Explanation of the Psalms

OF OUR HOLY FATHER CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, ON THE PSALMS. PROOEMIUM.

Sacred literature and the collection of divine teachings provide noble utility to those who discourse upon them. "For wisdom is better than precious stones, and nothing that is honorable is comparable to it." ^A I believe, therefore, that one must labor with the greatest eagerness—and especially in matters so fruitful—to overcome hesitation and sloth, at least for him who is possessed by a zeal for excellent things. For brilliant achievements do not fall to those accustomed to slipping into laziness, but rather to those who are willing to toil for them. Hence, I too have been stirred up to interpret, as best I can, the book of the Psalms. For these are very greatly sung in the Church of the Lord for the hearing of the people. ^B And indeed, the prophets around Asaph may be shown to be the leaders and teachers set up by David for the peoples, to sing to the Lord and to confess to Him. Let these things be what we have said at present. Regarding the other things that occur—such as the *diapsalma*, the obelus, the lemniscus, or any other such matter in each psalm—I shall make mention of them later, guided by the Lord’s favor and accompanied by His grace. And I shall speak more broadly about the aforementioned matters in what follows, by the grace of God.

PSALM I.

Vers. 5. *And all whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.* ^A Before the coming of our Savior, it was by no means easy for mortals to overcome, by their own strength, absurd pleasure, or to set themselves above worldly desires. But after God the Lord appeared to us, the path that leads us to virtue became level and smooth, having nothing steep or rough.

*Vers. 5. The ungodly shall not rise again in judgment, etc.* ^B There follows for such persons—at times—a certain compassion, lest they be afflicted with the same punishments as the ungodly. And yet, although they shall indeed rise again, they shall not be in the counsel and the order of the righteous; for by the "counsel of the righteous" he means a kind of order and rank. For even if some who have sinned might be worthy of mercy or indulgence, they shall not therefore be numbered in the choirs of the saints; for their lot is different—exalted glory, wonderful grace, and immortal joy. For they reap the fruit of noble deeds, and they receive the rewards of their zeal for every good thing, as Christ says to them: *Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.* ^C But you, observe that David was the first to provide a manifest knowledge of both the judgment and the promise of the life to come, whereas Moses had handed down nothing of these things.

PSALM II.

*Vers. 1. Why did the nations rage, and the people meditate vain things?* ^C Here, too, he rebukes the madness of the Jews, their unbridled audacity against Christ, the vanity of their counsels, and the childishness of their thoughts, as it were, saying: *Why did the nations rage?* For otherwise, the books of the prophets would have been in vain, if they were not going to receive the Savior of the human race who was proclaimed by them.

*Vers. 6. But I have been established king by him.* ^D Being naturally in need of nothing, whatever He is said to receive, He received so that we might become partakers. I have been elected, He says, as King by God the Father, in order to announce His commandment, and indeed before others, to those in Zion. And this, I think, is just what Christ said: *I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.* For because to them the grace of evangelical doctrine was owed, it was to them and to them first that the narrative of the Gospel...

and the justification through faith in Him was granted.

Vers. 7. *Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.*

^A David, therefore, knew Christ, and knew that He held a throne of divinity that was before all ages, because of His ineffable birth from the Father: "For thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." He knew Him also as having received a kingdom as a man in time, because of the newness of the economy of the incarnation. And again he declares His pre-eternal generation by saying, "Thou art my Son." For He was always the Son. And he shows the one according to the flesh by further adding, "This day have I begotten thee"; for "this day" belongs to time. God granted to Him, as to a man, a name which is above every name, clearly that of sonship. ^B

"This day," the present time in which He became flesh, declares the mystery; yet He who was by nature the Lord of all things; for John has testified concerning Him, that He came unto His own, calling the world His own. As if called into the glory accustomed to Him, namely, that of the kingdom, He said: "But I have been constituted king by Him," that is to say, clearly by God and Father. He endured such things so that, having been adopted as a son as a man, although He was the Son by nature, He might prepare a path through Himself for human nature to obtain the participation of adoption, and call those oppressed by the tyranny of sin to the kingdom of heaven. For just as we have received, as a kind of inheritance from our father passed down to the whole race, the evils resulting ^C from the transgression in Adam, being burdened with a curse and with death, so, in turn, the splendid gifts in Christ run down to the whole human race. For the Only-Begotten receives them for our sake, and by no means for His own; for He is full, inasmuch as He is God by nature, and is in need of nothing; rather, He Himself enriches the entire creation with heavenly goods.

*Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations.*

^D Since the people from Israel, through whom the promise had gone forth, had been cast off, all the nations are given to Christ, since they have believed in Him. For He is Himself the expectation of the nations, and in Him shall the nations hope. And instead of the one land of the Jews, He acquired the ends of the inhabited earth.

*And I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance.*

For He is set as a man the heir of all things, so that He might thereafter recover as His own inheritance those on earth who had been plundered by the opposing powers. Once this was accomplished,

^A He said to the Father, through the Son: "Thine they were, and You have given them to Me." But if they were the Father’s, and also the Father's by nature, the Son who reigns with Him, having become flesh, He ascends into His own existing wealth. Therefore He said, "All Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine." If then it is said that He received and was made heir, this is said on account of His humanity. For He became man, so that He might proclaim release to the captives who had fallen away from God; but He remained nonetheless God, although He had become poor by becoming man. Wherefore the blessed Paul also said to the Hebrews: "Through Whom He made the ages."

The Son, who is powerful in the dignity of the Word, is not in need of glory or anything else, such that He should be said to ask or receive from the Father; rather, He does this through the divine economy. For He receives humanly on account of the form of likeness to us, but as God He is full. And a little later: He asks, therefore, and receives from the Father for our sake, things which He nevertheless possesses naturally as God. Since He assumed flesh that stood in need of being glorified, and since this became not another's but His own, He naturally regards as His own the things that happen to it or around it; and insofar as He is man, lacking these things, He receives from the Father what He essentially possesses as Son and God.

*And Thy possession, the ends of the earth.* ^C This demonstrates that this prophecy cannot apply to the time of Zorobabel, as the Jews contend; for what did he receive, or what possession of the ends of the earth did he hold? But it refers rightly to Christ, who brought the whole world under His own dominion.

*Verse 9. Thou shalt break them as a potter's vessel.* So long as there was hope of restoration, they were called clay: "Can I not," He says, "as the potter is able to refashion you, O house of Israel?" But after they were baked hard by malice and became as potsherds, He threatens them with an incurable breaking. Christ, moreover, governs even the nations as with a rod by His Cross, and by His unbreakable and powerful kingship. For the rod is also a symbol of kingship, as it is written, "The rod of Thy kingdom is a rod of uprightness." And He breaks these ^D not to destroy and consume them, but to reshape them. For in this

is the potter’s purpose: to break his own vessels when they do not maintain their form intact and have not yet been exposed to the fire. ^A

Apprehendite disciplinam.

PSALM III.

Lord, why have they multiplied?

But Thou, O Lord, art my helper.

^A For the miracles at the cross are a truly clear proof of the Godhead of the Only-Begotten. God lifts up our head as well, that is to say the mind and the ruling faculty, when we look upward, despising all that is corporeal.

Vers. 5. *Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi.* The Prophet, recounting his own calamities and how he bore what befell him with fortitude, bequeaths to us by his own example a most clear instruction in patience; he teaches that in adversities we must take refuge in none other than God, and that the fruit of such an approach is to be heard. Now, however, the Psalmist turns his countenance toward us and relates how, by praying, he was heard, saying: "With my voice I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me out of His holy hill."

Vers. 6. *Ego dormivi, et soporatus sum.* ^B In this place, he speaks of a sleep of the mind, by reason of which he had also fallen into sin. (An alternative manuscript says: He confesses the sin and attributes the guilt of his present lapse to the sleep which had crept over his own mind.) For the vigilant mind exerts itself and strives to ward off evil and avoid every harmful thing; but, on the contrary, the listless mind is sluggish and sick, and is overcome, especially by carnal passions. Therefore, he makes mention of his sin at the same time as he offers a song of thanksgiving to God, saying: "Indeed, through my slothfulness I fell into sin as if in a sleep, having relations with Bathsheba and killing Uriah. And I would not have been stirred to penitence had not the Lord sustained ^C me." These words, moreover, are those of one who openly confesses the weakness of the human mind, while adorning with praises God, the perpetual author of help and salvation, who breaks the snares of the devil and snatches those who have been caught therein. But with Absalom also rebelling, he says: "I behaved sluggishly, and almost fell asleep; but now I have arisen, and I have known that the Lord will bring help to me, who am suffering injustice. I will shake off the sleep of cowardice which the night of my calamity has brought upon me, and I shall rise to cheerfulness, as if seeing, in the bright day, a more joyful restoration of my affairs." Indeed, the expectation of divine aid does not let me sleep or lose heart.

Vers. 7. *Non timebo millia populi.* ^D After, he says, the Lord upheld me, I arose and became so bold as to take on a manly spirit, so that I was no longer troubled by any fear, even if myriads of the people of Absalom, conspiring against me, were to surround me. Excellent, therefore, is the confidence of the saints; for they do not fear at all the countless multitude of enemies stirred up against them, provided that God is defender.

Surely not even the Lord, at the time of His passion, feared the Jews and Gentiles surrounding Him; and for this reason, He even declined [the aid of] legions of angels.

Verse 8. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.

It is not harmless for the afflicted to be silent; rather, it is useful and salutary to say: "Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God." Yet, I do not believe this is appropriate for everyone. For those who despise the divine commands and, as it were, let loose all the reins to their own pleasures, how or whence could they have confidence toward God? But as for those who submit a neck docile to the laws of God, they place great confidence in God ^B and rightly say: "Arise, save me, your faithful servant." Therefore, David calls the Lord his God, because he was obedient to His will, and says: "Save me, O my God," with great affection making the God of all his own, and entreating Him to arise to bring him aid. His prayer is worthy of his gentleness; for he did not say: "Destroy my enemies," but what? "Save me." This, he says, is all I ask: that I might be saved, not that my enemies might perish. Perhaps, too, as a Prophet who knew that Christ, rising from the dead, would deliver his own soul held in Hades, he predicts that which is to come; and he prays that the Lord’s resurrection might be hastened, so that he himself might obtain salvation through it. ^C Meanwhile, however, according to the peculiar idiom of Scripture, God is said to sleep when He is long-suffering, as in the passage: "Why do You sleep, O Lord?" and to be awakened when He becomes an avenger and inspector. Here, therefore, he says: "Arise, O Lord," that is, "Put aside your great long-suffering and awake to my succor." When the Savior was delivered up for our sake, the Father seemed in a way to "sleep" by bearing with the event. To Him He spoke: "Save me from this hour." We, too, can say the same in times of temptation. But note that when we ourselves awake, then God also arises for our salvation. Thus, David himself first shook off the sleep of sluggishness, and then prayed for God also to arise to help him.

For You have struck all my enemies without cause.

^D Observe the caution of the statement; for he did not say simply "those who show me hostility," but those who do this "without cause," that is, vainly, superfluously, and without any fault on David's part. A man is hostile rashly when no injury has preceded, and he has suffered nothing of the sort that is wont to grieve and irritate. He has enemies "without cause" who offers no pretext for hatred and enmity—such as are all those who suffer persecution because they live piously. To whom the Savior says: "Blessed are you when they shall revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you, lying, for my sake," and the rest. David also had many in vain

^B who were wrathful against him, Saul and Absalom, and their followers; for though he himself had shown them much clemency, they were foolishly his enemies.

*Dentes peccatorum contrivisti.*

He spoke the expression "You have broken the teeth of sinners" as though of savage beasts; for those who take delight in sins are for the most part bloodthirsty, and they gnash their teeth against the good reputation of the saints. It is the custom of divinely inspired Scripture to compare to wild beasts those who contemplate cruelly abusing others. Therefore, "You have broken their teeth" is said for "You have stripped them of all their power," taking the metaphor from wild beasts, which, when their teeth are removed, are very contemptible and easily overcome. ^C The Savior will also say to the Father: "You have struck Herod the infant-killer, who was wrathful toward me without cause; and you will also strike the Jews, handing them over to the Romans; and you will break their teeth, because they said: 'We have no king,' and 'His blood be upon us.'" Demons also are struck by the Lord, because, though injured by us in nothing, they wickedly lie in wait for us on account of their own malice; and their intellectual teeth—I mean the passions, by which they devour the simpler ones—are broken. For, says the Psalmist, "You have broken the heads of the dragons in the waters"; you have tamed the great sea-monster by your resurrection; you have destroyed the underworld, trampled upon death, and rendered the devil powerless. Observe with me, I pray, how those who do injury are the ones who ultimately suffer loss; for they are struck by God, while those who are injured are actually helped, because they obtain salvation from Him.

*Vers. 9. Domini est salus, et super populum tuum benedictio tua.*

It befits a holy man to pray to God for others as well, for what he desires to happen to himself; for he does not seek to be the sole participant in divine benefits, but wishes this beneficence to be accessible in common to all who love God. And do not wonder that such is the intent of the saints, since they sympathize with those who suffer, weep with those who weep, and consider the wrath of God owed to sinners to be their own as well. ^D Perhaps David also speaks here theologically, namely: "Would that from You, Lord Father, might be sent the Savior Jesus, the salvation of human nature, and may the blessing of the Holy Spirit descend upon your people," that is, upon the nations, whom I pray you may bless with every spiritual blessing! For in Christ Jesus all the nations shall be blessed, but the Jews shall be driven out. And Christ himself says that His own salvation, which He obtained having risen from the dead, is from the Father; and he likewise attributes to Him the blessing granted to those who believe. For this reason He says: "Come, you blessed of my Father, and inherit." The psalm will also be rightly adapted to human nature, which the demons afflicted before the coming of the Savior; but these were struck by the power of Christ made man; and though attacked...

by them, nature enjoyed both salvation and blessing.

PSALM IV

Vers. 2. *[When I called, He heard me.* It is absurd to bury in silence the manner of a benefit, for which the nine lepers in the Gospels are reproved. Either, therefore, he marvels at the divine generosity for fulfilling his requests after such a length of time, or perhaps he teaches that he was saved not so much by keeping silent, but by calling out. Through this it is shown, moreover, that to pray incessantly is a great and profitable thing.]

*O God of my righteousness.* ^{B C} We shall find him here conveniently calling himself just, and yet confessing that he is guilty of transgressions. How then, one might ask, can it be true that the same person is both just and guilty of transgressions? Because it happens that even the just fall, according to that which says: "Seven times the just man shall fall, and shall arise." It is one thing, therefore, to sin unceasingly, and another if someone, while striving to pursue righteousness, occasionally experiences the common weakness of nature. "For who will understand transgressions?" as it is written; and "Who will boast that he has a pure heart?"

*In distress Thou hast enlarged me.* ^D Since he said that God heard him, as if someone were asking him, "In what were you heard, O prophet? And what pleasant thing has come to you?" he explains the manner of the help he received, and says, "In distress Thou hast enlarged me," that is, I have not only been delivered from difficulties and from being occupied in burdensome matters, but, behold, I have also been expanded toward joy. He heard me, not by bestowing riches or the power of enemies— for I did not ask for these—but...

by bringing relief in the midst of affliction. ^A Paul, therefore, heard: "My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness." And those who have escaped the snares of sin, and who have been perfected in faith, and have endured afflictions and insults for Christ, shall enjoy the good things from above. This word could also apply to the Savior, pointing out that He too was perfected through sufferings, and by suffering became more exalted. It must also be known that the divine Scripture calls the calamities that befall the just "afflictions," because they happen to them for the sake of exercise; as it is written, "Many are the afflictions of the just." But regarding the wicked, it calls them "scourges," as in: "Many are the scourges of sinners." For they are scourged, being punished for their sins.

*And hearken unto my prayer.*

^B But why does he who said he was heard now ask to be heard again? Either time is used for time: for instead of "Thou hast had mercy on me and heard me," it is said, "Have mercy and hearken." Or perhaps he asks to be heard continuously, because it is impossible for those who wish to live piously not to be involved in the afflictions of this life. Therefore, even if all his prayers had been heard, he nonetheless labors for the future; hence he prays again, well knowing how useful prayer is. For although he had been freed from pains and fear, yet as a man, and fearing for the future time—lest he might not suffice to resist the incoming temptations—he asks to be freed from the straits, and to pass beyond these very causes of pain. Therefore he says: "Have mercy on me"; that is, put an end to the struggle, grant that I may be utterly free.

*Vers. 3. Sons of men, how long will you be of heavy heart?*

^C The historical sense is that these things are said to those who thought they would capture the just man with a multitude of troops. For David, having learned by that very experience how useful it is to trust in God and to seek salvation from Him alone, desires his own example to be a common education, and says: "O you endowed with blind understanding and dense minds, how long will you not cast off this sickness? How long will you not know that hope in men is vanity and a lie? For a giant will not be saved by the abundance of his strength." And David simply calls "sons of men" those who live in wickedness and are inclined toward impiety; for those who are otherwise are indeed sons of men by nature, but by grace they are no longer so, but sons of God.

*Vers. 4. And know that the Lord has magnified His holy one.*

^D For the enjoyment of earthly things does not differ at all, in my opinion, from the pleasure found in dramas, which immediately

^A vanish into nothingness, mocking the mind of the one who contemplates them. But the brilliant boasts of righteousness, and the gifts granted on its account by God, possess an enduring and unshakable manner, and an illustrious dignity. For God receives the voices of the holy and brings their petitions to completion: for what could be equal to this?

*Irascimini, et nolite peccare.* (Ps. IV, 5.) [A v. 24.] No human being is immune to the passion of anger, which has as its mother grief, or pusillanimity, or greed, or insults cast by others. Yet it is possible to cut it off, just as with bodily appetites. For that we should not move them at all within ourselves is perhaps unattainable and not in our control. But it is in our power to rebuke their movements; so it is with anger. For it is sharp in us when the movement occurs, yet it is checked, as if by certain bridles, by better reasoning. And so long as the passion remains inactive within us, it is deemed worthy of forgiveness by God; but when the evils resulting from it become manifest, then we shall pay the penalties. The same holds true for carnal appetites; for when the base pleasure within us is ineffectual, the law that punishes will likewise be at rest; but when it has already been brought to an end, the consequences of judgment are extended. David says, therefore, also now: If you should happen to be angry without premeditation, which is not a complete sin, do not add the action to it, so that the sin may not be complete. For he cleverly concedes the lesser, I mean anger, to those who are weaker, so that he may prevent the greater, that is to say murder and whatever is born from anger when it is not restrained. ^C

*Sacrificate sacrificium justitiae, et sperate in Domino.* (Ps. IV, 6.) ^D David sets forth his own affairs as an example, and he attempts to teach that for those who offer the fruits of righteousness to the all-holy God, hope in Him is not in vain. For he says, as it were: I have offered righteousness, and I have placed my hope in Him, and I have overcome my enemies. But when he says, "Sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness," he does not mean the shadowy one according to the law, but rather the one in Christ and according to the Gospel. For the ancient law taught that they should be made through blood, but it was not possible for the human being to be perfected by them according to conscience. For they were offered as prefigurations of the fragrance of the true worship, and were imposed until the time of correction. Therefore, the shadow was indeed abolished in Christ, and the light of truth henceforth illumines the hearts of those who have believed. ^D And the Lord might say to the Jews that the sacrifices made through victims and blood will not raise you to heaven, but I, who have descended from heaven, in whom alone you ought to hope, paying no more account to the letter.

^A

Vers. 7. *Multi dicunt: Quis ostendet nobis bona?*

Few indeed, he says, are the upright, and those who are knowledgeable in philosophy, who retain an unshakable hope in God; for they are confident in the promise of good things that transcend the mind. But the many—that is, the undisciplined and confused multitude, who are enslaved to present things—prefer the immediate enjoyment of carnal impurities to the good things for which they should hope, and say: "Who will show us good things?" These are the words of those who make light of God’s governance: Where is God’s providence, given that there is such confusion in life? And while others revel in luxuries, we are struggling in poverty and the direst evils; what evidence remains of divine care?

Vers. 7. *Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui, Domine.*

In a more hidden and mystical sense, by the "face" of God the Father is understood the Son; and by the "light" sent from Him to us, the Spirit, by whom we have been sealed, being refashioned into the primal image: from whom we have also been taught the true goods, through which we have received intellectual joy into our mind and heart, being confirmed in the hope of the good things to come. ^B

The angels, indeed, always behold the face of God, but humans behold the light of His face. The "face" of God is the spiritual contemplation of all earthly things, while the "light" of the face is the partial knowledge of these very things; for, as it seemed to that wise woman of Tekoa, David was as an angel of God, because he knew all that was happening on earth. ^C

Who, then, is the face of God the Father, whose light has been signed upon us? It is the Son of God, the exact image; and for this reason He says: "He who has seen Me, has seen My Father." And it was signed upon us, in that He has shown us to be conformed to Himself and has impressed upon those who believe in Him the illumination of His own Spirit as a divine image.

Vers. 8. *Dedisti lætitiam in corde meo, etc.*

Certainly, I marvel, he says, at those who dare to say: "Who will show us good things?" when in reality they could be assured of the future from things present. For we have received as a pledge of the future abundance of goodness this mercy and providence of the Creator in the world. For with a bountiful hand He provides the necessities of life—He sends down rains from heaven and makes the fruits of the fields to germinate at the proper times. He who provides so copiously the sustenance for this life, why should He be thought to lie when He promises that He will bestow goods after this life? To me, therefore, You have given gladness in my heart. ^D

Vers. 9. *In pace in idipsum dormiam et soporabor, quia tu, Domine, singulariter, etc.*

The words *in idipsum* signify, along with other holy men,

^A I shall receive a death similar to sleep; yet in peace, not possessing sin, which is enmity toward God; and having thus ended this life, I shall be established by God to dwell in good hope—that is, I shall enjoy a firm and unshaken hope. Moreover, the word *singulariter* [lit: "by myself"] would seem to indicate that the lot of the saints is peculiar and select; for they shall not be mixed with the wicked, but, as it were, separated and apart. For to those, fire and sulfur and the spirit of the storm—the portion of the cup—is reserved; but for these, the kingdom is prepared, and to enjoy without ceasing the goods from above.

PSALM V

^B *Consider my cry.* To "consider" here is used to mean: "Examine and test the aim of my cry." For I do not ask for anything human or alien to your laws, O Lord; but rather for those things which are both useful and necessary for salvation to those who receive them, and which it befits your bounty to grant.

*In the morning you shall hear my voice.* ^A One could interpret the "morning" as the time of the Savior’s advent; for then the prayers of all became acceptable.

It is a great boast for purity to stand before God from the early morning, and to precede the sun with thanksgiving. For thus, he says, I shall behold your divine and holy mysteries, which you have prepared for those who love you.

*You have hated, O Lord, all those who work iniquity, etc.* He called those who stumble in their conduct "workers of iniquity"; and these God hates, as those who have fallen away from the truth. He called the heretics "those who speak lies," whom God will destroy. And observe the difference between the words "You have hated" and "You will destroy": first, [to consider] whether "You have hated" is a worse thing than "You will destroy"; and second, why he declined the one into the past tense, and the other into the future. ^C

*But I, in the multitude of your mercy, etc.* I, he says, by the benefit of your mercy, shall enter your house; for thus shall I be able to say: "In the morning I shall stand before you and behold," and as one who has obtained mercy, I shall worship you with reverence in spirit and in truth.

For indeed, when neglected, the wounds of sins become greater; and the infirmity of the disease does not stop at wounds, but it also gives birth to an immortal death. ^D

PSALM VI

^A Cyril from the commentary on the Psalter, upon that which is written: "O Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury." Having heard these things, however, from the prophet (Nathan), he remained secure; he did not lose heart, nor did he relax his vigor; but, being greatly delighted by the kindness of the forgiving God, and having offered a hymn of thanksgiving, he nonetheless remained in sorrow because he had sinned; for it is more fitting for saints to be praised than to obtain pardon.

Vers. 2. Neither in your anger do you reprove me.

While he says, "Neither in your anger do you reprove me," he seems perhaps to be deprecating the severity of the legal letter. For whoever had violated the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses ^B: for this reason the divine Paul calls the law 44 a "ministration of condemnation": for it justified no one, but demanded bitter penalties from those who sinned. Therefore, the reproof practiced through Christ is incomparably better than the reproof of the law: for the latter pertained to the refutation of sinners and the condemnation of transgressors, while the former pertains to the justification of sinners. As we have said, therefore, he does not ask not to be refuted, but not to be refuted with anger.

Vers. 3. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; heal me, O Lord.

He did not say: "Remit to me," or "Grant to me," but "Heal me"; for he prays that his former wounds may be removed. ^C For approaching God as the physician of spirits, and confessing the weakness of his nature, he implores aid, saying in effect: I desire health; have mercy on me who am faring badly, and heal me. For I fell into this evil because of my infirmity. But what is this infirmity? "My bones are dislocated," their very framework is dissolved. By "bones," however, he refers to sober thoughts, which solidify the soul, and the rational powers of the same soul, which keep it in intellectual health; such as continence, prudence according to God, fortitude, temperance, justice, and altogether every kind of virtue: if these are not ordered within us—that is, ^D properly arranged according to the individual faculties of each—it is absolutely necessary for the soul to be troubled, with passions clamoring within it. For then, as if in a tempest of worldly pleasures, it is gravely endangered: for when virtue is weakened in us, pleasure altogether prevails, dragging [us] into vice. But that the word "bones" signifies, tropes, the intellectual powers of the soul, by which it is kept and confirmed in a correct state, David himself interprets the enigma of his statement, while he adds to what was said: "My soul is greatly troubled."

Vers. 3. For my bones are troubled.

I think that something else is also signified, while it is... 36 said... [to David by] Nathan: "I have sinned against the Lord."

said of the Psalmist that he suffered the troubling of his bones. For God created man for immortality; but after that, the commandment having been spurned, our progenitor Adam lapsed into transgression, he was immediately made accursed. For it was said to him: "You are earth, and into earth you shall go." Therefore, in this way too, I think that the bones of all were troubled, inasmuch as the flesh had been dissolved unto death; for tumults and consternations and the tyranny of the passions entered even into the soul itself. For, the body having once become corruptible, the passions of corruption sprouted forth in it, and the law of sin subentered, which is in the members of the flesh, which wars against and leads the mind captive to whatever is absurd. Therefore, a medicine was made for human nature through the power of the incarnation of the Only-Begotten; for He stopped the corruption, He gathered together the scattered bones of all; and He rendered human nature free from every consternation and disturbance, and from fears, and furthermore from the passions and ^B from the devilish tyranny.

Vers. 4. And you, O Lord, how long?

Indeed, if one must say something even more mystical still, the prophet does not rebuke the judgments of God, nor does he accuse the Lord of all as if He were delaying or refusing to bring help; but he seeks rather the time of the advent of Christ, who finally rose on the eighth day. For when, he says, will that day arrive which shall grant us healing through your resurrection? Finally, the expression "how long" also denotes a prolonged repentance.

Vers. 6. For there is no one in death who remembers you.

Certainly, he who has once been caught in the bonds of death will be fit for no virtue. "There is no one," he says, "in death who remembers you," that is, who is able to keep your commandments, the help of the Spirit being now absent.

Vers. 7.

I have labored in my groaning.

That "I have labored" is put for "I shall labor." This will be manifest from the things that follow. For he did not say, "I have washed my bed," nor "I have watered my couch," but in both places he said, "I shall wash" and "I shall water." ^C For he promises that he will be most industrious, and that he will not follow a life of pleasure and dissipation.

He teaches us that those who wish to please God ought not to consider the intervals of the night as a time for idleness, sleep, and sluggishness (for this is beastly and most irrational), but rather for labor and the sleeplessness that is for good. For it is best, most especially in silence and in solitude, to converse with God, as it were, through assiduous prayer, and to ask for pardon for the sins we have acknowledged, and furthermore, for those things which...

are useful to the soul, and to make Him our song and melody.

Vers. 8. *Turbatus est furore oculus meus.* ^A Perhaps the Prophet calls to mind those things which happened to human nature on account of the offending of the beginning of our race before God, that is to say, under Adam. For before he neglected the divine commandment, he possessed a clear eye, full of the vision of God and of good thoughts, and he was unclouded, being hitherto illuminated by the divine light.

Vers. 9. *Exaudivit Dominus deprecationem meam.* ^B He explains in what manner the joy of his soul was recovered: for he says that the voice of his weeping was heard, and that his prayer was accepted. By "voice," however, he does not mean entirely that which is emitted by the lips, but rather that which is directed to God, as it were, through deeds. Just as there is a *voice* of sin, according to what was said to Cain, "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me," so also there is a voice of repentance, to which God listens. And no one should say that He asks for a loud voice from us, for we have not been commanded to pray in such a way. By "cry," meanwhile, he signifies in this place prayers offered with labor, which is the custom of the saints.

Vers. 11. *Erubescant et conturbentur.* ^C The inventors and teachers of wickedness, the demons, turn themselves away and fall backward, having suffered an intolerable disaster; primarily indeed because of the opposition of God the Savior: next, because we desire to rise again from our ancient sicknesses, and to pass over to the stout subduing of every affection of the flesh, and to trample underfoot the filth of this world, and to look solely upon the things that are pleasing to God, and to pursue them without looking back. For to those who act in such a manly way, Christ will be present, who is the giver and author of all good things to us.

PSALM VII

Vers. 1. *Domino pro verbis Chusi filii Jemini.* ^D You, however, mark that, having been habituated to so many victories, the word now releases you again for other contests, and again rouses you to the assault of temptations. For the same enemy, that very Absalom, as if born again from us, fashions war against us: whom, even though he pants for our slaughter, our prudence in acting dispels, but rather, the help of God. Assuredly, that which is a wholesome and right dogma to us, the same becomes a snare for the adversary: the dogma, however, is this, that we should consider wickedness equal—both to cause harm and to retaliate against the one doing the harm. For David imposes punishment upon himself, if by chance he is discovered to have repaid evil with evil, as if in turn.

and to have repaid the wrong received to those who did it. ^A

*Vers. 4. If there is iniquity in my hands.*

David does not therefore claim to be entirely free from all injustice; for he acted unjustly towards Uriah. But he says this: that in the matter concerning his son, he is pure and blameless. For he says he did him no wrong, nor his companions, so that they might have a just cause for persecuting him. Furthermore, he also demonstrates a lack of grudge-holding, invoking God to mercy through this. It is evident from what he adds; for he says: "If I have repaid those who repay me with evils."

*Vers. 5. Let me then fall from my enemies empty.*

That is to say, let me slip away from all honor and glory, and let me become like dust under the feet of my enemies. ^B

*Vers. 7. Arise, O Lord, in thy wrath.*

Therefore, as I said, the discourse has passed over to Christ, and he prays for Him to arise, not against Absalom (for how could he, for whom he prayed saying: "Spare for me the boy Absalom?"), but he prays to God to arise on behalf of all mankind, as if from the quiet of His former long-suffering, to wrath and movement against the borders of His enemies. For very many are the enemies of mankind, that is to say, the wicked and abominable demons; but their borders could be understood as those who are superior and preeminent among them, such as Satan and those near him, namely, the rulers of the darkness of this world. Against these, Christ arose. ^C

*And arise, O Lord my God, in the precept which Thou hast commanded.*

Here, he clearly prophesies concerning the coming of the Savior. For from of old, through the patriarchs, He promised us this salvation; and indeed, the divine Scripture abounds with expressions concerning our Savior, whom the holy prophets promise will come through the ages and redeem the world; and who will not make the manifestation of the kindness inherent in Him in Judea alone, but will also visit all the nations; wherefore He has been called the hope of the nations. For the Lord, being God and the true light, shone upon the whole world; through whom we have also come to know the Father Himself, now that the ancient darkness—that of wandering, I mean—has been scattered, and the Morning Star has dawned upon our mind, and the day is breaking, and the Sun of Righteousness has risen, that is to say, Christ. "Arise, therefore," he says, "according to the precept which Thou hast commanded," that is, which Thou hast promised to perform; for this is what it signifies in this place to command. ^D

^A *Vers. 8. And for this, return on high.* Perhaps the word "return" signifies the venerable Cross, upon which Christ bore our sins, or His return into heaven; for He went to appear before the face of the Father on our behalf. Why on our behalf? To open for us a new and living way, so that heaven might henceforth be accessible, and we might penetrate into the interior of the veil, with Him who is Prince over all, that is to say Christ, being our leader in this matter also.

*Vers. 9. The Lord shall judge the peoples.* The expression "shall judge" is used here for "shall give justice." For He did in fact pronounce justice between us and Satan: and him indeed, who oppressed the world with great power, He deposed from his universal tyranny; those however, who were oppressed by an intolerable burden, He pitied as God, and justified by faith.

*Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness.* Since the Prophet had just said that the peoples were to be judged by the Lord, he now introduces the person of those being judged, who confess their own infirmity, and thus ask to be judged according to the measure of the human condition: for the righteousness of angels, as we have said, is one thing, and it befits their very nature; but that of men is another, being small indeed and corresponding to the weakness of their nature.

^B *Vers. 10. Let the wickedness of sinners be brought to an end.* Let the wickedness of sinners therefore be brought to an end, that is, let the tyranny of the devil and of the powers with him be abolished, so that henceforth everyone who is a worker of righteousness may arrive at a praiseworthy life by a straight and, as it were, very level path. For if no one incites them in either direction, the just man will proceed altogether along his own straight way; or perhaps the Prophet prays that the wickedness in sinners may be brought to an end, that is, that they may cease from malice, having been transformed to virtue. Therefore, he asks for a cessation of sinning for each of those who have fallen through infirmity, so that the just man may henceforth walk in the straight way. For it is absolutely impossible for anyone to be seen performing the valiant deeds of virtue unless he has first ceased to be wicked.

^D *Vers. 11. My righteous help is from God.* This statement will apply equally to Jews and to Gentiles: for to sin knowingly is demonstrably contempt; but to do so unknowingly gives an easy approach to seeking forgiveness. Both the Jews and the Gentiles were erring; the former were impeded from accepting the faith by the malice of their leaders and by ignorance of the Redeemer; the latter had not yet received the divine light into their minds, nor did they know who the true and natural God was. Therefore, God, who searches the heart and reins, well noted that both the one and the other were sinning out of ignorance, because they did not know the will of the Lord: therefore

he has bestowed upon them ^A a just assistance. For to the wandering, a return to the path is owed; to those blinded, illumination; to the weak, the restoration of strength from God. Hence he says: "The help is just from God."

"God is a just judge, and strong, and long-suffering, etc."

^B The admonition is useful for those who live a loose and unrestrained life, that the God of all is a just judge. Furthermore, he is also strong. For if he shuts against a man, who shall open? And, who shall turn back the raised hand? Yet he is also long-suffering, not bringing his wrath down upon sinners immediately, nor at the heels of, nor together with, their wickedness. Yet even if he is patient, we must not for that reason become slothful. We must transfer the discourse again to both Israel and the Gentiles; for one might exclaim to them that unless they quickly abstain from their own practices—the former ceasing to worship created things, and the latter embracing the faith in Christ—they will fall in with a judge who is just and strong, and although long-suffering, he is nonetheless an avenger if they do not strip themselves of their crimes; for he teaches this through the following verses. For, lest his hearers become more slothful upon hearing that he is long-suffering, he added:

"He will whet his sword, he has bent his bow."

^C "He will whet," that is to say, "He will unsheathe the sword against you." This admonition is merciful and is offered from the goodness of God to those who are struggling in the weakness of their morals: for he does not threaten them with the sword simply because they have been workers of evil, but rather he lets them understand that, if they are not willing to turn back quickly, they will undoubtedly fall into grave torments. He has also bent his bow, which he holds ready, laden with the instruments of death, that is, with arrows. He says these are fashioned for the burning ones, the sons of Gehenna, who in those times will hear the judge saying: "Depart from me, you cursed," and the rest. By the sword, indeed, and the bow and arrows and the instruments of death, we say that either various kinds of punishments are denoted, or certain powers that avenge each man according to his merit. It is the custom of divine Scripture to represent at times, by means of things that happen among us, ^D things which are not visible, but are as it were hidden and understandable only by the mind.

"He has prepared his arrows for the burning ones."

Let both Jews and Gentiles hear these things, that they will surely suffer unavoidable punishments if they do not choose to turn back, and the former depart from their ancient error, and the latter wash away the crime of the Lord’s murder through repentance.

"He has travailed with injustice, etc. He has dug a pit, etc."

Let us proceed further to investigate the psalmody.

^A Well then, it may be said fittingly also regarding every sin, that he who sins has conceived pain and brought forth iniquity; for evil thoughts are always in some way pre-existent to the results of evil deeds. The word will also be fitting for the leaders of the Jews, who having conceived—that is, having received within themselves during their travail—the seeds of impiety against Christ, while the wickedness of the devil sowed these within them, they brought forth iniquity, namely that which was against Him. Satan himself also travailed with injustice and brought forth iniquity; for he approached [the Lord] to tempt Him in the desert, then withdrew until a season ^B and brought to completion the plan established from the beginning. For he sharpened within him the hearts of the Jews and the soul of the traitor; who, acting in the manner of his own father of wickedness, I mean Satan, conceived injustice against Christ, wishing, clearly, for the sake of base gain, to deliver the Lord to murderers. Then he also brought forth iniquity, for having taken thirty pieces of silver, he delivered Him, making the symbol of love, that is, the kiss, a sign of murder, and unjustly violating virtue itself. Then the prophet receives, as if by way of an example, the digging and hollowing out of a pit; and he clarifies the meaning of the image propounded, adding immediately, "His labor shall return upon his own head." I think that by labor he means either the vain care of digging the pit, or the envy which melts the heart of those who possess it; and by injustice, I understand the greed, or the treachery which one might practice against his neighbor. We find something of this sort also spoken by the author of Proverbs: "He who digs a pit for his neighbor shall fall into it 53"; for this is the work of God’s clemency, to have given such a nature to treachery that the plotters themselves fall into it. Hence also the wisdom of God shines forth most brightly, and a great disciplining comes to the wicked, and joy to the saved.

Vers. 18. *I will confess to the Lord according to his justice, I will sing to the name of the Lord most high.*

This is the voice of those saved in Christ, as Satan has been abolished, death removed, sin destroyed, and the true Son of God finally ^D acknowledged. But he says "I will confess," instead of, "I will offer thanksgiving with a song," according to the justice inherent in Him, that is, according to the greatness of the righteous judgment which He executed, saving the human race, which had been plundered by Satan and his wicked hosts. Great, therefore, is the justice of God; wherefore the nations offer song to the name of the Lord most high: for Him whom they knew not of old, they now call Lord and Most High.

PSALM VIII

The calling of the nations is thus foretold by the present ^A canticle.

And the expression *Unto the end* signifies the coming to pass at the end of the ages, that is, the incarnation of the Only-Begotten: but the expression *for the presses* holds this meaning; for some wish the presses to be called, figuratively, the Churches of Christ, into which sacred teachers gather, as it were, certain grapes, both from the throng of the Jews and from the Gentiles believing in Christ, and heap up the fruits, as it were, from the Lord's vineyard; or they say that the presses are the altars, because the offerings from all are brought together there. ^A

Vers. 2. *O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth!* ^B For of old, indeed, the glory of God was confined, so to speak, to Judea alone; for God was known in it, and his name was great in Israel; but since God, being Lord, has appeared to us, his name has been admired by those throughout the whole earth. Therefore the prophet is astonished at the knowledge of the name of God which has been poured out unto men; for God is no longer known to those in Judea alone. *For thy magnificence is elevated.* ^C Perhaps there is no other magnificent thing elevated than his very incarnation. For what is there in this which cannot be called great? The birth from a virgin, the walking on the sea, the incorruptibility in death, and all things similar to these. This, then, is the magnificent thing that was elevated, he having sat down at the right hand of majesty on high, after having made a purification of sins. Thus also must it be understood ^D that he became higher than the heavens after the resurrection.

Vers. 3. *Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings,* etc. He says the new and recent assembly consists of childish souls, on account of the regeneration in Christ everywhere throughout the world after his ascension. Wherefore, also, when the children were crying out to him, "Hosanna in the highest," and the Jews were indignant, he said to them: "Have you never read?" and what follows.

*To destroy the enemy and the avenger.* Namely the devil, because, after having forced them to fulfill sin, he also punishes those who sin, setting the magnitude of the sin before their eyes. The same one both pushes them into wrongdoing and becomes the accuser of those who have sinned: therefore, as an enemy, he forces them to sin; as an avenger, he punishes those delivered to him. Thus, having himself made Hymenæus and Alexander blasphemers, he afterwards chastised them on account of their blasphemies against God.

Vers. 5. *Quid est homo, quod memineris ejus?* ^A Since David ponders these things, he marvels and says: Even if your creations, the heaven and the earth and what is contained within them, which you have established to remain through all time, are indeed great, they were not great for you to create; rather, they are works of a lesser power, of fingers, as it were; for thus he wished to describe the smaller operations of God. Nevertheless, I am struck with greater wonder when I contemplate what you do concerning man, namely, that you are mindful of him and care for him; this is something you would certainly not do if he were a small creature of no value.

^B Others, the leaders of the Jews, have wandered, not understanding the mystery; yet I, he says, contemplating the creation of things with the eyes of the mind, behold each of your creatures. You fashioned the sun and the moon, and you set for them an everlasting law; for this is how I interpret, "You have established them." And a little later: Therefore, if, having become one of us, and circumscribed by the measure of humanity through the incarnation, you were not recognized by some, I, however, do not ignore your glory: I know your supreme dignity; although I confess you to be the Creator of all, clothed in flesh, I know you to be the Lord, and the sun and moon to be perishable compared to you. He further enumerates this part of the world so that you may understand the entire creation.

Vers. 6. *Minuisti eum parum quid præ angelis.* ^C Rational indeed are the supernal powers, living a long and never-ending life. Likewise, man is a rational being on earth; though he is not equal to those above, he lies somewhat below the dignity of the angels on account of his conjunction with a terrestrial body. And he is lesser, in that he is subject to death and corruption, and this after the transgression; for this brought in corruption and death. Thus Christ is said to have been "minuisti," made lesser than the angels, on account of the suffering of death; for he endured to suffer in his own flesh, although he remained impassible in the nature of his divinity.

[Nos autem gloria et honore coronavit], for, being God by nature, he was made lesser for our sake, so that we might become rich in him beyond nature. Conresuscitavit enim nos, et consedere fecit in coelestibus in Christo. (Ephes. ii, 6) For through his sitting there, the glory extends over the entire human nature. For thus we have become rich through his poverty, for whose sake he was crowned with glory and honor, although, as God, he was the Lord of glory. For since we had become inglorious due to the transgression of Adam, we have been glorified in the obedience of Christ toward us.

Vers. 10. *Domine, Dominus noster, quam admirabile est nomen tuum in universa terra!* ^D He repeats his admiration and again places the same prologue at the end, astonished that God has made himself known to men. And both before and after this event...

he speaks the same words, and as if overcome by great wonder, he advances to the glorification of God; and seeing the glory of the Savior spread throughout all the world under the sun, he all but exults, and taking up his own discourse again, he says: “O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is your name in all the earth!”

PSALM IX

Vers. 1. *In finem, for the hidden things of the son.*

^A The inscription “In finem” [To the end] shows that the Psalm was composed by David not about things already accomplished, but about things to come at the consumption of the age. Now these are the hidden things of the son, that is, the mystery of Christ, which was indeed foreseen by the holy prophets, the Holy Spirit revealing it to them, but which reached its fulfillment in its own proper times. The hidden things of the son, therefore, are those things that were done secretly by the Savior; and these were many: the birth in the flesh from the Virgin ^B through the Holy Spirit, the miracles, the death itself, the descent into Hades, the resurrection from the dead, and simply the manner of the incarnation, and the good things that flowed therefrom to the world. For all these things were done by him secretly, for he concealed them even from the princes of this world: “The mystery,” he says, “which has been hidden from ages and from generations.” 57 And again: “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which none of the princes of this world knew.” 58 Even the disciples were ignorant of the death of Christ, and his victory over death. For it is said, this was hidden from their eyes. ^C With good reason, therefore, did the Seventy Interpreters call the death of the son something "hidden."

This Psalm contains the calling of the nations, and thanksgiving on their behalf—or rather, by them—and it is filled with the mystery of the Economy of Christ. It possesses a variety of persons, and furthermore exhibits shifts from one set of thoughts to another, without, however, carrying the mind outside of its intended purpose. The Psalm begins by assuming the persona of the nations, or rather, that of humanity.

*I will be glad and will exult in you.*

^D Great then are all things, and worthy to be heard, wrought through Christ—at least to those who have seen and known them. He, the author of these things, becomes joy and the cause of gladness and the occasion for public celebration, so that each one may say: “I will be glad in you.” This is indeed the mark of a soul that loves God; for to be glad and to rejoice in God demonstrates...

^A clearly that the mind of those who rejoice in God has become detached from the desire to take pleasure in the things of this life, which one might rightly call vanity and false madness. The mind rejoices in God because it is a lover of virtue and a desirer of glory received from Him, and has become a spectator of His wonderful and paradoxical signs.

*Vers. 4. In convertendo inimicum meum retrorsum.*

Since we have related that those who turned from the nations to the faith made their confession, when we hear them saying: “I will be glad in you,” and the rest, we understand that these words become those who have already believed, and have been illuminated, and have come to the knowledge of the truth.

