way by which the whole human race could proceed rightly toward piety and virtues; or Christ established them in the knowledge of God; and by "the world" he understands the universal Church existing throughout the whole world. *For into all the earth, he says, their sound hath gone forth, and unto the ends of the world their words.* But the word "for" is redundant.

*Which shall not be moved.* From the time that it was liberated from the servitude of the demons, who formerly used to move it, consequently it was founded upon the unshakable rock of faith. We saw an almost similar sentiment in the ninety-second Psalm, there: *For He hath established the world, which shall not be moved*, where we expounded it.

*He shall judge the peoples in uprightness.* On the day, that is to say, of the judgment. He says this so that we might know that Christ is to judge everyone.

^D *Ver. 11. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth exult.* On account of the heavenly, and then the earthly, Christ. For one of His natures came down from above; the other, however, had its origin from the earth below.

*Let the sea be moved, and the fullness thereof.* "To be moved" he has placed here for "to exult." The "fullness of the sea" are its terminal points, or rivers, lakes, springs, and, in short, the whole nature of waters; and let this exult on account of the baptism of the Savior, which was celebrated in them.

*The fields shall rejoice, and all that are in them.* Because, that is, Christ is about to pass through them, and by this means will sanctify them all. And by "all that are in them," he obviously understands the plants themselves.

VERS. 12. Tunc exsultabunt omnia ligna silvarum. ^A That is, because from them the saving cross is to be taken. From the presence of the Lord, for he comes. And this joy and this exultation shall arise from the presence of the Lord, that is, because of his manifestation and advent. For behold, he comes for the dispensation of the flesh. The prophets are accustomed to frequently ascribe joy even to inanimate and senseless things, as often as they wish to demonstrate a supreme joy; as though even the elements lacking soul and sense were rejoicing. Or otherwise: by the heavens, understand the celestial angels; by the earth, terrestrial men; and by the sea, the sailors themselves, or any maritime people, that is, the islanders; by the fields, the farmers; and by the woods of the forest, the woodcutters and those who inhabit the forests and mountains. Or otherwise: by the heavens, understand those who meditate upon celestial things; by the earth, those who care only for earthly things; ^B likewise by the sea, those who follow the bitter impiety; by the fields, any flat and abject men, and those subject to the passions of the flesh; and finally by the woods of the forest, those who are hard, rough, and unfruitful in virtue. For all these, by the incarnation of Christ, being invited, will be filled with the greatest delight and pleasure, transferring themselves to faith in him. Because he comes to judge the earth. Double, he says, is the joy they will possess: that he comes to set straight the world, and that he comes again to judge the earth, and to render to each according to his works, and to deliver the elements from corruption. ^C

VERS. 13. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his truth. By the world, he understands the nations dwelling in the world; by the peoples, however, the Jews themselves. Or: by the world and by the peoples, he signifies the same thing; he said peoples in the plural number on account of the diversity of the generations. Moreover, Christ will judge in righteousness, that is, justly, because he is no respecter of persons; and in truth he will judge, as one who knows all things most accurately.

To David, when his land was established.

PSALM XCVI

This psalm likewise lacks an inscription among the Hebrews. ^D The Seventy, however, placed this inscription upon it, which they deemed to contain its argument. For they inscribed it to David because it pertains to Christ, who is descended from the line of David. And otherwise: David is interpreted as "strong-hand," whence by "the strong-handed one" we properly understand Christ himself, who is omnipotent. When his land was established, that is, when it had peace and tranquility, having been liberated from the tyranny of the demons. For it says, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." Then, therefore, this psalm was fitly adapted to Christ, even though it had been composed much earlier.

VERS. 1. The Lord has reigned, let the earth exult. Regarding this word "reigned," we spoke in the preceding psalm. The Lord has reigned, having destroyed the demon and

the sin that previously reigned in the world. Regarding the exultation of the earth, it was also spoken of there.

^A Let the many islands rejoice. By this are meant the churches in the various parts of the world, which, having emerged from a bitter and salty—so to speak—infidelity, have been raised up like islands; and though they are washed on all sides by the waves of temptations, they possess a firm foundation in Christ the King. Or, by "islands," understand simply the souls of all the faithful; and by "the earth," the new creation.

VERS. 2. Clouds and thick darkness are round about Him. By "cloud and thick darkness," understand the assumed flesh, which was concealing the divinity. These words are almost the same as those in the 17th Psalm: "He made darkness His secret place, round about Him His tabernacle."

Justice and judgment are the correction of His throne. He says this instead of "of His kingdom," which Christ Himself, ruling, has corrected. And it was a truly just judgment, to destroy the tyrant devil and to save the human race oppressed by tyranny. Or otherwise: by "justice," understand all virtue in general, and by "judgment," right discernment, which His kingdom has taught us.

^B VERS. 3. Fire shall go before Him, and burn up His enemies round about. These things pertain to the time of the universal judgment. Daniel, having foreseen this, wrote: "A river of fire was drawing/flowing before Him." His enemies, generally, are all those who obey His enemy, the devil. "Round about Him," means from every side, and in every direction.

VERS. 4. His lightnings shone to the world. These are the apostles; for having partaken of the true light, they too shone forth, to whom Christ also said, "You are the light of the world." This harmonizes with the verse in the aforementioned psalm, which says, "Coals were kindled from Him."

The earth saw, and was shaken. It saw such lightnings and leaped for joy. Or, it was "shaken," that is, changed, from error, of course, to the truth, and from darkness to light. Or, it was shaken so that it might be better established. For builders, when they wish to renovate things that have grown old, first shake them. Therefore, regarding Paul and Silas, we read in the Acts, from the perspective of the impious: "These who have turned the world upside down are come hither also."

^{C D} VERS. 5. The mountains melted like wax from the presence of the Lord, from the presence of the Lord of all the earth. By "mountains," metaphorically, it understands the demons themselves, because they are elevated and, in a way, raised on high, and arrogant; also barren, and rigid, and filled with precipices and broken places. It has also been said in the 67th Psalm: "As wax melts from before the fire, so let the sinners perish from the presence of God." See there.

^A VERS. 6. *The heavens declared his righteousness.* By the heavens understand the prophets or the apostles, who cultivated a heavenly life and behavior in the best manner; and when he says that they declared his righteousness, he means that the knowledge of God was not opened to the Jews alone, but that the nations themselves were also called to the knowledge of the truth. Or interpret righteousness differently, as we said above, by expounding those words: *Righteousness and judgment are the setting of his throne.* See also in Psalm XXXIX, where it is said: "I have preached righteousness in the great assembly."

*And all the peoples saw his glory.* His wonderful works, surely, because of which you have been glorified.

VERS. 7. *Let all be confounded who worship graven things, who glory in their idols.* Let them blush, since such and so great works have been performed by God. Or let them blush, while they are confuted concerning the error of idolatry.

VERS. 8. *Adorate him, all you angels of God.* Some, indeed, praise him because he was born according to the flesh, saying: *Glory to God in the highest*; others, however, serve him in a servile manner, just as they ministered in the desert after he was tempted by the devil; and others serve as he ascends into heaven, going before him and crying: *Lift up your gates, you princes*, etc.

*Sion heard and was glad.* Sion heard the heavens, as it has been said, declaring those things that pertained to Christ; or the new Sion, namely the universal Church, heard and was glad.

^B *And the daughters of Judea rejoiced.* Once, the daughters of Judea were said to be those particular synagogues which were in the various towns and cities of the province of Judea and subordinate to the rule of the Jews: but now by the daughters of the universal Church, we understand all and individual churches which are in the various places of the world, just as if begotten by that universal mother. And because Sion is interpreted as "watchtower," and Judea as "confession," we can rightly understand the Church itself by both Sion and Judea: because she is free for contemplations and contemplates the truth, and because she confesses and gives worthy thanks to God. But if you ask for what reason Sion was glad, and for what cause the daughters of Judea rejoiced, hear what follows:

*Because of your judgments, O Lord.* Because, namely, by your just judgment you will render to each according to their own works, specifically rest to the faithful, but eternal punishment to the unfaithful.

VERS. 9. *For you are the Lord most high over all the earth.* The Lord over all the earth. Or "most high over the earth," just as you are also over heaven.

*You are highly exalted above all gods.* Those, ^C indeed, who are reputed as gods. And they were falsely exalted, and on account of error: but you were truly exalted, on account of your supreme power. Therefore, by how much the truth is greater than error, by so much also is your exaltation greater than theirs. For you were exalted,

^A that is to say, you were known to be exalted. By these words, the Prophet attempts to express the summit of God’s exaltation, saying that he is greatly exalted above all the earth and above all gods.

VER. 10. *You who love the Lord, hate evil.* For God hates the wicked and loves the good. *The Lord keeps the souls of his saints.* That is, of those who have been dedicated and consecrated to him. *He will deliver them from the hand of the sinner.* As often, that is, as they have been oppressed and harmed. The sinner, properly speaking, is the devil, as the author of all sins.

VER. 11. *Light has arisen for the just.* Light—of the true light, I say, spiritual light—conducting him into all truth. Or, the light of contemplation has arisen for him who keeps justice in his actions. *And for the upright of heart, joy.* Joy, that is, spiritual consolation.

VER. 12. *Be glad, you just, in the Lord.* With all other worldly pleasures expelled, as if they were false. A similar sentiment is found at the end of Psalm XXXI, where it says: "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you who are just," ^B where you may see the explanation.

*And make confession to the memory of his holiness.* Give thanks, he says, to him, recalling to memory that divine sanctification by which you have been sanctified. Or: confess all your ancient defilements while you turn over in your mind such purity and cleanness of God, since among men there is no one who is altogether pure. Furthermore, all the words from that verse, *Fire shall go before him,* down to those words, *Sion heard and was glad,* can be understood as referring to the second coming of Christ. His lightnings shone, he says, to the world, Christ surely descending again from heaven. For just as the lightning comes from the east and appears even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^C But if we affirm that the sun will then be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from the sky, from where else will the world be illuminated if not by Christ? The earth saw his descent and was moved for fear—or it was moved, with the dead immediately rising. And the mountains melted like wax and were dissolved, the elements being changed. We have spoken of these words also in Psalm LXXIII, where it says: "The earth was melted." Furthermore, the heavens announced his justice, that is, the lofty and high ones, like the heavens, the prophets, formerly announced that God is a just judge; and then, that is, at that time of judgment, all peoples saw his ^D glory, as he comes forth in the glory of the Father, just as he himself has taught us. Then he commands all those who worship idols to be suffused with shame and to blush; he also orders the angels to adore him, knowing surely that both will come to pass. For when the angels themselves adore Christ, all the others

and shall easily adore; for, according to the Apostle, every knee shall bow to him, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. ^A

Psalm of David himself. PSALM XCVII.

This psalm, which in a similar manner concerns both comings of Christ, maintains a certain kinship or familiarity with the one immediately preceding, just as that one did with the one that went before it.

VERS. 1. *Cantate Domino canticum novum.* A similar verse is found in Psalm XCV, where we have explained it. *Quia mirabilia fecit Dominus.* For new things a new song is needed: but what is more new or more wonderful than that God should have assumed flesh, that He should have willed to suffer, and that He should have done the other things which we are taught by the holy Gospel?

*Salvavit eum dextera ejus, et brachium sanctum ejus.* His right hand and His holy arm—that is, that divine assistance which is wont to be both dexterous and powerful for all—have saved, that is, recovered, that people, or all those who were formerly held captive and enslaved by the enemy. For we have said elsewhere in Psalm XLIII that the right hand and the arm are thus interpreted, there: *But thy right hand and thy arm.* But some interpret *He saved him* as referring to the man who had perished, and they say that this is the most wonderful of works, that the Lord should have saved by His own passion ^B the rebellious and lost servant.

VERS. 2. *Novum fecit Dominus salutare suum.* God made manifest that salvation which is from Him, that is to say, His incarnation, or His saving counsel. For, He says, *I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.*

*In conspectu gentium revelavit justitiam suam.* These words were spoken for the clarification of the preceding statement. For *their sound has gone out into all the earth*, ^C as the apostles proclaimed to all nations that salvation which Christ wrought. But interpret *justice* in this place in the same way as we said regarding Psalm XC; we can also understand that the Lord made known His salvation to the prophets, but did not reveal His justice to the nations.

VERS. 3. *Memor fuit misericordiæ suæ ipsi Jacob, et veritatis suæ domui Israel.* When God had once promised to the patriarch Abraham that He would have mercy on his generation, and had confirmed by an oath that He spoke the truth, He subsequently willed to have regard for ^D the fulfillment of this promised mercy and confirmed truth, while He exhibited in reality the promised mercy to the new Jacob, and toward the house of the new Israel; toward the generation of Christians, I say. For the faithful people are deservedly called Jacob and Israel, as the supplanter and conqueror of the malignant demon, and as one who, with the interior eyes of the soul, so far as human frailty allows, contemplates and beholds God. For Jacob is interpreted as "supplanter," and Israel as "a mind seeing God."

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS

VERS. 4. *All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.* I mean that salvation which has been revealed to them by the apostles, as we have declared above.

VERS. 5. *Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth.* Regarding the "joyful noise," it has been spoken of in the second verse of Psalm XCIV.

*Sing, and rejoice, and psalm.* Sing a new song, as has been said; and rejoice, as those who have been freed from captivity; and psalm, as a demonstration of your gladness and joy.

VERS. 6. *Psall to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the voice of a psalm.* By the harp, according to the anagogical sense, one must understand active virtues; but by the voice of the psalm, contemplation itself. Glorify the Lord, he says, by acting well and by contemplating divine mysteries. ^B

*With beaten trumpets and the voice of a horn trumpet.* That is, in the evangelical precepts, which are called "trumpets" in the plural because there are four Gospels; and "trumpet" in the singular, because, although they are called four, or rather [the works of] four evangelists, yet in harmony and power they are one and the same Gospel. And he called these trumpets "beaten" (ductiles) as if forged and tempered by the Holy Spirit; and the "horn" trumpet as if animate. For indeed, horn trumpets are made from the horns of animals.

VERS. 7. *Make a joyful noise before the King the Lord.* Concerning the "joyful noise," it has been spoken of frequently.

*Let the sea be moved and the fullness thereof, the world and all that dwell therein.* By "movement" here also he signifies exultation and leaping, just as we have said previously in the XCVth Psalm, where it is written: "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, let the sea be moved and the fullness thereof." Look at what we said in our explanation there. By the "fullness of the sea," some have understood the fish that fill it, ^C as if the fish themselves were also being called to gladness and joy.

VERS. 8. *The rivers shall clap their hands together.* The rivers, he says, as if like men who rejoice together with one another, will applaud as if with hands. As if he were saying: The very rivers will also exult, with such universal joy arriving. According to the anagogical sense, by "rivers" we ought to understand those men who have potable currents of water and perpetual flows of doctrine, of whom it was said by the Lord: "If any one believes in me, from his belly shall flow rivers of living water," or [it refers to] the multitudes of the faithful themselves, who flow like a river toward the Church. ^D

*The mountains shall rejoice at the presence of the Lord, because He comes.* The mountains themselves also shall rejoice, just as we read in the XCVth Psalm that the trees of the wood also rejoiced. According to the anagogical sense, the mountains are the prophets, because of the height of their contemplation;

there, on account of the sublimity of the contemplations, ^A Exsultabunt autem videntes quod omnia ea quae praedixerunt re ipsa eventum suum consecuta sunt. [They shall rejoice, seeing that all these things which they foretold have reached their outcome in reality itself.]

VERS. 9. *Quoniam venit judicare terram, orbem terrae in justitia, et populos in rectitudine.* All these things have been explained in order at the end of the aforementioned 95th Psalm. However, there it was said, "and the nations in His truth"; here, however, it says, "and the nations in uprightness." Thus, truth and uprightness are understood to be the same thing, for he who is truthful is upright, and conversely, he who is upright is truthful. ^B

A Psalm of David. PSALM XCVIII.

This psalm also is without an inscription among the Hebrews. The words "Of David" were added by the Septuagint, as we noted in the inscription of Psalm 96.

VERS. 1. *The Lord hath reigned, let the people be angry.* Matthew writes that when the Lord was born, and so forth, "Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying: Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" And what follows concerning this. Then, that "King Herod hearing this was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." Therefore, foreseeing this mystery, the blessed David says: The God-man has been born King. For He Himself said, "For this I was born." Let the peoples of the Jews be angry. *Who sitteth upon the Cherubim.* That Lord, I say, has reigned, who sits upon the Cherubim, as was explained in the 79th Psalm, where [it is said], "Thou that sittest upon the Cherubim, shine forth." ^C *Let the earth be moved.* Namely, the region of the Jews, which was troubled, as we have already said. Or, let the whole earth be moved, for some are troubled by fear, while others are changed to piety and religion.

VERS. 2. *The Lord in Sion great, and high above all the people.* Historically, Christ was great in Jerusalem, teaching and performing miracles. For he says, "The fame of Him went out." And elsewhere: "His fame went out immediately into all the surrounding region of Galilee." And again: "His fame went out into all of Syria." But according to the anagogical sense, the Lord is great in the Church; for since Sion is interpreted as a "watchtower," this is what it is—that we, as Paul says, should look upon not the earthly things, but the heavenly. In this watchtower of the Church, Christ is high above all men, inasmuch as He is not only man but also God. Or, "great in Sion," but "high among all the peoples of the nations," so that the meaning is that Christ is magnified among the Jews and among the nations—that is, among those believers who are from the circumcision and among those who are from the gentiles. For that which He says, "above all," does not only signify "over all," but also "in all." ^D

^A *Let them give thanks unto thy name, which is great.* Let them show gratitude. By "name," he refers to that of the divinity; for God, he says, bestowed upon Him—that is to say, upon the assumption of humanity—a name which is above every name. Or, "Let them give thanks unto thy name," without inquisitively scrutinizing your nature or the manner of the incarnation.

*For it is fearful and holy.* It is fearful to enemies, driving them out and scourging them, but holy to those who are his own, sanctifying and purifying them. Or he speaks of the very name "Jesus"; and this is great, as it is fearful and holy, as has been said.

*And the king's honor loveth judgment.* The dignity and authority of the king loves justice. Wherefore He will assist those who are tyrannized, and will overthrow the tyrant, the devil.

*Thou hast prepared directness.* You have given your law, in which are directness and uprightness.

*Judgment and justice in Jacob thou hast performed.* He says the same thing more clearly. You performed judgment and justice in the generation of Jacob—among the Israelites—by means of the law that was given.

*Exalt ye the Lord our God.* Think high and sublime thoughts of Him. Exalt Him with hymns; exalt Him by the observance of His commandments. For if God is said to be blasphemed among the gentiles because of those who despise divine commands, it is manifest that, conversely, He is magnified because of those who observe them. ^B *And worship at the footstool of his feet.* As for His divinity, the earth is the footstool of His feet; for He says, "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is the footstool of my feet." But as for His humanity, he now calls the footstool of His feet Golgotha, in which He was crucified; or else the cross itself, upon which His feet stood when He was nailed to it.

*For he is holy.* Because of the sanctifying divinity. Being holy, He also sanctified such a footstool. And since we are also accustomed to call those who are just "holy," he shows hereafter what a difference there is between the holiness of Christ and theirs, by saying:

^C *Moyses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he heard them.* All these, he says, were His ministers and servants. He mentions Moses as a legislator, Aaron as the first among the priests, and Samuel as a leader among the prophets. Or, by Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, he understands all those who imitate their virtues. For even in Ezekiel, the Lord says, "If I bring a sword upon the land, and Noah, Job, and Daniel be found in it, the sword shall not come upon them"; He did not mean to signify those who had already been dead for many years

not, but by those names he signified those who had imitated their life and conversation.

In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them. To Moses, certainly, and to Aaron. But God spoke to Moses alone; yet this is a certain figure, which is called syllepsis, because it includes another. For the Apostle also, when he had enumerated all who believed through faith, finally added collectively: Who through faith conquered kingdoms, and what follows. For the Prophet wishes now to tell us that this Christ is that God who spoke to them in the pillar of the cloud.

Because they kept his testimonies, and his precepts which he gave to them. For these were the testimonies of Christ, and the commandments of the law, which were given to them. ^B

VERS. 8. O Lord our God, you heard them. You are he who heard them then. God, you were propitious to them. Namely, as they appeased and mitigated you on behalf of the people by whom you had been provoked, or even on behalf of themselves, when they sinned against you. For even Moses provoked God, when he had believed less that he would obtain water from him, and Aaron, when he fashioned the calf.

And taking vengeance on all their devices. He set "to take vengeance" in this place to mean "to assist." And you were assisting, he says, that is, you were helping all their endeavors for the benefit of the people. Or you were taking vengeance on all their devices, interpreting it in the passive sense, that is, all the devices which had been composed and constructed ^C against them.

VERS. 9. Exalt the Lord our God. Concerning this, it has already been said above. And worship at his holy mountain: for the Lord our God is holy. His holy mountain among the Jews is called the earthly Sion, but to us it is the heavenly one; of which the Apostle Paul said: You have come to Mount Sion, and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Or by the holy mountain understand the Church, on account of the sublimity of its dogmas and conversation. Worship, therefore, he says, Christ in the Church. And the Prophet says these things, joining himself to us: or he commands it to be done in the person of the ^D faithful.

Psalm of David, for confession. PSALM XCIX. The Septuagint also affixed this inscription, recognizing from the words of the psalm that it was dedicated to Christ, who truly is of a strong hand and descending from the blood of David, to whom he commands that we should serve, and confess.

VERS. 1. Jubilate to God, all the earth. We have had words of this kind also in the ninety-seventh psalm. Serve the Lord in gladness. Serve him, who liberated you from the servitude of demons; and in gladness, because from

having been delivered, and having been deemed worthy to have such a Lord.

*Enter into his presence with exultation.* Worship him freely, rejoicing.

*Know that the Lord is our God.* Know, from the prophets concerning him, and also from his own works, learn that the Lord Jesus himself is our God.

*He has made us, and not we ourselves.* For although parents may seem to make their children, in reality it is God who makes them. For he is their cause, while parents are merely coadjutors, as those who serve the divine command that has existed from the beginning. And for this reason, we see many ^B who wish to procreate children, yet are unable to do so at all. Hence, to the woman who said to her husband, "Give me a child," the husband answered dogmatically: "Am I in the place of God, who has deprived you of the fruit of the womb?"

*We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.* This was also said in the 94th Psalm; and though what is written there is "people of [the] pasture" and "sheep of his hand," there is no difference in sense arising from this.

*Enter into his gates with confession, into his courts with hymns.* Just as it is necessary first to enter through the gates, and then into the courts, so too it is necessary first to confess sins, and then to praise God; so that, with the tongue purified by confession, pure and clean praises may be offered to God. Now the gates and courts of Christ are the churches throughout the whole world, as his own house; and regarding them, it has been said before in the 83rd Psalm.

*Confess to him, praise his name.* He seems ^C to say the same things again, intensifying and urging. Understand "confession" here as thanksgiving. "Give thanks," he says, "having been gifted with such great benefits; glorify the name of the Redeemer and Lord."

*For the Lord is gracious; his mercy is for eternity.* Gracious, as being compassionate; and he says his mercy is eternal, and not temporary, like that of humans.

*And even to generation and generation is his truth.* The truth of his words is perpetual; or, [it refers] not only to the generation of the old people, but also to that of the new.

Psalm to David. Psalm C.

The blessed Josiah was endowed with great virtues, and he administered his kingdom with equal virtue; foreseeing this, our Prophet David wrote the present psalm, recounting the virtuous life of that king in his own person, and setting it before men as a character of righteous conduct and a pattern of perfection.

^A VERS. 1. *I will sing mercy and judgment unto thee, O Lord.* In song, he says, I will offer thee thy mercy and judgment, singing surely of how thou showest mercy in the present life, and judgest in the future: or else singing that thy mercy is not without judgment, nor is thy judgment without mercy. Furthermore, I will imitate those things that I have praised in my song, by having mercy on others and by judging others righteously.

VERS. 2. *I will sing, and I will understand in the spotless way.* Walking irreprehensibly, I will sing and I will understand. For it behooves one who sings to understand what he sings or chants. By the "spotless way," however, we may understand those virtues which are perfected by action; by "singing," we may understand contemplation: or, to sing denotes acting through virtue, while to understand denotes contemplating, both of which are perfected in a spotless and irreprehensible life.

*When wilt thou come unto me?* Unto me, I say, who for this reason walk spotless and irreprehensible, who sing and understand, so that I may enjoy thee. Or, when wilt thou come unto me, who desire thy advent and presence most ardently, according to that word: *If any man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.*

*I walked in the innocence of my heart, in the midst of my house.* I was, he says, occupied in the purity of my heart.

VERS. 3. *I set no wicked thing before my eyes.* Neither before my bodily eyes, nor before the eyes of my mind, that is, I could not bear to see or think of anything wicked.

*I hated those who work transgressions.* The men, that is, who transgress what is just, whether it pertains to men or to God.

VERS. 4. *A perverse heart hath not cleaved to me.* For what is perverse does not befit what is straight.

*I knew not him who turned aside from me, the wicked one.* For one must not retain the friendships of wicked men, but should take care that all who approach may lead better lives, and should despise those who turn away. This verse is also understood as concerning the devil, so that the meaning is: I gave the demon no approach to me; and therefore it did not happen that I should ever acknowledge him as "turning aside" from me—that is, as having departed from me.

VERS. 5. *Him who slandered his neighbor in secret, him I pursued.* As one endowed with evil morals and lacking in nobility, and as a dog that bites in secret. He added "in secret," for he who slanders one who is present sins less, since the one who is present can defend himself against the infamy cast upon him.

*With a proud eye and an insatiable heart, with him I did not eat.* That is, I did not live with him. By the "proud eye," he denotes any proud man, as if by a part the whole; and in like manner, by the "insatiable heart," the avaricious man. He includes both in his discourse, saying: *with him I did not eat.*

My eyes are upon the faithful of the land, ^A that they may dwell with me. He means those worthy to be trusted because of the uprightness of their conduct. Or perhaps he calls the "faithful" the good, as we read stated by Solomon: "But to find a faithful man is a labor." For that which is good is rare. I paid attention to such men, he says, and I used them as my associates.

He that walked in a blameless way, he ministered to me. I used, he says, ministers whose life was irreproachable. For it is fitting to employ good men, not only as friends, but also as servants.

He did not dwell in the midst of my house, acting with pride. Above, he spoke of a proud friend; here, however, of a proud servant.

He that spoke unjust things did not prosper before my eyes. He did not succeed, that is, he could not accomplish what he desired, nor did he prosper before me.

In the mornings I destroyed all the sinners of the land. In the mornings, when I was not held by any drunkenness of wine or of anger, when my thought could not be led astray. By "the sinners of the land," he does not mean the transgressive of the whole world, but only those who were subject to himself; and by "all," he does not imply all at once, but now one, and now another.

That I might cut off from the city of the Lord all those who work iniquity. I destroyed them, he says, for the sake of cutting off the lawless, that the lawlessness itself, seeing the severity of the punishments, might be restrained and disappear. Now according to the anagogical sense, the "land" signifies the body and bodily things, as they are earthen; and the "sinners of such a land" are the thoughts of sin. He says, therefore, that when the sun of the Holy Spirit arose in my soul—for this is the intelligible morning—then I destroyed all the impassioned thoughts which arise from the earthen body and from earthly things in general. And by the "city of the Lord," understand the soul, as the house of the Holy Spirit. ^C

A prayer for the poor, when he is anxious, and pours out his supplication before the Lord.

PSALM CI

By "poor" in this place, he means one who is in need of divine help. To this person, he says, the prayer of the present psalm is suited, whenever he becomes anxious while being fought by enemies, whether visible or invisible, and offers his supplication before God. For I will pour out, he says, my supplication before him. Which, explaining it further, he added: "I will proclaim my affliction before him." Although the Prophet wrote this psalm primarily for himself, at the very time he suffered persecution—for then he was indeed sorrowful, and he honored God, saying:

VERS. 2. O Lord, hear my prayer, and…

^A let my cry come unto you. By prayer he refers to the words of the mouth; by cry, the intent of the heart. Symmachus, instead of “cry,” used “wailing.” Such a cry comes to God when it is heard, and it becomes heard when it is pleasing to God.

VERS. 3. Do not turn your face away from me. Do not turn away from me as from someone unworthy, which is what those who do not wish to hear the petitions of suppliants are accustomed to do.

In whatever day I am afflicted, incline your ear to me. In whatever day I call upon you, quickly hear me. Not only now, but during my whole life. Concerning the inclination of God’s divine ear, it is said in the 16th Psalm, where it is written: “Incline your ear to me, hear my words.”

VERS. 4. For my days have failed like smoke. Quickly, he says, hear me, for my soul has already failed. And elsewhere he says similarly: “Quickly hear me, O Lord, my spirit has failed.” “They have failed,” he says, “my days have vanished like smoke; the years of my life have passed by like smoke, and are already finished.”

And my bones have withered like a firebrand. Symmachus, instead of “firebrand,” rendered it “a brand.” My bones, he says, have withered like a brand, burnt, as it were, by the fire of temptations. According to the anagoge, the bones are those holier thoughts that strengthen and guide the soul, which, if they are kindled by the fire of temptations, become brittle.

VERS. 5. I have been struck down like grass, and my heart has withered. Just as grass, when struck, withers, so too am I, struck by the scourges, withered in my heart, having found no consolation that could mitigate my flame by bedewing and cooling it.

For I have forgotten to eat my bread. Because of such sorrow as this, he says, I have cast away all appetite for food. For the ancients used to call appetite the “memory of food,” and the privation of appetite, “the forgetting of food.” ^B

VERS. 6. Because of the voice of my groaning, my bone has cleaved to my flesh. For true groaning consumes all that fatness which is between the flesh and the bones. Some understand “flesh” to be meant for “skin,” as if he were saying that, since all the flesh that was between them had been consumed by sorrow, the skin was joined to the bones.

VERS. 7. I have become like a pelican of the wilderness. Fleeing, indeed, the company of the multitude and seeking solitude; for the pelican is an animal that delights in solitude.

I have become like a night-owl in a ruin. This animal is by nature most timid, and therefore, fleeing from everywhere, it dwells in the ruins of houses. I, he says, like a night-owl, dwell in desert and solitary places. They say the night-owl lives in ruins or huts and cries out at night through fear, and for this reason, ^D it is called by the Greeks—

^A because it screams at night. It is not otherwise, therefore, that he says he cries out to God at night, while he dreads the incursion of his enemies.

*Verse 8.* I have watched, and have become as a sparrow alone on the house-top. For the sparrow itself also watches out of fear, and dwells alone on the house-top; or it stays only on the roofs.

*Verse 9.* All the day my enemies reproached me. Those who were persecuting me reproached me for my fear and misery. And they that praised me swore against me. Those who formerly wondered at me or praised me, afterwards swore against me—confirming, that is, the conspiracies and those schemes that they were plotting against me by oath; or, they were turning my calamities into an oath, for example: "May we not suffer those things which he suffers, nor become as he is." But some understand these words to be spoken in the person of Christ, so that it is a prophecy regarding Peter, who swore later that he did not know the man. ^B

*Verse 10.* For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping. If ever I remembered food, I would scatter ashes upon my bread, and mingle my drink with weeping, as is the custom of those who are set in the greatest calamities and cannot bear to have even food brought to them without sadness. Or: I ate ashes instead of bread, and mingled drink with weeping; that is, I mingled tears instead of drink. This was happening when all the others were partaking of food and were cheerful. For then I, lying on my face and mourning, was taking up dust into my mouth—which was being raised up by the wind or breath—and in this manner I was mingling it with tears. By these words, ^C however, he indicated that his life was full of sadness. It has been said often that the word *that*, or *because* [ὅτι / quia], sometimes renders a cause, sometimes confirms, and sometimes is completely redundant, or is posited as a kind of mode of narration, as here.

*Verse 11.* Because of thy anger and thy indignation. These things happened to me because of thy anger, because thou wast angry at me; and thou wast angry at me because I provoked thee by sinning. By "face of anger" [he signifies] anger periphrastically.

*Verse 12.* For having lifted me up, thou hast dashed me down. Thou didst lift me up formerly, when my affairs were well, but afterwards thou didst dash me down, having permitted me to fall. Similar to this is: "Having been exalted, I was humbled."

My days have declined like a shadow. They passed away quickly; and elsewhere he says: "Man is made like to vanity; his days pass away as a shadow." For a shadow is quickly extinguished. ^D

And I have withered like grass. I have seen these words also earlier; but there, he said his heart had withered; here, however, he says that he has completely withered away from wasting.

*Verse 13.* But thou, O Lord, abidest for ever. Those things that pertain to me, that is, human affairs, are such, changeable

^A and unequal. But thou, O Lord, art eternal and unchangeable.

And thy memorial unto generation and generation. That is, eternal, or unto the generation of the old people, and unto the generation of the new people.

*Verse 14.* Thou rising up, shalt have mercy on Sion. According to the literal sense, which seems more at hand, this is a prophecy concerning the earthly Jerusalem, foretelling that when the ordained time of the captivity of the Jews was fulfilled, God would again have mercy on Sion, for the time of visitation prophesied has come, and so on, following the purpose. But according to a deeper sense, this prophecy is about the new Sion, that is, the Church of the faithful: or because thou, rising from the dead, shalt have mercy on the Church of the apostles, and shalt help her.

For the time of having mercy on her, for the time has come. The time, I say, which demands help, when all are now rising up against her and waging war.

*Verse 15.* For thy servants have delighted in her stones, and they shall have mercy on her dust. Because the apostles prepared the stones for the building of this Jerusalem, those stones, to be sure, which were more stable and more advanced in religion and virtue, and whose mutual fitness and convenience effected the construction of the spiritual Church. The same apostles also ^B will render the dust of this Jerusalem more worthy by their care and zeal: for they will cherish with their assistance all those who are weaker and more earthly men.

*Verse 16.* And the nations shall fear thy name, O Lord. Because of the signs and miracles which will be performed in her by the mere invocation of the name of Christ.

And all the kings thy glory. Thy glory, which is born of power. And we may also understand by "nations" those believers who have believed from among the Gentiles, and in a similar way by "kings," those who were faithful kings. ^C

*Verse 17.* For the Lord shall build up Sion. That is, truly shall He build her up.

And shall be seen in his glory. He shall be seen again in his glorious coming when he shall come with power and great glory, as he himself said in the Gospels.

*Verse 18.* He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble. Namely, of those who have humble thoughts, and who follow the true humility of soul.

And hath not despised their prayers. He did not disdain, he did not reject them. ^D

*Verse 19.* Let these things be written unto another generation. Let this prayer, he says, or this present psalm which is inscribed "A prayer for the poor man," be received and delivered unto another generation, that is, unto the generation of the new people, since the old people would not believe the words of the prophets concerning Christ.

^A "And the people which is created shall praise the Lord." Christ, I say. But the people which is created is the new people, concerning whom Paul says: "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature." And he did not say "which has been created," but "which is being created," on account of the advancement of those who believe, which will continue until the very consummation. By "to be created," however, understand not an act of bringing into existence, but a change for the better. "For he hath looked down from his high holy place." He poured forth while remaining above, and appeared below; for it is characteristic of those who look down to remain on high, and to be seen by those who are below. And he was seen through the incarnation. By "high holy place," he means heaven itself, or the height of the divinity.

^B "The Lord from heaven hath looked upon the earth." He descended from heaven to earth; for by his looking down, he signified his coming.

"To hear the groaning of those who are fettered." For the sake of hearing the groaning which righteous men utter for those who are bound with the chains of sins, he has groaned on behalf of them.

"To loose the sons of the slain." And to loose from the bonds of sin, or from the slavery of the demons, the sons of those who have perished in sins.

"To declare the name of the Lord in Sion." The Father's name, that is, that the Lord God was his Father, and the true Father: wherefore Christ also was saying: "I have manifested thy name to men."

"And his praise in Jerusalem." And his honor, which was the name itself. ^C Or otherwise, understand the praise with which Christ was continually praising the Father, attributing everything to him, and declaring that he was sent by him; then he says when this was done.

"When the peoples were gathered together in one, and the kings to serve the Lord." That is to say, when the peoples and the kings were gathered unto him, in order that, having believed, they might serve him who is Lord according to his divinity. For he says, "In the midst of the Church I will praise thee." By kings, he now means the apostles, not only as having reigned over passions and mastered the demons, but also as being honored afterwards by the whole world, and above kings, and even by their kings, concerning whom it has been said before in the Psalm: ^D "Thou shalt make them princes over all the earth." And having completed this prophecy, he returns again to the previous sequence.

"He answered him in the way of his strength." He spoke

to Him, to whom the prayer of the present psalm is directed; ^A that is, the poor man who has grown faint, as has been shown above. For here one should understand by "answer" simply "to speak" without a question, for there is also such a type of meaning for "answer" in the Scriptures. And by "the way of his strength," understand the time in which he is still able, and has not yet completely weakened, nor has he yet been totally cast down by faintheartedness.

"Announce to me the fewness of my days." This sentiment ^B seems similar to what is held in the 38th Psalm: "Make me to know, O Lord, my end, and the number of my days, what it is; that I may know what I am lacking." Seeing, he says, that I am now debilitated and that this evil is worsening, I suspect that only a little time of life remains for me; wherefore I pray that it be made known to me, so that I might apply greater care and concern to my soul.

VER. 25. "Take me not away in the midst of my days." By "taking away" in this place, he calls the departure of the soul, which is led up through the air, or led up out of the body. And by "half of my days" he designates imperfection, that is, the unfruitfulness of those days which had been allotted to him for the bearing of fruit. For this reason, certain days of life are allotted to men, that they may bear fruit; he prays, therefore, not to die in the unfruitfulness, so to speak, or sterility of his life, but to live longer, until he brings forth some fruit. Or perhaps he says so because of what is handed down in the 54th Psalm, where it is held that "men of blood and deceit shall not live out half their days"—where you should see the exposition.

"Thy years are unto generation of generations." By "generation of generations," the Hebrews signify that which is perpetual. ^C But the Prophet also weaves dogmas about God into his prayer: "For You," he says, "are eternal by Your divinity, nay rather, even above eternity itself, and everlasting."

VER. 26. "In the beginning You, O Lord, founded the earth." You established, You made. "And the works of Your hands are the heavens." The heavens, he says, are the work of Your effective power. But by "heavens" understand the very first heaven and the firmament. For in the beginning, he says, "God made the heaven and the earth"; and again: "And God called the firmament heaven." ^D

VERS. 27. "They shall perish." For they shall be changed, inasmuch as they are creatures. "But You remain." Unchanging, as the Creator. "And all shall grow old like a garment." "All," that is, both together; or perhaps the earth along with the heavens will grow old by continuous use and time, like a garment growing old. For by use and time, clothes are worn out.

VERS. 28. "And as a covering You shall fold them up, and they shall be"

shall be changed. ^A *Thou shalt fold them up*, or thou shalt wrap them together; this he says, as easily as one wraps up a covering or a cloak. By this he indicates the great power and all-embracing might of Christ. And what he said above, *they shall perish*, he now qualifies by saying *they shall be changed*, interpreting that statement and declaring that they themselves shall also be changed into incorruption, being renewed. For the Apostle says that *the fashion of this world passeth away*; and Isaiah, that *the heaven shall be rolled up as a scroll*. Others interpret this as meaning that just as a cloak, when it has fulfilled its intended service, is folded up, so also shall the heaven, when a better service has come to pass, itself be changed for the better.

*But thou art the selfsame.* Unchangeable, immutable. *And thy years shall not fail.* For just as thou art without beginning according to thy divinity, so also art thou without end. But by "years" in reference to God, one must understand the duration of his being.

*The children of thy servants shall dwell.* Thy servants, concerning whom he said above that *thy servants have taken pleasure in her stones*, are the apostles. The children of the apostles are those whom they begat through the Gospel; children by way of instruction and resemblance in doctrine and conduct. These then, he says, shall dwell in the Zion to be pitied by thee, that is to say, in the Church. ^B

*And their seed shall be directed forever.* Of those servants of thine, or of the children of thy servants. And by "seed" he does not mean seed according to the flesh, but according to the succession of virtue and piety. This, therefore, shall be directed forever, prospering. For, he says, *the gates of hell shall not prevail against it*.

A Psalm of David. Psalm CII.

This psalm likewise contains acts of thanksgiving, as is easily recognized from its beginning.

*Bless the Lord, O my soul.* Give thanks, he says, praise him, and glorify him, who has bestowed upon me so many and such great benefits.

*And all that is within me, his holy name.* By "that which is within" he means the powers of the soul, the intentions, the thoughts; or, along with these, all and each of the parts and members of his body—that is to say, he bids his whole self, from every part, bless God and his holy name, since this name sanctifies all who worthily bless it. ^D

*Bless the Lord, O my soul.* The repetition is an intensification of the exhortation.

*And forget not all his retributions.* He called benefits "retributions"; for so Symmachus rendered it. For when we have received many good things from God, we have rendered evil unto him through disobedience.

Deinde ipsa connumerat beneficia.—Then he lists the benefits in order.

^A Vers. 3. *Qui propitiatur omnibus iniquitatibus tuis.* He who is appeased in regard to each of thy faults, and becomes propitious, provided that thou hast repented of each one. *Qui sanat omnes infirmitates tuas.* Namely, of soul and body, when thou askest for them with an ardent heart.

Vers. 4. *Qui redimit de corruptione vitam tuam.* From the dangers of soul and body; or, who bestows upon thee incorruptible life in the resurrection. *Qui coronat te in misericordia et miserationibus.* I mean, to thee who hast finished the course and kept the faith. But he said "in mercy and in compassions," because no one is justified by his own works. For, "If thou shouldst mark iniquities," he says, "O Lord, O Lord, who shall stand? Because with thee there is propitiation." And again: "Because with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption: and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." For God mixes his own mercy with our good works, and by this method makes up for everything in which we have failed.