*Infirmabuntur et peribunt a facie tua.*

According to the anagoge, ^B the face of God the Father is the Son, who is His image without any difference; but all the adversaries of His glory—that is, Satan and the powers with him—were weakened by Him. For before the advent of the Savior, he was savage and harassed all things that are under heaven, saying: “I will grasp the whole world with my hand like a nest, and I will take them as eggs that have been deserted.” But after the Only-Begotten, having assumed our likeness, became man, the enemy was weakened; the dire and insufferable powers have fallen, and have been placed under the feet of the saints.

*Vers. 5. Sedisti super thronum qui judicas justitiam.*

^C He eagerly follows up what He said, and clearly teaches what the words “You have executed my judgment” signify. He speaks of Him as sitting on a throne, using a human manner of speaking, and fashioning intelligible things according to the similarity of our own affairs. For when kings hear that cities or provinces are suffering from a barbarian incursion or some tyrannical enterprise, they mount their royal thrones as if to judge those who have dared such things, and they pass sentence upon the guilty; they order the wicked to perish miserably, but they protect those who have suffered wrong. Thus, too, the Savior sits upon a throne; ^D yet the word "sit" does not signify here a posture, but demonstrates authority and the glory of judicial majesty; so that "You have sat" is put for "You have judged," "You have defended," and "You have come as an avenger."

In this place, the Psalmist seems by the word "sat" to reveal God’s vigilance to judge; by the term "nations," however, he refers according to the anagoge to the flocks of evil demons who divided the parts of the world among themselves, drawing mankind into multiform and varied error and sin; by the impious one perishing, understand either any such person or the devil himself. But in order that you may know the power of God, hear what follows.

^A Vers. 6. *Thou hast blotted out their name for ever.* Not only, says he, have the adversaries been weakened and perished, when reproved, but even their name has been blotted out. For by "name" here, he does not simply mean the proper designation—for that has by no means been destroyed, since we remember even to this day both Satan and his companions, the impure demons—but he denotes their glory.

Vers. 7. *The enemy’s swords have failed for ever.* The swords of the devil have also failed, which means "utterly." These would be either the opposing powers, by which he was strong, or the passions that played the tyrant against us, by which he used to subdue those on earth, and showing them wounded, he would place them under his own yokes—the inventions of the perversity inherent in him, and the manifold machinations which he fashioned for the destruction of human souls. For we call every form of shameful pleasure and of other sins diabolical swords, or rather shafts of the impure spirits, through which they pierce the heart and slay it unto sin. But the swords have failed; for we too have put on the armor of God, by which we have blunted them.

^B Vers. 8. *He hath prepared his throne in judgment.* Therefore, the eternal King Christ, as God, has reigned even over the nations, having subjected them to the evangelical decrees. For this is what it is "to have prepared his throne in judgment," and to judge the world in justice, and the peoples in uprightness.

*And he himself shall judge the world in justice, he shall judge the peoples in uprightness.*

^C Since it is the custom of inspired Scripture to use the word "to judge" in place of "to administer justice," or in place of "to lead" and "to stand at the head of cities or regions," according to that which says, "Be instructed, all you who judge the earth," it must be said that once the name of the nations has been blotted out for ever, and every diabolical principality and power has been utterly abolished, Christ shall rule and hold sway in justice. For the throne denotes the kingdom, which, with no one resisting, shall be most ready—that is, it shall shine forth without hindrance and shall have mastery over all things. For Christ shall pass judgment in justice, and shall rule the peoples throughout the whole world; for he has reigned over all that is under the heavens.

Understand the verses also in this way: that he who destroyed the tyranny of the devil and delivered the whole world under the heavens from that one's perversity, he himself shall come at the appointed times in the glory of the Father, that he may judge the world in justice. ^D For the Father hath given all judgment to the Son, and it behooves us all to be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ.

Vers. 10. *And the Lord is become a refuge for the poor, a helper in due times, in tribulation.* To what poor man, he says? To him who is voluntarily destitute and so for the sake of God. For in return for this voluntary poverty, God bestows upon him His own riches, and is found to be a deliverer and helper in the time of tribulation.

^A But these things must also be understood according to the anagoge: that it was not an envoy, nor an angel, nor any other power or rational force that helped the people who were poor in spirit, that is, those laboring in poverty before the coming of our Savior, but the Lord Himself, the giver of intellectual riches, He Himself, I say, brought help in the times of need, that is, He saved them in the favorable time of tribulation. And what was this tribulation? It was heavy sin, imposed like a burden, such that each one of those who were under it would cry out: "My iniquities have weighed heavily upon me like a heavy burden." And Satan himself was indeed heavy, and more troublesome than any burden, sitting upon us with his perverse phalanx. Therefore, the world being oppressed and as it were crushed, ^B the Lord came in due time to the earth, and at the day of salvation brought aid. But the wicked demons, accusing the mystery of the incarnation of not having occurred in its proper time, were saying: "You have come here before the time to torment us." But, O most wicked ones, one might reply, it is certainly not before the time; rather, at a favorable time and in our tribulation He helped us, and the Savior of all and Lord has become a refuge.

*Vers. 11. And let them hope in you who know your name.*

[A 63 b] Who then are those who hope in Him and know His name? They are those who submit their necks to His precepts. And He Himself will teach this, saying: "He who loves me, keeps my commandments."

*For you have not forsaken those who seek you, O Lord.*

^C He affirms that he knows the matter from experience, and that it rests upon stable truth. For Jeremiah truly says: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose confidence shall be the Lord: and he shall be as a tree well-growing by the waters." Another also likewise says: "Look at the ancient generations, and see who ever hoped in the Lord and was put to shame, or who called upon Him, and was forsaken?"

*Vers. 12. Sing to the Lord who dwells in Sion.*

If, therefore, God is said to dwell in Sion, let us not for this reason think, according to the opinion of the Jews, ^D that the matter is understood in a sensible way; for God does not dwell in the earthly Sion, nor in Jerusalem alone. Rather, we say that Sion is the spiritual Church on earth, which is also understood as the sister of the one above. It would be fitting, then, for both the Church above and the one on earth to be called Sion; for Sion is interpreted as a "watchtower," and this is really the case for both this one and that one. Therefore, God dwells in the Sion

^A nor circumscribed (for he fills all things), but as it were dwelling and resting in it. "For here," he says, "I will dwell, because I have chosen it." For he departed from the Synagogue of the Jews, saying: "Behold, your house is left to you desolate." But the Church from the Gentiles has been enriched by him, to whom the Psalmist says: "Hear, O daughter," and the rest, "because the king has desired your beauty." To those, however, who dwell in this Sion, that is, to those who have obtained mercy and been saved through faith, it is no longer necessary to offer animal sacrifices; but since those things which were in the Law have passed over into spiritual worship, they must sing hymns to God, and sacrifice to him a sacrifice of praise, and sing psalms, and speak only of his great works and righteous deeds.

Announce among the nations his deeds.

^A [64 b] We call the deeds of Christ either his signs, or the skillfulness of the economy in the flesh. For the doctrine of the mystery is very deep, and it is only partially graspable by subtle investigations, and is held by faith; for the miracle in it is great.

"Because he who seeks for their blood has remembered."

^A [64 b] And in what way? For he became man, and having assumed our likeness, he endured the cross, so that he might buy back all with his own blood, and snatch those ensnared by them from the devil's snares.

"He has not forgotten the cry of the poor."

^A 65 By anagoge, he calls "poor" here either the Gentiles or the saints who very often pray on their behalf; the former, as being void of intellectual riches (for those who do not know at all the God who is such by nature, what intellectual splendor could they have?); the latter, as having a humble and restrained mind. If, therefore, we say that the saints are the poor, he has not forgotten their cry, which they have uttered, very often beseeching God, the Savior of all, to visit that which is under heaven, and to take thought for those upon the earth. For they used to say: "You who sit upon the Cherubim, appear; stir up your power, and come to save us." And again: "O Lord, bow the heavens and come down." But if by the poor we understand the nations, since no one can show that they ever lifted up voices on their own behalf (for how could they have called upon a God whom they did not know?), we say that the voice came from them more by deeds than by words. For every injustice, as it were, cries out against its author, and brings a plea on behalf of those who are wronged, [the one who] ^D

^A accusing the cruelty of the offender and rousing to their aid anyone who is able to help. The blood of the one slain by Cain did indeed cry out against him. “For the voice,” He says, “of your brother’s blood cries out to me.” Yet the divine Paul also attributes a voice to the precious blood of Christ; for he said that it speaks better things than that of Abel. For the one condemned the murderer and sent forth a voice as if accusing him, but the other has become salvation for the world and has summoned the forgiveness of offences upon it. For the blood of Christ cleanses us from every sin, as it is written. Therefore, the destruction of the nations—that is, their blood, which was sought after by God—produced the power of a cry and has summoned the Creator of all into wrath against those who had slain them. For just as the blood of Abel is said to cry out to God, not surely because it had a voice of its own, but because God abominated the enormity of that crime; so too may one think regarding the worshippers of demons. For even if they did not know the God of all, and on that account did not cry out to Him, yet because they were being oppressed by the violence of the demon, they cried out in this very way, as it were, by the deed itself, earnestly demanding aid for themselves. ^B

Vers. 14. *Have mercy upon me, O Lord; look upon my humiliation.*

According to the anagogical sense, after the aforementioned cry of the poor, which God had not forgotten, the Psalmist immediately introduced what this cry of the poor nations was. For as if they had now been enlightened and had returned to their senses, and had detected the deceit of the demons, and had arrived at a knowledge of their craftiness, to the point that they even regarded as enemies those whom they had formerly worshipped, they asked to obtain help from above; and they said that they had been humbled, not by their own nature (for God created man for immortality and for good works), but by their ambush. For by the envy of the devil, death entered the world. But, O Lord, the Gentile says, have mercy on me; for You are able to recall those who are shut up from the gates of death. The gates of death, moreover, are the wicked powers which ^C cast their subjects down into the pit of death; and also the manifold sins from which God is accustomed to deliver those who are caught in them. They call this earthly [Church] the daughter of Zion—that is, the heavenly Church of the firstborn—for it is directed toward her. “Take care,” says the Scripture, “that you perform everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain”; for the tabernacle was the pattern of the Church. Therefore, now dwelling in this Church—in Zion, I mean—I will sing to You, I will proclaim all Your praises openly without end, so that I may omit no part of the celebration. It seems, however, to signify by these words that it is in no way fitting for God to be praised by those living outside the Churches, but by those who have entered into them through faith: “For praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner.” But how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?

They from the nations therefore say: “For this reason Thou liftest us up from our humiliation, that we may dance in the heavenly Sion.”

[*Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death.*] The gates of death may be understood in various ways. For even the dragon himself, the apostate, the inventor of all malice, and the evil powers that conspired with him, might not unfairly be called the gates of death; for they lead those who have come under their power down into the chasm of Hades and into the depths of death. The gates of death might also be understood as the manifold sins, and indeed also the sages among the Greeks, who shield error and are eager to adorn the ugliness of idolatry with their own eloquence. ^B

[*We will rejoice in Thy salvation.*] ^A According to the anagogical sense, those from the nations gratefully welcome the economy which God the Father has wrought in Christ, having revealed Him as Savior and Redeemer to the whole world; for He was pleased to sum up all things in Him, both things in heaven and things on earth. Therefore, they approach the faith, as one capable of bringing them within the gates of the daughter of Sion. Scripture everywhere calls Christ “Salvation.” Therefore, it is sung as if from the person of those who are thirsting to behold His appearing: “Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy, and grant us Thy salvation.”

[*In this snare which they hid.*] ^A According to the anagogical sense, one should say that the nations signifies the impure multitude of demons, who indeed prepared for the Savior, just as they thought, destruction by death. They led the way in the madness of the Jews, using the most thievish disciple as their minister; but they themselves were ensnared more than He who endured their plotting. For He bought the world under heaven with His own blood, and delivered it from the malice of the devil. For He said, when He was about to endure the saving cross: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world shall be cast out,” and, “If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto Myself.” And the persecutors have suffered those things which they devised for the many. ^C

[*In the works of His own hands.*] ^A According to the anagogical sense, when righteous judgment has been executed, and punishment inflicted upon those who have transgressed in unholy ways, the Lord is acknowledged by those who have believed in Him as being just, holy, and powerful; for the sinner has been caught in the works of His hands. This must be understood in two ways: for either the sinner, falling as it were into a trap into the hands of God, pays the penalty for his impiety; or he will be ensnared by the works of his own hands: for he who digs a pit... ^D

for his neighbor shall fall into it. And it is a judgment truly just, that those who devise death for a man should be caught in it themselves, God turning the deceit back upon the one who devised it. By "sinners" here David means either, in general, anyone guilty of sins (for it is entirely necessary that he who is accustomed to live in this way should be punished, being ensnared by his own works—for each person is bound by the chains of his own sins), or he names the Jewish people as "sinners," and with good reason: for they remained in their own filth, refusing the cleansing grace, and died in their own offenses. Finally, it is also permitted to call Satan a "sinner," the inventor of sin, who was trapped by a just judgment and convicted by his own works: for he laid an ambush, but he fell under the feet of the saints. ^A

Vers. 18. *Let the sinners be turned into hell.*

According to the *anagoge*, believers, moved by an intense love for God, seem to utter an imprecation against those who have rejected the advent of Christ and the most desirable grace, by which they could have become heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Or perhaps the Gentiles who forget God are demons: for they in no way remember God in their actions, but abhor every virtue and good work.

Vers. 19. *For the poor shall not be forgotten to the end.*

According to the *anagoge*, David calls here "the poor" either simply all the saints, who have a humble and lowly mind, or those called from the Gentiles, who formerly lived in the want of every good thing. Of these, he says, there shall not be a perpetual forgetting; for they have passed into the remembrance of the merciful God, and have been called through Christ to the knowledge of truth, having cast off the yoke of ancient error.

Vers. 20. *Arise, O Lord, let not man be strengthened.*

According to the *anagoge*, he prays for the Only-begotten to shine forth to mortal men and to be aroused, so that that proud devil (whom he calls "man" for the present, on account of his weakness, and because before God he is entirely nothing, but just one of the sons of the earth) may no longer lift up his brow, nor appear strong. ^B

*Let the Gentiles be judged in thy sight.*

According to the *anagoge*, he prays that the judgment which is to happen for the salvation of the Gentiles may come to pass. "Let the Gentiles be judged," he says, not that they may pay the penalty for their sins, but that they may appear as victims of injustice, and thus be snatched from the hand of the tyrant; so that "judgment" here is understood as the righteous discernment of God, by which, having taken pity on the Gentiles, He has called them to the divine knowledge of Himself.

Vers. 21. *Let the Gentiles know that they are men.*

What he says is of this sort: many also of this

^A condition have forgotten the memory of their nature, have forgotten their own selves, have slipped into madness, and have remained ignorant of who they are. Do you see how He makes intercession for them, and asks that a medicine be applied to their madness? For to be ignorant of oneself is a sign of extreme madness and frenzy; the former pertains to the forced infirmity of the body, while the latter is a disease of a corrupted will. According to the anagogy, he prays that Christ may be appointed as legislator to the Gentiles; and he adds the reason for which he offers this prayer: *"Let the Gentiles,"* he says, *"know that they are men."* For before they came to the knowledge of the truth and bent their necks to the yoke of the Savior, they lived a life like that of beasts, knowing nothing beyond the flesh, surrendered to the pleasures of the belly like cattle; to such an extent that David, sighing, said: *"Man, when he was in honor, did not understand; he was compared to the senseless cattle."* ^B But through Christ they have been brought back to a dignity worthy of man, and are directed toward virtue by the evangelical precepts.

*Vers. 22. Why, O Lord, have you stood afar off?*

According to the anagogy, he prays to hasten the calling of the Gentiles, which was to take place a little later. This desire was inspired in him by the arrogance of the devil. Or, you may explain it this way: Why have you withdrawn from afar, as if removing yourself from those who are wronged, and allowing them to prevail, those who plunder your possessions, and why do you not rather draw nearer through your assistance, but neglect those who are cast down, even though the opportunity invites you to defend them? Indeed, mercy is due to none so much as to the afflicted. Therefore, distress requires timely help: *"For those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick."* ^C But this discourse is shaped after our human manner; for God does not really depart, but rather fills all things, and nothing is devoid of Him. But if He is said to stand afar, do not imagine a local absence; for the Divine is uncircumscribed; but because He permits someone to be afflicted and to suffer, by not providing help, for this reason He is said to stand afar. Furthermore, God is, as it were, afar from us because of the difference in nature; for there is a great interval between God and the creature, and the difference is infinite. It seems, therefore, that he is here inviting the only-begotten Word to the incarnation; for thus He who was afar off has drawn near to us, because, being God by nature, He became flesh. And at the opportune time, the mystery of the incarnation was accomplished, when the world had reached the ^D extreme of evils, with the enemies contriving every kind of trap for it.

*Vers. 23. While the impious person acts proudly, the poor man is set on fire.*

Not only does the poor man suffer harm in human affairs, but he is even incited to sin; for when he sees the impious person prospering, his thoughts are set on fire, with Satan instigating him to emulate the unrighteous one. Therefore, this is a true saying, stated concerning any proud and cruel person who, with inevitable preponderance,

^A inflames the weaker ones. For this is also true: those who have practiced this worldly, devilish, and soul-destroying wisdom are puffed up with pride on account of it, and they set fire to those who are poor in understanding—that is, they make them children of Gehenna—by defending the lie, and adorning deception with their own eloquence, and through this, they lead many astray. These are caught, having fallen into the counsels of the deceivers as if into a trap; for whatever those men may counsel, this becomes a snare and a noose for the weaker ones.

Otherwise, Satan is proud; and since he is such a one, as long as it was permitted to him to do this and to exalt himself above those upon the earth, all the poor—that is, those lacking in understanding and needing spiritual strength—were set on fire; for the arrogance of the wicked one becomes a burning for the poor people. ^B *They were caught in the counsels which they contrive.* But who are the ones contriving counsels? The inventor of sin himself, and the other rulers of this world, whose consultations and malice and machinations against all are snares to those who are easily deceived; or even these powerful ones themselves are caught in their own counsels: for whatever they plot, this will certainly fall back upon them. To sum up, therefore, he asks that the proud dragon be taken from the midst, along with the powers associated with him, by whose counsels the poor man is set on fire, being driven on to every kind of wickedness because he does not know who God is by nature, nor is he directed toward what is good by divine laws.

Vers. 24. *For the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul.* ^C

Or also thus: To such a degree of wickedness and unhappiness, he says, have human affairs been brought, while the ungodly man is puffed up with pride, that there is now absolutely no one diligent in living rightly; but on the contrary, those who follow the passions of their own souls are praised by all, and these perhaps applaud themselves over an evil thing and boast that they are wicked, because no one reproaches them; rather, all applaud and bless them all the more.

Vers. 25. *The sinner has provoked the Lord.*

You may also understand it in this way: that he has provoked the Lord by mocking the doctrines concerning His providence and His judgment. For many, whenever they hear anything of this kind, immediately burst into laughter. To this must be connected the words, *According to the multitude of his anger,* so that the complete sense may be as follows: The sinner, he says, has provoked the Lord, stirring up much anger against himself: for the pronoun *his* must be taken as referring to the one provoking God. Furthermore, the expression *he will not seek* must be read with a pause, so that the sense of the verse is: Therefore, does this man provoke God and stir up much wrath against himself? And will God not seek? Or also thus: He provokes God ^D and stirs up a multitude of wrath for himself; for the pronoun *his* must be taken as referring to the one provoking Him. Then the words *he will not seek* are to be read with a punctuation mark, so that it may be understood thus: "Shall then the one man provoke God and kindle a multitude of wrath for himself, yet He not seek?" Or also thus: He provokes God,

sinner, not having Him in his mind. Then, as if in questioning: What then? Will not God inquire at the time of judgment, when there will be both the multitude and the kindling of His wrath? ^A God is not before him; his ways are defiled.

For he who does not know that God exists, does not know that He is a judge either. As regards men, therefore, the preceding words of the verses should be understood in this way: that for everyone who is a lover of sin, and who looks uncontrollably toward transgression, and who has turned entirely toward provoking God—because he does not have Him before him—his ways, that is, his actions, are entirely defiled and full of uncleanness, and are stained with the mire of wickedness, as if they were looking toward the destruction of God's judgments, that is, His laws. For every sin fights against the aim of the sacred decrees, and as far as it can, the law, which is the arbiter of virtue, is abolished, and the Master’s will is overturned. But these things can also be very appropriately said of Satan; for his ways are always unclean, and they stand against the laws of God.

God is not before him.

Every man who is a lover of sin, and who looks uncontrollably toward transgression, and who has turned entirely toward provoking God—because he does not have Him before him—his ways, that is, his actions, are entirely defiled and full of uncleanness, and are stained with the mire of wickedness, and as it were look toward the destruction of the judgments of God, that is, the laws. For every sin fights against the aim of the sacred decrees. ^B

He shall prevail over all his enemies.

Satan will not prevail over all his enemies. But since all the righteous are his enemies, will he then prevail over all of them? Clearly, he will not prevail in every act, but in some: for only Christ did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.

Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness and guile.

^C The mouth of the devil also is filled with bitterness and guile; and indeed he lies in wait for the poor in order to kill them through his own snares. And what "with the rich" might mean, what else could it be understood as than those who are rich in evils? For these, in spirit, collaborate with the devil against the poor. You may understand these things also in the case of the heretics. For just as terrible and bitter snakes have all their power in their bites, so too are these: for they abound with bitter words and detestable thoughts and deceit and guile, and they have toil under their tongue. For the voices of the wicked strike/beat ^D

the hearts of the simple, and through deceit and fraud, lead them very often to what is not permitted. But the fraud and guile of the devil is more detestable than all else; for he thus impels to sin, whispering wickedly into the mind and heart, and always siding with evil, calling what is bitter sweet, as he and the imitators of his perversity do; for their business is to subvert the good and to slay the innocent with hidden snares, that is, with latent wickedness, and as much evil as they can veil. For those who wish to deceive the upright often feign goodness; then, sticking fast, they insinuate the venom of error, and gradually creep into the minds of the innocent, calling them away to their own ends. Nevertheless, they do not do this against all indiscriminately, but rather against those whose mind is destitute, that is, lacking the riches of prudence. For I think this is signified by the words: "His eyes look upon the poor." ^B

Vers. 30. *He lies in wait in secret, as a lion in his den.*

For a man given to virtue, even if [the devil] draws him to himself for a little while, nonetheless, when he eventually comes to his senses and withdraws, he does not obtain him. But the one who is poor in virtue and simple-minded, as soon as he is drawn away, he carries off into the den of wickedness and devours, just as a lion does a sheep in secret.

^C What then is the meaning of "he lies in wait as a lion"? They say that a lion in the mountains keeps quiet inside his own den, and as it were lies hidden, lest he terrify the other animals by his sight, upon which he is accustomed to feed; but when he sees any one approaching, he suddenly leaps out, gnashing his teeth heavily, and rushes with a horrible roar, and seizes the prey that has chanced upon him, having already rendered it lifeless with his terrors. "The lion shall roar," says the Scripture, "and who shall not be afraid?" Similar to a lion, therefore, Satan lies in wait to seize the poor: for he fears the obstacle of the man who is rich in virtue; meanwhile those who are destitute of mental and spiritual strength, he captures most easily, and makes them a sweet prey. Very many, however, are the snares of the devil, and that one above all others, if the true God by nature is ignored. But in the expressions "He shall incline himself and shall fall," there is a twofold sense: ^D indeed, either because while the impious man is gaining possession of the poor, the latter, having suffered a disaster and been reduced under his tyranny, will incline himself and fall, that is, he will be humbled and lie as if on the ground, like those who have died in battle; or the impious man himself, after he has prevailed over the poor, that is, the weak, will soon fall; just as Satan also was humbled after he had defeated the poor.

Vers. 32. *For he has said in his heart: God has forgotten.*

But Satan also imagined that he would gain possession of the poor, as if God no longer looked upon the earth, but was turned away from it, and took no care of those who live upon it.

^A *Vers. 33. Elevetur manus tua.* Percutiat, inquit, manus tua, and may it now be lifted up, extending the rod to sinners, according to the dictum of Isaiah: “In all these things his anger is not turned away, but his hand is still raised up.” For the hand of those who strike is accustomed to be raised. If you interpret the verse in this way, surely the hand of the Lord is also elsewhere, which powerfully accomplishes all His works, the living and consubstantial Power, that is to say the Son, who, having been lifted up on our behalf and having endured the venerable cross, has attained glory. For thus He has extinguished the power of death, and has translated human nature from corruption to incorruption and immortality; for all things are wrought through the Son. Indeed, God the Father says in one place: "I have solidified the heaven with my hand."

^B *Vers. 34. Propter quid irritavit impius Deum?* The impious man, indeed, speaks thus, seizing and oppressing, and yet not paying the penalties as yet; but the prophet, in order to extinguish his dogmas, introduces a discourse concerning the patience of God. And he says that God has turned away His face so as not to see; but David says to the contrary: You see, O God, and You understand both the labor of those who are harmed and the anger of those who harm them; but You delay, until they themselves fall into Your hands. However, it is not others who cast us into the hands of God, but each one is, as it were, dragged there by his own transgressions. But come, the expression "wherefore" ^C is not of one doubting, nor of one ignorant of the cause for which the impious man dared to exacerbate God, but rather of one who is stating it. Therefore, the first verse should be read as if in a question and with a pause, so that the latter may provide the declaration of the cause. But in fact, the impious man reckoned to himself that God neither searches out nor looks upon human affairs. But that he strayed from the truth, and departed far from the knowledge of the goodness and charity of God, the facts themselves will cry out. For God has by no means neglected worldly things, but has sent from heaven His Son to seek that which was lost, to call back those who go astray, to strengthen that which was weak, and to heal whatever was crushed by disease.

*Vers. 35. Tibi derelictus est pauper.* ^D He speaks of the infirm and of those destitute of aid, who seek help from You alone; for He is able to preserve the poor and the orphans. But it is very likely that those are understood who have not yet recognized the true God by His own nature; and they are poor by that name, because they lack the abundance of divine and sacred gifts, which clearly flow from pious conversation and a life lived according to Christ: and they are orphans, because they have not yet attained God as their Father. For the Son has given power to those who believe in His name

^A to become the children of God. Those, therefore, who have not yet believed, nor even possess the rebirth by water and the Spirit, are entirely to be understood as orphans.

*You were a helper to the orphan.* He did not say: You are, but You were. For formerly, when all were sinning, You alone were the helper of the orphans; but now, those who are Yours, who keep the commandments of the law, are also [helpers].

*Verse 36. Break the arm of the sinner and the man of evil.*

Satan’s sin was so great that, when it was brought under the scrutiny of God, it was judged worthy of the ultimate punishment. For this reason, his arm—that is, his power against us—was broken and rendered strengthless. Nevertheless, the petition is worthy of a holy man, and this type of prayer is to be commended with every praise. For it is holy and useful to the whole world that the arm—that is, the power—of any sinner whatsoever should be broken; for otherwise they retain it only for this use, to oppress the poor. The arm of this sinner is broken by the Lord, and his sin, if it is sought, is no longer found. ^B

*Verse 37. His sin shall be sought, and shall not be found.*

If the sin of the one committing evil things is investigated, he says, it shall not be found, that is, it shall be justly destroyed.

*Perish, O nations, from His land.*

For when Christ reigns, they shall be cast into the eternal fire. By nations, he understands the impure demons, not the human beings for whom there was hope of being saved after having been justified through Christ in faith. For why would He have wished for even the heathens who had not yet received the faith to perish?

*Verse 38. The Lord has heard the desire of the poor.*

This was their prayer, namely, that they might be made worthy of future goods; for while preparing for this, they prepared their heart to endure all things. But perhaps someone will say: What kind of desire was this among those who were still wandering in error? We respond, therefore, that with the arm of the wicked man broken—who no longer held them, as before, in ignorance of God—the nations were called ^C to a desire of attaining salvation through Christ and of knowing the truth, and they had a heart most prepared to believe in Him.

*Verse 39. To judge for the orphan and the humble, that no one may boast any more.*

And according to the anagoge, by the words *poor* and *humble* are understood those who do not yet believe. For them, he wishes Christ to become judge, condemning Satan while justifying those who have been deceived. For this having been accomplished, now man upon the earth shall not boast: whether he be Satan himself

called man ^A because of his inherent weakness, for he is absolute nothingness in comparison to the divine power; or, simply put, any man who becomes a minister of the devil’s knavery and an instrument of his will. For such a man shall no longer boast, having prevailed over those who are weaker. May God grant us also to defeat the beast that lies in ambush against us in secret, so that in the future no cause for joy may remain to the enemy over our undoing!

PSALM X

Vers. 1. *In the Lord I put my trust: how say ye to my soul?* etc.

The aim of the Psalmist is clear: he affirms that he trusts in the Lord. But the verse that follows brings to us various meanings. It gives rise to the suspicion that he is addressing certain people, and as it were chiding those who say to him: "Flee as a bird to your mountain" ^B. Why, he asks, do you advise me, who trust in God, to be likened to a sparrow and to fly to the highest mountains? It was fitting, he says, that I, who trust in the Lord, should not only not hear "Flee to the mountains," but rather that my resolve should be praised and that I should be held in high esteem as one who has grasped at the best counsel. This, then, is one interpretation. But there is another: when a trial is imminent and a war is about to be stirred up—whether it be intellectual or sensible—he tries to teach in his own person how we ought to be prepared, and says: "In the Lord I put my trust." Having paused his discourse at this point, he then proceeds, as those in danger are accustomed to do, saying: "How say ye to my soul?"—that is, "What are these things that you suggest to me, which you would rightly praise, saying 'Flee to the mountains as a sparrow'?" These things are said to me by you, he says. For those who trust in God must intellectually fly and dwell in holy mountains—that is, to contemplate the lives of those saints, to examine the modes of their approval, and thus to follow in the footsteps of their conduct. We say that the holy mountains are the holy prophets and the righteous. If, therefore, anyone, having flown like a sparrow, ^C should settle upon these intellectual mountains, it will be seen that they have become glorious, not because of the strength within them, but because they trusted in the Lord. And in another way, those who trust in the Lord must fly as a sparrow to the mountains. We say that the mountains are the virtues, having nothing that crawls upon the ground: by directing our minds to these mountains, and by driving away the base desire for things on earth, we shall remain invincible against shameful pleasures.

Vers. 2. *For lo, the sinners have bent their bow.*

According to the anagogical sense, he says that the intellectual withdrawal into the mountains is necessary, since the sinners have bent their bow and are prepared for battle. ^D

^A for battle. For they were inciting him to flee with these words, saying that if he did not flee, the sinners would shoot him in the darkness, that is to say, covertly and as if by the dim light of the moon. For such are the missiles of intellectual enemies: the evil demon, shrouding himself in darkness, shoots his arrows at the beautiful body of the Church.

Sinners may also be understood as the persecutors of the faith and those who openly harass those who are studious of living piously. Evil powers also do this very strenuously, plotting every kind of snare against the saints.

*Vers. 2. That they may shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.* ^B

The enemies' bows are ready in the darkness: for thus he described the darkness that comes under the moon and overshadows it. Sinful demons therefore fight at that time; for they cannot strike the righteous in the light, but in the darkness of ignorance, when a cloud of slothfulness comes upon it and obscures the light of our moon, that is, of the mind.

*Vers. 3. For the things which you established, they have destroyed.*

According to the anagoge, he clearly demonstrates that Satan, the enemy of God, and the other evil powers with him, plot against those who have chosen to live piously. For their purpose is to overturn the edifice built by God and to withstand His will. For the enemy, says Scripture, brought ^C man into corruption, who had nevertheless been created for immortality. Demons fight against the divine purpose; and those things which the Lord of all established in such a way that they might be well-ordered, they themselves destroy. For the throne of iniquity, that is to say, Satan, frames labor upon a precept.

*Vers. 3. But what has the righteous done? The Lord is in His holy temple.*

He now confesses God to be the righteous one, which we should consider being said regarding all things, but especially regarding the salvation of the righteous. According to the anagoge, David, having mentioned the perversity of the devil, clearly marks Him who is able ^D to save and to draw away from his oppression. For when the devil, as he says, tries to destroy the things which God had established for the salvation of those on earth, by introducing his own law and doctrine, what did the righteous One (God) do, who dwells in His own temple, who has heaven as His throne, and whose eyes look upon the poor? For the verses must be connected, as if they formed a single thought. Furthermore, "regard" in this place signifies inspection. God surely, by looking upon them, saves and places them outside the snare; He looks upon the poor—the poor in spirit, I mean. "For upon whom," He says, "shall I look, unless upon the humble and the quiet?" Now, when divine Scripture speaks of God and then mentions bodily parts, the mind

^A of those hearing should not fix itself on sensible things, but rather, starting from sensible things as from likely images, it should ascend to the beauty of the intelligible, and imagine God as outside all shape, quantity, and circumscription, and outside the form and other things that accompany bodies; for He is indeed beyond all mind. But we speak of things concerning Him in a human way, for it was not possible for us to conceive of things above us in any other way.

"Eyelids," then—that is, eyes—is the term used for the watchful activity of God, which is what we would conceive of regarding His nature; for He examines, that is, He accurately investigates and looks over, both the just man and the unrighteous, and to the one He reaches out a helping hand and injects light into his mind so that he may not be shot while in darkness, whereas the other, as he runs without restraint, He allows to fall onto rocks and precipices.

*Vers. 4. His eyelids examine the sons of men.* When it is the time of judgment, He uses the eyelids as an indication of threats; for we, too, are accustomed to knit them when we are angry, and also when we wish to contemplate something accurately. Hence, even Solomon, when speaking of them in regard to the bridegroom or the bride, mentioned them as being more fitting for anger and judgment than for marriage and joy. Or else the "eye" signifies the infallible power of God.

*Vers. 6. A spirit of the tempest is the portion of their cup.* By the term "cup" here, He designates punishment, as in "the cup in the hand of the Lord from which sinners drink." Now, the cup of the righteous brings them on towards salvation, for it produces gladness and life, according to the verse, "I will take the cup of salvation." But that of sinners conveys them to death, and it possesses an unquenchable flame; for it is fire, sulfur, and a spirit of the tempest, so that we may understand that just as a wind falling upon a flame stirs it up and renders it, in a way, more vigorous, so too the anger of the Judge, like a spirit of the tempest falling upon those being punished, shows that the punishment will be everlasting.

*Vers. 7. For the Lord is just, and He has loved righteousness.* That is, equity, which is then preserved and manifest especially when those who humbled themselves for the sake of God are exalted to good things, and those whom the devil had exalted are in turn humbled by punishments; for God sees and dwells in this rectitude.

Therefore, the lovers of injustice shall be punished, but God looks upon the upright man—that is, the holy and unchangeable one—who takes the divine law as a kind of rule for his own conduct and life.

PSALM XI

who while promising friendship, in reality betray him to his enemy Saul and announce where he might be hiding. Yet the words of the Psalm are also fitting for every holy man who has established a pure and singular life, and who is not solicitous merely for his own soul, but is also grieved by the ignorance of those who have wandered, and longs to see them also fall down before God. ^A Indeed, the power of this ode contains an appeal against every unjust and wicked person, double-minded and inconsistent, mendacious and a flatterer, nurtured in wiles and deceits. It seems also to rebuke in some way the wisdom of the Greeks; furthermore, it makes mention of Christ, the Savior of us all; and it contains a promise, as if from Him who had not yet come to aid those oppressed by the devil. It is chanted, moreover, for the eighth day, on which was the resurrection, and the calling of the nations, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the intellectual, that is, spiritual circumcision. The Prophet prays to be snatched away from the evil generation; and this would be the generation in the time of our Savior, concerning which He Himself said: "The men of Nineveh shall judge this generation." ^B The ode therefore begins thus.

Vers. 2. *Save me, O Lord, for the holy man has failed.*

David says that there is such a scarcity of those who are accustomed to doing good, that even those who have been instructed in the divine law are almost swept away into wickedness; and he says that he—that is, all those of whom he speaks—is in need of a protective hand, namely Christ’s; and not [the hand of one] for the Jews alone, but for all mortals under heaven; for He Himself is the expectation of the nations, as it is written. ^C

*For truths have been diminished from the children of men.*

All things among the Gentiles are false, namely their wisdom, their discourses, and their way of life; for one would find nothing among them of the true, that is, the necessary or the useful, who have deified the creature, having abandoned Him who is by nature God. Therefore, truths have been diminished among them.

Vers. 3. *They have spoken vain things, every one to his neighbor.*

This is said truly concerning the Jews: every one spoke vain things to his neighbor, at the time when they were weaving plots against our Savior. ^D Likewise among the Greeks, the poets and orators or historians, being in no way anxious about the truth, have composed whatever seemed good to them, having this one end proposed to themselves: namely, the display of their own tongues.

^A Ver. 4. May the Lord destroy all deceitful lips, the boastful tongue.

Following the anagogical sense, how is that tongue not boastful which dared to say to the Savior: "In what authority do you do these things? And who gave you this authority?" Moreover, that which follows was characteristic of Jewish audacity: "Our lips are our own; who is our Lord?" as if they were revolving in their minds that they had the power to say whatever they wished against the Savior.

"Our lips are our own."

^B That is to say, we have become the inventors of fine speech.

"For the misery of the poor."

Here the person of those praying arises; but He who receives the prayers answers the petitioners, promising the intervention of God and the offering of aid. He names the poor, those who are poor in spirit, whose cry, God says, having heard, "I will arise as a helper."

Ver. 6. "Now I will arise," says the Lord; "I will set myself in salvation, I will deal confidently in it."

He says that He will rise up; and we do not say that this is a bodily resurrection or awakening, but that it is a manifestation of will, namely, the reaching out of a helping hand to those who are laboring. ^C According to the anagogical sense, the salvation through Christ has been made manifest to all, and is to be heard everywhere: for it has been preached with confidence throughout the entire world.

The words of the Lord are pure words, silver refined by fire seven times.

"Pure," that is, making things pure; for they are in no way evil, but are so bright and refined that they seem to be silver, refined by fire, not once, but very many times; for this, I think, is what is signified by the word "seven times." The oracles of the Savior have therefore been tested for the inhabitants of the earth.

To the Jews, the Lord reproaches through Isaiah, saying: "Your silver is spurious," that is to say, the doctrine of the faith is adulterated and counterfeit, not preserving the exact character of the royal image.

^D Ver. 8. You, O Lord, shall keep us, and preserve us.

According to the anagogical sense, the Prophet prays to be delivered from the generation of the Jews, which was under the Savior, an unbelieving and murderous and adulterous generation.

Ver. 9. The ungodly walk in a circle.

According to the anagogical sense, he says this, "You shall keep us," because the ungodly surround us on all sides, plotting against our salvation.

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

^A He sings this psalm while penitent for his sin, at the same time announcing to us that saving truth from which we received the norm by which we may approach God after sin.

Vers. 2. How long will you turn your face from me?

What is it that God turns His face from sinners? Because He judges them unworthy of His regard. Wherefore, I, pricked by my conscience and fearing the judgment of God, as one removed far from Him on account of sin, am renewed through the voluntary repentance of my soul, lest I by chance die in sin. And this is what causes the greatest grief to my soul. For which Symmachus said: "Care in my heart daily." Now these things were written for the sake of instructing us, and for teaching how it behooves us to repent of sins, using the aforementioned words as if they were medicines. Or else he calls it forgetfulness, the delay of help, and he prays that he may not be left entirely destitute of divine providence.

Vers. 3. How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

He inquires of God about these things, not as though God were the cause, but because He is able to prevent them by His nod. For if, when we live piously, the enemy is cast down, conversely, when we sin, he is exalted. For the elevation of Satan is the humiliation of men: because just as God is said to be exalted for the sake of our salvation, so the devil is said to be exalted for our destruction. It suffices, he says, for him to have been exalted once, while I, of course, was cast down by sin. Why now is he exalted against me any longer?

Vers. 4. Lest I ever sleep in death.

Under the name of sleep, he has designated sloth, by which, being possessed, we wander in the phantasms of life, and lie idle upon the bed of pleasure. Lest, therefore, a dire death follow the sleep of sloth, he asks that his eyes be enlightened—that is, the senses of his soul—so that they may see the truth. I fear, he says, lest my sleep should end in death, if the pain of my calamities becomes more vehement.

Vers. 5. Those who trouble me will exult if I am moved.

Just as an athlete, leaping outside the track of the stadium, is defeated, so the Christian, by losing the gifts which he had received at the beginning, is overturned and falls. Let us not, therefore, be changed, lest we create joy for our enemies.

I will sing to the Lord who has done good to me.

This also, like the previous verse, must be observed; namely, that the Prophet does not sing because he does not know how to sing now, but that he is more completely perfected by singing when he progresses.

To whom, then, will he sing? To his benefactor, of course, to the One who created and restored him.

^A Ver. 6. I will sing to the name of the Lord most high. Blessed is he who sings with spirit and mind, if he knows to whom he sings, and warrants his knowledge by his deeds! He who sings in this way penetrates the heavens, transcends the clouds, and stands before the Most High, to whose name he sings, with nothing hindering him.

PSALM XIII

Ver. 1. The fool has said in his heart: There is no God. This is the summit of all wickedness. For to imagine that God does not exist, but that all things came about by chance, ^B is the beginning of all licentiousness and lawless action. Therefore, this word shows that the human race has descended into such impiety that they think God does not preside over the things that exist, but believe this whole world has received its constitution by chance and spontaneously. But what do the words "He said in his heart" mean? Since one kind of speech is spoken aloud and another is held within, the Prophet does not speak now of the spoken word, but of the inner sense of the mind. For "he said in his heart," that is, he calculated that there is no God. And every man who sins unrestrainedly, through whom contempt is seen—even if he does not say it with his voice, yet by his very deeds and the perversity of his life he almost cries out: "There is no God." For those who are accustomed to live as if God were not watching, and who do all things without any regard, deny God by their very deeds and actions.

Ver. 3. All have turned aside, together they have become useless, there is none who does good.

^C Understand these things also concerning the Gentiles; for the earthly flesh bears the law of sin with itself as a disease, and the mind of man is very prone to incline toward evil even from his youth, as it is written. Rightly, therefore, does the holy word complain of us: "For all," he says, "have turned aside." For when it was fitting to walk the straight path, and from the beauty and order of the creatures to know the Creator accordingly, and to be guided by the prophetic voices to the truth, the opposite happened; and they turned aside into six hundred paths of error and perdition, and became useless through disgraceful acts, and there was no one who did good.

Sepulchre is opened is their throat, etc.

^D Diodorus, Theodorus, Cyril, and Didymus read the text from the words "Sepulchre opened" up to "in their ways." However, these are not found in the Hexapla.

Vers. 4. ^A *“Will all those who work iniquity not know?”* This verse should be read as a question. For since he had said, “They all turned aside and work iniquity,” he now says, “And are these, then, not going to know the Lord and believe in Him?” Yes, certainly many will believe; but there are those who will remain in unbelief, and they will persecute and tyrannize those who have believed in Christ.

Vers. 5. *“There they feared a fear, where there was no fear.”* ^B For the Psalmist condemns such as these. The Jews, then, who remained in unbelief, feared a groundless fear, which they ought not to have feared. But what is this foolish fear? They feared lest, if they accepted Christ and believed in Him, they might offend God. The force of the verse, however, could also be spoken concerning those who have believed, so that the meaning is as follows: The Law of Moses, he says, brought punishment; but the fear of Christ is pure, for it prepares us to fear God as children fear a Father. Therefore, after that time in which the manifestation took place, they shall fear a fear where there is no fear—not, of course, out of legal threat, but rather with the piety appropriate to free men.

(As for the biblical passage “Their throat is an open sepulchre” up to the words “in their ways,” it should have extended to “before their eyes,” for the fragment reaches that point in famous sacred criticism. Now, however, in the Vatican catenae which we have used, this fragment is absent from codices A, B, E, F, I, L. It is read in codex C, p. 24, without commentary. Likewise in codex D, p. 58, in the margin under asterisks, and with the scholion: “Whence did the Apostle take these verses of the Psalms?” Finally, in codex M, p. 21b (which codex I have said I discovered later, p. Gr. 450), it is read as it is in codex K, namely *Didymus*, etc., but clearly and fully up to “before their eyes.” I say nothing of codices G and H, which are acephalous. ^C Now, as for the two scholia which we have cited from codd. D, K, and M, Nobilius had long ago observed them in the manuscripts for the Sixtine Latin ed. from the Greek, p. 753. Compare also Montfaucon in the Hexapla, and especially my one-time great teacher Bernardus Rubeus in his [i]Variis lectionibus[/i], who illuminates this matter with no small erudition.

Indeed, St. Jerome, in his preface to book XVI of Isaiah, although he does not deny that these three verses are read in the churches, nonetheless judges them to be collected by Paul (ad Rom. III, 13) from various psalms and from Isaiah, and then translated to this place in the Psalm by someone or other—I know not whom—from the Epistle of Paul. The most learned Bellarmine seems to agree with Jerome in his commentary on this place of the Psalm. Nay, the same cardinal, in [i]De Verbo Dei[/i] lib. I, cap. 2, after reporting Jerome’s opinion, explicitly writes: “You will say, if this is so, why does the Church tolerate these verses in the Vulgate edition? Truly for this reason: because they are themselves certain parts of Holy Scripture; and because they could not be removed without the disturbance and scandal of the people, since they have been there for a long time: in the same way that it also tolerates certain errors of printers.”