^B Vers. 5. *Qui replet in bonis desiderium tuum.* That is, who satisfies thee who art thirsting for good things with good things. Some say that "desire" here is to be understood as that which Adam had, that he might become a god; which desire Adam himself strove to satisfy through evils, while he was not obedient to God. But thine, he says, such a desire God will satisfy with good things, on account of thy obedience, of course. Mindful, therefore, of all these gifts, O soul, he says, bless God who has conferred such great benefits upon thee. *Renovabitur ut aquila juventus tua.* Thy youth, he says, or thy adolescence, shall drive away all that old age and every languor and infirmity which had arisen from the passions of the soul; and it shall drive them all away, not otherwise than as eagles cast off their old feathers. And by the same method they are reborn through repentance, thou shalt be renewed as the eagle is renewed, for whom new ^C feathers renascuntur.

Vers. 6. *Faciens misericordias Dominus.* The verb "is" is understood. *Et judicium omnibus injuriam patientibus.* The judgment of retribution.

Vers. 7. *Notas fecit vias suas Moysi.* By the law which he commanded him. By "ways," moreover, he understands his divine will and commandments; and we have already spoken abundantly of these in the twenty-fourth Psalm, where it is said: "Thy ways, O Lord, show me." *Filiis Israel voluntates suas.* Primarily to Moses himself, and through him consequently to the entire people.

Vers. 8. *Misericors et miserator Dominus, longanimis, et multum misericors.* These things were ^D expounded in the eighty-fifth Psalm, where it is said: "And thou, O Lord God, art compassionate and merciful," and the rest.

^A "He will not be angry for ever." Being easily reconciled to those who repent. "Neither will he be wrathful for ever." He repeats the same sentiment, but more clearly. "He hath not dealt with us according to our iniquities, nor rewarded us according to our sins." As he is patient and of great mercy; he revolves the same discourse concerning mercy in different ways, wishing to demonstrate the excess of God’s love for man.

"For as the height of heaven above the earth, so hath the Lord strengthened his mercy upon them that fear him." As much, he says, as the interval from heaven to earth, so much hath God established his mercy upon those who fear him, that is to say, immeasurable and beyond comparison; and he found no greater sensible distance than this to use as an example.

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our iniquities from us." From us, that is, whoever of us fear him. For where there is the fear of God, there also is the observance of the commandments.

"As a father pitieth his children, so hath the Lord pitied them that fear him." A father pities his children, ^B showing providence for those who go astray, bearing with them, admonishing, exhorting, threatening, being long-suffering, chastising, healing; and regulating all things most diligently for their instruction and salvation.

"For he knoweth our frame." Fittingly he bears with and shows mercy; for he saw our formation, that it is fragile. "He hath remembered that we are dust." This is explanatory of the statement made before. He remembered, he says, that we were formed from dust, which is fragile from its very origin. And "he knew" and "he remembered" are used for "he understands"; and this is an idiom of the Hebrew language.

"Man, his days are as grass." Easily withered and transitory. And by "day" he signifies life. But if Solomon says: "Man is great and a venerable being," do not be disturbed. ^C For since man possesses a double construction, the one from base dust, the other from the life-giving divine breath—he is held in contempt because of the fragile nature of the body, but is magnified because of the immortality of the soul; and he is dishonored because of his tendency to error and his wickedness, but is honored because of his virtues and righteous deeds; and because, while he keeps the commandments, he is the image of God and an heir of the kingdom of heaven; but if he transgresses, he becomes at once a slave of sin and liable to punishments. ^D

^A As a flower of the field, so shall he flourish. Now he is beautiful, but later he withers and is corrupted by the separation [of the soul].

VERS. 15. For the spirit passeth through in him. For everything that draws in the air, or spirit, and expels it, is corruptible. Or by "spirit" understand the soul, which permeates the entire body and departs from it at the appointed and determined time.

And he shall not be. That is, in the present life, dying as a man.

And he shall not know his place anymore. Migrating to another habitation. But neither, he says, shall the spirit itself, that is, the soul, once it has passed beyond the bonds of this body, subsist any longer in the body itself, nor shall it dwell there anymore, nor will it know the place of its habitation, that is to say, the body. For even if at the time of the resurrection the souls are to receive their own bodies, they will not, however, receive them as they were before, subject to corruption and changes; hence, by reason of this transformation, they will deservedly not recognize them as the same.

VERS. 16. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him. From the present age to the future, that is, in the present and in the future life. For God's mercy is perpetual, both here and there, and it will never cease. For here it delivers us from present dangers, and there it frees us from eternal punishments. This mercy is, moreover, upon those who fear the Lord.

VERS. 17. And his justice unto children's children. He says "justice" for the reward of good works. Symmachus translated it with this meaning. He says, therefore, that such justice is perpetual and that it will recompense through the successions of time the children's children—those children, I say, who have walked according to the way of their fathers. Then he sets forth those in whom such justice is found.

To such as keep his testament. I speak of the covenant of divine commandments, which he disposed for those adopted as his children, promising them through it an inheritance.

VERS. 18. And are mindful of his commandments to do them. Those who, he says, are mindful, not so that they might know them simply, but so that they might fulfill them in deed. And "children's children" are not only those who are begotten through the succession of kinship, but those also who are heirs and successors in piety and religion.

VERS. 19. The Lord hath prepared his throne in heaven. Whoever, therefore, desires to stand before his throne must think upon heavenly things and despise earthly ones. By these words, the supreme exaltation of God is noted. See also in the second psalm the exposition of that verse: *He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn.*

And his kingdom shall rule over all. Just as ^D

of the Creator’s kingdom; but as regards the faithful, He will not rule as over the unwilling, but as over those who are subject of their own accord; whereas for the infidels, He shall rule even over the unwilling.

^A VERSE 20. *Bless the Lord, all ye his angels.* Since he has mentioned the heavenly throne, he consequently makes mention of the angels who stand about the throne, exhorting them as fellow-servants to bless the common Lord, and to rejoice that He has bestowed such great benefits upon mankind.

*Mighty in strength.* That is, robust. For the strength of the angels does not grow old, but is immortal; and for this reason they are called Virtues and Powers, because they are indeed mighty to fulfill those things which are enjoined upon them by God.

*Doing his word, by hearing the voice of his words.* You who fulfill His command, as soon as you have heard the voice of His words, which can, of course, be heard by them.

VERSE 21. *Bless the Lord, all ye his virtues.* Having spoken of the angels, he now speaks of other orders, of the incorporeal virtues, that is to say.

*His ministers, who do his will.* Those who serve Him in various orders, and who perform His will; then he exhorts the whole of creation in general to the blessing of God, saying:

^B VERSE 22. *Bless the Lord, all his works.* And how do irrational and inanimate things bless God? Surely instead of a voice, they make use of their appearance, their beauty, their position, their utility, and other such wonderful things, which are indicative of the power of God. By these, rational creatures are moved to the praise of the Creator. Moreover, the prophets are accustomed in other ways to take up both the irrational and the inanimate nature into the praise of God, by this means indicating that the rational creation does not suffice for [His] praise, and by this also rousing the rational [creatures] still more. For if the irrational things are called to the praise of Him who made them, much more so are the rational.

*In every place of his dominion, bless, O my soul, the Lord.* And what place is there that is not of His dominion? Surely none; it remains, therefore, that wherever we happen to be, we should there praise the Lord without distinction. But what would the Jews have to say to these things, who cannot sing the song of the Lord in a strange land, when the Prophet clearly appears to be introducing the evangelical worship ^C and religion, and to be preferring it even to the Law itself?

*A Psalm for David, for the constitution of the world.*

PSALM CIII

In the preceding psalm he blessed the Lord, offering thanks for the benefits bestowed upon us; but in the present one he blesses Him again, marveling most of all at the creation fashioned by Him.

[alt-version omitted]

Verse 1. Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you have been magnified exceedingly.

Verse 2. Wrapping yourself in light as with a garment.

Verse 3. Stretching out the heaven as a curtain.

Who covers its upper rooms with waters.

Who makes the clouds His chariot.

Who walks upon the wings of the wind.

^A that He is present everywhere; for winds are most swift in their motion, and reach from the ends of the earth to other ends most quickly, and traverse the whole world as if in a moment.

VERS. 4. *Who makes your angels spirits, and your ministers a burning fire.* It declares Him to be the creator of the invisible nature as well. And it calls the same angels both spirits and fire, in order to express their swift motion and efficacy, or also describing their nature in this way. For the angels are intellectual spirits, and a certain immaterial fire.

VERS. 5. *Who founded the earth upon its stability.* But what stability of the earth does he mean? Say that a divine disposition was brought to pass for it as a stability. For God established it upon itself. *It shall not be inclined for ever and ever.* It shall not be overturned at any time, even if it be shaken.

VERS. 6. *The abyss as a garment is His covering.* The covering of His earthly element is the abyss: that is, the very mass of waters which we call the sea; which, like a ^B garment, wraps around the earth and is spread out over it. But these words of the Prophet can also be understood concerning the incomprehensibility of the wisdom, power, and providence of God; for, being struck with wonder, he says that the abyss of divine incomprehensibility is, as it were, a garment, meaning that He has put on incomprehensibility like a garment, being incomprehensible from every side. For since God is on every side incomprehensible, He seems in a way to be clothed and surrounded by that incomprehensibility as if by a garment.

*Upon the mountains shall the waters stand.* The waters, he says, are gathered upon the very mountains and spring forth there, although they are otherwise naturally prone to flow down from the higher places. Or otherwise: The waters and the waves are lifted up to such a height that they even equal the summits of the mountains.

VERS. 7. *At your rebuke they shall flee.* On account of the authority and efficacy of your commands, the waters which spring forth in the mountains shall be dried up, and even the lofty waves of the sea shall be restrained. For He rebuked, he says, the Red Sea, and it was dried up. ^C

*At the voice of your thunder they shall be afraid.* They shall tremble by a certain natural law, or for our benefit. But if the waters, which even lack sense, shall be afraid at a sound of thunder, how much more ought this to happen to us, who are rational, that we may be seized with fear.

VERS. 8. *The mountains ascend, and the plains descend into the place which you founded for them.* The mountains were exalted, and the plains were depressed into the place which you established for them. But if you do not think these things are to be understood regarding the situation of mountains and plains, it can also be said of the waters of the sea, that its waves ascend and are lifted up on high, like mountains, and being depressed, they descend humbly, like plains. According to which sense, the word "as" is to be understood.

^A Ver. 9. "Thou hast set a bound that they shall not pass over." ^A Mountains, that is, or the waves of the sea. And this bound is the divine command, which contains and restrains all things in their own places. "Neither shall they turn again to cover the earth." They shall not be moved from their appointed order. For the mountains shall not be rolled down, nor shall the waves pass over their boundaries.

Ver. 10. "Who sendest forth springs in the valleys." Who grantest springs for the convenience of the animals living in the mountains. "Between the mountains the waters shall run." For the rivers pass through them. And then he adds the reason, saying:

Ver. 11. "They shall drink all the beasts of the field." Of the mountain, that is, or the forest. For God did not send forth such waters in vain, but through them He provides for the salvation even of the lowliest animals. "The wild asses will take of their thirst." They will receive these waters on account of their thirst. For the wild ass is by nature a dry and very thirsty animal; which Jeremiah also teaches in that place where he describes a certain drought, saying among other things: "The wild asses did stand in their high places, they snuffed up the wind," that they might be cooled. ^B

Ver. 12. "By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation." By the waters of the rivers and on their banks shall the birds, whosoever they be that dwell by the waters, make their habitation. "They shall give forth their voice from among the rocks." The waters, that is to say; for coming forth from the rocks with impetus and noise, and with a certain sweet murmuring, they seem to call the animals to drink, and to move men themselves to song and divine praises: since it seems altogether an admirable thing, that from most dry rocks, a nature of such a kind, that is to say, of water, should flow so copiously and perpetually.

Ver. 13. "Who waterest the mountains from thy chambers." From the clouds, that is; for thence the mountains are watered. But if the mountains are watered by Him, consequently the fields and the whole earth are as well, rain being provided from above, and with measure. ^C

"The earth shall be satisfied with the fruit of thy works." By the earth, He understands the animals which are from the earth, or which inhabit the earth; by the fruits of the works of God, all fruits are to be understood, not only because they are made by the command of God, but also because the plants, which produce the fruits, were created by the same. But some, understanding the preceding verse as referring only to the mountains, understand the present one as referring to the rest of the earth, saying that the earth shall be "watered from the fruit of thy works," and they call the rain here the fruit of the works of God, as the fruit of His providential arrangements by which He fashions the clouds; then he adds also the utility of the rains.

Ver. 14. "Who bringest forth grass for the cattle, and herb for the service of men." (By the expressions which are here in the Greek, the Prophet did not wish simply to signify hay and grass, as the Latin interpreter rendered it, but by that which is more properly called herb than hay), that herb, as some think, which in uncultivated places

^A is born; but by the grass, that which we—though less properly, for lack of a term—have called a green herb, and which is gathered from cultivated places: of these, they say the one was given to cattle which feed upon grasses, the other to those which serve the human race, such as oxen, horses, sheep, and the like; which animals the Prophet called the service of men, because they serve men. Others, however, understood by herb that which is useful for human food, for which reason we have called it a vegetable; and by grass, whatever does not come into use as food for men. Therefore, the Prophet says that this was brought forth for cattle, but that for men. He even spoke of the service of men, because the earth serves the uses of men, for whose sake it was created by God.

VERS. 15. To bring forth bread from the earth. The earth, he says, shall be satisfied, so that there may be brought forth from it bread, which is made from the grain born upon the earth.

And wine gladdens the heart of man. Wine also is a fruit of the earth, and being brought forth from it, it gladdens the heart of men, both healing and relaxing it.

To make the face cheerful with oil. And again for the reason that it renders the face of man, which was formerly dry and rough, cheerful, and effects this by means of the oil which is produced by the plant of the earth.

And bread strengthens the heart of man. Wine indeed gladdens the heart, but bread provides strength to the weary, and is itself also a fruit of the earth. ^B Therefore, God has had providence for all creatures, as well for the irrational as for those endowed with reason; and He has satisfied the earth itself, so that, having been made fertile, it might provide suitable and necessary nourishment for all.

VERS. 16. The trees of the field shall be satisfied. The plants of the earth and all trees shall be watered and grow fat.

The cedars of Lebanon which Thou hast planted. By the cedars, as being more notable trees, He signified all the rest also. And "Thou hast planted," that is, Thou hast brought them forth from the earth by Thy command.

VERS. 17. There the sparrows shall build their nests. There, namely, in the plants and in the trees, in the cedars. By the sparrows you should understand, in like manner, every other kind of bird. For the creation of trees was most useful not only to men, but even to the birds themselves.

VERS. 18. The house of the heron leads them. The heron is a species of bird which is the first of all birds to fix its nest. ^C

The high mountains for the harts; the rock a refuge for the hares. See the usefulness of the mountains and the rocks themselves, and how the supreme Creator has care even for the most infirm animals. For if there were no mountains, and no rocks, all the animals we have mentioned would have long ago perished and been consumed by wild beasts.

VERS. 19. He made the moon for seasons. For the seasons of the night, evidently. For He created the moon and the stars to be the authorities of the night, so that they might illuminate it.

The sun knew his going down. The sun knew his going down, not as one who possesses a soul or sense, but as one who has a divine determination

and it does not overstep the Creator's command. Therefore, it appears to have known the command of the Creator just as if it possessed reason. Moreover, this discourse here is metaphorical, and signifies that the sun itself also works by the command of God, and observes the order of its setting established by Him.

^B VERS. 20. *Thou hast appointed darkness, and it became night.* Thou hast determined, he says, the darkness, which follows after the light of the sun and the day, and it became night. For the darkness, he says, He called night.

*In it all the beasts of the forest shall pass through.* Consider also the usefulness of the night: which brings rest not only to men, making those exhausted by the toils of the day stronger, but also affords to the wild beasts themselves the freedom to roam abroad.

VERS. 21. *Young lions roaring, that they may snatch, and seek their food from God.* Young lions roaring, in order to snatch and provide food for themselves, which is ministered to them by God. For from Him food is provided to all living creatures: *Who giveth,* he says, *food to all flesh.* Or, that they seek and ask for food from God. For many men also have often, in a time of hunger or thirst, seen animals look toward heaven itself, and in an ineffable way, as if by some discourse, invoke their Creator.

VERS. 22. *The sun hath risen, and they are gathered together, and they shall lie down in their dens.* For by a certain natural instinct all the wild beasts seem to know that time which is allotted to them for roaming.

VERS. 23. *Man shall go forth to his work.* To his daily work, that is. For the day has been assigned to man and to other tame animals, so that the fierce and the mild might not come together and injure one another. ^C *And unto his labor until evening.* By "work" and "labor" the Prophet appropriately names the same thing. Then, in the midst of these words, struck with awe, he cried out, saying:

VERS. 24. *How magnified are thy works, O Lord!* They appeared wondrously great, indeed, with one work serving another in the best way, and all things in the universe tending together toward the perfection of one world. *Thou hast made all things in wisdom.* Since nothing, even the smallest thing, was created by Thee in vain or superfluously, but all things have a reason *ob quam* for which they were made, even if in the meantime they cannot be perceived by us, being as it were incomprehensible.

*The earth is filled with thy creation.* This is, with the things created by Thee.

VERS. 25. *This great and wide sea.* The sea itself also is full of Thy creation. ^D *There are creeping creatures, of which there is no number.* In the sea itself, he says, swimming and aquatic animals dwell, which almost exceed number.

^A Small animals with great ones. This is clear. *There the ships pass through.* In the sea, that is to say. *This dragon which Thou hast formed to play in it.* And this dragon, or the sea-monster which Thou didst create, to frolic in it, I mean in the water. He called the sea-monster a "dragon" as being a thing of vast size among the creatures of the sea, just as the dragon is among land animals.

VERS. 27. *All look to Thee, to give them their food in due season.* All animals, he says, hope in Thee; even though they are brute beasts, void of any power of reason, they do this by a certain natural instinct, as was explained above in the verse: *They seek their food from God.* They look for Thee to give them their food, that ^B is to say, in the time of their need.

VERS. 28. *When Thou givest to them, they shall gather it.* Their food, that is. *When Thou openest Thy hand, all shall be filled with goodness.* By "hand," understand the power of giving, and by "goodness," providence.

VERS. 29. *But when Thou turnest away Thy face, they shall be troubled.* He calls the face of God His guardianship and divine protection. *Thou shalt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall return to their dust.* Thou shalt take away their soul, and they shall die, and being thus at last dissolved, they shall return to their own earth, from which they were taken. But the discourse here is concerning men.

VERS. 30. *Thou shalt send forth Thy spirit, and they shall be created.* Thou shalt send forth, he says, Thy life-giving spirit, and they shall be created again, rising from the earth; or, "Thou shalt send forth Thy Spirit," who is to come through holy baptism, and they shall be created into a new creature, into a new people. For this can be understood of the resurrection from the dead, or of the regeneration of baptism. *And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.* That is, the beauty of the earth, by which we can understand the men themselves, or even the element of the earth itself; for the earth then, as the Apostle says, shall be delivered from corruption.

VERS. 31. *Let the glory of the Lord be for ever.* Since God has already brought about some of the things that have been spoken of, is now bringing about others, and will bring about others hereafter. *The Lord shall rejoice in His works.* In the works, I say, which have been brought to pass by the grace of His incarnation, or in the works of the creation of the world.

VERS. 32. *Who looketh upon the earth, and makest it to tremble.* By an earthquake, clearly. For He looks upon the earth in anger when it pleases Him; and the earth, not being able to bear His gaze, trembles with a certain natural, or rather, ineffable perception. *Who toucheth the mountains, and they smoke.* Just as...

on Mount Sinai. ^A For the mountains smoke like grass when He has touched them; but this must be understood in a way worthy of God, both as to the "looking" and the "touching."

Ver. 33. *I will sing to the Lord in my life. As long as I live.* *I will sing psalms to my God for as long as I exist.* He repeats the same statement for the sake of greater clarity.

Ver. 34. *May my speech be pleasing to him.* My discourse, which I shall offer in psalms and canticles, will please Him; or, "My speech and my conversation will be agreeable to Him." *But I will rejoice in the Lord.* Because my speech and my conversation, as we have said, please Him.

Ver. 35. *Let sinners cease from the earth, and the unjust, so that they may be no more.* Let them cease, I say, with sinners having become just, and the lawless having become equitable, so that they may no longer be what they were, but may be changed. The Prophet therefore prays not that men, but that their vices, be destroyed. ^B Or, he calls the demons themselves "the unjust and the sinners," or those who suffer from incurable vice and who infect and injure others no less than a certain pestilence. (It may be added to the preceding remarks that, just as one who pours out prayers to God, asking that there be no sick or poor, desires not the destruction of men but the destruction of sickness and poverty, so the blessed David by these words sought not the destruction of men, but of vices and crimes.)

*Bless, O my soul, the Lord.* He places at the end of the psalm something similar to the beginning. It does not escape me, moreover, that some have expounded this psalm allegorically; but I have willingly omitted such an exposition, as it is somewhat forced and not easily accepted by everyone. ^C Alleluia.

PSALM CIV

It has been said abundantly in the Proemium of the work concerning the psalms which have the inscription *Alleluia*. This expression signifies, *Praise Him who is*, or *Praise the Lord*. The Prophet therefore exhorts us in the present psalm to sing hymns and praises to God. Privately, he enumerates many benefits bestowed of old upon the former people of God, and among other things, how He made them a great and very numerous people instead of being, as they once were, a small and meager one.

Ver. 1. *Confess to the Lord, and invoke his name.* Similar is that saying of the Prophet: *Confess to him, praise his name*, which we expounded ^D in Psalm XCIX. *Announce among the nations his works.* In Psalm XCV he said: *Announce among the nations his glory*, saying the same thing as now. For that is the glory of God which he will declare in what follows. *Sing to him, and play for him.* In the Proemium of the work, and in many other places, we have abundantly taught the difference between a canticle and a psalm (and that they very often signify the same thing, although doubled expressions of this kind, or those joined together, are accustomed to produce a certain intensity of speech). *Narrate all his wonders. And in the aforesaid also*

Psalm 95 we read: *In all nations his wonders.*

VERS. 3. *Be praised in his holy name.* Exult, he says, and greatly glory in this Christian name. For the discourse is addressed to the apostles and their successors. *Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.* That is, of those calling upon him for help; for he will be present to them. Or, let the heart of men who approach God through the path of the commandments, which leads thither, rejoice; for they shall find him.

VERS. 4. *Seek the Lord and be strengthened.* Be constant and strong in searching for him, and cast away all softness and languor of soul. *Seek his face.* By the face of God, he circumlocutes God himself, or indicates divine custody and protection towards men; or perhaps he understands the only-begotten Son of God himself, Christ, who is the in ^B changeable image of the Father and the character of his substance: for *He who has seen me*, he says, *has seen the Father also.*

VERS. 5. *Remember his wonders that he has made.* When you preach his saving doctrine, then proclaim also all the wonderful things he has done. *His prodigies and the judgments of his mouth.* Repeat the word *Remember*. He uses the accusative case here instead of the ablative; a mode of speaking that the Greek diction also preserves. Now, the prodigies are those things that occur by God beyond every law of nature; but the judgments are those things which God decreed, having given the Law through Moses.

VERS. 6. *O semen of Abraham, his servants.* You, he says, O semen of Abraham, who are his servants. But the discourse is directed to the apostles. *O sons of Jacob, his elect.* The apostles, of course, who are marked by ^C God with these two names. For they can be seen as servants, from what Christ said to them: *If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet*; and as elect, because the same one says elsewhere: *You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.*

VERS. 7. *He is the Lord our God.* He himself, clearly, is Christ. *In all the earth are his judgments.* Not in Judea only, but his judgments have been spread throughout all places. For they have been handed down to the entire world.

VERS. 8. *He was mindful of his covenant forever.* Of his covenant, which is forever; that is, eternal and inchangeable. From this point, the prophet begins to recount the benefits conferred upon the Hebrew people, and he starts from Abraham himself. *Of the word which he commanded unto a thousand generations. The same* ^D

^A repeats. For by "testament" and "word," he understands the promise made by God to Abraham. "God was also mindful," he says, "of the word which he commanded throughout a thousand generations," meaning that which reached to many nations. For he used "a thousand" simply to mean "many," and he has set "commanded" in place of "promised."

*Which he disposed unto Abraham.* That is to say, which word.

*And of his oath unto Isaac.* He was mindful, again, of his oath sworn to Isaac. For the same thing that was promised to the father regarding both the land and the multitude of offspring was also promised to the son, Isaac. And what an oath of God is, we have said in Psalm LXXXVII, where it is written: "I have sworn unto David my servant."

^B *And he set it unto Jacob for a decree.* So that Jacob himself might be certain that this ordinance of God ought not to be violated.

*And unto Israel as an everlasting testament.* So that it might be for Israel an unchangeable and eternal testament, as has been said.

*Saying: To thee will I give the land of Canaan.* That is, Palestine, which the Canaanite peoples inhabited.

*The line of your inheritance.* That is, your measure and your portion.

*When they were few in number.* God disposed and promised these things, I say, when they were still few, namely Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their children.

^C *Very few and strangers in it.* Nay, rather, when they were very few and had left their ancestral soil a little while before, they remained in the land of the Canaanites as though they were guests and foreigners; for, as Scripture says, "Abraham sojourned in the land of Canaan."

*And they went from nation to nation.* Wandering through many nations and changing their abodes from place to place, concerning all of which the book of Genesis relates.

*And from one kingdom to another people.* For some regions were governed by a king, while others were governed by a common council of the people, after the manner of a republic.

^D *He suffered no man to do them wrong.* He permitted no one, he says, to afflict them with injury. For he tormented Pharaoh with great and grievous afflictions because of Sarra, the wife of Abraham; and to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, being also angry for a similar reason and appearing at night, he spoke other terrible things, and also this: "Give back the woman to the man." Then he added that "He is a prophet, and he will pray for thee, and thou shalt live." He did not permit Esau and Laban to injure Jacob, and he did not allow many others to inflict injury upon the mentioned three patriarchs.

*And he reproved kings for their sakes.* He reproved them, confounded them, and terrified them when they were unjust, such as Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and Abimelech, king of Gerar.

^A *Touch not my anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm.* He says these things clearly. He called them "anointed ones" as being anointed with the Holy Spirit or with the prophetic gift; and "prophets," as those who have prophesied many things. For God also said to Abimelech, as has been mentioned, concerning Abraham, that he is a prophet. Truly, these words do not lie in the aforementioned book as they are written here—"Touch not my anointed ones," and what follows; but other things tend toward the same meaning.

*And he called for a famine upon the land.* He ordained it, he sent it, preparing the way ingeniously for the descent of Jacob into Egypt, when seven additional years followed the seven years of abundance.

*He broke every staff of bread.* He destroyed every strength of food, he made every substance of nourishment to vanish.

*He sent a man before them.* Before those with Jacob, he sent Joseph, having used the malice of his brothers for a good end, and having made the abduction into slavery a mission. For he also said to them: "God sent me before you for life."

*Joseph was sold into slavery.* By his brothers to the Ishmaelites, and by the Ishmaelites again in Egypt to Potiphar. ^B

*They humbled his feet in shackles.* Those about his master mistreated him, casting him into the prison.

*His soul passed through iron.* That is to say, he himself. By "iron" he means the iron fetters; or perhaps he escaped the iron, that is to say, the sword, until the time came.

*Until his word should come.* Either his wisdom, by which he solved the dreams of his fellow prisoners; or the concern that God felt for him, wishing to glorify him and his kin.

*The oracle of the Lord inflamed him.* The innate reason given to us by God, by which we are called rational. The law of nature caused him to be inflamed in the furnace of temptations, ^C and it showed him to be pure and approved, like gold; for this oracle taught him that it is not right to touch another man’s wife. ^D

^A Ver. 20. *The king sent and released him.* Namely, Pharaoh, just as all things have been clearly recounted in the book of Genesis. *The prince of the people and set him free.* He repeats the same thing, as he is accustomed to do frequently.

Ver. 21. *He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possession.* To instruct his princes as himself, and to teach his elders wisdom. God, of course, was dispensing all these things thus.

Ver. 23. *And Israel entered into Egypt.* He narrates the history briefly, by way of a summary. *And Jacob dwelt as a stranger in the land of Ham.* He repeats the same thing again; for Egypt is the land of Ham, since Egypt was the descendant of Ham, from whom the land took its name from both of them.

^B Ver. 24. *And he increased his people exceedingly.* God, of course, increased the people of Israel. He called them the people of God for this reason, because the Jews alone appeared to worship God rightly. *And strengthened him against his enemies.* Against the Egyptians, of course, who hated both the Israelites and God himself.

Ver. 25. *He turned his heart to hate his people.* The heart of Pharaoh, I mean, not that one who loved Joseph, but another who did not know him. For he said, *God hardened the heart of Pharaoh*, that is, he permitted it to be hardened so that the afflicted Israelites, ^C with ardor of mind, would contend for their exit from Egypt and escape the most bitter oppression of the Egyptians.

*To deal craftily with his servants.* That is, to lay snares. For Pharaoh said to the Egyptians, *Behold, now this nation is multiplying greatly and is becoming stronger than us.* Therefore, he ordered all the males who were born from the Jews to be killed or destroyed.

Ver. 26. *He sent Moses his servant.* God, of course, sent him. *And Aaron whom he chose for himself.* The brother of Moses.

Ver. 27. *He placed in them the words of his signs.* The divine commands, by which they might perform miracles. Or, he taught them the causes of his signs and the modes of them. (For ^D the Greek expression, as we have said, signifies not only words, but also reasons and causes.)

*And of his prodigies in the land of Ham.* Regarding signs and prodigies, it was spoken of in the seventy-seventh Psalm, there: Where

he put his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Taneos; in which psalm he also commemorated the benefits of God toward the Israelite people, although there he makes the beginning only from the exodus from Egypt, and pursues them in a different order.

*Vers. 28. He sent darkness, and made it obscure.* And yet, before the darkness, he brought other plagues upon the Egyptians; but the blessed David mentions this plague first indifferently. Or, perhaps, he placed it first as the most grievous of all, since light—which is taken away by darkness—is the most beautiful thing of all and most necessary for human beings. In the aforementioned Psalm LXXVII, he also set forth such plagues without any order, as we have said, in the verse: *He sent among them a dog-fly.*

*Because they provoked his words.* Because, he says, the Egyptians provoked his commands, at the time when he had ordered their people to be released; and they provoked them by disobeying. Improperly, however, is it said that the words of God were "provoked." Or otherwise: by his "words" he signifies Him who uttered the words. Some, moreover, explain the term "provoked" as "transgressed," because among the Hebrews the word sometimes has such a significance. And certain copies have a negative particle: *And they did not provoke*, so that it might refer to Moses and Aaron.

*Vers. 29. He turned their waters into blood, and killed their fish.* Look in the aforementioned psalm, there: *And he turned their rivers into blood.*

*Vers. 30. Their land brought forth frogs.* There, too, it was spoken of concerning this. But "brought forth" (*ebullivit*), that is, it produced frogs suddenly. For the frogs were born from the waters, as the book of Genesis shows, and their number was so great that the earth seemed to be emitting frogs as if they were springs: and although the Greek term, which is used in this place, signifies not so much to "boil over" (*ebullire*) as to "produce creeping things," which word was most appropriate ^C to the reptilian nature of frogs; yet in this way we have judged that the sense is rendered sufficiently conveniently, since we did not hope to be able to render the sense aptly with a single Latin word, as was proper.

*In the chamber of their kings.* Not only in all other places, but even in the royal houses themselves, and in their most private places, where the refuge is wont to be most secure.

*Vers. 31. He spoke, and there came the dog-fly and gnats in all their borders.* There, too, it was spoken of concerning these, there: *He sent among them a dog-fly.*

*Vers. 32-36. He set their rains as hail, a fire burning in their land. And he struck their vines and their fig-trees, and shattered every tree of their border. He spoke, and there came the locust and the caterpillar, of which there was no number: and it ate every*

^A herb in their land, and consumed all the fruit of their land. And He struck every firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their labor. Concerning these things, it is also said there.

VERS. 37. *And He brought them out with silver and gold.* Which they had received as a loan from the Egyptians, by the command of God, and this was reckoned as a wage for their service, which they had expended in making bricks and serving in other works. *And there was not among their tribes one that was sick.* By this arrangement it was provided by God that no one should be left behind on the journey due to sickness; and although Moses did not write this specifically, it may be sufficiently understood from the fact that it is nowhere reported that any of them was sick; and perhaps blessed David learned this from elsewhere. Or otherwise: Those who follow God do not become sick; nay, rather, they can do all things in Christ, who suggests to them strength and vigor. Blessed David could also have known this from some non-canonical book, such as those they call apocryphal, or from the discourse of the elders, or even taught by the divine Spirit, from whom he learned many things.

VERS. 38. *Egypt rejoiced at their departing, because the fear of them fell upon them.* Fear had fallen upon them because of the ^B plagues sent by God against the Egyptians for the sake of the Jews. By "Egypt," however, he means the Egyptian people. Having run through the plagues against the Egyptians in a summary fashion, he returns again to the benefits conferred upon the Hebrews.

VERS. 39-41. *He spread a cloud for a covering to them, and fire to give them light by night: they asked, and the quail came, and He satisfied them with the bread of heaven: He broke the rock, and waters gushed out, and rivers ran in the dry places.* Concerning all these things, it was also said in the aforementioned psalm. He says that rivers went in the dry places, because the waters which flowed from the rock were carried down through arid regions. These waters, however, he called "rivers" due to the ^C abundance of the water.

VERS. 42. *For He remembered His holy word, which He had to Abraham His servant.* That is, of the promise, that He would multiply his seed, and that He would give him the land of Chanaan, that is, Palestine.

VERS. 43. *And He brought out His people in exultation.* Rejoicing, that is, and glad after the drowning of the Egyptians. *And His chosen in gladness.* He calls the same people "chosen," as being dedicated to God.

VERS. 44. *And gave them the regions of the nations.* Of those who inhabited Palestine. *And they inherited the labors of the peoples.* Of those nations, of course, which we have already mentioned.

VERS. 45. *That they might keep His justifications, and seek out His law.* He did these things, however, exhorting them to the observation of His commandments, and to the searching out of His law. But by "searching out," understand the highest desire. For what one desires greatly, that he also seeks out with the ^D highest zeal.

Alleluia.

PSALM CV

^A This Psalm, like the one immediately preceding, recounts the wonderful works of God and many benefits bestowed by God upon the Jewish people. It further exposes their supreme ingratitude and malignancy, as well as God’s ineffable long-suffering and mercy; it bears an inscription similar to the former.

VERS. 1. Confitemini Domino, quoniam bonus. Give thanks to Him, as it is said elsewhere. Or, confess your sins to Him, for He is good and unmindful of injuries and transgressions, if those who have committed them confess their wickedness to Him.

Quoniam in sæculum misericordia ejus. In the present age, His mercy is available to those who repent, but in the age to come, His judgment is reserved; therefore, it is necessary to confess to Him in this age. Or: Because God is always merciful, it is fitting that we should also always confess to Him. Or: In the age to come His mercy persists, because to those who are worthy of it, the mercy of God is always open.

VERS. 2. Quis loquetur potentias Domini? That is, His greatest and most powerful benefits which He has bestowed upon His people. For no one can ever narrate them, as they are ineffable. Or, take “potentias” simply for “His great works.” For our God, He says elsewhere, in heaven, ^B all things whatsoever He would, He hath done. Or, His divine powers which He wrought when He walked in the flesh, so that this might be a prophecy concerning the works of Christ.

Auditas faciet omnes laudes ejus? Who will announce His earned praises in every single thing?

VERS. 3. Beati qui custodiunt judicium. Those who keep the law of God: or, those who possess judgment to judge rightly, not only for others, but first of all for themselves, so that they do not permit things which are ^C inferior to rise up against the superior, nor good to be overcome by evil.

Et faciunt justitiam in omni tempore. In themselves, as I said, and in others.

VERS. 4. Memento nostri, Domine, in beneplacito populi tui. The blessed David, foreseeing the dispensation of the Incarnation and the future new people, supplicates that he might be remembered then—calling the election of such a people, which was to be made by God, the “beneplacitum” (good pleasure). “Be mindful,” he says, “of us, so that with that people being chosen by You, You may join us as well.” Or, he calls the “good pleasure” the good will, concerning which the angels said: “And on earth peace, to men of good will.”

Visita nos in salutari tuo. He repeats the same thing again, making his petition more intense. “In your salvation,” he says, “which is to come into the world through You, that is, in Your incarnation; for He, says (the Scripture), shall save His people.”

VERS. 5. Ut videamus in bonitate electorum tuorum.

So that even we may see in the beneficence of Your people, that which they also see. Hence also Christ said to His own disciples: That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things which you see. ^A Ut lætemur in lætitia gentis tuæ. That is, of the Christians. Concerning which joy the angel said again: Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. Ut laudemur in hæreditate tua. Through all these mentioned things, he supplicates to have communion and a certain participation in the lot and in the inheritance of the new people; as if the blessed David already believed all things which were to be believed concerning Christ, and was already distinguished by the magnitude of his faith.

VERS. 6. Peccavimus cum patribus nostris, inique egimus, injustitiam fecimus. These words, and those which follow, can be understood as being uttered as if in the person of those from the circumcision who were about to believe in Christ, so that the blessed David, foreknowing future things by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, introducing their person, as we have said, confesses the sins which they had committed before such faith.

VERS. 7. Patres nostri in Ægypto non intellexerunt mirabilia tua. They did not understand the miracles that were wrought there. Et non fuerunt memores multitudinis misericordiæ tuæ. Which was then brought upon them. They did not understand, however, and were not mindful; that is to say, they forgot everything at that time. This, in fact, happened when, approaching the Red Sea, they saw behind them the army of the ^C Egyptians. For then, he says, being terrified exceedingly, they said to Moses: Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you brought us out to be killed in the desert? And furthermore: Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians; for it is better to serve them than to die in this desert.

Et exacerbaverunt ascendentes in mari Rubro. Saying words of this kind, they provoked Him by the Red Sea; for the desert is near it, where, having encamped, they murmured, or while ascending to the Red Sea. He says “ascending,” because the region of Egypt, from where they were ascending into Palestine, is lower.

VERS. 8. Et salvavit eos propter nomen suum. He did not shut them up into the hands of the pursuing Egyptians, lest God be blasphemed as if He were weak or deceitful; for otherwise, on account of their own ingratitude, they were unworthy of salvation. ^D Ut notam faceret potentiam suam. That He might make known, he says, His supreme power, not only to the Hebrews and to the Egyptians, but also to all the nations.

VERS. 9. Et increpavit mare Rubrum, et exsiccatum est. Immediately as He commanded, a certain path in the midst of the sea dried up. Et deduxit eos in abysso, tanquam in deserto. As if

on dry ground. In the abyss, however, he said, because ^A they walked through the midst of the sea.

Ver. 10. And He saved them from the hand of the one hating them. That is, of Pharaoh. And He redeemed them from the hand of the enemies. That is, of the Egyptians.

Ver. 11. And water covered those oppressing them; not one of them remained. The water of the sea, that is.

Ver. 12. And they believed in His word. That is, in His promises. And they sang His praise. That is, they sang the song of victory which Moses dictated to them.

Ver. 13. They hastened, they forgot His works. Quickly they again forgot the benefits which God had bestowed ^B upon them; when, for instance, being hungry and remembering the pots of meat and the fullness of bread they had in Egypt, they murmured.

They did not wait for His counsel. They did not wait for the result of the divine counsel, by which, through wonderful providence, help was sent more slowly from God for their own salvation, and they were permitted to hunger.

Ver. 14. And they lusted with a lust in the wilderness. A lustings, as it is said, for meat and bread.

And they tempted God in a waterless place. See in Psalm LXXVII, there: "They embittered the Most High in the waterless place, and tempted God in their hearts."

Ver. 15. And He gave them their request. That is, for food; and further, also for water. By "request," however, understand "desire"—for they did not openly ask, but murmured ^C among themselves and coveted them.

He sent fullness into their souls. He did not feed them meagerly, but provided food to the point of satiety—for meat, indeed, the quail; and for bread, the manna; and for water, both that which was sweetened from bitter and that which flowed from the rock—and this until they were satisfied.

Ver. 16. And they provoked Moses in the camp. Concerning Dathan and Abiron, for they resisted him, as the book of Numbers records.

Aaron the holy one of the Lord. The one sanctified to the Lord. They provoked him, that is, Core and others ^D who were ambitious to perform the priesthood.

Ver. 17. The earth was opened and swallowed Dathan. For it swallowed him alive.

And covered over the congregation of Abiron. And he covered the congregation of Abiron himself—the preposition "over" is redundant. Now the aforementioned book recounts that Dathan and Abiron alike, and their congregation, and their cattle, and their tents, and all that was theirs, were swallowed up together; but David divided them, magnifying their calamity.

Ver. 18. And fire was kindled in their congregation. That is, in the congregation of Core; for fire issued from the Lord and burned up the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.

^A because they were attempting to seize the priesthood unworthily.

VERS. 19. *And they made a calf in Horeb.* As it is recorded in Exodus. The Prophet, however, did not preserve the chronological order of the history, but recounted all the sins and impieties of that ancient people just as they presented themselves. *And worshipped the graven image.* That is to say, the calf itself.

VERS. 20. *And they exchanged their glory for the likeness of a calf that eateth grass.* They exchanged the honor of God for the likeness of a calf, that is, for an image and idol of a calf. He added, *that eateth grass* (or hay, as the Greek term *chortos* more accurately signifies), mocking the folly of the Jews, who worshipped irrational animals ^B while they themselves seemed to be endowed with reason. Indeed, some copies have: *their glory*, so that by "their glory" we understand God to be the one who had glorified them through the benefits enumerated above; so the meaning is that they exchanged God for the likeness of a calf.

VERS. 21-23. *They forgot God, who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Cham, terrible things in the Red Sea, and He said that He would exterminate them.* God said, clearly, regarding their extermination. For He said to Moses: "Let me be, and being angered by wrath against them, I will blot them out." *Had not Moses His chosen stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath, lest He should exterminate them.* When, imploring the Lord, he said: "I beseech Thee, O Lord; this people have sinned a great sin, and they have made themselves gods of gold; and now, if indeed Thou wilt forgive their sin, forgive; but if not, blot me out of the book which Thou hast written." Some say that, although the Scripture speaks of only one calf, yet it is a fact that many calves were made; and for this reason the Hebrews said: *These are thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt*; and Moses also said "gods," as has been stated. ^C Others, again, consider that the plural number is used for the singular according to the Hebrew idiom.

VERS. 24. *And they despised the desirable land.* They despised the promised region, although it was most excellent, as is read in the book of Numbers. Next, he recounts the manner in which they despised it. Truly, you might say they did not despise this land, but rather that they admired it; however, the Prophet means that because they were soft and languid, and were unwilling to labor in order to receive it, in that way they surely seemed to have despised it.

VERS. 25. *They did not believe His word.* That He would give it to them, just as He had promised. *And they murmured in their tabernacles.* For all the congregation, he says, gave forth a voice, and the people wept that night, and they murmured because, clearly, the scouts returned and announced that ^D

^A those people were most powerful who inhabited the promised land.

They did not hearken to the voice of the Lord. That voice, namely, by which He had said that He would give them the promised land. Truly, they did not believe such a voice.

And He lifted up His hand against them. He moved His hand against them; that is, He was stirred to the power of punishing and chastising them. To destroy them in the desert. That is, to slaughter them.

^B VERS. 27. To cast down their seed among the nations. To plant their children in the land of the nations—the Canaanites, that is, and other peoples; for the Lord said, as it says, to Moses: “All the men who have already tested me ten times, and not hearkened to my voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, but their children, who are with me here.”

And to disperse them in the regions. Of the aforementioned nations.

VERS. 28. And they were initiated into Beelphegor. They appeared to have initiated and dedicated themselves to Beelphegor—the idol of the Moabites or Madianites—while they were celebrating solemn and festive days to it, as related in the Book of Numbers, when, deluded by the beauty of the Moabite maidens, they were persuaded to worship their graven images.

VERS. 29. And they ate the sacrifices of the dead. He calls idols "dead," as they are without sense and without any faculty for action.

And they provoked Him with their inventions. In such works of theirs.

And the ruin was multiplied among them. For many of them perished.

VERS. 30. And Phinees stood and made atonement, and the slaughter ceased. He arose from the midst of the congregation and appeased God, when, having taken a weapon—that is, a spear—he transfixed both the Israelite man and the Madianite woman; on account of which the anger of God, that is, the ruin of the people, ceased. Phinees was, however, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron.

VERS. 31. And it was accounted to him for righteousness. That is, for virtue; and therefore, the reward of priesthood was given to him by God, perpetual for himself and for his seed.

Unto generation and generation even for ever. For he is praised by all in perpetuity for that slaughter which he committed with zeal for religion and piety.

VERS. 32. And they provoked Him at the waters of contradiction. In the desert of Cades. For there the people bore their thirst with difficulty; therefore they murmured and spoke against Him, whence the water which flowed from that rock was called "the water of contradiction."

And Moses was afflicted because of them. For he was commanded by God to take up his rod and to gather—

the congregation, and to speak to the rock that was there, and to command it to give water. Having taken his rod and gathered the people, he said: "Hear me, you rebels; shall I bring water for you out of this rock?" Then he struck the rock with the rod twice, and much water came out. ^A Since therefore he did not speak to the rock as the Lord had told him, for the glory of God, but rather directed words to the people with indignation and impatience, he was afflicted by God, who said to Aaron and to him: "Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them." By "sanctify" He meant "glorify."

"Because they embittered his spirit." The Israelites embittered the soul of Moses by murmuring and railing at him. ^B This shows that, being constrained, he became impatient.

"And he spoke doubtfully with his lips." He spoke with an ambiguous and double-meaning word, hesitating as to whether water would flow. For I think he supposed that, because of the continual ingratitude of the Jews toward God, who had conferred so many benefits upon them, water would not be brought forth.

"They did not destroy the nations, as the Lord had told them." This is recorded in the Book of Judges.

"And they were mingled among the nations and learned their works, and served their carved images." That is, lawless and impious ^C works. Search in the 77th Psalm, where it says: "And they turned back and acted unfaithfully, even as their fathers did."

"And it became a stumbling block to them." The carved images, or the serving of the carved images, became for them an obstacle to divine protection, a cause of stumbling and ruin.

"And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. And they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the carved images of Canaan." It is likely that they, who had learned the works of the nations, did this. For the nations also performed these acts at certain times. ^D

"And the earth was polluted with blood, and defiled by their works." "Polluted by blood" is the explanation of "defiled."

"And they went whoring after their own inventions." Turning away from God, they joined themselves to demons; this is what the prophets call adultery or fornication. These words may also be understood to refer to their intemperance.

"And the Lord was stirred to wrath against his people, and he abhorred his inheritance, and he delivered them into the hands of the nations." As the Book of Judges teaches.

"And those who hated them ruled over them, and their enemies oppressed them, and they were humbled under their hands. Many times he delivered them; but they embittered him in their counsel." In their counsel—that is, in their wicked, ungrateful, and senseless thought.

And they were humbled in their iniquities. ^A They were brought low, they became weak. And the Lord saw when they were in affliction, when He heard their prayer, and remembered His covenant. That is, the one to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. And He repented according to the multitude of His mercy. He changed His anger into pity, as one who is all-merciful. And He gave them up to mercies. He had pity upon them. In the sight of all those that had carried them captive. By way of paraphrase, so that all those who had carried them captive might learn this. For diverse nations at diverse times carried them captive, as the aforementioned book relates. And this happened in the time of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes the kings, as Esdras wrote. Save us, O Lord, our God. ^B He recurs again to supplication. And gather us from the nations. I think the petition is uttered from the person of the Church, which has been gathered from the nations; or perhaps from the person of the Jews, who were dispersed after the Babylonian captivity. To celebrate thy holy name. To give thanks, as to our Savior and Liberator. And to glory in thy praise. For it is a great thing to praise God. It is also a true and supreme glorying for all who praise Him; for this reason, clearly, that they have been judged worthy to become the hymn-singers of such a God. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from age to age. He is ever to be blessed and praised. And all the people shall say: So be it, so be it. The people shall say: Blessed be the Lord; or: So be it, blessed be the Lord. ^C Alleluia.

PSALM CVI

^A And he gathered them from the lands. From the lands of the Gentiles into one Church and one faith.

VERS. 3. From the rising of the sun and from the setting, and from the north and the sea. For they were gathered together from the four corners of the world; because, as he says, "Into all the earth went forth the sound of the apostles, and unto the ends of the world their words."

VERS. 4. They wandered in the wilderness in a waterless land. Formerly all the nations wandered, walking in a manner of life that was desert, solitary, and widowed of the fruits of the virtues, and utterly lacking the drink of any sacred teaching.

They found not the way of a city of habitation. The city of habitation is properly heaven, the way to which they had not found, as wanderers—or it could be the knowledge of God itself, and virtue, and religion.

VERS. 5. Hungry and thirsty. That is to say, they were so; for they did not possess the knowledge of God or any teaching that could provide food or drink for their souls.

Their soul fainted in them. It was worn down, indeed, in sins, and became weak and infirm.

VERS. 6. And they cried to the Lord when they were troubled. The prophets cried out to the Lord, desiring salvation and redemption for the Gentiles; and the divine angels likewise, who are appointed by lot over all the nations. ^B

And he delivered them from all their necessities. That is, from the manifold tyranny of the demons.

VERS. 7. And he led them on a right path. Which leads to heaven, which they had not found before while they lived in error; for, having become man, God taught them all the truth.

That they might go into a city of habitation. Of which we spoke a little above.

VERS. 8. Let them confess to the Lord his mercies. Let them proclaim, he says, the mercies of God toward them.

And his wonderful works to the sons of men. Let them recount, he says, to the sons of men—who are ignorant of them—the wonderful works of God done toward them, or for their sake. ^C

VERS. 9. For he hath satisfied an empty soul. He filled hungry souls with divine bread and life-giving drink—I mean, of course, the evangelical teaching.

And he hath filled a hungry soul with good things. He says the same thing in other words.

VERS. 10. Sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. That is, in the darkness of error. For error is a shadow and an image of this bodily death, while it separates us from the true and eternal life, just as that other separates us from the present one. ^D

Bound in poverty and iron. In poverty, that is, in a lack of virtues; and in a strong and heavy fetter of sins. For each one, he says, is constrained by the chains of his own sins.

VERS. 11. For they provoked the words of God. That is to say

^A regarding God, who speaks concerning their salvation; and speaking through the innate reason in all men, and the law given to the Jews, and the prophets, and benefits, and threats, and scourges, and the rest, by means of which the goal was to wear down wickedness, as Gregory the Theologian says.

And they provoked the counsel of the Most High. That is, the Most High who desires their salvation; for by the words of God, periphrastically, it is necessary here to understand God, and by the counsel of the Most High, to understand the Most High himself.

^B And their heart was humbled in labors. Their soul was afflicted with the labors of sin. They grew weak, and there was none to help. None to deliver them from the tyranny of the devil.

VERS. 13. And they cried to the Lord when they were in trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. These words, by which the Prophet, striving to express the magnitude of the divine benefits, repeats four times in the present psalm, have already been expounded by us above.

VERS. 14. And he brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death. These words have also been explained by us above.

And he broke their bonds. That is, the bonds of sin which the devil had cast upon them, the bonds of the servitude of the demons.

VERS. 15. Let them confess to the Lord his mercies, and his wonders to the sons of men. These words also were spoken of; for in the same way he has placed these four times in the whole psalm, intensifying the thanksgiving.

VERS. 16. For he has broken the gates of bronze. Strong gates, unbreakable gates, those of Hades; for he broke them when he descended there, and brought out the souls being held.

And he shattered the iron bars. Of such gates; and these would be the gates of Hades, and the bars represent his inescapable and impassable nature. ^C

VERS. 17. He took them from the way of their iniquity. While they were still proceeding in iniquity.

For because of their iniquities they were humbled. They were afflicted and appeared worthy of mercy and help.

VERS. 18. Their soul abhorred all food. Every food of the soul, rational and didactic; on account of the excess of their bad state. For they were displeased even with the Hellenic doctrines themselves.

And they drew near to the gates of death. He means the death of the soul, which delivers a person to eternal punishments. By the gates of death, he refers to the great and grievous sins that bring one into it; or ^D

it uses a periphrasis for death. ^A Yet the discourse concerns those who have believed.

VERS. 19. *And they cried unto the Lord when they were troubled, and He delivered them out of their distresses.* It has been spoken of these as well.

VERS. 20. *He sent His Word, and healed them.* In these words, a distinction of persons in the Divinity is demonstrated, while it is said: *He sent His Word*, that is, His Son. For we cannot speak of a sent one unless the person sent subsists and lives. Whence the Lord, speaking in harmony with our prophet, was saying that the Father sent Him. Therefore, this Word which was sent from the Father healed every sickness and every infirmity; and He rescued them from their corruptions, that is, from their sins.

VERS. 21. *Let them confess to the Lord His mercies, and His wondrous works to the sons of men.* Concerning these words, it has been spoken of above.

VERS. 22. *And let them sacrifice to Him a sacrifice of praise.* A sacrifice, I say, rational and evangelical, praising, blessing, and giving thanks unto Him. *And let them declare His works with exultation.* Let those who have knowledge declare it to the ignorant, the elders to the younger. And by the works of God, understand His benefits, His mercy, and His incarnation, and all other things that pertain to the saving dispensation. ^B

(The Greek interpretation of this verse and the following does not appear in the codex.)

VERS. 23, 24. *They that go down to the sea in ships, doing business in many waters, they have seen the works of the Lord.* The discourse is about the apostles, who were formerly fishermen: these are they who go down into the sea in ships, and, exercising the business of fishing in the many waters of the sea, they saw to a greater degree, and above all others, the works of our Lord Jesus Christ. *And His wonders in the deep.* But what are these wonders? Hear from what follows. ^C

VERS. 25. *He spoke, and the spirit of a storm stood, and its waves were exalted.* He spoke, and a storm arose: for it says, *there arose a great tempest of wind, and the waves were beating into the ship, so that it was even being filled.*

VERS. 26. *They ascend even to the heavens, and they descend even to the abysses.* The waves of the sea which were roused at the time of that storm were being carried up—now as if to the heavens, and now they were descending into the depths—just as is wont to happen in such fluctuations and fierce tempests. Yet the language is hyperbolic, a mode of expression which Scripture uses very often; as that is: *I shall be made whiter than snow*, and that: *And the cities were walled up even unto heaven*, and other things of this kind. ^D *Their soul melted away in evils.* Through fear and danger it failed, when the Lord Himself was sleeping, but the apostles, coming to Him, awakened Him, saying: *Lord, save us, for we are perishing.*

^A *Ver. 27. They were troubled and shaken as a drunken man.* Their understandings were shaken. But while a drunken man is shaken by wine, these were so by fear. *And all their wisdom was swallowed up.* The wisdom concerning maritime travel, that is, the experience of sailing, vanished then.

*Ver. 28. And they cried to the Lord in their affliction.* When they were being tossed by the storm, as has been said.

*And He brought them out of their necessities.* From those fears, from that danger; then he tells how.

*Ver. 29. And He commanded the storm, and it stood into a breeze, and its waves were silent.* For He rebuked, he says, the winds and the sea, *and there was a great calm*. For a breeze is a gentle and calm breath.

*Ver. 30. And they rejoiced because they were quiet.* Because the waves were quiet.

*And He brought them into the haven of His will.* For His commandments are truly a haven, keeping the one who remains in them ^B safe from every shipwreck of the soul.

*Ver. 31. Let them praise the Lord for His mercies, and His wonders to the sons of men.* Let the apostles announce all these things.

*Ver. 32. Let them exalt Him in the Church of the people.* In the congregation of nations.

*And in the chair of the elders, let them praise Him.* In the council of those who are preeminent.

*Ver. 33. He turned rivers into a wilderness.* He turned the Greeks and Gentiles, who were overflowing as it were ^C with the rivers of eloquence and all kinds of learning, into a wilderness of wisdom; since the fishermen and unlettered apostles checked them.

*And the outlets of waters into a thirsty land.* And their flooding words into dryness.

*Ver. 34. A fruitful land into saltiness, from the malice of them that dwell therein.* The land of the Judeans, which once was filled with prophets as with most beautiful fruits, was turned into total barrenness; for salty ground is utterly unfruitful for crops. The cause, however, is the malice of those who dwell in it, because of which that ^D land no longer bears such men.

*Ver. 35. He turned the wilderness into pools of water.* He turned the Church, which was previously a wilderness devoid of the fruits of virtue, into pools of water of the divine baptism, so that it might pool with such waters.

*And a waterless land into outlets of water.* He caused the Church of the faithful, which was previously waterless and arid and destitute of the divine Word, to gush forth with the waters of doctrines of life.

^A Ver. 36. *And he placed there the hungry.* Those who had long been lacking spiritual food. *And he established cities for habitation.* By habitation, I mean a spiritual one. He understands the various and particular churches of the faithful which have been set up throughout the whole world; so openly and clearly does he predict all things.

Ver. 37. *And they sowed fields.* The apostles sowed the souls of men, which were previously wild and uncultivated, with the seed of evangelical preaching. *And they planted vineyards.* Again, by vineyards he understands the souls of the faithful, bearing bunches of virtues. *And they produced fruit of the harvest.* I mean the mystical harvest offered to Lord Christ, and gladdening Him. ^B

Ver. 38. *And he blessed them.* For Luke says regarding the apostles that, *lifting up his hands, he blessed them.* It is manifest, therefore, that this was said on account of the apostles and the successors of their faith. *And they were multiplied exceedingly.* For from twelve and seventy men, they blossomed into countless myriads. *And their cattle were not diminished.* By cattle, understand those of simpler mind among the Christians, or who are not endowed with such a sharp intellect. Or otherwise: the cattle of the apostles are their disciples, who, like beasts, follow them wherever they lead, and grasp spiritual food from them as rational sheep; and these too have become very numerous. ^C But having predicted the growth and increase of the Church, he further predicts the persecutions about to befall it.

Ver. 39. *And they were diminished, and were afflicted by the tribulation of evils and pain.* The faithful were diminished when many thousands of them perished for Christ in various torments. They were afflicted by the tribulation of temptations and the resulting pain, being despoiled of their present goods, driven out, scourged, and suffering innumerable other things.

Ver. 40. *Contempt was poured out upon their princes.* By princes, he understands the kings and leaders of the faithful to whom they were subject, and from whom they endured many persecutions; and these princes were held in contempt by Christ as useless. *And he caused them to wander in a trackless place, and not in the way.* He permitted them to be led astray, as being incurable. ^D This is a frequent mode of speech in Scripture, where it says that God "causes" someone to do something when He allows it. He calls their perverse and impious dogmas a "trackless place" and "not a way."

Ver. 41. *And he helped the poor out of poverty.* He helped the people who were poor, out of the poverty which is for Christ's sake. *And he set families as sheep.* He brought them into order, just as one’s own sheep. By families, however (which, according to the significance of the Greek name,

as "parentelas," one could better term the congregations of the Churches, both on account of the gathering of faith, and because they have one Christ as their true head of the family, who is also called the Good Shepherd and who laid down his life for his sheep. ^B

VERS. 42. "The upright shall see it, and be glad." Those who are faithful, who always walk along the straight path, shall see those things which were spoken of above.

"And all iniquity shall stop her mouth." This refers to the preaching having been spread even as far as kings. By "iniquity," however, he understands the iniquitous people themselves.

VERS. 43. "Who is wise, and will observe these things? and they shall understand the mercies of the Lord." Who is wise, and will keep these things, believing that they shall come to pass? And "they shall understand the mercies of the Lord"—that is, they shall recognize these things when they have reached their end.

A Canticle of a Psalm for David. PSALM CVII.

The rationale for this title has been explained already in the preface of this work and also in other psalms.

VERS. 1-6. "My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready: I will sing, and will sing praise, with my glory. Arise, my glory, arise psaltery and harp: I will arise in the morning early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing unto thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reaches unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, and thy glory above all the earth." All ^C these things are contained in the same order in Psalm LVI, where we have explained them. For it signifies the same thing: "Great is thy mercy above the heavens," as "Magnified even unto the heavens." Those words, however—"Arise, my glory," and likewise, "I will arise in the morning early"—can be understood of the resurrection of the Lord; for David was praying for one thing, while Christ was promising another, and he was also prefiguring the certain time of his resurrection. For he rose at the deep of the morning, as Luke records. The blessed David calls Christ his glory, as if he were to be born from his seed and would prepare for him supreme glory.

"That thy beloved may be delivered." This refers, of course, to the new people: "Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end."

VERS. 7-14. "Save with thy right hand, and hear me. God hath spoken in his sanctuary: I will be exalted, and I will divide Sichem, and will measure out the valley of tabernacles. Galaad is mine, and Manasses is mine: and Ephraim is the protection of my head. Juda is my king: Moab is the pot of my hope. Over Idumea I will cast out my shoe: to me the foreigners are made subject. Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Idumea? Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? ^D and wilt thou not go forth, O God, in our hosts? Give us help

[...us, et vane salus hominis.] ^A In God we shall do courage, and he himself shall bring our enemies to nothing. You will find all these things in the same order in Psalm LIX, where we explained them. And although they differ slightly in some expressions from those, they nevertheless have the same meaning. And do not marvel if the Prophet repeats the same words and the same sentiments often in other psalms, since this custom is held among the Hebrews, and especially among the prophets.

To the end, a psalm of David. PSALM CVIII

Regarding this inscription, it has been said often elsewhere. This must be noted, that the Prophet in this psalm appears indeed to wear the person of one imprecating; yet in reality he weaves together a prophecy of those evils which awaited Judas the traitor and his accomplices. For this manner of speaking is frequent in the prophets, and very many examples of it can be found in ^B Scripture. Hence also Joshua son of Nun, dividing the twelve tribes when they entered into the land of promise, appeared by the command of God to bless some and to imprecate evils upon others; and those blessings and curses contained prophecies of future things.

Ver. 2. *O God, do not hold thy peace at my praise.* We believe that the present psalm was written in the person of Christ as a suppliant: who, having put on the person of man, desired, after the manner of all men, to live even longer. Therefore, Christ is introduced addressing God in this psalm, and saying: Do not, O God, extinguish or deliver to silence that praise which, on account of me, thy Son, is continually offered to thee by those who, beholding my wonderful works, glorify thee ^C on that account with the highest praises. Or: Do not, O God, extinguish my praise, with which I assiduously praise thee. For whatsoever I perform, I ascribe to thee, and refer it to thy glory. Therefore, do not pass by my prayers in silence, which I offer with praise.

*For the mouth of the sinner, and the mouth of the deceitful man hath been opened against me.* Understand Judas as the sinner and deceitful man, who opened his mouth against the Saviour, when he spoke with the princes of the priests and the elders of the people in order to betray Christ.

Ver. 3. *They have spoken against me with a deceitful tongue.* Judas, to be sure, and the princes of the priests, and the elders of the people, simultaneously plotting deceits and snares against me. ^D *And they have compassed me about with words of hatred.* Vomiting forth words full of hatred against me. For very often the Jews, who were all around Christ, brought forth such words, striving with the greatest zeal to disparage him in any way possible: inasmuch as they either afflicted him with express contumely, or questioned him perversely.

*And they have fought against me without cause.* That is, rashly, and without any reason.

^A *Instead of loving me, they slandered me.* It was a duty they owed me, to love me, who daily conferred benefits upon them both in word and deed; but they, on the contrary, mocked me, calling me a deceiver, an iniquitous man, and an enemy of God. *But I was praying.* I was praying for them; for indeed, in the Gospels, Christ commanded us to pray for those who despitefully use us. Or: I was praying, calling upon Your help; for the evangelists show Him praying to the Father in various ways. ^B *And they have set against me evil things for good.* That is, they have wrought evil against me, in return for the benefits I have conferred upon them. *And hatred instead of my love.* That is, instead of the love which I bore toward them. ^C **Set a sinner over him.* The word "Set," and the other verbs of the imperative and optative mood that follow, although they are placed in such a figure of speech, nevertheless possess the meaning of the future tense, as if he had said: "He shall be set, and he shall stand, and he shall go forth," and so on regarding each: "Set," he says, "the devil over Judas"; for, as we read in the Gospel, "Satan entered into him." He used the word "Set" for "Permit to be set," according to that peculiar idiom of Scripture concerning which we have often spoken. *And let the devil stand at his right hand.* That is, the devil will become his familiar, for familiar friends are wont to stand at one’s right hand. And thus God has assigned the right side to the righteous in the future judgment. And in another way: "He shall stand at his right hand," that is, seizing his right actions. But if it is written in the prophet Zechariah concerning Joshua the high priest, that the devil stood at his right hand, it must be noted that the reason is added there, namely, to oppose him. For he stood at his right hand to invalidate his good and right actions. ^D *When he is judged, let him go forth condemned.* When he is judged by his own conscience, he shall go forth from the council of the Jews condemned; for, led by repentance, he returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying: "I have sinned in handing over innocent blood." But they said: "What is that to us? You shall see." Thus, he was condemned by himself and equally by them; for "You shall see" are the words of those who condemn. *And let his prayer become sin.* That is, let it lead to failure. For when he inclined toward the enemies of Christ, he prayed with them that both Christ and His memory might be destroyed; or he simply shall fail to obtain what he asks for, because of their perversity. *Let his days be few.* He shall die quickly. For after the betrayal he lived for but a short time, and immediately went and hanged himself.

And let another take his bishopric. ^A Matthias, clearly, who was chosen by lot in his stead; for the apostles were the guardians and shepherds of the believers.

Vers. 9. *Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.* These things and what follows do not appear to pertain to Judas, since sacred history records nothing to us concerning his wife or children. And for this reason Chrysostom says that David prophesied these things concerning someone else who, after the return of the people from Babylon, attempted to seize the priesthood, in whom it is recorded that all these things were clearly fulfilled.

Vers. 10. *Let his children be vagabonds and beg.* As if struck by a storm, they shall be removed from the seat of their own house, and they shall beg, ^B enduring poverty along with their other calamities.

*Let them be cast out of their dwellings.* They shall be cast out even from these very dwellings, nor shall the ability to dwell in them be granted to them. By "dwellings," however (as the Greek word *oikopeda* more significantly denotes), he understands ruins of houses. Truly they shall pay such penalties, because they were participants in their father's wickedness.

Vers. 11. *Let the creditor search out all his substance.* The creditor shall search it out, seeking to recover for himself what he had lent.

*And let strangers spoil his labors.* After the creditor, these shall seize whatever things were left behind.

Vers. 12. *Let there be no helper for him.* Let no one bring any aid to him—after death, clearly.

*Nor let there be any to pity his orphans.* There shall not be anyone to pity them, for the reason stated above.

Vers. 13. *Let his children be for extermination.* But they shall not be simply exterminated; rather, they also shall be without offspring. For the Prophet added, saying: ^C

*In one generation let his name be blotted out.* His memory shall be blotted out, concluded in one generation: in a single generation, I say, of those same children, with no other descendants left behind after them.

Vers. 14. *Let the iniquity of his parents be remembered in the sight of the Lord.* Of his parents, that is, of his father, and grandfather, and other ancestors. For he speaks particularly of his mother below. Their iniquity, indeed, shall come back into memory, because either they were his accomplices, or they trained him in wickedness. Now, he says that their iniquity will return to memory for the reason that their transgression shall not be forgiven, nor blotted out, or esteemed as nothing.

*And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.* It shall not be blotted out, because, together with the iniquity of his parents, the sin of his mother shall be condemned. By "iniquity" and "sin" of these people, he understands the training of their children in wickedness, or their consent, or the assistance provided to their crimes.

Vers. 15. ^D *Let them be before the Lord always.* Their sins and iniquities shall be always before God, that is, God shall never forget them.

And let their memory be cut off from the earth.* He returns again to the prophecy concerning Judas; for this is also a customary method sometimes among the prophets, by which they interrupt prophecies and insert another subject in the middle, and then return again to the first argument, as the Holy Spirit provides. "His memory," he says, "shall be exterminated," because neither his goods nor his generation through successions will preserve his memory.

Vers. 16. *Because he did not remember to show mercy.* Because, he says, he did not wish to show mercy to him who was unjustly plotted against, but rather conspired with those who were plotting—he being unmindful of the benefits bestowed upon him by Christ; for if he had remembered them, it is probable he would have shown mercy, that is, he would have had pity on Him.

Vers. 17. *And he pursued a man, poor and needy, and crushed in heart, that he might kill.* He pursued Him when, having taken a great crowd with swords and clubs from the high priests and elders of the people, he came to seek Him. Now Christ is called "poor and needy" on account of the lowliness of the flesh He assumed, and because He was so needy that He had no place to lay His head, as we said in the beginning of Psalm 40. But [he says] "crushed in heart" according to that [saying]: "Learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart."

Vers. 18. *And he loved cursing, and it will come upon him; and he did not want blessing, and it will be far from him.* For by his own deeds he drew the one upon himself, and repelled the other; and all the pious and faithful will indeed curse him, but no one will bless him.

*And he was clothed with cursing as with a garment.* With a cursing, I say, that held him fast completely through and through, and never left him; he was clothed with it, intervening by his betrayal.

*And it entered like water into his inward parts.* Not only did this curse surround him on the outside, but he was also permeated by it inwardly, no differently than water.

*And like oil in his bones.* Not only inward, but it penetrated even more deeply. The Prophet increases this fact in his discourse, indicating the greatness of the curse; and by the water, he signifies its vehemence, but by the oil, its difficulty of being washed away, and consequently its long duration.

Vers. 19. *Let it be for him like a garment in which he is wrapped, and like a belt which he is always girded with.* It shall be for him so as to hold him fast and bind him tightly.

Vers. 20. *This is the work of those who slander me before the Lord.* This is the punishment from the Lord for those among the Jews who slander me, that is, [the work of] Judas and those with him. This is the punitive work, concerning which it was foretold that he will suffer this and that; or [the work] of those.

^A who speak evil against my soul. It is stated in the aforementioned 40th Psalm: "They devised evil things against me," and look for the explanation of it.

"And, O Lord, deal with me for the sake of Thy name." Deal with me in mercy, clearly—not because I am worthy, but for Thine own sake, because Thou art philanthropic and merciful. He pours out His prayers here in human fashion, teaching us to be moderate when we are wronged, and in this way to attract divine help to ourselves. It is also stated in the indicated Psalm: "But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on me," and many such things can be read in the 21st Psalm. ^B "For Thy mercy is good." That is, it is always useful and effective; for human mercy is often ineffective, and sometimes even harmful.

Verse 22. "Deliver me, for I am needy and poor." We have spoken above about the "needy" and "poor." We also read the statement in the person of Christ in the 21st Psalm: "Deliver my soul from the sword," and in the Gospel it is written: "Father, save me from this hour."

"And my heart is troubled within me." We also read that He said in the Gospel: "For now," He says, "my soul is troubled," and "My soul is sorrowful, even unto death."

Verse 23. "I have been taken away like a shadow that declines." I have been taken away as quickly, He says, ^C as a shadow is taken away when it is erased. The preposition which is held in the Greek expression is either superfluous, following the custom of the Hebrew language, or it means the same as if one were to say: "For the good things which I bestowed upon them, I, in return, have been taken away and destroyed by them."

"I have been shaken off like locusts." So easily, He says, because of their extreme malice, have I been shaken off from the present life as locusts are shaken off if they are ever stirred by the winds.

Verse 24. "My knees have been weakened by fasting, and my flesh has been changed because of oil." For the Lord lived a hard and rugged life, ^D and the forty days of fasting bear witness to this, as do the barley loaves and the ears of grain which were plucked by the disciples—even though, by a certain benign dispensation, He did sometimes partake of a more lavish table. "And my flesh," He says, "has been changed" toward roughness and squalor, because of the lack of oil and the absence of anointing; for the ancients were accustomed to be anointed when they bathed.

Verse 25. "And I have become a reproach to them." To those bloodthirsty Jews, I say, who taunted and mocked Him, as is recounted in the Gospels.

"They saw me, and shook their heads."

[He] saw me hanging upon the tree. ^A And they that passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying: O thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself.

VERS. 26. Help me, O Lord my God, and save me according to thy mercy. Just as he suffered like a man, so also like a man he pours forth prayers to God. But what he says, "according to thy mercy," means: in thy mercy, and as one who is merciful.

VERS. 27. And let them know that this is thy hand, and that thou, O Lord, hast done it. Let them know, he says, that this help is thine. For thou hast helped me as a beloved Son, and hast not despised me as if I were thine adversary. ^B

VERS. 28. They will curse, but thou wilt bless. For those enemies of God, the Jews, were saying: "Doth any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believe in him? But this multitude, which knoweth not the law, are accursed." Cursing is also called blasphemy.

Let them that rise up against me be confounded. They shall be confounded, either at the time of my resurrection, or after the universal resurrection, they shall be utterly confounded.

But thy servant shall rejoice. On account of the men who have been saved.

VERS. 29. Let them that detract me be clothed with shame. They shall be clothed with confusion, scattered among all nations, brought into servitude, and dishonored.

And let them be covered as with a double cloak with their confusion. He repeats the same sense with other words. For a *diplois* is a double garment. ^C

VERS. 30. I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth. I will give thanks to him, as to my Deliverer and Savior.

And in the midst of many will I praise him. Truly Christ gives thanks to God, and truly he praises him in the midst of many, since the Gospels are assiduously read in the Church, in which he praises and glorifies the Father.

VERS. 31. Because he hath stood at the right hand of the poor, to save my soul from them that persecute me. For those who bring aid in war stand on the right side. Or otherwise: He stood by the right hand of his actions, drawn to his aid by his virtues; and he saved him by raising him from the dead.

A Psalm for David.

PSALM CIX

Concerning this inscription, it has been said many times. ^D Moreover, the Prophet wrote this psalm concerning Christ.

VERS. 1. The Lord said to my Lord. The Father, having taken Christ up into heaven, said these words which follow. He calls the Father Lord, and he calls the Son Lord also, indicating the divinity of both Persons. But if we read elsewhere: "The Lord thy God, the Lord is one," this was said, not to deny that the only-begotten Son is God, but for the sake of distinction from those which are not gods. He spoke in a manner worthy of God; and this statement also seals the mouths of the Jews.

^A For who are the two Lords of David, of whom the one was begotten from the womb before the morning star, and is honored with a priesthood after the order of Melchizedek? They cannot say at all.

^B *Sit thou at my right hand.* Just as by the word *The Lord* [said unto my Lord], the equal honor is shown, so also by the sitting at the right hand, upon the royal throne; for those whose throne is common, their kingdom is also common. Let Arius and Eunomius, who prate that the Son is not equal to the Father, be struck dumb. But since God the Father is incorporeal and has no right or left (for these belong to bodies), it remains that by the "sitting" we understand the rest and enjoyment of the divine kingdom, both peculiar to them, and equal in honor.

*Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.* The Jews, the Gentiles, the heretics, and the demons. The word *until* is not placed here to distinguish a future time, but, as we have often said elsewhere, it designates a certain time and *up to which*, not excluding another time thereafter, as Gregory the Theologian excellently declares in his first discourse on the Son; and we, too, following the ancient Fathers, have written upon that Gospel text: *Until she had brought forth her firstborn son.* For how could another testimony of Scripture be sustained: *His kingdom, which shall not be destroyed for ever*? Or that: *Of his kingdom there shall be no end*? ^C And if here you hear that the Father makes the enemies of the Son a footstool, while with Paul you hear that the Son himself does it (for he says, *He must reign, until he [shall have] put all his enemies under his feet*), do not be troubled; for the operation of both is common, and both have the same power of accomplishing. All, however, shall be subjected, some willingly, others unwillingly, when they see him descending from heaven, concerning which Paul taught more clearly. And he said "to make a footstool" for "to render subject," or "to subjugate."

^D VERS. 2. *The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Sion.* The rod is sometimes taken as a symbol of punishment or castigation, according to that of the Apostle: *What? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love?* Sometimes [it is taken] for pastoral care, according to that: *Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron.* Sometimes for a kingdom, as that: *There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse.* And sometimes for power, as in the present passage; for God the Father sent to Christ, as a man, power out of Sion, which is in heaven, or out of Sion, which is in Jerusalem. From there, indeed, began also the...

power of his achievements and of the preaching. And one might understand the "rod of power" to be the holy Cross of Christ; for what is more powerful than it, being that it so easily puts enemies to flight?

"And rule in the midst of your enemies." Compelling your enemies into your jurisdiction and dominion, and subjecting them to the yoke of your evangelical laws. For this was the paradoxical thing: that the apostles, being hemmed in on every side in the midst of enemies, not only survived, but did not simply prevail, but prevailed even more overwhelmingly.

"With you is the beginning ^B in the day of your power." In that day, he says, when your virtue and power are made manifest, then "with you" there will also be the beginning—that is to say, the kingdom will be in you, not arriving from elsewhere, but inherent in the nature of your divinity. And "beginning" might be understood as the Son of God himself, as the cause of all things, that is, the Creator, who is with the Father; and the "day of power" is the day of his first coming and the infinite miracles he performed, or the day of the second and final trumpet that will awaken the dead.

"In the splendors of your saints." When your saints shall shine. For what was more splendid than the apostles, who went about the world shining like the sun with the rays of their virtues? If they were so brilliant and illustrious in the present life, what must we believe they will be like at the time of the resurrection, when, according to the Lord's voice, ^C"The righteous shall shine like the sun"? Whether, therefore, you understand this of the first or the second coming, you will not err.

"From the womb before the morning star I have begotten you." The words, "Sit at my right hand," and the words, "From the womb before the morning star I have begotten you," seem to me to be spoken in the person of the Father to the Son; but the words, "The rod of power," and the words, "With you is the beginning," are spoken to the Son, yet in the person of the Prophet. And indeed the words "from the womb" signify that true and genuine divine generation and the identity of substance. For true offspring are generated from the womb of their parents. But the words "before the morning star" signify the time before the sun was created; and in the 70th ^D Psalm it says: "Before the sun his name abides." What then? Did he beget him only before the sun? By no means, since elsewhere it also says: "From age to age you are." And yet it is not from the age only, but even before the age; and not until the age only, but he is infinite. Therefore, one must receive such things as befits God, and understand from these not only a priority before all things, but also an eternal pre-existence. As for those who understand "before the morning star" as the night during which Christ...

was born ^A according to the flesh, by the good pleasure of the Father and the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, they interpret the Prophet's discourse wrongly. For it should have been said, "Before the rising of the morning star," and not "Before the morning star." For the simple expression "Before the sun" signifies a time that existed before the nature of the sun itself, just as, conversely, if you say "Before the rising of the sun," you signify the time of daybreak. (Magnus Basil, in his sermon on the Holy Spirit, says that a thing is said to be "from" something either by way of creation, according to that which is written: *There is one God the Father, of whom are all things* [1 Cor. viii, 6]; or by way of nature, according to the principle: *Our operation is from us*, and as the splendor of the sun is from the sun; or by way of generation, according to: *I came forth from the Father* [John xvi, 38]. Likewise, what we read here, *From the womb before the morning star I have begotten thee* [Ps. lxxxix, 2], does not mean that God possesses a womb, but because true and free-born children are accustomed to be born from the womb of their parents. For this reason, therefore, God states in this place that He has a womb in the generation of the Son, for the confusion of the impious: so that, considering in themselves His own proper nature, they may learn that the Son is the true fruit from the Father, as one who is said to be begotten from His belly.)

VERS. 4. *The Lord hath sworn.* As indignation in God ^B does not signify agitation, but an impulse of divine power toward vengeance, so His oath does not signify human rites of swearing, but a confirmation and asseveration of the divine sentence. *And shall not repent.* This means He will not change His decree, as God frequently does in many matters by design. But what has He sworn, that is, what has He definitively decreed? Listen: *Thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchisedech.* A priest, indeed, as one who delivered the mystical bread and wine to the Apostles in the Supper, just as Melchisedech gave [them] to Abraham and his companions ^C as they returned from the war. And this priesthood is eternal, because it has neither beginning of days nor end of life: by reason, certainly, of the divinity of Christ, just as we read that Melchisedech himself had neither beginning nor end. Truthfully, we say that this Melchisedech has no beginning or end because the history is silent on it. But he did have a beginning, and he will have some end.

VERS. 5. *The Lord at thy right hand.* [He is there] to bring him aid as if he were a man. For in the 15th Psalm, we read written from the person of Christ: *I foresaw the Lord always before my face: for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.*

*He hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.* The discourse is about the day of judgment, when God shall crush the impious kings with the penalties decreed by Him. But if He crushes the kings themselves, it is manifest that He will much more easily punish all the others who have transgressed against Him. ^D

^A He shall judge among the nations. He shall judge the nations; or, he shall judge among the nations those who are worthy of judgment. He shall fill up ruins. He shall multiply downfalls, casting down many, as many as had stood wickedly. He shall shatter the heads over many lands. The heads of many—that is, many people. For what he said above regarding kings, he now says more generally regarding others. And these things are understood not only regarding the future judgment, but they also teach in another way his irresistible power: that when he is angry, he will shatter kings and do the other things mentioned. ^B He shall drink from the brook by the way. Here he foretells the poverty of his manner of life, that, pursuing a frugal life, he shall drink from the brook—that is, the one flowing in the way; or, he shall drink while traveling on the way. According to the anagogical sense, by the brook you shall understand the overflow of temptations and calamities; by the way, this transitory life; and by the drinking, participation, so that the meaning is that he was to be a participant in temptations and calamities in the present life. Therefore, he shall lift up his head. On account of his poverty and humility, he shall be lifted up. And he shall be glorified, having ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of God. For not only did these things do him no harm, but they even raised him to an ineffable height.

Alleluia.

PSALM CX

This psalm also contains acts of thanksgiving.

^C VERS. 1, 2. I will confess to thee, O Lord, with my whole heart. I will give thee thanks, not only in words, nor simply with tongue and mouth, but with my whole heart, with a contrite soul, with constant prayer, and with a mind already free from all worldly care, and soaring upward toward thee. And I shall give thanks for the benefits thou hast bestowed most amply, both upon me and upon other men. This is a ready sacrifice; this is an easy offering; this is a necessary work, and one perpetually demanded of us. In the council of the upright, and in the congregation, great are the works of the Lord. In the council and congregation of those who think rightly, the works of the Lord are great—all things, as many as he brings about by working wonders, both of old, and now, and hereafter; and as many as he created when he brought the world into being. For the passage is understood regarding miracles and created things; for when the things mentioned are gathered together and considered—that is, when one reflects upon such ^D works—none of these is seen to be small, nor unworthy of him who made them; but all things are great, and hold some meaning, even if to other people many things appear to be such, because of the turning of their mind….

Variae Lectiones. [Variant readings].

Exquisite in all his wills

Confessio et magnificentia opus ejus

And his justice remains for age of age

He has made a memorial of his wonders

Misericors et miserator Dominus

He has given food to those who fear him

^A sustains His servants in a truly wondrous manner, and beyond the hope of many, as He did Elijah, Daniel, and many others.

*He will be mindful forever of His covenant.* The Jews say that God was mindful of His covenant because He made it immutable: that covenant, I say, which He had ordered concerning the multitude of the seed of Abraham and the promise of the land. But we affirm that these words contain a prophecy concerning Christ. He will be mindful, he says, forever—that is, in the due and convenient time—of His covenant which He had ordered toward the patriarchs, promising that in their seed all nations would be blessed, and that God would fulfill this covenant.

*He has declared to His people the power of His works.* To the ancient people, God indeed showed the power of His works, that is, His might in action, through the miracles that were performed at that time; but to the new people, through those things which He has worked everywhere after His resurrection.

*To give them the inheritance of the nations.* To the Jews, the land of promise, which the nations formerly inhabited; but to us, that land and all the rest, of which the faithful became the lords.