Although these things are so, I do not wish to leave this matter entirely undefended. For the Vatican codex, the most ancient of all the Greeks, which I have before my eyes, p. 630, exhibits these verses in the Psalm, and not in the margin, ^D as has been rashly claimed by some, but in the context itself, without any truth, without any trace of interpolation. This Vatican codex, however, was rightfully and deservedly judged by the editors of the Sixtine Bibles (pref. p. 2) to have been written before the times of St. Jerome, and not after, and was judged the best among others. Moreover, Jerome did not see this codex, nor would he have neglected its authority in this place. I have not yet learned the homeland or origin of the Vatican codex; but certainly Georgius Syncellus in [i]Chron.[/i] ed. Paris., p. 283, mentions a very ancient Septuagintal codex, received by him from the library in Caesarea of Cappadocia, which had been copied from a still older codex, one corrected by the hand of divine Basil. By Hercules, I am greatly moved by the fact that these verses are recited in such a distinguished and incomparable codex, and that Jerome tests, as I have already said, that they were accustomed to be sung by Christian churches in the Psalter. Finally, to add a few other testimonies, the very ancient Syriac Ambrosian codex, which I also saw with my own eyes, and which the very learned Bugatius eventually edited, also possesses these verses. The Latin Vulgate, the Arab, and the Ethiops possess them, in addition to the Vatican catenae, which I mentioned above; for the present, I am prohibited by time from examining the collection of Vatican codices. These verses were read in the Psalm by the Greek Fathers, as we said above: Diodorus, Theodorus, our Cyril, and Didymus; to whom I add a third Alexandrian Father, Athanasius, from his fragments on the Psalms published by Montfaucon. The same verses were read, as Sabaterius observes, by Justin, and by the Latin Fathers Ambrose, Augustine, Cassiodorus, and Optatus, who all used the Old Itala derived from the Greek. Finally, it seems more credible to me that the divine Paul recited these verses readily from some complete Psalter codex, such as the Vatican is, than that he painstakingly patched them together from particles of the fifth, eighth, ninth, thirty-fifth, and ninth psalms, and finally from Isaiah cap. 59, 7. Therefore, the proper authority of this particle of the Psalm stands (unless I am perhaps deceived by too much love for the subject), so that it need not be necessarily sought from other places of the Holy Scriptures.

^A "Who shall give out of Sion the salvation of Israel?" See how he thirsts for the Lord, and how he cannot tolerate the delay of the future time in which the salvation of God and the Father, that is, Christ, was to shine forth. He calls Him the salvation of Israel, perhaps because Israel was the primary end of His coming. He says: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Or in another way: as the divine Paul writes, to the Jews belonged the promises, the legislation, the covenant, and the fathers, from whom Christ was born according to the flesh. The prophet says, therefore, that he thirsts for His advent. "Who will give me to see the Savior, either coming down from the upper Sion and heaven, or proceeding from the lower Sion through His birth in the flesh?"

PSALM XIV

Vers. 1. "Who shall dwell in thy holy mountain?" The holy mountain is the kingdom of the world to come; a mountain, because of its height and eminence; holy, because no defiled person dwells therein. Whoever, therefore, dwells in this life, and uses the present life only as a shadow and grass in passing, he shall be able to tabernacle, that is, to dwell, in the future kingdom. Who such a man is, and how he conducts his life, is revealed in the following parts of the Psalm.

"And he has not taken up a reproach against his neighbors."

^B The saying has some obscurity, for it is uncertain whether he has not taken up a reproach against some of his neighbors, or whether he has not incurred reproach from them. I think that for those who are studious of righteousness, it is fitting that both should be present in him. For the fruit of piety is to lead so venerable a life that no one may be able to reproach us for negligence of any most beautiful work, and in turn that we may not cast reproach upon others, even if they should somewhere slip and stumble; for human nature is sickly and falls easily into transgression.

^B Contempt is understood not as originating from a haughty mind, but rather from a hatred of evil and an abhorrence of wicked deeds.

PSALM XV

"Keep me, O Lord, for I have hoped in thee." ^C Again, this also is fitting for the form of a servant; and at the same time it demonstrates justification through faith by confession.

^A Here, the Savior, having taken upon Himself the common person of humanity, addresses words to God and the Father, not so much for Himself, but for our sake and on our behalf, as one of us by reason of the economy. He calls the Father "Lord" because He Himself came to be in the form of a servant. He asks to be kept for the sake of the Church, which is His flesh; for the Church is His flesh. ^D And indeed He asks—and very rightly—that it be kept; and to its per-

- ^A son, correctly, both the Church and the preservation refer. He also places the cause for which He must be preserved: "Therefore, O Father," He says, "I ask to be kept by Thee, because I have hoped in Thee"; and when He says "myself," He means the Church.

Vers. 2. *I said to the Lord: Thou art my Lord, because Thou hast no need of my goods.* In the Gospel He also used to say: "I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God"; and now, having been made man by nature, He calls the Father His Lord. Adding, moreover, "Because Thou hast no need of my goods," He reveals the uselessness of the legal cult. For here He has called the offered sacrifices "goods," which it is apparent He no longer receives: for the doctrine of faith abolishes them. "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?" And again: "Sacrifice and oblation Thou didst not desire, but a body Thou hast fitted for me." Further, observe that it is the characteristic of God alone to need nothing; but others who are called masters ^B truly need what is brought to them by their subordinates, such as the labor of servants, of farmers, of builders, and others of this kind. So Christ also establishes this as proof that the Father is truly Lord, because He does not need the goods offered to Him—that is, by His flesh, the Church. Indeed, even if the Son prays, weeps, or beseeches, the Father has no need of these goods; for He who knows all things has no need of prayers, nor does He have need of prophetic words.

Vers. 3. *To the saints who are in His earth.* He calls those "saints" who have been sanctified in the Spirit, and "earth" the Church of Christ. Furthermore, the word "He has made wonderful" is put in place of "He has shown" or "He has made manifest." And "His" ^C designates the Father, so that the whole sentence may be: "To those sanctified in faith, He has made known the will of the Father." Wherefore He is also called the Angel of the great counsel.

Vers. 4. *Their infirmities have been multiplied.* Of the Gentiles, clearly. Before the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ was manifested, sins and passions had been multiplied. Afterward, with salvation shining forth, men hastened to the knowledge of Him and to the putting away of their sins. Some, however, say that the various idolatries and miseries of the Gentiles are signified here, from which, having been converted, they became holy [men] of God; concerning whom He said ^D "to the saints who are in the earth," who also without delay forsook idols.

Vers. 4. I will not gather their gatherings together with blood.*

^B If anyone wishes to understand these things as pertaining to the Jews, the verses must be read indicatively, as if God were openly declaring the causes of the rejection of Israel. I will not gather, He says, their gatherings, nor will I even mention their names with my lips again. And for what cause? "From blood," He says, that is, because they were deeply occupied with many bloodlettings and murders. But if anyone says that this passage should be understood also concerning the Gentiles, you must interpret it in such a way as this: Since they hastened toward the faith, He says, and unhesitatingly received the Lord who shone forth, and ran to His divine light, shall I not gather their gatherings? It must, however, be read as a question with a pause. "Shall I not gather," He says, "from blood?" That is, because all were destroyed, and much of their blood was poured out, the devil bringing them to destruction, and the flock of demons laying them waste. And "blood" signifies the slaughter, that is, the destruction which they suffered because they did not know the Creator of all. And it is necessary for the flock to be cast down into Hades. For so it is written concerning them and the devil: "He who seeks for their blood has remembered it," and this: "As sheep they were placed in Hades; death shall shepherd them." For he himself was death, that is, the cause of death, Satan, leading them down as if in the role of a shepherd, and shutting them in as it were in pens, in the recesses of Hades. Since, therefore, He says, their blood has been poured out much, and because they hastened to the faith, shall I not reasonably, having shown mercy, gather their gatherings?

^A The divine Cyril, however, wishes the verses to be read as a question. For since, he says, those called from among the Gentiles hastened to the faith, shall I not gather their gatherings? And the phrase "from blood" is in place of, "Because all have been slain," or according to Aquila: "I will not pour out their libations from blood." Formerly, the Jews poured out libations to God according to the law, and the Greeks to idols. But I will deliver new mysteries to all, and an unbloody sacrifice, no longer receiving the libations according to the law.

*Vers. 5. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup.*

He calls the inheritance given to Him by the Father a cup, as it is able to gladden Him, which that former [inheritance], that is, Israel, could not do, being instead burdensome and offensive. Since, therefore, the Church gladdens Him, He calls it a cup. For Isaiah said somewhere to Him: "And as a young man rejoices over a bride, so the Lord shall rejoice over you."

^A Vers. 6. *Funiculi ceciderunt mihi in praeclaris meis.* A funiculus (measuring line) is a measure, as it is written in the Gospel according to John: "For God does not give the Spirit by measure." Or perhaps the name "measure" does not refer to the doctrine, but to him who receives it, because he is not capable of a more ample doctrine. For the rain is the same everywhere, but it becomes measurable according to the capacity of the vessels.

*Hereditas mea optima.* The former inheritance, that is, Israel, was not the best, but rather loathsome to God. ^B But the Church of the Gentiles, which is linked to Christ with cords of love and most intense affection, is a portion as if elect, which He rightly calls "best"; for in it there is much faith and docility, and it shines with the beauty of the mind, cultivated with every virtue. Or perhaps the cords do not denote bonds of love, but are used here from the metaphor of geometers: namely, that the Father has measured out the inheritance for me with cords, and has defined it with boundaries, and has circummured and protected it with a fence, so that the inheritance, which is in my eyes the best and paternal, and into which the cords of the inheritance have fallen for me—that is, which was allotted to me—may no longer be plundered.

The inheritance of a rational nature is the doctrine of past and future time; but the inheritance of Christ is the knowledge communicated from God.

Vers. 8. *Providebam Dominum in conspectu meo semper.* ^C This is similar to that evangelic saying of Christ: "I am not alone, because the Father is with me." Insofar as Christ is understood to be God, He Himself is the one supporting and sustaining all things; but insofar as He was made man, it is fitting for Him also to say that He had the Lord at His right hand, so that He would not be moved. For He conforms Himself to the measures of human nature, and He is not ashamed of those things which are proper to the emptying (kenosis) on account of the incarnation. I was expecting, He says, that my Father would provide me aid, and would not permit me to be cast about. But He says "at my right hand" in place of "He aids me," calling the aid by the name of the right and better side. But consider with me how our nature has become pleasing in Christ: for we, who had been driven out on account of Adam's transgression, have been offered to the sight of the Father, and we have had Him as our defender and sustainer. Let us therefore in turn have God always before our eyes, and let us consider Him present and helping, so that we might not be cast down from our duty; but rather let him who is the adversary, the devil, at our right, cease; and let us not receive the curse which Judas receives. ^D

saying: "Let the devil stand at his right hand," ^A for the Lord is at the right hand of the just, but the devil is at the right hand of the sinner. [For God, being by nature both life and the Author of life, gave life to His own temple, not doing this for His own benefit, but directing the benefit that flowed from this to the whole of human nature. He did not, therefore, ignore the way of life, even though the first father Adam had ignored it.]

"Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Since it has been said, "Sit at my right hand," and since after the ascension He sat at the right hand of the Majesty of the Father, why does the Son now say, "I foresaw the Lord at my right hand always," ^B designating the Father? Therefore, the Son is to the right of the Father, and the Father is to the right of the Son, according to the passage: "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me." It seems, however, to be spoken primarily regarding His humanity; for certainly, insofar as He is God, He is not moved. Nor is His flesh inanimate; for the flesh itself does not say that it has God at its right hand, and that it continually looks to Him so as not to sin. For to be "moved" signifies a movement toward sin.

"At Your right hand are delights for ever." ^C It was therefore fitting indeed for the Creator of all, and Lord, and God to rejoice and be glad because His creatures were reformed for the better, and restored to their original state by God the Father through the Son Himself; for just as all things were brought into existence through Him, so through the same they receive a remodeling for the better. The right hand of the Father is the Son, beautiful for the pleasantness of His flesh, who, having lifted up the deformed and unsightly nature, placed it deified at the right hand of the Father.

PSALM XVI

^A of all to say, according to the human manner, to God and the Father: "Attend to my righteousness," for He Himself did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.

[Verse 2. From your face my judgment shall come forth.]

[Verse 3. You have visited [me] by night, You have refined me with fire, and iniquity was not found in me.] ^B He who does not suffer base and absurd fantasies even by night and in sleep, may he, if it be possible, speak in this way. It should be noted, however, that the word "visited" is used here outside the sense of punishment. And again, it should be understood that the devil is accustomed to test in a manner contrary to God; for God does not test unless He has found pre-existing iniquity; if there is none, it is not found by Him.

[Verse 7. From those who resist Your right hand.] ^C He calls the demons those who resist the right hand of God; but the right hand of God is every pious and righteous person, concerning whom He says elsewhere: "Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand." Demons stand against the salvation of this man, from whom God delivers those who hope in Him. They also resist the Lord, who is the right hand of the Father—the Jews and Greeks and the inventors of impure heresies—from whom the apostles beseech to be delivered, and they ask of God that protection which nature has given specifically to the pupil of the eye, so that the eye of the mind might not be injured in any way, nor suffer to be darkened. The Savior Himself also, it is credible, asks this of the Father, namely, that He Himself might be guarded—that is, His body, the Church of the faithful—against His adversaries, so that it might look upon Him as the pupil of an eye, undefiled and with a straight gaze. Let us also be guarded against the demons who resist the right hand and our good works; which are indeed called the "right hand of God" as being accomplished through His grace and energy, lest the eye within us be darkened ^D and we fall into the mist of sin.

[Verse 8. Under the shelter of Your wings, protect me!] The apostles also make a necessary petition, that they might be under the shelter that is in Christ, while enemies attempt to render them wretched and cast upon them every kind of cruel treachery. For "all who desire to live piously in Christ will be persecuted." The Savior also wished to gather the children of Jerusalem as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but she refused. Wherefore, for the Church, as for His own body, He asks of the Father a protective power. The demons, the inventors of impiety and sin, weary us and render us wretched and miserable; but God will keep our hearts and our minds with the gifts natural to Him,

and consubstantial with Him, [namely] of His Only-begotten Son and of the life-giving and Holy Spirit.

*Ejicientes me nunc, circumdederunt me.* 127 From where do they cast us out when they desire to surround and seize us? From the law and the commandments, surely, which serve as a wall and a fortified city for the sober-minded. You will find the prophet speaking of this city: “Who will lead me into a fortified city?” We must be careful, then, lest we stray from this city through any error, for otherwise we shall fall into the hands of our enemies.

^B Certainly, the enemies of the saints look to nothing else, nor do they contemplate anything, but this one thing: namely, to turn the saints away from their good pursuits, and to cause them to deviate and turn aside from the path according to God. Where is it that the enemies desire to remove the saints from their love of God? On the earth, that is to say, as long as the saints are living and inhabit this earthly dwelling. For after we have departed from here, the adversaries can no longer lead us into error. In the meantime, the saints, enduring every kind of guile, say: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” The Jews cast out even the Lord Himself outside the city and surrounded Him, and they deliberated on the manner of destroying Him and casting Him to the ground; and the result of that plan was that they chose to decree the most disgraceful punishment of the cross.

*Corripuerunt me sicut leo paratus ad prædam.* ^C It shows us the terrible incursions of the demons; for what is more rapacious or more destructive than a lion? And so, in very truth, the invisible enemies use such methods against us after their hunt. But if we should resist, obeying Peter who admonishes us: “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”; if you resist him in the faith, he is immediately humbled and becomes as a whelp lying in hiding. Then the demons will fear to attack those whom they see are strong and have observed the opportunity of the time; for this reason they seek out hiding places.

^D [One must know, moreover, that the most troublesome and most harmful lion, that is, Satan, openly invades us through his own satellites; but he himself, like a lion's whelp, hides in a cave, since he prepares his snares secretly. One might rightly attribute such things also to his children; for they are of the same manner of life as he is.]

*Frameam tuam ab inimicis dexteræ tuæ.* He calls the righteous man the sword of God Himself, who like a blade strikes down the ranks of the demons. For the soul of the just man is the destruction of sin; the life of the just is...

^A a death of pleasures. And for this reason he prays to be rescued from the wicked and from the hand of the enemies, that is, of the devil and the demons, since he is being plotted against by all very intensely.

*Arise, O Lord, prevent them, and trip them up.*

The word *prevent* means: Do not allow them to bring their purpose to completion, but by forestalling my danger, render the end of their wickedness vain. Likewise, the word *trip them up* means: Do not provide them an easy path against those running toward Me; let them rather fall as if against some obstacle, and check their most destructive course.

^B [*O Lord, from a few from the earth.*]

By "few," I suppose he calls those who are chosen in these matters, clearly the saints, and those who have obtained an outstanding inheritance from Christ. And the Savior Himself says: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” *Divide them, therefore, in their life.* Separate, he says, the wicked from the saints, and place them far from the holy men; for this befits their life. For to those who shake off the yoke laid upon them by God, and who stiffen their necks against His decrees, how could a lot or portion be given with those who have been endowed with a kind mind, and who have labored most zealously for that which they sought? — Ex Corderio.]

PSALM XVII

*Vers. 1. Unto the end, to the servant of the Lord, David; he spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, etc.*

^C But in the true and mystical sense, those who have believed in Christ, born of the seed of David, and who together with Him are named sons of David, offer this canticle to Christ, as having been rescued from all enemies and from the ruler of this age, whom the Son cast out from his tyranny over us, just as God once cast out Saul from reigning over Israel. In the psalm, the person of the faithful is introduced at one time, and at another the person of Christ, who makes use of human modes of speech. This is also the force of the title *Unto the end*. For the psalm contains the descent ^D of the Only-begotten, the ascension, the victory over the demons, the casting out of Israel, and the calling of the nations, all of which came to pass in the end of the ages, when the Only-begotten became man. Would that we, too, might be servants of the Lord—that is, slaves—and, as in a bright day, walk decorously in the virtues and works of light, and thus be set free from all enemies, and especially from the hand of Saul, that is, the action and operation of Satan! For the hand is a symbol of action; so that, arriving at the end of the victory, we may be deemed worthy to give thanks to Christ, the author of victory.

^A Vers. 3. *My protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my sustainer.* All these epithets are rightly ascribed to Him of whom this very Prophet has taught us to sing: "By your help we shall push down our enemies with the horn." For so is He our protector, in that He received for us in His flesh the passions, as if they were arrows hitting a shield. He is our sustainer through His divinity; for only that could sustain us—that is, uphold us as we were falling—by virtue of its own impassibility. The same became for us the horn of salvation through the cross; for there is nothing that demons fear more than the cross.

*Ascended was smoke in His anger, and fire from His face.*

^B Just as smoke precedes fire, and when the fire is ignited and consumes the wooden material, it happens that coals are formed, so also the anger of God began as if with smoke, grew as a fire, and finally reduced the enemies of David to charcoal. Smoke is rightly called a punishment, as it is productive of tears; for smoke, when it falls into one's eyes, always draws tears from them. Now, when the Creator was angered against the demons because of the destruction of His creature, smoke—that is, the moderate restraint of the tyrant—preceded the vengeance. But then there followed fire, namely, the complete destruction of the enemy, which came from the face of God, that is to say, from Christ, who is the face of God and the character of His substance. For upon the Incarnation of the Only-begotten, a fire of anger was kindled by Him against the demons, so that they cried out: "You have come here before the time to torment us." And regarding the Jews, too, the threat from Christ was given forth in advance, like smoke. He said, namely: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then say to the mountains: Cover us; and to the hills: Fall upon us." Later there followed the anger as fire, which burned so fiercely against them that it reduced them to charcoal—that is to say, it consumed and destroyed them. I know also of a good fire, namely the one which Christ came to cast upon the earth. This fire produces praiseworthy coals; for through the warmth of the Holy Spirit, some appear fervent in spirit. ^C Thus, the apostles were like coals ignited by God, inflamed by their union with Him, and made lights of the world; and concerning them it was said to the city of Jerusalem: "You have coals upon which to sit; these shall be your help."

Vers. 10. *He bowed the heavens and descended,* etc.

He descended in order to join the earth with heaven and to grant communion to those below with those above. This, however, would not have happened had He not descended to the earth in the way in which He could be received—that is, clothed in flesh, which like a cloud beneath His feet he…

^A hid from us His presence which was to occur at the end of time.

*Vers. 12. And he set darkness his secret place.* By darkness here you should understand the mist of incomprehensibility, which, falling upon the eyes of our mind, does not permit us to measure with the periods of time Him who is eternally with the Father. And understand "darkness" as the obscurity of the mystery, which on account of the flesh occurred for the unbelieving. How well he calls it a "secret place"! For in this way Christ hid Himself from the devil and the demons, who, seeing Him unable to obtain faith even from the Jews, prepared a cross for Him, ignorant of the power of the One being crucified.

*Tenebrosa aqua in nubibus aeris.* (Dark water in the clouds of the air.) So hidden is the mystery of Christ!

*Vers. 17. He sent from on high and took me, he received me from many waters.* ^B The Church of the faithful confesses that the Savior Lord was sent to her from heaven by the Father, like a ray from the sun, and that she was delivered from many waters—that is, from the opposing powers, and from the bitter and turbulent businesses and circumstances of this life. He calls them "many waters" because the kinds of temptations are various, as are the snares of the evil spirits. But out of all these, Christ has rescued us.

*Vers. 21. According to the purity of my hands he will render to me.* Consistently, you would say the cleanliness of hands is the bright and unpolluted works of faith, without which faith is dead.

*Vers. 31. My God, his way is undefiled.* ^C The Word of God alone is true God; and therefore also Only-Begotten, because He is unique, as God. For all others are made gods by the presence of the Word of God. For those are the "gods" Scripture mentions, to whom the Word of God came.

*Vers. 33. God who girded me with strength, and made my way blameless.* These things also ^D apply to the ministers of the Gospel, to whom the Savior said, "Stay in Jerusalem, until you are clothed with power from on high"—with which being girded and armed by the holy Spirit (for this was the promised power), they became unconquerable by demons, persecutors, and passions, and blamelessly completed the path of life.

*Vers. 34. Who perfected my feet like a stag's, and set me upon high places.* They say that stags are very swift, and besides that, they are deadly to serpents, and, when pursued by hunters,

^A they are borne on high. Others, therefore, including Saul, also pursued David; but they did not catch him, as God granted him speed and made him tread upon his enemies as if they were venomous beasts. Since it is a property of the nature of fawns to destroy wild beasts, and to put the race of serpents to flight by their breath and the quality of their skin, the Lord is rightly called a fawn, as one who treads upon and consumes the opposing power, and who prepares his disciples for the nature of stags, among whom he says: "I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions." Now Satan pursues like a serpent; but they, having received from the Savior authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions—the intellectual ones, that is—and upon all the power of the enemy, are not caught; but, setting aside their low-mindedness, they fly back, as if toward a mountain, to the prize-worthy virtue. However, it is not enough to fly back merely; one must also attend to remaining in the things above and to lingering in the heights of the virtues. Thus God not only leads the righteous man, who has his feet perfected, to high places, but he also makes him stand there, that is, he prepares him to stand firmly in virtue, and not to fall down. ^B

You have enlarged my steps.

He speaks of steps as that by which someone crosses from vice to virtue, from sensible things to intellectual ones, and from the present age to the coming one. At the beginning, then, the path is narrow and arduous for one traveling the way that is afflicted and wishing to step over the stumbling blocks of the enemies; but with progress, it is enlarged.

A people whom I knew not, served me.

This is not an indication of ignorance—for he knows these things as God—but rather that they were not those who had won the intimacy with me at their respective times. These things could be said also from the person of Christ and of David, whose face Christ received, having come from his seed. But if David did not rule over the Gentiles, let us fix our reasoning upon Christ, who came from him, who always, indeed, as God, has lorded over all, but after the incarnation also received the voluntary service of those who have believed in him. For the knowing of our hearts is twofold: either it is to be aware of them, or it is for the one who knows to be united with the known. ^C According to the first meaning, God knows even the wicked, to whom the Savior said: "You are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts." And in the prophet: "For he knew all your sins." But according to the second, he is said to know only the righteous; for "The Lord knew those who were his." For to the wicked the Savior said: "Depart from me, workers of iniquity, I never knew you." Therefore, the people from the Gentiles, having been idolaters formerly and sinners, and for this reason not being known by the Savior, then being converted through repentance, ^D is said to serve him. Wherefore he did not say, "whom I do not know"—for he who still acts wickedly is not known—but rather...

he whom I did not know formerly, now it is clear [one ought] to know. It is like the apostolic saying: "But then indeed, not knowing God, you served those which by nature are not gods; but now having known God, or rather having been known by him." For those who were ignorant were unknown, but having known, they were known. ^B

*Vers. 46. Alien sons.* He who had been called the firstborn son, Israel, was then called an alien son on account of his unbelief. *They have grown old, and have limped from their paths.* For, *They have grown old and have limped*, Symmachus has said: They shall be afflicted with reproach and shame.

*Vers. 47. The Lord lives.* *The Lord lives*, instead of *By the living Lord*, the Scripture has; just as Job also says: "The Lord lives, who has thus judged me, and filled my soul with bitterness! As long as my breath still remains in me, and the divine spirit survives in my nostrils."

PSALM XVIII

*Vers. 2. The heavens declare the glory of God.* ^C The multitude of the Gentiles, not considering with understanding the magnitude and beauty of the visible creatures, supposed the heaven, or the firmament, to be God, and yielded worship to it. Yet they were able to perceive the Artificer from the wondrous nature of the work. For if the thing created is great and excellent, it would proclaim not so much its own glory as that of the Creator. Therefore the heavens declare the glory of God without a voice, and the firmament as it were cries out that the hands of God made it.

*Vers. 5. Day to day utters a word, and night to night announces knowledge.* ^D After he had made mention of the heaven, conformably to the Mosaic narrative, and then of the firmament, he speaks next of the light that produces the day, and shows that it is possible to marvel at the divine governance even from the days and nights, which assigned to them order, measure, and a revolution of reciprocal change. For He is the one who turns shadow into morning, that is, he who shifts the night into dawn and light, and produces dawn and shadow, that is, day and night. He commands that days should cede to days the proper intervals of hours, and likewise nights to nights, so that they are sometimes longer and sometimes shorter. For the day, for instance the summer day to the winter day, almost says: "Cede to me the larger portion in the interval of hours." For this is what seems to the patriarch. But night announces knowledge to night, namely that which concerns the Creator; or that it is altogether necessary that winter nights should be

longer, and those in summer shorter. And this, I think, is what it means for day to pour forth speech to day, and as it were to send forth a voice, requiring the surplus in the interval of the hours; and for night to announce the same knowledge to night.

"There are no languages nor speeches, in which their voices are not heard."

^A The holy Cyril and the great Athanasius read these words with an interrogation: "There are no languages nor speeches, in which their voices are not heard," that is: Are there not also voices of mute things, or of affairs or works, without speech or tongue? Indeed, one might say: for just as a variegated garment proclaims the art of the weaver, and a ship constructed with excellence proclaims its shipwright, and likewise a work proclaims the blacksmith; so also the created things which we just mentioned are indeed mute, because they are irrational, yet they have, as it were, their own languages, namely their ^B admirable construction; and their voice is their beauty and right order. For the celestial narration, and the word proclaimed by the day, is not an articulate voice, nor speech by mouth, but it becomes a teaching of divine power to those who know how to listen, even with a silent voice. Nevertheless, by calling the creation mute, David denied that it is endowed with intelligence or rational faculty, contrary to what seems to be the case to the wise men of the Greeks; for they say that this whole world is an animal, and likewise that the parts from which it is composed are animals.

"And he himself as a bridegroom coming forth from his chamber."

^C David usefully mentions the orderly course of the sun, and that it goes forth as if from a chamber at the end of the earth, like a very distinguished bridegroom; then, as if taking the signal for the race from a starting gate, he makes his flight swift and vigorous, and runs without weariness. For I think this is what is signified by the words: "He shall exult as a giant to run his course."

"The law of the Lord is immaculate, converting souls."

^D The contemplation of nature is not useless to the more intelligent, presenting to those who wish to see the glory of God, as it is to be discerned from the beauty and orderly arrangement of created things; for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world, being understood, are seen by the things that are made. [p Rom. 1, 20. ] But since these things are so, Christ himself also appeared to us, and brought us to the Father, not through the legal cult, but rather through evangelical exhortation. Therefore, besides the spectacle of nature, which is derived, as we have said, from the workshop and order of created things, we have also acquired the preaching through him. It is enough

^A that the creature should demonstrate the Creator to men; nevertheless, he also supplied the aid of the law, which could call back those who go astray. To one, therefore, who examines the words of the Psalm slothfully, this discourse concerning the law and its justifications does not seem to be connected with what preceded. Yet there is much greater harmony. And how is this? I shall say from this point: There are three, and indeed all are divine, laws. The first is both natural and creative, by which, under the guidance of conscience and created things, we understand our duty and at the same time acknowledge the Creator; the second is the written law, given through Moses; and the third is the spiritual and evangelical law. Since, therefore, David has dealt sufficiently with the law derived from creation, and has shown that the heaven and the firmament and the day and the night and the sun proclaim their creator, and has included therein the natural law through creation (for nature itself is among created things), he passes on then to the remaining ones, namely the written and the spiritual, and subdivides each into commandments, and laws, and judgments, and testimonies, and justifications.

^B First, therefore, he calls the evangelical doctrine the law of the Lord: for it was not proclaimed by any one of the prophets, but by the Lord of all himself. Next, he calls it immaculate: for the law through Moses was not blameless, as the most venerable Paul writes. For it made no one perfect. And God also says somewhere concerning the Jews: "I gave them statutes that were not good, and judgments in which they shall not live."* For when a comparison is made with the evangelical commandments, the law is not good; but the teaching of Christ is confessedly immaculate, which also converts souls from vice to virtue, from pagan error to true piety, from ignorance and darkness to light and wisdom. And the Gospel is called law, because it assigns to the actions of each person what is most fitting, commendation to the good, and punishments to those who despise it.

Vers. 10. *The fear of the Lord is holy, remaining to age of age.* ^C No one is clean from filth, even if he has lived one day upon the earth. However, just as they say there is a certain herb that purges the filth of garments, so the fear of the Lord that is holy—that is to say, that makes one holy—if it falls into the human mind, wipes away every stain from it. Indeed, it will also preserve a man in eternal life: for he who passes this life in holiness, will be in the same state also in the future one.

Vers. 11. *The judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves.* ^D He again calls judgments the divine sentences and decrees concerning each act; these, however, are true and justified in themselves, that is to say, not discordant or fighting against one another, but rather kin and agreeing with one another. For no contradiction is found in the laws of the Savior. But God judges in a twofold manner,

^A either with kindness or with justice; with kindness, as when He bestows an equal reward upon those called to the vineyard at the eleventh hour as upon those who labored before; but with justice, as in the standing of the sheep and the goats, saying to the one, "Come, inherit the kingdom," but to the others, "Depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire."

*If they have not dominion over me, then I shall be blameless, and I shall be cleansed from great sin.*

^A Having confessed that much escapes even the careful observer of the Law, the Prophet says, "O Lord, let not hidden things and alien men have dominion over me, with You as Judge not casting them against me, nor reckoning them to me as sin." Or: "When evil thoughts, which the devil casts into the mind, do not have dominion over me so that I consent to them, then I shall be blameless, and shall be cleansed from the sin of action, which is called great in comparison with that which resides only in the mind." Prophetically, all nature also cries out to God: "The Law, O Lord, cleansed the body only with temporary washings; but do You cleanse me also from hidden things by baptism, and protect me from alien demons; for if these do not have dominion over me, then truly I shall be blameless and shall be cleansed from unbelief, or even from transgression, which is great sin." ^{B C} It calls "great sin" that which is committed in act, and says that this is hindered by the purification of hidden things.

PSALM XIX

*May the Lord hear you in the day of tribulation.*

^A The goal of the saints is always stretched toward God, and looking to Him alone, they seek help from Him if any wave is stirred and a harsh tempest is raised by the deceit of the demons. Knowing this, Jeremiah also said: "O Lord, my strength, and my helper, and my refuge in the day of my evils." For help from men is fragile, but help from above is secure. For this reason, the saints say that a man is miserable, or rather cursed, who places his hope in man and turns his own heart away from the Lord. ^D David now seems to speak of a day of tribulation, historically that when Sennacherib sent those impious letters of the Raphsaces: "Let not Hezekiah deceive you, that God will deliver Jerusalem out of my hand." Allegorically, he speaks of the day of the Passion, when the Savior said: "My soul is sorrowful." Therefore, both those around Hezekiah pray that God might hear him, being distressed by the things about which Sennacherib blasphemed, and the disciples of the Savior pray that God the Father might hear Him. We learn, finally, that even we must not fail in the time of tribulation, but must pray, nor must we...

trust our salvation to men, but to God who is powerful in all things. ^B *May He remember all your sacrifice.* The indwelling reason of the soul, or the Holy Spirit, might seem to say these things for the consolation of the mourner. But the one who is afflicted must pray and not cast away hope, for thus God becomes a hearer. From the explanation of Psalm XIX by Saint Cyril: "And yet the good way is not hard to find; for Christ himself cried out, saying: I am the way."

PSALM XX

Vers. 4. *You have set upon his head a crown of precious stone.* ^C When David joined battle against the Ammonites, he was victorious and subdued them by force, and took the crown of Molchom; now this was an idol of the Ammonites, and finding a precious stone in its crown, he transferred it to his own. He makes mention of this history now, saying to God that You, Lord, anticipate my requests with your favors; for I did not pray for a precious stone, but You gave even this to me, anticipating my request. And in another place, even before his royal election, he says, blessing God—that is, singing praises—*I have found David my servant, a man according to my heart, whom I shall set up as king.* Furthermore, I indeed sought from You to be made safe from my enemies, but You, with blessings—that is, with an overflowing abundance of Your goodness—granted me victory, and a kingdom, and prophecy, and what is greatest, to become the ancestor of God. But also Hezekiah sought only for freedom; yet he obtained such a great victory and the total destruction of his enemies, and he also received a kingdom which he had not sought. ^D Moreover, one may consider the disciples of Christ to be precious stones, and generally all the faithful, who are His ornament and glory, and as it were a crown placed upon His head. And just as in the Gospel the Father is said to have prepared a wedding banquet for the Son, so here the Prophet says to God: *You have set upon his head a crown.* And the Church becomes a crown for Christ, surrounding His head with living stones. Finally, you would rightly call Christ Himself a precious stone, as a chosen and most admirable pearl, which God the Father has given to us as a crown of glory, blessing us with a blessing of sanctification and kindness. Each one is crowned by his own works and pursuits. Certainly, the judge who pursues what is just will receive the crown of righteousness.

Vers. 9. *May your hand be found by all your enemies; may your right hand find all who hate you.* God finds [them] differently when they persist in sin, and differently...

^A to penitents; to the former He is found as judge, to the latter as redeemer. However, that the Prophet says we must first find God, and then eventually be found by Him, shows clearly that our salvation lies within our own power.

[Vers. 13. *Because you will set them as your back.*]

Some, referring this psalm to Christ, have said that punishments and torments against the Jews are being commemorated, from the place where it says: *May your hand be found by all your enemies.* For these things, he says, will be brought upon them at the time of the presence of your face, on account of the things which they plotted against you, thinking that it was not possible to surround the Lord of glory with death. Wherefore ^B they have been turned back to those who believed from the Gentiles. First, indeed, having been called children and the people of God, they afterwards surrendered the adoption of sonship to others who were called in the final times from the nations, who also became the first, according to that saying: *The first shall be last, and the last first.* But in the remainder he says that since when the fullness of the Gentiles has entered, then also all Israel shall be saved.

PSALM XXI

Vers. 1. *Unto the end, for the morning protection, a psalm of David.*

Some say ^C that the morning protection is the time of the Savior’s resurrection; for He rose very early in the morning, the victor over death. Protection, therefore, is the resurrection, as it repels the corruption of bodies and purifies the inhabitants of the earth by faith. For if you say, says Paul, with your mouth, *Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.* But let us see how the Lord speaks to the Father as a man, interceding for the human race and showing Himself our advocate.

Vers. 7. *I am a reproach of men, and an outcast of the people.*

Saying this, they cast reproach against God, as if He were unable to save His Son whom He wills—that is, whom He loves. One might marvel, however, at the immeasurable dullness of the Jews, how, reading these things which are said against them as if from the person of Christ, they did not understand, seeing Him crucified, that the prophecy corresponded ^D to their own daring deeds.

Vers. 15. *My heart has become like wax melting in the midst of my belly.*

The voice of a teacher when he sees those born to him enduring calamity—such was the sympathetic disposition which the Savior had out of love toward His disciples, sympathizing in the midst of his heart for those whom He begat. But also the sweetness of the heart, as if it were wax, was melted, and became food

^A in the belly. He calls thoughts those which, through continuous meditation, are so refined that they contribute to the nourishment of the recipient.

Vers. 23. *I will declare thy name unto my brethren.*

He speaks of "name" here as "glory," according to that which is said, "I have manifested thy name unto men." ^B For He made His glory manifest, not only because He said and taught that He is the Father, but because He made manifest both His gentleness and His glory to us who have become His brethren, insofar as He has become as we are. For He says: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." But He also manifested the Father's glory to us in another way: for as many as have seen the Son with the eyes of the mind, having dignity worthy of God and omnipotence, they have seen the Father and have known Him. Indeed, He Himself also says in one place: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." But also: "In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee." And what church does He mean, if not that which the Son has completely prepared for Himself, not having spot or wrinkle, but holy and without blemish? He praises the Father, therefore, while He lays bare His glory: for this is what is signified by the word "name."

PSALM XXII

Vers. 1. *A Psalm of David.*

The Psalm which we are approaching contains the same sentiment as that which was near the end of the preceding Psalm. ^C For those who have believed from among the Gentiles, having become taught of God, as it is written, eating and being filled spiritually, recognize the dispenser of the saving food, and call Him shepherd and nourisher, and for this reason, they say that they are somehow one with Him because of faith, and constitute [one] in a single flock.

Vers. 2. *The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.*

They boast, who have been enclosed in the divine folds through Christ, and are guided by His pastoral care; having not just any one of the saints as a leader, as Israel had Moses, but the prince of shepherds, and the teacher ^D of those who teach, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Knowing this, they say, "I shall not want": for Christ is all-powerful and makes the largesse of His own gifts abundant to those who have recognized His appearing. For He gives from His own fullness, and bestows the blessings from the Father, and He Himself is both the fountain and the dispenser of every good.

*He hath made me to lie down in green pastures.*

Since the saying, "The Lord is my shepherd," is a fitting expression for sheep, those who are pastured by Christ persist in this metaphor of speech; and they add the benefits accruing to them from this pastoral skill,

calling these the grass and the water. One might understand the "place of grass" to be the ever-flourishing oracles of God, the holy and divinely inspired Scripture, which provides spiritual nourishment for the hearts of those who believe; and the "living and life-giving water" to be the gift of the Holy Spirit.

^A Perhaps, more precisely, the "place of grass" is the Paradise from which we have fallen, into which Christ leads us back and settles us, through the water of rest, that is, through baptism. "For unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven."

*Yea, though I walk through the midst of the shadow of death.*

^B Since we are baptized into the death of Christ, baptism is also called a "shadow of death" and an imitation of it, which one ought not to fear. One could also interpret the shadow of death as natural and common death, so that we may distinguish it from voluntary death—the death of the soul, I mean—which is not a shadow of death, but true death.

*Thou hast prepared a table before me in the presence of them that afflict me.*

^C Those from among the Gentiles who have come to the faith, having tasted the evangelical table, say to Christ who has set it before them: "The table Thou hast prepared for us has a nature contrary to the table of the Gentiles." For the wise men among the Greeks taught us nothing that was necessary, but instead pressed and afflicted us with a famine and scarcity of all gainful learning. This divine and holy table, however—the divinely inspired Scripture—is contrary to that destructive and hollow table of those who afflict us, for it is abundant and magnificent, and contains a great variety and display of delicacies, that is to say, of foods. For in it are many salvific admonitions, demonstrating the true way of a good life, and leading to spiritual health. Perhaps this is also what the believers mean: "Thou hast prepared for us a spiritual table, so that, having eaten and having been strengthened, we might be able to stand against those who once afflicted us." For spiritual sustenance, by rightly invigorating the soul, makes it able to resist both unclean spirits and teachers who are in error. Moreover, the mystical table, the flesh of the Lord, makes us strong against passions and demons. For Satan fears those who piously become partakers of the mysteries.

*And Thy mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.*

^D It will surely attend those who have been sanctified in Christ and rendered worthy of His gifts, so that they might recline at the holy table, and have their heads anointed with oil, and indeed drink from the excellent cup unto intoxication—which is to be in a rich participation of perpetual gladness. For I judge this to be signified when it is said that the mercy of God follows.

^A For the grace given by Christ to the saints is irrevocable, and His gifts and calling are without repentance. Therefore, the inspired Paul writes to those who are thus honored, that they receive an unshakable kingdom; for it is impossible to fall away from the goods that are given, as the hope of the saints is most firm and unshaken. And the ancient law, although it held the shadow and the types, and not the very image of the things, obliquely indicated the immutability of the hope of the saints; for it commanded that on the Sabbath no one should go out of his own tent, but rather should remain in it, and by staying within, enjoy the provisions already obtained. This was an enigma signifying that the saints shall remain perpetually in the mansions above; for thence pain, sorrow, and sighing flee away. ^B Justly, therefore, do those who have fixed their hope in Christ, and who expect to possess the mansions on high, say that His mercy will be their companion for all time. Some, indeed, understand the mercy of God to be Christ Himself, who, through His incarnation, pursues until He catches all who are to be saved. But simply, since it is not so much from works that we are justified as from the grace and mercy of God, for this reason the faithful rightly implore the mercy of God, and take refuge in His clemency.

PSALM XXII

^C [A f. 131] In the previous psalm, those from among the nations were introduced rejoicing and as it were boasting greatly that they had been called by Christ through faith, and that they had become partakers of the gifts from Him. But in the present psalm, the person of the holy preachers, or even of the Holy Spirit Himself, is brought forward, proclaiming that the world under heaven has been gathered into the net through faith in Christ. It must be known that he predicts the Lord's resurrection by the words "the first of the Sabbaths," for this is how the Gospels name the Lord's Day. He also prophesies concerning the ascension, and further introduces teaching as to how the faithful may become worthy of the heavenly tabernacles. ^D But let us see what this great, holy, and to-be-admired proclamation is.

*He founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the rivers.*

[A f. 132] "He prepared it upon the rivers" signifies that He adorned it; for it was necessary that the earth, once created and strangely suspended over the abyss, should be made full of potable waters by God, so that it might be able to nourish its inhabitants. Spiritually, the apostles may be understood as the rivers, who flood the world under heaven with intellectual streams, and bring down the word from above from heaven to earth. Allegorically de-

and from above conveying the Word to those upon the earth. ^A One may also allegorize the "world" as the Church, the "seas" as the temptations, and the "rivers" as the sweet gifts of the Spirit, and say that the Church, in which God dwells, He established most especially in the faith amidst temptations, and grounded, and made ready to receive the Holy Spirit, from whom, as from a fountain, the varied gifts flow like rivers.

*Innocent in hands and pure in heart.* ^B [A f. 152b] The Holy Spirit answers the inquiry, that he who is to ascend to the intelligible mount of the Lord must be blameless both in body and in spirit; innocent in hands, that is to say, blameless in practical conduct, for the hand signifies work. And undefiled in heart, having the inner and intellectual spiritual brightness in harmony with his outward practical conduct. For the Word leads up to the mount of God the one who is pure in all things, who has not defiled his soul to the end by judgment, nor by thought, nor by deeds, persisting in evils.

*Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty.* ^C [A f. 154] And because of the present battle and the triumph on behalf of humanity. From this we understand that the mystery concerning Christ was not manifest to all the heavenly powers, but only to those who were chosen for the ministry of the matter, such as Gabriel and those who at the birth said: "Glory to God in the highest." For they were ministering to the Only-Begotten who had appeared in human form; but when, with the dispensation completed, He ascended to the Father in heaven with the flesh united to Him, the rational powers were struck with amazement at the strangeness of the event, never having seen such a spectacle before. And when they also heard the Spirit saying: "Lift up the gates, and the King of glory shall enter in," they perhaps were wondering, who this might be and of what kind, a man perceived as far as the nature of flesh is concerned, yet called the King of glory. What then does the Spirit say to them? Do you hesitate, He says, and wish to learn who this is? Hear then, that this is the King of glory.

PSALM XXIV

^A faith have coalesced into spiritual unity. And one seeks to be directed by God, who has called them, toward the pursuit of things both useful and necessary, and promises their sincerity. Hear now what the faithful, having returned from error, say, having become as one chorus.

Vers. 4. *Show me Thy ways, O Lord, and teach me Thy paths.*

^B “This is the change of the right hand of the Most High.” For those who of old used to run in the ways of the devil, now search out the ways of the Lord, that is to say, the evangelical decrees and the manner of a life befitting the saints; for these indeed are the paths of the Lord. And the Law, in truth, possesses the shadow and appearance of the truth; but the Gospel is the truth itself, to which they ask to be led by God. And Christ is the truth, and the Father leads to Him those who seek Him through faith. For thus He said at one time to the Jews: “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draw him.” Perhaps the doctrine of the Law is also called the way and path of the Lord, leading to the truth, that is, to Christ; for concerning this Moses wrote: Therefore, make known to me the shadows of the truth, which indeed represent the image of the truth. David also asks to know the ways of God, that is, the principle of the providence by which He governs all things: and he prays to be led to the truth itself, lest perchance he inadvertently prefer a lie in its place.