*The works of His hands are truth and judgment.* By the hands of the Father, some understand the Son and the Holy Spirit, as co-workers and equally creators, whose works, they say, are truth and ^B judgment: attributing truth to the Holy Spirit, of whom it is written: *He will guide you into all truth* (John xvi, 13); but judgment to the Son, of whom we read elsewhere that the Lord said that *the Father hath given all judgment to the Son* (John v, 22); wherefore the Scripture very often attributes the aforementioned names to them respectively. Or otherwise: say that the works of Christ are true and not imaginary, and in a similar way, they are just; or that all things are dispensed by God with right judgment and a suitable norm of administration. But Chrysostom, explaining this verse, says that in Scripture the name of truth is often found for mercy, according to which signification he says that the works of God are full of mercy and justice, since God always mingles both together. For if He used mercy perpetually, we would become altogether negligent; again, if He used justice alone, all would long ago have perished.

*All His commandments are faithful.* Faithful, that is, worthy of faith. And because He said *all* commandments, understand first those which pertain to creation, which all elements observe by the guidance of nature—namely, the heaven, sun, moon, stars, day, night, hours, earth, rivers, pools, springs, plants, herbs, and in short, everything which pertains both to a nature entirely devoid of soul and to that which is animate but devoid of reason. Then also all the commandments which were given to the human race from the beginning, and which were observed by those who had not received the written law; and thereafter also the written commandments ^D of the law given through Moses; and lastly, the evangelical

precepts, which are all faithful, that is to say, firm and unshaken. For even if some of the commandments of the Mosaic law have been dissolved, yet it is better to say they have been ^A improved and understood in a clearer light. Therefore, no one shall be able to blot them out: for "Heaven," He says, "and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Confirmed for ever and ever. Stable, I say, and destined to remain perpetually. ^B Done in truth and uprightness. For there is nothing, he says, that is false in them, nor any crookedness. Or, alternatively, by "truth" understand clarity, and by "uprightness," sound judgment; for all His commandments are true and clear, and teach us to walk upon a straight path.

VER. 9. He hath sent redemption unto his people. The Father sent the Son, that is to say, Christ. "For He hath sent me," He says, "to preach deliverance to the captives." And again: "He shall save His people." Also, He who was given to us by God as redemption, according to the Apostle.

He hath commanded his covenant for ever. For ever, I say, suitably, as if to say: God delivered His covenant to men at a fitting and appropriate time. Or "for ever," meaning unto eternity, calling the Gospel itself an eternal covenant, concerning which we read elsewhere: "I will give you an eternal covenant." For the Mosaic covenant was temporary, both in its outward aspect, and in as much as it was typical and shadowy.

Holy and terrible is his name. The name of Christ is indeed holy, being that by which myriad miracles are wrought; it is terrible (or, as the Greek term more properly signifies, "to be feared"), because it drives out demons and diseases. But if the name of Christ is holy, it is fitting that the very mouths and tongues that are to praise it should themselves be holy.

VER. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. For such fear is the fountain and root of wisdom. For where there is fear, there is the observance of the commandments; and where there is the observance of commandments, there is purity; and where there is purity, there also is illumination.

And a good understanding to all that do afterward. That is, to those who work according to prudence, good prudence increases. For there is a certain evil prudence, of which it is written: "They are wise to do evil." Or otherwise: Prudence is good and useful not simply to those who possess it, but to those who make use of it in word and in deed.

His praise abideth for ever and ever. The praise of Christ remains without end among the angels and among men.

among the angels and among men; therefore, it is fitting that we should always praise Him and render Him the highest thanks. ^A Alleluia.

PSALM CXI

The beginning of this psalm seems to me to have the greatest connection with the end of the preceding one; for which reason I think it has received the same inscription as that one, as it is, as it were, a part of it. For there we read: "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord," but here: "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord." Some say that the present psalm consists of twenty-two verses, according to the number of the Hebrew letters, and that the beginnings of the verses in Hebrew bear the beginnings of the Hebrew letters. ^B

Vers. 1. *Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord.* In the preceding psalm, it was said that the fear of the Lord makes a man wise, but in this one, that it also makes him blessed: "Blessed is the man," he says, "that feareth the Lord," yet not he who fears him simply (for even the demons fear God), but he who fears so as to keep His commandments. For that fear is light and hollow, but this one is effective and powerful.

*In his commandments he shall have great delight.* Such a man will rejoice and be glad in the commandments of his Lord; for this is what "shall have great delight" signifies. Moreover, elsewhere the Prophet, demonstrating the pleasure which he derived from the divine commandments, expresses it more clearly, saying: "How sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth." ^C

Vers. 2. *His seed shall be mighty upon earth.* For it will be rendered mighty and strong against all who wish to do them harm. Now, the seed of the Lord are the disciples and imitators of Christ, who, keeping the likeness and kinship of life and conversation with Christ, and receiving it as a kind of paternal inheritance, are always increased in strength and power. *The generation of the upright shall be blessed.* By the generation of men who are similar, who do not think perverse things, but upright ones.

Vers. 3. *Glory and riches shall be in his house.* Glory, he says, shall be from God to the man who fears Him, and with glory, also riches; riches, I mean, of good works. Or, the glory shall be his from men, because they will honor him for such virtue. In a similar way, riches will also be present with him, because he will abound in all things he might desire; according to which sense, understand that "he shall have great delight in the commandments of God," namely, his total confidence and faith in God. ^D

*And his justice endureth for ever and ever.* The virtue which has justified him shall remain incorrupt into the world to come, inasmuch as it will always accompany him after this life.

Vers. 4. *Unto the upright there is sprung up light in the darkness.* God, he says, has sprung up for men who lay in the darkness of temptations and afflictions. He, I say, God, who is light, or the true light

^A which has appeared in Christ, has sprung up from the earth in the darkness of error: For I, he says, am the light of the world. But he says this light has sprung up for the upright, that is, for those who are able to think rightly; for these indeed have seen it. (For all the perverse close their eyes to such a light.)

Misericors, miserator et justus. This is also said of God, who is merciful and compassionate, as one who is good; and just, as the Judge of all. See in Psalm 100, there: I will sing of mercy and judgment unto thee, O Lord.

VERS. 5. Benignus homo qui miseretur et commodat. He shows mercy, indeed, to those who are in straits, but he lends to those who are in need of a loan. For it is written elsewhere in Psalm 36: All the day long the righteous shows mercy and lends.

Disponet sermones suos in judicio. ^B A man of this kind, fearing the Lord, will also use his words well, speaking not by chance or inconsiderately, but with judgment and discretion will he dispense his words where there is need. Or (because the Greek word λόγους signifies not only words and speeches, but also calculations/accounts), say that this man who fears the Lord will always arrange all his accounts and affairs with right and sound judgment, just as Symmachus also rendered it. Or, that he will well arrange his defenses in the future judgment, preparing them beforehand with the utmost scrutiny and study, no differently than a faithful and wise steward is accustomed to do.

VERS. 6. Quia in sæculum non commovebitur. In this age, certain temptations will not move him, like one who has been built upon the solid ^C rock of faith, love, and hope; and who has his own conscience as a most secure anchor. And the Prophet does not say that such a man will suffer no snares—for many are the tribulations of the righteous—but that he will not be moved by them. For this is indeed most admirable, that the saints, who have suffered innumerably many perils, have remained so constant and immovable against them, and have preserved their resolve firm and stable until the very end. This is their most celebrated victory; this is the most worthy proclamation of such excellent men. Or, "in the age to come he shall not be moved," according to what we read elsewhere: I was prepared and was not troubled, because, clearly, I am conscious of no wickedness in myself.

VERS. 7. In memoria æterna erit justus. ^D Because of his own virtues, he will be in memory not only while living, but also after death.

Ab auditione mala non timebit. He will not be afraid, he says, even if something terrible and horrendous has been announced to him. He did not say that he would not hear, but that he would not fear; for he has already deposited his riches in a safe place, and therefore he hastens all the more to reach that place. For where, he says, is your treasure, there will your heart be also. For the same reason he does not fear those who kill the body, and cannot kill the soul.

Paratum cor ejus sperare in Domino. That is, his heart remains stable and unshaken in its expectation of the Lord.

of the hope which he has in the Lord, trusting that by His aid he shall attain salvation and victory. ^A

*He is established in his heart, he shall not fear.* As has been declared above.

*Until he look upon his enemies.* By "enemies," understand specifically the demons; "Until," he says, he looks upon them to see what he wills, or what they shall suffer. If he is not to fear until the fall of his enemies, much less shall he have cause for fear after it. For after teaching concerning that which was ambiguous, he passed over what follows as being unambiguous and less uncertain; and in this way the expression "until" is often used among the Hebrews. ^B

*He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor.* He dispersed his goods. By the word "dispersed," he expressed the liberality of the giver; he also signified that it is as a sort of seed or sowing, for those who sow are wont to scatter.

*His righteousness remaineth for ever and ever.* He repeats the words already spoken above for the greater confirmation of his sentiment. Or, by "righteousness" in this place, he means that which proceeds from mercy—that is, from almsgiving. (And of which it is written: *Take heed that you do not your righteousness before men*.)

*His horn shall be exalted in glory.* By "horn," he understands honor. It is a metaphorical expression: his honor and glory, he says, shall be magnified. Now concerning this horn, it was spoken clearly in [the] 88th psalm, where it is said: *And in thy name shall our horn be exalted.* ^C

*The sinner shall see, and shall be angry.* The sinner shall be angry, thinking that the mercy of this righteous man exposes and reproves his own inhumanity. For such is virtue, always troublesome and burdensome to wickedness.

*He shall gnash with his teeth, and shall pine away.* He shall gnash, indeed, demonstrating his internal pain through his teeth, yet he will not dare to speak out, since the virtue of this righteous man stops his mouth; wherefore he shall also pine away, bitten by that man’s good deeds, and consumed by envy, becoming his own executioner.

*The desire of the sinner shall perish.* I speak of the desire of a sinner loving and coveting perishing and corruptible things; when these are lost, their desire perishes with them. But those words, *A light is risen up in darkness to the upright*, some apply to that man whom the Prophet called blessed in the preceding verses, and they say the meaning is that a man of this kind, fearing the Lord, will enlighten the souls of the unfaithful, previously darkened by error; and in a similar way they apply the next verse to him, saying that such a man is merciful, and shows pity, and judges justly. We, however, have attributed the preceding verse to God. ^D

*Alleluia.*

PSALM CXII

This psalm is also written for the sake of thanksgiving, whence it has received a similar inscription to the preceding ones.

^A Vers. 1. *Praise the Lord, ye children: praise the name of the Lord.* By "children" in this place he signifies servants; for in Psalm CXXXIV he says: "Praise the name of the Lord: praise Him, O ye servants of the Lord," expressing the same sentiment by a reverse order of verses. Some, however, have understood "children" to be pure and simple men, or the disciples of Christ or the Apostles. Praise Him not only by words, but also by works, according to that saying: "That they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Vers. 2. *Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.* Let the name of the Lord be blessed, he says, and not blasphemed, as you bless it assiduously and praise it perpetually, in deed and in word, as we have said above. For even if the name of the Lord is of itself sufficiently blessed always, yet it becomes blessed also in us when we bless it not only with words, but also by works; since all men glorify God when they see the works of virtues being performed by others.

Vers. 3. *From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.* Not in Palestine alone, but everywhere in the world is the name of the Lord to be praised. By these words, the Prophet foretells the voice of the evangelical preaching that would reach the whole world.

Vers. 4. *The Lord is high above all nations.* The Lord shall be high among the nations, not that He then becomes high, but because He will then finally appear high, when there will be those who teach high and sublime dogmas about God, and who, by their own contemplations and studies, as much as they are able, will extol them. *His glory is above the heavens.* Because He is glorified in the heavens by the angels. These things can also be understood of Christ, and of the angels who at Christ’s birth praised God and said: "Glory to God in the highest."

Vers. 5, 6. *Who is like unto the Lord our God?* These things were said by the Prophet in order to carp at those false gods who were worshipped by the nations.

Vers. 7. *Who dwelleth on high, and looketh down on the things that are lowly.* But if God has measured the heaven with a span and the earth with his fist, as we read elsewhere, and if He fills heaven and earth and is present everywhere, and if He is incomprehensible and uncircumscribed, how does He dwell in heaven and look upon the earth? It is manifest, therefore, that the Prophet speaks in such a way as to consent to the dullness of the Jews or others, although, gradually raising their mind, he added, saying: *In heaven and on earth.* And above, he says, and below He dwells; that is, in every place. See what we have said in the psalm there: "He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn." Others, however, construct it differently, saying: "Who is like our God in heaven and on earth?" *Raising up the needy from the earth, and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill.*

he raises the poor. By "earth and dung" He signifies his lowliness and poverty. The Prophet praises and admires the power of God, who easily changes whatever He wills.

^A Ver. 8. *That He may set him with princes, even with the princes of His people.* He does not only make him rich and glorious, but He also sets him with the princes of His people; that is, He even advances him to principality and authority. By "the needy and the poor," understand the faithful people gathered from the nations, whom Christ, raising them from the shame of the passions, has exalted through the Gospel, and has rendered them equal in honor to the Apostles, whom He had constituted princes over all the earth, as we have seen in another psalm. Afterwards, he lauds His even greater power, as He changes not only things simply, but also natures.

^B Ver. 9. *He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.* Making the barren woman to dwell in a house as a mother rejoicing over children; as has happened in many instances. Some have understood "house" here as the family of children.

Alleluia.

PSALM CXIII

This is also a psalm of thanksgiving, detailing the benefits formerly bestowed by God upon the Jews, praising the divine power, and mocking the weakness of idols.

Ver. 1, 2. *When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language; Judah was His sanctuary, and Israel His dominion.* By "Israel" and "the house of Jacob," he means the race of the Israelites; but by "Egypt" and "a people of strange language," the Egyptians themselves. He says that when the Israelite people went out, and the house, or family, of Jacob departed from the Egyptian nations—that is, when the Hebrews went out of Egypt—then that region, which we now call Judea, became the sanctuary ^C of God: because it was, as it were, an object offered and dedicated to God, and rendered in a certain way more holy. Then also the people of the Israelites became the inheritance of God, and began to be constituted more manifestly under His authority, and to be directed by Him. For although all other peoples have always been under the divine power by very nature and the right of creation, none seems to have had such a bond or familiarity as the Israelite people; which is why it has been called the peculiar people of God. (From these things, however, which we have said, it is evident that the word "His" is in both instances to be referred to God.)

^D Ver. 3. *The sea saw it, and fled.* The sea itself also knew the divine power, and in an ineffable way recognized the divine will, no differently than if it had been a rational creature; whence, having been divided, it fled from the middle of its bed, and afforded a free and safe path to the people passing through. He understands by this the Red Sea, when Moses led out the Hebrew people; and by saying it "fled," he shows not only that it was afraid at the sight of God, but also demonstrates the swiftness of that division.

*Jordan was driven back.* This happened in the time of Joshua, the son of Nun, when the Jordan river stopped...

^A its flow and provided a dry path for the Ark of God. Likewise, in Psalm LXV these two miracles are recounted together, where it is said: *Who turns the sea into dry land, and they shall pass through the river on foot.*

VERS. 4. *The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like lambs.* Wishing to describe to us a certain supreme and ineffable joy of the people that they had in those times, the Prophet imagines that even the inanimate elements, the mountains and hills of Judea, skipped and rejoiced with joy, in the same way as rams and lambs do, which, when they are happy, demonstrate their joy by leaping. For the Prophets are accustomed sometimes to ascribe human emotions to inanimate things, as we said concerning Psalm XCV, where it says: *Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth exult, let the sea be moved, etc., the fields will rejoice, etc. Then all the trees of the forest will exult before the face of the Lord, because He comes*; see there.

VERS. 5, 6. *What is it to thee, O sea, that thou didst flee? and thou, Jordan, that thou didst turn back? You mountains, that you skipped like rams, and you hills, like the lambs of the sheep?* By a certain prosopopeia, the Prophet now addresses the elements themselves, demanding an explanation as to why they did such things, as if it were something admirable and ^B supernatural; and then he himself answers on their behalf, or introduces them as answering his own question, saying:

VERS. 7. *At the face of the Lord the earth was moved.* By the presence, he says, and the sight of the Lord, the earth exulted, that is, the mountains and the hills. By the "presence of the Lord," however, understand the coming of the Lord into Judea. Or interpret it in another way, according to what was said in Psalm XCV, where it says: *Then all the trees of the forest shall exult.* And concerning the sea and the Jordan, he said nothing more, as if the cause of the flight or the detention in both cases were already well enough known. *At the face of the God of Jacob.* For it is written elsewhere: *I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.*

VERS. 8. *Who turned the rock into pools of waters.* At the face of that God, I say, who changes the rock from its natural hardness, so that from it subsequently waters gush forth; concerning which we spoke in Psalm LXXVII. *And the cliff into fountains of waters.* (In the Greek here, we do not read "cliff" but another word, which although it may be accepted for a rock, can strictly be said of some object that is cut off or incised at its extreme and highest point). Thus, therefore, the Prophet named this rock, as one which, because of its extreme hardness, could scarcely be cut by iron even at its highest and extreme part, using this mode of speech in order to increase the miracle. Now that the ancient benefits have been narrated, he prays for present matters.

VERS. 1. *Not to us, O Lord, not to us.* We do not trust that Thou wilt show mercy for our sake. For we are unworthy, just as were our ancestors, who received the benefits previously commemorated from Thee.

^A But to Thy name give glory. That is, Thou, He says, glorify Thine own name.

VERS. 2. *In Thy mercy and in Thy truth.* Glorify it, He says, in Thy mercy and in Thy truth, that is, having had mercy on us, and having truly had mercy. For the Prophet frequently joins mercy and truth together to signify true mercy. For divine mercy is properly and truly both what it is and what it is called; but human mercy, when compared with the divine, is not true, but is a certain shadow of mercy.

Lest the nations should say, Where is their God? Lest, He says, the nations should master us, and should afterwards reproach us with Thy weakness.

VERS. 3. *But our God is in heaven and on earth, all things whatsoever He willed, He has done.* The nations perhaps will babble such words; but we, in return, shall cry out that in heaven and on earth our God has the power to do all things whatsoever He has willed; although, for certain reasons known only to Him, He is frequently long-suffering and patient ^B by dispensation.

VERS. 4-7. *The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have a mouth, and will not speak; they have eyes, and will not see. They have ears, and will not hear; they have noses, and will not smell; they have hands, and will not feel; they have feet, and will not walk; they will not speak in their throat.* He traverses all the members of the idols and all their parts, finding something ever more to reproach in them; and first, indeed, he accuses the organs of the senses, then also the hands and feet, of insensibility, showing that those simulacra are nothing else than matter altogether void of soul and spirit. Someone might perhaps ask why the Prophet, while enumerating the other senses of the body in order, did not speak of the sense of the mouth—that they will not taste with their mouth—but said instead that they will not speak with their mouth. And it seems to me that it was not said for this reason: because we see that to hear, to see, to smell, and the rest, are frequently said of God, but that God eats, we nowhere read. But in place of taste, he has attributed speech to the mouth ^C once and again, by which one lives in the highest sense, and first and last, as a most evident proof of life.

VERS. 8. *May those who make them become like to them, and all who trust in them.* May they become like to them: deaf, that is, and without efficacy. But the idols of the nations are indeed as such, and those who worship them are in this manner, as we have said, foolish, as they worship those from whom they receive no help; but we are not so.

VERS. 9-11. *The house of Israel has hoped in the Lord; He is their help and protector. The house of Aaron has hoped in the Lord; He is their help and protector. Those who fear the Lord have hoped in the Lord; He is their help and protector.* Not in vain, he says, have we hoped in the Lord, for He helps and protects us. And he divides the people of God into the simple Israel, and the priestly ^D race, and the proselytes; naming as the house of Israel the simple Israelites, whom he also places first on account of their multitude; and the house of Aaron, the priestly race; for he was the first of all to serve as priest, and became the root of those after him;

^A furthermore, by those "who fear the Lord," he expressed the proselytes, as those coming from among the nations and fearing Him.

VERS. 12, 13. *The Lord, being mindful of us, hath blessed us.* What is "hath blessed us"? He has filled us with countless good things, from above, from our ancestors down to us, bestowing benefits upon our nation. *He hath blessed the house of Israel; He hath blessed the house of Aaron. He hath blessed them that fear the Lord.* He employs the same division now as he did a little before.

*With the small, together with the great.* This is to be understood generally of all: the small and the great are not to be taken merely in terms of age or stature, but also in terms of weakness and strength, poverty and wealth, dishonor and glory, servitude and freedom.

VERS. 14. *May the Lord add upon us, upon us, and upon our children.* May the Lord increase us, he says, and our children; may He add good things. Some copies, however, write: "Upon you, and upon your children," so that it is evident from this that he is offering a prayer for the Christians and their race, who have been increased even more, and to whom the truly good things, namely the heavenly ones, have been added.

VERS. 15. *Blessed are you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.* These words also are to be understood of those whom Christ blessed, as He was about to be taken up into heaven, as Luke recounts. For in blessing the apostles, He blessed all others through them. ^B

VERS. 16. *The heaven of heaven is the Lord's.* That is to say, the first heaven, the dwelling-place of the Lord. See in the previous psalm what we said on the verse: *who dwelleth in the highest.*

*But the earth He hath given to the sons of men.* That they might enjoy it, and dwell therein. For He created it for the sake of men.

VERS. 17, 18. *The dead shall not praise Thee, O Lord, nor any that go down into hell. But we that live, bless the Lord, from this time now and for ever.* This saying seems similar to: *Shall the dust confess to Thee, or declare Thy truth?* And to that: *Shall anyone tell of Thy mercy in the grave?* But if you consider it a little more deeply, you will understand the "dead" to be those who had already died to the works of virtue before the natural death of the body, and who were destroyed by sin; while the "living" are those who live virtuously, and who pass from this life to a higher and more divine one. ^C For the former neither praise Him here—for *praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner*—nor there, as they are perpetually tormented. But the latter praise Him both here and there; for "from this time now," he says, "and for ever." And the former indeed are said to descend into hell, but the latter ascend into heaven. By saying "we," he indicated the virtuous ones according to him. ^D Observe also that while the Prophet, in

^A

Psalm CXIV

This psalm is composed in a similar manner as an act of thanksgiving.

1. *I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.* For this reason, he says, I have rejoiced, because He will hear, etc.

2. *Because He has inclined His ear unto me.* We spoke of the inclination of God’s ear in Psalm XVI, where it says: *Incline Thy ear unto me.* *And in my days I will call.* That is, throughout all the days of my life.

3, 4. *The sorrows of death have encompassed me, and the dangers of hell have found me; I found tribulation and sorrow, and I called upon the name of the Lord.* These things appear consistent with those which are found in Psalm XVII, where the Prophet says: *I will love Thee, O Lord*; and then adds the cause for why he will love Him, saying: *Because Thou strengthenest me and confirmest me*: for Thou, he says, art my strength, and my firmament, and my refuge, and other things of this kind. And a little further on: *I will call upon the Lord with praises.* And he recounts the calamities into which he had once fallen, and by the weight of which he was afflicted, saying that he called upon the Lord and was heard. In the present psalm, therefore, the Prophet uses a similar manner of speech, saying: *I have loved, because the Lord will hear* me praying, for "has heard"; or because He will hear in the future, for He has now also heard. For he renders this as the reason for his love. Then, after the words, *And in my days I will call*, just as in the aforementioned psalm, he recounts the calamities on account of which he says he called upon the Lord and was delivered, and for the sake of which liberation he said: *I have loved*, etc.; and because he said he had been encompassed by the sorrows of death and the dangers of hell, he added an explanation of these words, saying: *I found tribulation and sorrow.* But these things were spoken of more fully in the aforementioned psalm.

5. *O Lord, deliver my soul.* Deliver it, furthermore, from future evils. *The Lord is merciful and just, and our God shows mercy.* Observe how he instructs the listener. *The Lord is merciful*, he says; if you have sinned, do not on that account despair; but because He is also just, take heed, lest building your trust upon His supreme mercy, you fall again. Yet, showing that He is always more inclined toward mercy than toward justice, he added: *And our God shows mercy.* But the fact that he says *our God* is stated in distinction to the gods whom the nations falsely worship.

6. *The Lord keeping little ones.* Understand the word "is." For the Prophet praises the supreme providence of the Lord, by which, if He did not guard all and each, a snake or a scorpion or many of the poisonous reptiles would easily have killed them, and they would quickly have perished, having fallen into pits or precipices or some other danger. But some understand the Prophet to be speaking of infants,

these infants still existing in the womb—who are carried about in those dark and humid places like fish, and cannot breathe in the manner of other men, and who, upon coming forth from that warmth of the womb into this air, which is cold and unfamiliar to them, could not survive for even a short time in this life were they not preserved by divine providence—or, understood differently, consider them as little ones who have recently been established in virtue and whom the Lord preserves, while they are still surrounded by inexperience, until they become more capable of fighting against their enemies.

^B "I was humbled, and He saved me." He delivered me from various calamities. Indeed, He allowed me to be afflicted at first, so that I might become more prudent, but afterwards He dissolved afflictions of this kind, so that I might recognize His grace and gift, and in both ways He was beneficent toward me. And otherwise: God is accustomed to save those who have learned to embrace the virtue of humility, and through it to progress more and more.

VERS. 7, 8. "Turn, O my soul, unto thy rest, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee, for He hath delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." Some think that by these words the Prophet is exhorting himself to rest, as one who has already obtained divine aid and has been snatched away from afflictions and from the expected death—that is, delivered from the separation of soul and body—and in a similar way delivered from the tears which he formerly shed on account of the snares and traps, of course, which his enemies had set against him and into which he had frequently fallen. According to the anagoge, however, understand by "rest" the departure of the soul from the present life; the soul, I say, of any person whose soul is liberated from every trouble. For such a departure ought to be ascribed to the beneficence of God. For such just men are liberated both from the burden of this body and also from all its evils; because, as Paul says, "We who are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened"; ^C whence in another place the same Apostle said that he desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ. But the words of the present psalm seem to correspond even much more to all the upright and religious men who have already departed from this body. When the Prophet had said, "He hath dealt bountifully with thee," he added as well: "For He hath delivered my soul from my sin." For sin can deservedly be called death, because it mortifies all the actions of the soul toward virtue. Likewise, "He hath delivered mine eyes from tears," for, snatched away from such miseries, I shall shed tears no more. Likewise, "He hath delivered my feet," not only from the snares of visible, but also from those of invisible enemies, who were attempting to trip up my steps. ^D

VERS. 9. "I will be pleasing before the Lord in the land of the living." The land of the living is heaven, or the future world, where there is no one who dies. For the present world must be called the land of the dying, where there is no one who does not die. "I shall be pleasing," he says, in that land, living together with the angels and worshipping God without absolutely any hindrance, with no one lying in wait; or "I shall be pleasing," instead of "I shall be judged pleasing." But the present things...

they were interpreted in another sense in the fifty-fifth psalm. ^A

ALLELUIA. PSALM CXV.

VERS. 10. *I believed, therefore have I spoken.* The great Basil says that since the Prophet said in the end of the previous psalm, “I will please before the Lord in the land of the living,” he now says in the beginning of the present one: “I believed,” regarding what I prophesied there, that is, that I shall please or find delight in the land of the living; therefore, he says, I have spoken thus. For elsewhere, in the twenty-sixth psalm, he also said: “I believe to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living,” although we have provided another interpretation ^B there.

*I was humbled exceedingly.* Since it was given to me to foresee such things, I was yet humbled greatly, and deemed myself unworthy, lest, becoming prideful, I might lose such grace.

VERS. 11. *I said in my ecstasy, Every man is a liar.* By ecstasy, we must understand a certain stupor. Stupefied, he says, by the admiration of that land of the living, a vision of which I had through the grace of the Holy Spirit, I said openly and manifestly that every man in this life is a liar, according to this human beatitude ^C which the great Gregory called “falsely named happiness,” as it is not permanent, but like a dream quickly flies away. For all human things are vanity of vanities; they are changed and corrupted—but the things in that land of the living are truly real, as they are permanent, immutable, and incorruptible.

VERS. 12. *What shall I render unto the Lord for all the things which He has rendered unto me?* For having filled me with ten thousand other benefits, He bestowed also the grace mentioned above. But “rendered,” in this place, interpret as “gave,” just as we also said regarding the seventh psalm, there: ^D “If I have rendered evil to those who render evil to me.” Then, having found nothing worthy to render to God, he says:

VERS. 13. *I will take the cup of salvation.* By the cup of salvation, he understands death and martyrdom for Christ. For the Lord Himself also said in the Gospel: “Are you able,” He says to the sons of Zebedee, “to drink the cup that I drink?” He called it “salvation,” however, because it saves, and—what is more—it quickens those who were dead to a better life. For Christ, he says, I will die; for I thirst to suffer death for Him who has heaped such benefits upon me, as the Son of God.

*And I will call upon the name of the Lord.* And Him, he says, I will call upon to grant me even this hereafter.

^A Therefore, if you observe the purpose and mind of blessed David, you will clearly perceive that, so far as in him lay, he died many times for Christ.

*Verse 14. I will pay my vows to the Lord, in the presence of all His people.* I will pay, he says, what I have promised to God, before I depart from the present life.

*Verse 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.* I rejoice, he says, in dying. For their death is honored before God, those who have been dedicated and sanctified to Him. For if their life is honored, much more so is their death, since it conducts them to the Lord Himself, honored by the escort and society of the holy angels.

*Verse 16. O Lord, I am Your servant.* Dedicated, that is, and offered to Your sovereignty. *I am Your servant, and the son of Your handmaid.* He repeats the name of servant, rejoicing to be so called. For, having cast off all shame, he freely confesses and proclaims this servitude. He said "son of Your handmaid," showing that he is a servant of God even from his very ancestors. He makes mention of his mother indifferently, perhaps also because, at that time, those born in the house from servant-maids were held in greater esteem by their masters.

*Verse 17. You have broken my bonds.* You have broken, he says, the bonds of sins, by the sword of repentance. *I will sacrifice to You the sacrifice of praise.* A rational sacrifice, the sacrifice of praise, the fruits and offspring of my spiritual womb, I will sacrifice to You on the altar of my soul. *And I will call upon the name of the Lord.* And I will call upon the name of the Lord, for the provision and cooperation of this sacrifice.

*Verse 18. I will pay my vows to the Lord, in the presence of all His people.* He repeats the words stated a little before, for the greater confirmation of his discourse. *In the courts of the house of the Lord, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.* He also specifies the place where he is to pay his vows: In the courts of the house of the Lord; for that tabernacle, which blessed David had ordered to be built in the midst of Jerusalem, had various courts.

And these things we have explained according to the sequence of the preceding psalm; but let us also add the exposition of Chrysostom, who says that when blessed David had foreseen all the things the Jews were going to suffer in the siege and the Babylonian captivity, and had also revolved in his mind that they were thereafter to be recalled from thence and restored to their fatherland, he broke forth into these words, saying: *I believed*, that is, that the Jews would truly be captives, and that they would also be restored to their fatherland; I believed, indeed, having been so taught by prophetic grace; and therefore I spoke of this matter, in various psalms, namely. *And I was humbled exceedingly*, while I am suffering, that is, and grieving for the lot of the captives. *I said in my ecstasy: Every man is a liar.* By the greatest pain, he says, I was seized, by which, as is wont to happen many times, I was in a manner beside myself for a time, and almost rendered

misery, since I foresaw the great inconstancy of human ^A happiness, and beheld the change in the state of the Jews, I said: Truly every human good is deceptive, because it does not remain by any law of its own nature. But because I foresaw that they were again to be recalled to their homeland, and because I was affected with no small joy for this reason, I say: "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?" For the Prophet refers to himself and counts as his own concern every benefit which was conferred upon the Jews, his kin. "The Lord," he says, "hath bestowed many benefits upon me." What, therefore, shall I render to Him for them all? These words are of a very grateful and cheerful soul: "I will take the cup of salvation," that is, the vessel of libations. "I will pour a libation," he says, "to God for the salvation of the people." For there were among the Jews various modes of sacrifices: one of which was called the libation of salvation; and the cup was the vessel by which they offered the libation. "And I will call upon the name of the Lord," for the salvation of the people. ^B "I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the presence of all his people," that is, I will fulfill those promises which I made for my own salvation when I was in perils. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." From this place we are taught that the death of the servants of God is very often honored by the presence of angels and of many saints, to the great honor of those who are dying. But if their death is precious, their life is even more precious, in which, practicing the virtues, they served their Master. "O Lord, I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid." The Prophet does not mean that common servitude, according to which all are servants of God ("For all things," he says, "serve Thee" [Ps. CXVIII, 91]), but another servitude undertaken by choice, by desire, and by love: which he prefers to all ^C other dignities, exulting and boasting of himself more in this servitude than in his kingly crown. And that which he says, "and the son of thine handmaid," you are to understand in a similar manner. "Thou hast loosed my bonds," the bonds, I say, of sadness, by which I was constrained on account of constant calamities. Or, according to the aforementioned exposition: "I will sacrifice to Thee a sacrifice of praise," for the breaking, namely, of such bonds; for Thou hast broken them with the sword of mercy. By the "sacrifice of praise," he understands hymns and acts of thanksgiving. And "I will call upon the name of the Lord," for "I will invoke the name of the Lord," for I have supreme confidence in the invocation of this divine name, after I have also recognized its power and potency by experience. What follows, understand according to those things previously declared. The blessed David also paid his vows before all the people, not as if to display himself like a boaster, but that he might lead others to imitation of himself, and make them participants ^D of his work. Moreover, the very act of thanksgiving is more acceptable than any sacrifice. It is, furthermore, a very easy thing, and one in which even he who is most destitute of all things can abound at any time.

Alleluia.

PSALM CXVI

[He] calls together all nations to the praises of Christ, and to give thanks to Him for the many benefits bestowed upon us.

^A VERSE 1. "Praise the Lord, all nations." By "all nations," he says, I call those who have been led from the darkness of error to the light of truth. "Praise Him, all you peoples." Using other words, he repeats the same sentiment, intensifying the exhortation to praise. Or, by "peoples," understand those Jews who have become believers, or even all peoples in general. For it is fitting that all men universally give thanks to God, because for the salvation of all He mercifully assumed flesh and underwent saving sufferings. But it is fitting for the Jews themselves above all to praise Christ, who said: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

^B VERSE 2. "For His mercy is confirmed upon us." The mercy of God has become valid, firm, abundant, and vehement upon all men, by reason of His surpassing philanthropy, even if some have rejected it. And the Prophet joins himself to us here, as he is accustomed to do in many places, counting himself as one of those who believe in Christ. "And the truth of the Lord remains forever." The truth, I say, of the Gospel, which was given to the apostles through Christ. For those things which were written in the Law were a shadow of truth; therefore, when this came, it ceased, just as the preliminary sketch of a painting is extinguished when the true colors are applied to it. For grace, he says, and truth, came through Jesus Christ.

Alleluia.

PSALM CXVII

VERSE 1. "Confess to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy is forever." ^C Words of this kind are contained also in Psalm CV, where we expounded them.

VERSES 2-4. "Let the house of Israel now say, for He is good, for His mercy is forever. Let the house of Aaron now say, for He is good, for His mercy is forever. Let all who fear the Lord now say, for He is good, for His mercy is forever." For all these have in many ways partaken of the goodness and mercy of God. The Prophet has distinguished the people of God here into a triple order, just as he did elsewhere in Psalm CXIII, where it says, "The house of Israel has hoped in the Lord," and what follows. And after he has called all the orders of peoples into one choir, and commanded them to offer due thanks to God and say that He is good and that His mercy is forever, he narrates thereafter things pertaining to himself. For it was fitting that the whole people should offer ^D worthy thanks...

^A for their king, who had contended for them, and who had fallen into temptations and calamities, and had been miraculously delivered by God.

VERS. 5. *From out of my tribulation I called upon the Lord, and He heard me in a broad place.* He does not say simply, "He heard me," but "in a broad place," that is, setting me in freedom from straits. It is also said in the fourth Psalm: *In tribulation Thou hast enlarged me*; and look there for the explanation of that.

VERS. 6. *The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.* This is similar to that in the twenty-sixth Psalm: *The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?* But observe how he did not say that he would suffer nothing from man, but that he would not "fear," even if he should happen to suffer ^B something. For if I do suffer, it will not be from any weakness of Him who helps me, but according to permission, for my instruction and correction.

VERS. 7. *The Lord is my helper, and I shall look upon my enemies.* He will fight for me, and I shall look upon my enemies—that is, as they fall. I shall look upon the visible ones with the eyes of the body, and the invisible ones with the eyes of the mind and intellect. These words can also be adapted to all those who have a certain and stable hope in the Lord.

VERS. 8, 9. *It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in man: it is good to hope in the Lord, rather than to hope in princes.* For he says, *Blessed is he who hopes in the Lord.* And elsewhere: *Cursed is every one who hopes in man.* And another wise man says: *Look upon the ancient generations, and see who has hoped in the Lord and was put to shame.* But if anyone seems to have been put to shame, he did not hope as he ought. And therefore Paul, confirming the statement, has said: *But hope does not put to shame.* ^C He did not speak by way of comparison, saying that one thing is better than another, but he spoke with condescension toward the weakness of his hearers, speaking in a human manner.

VERS. 10, 11. *All the nations compassed me about, and in the name of the Lord I warded them off: compassing, they compassed me about, and in the name of the Lord I warded them off.* By this, he signifies all the nations round about the region of Palestine, having gathered together in one and rushed upon him at once, and having hemmed him in as if in a net. Or, perhaps, it signifies the various hosts of the demons, which sometimes all together attack one just man, warring against him in every way and ^D constantly striking him with terror. And because the Prophet repeats the statement about being surrounded and taking vengeance upon his enemies several times, he shows by such repetition both the magnitude of the unavoidable danger, and establishes how admirable the manner of his liberation was, and finally teaches that it was the power of the divine name that was able to effect such great things.

VERS. 12. *They compassed me about like bees about a honeycomb, and they burned up as fire among thorns, and in the name of the Lord...*

I defended myself against them. He describes the magnitude of the perils; and by the image of ^A bees, he hints at the intensity of their zeal, while by the fire, he denotes the unbridled nature of their rage. For bees, when they have found a honeycomb, surround it with great zeal, sucking out the moisture of the honey; and fire, when it has laid hold of thorns, becomes unbridled.

VERS. 13. *I was pushed, that I might fall, but the Lord helped me.* Being pushed by them, he says, I inclined to fall—that is, I was near to falling—and the Lord helped me, so that He might display His power and providence all the more, by snatching from the mouth of death a man who was utterly bereft of help from any other source.

VERS. 14. *The Lord is my strength and my praise, and He has become my salvation.* The Lord is my strength and my praise, he says. For in Him I possess all my strength; and *my praise*, for through Him I am praised and glorified by all, having obtained such a helper, or else I praise Him continually, ^B and He became my Savior.

VERS. 15. *The voice of exultation and salvation is in the tabernacles of the just.* And once again He became to me the voice of exultation and salvation—that is, He became the cause of the voice of exultation and salvation, which is sung in the tabernacles of the just, since, having been saved by Him in a wondrous manner, I was moved to praise the exultation and the salvation that He has bestowed upon me; or moved to praise Him in exultation and salvation. By the tabernacles of the just, I think he prophetically refers to the huts of the ascetics, in which the Davidic psalms are sung the most, or else to the local Churches.

VERS. 16. *The right hand of the Lord has wrought power.* The right hand of the Lord, that is, the divine alliance, worked victory and erected the trophy.

*The right hand of the Lord has exalted me.* He raised up one who had been brought low, or He glorified one who had put his enemies to flight.

*The right hand of the Lord has wrought power.* He repeats the same sentiment again, ^C extending his thanksgiving out of joy; or perhaps by naming the right hand of the Lord three times, he indicated the triple aid of the Triune Godhead.

VERS. 17. *I shall not die, but live, and I shall recount the works of the Lord.* I shall not die henceforth, nor shall I be destroyed by those who surrounded me, as they themselves were hoping—while they, on the contrary, have rather perished—but I shall live, and I shall praise the wondrous works of God. Or: I shall not die with the death of the soul, but I shall live the life that is according to God. Or: I shall not die, but I shall live—that is, I shall be immortal, because my canticles will be sung perpetually, and their song will never fail at any time. We can also understand this little verse such that the discourse is about the resurrection, and the Prophet asserts that he will not die ^D under the condition that he would have no further hope of resurrection. Nay rather, if I should die, he says,

it will not be a perpetual death for me; and therefore I shall not truly die, but, along with the rest of men, I shall live again, and for this reason I will recount the works of the Lord, who, together with other good things, has granted me this resurrection. ^A

VERS. 18. *Chastening, the Lord has chastened me, and has not delivered me unto death.* He chastened me while allowing me to fall into various calamities, certainly for this purpose: that through the fear of grievous danger and that necessity, I might become better and more prudent. Yet He did not allow me to die, but rescued me, as has been shown above, to display His power and providence.

VERS. 19. *Open to me the gates of righteousness.* The gates of the tabernacle, where the legal righteousness, that is, the ordinances of the law, resided. *Entering into them, I will confess to the Lord.* Having entered within them, he says, I will give thanks to the Lord, and I will hymn Him, as I have promised. You will understand "gates of righteousness" to be those of the aforementioned tabernacles of the righteous, and those of the Churches everywhere, in which righteousness together with every virtue is practiced, ^B and entering within these, blessed David will render thanks to the Lord through his psalms for such great benefits.

VERS. 20. *This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter into it.* It seems to me that the Prophet is pointing to that narrow and strait gate, of which the Lord speaks in the Gospels: "Enter in through the narrow gate." For the blessed David, seeing this with prophetic eyes, cries out, saying: "This is the gate of the Lord; this is that gate concerning which the Lord Jesus Christ will teach you"; or, that gate which leads to Christ; and then he added that only the righteous shall enter into it—that is, through it. Wherefore Christ Himself also said that few are they who find it.