Vers. 7. *Remember not the sins of my youth, and my ignorances.*

^C For those called from among the Gentiles had heard the Lord saying: “Speak thou thy sins first, that thou mayest be justified;” ^D and therefore they draw near, confessing that they have the sins of youth, whether bodily or conceived in the mind, that is, of folly: for every sin arises from folly: and even if someone sins in old age, he does this very thing youthfully and most foolishly because he sins: wherefore such a one is also called a youth, like that prodigal in the Gospels, who is also himself called the younger son. Forget therefore, they say, O Lord, the things in which we sinned in the time of idolatry, which was a manifest folly. And since we are guilty and liable to punishment and vengeance for our many falls, deign rather to be mindful of us; not indeed because of our works, for which we were justly to be punished, but because of Thy goodness alone and Thy dignity; because Thou art accustomed to pity those who fall, and who seek Thy charity toward men. For Thou hast said: “I do not this for your sake, but for the sake of My name.” Consider us, however, to be entangled in sins, partly because we were ignorant of the divine Law, and partly because we were forced unwillingly to violate the will of God. For this reason also David cried out: “Remember not the sins of my youth and my ignorances.”

^B Job also calls God good, and not ignorant of our nature’s infirmity, as if he were peevish and reluctant to forgive sins; and thus he says: “Why hast thou not forgotten my iniquity, and hast not washed away my sin?” (Job vii, 21; ibid., 3.)

Vers. 10. All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth. Those who believe are able to understand even the hidden things, according to that word: “But we all beholding as with open face the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (II Cor. iii, 18). But of the unbelievers it was spoken: “If you will not believe, you shall not understand” (Isa. vii, 9). ^C Thus the Jews remained uninstructed; wherefore the most holy Paul says that a veil is placed upon their heart when Moses is read. Those, therefore, who have been called from the nations through faith, as if already made wise through the illumination of the Spirit and well-versed in evangelical doctrine, say that all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth, and not severity and shadow, as the Law of Moses was. For they did not experience clemency who had violated the Law of Moses, but were slain without any mercy under the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deut. xvii, 6). Nor indeed were the legal rites the true reality, but the Law was a shadow and a type.

Therefore, the faithful from among the Gentiles, distinguishing as it were the Mosaic from the Christian, say that the ways of Christ are mercy and truth; for why should they not be mercy, since the commandments of Christ call men to the remission of sins and free those oppressed by the tyranny of sin and Satan? And they who believe in Christ offer a true worship, not by bringing blood-stained and smoky sacrifices, as was the custom of the Law, but by living a spiritual life that is pleasing to God, and by offering the fragrance of good works.

But for whom could the ways of the Lord be mercy and truth? They explain this by saying: surely for those who seek His covenant and His testimonies, that is, for those who cleave to God and have resolved to love Him through the observance of His commandments; but not for the disobedient and those who refuse the commandments given by Christ; and finally, not for those who, like the Galatians, even after receiving the faith, still pursue the shadows of the Law. To whom Paul writes: “If you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing” (Galat. v, 2). And again: ^D “You are made void of Christ, you who are justified in the law; you are fallen from grace.” To such as these, I say, the ways of the Lord are not mercy and truth, nor shall any profit be reaped from them.

Vers. 21. For I have waited for thee, O Lord. He says this for: “I have expected,” namely, that you would be an aid to me. For the divine Scripture uses the word "to wait" (or "to sustain") in this way.

^A

PSALM XXV.

The person introduced here asks to be judged, but not regarding sins. For it is not probable that a man born, laboring under much frailty toward sin, and not entirely immune to lapses, would boldly say: “Judge me, O Lord.” He does not, therefore, ask to be judged for his sins, but rather because he has not agreed with the Jews who reject the worship of Christ. Relying, indeed, on a good conscience, because he possesses a sincere mind and is entirely alien to the depravity of the Jews, he says: “Judge me, O Lord, for I have followed the way of innocence,” declaring himself innocent because he did not share in the depravity and foolishness of the Jews. For it behooves those who believe in Christ not to be malicious investigators, of the sort that those were who said concerning Christ: “Whence hath this man these things, and what wisdom is this? And how doth this man know letters, having not learned?” or: “Why do you, being a man, make yourself God?” But this man, having accepted the word concerning Him with simple faith, says: “I have walked in my innocence.” Thus it is also written: “Think of the Lord in goodness, and seek him in simplicity of heart.” For He makes Himself visible to such as these, just as He did to him who was blind from birth. Therefore, faith in Christ, without any malice and with a sincere heart, is the minister of every good thing. ^B

*In the Lord hoping, I shall not be weakened.*

I will not hesitate, I will not be sluggish; I will make my petition firm, placing my trust in Thee: for I have Thee as my strength. He who places his hope in himself or in any other will easily waver; but he who places it in the Lord will not be shaken. If You search the affections of my soul, You will find all the striving of my mind fixed upon Your mercy alone; and while I do this, I shall become pleasing to You, who love Your truth. ^C

PSALM XXVI.

The present psalm also befits the person of the new people, who have been perfected through faith in Christ. For here there is introduced one who has already become spiritually an adult, and who places his hope for every good thing in Christ, and who strives most of all not to yield to labors, praying to be directed by the laws of Christ and to be led into the straight path. ^D The same psalm will also befit, and not without cause, the person of the divine David, by whom it was also composed before he was anointed as king. For, foreseeing the future through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, and knowing well that he was to be chosen king of Israel, and without

doubt destined to fall into unexpected temptations, both wars and battles, and the waves of various tribulations (for many are they who unrestrainedly plot against those who are so illustrious), he girds his loins, as it were, and as if already seeing the coming events as present, he prepares his heart for suffering, counting as an invincible armor the help from God, and expecting that he will surely overcome those fighting against him, he offers his prayer.

"For he hid me in his tabernacle, in the day of my evils he protected me, etc." ^A These verses must also be applied to those who have been called through faith, and it must be said that whenever some pile afflictions and persecutions upon them, then God, as Moses says, like an eagle protecting its nest, so spreads his wings and receives them, and does not allow those who desire evil to prevail over them. For I think this is what is meant by "tabernacle" and "the secrets of the tabernacle." And he says not only, "he hid me and protected me," but "he also exalted me upon a rock." ^B By "rock" here we mean either the unshaken and unbreakable disposition of the mind towards endurance, or Christ, on whom we all lean; for he himself is the strength of all, and an unshaken foundation: established on him, we are exalted through faith and sanctification. For nothing in Christ creeps upon the ground; rather, his commands lift his beloved on high; to the summit of virtue, I say, because nothing holy is cast down, as it is written, that the strong ones of the earth have been lifted up very high.

PSALM XXVII. A Psalm of David.

^C David sings the present psalm in the person of those believing in Christ, by his prayer seeking God’s aid; and at the same time he accuses the madness of the Jews, and withdraws himself from their society, seeking to attach himself to Christ, in a spiritual sense, clearly.

"To thee, O Lord, have I cried."

^D We say that the "cry" here refers not to a high or loud voice (for it is unseemly for the saints to pray in such a way), but to the intensity and fixedness of the mind, undistractedly directed towards God. For he receives in a manner of speaking such voices of those praying, when they lift up holy hands at the time of prayer. And while it is unusual for Jews to lift up hands at the time of supplication, it is a common practice for those in Christ; for they demonstrate by the extension of their hands the

shape of the saving cross. By this act they acknowledge that they are consecrated to Christ, making his cross their boast. For just as those who have become partakers of his sufferings, bearing their own cross and following him—according to what he himself says—are fashioned into the shape of the cross, so too do we. However, we do not pray in the corners of the streets in the Jewish fashion, so as to be seen by men, but in the holy temple of God we lift up our hands in a restrained manner and offer our petitions; for "my house," God says through the prophet, "shall be called a house of prayer." ^B

From the explanation of Psalm XXVI by Saint Cyril

The good way of the Lord, which purifies souls more than flesh, is evangelical preaching; we say that this is indeed the path that leads straight to the goal. For there is nothing crooked in it; it is rather like a straight and royal road, a well-trodden wagon-path, containing nothing arduous or twisted, but is instead straight and easy for those who have chosen to be pious; though for others it is no longer so.

Psalm XXIX

Verse 8. Lord, by thy will thou hast granted strength to my beauty.

The beauty of the body is judged by the face. Yet many parts contribute to the perfection of a single beauty, such as the eye, the eyebrow, the cheeks, and the rest. ^C In the same way, let us also consider spiritual beauty; for it is one thing, composed of many virtues so that it may be well-ordered. We place faith in the rank of the eye; just as we place the spoken word in the rank of the mouth, and the others analogously. But in order for beauty to be added to the soul, and for there to be a strength capable of performing what is required, we need divine grace for this. As he said above, therefore, that life is in His will, so now he exalts God by giving thanks, saying: "In thy will thou hast granted strength to my beauty." I was beautiful, he says, by nature, but I became weak after I fell into the death of sin through the ambush of the serpent. ^D Therefore, to my beauty, which I had received from you at my first creation, you have added the strength capable of fulfilling its duty. Every soul, then, is beautiful which is seen in the symmetry of its own virtues; for the beauty of the body also consists in the symmetry of its limbs. And he who experiences this virtue within himself utters this voice of thanksgiving. We must therefore take care of this beauty, so that the Bridegroom Word, having taken the name of spouse, may say to us when he receives us: "Thou art all fair, my neighbor, and there is no blemish in thee."

Verse 10. Shall the dust confess to thee, or shall it declare thy truth?

As soon as anyone is dead, he will immediately cease from

^A saying praises to God, and he will add nothing at all to the works he has done; rather, he remains in the state in which he was overtaken, and awaits the time of the general judgment. Those who are alive, and still possess the power to see the good, when they have received benefits, will praise thee, even as I do. I pray, therefore, to be brought up out of the pit, since "dust shall not confess to thee." For it is the property of the living to hymn thee; but those who are dissolved into dust, how could they do this? David would also seem to address God concerning himself: What profit shall be gained from my corruption?

PSALM XXX

Vers. 2. *In thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me not be confounded for ever.*

The voice is that of one tempted, yet not having fallen, that is, one who is devoid of strength, but who fears lest he might prove inferior to his persecutor. "In thee," he says, "I have hoped"; for unless thou bring aid, the circuit of walls is useless for salvation. Blessed, therefore, is he who casts away all hope of worldly things and reposes it in God alone. For just as cursed is the man who hopes in man, ^B so blessed is he who relies on the Lord. For hope in God is not a subject for double-mindedness; nor is the Lord willing to provide his full assistance to one who at one time relies on wealth and human glory and worldly power, and at another time claims that God is his hope; but it is necessary to truly rest in the help that comes from God, so as to say with David: "In thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me not be confounded for ever." I was confounded, he says, by sinning, but I beseech thee not to let the shame cling to me for long, because of the confidence I have in thee. Do not then look upon my sin, but rather upon the wickedness of those who persecute me. For although David was a king, and abounded in wealth, and was renowned for victories over his enemies, nonetheless he was convinced that none of these things could contribute at all to his security, but only his hope in the Lord; therefore he prayed that he might never fall away from this. And he who has hoped to attain the end reserved for the saints knows that he will not be confounded for ever.

*In thy justice deliver me, and I shall be saved.*

Namely, in Christ deliver me from the captivity of the devil, and I shall be saved from the punishment in Gehenna. For Christ has become our justice. For there is no other name given among ^C men in which it is necessary for us to be saved. For he said: "I am the way, the door; and without me you can do nothing."

*And for thy name's sake, thou wilt lead me and nourish me.*

These things follow upon the preceding contemplation. For having called ^D him his strength and refuge,

^A he manifests the God of all, adding: *for thy name's sake*, that is, for the sake of his glory. He leads and nourishes those who have become, from a pure mind and constant love, subject to him, and who have chosen to think and do what is pleasing to him. Very excellently indeed does he say: *Thou wilt lead me and nourish me*; for virtue is acquired prosperously in no other way than by two things, namely, knowledge and spiritual strength. He acts modestly, moreover, in that he does not seek to obtain this by his own powers, but by the divine name.

Vers. 6. *Into thy hands I will commend my spirit.* The sense is: Those who were lying in wait for his soul found him in sin; for there are many snares in life even until the final breath. Therefore, suffering war in his soul (for the saints have little care for the body ^B), and fearing to be wounded by the deceivers, he commends his spirit to God, designating his providential powers with the term "hands." And indeed, the Savior himself, when fixed upon the cross, used this present saying. Scripture sometimes uses "spirit" for thought, as when the Apostle says concerning the virgin, *That she may be holy in body and spirit*; sometimes for the soul, as in James, *As the body without the spirit is dead*; sometimes, finally, for the conscience implanted in the mind, as in that: *Who knows the things of a man, save the spirit which is in him?* The present text, however, will be understood in all three ways. David, indeed, being captured by the enemies, says that he has been redeemed by God; and because his hope did not deceive him, he calls God "Truth" in a peculiar sense.

Vers. 9. *Thou hast set my feet in a spacious place.* ^C If the spacious place is the same as the broad way—that is, the life of pleasure—the righteous man gives thanks to God because, while living in a terrestrial place where one lives dangerously on account of lurking wickedness, he has obtained stability, so that he is not carried this way and that by his desires. But if he speaks of the spaciousness in a laudable sense, he gives thanks that, though pressed, he is not constrained, but unencumbered by difficulties, he sustains his labors.

Vers. 10. *Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted.* The sense of the present passage seems in some way not to harmonize greatly with the preceding verses. For someone might perhaps say: ^D He who says that his own feet are set in a spacious place, how does he here say that he is afflicted, as if he had forgotten what he said before? What, then, shall we answer? He senses the grace that is through Christ, and he truly marvels at the manner of the help; but as if he had not yet obtained it, he ruminates upon his story, as it were, and remembers the evils before the grace, so that the glory of the Savior might be yet greater. But what this tribulation is, he explains more fully presently.

Vers. 12. *I am become a reproach among all my enemies, etc.* If these things are said of him who makes confession in this psalm, [when he is] among enemies, not merely among enemies, [for] it is apparent from the commentary that Cyril read...

these things as denoting the great affliction of his soul, both what was said before this and what is said now. For he says, "I have become a reproach among enemies," ^A as one who exhausts himself to no purpose, and a terror to my acquaintances and neighbors, who fear, I suppose, lest perhaps I might perish entirely because of the misery visible in my confession to God, and the excess of repentance I was manifesting—wearing myself out with sackcloth and ashes, weeping night and day, and wasting away with such painful labors. And those who watched me have fled far from me, having despaired of my salvation as though I were already a dead man; perhaps saying that I am mad, and have no desire at all to live. So much so that they even consigned my affairs to oblivion, and thought that I was a useless and lost vessel. For since they fled, I have been forgotten, just like a dead man. I seemed also to have been cast aside like the most worthless of vessels, ^B and worth nothing, and therefore not sought after.

"I have been forgotten like one dead, from the heart."

"From the heart," that is, from the mind and memory.

"For I have heard the slander of many dwelling round about."

^C Perhaps the [phrase] "I have heard slander" is the cause of the things said above; as if he were to say: I did not afflict myself in vain, but because invisible enemies, when I had fallen into sin, made a pact with one another to tear my soul apart; for which reason, by much affliction, I was drawing God to mercy.

"In your hands are my lots."

^D Or the lots before God, of which divine David speaks. The good things hoped for and promised to the pious are understood; which He will also grant to them [at the] proper time.

"Make your face to shine upon your servant."

God deems the gentle and tractable man, restrained by divine fear, worthy of His regard; but He turns away from the unruly and rebellious man, who pays no regard to what is pleasing to Him. Now, no man of sound mind will doubt that those who have His protection will be superior to any temptation or the designs of those fighting against them. For just as when the sun rises the darkness is dispelled, and when it goes beneath the earth, night follows, in which wild beasts emerge from their own lairs, and men who are workers of wickedness; so, when God turns Himself away from someone, the enemies of the soul immediately rise up. But when the light of His divinity appears—which the Scripture calls the face of God—...

all who do things worthy of darkness flee away; and it is this that the prophet asks to obtain, not through his own deeds, but through the mercy of God. For this alone, he says, is the way of salvation for me, if You show Your face. Vers. 18. *Domine, ne erubescam, quoniam te invocavi.* ^A It befits the godless, he says, not me, to be ashamed. In truth, the impious deserve to suffer this, for they are the ones who do not know You, nor do they confess Your divinity and majesty, but rather impose the name of Lord upon demons, and attribute the dominion of all things to Satan, to whom they also commit the lots of their own lives. It is they who ought to go to the house of the underworld, and be submerged there with those shut up with them, whom they had also adopted as their own gods.

Vers. 20. *Quanta est abundantia bonitatis tuæ, Domine, quam abscondisti timentibus te! Operatus es sperantibus in te coram filiis hominum.*

The word *abscondisti* (You have hidden) seems in a way to contradict the other phrase, *operatus es* (You have worked/wrought): for if He has hidden the abundance of His goodness, how, conversely, has He wrought it *coram filiis hominum* (before the sons of men)? Therefore, *abscondisti* is to be understood as *reconditam*, that is, He has kept His goodness reserved only for His own familiar ones; yet none the less *coram filiis hominum*, that is, with no one unaware of it. For who is ignorant that the Creator of all things is good? Yet He is not good indiscriminately toward all, but rather toward those who retain a divine fear within their souls. For it is for these that He indeed "hides"—that is, He reserves as a kind of portion—the abundance of His goodness; nor is the matter for them one of hope alone, but He has very often "wrought" it, that is, He has made it manifest through deeds. As, for instance, deep darkness fell upon the Egyptians for three days; but His goodness, which was keeping those devoted to Him in safety, rendered Israel immune to the darkness. The firstborn of the Egyptians perished in a single night; but among the Israelites, not even a dog was heard to growl; rather, they were all outside the slaughter, with God driving away the exterminating angel. Do you see how, *coram filiis hominum*—that is, freely and openly—He wrought the abundance of His goodness toward those who hope in Him? Which, at the same time, He also in a way "hid," because it was not granted to all to share in it; for it was reserved, as I said, only for those who fear Him. Nor is hope in God devoid of success; nay rather, it is the conciliatress of salvation coming from Him, and brings much utility to those who hope. You hide, therefore, he says, Your goodness, that is, You reserve it for those who fear You; because You have also wrought it for this very purpose, that You might provide it for those who hope in You: which, indeed, You will exhibit openly, so that all may see, when the time of retribution shall arrive, that it is granted to the worthy. Finally, in another sense, the abundance of the goodness of God has a hidden utility, and is not yet seen clearly enough, but is coming...

to await the ages to follow, so that it may be revealed in them.

Blessed be the Lord, for He has made His mercy ^A wondrous in the city of enclosure.

^A He concluded his prayer to God with a good end, blessing God for the benefits he had received. “For by me,” he says, “God is glorified, because when myriads of wars were raised up against me, and they were attempting to besiege my soul like a great city, my guardian, enclosing me with a bulwark, showed your mercy to be wondrous; thus saving me, as if I were a city surrounded by a strong wall.” Or rather, by the name of a fortified city, he designates the Son of God, who hides the saints and, as it were, covers them as in a tabernacle, placing them outside both the tumult of men and the contradiction of tongues. Or perhaps he calls his Church the city of the saints, the impregnable to Satan, the totally uncapturable, the great and safe and unconquerable wall. “For the gates of hell do not prevail against it.” Nevertheless, mercy is not given so much outside the holy city, but to those who are within it; for he says that it ^B was made wondrous in it. The city of enclosure, that is, the walled one, was the impassible soul of David; but the enemies, having torn down the wall of impassibility with Bersabee, entered in to David. For this reason, also in the fiftieth Psalm, he prays to the Lord that the walls of Jerusalem may be built.

PSALM XXXI

Vers. 1. A Psalm for David, for understanding. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven.

^A David, setting forth his own many hardships which he endured in his repentance, calls those blessed who have obtained forgiveness without agony through the laver of regeneration. And the psalm is inscribed "for understanding," because by this, people are most in need; for, being greatly inclined toward passions, they have been likened to horses and mules. Or it exhorts to understanding ^C because the psalm has many hidden things, and there is need of understanding for the reader.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.

^A This is a third class of those who sin, whose action is not commendable, but whose mind is blameless. The first verse would fit those who have been reconciled through holy baptism; for of them it is said, “their iniquities are forgiven.” The second, however, fits those who through penance...

desire to be purified; for their sins are covered by repentance, which the benignant God buries in a sort of oblivion, so that He no longer wishes even to look upon them. For to those who sin after forgiveness, He offers not a second forgiveness, but a covering of sins. For by means of subsequent good deeds, He has deigned that their former sins be covered. Now the third ^A fits those who have stumbled, though not from a malignant and evil intent.

Verse 7. *You are my refuge from tribulation that encompasses me.*

It is of great importance not to trust deeply in oneself, but rather to recognize Him who is able to set us free, when we are assailed by cares and troubles—which, for the sake of our piety, rush upon us and disturb us like a lightning bolt.

Verse 7. *O my exultation, deliver me from those who encompass me.*

He says this as if in the person of those who desire the salvation which comes through Christ, by whose kindness we have warded off the anxiety of the ancient curse, and have recovered mirth and joy, being snatched from death and sin. For why should we not, since we have attained to heavenly goods? It is not only impious and wicked men who besiege the saints, but even the very hosts of demons devoted to perpetual malice.

Verse 8. *I will give you understanding, and I will teach you this way of mine in which you shall walk.*

To him who asks for deliverance from his enemies, God responds, promising to direct him in the straight path: “For I will give you,” He says, “understanding, and I will show you the way by which, as you proceed, you shall attain the most blessed end; and I will take care of your affairs, so that, illuminated by splendid rays, you may see the way which you have been commanded to tread.”

Verse 9. *Constrain their jaws with bit and bridle.*

He directs his speech as it were to God. He says, however: Those who are unwilling to repent, turn them toward Yourself, as it were with a bridle of discipline; and, having suppressed their restless movements and ferocity, and having tamed the contumacy of their hard mouth, subject them to Your yoke; and do not allow them, while biting the bit, to rush headlong into the abyss or pit, but, by bending their necks with ^B Your hand, steer them into the way of salvation. For if anyone withdraws from evil, and, returning to an understanding worthy of a man, bids farewell to beastly desires, and becomes a wise and prudent man, then at length he will have his hope and refuge in God his instructor; then mercy and clemency will encompass him, and the hand of God, who both knows how and is able to save, will protect him.

Verse 11. *Be glad in the Lord, and exult, you just.*

How wise is the conclusion of the canticle! ^C For He deters us from boasting in any worldly thing, and exhorts us to rejoice rather in God. He understands ^D

these to be, clearly, the distributions of spiritual gifts and the hope of rewards. However, it would not be fitting for everyone to rejoice in God, but rather for those who are lovers of justice. It belongs to these to rejoice in God alone, and to boast in Him, according to the divine Apostle: "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord." ^A

PSALM XXXII

We say that this psalm is to be sung as if in the person of the blessed David, or in honor and praise of Christ, who was also named David because of His birth in the flesh: for He rose from the blood of Jesse and David. Now the power of the psalm set before us contains, first, a certain invitation and exhortation; for it is necessary for the saints to give praise, and to offer hymns of thanksgiving to God who brought salvation to the world, and who gathered together all things in Christ, both those in heaven and those on earth, who rescued us all from the tyranny and wickedness of the devil. ^B After this, a mystagogical discourse is immediately introduced, by which we learn that Christ has an unconquerable hand, a most effective will, universal power, glory worthy of God, and a super-celestial exaltedness. For the Psalmist declares Him the Creator of all things: "For by the Word," he says, "of the Lord were the heavens established." Furthermore, he teaches that He is also the inspector of all, and casts an all-seeing eye upon all things on earth, and observes the paths of each one. He adds, as if a necessary and useful conclusion to the preceding mystagogy: for he shows that hope placed in men is rotten and easily broken, and that no one among those on earth would be able to save himself, unless God assists. He prepares those who love Him to be so disposed as to think His thoughts, to hasten to follow His nods, and to trust in Him, knowing securely that He places them outside of every temptation, and saves those who trust in Him without labor. Therefore he begins the ode and says:

Exult, you just, in the Lord.*

Being, therefore, in the Lord, and, insofar as we are able, observing His wonders, let us thus gather joy into our hearts from this contemplation. And to speak summarily, this is what it means for the just to exult in the Lord: to choose to set one's mind only on things pleasing and dear to Him, and to yearn for the best conduct, while departing from worldly desires and the turbulence of this life. ^C

"Confess to the Lord on the harp; sing to Him with the psalter of ten strings."

In other psalms it is written, now indeed: "I will willingly sacrifice to thee"; ^D now, on the other hand: "From my will I will confess to Him"; through which is signified that we should [not do so] reluctantly, nor [only] as if...

in gloom and slothfulness, but from a good mind and a cheerful spirit. This we say is also signified here, as the Word brings forward, by way of example, those accustomed to using the cithara and the psaltery. For God does not command [us] to play a melody produced by the striking of strings; nor does He bid those who strive for the rectitude of the mind to touch worldly trifles, but bids them celebrate His praises with a joy—fitting to the saints. It is likely that the Psalmist, adapting himself to ancient customs, made mention of [these] instruments. For it was customary among the Jews ^B both to play the lyre, and to use cymbals and nablums and other such instruments, and to sing hymns in the temple that was among them.

See further, if you please, how He does not command the sacrifice of oxen to the saints, that is, to the upright, nor to burn incense, but rather to offer hymns and bloodless sacrifices, which is the hallmark of the Christian life. For, repudiating bloody victims, since He said to Israel: "I will not accept calves from your house, nor goats from your flocks"; He exhorts them to hymns and songs, saying: "Sacrifice to God a sacrifice of praise."

Vers. 3. *Sing to the Lord a new song, sing well to Him with a loud cry.*

Hence also it is possible to recognize that the Spirit, through the mouth of the Psalmist, is by no means addressing words to those who follow the worship of the Mosaic Law, but to the adherents of the Christian life, and those who have obtained justification from Christ by faith. And these are they of whom He said at the beginning of the preceding psalm: "Blessed are they whose iniquities are remitted!" For to whom did God remit sins, if not to those who have been reformed to newness of life through sanctification in the Spirit, who also have washed away every stain through holy baptism? He commands these to sing, and not simply, but in a certain manner perhaps unfamiliar to those before us. For He says that the song must be new, which clearly declares that the Law given through Moses has reached its end. And to "sing well" commands, that is, as is fitting, a sober exultation. Furthermore, we call exultation, properly speaking, the victorial shout which an army raises after the enemy has been cast down.

Vers. 4. [Because the word of the Lord is right.]

Since, He says, the word of the Lord is right, and His works [are done] in faith, exult in the Lord. But as He says "the word of the Lord is right," it seems to me that He refers to the evangelical oracles, which contain nothing crooked, nothing obscure, nothing that one cannot see, or that is covered by the shadow of the letter, as the law of Moses is. For by a long circumlocution, and a difficult ambit of words, we understand the words of Moses only obscurely and with difficulty. But the word of the Lord, that is

to say, the evangelical doctrine, is upright, and easy to understand, and able to direct one toward every kind of virtue.] ^A *He has placed the abysses in storehouses.* ^B Thus, somewhere, concerning the sea, he says: "I set boundaries for it, having placed bolts and doors, and I said to it: 'Up to this point you shall come, and you shall not cross over, but within yourself your waves shall be broken.'" And he says somewhere, also to certain of the ancients through one of the holy prophets: "Will you not fear me, says the Lord, or will you not tremble before my face, who have set the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal command, and it shall not pass beyond it?" For that the earth was once submerged, the divine will revealed in the beginning, as Moses indicated, speaking as if in the person of God: "Let the water be gathered into one gathering, and let the dry land appear." Therefore, the divine power, surrounding the abyss which was able to swallow up the whole earth, holds it like a wineskin; and as if reining it in, it does not allow [the waters] to rise above the places assigned to it.

*Let all the earth fear the Lord.* ^B For it is not in vain, but rather most usefully and for the sake of the common benefit and necessary salvation, that the power of the clarity of the things presented to us has made these words with us concerning the glory of God, and His preeminence in all things. For he counsels the whole world under heaven no longer to offer worship to demons, but to be adorned with the divine fear, and to settle in the mind the thought concerning Him who holds power over all things, who indeed brought all things into existence by His word, and established the heavens, and sustains the things that have come to pass for their well-being and existence through the operation of the Holy Spirit. For this reason David has made these remarks concerning the divine glory, so that, learning the magnitude of the preeminence inherent in the divine and ineffable nature, we may cast away as a destructive thing the sloth that hinders good works; and, casting into our own hearts the fear of God, we may lay hold of every good thing, and thus ascend to intimacy with Him. For that this divine fear is saving to those who love Him, the holy Scripture will teach; for it says: "The fear of the Lord will delight the heart, and will give gladness and joy and length of days."

*From Him, let all that inhabit the world be shaken.* ^A Having heard, he says, this, let the men who inhabit the world be shaken from their previous position which they held—that is to say, while they were idolaters—by obeying their own Creator. For "to be shaken" here denotes not some physical movement or a trembling of that kind; that

^A but rather, it is a custom both in the divinely-inspired Scripture and among ourselves to say of matters of notable import that they were "shaken." For instance, when Jesus was riding upon the foal while the young boys were singing hymns to Him and entering into Jerusalem, the evangelist, intent on interpreting the import of that entry, wrote that when He entered into Jerusalem "all the city was moved"—meaning that all had become aware of Him, were amazed, and were struck with wonder by all. Thus, here too you will understand "the shaking of all who inhabit the world" as their being awestruck and full of wonder, so that no one might be entirely ignorant of the glory of God and the transcendent dignity of the power and preeminence inherent in Him.

Vers. 9. *For he spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created.*

^B He truly was and is, but we were created through His living and consubstantial Word, who is His wisdom and power. Do not think of the word "commanded" in a human way, but consider rather that even those skilled in the manual arts, whenever they wish to construct something known to them, do, as it were, command their own skill and art by the very desire to perform the work; and the inclination of the mind toward the work to be done has the power of a command and an autonomous impulse. However, in men, their wisdom and power are individually insubstantial by themselves, but not so in God. For the Word, through whom He creates all things, has subsistence, through the wisdom and power inherent in Him, I might say.

^C Observe also that to the two preceding statements—namely, "Let all the earth fear," and "Let all who inhabit the world be shaken"—He adds two more: "For He spoke, and they were made," and "He commanded, and they were created." Since man is a composite being, consisting of the earthly clay and the soul dwelling in the body, "earth" is said to be that which is formed from the earth, while the "inhabitant of the world" is the soul which has received its abode in the body. Appropriately, then, the term "were made" is attributed to the earth—that is, to our formation from the earth—while "were created" is attributed to the soul created in the image of God. Since "creation" is very often understood in the sense of transformation and restoration for the better, as in the text, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation," and "That He might create the two into one new man," perhaps "were made" refers to the first existence of man, while "were created" refers to his second existence through the rebirth of Christ’s grace. And as much as a simple word differs from the command of God, so much is the difference between "creation" and "making."

Vers. 11. *But the counsel of the Lord remains forever.*

^D [A f. 181 b] He transitions, therefore, to the thought of the Only-Begotten’s economy in the flesh, and considers what has been successfully achieved by it. For he who was deemed to be the god of this age, and the legion of demons, thought bitter things against us; for the snare of death was very great everywhere.

we, they were plotting against us with bitterness; for the snare of death was everywhere, and the nooses of sin were spread abroad. ^A “In this way, in which I was walking,” he says, “they hid a trap for me;” nor were there any available means to escape the wickedness of those beings. For men were worshipping those very impure spirits, and indeed even wood and stones, and the elements of the world; and there was no one among them who did good, not even one, while everyone was being oppressed by such terrible diseases, and no one was strong enough to shake off the yoke of their superior power, who desired to rule us. But God scattered the counsels of the princes; He snatched us away and saved us, redeemed those who were captive, and having freed us from tyrannical nooses, He bound us to His own yokes. For He summed up all things in Christ, and drove Satan away from the dominion over all. And we shall not be in these conditions for a mere time, that is, for measured periods, but His grace extends into long and endless ages. “For that which the holy God has decreed,” he says, “who shall dissipate?” ^B Therefore, “the counsel of the Lord remains forever, and the thoughts of His heart from generation to generation.” For we shall not be under another again, but Christ Himself and alone shall rule us; for He will reign unto the ages; and, as the Psalmist says, “He Himself will shepherd us unto the ages.”

Blessed is the nation whose Lord is its God. Blessed is the people that no longer knows or names any of the falsely named gods, but has inscribed as Lord and God Him who is naturally and truly God, and has joined its own soul to Him; and having been thus elected, it has even become the inheritance and portion of God. ^C

From heaven the Lord looked down. This, I think, is that which is said elsewhere through one of the holy prophets, as if addressing us who have been called in Christ to justification: “and the sunrise from on high shall look upon us.” I hear again also the divine Psalmist David singing and saying to the Father and God who is in the heavens: “Visit us in Your salvation.” Now, the salvation of God and Father is named, and truly is, the Son. In fact, God the Father sent to us from heaven, as it were a light and a lamp, His own righteousness and salvation, that is to say, the Son; for we have been justified in Him, and have beheld the divine and intelligible light. Therefore, the incarnation of the Word may reasonably be considered to be the visitation of God and Father, or what is here called His looking down. ^D

Observe also that he says the inspection from the heavens must take place, not only upon Israel, as in former times when the all-wise Moses was the mediator, but upon all the sons of men who inhabit the world. For the multitude of the nations, which is over the whole earth, has been called to salvation through Christ, the Savior of us all; for it is most general into all nations and peoples

the grace through our Savior Christ has overflowed. ^A

*Vers. 14. From his prepared dwelling-place he looked upon all who inhabit the earth.*

The divine Scripture is accustomed to call heaven a prepared dwelling-place, or the holy angels who dwell in heaven; because, as I suppose, it is not necessary for the celestial powers to labor, as it is for us, in order to become pure, but they are so holy that God rests in them. We also are a dwelling-place of God, and indeed his temples; nevertheless, we do not arrive at this abruptly, but being justified by the grace and gift of God, purging our own mind with labor and sweat, so that, having become holy, we may have as an indweller Him who is altogether pure and truly holy. ^B

Observe, says David, that he speaks of the looking down from heaven as happening not only upon Israel, as in former times when the most wise Moses interceded, but upon all the sons of men who inhabit the world. For the multitude of the nations, diffused over the whole orb, has been called to salvation through our common Savior Christ. For the grace which is through our common Savior Christ has overflowed, being altogether universal, unto every nation and race of men.

*Vers. 15. Who fashioned their hearts one by one, who understands all their works.*

Truly, indeed, God is the Son, who also knows our hearts, which He fashioned one by one; and at the same time He knows all the works of mortals; not because anyone announces them to Him, but as one who looks into minds, and sees hearts, and knows secret things. For the light is with Him, as it was written; nay, rather, He Himself is the light. ^C

*[Vers. 16. A king is not saved by much power.]*

*"A king is not saved," he says, "by much power," that is, by the multitude of his satellites. But not even if anyone were a most robust giant, that is, one boasting greatly in great strength, and in the vigor of his body, would he be able even so to be saved, and to overcome the hand of his adversaries, unless God grants him the victory. — Ex Corderio.]*

*Vers. 17. A horse is a false thing for salvation.*

A horse, that is, an equestrian host, will be a false thing for salvation. For he who had trusted in it sometimes falls short of his hope; and while he thinks he will be superior, he falls into the hands of his enemies. For by the abundance of his strength, who shall be saved? Since not even a king, or an equestrian host, as I said. For you will rightly accommodate the sense of the verse to either of the aforementioned. Therefore, God is the Lord of powers, and from Him victory is granted; for He delivers and saves with ease those who trust in Him: to whom even by the mouth of one of the holy prophets... ^D

Scripture says: ^A “And he who touches you is as he who touches the pupil of his eye.”

*“Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him.”*

^B He demonstrates that God cares for those who have attained intimacy with Him—spiritually, that is; and indeed that by bestowing upon them the guardianship that comes from love, He places them beyond every evil. “Behold,” He says, “this”; and by saying “Behold,” He all but points out that the reality is true and known by experience itself. “The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him.” What, then, is equivalent to this for prosperity? Or how could those not be full of all joy to whom it happens that they are watched over by God? And, in fact, those who are attached to the love of Him necessarily fear not attaining this; they are those who find confidence not so much in themselves, but in the One who has compassion on them, placing their hope for mercy in God.

*“To deliver their souls from death.”*

^B For He watches over us, He says, so as to deliver their souls from death, and not necessarily from physical death, but rather from mental [spiritual] death. We say the death of the soul is to be caught in diabolical snares and to sink into the mire of sin; and in addition to these, to be weak in temptations and to stumble in times of trial. The purpose, therefore, for God, the overseer of the saints, is to deliver the souls of those who fear Him from death and to feed them in famine.

*“To feed them in famine.”*

^B For He fills them spiritually and holily, delivering to them bread from heaven—that is, the truly life-giving and saving teaching, and the consolation of the Holy Spirit, through which we are nerved for every good work. For the Lord will not allow a righteous soul to perish of hunger. He said, therefore, having spread the spiritual table for us: “Eat, and drink, and be inebriated, O neighbors.”

*“But my soul waits for the Lord.”*

^B We say that to wait for the Lord is nothing other than choosing to suffer patiently for the sake of love for Him and to engage in profitable labors, so that we might accomplish what is pleasing to Him. “For you have need of patience,” He says, “so that having done the will of God, you might receive the promise.”

*“For He is our helper and protector.”*

^B Do they therefore say such things because they rely only on their own powers, and think highly of themselves? Not at all; rather, they know that they are being protected by God, and that they have Him as an assistant, strengthening them and saving them. Therefore they add: “For He is our helper and protector.” We will therefore wait, they say, and through all steadfastness we will present ourselves as most approved, and thus...

having Him as our helper and protector, we shall receive the crown of sincerity. ^A

“Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us.” Let Thy mercy follow, that is, let it be present for those who hope in You. This is also a very evident sign of genuine love. For as His household, rejoicing in Him alone and having their hope deposited in Him, they ask for mercy. ^B

PSALM XXXIII

Vers. 1.

For David, when he changed his countenance before Abimelech; and he let him go, and he departed.

This title is unlike any of the preceding ones. For it called it neither an Ode nor a Psalm. Therefore, it appears to have the nature of a thank-offering presented to God, as though in the person of the divine David; but it is not useless to others who have escaped temptations by the favor of God, and by the same helper have avoided the most grievous snares of their persecutors. Now, when he changed his countenance, who Abimelech was, and how he let David go, we must say, weaving the narrative from the holy Scriptures. ^C

At that time the most blessed David was suffering persecution at the hands of Saul; but as he was not yet able to oppose him openly, because the entire military force of Israel obeyed his commands, he resolved to flee to Achish, the king of Gath—that is, king of the foreigners—having used the counsel of Jonathan for this purpose. Then, continuing on his journey, he encountered the priest Abimelech in the city of Nob; and while he concealed his flight, he claimed to have been sent by the king, and he also requested the sword of Goliath. He did not confess that he was that David who had been anointed king by the hand of the divine prophet Samuel, but asked for bread from him as if he were some common soldier. To him, the response was that there was none ^D available except the loaves of proposition, according to the Law of Moses. When blessed David asked for these as well, and the priest inquired whether his attendants might be contaminated, he replied that they, along with all who were with him on the journey, had refrained from women for three days. Having received the loaves, therefore, he ate.

Since, therefore, he said one thing but intended another, some interpreters say he had “changed his countenance.” Then, having gone to Gath, and fearing the snares of the enemies there, he feigned madness; at which time, as it is written, he let saliva run down into his beard, and wandered about as if he were out of his mind and raving. And in this way he secured his safety. The title makes mention of this history. We must know also that our Lord Jesus Christ said to some of the Pharisees who were accusing His disciples for rubbing ears of grain and eating them on the Sabbath: “Have you not known what David did when he hungered, he and his companions? How he entered the house of God and ate the loaves of proposition, which it was not lawful to eat except for the priests only?” Therefore, he...

the inspired David, having been saved and having escaped every war, brings a thank offering and says:

^A Vers. 2. *In the Lord shall my soul be praised.* No one who lives according to the flesh, but if anyone happens to be a genuine lover of spiritual things and of that admirable life, he will say: “In the Lord shall my soul be praised.” For those who have an animal and earthly mind, “they have their glory in their shame.” For the work is not of him who wills, but of the grace that directs.

Vers. 3. *Let the meek hear and be glad.* Let the meek rejoice in words profitable to the soul, and let them truly be glad in them. For those who are wise of heart are lovers of wise words, and they receive the suggestions that lead to good without any hesitation.

^B Vers. 4. *Magnify the Lord with me.* Since one mind and the meditation of one man is not sufficient, even in the slightest degree, for the comprehension of the great works of God, he takes all the meek together into the communion of this duty.

Vers. 6. *Come to him, and be enlightened.* Those who wish to say something concerning the divine and most high nature neither think nor speak of it in terms of anything discarded, that is, human or in any other way similar to generated and created nature, but rather of those things that are lifted on high and are common to no one else. God is not sought locally, since the divine nature is not contained in a place, but ^C fills all things beyond any circumscription; yet he is found through devotion and through a sound manner of worship, for he is found through the exercise of active virtue and the rectitude of dogma by one who exercises judgment and justice. As long as anyone uses ways of wickedness and is stuck in the mire of carnal desires, he does not yet approach God, but rather departs from him. But as soon as he becomes a servant of God and desires righteousness and bears a mind imbued with every kind of virtue, then at last he draws near to God. He exhorts those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death to approach the Lord and the rays of his divinity, so that by this drawing near, being illuminated by the grace of his enlightennings, they may return to themselves.

^D Vers. 7. *The Lord heard him.* If anyone is modest, to him God... will be able to offer it fittingly and truly; but if anyone is spiritual and an excellent lover of an approved life. For those who still live according to the flesh and have an animal and earthly understanding, and strive to love the vain cares of this life, have their glory in their shame, as it is written; and the very things for which it would have been better to blush, in these same things they insolently boast themselves.

^A And he opens his ear; he also yields most readily to their requests, so as to deliver him from all his afflictions.

Vers. 8. *The angel of the Lord shall encamp, etc.* For the saints who are being tempted, God places angels who sharpen them for fortitude, and who are able to ward off the violent incursions of those who would overreach them; for the mind of man alone would not be able to withstand so great an incursion of enemies.

[Vers. 9. *Taste and see that the Lord is sweet.*] Just as the taste of foods clearly manifests the sweetness of the quality inherent in them, so too do the mere promises of divine gifts not fully explain their power; but if it happens that some come to the experience of them, then they will be much more affected, and will very clearly display the efficacy of the grace inherent in them. Therefore, to those who have not yet tasted the sweetness of the divine peace, it is rightly and deservedly proclaimed: "Taste and see that the Lord is sweet." — *Ex Corderio.*] ^B

*Blessed is the man that hopeth in him!* For what is more abundant than the goodness and charity of Him who bestows all things upon those who love Him? Certainly, he who has placed his hope in Him will be most blessed in every way. For Scripture says, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in princes, in whom there is no salvation." For the hope that is placed in man is rotten and fragile; but that which is placed in the God of all is safe and stable in every way. ^C

Vers. 10. *Fear the Lord, all ye his saints.* To those who are already saints and possessed of a good mind, and who recognize the God of all, He rightly cries out: "Fear the Lord, all ye his saints." But perhaps someone will say: "Why, I pray you, does He say to those already sanctified, 'Fear the Lord'? For can it be that some are saints who do not yet have the fear of God? And why is this not said foolishly? For men fear first, and afterwards become saints. Certainly the order of things necessarily has this rationale." What then shall we say? The word "fear" is put in this place for "admire," that is, "be astonished." ^D Just as, indeed, the prophet Habakkuk, admiring the matters of our Savior accomplished in the incarnation, says, "O Lord, I have heard Thy report, and was afraid; I considered Thy works, and was astonished."

Vers. 11. *The rich have grown poor and hungry.* Human affairs sometimes fall, and receive unexpected changes, so that he who was wealthy yesterday suddenly falls into extreme poverty, and he who was living in luxury lacks a little bread. For there is nothing firm or stable in human affairs.

^A Since they have chosen to do good, the things from God—both the rich distribution of gifts from above and the participation in earthly goods—will follow them, not bringing worldly luxuries and pleasures, but rather enough to nourish life, according to the needs of the body.

Vers. 12. Come, children, listen to me.

Vers. 13. Quis est homo qui vult vitam?

Vers. 14. Keep your tongue from evil.

Vers. 15. Declina a malo, et fac bonum (Turn away from evil, and do good). ^A Since the beginning of the acquisition of good things is the departure from evils, it happens sometimes that one does not indeed act evilly, yet neither does one act well.

Vers. 16. Oculi Domini super justos, et aures ejus in preces eorum (The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears unto their prayer).

^B The Lord looks upon the righteous, and deems those who have chosen to think His thoughts worthy of His observation from above. He also opens His ear to their supplications. And He turns His countenance toward the workers of wickedness, not so that He might benefit them through His observation—as we said in the case of the righteous—but so that He might wipe out their memory from the earth; and by "earth," I do not mean this earth which lies beneath our feet, but rather that of which the Savior speaks: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." For the city above is not accessible to the wicked, nor shall the inheritance of the saints be allotted to any of those who are addicted to sin; for there is no concord for a believer with an unbeliever, as it is written. Therefore, He says, the Lord looks upon the righteous with a cheerful gaze, as a loving father who is on guard everywhere lest they might stumble upon worldly or devilish obstacles, or otherwise be caught in his snares; but rather, that invigorated by His grace, they might complete the entire course of virtue without labor. He turns His countenance also toward the wicked, fixing upon them a harsh and savage eye, and as it were threatening them that, because they have not yet—that is, not immediately—paid their final penalties, they shall surely undergo them.

^C That God also most readily inclines to the supplications of those who love Him, and brings their petitions and prayers to the end desired by them, He clearly demonstrates. For He proposes two equally great and precious gifts: namely, that God hears the prayers of the righteous, and that He delivers them not merely from one, but from all the tribulations that may have befallen them. For in a wonderful way this helps them. Indeed, it makes them disposed to act righteously, most courageously and vigorously, so that they do not approach this perfunctorily, nor coldly and negligently, but rather prepare their bodies as accurately as possible for undertaking hardships and afflictions, and this especially for the sake of doing those things that are pleasing to God.

Vers. 18. Ex omnibus tribulationibus eripuit eos (He delivered them out of all their tribulations).

Non ex una, sed ex qualibet ipsorum pressura eripuit eos. Facit enim ad bene agendum perquam alacres, et laborum perferendorum cupidos.

Vers. 19. Prope est Dominus (The Lord is near).

Vult hoc loco demonstrare, haud abesse a sanctis Deum, sed eum eis semper versari. « Sum enim, ait, Deus appropinquans (For I am, He says, a God who draws near). »

Vers. 20. Multæ tribulationes justorum (Many are the tribulations of the righteous).

^D Semper nequitiæ auctores dentibus frendent adversus evangelicæ sectatores vitæ, ferinoque ritu...

^A inania quædam et rabida appetunt. Satana vero hortatur ut pressuras sanctorum cumulent; ex quibus tamen eripiet hos Dominus.

*Custodit Dominus omnia ossa eorum.* ^B By "bones" he refers to the faculties of the soul, which are directed toward every noble and good work. For just as the human body could not subsist without material bones, so the soul of a good man could do nothing unless it possessed its own faculties strong and in no way fractured. For in those who love sin and pleasure, and are entangled and broken by the tumults of this present life, how could the bones of the soul possibly withstand? But the Lord preserves the bones of the saints so that not one of them suffers any fracture, whether from the perversity of the devil brought to bear upon them, or from wicked men stirring up against them tumults, troubles, and persecutions. "Woe to the world," says the Savior, "because of scandals! For it is necessary that scandals come."

*And none of those who hope in Him shall commit sin.* It would befit no one on earth to be completely without sin. "For we all offend in many things," and "No one is clean from filth, not even if his life on earth has been but a single day." This praise was reserved for the one Savior of all, Christ, for He was God in our form. Nevertheless, we too shall be free from sin, provided we avoid heavy and intolerable sins that lead to death. For not every sin brings death.

PSALM XXXIV

*Vers. 1. Judge, O Lord.* ^C The Judge of all enters into judgment with the Jews, and desires the Father and God who is in the heavens to be the mediator of the matter. But the blessed David, knowing this to be a most dangerous thing, prostrated himself before God, saying, "Enter not into judgment with Thy servant." For He is victorious when He is judged, and He easily overcomes those who call Him to law, showing them to be the ones who are guilty. Those, however, who have dealt unjustly with Christ are, as I have said, the masses of the Jews. For the Father sent the Son after the servants, to seek from them the fruits of the vineyard; but they, even though they saw the heir, rendered to Him evil in place of good.

*Fight against those who fight against me.* ^D Observe how they have fought against Him, and to the extent that it lay with them, they have cast away both that He is God and that He is the Son of God. Moreover, in addition to these, they...

^A daringly maligned the one who performed such great miracles, saying, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons." And they were not only unwilling to believe themselves, but they became a hindrance to others as well. Christ therefore said, "Woe to you also, lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering." They even said to the crowds concerning Him, "He has a demon, and He is raving; why do you listen to Him?"

Pour out the sword

That He did not send the sword against them in a simple manner, but, as it were, poured it out like river water, we shall easily see if we consider and weigh the calamities of the Jews. For after the Savior’s cross, they became the work of the sword, since they were consumed by the blades of those who burned up their cities and villages. This, too, the Savior had foretold to them, saying, "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then say to the mountains, 'Cover us,' and to the hills, 'Fall on us.'" For the affairs of the Jews were brought to such a state of misery and incurable calamity that it would have been much better for them to be crushed by rocks and mountains than to have fallen into the cruel swords of their slayers. That they were also "enclosed"—that is, besieged—the history of the events concerning them will again teach us. "Therefore," He says, "enclose [them] from the front of those who pursue me." ^B

Let them be ashamed and disgraced who seek my soul

After they had set, with the Savior, a snare so bitter and—as far as it depended on them—inevitable, they were filled with shame and ignominy when He, being God, overturned the power of death and raised up His own temple. For He rose again from the dead and ascended to His Father and God in heaven. Then, indeed, they were ashamed and disgraced, as I said, and they also retreated.

Let them be turned back

Since they did not accept the faith, and on the contrary sought His soul, they were turned back; for they were cast away, and, hateful to God, have fallen from intimacy with God. They remained without a taste of the blessings of His advent, and in addition to these things, every kind of incurable calamity was brought upon them. And what was written concerning them was fulfilled: "As you have done, so shall it be to you; your recompense shall return upon your head"; and again, "Woe to the wicked! Evil shall befall him according to the works of his hands." For to relate the evils that befell the Jews is, I think, unnecessary for those who know them. It came to pass that they were ashamed and disgraced, and indeed turned back to the impure spirits and, above all, to ^C Satan, by whose strategies the Jews, following him, delivered the Author of life to the cross. Someone, I think, not deviating from the purpose, might say that this is1^D

most fittingly, also applicable to the unholy heretics, when the force of the preceding verses is applied. ^A

Vers. 5. Fiant tanquam pulvis.

It has been said somewhere by God through one of the holy prophets concerning those of the blood of Israel, that “I will scatter them into every wind.” For they have not remained in their own cities and lands; but rather have been scattered, and have become strangers, guests, and sojourners, and are dispersed everywhere. They would therefore be like dust, which is blown off course and easily carried away by every breeze. For thus also the Psalmist elsewhere says concerning them: “Not so are the ungodly, not so, but like the dust which the wind drives from the face of the earth.”

And the angel of the Lord oppressing them.

^B And what is still more burdensome than this: for since an angel falls upon them and heaps every kind of calamity upon them, they will be subjected to the most extreme disasters. We say that the firstborn of the Egyptians were destroyed in this way; and indeed also the one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians, when Rabsaces uttered those absurd cries and spoke with impious audacity against the divine majesty. “For the angel of the Lord,” he says, “went out and slew from the camp of the aliens one hundred and eighty-five thousand.”

Vers. 6. Let their way be darkness.

We shall find our Lord Jesus Christ very often in the evangelical teachings of His advent—I mean the one in this world—making the benefit clear and saying, “I have come as a light into this world.” The Jews, therefore, disbelieving the truth, and closing the eye of their own understanding, have remained in darkness. And this, the prophetic word had proclaimed to us from of old: “For to them that wait,” it says, “the light has become darkness; waiting for the ray of the sun, they have walked in twilight.” And he said “to them that wait” instead of “to them that expect.”

And the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

^C They stumble, therefore, and walk in darkness, with the angel of God driving them into this state. For the rational and holy powers do not, as I have said, cooperate with them; but rather, they stand against them as those who are hated by Christ and have been banished from His intimacy. ^D

Vers. 7. For without cause they have hidden a snare of destruction for me.

Having nothing to accuse Him of, they descended into such wickedness of mind, and indeed also into such recklessness and unholy acts of daring, that they even set for Him a snare of death and destruction; although He said clearly, “Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell you the truth, why do you not (believe me)?”

^A Since there was absolutely no discovery of sin, there is certainly an altogether inexcusable hatred on the part of those who pursued Him. For it has no foundation or base, that is, no cause for the desire of slaughter.

*They reproached my soul in vain.* ^B Was it not gratuitously, without cause, that they reproached His soul, at one time asserting that He was a Samaritan and a wine-drinker, at other times saying that He was possessed by a demon and a seducer of the people, and furthermore that He performed miracles by the power of Beelzebub? Therefore, the Jews acted truly in vain and without cause, and they reproached Christ, speaking unjustly against God, and lifting up the horn on high, as the Psalmist says.

^B [*Let a snare come upon him which he does not know.* For the snare which they did not know—the calamities, that is, which they did not expect would befall them—those very things overtook them. For they have been expelled from the leadership of the peoples, or rather, they have perished along with them; having become the work of their enemies, they have been captured and destroyed, and what, indeed, of the most extreme evils did not befall them?]

*And let the capture which they concealed apprehend them.* ^B The capture which they had covertly prepared for Christ took them instead, and they have fallen into their own snare. For they have been hunted, as I said, having been led away to punishments, and they have fallen into the net of divine wrath; for as the author of the Proverbs says: “Not unjustly are the nets spread for birds. For these murderers store up evils for themselves; but the destruction of lawless men is evil.” And it is written again: “He who rolls a stone, it rolls back upon him.”

*But my soul shall exult in the Lord.* ^B It is necessary, I say, to remember the words which I spoke at the beginning of the psalm. For I said that the person of Christ is introduced rebuking the impiety of the Jews, not refusing to speak words befitting that wickedness, but speaking more according to the human manner than the divine, for the most part because of the mystery of the flesh He assumed. For behold, even here He says that He rejoices in the salvation of the Father, as if saved by Him. And we shall find that also the holy apostles themselves, who were both eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, and the genuine keepers of the sacred doctrines, declare that He was raised up by God the Father, and received glory and dominion, with His enemies subjected to Him.

*All my bones shall say, etc.* ^B When Christ says something in a human manner, we draw this to our own benefit. For what more does He say?

^A *All my bones shall say, O Lord, O Lord, who is like unto thee?* ^A This is as if he said: With all my effort and strength, and from the very marrow of my bones, I shall confess—namely, that matchless goodness and charity toward men which he ascribes to the Lord and King of all things.

*Rescuing the poor from the hand of those stronger than he.*

^B This is a general statement and true in every respect. For the one who is poor in spirit, provided with a modest mind, and who places all his hope in God, is oppressed and plundered by wicked men who act like savage barbarians, ministers of diabolical counsels, and filled with a demonic fury; and added to these is the most brutal multitude of unclean spirits themselves. For they gnash their teeth against those who desire to live well and who submit a neck tractable to the divine laws. But the matter does not at all reach the end that they desire; for the all-powerful Word of God saves the just.

*Unjust witnesses rose up; they asked me of things that I knew not.*

^B Here Christ clearly makes mention of Jewish impiety and makes a catalog of the outrages committed against Him. For the teachers of the Jews slandered Him when they brought Him before Pilate. For they brought in some who falsely testified: “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and in three days to build it up.’” And even when they themselves were asked for the cause for which they were shouting, “Away, away, crucify him,” they lied, saying: “He forbids giving tribute to Caesar, and he stirs up the crowds.” And they even slandered Him before the precious cross in other ways; for they said to the crowds under their authority: “If this man were from God, he would not break the Sabbath.” They insisted also that He had a demon and was mad, and called Him a glutton and a wine-drinker, and said that He worked miracles through Beelzebul.

[*They rendered me evil.* For Him who was doing them good, they reviled; Him who was exhorting them toward salvation, they pelted with stones; him who was teaching most wisely and leading them into paths that conduct to piety, the wretches treated with insults and outrages, and furthermore they plotted against Him, so as to bring upon Him even sterility.]

*And sterility to my soul.*

^B It is the custom of divine Scripture to call by the name of “sons” those who, by merit of discipline, are disciples of those who teach the mysteries. And indeed the inspired Paul, writing to some, says: “For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the Gospel.” And indeed to the Galatians: “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until [D, C/D]

^A Christ be formed in you.” They were also called ^B sons of the holy prophets, those who were akin to them in disposition and learning, and who waited upon them. For that the leaders of the Jewish ranks, having obtained the charge of teaching, would not allow anyone to be discipled by Christ, is clear from this, without effort. For they cried out, as I have said, to the crowds, that “He hath a devil and is mad; why hear ye him?” They even beat the holy Apostles in the council many times, accusing them of their ministry.

[Vers. 13. I humbled my soul with fasting.] What the nature of this lamentation is, for those who are accustomed to spend their life in holiness, this verse declares very clearly. “For I humbled my soul with fasting,” he says. And then immediately he indicates the fruit of this lamentation, and the usefulness of the holy sweats that befit it.

[Vers. 14. My prayer shall turn into my own bosom.] “My prayer,” he says, “shall turn into my own bosom,” that is, it was not ineffective nor futile before God, but rather acceptable, and as it were cast into my own bosom. For we are accustomed to receive, as in a bosom, the gifts that are brought to us. But who would doubt that God admits the prayers of the saints? When He openly says Himself, at one time: “Cry unto me, and I will hear thee”; and at another time to each one who offers up supplications: “While thou art yet speaking, I will say, Behold, I am here.” ^C

Or it is said by the Psalmist in the contrary sense, to mean: Praying, I received from the Lord the requests with which I filled my bosom. This, moreover, implies that they [his enemies] persisted in sin; for they profited nothing, he says, because of the excess of their madness, having caused their prayer to turn back as if into their own bosom.

[Vers. 14. As a neighbor and as a brother.] To each one, he says, I endeavored to be so pleasing, that I seemed to be like one of their kinsmen and those classed as brothers.

[Vers. 15. They were rent asunder, and were not pricked.] That is, their mind remained rigid and unmerciful. “But I knew not.” But what did I not know? The reason, clearly, for which the scourges were being exhausted, yet they themselves were not pricked [to compunction]. For, as I have said, having nothing that they could give as a cause for accusation, they were nonetheless enraged at Christ. Yet He had said openly: “Which of you convinceth me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do ye not believe me?” Therefore, he says, I knew myself to be conscious of no sin.

[Vers. 16. They tempted me, they mocked me with mocking.] Whoever reads the evangelical writings ^D will find that the Jews dared to do this also against the Author of our life, namely, Christ. For they heaped up six hundred evils.

^A and set them against him everywhere, calling him Master while they were setting traps and snares. For they sent the Herodians together with their own disciples, saying, “We know that you teach the way of God in truth, and you care for no one; for you do not look at the face of man. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” At other times, putting forward legal questions and feigning a desire to learn, they sought to hunt something from his mouth, as it is written. But they heard then, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites?” For it was not possible for them to escape the One who sees into the heart and the kidneys, and who knows hidden things.

That they also mocked him is not difficult to see from what is written about him. For the Savior and Lord of all said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has eternal life,” ^B and he added, “and he shall never see death.” But they, hard and arrogant, and from great excessive lack of understanding not perceiving what was said, stood against him, saying, “Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead, and you say: if8 anyone keeps my word, he shall never see death; who do you make yourself out to be?”

[They were testing him sometimes, and sometimes they were also mocking him, gnashing their teeth over him, having a heart filled with diabolical fury and demonic cruelty. But, O Lord, he says, when will you look down? But contemplate for me again, even in this, the form of humanity and the measure of the emptying, ^C perfectly kept, so that Christ himself may again be found to be the form and specimen of gentleness; for although, as God, he could have meted out punishment equal to the audacity of the Jews, he leaves the duty of doing this to the Father, so that the saying of the divine Paul may also be rightly spoken to us: “Do not take revenge for yourselves, beloved, but give place to wrath.”]

*Restitue animam meam a malignitate eorum.*

(^B 148) Having mentioned the impieteness of the Jews everywhere, and having spoken at great length about the saving passion, he has necessarily introduced—for the sake of the understanding of what has gone before—the discourse concerning his resurrection from the dead. For by the grace of God he tasted death for everyone, according to what is written. [Yet he did not remain held by death. Therefore, even if the Father is said to have restored him, ^D we say that this has been accomplished through the Son; for he is the wisdom of God and the power of the Father.]

*A leonibus unicam meam.*

(^B 118 b) He calls “lions” either the wicked and opposing powers that all but roared against Christ, or perhaps even the leaders of the Jews themselves. For thus he makes mention of them by the voice of Jeremiah—

Isaiah: "My inheritance has become for me like a lion in the forest; it has uttered its voice against me: therefore I have hated it." He designates His own soul as "the unique one," ^A writing "unique" instead of "beloved," for the only-begotten among children is always somehow loved with the greatest affection.

Ver. 18. *I will confess to thee in the great church, I will praise thee among a heavy people.*

Here he calls the Church gathered from the Gentiles "great," and most rightly so, as it flourishes with an innumerable multitude and therefore surpasses the Jewish nation. It is great in other ways as well, as it possesses justification in Christ and has been raised to the highest holiness through the way of evangelical life. The spiritual worship certainly excels the legal, and the truth excels the shadows; thus, "greatness" should be understood ^B both in terms of number and in terms of virtue. It is called a "heavy" people as one that has departed from Jewish levity and is no longer unstable and prone to be carried about by every wind, but rather is solid and holds fast to firmness in the faith; whence it happens that they have even struggled unto the bloody contest for Christ, having already endured martyrdom and obeyed the written admonition: "Strive for the truth unto death."

Ver. 19. *Let not those who hate me unjustly rejoice over me.*

What joy would have remained for the Jews regarding Christ, or what occasion for reviling Him would they have had, if He had remained among the dead? ^C Surely, if He, like others, had remained a captive within the gates of death, there would be absolutely no account of Him now after the suffering He endured for us upon the cross.

*Those who hate me without cause, and who wink with their eyes.*

They pursued the Lord without cause, since they had no handle against Him for which it would be fitting for those who winked with their eyes to be seen as angry. For while they often, as I said, ^D called Him "teacher" and claimed He taught the way of God in truth, they spoke to one another with complete irony, parading hypocrisy as a defense, so that they might not appear to be saying anything true about Him, even while they wished Him to be called a teacher.

*For they spoke peaceful things to me.*

For approaching the Savior of us all, Christ, as I said, certain of the Pharisees, both feigning a desire to learn and bestowing upon themselves a reputation for it, pretended to praise Him and addressed Him with most flattering words, yet in reality not praising Him, but so that they might ensnare Him and hunt something from His mouth, as it is written. But soon a

his words were rebuked by Christ, who said: "Why do you test me, you hypocrites?"

Vers. 22. *You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me.* ^B He asks the Father that vengeance may be stirred up against those who have raged against Him. And he almost adjures Him, saying: "You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent!" For he no longer wills that God the Father should bear with them patiently, but that He should rise up, as it were, and, having laid aside His forbearance, demand penalties for the crimes unjustly committed against Him. Yet he says this not as though He Himself were doing nothing in the meantime; for the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. ^C But in saying, "Do not be far from me," he clearly declares that it is the greatest safeguard of salvation if one has the God of all as one's protector and defender. For those who have obtained this participation will in every way and altogether be superior to their enemies, will bravely resist the incursions of those attacking them, and will never succumb to them, having been made—and never having been destroyed—by Him.

Vers. 24. *Judge me, O Lord, according to your justice.* ^B God the Father produced a holy judgment regarding the Son; for He did not permit those who acted impiously against Him to create trouble for Him incessantly, but rather extinguished their laughter. He demands a judgment, as it were, that is most fitting for the Father’s justice, so that He might not allow His killers to revel in their delight against Him, nor to rejoice over one who has suffered, especially not forever. ^C

Vers. 25. *Let them not say in their hearts: Well, well, for our soul; nor let them say: We have devoured him.* ^B For this reason God the Father extinguished the laughter of the Jews, so that they might not say in their hearts: "Well, well, for our soul." For if Christ had remained only in being crucified and dying, His killers would have rightly said: "Well, well, for our soul," and likewise, "We have devoured him." But because they themselves were overwhelmed by every kind of calamity, with their whole region laid waste by fire and sword along with its inhabitants—while, on the contrary, the patient Christ is glorified by God the Father, who says: "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as your possession"; and furthermore: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"—after this, I say, the arrogance of the Jews collapsed, their pride was laid low, and they did not rejoice over Him any further, nor could they now say: "We have devoured him."

Vers. 27. *Let them exult and be glad who desire my justice.* ^B Nevertheless, the sense of these sentiments concerns anyone whomsoever who desires His justice, and with Him...

peace; to whom He wishes also that joy and gladness be bestowed, since it is given through Him by God the Father. For it is written of every just man: *Praise shall be upon their head, and gladness shall take hold of them.* But it remains to inquire what this justice is, of which He now speaks. For the Law, given ^A to the men of old through angels, with the most wise Moses acting as mediator, appeared to us as a mistress of justice, yet not a sufficiently perfect one. Wherefore the divine Paul also says that it was not altogether blameless, but a type of a second [justice], namely the Christian one, which is contained in the evangelical mandates and is most perfect. Therefore, let those who desire this justice exult and be glad.

*Who desire the peace of his servant.* If there are any from the lineage of Israel who have considered it a great thing to have peace with Him, they, having abandoned the types and the shadows of the Law, have crossed over to the truth, which is Justice. This the most holy Paul teaches, saying: *We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from the Gentiles; but knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, unless through faith in Jesus Christ, we also have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified in him.* But if perhaps some of those called through faith were thought to be of ethnic origin, they nonetheless desired peace with our Lord Jesus Christ, having abandoned the error that restrained them, with the enmity removed and the obstacle that stood between them taken away; to whom the most wise Paul cried out these words: *Being justified therefore by faith.* And let no one be troubled that Christ calls Himself a servant; but let him consider that, having taken the form of a servant and being found in habit as a man, He humbled Himself.

Vers. 28. *And my tongue shall meditate on thy justice, all the day thy praise.*

^B You see again in these words the image of humanity in Christ most excellently formed. For since He was made as one of us, therefore it is very fittingly said that He, confining Himself to the measure of a servant, fulfills human justice. For the work of our justice is to take care to offer always the praise fitting and owed to God. Christ is also said to offer to the Father, as if a spiritual sacrifice, for the sake of glorification, His praise every day. And yet, for the descendants of Israel, if they wished to offer eucharistic sacrifices, the shadow of the Law ordered the slaughter of oxen or sheep, or the offerings of turtledoves or young pigeons, or cakes and fine flour anointed with oil; ^D but indeed it was not fitting that the types should persist in Christ.

PSALM XXXV

Vers. 1. *Unto the end, to the servant of the Lord, David.*

What we have said thus far pertains rather to the history,

^A but in a deeper sense, the Psalm rebukes the pride of the Jewish people and exposes their wickedness; it also contains a hymn of praise for the righteous judgments by which the Lord saved the world; furthermore, thanks are offered to the Father for the benefits He has granted through the Son; and in addition to all these, there is a prayer that secures a man against falling into pride. Now, what "unto the end" signifies has been stated many times, and it is perhaps wearisome to repeat the same thing. Yet the fact that it is inscribed *To the servant of the Lord, David*, demonstrates that it is fitting for this canticle to be attributed to the person of the divinely inspired David, insofar as he was a holy man and had submitted the neck of his own mind to the divine yokes. For God said of him to Samuel: "I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will" (Acts XIII, 22). If, however, there be any other servant of God also possessing a holy manner of life, he too will make use of such a prayer to God; for its power contains a rebuke of those who have altogether inclined toward transgression. Then the Psalmist crowns the serenity of God with the praises due to it, and makes those who serve Him in a singular manner and have dedicated their own lives to Him become lovers of the great gift from Him. Toward the end, moreover, he declares what shall befall the transgressors, while everywhere urging both himself and all who read to a holy and undefiled life. The prayer begins as follows:

*Vers. 2. The transgressor saith that he may sin within himself: there is no fear of God before his eyes.*

^B That is to say, he considers that no one sees his thoughts; and once he has proposed to transgress, he sets the fear of God outside his eyes. We say that one is a "transgressor" who has completely renounced divine laws, so that he would not even have them exist, and who lives in a completely profligate and dissolute manner, heading headlong toward the abyss of hell and the snare of death. The holy Scripture mentions those accustomed to living in such a way, speaking thus of them individually: "He says to the Lord: Depart from me, I do not wish to know thy ways" (Job XXI, 14). He is blinded, it says, and before the eyes of his mind does not see the fear of God, through which there would have been a fervent longing for well-doing, and a certain invincible and ^C unassailable zeal for living brilliantly. For those who suffer from a lack of the fear of God do not shrink from any form of wickedness; though they are often restrained from manifesting it to their neighbors by some fear or shame.

^A

*Vers. 3. Quoniam dolose egit in conspectu ejus.*

He assigns another cause for the disease we have just explained. For he has not walked, he says, with truth in the eyes of God. For that expression, "He acted deceitfully," may signify this very thing, as I think. For it frequently happens to those who are accustomed to act iniquitously, and who wish to have some reputation for fairness in the eyes of men, that they feign themselves to be good, while they are actually practicing deceit and fraud; they do not desire to be known as they truly are, but rather to filch a reputation for integrity. One may recognize such a person by the fact that he is even ashamed to appear evil, while considering the deformity of his own life. For if he knew that sin brought adornment, why would he think it ought to be avoided? But if he blushes at his own ways, he certainly acknowledges himself to be subject to iniquity. We ought, therefore, to live our lives in the eyes of God without any deceit, so that we may be found to be such as that blessed Nathanael of whom the Savior says: "Behold, a true Israelite, in whom there is no guile" (John 1, 48).

*Vers. 5. Ut inveniat iniquitatem suam, et odio habeat.*

If he had the fear of God before his eyes, he says, he would certainly have discovered his iniquity and hated it, so that, having abandoned the course of vice, he might have been converted to doing good and might have emerged from the abyss of evils to a life of good fruit.

*Vers. 4. Noluit intelligere, ut bene ageret.*

He adds great weight to the accusation if someone does not even wish to learn by what reason he might become good and a follower of good works: and it is a manifest indication that he has fallen into the lowest pit of wickedness if he does not wish so much as to touch, if I may say so, with his fingertip ^B the sacred doctrines, from which it is permitted to everyone to draw the knowledge that leads to an optimal life. The iniquitous man is, therefore, unlearned and devoid of saving and life-giving disciplines.

*Verba oris ejus iniquitas et dolus.*

He does not use a wise or prudent tongue, which has doors and a bolt; but it is unbridled, and he utters perverse discourses on every side; and it overflows with wickedness and deceit: wickedness, indeed, as with the Jews, on account of the injuries inflicted upon Christ; but deceit, because they approached him with smooth speech that they might ensnare him.

*Vers. 5. Iniquitatem meditatus est in cubili suo.* ^C

For those who obey the sacred laws, and who glory in pursuing studies that become holy men; who lead a life that is splendid and free from every censure, these finally celebrate the common Savior with fitting praises. "At midnight," he says, "I arose to give thanks to you for the judgments of your righteousness" (Ps. cxviii, 62); that is, by giving attention to the divine

^A Scriptures, they fill their own mind with every spiritual fragrance, and they investigate the paths for all good things, and inquire minutely in what way they might become better than themselves, running into a way of both gentleness and holy splendor at the same time. But the base and lawless, on the other hand, spend the time of silence on wickedness, and by polluting their own heart with deliberations on every sort of base thing, they produce—as the day is all but dawning for them—the fruit of strange thoughts; for they stand in a "way that is not good."

"He stood in every way that is not good."

^B The mind of such men is brought to such a point of depravity that they never even feel loathing for their wickedness. And they have not become haters of things that are strange, those who are accustomed to transgress the law; for they would not have done those things if they had been told to hate them.

"O Lord, in heaven is your mercy, and your truth reaches up to the clouds."

^A Some, having heard that "your truth reaches up to the clouds," and being led into error by this, have declared that the things beneath the moon are without providence; among whom is Aristotle. But while some, shunning the density of the historical sense, ascend to the subtlety of tropology, calling the angels in heaven "heavens," the prophets "clouds," and the mountains of God "rational and lofty powers," or men who have been exalted on high through virtue—yet in the present context, such things are not understood at the appropriate time. For the mercy of God is not found only in the holy angels, nor again is the justice of God found only in those who have become exalted through virtue, but the grace of divine gentleness extends to all men. But he says that the mercy of God is in heaven, and his truth is raised up "to the clouds," and he compares his justice to the mountains, so that we may perceive the high, the elevated, and the supreme through the things named. For what is higher than heaven, clouds, and mountains? What he is establishing is this: The merciful God, he says, is truthful and just; he knows how not only to have mercy, but also, insofar as he is truthful, he hates those who harbor deceit in their mind and have been reared in fraud. And insofar as he possesses justice, which vies with the most highly lifted mountains, he will by all means bestow the distribution of graces appropriate to the good, but to the wicked, in turn, he will render a balanced punishment.

"O Lord, you will save men and beasts."

^C And here, too, there is something similar to Paul; for since he was about to narrate the salvation of the two peoples, who are signified by the men and the beasts—of the men, the Jews, as those under the ^D law to discern things; but those that are beneath the moon, to neglect everything.

^A For the Jews, having been instructed in the mystery through the law and the prophets, fell away; but the Gentiles, who had never heard any such things, were received. For this reason David said: “Thy judgments are a great abyss,” that is, altogether incomprehensible and unsearchable; for to choose to investigate with excessive curiosity things which exceed the human mind is dangerous and harmful. It is written, therefore: “Seek not things that are too deep for thee,” and again: “Be not overwise in superfluous things, lest thou be astonished.”

^B The supremacy of God’s serenity, and the incomparable excellence of His kindness, can be discerned from this once again. For He deigns to bestow His kindness upon all things that have been brought into being by Him, and not only upon men, but indeed upon the irrational animals as well. For He said somewhere even to the divinely inspired Jonah: “Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, nor didst thou make it to grow, which in one night came up, and in one night perished; and shall I not spare Nineveh, that great city, in which there dwell more than twelve myriads of men who do not know what is their right hand or their left, and many cattle?” He is admired, moreover, by the lyre of the Psalmist, as One who makes grass to spring up for the cattle, and herb for the service of men. And indeed, when He was establishing the law regarding the Sabbath, and explaining the reason why it is altogether not permitted to do any work, He said: “That thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest, as well as thy beast and thy cattle.” But if the word spoken by Paul, saying, “Doth God take care for oxen?” seems to be in some way opposed to the things mentioned, we reply that it was fitting that the shadows of the law, which were bringing forth the truth, should cease; but one must not on that account think that the Creator of all things lacks mercy.

Vers. 8. *How hast Thou multiplied Thy mercy, O God.*

^C At the time when the Word of God shone upon the inhabitants of the earth in the likeness of men, and endured death for the salvation of all—in the flesh, that is to say—then was the mercy of God multiplied. For He no longer redeemed only Israel, as of old through Moses, but the grace of salvation has extended to all mankind, drawing them through faith like a net to the acknowledgement of the truth and of Him who is God by nature, and rendering them near to God and Father through sanctification.

*In the shadow of Thy wings shall they hope.*

^D We have therefore come to be under the wings, that is, under the shadow which is under Christ, so that we may say the words in the Song of Songs: “I sat down under his shadow, and I desired and sat down.” And He Himself indeed says [/D] [index: entries preserved]

“I have become as a cypress, gathering shade.” Yet they have come under His wings. And mercy is multiplied according to the ways just now spoken of to us. ^A *In Thy light shall we see light.* If the Son is light from the light of the Father, when was His light not in the Father? For just as to shine is inseparable from fire, so too is the light generated from the Father inseparable from Him.

*Extend Thy mercy to those who know Thee.* ^A He offers a petition on behalf of those who love the Lord and have come to know His appearance, for whom it is also fitting to be in every good thing and to revel in the gifts from Him. For those, therefore, who know Him, He prays that mercy be extended; but for those who are upright in heart, He invokes justice, by which that which each is worthy of shall be allotted to them. The latter are no different from the former; that is, the upright are the same as those who know Him. For the knowledge of God is followed by having an upright mind, which is to say, one that is in no way distorted. Those who have only knowledge, that is, faith, are justified and saved by mercy; but those who have also uprightness in their deeds receive the crown of justice, or of the holy sentence.

*Let not the foot of pride come to me.* ^A He prays to be made free of the passion. It is as if he were saying: “Since You extend Your mercy to me who knows You, and offer justice—that is, the holy sentence—may I never slip toward such perversity of thought as to choose to be proud and to walk in haughtiness, and to tread a path that is so precarious. And may no perverse deed move me from the standing I have with You.”

*And let not the hand of a sinner shake me.* ^B The hand of a sinner is diabolical operation; the hand of a sinner is greed; the hand of a sinner is the giving and receiving of bribes for corruption; the hand of a sinner is a priest who brings the unworthy to the altar. Let us also pray not to be shaken by this hand—that is, not to be subverted—for it is necessary that those who are sober remain firm and immovable in justice, even if others commit lawlessness.

*There have all the workers of iniquity fallen.* ^A He said “there” in place of “on account of this matter,” that is, on account of pride; or even in place of “where,” so that the saying is like this: “May I not be there where those who are shaken fall, and having fallen are driven out, and having been driven out can no longer return.” Or “there,” that is, in the life to come, according to that word: “There shall be weeping.”

^A It is necessary, then, for those who come to God to make their petition for good things, and to pray also to be spared from the infirmities of the soul and from falling into the diabolical hand, which shakes even those who appear to stand, if they are found to be slothful, and which does not allow those who have been driven out from God on account of their excessive impiety to stand. This is what Israel according to the flesh has suffered; for it has acted with intolerable insolence toward Christ, the Savior of all.

PSALM XXXVI

^B The psalm is moral and contains a doctrine therapeutic to our soul, introducing the new people to abstinence from evil things and the pursuit of good things, persuading them by both—both from the hope laid up for the good and from the punishment stored up for the wicked. Indeed, it will be set to David, as if he were singing to the lovers of righteousness and urging them to depart eagerly from a life of reproach. He does this opportunely; for in the preceding psalm there was much rebuke of every iniquitous person; but in this one he provides us with an admonition that both withdraws us from the imitation of the impious and leads us toward better things.

[For the temporary prosperity of those who thrive at malice does not seem worthy of emulation by those who wish to live in a holy and godly manner: but rather one must consider what end they will meet, since they strive to live wrongly and to be at variance with God. — Ex Corderio.]

Verse 1. *Do not emulate the wicked, nor envy those who do iniquity.*

^C Do not, then, imitate or call blessed such men as these if you see them acting prosperously; for though they flourish for a little time, they wither away; for all flesh is grass. What then do they have that is to be envied, they who, having flourished briefly, are tomorrow cast into the oven, as the Savior says? I would never deem the momentary prosperity of the wicked worthy of envy among those who wish to live in a holy manner: it is better to consider what end the counsel of living wickedly and deviating from God, once taken up by them, will reach. Do not, therefore, emulate them, nor be stirred up to imitate those who sin. ^D Even if they seem to have luxuries in the present life, and even if you see an impious man faring well, shun such habits, looking to the things that are to come; for their affairs will not always be in the same state. Therefore he adds:

Verse 2. *For like grass they shall quickly wither.*

He exhorts us to flee iniquity, which he says is the loss of every good, describing its end. And what is so easily faded as the grass of the field and the nature of herbs?

^A For such things, having bloomed briefly, wither immediately. Thus, somewhere, he speaks regarding the splendor of the world: *Let them be as the grass of the housetops* (Ps. cxxviii. 6); for the grass born on roofs, because it lacks root, is fruitless, and therefore more inclined to wither. We ought not, therefore, to envy these, who are partly cast out for disgrace and partly delivered to fire, their prosperity ceasing briefly, like grasses or herbs which have no use other than in the sprouting; for human happiness, on account of its rotten and transient nature, is similar to these, and the fire of Gehenna awaits it. But worthy of the saints is the emulation of those whom the glory that comes from God by His command shall follow, equal to the splendor of noble deeds.

^B *Vers. 3. Hope in the Lord, and do good, and inhabit the land.*

That is, love uprightness, desire the attainment of sacred gifts, be zealous for those things which are reserved for the saints and stored up with God.

He has set down *inhabit* for “you shall inhabit.” By that land, he means the one promised to the meek, indeed, in which, having established yourself, you shall be pastured, he says, by its wealth. The wealth of the land of the meek—that is, of the city above in the heavens—is the abundant bestowal of divine gifts and everything that is perfected in them. Perhaps by “tabernacle” he compares this brief life, and he wishes us to use it as a lodging tent, so that we may master it and not conversely be enslaved by it, and use it for utility and not for pleasures; for thus shall we be shepherded by the good Shepherd. If there is any wealth among men of divine doctrines, let us enjoy this, so that it may be permitted to say, *The Lord shepherds me, and I shall want nothing* (Ps. xxii. 1).

^C *Vers. 4. Delight in the Lord.*

Those who delight in Christ, and have their mind full of the gifts from Him, having brought His good desires to completion, exhibit their way—that is, the course of their life—naked and uncovered to God.

^D Enjoyment, therefore, as I said, is having dwelling within one the Word of God who gives life to all things, the bread of life, who descended from heaven and gives life to the world. Having Him in themselves, they shall by all means obtain the petitions of their heart; then they will be able also to reveal to Him their way. For the God of all watches over the holy life of those who worship Him, but turns away from those who have chosen to live not rightly.

*Vers. 5. Reveal thy way unto the Lord, and hope in Him, etc.*

Be, he says, manifest in walking the way that is pleasing to Him; that is, exhibit a naked and

^A undeniable conduct before God. But what will He do? In the world to come He will make it manifest, and will make it, as it were, conspicuous, not allowing the beauty of your good life to remain hidden. For your righteousness will be evident to all, resplendent like light—like midday light, I say; for midday is termed the central part of the day; and He will judge you worthy of such light.

*Vers. 7. Be subject to the Lord and pray to Him.* ^B He indeed will show you worthy of light in the world to come, but do you in the meantime be subject to Him. He proposes these two holy accomplishments, and as it were joined to one another: namely, to be subject to the Lord, and to pray to Him. Both of these would befit the prayers of the saints especially, and those who are accustomed to practice kindness. For to be under God is the completion of every commandment; for he who obeys the Lord’s will yields to God’s laws and puts forward a soft and docile neck, and does not suffer the brand of stubbornness to be incurred. In prayer, however, to God, is understood praise and petitions mixed with harmonic canticles, while the purity of intellectual works, like incense, happily ascends to God. Therefore he speaks here of subjection, that is, the abstaining from evil; for no one who is sinning offers himself as subject to God.

*Vers. 8. Cease from anger, and leave behind fury.* ^C This is a useful precept, and most befitting those who are subject to God. For it is necessary that they be meek and well-composed, and possessed of an imperturbable mind, and lovers of that tranquility which flows from the source of patience, and finally, not to be swept away by the waves of anger. For it is written that “anger destroys even the prudent” (Prov. xv, 1). And again, “A man who is irritable is not comely” (Prov. xi, 25). For some passions do not fall into many people, and some who are getting on in age or virtue cast them off; but the detestable passion of anger disturbs even those who are eminent for their reputation for prudence; and not this one or that one, but I would dare almost to say all men, except the perfect, if indeed a perfect man can be found.

*Do not emulate so as to do evil; for the wicked shall be rooted out.* ^D These things are written by David, as they are by Paul, namely: “To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not wearisome, but for you it is safe” (Phil. iii, 1). For satiety is not created in the studious, if useful discourses on the same subject are often thrust into their minds. This the Psalmist also does now, turning over and over again this wise and worthy-to-be-heard sentence: I mean, *Do not emulate so as to do evil*, lest you perish root and branch from the earth; for the wicked shall be rooted out in the age, that is to say, the future one. For to be rooted out is to fall away from God. Indeed, wickedness is a peculiar sin above others; by which

reason the Word wonderfully distinguishes, calling the sinner one, and the malignant another: "Break thou the arm of the sinner and the malignant." ^A Some have defined malignancy not unsuitably as voluntary malice; for it is one thing to do some evil thing through ignorance and as it were being overcome, and another to will to do evil itself, which is exactly what malignancy is, on account of which the devil is commonly called malignant.

Vers. 9. *But those who wait for the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.*

(^B) Because we are accustomed for the most part to abstain from wickedness, compelled by the fear of punishment toward better things, and led to a well-ordered life by the hope of God's gifts, therefore the Psalmist, after having shown the ruinous end of the wicked, adds that those who have waited for the Lord—that is, those who have held to an approved course of life steadfastly and patiently—shall inherit the earth; which is not, however, a portion of this earth subject to the curse, which he who tills it eats of with sorrow all the days of his life, but that earth which is prepared for the saints. For the patrimony of these is the beautiful, sacred, and heavenly city of the saints. There they will join in the choirs of angels, praising without end God the giver of this lot, and the bestower of ineffable gifts. ^C And just as the Savior is called wisdom, word, peace, and justice, so is He also called expectation. For it is written: "And now what is my expectation? Is it not the Lord?" from whom we happen to draw and receive everything which the Scriptures say Christ is. For as by participation in Him we become just and wise and peaceful, so too by participation in Him we wait. Rest then, waiting and expecting God, and be not troubled by present things.

Vers. 10. *And yet a little while, and the sinner shall not be.*

(^D) A little while, and you shall not see the sinner existing; for he shall be overtaken by the end of life, and together with his flesh he shall lose those things which he seemed to possess as good. For the life of man is very short, and the time of living in the body is restricted. Therefore, neither will he himself, having departed this life, see his own place—for he will pass entirely into Hades—nor will those who are still living recognize his place hereafter.

Those who have a worldly mind, and have entangled their own understanding in the tumult of this present life, and are ensnared by the snares of execrable pleasure, almost always hate those who pursue a pure and upright life, and consider the cultivator of virtue as an enemy.

Vers. 11. *But the meek shall inherit the earth.*

Most prudently David contrasts the rewards of the saints with the punishments of the impious. For by these he sharp

shows that there is a spiritual strength, through which one might attain to every kind of virtue. Hence he says: *But the meek shall inherit the earth*, ^A namely the one above.

*And they shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.*

It is worth the effort to understand what this abundance of peace promised to the meek might be. We say, therefore, that while the saints are still living and burdened with bodies in this world, they suffer a very great onslaught of wars, partly because of the law of sin innate in the weak flesh, which always fights against the spirit—for these are opposed to one another: "For I delight," he says, "in the law of God according to the inner man; but I see another law warring against the law of my mind" ^B—partly indeed because the princes of this age always multiply wars and battles against them; and partly, finally, because of the impious heretics who oppose them. Therefore, as long as the saints are in this life, they have many that fight against them; but when they have come to the land prepared for the meek, there will be an abundance of peace. By abundance of peace, understand the tranquility of the soul, along with the knowledge of things that truly exist.

*Vers. 12. The sinner shall watch the just, and shall gnash upon him with his teeth, etc.*

The Psalmist teaches by these words that it will come to pass that the sinner will watch the just man; that is, the impious one ^C steeped in hatred, perhaps waiting for a time when he can catch the just man by his snares; he certainly always gnashes his teeth at him. But the Lord shows him to be ridiculous: for He knows that his final day will come, in which, entangled by death, he will vanish.

Perhaps it is also grievous and burdensome to the impious that they seem to be condemned by the virtue of the just, as if they themselves had not chosen the best parts just as these have. But regarding "gnashing the teeth," I would not have you understand it in a bodily sense, but rather as silence of the voice, while in the heart there is a clamor devising evil against the just. ^D Yet indeed, while the sinner is angry against the just, God laughs at his snares, since He well knows the day established by Him, in which He will render to some eternal life, and to others, by right, eternal punishment. It is also suitable to accept this saying regarding the devil. For he himself is "the sinner," gnashing his teeth against the saints, who nevertheless lies open to laughter; for, being conquered by the just, he is mocked: and the day shall come in which he will be sent into the fire prepared for him.

*Vers. 14. To cast down the poor and needy.*

The purpose of the sinner is not to take vengeance upon anyone who has done him injury, or altogether upon anyone by whom he has been harmed and who has offered just causes for waging war; but that he may cast down the poor and needy, and may slay those who are upright in heart. He calls the "poor and needy" the pious and modest man, one a stranger to boasting, and humble in heart. This kind of man the Savior also called poor in spirit, worthy of...

^A the kingdom of heaven: indeed, it is especially against the poor that calumniators make war. Furthermore, the lawless are also accustomed to arm themselves with calumnies as if with swords against the just, who possess a straight tongue, envying them their righteousness.

*Let their sword enter into their own hearts.*

^B These things, he says, the wicked demons have suffered, which they plotted to do to the saints. And sinners are also enraged against the saints, straining the bow of envy against them, and unsheathing the sword of their own wickedness, leaving no means of treachery unattempted; but, as if traversing every impiety, they besiege holy souls. From this we shall learn how we ought to defend ourselves against them, and how to meet them. *Our weapons are not carnal;* and although we walk in the flesh, *we do not war according to the flesh.* But neither shall we imitate the iniquity of sinners; for we shall not strain bows as they do, nor shall we unsheath a sword. Rather, we shall be better than those who fight, and we shall carry away the superior judgment, by taking refuge in God, and lifting up holy hands, fleeing to the hand that always saves, and calling upon the all-powerful and immutable one for aid, saying concerning ^C those who war against us in vain: *Let their sword enter into their own hearts.*

*Better is a little to the righteous, than the many riches of sinners.*

He weaves the discourse very skillfully even now. For he places the downfalls of the sinners and the advantages of the righteous as if in parallel, setting them in contrast, everywhere showing virtue to be fruitful, while the aimless agitation of life and the cursed life are unprofitable. For the sinner, he says, is sometimes wealthy, and expands himself in the delights that come from this, and is high-minded, having glory that is easily withered, and fattening his flesh, having nothing more than to take pleasure in earthly things. But the one who is poor in spirit and a lover of righteousness departs from all such things, and loves a gentle and sober poverty. But this is better for him than the many riches of the sinner.