VERS. 21. *I will confess to Thee, for Thou hast heard me, and hast become my salvation.* Again, he promises to offer thanks to the Savior. ^C

VERS. 22. *The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner.* This is also a prophecy pertaining to Christ; for prophecies very often interrupt the thread of the discourse, for the very reason that the prophecies themselves require a certain shadow and veil, lest, if they were handed down too openly, greater danger might threaten the Sacred Books from the enemies. Indeed, by "builders" he means the high priests, the scribes, and the teachers of the Jews, as those who had been appointed to build and perfect the people on the foundation of the Law; but by the "stone which was rejected," he means Christ; a "stone" because of His firmness and unyieldiness toward all vice; *for He did no sin,* he says; and rejected by the builders as useless, because the Jews called Him a Samaritan, and said that "this man is not from God, but deceives the multitude." ^D Yet, nevertheless, this stone, rejected by them in this way, appeared so approved that it became the head of the corner—that is, the cornerstone. Not every stone becomes a cornerstone, but one that is more approved than all the others.

others, and that is able to bind two walls together into one corner from both sides. Christ has truly become the cornerstone, because He joined two peoples into one faith in Himself: namely, the faithful people from the circumcision and those from the nations. ^A Wherefore the Apostle Paul said of Him: "For He is our peace, who hath made both one." Furthermore, the Lord Himself also said to the Jews that He had other sheep which were not of that fold, and which it behooved Him to bring so that there might be one fold and one shepherd. Or, by the corner He means the Church of the faithful: for just as a corner causes two walls to be joined in itself, so also the Church of the two peoples produces, as we have said, a conjunction and unity. And of this Church, which we have said is compared to a cornerstone, Christ is the head, as the chief and principal member of one body, and not only the head, but the bond and the foundation. ^B

VERS. 23. *A Domino factus est iste, et est mirabilis in oculis nostris.* That is to say, this corner—or rather, the conjunction of the two walls, or better, the two peoples—was brought about by God Himself, and not by any mere man; and it is "mirabilis" (wondrous) in our eyes, in that we have been made worthy to behold this conjunction with our own eyes. How, therefore, could such a work not be marvelous?

VERS. 24. *Hæc dies quam fecit Dominus.* By "day," He understands the felicity of the world. For just as the Scripture often speaks of an "evil day," not to designate some evil in the movement of the sun, but rather the evils that occur on that day, so also by a "good day," He signifies those good things which come to pass on that day. The Prophet wishes, therefore, to proclaim in this book those supreme goods which were to come on the day of the resurrection of the Lord, and which Christ Himself wrought. For He reconciled God to men, dissolved the tyranny of the devil, brought to nothing the power of death, made those who were unworthy even to inhabit the earth worthy of heaven, dispelled the darkness of error, put sins to flight, planted virtues, and finally filled the world with countless good things. ^C *Exsultemus, et lætemur in ea.* In spiritual joy, naturally. He exhorts all the faithful to this gladness, as those who have been made worthy of such great benefits.

VERS. 25. *O Domine, salva sane.* Thy people, that is. *O Domine, bene prospera.* Thy people, of course, or the faith of the evangelical proclamation.

VERS. 26. *Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.* This also pertains to Christ, who is said to come in the name of the Lord—that is, from the Lord the Father and from His substance. Wherefore He said to the Jews: "I have come in the name of My Father, ^D

and you do not receive me. Or, *In the name of the Lord*, that is, in the name of God; meaning, he who possesses the name of God. ^A *We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.* We, having known these things, have blessed you, O men of the house of the Lord, O flock of the Church, as those who have been deemed worthy of such things; or, you who are from the house of the Lord. The house of the Lord is the Church of the faithful. *God is the Lord, and He has shined upon us.* Christ is God, Christ is Lord. And He has shined upon men through His incarnation. But he speaks of future things as if they had already occurred, by the rule of prophecy. *Appoint a feast in the leafy branches, even unto the horns of the altar.* One interpreter says: "Celebrate a feast in the covering things," that is, in the sacrifices, which cover the altar ^B up to its horns; for the horns are the extremities. Another says: "Celebrate a feast in the budding things," that is, in garlands of flowers and branches. For "to be leafy" means, according to some, "to cover," and according to others, "to bud." The word exhorts us to celebrate the feast brilliantly: according to the Hebrews, as has been said; but according to us, with spiritual sacrifices that cover the altar of the soul with a multitude of virtues as with garlands, and branches of good works. *You are my God, and I will confess to You; You are my God, and I will exalt You; You are my God.* ^C Therefore, apart from those things for which I have been benefited, I will give thanks to You and I will glorify You. For it is necessary to give thanks to the Creator, even for the mere fact of having created and providing providence. *I will confess to You, because You have heard me, and have become my salvation.* I will give thanks to You always, as to a benefactor. *Confess to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy is forever.* The psalm, reaching its end with the same verse with which it began, mimics a circle or orbit, urging the people again to the same things to which it had exhorted them at the beginning. Alleluia.

PSALM CXVIII

The blessed David underwent many changes of state, as we related in the prologue ^D of this work. For at one time it fell to him to escape the dangers of war, at another to fall into calamities, and at another to have a more peaceful and quiet life; and sometimes he traversed the divine path, while at other times he stumbled from it. All these things he gathered together into the present psalm, having also included the prayers he had offered to God at various times without being written down, for the instruction and benefit of those who encounter them. This psalm can...

^A stir up even those who live sluggishly. Since in the present psalm he frequently makes mention of the law, and of testimonies, and of commandments, and of justifications, and of judgments, and of oracles—and this in almost every verse, for the entire treatment of this psalm is, so to speak, about these things—and since he has specifically dedicated this to them, seek in the 116th psalm the words, "All His judgments are before me," and regarding all of them, you will find the explanation of that passage handling it; thus, there is no need to explain it again when we find something of that kind. It must be known that although they differ among themselves, yet for the most part, by such names he designates the law, the container by the things contained. ^B

VERS. 1. *Blessed are the undefiled in the way.* By "way," he understands this transitory life, calling those blessed who walk through it without blame and live uprightly. (For the Greek term *amōmos* signifies not so much "undefiled" as "irreprehensible.")

*Who walk in the law of the Lord.* Those who live lawfully and conduct their lives according to the law of God, and do not step outside of it.

VERS. 2. *Blessed are they that search His testimonies.* Those who read them with study and attention, and investigate the hidden treasure within them. David signified the law itself, as if containing...

*They seek Him with their whole heart.* They seek Him because they have already tasted, in a certain way, His light and beauty. Wherefore, stretching with all the sails of their desire toward Him, they pass by all worldly things, and seek Him alone, hastening, of course, to be with Him and to please Him. He, then, is said to seek God who walks along the path of the commandments, which lead to Him. ^C

VERS. 3. *For they that work iniquity have not walked in His ways.* When he says "way" absolutely, he understands the present life for the most part; but when he says "ways of God," or "His ways," he understands the law and His precepts. He says, therefore, that all who act iniquitously in anything do not walk in the ways of God. For wherever anyone commits a fault, it is immediately recognized that he has turned away from them.

VERS. 4. *Thou hast commanded Thy commandments to be kept most diligently.* Thou hast commanded this in Thy law, and hast added a curse against those who despise Thy commandments. We must, therefore, fear Him who has ordered His commandments to be kept so strictly, and, in similar fashion, transgress nothing of those things which have been handed down and ordained for us by Him.

VERS. 5. *O that my ways may be directed to keep Thy justifications.* O that, he says, the ways of my conduct might be so directed that I may fulfill Thy commandments. He asks for this, ^D well knowing that he could accomplish nothing of himself, without help from above.

For it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, as Paul says, but of God that showeth mercy.

^A Ver. 6. *Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have looked unto all Thy commandments.* When my ways are directed, as it has been said, then shall I not be ashamed; for I have already looked unto all Thy commandments, and have already fulfilled them all. Or, otherwise: Then shall I not be ashamed, when I look unto all Thy commandments, when I shall have fulfilled them all; for the failure to perform some divine command brings with it both ignominy and condemnation. (It is to be noted, however, that we may also read this verse: *Then shall I not be ashamed, because I look*, and the first exposition is adapted to such a reading. For the Greek expression allows for either reading.)

^B Ver. 7. *I will confess Thee in uprightness of heart, when I have learned the judgments of Thy justice.* When I have learned Thy law, I shall give Thee thanks, with a right heart and with my whole soul, because I have been taught, because my mind has been illuminated, and because I have been greatly benefited thereby.

Ver. 8. *Thy justifications will I keep; O forsake me not even unto the end.* I will keep Thy law, since I have learned it; therefore I beseech Thee, do not forsake me for long. For this is what is signified by "even unto the end." Do not, therefore, forsake me for long, even though I know that for my own private benefit, and for the common good of others, Thou hast often employed this plan, so that it appeared as though I were abandoned by Thee.

^C Ver. 9. *Wherewithal shall a young man correct his way? By keeping Thy words.* He asks, and he answers. And because the age of youth is by nature light and easily led astray, and easily tripped up, it has need of the keeping of the divine commandments; for this it is that sets the life of the young man straight, and keeps it.

Ver. 10. *With my whole heart have I sought after Thee; O let me not turn aside from Thy commandments.* With my whole heart, that is, not dividing my mind into the cares of this life. Wherefore I beseech Thee, do not thrust me away from Thy commandments as one unworthy. This is a word of humility, I mean that humility which follows virtue. Or: Do not thrust me away if, at any time, I should grow colder in observing them; rather, if anything of this kind should happen to me, I pray Thee, rekindle my fervor.

^D Ver. 11. *In my heart have I hidden Thy words, that I may not sin against Thee.* By "words" he means commandments. I have hidden them in the storehouse of my heart, having inscribed their memory indelibly, so that by always seeing and remembering them, I may not sin against Thee; for indeed they do not allow him who holds them thus to sin.

Ver. 12. *Blessed art Thou, O Lord; teach me Thy justifications.* The Prophet blesses the Lord, praising Him for the benefit he has received from His law; and he beseeches Him to teach him this yet more firmly and more sublimely.

^A Ver. 13. *With my lips I have announced all the judgments of thy mouth.* I have not only learned them myself, but I have also announced these things to others.

Ver. 14. *I have been delighted in the way of thy testimonies, as in all riches.* He did not say "in riches" simply, but "in all riches." Walking, he says, in the way of thy commandments, I was delighted just as if I possessed all riches, or no differently than one who is accustomed to be delighted in the riches of the world.

Ver. 15. *I will meditate on thy commandments, and I will consider thy ways.* Instead of "I will meditate," in the Greek we read [ἀδολεσχήσω], about which we spoke in Psalm LIV, where it says: *I was grieved in my meditation.* Therefore, he says that I will meditate upon thy commandments more frequently, and from this I shall more precisely understand these, that is, thy wills.

Ver. 16. *I will meditate on thy justifications, I will not forget thy words.* I will meditate on them, I will not forget them. For that which one has meditated upon, he preserves with a more lasting memory.

Ver. 17. *Retribute to thy servant.* For the meditation on thy commandments and justifications, he says, render a recompense to thy servant.

*I will live, and I will keep thy words.* Having received the recompense which thou shalt give me, I will live, he says, a better life, ever extending myself toward those things that are before me. (However, some exemplars have: *Vivify me, and I will keep them.*)

^B Ver. 18. *Reveal my eyes, and I will consider the wonderful things of thy law.* Remove this veil and covering from the eyes of my soul: the density, that is to say, and the obstacle of the legal letter; and in this way, I shall consider the admirable and recondite senses in the law, which pertain to the incarnation and to the other mysteries of thy Advent.

Ver. 19. *I am a sojourner on the earth, do not hide thy commandments from me.* I use the present life, he says, as something transitory, hastening, that is, to another life; and therefore, I beseech thee, show me thy commandments more profoundly, that I may become more studious of them and run more intensely toward thee.

Ver. 20. *My soul hath coveted to desire thy judgments at all times.* My soul has always greatly coveted to be held by the desire of thy judgments. I was very pleased, he says, with the desire for thy judgments. And therefore, at all times I have always desired them, that is, I have ardently loved them. Or [it means]: My soul has desired thy judgments at all times, so that I might be held by a desire for them, or because I desired them.

Ver. 21. *Thou hast rebuked the proud.* Thou hast threatened punishments in thy law to those who show contempt for thy commandments. Or, Thou hast cursed them, as will be said in what follows.

*Cursed are they who decline from thy commandments.* It is written

Cursed is every one who does not remain in all things written in the book of the law to do them.*

^A VERS. 22. *Take away from me reproach and contempt, for I have sought out thy testimonies.* By "reproach and contempt" I mean that which my prior negligence brought upon me, with many people naturally upbraiding and despising me because of it. Alternatively, "Take away" stands for "Repel," meaning: do not allow me at all to be overcome or afflicted by my enemies, nor by those who lie in wait for me.

VERS. 23. *For princes sat and spoke against me, but thy servant was meditating on thy justifications.* They were calumniating me, mocking the fact that I meditated on thy law, but I was ever intensifying this meditation, recognizing the utility that accrued to me from it. By "princes" we may understand the principalities and powers of the darkness of this age.

VERS. 24. *For thy testimonies are my meditation, and my counselors are thy justifications.* While all other things are the concern of those men—and they meditate on all other things entirely—for me, thy law is my meditation and my counselor.

VERS. 25. *My soul has cleaved to the pavement; vivify me according to thy word.* My soul, he says, has almost cleaved to the very pavement and soil; that is, I have been greatly humbled. And therefore, I pray, make me live according to thy law. Or: My soul has cleaved to earthly things, to which I am fixed.

^B VERS. 26. *I have declared my ways, and thou hast heard me.* I made my sins known to thee. And thou hast heard me, since I was seeking the remission of sins. *For speak thou thy sins first,* he says, *that thou mayest be justified.* *Teach me thy justifications.* That is, more diligently and more profoundly.

VERS. 27. *Instruct me in the way of thy justifications, and I will meditate on thy wonders.* Make me to know the way of thy law, he says; for I desire to walk in it, and henceforth I will meditate and dwell upon the wonderful works done by thee, making them the subject of my meditation.

^C VERS. 28. *My soul has slumbered from despondency; confirm me in thy words.* I have become spent from despondency—which the concern for worldly affairs is accustomed to produce, or even the constant struggle with the demons. Make me firm, therefore, and stable in thy words; that is, in the meditation of thy commandments, so that I may not depart from it, through which I shall be able to cast off the slumber of despondency.

VERS. 29. *Remove from me the way of injustice, and have mercy on me by thy law.* The way of injustice is every unjust action,

and that which leads to injustice, in which the unjust walk; this, he says, remove from me, and have mercy on me by the law of your philanthropy; for it is the law thereof to have mercy on him who asks from the heart.

VERS. 30. *I have chosen the way of truth, and thy judgments I have not forgotten.* The way of truth, that is, true dogmas, through which one travels rightly, since Christ is the truth; for "I am," he says, "the truth and the way." The way of Him is the evangelical life, which He marked out for the faithful. This way he says he loved, as one pre-known to him; and in like manner also the judgments, the commandments, which, he says, ^B he did not ignore.

VERS. 31. *I have cleaved to thy testimonies, O Lord, do not put me to shame.* I cling to them inseparably, he says, having been in a certain way nailed to them; wherefore do not put me to shame by permitting me to be overcome by my enemies.

VERS. 32. *I have run the way of thy commandments, when thou didst enlarge my heart.* When you delivered my soul, he says, from the straitness of temptations, then I ran the way of thy commandments, that is, I walked zealously, proceeding in them and living according to thy law.

VERS. 33. *Set me a law, O Lord, for the way of thy justifications, and I shall seek it out always.* But how, it may be asked, does he say: "Set me a law," when the law of the justifications of God had already long been given? We must say, therefore, that he meant: "Set a law for me," to mean "Teach me"; in accordance with which sense Symmachus used the word "Show" instead of "Set a law." For he who teaches is seen in a certain way to ordain anew and to set a law, while he urges the ignorant toward good things and strives to turn them away from vices. For he had previously said: "Teach me thy justifications," and "Make clear to me the way of thy justifications, and I will seek it out always." For it is hidden from many and seems obscure to them. ^C

VERS. 34. *Give me understanding, and I shall seek out thy law, and I shall keep it with my whole heart.* I shall seek it out with great zeal, and having considered it diligently, I shall keep it. It is said, moreover, elsewhere, that the keeping of the law is said to be when one fulfills the commands of the law.

VERS. 35. *Lead me into the path of thy commandments, for I have desired it.* Lead me, he says, into it; for God is accustomed to lead into it all those who are prompt in spirit toward Him. By "path," which the Greeks call *tribon*, he understands this way as one not strange, but familiar and beaten, even as I said, because the righteous walk along it and are accustomed to frequent it. ^D

VERS. 36. *Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.* Turn, he says, my heart to the love of thy commandments, and assist its promptitude; and do not permit it to be turned to covetousness, being overcome

^A by the affairs of this life. But he requests all things from God, teaching that He Himself accomplishes everything: "For without me," He says, "you can do nothing." Let this be a universal rule for you in the things that follow, whenever you encounter similar passages. God assists, however, not all men indiscriminately, but those who are worthy and who have contributed everything within their own power.

"Turn away my eyes, that they may not see vanity." Turn them away from harmful sights, so that I may not see empty spectacles. By "eyes," he means both the eyes of the body and those of the soul.

"In thy way quicken me." "Quicken me in thy law," for this law provides true life to those who live in it; but the present life is death, as it carries death with it.

^B "Statue thy word unto thy servant, in thy fear." Establish in me, thy servant, thy commandment—which here he calls "word"—making it firm and stable in fear, so that thy divine words may be revered and feared by me.

"Take away my reproach, which I have suspected." The reproach which has been inflicted upon me by sin, which I have long feared would be inflicted upon me by the demon or by those who plot against me—or that which I suspected when I saw myself caught in hardships and miseries.

"For thy judgments are good." Because thou judgest rightly, knowing that I am led by repentance, and that I have hoped in Thee, O Lord, having surrendered my whole self to Thee.

"Behold I have longed after thy commandments; in thy justice quicken me." I hunger, he says, and thirst for thy commandments. "Quicken me, therefore, in thy justice," which is almost the same as those words he said earlier: "Quicken me in thy law."

^C "And let thy mercy come upon me, O Lord, thy salvation according to thy word." So that I may obtain mercy and salvation. For the end of mercy is salvation. And may it come according to thy promise. For Thou hast promised in the law to come and to save those who keep thy commandments.

"And I shall answer them that reproach me with a word." To those who reproach me for my hardship endured for the sake of virtue, I shall answer this word.

"For I have hoped in thy words." This is what I will answer them: that I have hoped in the words of God, who has promised many good things to those who keep His commandments; and for this reason I endure hardship, being nourished by good hopes.

"And take not thou the word of truth out of my mouth ^D unto the end." Do not take from me the prophetic grace for a long time; but if, for the sake of dispensation, Thou hast withdrawn it for a time, I pray Thee, restore it to me again; or, do not permit the truth to be taken for a long time from my

mouth, that is, never. ^A *Because I have hoped in Thy judgments.* Because I have hoped exceedingly in Thy law, trusting that the grace of truth will be preserved for me, if I keep it.

*And I will keep Thy law always, for ever and ever.* Always I will keep Thy law, that is, in every matter. And those words: *for ever and ever*, signify the same thing as "always," although they may also have been said for a greater intensity of perpetuity and eternity. Or: I will keep this law, not only in this age, but also in the future, which is called the age of the age, as being more honorable than the present age. By these words, however, he demonstrated the vehemence of the readiness he had to ^B observe the law.

*And I walked in a wide place, because I have sought out Thy commandments.* I was prosperously directed in all things that were to be done. The cause, however, of this was that I loved Thy commandments. Or, when I was surrounded by calamities, I was not distressed in soul, for amid afflictions that at least was a delight and consolation to me, because I was conscious that I had diligently sought out all Thy commandments. For a good conscience is always wont to provide the greatest consolation.

*And I spoke of Thy testimonies before kings, and I was not ashamed.* I spoke of Thy law before kings, and I gained a good reputation therefrom. For I spoke freely in Thy commandments, and was restrained by no fear. These words also agree with the holy martyrs of Christ. ^C

*And I meditated on Thy commandments, which I loved exceedingly, and I lifted up my hands to Thy commandments, which I loved.* I meditated, indeed, on them by reading them: but I lifted up my hands to them by performing and fulfilling them in my works. The "which I loved" and the "which I loved" are indifferent. The one refers to "in Thy commandments," the other to "to Thy commandments."

*And I was exercised in Thy justifying ordinances.* For "I was exercised" in the Greek, we read *ἐμελέτων*, concerning the signification of which it has been spoken above.

*Be mindful of Thy word to Thy servant, in which Thou hast given me hope.* Toward me, Thy servant, He says, be mindful of that word, in which Thou hast commanded me to hope. And this word of Thine ^D is that by which Thou hast said that Thou art merciful, and therefore that Thou wilt also save all those who keep Thy commandments, as we have declared elsewhere. We ought also to understand this speech in a manner worthy of God: *Be mindful*, for: "Bring to completion and lead to the end." For neither does any forgetfulness or recollection fall upon God.

*This hath comforted me in my humiliation.* This hope, namely, hath comforted me, that is, this hope hath recreated and refreshed me, constituted in that humiliation and misery into which constant temptations and calamities had led me.

*Because Thy word hath quickened me.* The word, the aforesaid

^A argument of mine, this is what quickened me, when I had almost perished through the strangulation of my afflictions.

*The proud transgressed exceedingly, but I have not declined from Thy law.* They indeed transgressed Thy law in many things; but I did not join them. Or: They transgressed, mocking me because I was always applying myself to Thy law, and I never withdrew from its meditation. By "the proud," he means those who despise the law; for such are all those who are puffed up.

*I remembered Thy judgments from of old, O Lord, and I was comforted.* Thy judgments from of old, those from the beginning and thenceforth. By which He glorifies those who suffer for virtue, and dishonors those who prosper in wickedness.

*A despondency took hold of me, because of the sinners who forsake Thy law.* I became despondent on their account; partly angered because they set Thy law at naught, and partly grieving because they are perishing.

*Thy justifications have been the subject of my songs in the place of my pilgrimage.* That is, they are to be sung and meditated upon by me, wherever I may dwell, in whatever place I may pass my life. Or otherwise: They were to me like songs; I made them into psalms for myself, and I took delight in singing them.

*I remembered Thy name in the night, O Lord, and I kept Thy law.* In the night, he says, the time when the unclean demons are wont to bring many disturbances, I always kept Thee in my memory, and through the fear of Thee I became wiser. Or, in the night of passions and affections, and when I was darkened by them.

*This befell me, because I sought out Thy justifications.* This, namely, the memory. For the Prophet is wont ^C often to change a word into a noun, according to that: *This hath comforted me in my humiliation.* He says, therefore, that this memory came to me because I sought out Thy justifications with great diligence. For from thence I received fear.

*Thou art my portion, O Lord; I said that I would keep Thy law.* Thou art my portion, I say, my inheritance, my wealth, for I have despised all other earthly things. And ^D therefore I said, that is, I promised, to keep Thy law inviolate.

*I entreated Thy presence with my whole heart, have mercy on me according to Thy word.* I entreated Thee with my whole heart concerning my sin; have mercy on me according to Thy word. For it is written in Thy law that Thou wilt show mercy to those who repent. Or "according to Thy promise" or "according to Thy discernment." But by "Thy presence," he speaks periphrastically for Thee, God Thyself.

*I thought on Thy ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies.* I meditated upon Thy law, and turned

^A my steps, directing the path of my life toward Thy commandments. Some copies, however, have: "I thought on my ways," that is, I first considered what I ought to do and what I ought to speak; and therefore I walked within Thy commandments.

*Vers. 60. I was prepared, and was not troubled, that I might keep Thy commandments.* I was prepared for the keeping of Thy commandments, and therefore I was not troubled by their difficulty and austerity; for an evil which one considers and anticipates beforehand becomes more tolerable. Or, even when demons or temptations attacked me, I was not troubled, knowing that they were about to make an assault upon me, and having thus prepared myself for patience.

*Vers. 61. The cords of sinners have entangled me, but I have not forgotten Thy law.* By the "cords of sinners"—the demons—are meant the evil thoughts through which they attempt to ensnare those who are struggling. These, he says, are the cords that have entangled me, but not even so did I forget Thy law. By the fear of it, as if with some sword, I cut them and escaped.

*Vers. 62. At midnight I arose to give thanks unto Thee for the judgments of Thy righteousness.* At midnight, when demons more especially assault men, urging some to evil thoughts and others to the very deeds of wickedness. Or otherwise: I arose from my bed at that time to confess to Thee, when sleep ^C is wont to seem sweetest to those who are resting; I arose, I say, to confess, that is, to give thanks unto Thee for the judgments of Thy righteousness. For these judgments Thou hast commanded in Thy law to be observed by us, sparing us, so that while we learn the fear of Thee, we may become more moderate, and not, by following intemperance, be condemned to greater punishments. Or: I arose to confess my sins unto Thee, for the judgments of Thy righteousness, that is, fearing on account of them.

*Vers. 63. I am a partaker of all them that fear Thee, and them that keep Thy commandments.* I also, he says, fear Thee just as they do, and I likewise observe Thy commandments. For I am one of the number of those who most greatly venerate ^D and observe Thee.

*Vers. 64. The earth is full of Thy mercy, O Lord; teach me Thy statutes.* Thou hast mercy upon the whole world, feeding all, providing for all, and being patient with all. Therefore, have mercy on me, and teach me Thy statutes, so that I may understand them more deeply and perfectly. The blessed David uses such words, not because he was far from the mercy of God, but that he might make Himself more favorable to him, and obtain fuller mercy for himself.

*Vers. 65. Thou hast dealt kindly with Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word.* Thou hast benefited Thy servant, for so Symmachus translated it; "according to Thy word," that is, according to that which we have said is written in the law. For there Thou hast expressly promised that Thou wouldst deal kindly with those who please Thee. Or by

"Thy word" (since the Greek term *logos* signifies not only word, but also reason), he says: Thou hast done this goodness according to reason, that is, according to that which befits Thy divinity. This statement likewise contains thanksgiving for benefits received. ^C

VERS. 66. *Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge, for I have believed Thy commandments.* Teach me, he says, goodness toward friends and kin, discipline in actions, and knowledge in contemplation. Instruct me, therefore, in all these things, because I have obeyed Thy commandments, or because I believed that I ought to be instructed by Thy commandments, and thereby become wiser.

VERS. 67. *Before I was humbled I went astray; therefore I have kept Thy word.* Before I was afflicted, I sinned; and because I was chastised after the sin, henceforth I have kept Thy law, fearing lest, if it should happen to me to sin again, I should again be chastised in like manner by some affliction. For it is common for affliction and humiliation to follow after sin. Perhaps also he speaks of that virtue of humility which is born in sensible men from the conscience of sin, so that the sense may be that the sin itself was the cause of his humility.

VERS. 68. *Thou art good, O Lord, and in Thy goodness teach me Thy justifications.* As one good and merciful, teach me more clearly, that I too may become good. He repeats the same thing often, intending his prayer, and as one avid for divine teaching. ^D

VERS. 69. *The injustice of the proud has been multiplied against me, but I will search Thy commandments with my whole heart.* They, he says, heap the greatest injury upon me, yet I will not for this reason depart from Thy commandments, nor will I imitate the proud; rather, I will search Thy commandments, in which I find consolation. By "the proud," however, understand both the demons and the despisers of the law.

VERS. 70. *Their heart is curdled like milk, but I have meditated on Thy law.* Their heart, he says, is hardened against me. For milk curdled into cheese becomes hard. Or (because the Greek expression signifies not so much "curdled" as "cheesed"): It is "cheesed," he says, that is, made fat and abounding in iniquities. For milk is accustomed to become fat when it has thickened into cheese.

VERS. 71. *It is good for me that Thou hast humbled me, that I may learn Thy justifications.* It was indeed useful for me to be reproved by Thee with various afflictions, so that I might learn Thy justice—that is, that Thou dost punish those who sin. And if Thou punishest sinners in the present life, how much more wilt Thou do so in the future?

VERS. 72. *The law of Thy mouth is good to me, above thousands of gold and silver.* The law which Thou didst deliver to Moses is good to me, in that it instructs and educates me. For it both chastens the body, and directs the morals, and renders the soul wiser.

VERS. 73. *Thy hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments.*

Thou, he says, hast fashioned me; do Thou grant me understanding, do Thou teach me, and I shall learn to perform Thy commandments. Some also understand by the hands of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit, through whom He made all things.

VERS. 74. *Let those who fear Thee see me and be glad, because I have hoped in Thy words.* They shall see me progressing, if Thou grantest me understanding; and they shall be glad that I have hoped in Thy commandments, and not in any other worldly thing.

VERS. 75. *I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are justice, and in Thy truth Thou hast humbled me.* I have learned by experience that Thy judgments are just, and that Thou hast justly and rightly humbled me with afflictions, in order that I might be corrected; for I had sinned. ^B

VERS. 76. *Let Thy mercy be for my comfort, according to Thy word unto Thy servant.* Let Thy mercy be shown to me, Thy servant, that it may refresh me, having been afflicted; and let this be done according to Thy promise. For Thou hast promised in Thy Law to bring help to all who repent.

VERS. 77. *Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, and I shall live.* To me, I say, who was just now nearly suffocated by sadness and grief. *For Thy law is my meditation.* Let Thy mercies come unto me, he says, because henceforth, above all else, Thy law shall be my meditation.

VERS. 78. *Let the proud be ashamed, for they have dealt unjustly against me.* Let them be ashamed, because they could achieve nothing, in that they were overcome and routed. By these he understands the demons themselves, or the despisers of the divine Law, as we have already said. They dealt unjustly against me, because they attacked me out of envy alone. *But I will meditate on Thy commandments.* Regarding this, it has already been said elsewhere.

VERS. 79. *Let those who fear Thee turn to me, and those who know Thy testimonies.* Let those, he says, who fear Thee, turn me, if at any time I am led astray and wander from Thy commandments. ^C

VERS. 80. *Let my heart become blameless in Thy statutes, that I may not be ashamed.* Let my heart become blameless, meditating upon Thy statutes, and being purified by the fear of them, that I may not be ashamed, having committed some shameful act. ^D

VERS. 81. *My soul faints for Thy salvation.* My soul, as it were, departs, or is dissolved, not bearing the vehemence of its desire. By "salvation" he means the saving incarnation of Christ; he says, therefore, that he is held fast by a great desire for this salvation.

*I have hoped in Thy words.* I trust in Thy words that what I desire will come to pass: in His words, I say, [those] in the law written concerning Him. But some understand [this], concerning his own salvation...

saying that these are the words he speaks: "I desire the salvation that comes from Thee, and I trust in Thy commandments, that I shall be saved by keeping them." It should also be noted that the Prophet uses "word" in the singular, though he also uses it in the plural indifferently.

Vers. 82. *Defecerunt oculi mei in eloquium tuum, dicentes: quando consolaberis me?* The eyes of my soul, looking intently upon Thy law, have become weak and languished. They have failed while seeking when Thou wilt gladden me, by bestowing understanding and revealing the hidden treasure.

Vers. 83. *Quia factus sum sicut uter in pruina, justificationes tuas non sum oblitus.* They say that a wineskin, when cooled in frost, becomes shrunken. The blessed David says that he himself became such, shrunken and chastened by calamities. For this reason, he denies that he at any time forgot the justifications of God, lest he should fall back into temptations. Others say that a wineskin, when dragged through frost, becomes soft and flaccid. Such, he says, have I become; for being dragged through temptations, I was weakened and became flaccid, yet I did not forget Thy justifications, so as to commit any transgression. Or otherwise: "I have become as a wineskin," dead indeed to the passions, ^B but capable of receiving the divine oracles. And I became this in the frost of divine grace, which descended from above and cooled the entry of the passions. Therefore, I did not depart from Thy law, knowing that through it I had obtained this grace.

Vers. 84. *Quot sunt dies servi tui? quando facies mihi de persequentibus me judicium?* "How many are they?" Truly, they are few. "When, therefore, wilt Thou pass judgment for me against those who persecute me"—the invisible and visible enemies? And Thou wilt do this by turning them back and driving them far away.

Vers. 85. *Narraverunt mihi iniqui garrulitates, sed non ut lex tua.* They told me vanities of dogmas, but such as are contrary to Thy law. Or, they told me babblings while pretending to interpret Thy law, but they did not speak in agreement with it. This may be said generally ^D of all heretics combined.

Vers. 86. *Omnia mandata tua æquitas: injuste persecuti sunt me, adjuva me.* All Thy commandments are truth, in which Thou hast commanded not to do injustice. Therefore, help me who suffer injustice, especially by avenging Thy laws which are being transgressed. Here the discourse is concerning visible enemies.

Vers. 87. *Paulo minus consummaverunt me in terra, ego autem non dereliqui mandata tua.* "They almost destroyed me." He says "consummated" for "to end life." They have consummated me, therefore, that is, they have prepared to consume my life. Or,

they have shut me up in the earth, or they have overturned me into the earth. ^A Yet I did not even so depart from the meditation and keeping of your commandments.

Ver. 88. According to your mercy, vivify me, and I shall keep the testimonies of your mouth. In your mercy vivify me, as being merciful regarding that "Vivify me," which was said before. The testimonies of your mouth, however, are those which you dictated to Moses.

Ver. 89. In the age, O Lord, your word abides in heaven. Your commandment remains forever unchangeable in heaven; that is, I say, the commandment by which heaven is always contained in its own order.

Ver. 90. Unto generation and generation is your truth. The truth of this commandment remains constant in every generation always: and the order once established is not changed into different things.

Ver. 91. You have founded the earth, and it abides by your ordinance. This also abides by your ordinance, that is, just as you disposed it. ^B The day continues, because all things serve you. The day continues as you commanded, keeping its own order. The cause of such perseverance is that these, and all things together, serve you and obey your commandment, just as servants do their lord. According to a higher contemplation, moreover, your Word always abides in heaven among the angels. For, he says, "Doing his word." In generation, too, and generation of the old and new people is your truth: that truth, I say, which is in the Law. For in both generations this is confessed as true. You have founded the Church, and have established it in the faith of the Gospel; ^C which was formerly earth, and minded earthy things, and was dragged about in earthly things; and therefore it abides, as you have ordained, for although many seas of temptations and persecutions, as it were, have broken against it from every side like an ocean, they have nevertheless not prevailed against it. The day also continues, that is, the light of piety and religion, which, as soon as it rose and was kindled by the preaching of the Gospel, could never be extinguished by the power of the adversary. These things, moreover, were spoken prophetically.

Ver. 92. Had not your law been my meditation, then perhaps I should have perished in my humility. Had I not, he says, been liberated for this reason, because I assiduously meditate upon your law, beyond doubt, with calamities then rushing upon me with greater force, I should have perished in my affliction.

Ver. 93. Into the age I will not forget your justifications: for by them you have vivified me. Throughout the whole age, I will not lose the memory of your justifications: for through them you have vivified me, who was already nearly expiring. And I was liberated because I meditated upon your law.

Ver. 94. I am yours, and save me, for I have sought out your justifications. For it is written in your law, that he who shall do these justifications, shall live in them. Since, therefore, I am yours, save me from those who lie in wait for me; for I am yours, as one who seeks out your justifications with my whole heart. ^B

^A VERSE 95. *The sinners lay in wait for me to destroy me.* They have plotted against me, he says. For he who lies in wait is accustomed to watch for the one against whom he lays wait. *I have understood your testimonies.* Made wise by you, and therefore I am refreshed and comforted by them.

VERSE 96. *I have seen the end of all perfection; your commandment is exceedingly broad.* I have known, he says, that there is an end to every human or diabolical study. For your commandment is exceedingly broad; it does not constrain the human mind, but rather expands it toward knowledge and understanding. For from it I have been expanded, and I have known the end of all perfection. Or otherwise: *I have known the end of all perfection*, that is, of all destruction: such as is naturally the end of death for the righteous man, and such as it is for the sinner. Then follows: *Your commandment is exceedingly broad*, because it refreshes all those who are in distress and affliction, and expands their hearts. By "commandment," understand the Law. Or: It is broad, in that it causes no anguish or misery, even if to lazy and slothful men it seems laborious.

VERSE 97. *How I have loved your Law, O Lord! It is my meditation all the day.* I have loved your Law, he says, exceedingly, and therefore all the day I meditate upon it; that is to say, throughout the day, now reading it, now contemplating it in my mind, now also performing in deeds all that is commanded in it.

VERSE 98. *Beyond my enemies, you have made me wise by your commandment, because it is mine forever.* All who do not observe the Law are enemies of those who do observe it. Beyond them, he says, you have taught me your commandment, because I have always loved it. Wherefore, those indeed do me injury, but I do not injure them in return, having been taught wisdom greater than theirs.

VERSE 99. *Beyond all who teach me I have understood, because your testimonies are my meditation.* Even beyond my teachers themselves I have become wiser, because I have as a constant meditation your Law, which knows how to illuminate and make wise the mind.

VERSE 100. *Beyond the elders I have understood, because I have searched out your commandments.* Beyond those older than me and those who have preceded me in time; and it seems to note Saul himself. Such also was Daniel, who understood the case of Susanna beyond all the elders of the people. The cause of this greater wisdom is the searching out of the divine commandments, ^D the diligent investigation and observance. These words can also be read from the perspective of the new people, whose enemies are the Jews: because they are always of an inimical and hostile mind toward them. The Jews can also be called teachers, because they themselves were the first to teach the nations that there is one God, and they were the first to hand down to them the books of the Holy Scripture. We shall also call them elders, as the prior and more ancient people: *Israel is my son, my firstborn* (Exod. iv, 32). Over these Jews, therefore, we have been better instructed in the Law: because we love it, since we understand it more wisely, according to the more hidden senses. Wherefore, even more

^A strongly do we avoid every evil way, lest we be found transgressing the Law which we love and understand.

VERS. 101. *From every evil way I have restrained my feet, that I may keep your words.* I have done this, he says, so as not to set at naught your commandments ordering this.

VERS. 102. *From your judgments I have not declined, for you have set me a law.* It is not man, but God, whom I feared, and from whose commandments I did not turn aside. The construction of "you have set me a law" is indifferent.

VERS. 103. *How sweet are your oracles to my throat, above honey to my mouth.* I speak of the oracles which, though uttered by the throat of the body, are tasted by the inner throat of the soul. He means that pleasure which all those enjoy who are endowed with the intellectual senses of the soul. For to those who have a weaker stomach, and who digest food poorly, even honey itself seems bitter.

VERS. 104. *From your commandments I have understood; therefore I have hated every way of injustice.* By them, he says, I have been instructed and have become wiser; therefore I have turned away from all evil things.

VERS. 105. *Your law is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths.* Like a lamp and a light it emits rays of light, making manifest the path that leads to virtue. For in the night of the present life, and in the darkness of our passions, the law shows us the straight way to live well and happily, and does not allow us to fall into sin. By "feet" and "paths," understand the manner of our life and conduct. One must also know that the Mosaic Law, understood according to the letter, is a lamp to those who walk along that path of virtues which pertains to action. But understood spiritually, it is a lamp to those who are carried toward God along the path of contemplation. ^C

VERS. 106. *I have sworn and have determined to keep the judgments of your justice.* When I had taken the experience of that profit which comes from your commandments, I immediately swore—that is, I promised—and I established for myself this oath as an immutable one, that I would observe them. He said "determined" to mean "established."

VERS. 107. *I have been humbled exceedingly, O Lord; give me life according to your word.* For a long time, he says, I have been humbled by voluntary, or even by involuntary, affliction. Regarding the words "give me life," it has already been said above: *My soul has cleaved to the pavement*, and the rest.

VERS. 108. *Let the voluntary offerings of my mouth be acceptable, O Lord.* Accept, I pray, O kind Lord, my voluntary promises, which I have pledged not out of any necessity, but of my own accord and with a willing spirit, and direct them. Such was that promise and oath of observing the commandments. *And teach me your judgments.* For they are difficult and obscure. For your judgments, he says, are a great deep. Or: Teach me, that I may understand them more deeply.

VERS. 109. *My soul is in your hands always,

⟪A⟫ and of thy law I have not been forgetful. My soul, he says, I always entrust into thy hands, and I take thee as its guardian, protector, and governor. And therefore I have not been forgetful of thy law, lest perhaps I should fall.

VER. 110. *Sinners have laid a snare for me, and I have not erred from thy commandments.* They have laid a snare for me, in order to catch me, and I have not been led astray from thy commandments, fearing lest I should fall into the snare; for he who walks in the law of God cannot fall into snares. By "sinners," however, he calls the demons, or also wicked men.

VER. 111. *I have inherited thy testimonies for ever, because they are the exultation of my heart.* I have deemed these to be a perpetual inheritance, and a certain profit which could not perish. By this word, however, he indicates his affection toward the divine commandments.

VER. 112. *I have inclined my heart to do thy justifications for ever, for the sake of retribution.* I have persuaded, he says, my heart, and converted it to do thy commandments always, and this, on account of the retribution stored up for all those who shall have fulfilled the things that are pleasing to thee.

VER. 113, 114. *I have hated the unrighteous, and I have loved thy law. Thou art my helper and my defender; in thy words I have set my hope.* In thy law, he says, I have placed my trust, which justifies those who observe it, and moreover promises good things to them.

VER. 115. *Depart from me, ye malignant, and I will search the commandments of my God.* For malignant men and demons disturb the souls of the faithful and the pious, and offer them hindrance.

VER. 116. *Uphold me according to thy word.* According to thy promise: for thou hast promised in the law that thou wilt defend all those who have kept it. Or simply: According to thy promise. *And quicken me.* Of this, it has already been spoken. *And do not let me be ashamed of my expectation.* Do not permit me to be ashamed, or to be frustrated in my hope in thee.

VER. 117. *Help me, and I shall be saved, and I will meditate on thy justifications always.* I shall be saved from the snares of the enemies.

VER. 118. *Thou hast despised all those who fall away from thy justifications, for their thought is unjust.* As useless, thou hast neglected and rejected them. They depart, however, from the law of God, who ponder things that are iniquitous.