*For the arms of sinners will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.*

^D That wealth is of no reward and is destructive to those who love sin, but that the meager possessions of the righteous are fruitful and pleasing to God, is proved from this. For the fruit of the wealth of the wicked, he says, is destruction and the deposing of all strength; for the breaking of the arms, I think, signifies this. But the fruit of frugality is to be supported by God; for He upholds the just, and bestows upon them unfailing cheerfulness, and they possess their prosperity unshaken, because He who dissolves the hand of the wicked, as it is written, cannot be averted.

^A

*Vers. 18. Novit Dominus vias immaculatorum.* ^B In Sacred Scripture, the Lord acknowledges only good things, but ignores evil ones, as if they were unworthy of His knowledge. Therefore the Lord knows His own, He knows the ways of the undefiled, as being honorable. For this reason, it is said here that "He knows," in the sense of "He approves," "He holds in esteem," "He loves," or "He deigns to look upon." Otherwise, to whom is it not clear that God also knows the ways of sinners, and that nothing is hidden from Him? Therefore, in these instances, "knowledge" signifies a certain intimacy and familiarity. For we too are accustomed to say to those we do not see: "I do not know you"—not that we are entirely ignorant of them, but because we wish to exclude them from our love and fellowship. God therefore knows the ways and deeds of the saints, that is, He looks upon them gladly; for they are good and adorned with every praise.

*Vers. 19. Non confundentur in tempore malo.* ^C By "evil" in this place he calls the time of persecutions and of anxieties or temptations. For so also the most wise Paul writes to certain people, in one place: "Because the time is evil"; and in another place again: "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." When, therefore, they fall into an evil time, he says, they will not be affected by ignominy, that is, they will not fall into sin nor lose the adornment that becomes them; for the God of all will grant them constancy and patience, the mother and nurse of every best thing. Or perhaps it should be understood: "The just shall inherit the promises, and at the time of judgment they will not be put to shame, when some rise to life, others to ignominy and eternal reproach."

*Vers. 19. Et in diebus famis saturabuntur.* ^D We understand this also in much the same way. This discourse seems to hint obscurely that it will be that in a time of pressures, the just will attain the breadth of heavenly happiness; for to be satisfied in the days of famine signifies something of this sort. But if anyone prefers to interpret the meaning of the verse otherwise, let them consider this: namely, that in the sacred readings we shall find the God of all most often turning Himself away from the lovers of sin, and inflicting upon them a famine of sacred doctrines. Therefore, it was said by Him to the intolerably sinning Israelites: "Behold, I will bring a famine upon the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord." A famine of sacred doctrines was thus cast upon sinners, but not upon those studious of divine precepts; for when teachers fail in the time of persecutions, the Lord Himself will nourish those who believe in Him with His own Spirit.

^A “For sinners shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord, as soon as they are honored and exalted, failing like smoke, shall fail.”

He contrasts again with the honors of the just those things that will happen to the lovers of sin at the times of divine wrath; these, I think, are the things which bring them to extreme calamity. For even if they seem at times to act prosperously in the present age, living in luxury, obviously, and crowned with the praises of all, and boasting in the power of worldly dignities, nevertheless they shall perish; for the end of their life concludes in destruction and perdition. We say that the enemies of the Lord are those who indeed had been subject to Him through faith, but have resisted Him by their own contumacy, and have continuously opposed His divine decrees. Enemies, likewise, are the ^B worshipers of demons, and those who worship the works of their own hands, that is to say, those who worship the creature rather than the Creator, and furthermore the inventors of heresies, inasmuch as they are accustomed to oppose falsehood to the rectitude of true doctrines. These, having flourished for a short while, and having withered like grass, shall fall toward death, and shall pay the penalties for their sins, being punished as enemies of the Lord, and failing like smoke. Smoke is the remnant of fire, once it has burnt down and been extinguished, and has, as it were, settled into being ash and cinders. They are compared to smoke, therefore, because just as when the fire is extinguished the smoke vanishes, so too does all the glory of sinners perish when they have died.

“The sinner borrows, and will not repay; but the just man has mercy, and gives.” ^C

He says that the sinner does not repay gratitude for the benefits he has received from God; nor, if anyone should do him good, will he become better; nor, out of the things that have happened to him, does he learn the path of showing mercy; nor does he endure to requite those who have benefited him with reciprocal deeds; but, like some thief, he treats what is given as a windfall, and looking only to gain, he makes a boast of distressing the one who has lent to him. But the just man indeed distributes mercies, imitating his own Master; for even if he should receive nothing given, nevertheless he remains generous, and being social, he does not cease. For he imitates his own Father, God, who makes His sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and rains upon the just and the unjust.

^B Each one of us receives from God many and great benefits, both material and spiritual. Verumtamen, however, he who is given to sins, and indulges in pleasure without restraint, and plunges his own mind into the mire of the things of this world, though he has received many things from God, will repay nothing—that is to say, he will not offer obedience, he will not place his neck beneath His yokes, he will not follow His will, he will not produce the fruit of virtue;

^A but he will remain hard and unfruitful. Yet even if the righteous and good man—that is to say, God—is disposed in this way, it is evident that He will not cease to have pity on him and to give from His own store, so that eventually it may be said to him: "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering?" and the rest.

*Vers. 22. Because those who bless Him shall inherit the earth.*

Similar was that which was said to Abraham: "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you." Therefore, if it is God who has pity and gives, surely those who glorify Him for this reason—that is to say, those who bless Him—shall be heirs of the land promised to the holy ones, and they shall receive the good and vast land, which knows neither center nor border. But we incur the danger of the highest destruction if we curse the righteous one. For the Lord says to the righteous one: "I shall be an enemy to your enemies, and I shall oppose those who oppose you." And just as He says: "As you have fed this one, you have fed Me," so it is logical to say: "As you have reviled this one, you have reviled Me." ^B Now they curse God, those who do not know that they will be punished by Him to the end, who sometimes cast abusive words against His majesty; besides the fact that they do not even allow others to render thanks to Him for the benefits they have received. The nations, therefore, bless Christ, and for this reason they inherit the kingdom; but the Jews, blaspheming Him, are utterly destroyed and perish.

*Vers. 23. And He shall desire his way.*

It is perhaps better to understand that God will desire the way of man—that is to say, He will make it willing and acceptable. For just as He turns His mind away from the ways of transgressors, so He renders acceptable to Himself the ways of those who have chosen a virtuous life. But whatever is pleasing to God is, without doubt, excellent and filled with every praise; for God would not desire that which is not of such a kind.

*Vers. 24. When he falls, he shall not be crushed, for the Lord supports his hand.*

If it should happen, he says, that the righteous man slips for a little while, he shall not on that account suffer loss; but like a most stout wrestler, pushed by force and yielding for a moment, he will immediately recover himself. Why? Because he has God supporting him; for this is what God always grants to the righteous, having pity on human pusillanimity. For "the righteous man shall fall seven times, and shall rise again"; and it is necessary that those who have sometimes succumbed to diabolical power, and have lain low for a short time, should strive to swim out, as it were, from the waves. For not every sin leads to

mortification, as is written. Therefore, if the just man suffers anything of this kind, God is present as a supporter, extending His saving hand; and if this surely were not to offer help, every mind would be weakened; but since He supports and sustains us in His love for man, whatever was infirm will surely become vigorous, and that which was submerged will float to the surface. ^A

*Vers. 25. Junior fui, nunc vero jam senui, nec unquam justum vidi derelictum.*

A witness worthy of faith, both because he was inspired by the Holy Spirit and adorned with the gift of prophecy, and because, having passed through a long time with much experience of affairs, he was most willing to confirm by his own testimony what he had accurately learned: "From my youth," he says, "for now I have reached old age, I have not seen the just man forsaken." ^B

*Vers. 26. Tota die miseretur et fenerat justus.*

The just man also lends in another way, namely, the things contained in moral precepts, so that those who have received a loan may return the fruit of that loan through their works. Indeed, those who have lent to God in this way will receive the fruit of their excellent condition from Him, so that they may never be forsaken by Him, for the reason that they were humane and liberal; nor will their seed—that is, either their carnal children or those so named because of tutelage or the love of an art—ever at any time lack the necessities of life, but rather they will be possessors of divine blessing.

*Vers. 27. Declina a malo et fac bonum, et inhabita in sæculum sæculi.* ^C

He teaches us a method of perfect life, one not discordant with the evangelical commandments. For the ancient law indeed deterred from evil, yet it did not lead its pupils to the perfect good, that is, to the appearance of a life beyond reproach. This will be clear to us if we have attentively considered the words of the Savior. For He spoke thus, placing those who believe in Him beyond the legal way of life: "It was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill." This signifies: "Decline from evil"; for he who does not lust after bloodshed does not, for that reason, perform some good work, but rather abstains from sin. The same holds for: "Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not perjure thyself, thou shalt not bear false witness." But where, then, is "Do good"? It is surely in the saying: "Whoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to judgment"; and in that: "Whoever looks at a woman," and so forth. When, therefore, He says, you shall have declined from evil, and shall have done good, then you shall inhabit for an age of an age, and you shall attain a firm and unshakable hope, just as the prophet Isaiah says: "Thine eyes shall behold Jerusalem, a wealthy city, a tabernacle that shall not be shaken." ^D

^A Ver. 28. *For the Lord loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints.*

By "judgment" here he refers to righteous judgment, in accordance with what is elsewhere celebrated in parallel regarding the law that dispenses justice: "Thou hast executed judgment and justice in Jacob." The Lord therefore loves justice and crowns its practitioners with unending grace; nor would he ever overlook his saints—that is, those who have gained intimacy with him—but will avenge them. This implies that in the present life, the choir of the saints is not entirely in fair weather, but rather is as if in struggles, labors, and persecutions, while Satan goads his own henchmen against them; so much so that they must resist sin even to the point of bloodshed. Yet they will not remain unavenged. For this is what the words, "He will not forsake his saints," signify, as God will surely lay his hand upon those who fight against them. He says, furthermore, that they will be preserved unto eternity; for the grace bestowed upon them is not momentary, nor will the gift of hope be granted by God to the good for a defined space of time, but it will be lasting and perennial, reaching unto infinite ages, and running, as it were, and extending with the very ages themselves.

*But the innocent shall be avenged, and the seed of the( 2) wicked shall be destroyed.*

^B The purpose of the Psalmist is also through these present verses to persuade us that the rewards of the saints are many, but that punishment and all things destructive hang over the heads of sinners. The just, he says, will not be left unavenged; but the wicked will succumb to ruin, and they will perish, rooted out entirely, thrust from the kingdom into hell, and from the regions of light into the outer darkness. Profitably, therefore, the Psalmist recounts the rewards of the just and simultaneously demonstrates the penalties of those prone to sin, so that he may recall the wicked from their customary vices through the fear of punishment, and through the desire for gifts may gracefully draw those who have chosen to live rightly toward a more vibrant pursuit of the good. Now, by the "seed of the wicked," which he also predicts will be destroyed, one ought to understand either their works—for "What a man sows," Scripture says, "this also shall he reap"—or their descendants, perhaps carnal ones, or those called such by any other reason, if they should chance to desire to take after their fathers and become imitators of ancestral wickedness.

^D *[For the Lord loveth judgment.*

Holy Scripture generally calls Justice "judgment," according to that which is elsewhere chanted to God concerning the law that ministers what is just: "Thou hast executed judgment and justice in Jacob." For he places judgment and justice in parallel, showing that judgment is nothing other than

^A justice. God therefore loves judgment, that is to say justice, and he crowns those who work it with never-ending grace, and he would never overlook his holy ones.

*But the just shall inherit the land.*

These, indeed, the wicked shall perish miserably, but the just shall inherit the land of the meek, of which we have often made mention, and they shall dwell upon it for ever; that is to say, they shall receive an unshakable kingdom, and shall perpetually enjoy the goods from above, those who have been justified through virtue, and who have received the eternal and indestructible inheritances in the heavens.

*His (the just man's) tongue shall speak judgment.*

We say that judgment is either the correct and unassailable guidance regarding each of the matters [of life], and that which leads those who are being instructed straight toward what is proper, that is to say, the law of God; for it is thus attained in very many places. It is written, at any rate, concerning God and Israel, that "there He set for him statutes and judgment."

*The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be tripped.*

He does not declare the profit from the matter to be at a distance, ^B but reveals, as it were, at heel the fruit of speaking wisdom and of making justice one's meditation. For having brought the law of God to dwell within him, and having it as if deposited in his mind and heart, he will gain the benefit of not being tripped up in any way, but will rather come straight to every good deed; and with nothing standing in his way or shaking him, he will travel the kingly and straight path. For just as ships speed along quite rightly and without deviation when they are steered well by a helm, and indeed the swiftest horse will keep an orderly course, being directed to this purpose by a bridle, so also the soul of the just man, having the divine law in the place of a helm, makes its paths straight, and passes through the waves arising from circumstances, and swims through the surge of the present life; for the law is given as an aid. ^C Wherefore also the inspired David sings somewhere to God, saying: "Unless thy law were my meditation, I should long ago have perished in my humiliation." Praiseworthy, therefore, is he who delights in the sacred words, and who always carries the law of God in his mind as a kind of lamp shining in the night. And what is the benefit from this? Namely, that his steps shall not be tripped.

*The sinner watches the just man, and seeks to put him to death, etc.*

That those, therefore, who are diligent in deeds of piety have a bitter and not unenviable life in this world, but one which is strongly displeasing to those who are not good, he demonstrates very well, saying that the sinner watches them, and seeks to put them to death. And who, again, should be understood as the sinner? The dragon, the apostate, the inventor and parent of all wickedness; for to him especially such ^D a life as this is hateful and not to be envied, and is extremely obnoxious to the wicked, as he demonstrates quite remarkably, stating that they are observed by the sinner and sought out for death.

^A It is the founder and father of all baseness; for such a name would indeed properly belong to him. He gnashes his teeth at the saints and is inflamed with the fire of envy against them, and, causing confusion, he seeks to deliver to death those who desire to please God. He leaps upon them like a serpent, pouring out the poison of sin, insinuating base pleasures, and always inciting them to absurd desires, and, as if smearing various modes of wickedness with honey, so that he might trap many.

Vers. 33. *But the Lord will not leave him in his hands, etc.*

Sed Dominus, inquit, haud eum permittet manibus illius; ^B because, having shown a way of escape, he does not allow the mind of the saints to fall, offering at once a helper who blocks the path of the devil’s wickedness; for if God protects, who shall do harm? Furthermore, a right and altogether incorrupt judgment shall be brought forth by God, condemning the profane and wicked, but delivering all his beloved from every danger and fear, namely those who carry his sacred law in mind and heart, and who make justice the target of their meditation; for he will not condemn the just when he exercises judgment concerning him.

Vers. 34. *Wait on the Lord, and keep his way.*

^C Patience is an excellent thing, for it begets probation, and probation creates hope, and hope will not confound. Therefore the divine Melodist sings and says: *I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me*. Also another holy man says: *For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise*. We shall discover through the whole of Scripture inspired by God that patience is celebrated as the conciliatrix of every good thing. Now, the words *Keep the way of the Lord* signify, as I think, that a person is guided by divine laws to establish an inculpable, singular, and wonderful life, and that too in such a way that one may run through it with the greatest alacrity. Finally, the end of patience in doing good, and of labors worthy of the saints, will be to be exalted by God and to become superior to earthly temptations. For it is written: *For the strong ones of God were greatly exalted from the earth*. ^D But the Psalmist, proceeding to console the just man: You indeed, he says, shall be exalted so much that you may possess the upper land, situated on high, of the meek. For it is clear that one is not exalted so that he may possess the land subjected to his feet, but rather that land so lofty that it requires God, who raises one up to it, so that he may possess it. As for the lawless who gnash their teeth at you, you shall see them cut off: for they shall be destroyed, and this you yourself shall see.

Vers. 35. *I have seen the impious one highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon, etc.*

Cernens, inquit, malos homines prospere agentes,

^A I pondered how they had attained this. Then, pondering such things and marveling within myself, wishing to observe them a second time, I lifted up my eyes, and they were nowhere to be found. Then, wishing to discover a monument to them, I could not even find the place where they had previously seemed to stand. Do you see how he says that what happens to the impious is almost set before the eyes of all, and that there is absolutely no one who is ignorant of them? For he makes what applies to him individually a common experience for others; for he does not say that he alone saw it, but by the word "I saw" he signifies that the matter is set out for the sight of all. I have observed, therefore, he says, the impious man contending with the height of the cedars and being lifted up on high, and being exalted equal to the very tallest of the trees, clearly from arrogance and empty boasting and worldly vanities and the other transience ^B of things. But this man, after a short time, passed from the midst and was brought down to such misery that his place could not even be found; and by "place," he signifies his memory.

*Keep innocence, and behold uprightness, for there is a remnant for the peaceful man.*

^A And the punishment, he says, of the impious, and the "remnant," that is to say, the inheritance of the good, let these prepare you to practice simplicity; for by innocence here we must understand simplicity, according to which we live a life that is guileless and pure and devoid of hypocrisy and, as it were, free from duplicity—the sort of man that blessed Nathanael was, of whom Christ says: *Behold, truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile.* And the Holy Scripture also said somewhere that Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in a house. Therefore, that which is simple in its ways and devoid of malice, this we say is innocence. And by uprightness we shall understand nothing other than either that which is as it were straight and undistorted in the knowledge of divine dogmas—for one must cut the word of truth straight—or that which is in practical virtue, in no way distorted. For it is said somewhere concerning sinners: *whose ways are crooked, and their paths are winding.* Keep, therefore, he says, innocence and uprightness; and what is the consequence? *For there is a remnant for the peaceful man.* Since he has said that the ^C impious man is rooted out from the earth, so that his place is not even to be found, he says that he has reserved a "remnant" for those who have chosen to love God and to keep innocence. And such a man he calls "peaceful," for the upright and innocent man is at peace both with God and with holy men.

*But the lawless shall be destroyed upon the same.*

^A The lawless shall be destroyed, he says; and this, I think, is to say that their place is not to be found. And "upon the same" is used for "straightway" and "immediately," so that it appears to be one and the same time—both of their exaltation and of their being brought down to destruction; for no long time will intervene, but rather it will be most minimal and brief. ^D

For as soon as he is seen, he has fallen; he is seen, and he is brought low; he has flourished, and he has withered. And this is what is meant by "in the same place." ^B

Vers. 39. But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord.

God rescues those who are devoted to Him, and renders the weapon of the cruelty of the wicked fruitless. For He does not allow the saints to be struck, but their adversaries stray from the mark, and all their attempt is turned back upon their own head.

PSALM XXXVII

This psalm also is recited as if in the person of David, who was sad and troubled because he had fallen into sin, having looked with unholy eyes upon the wife of Uriah, and having thereafter laid traps for him and unjustly subjected him to the judgment of death; on account of which he was being chastised by God, while his heart was wasting away with cares and sorrows, and he was washing away his guilt with the labors of ^C repentance. For it is written that the Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion in a spirit of judgment and in a spirit of burning. And again: "Whom the Lord loves, He chastises, and scourges every son whom He receives." Therefore, David’s son Amnon perished; Absalom rebelled, wishing to drive his parent not only from the kingdom, but even from life itself. Coming to an awareness of these things, and being struck by the stings of conscience, and having considered that it was the all-powerful hand of God that was fighting against him, he offers prayers, confesses his sins, and, as to a physician of souls, he uncovers his wounds, and asks to obtain healing. And he sings this psalm, reminding himself of the persistent misery that he endured on account of his sin, and he asks God on his own behalf to grant him a "sabbatism," that is, a rest from his calamities. Or perhaps, because the law commanded a double ^D victim to be brought on the Sabbath; now, every victim was offered by the sons of Israel for a remembrance, that is, so that anyone who had brought it might remain in the memory of God; therefore, David, being inspired by the Spirit, and foreseeing that it would come to pass that in time the shadow would cease and the true worship through Christ would supervene, makes this confession instead of the sacrifice of the Sabbath commanded by the law.

This canticle will likewise be appropriate for us ourselves, or to any man who has a wounded conscience on account of those things which he knows he has committed insanely against the law of God (for we all often slip), and who asks for mercy from Him and wipes away the tear of repentance from his eyes. For if this were not the case, why would this psalm be recited by us even to this day?

^A For what would it matter to us to hear the confession of another man, if it were suitable for him alone and for none others? There is, therefore, given to those who wish to confess their own crimes an opportunity to recite this present psalm—or confession—as a sacrifice on the Sabbath, which was doubled, and which recalled to God those who offered it. Indeed, the words of the sixth psalm bear a certain resemblance to the words of this one. But the title of the sixth was: "Unto the end, in hymns, for the eighth"; in the present psalm, however, there is nothing of the sort, but it is inscribed only as "A Psalm of David for a memorial." But the addition of this word seems to refer us to the memory of the title prefixed to the sixth psalm, so that this psalm, too, may be "unto the end, in hymns, for the eighth." It seems to me that David, having confessed the sin he had committed in many different places, wished this present psalm in particular to be a memorial, which he might always have in his mouth; and that he used this canticle for the healing of his own soul. He offers, therefore, a petition to God, by which he averts the wrath hanging over all who sin, and renders the good Lord propitious to him with these words of excellent confession.

Vers. 2. *O Lord, rebuke me not in thy fury, nor chastise me in thy wrath.*

^B As if someone were to say to a physician who was bringing remedies for the healing of an underlying ailment by means of cautery, the knife, and bitter antidotes: "Do not, I pray, treat me with fire, nor by cauterizing and cutting, but heal me with gentle and milder medicines." Such a person does not reject the remedy, but the painfulness of the treatment. And one ought, I think, to admire—and most fittingly so—the gentle disposition of the soul in holy men. For since they have not cast off all human weakness, they do not appear overly impatient in the lapses which they happen to suffer, nor do they give themselves over entirely to iniquity, nor do they flee and refuse the correction of God; but rather they ask that this may not happen to them with wrath, and that they may not be rebuked sharply—that is, that they may not be punished. For it happens to all men that, even against their will, they sometimes violate the divine laws; but the Physician of spirits repairs that occurrence with occasional appropriate movements. For Solomon writes somewhere: *Chastise thy son, for so will he give thee good hope; thou indeed shall strike him with the rod, and he shall not die; but thou shalt deliver his soul from death.*

*For thine arrows are fastened in me, and thou hast laid thy hand heavily upon me.*

^{C D} He says, therefore, that the arrows of God are fastened in him, and that His hand—namely, the hand that strikes—has been laid heavily upon him, and this continuously and without interruption; for one affliction after another often befalls those whom God chastises or tests; thus

it also happened to Job, to whom new misfortunes were always being reported, even though he remained unconquered. But if someone wishes to understand the phrase, "You have laid your chastising hand upon me," as "I am greatly burdened and I suffer an intolerable wound," he will not stray far from a plausible interpretation. For he who presses his hand upon someone imposes a weight that is difficult to bear. Do not, therefore, he says, chastise me while you are raging or angry. Why? "Because your arrows are fixed in me"; for when the fury and your anger are conceived, the arrows sent by you—that is, the avenging powers—punish me severely; and therefore I pray that I may not experience any new wrath. ^B

Vers. 4. There is no health in my flesh from the face of your wrath; there is no peace in my bones.

He makes the narrative of the wound dealt him by divine arrows and the hand laid heavily upon him clearer; and he says that no kind of healing can be devised at all that could suffice for the sickness of his flesh, or for his bones, which are struggling and almost dislocated. For the fact that they are denied peace among themselves shows that they are dislocated and, as it were, have departed from their natural harmony. Indeed, in more serious evils we are also accustomed to say: "My bones are dislocated." Therefore, he says that his bodily sickness has become almost incurable, worn out by anxieties and wasting away from bitter distresses; or also, in another way, namely, emaciated by fasting, long abstinence from food, and vigils. Finally, it is by no means absurd to call one's own kin "bones." For if we are members of one another and are accounted as one body, what prevents us from calling those who are privately the most familiar or the most helpful to us by the name of "bones"? So that the rebellions of those near to us—whom we have already said are tropically called bones—are more intolerable than a hostile war.

Vers. 5. For my iniquities have gone over my head. ^C

These words teach us not to wish to hide our evils, nor like some ulcer and pus to keep sins in the recesses of the soul, having a cauterized conscience. For just as with those who have a fever, while the fever rages deep within it creates a greater disease, but when it has broken out to the surface it shows hope of a decline, so it also happens with the soul. And I say that this is what was said by the Wise Man: "Do not be ashamed to confess your sins"; and likewise: "Tell your own iniquities first, that you may be justified." For it is most absurd not to be ashamed before the eyes of physicians, but to disclose to them secret diseases—whereby we might suffer even more severely—but to be unwilling to endure some incision lest the passion progress further;

^A for he says that his sins have gone over his head; by the term "gone over," he signifies that a burden most difficult to bear has been laid upon him. For the nearby verse interprets this for us immediately, saying they are weighed down like a heavy burden; for a burden of the mind and conscience, the rebuke that follows upon sins. ^B Yet the Lord relieves of the evil those who are sick, saying: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." And David teaches something else that happened to himself, saying: "As a heavy burden they weighed upon me." For his misdeeds weighed upon his conscience, so that he could not bear them, because of the nobility and gratitude of his soul. For the stubborn and hard-hearted man lays up wrath for himself according to his hardness, increasing his own evils: "For when the sinner comes into the depths of evils, he scorns." But the grateful man, even if he happens to slip once through some entrapment of the devil, is terribly burdened in his conscience, so that he is unable to be silent, nor to hide his own evil. "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Whence, not bearing to be silent, he revealed the things that were constraining him, saying: "As a heavy burden they weighed upon me," that is to say, my iniquities. But it is not possible for those who do not perceive their own sins to say this. Some, indeed, even rejoice and boast in their own transgressions, as if they were bearing them pleasantly. By "head" he denotes the rational faculty. And since wickedness naturally tends toward the lowest things and is so heavy that it may be compared to a leaden talent, only he who repents perceives the weight of it ^C as being heavy and weighing down, downward-tending and most heavy as if by a weight of lead.

Vers. 6. Male olentes putruerunt cicatrices meae.

One might say that the remnants of blows and wounds are the scars that remain on the flesh, if it should happen to be struck by anyone. But unless even these are healed, they cause no small pain; and sometimes they expand into ulcers, and the disease returns. This same thing is seen to happen to the souls of men: for guilt strikes, and evil is inflicted like a wound, if indeed it is carried out into action. But even if one should somehow refrain from sin—that is, from the enjoyment of absurd and abominable pleasure—as long as the power of desire is held and dominated within him, even if it is somehow suppressed by better thoughts, he nonetheless has the scars of his wounds; and if these continue for a long time, they may perhaps turn, as I have said, into ulcerations, with the base pleasure being finally brought to its end. ^D Those, therefore, who persist in their sins, and who rejoice and take pleasure in them, are like swine wallowing in the mud; on the contrary, however, he who has once slipped, but straightway recovers himself, and casts off the swinish life and, so to speak, the sense of it, having resumed the divine sense, perceiving the stench of his own sins, the evil

and abhors that foul and unclean act. Having suffered something of this kind, David, under the influence of a sound conscience, confesses, saying: "The things I have done through folly have rotted to me," not being renewed by me, and all things will come to me as I repent. Since therefore my iniquities have multiplied and risen to a heap, and have gone over my head, and have become heavy upon me, and have rotted and stunk, I must therefore apply medicine to myself. ^B

Vers. 7. I am become miserable (that is, I am languishing with the sense of my misery) and I am bowed down even to the end, I went sorrowful all the day.

Here he wisely enumerates what happens to every man from his own conscience when he mourns deeply on account of sins and acts which are not right. For sorrow falls upon the heart like a burden, and does not allow us to lift up our countenance, but compels us to suffer the deepest unhappiness, so that we seem to be suffocated and overwhelmed, and it forces us to have a sad face even against our will; and this perpetually, that is, even to the uttermost extremity of the passion; until God has mercy and rescues us from the evil, pardon having been granted, and our mind having been raised up, so that, casting aside the rejected sorrow and having recovered confidence, we may strenuously resist the incursions of sin, which hitherto compelled us to be miserable, and to walk bowed down, and to carry a contracted brow. For if the heart, Scripture says, be joyful, the countenance is glad, but that which is against it falls in sadness. A conscience indeed delights all the best men, testifying to them the splendid and pure honesty of their character and the most praiseworthy manner of life; but it afflicts not a little, and renders the countenance sad of those whose fall it accuses, and wounds the mind with bitter reproaches. ^C

Vers. 8. For my loins are filled with illusions, and there is no health in my flesh.

He points out another calamity, besides the others, which is wont to happen to sinners. My soul, he says, is filled with illusions. And by "illusion" the God-inspired Scripture means the sneers of certain people, that is, the laughter of enemies. For there are some who are wicked, and deriders, and abusers, and cruel, who, being almost forgetful of their own sins, deride others if it happens that they slip and are carried away. For this reason he says that his soul was filled with such illusions, that is, with the calumnies or revilings of those who are accustomed to speak foully, since the aforementioned men were everywhere accusing him. Meanwhile, he says, there is no health in my flesh, and it is exercised with such great labors that it is far from all health. ^D

^A Vers. 9. *Rugiebam a gemitu cordis mei.* He speaks of himself as being vexed and roaring because of the groaning of his heart. For conscience, striking the heart, compels it to utter groans. For he who has made himself altogether guilty of sin, and is accused by his own conscience, knowing that God has been offended by him, ought not to be slothful, but rather to have his mind as though submerged in sorrow, and his heart worn down by bitter pain, so that he appears to roar, with groans leaping up from the deep and a heavy and ineffable sound resonating from the innermost recesses of the heart. For, he says, it is not so that I may become known to many that I confess with my lips, but, closing my eye within my very heart, I make manifest my groans to Thee alone, who discernest my secret things, roaring inwardly. For there is no need of many words for me for confession, but to this end the groans of the heart are sufficient, and the lamentations sent forth from the depths of the soul to God.

*Domine, ante te omne desiderium meum.* For pleasures which draw the mind of man toward works of wickedness are far from the eyes of the most holy God, who does not suffer to look upon a thing hateful to Him. Yet any desire whatsoever that yearns for virtue is looked upon by Him. This, therefore, must be directed to God, as to the fountain of our every affection, so that, offering our whole capacity for desire to Him, we may be able to say: "Lord, before Thee is all my desire." And David certainly says something of this sort: "Let the affection of my repentance be before Thee."

^C *Et gemitus meus a te non est absconditus.* The Psalmist adds: "My groaning is not hidden from Thee"; which is to be understood in almost this way: for, he says, I make Thee, the all-seeing one who searchest hearts and reins, the witness of my groans. For I do not act for any other reason than that I grieve and weep because I have violated Thy laws. Moreover, they who pray are accustomed to cast forth groans from the heart; God also granting this for the relief and restraint of an urgent sorrow.

^D Vers. 11. *Cor meum conturbatum est, dereliquerunt me vires meæ.* He enumerates again what is accustomed to happen to those who are sometimes overcome by bitter pleasure, and how the mind is in a certain way plundered and driven to things to which it ought not to be carried. For he explains very clearly how it happened to him to slip. For a tumult, or rather a disturbance, entered my heart, and my mind was darkened; for as long as it is not captured by base pleasures, and keeps its resolve fixed on wishing to traverse the naturally good and excellent path of life with all modesty, it enjoys serenity and peace and great tranquility, and moreover, [it enjoys] the sobriety granted by God.

For as the all-wise Paul writes: "The peace of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts" (Phil. iv, 7). But as soon as the heart becomes captive, having been imbued with absurd and evil pleasure, ^A Satan fills it with perturbations, inserts wicked thoughts, defiles it, and immediately occupies the whole with spiritual darkness, partly because good thoughts are wanting to it for the pursuit of virtue, and partly because the law of sin drags it toward vice. Perhaps he also implies that even at midday he is wandering in the darkness of anxiety, and that his strength has been consumed by much mourning.

Vers. 12. *My friends and my neighbors have drawn near against me and stood, etc.*

He relates another thing that is wont to happen sometimes to those who are openly chastised by God for the sake of sin: namely, that He removes His own grace from them; as a result of which they come into such misery that they are unable to find anyone at all to assist or sympathize with them; nay rather, those who were once near by race, or by affection, or by any other title of friendship, they now experience as enemies. Therefore, he says, of my dear ones or neighbors, some indeed publicly stepped forward against me and stood, that is to say, they resisted me, like Absalom and Ahithophel; but others, acting more humanely, stood at a distance, removing their affection for me as far away as possible. ^B

Vers. 13. *And they that sought after my soul used violence.*

Furthermore, those who were seeking my soul used violence; and desiring evil things for me, they spoke vanities, and plotted deceits all the day long. For with no one defending or pitying, that is, assisting [me], the enemies rushed in and oppressed me, partly with calumnies, and partly also with false slanders; they were also constructing deceits, that is, setting traps. For what was there in the whole variety of harmful things that they did not plot against me? So indeed it has happened that most all the saints have suffered. But it must be known that Christ Himself suffered these same things before us, and for us, and on our behalf (Heb. xiii, 12; I Pet. ii, 21). ^{C D}

Vers. 14. *But I as a deaf man did not hear, etc.*

Since, therefore, I have hoped in You, and hope does not put to shame, for that reason You will hearken, because it pleases You to be merciful; nor do You wish the death of the sinner as much as his repentance (Ezech. xviii, 32). Therefore I, he says, as a deaf man did not hear, and I became like those who are entirely devoid of speech and hearing, and who are unable to refute anyone with their mouth. For those who wish to contradict slanderers convict them of falsehood, against each of their accusations.

^A and by resolving the charges of their detraction. But I, he says, have not become such a one; rather, I have kept silence, holding firm, so that I might not make those who hate me even more bitter against myself. For it is necessary in temptations to yield rather than to offer equal retribution to those who persecute us. That to appear deaf in a time of temptations, and to look like the speechless, is not a work of brutish insensibility, but rather the fruit of a praiseworthy endurance, he shows immediately hereafter; for I have kept silence, he says, only because I had placed the hopes of my salvation in Thee, and because I had written Thee down as the avenger transcending all, Who, having rebuked the friends who fell upon Job as they addressed that man, worn out and scorched by trials, in an inhuman manner, showed that it is hateful to Thee for anyone to oppress those who are in distress and temptations. Do Thou therefore, O Master, I pray, hear the taunts made against me by my enemies—that is, the kinds of abuse—and behold what they have devised against me. I, for my part, having restrained both my words and my anger, and being as it were deaf, have set all my hope in Thee, knowing that Thou hearest, even if I am deaf to the blasphemies cast against me.

*For I said: Lest my enemies should rejoice over me, etc.*

(A f. 211b, B f. 158) I, he says, putting my hope in Thee, seemed indeed mute in other respects, but I sought only this one thing: that I should not fall into the hands of my ^C enemies, nor indeed that those who were accustomed to fight against me should rejoice on my account, as though I had suffered complete ruin and been totally overturned, and cast out by Thee, and had suffered alienation due to Thy great wrath. Moreover, I was afraid lest, seeing my feet shaken, they might speak something arrogant and hateful against Thy glory. For this, and nothing else, is what it means for certain people to speak proudly against the saints who are being tested. For they think at times that the saving hand of God is not sufficient for their salvation, as though He in Whom they trust were unable to withstand their onslaughts. Just as, for instance, the Babylonian Rabshakeh, using intemperate glibness against God, was saying: "Have the gods of the nations each delivered their own land out of my hand?"

*For I am ready for scourges, and my pain is before me continually.*

(A f. 212) Being concerned to heal this, David himself accused himself through his confessions to God. Therefore he says: "And my pain is before me continually"; perhaps calling the cause of the pain "pain"—that is, the sin—which it is not inelegant to term a wound of the mind and an ulcer of the heart. To remember one's own sin always, however, would befit the saints. Here, certainly, he clearly says what is spoken through the voice of David in the Book of Kings: "Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men"; for He is good and ^D merciful, and, as Scripture says, more quickly to our-

^A repentant over faults, whereas others are harsh and cruel, and often extend their anger beyond measure. Therefore David flees the idea that any of his enemies should rejoice over him as he is shaken and falling; for this is what is implied by "my feet were shaken." Yet he regards being struck by the lash of God as desirable, bitter though it is, because of the profit that comes from being disciplined; for he submits himself to the lash, and contends that he is most ready for this. And this is a suitable sign of a soul inclined toward virtue, which, while deeply grieving for the weakness it has contracted through illicit acts, nevertheless persuasively and most willingly nourishes the best desires. For he indicates this most clearly when he says that he is "ready for scourges," and always has his pain before his eyes, that is, sin, the cause of his pain.

Vers. 19. *For I will declare my iniquity, and I will meditate upon my sin.*

These are the words of a faithful soul, firmly believing in the judgment of God. Indeed, he uses the word "I will declare" for "I have declared," and similarly "I will meditate" for "I have meditated," for the tenses are sometimes used indifferently in Holy Scripture. I was not, he says, a procrastinator in repenting, nor slow to tears, nor slothful in confession; but prayer concerning my sin immediately followed it to God. Moreover, it is of no small benefit to us to know this, that is, the manner of repentance.

Vers. 20. *My enemies live, and are strengthened over me, and those who hate me unjustly are multiplied.*

But if ^C you understand the enemies to be external ones, you will explain it thus: I, he says, have wept and been sorrowful, and I have shed the tears of repentance, because I acted senselessly and opposed the divine laws: but my ill-wishers live, and grow in strength against me. Now the term "live" here should be taken to mean "to be in full possession of the power to do whatever they please against me." For so we are often accustomed to speak of one who has free and effective movements, saying, "This man is truly alive"; for the righteous man would not ask of God the death of his enemies, which would surely displease the merciful God. Therefore, "they live" is said here ^D to mean that they are at the highest degree of prosperity and power. Whence he immediately adds that they are also "strengthened" against him; and he says his haters are "multiplied," and indeed "unjustly," because this also tends to happen due to the withdrawal of God, to those who, because of their sins, are being purged by being ground down, and are involved in labors and tribulations. For if it ever happens to anyone to experience the withdrawal of God, and to be far from the eye of Him who knows how to provide supreme security and aid, this person will become hateful even to old friends, even if no cause of broken friendship or discord has intervened; this, I think, is to be hated in vain and unjustly.

But who are those who hate unjustly? He clarifies this again in what follows: *Those*, he says, *who repaid me evil for good, were my accusers, because I pursued goodness*. ^A For those who have offended God, as I said, also find their old friends to be enemies, rashly incited, and angry without cause, and eager to pay back evil for good. Therefore, laying bare his wounds to the God of all, he seeks a release from what has befallen him, and asks for a binding up from the One who struck him. For it is written: *He who struck, the same will heal*. Now the healing and deliverance from these afflictions would be that he is not entirely abandoned by God, but that [God] watches over him, and all the more so to stand by him, to defend him, and to save him. And he calls God the Lord of salvation, because by His nod the way of salvation will be easy and smooth.

PSALM XXXVIII

A song for David; unto the end, for Idithum. ^B Idithum, being a sacred chanter and crowned with prophetic grace, begins a song, introducing a personification of David himself confessing his sin. Or rather, David composed the song, but gave it to Idithum to chant. He sends us "unto the end," because he chants about the frailty of human nature, and points out its end. David spoke this psalm while being pursued by Absalom and insulted by Semei. There is a great similarity of the present song to the preceding psalm; but he composed that one for himself as a reminder, whereas he handed this one over to others, that they too might strive for repentance for their sins in the same way.

I said: I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue, etc., I was silent from good things. ^C A clear proof of a firm heart. For since sin committed by the tongue is various, and the beginning of almost every sin occurs through speech, he says, "I made a covenant with myself, that I might not sin with my tongue," since we shall have to render an account even for an idle word, and by our own words we shall be either justified or condemned. But someone might say: "How would the Psalmist be sinning, by replying to those who reproach him?" To this we shall say what the wise Peter teaches: *Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing*. And Paul said: *Being cursed, we bless; being defamed, we entreat*. And regarding the Savior, Peter says: ^D *Who when he was reviled, did not revile; when he suffered, he threatened not; but delivered himself to him that judgeth justly*. Now, "to be silent from good things," is a euphemistic expression for his, as it were, nods, and the way of salvation

^A from evils: namely, as we are accustomed to call things good, even for those who are injured in their eyes, as is often the way of naming those who are seen to be such. But you may also understand it in another way. For he says, "I was not one of those who are accustomed to be treated with dishonor, and who are compelled to bear the insults of those in power, even against their will; but I was one who abounded in all good things, inasmuch as I was also crowned with royal glory. Nevertheless, I bore the dishonor, and placed a guard upon my mouth." Yet he did not suffer this from insensibility, but because he chose to philosophize and to humble himself in the eyes of God. ^B

Vers. 4. My heart waxed hot within me. The memory, he says, of sin became like fire in my heart. Or because it is a custom for those who are angered to become inflamed, the blood around their heart boiling: My heart, he says, grew hot while I was being reviled. He imitates what happens in the case of fire: for the heat of the flame precedes the fire; first therefore it grew hot, then it broke out. While I was meditating on virtue, that is, on patience, a fire was kindled within my inward parts: for sadness burns the souls of the saints, yet they do not produce any effect of fury or anger. And perhaps this is of such a kind: "Be ye angry, and sin not." ^C For not to receive anger at all, nor to be heated, is perhaps better than our capacity and perchance not in our power; but to be able to check it by using better counsel, that is within the power of the saints. My heart, therefore, he says, grew hot within, yet I did not bring forth the anger outwardly, but I kept it within myself and, as it were, suffocated it, saying or doing nothing from fury, but only in meditating and pondering upon the insult, being burned inwardly by the sadness. And that this is the best of virtuous acts, Solomon will teach us, saying: "He that governs his anger, is better than he that takes a city." ^D

[Vers. 5. I spake with my tongue. Regarding these things, he says, I was silent, because I did not possess a demonstrated justification; I sought to receive from the Lord an indubitable certainty from such silence and taciturnity, and from all other things that are to be done in life, that I might know with certainty how much is still lacking to me for the perfection of virtue, so that, in proportion to the offense, I might show both repentance and amendment. — From Corderius.]

Vers. 5. That I may know what is lacking to me. I think the sayings of those who interpret it in this way are incredible. For the holy man was simultaneously

For the holy prophet David, indeed, as it is established that he was praying for the remission of his sins, it would not have been sufficiently opportune to contend for knowing what was lacking to him for perfect virtue. For it behooved him rather to implore pardon for those things which he had mindlessly committed against the divine commandments, and not to curiously consider what he had done rightly. What, then, does he say? “I have endured in labors,” and since the blow against me had been prolonged, I spoke consequently out of my human faint-heartedness; not openly, however, but with a clandestine movement of the tongue I said: ^A “O Lord, make known to me the end of my life, and the number of my years.” For by the comparison of thy existence, who art always, it will be known what I lack, that is, how much I am inferior to thy glory and excellence, who, like the field grass, briefly flourishing, am soon flaccid and fall into death. ^B

[Behold, thou hast made them measurable.] It is very easy, he says, for me to know, O Lord, the number of my days; for I know that thou hast them measured upon the earth. Since all the substance of my life is reckoned and known as nothing before thee. For he called this "substance"—or, according to Symmachus, "conduct" and "habit"—for he called life that. And it is clear that what is said is such as this: Make known to me, O Lord, the number of my days, that is, the remaining time of my present life, that I too, searching my own conscience, may know how much I lack toward perfection according to virtue, just as thou didst know long before, since ^C thou hast set my days as measurable, and thou understandest all my conduct and habit.

And my substance is as nothing before thee. Or also in this way: My substance is as nothing before thee, for a thousand years in thy sight are as yesterday which has passed, or as a watch in the night. ^D For having begun to live according to the human life, and expecting the end of it, but this being unknown to me, do thou make known to me my end, that having learned the multitude of the years of my life in the flesh, and what things must be accomplished by me, I may know what I have done, and what is lacking to me for the fulfillment of perfection. He means, having set for himself a goal of the better life, he wishes to know what is the number of his days according to the investigations, that he may learn how far he is from the goal. Or again in this way: Since every intelligent person acts and works toward some goal, which is also called an aim, and since he needs to have knowledge of this, he prays to know what the end is, toward which he is hastening, and what is the number of his days according to the investigations of the truth; for thus he will know what is lacking to him for the fulfillment of the goal. Just as if someone proposing to take up a science were to say to a teacher: "Reveal to me how many the principles of the science are, so that I may know which I have attained, and in which I am still lacking."

^A a watch in the night, that is to say, three or four hours. Since, therefore, You Yourself exist eternally, but my substance is altogether brief and contracted, and as nothing at all in Your sight, do not, I beseech You, allow him who has sinned out of infirmity to be punished for long, nor let me have calamity as a companion throughout the whole of my life. For "substance," Aquila wrote "submersion," Symmachus "life." For human life is nothing compared to the divine eternity, according to the word: "But You are the same; yet all the concerns of men are vanity of vanities."