VER. 119. *I have held all the sinners of the earth to be transgressors; therefore have I loved thy testimonies.* Whosoever shall have sinned, in my judgment, becomes a transgressor of thy law. And therefore I have loved thy law, lest in similar fashion I be considered a transgressor. ⟪C⟫ He said "sinners of the earth," because they are from the earth, or because they sin on the earth.

VER. 120. *Pierce my flesh with thy fear, for I have been afraid of thy judgments.* While I read thy judgments, he says, ⟪D⟫ I am indeed seized with fear in my spirit: its [very]

soul. But I do not have my body similarly restrained by this same fear; therefore, nail it also, so that it may not move toward disordered impulses and base actions.

VERS. 121. *I have done judgment and justice: do not deliver me to those who wrong me.* I have done righteous judgment (for this is what he said, in parallel terms). Therefore, do not deliver me—thou who judgest righteously—to those who unjustly plot against me, nor let the lawless gain dominion over one who lives by the law.

VERS. 122. *Uphold thy servant in good: let not the proud calumniate me.* Show longsuffering to thy servant, [leading to] good, so that through sincere repentance he may be able to wash away the stains of sin that have come upon him, and let not the proud—that is, the contemners of the law—calumniate me, as if I were suffering trials by fate and not because of my sin, or as if I were repenting in vain, or as if I were hoping for salvation to no purpose.

VERS. 123. *My eyes have failed for thy salvation, and for the word of thy justice.* The eyes of my soul, he says, are not a little weakened while they look steadily upon that salvation which depends on thee, and upon the promise of thy justice.

VERS. 124. *Deal with thy servant according to thy mercy, and teach me thy justifications.* Show thy mercy to thy servant, as thou art merciful; or, do a kindness in thy mercy, and having had mercy on me, teach me thy justifications.

VERS. 125. *I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.* And if thou grantest me understanding, I shall know these.

VERS. 126. *It is time for the Lord to act: they have dissipated thy law.* It is time for thee, O Lord, to act—namely, to take vengeance—since the iniquitous have despised and destroyed thy law.

VERS. 127. *Therefore have I loved thy commandments above gold and topaz.* Because they have dissipated thy law, I for that reason have loved it more than gold or precious stones, or indeed all riches.

VERS. 128. *Therefore I was directed unto all thy commandments.* Not toward this one or that one, but toward all thy commandments—which is a sign of greater perfection. Now I was directed toward all, that I might serve thee, and obey thee who hast commanded these things, when those others provoke thee to wrath.

*I have hated every unjust way.* For he who loves the commandments of God hates all vice, as being contrary to them. For vice and virtue differ, as do light and darkness, sickness and health.

VERS. 129. *Thy testimonies are wonderful; therefore hath my soul searched them out.* They are wonderful, because they both teach every kind of virtue and ward off every vice. Therefore

^A my soul has not searched them out simply or in any common way, but it has examined them thoroughly, indeed with the greatest diligence and scrutiny.

*Ver. 130. The declaration of thy words enlighteneth, and giveth understanding to the little ones.* This may refer to those who are children in age, not yet grown men; or to those who are children in mind and intellect; or to those faithful who have believed from among the nations, as being but recently joined to God; or, simply, to the new Christian people (who rightly bear the name of "little ones" on account of their voluntary humility).

*Ver. 131. I opened my mouth, and drew in the spirit; for I longed for thy commandments.* The "mouth" of my soul is the mind. By closing it to wicked thoughts, I opened it to good ones, and drew in the spirit of discernment, the gift of wisdom. The words "I longed for," "I searched," and "I hoped for," ^B and other such expressions, signify a more intense state of mind.

*Ver. 132. Look thou upon me, and have mercy on me, according to the judgment of those that love thy name.* Every person is always in need of God’s mercy. Look upon me, therefore, as I am afflicted by temptations. "According to the judgment," that is, according to the determination which you have set down for those who love you, deciding that you will have mercy on them and help them, especially when they are in temptations.

*Ver. 133. Direct my steps according to thy word; and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.* Direct the way of my life, he says, according to your law, and let no iniquity enslave me, so that I should perform it. For everyone, he says, *who committeth sin is the slave of sin* (John VIII, 34). Or, by "iniquity," he means the *iniquitous man*, asking that iniquitous men might not have dominion over him. He also says "any iniquity," whatever it may be, as if to say, let no iniquity gain a hold. ^C

*Ver. 134. Redeem me from the calumnies of men; and I will keep thy commandments.* So that neither they might calumniate me, nor I them. For calumny is a grievous thing; it often injects despair of providence from above into those who are fainter-hearted. The blessed David promises that, in return for the freedom granted to him by God, he will keep the divine commandments. Or: "Redeem me and protect me, so that I may not be troubled by calumnies, which are accustomed to be a hindrance to me."

*Ver. 135. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy justifications.* Show me your protective power, he says—that is, "Look upon me." Regarding what follows, it has been spoken of above. Or, otherwise: the "face" of the Father is the Son. For *he that hath seen me*, he says, *hath seen the Father* (John XIV, 9); whence the Son is also called his *character* (Heb. I, 3). The Prophet therefore entreats that the Son might appear to him, incarnate, as he is about to become man, and teach him the justifications ^D of the Gospel, just as he was about to give the law of these things. Or, from the person of the new

people, he makes his petition, beseeching God to send this law to him and to teach him the evangelical justifications.

Ver. 156. Streams of water have descended from my eyes, because they kept not thy law. By streams of water, he understands ravines and valleys, that is, concave places through which waters are accustomed to flow. My eyes, he says, have become concave through weeping, and have taken on the appearance of a ravine or a valley; or they have wasted away from the abundance of tears which I shed because the transgressors did not keep thy law; for I wept all night for my wretched ones. These words can also be understood as pertaining to the Jews who acted wickedly and killed Christ; for the Lord wept over them as over kinsmen and men of the same race. ^B

Ver. 157. Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. To think this, and to say it always, is good, as is to believe it and to confess it.

Ver. 158. Thou hast commanded thy testimonies to be righteousness, and thy truth exceedingly. Thou hast commanded them exceedingly, namely, righteousness and truth. Or, thou hast commanded these testimonies to be observed as being exceedingly just and exceedingly true. For thy law renders to all what is just, to those who act rightly just as to those who do not; and it is also truthful in its promises. ^C

Ver. 159. My zeal has made me pine away, because my enemies have forgotten thy words. The zeal with which I am inflamed for thy sake because thou art despised by them; or the righteous anger by which I am moved for thy sake, because they have forgotten thy commandments and because those enemies of mine, who are hostile to me on account of the ardor of my spirit for thee, have recoiled from their meditation upon them.

Ver. 160. Thy word is tried by fire exceedingly, and thy servant has loved it. Thy law, he says, is most pure and blameless; for such is gold that has been refined and examined by fire. We had a similar sentiment in the eleventh psalm, where it is said: The words of the Lord are pure, silver tried by fire (for the same expression is in the Greek text in both places, which signifies both tried by fire and examined by fire). This word or commandment of thine, therefore, he alone loves who is thy servant, who serves thee, worships thee, and with fear venerates thee. ^D

Ver. 161. I am young and despised; thy justifications I have not forgotten. According to history, the blessed David was younger among the other brothers, and on account of the smallness of his stature, he was also despised by his father when the prophet Samuel arrived to anoint him as king. He was also younger than Saul himself, and was despised by him and suffered various persecutions from him; and yet, above all these, he remembered the commandment of God. These words can also be understood as being spoken from the person of the new people, who, though despised and neglected by the ancient people of the Jews, yet understood and observed the divine law above them.

Ver. 162. Thy righteousness is righteousness throughout eternity. Divine righteousness is properly and truly justice; for whomsoever God justifies, he is justified justly and for eternity; but the justice of men is not of this kind, but is temporal, and very often it is fallacious.

"And thy law is truth." It is truth itself, truly truthful in all things. Truth is also understood as righteousness, in accordance with the saying, "Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments." It is also said in the seventeenth Psalm: "The judgments of the Lord are true, justified altogether." ^A

"Tribulation and anguish have found me: thy commandments are my meditation." Amidst so many of my calamities, this was my sole consolation—that by which I relieved my pain—that I was assiduously meditating upon thy commandments.

"Thy testimonies are righteousness for ever." Eternal righteousness, as we have said before, for it dwells in the hymnology of the law.

"Give me understanding, and I shall live." And I shall live indeed; for those who have not received understanding do not truly live, as they live basely; for the life of those who are not prudent is vain. ^B

"I cried with my whole heart, hear me, O Lord: I will seek thy statutes." When I was in tribulation, he says, I cried unto thee; and not simply so, but with my whole heart; therefore hear me, for I will seek thy statutes if thou wilt hear me.

"I cried unto thee, save me, and I will keep thy testimonies." He repeats the same sentiment, intensifying his prayer and wishing his promise to be confirmed. "Save me," that is, me who am in danger. ^C

"I prevented the dawning, and I cried: I hoped in thy words." I anticipated the morning, in the dead of the night, while the time had not yet arrived at which men are accustomed to arise; and I cried unto thee, having confidence in thy words which thou didst make resound within me through the holy Spirit. "He shall cry unto me," he says, "and I will hear him."

"My eyes prevented the morning, that I might meditate on thy words." My eyes anticipated the day at the time of morning, so as to meditate on thy law. For in the dead of night he used to pray, but in the morning he used to meditate upon the law. ^D

"Hear my voice, O Lord, according to thy mercy." In thy mercy, that is, as one who is merciful.

"According to thy judgment, quicken me." Cause me to live according to thy law, that I may live lawfully.

"They have drawn near that persecute me with iniquity, but they are gone far from thy law." For as much as they draw near to iniquity, by so much do they depart from the law. In some copies, however, "iniquity" is written in the accusative case, so that the sense is that they who persecute me have drawn "iniquity" near to me—that is, they have brought their iniquity near to me, and have almost overtaken me. These men, indeed, while working such wickedness, have become far removed from thy law.

^A VERS. 151. *Prope es tu, Domine.* Elsewhere he also says: "The Lord is near to all that call upon him." And in another place it is written: "I am a God drawing near, and not a God from afar," according to that: "Do I not fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord." And again: "While thou art yet speaking, I will say, Behold, I am present." God, therefore, draws near, but to those who draw near to him; for the righteous draw near to him through progress and ascent, whereas sinners remove themselves far from him; concerning whom it is said: "Behold, they that remove themselves from thee shall perish." *And all thy ways are truth.* All thy ways are true and firm; or all thy providential dealings, by which thou governest the world, are true, as being truly providences; or all thy judgments are true, as being safe and upright.

VERS. 152. *In the beginning I knew from thy testimonies, that thou hast founded them for ever.* From the beginning, he says, I knew from these that thou hast established them as eternal. For when I began to understand these things, I knew that thou hadst made them immovable and unchangeable, and that no one would destroy them; for if many of them seem to be abolished by the Gospel, in reality, however, according to the inner and recondite meaning, they are not abolished, but only according to a certain outward appearance and the shadow of the letter itself, as has already been declared.

VERS. 153. *Look upon my humility and deliver me, because I have not forgotten thy law.* Regard, he says, my affliction, and deliver me from such calamities: because, although I was afflicted for thy law's sake, I have not forgotten it, nor did I endure to do ^B any iniquitous thing or to hate those who lay snares for me. Or, Look upon the virtue of my humility, and deliver me, because I have not forgotten thy law—that law, I say, which commands humility to be followed.

VERS. 154. *Judge my judgment, and deliver me.* My judgment, I say, which I have with those who oppose me. *For thy word's sake quicken me.* For thy law, on account of which I am placed in danger of death, quicken me, oppressed as I am by most savage enemies.

VERS. 155. *Salvation is far from sinners, because they have not sought thy justifications.* Salvation is far from the wicked. For they are in danger who despise thy commandments, but to me that salvation is near. For I shall be delivered from their snares, because I have sought thy commandments. Or, it is the discourse of one teaching, saying that no sinners shall be saved, even if they seem to be fortunate and happy in this life. Or, sinners shall not obtain help from God, in that they have despised his justifications.

VERS. 156. *Thy mercies are many, O Lord; according to thy judgment quicken me.* Thou art very merciful. Grant, therefore, that in the universal judgment I may live a blessed life, when the good and the just [will go] into eternal life;

or, make me live in this life according to Thy law, helping my readiness and working together with me.

^B VERS. 157. *Many are they that persecute me, and afflict me; yet I have not swerved from Thy testimonies.* There are many invisible and visible persecutors who seek to catch me and excite every kind of temptation; but I, relying on Thee alone, have not turned away from Thy testimonies. The Prophet repeats in various ways things he has often said before, and which are set forth at different times.

VERS. 158. *I beheld the senseless, and was pining away, because they kept not Thy words.* We read that he has said above: *My zeal hath consumed me, because my enemies have forgotten Thy words.*

VERS. 159. *Behold, how I have loved Thy commandments, O Lord; in Thy mercy quicken me.* At times he asks to be quickened because of his observance of the commandments, and at other times because of the mercy of God; the former is to justify himself, while the latter is to propose his own modesty and humility as an example to others. But that which he does in the second place is for a more perfect soul: for, as the Apostle says, *No one is justified by the works of the law.* Look also in the 102nd Psalm for the explanation of: *Who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion.*

^C VERS. 160. *The beginning of Thy words is truth.* He means that Thy words are true. For if their beginning is truth, then the things that follow are also necessarily true and correspond to their beginning. Perhaps he speaks of the first words that the Lord spoke to Adam: *Of every tree,* He says, *that is in the garden, eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it. For in whatever day you eat, you shall die the death.* For this word is the beginning of all the words that have been spoken by God to man; and it was so true that death has held sway over the whole human race by succession.

*And all the judgments of Thy justice are for ever.* This means they are eternal and unshakable. For he also said above: *For Thou hast established them for ever.*

^D VERS. 161. *Princes have persecuted me without cause; and my heart hath been afraid of Thy words.* He was not afraid of those who kill the body, but of Thy words, because Thou canst destroy not only the body but even the soul in hell. This means: I have feared Thy commandments more than the princes of this age, and because of the fear of them I never committed anything against Thy commandments. Under the name of princes we may also understand King Saul himself, whom the blessed David, though often able to kill, spared, because he revered the commandments of God. For it says: *Thou shalt not speak evil of the prince of thy people.* But if we are forbidden to speak evil, how much more to harm or to kill?

VERS. 162. *I will rejoice in Thy words, as one*

that findeth great spoils. Just as, he says, one becomes rich by such spoils, so do Thy words, illuminating my mind and granting the treasure of knowledge, make me rich.

VERS. 163. *I have hated injustice and abhorred it; but Thy law have I loved.* I did not merely hate, but also abhorred; for this is a more intense degree of hatred. And he has said above: *I have hated the transgressors, but Thy law have I loved.*

VERS. 164. *Seven times a day have I praised Thee for the judgments of Thy righteousness.* Among the Hebrews, “seven times” is often used to mean “many times.” Many times a day, he says, will I praise Thee for the judgments of Thy righteousness, for Thy law, or for Thy dispensations and administrations which are done by Thee with judgment, since ^B Thou doest all things justly and becomingly. But if we should take it as the number seven, understand “day” as the day and night together. In this way, count midnight, dawn, morning, the third hour, the sixth, the ninth, and the evening.

VERS. 165. *Much peace have they that love Thy law, and there is no stumbling-block for them.* For those who love Thy law, there is peace—not with invisible enemies, but with God—and there is no cause of offense for them. For the law makes smooth for them the path of virtue, removing every impediment of sin. Or, there is peace for them with those who are of the same faith, even though these very often do not wish to have peace with them.

VERS. 166. *I have awaited Thy salvation, O Lord, and have loved Thy commandments.* And I have loved these, that what I awaited might come.

VERS. 167. *My soul hath kept Thy testimonies and hath loved them exceedingly.* He did not only keep, but also loved; and he did not merely love, but loved exceedingly.

VERS. 168. *I have kept Thy commandments and Thy testimonies.* What he divided above, here he joins together.

*Because all my ways are before Thee, O Lord.* The reason, he says, for my keeping of these is that all the ways of my manner of life and every action of mine are performed in Thy sight, and I walk the path of life with Thee as my witness. For I kept the Lord, he says, in my sight always; ^C whence also, fearing Thee who always seest all my affairs, I keep Thy commandments and Thy testimonies.

VERS. 169. *Let my supplication draw near before Thee, O Lord.* Let it not be turned away nor rejected by Thee as if it were unworthy to be admitted. And hear what this supplication is.

*According to Thy word, give me understanding.* Behold our prophet's supplication. Grant me, he says, not to be wise according to human arts or worldly sciences, but according to Thy word, that I may understand Thy words and know Thy law to the full.

VERS. 170. *Let my petition come before Thee, O Lord.* Aquila translated the word for petition as *prayer*, and Symmachus as *supplication*. And he had said above, ^D

"Let it come near," but now, "let it enter"; for if it draws near, it will certainly also enter.

*Deliver me according to Thy word.* Deliver me in accordance with Thy wisdom from temptations, or according to Thy promise, just as has been stated in various ways above; for the Lord had promised him aid in particular.

VERS. 171. *My lips shall burst forth with a hymn, when You teach me Thy statutes.* As soon as You teach me Thy statutes more wisely, my lips shall bring forth a hymn of thanksgiving—a hymn, I say, specifically of thanksgiving for this benefit. The Prophet expresses this by showing his desire.

VERS. 172. ^B *My tongue shall speak of Thy oracles.* May it speak of them constantly, meditating on them or teaching them to others, and being occupied with nothing else.

*For all Thy commandments are righteousness.* They are the rectitude that directs life and moderates the human being. And he has previously used such language, saying, "Thy testimonies are righteousness."

VERS. 173. *Let Thy hand be to save me, for I have chosen Thy commandments.* This means the same thing as the verse, "Be for me a God who protects me." Let it come to pass for the purpose of saving me; let it be for my salvation.

VERS. 174. *I have longed for Thy salvation, O Lord, and Thy law is my meditation.* I have longed for that salvation which comes from You, and not for any human aid; and therefore Thy law is my meditation, so that through it You may deliver me from the snares of my enemies. These things can also ^C be understood as spoken concerning the incarnation of our Savior—for this is the salvation of the world from Him; as it is said, "For there is born to you today a Savior," which salvation our Prophet longed to see, as we have said elsewhere. Whence he rightly adds: *Thy law is my meditation*, as if it were speaking often of such salvation, even though it signifies that to us in a shadowy and very obscure way.

VERS. 175. *My soul shall live, and it shall praise Thee, and Thy judgments shall help me.* My soul shall live the true life, when those who have done good things go into eternal life; and it will praise You then more sublimely and perfectly. And Thy judgments—the legal ones—shall help me, because I have kept them, and they will grant me no small confidence. ^D Some copies, however, have it in the form of a wish: "May it live and may they help," so that the Prophet prays to live a life of virtue, which is life in the proper sense, and to be helped in this by the law, which directs and moderates him, as has been said before.

VERS. 176. *I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant, for I have not forgotten Thy commandments.* I have gone astray, not having lost or abandoned the way of Thy commandments,

but rather being divided in the mountains and moving hither and thither while enduring persecution. Seek me, therefore, and lead me back to my previous dwelling, silencing those who pursue me, for I have not neglected Thy commandments. ^A Or else the speech is made in the person of the new people: "I have gone astray," he says, "like a lost sheep," not walking the straight path of piety, but cutting for myself certain crooked and manifold ways that lead to destruction. *Seek Thy servant*, for all things, he says, are Thy servants. Seek me, therefore, O good Shepherd, who according to the evangelical parable of the lost sheep, hast laid down Thy soul for the sheep, and gather me, the lost sheep, into Thy fold.

But what follows seems to contradict this sense. For one who has not yet learned the commandments of God is not said to "forget" them, but rather one who was of old instructed in them—unless, perhaps, someone should say that the word "time" is used in this place for "eternity": *I have not forgotten*, that is, I shall not forget.

A Song of Ascents. PSALM CXIX.

^B These fifteen canticles have one and the same inscription, namely, *A Song of Ascents*, or, according to another interpreter, *A Song of the Ascent*. Some read it *A Song of the Ascents*, with the circumflex accent. They have received the same inscription because they prophesy concerning the ascent of the captives who were detained there in Babylon to Jerusalem; how, being in affliction, they besought God, and being heard, they received back their own homeland. ^C And they begin, indeed, from the cry and prayers which they poured out to God when they were oppressed by that calamity; but they have their end at that time when they were entirely restored to their homeland. This is so according to history. According to the *anagoge*, however, these canticles have such an inscription because, more than the other psalms, they lead the people of God from Babylon—that is, from the confusion of this present life, where they were held captive in the servitude of passions and affections—towards the Jerusalem above. ^D For whoever reads and understands how great a desire that ancient, earthly people had for Jerusalem, and how they lamented, and what voices they sent forth to God, and what words they spoke when they were being led back, and all the things that are contained in these canticles: he himself will certainly also be rendered more ardent and will burn with a more vehement love for the supernal and heavenly Jerusalem.

VERS. 1. *In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me.* That is, in the calamity of the captivity which I endured in Babylon. He understands by "cry" not that of the mouth, but of a soul deeply pained, contrite, and stretched out toward God alone, who alone can rescue man from dangers. For God immediately hears the cry of such a soul. These words can also be said in the person of the faithful.

VERS. 2. *O Lord, deliver my soul from unjust lips and from a deceitful tongue.* This is what he asked of God when he cried out. Or this is one of the other things which we shall see him to have requested below. For "unjust lips" [are those] which speak injustice to the height, as in the psalm it is written, where it says, "They spoke iniquity to the height," and the words of the slanderers,

in the psalm it is written, where it says "Thou hast spoken injustice on high," and [refers to] the things of the slanderers, and simply of all the lawless. And their tongue, or the tongue of those who lay snares, is a deceitful tongue.

^A Ver. 3. "What may be given to thee, or what may be added to thee for a deceitful tongue?" Another interpreter says: "What shall be given to thee, and what shall be added to thee against a deceitful tongue?" For the Prophet directs his discourse to the suppliant, asking what defense, or what vengeance shall be given to him against that deceitful tongue. And the passage indicates either that this is difficult to overcome due to the excess of its wickedness, or that there is no need for vengeance: for this deceitfulness is in itself sufficient punishment for the deceitful man.

^B Ver. 4. "Sharp arrows of the mighty one, with coals of the wilderness." This is also spoken by the Prophet for the consolation of the suppliant, suggesting he should not be despondent. For the arrows of the mighty God are sharpened against the lawless and the deceitful, together with the coals of the wilderness, so as to cut, and to burn, and to destroy them. By "arrows and coals" he signifies the various kinds of punishments and penalties. But some have thought the "mighty one" here is the devil, as one who prevails against those who are slothful; and his arrows, sharpened with the coals of destruction, are the thoughts full of passions and affections, which penetrate ^C quickly and burn and destroy virtue, which even the Apostle called "coals of fire." Then again the discourse is from the person of the suppliant people (for it follows):

Ver. 5. "Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged." In Babylon, that is, or in captivity; for it laments its long duration. "I have dwelt with the tabernacles of Kedar." "I have dwelt," he says, "in the midst of the tabernacles of Kedar." For he laments this misery also. Kedar is a certain region adjacent to the Babylonians, having depraved inhabitants, among whom the Babylonians had ordered the Jews themselves to dwell. And since Kedar is interpreted as "darkening," those who dwell in the tabernacles of darkening ^D rightly lament. And we can call the tabernacles of darkening that lingering and habit that one leads amidst the affections and passions of the soul, which darken the mind. "My soul hath long been a stranger." For many years and a long time it was a stranger in captivity.

Ver. 6. "With them that hate peace I was peaceable." With those contentious people of Kedar, I was peaceable, not resisting them regarding any worldly matter, but yielding, as a captive. And the Word instructs us also to become such, and to be at peace with all; for if [we must be peaceable] with those who hate peace, much more...

is fitting for us, how much more so with those who have loved peace! We shall be such persons if we live in this world as guests and foreigners, if we behave as sojourners, not clinging too firmly to present things, nor running after them as if they were permanent.

*When I spoke to them, they fought against me gratuitously.* He says "gratuitously" for "without cause," meaning they had no occasion, but were managing everything rashly; which is evident from the fact that they did not even spare me then, when I was acting peacefully toward them.

A Song of Ascents. Psalm CXX

^B VERSE 1. *I lifted up my eyes to the hills, from whence my help shall come.* In this canticle, the Prophet sets forth the words that the captives of the Jews were to say when they were about to depart from Babylon and ascend to Jerusalem. By "hills," he understands the heavens, on account of their extreme height. For from there they hoped that the customary help of God would come to them, leading them unharmed into their homeland. Then he explains his statement more clearly, saying:

VERSE 2. *My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.* From Him who is truly the Lord. For it is proper to God to be called the creator of all, since He alone is able to create. Therefore, if we too lift up the eyes of our soul to heaven, having removed them from all earthly things, help will come from the Lord.

VERSE 3. *May He not give thy foot to be moved, and may He not slumber that keepeth thee.* This pertains to brotherly love, that everyone should learn to pour out prayers to God on behalf of another. *May He not give thy foot to be moved,* he says—that is, into instability—*nor mayest thou turn away from the straight path of the virtues,* lest for this reason God, who was accustomed to keep thee, should also "slumber"—that is, lest He too might appear negligent in those things that pertain to thy keeping because thou hast fallen inadvertently. Or, *mayest thou not surrender thy journey to wavering and slippery matters,* but ascend the safe path of the law and the commandments, which provides a straight course for those walking upon it.

VERSE 4. *Behold, He shall not slumber, nor shall He sleep, who keepeth Israel.* God will not neglect him, nor will He do anything negligently toward him, who has walked through the safe way of which we have spoken, and has abstained from the slippery path of this world. We too, all the faithful, can be called a new Israel, as we have often said elsewhere, especially in Psalm XLIII, there: *Arise, why dost Thou sleep, O Lord?*

VERSE 5. *The Lord shall keep thee, the Lord is thy protection at thy right hand.* The Lord will keep thee thus as thou walkest; the Lord is a protection to thee at thy right hand, that is to say, a protector, a shelterer, protecting thee at first—

good things; or, a covering for you in exchange for your worthy deeds. ^A The sun will not scorch you by day, nor the moon by night. He will take such great care of you that He will not permit even these to cause you any perturbation; He said this to demonstrate the supreme concern of God for man. It is likely, moreover, that the ancient people received this grace from God at the aforementioned time. He said the moon scorches, according to some, because it is not only moist but also warm. Or, the sun will not scorch you, nor will the moon harm you; for he said "scorch" as a synonym for "harm."

Verse 7. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; the Lord shall preserve your soul. He repeats this sentiment often, confirming his statement and exhorting us with a desire for divine protection to walk along the direct path of virtues of which we have spoken. Or: He will preserve your body and your soul from every danger.

Verse 8. The Lord shall preserve your coming in and your going out. This means your conduct and your life. Or: your entry into this life, and your exit from it. Or: your entire life, which is observed in your coming in and going out. From now on and forever. That is, into the future, or until the end of the age of your life. ^B

Canticum of the Ascents. PSALM CXXI.

Verse 1. I rejoiced in those who said to me, We shall go into the house of the Lord. They were saying this as they were traveling and progressing with great joy.

Verse 2. Our feet were standing in your courts, O Jerusalem. When we heard the aforementioned words, our feet were immediately standing in your courts, O Jerusalem, in our opinion, that is, in our estimation. For I thought I was standing there, having imagined it in my mind on account of my intense longing for my homeland.

Verse 3. Jerusalem built as a city. O Jerusalem, which formerly was constructed as a true city. ^C

Verse 4. Whose participation is in itself. Or according to another interpreter: Whose contiguity is together; that is, whose shares and joined buildings are together on account of the multitude of those dwelling there. (For what he says, "in itself," is the same as "one" or "together.")

Verse 5. For thither the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord. This is said to the greatest praise of Jerusalem. For it was not adorned as much by its size or its structural buildings as it was by this one thing: that all the tribes of the people of Israel gathered there three times each year during the public festivals: at the Passover, at Pentecost, and at the Feast of Tabernacles. For thither, he says, they went up long ago before the captivity, and there they were gathered. And the tribes of the Lord... ^D

he calls them, as his people, as those arranged by him. ^A

*A testimony unto Israel.* This matter, he says, is a certain demonstration for the Israelite people, regarding the divine promise—a promise that has already attained its end; for the seed of Abraham was indeed multiplied, and inheritance was gained in the land of promise. Or this was a testimony for the people of Israel; for God testified to it that it was to be gathered there at the appointed times. And the syntax is as follows: *Thither have the tribes gone up*, with the word "for" being superfluous. They went up, he says, because of testimonies and command, that is, according to the divine command. *To confess unto the name of the Lord.* This means, so that they might render fitting thanks to God through the divine worship ordained by the Law. ^B

VERS. 5. *For there have been set seats for judgment.* Lo, another praise of the city of Jerusalem: for there, he says, have been established the thrones of the kingdom, for the judging of the people. *Seats upon the house of David.* That is, in the house, or in the palace of David; or he means the seats of the priests in the first place, and the seats of the kings in the second.

VERS. 6. *Ask the things that are for the peace of Jerusalem.* Speak peaceful words to Jerusalem herself, he says. Peace be unto you; peace to your people. For from henceforth it shall have immense, and, so to speak, profound peace and joy. Another interpreter said: Greet her. *And prosperity to them that love thee.* Not only your citizens shall prosper, but also those of the surrounding nations who love you. This too is a prophecy.

VERS. 7. *Let peace be in thy strength.* Another interpreter said in the future tense: *It shall come to be.* By her strength, he understands the very soldiers of the Jewish people, for whom the most certain peace shall be if they have no war or enemy. ^C

*And prosperity in thy towers.* Another interpreter said: *And wealth in thy royal palaces;* and yet another: *In thy courts.* But it must also be known that in the Greek reading we do not read simply "in the towers," but *in thy tower-wards*, by which word in this place we understand ramparts fortified and surrounded by towers.

VERS. 8. *For the sake of my brethren and my neighbors, I was speaking peace concerning thee.* These are the words of the prophet to Jerusalem herself. For the sake of my kinsmen the Israelites, he says, and for the sake of the tribes of the same people, I was asking for peace for you: so that they, living in peace, might worship and offer thanks to God for the benefits they had received. ^D

VERS. 9. *For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I have sought good things for thee.* For the sake of the holy temple of God, which is built within you, I have studiously sought for you tranquility and prosperity: so that you might recover your own ancient decorum and the traditional worship constituted by the Law.

A Song of Degrees. PSALM CXXII.

Vers. 1. *Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.* These words are also to be read as from the person of the people traveling toward their homeland. God is said to dwell in heaven as if He rests among the pure and holy powers who dwell there. For indeed, concerning the saints who are on earth, it is written: *I will dwell in them, and walk in them* (Levit. xxvi, 12; II Cor. vi, 16).

Vers. 2. *Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.* By this comparison or example of the manservant and the maidservant, they intend to signify that they look unto Him assiduously and constantly, and that they have no hope of help from any other quarter, and that they will not desist until they obtain mercy. The word *have mercy*—although it has the form of a wish—holds the significance of the future: "He will have mercy." Some also say that the example of the maidservant was added to show a greater intensity of affection toward God, for this is usually done more by maidservants, as they are of a weaker sex, than by menservants.

^B Vers. 3, 4. *Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.* That is, we are afflicted with contempt and reproach by those who made us captive, as well as by our wicked neighbors who delight in our calamities, or by the other nations through whose regions they were proceeding home. The repetition of the word *Have mercy* demonstrates a certain ardor of spirit; they supplicate, therefore, for that reason, to obtain mercy from God and to be restored more swiftly to their homeland. *Our soul is exceedingly filled.* With the aforementioned contempt, that is. *With the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.* Supply the word "Let it come." Let the scorn and contempt come, then, to their humiliation and instruction, so that while all things succeed for them and they are proud, they may not be exalted and lifted up against those who are in adversity and are humbled. This psalm is also appropriate for all those who walk toward the Jerusalem above, and who are harassed by visible and invisible enemies.

A Song of Degrees. PSALM CXXIII.

Vers. 1–4. *If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, may Israel now say; if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: then they had swallowed us up quick.* These words are spoken from the person of those who had already returned to Jerusalem. For they offer thanks to God and exhort the entire people to say with them: because when certain men rose up against us—for the neighboring nations of these had rallied against them, while Jerusalem was not yet walled; if not, because the Lord...

the nations ^A stood against them, having recently returned from captivity, and had they risen (for the neighboring nations had moved war against them while Jerusalem was not yet fortified), if, they say, we had not been snatched from danger—for the reason that the Lord was in us—then by reason of the excessive envy at that time, they would have swallowed us all alive. By this figurative language, the Prophet has denoted the supreme speed of the impending ruin. Some also say that the word "then" is redundant in this place.

When their fury was kindled against us, surely the water would have submerged us. By "water," he understands the vehement onset of the enemies, who were for that reason stirred up with wrath and fury because the Jewish people had been restored to their homeland. The word "surely" he has set down in place of "otherwise," or even for "truly."

VERS. 5. Our soul has passed through the torrent. He compares the vehement and inordinate onrush of the enemies—momentary and sweeping away everything in its path—to a swollen torrent, just as he also compared it to water above. Moreover, by saying "has passed through," he means to say that it has gone past and escaped. And he said "our soul" in place of "ourselves," signifying the whole by a part.

Surely our soul has passed through the intolerable water. Verily we have gone past it, and now we stand in security.

VERS. 6. Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. By "teeth," he has denoted both the ferocity and the power of the enemies; as if they seemed greedy to gulp down even the living men themselves. ^B

VERS. 7. Our soul, like a sparrow, has been snatched from the snare of the hunters: the snare is broken, and we have been freed. Just as he denoted the forces and ferocity of the enemies, and taught that they were armed with indignation and power, so too he declares the weakness of the people, comparing them to a sparrow. For a sparrow is a certain very weak animal, and ^C very easy to capture. By "snares," however, he understands their various ambushes and machinations, all of which he says are broken and undone.

VERS. 8. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Not in chariots, and horses, and power of that sort, as was foretold in the nineteenth psalm, but in the name of the Lord, who is truly God, in naming and invoking Him; or else, by a periphrasis, he said "in the name of the Lord" for "in the Lord." This psalm is fitting ^D also for all who have been liberated from temptations and calamities by divine providence.

A Song of Ascents. PSALM CXXIV.

VERS. 1, 2. They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Sion. This psalm follows most excellently upon the preceding ones, and contains thanksgiving for the liberation from enemies. Those, he says, who trust in the Lord, shall be as Mount Sion: that is to say, constant, immutable, and secure. He who dwells in Jerusalem shall not be moved for ever.

Jerusalem. They shall not be overturned, they shall not fall, those who dwell in Jerusalem forever, that is, for the entire appointed age. But properly, these words of the Prophet pertain to those who dwell in the supernal and heavenly Jerusalem. For they shall never be shaken; but ^A await the age that has been determined for her salvation, as it is written: “Mountains are round about her, and the Lord is round about His people from henceforth and even forever.”

[alt-version omitted]

^B “For the Lord will not allow the rod of sinners upon the lot of the righteous.” He renders the cause of the protection from God. By sinners, he refers to the impious and the lawless, such as the demons themselves are; and by their rod, their kingdom or their weapons; but by the righteous, those who live according to the Law. “That the righteous may not extend their hands in iniquity.” That, enjoying such protection from God, they may not touch iniquity, but may honor the Benefactor. “Do good, O Lord, to the good and to the upright in heart.” The Prophet concluded his address with a prayer, saying: Do good things, O Lord, and give good things ^C to good men, and to those whose heart is not perverted, to the guileless and the non-evil. “But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways, the Lord will lead them away with those who work iniquity.” To things that are perverted, into obliquities; such men the Lord will lead away to punishment; He will deliver them to vengeance, or will cast them off as being like the lawless men. “Peace upon Israel.” That is, may there be peace. This psalm also befits those who dwell in the high and unshakable Church, in whose circuit are the lofty teachers, walling her about and guarding her, and Christ also is round about His people.

A Song of Ascents. PSALM CXXV

VERS. 1. “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became as those who are comforted.” This psalm also contains material consistent with the preceding ones. For by the conversion, the Prophet understands the return and restoration to the fatherland—the children of which fatherland, that is, whose people being formerly established in captivity, he termed the captivity of Sion. But by the comfort, he understands refreshment. Having returned, he says, to the fatherland, we were greatly refreshed. For the Greek word *ōsei*, for which the interpreter rendered *sicut* (as), not only has this meaning, but is sometimes ^D used as *quam* (how), that is, for "exceedingly," just as elsewhere: “How good is God to Israel” (Ps. LXXII, 1).

In both cases, the same phrasing is used. Or, “We became as those who are comforted,” that is, we were in joy and gladness. ^A

*Verse 2. Then was our mouth filled with joy.* That is, with pleasant and glad words which signified the supreme joy of the soul.

*And our tongue with exultation.* He repeats the same thing; but he predicts what was to be as if it had already happened.

*Then shall they say among the nations.* Then they who are among the nations shall say; or simply, the nations, having seen the wonderful restoration of the people, shall say with admiration:

*The Lord has magnified to do with them.* These are the words that the neighboring nations shall say, speaking of us Jews: “The Lord has magnified to do with them,” because He has worked great mercy in them. Then he turns the discourse to the person of those who are saying these things.

*Verse 3. The Lord has magnified to do with us.* Truly He has magnified, as we have said; it is also a peculiarity of the Hebrew language to say, “The Lord has done with such a one,” for the word “mercy” is understood.

*We became joyful.* Both because we were restored to our homeland, and because the power of God was made known to the surrounding nations. ^B

*Verse 4. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as torrents in the South.* He supplicates next for those who had remained in captivity; for many had been left behind in Babylon, for whom they likewise ask that a return to their homeland be granted. “Turn again,” he says, “O Lord, the remnants of our captivity, and urge and impel the captivity itself, no differently than you are accustomed to urge and impel a torrent through the South.” For this wind is accustomed, having dispersed and liquefied the density of the clouds, to bring rain and to move the torrents with great force. Or, he has used a metaphor of this kind, desiring that the captivity, like a torrent, should be quickly carried off, so that it might cease as soon as possible, and be completely emptied, with no one left in Babylon at all. For torrents are quickly dried up. Or, by the South, or the South-wind, he understands Jerusalem itself, often called by this name elsewhere by the prophets, as being by its position turned towards the South. “Turn again,” he says, “that captivity in the South,” that is, in Jerusalem. ^C

*Verse 5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.* Those who sow the hope of salvation in the tears of prayer, a fruit of such hope shall they reap in exultation. For the fruit will be deliverance from oppression. Moreover, this whole discourse is appropriate to those who are in temptations.

*Verse 6. They went forth and wept, casting their seeds.* He passed from universal things to particular ones, speaking of those who had been in captivity, and he says that when they were going into captivity, on the journey they went and wept, sowing that hope, as we have said.

*But coming, they shall come in exultation, carrying their sheaves.* Truly, in their return they shall come. ^D

rejoicing, carrying their harvest, that is, the aforementioned fruit of the hope that has been laid down. For just as the seed of wheat needs rain, so too the seed of hope needs tears for fruitfulness. And just as a field needs to be plowed and broken open, so too the soul needs temptations and afflictions, so that its hardness may be softened, and it may not sprout thorns and thistles, and such harmful herbs. ^A

Song of Ascents. Psalm 126.

Vers. 1. Nisi Dominus ædificaverit domum, in vanum laboraverunt, qui ædificant eam. ^B When the Jews had returned from captivity and had begun to rebuild their temple and city, they were hindered by the neighboring nations, who both envied them and feared that their affairs would prosper and succeed happily. And much time was spent—nearly forty years—during which the Jews sought to build, and those others strove to hinder them by every means. The Prophet, instructing them, teaches them to flee to God and to invoke Him as a co-worker in their undertaking, and he breaks forth into this sentiment: Unless the Lord assists with His cooperation, and He Himself builds the house that is to be built, all who build labor in vain. God had deferred bestowing His help upon the Jews for a number of years, so that they might be awakened by degrees, as it were, and so that they might not become more slothful through long-lasting quiet, and return to their former wickedness, as those whom God might have freed from evils quickly and with ease. This utterance, however, can be applied to many cases and ^C circumstances in a more universal sense. Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem, frustra vigilat qui custodit eam. But what do I say, he asks, concerning the building of a city, when no one can guard or preserve even a city already constructed and finished, without His help?

VERS. 2. Vanum est vobis ante lucem vigilare, surgite postquam sedistis, qui manducatis panem doloris. Furthermore, he says, you, O Jews, who eat the bread of sorrow—that is, who do not eat even bread itself without sorrow, who lead your lives in afflictions—I advise you that it is in vain for you to do this, that you should toil at the work and the building from the earliest break of dawn. It is also in vain for you that, after you have sat down, you immediately rise up to hasten the work itself, which is to say, that you have no time for sleep at night, and you enjoy no rest during the day. By these words he shows that they were ^D filled with sorrow and distress, for this very reason: because they were not only exhausted by labor, but also had to fight against their enemies. For they were building the walls armed, and they were building and at the same time fighting against those who were preventing them, enduring a double hardship.

VERS. 3. Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum, ecce hæreditas Domini, filii. When God has granted His beloved sweet sleep—I mean sleep free from cares and anxieties, that is, when He has granted rest and freedom from those troubling

^A disturbances—He will grant this rest when it is useful and good for it to be given. Then, not only will it be granted to you to build the temple or the city walls, but there will also be given children who will be so pleasing to God that they will deserve to be called His inheritance and His people. Now, he said this as the head of all good things, for the Jews were most especially eager for the begetting of children. But while this interpretation of ours pertains only to the Jews and in a private way, to speak more generally, when God has given sleep to His beloved, as we have said, then not only will those things that were pursued with diligence be completed, but also there will be joined as perpetual children, if I may put it so—children, I say, as the inheritance of the Lord. As if he were saying, heirs of [spiritual] pursuit, heirs of virtues, heirs given by the Lord.