En You have made my days reach my hands [palmares]. For this reading Symmachus says: "You have given my days as a span." Or "palmares" signifies that he is full of the contests of temptations. Ver. 7. Nevertheless, man passes along in an image; but he is also troubled in vain, etc. The opinion of the great Athanasius and Cyril is that, because man now passes along imaginarily rather than truly—for the true life is in the future age—the Psalmist deservedly denotes vanity by the term "image." For we do not live the true life now, but as it were an image of it, nor do we labor now for true goods. Therefore we are troubled in vain, wallowing in worldly desires, accumulating treasures whose heirs we do not know. ^B Living men differ nothing from those painted on a tablet, and they flourish like certain colors; but the nature of both these and those flows away and decays with time. Yet nevertheless they are none the less agitated, rivaling, contending, waging war, exercising trade; and the whole of life is full of storms, and ends in death. And when they have amassed riches with great labor and sweat, they do not know the future heir. ^C Thus indeed the blessed David also wrote, moved by his own circumstances. For when he had made his own kingdom very great and splendid with the spoils of war and the tribute brought by the foreigners, he was ignorant of his son's impious and wicked mind. But soon, when he saw him having occupied the royal palaces and usurped the riches stored up there, he uttered this wondrous voice: "But he is troubled in vain; he treasures up and knows not for whom he will gather them." Ver. 8. And now what is my expectation? Is it not the Lord? And my substance is with You. Deservedly he says that he has placed his hope in Christ, having had enough experience of the distractions of the world. Who, he says, has granted me that I should be able to maintain constancy and conduct myself bravely in calamity, and never so fall in my soul that I should do or say anything out of human weakness? ^D Is it not the Lord? What

then is my ^A *substantia* (substance)? That is to say, who is it that strengthens me to stand firm and to bear the things brought upon me from above by the anger of God, who, like a father, trains his children in order to choose for them the better things? Therefore, even if God disciplines with moderate intensity, He Himself is found to be the provider of constancy and patience for those who suffer; this is what is meant by "substance." If, however, one would prefer to interpret the word "substance" as "existence," or "the structure of our nature," or even "expectation of the future," it would not be a bad interpretation; for we have received our existence from God, and He Himself is our hope and expectation.

*Ab omnibus iniquitatibus meis erue me.* (From all my iniquities deliver me.)

^B You have granted me the ability to bear up, and that I should say or do nothing out of human weakness; and you, having disciplined me, have caused me to stand firm for these things, and have provided the power to endure. Moreover, the construction of the present utterance is as follows: "From all my iniquities deliver me," because You made me, that is, You created me, and therefore, as Creator, You know well the infirmity inherent in human nature. It is written elsewhere: "A corruptible body weighs down the soul, and the earthly tabernacle presses down the mind burdened with cares." We shall find also the most long-suffering Job using such words: "Remember," he says, "that You created me as dust." And again: "Do You not resemble one milking me like milk, and curdling me like cheese, and clothing me with skin and flesh, and knitting me together with bones and nerves?" And again the same David: "Remember that we are dust; man is like grass, his days are like the flower of the field, so he shall blossom; because a breath passes through it, and it shall not exist." For the saints use such words while they seek the forgiveness of their sins from the God of all, manifesting human weakness. Indeed, all men are accustomed to cite the propensity of their nature toward sin in order to obtain forgiveness. Therefore David, as one who has been sufficiently ^C chastised, asks for forgiveness.

*Obmutui, et non aperui os meum.* (I was dumb, and I did not open my mouth.)

I suffer, he says, when I am reviled now, and I answer nothing, because I know that You will that I should be exercised by ignominy.

*Remitte mihi, ut refrigerer prius quam abeam.* (Grant me rest, that I may be refreshed before I depart.)

Perchance he also asks for sorrows and the causes of tears to cease at last; not to the extent that perfect beatitude might come to be (for this is not of the present time), but ^D to the extent that it may be a refreshment and a consolation, which we seek in the short life that we spend upon the earth as strangers and sojourners, having from our fathers our existence under sin, and being held fast by the afflictions arising from sin and by the death that comes from Adam; before we succumb to which, we ask that some respite from our labors be granted to us.

^A

PSALM XXXIX

Some say that this psalm was spoken in the person of David, as if he had already been delivered from every calamity and from the penalties inflicted upon him by divine wrath on account of the sin committed against the wife of Uriah, and indeed against Uriah himself; and they think that it is a thanksgiving for the removal of the evils pressing upon him. But look, in what follows we shall discover the person of the Savior introduced, announcing the economy of the incarnation, and that he will proclaim to all those upon the earth the grace that comes through faith. Then, after this, the person of another man is introduced, who desires to be pitied by God, and confesses that he has been, as it were, overwhelmed by his own sufferings. But then, how is it suitable for the divine David, or how could he have spoken the words of the Savior, or for whom else, having been saved by the help of God and singing a hymn of thanksgiving, could these things be appropriate? We think that this psalm is spoken in the person of the new people who have now happily embraced the faith in Christ and have truly been delivered from the pit of misery, that is, from the abyss of sins and from the mire of muddy clay. ^B For he introduces, not without purpose, the person of Christ himself, who freely reveals to men as if the mysteries of the secret, and discloses the reason for the incarnation, by which we are of course saved. Then, after the words of Christ, the person of the people appears again, confessing alike the evils in which they were involved and the multitude of their offenses, so that Christ may be the more praised, who snatched them from the pit and placed them, through faith specifically, out of the bog of destruction. For those from Israel who have believed ask to be delivered from the sin of disobedience, and at the same time they narrate the evils that have befallen them on account of their unbelief. Others ^C refer this song to the captives in Babylon, corrected by that calamity, and thus returned.

Vers. 2. Waiting I waited for the Lord, and he attended to me.

But someone will say: How could these have waited for the Lord, or how could they have been heard at all, who perhaps did not even call upon him, since they did not even know who the true creator and Lord of all things is? We say, therefore, that the Savior, ^D having cast his net, has searched them out, and since they were exempt from any transgression and attached to God, they were as if to receive help from Him alone. In this psalm, David prophesies the things concerning the people, as if they had been taken captive by the king of Babylon. And he speaks in their person, giving thanks to God, as they were about to be delivered from captivity; teaching that if they place their hope in God during calamities, they will be able to be delivered from the evils possessing them. He also declares the sufferer blessed because, having been tested by calamities, they were strong against any unworthy act, and clung to God, from whom alone they were to obtain help.

^A We say, then, that the Saviour, through faith, brought those across the whole earth into his net, having abolished the power of the devil and destroyed the cruelty of the wicked forces; and he has enriched with spiritual freedom those who, through faith in him, have been called to the knowledge of him. Yet not only has the multitude of the nations entered in through faith, but indeed, before them, those who were of the blood of Israel. For Christ has “reconciled both peoples into one new man, making peace, and reconciling both in one body to the Father,” as it is written. Therefore, both have become one people, according to the words of the Saviour himself. For he says elsewhere: “And I have other sheep which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.” Therefore, whatever is spoken by one person, this will certainly be appropriate both to these and to those, through the bond of unity which is in Christ through the Spirit.

That the mystery of Christ was foretold to those of Israel through both the Law and the prophets ^B would not be unclear to those learned in the Holy Scriptures. For Christ said somewhere, speaking to the Jews: “If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.” For the Jews were expecting him to come in the fullness of time as Saviour and Redeemer, not only of themselves, but also of all nations. And so Simeon the Just, when he saw the infant Christ in the holy temple, said: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” Furthermore, the woman from Samaria, when she was speaking with Christ, confessed the same thing openly. For she said: “I know that Messiah is coming, who is called Christ; when he comes, he will tell us all things.” And it was also said through one of the holy prophets to the crowds of the Jews, with Christ promising his arrival to us: “Therefore wait for me, says the Lord, for the day of my resurrection for a testimony, because my judgment is for the gathering of nations.” ^C Therefore, one might aptly say that, having awaited the arrival of the Saviour as it would be in its proper time—the expression “I waited patiently for the Lord,” instead of “waiting I waited”—and “he inclined to me,” that is, “he visited me.” For being God, the Lord appeared to us and brought us up “out of the pit of misery,” and from the gates of death and the corruption therein, from which we have been released through Christ, who transforms human nature into incorruption in himself first, and refashions it to its original state, from the muddy mire of worldly entanglements and the foul-smelling sin. For he has drawn us out from these through the unspeakable hand and the ineffable power of Christ, the Saviour of us all.

“And he set my feet upon a rock,” etc. ^D For the mind of those who are in Christ is firm, as said

^A Paul: “But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. ii, 16. But Christ is also understood otherwise as the Rock, the support of all, the elect stone, laid as the foundation of Sion by God and the Father, upon whom we are all built as a spiritual house, a holy temple, for a habitation of God in the Spirit. Ephes. ii, 21, 22. “And he directed our steps”; for we were taught to make straight paths, we who previously followed crooked and distorted ways.

“And he put a new song into my mouth.” This too must be reckoned with the other gifts of Christ. For it does not happen to all indiscriminately that they are able to praise God; nor will anyone who desires to do this be acceptable to God, unless he be of the number of those who are accustomed to live rightly: “for praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner.” Eccli. xv, 9. He put, therefore, a new song into my mouth in place of the old one of Moses: for to the newness of right deeds, a completely new song will be fitting, not at all resembling the ancient hymns. Indeed, in place of the song offered formerly to wicked demons and idols, we have been taught to sing hymns through the Holy Spirit.

Vers. 4. “Many will see, and will fear, and will hope in the Lord.” An example, he says, I will become for others, that emulating me, they may cease from malice and have an equal hope of a better life. For those who have not yet believed always, in some way, emulate those who have already believed, and desiring to follow their manner of life and piety closely, they return to the truth and follow its light. What happens then furthermore? They conceive the divine fear in their mind, of which it is said: “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.” Eccli. i, 16; Psal. cx, 10; Prov. xvi, 6. And again: “By the fear of the Lord, everyone declines from evil.” Those, therefore, he says, having become ^B imitators of the believers, and having already conceived the divine fear, these also, having founded their own hopes upon God, seek from Him alone the supply of good things, although previously they thought that the reins of human affairs were governed by I know not what fortune, and horoscope, and fate. But also elsewhere, “will see” is said instead of “will recover their sight.” For God says somewhere through the voice of Isaiah concerning the nations in Isaiah: “I will lead the blind in a way they knew not, and I will make them tread paths they did not know.” Isa. xlii, 16. And Christ says to the Jews: “I am the light.” Joan. viii, 12. But indeed He was sent by the Father also to open the eyes of the blind. Luc. iv, 18. “They will see” therefore, that is, they will recover their sight, and so forth.

Vers. 5. “Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord,” etc. We have surely attained this blessedness; for we are named Christians, and this is a noble ^C name that has been called upon us. But if anyone would wish towards

the things already said, to call the Hellenic religion, and what seem to them to be precious—I mean all divination, or any kinds of false teaching—vanities and false madnesses, he would not be straying from what is fitting. For it is written concerning some, that “They set up madness in the house of the Lord,” ^A calling divination “madness.” For some of the Israelites have dared, he says, to speak from their own heart, and not from the mouth of the Lord; and very many false prophets have arisen among them. But perhaps it would have been tolerable if such a thing had been dared in the temples of idols; but since it has happened in the very house of the Lord, how could it not be considered most grievous? “Many things hast thou done, O Lord my God, thy wondrous works,” etc. ^B (Theodoret.) You may understand it in another sense as well, as follows: What you have done, he says, in the time of the economy, are many and wondrous; these I have announced to others, and the announcement has run throughout the whole world under heaven. By these things they celebrate Christ the Savior of all, and they who have been saved through faith in Christ show that they have truly received a new song and a hymn fitting for him. For behold, behold, they say, many are the wondrous works done by him, and his miracles exceed all number, whatsoever has been wrought by his providence—the prodigies in Egypt, in the desert, under Joshua, ^C under Samuel, and things even older than these, namely those under Abraham and the patriarchs born of him; not to go through them one by one. But the thing now accomplished is more wondrous than all of these. For you have procured salvation not for one man, nor for one nation, but for all nations; and having brought to an end the legal worship, which was suited to the infirmity of the Jews, you have given the new grace, which legislates for rational worship, through which those who were blind in heart received the divine and intelligible ^D light, those who formerly limped learned to walk aright, the tongue of the stammerers became clear, the ears of the deaf heard, death was annulled, and the sin of all was taken away; the grace of incorruptibility has blossomed forth; and it is said that he has done all these wondrous things. “And with his thoughts no one shall be compared.” But what have the thoughts of God become, and the counsel of his grace toward us? Being God by nature, he became man, and remained what he was. And what was the occasion for the taking up of our nature? The priest of his mysteries will reveal it, saying: “Since the children have partaken of blood and flesh, he himself likewise partook of the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death.”

^A This, he says, I have announced and testified with my words, that they are superior to any speech. It is confirmed that the holy apostles and evangelists conducted themselves in this way. And indeed we find that the most wise John, in addition to the prodigies already narrated, adds: “There are also many other things which Jesus did, which are not written in this book; which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” ^B Truly, because we know in part and we prophesy in part; and we are not sufficient to recount the teachings concerning Christ, nor his miracles; for however many have been narrated, something greater still remains which has not been spoken. For the deeds of Christ exceed number, either because by their own nature they are immeasurable, or because on account of their multitude they surpass the power of number.

Vers. 7. *Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldest not; but a body hast thou prepared for me.*

Adorned with prophetic grace, the author of this present psalm, as if bringing forth good words from the good treasure of his heart, in such a way that they are not foreign to the person of the only-begotten Son of God, who took upon himself our likeness, was incarnate, and became man, and took the form of a servant. ^C For, he says, O Father, since you do not desire the legal sacrifices, which have nothing but the remembrance and reproof of sins, but not their remission, I come, having taken the body which you yourself prepared for me. For the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High overshadowed the holy Virgin. I come, moreover, that I may execute your will, that is, that I may offer myself as an unblemished victim, and put an end to the rites of the law which are not able to take away sins. To this, we say, is likened that which was clearly spoken by Christ himself: “I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” This therefore provided the occasion for the whole psalm to be spoken by him, observing the same person of the speaker until the end. Since the time of the shadow has now passed, ^D during which sacrifice and oblation were offered, God desiring no longer this kind of worship, prepared a body for the Son out of the Virgin, because whole burnt offerings no longer pleased him; while the Savior meanwhile said to the Father: Behold, as you willed, I come; by the grace of whose will he took away the sin of the world, being himself sacrificed and offered for the sin of all; so that, remission having finally been made, there would be no need thereafter for any sacrifice for sins.

Vers. 8. *In the head of the book it is written of me.*

He calls the head the summary, as it were, of the things contained in the book.

^A And these are those which concern our Savior Christ, who is Lord of all. It should be known that the prophet Ezekiel himself is also found calling the "head of the book" the entire scope of his own prophecy. The expression, *"In the head of the book it is written of me,"* is to be understood thus: the book is the five-part, most wise composition of Moses, and that which is called Genesis is the head and, as it were, the beginning of the whole book, in which the things concerning Isaac are written, which are rightly referred to Christ.

That "head," moreover, signifies "beginning" in the divine Scriptures, you will easily persuade yourself if you understand the saying of Paul, that *the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.* For Christ is the beginning of man, as he brought him forth from non-being into being. And again, the man is the beginning of the woman, because she was taken from her man. But the head of Christ is God, since the Son is from Him by nature, and ^B has Him who begat Him as an unoriginated beginning, while also co-existing with Him eternally.

Paul also says that these verses in the Epistle to the Hebrews were spoken from the person of the Savior. For having said that the blood of animals could not take away sins, he adds: *Wherefore, when Christ comes into the world, he says to the Father: Sacrifice of the Law, whether for safety or for sin, you have not desired; but you have prepared a body for me: and I have come,* he says, *to do your will.* ^C Then he adds: *He takes away the first, that he may establish the second;* that is, he casts out the sacrifices, that he may ratify the sacrifice offered by himself; for it ascends as a sweet-smelling savor to God and the Father through his own body.

*And your law in the midst of my heart.* ^D Having your will hidden within myself (for this, I think, is what *in the midst of my belly* denotes), I will manifest it to those who are mine. For it is necessary for us to know that Christ used to set forth certain special doctrines to the chosen ones, and did not speak to all absolutely and without distinction. And so, he spoke to the Jews in parables; but to the holy apostles, inasmuch as they possessed a pure mind and were capable of containing the most perfect doctrines, he said, *To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to those it is not given.* It is well for us to cleanse our belly as much as possible and make it more refined, so as to receive the law of the Lord in its midst. For the belly of the soul is the receptacle of spiritual foods, that is, the intellectual faculty.

*I have proclaimed your righteousness in the great church.* The great church is that which is filled with great and perfect men, in which the Psalmist proclaimed the righteousness which is through faith in Jesus; for he himself knew this,

as one who had accepted it and had become ^A inseparably familiar with it. That the power of the evangelical preaching has thundered throughout the whole earth, and has filled the great Church—that is, the multitude constituted by Him and gathered together of those who have recognized His advent—is manifest; for He has not withheld His own lips, but continues to speak even until now through the holy evangelists and the teachers who come in their times. It is not inappropriate to call these the lips of Christ. For the divine Paul writes: ‹If you seek proof of Christ speaking in me.› He says, moreover, that the Father knew His righteousness, that which is hidden, which surpasses the Law and the shadow—it is evident that this is the evangelical righteousness—which the Son Himself declares to be superior to that which was spoken to the ancients through Moses, exhorting the holy apostles and saying: ‹Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.› ^B

[Vers. 13. *They are multiplied more than the hairs (of my head).* The prophetic word foretells a various and manifold swarm of afflictions, the experience of which the Church of Christ has received in reality through those things. But what he says, ‹And my heart has failed me,› instead of saying, «It fainted and lost heart,» he said, in order to show the intent of the ungodly. — From Corderius.]

PSALM XL

The person of the Lord himself is also introduced, expostulating with the princes of the Jewish people, and most especially with the traitor. Therefore, it is also inscribed ^A *To the end*, because it sends us forward to the consummation of the age, at which time those things which have been written were fulfilled.

*Verse 2. Blessed is he who understands the needy and the poor.* ^A He calls him blessed who is able to understand the poverty which Christ has taken up for our sake. For He calls this one poor because, though He was rich, He became poor for our sake, that we might become rich through His poverty.

*Verse 3. May the Lord protect him and keep him alive, and make him blessed in the land.* ^B These are the rewards of faith in Christ: namely, to be protected by the Lord, to participate in eternal life, to enjoy blessing in the land of the meek, and to be delivered from spiritual enemies. These are also the rewards of love for the poor; for the Lord distributes to the lover of the poor not only future rewards and that true eternal life, but He also renders him blessed even here.

*Verse 5. I said: O Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.*

^B (Cyril and Theodoret) David also prays for his own sin, in that he knew himself to be one of those who understand the needy and the poor. But while for David it is not surprising that he confesses this even now, the Savior, however, could not say these things unless He assumed our sins unto Himself, inasmuch as He is the beginning ^C of our nature. For Christ died for our sake, having become a curse for our sake; and God made Him, who did not know sin, to be sin for our sake; to which state it also fittingly belongs for Him to need mercy.

*All* affirm that the following indeed belongs most especially to the discourses concerning the passion of the Savior. But "I have sinned against you" is the same as saying, "I have acted wickedly against your law, O Lord," for every sin of ours has this guilt.

*Verse 6. My enemies have spoken evil against me: when will he die, and his name perish?*

^D From this point the person of Christ is introduced, recounting those things which happened to Him by the Jews, whom He also calls enemies, who were envious of Him and plotting His death. For when they perceived His name to be filled with great power, so that through it impure spirits were driven out and every disease was healed, they supposed that they could extinguish Him by death, just as with other men. But the Church, holding the opposite opinion to the enemies of Christ, celebrates His person, singing in hymns: "I will remember your name in all generations"; and, "Your name is oil poured out." For she knows the gift[given].

^A ...is to have that name which is above every name.

Vers. 7. *And if he came in to see, he spoke vanity.*

The prophecy transfers the discourse to Judas, who entered indeed as a disciple, but spoke and thought wickedly concerning the Lord, and leagued himself with the Jews who were entering into evil counsels against the Lord, and were hastening to kill the innocent, contrary to the law. The others, he says, his enemies, saying as it were: "He is burdensome to us even to behold," were preparing death for Him; but Judas was coming in as a familiar friend in order to spy; for he was watching for an opportune time for betrayal, revolving within himself and concocting wicked schemes for this reason. He deliberated upon handing over the Lord to the murderers, while thinking that he was hidden by speaking vanity, that is, calling Him Rabbi and Master.

*He went out and spoke to the same.*

Going out, he says, he was making an agreement with the scribes, chief priests, and Pharisees; no longer speaking within his heart, but openly discussing. What further did he say? "What are you willing to give me, and I will hand him over to you?"

Vers. 8. *All my enemies whispered against me.*

He denotes the machinations and hidden schemes of the Jews against Him. For, fearing the people, they did not dare to do these things openly, but were entering into a secret conclave. For whispering is a certain timid speech, and a secret malediction; just as, conversely, a taunt is a public and face-to-face invective.

Vers. 9. *They set an iniquitous word against me.*

Indeed, it was this: "Away with him, away with him, crucify him." That this word was iniquitous is clear from the saying: "You shall not kill the innocent and the just." Furthermore, they also pinned the crime of tyranny upon Him, saying that He makes Himself a king and forbids paying tribute to Caesar. Nay, they even sought false witnesses against Christ, and concocted lies.

*Shall not he who sleeps add that he may rise again?*

The Savior mocks the counsels of the Jews, inasmuch as they believed they would destroy Him by death, as if He were one of us. He says, therefore: Why do you hope to ensnare Life with death? My death is sleep; death, I say, not for the extinction of life, but for the rousing of the resurrection. For if I rise on the third day, why should my death not be called sleep?

Vers. 10. *For even the man of my peace, in whom I hoped, etc.*

He calls Judas the man of peace, because he seemed to be of the order of well-wishers and friends, who...

as far as the name of disciple went. But what he says is this: What wonder is it if my enemies have plotted such things against me, when even he who was so familiar, and my table-companion and guest, lifted his heel against me—drawing it back like a spur—and laid bare the treachery he had within, attempting to trip me up through his betrayal? For he called treachery and malice a "heel," using a metaphor from those who compete in speed, who exert themselves to make those running with them stumble and fall by means of their heel.

*Verse 11. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon me, and raise me up, and I will repay them.*

^A These things are fitting for Christ according to the measure of humanity. For observe again the Word of God, who exists in the form and equality of God the Father, born from His substance, co-enthroned and co-ruling over all things, now brought low and diminished for the sake of our likeness, and directing His speech to His own Father more humanly by reason of the emptying—that is to say, in a ^B manner befitting God—saying, "Have mercy on me, and raise me up." And yet, how is it not manifest to all that He Himself is, by nature, the mercy of God the Father? And He Himself is likewise the resurrection and the life, according to His own word. But it was necessary for Him to fulfill all righteousness, and since He had become man, not to refuse the lowliness of humanity, nor to disdain the words that befit it, on account of the artful economy of the dispensation. We say that He asks for mercy, and the resurrection conjoined with it, not so much for Himself as for us, who stand in need of both mercy and resurrection. For just as when sin entered the world, death also slunk in with it, as if its own mother, and grew up through it; so also, when sin was expelled from the world, death was expelled along with it. For we are justified in Christ, with God the Father having mercy on us. Death, therefore, finds its undoing in the resurrection of Christ, through whom and in whom human nature flourishes again unto incorruption and life. When, therefore, You raise me, He says, O Father, then I will repay them—it being clear that He means those who have offended against Him. Observe, however, how from the lowliness belonging to our state, He passes over again ^C to that which befits God. For He did not say to the Father in heaven, "When You raise me, then You will also repay them," but as He who is to be the Judge of all, and is and is understood to be God, He says, "I will repay them." For as He Himself says somewhere else, "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father." But that, even though the Father is said to have raised our Lord Jesus from the dead, the Son has done it by Himself, who could doubt? For He Himself is, as I have already said, the resurrection and the life. Wherefore also He said to the Jews concerning His own body, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Finally, that the impious Jews have brought their punishments upon themselves,

have paid the penalty for the impiety committed against Him, there is no need for many words, as the events themselves cry this out. For He gave them back, surrendering them into the power of the Romans.

Then again He speaks in a human manner: "In this I have known that You have willed me."

Humanity speaks again, as if He had become man for this reason, that He might present us in Himself to God the Father after our turning away from that same God—caused by transgression—and by the sin that tyrannized over us. For in Christ we have obtained intimacy with the Father, and we are henceforth loved. ^B For He Himself is our peace, and the door and the way toward achieving spiritual friendship. When, therefore, He says, "O Father, having shown me mercy, You will raise me up," I shall know then that You have willed me—that is, "You have loved me." For in love, truly, everything is voluntary. "And then my enemy shall not rejoice over me." By "enemy of all humanity," you shall understand the devil, who brought in death through sin. He, then, will cease from rejoicing when he sees the human nature transformed into incorruption and fashioned again into the form it had at the beginning, now that sin and with it corruption have been cast out. But particularly and individually, one must understand the enemies of Christ to be the chief priests, and the Scribes, and the Pharisees, who bribed Judas and brought Jesus before Pilate.

Vers. 14. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel," etc.

Now also He concludes the psalm with thanksgiving, which is offered to God the Father for all and in the name of all. "And You are worthy," He says, "to be blessed forever," with the beginning of the blessing now being made by us, but its completion in the life to come, when "that which is in part shall pass away."

PSALM XLI

Vers. 1. "In the end, for understanding, to the sons of Core."

The psalms of the first part, with David as author, were forty; but the second section now contains thirty-one, of which eight are inscribed to the sons of Core, one to Asaph, and one also to Solomon; the rest are to David. The first of these are those attributed to the sons of Core. Now these were sacred singers, and they sang the ode, not necessarily having composed it themselves, but having received it from men filled with the Spirit, to whom knowledge of things to come had been given in due season by God, who knows all things. Having, therefore, received the psalm from David, its author, they signify the things that will come to pass in the final times. They introduce the person of Israel himself, confessing to Christ through the repentance which they shall perform at the end of the ages. For this reason, also, it is inscribed "In the end," because the discourse is about things future. The title also exhorts the readers "to understanding," because it was given by divine...

^A intelligence, as it is needed by those who are about to grasp things that will come to pass after a long period of time. But who was Core? He lived in the time of Moses, and he perished with his factious followers in the conspiracy against the aforementioned: yet his children were neither partakers of the impiety nor of the destruction of their father; they proved so pious that they were even appointed for the singing of psalms.

Vers. 3. Sitivit anima mea ad Deum vivum, etc.

(A f. 227 a, b, B f. 155) Forasmuch as in the psalm preceding this it was said from the person of the Savior: ^B "Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up, and I will recompense them," now the person of those who crucified Him is presented, who have suffered most grave things, it being manifest that eventually they will be received back into grace. And they say that they thirst for God, and they desire the fountain that is with Him, concerning which it was said: "With Thee is the fountain of life." Regarding them, therefore, Paul said: "For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?" This, therefore, Israel, repenting, says he desires, namely, to draw near to God according to affection and sanctification, which comes through faith in Christ; and the one whom they had slain as a man, this one they name the living God, confessing their error by which they delivered the Author of life to death. Moreover, the words "When shall I come?" belong to those yearning for the future calling, and seeking to learn the time when they also shall appear before the face of God the Father, even if now they are estranged from God. Even as Isaiah said: "When ye stretch forth your hands unto me, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: for your hands are full of blood." But when they are called, they shall appear before the face of God; for it is written that "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous."

Verse 4. My tears have been my bread day and night.

(A f. 228, B f. 153 b, L f. 212, L f. 113) Severe calamities have overtaken Israel, abandoned by supernal mercy; for the cities of Judaea have been devastated by the Roman army. ^D And that these things would happen to them, Christ had predicted: "When ye shall see," He says, "Jerusalem compassed with armies, then shall ye say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us." While the Jews were suffering these things, some neighbors were insulting them, as was fitting; but

^A for the surrounding nations were always rejoicing when they were warred against and suffering. ^B Therefore, he says, in place of the most pleasant and necessary things—that is, the table and food—it has come about that I weep and wail bitterly over the unexpected turn of events for the worse. And of what sort are those things he says he remembers? First, that he has offended God through his outrageous conduct toward Christ. Then, that having been deprived of the salvation that came through Him, he became useless, in a sense, and was stripped of all good hope, and finally succumbed to such terrible misfortunes, some always crying out to those who were suffering these things, "Where is your God?"

Vers. 5. *For I will pass into the place of the wondrous tabernacle, even unto the house of God, in the voice of exultation and confession, the sound of one celebrating a feast.* ^C They who are distressed by the mockery of their enemies are not a little refreshed by the hope of better things, and they leap forward to rejoice and to possess a mind superior to all dejection, and they announce to themselves that in due time they will attain to the salvation and life through Christ, and will dwell in the divine courts together with the other saints, and will share in that solemn joy which consists in praising God incessantly. For such a solemnity befits the saints; which matter the divine David also affirms elsewhere: "Blessed are they that dwell in thy house; they will be praising thee forever and ever." By the name of the "wondrous tabernacle," he denotes the house of God, that is, the earthly one, which is an imitation of the Church in the heavens. For the saints lift their hope higher, believing that after the hardships of this life, a most blessed end will receive them, the wondrous supernal tabernacle of God and its interior sanctuary, into which they will be carried and introduced by the angelic powers, as Symmachus says: "I will be carried even unto the house of God"; whence also that saying: "We shall be caught up in the clouds." ^D Beyond the sensible tabernacle of Moses, he called the intelligible one "wondrous," the true one, which the Lord pitched, and not man. And if there is joy in the heavens before the angels of God over one sinner who repents, is it not fitting that when some soul, after having been sufficiently trained in this life, has arrived in the holy heavenly places, the joyful voices of that multitude should be stirred up, applauding the salvation of those being saved? Hence he says: "I will go with the voice of exultation and confession, the sound of one celebrating a feast," that is, singing hymns, and together with the celebrants, raising up songs of praise to Christ the Savior.

Vers. 6. *Why art thou sad, O my soul, and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, for I will confess unto him; he is the salvation of my countenance, my God.*

The people who were the crucifiers, having been refreshed by the hope in Christ, rebuke their sadness and say: "If the time, O soul, has

people, and says: "If a time has been kept, O soul, in which our calling through faith might bring us among those keeping festival into the tabernacle, why are you sorrowful, and why are you worn down by griefs? Hope in God; for I will confess to Him, and He Himself will be the salvation of my face." But the word "face" in these contexts seems to be used instead of "beauty"; for divine beauty is fitting for those who believe in Christ, because it is formed within them through sanctification and righteousness [al. cod. temperance/prudence]. But to the unbelievers, there will certainly follow what is unsightly; for they do not possess the divine and untarnished beauty fitting for themselves. Therefore, to those who had honored the righteousness that is in the Law even after the faith, the divine Paul wrote, saying: "My little children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth, ^B until Christ is formed in you." ^A Therefore, when Christ is formed in you, then He effects the salvation of the soul's face, that is, of its beauty. But in that the people who crucified Him confess Emmanuel as God, even though they once persecuted Him and said: "Why do You, being a man, make Yourself God?"—yet now, at last, having known His appearing and having brought forth their confession, they call Him their God, and the beautiful name is inscribed upon us, that of being and being called Christian.

"My soul has been troubled within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of Jordan and Hermoniim, from a small mountain." ^C Since my soul has been troubled, he says, by calling to mind Your wonders, which You showed us at the Jordan, and those at Hermon, which borders upon it, I will console myself. But he speaks thus in a high sense: When I come into the Jordan, that is, when I have been deemed worthy of the holy baptism, then I will remember You through the words of the confession; and I will remember Hermoniim, which is interpreted as "way of a lamp," as the holy baptism opens the way of illumination. But the sense of what has been said seems to me to have this meaning according to the letter. After the death of Moses, as Joshua was bringing the people into the land of promise, when the priests stepped into the Jordan, carrying the ark upon their shoulders, the Jordan, as the Scripture says, was filled over its entire rim. And the waters ^D coming down from above stood as a heap; but that which was coming down descended into the salt sea. And all the sons of Israel crossed over on dry land in the midst of the Jordan, the stream flowing downward moving into the salt sea, while that coming from above was, by the power of God, miraculously restrained and moved backward; and indeed, the currents of the Jordan flowing from the springs above, having no outlet, were curved and raised into a heap, while [one against the other]

^A they became one, as the waters were raised up properly, because their outlet was closed off. Revolving, therefore, he says, in my memory the grace of the visitation that happened to the people at that time, I am justly consumed in my soul at the present moment, because no such providence of God has happened to us. For they passed unexpectedly through the Jordan, and the mountain adjacent to it, Hermon; but to me who says these things, nothing of the sort has occurred. These are the words of the captives.

*Vers. 8. Abyss calls to abyss at the voice of your ^B cataracts.* Abyss denotes the infinite nature of the multitude; he says this to mean: They call upon one another as mutual allies against us, for the permission of their attack is a passing through; and he rightly called the permission from God by the name of cataracts, as if it were a descent to the abysses.

They make mention not only of the miracle that happened at the Jordan, but they also construct a catalog of other miracles, setting forth in order what happened at various times. For the foreigners once camped against those from Israel at Mizpah; for it is written thus in the Books of Kings. And when they marched into battle, equipped with all military gear, the Israelites, fearing the attack, approached the divine Samuel, and entreated him to offer prayers on their ^C behalf. He sacrificed a suckling lamb and poured water on the ground, a thing that foreshadowed the mystery concerning Christ. And such a sacrifice having been offered for them, such great hail was brought down upon the enemies that almost all of them fell, with no man fighting against them. The Psalmist therefore seems to call this irresistible onslaught of hail an abyss rushing upon an abyss: for he says "calls" in place of "summons." For one onslaught of hail was made from another, so that the former provoked the latter. Finally, the voices of the cataracts are rightly understood as the descent of the hail with force; for its movement was successive, and just as if one was calling out the second from the first. And the voices of the cataracts might be understood as the ^D falling of the hail.

*All your tossings and your waves have passed over me.* Then immediately they commemorate another miracle; for they crossed through the Red Sea, fleeing the wickedness of Pharaoh: at which time the tossings of the waves, that is, the heights, seemed to be carried against the Israelites, yet they harmed them in no way. I think this is signified by the words, "All your tossings and your waves have passed over me," for the waters stood firm like a wall, and the crossing was kept dry.

*Vers. 9. By day the Lord will command his mercy, and by night his song is with me.* Truly, God by day, that is, manifestly and as though in the light, promises mercy through the oracles of the saints: but he demonstrates, that is, he makes conspicuous, at

^A night, that is, in the unseen. Perhaps he also wishes to speak of the swiftness of God’s help. For just as, wishing it, you brought the waves of the enemy upon me, so, wishing to deliver me, you will provide the swiftest help, so that as soon as you command, nothing may hinder me from giving you thanks, and there may be nothing between your command and its accomplishment.

^B Thirdly, he appends to what has been said a sign, when Rabsaces, besieging Jerusalem, blasphemed the God of all as though He were unable to save them, when one hundred and eighty-five thousand of those with him were destroyed by an angel in a single night; God having previously said to Hezekiah on the day before that night: “I will defend this city for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant.” Thus the promise was made by day, and the deed was performed by night. This is what is meant by, “By day the Lord will command his mercy, and by night he will declare it.” If, then, there is such great providence of God, how is it not fitting to lay aside sadness and place one’s hope in Him?

*With me is prayer to the God of my life.*

^A The divine Cyril, placing a punctuation mark at “and by night his song is with me,” and then adding, “With me is prayer to the God of my life,” interprets the verse thus: that now, as a believer, the once rejected Israel says that he has conceived a prayer solely for his own salvation, and for nothing else that is temporary. Or, because in ancient times, by the law, bloody sacrifices were promised to God, but now that the shadow has changed into truth, we consecrate our own life to Him, according to the saying: “Present your bodies to God as a living sacrifice, holy.” Prayer, therefore, in this place signifies a promise; so that the meaning is this: With me, that is, with Israel, the prayer and promise of my life is consecrated to God. Then he teaches the words of the prayer.

*I will say to God: Thou art my supporter; why hast thou forgotten me?* etc.

^B The penitent people again resumes its supplication, invoking God more vehemently to mercy. For I, he says, truly remember and know thy clemencies, and I cherish the hope placed in thee; but thou, I know not how, hast forgotten me. But come, take care lest you perhaps think that oblivion is some kind of passion in God, but rather consider it to be abandonment. For forgetfulness, which is a human passion and a loss of memory, does not touch the divine nature, for the Godhead is impassible and unchangeable. For this reason the Psalmist also asks: “Why hast thou forgotten me?” For no one speaks of the involuntary passion of forgetfulness by saying, “Why?” but—

^A here it is presented as a voluntary forgetfulness, a neglect of a man who is unworthy of God’s care.

*Vers. 11. Whilst my bones are broken, they that afflict me have reproached me.*

Having mentioned his enemies, he censures their inhumanity and cruelty. For they have broken my bones, he says, that is, they rushed upon me with an intolerable impetuosity, and by leaping upon me audaciously, they have brought upon me a complete crushing. But yet, more intolerable to me than this were the insults of those who were constantly crying out at me: "Where is thy God?" That is to say: "Who indeed will snatch you from these persecutions? Where is the one who formerly promised to help you, in whom you had placed all your hope?" For language that is insulting toward God is not to be borne by holy men.

*Vers. 12. Why art thou sad, O my soul, and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, because I will still give praise to him, etc.*

It is the custom of those who suffer to revolve constant thoughts within themselves, sometimes indeed of despair, and sometimes of hope. The penitent Israel does this now, and the captive people does so as well; for each, having wept sufficiently for his calamity, again commands his own soul not to pine away with grief, nor to be troubled, but rather to place its hope in God, and to give thanks to Him who, having taken the form of a servant, has become the Savior of our person, that is, of that beautiful peace which we had defiled. ^B

Soon, again calling his soul back to consolation, and no longer wishing to be consumed by grief, he wisely looks toward his confidence in God, and says: "Why art thou sad, O my soul, and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, because I will still give praise to him; the salvation of my countenance is my God." Moreover, we have already provided the interpretation of these words above.

PSALM XLII

The divine Cyril says that in the previous psalm the person of Israel was introduced, as one who knew of its future calling in the last times, and desired to approach God thereafter through faith; but in this psalm, he says that the person of the gentile people is brought in, desiring to be saved through faith in Christ. He also wishes to explore the cause for which it had perished, which is to be traced back to the wickedness of the devil and the tyranny of the unclean spirits; for he calls these by the name of a "not-holy nation": or perhaps he also understands their ministers, I mean the learned men and poets of the gentiles: for he calls these unjust and deceitful, as being deceivers and liars. For he says: ^D

*Vers. 1. Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy, etc.*

Do thou, I say, be my judge, O Lord, who art not—

^A one who judges by hearsay, but one who brings forth justice with knowledge; and deliver me from the greed of Satan and of other demons. For Isaiah also calls the devil a man, saying: "They say that they brought an Egyptian man, and not God, to help them."

*Vers. 2. Quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea, etc.*

Those who are of the circumcision, coming to their senses, likewise proclaim God to be their strength, and those who have believed from the nations judge this same one to be their power; finally, captives do not hope to be redeemed by any other. Yet when those who have not yet believed in God say, "For thou art, O God, my strength," we say that it must be understood ^B of God the Creator of all, and the one who holds all things together for their well-being; he is the strength of all, according to the grace given to the common nature from the beginning. If some have stumbled, having suffered a voluntary fall, and have removed themselves far from God by sin, and furthermore by worshipping the creature instead of him, nothing hinders us from saying that even for these God is their strength or sustainer. Otherwise, they were cast out because of the sin that intervened, with Satan afflicting and pressing upon them, and causing them to be sorrowful due to anticipation. For how was it possible to have that joy which becomes those who, because of their sin, were about to be punished?

*Quare me repulisti? etc.*

Those who wish to be called to Christ, ^C this they studiously strive for, and they pray that God’s aversion may cease, lest Satan harass them further. Captives, likewise, knowing that their power was once given to them by God, rightly call their present captivity a divine dismissal. But they ask "Why?" not as though expostulating or being angry, but because their calamity ought to find an end on account of God’s mercy. For why, they say, O Lord, are thy parts not fulfilled, which are of mercy? But our calamity prevails?

*Vers. 3. Emitte lucem tuam et veritatem tuam.*

Clearly, by these words they signify the illumination of our universal Savior, Christ. For God promised this long ago also through the voice of Isaiah, saying: "I will make darkness into light for them, ^D and I will take care to turn all crooked 16 paths into straight ones." Nay, it is said to the Son himself: "Behold, I have given thee into a covenant, be thou a light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind 17." Truly, they beseech God and the Father who is in the heavens to send his light to them, namely, the Word who has shone forth from his substance in a divine manner, whom they also designate by the name of truth, distinguishing him from gods falsely so called. For it was fitting that they, departing from ancient error and hastening toward the true light, should use such expressions. Indeed, Christ himself also says about himself: "I am the light (1) and the truth and the life 18." Furthermore, light

does not differ from truth substantially (for both are the Son of God), but only in conception. For inasmuch as he liberates from darkness and falsehood, he is truth; but inasmuch as he liberates from error and ignorance, he is light.

They ask, however, that light and truth be sent, as they clearly do not possess these. The captivities, as if those dwelling in darkness within calamities and pressures, denote their deliverance—and the true and firm assistance of God—by the name of light.

Vers. 5. *They have led me, and they have brought me unto thy holy mount and into thy tabernacles.*

They say "have led" for "shall lead," using one tense for another. For they do not affirm that they are led by these as if already partakers of the divine light and having attained the truth; but rather they say ^B this: that if they shall come into possession of the light and truth, they will be led into his holy mount and his tabernacles. That the tense has been used for another is easily taught by the tenor of the subsequent verses. For those same people say that they will enter unto the altar of God, and will confess to him. The meaning of the passage is this: "Send forth thy light and thy truth, which will lead me and bring me unto the heavenly mount and the tabernacles that are there." Or, we may understand the holy mount to be the Church; for it is the custom of the holy prophets to name it thus, as being intellectually situated on high, and having nothing that creeps upon the ground. For the multitude of those who have believed in Christ disdains to mind the things on earth, ^C but lives in the heavens, even though it walks upon the earth.

Vers. 4. *And I will enter unto the altar of God.*

If by chance the speech is made in the person of the Gentiles, they add this also to the things said above: that although they have not yet entered unto the altar of God, yet at the time of the calling ^D they are to enter unto the divine and most holy altar of the Savior, that is, to the Church, in which we perform the holy, most pure, and unbloody worship, and in place of the delicate and compounded incense, we offer doxologies to God, using them as a lyre. And as for the fruit of this matter, knowing well when it shall be, they address God as the one who "gladdens my youth." By youth, we do not think here of a bodily youth, but rather an intellectual one: that which, I mean, is accomplished by God through the renovation of the mind. "Put off," says the Scripture, "the old man, which is corrupted according to the desires of error, and put on the new one, who has been created according to God in holiness and righteousness." Concerning whom the Psalmist also says: "Thy youth shall be renewed as the eagle's," in which

one rejoices while fulfilling the works of piety. "I will confess to Thee with the lyre, etc." (From Cyril and Athanasius.) By the lyre he means the body, through which the mind is naturally accustomed to strike up a melody, as if through strings, the senses sending it up to God. The lyre also signifies the mortification of the body and the harmony of the virtues; for the strings signify the mortification, and the harmonies signify the symphony. He has shown the cheerfulness by the addition of the "lyre," and the love by the exclamation repeated twice. For he says, "O God, my God," that you may learn that the God over all is inscribed as this distinct God, both by those from the circumcision who repent through zeal and faith, and by those from the Gentiles who believe; in whom also this spiritual youth rejoices, having an opposition to the old man. For only one who is young in spirit and disposition, akin to the new man and the newness of the Spirit, enters in toward God, who gladdens such a youth. "Hope in God." (^A f. 254) Instead of "hope," Symmachus said "wait." For thus it will be permitted to you to say: "Waiting I waited for the Lord, and He attended to me." And, "Hope does not put to shame." Why then is there need to be grieved, when such good things are hoped for? "For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come, and He will not delay," who is the light and the truth.

PSALM XLIII

"And Thou didst plant them." (^B f. 159, I f. 223) As if concerning a vine it is said that they were planted; for Israel is a vine abundant in shoots. "And Thou didst transport a vine out of Egypt, Thou didst cast out the nations, and didst drive them out." "Thy right hand, and Thy arm, and the lighting of Thy countenance." (^B f. 159, I f. 223) Adding, he says, that ^D

they commemorate the power of the Holy Spirit, as is fitting. For the Son is the face of God the Father, being His perfect image, and the impress of His substance. But the illumination sent forth from Him into the heart and mind of those called to redemption, is understood as the wisdom which brings those who are enlightened to God. Therefore, they say that the redemption of Israel, and furthermore their overcoming of the nations, was accomplished by the almighty hand of God the Father, that is to say, His arm—namely, the Son—and by the illumination of the Holy Spirit. For the divine Scriptures, in various senses, call the Savior—that is, the Word who was in the beginning with God—the hand of God, the right hand, and the arm, just as they also call Him the wisdom of God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and power; so that these are diverse names for one and the same subject. Isaiah therefore says: "Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?" But David here calls Him not only an arm, but also a right hand. The meaning of what is said is this: that after Israel had been rejected for betraying the Savior, we who were born of the Gentiles were planted in the divine doctrine of the holy Scriptures. Yet it was not our arm or our works that saved us, but we obtained salvation by grace. For we have not been justified by works, but by faith in Christ. ^B

Vers. 5. *Thou art Thyself my King and my God, who commandest the salvations of Jacob.* Symmachus says: "Thou art my King, O God; command concerning the salvation of Jacob." ^C This is suitable for those among the people who act uprightly, and for the prophets, who confess that they are not saved by their own power. But you may understand it also in this way: by these words, "Thou art Thyself my King and my God," they seem to confess that He is always the same. Since, then, He who brings help to Israel is almighty and invincible, and it is not permitted for us to fear that His strength might fail, it follows that we can think of nothing else but our own sin: for which reason we have been despised and have fallen, so that now the only hope remaining is in Thy clemency and kindness. For Thou art He who commandest the salvations of Jacob—that is, Thou art He who promisest; for God promised to Abraham and his posterity that He would save all the offspring that would be born of him. Scripture furthermore says: "He shall command His angels concerning thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." ^D Or say: "Command," that is, merely give the sign, and Thy people shall enjoy salvation.