Merces fructus ventris. That reward which comes from the fruitfulness of the womb is the reward of piety. For that recompense which is given in the abundance of children and offspring is wont to be the recompense of virtues. According to the anagogy, those who are adopted by God as sons through the laver of regeneration are the reward of the incarnation of Christ: of Christ, I say, who truly and properly is the fruit of the blessed Virgin’s womb, inasmuch as He was born of her without any seed of man.

VERS. 4. Sicut sagittæ in manu potentis, ita filii excussorum. Just as, he says, arrows that are in the hand of some strong man appear more terrible because of his strength and fortitude, so too will the sons of those who have been shaken out of the Babylonian captivity appear fearful and terrible to their enemies, on account of the insuperable power of God their helper. Such also are the spiritual sons of the faithful doctors, who have been shaken out of the captivity of the demons: that is, terrible and to be feared by the demons themselves.

VERS. 5. Beatus vir, qui implebit desiderium suum ex eis. But from which "them"? I say from those good things which we commemorated above: namely, from the fact that the construction of the temple and the city is completed; from the fact that rest is given and liberation from all disturbances; from the fact that they receive many and beautiful offspring; and that they obtain other gifts of God of this kind.

Non confundentur cum loquentur inimicis suis in portis. Those who have fulfilled their desire from these things, as has been said, will not be confounded as if they were weak when they address their enemies at the city gates. For all their affairs and business will be going well. Or, they will not be confounded as if they had a weak and feeble God, as their enemies used to reproach them with before the restoration of the city, but they will speak with much freedom. For it was the custom of the ancients to speak to the messengers or envoys of their enemies before the gates of the city.

A Song of Ascents. PSALM CXXVII.

VERS. 1. Beati omnes, qui timent Dominum. This psalm follows correctly upon the preceding one. For since there the Prophet called him blessed who has fulfilled his desire

^A occurrences, as was previously pointed out—he now sets forth the blessed state in a more universal and perfect manner. For those who fear the Lord are truly and strictly blessed. He added the word "all," signifying that neither slaves nor the poor, nor those who are crippled or physically mutilated, are deprived of this blessedness, provided they fear God. For if this one thing is present, no such obstacle can hinder them from blessedness. Conversely, he who does not fear God, even if he possesses all things that are considered lovely, desirable, and blessed by men, is the most miserable of all; but he who fears Him, even if he encounters all the things that appear abominable and detestable to men, is the most blessed of all. Further, beauty, strength, wealth, glory, a multitude of fine children, and other such things do not strictly make a man blessed, because of the uncertainty and instability of such goods. Then, he clarifies who they are that fear the Lord, saying: "Who walk in His ways." That is, in the ways established by Him and pointed out through the commandments. ^B "You shall eat the labors of your fruits." Having taught who is truly blessed, and having shown who it is that fears the Lord, and having thereby exhorted the people to walk in the ways of God, he now directs his discourse to the one who fears God, prophesying good things for him. Some have understood "fruits" as the hands, taking the part for the whole, for the fruit is a part of the hand, interpreting it to mean that you shall reap the labors of your hands and profit, with no one hindering you. This is how Aquila and Symmachus rendered it. Others, however, said that the expression contains what the Greeks call an ^C *antistrophe*—that is, a contrary signification. To clarify this, one must first notice that the Greek word *karpos* signifies not only the palm—or rather the joint of the hand—but also fruit. According to this meaning, the letter of the present verse should be read: "You shall eat the labors of your fruits." Therefore, they explain it in this way, asserting that "labors of fruits" is said for "fruits of labors," so that the meaning is that everyone who fears the Lord shall eat the fruits of his labors. "Blessed are you." If, that is to say, you fear God. He repeats this again for the greater confirmation of his discourse. "And it shall be well with you." And you shall prosper in all things. ^D "Your wife as a flourishing vine, in the sides of your house." Just as a vine flourishes with clusters of grapes, so shall she flourish with children. And he called her "flourishing" in place of "thriving" or "abounding." The "sides" of the house are the parts or areas of your house. Another interpreter rendered it as "in the innermost parts of your house," that is, in the chambers where we are accustomed to lie down for rest. "Your sons as new olive plants, round about your table." Blooming, that is, and in the peak of vigor, like new-planted olive trees.

plantæ.

^A VERSE 4. *Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.* He shall enjoy such a divine blessing. By "blessing," he understands grace and benefit, as that which is worthy of praise and of which all should speak well. But if anyone raises a question, saying, "How is it that no greater goods are promised to those who fear God, but only these temporal ones?" it must first be said that the Prophet directs his speech to those who are constrained by the love of such goods. Then, we might add that the Prophet promises these goods in abundance, just as God will grant these temporal goods together with the eternal ones, according to what we read written elsewhere: "Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." According to the anagogy, the wife of the pious and religious man is the soul, which, united to the body ^B like a spouse, delights in the virtues that belong to the body; and his sons are the disciples and imitators of his religion, or successors, who also flourish and thrive in the increase of spiritual stature, and surround the doctor himself, whom he feeds with rational food.

VERSE 5. *May the Lord bless you from Sion.* May He praise you, and may He also render you thanks. For whomsoever God receives, He also praises; and whom He praises, that same person He is wont to heap with thanks and manifold gifts. He said "Lord" and "Sion" for "He who dwells in Sion," that is, in that house or temple; for God was said to dwell there, because He gave responses to the priests therein and spoke to them.

^C *And may you see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of your life.* The goods of this lower and earthly Jerusalem are these: riches, wealth, power, armies, victory over enemies, glory among all, and the like; but the goods of the supernal and heavenly Jerusalem are those which "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have they entered into the heart of man."

VERSE 6. *And may you see your children’s children.* According to history, these are the successors of your kin; but according to the anagogy, by "children’s children," he understands heirs and successors in religion and piety, you indeed teaching them and reigning ^D over them spiritually.

*Peace upon Israel.* We had such words also in Psalm CXXIV. By "Israel," however, we understand not only the ancient people, but also the new, as we have often said elsewhere. But if peace has sometimes been interrupted, that has come about for the sake of those who showed themselves unworthy. For we must not despair when God threatens us; rather, we must confess through repentance, so as to avert His anger from us, just as the Ninevites did. Nor, conversely, when God promises good things, should we grow slothful; rather, we must then strive with greater zeal, so that we may bring His promises to fulfillment. Indeed, we know that the Lord promised Judas that he would sit upon a throne together with the other apostles, and would judge the twelve tribes of Israel; yet he himself cast away that promise, rendering himself unworthy of all of them.

Song of Ascents. Psalm CXXVIII

^A Vers. 1, 2. *Often have they warred against me from my youth.* These words are spoken in the person of the people, against whom, as we have said, war was often launched by those surrounding nations that strove to hinder the restoration of the temple and the city. By "youth," the Prophet here understands that first period of time when the people returned to their homeland from Babylon. But if you were to say that these words should be understood as concerning the assault of demons, then by "youth" you would explain it as early life, for in that stage war is at once brought against us by demons. ^B Let Israel indeed say: *Often have they warred against me from my youth.* Let it say this openly and publicly, so that it may be known by all from what great perils God has delivered us. *For they could not overcome me.* In me they could not do anything, or they did not prevail against me entirely; this, of course, was because God did not permit it. And thus they attacked me more frequently, striving to subvert me.

Vers. 3. *Upon my back the sinners wrought/fashioned.* The impious, he says, and wicked men fashioned many evils upon my back, that is, not only before me and in my sight, *openly*, but also behind and secretly, and they devised very many things against me in hidden ways; or else, approaching my very body and not even sparing my flesh.

*They prolonged their iniquity.* So long as they were assaulting me.

^C Vers. 4. *The Lord is righteous.* Truly righteous, allowing me to suffer so that I might become more sober-minded, but punishing them for attacking me unjustly and out of envy.

*He has cut the necks of sinners.* He has cut the stiff-neckedness of the enemies; He has taken away their arrogance and pride, while making us superior to them.

Vers. 5. *Let all who hate Sion be put to shame and turned back.* These are the words of one wishing (although, as is manifest from the Greek reading, they have the form of a command). Or, in the prophetic manner, he has used the imperative mood for the future, as if he were to say: *They shall be put to shame and turned back*, which figure of speech you will also observe in what follows. We can also understand this psalm concerning the new Sion and the future Church of the faithful.

^D Vers. 6. *Let them be as the grass of the housetops.* He did not say simply, "as grass," but "as grass which grows upon houses on the roofs." For this withers more easily and is lost more quickly. Let them, therefore, be prone to collapse and easy to ruin; let them perish quickly and without fruit. Then he dwells upon this image of the grass, relating what happens to it.

*Which before it is plucked hath withered.* It has withered prematurely and untimely. For other grass does not wither before it has brought forth fruit, and it is plucked after it has given its fruit.

Vers. 7. *Wherewith the mower hath not filled his hand.* That is, which no one mows, because it has already perished beforehand.

and his bosom, he who gathers the sheaves. And again, he has not filled his bosom, as is wont to happen with timely and mature grass.

Vers. 8. And the passers-by have not said: The blessing of the Lord be upon you. And concerning which grass the travelers have not blessed, as is the custom for those reaping. By blessing, however, as we have said, he understands divine grace.

We have blessed you in the name of the Lord. These words also are spoken from the person of the passing travelers. He says, “We have blessed you,” instead of “We have prayed for a blessing for you,” in the name of the Lord, that is, in calling upon the Lord himself.

Song of Degrees. Psalm 129.

VERS. 1. Out of the depths I have cried unto thee, O Lord. The Prophet wrote this psalm, narrating the manner which he himself used to observe when, set in temptations and calamities, he prayed to God; and he teaches those who were to return from the Babylonian captivity to the fatherland to imitate him in like manner, and to hope in the Lord. “Out of the depth,” he says, “of my heart have I cried unto thee, and not from the tips of my lips.” For the one cry is most ardent, and the other most cold. And the one truly rises from the inmost heart with intensity and labor; the other rises from above, from the mouth, relaxed and with the greatest ease. The former draws the person praying entirely to God, while the other moves only the instruments of the voice. By “cry,” therefore, he understands a voice sent forth, not with this outward vehemence of breath, but with the inward intention of the heart’s disposition. ^B

VERS. 2. Lord, hear my voice. Sent forth, that is, from the depth.

Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. He mentioned “ears” for the power of hearing. “Attend,” he says, “to my prayers, as being reasonable and decently made, from a most ardent and most intent heart.” ^C

VERS. 3. If thou shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, Lord, who shall stand? If thou shouldst seek, and shouldst wish to diligently examine all faults, who, I ask, will be able to endure a probing of this kind by thee? Or: Who will be left unpunished? Certainly no one. For who, he says, will boast that he has a clean heart? Or who will be able truthfully to say that he is clean from sin? “All have sinned,” says Paul. And again, concerning himself: “I am conscious of nothing in myself, yet I am not hereby justified.” But that “Lord, Lord” is spoken in the manner of one admiring—one admiring, I say, the great mercy and goodness of God. ^D

VERS. 4. Because with thee there is propitiation. Truly, he says, with thee is that true propitiation and mercy: because, by sparing and remitting, thou dost always seek.

Because of thy name I have waited for thee, O Lord. Not on account of the works of my virtues, did I await thee as a savior;

sinner for I am also, as it has been said; but I hoped for this future thing for the sake of thy name, so that thy name might not be despised by the enemies, as if thou wert not able to save thy people. For he says also through Ezekiel: Not for your sake do I this, but for my name’s sake, that it might not be profaned among the nations. ^B

*My soul waited for thy word.* It expected, it hoped in that promise of thine which was made to the patriarchs and to our forefathers, that we shall inherit the land of promise; and that if we listen to thee, we shall eat the good things of the land. Or also that promise, that thou wilt save those who seek to please thee, and those who repent of their sins.

*My soul hoped in the Lord.* In the Lord alone, and not in anything else of all things.

*From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch let Israel hope in the Lord.* In him alone who is able to rescue and save. The ancients called the parts of the night "watches"; for the night-watchmen in the armies, dividing this into four parts, used to call the quarter of it, that is, the dawn watch, the "morning" watch, as it already signifies that the morning is near. The prophet therefore exhorts all Israel to hope in the Lord alone throughout their whole life; for by "day and night" he indicated the whole life, having begun from the morning watch and arrived until the night. Then again having reached back to the morning watch, he imitated the circular cycle of the day and night, coming to pass from morning to morning.

*For with the Lord is mercy.* Truly mercy, which is swift, and powerful, and unwavering, for those worthy of him. And great with him is redemption. For with him is a fountain of redemption, a sea of salvation. And he himself shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Meaning, of course, those who please him and live according to his laws. And this psalm is suited also to the new Israel.

*Song of Ascents.*

PSALM CXXX

*Lord, my heart was not exalted, nor were my eyes lifted up.* The blessed David wrote this psalm also for himself, describing what kind of moderation he had when, freed from temptations and calamities, he was living a quiet life. However, he also instructs the people who had returned from the Babylonian captivity to likewise be humble-minded, and not to trust in their own good works, but to hope in the Lord. "My heart was not exalted," he says, by the inflation of pride, nor were my eyes lifted up by the malady of arrogance. What then? Does the Prophet boast now? Yes; for when the time calls for it, there is need of boasting

^A of one's virtuous accomplishments; when the action is done not for show, but for the benefit of the hearers, leading them to imitation. And by saying, "My heart was not exalted," and adding, "Neither were my eyes lifted up," he shows that when the former is elevated, the latter are subsequently raised as well. "Neither have I walked in great things, nor in wonders above me." I have not walked, he says, with men greater and more admirable than myself. For I have not consorted with such men, deeming myself unworthy of their company; unless perhaps they compelled me against my will. Or, by "great and admirable" men, he perhaps understands those who seemed so to themselves; that is, those who were elated in spirit and proud. As if to say: Not only did I avoid the malady of pride, but I did not even live with those who suffered from it. ^B

VER. 2. "If I was not humbly minded, but exalted my soul, as one weaned from his mother, so will You recompense my soul." If, he says, I did not follow humble ways, but was lifted up in spirit, when I should have been humble and abject, and like an infant that has been weaned from its mother's breast, then so will You recompense me. Or, because the Greek expression signifies not only "so," but also "greatly," interpret it in another way: You will greatly recompense my soul. The Prophet also uses the future indicative here in place of the optative, as we often find such usages in Scripture. Or it may truly be "You will recompense," namely, the recompense of pride. Some, however, construct it thus: "If I was not humbly minded, as one weaned towards his mother," etc.

VER. 3. "Let Israel hope in the Lord, from now and unto the ages." Meaning, let them imitate me, who in calamities, in peace and quiet, and in every time whatsoever, hope in God. This psalm also befits the new people, Israel. Perhaps the blessed David ^C wrote both the present and the preceding psalm in the person of those among the returnees from the Babylonish captivity who were more pious and religious, recounting what prayers they sent up to God amidst their afflictions, and what moderation of spirit they possessed after being delivered from them; and this is for our benefit and instruction, we who have been liberated from a more grievous captivity to demons.

A Song of Degrees. PSALM CXXXI.

VER. 1. "Remember, O Lord, David, and all his meekness." The Prophet wrote this psalm also in the person of the aforementioned people, who were beseeching that the construction of the temple might arise, and who desired to obtain this, if not for their own sake, at least for the sake of that zeal which their progenitor, King David, is known to have had toward ^D God; inasmuch as, before the construction of the first temple, he diligently sought out a place suitable for such a temple. By "meekness," he means the patience which he showed towards Saul, and

^A regarding his affairs. Furthermore, he considers his attitude toward Shimei, who insulted him, and toward many others. He speaks only of his meekness, as though he had achieved this in a preeminent way, or as though his other virtues were manifested through this one. "Remember David, the most meek, who by his meekness was well-pleasing to Thee."

"How he swore to the Lord, he vowed to the God of Jacob." ^B Remember him, he says, how he promised to the Lord God with an oath the things that will be spoken of below.

"If I shall enter into the tabernacle of my house, if I shall go up into the bed of my couch, if I shall give sleep to my eyes, and slumber to my eyelids, and rest to my temples, until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob." See how, having once been seized with zeal for the ark being carried hither and thither, he promised by oath, saying: I will not do this or that until I find a place for the Lord worthy of Him, that is, a house, a place for a temple; and he did not rest until he found it, as the first book of Kings sets forth. The word "if," in this place, signifies "not," as we have often said elsewhere. The tabernacle and house of God is called that place where oracles and responses were given by God, where He also spoke to the righteous and those endowed with virtue, as we have said in our earlier comments. (For otherwise, God has no need of any habitation or house or tabernacle.)

^C "Lo, we heard of it in Ephratha." Because, he says, from our fathers or from the sacred books, we heard that it—the ark, of course—had been brought to the place called Ephratha. Ephratha is the same as Bethlehem, for we read elsewhere in Scripture: "Bethlehem, the house of Ephratha." Also, Jacob buried his wife, Rachel, in the hippodrome of Ephratha. This, he says, is Bethlehem, for the place was once called by the name of its first possessor.

"We found it in the fields of the wood." We found it—that is, we learned of it in the way mentioned above, from our elders, or from the divine books; we learned, I say, that it had sojourned in the fields of the wood, that is, being carried here and there, ^D because it did not have a set and designated place. They say these things, contending to demonstrate that the blessed David was necessarily seized with zeal for it, that he might find that place for which they themselves are now supplicating God.

"Let us go into His tabernacles, let us worship in the place where His feet have stood." These words are spoken in the person of the saints who were present to the people restored to their country from captivity. By these words, it is predicted how the temple

^A again. He called them "His tabernacles," or perhaps the temple itself, employing the plural number according to the custom of the Hebrews, as we have often said. Furthermore, he spoke of "God's tabernacles," and "God's feet," and "God having stood," in a human manner, so that he might condescend to the dullness of the hearers. For from there those awesome voices used to go forth, which declared whatever was obscure and ambiguous regarding the affairs of the Jews and foretold future events.

Verse 8. *Arise, O Lord, into thy rest.* This is: into thy temple and to its building, in which thou didst previously rest; that is, come to that temple and to the aid of that place, which was accustomed, if I may so speak, to provide thee with refreshment and rest.

*Thou and the ark of thy sanctification.* Arise, he says, thou together with the ark of thy sanctification. For it can, just as in the past, today also perform many wondrous things, on account of the divine grace that is within it. For it could deservedly be called a house of divine grace. He also called it the ark of sanctification, as being full of sanctification, and through which many things were said to be sanctified. For even all things that were stored within it were holy, and especially the Law, which sanctified all who approached it. Or, by "sanctification" he understands the temple itself, as sanctified to God, and which in Psalm lxxii ^B he called the sanctuary, saying: *They have set thy sanctuary on fire.*

Verse 9. *Thy priests shall be clothed with justice.* If this comes to pass, thy priests shall be clothed with the justice of divine worship as if with a garment. Or, they shall be clothed with all justice, that is, with every virtue, inasmuch as they are already worshipping God, and are increasingly to embrace the study of virtue itself day by day.

*And thy saints shall rejoice.* And the remaining men, he says, who have been sanctified and dedicated to thee, shall rejoice; that is, thy entire people shall be filled with joy. Or by "saints" he understands those who excelled in virtues above the rest. Then again they flee to the memory of blessed David, judging themselves unworthy, so that they might obtain grace from God. ^C

Verse 10. *For the sake of David thy servant, turn not away the face of thy Christ.* That is, do not reject him who, so that he might be prince over us, was anointed by thee as king. He said "thine," so that he might show divine benevolence toward him; or, the one anointed by thee through thy Law. Do not turn him away, as he is a suppliant with us for the erection of the temple, the city, and the kingdom, nor allow his prayers to be in vain.

Verse 11. *The Lord hath sworn truth unto David.* This is: he has made a stable and true promise.

*And he will not make it void.* Since he is truthful, or rather, since he is Truth itself. But hear what this promise was:

*Of the fruit of thy womb, I will set upon thy throne.*

^A This is, upon your throne and in the seat of your kingdom. Nor did He say only this, but also other things. And what are these? Listen.

VERS. 12. "If your sons will keep my covenant, and my testimonies which I will teach them, their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever." If your sons, he says, who reign by succession, will observe my law. For by "covenant" and "testimonies" he understands the law itself, just as he does often elsewhere, especially in Psalm 117, where we have also spoken on this. If they have observed, he says, the testimonies that I will teach them, if they have occupied the law, not only will they themselves reign, but their sons also shall obtain a perpetual succession of the kingdom. And these were indeed promised to them by God; but after they themselves did not observe the compacts, justly did they also fall from the promises. ^B These words may also be understood as spoken by them, in such a way that they might the more prevail upon God, recalling to Him the ancient promises, and begging Him, as it were, to fulfill them, or that they might mutually console one another and offer good hope to the people. Then they also add the following words, as if they were things that had once been spoken by God to the blessed David.

VERS. 13. "For the Lord has chosen Sion, he has chosen her for his habitation." Your sons, he says, shall sit upon your throne, because the Lord, who also promises these things—namely, I myself—has chosen Sion, in which is the seat of your kingdom.

VERS. 14. "This is my rest forever and ever." ^C This is, This is my habitation. "I will dwell here, for I have chosen it." These and the following verses they speak as if they were also promised to them.

VERS. 15. "I will blessing bless her provision." By "provision" he understands the supply of food and victuals. "Her," he says, "I will blessing bless," that is, I will grace her with plenty and abundance. "I will satisfy her poor with bread." This is, I will make them rich.

VERS. 16. "I will clothe her priests with salvation." This is, with security and good health. "And her holy ones shall rejoice with rejoicing." Who the holy ones of God are, has already been said often elsewhere. But regarding the fact that he says: "With rejoicing they shall rejoice," and "Blessing I will bless," and other things of this kind, some say this is an idiom of the Hebrew language; others say that Scripture uses such language for the sake of greater intensity and for a stronger confirmation of the sentiment. ^D

VERS. 17. "There will I make a horn to spring up for David." In Sion, clearly, in which I will make glory and loftiness spring up for him from the race of David, because he will be glorified by his descendants, and his lineage always reigned. "I have prepared a lamp for my Christ." For my Christ, this is, for my king, David. He said "my" in order to show his benevolence towards him, as we have said. Through the "lamp," however, he understands the glory of his descendants, which, like a lamp, demonstrates the splendor of his glory to all, and of such a race.

But all these things are promised to them on the condition that they keep the covenant of God, as it has been said.

^A VERS. 18. *His enemies I will clothe with confusion.* The enemies, namely, of David or of his race.

*Upon him, however, shall my sanctification flourish.* Upon him, that is, upon David, or upon his seed. "Upon him," however, that is, instead of "according to him," that is, according to his generation, in his kingdom. Some, however, say that the "horn" and the "lamp" refer to Zerubbabel, and they say that his enemies were put to confusion, and that in his reign the temple, which had long ago been defiled, destroyed, and (so to speak) fallen into decay, flourished anew. Others, again, say that the words, *For the Lord has chosen Sion*, and all that follows, contain a prophecy about those among the people of the Jews who were found worthy to attain the prophetic grace.

Since, however, we have already expounded the psalm according to the historical sense, it remains that we should also set forth whatever is treated in it concerning our Savior. *We will enter*, he says, *into his tabernacles, we will worship in the place where his feet have stood.* These words are spoken prophetically from the person of the faithful, who are consulting with one another as to what they ought to do. And by "tabernacles," they understand the places which are in Palestine, where Christ dwelt or conversed. By "the place where his feet have stood," understand either those same tabernacles and localities in which the Lord walked, or the very cross to which the feet of Christ were nailed, and which, in Psalm XCVIII, he called the footstool of his feet. From all parts of the world, indeed, men flock thither and enter into those holy places, and there they worship the Lord.

*Arise, O Lord, into thy rest, thou and the ark of thy sanctification;* that is, the tabernacle of thy divinity, namely, thy most sacred body. For just as that holy ark of God was constructed of incorruptible woods and, moreover, plated with the purest gold, so also the assumed humanity of Christ ^C was composed of his incorrupt body, and was (so to speak) deified by the very true and most holy divinity, by means of that ineffable union of the true God. *Thy priests*, he says, *shall be clothed with justice*, namely, the evangelical, or they shall be adorned with every kind of virtue; *and thy holy ones shall rejoice*, and whoever, together with the priests, shall be lovers of virtue, leading an angelic life, shall rejoice after their manner as well. *For the sake of David thy servant, do not turn away the face of thy Christ.* Even if for no other reason, yet at least for the sake of me, thy servant, I beseech thee, do not turn away the presence of thy Christ, who is about to appear to men through his incarnation; nay rather, I pray that he may appear quickly. The truth which was sworn to David himself, that his seed would sit upon the throne of his kingdom, pertains also to Christ himself. For this ^D signifies the true King of Israel, being from the seed of David according to the mother, who is descended from the race of David, but King according to the sense of legislating for his subjects, and ordering, and caring for, and dying for them—

which all represent the character and figure of a true king. "If," he says, "his sons shall keep my covenant," that is, clearly, the evangelical one, "and these testimonies of mine which I shall teach them," that is, you yourself preaching. For this speech is from the person of the Father to the only-begotten Son born from the seed of David, a speech, I say, about the apostles and disciples, whom Christ also called his sons in the Gospel, as being adopted by him through doctrine and faith. If therefore these sons of yours shall do these things which I declare, not they alone, but also their disciples in turn shall sit upon your throne, I mean the throne of the pastor and teacher. "For you shall set them," he says, "as princes over all the earth." Or, in the enjoyment and rest of his heavenly kingdom. Which promise, of course, will then at last be fulfilled, if they shall have kept the law, as it is said: "This is my rest for ever and ever." ^A The eternal rest of God is the Church of the faithful, in which God rests; for "the gates of hell," he says, "shall not prevail against it." By its hunting—or as the Greek expression signifies otherwise, by the "capture"—you will understand the net and dragnet of preaching, by which Christ hunts and catches those who swim in it, so to speak, in the brine of error. Or, that hunting and capture according to which the fishermen apostles caught not living fishes anymore to slay them, but ensnared those who were dead in sins, that they might give them life. By its poor ones, also understand those poor in spirit, whom Christ was to satisfy with the bread of heaven, that is, the celestial kingdom. Moreover, Christ will then at last clothe its priests with eternal salvation, if they have first been clothed with justice, as it was predicted before. Its saints also shall exult with exultation, after the departure, clearly, from this life; for then the priests shall be so clothed, as we have said, and the saints shall exult. In the Church he also made a horn to spring up for David himself, this is, for the glory and honor of the Davidic name to be celebrated and exalted, while ^B he is praised, clearly, and glorified by all, as the progenitor of Christ. Or, "he made to spring up" a strong and sublime horn of the kingdom for David himself, in Sion, striking, that is, and casting down all who oppose him. But this is the kingdom of Christ. Truly, the lamp which was prepared for Christ is that most holy flesh which was fashioned by God and was joined to the divinity; which was most shining due to the splendor of life (for it was indeed without sin), and because in it rested, like that seven-fold most shining lamp, the most shining power of the seven-fold Spirit. Or, by the lamp, understand the Gospel, through which all who were placed in darkness have been illuminated and led to the most clear virtue. "For the lamp," he says, "to my feet is thy word." Or even the Lord's Forerunner himself, of whom it is written: "He was a burning lamp." The enemies, however, are ^C the demons, and all the rest of the enemies of the truth, who also shall all be confounded together, but especially on the day of the resurrection of the whole flesh; and finally, upon him itself shall bloom its sanctification, the holy Church indeed, which sanctifies all who come to it, and which was to have Christ himself as a most blossoming crown for beauty and for ornament.

Song of Ascents. Psalm 132.

^A Ver. 1. *Ecce sane quid bonum, aut quid jucundum, quam habitare fratres in unum.* The blessed David, foreseeing the complete and full restoration of the captives, and how, being delivered from perturbations and miseries, they were going to rebuild the temple and the city and lead their lives under one leader, admonishes them not to be divided again, nor to be split into diverse and various parties as before, when the ten tribes had their own leader and the remaining two had another ruler; a situation which was very often the cause of their transgressions of the law, their contention, and their calamities. He admonishes them, therefore, to dwell as one and under the same prince, saying: "Behold, what is so good or so pleasant as for brothers to dwell in the same place, and with the same minds, in the greatest concord and consensus?" For many things are indeed good but not pleasant, and again, many are pleasant but not good; but the dwelling together and concord of brothers contains both of these good things within itself. For I think it is in doubt to no one that both these goods belong to brotherly consensus. Then he describes such a good by a certain similarity and example, saying:

Ver. 2. *Sicut unguentum in capite, quod descendit in barbam, barbam Aaron.* This which we have said is as good and pleasant as that legal ointment with which the priests used to be anointed, and which was accustomed to be poured over their heads. For just as an ointment of this kind is good, inasmuch as it is holy, and pleasant also, as being fragrant: so that common dwelling and concord of brothers is a supreme kind of good, as that which is commended both by nature itself and by divine law. And it is a pleasant good, for the reason that it is useful and convenient. And because the ointment used to descend from the head of the priests into the beard, he added: "Which descends into the beard," and then he expressed whose beard it was, saying: "Into the beard of Aaron himself." For he was the first of all the priests to be anointed with the ointment. Or, by Aaron, one understands any priest, as if all descended from him; and because this ointment used to descend further onto the hem of the priestly garment ^B, he added this too, saying: "Which descends onto the hem of his garment." Other interpreters rendered the "hem" or margin of the garment as the "mouth" of the garment; for it used to descend as far as that.

Ver. 3. *Sicut ros Ærmon, qui descendit in montes Sion.* Ærmon is a mountain adjacent to Lebanon, where a great quantity of snow is preserved, and from which vapors are generated that make the air of the mountains of Sion thicker and heavier, and produce no small amount of dew during the summer time: which we shall call good, as being necessary for the parched earth, and pleasant, for the reason that it is carried down onto the earth from above equably and with delight. Because, therefore, this dew has its cause and origin from Mount Ærmon, on that account he called it "dew of Ærmon." ^C

*Quoniam illic mandavit Dominus benedictionem.* There, that is, in common habitation, in concord, in brotherly love, and in charity, which is the sum of the virtues; ^D

blessing of virtues. Moreover, God’s blessing toward men is the same thing as divine grace, and the blessing from men toward God is divine praise, or thanksgiving. But blessing from men toward other men is called a human prayer to God, when indeed we pour out prayers to God on behalf of others.

"Life even unto the age." And again, He there commanded and sent long life even unto the appointed age, for the entire duration of the allotted life. For just as strife works death, so does peace work life, since those who are of one mind and peaceful neither kill one another, nor can they be harmed by enemies, because they are bound together and fortified. This psalm is also suitable for us Christians. ^B

Song of Ascents. Psalm 133.

^A Ver. 1. "Behold, now bless the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord." The Songs of the Ascents, or (as I have said) of the ascensions, reach their end in this psalm, which the Prophet willed to conclude with thanksgiving. For here he commands worthy thanks to be given to God, who had delivered the people from captivity, and had granted to them that, through so many hostile nations, they might return unharmed and safe to their homeland, and might rest from the constant wars of the neighboring nations; who had also allowed the city and the temple to be built up again, and had granted them to dwell and live in security now. From now on, he says, you, O servants and worshippers of God, give worthy thanks to God. But a servant of God is called he who worships Him and obeys His commandments.

^C "You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God." You, I say, bless God, you who diligently remain in the temple, who now enter the temple, which is perfected and has already recovered its own proper beauty and worship.

Ver. 2. "In the nights lift up your hands to the holy places, and bless the Lord." Do not, he says, waste the whole night in sleep, but in it lift your hands to the holy of holies, where, because of that divine grace which was there, God was said to dwell; and in the nights especially praise God, when the mind is more free from anxieties and cares, when you have greater leisure. And if He commands them to rise from their bed at night and go to the temple, what pardon will they ever obtain who do not rise to prayer at that time, not even at home? Then he prays for the people, saying:

Ver. 3. "May the Lord bless thee out of Sion, He who made heaven and earth." It has been spoken of regarding these words elsewhere also, namely in Psalm CXXVII. This psalm, moreover, can apply to all.

Alleluia.

Psalm CXXXIV

^D We have said previously that the psalms which have this inscription contain acts of thanksgiving.

^A VERSE 1. Praise the name of the Lord, praise, O ye servants, the Lord. We have spoken of these words in Psalm CI.

VERSE 2. Who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. These words are observed to the letter in the immediately preceding psalm, where we have explained them: but here the Prophet does not address the whole people, but those who frequented the temple. "You," he says, "who stand in the temple, praise God." For those who did not remain in the temple were not allowed to praise God, nor to pray to God in any other place, for the very reason that they might never forget the temple and that which was in the temple, the divine majesty.

VERSE 3. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good. Because he is merciful and most beneficent to all: but especially to those who praise him.

Sing ye to his name, for it is beautiful. It is beautiful to sing to him. For from psalms and canticles we learn the excellence of divine dogmas. Psalms and canticles also extend the minds of those who sing to God, calm human passions, delight the soul with song, and bring with that delight a utility as well. See what has been said in Psalm IX in that verse: I will sing to thy name, O Most High.

VERSE 4. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob for himself. Because the Lord chose the Israelite people for himself out of all nations, and laid them up for himself, as a people by whom alone he was to be worshiped. ^B

Israel for his own possession. He called the people of the Jews, descending from Jacob, by a double name. Jacob, that is, and Israel: just as the patriarch Jacob himself was also called by both these names. The same people, he says, God chose for himself as an inheritance and as a lot; and therefore he very often called that people a "peculiar" people, for the very reason that he loved it no differently and guarded it with as much zeal as one would certain not common riches, and a most precious possession.

VERSE 5. For I have known that the Lord is great. Behold how he adds another cause for divine praise, saying: For I have known more than you; or, because I know most exactly, that the Lord is great. I have known this, however, from divine grace, and because I have considered his works with much prudence. ^C

And our Lord is above all gods. This one is indeed; but those ones are not. And this one is truly Lord; but those ones are not truly gods. For even if these seem to be words of comparison, the Prophet does not, however, compare false gods to the true God, but speaks thus out of a certain dispensation on account of the dullness of the people: for he elsewhere calls him the God of gods, and now also he raises the auditor step by step, demonstrating that God himself is the worker of miraculous things, and further on he mocks and holds in contempt the gods of the gentiles; it has also been said in Psalm XCVI: Thou art exalted exceedingly above all gods; see there what we have said in the exposition. ^D

^A Ver. 6. *All things whatsoever he has willed, he has done in heaven and on earth.* These same words are found in Psalm CXIII, where it says: *But our God is in heaven and on earth; all things whatsoever he has willed, he has done.* *In the seas and in all the abysses.* He calls "seas" the various gulfs; for he called the collections of waters "seas," but "abysses" the places beneath the earth, which are unsearchable, in all of which he has done all that he willed. Then he praises certain works of God that are worthy of admiration, passing over the greater ones so that, by the lesser ones, he might show His greatness and that He is worthy of all praise.

^B Ver. 7. *Bringing up clouds from the end of the earth.* He who brings up clouds from the very lowest depth of the earth, and raises them so high, heavy though they be, and makes the downward-tending moisture to be carried aloft. *He has made lightnings for the rain.* That is, at the time of rain, or in the rain. He brought it about that things which by their nature destroy one another are carried along together and in unison without injury to one another, so that neither the lightning, which is by nature ignited, consumes the rainwater, nor does the latter, falling as a violent downpour, extinguish the former. *He who brings forth the winds from his treasuries.* By "His treasuries" the Prophet here understands those hidden places whence the winds emerge. For a treasury is said to be hidden because both its generation and its place are unknown. Furthermore, by the term "treasuries," not only money or other hidden goods are understood, but also the very places where treasures are accustomed to be stored. Or, *He who brings forth the winds as if from his treasuries*, that that word "as if" or "as" may be understood in addition, so that from these words the ease of their bringing forth is denoted, and the fact that God always has them in readiness when He wills. Moreover, this is most worthy of admiration, ^C that God sends forth now this wind, now that, and sometimes both at once; very often also several at one and the same time; very often also none at all; and all these things are according to need, and nothing is done without reason, they remaining meanwhile locked up as if in certain treasuries, and being brought forth from there with the greatest ease whenever it pleases God.

Ver. 8. *Who struck the firstborn of Egypt from man even to cattle.* We have spoken of this in Psalm LXXVII. See there, in the verse: *He made a path for his anger.* But in saying "even to cattle," he intended to increase the sense of the calamity.

^D Ver. 9. *He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh and upon all his servants.* It has been said of these there: *Who set his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanis*; and having mentioned the most grievous of all the plagues, he afterwards said collectively, "signs and wonders."

Ver. 10. *Who struck many nations.* Whether those who were barring the passage to the Jews, or those who were in Palestine. For he narrates everything in summary and in passing. *And slew mighty kings.* The leaders of those nations.

^A *Seon king of the Amorites and Og king of Basan.* Seon was indeed a king most renowned for wealth and the forces of his armies; but Og was proverbial in the mouths of all men, being conspicuous for the size and strength of his body. For they say that he used an iron bed nine cubits in length and five in breadth. *And all the kingdoms of Chanaan.* This refers to the province of Palestine, whose people—more particularly than the rest—were called Chananæans.

VERS. 12. *And gave their land for an inheritance, an inheritance to His people Israel.* Twice he says "inheritance," to denote the fruitfulness of that province, as if he were saying: "An inheritance, I say, and truly an inheritance."

VERS. 13. *Lord, Thy name is for ever, and Thy memorial unto generation and generation.* On this account, he says, Your name and your memory shall be perpetual unto the age and unto all generations, among those who have been endowed by you with such benefits.

VERS. 14. *For the Lord will judge His people.* He will judge him, that is, He will avenge him whenever he has been harmed by enemies; that is, He will render a just judgment for him. *And will be intreated in His servants.* That is, He will be inclined toward His servants who are praying and appeasing Him. Or, He will judge the people when they sin and will exact penalties from them, but when they repent, He will be intreated and will help them.

^C VERS. 15. *The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold, the works of the hands of men.* You have words of this kind also in Psalm 113. But with us, there are also the images of the saints, which are gold and silver and are the works of the hands of men; yet they are not idols, since, regarding idols, their primary forms and their primary representations are false: legends, that is, which possess no truth of the matter. For the Gentiles ascribe to themselves gods which are not gods, but demons spuriously arrogating divinity to themselves; whereas the images of our saints have their primary forms as true, and their primary representations are true, since according to the true history of things, they truly were what they are called, and everything handed down concerning their life and conversation is true. Hence, idols are images of the wicked and most depraved men or demons, but ours are images of the holy and most illustrious men.

VERS. 16, 17. *They have mouths, but they shall not speak, they have eyes and they shall not see, they have ears and they shall not hear.* ^D These words are likewise found there. *For there is no spirit in their mouth.* The Prophet provides the reason and teaches how all idols are devoid of perceptions. And he finds satisfaction in extending his discourse further in their accusation and reproach.

VERS. 18. *Let them that make them become like unto them, and everyone that tru-steth in them.* There, too, words of this kind are found.

VERS. 19, 20. *House of Israel, bless the Lord; house of Aaron, bless the Lord; house of Levi, bless the Lord: ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord.*

bless the Lord. In that place he also made such a division of things. And seek the explanation spoken of there; but although it is written there, "He hoped," here it says, "Bless," because of the benefits declared. And having mentioned Aaron, he retreated to the head of the tribe, making his discourse more universal and clearer. ^A *Blessed be the Lord out of Sion.* This is also said in the 127th Psalm. *Who dwelleth in Jerusalem.* In the temple of the city of Jerusalem. Alleluia.

PSALM CXXXV

This psalm, having many things in harmony with the one before it, has also been allotted a similar inscription. ^B

VERS. 1. *Confess to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy is forever.* Give thanks to him for similar benefits. We interpreted this verse in another way at the beginning of the 105th psalm; but here the Prophet added the words, *For his mercy is forever*, to all the following verses, that he might demonstrate a greater praise of this divine mercy, or even lead the reader into admiration and awe of the divine majesty.

VERS. 2. *Confess to the God of gods.* Namely, of those falsely so called; for although the demons are dishonored and have fallen away, they are nevertheless slaves and bow down by necessity. ^C

VERS. 3. *Confess to the Lord of lords.* I mean the lords of this age, who are lords only for a brief time and not perpetually; and therefore they are not truly lords, although they are so called: for Scripture says, "King of kings and Lord of lords."

VERS. 4. *To him who alone doth great wonders.* He said "alone" as a distinction from idols. For otherwise he understands him to be the Lord who is one God in three persons.

VERS. 5. *To him who made the heavens in understanding.* That is, in wisdom. By the things said, he attests to God's goodness, and mercy, and lordship over all things, and power, and wisdom. ^D

VERS. 6. *To him who established the earth above the waters.* It is also said in the 23rd Psalm: "He himself hath founded it upon the seas." Seek the explanation there.

VERS. 7-9. *To him who made great lights alone, for his mercy is forever. The sun to rule the day, for his mercy is forever. The moon and the stars to rule the night, for his mercy is forever.* And God made, he says, the two great lights: the great light to rule the day...

and also the lesser light to rule the night; and he set them in the firmament of heaven, so that they might shine upon the earth, and rule over the day and the night.

^A Ver. 11. To him who struck Egypt with their firstborn, for his mercy is forever. To him who afflicted Egypt.

Ver. 11, 12. And brought out Israel from the midst of them, for his mercy is forever, with a strong hand and a high arm, for his mercy is forever. Of them, that is, of the Egyptians. By "hand" and "arm" he signifies the divine power. For great was the power of those signs and wonders which were done in Egypt, and of the leading out of the people from there.

^B Ver. 13-15. To him who divided the Red Sea into parts, for his mercy is forever, and led Israel through the midst of it, for his mercy is forever, and shook off Pharaoh and his power into the Red Sea, for his mercy is forever. By "parts" he understands the sections of the waters. For he divided that sea into two parts, just as all these things are plainly taught in Exodus. By "shook off" he means the casting down and the drowning.

Ver. 16. To him who led his people through the desert, for his mercy is forever. And this is not a lesser miracle than leading them through the midst of the Red Sea; for many were the hardships that beset the people in the desert: famine, thirst, drought, the rays of the sun more burning than fire itself, the multitude of wild beasts, and ten thousand other such things, from all of which he led them through, unharmed and safe. ^C But the Prophet passes over many things in his discourse, which he thought could be gathered from the books of Moses.

Ver. 17-21. To him who struck great kings, for his mercy is forever, and killed strong kings, for his mercy is forever. Seon, king of the Amorites, for his mercy is forever. And Og, king of Basan, for his mercy is forever. And gave their land for an inheritance, for his mercy is forever. An inheritance to Israel his servant, for his mercy is forever. We have also had all these things in the previous psalm.

Ver. 22-24. Because in our humility he was mindful of us, O Lord, for his mercy is forever; and redeemed us from our enemies, for his mercy is forever. To us, that is, who were humiliated and afflicted. For, "Seeing," he says, "I saw the affliction of my people who are in Egypt." ^D By "us" he also meant us, our ancestors, claiming the things of the race as his own; then, leaving aside the benefits toward the Jews, he turns to the universal providence of God.

Ver. 25. Who gives food to all flesh, for his mercy is forever. Distributing what is necessary equally to every nature.

Ver. 26. Confess to the God of heaven, for his mercy is forever. To the Maker and Lord of heaven. But if he is the Lord of heaven, he is also entirely the Lord of earth. Or he said "God of heaven," as the place...

of being said to dwell. We can also adapt both the preceding psalm and the present one to ourselves, and exhort one another to give thanks to God, who in various ways once bestowed benefits upon His people, who struck down His enemies, and who did these various things. But if we proceed to a more mystical interpretation, we shall say that the prophet, by Jacob and Israel, understands the chosen new people; by Egypt, impiety and sin; by the signs and wonders that took place in the midst of Egypt, those miracles which were wrought through Christ and the apostles and the rest of the saints. Similarly, by Pharaoh and his servants, he understands the devil himself and all the worshippers of the demon; by the many nations and the strong kings, in the same way, the demons themselves, and those among them who have greater power over others; by the kings Sihon and Og, Satan himself and the one who immediately follows him as the chief among all the demons; by the kingdoms of Canaan, the tyrannies of the vices; by their land, which was given to the new Israel, you will say are signified those regions from which demons were expelled, although they once ruled over them; finally, by the house of Israel, the entire people of the faithful; by the house of Aaron, the priests themselves; by the house of Levi, the deacons and ministers; by those who fear the Lord, those who are endowed with a more radiant virtue; by Sion, the Church; by the firstborn of Egypt, the voluptuous affections of the mind, and the passions that are more pleasing to the demon than others; by the Red Sea, the bitter saltiness, so to speak, of the impious dogmas, in which the unfaithful, being held fast, are as it were suffocated in a depth of waters; by the desert, the fruitless sterility of errors, through which, however, the pious and faithful pass unharmed, and finally arrive at the fertile and rich truth; and by our humiliation, we must understand not only that which is brought about by afflictions and calamities, which is involuntary, but also that which consists in virtue, and is voluntary. ^{A B C}

A Psalm by David. Psalm CXXXVI.

This psalm is composed in the person of the Levite priests and singers who were captives in Babylon, yet in such a way that it foretells what was to come. It also teaches us to act in the same way in such calamities, and by this means to incite God to mercy. This psalm is without an inscription among the Hebrews. ^D

VERS. 1. *By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept, when we remembered Sion.* For when the Jews were captives in Babylon, they lived outside the walls of the city; and therefore, frequently walking along the banks of the rivers, they lamented privately among themselves in silence. But it happened by divine counsel that after the Jews had lost those good things which they held in their hands, against their will

they were brought to a realization of those benefits by their loss. ^A

VERS. 2. *In the willows in the midst thereof we hanged up our instruments.* In the willows, that is, which were disposed in the midst of that region, along the banks of the rivers. By "instruments," he understands those musical contrivances with which they were accustomed to sing canticles, such as the psaltery, the cithara, and other things of this kind. For they had brought these instruments to sing together the divine praises, but when they had hung them upon the willows, they looked upon them again, stunned and sad, and took from thence a great occasion for lamentations, calling back to memory the divine worship and that conversation worthy of praise which they had had in Sion. According to the anagoge, interpret "in the willows" as "in idleness." For by the willows, which are unfruitful trees, he signified a cessation from songs.

VERS. 3. *For there they that led us captives asked of us the words of a song, and those that carried us away, a hymn.* They asked us to answer with the words of songs, and furthermore with a hymn; that is, they ordered us to sing, desiring, of course, to be delighted by our singing, or even wishing to mock the things which we considered divine and venerable. ^B *Sing us one of the songs of Sion.* They were saying, that is to say.

VERS. 4. *How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?* We answered, that is to say: How, I say, shall we sing, when the divine law prohibits it? See how the captivity had already rendered them better. For whereas they had transgressed the law in their own city and region, now in a strange land they keep it. By "a strange land," moreover, can be understood any human heart whatsoever that is alien to the worship and religion of God. And consonant with this saying are those words of the Lord: *Give not that which is holy to dogs; neither cast ye your pearls before swine.* ^C

VERS. 5. *If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten.* This is, my power or my efficacy. Let me be rendered paralytic, he says, or let my hand wither, so that no feeling remains in it anymore.

VERS. 6. *Let my tongue cleave to my jaws, if I do not remember thee.* Let my voice be restrained, and let it be impeded; or let all power of operation and speech be taken from me. For he signified the one by the right hand, and the other by the tongue. These things must also be said by us regarding the Jerusalem above. ^D Or by "right hand," he understands the works of virtue; but by "tongue," the contemplation of knowledge. For the tongue is a symbol of speech, and speech is of theory and knowledge; but the "jaws" signify the passion pertaining to the throat, that is, the pleasure of food. Let all my power of operating be given to oblivion, he says, and this through sloth itself. And likewise, let all the virtue of contemplation cleave to the pleasure of foods, so that it becomes thenceforth immobile toward the delight of divine knowledge, and is no longer occupied therein.

^A If I do not set Jerusalem before me at the beginning of my joy. This, he says, and that, would I suffer, if before all other things I do not set in my memory Jerusalem, as being at the beginning of whatever joy I have, as the crown of my happiness, as the first pleasure.

Memento, O Lord, of the children of Edom, on the day of Jerusalem, of those who say, "Raze it, raze it, even to its foundations." By the children of Edom he means the Arabs, who fought together with the Babylonians against Jerusalem; and as it was being razed, they urged the destroyers to tear down even its very foundations. Remember, he says, them, for the sake of retribution, because they, being of our own kin, became more bitter than the enemies, out of envy. Having said, "Of the children of Edom," he added, "of the day of Jerusalem," that is, the day of the calamity of Jerusalem; he passed indifferently from the genitive case to the accusative. "The day of the children of Edom" refers to those who were present at the calamity of the city. ^B Or alternatively: "Remember the children of Edom, who were there on the day of the calamity of Jerusalem." Both senses can be elicited from these words, because in the Greek phrasing, the word "on the day of" can be understood in the accusative case. Thus it is often understood, and the sense is produced as we have said: "on the day of Jerusalem," that is, in the day of the calamity of Jerusalem.

Verse 8. Miserable daughter of Babylon.

"Blessed is he who shall repay you your retribution, which you paid back to us." These are words of the people who vehemently desire the destruction of their enemies. By "the retribution which you have paid back to us," he means instead of "the retribution," or the calamity which you have inflicted upon us, with the preposition being redundant in this place, as we have said elsewhere.

Verse 9. Blessed is he who shall take and dash your little ones against the rock.

consequence. (For the rock, he says, was Christ.) Whoever, therefore, dashes those [enemies] against Christ, as we have said, and by this means destroys them, shall be blessed.

A Psalm by David. Psalm CXXXVII

^A Ver. 1. I will confess to thee, O Lord, with my whole heart. These same words are found in the beginning of the ninth psalm, where they have been explained.

And in the sight of the angels I will sing to thee. In the presence of the angels, he says, I will sing to thee; that is, I, being below on earth, will sing to thee together with the angels, whose proper and peculiar work it is to praise thee. Or, by "angels" he understands the priests; for Scripture is accustomed sometimes to call priests angels, and even gods. For it says: *The lips of the priest shall keep judgment, and they shall seek the law at his mouth, because he is the angel of the Lord Almighty.* And elsewhere: *Thou shalt not speak ill of the gods, and the prince of thy people thou shalt not curse.* In the presence, he says, of the priests, I will sing hymns of thanksgiving to thee.

Because thou hast heard all the words of my mouth. Because thou hast heard all my petitions which were fittingly made to thee.

^B Ver. 2. I will worship towards thy holy temple. I will render to thee thanksgivings.

I will confess to thy name, because of thy mercy and thy truth. And I will give thanks to thee, because thou hast had mercy on me; and thou hast truly had mercy, as we have said elsewhere: or because thou hast truly fulfilled all things which thou didst promise me.

Because thou hast magnified thy holy name above all. Because thou hast made thy holy name wondrous in every work, or in every time. For there is to be understood some word of this kind. For all things whatsoever thou hast made proclaim the magnificence of thy name. But another interpreter rendered it: *Because thou hast magnified above all.* ^C

Ver. 3. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily. These same words are found in the 108th psalm, where it can be understood so that the order and the sense might be: *Because thou hast magnified...*

Thou wilt magnify [make much of] me in my soul by thy power. This is: thou wilt have no mediocre regard for my soul; but rather, it will be of great concern to thee, especially since thou art able to do this. Or otherwise: Thou, he says, by thy power shalt extol my soul, that is, thou wilt exalt it, and make it overcome all calamities and adversities. (The word, indeed, *magnipendes* [thou wilt magnify/make much of], for which in the Greek it is used here, implies the same thing as having regard for, or magnifying: just as the Greek verb, likewise implies what signifies *parvipendo* [making light of] or neglecting, as we said at the end of the eleventh psalm, there: *According to thy height thou hast magnified the sons of men.*)

Ver. 4. May all the kings of the earth confess to thee, O Lord. All, that is to say, the pious and the faithful. Then he added the cause, on account of which he bids them give thanks.

Because they have heard all the words of my mouth. The words, he says, of my mouth delivered through the law, through the prophets, those through

the Gospel and the apostles. For they ought not to give thanks for other benefits from God as much as for this one, for piety and a virtuous life flow from hence; and this is the true benefit to the soul. ^A

And let them sing in the songs of the Lord. Let them sing to Thee, through the songs which have been composed for Thee; for the songs of the Lord are those composed by Moses, and those by David. Or songs might simply be the hymns of God.

For great is the glory of the Lord. The opinion held concerning God is great; all who have perceived His benefits hold Him to be great. Or, Great is His glory: for, he says, the heaven and the earth are full of His glory, ^B both angels and men glorifying Him.

Psalmus CXXXVII

VERS. 6. For the Lord is high, and looks upon the lowly. This is similar to the words: "Who dwells in the high places, and looks upon the lowly," in the hundred and twelfth psalm. Or, He is high by nature, yet He looks upon the lowly, as one who takes providence for the earth, and extends His providence even to the most humble things. Or, He looks upon and guards the humble of heart.

And He knows the high things from afar. For God does not endure even to see the humble actions, unworthy of His loftiness, when they are near; as it is said in the person of God to the impious: "I know you not." But the high things, and those worthy of Him, He knows even from afar; for, he says, "The Lord knows the way of the just." ^C This is an emphatic expression of His great approval of these things. Or the discourse is concerning foreknowledge, that He knows them from afar and even before they come to pass.

VERS. 7. If I walk in the midst of tribulation, Thou will quicken me. Me, he says, who fall into temptations, Thou wilt save; me, who am beset by dangers, Thou will restore to life.

Upon the anger of my enemies Thou hast stretched forth Thy hands. Thou hast stretched forth Thy hands against their fury and madness, and by this means Thou hast extinguished it.

And Thy right hand saved me. Thy power. ^D

VERS. 8. The Lord will recompense for me. For my enemies, that is; for, He says, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay."

O Lord, Thy mercy is forever. Similar to these are the words: "For His mercy is forever," which have been spoken many times.

The works of Thy hands do not despise. For Thou art merciful, he says, and Thou art the Creator; therefore, for both reasons...

... and look upon us favorably and with care, and do not overlook us, oppressed by tyranny and on the point of perishing. Or: Do not overlook us as we entreat and call upon you.

Psalm to David. PSALM CXXXVIII.

VERS. 1. *O Lord, you have tested me and you have known me.* You have tested me, he says, by the trial of temptations and calamities. Yet the blessed David does not say this as though God were ignorant of him before this testing. For God knows all things, even before they come to pass. But "you have tested me," he says, so that I might be known as approved by those who were ignorant that I was approved, and so that I might exist to them as an example of fortitude: and "you have known me" most exactly, what kind of person I am. Or "you have tested" and "you have known" [is used] for "you know diligently." For the Apostle also, saying that God searches the hearts, did not mean to signify that God was ignorant at any time before he searched, but that He knows all things most exactly and clearly.

VERS. 2. *You have known my sitting down and my rising up.* This is to say, my entire life. For human life ^B consists in these, namely in rest and in motion, in leisure and in business, in repose and in operation.

VERS. 3. *You have understood my thoughts from afar.* Lest anyone perhaps suspect that God knows the minds of men through experience and testing, he corrects his statement. For he who knows human thoughts before their movement—nay, indeed, he who foresaw them a long time before—is surely not to be thought in need of experience or testing.

*You have investigated my path and my measuring line.* You have scrutinized the entire manner of my life and its measure, that is, how much time of life has passed and how much remains. Now, a "funiculus" (measuring line) among the Egyptians and Persians is a measure of a journey, and it is almost the same as what is called a "stadium" among us. The words "tested" and "investigated," when applied to God, denote true and certain knowledge and cognition.

VERS. 4. *And you have foreseen all my ways.* All my actions, the good and the evil. He did not say, "You have seen," but "You have foreseen," before, that is, they came to be.

*That there is no deceit in my tongue.* You know this also, along with all the other things, that there is no vice in my speech, no perversity, no crime. Afterward he speaks more universally:

VERS. 5. *Behold, O Lord, you have known all things, the latest and the ancient.* The last and the first, that is, absolutely everything: and nothing escapes your knowledge. You know all things that are to come and that have been.

*You have formed me, and you have placed your hand upon me.* Not only did you form me, but you also preserve and protect me, so that the one part pertains to creation, while the other to providence. ^{C D}

^A "Your knowledge has become too wonderful for me." Your knowledge, he says, has been magnified over me—for so another interpreter has rendered it—it has become beyond my comprehension. And what he signifies by the following verse, saying: ^B "It is strengthened, I shall not be able to attain it." It has become stronger than to be grasped by my thoughts; I shall not have the strength for it, so as to seize it. By "knowledge" he means that which concerns nature; for we know that he exists, but we are ignorant as to what he is in his essence. Moreover, we know that he is everywhere, but we do not know how. And that he is good, and benevolent, and wise, and prudent, and such things, we know, but the extent of these we do not know. To this also agrees Ecclesiastes, saying: "I said, I will be wise, and it was far from me; deeper than it was, and the deep, deep, who shall find it?" And Paul also says: "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God; how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" Some, however, have understood it thus: "Your wisdom has been made wonderful by my formation, it has been strengthened by my construction, so that I shall not be able to attain to it, so as to praise it worthily." But if you do not know it accurately, how do you admire it? For this very reason, by all means, because it is incomprehensible. For we are unable to understand the sun's ray, and for that very reason we admire it most. Then he also admires another power of God: that he is everywhere present by his power and providence, and fills every place.

^B "Where shall I go from your Spirit? And where shall I flee from your face? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there; if I descend into Hades, you are present." By "Spirit and face of God," he speaks of God himself by periphrasis, or by "Spirit" he means the Holy Spirit, and by "face" the Son himself, as the image of the Father and the character of his substance; for He who has seen me, He says, has seen the Father. By "heaven," he has indicated the higher place, and by "Hades," the lowest. Then he also mentions "the abyss" and "the bottom of the sea," by all of which he has included every place inaccessible to men.

^D "If I should take my wings in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." "His wings" is the motive power of the mind. If with the wings of my mind, he says, I should arrive at the abyss of the sea, so that even there I might be able to be hidden from you, there your power shall lead me, and again it shall hold me; that is to say, not even there shall I depart without it, but it will go before me, providing...

for me and receiving me, and at the west it will hold me. ^A

VERS. 11. And I said, Shall darkness trample upon me? and the night be light in my delight. I reasoned within myself, if I should enter into darkness, could I be hidden so as to be concealed by it? For this is what the words signify: Shall darkness trample upon me? which is stated metaphorically. For those who trample upon the ground with their feet appear in a way to cover and hide what is beneath them. Then I understood that even the night itself is clear in God, for the Prophet named this God his delight, whose memory alone he considers his greatest pleasure. For, he says, ^B I remembered God and I was delighted. I knew, therefore, that not even the darkness itself could hide me from God.

VERS. 12. Because darkness shall not be darkened from you. "From you," he said, as if to say "with you," just as another interpreter also rendered it. For what with us is darkness, with you is not darkness; for to you all things are luminous. Then he makes it clearer, saying: And night as day shall be illuminated. With you, that is to say. As its darkness, so its light. As the darkness of the night is luminous with you, so also is the light of the day; that is, both are equal with you, and equally bright. These things are spoken concerning the fact that all things are manifest before God. ^C But these words are also understood according to another sense: Fenced in by the darkness of temptations and afflictions, I said to myself, "Shall they master me?" Then, as you willed it, that night of blackness became an illumination of joy for me. The remaining words should also be interpreted in harmony with what has been said. Gregory the Theologian, however, explained this saying differently: "Me," he says, "as I was free from delights, that night of delights, which darkens the mind, appeared to me to be a sort of illumination; for night was, he says, all around me in my wretchedness, and I knew it not. For I fancied that delights were light."

VERS. 13. For you have possessed all my reins. By his "reins," the Prophet, in Chrysostom’s opinion, ^D signifies his entire self, describing the whole by a part; for "you have possessed me," he says, is for "you have made me your possession": worthy, of course, of your providence. For whoever possesses something, also has care for it. You have upheld me from my mother’s womb. In the seventieth Psalm he also said: From my mother’s womb you have been my

^A protector, from the very swaddling clothes, and from my first and tender age.

VERS. 14. *I will praise you, for you are fearfully magnified.* We are often wont to admire many things, but without any fear—for instance, the beauty and magnitude of bodies, of buildings, and the skill of the arts, and other things of this kind. But if we gaze into the depth of the sea, we do not simply admire it, but [do so] with fear. Therefore, the Prophet, having gazed into the vast ocean and the infinite abyss of the power, wisdom, and administration of God, and having become dizzy, and having admired with fear, recoiled into himself and cried out, saying: *I will give thanks to you alone.*

*Your works are wonderful.* For all things, he says, you have made in wisdom.

*And my soul knows it right well.* It knows that these things are to be admired.

VERS. 15. *My bone was not hidden from you, which you made in secret.* The formation, or creation, of my bones is known and manifest to you. For you made them to lie hidden and to be covered by the very flesh. Or otherwise: *Bone*, that is, the woman herself, was not hidden when she ate from the tree. For Eve is called the bone of her husband Adam, because she was fashioned from his rib, which you made in secret, having cast an ecstasy upon Adam. And in this way it is said that God made it in secret, according to that word: *This is now bone of my bones*, since he sent an ecstasy upon Adam at that time.

*And my substance in the lower parts of the earth.* The substance of my body is also manifest to you, which after death is hidden and dissolved in the depths of the earth; that is, you saw my being knit together in the womb of my mother, and you will see it dissolved again in the womb of the earth. Or otherwise: The fact of my ^C subsistence and my formation is known to you, which was woven in the bowels of the maternal womb, as in the lower parts of the earth.

VERS. 16. *Your eyes saw my imperfect being.* He refers either to the unformed embryo, which in the workshop of nature had not yet received any figure, or to the imperfect motion of the mind. You know, he says, me before I was formed, and my thoughts before they were moved; that is, you know all things before they come to pass. Whence another interpreter rendered it: *Your eyes saw my unformed being.*

*And in your book all shall be written.* The book of God is his total knowledge; the writing is his perpetual memory. Therefore, in the book of divine knowledge all are written, as well the just as the sinners. Yet this book of divine knowledge is more universal. For there is another book of God's knowledge that is more private, in which only the just are written: for the reason that He is said to know, that is, to approve, only them; according to that which is written: *The Lord knows the way of the just.*

*Days shall be formed, and no one [shall be] in them.* They shall be formed in the light of the holy Spirit, with a formation that is assuredly best and most clean, which is contrary to the material and, if I may so speak, the nocturnal formation; and in them, who are written in that book, as we have said, no one

^A of those days shall fail, for a perfect formation.

We, then, have interpreted the text as well as we could, taking our starting point from Gregory the Theologian. But Chrysostom confesses the difficulty and obscurity of this verse, and introduces only the thought of another interpreter: "My unformed substance thine eyes did see; and they saw it as those who are written in thy book, who were formed in season, and lacked not a day for the completion of their formation."

VERS. 17. *But to me thy friends have become very honorable, O God.* The friends of God are whosoever, through virtue, obtain his familiarity and benevolence. "For you," he says, "are my friends." It is, therefore, no small part of virtue to honor the friends of God.

*Thy principalities have been very strong.* Another interpreter said "their heads," that is, the friends of God themselves. For they have become strong, he says, in virtue, so as not to be overcome by vices. Or, by "principalities," understand the power and authority that each of them has obtained against unclean spirits. And it seems to me that he signifies as much the apostles as their successors, and all other ^B faithful, if any be endowed with virtue like unto them.

VERS. 18. *I will reckon them, and they shall be multiplied above the sand.* The Prophet uses the figure of hyperbole. I shall attempt, he says, to reckon them, and they will be of such immense multitude that they are found to be beyond number. This is a certain mode of expression. But with God, not only they themselves shall be numbered, but even all the hairs of their head.

*I have risen, and I am still with thee.* I have been raised up from calamities, and yet I have not forgotten thee, as many do when they are in good fortune.

VERS. 19. *If thou shalt slay the wicked, O God.* One must understand: "It is well." By "wicked," however, he understands the very demons and all men who are transgressors of the law. Demons are said to be slain when their ^C power is rendered ineffectual and invalid. But wicked men are slain when, their vices being put to death, they themselves have been converted to virtue. Or, the Prophet desires that the body be killed in the case of those wicked men whose wounds of sin are incurable; and this, so that they may not be an obstruction to others in the pursuits of virtue.

*Ye men of blood, depart from me.* That is, the bloodthirsty, the killers, they who slay whomsoever you may overcome; all these are of the devil, destroying others partly by their deeds and partly by their speech. Furthermore, it is no small virtue to avoid the company of the wicked.

VERS. 20. *Because ye are contentious in your discourses.* Because you are litigious, he says, in words or in your perverse consultations, as another interpreter provided.

*They shall take their cities in vanity.* ^D That is, they shall inhabit their own cities in vain and to no purpose. For the Lord's,

^A in saying, is the earth. Such men shall remain unfruitful and sterile toward virtue.

VERS. 21, 22. *Did I not hate those who hate thee, O Lord, and pine away at thy enemies? I have hated them with a perfect hatred; they have become enemies to me.* Since he said above, *But to me, O God, thy friends have been greatly honored*; here he says, *Did I not hate those who hate thee, O Lord?* And there, he indicated the greatness of the honor by saying, *greatly*; here, likewise wishing to express the highest hatred, he says, *I pined away*, which is to say, I was, as it were, effervescing with the greatest indignation against them, and was consumed.

VERS. 23, 24. *Prove me, O God, and know my heart.* Yet at the beginning of the psalm he said, *O Lord, thou hast proved me and known me.* But he desires to be proved and known even further, ^B for the greater assurance of those who do not know him. *Examine me, and know my paths, and see if there is any way of iniquity in me, and lead me in the way eternal.* He repeats the same sentiment, either because of those who had done him injury, confirming that he had done them no injustice, or even desiring to be proved further, so that if he were reproved as not having such a soul or mind, he might be corrected again, and guided.

*A Psalm for David. PSALM CXXXIX.*

VERS. 2. *Eripe me, Domine, ab homine maligno.* That is, the wicked man. For wickedness is called "malign" because it produces evils and afflictions for its possessor. ^C (Eripe me, he says, not from demons, not from wild beasts, or dragons, but from the malign man. For malign men are worse than all these. For we read of many wild beasts that have venerated holy men, to whom on the contrary malign men have brought countless evils. Moreover, wild beasts exercise their malice openly and publicly, and, if I may so speak, guilelessly; but men do it secretly, and in hiding, and by craft. Demons are driven away by the holy sign of the cross, and as often as they are rebuked by holy men, they withdraw; but the malign man opposes even God Himself. For when God commands that even enemies be loved, he, on the contrary, hates not only his enemies, but even his own benefactors. Even blessed Paul expelled demons with a single word; but he could not overcome the malignity of Alexander the coppersmith.) After this, he declares whom he calls malign.

*A viro injusto eripe me.* A transgressor of the law. ^D The Prophet calls upon God for aid, because it is most difficult to guard against such men. See in Psalm 42 the exposition of that verse: *Deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man.* And since in the preceding psalm he said: *Men of blood, depart from me*; likewise in Psalm 90, *Depart from me, all you who work iniquity*; and after having turned away and fled from them of his own accord, he now also calls upon God as his helper; for it is necessary for everyone to contribute his own effort first, and then to call upon God. For God does not cooperate with you if you are not eager, nor will you succeed through your own eagerness unless He assists you.

^A *Ver. 3. Who have thought out injustice in their heart.* Such men, he says, have meditated upon things that are unjust, lawless, and harmful. *All the day have they been preparing wars.* In their whole life they have been preparing for war, now against these, now against those; for their inveterate vice would not allow them to rest, but rather persuaded them to fight now secretly and now openly. By "wars," however, are understood both deceit and treachery, and whatever other kind of offense can be committed in thought, word, or deed.

*Ver. 4. They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent.* They have whetted it, so that it might inject the destructive thing, which is harmful speech. *The venom of asps is under their lips.* That is, on their tongue, in their mouth, a deadly word, like the venom of an asp, in terms of its ability to harm and its efficacy for destruction. Do you see how vice has changed these men into such ferocity? Even if their nature, as far as can be seen by bodily eyes, does not appear changed, their purpose has been changed, their mind has been changed: which has resulted in their being brought to cruelty and inhumanity.

^B *Ver. 5. Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the sinner, and snatch me away from unjust men.* He repeats what was said above, intensifying his prayer. For a "sinner" and an "unjust man" is anyone at all who commits sin and harms himself or another; for one who sins in any way always harms himself, but not always another. And just as Scripture often refers to virtue in general as "justice," so too does it frequently use "injustice" to stand for every vice. *Who have thought to supplant my steps.* They have devised to place an impediment in the way of my journey and my conduct, which I regulate according to the law.

*Ver. 6. The proud have hidden a snare for me.* A "proud" man is any transgressor of the law, as one who despises the law, as we have often said; and a transgressor of the law is anyone who sins. *And with cords they have spread a snare for my feet.* With many-layered and clandestine traps, and with snares, they have stretched out traps for me. *They have set scandals for me near the path.* That is, in those places which were contiguous to the path itself, or near the way. They did this so that, while I was walking there incautiously, I might fall into those scandals. By "scandal," however, he understands a stumbling block. The Prophet also narrates and expands his discourse concerning their treachery; ^D for they have hidden, he says, their snares, and have stretched them out even near the path, by which expression he intended to denote both their depraved efforts and their crimes.

*Ver. 7. I said to the Lord: You are my God.* Existing in such dangers, and already expecting to be caught, I have omitted all other aids, and I have called upon God alone, saying: "You are my God; do not despise Your creature."

^A "Give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication." As I pray to be delivered.

"O Lord, O Lord, the power of my salvation, You have overshadowed my head in the day of battle." O Lord, O Lord, who are that power by which I am saved, You have protected me in the day of battle, and have kept me; You have made me secure, while preserving me not only from the shaft and the sword, intact, but even from the annoyance of the solar heat. He counts up the benefits he has received, as one mindful of them and a man of a grateful mind: following, of course, the design that he might subsequently draw God more and more to his assistance.

"Do not deliver me up to the sinner, because of my desire." Do not permit me, on account of my wicked desire, to fall under the power of the demon. For it is likely that I might sometimes desire what is evil; but may I not on this account be condemned, may I not on this account be cast away. By "the sinner," however, he means the transgressor of the law. "They have imagined against me; do not forsake me." "The sinners have meditated against me." "Lest they should be exalted." Lest they should become more arrogant and more daring, puffed up by their victory over me. ^B

"The head of their circuit, the labor of their lips shall cover them." By "circuit" he means the drag-net, or the snare, that is to say, their conspiracies. The head, he says, of their conspiracy—that in which they especially trust—that very thing shall cover them and destroy them. The same thing he also called the "labor of their lips," as they labored in meditating upon it, and found it with toil. By that through which they hope to overthrow, by that they shall be overthrown. "The labor of their lips," he says, means their wicked meditation, their base counsel; such is wickedness: to the one who possesses it, it becomes destruction.

"Coals shall fall upon them in fire." Not simply coals, but "in fire," that is, holding much fire, and greatly inflamed. By coals, understand the punishment from above, punishing like burning coals of fire; the prophet predicts these things against such men; and upon many, fire sent from God has been brought down. ^C

"You will cast them down in miseries, and they shall not stand." In afflictions which render them miserable; and they shall not sustain the miseries at all, but from the first assault they shall be cast down, because of their intensity.

"A man full of tongue shall not be directed on the earth." A man full of tongue, incontinent, garrulous, babbling, rash, or contentious, shall not prosper, but shall be overturned and brought down.

"Evil shall hunt the unjust man to destruction." And another wise man said: "Iniquities shall hunt a man ^D

^A to destruction."

Commentary

"I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the justice of the poor." Although the retribution of those who are oppressed and downtrodden—for these is whom he now calls the afflicted and the poor—is often delayed by the Lord, nevertheless I know well that either in the present life or in the life to come, the Lord will maintain their cause and their justice; both terms signify retribution. He said this both to console those who are wronged and at the same time to strike terror into those who do the wrong, and to make them more temperate.

"But the just shall give glory to thy name." But, he says, even though retribution is delayed, the just shall not be offended; rather, they shall give thanks, knowing that you do all things with reason and for our benefit.

"And the upright shall dwell with thy countenance." By "upright" he again understands the just, who, he says, shall dwell with thee: that is, with the memory of thee, being always present with it and never departing from it. Or by "upright" he indicates the apostles; and by the "countenance of God," Christ, as being the character of his substance. For "I will," he says, "that where I am, they also may be with me." There could be another distinction: the "just," as those who work at virtue through action, and the "upright," as those who work through contemplation; or the "just," as those who simply embrace virtue, and "upright," as those who do so with judgment and reason. And since this psalm treats of the future judgment, and also of Christ and the apostles, therefore some have placed upon it the inscription: "Unto the end, a psalm of David." ^B A psalm of David.

Psalm CXL

"O Lord, I have cried to thee, hear me." I have cried, he says, with the cry of a burning and most ardent heart. By this cry, even when Moses was silent, he was heard by God, and Anna, though she said nothing; yet not by the cry of the mouth, by which the Jews—multiplying their petitions and prayers—were not heard, but by the cry of the soul. For just as he who cries with his mouth strains his whole body, so also he who cries with his heart turns his whole soul and mind, and becomes worthy of being heard. ^C

"Attend to the voice of my prayer, when I cry to thee." When I cry, he says, as has been said, as if God would not attend to the voice of his supplication if he did not cry out in such a way.

"Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight; the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice." Two altars were formerly in the temple: the one golden, within the inner sanctuary in the Holy of holies; the other of brass, placed outside. And the ^D former turns the mind to God; and in this way

^B incense was burned upon it; but the brazen one was used for other sacrifices. Now the incense was prepared with great expense and purity, according to the instruction of the law, and it was acceptable to God, being burned both for these reasons and because it was most fragrant, and was a prefiguration of the new worship. "Let my prayer," he says, "be set forth as incense," which is lawfully burned—or rather, being burned, when the heart is kindled within me, as if by burning coals, with zeal, and sends it forth; but so much for the matter of the incense. It had been ordained for the priests that when no one else offered a sacrifice, they should offer two each day on their own behalf: one lamb in the morning, and one in the evening. And these sacrifices were pure and acceptable, since the others were often defiled by the disposition of those who offered them. However, that evening sacrifice of this kind was more honorable and acceptable than the morning one. For the former looked toward the latter; but this evening sacrifice completed the priestly work of the day, and perfected the ministry. "Let it be set forth," he says again, "the lifting up of my hands, as an evening sacrifice": [meaning] that the praying mouth should be pure from evil words, or rather that the praying heart should be pure from wicked thoughts, and that the hands raised up [to God] should be pure from covetousness and rapine and every unlawful deed.

"Set, O Lord, a watch before my mouth." ^C The Prophet, knowing that the mouth is a great cause of evils if neglected, just as it is [a cause] of good things if care is taken of it (for the facility of the tongue brings forth innumerable evils), and knowing that just as there is no benefit in a house or a city, or in gates and walls, if there are no guardians who know when it is good to open and when to close, and that in this matter there is need of much care, and much more of help from above: knowing, I say, all these things, he pours forth prayers from his inmost heart and invokes the help of God. By the "watch of the mouth," understand the governance of the mind, which ought to observe and know what things should be brought forth, and what things should be held back within. For not so many, he says, have fallen by the sword as have fallen by the tongue. "And a door of containment around my lips." A door of watchfulness, guarding the mouth; this means the same thing as the previous verse.

"Do not incline my heart to words of malice." Do not permit my heart to be turned toward indecent thoughts. For if my mouth is fortified with a guard

this follows, and is easy to achieve. ^A *To conjure up excuses in sins.* So that I might not only turn away from these, but also not conjure up excuses and justifications in my sins, as our first parents did when they sinned. For Adam cast the blame for his sin upon Eve, and Eve upon the serpent. In the same way, a murderer pleads the tyranny of anger; one who has committed adultery pleads the force of his desire; a thief pleads the necessity of his poverty; and another pleads something else. Yet these things do not cause the sins, but our own negligence; this will become manifest to you if you observe carefully. For the devil, knowing that God is appeased by the confession of sin and more provoked by its denial, persuades sinners to offer excuses, to claim that they themselves did not sin, but that some other thing was the cause of the sin.

*With men working iniquity.* Do not permit me, he says, to conjure up excuses together with the lawless; for it is the way of these people to provide excuses after they have sinned.

*And I shall not unite with their chosen ones.* And if this comes to pass, if You help me, I shall not be united with them, nor shall I have any communion with them; nay, I will avoid not only the more wretched among the lawless, but even those who appear more powerful and famous among them. ^B

VERS. 5. *The righteous shall instruct me in mercy, and reprove me: but let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head.* Let the righteous man rebuke me, chasten me, and reprove me; but let the kindness of a sinner never flatter me. For the scourge of a righteous man is better than the favor of a sinner, and the rod of a righteous man is better than the honor of a wicked man. He adds "in mercy," because the righteous man instructs in mercy, so that one may not perish. ^C

VERS. 6. *For still my prayer is against their good pleasures.* After fleeing from the lawless and rejecting their kindness, I also pray against their "good pleasures," that is, their wills, so that their designs and desires may not be fulfilled. For he calls these things "good pleasures."

*Their judges have been swallowed up beside the rock.* Those powerful men and princes who governed all things according to their own judgment have been wiped out and destroyed, like a stone that is cast into the depths, of which no trace is left behind. He also spoke of this regarding the impious: "I sought him, and his place was not found." By this mode of speech he describes how the memory of such a man is utterly extinguished, even from its very roots, so to speak. He says "have been swallowed up" instead of "shall be swallowed up," as it is the law of prophecy to narrate future events as if they were past. ^D

They shall hear my words, for they have been sweetened. ^A Symmachus, however, rendered it: "They shall hear my most sweet utterances." The wise, he says, shall receive my words, for these are sweet to the pious, as being true and useful.

As the thickness of the earth is broken upon the earth, their bones have been scattered near Hades. Just as the crust of the earth, being cleft by a plough, is broken and scattered upon the underlying ground, so shall their bones be scattered in the tomb. For he called this Hades.

Because towards you, Lord, Lord, are my eyes; in you I have hoped, do not take away my soul. Do not take away my soul, he says, while I am being pursued by the enemies and am being plot against severely.

Guard me from the snare which they have set for me, and from the stumbling-blocks of those who work iniquity. By stumbling-blocks and snares, he again understands ambushes.

Sinners shall fall into their own net. They shall fall into their own net, he says, which they spread against me, and they shall be caught in their own fishing-net, or into His net, meaning God’s.

I am alone until I pass by. I am separated from them, ^B being driven far from their way of thinking; and I am separated from them not so much by distance of place, as by the alienation of moral choice, until I die.

Of Intelligence of David, when he was in the cave praying.

PSALM CXLI

What the "of Intelligence" denotes, we have explained in many other inscriptions. By the "cave," he refers to that double one in which blessed David took shelter while fleeing from Saul; for since he himself was hidden further inside, while Saul, passing by, encamped in the outer part, unaware of the situation; when David realized that he was closed in, he offered up these prayers.

Ver. 2. With my voice I cried to the Lord, with my voice I made supplication to the Lord. And yet he could not speak or cry out, so as not to be recognized, immediately captured, and perish. It remains, therefore, that by voice and cry we should understand the intense ^C disposition of the heart. For he was crying out with his heart and not with his voice, and he was offering prayers to God with his mind itself.

Ver. 3. I will pour out my prayer before him. This is, I will set it forth.

I will declare my affliction before him. He repeats the same sentiment again. I will set forth my affliction, he says, which is able to turn the Lord toward help, in place of a prayer. For this affliction is wont to make men not only more diligent and attentive, but it also grants no small boldness before God to the one who brings it forward with thanksgiving. And it becomes a great justification for being heard. ^D

^A *Ver. 4. When my spirit was failing within me.* These things, he says, I shall do when I am already in danger, when I am about to die; for having despaired from every side, he completely entrusted himself to God. *And you knew my paths.* While I, having been placed in the greatest dangers, shall do these things, You, O Lord, have known the paths of my conduct, and You know that, having done no wrong to those who plot against me, I am in danger in vain because of envy. *In this way wherein I walked, they hid a trap for me.* And in this way of my flight, they hid a trap for me, having approached in secret and having blocked my exit, while I was not anticipating it. But it may also be understood concerning the intellectual enemies, that they hide traps not only on the path of wickedness, but—what is more grievous—even on the path of virtue: such as pride in patience, and vainglory in almsgiving. ^B *Ver. 5. I looked to the right and observed, and there was no one who knew me.* For on the right side, it is customary for allies and friends to stand. I was looking, he says, to the right, but there was no one helping. *Flight perished from me.* This is: even the remedy of flight failed for me, since I am locked away in a cave and am unable to flee. *And there is no one who searches for my soul.* No one to avenge, no one to deliver, no one to defend. *Ver. 6. I cried to You, O Lord.* Having despaired of human assistance from every side. *I said, "You are my hope."* My salvation, clearly. *My portion in the land of the living.* While existing in the land of the living, while being examined among the living, I have no earthly inheritance, no patrimony of this age, but, possessing You alone as my treasure, I am rich. Or, "You are my lot," and my riches, in heaven of course, where the land of the living truly is, because those who dwell there are immortal. ^C *Ver. 7. Attend to my supplication, for I have been humbled greatly.* The Prophet sets forth his own affliction and calamity, that he might better please God and turn Him toward his own assistance. It is said also elsewhere: "I was afflicted and humbled greatly"; and again: "Look upon my humility and my labor, and forgive all my sins." *Deliver me from those who pursue me, for they have prevailed over me.* Since I am locked away there, he says, from whence no flight is granted. ^D *Ver. 8. Lead my soul out of prison, that I may confess Your name.* By prison he understands that confinement where he was locked away in the cave. For we very often call a prison a "custody." Through his soul, he also refers to himself. Lead me, he says, out of this place where I am locked away, that I may give thanks to You. According to the anagogy, however, "prison" could signify the body, which binds and keeps the soul shut up within it as if in a prison.

"The righteous shall wait for me, until thou recompense me." ^A Aquila, however, rendered it: "The righteous shall await me, until thou shalt have changed for me." They await me, he says, expecting that I will be delivered from my troubles; and they will do this until thou grant me favor in return for such affliction and humiliation. For such are the souls of the saints, both suffering with those who are mistreated and rejoicing with those who prosper.

Psalm to David, when his son Absalom pursued him. ^B

PSALM CXLII.

This psalm may be applied to those who are proven through calamities. In many manuscripts, the present psalm is without a title, though in some, the title which we have prefixed is found. The third psalm has a nearly identical title, which is inscribed: "Psalm to David, when he fled from the face of Absalom his son."

VERS. 1. "O Lord, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplication in thy truth." As one who is true. For thou hast promised to hear those who rightly call upon thee; and to me, moreover, thou hast privately promised the same.

"Hear me in thy justice." As one who is just, and who dost not endure that anyone should be treated unjustly by another; for thou forbiddest not only parents to be harmed by their children, but also anyone else by a stranger. Chrysostom, however, understands "truth" here as mercy, and "justice" as kindness. For God alone truly has mercy, and God's justice alone is tempered with kindness; for human justice is devoid of mercy. ^C

VERS. 2. "And enter not into judgment with thy servant." I do not desire, he says, to contend with thee in judgment. Do not, therefore, I beseech thee, contend in judgment with me. "For thou shalt be justified in thy words, and thou shalt prevail when thou art judged with thy servant."

"For in thy sight no one living shall be justified." He did not say simply "no one shall be justified," but "in thy sight no one shall be justified," that is, if compared to thy supreme justice and examined according to it, or if consideration be had for thy benefits, or for all thy commandments. And therefore blessed Job also said: "I have despised myself, and I have wasted away, and I have deemed myself dust and ashes; I will lay my hand upon my mouth." See also in Psalm CXXIX the exposition of that verse: "If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord, who shall stand?" But what he says, "every man living," is the same as "every man who is a participant of life." But according to the Apostle: "We are justified freely by his grace, through the faith of Jesus Christ." ^D