Vers. 6. *Through Thee we shall push down our enemies with the horn.* Horned animals have received the horn from nature in place of weapons; but we have Thy name as our horn of salvation and our victorious weapon. For I do not trust in other weapons; for I have experienced Thy power, having already conquered my enemies by relying on Thee.

^A The Lord is the horn of the saints. Yet in Daniel, horns signify kingdoms. And elsewhere He says, "My protector and the horn of my salvation." Why then does Scripture say elsewhere, "And He shall exalt the horn of His people," as if there were another horn distinct from the One who exalts it? Clearly, then, the horn of the people is the Word of God, exalted by the Father, since He emptied Himself. For this reason, God highly exalted Him, according to the Apostle. They say, therefore, that they rely for their salvation on this horn, their King, and not on their own power. For this reason, they add, "In God we shall be praised all the day," or according to Aquila, "we shall boast"; or according to Symmachus, "we will sing praise." They say, finally, that they confess to Him, the Scripture customarily using "confession" to mean thanksgiving.

"And in Thy name we shall despise those who rise up against us." ^B By His name, through which adversaries are despised, He signifies glory; for power was given so that God might be glorified. Thus, God redeemed Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, crowning Himself with god-befitting glories. And thus He said to Pharaoh, "But for this very reason I have raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be declared in all the earth." God also said somewhere through one of the holy prophets, "I will have mercy on the children of Judah, and I will save them in the Lord their God; and I will not save them with bow, nor with sword, nor with war, nor with chariots, nor with horses, nor with horsemen."

"But now Thou hast cast us off and put us to shame." ^C Those prophets who speak these things take upon themselves, as it were as their own body, the evils of the sinning people. For our fathers, he says, told these things to us. Then there is a diapsalma in the middle to represent a change of circumstances. But now it is possible to see the opposite; for Thou hast left us helpless in war; for Thou didst not go forth with our armies.

"And there was no multitude in our shoutings." ^D A shout, or clamor, is the triumphant voice of those who have won. But because it happened that only a few did this, we say there was no multitude in their shoutings. We were defeated, therefore, and plundered by enemies, and these few in number; for there was no multitude in their shoutings. As if he were saying: We have come into such evils and incomparable misery that we were defeated and captured without a great multitude of enemies.

"Thou hast made us a parable to our neighbors." What is a parable here? A narrative, an example, a reproach. For those who are far away recount our affairs. Taken captive…

they say, the men from Israel, and having been caught by the greed of those who took them, they have become infamous, with those saying to us (as is likely), "May I not become as the Israelites." ^A

*Verse 19. And Thou hast turned aside our paths from Thy way.*

According to the divine Cyril, you shall understand the utterance, "And Thou hast turned aside our paths from Thy way," in this manner: Because Israel did not yield faith to the preachings of Christ, he also lost the capacity to correctly exercise legal worship; for the shadow of the Law has ceased, and the types have been transformed into reality. They teach this by saying, "And Thou hast turned aside our paths from Thy way." And it is said somewhere also by one of the prophets concerning Jerusalem: "Behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, and will wall it up with a masonry, and she shall not find her path." For the Synagogue of the Jews ^B does not know at all the ways of approval before God. But even if it should perchance discover them, it has no accessible path; for it does not know Christ, who demonstrates the road through which any one might enter into life. They say these things, therefore, because having been impious toward Christ, they were also thrust out from performing the worship according to the Law. And we have already said how the prophets are those who offer up supplication from the person of the people, making their own the evils that occurred on account of their sins. For otherwise, how would it be said here that they had neither forgotten God, nor acted against His covenant, nor turned their hearts backward, ^C and yet had experienced God's turning away, and felt the damages of His wrath? For they would either be lying whilst saying they did not violate His covenant, or they would be passing no small censure upon the divine judgments, as if they had been punished unjustly. Therefore the prophets, though being just and guardians of the Law, as being Israelites, impose upon themselves the sufferings of the plebeian multitude which raged against Christ, and make the supplications of those who are sinning, well knowing that it is the custom of the Lord of all to have mercy on many sinners because of a few just men. And just as when the people once sinned in the desert and were therefore delivered over to the destroyer, ^D Aaron took the censer and offered incense for it, and God was propitiated toward the multitude because of the priest's offering; so too do those in the people who are pious offer their rational sacrifice, praying for the same people and exhibiting their own good deeds as a sacrifice. Certainly, it was not the duty of the people to say these things, who, as a sinner, had been delivered to her enemies; but just as the prophets had taken upon themselves the sins of the people, so they wished their own merits to be shared with them. For it is consistent that, one member suffering, all the members should suffer with it, and when one is glorified, they should rejoice together.

^A Does not God require these things? For He knows the hidden things of the heart. He is invoked as witness of words and thoughts, because no thing turned them away from true religion. For they say, "We boast in your name." You also know what our thoughts are, since every day we are put to death for the sake of religion. For he who has resolved by his purpose in every temptation to accept death for the sake of the truth is already dead in power; which is what Paul also said, when enduring various temptations: "I die daily, by your boasting." In our hidden thoughts, therefore, we are put to death every day; and because we have once offered ourselves as a sacrifice for the people, we suffer this in our mind. Therefore, as having suffered these things, we summon You to us, and arouse You as if asleep ^B amidst these evils.

"Arise, O Lord, help us, and redeem us for the sake of your name." This signifies to us the conversion and calling of Israel which is to happen in the latter times, adding to their own words—that is, in their prayers to God—this also: "for the sake of your name," manifestly confessing that they are unworthy of mercy, who had sharpened the horn of their ignorance against Christ. It is fitting, however, for God to show mercy, and not to continue His wrath against human frailty, but rather to be moved to clemency for His own sake. Wherefore He also said through one of the holy prophets: "It is not for your sakes, says the Lord, but I do it for my name's sake." ^C

PSALM XLIV

"Unto the end, for those who shall be changed, to the sons of Core, for understanding, for the beloved." This psalm is sung unto the end; for it contains a narrative, or rather a proclamation, of the mystery concerning Christ, which happened at the consummation of the present age. For thus did the Son appear to us. The power of the song is said to be composed for those who shall be changed and for the beloved. We say that both Jews and Greeks have been changed, so that those called from both have become one beloved people. For as Paul says, "Christ created the two peoples into one new man." ^D

"My heart has uttered a good word." Understand here the generation of the Son [alt-version omitted] who is from the substance of the Father, parabolically declared through the heart and the word. For the heart does not beget the Word corporally, who always co-exists with it; for the logical power is inseparable from the substance of the one who possesses it. He aptly called it a "good" word, as one who willingly emptied Himself for the salvation of the world. And as the ineffable generation has already been spoken of through what precedes, the discourse hereafter is introduced concerning the incarnation. Therefore, as one who wears human measures, the Father says: "I tell my works to the king." For it is a promise of instruction, as one who is taught to bring us forward into the works of the Father, which are taught through the Gospels. For He said: "I do nothing of my own self."

^A

not transgress. Wherefore, he has known the mandate of the Creator; or rather, he signifies that he does not act otherwise than as reason dictates. The discourse here is metaphorical, and signifies that the sun itself operates by the mandate of God, and observes the order of its setting established by Him.

VERS. 20. *You have appointed darkness, and it has become night.* You have determined, he says, the darkness which succeeds the light after the sunset, and it is night. Darkness, he says, He called night.

*In it all the beasts of the forest shall pass through.* Consider also the utility of the night: which brings rest not only to men, and restores those exhausted by the labors of the day to greater strength, but also grants to the wild beasts the freedom to emerge.

VERS. 21. *The lion’s whelps roaring, that they may snatch, and seek their food from God.* The lion’s whelps ^B roaring, to snatch and seek sustenance for themselves, which is ministered to them by God; for from Him all food is provided to all flesh. Or, as they seek and ask for food from God. For even many men very often, when in need and thirsty, look towards heaven, and as if by an ineffable speech call upon their Creator.

VERS. 22. *The sun is risen, and they are gathered together, and they lie down in their dens.* They seem to know by a natural instinct the time appointed for them to wander.

VERS. 23. *Man shall go forth to his work.* Namely, to his daily work. For the day is assigned to man and to other tame animals, so that they might not come together and the strong and the weak accidentally harm one another.

*And to his labor until evening.* Through work and operation. But the Prophet, while discoursing on such things, when struck with a certain stupor of the power of God, ^C exclaims, saying:

VERS. 24. *How magnified are Your works, O Lord!* They appear most admirable, for one thing is well ordered with another, and all things together contribute to the perfection of one universe.

*You have made all things in wisdom.* Since nothing, even the smallest thing, is made by You to no purpose or superfluously, but all things have—even if they are meanwhile imperceptible to some of us—rational causes, as if things incomprehensible.

*The earth is filled with Your creation.* That is, with things created.

VERS. 25. *This sea, great and spacious. This sea also is Your creation.*

*There are reptiles, of which there is no number. In this* ^D *sea, he says, creeping things and aquatic animals exist, which nearly exceed number.*

^A Indeed, this is clear.

*There ships pass by.* In the sea, clearly.

*This dragon which You have formed to play with him.* This dragon, which You have fashioned to play with him—that is, the sea-monster. You, He says, have formed the dragon, meaning the sea-monster, as it is a creature of immense size in the sea, just as the dragon is among land-creatures, of which we spoke above in the verse. *Here, and to seek from You their food in due time;* [and] they wait for You to give [them] their food in due time and need.

*When You have given [them], they will gather it.* [Their] food.

*When You have opened Your hand, all things shall be filled* with goodness. By "hand," He means the power that gives; by "goodness," providence.

*When You have turned away Your face, they shall be troubled.* By "face," He means the oversight.

*You shall take away their spirit, and they shall fail, and they shall return to their dust.* Regarding the matter of men, this is the Word.

^C *You shall send forth Your spirit, and they shall be created.* The Spirit that gives life; and they shall be created from the earth, having risen. *The Spirit, that which is through the holy baptism, shall be sent forth, and they shall be created into a new creation, a new people, so that the one refers to the resurrection from the dead, and the other to the regeneration through baptism.*

*And You shall renew the face of the earth.* The beauty of the earth, which is mankind. Or, if you will, the earth itself shall be transformed, according to the Apostle.

*May the glory of the Lord be for the ages.* [The glory] of Him who has done the aforementioned things, and of Him who brings them to pass.

^D *The Lord shall rejoice over His works.* Through those things brought to pass by His incarnation, or through those things [brought to pass] by the creation of the world.

*He who looks upon the earth, and makes it tremble.* He who looks upon the earth—for He looks upon it as [if it were] earthquakes; for the earth, fearing [Him], trembles at [His] aspect as if by some natural, or rather, unutterable perception.

*Who touches the mountains, and they smoke.* As

^A this pen, besides being swift and quick, also excels in beauty beyond the sons of men. Indeed, the divine Moses promulgated the law to the ancients, after it had been served through angels; the prophets also related to them the revelations of God: but, in truth, the pen of the Father was finally the most beautiful beyond the sons of men. For who among the saints shall be compared to Christ? No one at all. For this very reason, even the bride introduced in the Song of Songs, bearing the person of the Church, although it was permitted to her to approach the Scriptures of the most wise Moses and the holy prophets, nonetheless desired the words of Christ, and said: *Show me thy face, and make me hear thy voice; for thy voice is sweet, and thy face is beautiful.* Eusebius of Caesarea says things similar in meaning to what has already been said in his second Exposition, although he does not use such great testimonies from the Scriptures.

The Spirit writes concepts in us according to the capacity or breadth of our heart, more or fewer, clearer or more obscure, according to the preliminary state of our purity.

*Fair in beauty beyond the sons of men.*

^B When God has acted the first parts in the preceding verses, the choir of the prophets claims the revelation for itself, and in a way applauds the words of the Father, and commends the mystery with its own approbation, and moved by the force of divine love, exclaims: Since there is in you beauty beyond the rest of the sons of men, we confess that grace has been poured out upon your lips: therefore God has blessed you forever. Furthermore, he says "has blessed" for "has made blessed." For we who have believed praise Him unceasingly; He shall also be praised forever, since He is the true God, and the Son of the God who is above all, and He Himself existing as the King of glory. But if anyone says that it was given to the Son by the Father to be blessed by us, let him consider this also: just as, after He became man, the Father gave Him *a name which is above every name, that in His name every knee of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth should bow, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord,* so also the title of "blessed" is said to be given to Him by God, because He is blessed by all. And that is indeed the nature of the emptying ^C; for those things which He has as God by nature, these are said to be received by Him as a man. And for another reason it was necessary that the Son, having been made man, and called a second Adam, and having been established as a new root in the world, should be blessed by the Father inasmuch as He was man, so that the force of the curse might finally cease, which had been inflicted upon the earthly man—namely, him who had been the first root of the human race, that

is to say, Adam. ^A For just as we have become subject to the curse in him, so have we been blessed in Christ; for He sends upon the whole race the grace that was given to Him as man. And rejoicing in this very thing, the Psalmist exclaimed: "Blessed are you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

Gird yourself with your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and your beauty. ^B O Master, they say, in addition to your beauty—which is above all and incomparable—gird yourself also with a sword, and not one that is foreign, but rather your own. For we affirm that nothing in Christ is external or assumed, but that those things which befit God are rightly believed to be His own. . . For He is mighty, that is to say, the Lord of powers; He did not receive the power from another, but possesses it as innate and essentially inherent along with the other attributes most befitting to God. Indeed, He is beautiful to those who love Him and who have recognized His appearance, and to those who are able to behold with the eyes of the mind His extraordinary and super-celestial beauty. And He has the sword fastened to His thigh so that He may disturb the phalanxes of the adversaries, or also strike terror into the insolence of the disobedient, threatening them with vengeance and punishment. For the Psalmist says this elsewhere as well: "If you do not turn, he will sharpen his sword; he has bent his bow and made it ready, and in it he has prepared instruments of death; his arrows he has made for those who are burning." ^C

And bend it, and prosper, and reign, for the sake of truth and meekness and justice. ^D "Prosper," they say, instead of "command those who have chosen to think your thoughts to run straight in every good work," and thus "reign" over those who are prospering. There is, however, a great consistency and sequence to be observed in this discourse. For while the devil was oppressing, no one was at all able to hasten as if on a straight path toward what is well-pleasing to Him; therefore, it is very fittingly that He first bends the bow, so that once that one has been removed from the midst, along with the others who rage against the accomplishments of the saints, they might subsequently be able to prosper and proceed, as it were, on an unhindered path, fighting and encountering no one, that they might be able to submit to the yoke of His kingdom. Rightly, therefore, do they say first, "Bend it," then "Prosper," and thirdly, forthwith, "Reign." They also add, "For the sake of truth and meekness and justice." By "meekness," as I think, and indeed also by "truth" and "justice," they say there is nothing other than the evangelical preaching, through which we have become subject to Christ; for through it He has reigned over all that is under heaven. Now, "truth" is, insofar as it surpasses the types and the Mosaic shadow, and nakedly and without coverings teaches the mystery of Christ. He also names meekness,

for it does not have the severity found in the Law. For as Paul says: "Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses" (Hebrews 10:28). The gospel preaching is, in another way, one of meekness; for it makes those who believe in Christ meek, not vengeful or irascible, nor indeed wishing to demand an eye for an eye, a foot for a foot, and a hand for a hand, but—to the one who strikes their right cheek—turning the other, and following Him who says: "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). If, furthermore, anyone were to say that truth in all things belongs to Christ Himself—for nothing belonging to the God-befitting attributes is false in Him—and likewise that He is endowed with supreme meekness and justice, he would not stray from a true interpretation. For in reality, all other things are contained within the evangelical precepts, as well as justice. For by these things we are made holy and blameless. ^A And it is true, and the same thing is present in the evangelical ordinances, that there is also justice. For it makes them holy and blameless.

202 *And thy right hand shall lead thee wonderfully.*

The divine Paul, directing the eye of his mind toward divine things, 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! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" (Rom. 11:33, 34). For there is absolutely nothing lacking to Him—at least insofar as correctly and blamelessly perceiving what is useful for those who follow Him—so that He is His own guide in every matter to be performed. For He alone knows all things, and the light is with Him, and in Him are all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3). What then, therefore, do the saints say to Christ? ^B "Thy right hand shall lead thee wonderfully." For seeing, he says, the things pertaining to the accomplishment of salvation for those on earth, He shall be the counselor of those among us—or rather, there is no other at all beyond Him; for Thy right hand shall suffice for this. And they do not—by these words—mean that His right hand or power is something different from Himself; but when they say "thy right hand," that is, Thy magnificence, one must understand nothing different from Him. Thus, therefore, even if "thy right hand," that is, His power, is spoken of by them, they denote Him alone by periphrasis. For He knows, they say, He knows, Thy right hand, upon whom He ought to bring the sword, or against whom He ought to bend the inescapable bow: upon whom also it is fitting to act prosperously, and to subject necks to Thy yoke, that they may acknowledge Thee alone as God and King, Savior and Redeemer. ^C

Vers. 6. *Thy arrows are sharp, O mighty one; peoples shall fall under thee, in the heart of the enemies of the king.*

No enemy of God or proud man falls under God, but rather those who have accepted subjection through faith. The arrows, therefore, of the Mighty One—that is, of Christ—are the apostles; but the enemies of the King—that is, of God and the Father—are Satan and ^D whosoever opposes the divine dogmas. For I confess...

and simply to those who oppose the divine dogmas. The heart of the spiritual enemies having been wounded by the arrows of the Mighty One, ^A peoples have fallen at the feet of Christ, and have submitted and subjected themselves to the yokes of His kingdom. For the guides of the mysteries strike those who have been led astray and who do not know the God who exists by nature, yet not unto death, but rather bringing them to the love that is in Christ, so that they might fall beneath Him and say, “I am wounded by love.” Do you see the success of the war, the bringing in of those who were before this [hostile]? For this very falling down is the basis and root of exaltation.

Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.

^B Observe, therefore, that He calls Him God who became man, and assigns to Him a most exalted throne. For He was God in the form that is ours, and did not on account of this fall away from what He was; but He remained rather in His own superiorities, and possesses the scepter of righteousness. Now the scepter is also a symbol of kingdom; for Christ reigns with justice. Concerning this, and concerning the holy guides of the mysteries, a certain holy prophet said, “Behold, a just king shall reign, and princes shall rule with judgment.” Therefore, the figure of the discourse is derived from the example of the kings on earth who are accustomed to carry scepters. It should be known, however, that Christ Himself is called a scepter in many places of the divinely inspired Scripture. But since the discourse concerning the Savior is mingled, on account of both the nature of the Godhead and the dispensation of the incarnation, David, again looking to the humanity of Christ, says:

Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee, etc.

^C There are many such things found in the divine Scripture concerning God the Father, such as, “The Lord is just and hath loved righteousness.” And again, “Thou hast hated all those who work iniquity.” And again, “I am the Lord who loves justice and hates robberies from iniquity.” Is it therefore the case, if He says for these reasons that our Lord is great, because He loves justice and hates iniquity, that this title of “great” will be in the place of a reward for God the Father? And will it be a remuneration of virtue, because He loves these things and hates those? No one, I say, would ever be so insane. As, therefore, these things are understood piously concerning the Father, so must they be believed regarding the Son; for the image is referred to the archetype, and the archetype in turn to the image. ^D Then, because, He says, being God, You do not know how to commit sin (for You love righteousness and turn away from iniquity, having a nature, if I may so speak, inaccessible to wickedness), “therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee.” For the Son has been anointed as high priest and apostle of our confession, having become man, that He might bring us to God the Father, emitting a fragrance of faith toward Him. Now, indeed, He is anointed with oil

of gladness, that we might understand the grace through the Holy Spirit, which brings us to cheerfulness and perpetual gladness. ^A For although it is said to have been done upon Christ, the matter is nonetheless full of the mystery of the dispensation. For the Son is the bestower of the Holy Spirit, since everything that the Father has belongs to Him by nature. Yet He receives the Spirit in human fashion along with us, when He dwelt among us, truly adding nothing to Himself insofar as He is understood as God and the Word, but in Himself and first, as a human being, He provides the Spirit of gladness to human nature. For wherever there is a participation in the divine nature, and the grace of adoption, and the promise of life for the long age and the kingdom of heaven, there is in every way the condition of being glad. Yet Christ has been anointed beyond His partakers; for we have received in ourselves only the pledge of the Spirit, but as Paul says, all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ ^B bodily. For this reason, the holy ones do not say that He gives the Spirit in part, but rather they confess that they receive from His fullness.

When, then, was Christ anointed? It was, of course, when the Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove. Then He also received the new name, according to the oracle of the prophet. For he said that He shall be called by a new name, which the Lord shall name for Him. For before the incarnation, the Word, being simple and devoid of flesh, was named in a way becoming to God: Light, and Life, and suchlike titles. But after the incarnation, the dispensation of which is contained by the power of the anointing received, He who is now anointed receives from the Father the new name, that is, He is called Christ. ^C For even though He is the bestower of holiness to others as God, He is sanctified with us according to the humanity, upon which grace falls, and the sanctification of the flesh, which is not holy by its own nature, but only insofar as it participates in God. He called His disciples brothers and made them His own partakers. For God sanctifies, anointing with His own Spirit those who have become partakers of Him through faith.

*Vers. 9. Myrrh, and stacte, and cassia from thy garments, from ivory palaces, out of which the daughters of kings have delighted thee in thy honor.*

Vestments of Christ are to be thought of as those who have become near to Him, and as it were clinging to and attending Him, through faith and sanctification and spiritual intimacy. He calls the Churches "ivory palaces" in this place. For in Greek, a tower is called a *baris*; and we say that the Churches ^D are fortified like towers through the power and grace of Christ;

^A for they are founded upon the rock. But [he calls them] "ivory," instead of bright, precious, and most beautiful; for these qualities belong to them, just as they would to vessels made of ivory. Now these ivory buildings are also called "daughters of kings." How or in what way? Because the divine disciples, being sons of the kingdom, may justly and deservedly be called kings as well. And they have become fathers of the Churches; for they gave birth to them through the Gospel and the holy preachings. For the blessed Paul also says this: "For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel." Therefore, from your garments and from the ivory palaces, that is, from the most beautiful Churches, there pours forth myrrh and stacte and cassia, that is, every kind of spiritual fragrance. For with these aromatics, or rather, with these intellectual perfumes, the daughters of kings have delighted you in your honor, that is, at the time when it was fitting for you to be honored by them. For when they were called, then they also brought honor. Moreover, it should be known that, according to the Law of Moses, the composition of the holy oil, with which the tabernacle, the holy vessels, and the men called to ministry were anointed, was accustomed to be made from the aforementioned aromatics.

^B Vers. 10. *Astitit regina a dexteris tuis* (The queen stood at your right hand). He now calls the Churches, which are scattered throughout the entire world, "one," because they belong to one Lord, have one faith, and likewise one saving baptism. For they are not divided by ambiguity of dogmas; so that, although they are numberless, she is nevertheless called one.

Vers. 11. *Audi, filia, et vide, et inclina aurem tuam* (Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear). The groomsmen instruct the queen and strive to make her most wise, and they sing to her whatever will render her most pleasing to the bridegroom. And the discourse of these things proceeds here in due order. For first it is necessary for us to hear, that is, to admit the one speaking and to listen patiently to his teaching, and soon to consider what is heard: after these things, to incline the ear, that is, to exhibit henceforth absolute obedience. They call the Church "daughter," inasmuch as she has been adorned by them for the heavenly and celestial bridegroom, that is, Christ. ^D For the ministers of God have become fellow workers with God, reconciling to Him through faith and holy baptism the world under heaven.

Vers. 12, 13. *Et obliviscere populum tuum, ac domum patris tui; et concupiscet rex decorem tuum, quia ipse est dominus tuus. Et adorabunt eum* (And forget your people, and your father's house; and the king will desire your beauty, because he is your Lord. And they will adore him). In these words, the utterance of the holy prophets very aptly and clearly hints at the Church gathered from the Gentiles. For the Holy Spirit would not have said these words to the Israelites:

^A “For“Forget thy people, and thy father’s house,” and indeed such things are aptly said to those coming from the nations; since we were once foolish and children of wrath, having the devil as our ascribed father, and our whole people was atheistic and idolatrous. Since therefore the Church on earth has been changed from such things, the word very aptly addresses it, saying: “Forget thy people, and thy father’s house.” Thus was it once said also to Abraham: “Go out from thy land and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, and come into the land that I shall show thee.” It is maintained even to this day among us that those who are converted to the knowledge of the truth ought to forget, in a certain manner, the house of their former father and his people. For when they have entered into the saving baptism, and have then turned toward the west, we urge them to cry out: “I renounce thee, Satan, and all thy works, and all thy angels, and all thy pomp, and all thy worship.” ^C And what a reward the daughter of Christ shall have for having done these things, the Psalmist presently shows, saying: “And the King shall desire thy beauty, because He is thy Lord.” For if, he says, having been purified, thou hast consigned to oblivion former evils, and having recovered the natural beauty of the soul which was created according to the image of God, thou shalt have the beloved of God as thy lover: for the great King Himself shall desire thy beauty; nor will He disdain to be called thy Lord, even though He is the King of all His saints. And instead of “They shall worship Him,” Aquila interpreted it as “And he worshipped Him”; but Symmachus as “And worship Him,” exhibiting her as worthy of His worship, while inviting her to the hearing. Others say it is so called according to foreknowledge.

Vers. 14. All the glory of the king’s daughter is from within, in golden fringes.

Vers. 17. Instead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee; thou shalt appoint them princes over all the earth.

^A by the divine disciples. Therefore, to the mother of the Jews, Jerusalem, it says: "Instead of your fathers, sons have been born to you," that is, they have occupied the place of the parents. But to the Lord it is said: "You shall establish them as princes"—which has also happened in reality; for we have created princes, and we have had as ecumenical judges the holy disciples, by whose instructions the very mystery of Christ is proclaimed. For they are both the guardians of the saving word and teachers of things to be done, rejecting what is base, and counseling what is useful. Therefore, the phrase must be arranged thus: "Sons shall be born instead of your fathers."

Christ created the two peoples into one new man, making peace ^B and reconciling both in one body to the Father. From both of these the multitude of the Church is formed. The prophets, therefore, say to her: "Instead of your fathers, sons have been born to you," by which words they seem to commemorate the holy apostles and evangelists. For there were indeed fathers of the Jewish Synagogue—Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and after them the patriarchs and prophets—but once God the Lord appeared to us, Fathers of the Church were created by Him, and the divine disciples stood in the place of the former. For who could doubt that ^C the divine Abraham was the father of both Gentiles and Jews alike? For he was the father of Israel according to the flesh, but of those from the Gentiles through promise; for it had been said to him: "I have made you a father of many nations." For they followed his footsteps, having been justified by faith; and since they became believers, they were blessed with him. Therefore, the all-wise disciples have been placed in the Church in the order of fathers. Thus, it is true what Paul says: "For if you have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet not many ^D fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel." And indeed, the wise John also addresses those who have believed in Christ everywhere as his children.

"They shall be mindful of your name in every generation and generation."

For even if they have been released from the affairs of our life, they still remain [in remembrance] and so commemorate Christ, for they have committed his doctrine to the holy Books, and preach Him as God to this day.

PSALM XLV

"Therefore we will not fear when the earth is troubled."

Even if, he says, the earth should be troubled—which is to say, those who dwell upon it—and even if those who desire to oppose their own perversity to our preachings should gain such strength that they hope to move even mountains and cast them into the sea, yet to us that strength is sufficient for our aid.

^A His right hand will suffice, placing those dedicated to God beyond all tumult, smoothing out the steep places, turning difficulties into ease, making that which is high accessible, and casting down the pride of the arrogant.

*Ver. 4. Sonuerunt et turbata sunt aquæ, etc.*

You will understand the sounding and troubled waters to be the multitude of the nations; for so the inspired Scripture is accustomed to call them. Thus, indeed, it speaks somewhere concerning Nineveh: "Nineveh, like a pool of water, is her water." And another of the holy prophets also says: "Thus saith the Lord, who commands many waters," that is, nations. For Christ has reigned over all nations. But, he says, "And the mountains were troubled by his might." By mountains he perhaps means the more illustrious men in the world, who pride themselves on empty vanities. But even these were troubled, and rose up against the holy teachers. Yet the wicked Satan could avail nothing against them; for those who in the beginning persecuted the holy teachers [afterward followed the meekness of Christ] and became lovers of the evangelical commandments. Admiring which, the blessed David said: "This is the changing of the right hand of the Most High."

*Ver. 5. The streams of the river make glad the city of God.*

That Christ is also called a river very often in the Holy Scriptures, a diligent searcher will doubtlessly have discovered. ^B For He himself says concerning us through one of the holy prophets: "Behold, I decline upon them as a river of peace, and as a torrent overflowing the glory of the nations." And very aptly does He say "decline": for His journey, or the way proposed to Him, was toward those of the blood of Israel; but since they rejected the faith and counted as nothing the participation in His holy waters, for that reason He very justly declined toward us who are called from the nations, and has become to us a river of peace and an overflowing torrent. "The Most High has sanctified His tabernacle." We say that His tabernacle is likewise the Church. For He dwells in holy and righteous souls, making them holy by making them partakers of the Holy Spirit. ^C

*Ver. 6. God shall help her in the morning, early.*

Because the resurrection of the Lord occurred at the break of dawn, He therefore calls it "the help." The city of God is helped as the day draws near. There is also another reading which has: "God will bring help to it from His countenance; He preserves it." ^D

^A For it preserves its beauty inviolate and incorrupt—that is, the intellectual beauty—when it suffers perturbation from adversaries. For as long as the soul keeps the faith inviolate within itself and clothes itself with the ornaments of every virtue, it possesses an intellectual beauty in which Christ also delights. But when it has departed from its duty, it immediately becomes base and unpleasant. Yet the Church shall not suffer this, he says, for He preserves its beauty. By the "face" may be understood the leaders of the Church, whom Christ also constantly strengthens, so that they may be able to defend the evangelical teaching.

Vers. 8. *The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our helper.*

(A f. 258 b, E f. 84 b, I f. 249) If anyone should wish to interpret this in another way, good insights will not be lacking. For the Lord of hosts was with us when He conversed among us, having taken the form of a servant and being found in fashion as a man. For this reason He was also named Emmanuel, which is translated "God with us." ^B For then He took hold of us and saved us when we were in danger; for He delivered us from sins and corruption, and from being oppressed by sensible and intelligible enemies. Therefore David saw God having become man. He saw Emmanuel born of the Virgin, and for this reason he cried out prophetically: "The Lord of hosts is with us," showing that this is He who appeared to the holy prophets and patriarchs. "Our helper," he says, is no other God than the One handed down by the prophets, but the God of Jacob, who in the oracle spoke to His own servant: "I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob."

*See the works of the Lord, what wonders He has placed upon the earth.*

(I f. 249 b, L f. 123 b) For there have been very many shining and famous wonder-workings, and ^C they are known not only among the Jews, but to all who are on the earth through the evangelical preachings of the holy ministers, who traversed all the regions under heaven and made manifest the admirable power and superiority of Christ, partly by narrating the works done through Him, and partly by performing them successfully in His name. But if anyone should say that those called from the nations ought to learn the works of God—that is, the visible creation, which has a very great degree of the admirable ^D and is not far from wonders, so that all might know that He is the Creator of the universe—he would not be straying from what is fitting.

PSALM XLVI

*Unto the end, for the sons of Core.*

(A f. 260 b, B f. 178, K f. 92, I f. 250 b, L f.) Certain holy men doubtless ministered to the sons of Core.

^A who also offer this prayer. It has therefore the title "For the sons of Core," not because this canticle was composed entirely for their sake, but because they themselves were appointed as ministers to perform the offering of this chant. The persona is that of the holy apostles, as those who had already been commanded to make disciples of all the nations, and to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And because faith was for them the procurer of very many and great goods—for through it they were called to the adoption as sons of God, became partakers of the divine nature, grew rich in the grace of heavenly gifts, and became partakers of the hope of the saints—for this reason they very fittingly command them to indulge in praises, saying: ^B *Vers. 2. All nations, clap your hands, shout with joy to God.* The cause of this praise is that Christ became known throughout the whole earth as such as He is in truth, namely, King and God most high and formidable. And He is King of the nations not in such a way that He had the beginning of His kingdom when they were subjected to Him, but because, while He was already King and God of all, He placed them also under the scepter of His own kingdom, rescuing them from the tyranny of other masters. This psalm is a triumphal chant. As though, therefore, the opposing powers had been defeated, he exhorts the peoples to sing. They shout with joy as those who, with Christ’s favor, have conquered. ^C *Vers. 4, 5. He has subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. He has chosen for us His inheritance, the beauty of Jacob which He loved.* To some, the words, "He has subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet," seem capable of being understood in another sense as well; for they say that the peoples and nations beneath the feet of the saints are Satan himself and the evil powers with him. Regarding these, Christ said: *Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon all the power of the enemy.* They marvel also at the liberality of the Redeemer, that by the just decree of God all the honors of those from Israel, and the promises made to them by God, have been given rather to those from the nations, inasmuch as they have embraced the faith and have acknowledged the Benefactor. ^D And indeed, regarding this very divine preaching, it was said to the Israelites by the holy guides: *It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the nations; for so the Lord has commanded us.* They rejoice, therefore, because they have obtained from Christ the state of being His lot, and to be numbered as it were in the beauty of Jacob. For of old, the portion of the Lord was His people Jacob, the measuring line of His inheritance was Israel; but since he raged against Christ,

^A he was thrust out from being His portion. Yet the multitude of the Gentiles has been caught by the faith and has been brought back by God to be His measuring line and His inheritance. You may understand this in another way, namely, that in addition to the multitude of the Gentiles, they also hold Jacob under their feet, that is, those who are from the blood of Jacob. For even if not all of Jacob has believed, yet the beauty of the whole people has hastened to this, so that he may account for the remnant. For it is reasonable to think that the more intelligent of the flock of the Jews have believed in Christ, having understood the mystery concerning Him from the Law and the prophets, and from the things which Christ at once said and performed through miracles. And so, Philip said to Nathanael: "We have found Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth, of whom Moses wrote in the Law and the prophets." Then to this he replied: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" ^B For as soon as he heard of Nazareth, he leaped toward the principles of the knowledge and accuracy regarding Christ. This, we say, is the beauty of Jacob. For those who are thus disposed, just as Nathanael himself was a true Israelite in whom there was no guile, might justly and deservedly be called the beauty of Jacob, and indeed be loved by the holy mystagogues, who together with these were also made subject to the holy ones.

Vers. 6, 7. God is ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with the sound of trumpet. Sing praises to our God, etc.

Demonstrating that the inhabitants of the earth form a choir with the holy angels in the heavens, ^C and striking the lyre as if they were tempering a single, rhythmical, and harmonious melody, they rejoice that, having fulfilled the dispensation among us, Christ has ascended to the Father and God in the heavens, having become as it were the first-fruits of humanity renewed unto immortality; for we have attained this in Christ. "Sing praises," he says, "and sing praises again," and offer an unending hymnody. For "God has ascended in jubilation, and the Lord in the voice of the trumpet," not being one God and another Lord, but one and the same; for the glory of lordship necessarily follows the being God, just as it is necessary that he who is Lord by nature should also be God. Since, however, there is mention of jubilation and the voice of the trumpet, it is fitting for us who meditate upon and speak of the things of Christ to think such thoughts. ^D For He ascended into the heavens now to appear before the face of God for us; but He was a strange spectacle in heaven, a man adorned with glory befitting God, and exalted beyond all expectation. It was therefore necessary for the heavenly powers to be instructed by the Holy Spirit that He who was God by nature, the Word of God, had become man. For this reason He also commanded them to lift up the heavenly gates, and clearly to recognize that, when returning with our form, He is God returning to the glory that is fitting to Him alone and inherent in His substance. For He said, "Lift up your gates, you princes, and be lifted up, you eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter in." As the heavenly spirits were asking or even doubting, because they did not know well who He was,

^A they learned that He was the Lord of hosts, and the Lord mighty in battle. The all-wise Paul also writes: "That now the multiform wisdom of God might be known to the principalities and powers, according to the purpose of the ages which He made in Christ." Therefore, the intellectual powers were also exhorted to jubilate; and the revelation made to them through the Spirit was like the clear-sounding blast of a trumpet, uncovering the profound mystery of the Incarnation. It was necessary, therefore, that those who had been saved should jubilate together with the supernal spirits, and should sing psalms continuously, and offer an unceasing hymn to Christ. Furthermore, as they say that He ascended, they teach that He also ^B descended. For the all-wise Paul, reasoning in the same way, says: "Now this, He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" And again: "He who descended is the same also who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things."

*Verse 8. For God is king of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.*

It is not only in Judea, as God and King, that the Son is known, but now also in the whole world. For the great, nay, the innumerable multitude of the Gentiles, dispersed wide throughout the world, has hastened eagerly under the yoke of His kingdom. Sing praises, therefore, with understanding—that is, with the intelligence that befits the saints—knowing well the mystery of Christ, which thing requires a wise mind and heart. For so also the Prophet says: ^C "Who is wise, and will understand these things? and prudent, and will know them?" I think, however, that another meaning also resides in the proposed words. "Sing," he says, "and give praise; for God has reigned wisely over all the nations." For "wisely" is stated to mean "with wisdom and a certain hidden dispensation." Indeed, the mystery of Christ is truly full of wisdom.

*Verse 9. God sits upon His holy throne.*

Inspired Scripture calls heaven the throne of God; not that we should think of anything corporeal, since God is not in the order of our things, but is incorporeal and altogether incomprehensible; but by the word "throne," the aforementioned Scripture is accustomed to denote His kingdom. When, therefore, heaven is said to hold the likeness ^D of God’s throne, you must know that the principality over the holy angels is to be understood thereby. Those also who believe in Him are God’s throne, who are likewise saints, inasmuch as their sins have been washed away, and their hearts have been anointed by the operation and grace of the Holy Spirit. Finally, they have thus become partakers of His divine nature. Therefore, because the Only-begotten Word of God has dwelt among those of earth as well, the inspired men affirm with joy, saying that He "sits upon His holy throne," that is to say, He rests in His own intimates, and is among us, just as He is, to be sure, among the spirits above. And if anyone should prefer to think that, by the word "throne," the stability and firmness of His reign is meant, one ought to know that the throne of God denotes the heaven, 180 or the dominion over the holy angels, and the rest and repose which the Word of God finds in the hearts of the saints.

And if anyone should wish the firmly established and absolutely unshakable kingdom of Christ to be signified by the throne, he will understand it correctly in this way also. For Christ’s kingdom is continuous, and extends to infinite ages; for there shall be no end of his kingdom, according to the voice of the angel.

*The princes of the people were gathered together with the God of Abraham: for the mighty ones of the earth were greatly exalted.*

^B It seems that the inspired disciples are declaring in these words either their own proclamation, or that, in the manner of a prophecy, they are awaiting the multitude of holy shepherds who would come after them. For they themselves were the first princes of the peoples; and after them many others, likewise very wise, following in their footsteps in piety, and carrying the divine and angelic preaching everywhere. These, then, were gathered together—that is, they came together, or united in one faith and unanimity, and I would add, in one mode of speech; for there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one word in all who rightly understand the mystery concerning Christ. But if some distort and misinterpret the truth, we, in whom Christ dwells, pay no heed to such persons; nor is Christ a new God, but that same one who was the God of the forefather Abraham. In this way the princes, of whom we have just spoken, were gathered together with the God of Abraham.

And that they became famous and remarkable to those everywhere, as Christ granted them the honor of being such, they clarify by saying: «For the mighty ones of God,» that is, those who possess spiritual manly courage, the most powerful combatants, those who stand against the perversity of the devil and resist the empty-talkng babblings of the frivolous, «were greatly exalted from the earth.» By this it is meant that they are not to be thought of as lowly, obscure, or cast-away, but as those who have ascended on high by virtue, living a life that is raised up and not easily trodden upon by the many. Or perhaps, in saying they were exalted from the earth, he signifies that they have their minds not fixed on earthly things, but, transcending carnal matters, they look upward, because they truly wish to reach the summit of dogmatic skill and practical excellence.

PSALM XLVII

*Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.*

Magnus is added specifically, because he was begotten ^C of the great God the Father [Note: fragment continues on next page].

For He says: “The Father who ^A gave them to me, is greater than all.” For if the title has been granted to others, and some have been called great both among the spirits in heaven and among those upon earth, yet they have gained the title only by participation in and imitation of Him who is properly, truly, and by nature great. God is no longer great in Judea only, but also upon the mount that has been hallowed—namely, the Church—by reason of the loftiness of the dogmas concerning God.

*Vers. 3. Fundatur exsultatione universa terra. Montes Sion latera aquilonis.*

“[Christ] is also the exultation of the whole earth.” Thus truly does the divine David ^B name Him elsewhere, saying: “Thou art my exultation; redeem me from them that compass me about.” For Christ is joy and exultation, and the cause of supreme gladness to men throughout the whole world, turning away from us all sorrow and restraining our tears, according to the word of Isaiah. For he says: “Death, having prevailed, has swallowed up; and again, God has wiped away every tear from off every face.” And how He is the exultation of the whole earth has now been clearly stated.

It is necessary to note also that the law given ^C through Moses commanded that the lamb be slaughtered on the northern side of the altar; this type signifying, without doubt, that Christ would turn toward the northern parts of the world, and would thereafter proceed to them, and would grant them the revelation, according to what is said in the Psalms: “His eyes look upon the poor.”

*Vers. 4. Deus in domibus ejus cognoscitur.*

You may understand it also in this way. We say that the more noble towers, which are in the circuit of the walls, are called *baris* (citadels). It is therefore not absurd, since the Church has already been called by the name of a city, to say that its towers are the holy apostles, or those who, through the ^D succession of time, have been teachers and initiators of the holy Churches. These stand out above others like towers, and are more illustrious, and are as it were a defensive work for the whole body of the Church. In these buildings, therefore, whoever stands firm, Christ is recognized in him, when he protects that Church; [who without doubt] gives aid from above to its defenders, and renders them victorious over their adversaries, always and everywhere.

It would be evident that he deems the Church worthy of all consideration. It should be noted furthermore, in addition to this, that by "ships" (báreis) some do not only mean the towers upon the walls, but also a certain type of ship, well and artfully constructed. We must again liken the heads of the saints to these, because they sail almost everywhere, conveying the cargo of piety to all people everywhere; such was the inspired Paul, running from Jerusalem to Illyricum, preaching the Gospel of Christ. David, that inspired man, said somewhere also that in the broad and wide sea ships travel, and indeed also the dragon that was fashioned for Him to mock; the ships are the carriers of sacred teachings; the dragon is Satan, who lies in wait for them, whom the saints, designated by the name of ships, have also conquered, with Christ bringing ^B them aid sufficient for salvation. The rest is similar to the first part.

*Thou shalt break the ships of Tharsis.* (L. f. 126) Tharsis is said to be a part of the sea of Ethiopia. And the city of Tarsus is called Tharsis in Jonah.

*As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God.*

(B f. 182 b, I f. 260 b, L f. 126 of Cyril and Theodore.) The enemies of the Church came together as if to make war; but having seen the impregnability of the one they were attacking, they were terrified, and ceasing to fight and throw weapons, they cry out: "As we have heard, so have we seen"; for the prophecies concerning it, which we were unwilling to accept, we have ourselves ^C seen the truth of them. But how were they able to say "In the city of our God," not having become believers? For by confessing that He is God and Lord of Hosts, they signify that they have, at any rate, faith established within themselves. Where did they see the promise fulfilled, if not in the Church, which is the city of God? As much as we hear of God through faith, we know these things through a pure life, being convinced, receiving the proofs through freedom from passion. Having shown the turning of the enemies, he now foretells what words those who have attained salvation will use, hymning the Benefactor.

*We have received, O God, thy mercy in the midst of thy temple,* etc.

(E. f. 86, I f. 260 b, L f. 126) "We have received" in this ^D context must be taken as "we have conjectured," or "considered," or "been disposed with a firm and settled mind," because thy mercy is present in every way and altogether for those who have come to be in the midst of the temple. For we do not say to the unbelievers that the participation in the gifts from God will be distributed, but to those who have already believed. For it was said to the ancients, "My Spirit is in the midst of you, be of good courage." And likewise also in the psalms before this, that "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be shaken."

^A Ver. 11. *According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth.*

The divine Scripture is accustomed to use "name" for "glory." It says that praise follows the glory of God, fittingly and deservedly; for He is celebrated by all the inhabitants of the earth because of the loftiness of His supreme power. What then do we say when we praise Him? "O God, who shall be like unto Thee?" And, "Who is so great a God as our God?" "The heavens are Thine, and the earth is Thine; the world, and the fullness thereof, Thou hast founded." "Thine is the day, and Thine is the night; Thou hast made the sun and the moon." And, in general, we celebrate Him as the universal God and Master. "Thy right hand is full of justice." They marvel at the praise rising to the most high God from the whole earth, as being adequate to His glory and sublimity. They also marvel at something else besides this: for they say ^B the right hand of God the Father is full of justice, that is, of righteous judgment. What then shall be understood by us as the right hand of God the Father, if not the only-begotten Word of God, who is truly begotten of Him? This great and supernatural right hand of the Father, which is above all things, has by a just decree driven away the wicked Satan from those who were once overcome and subject to him. For He justified them through faith, and having set them free from their ancient failings, He presented them holy and blameless to God the Father. The Son Himself shall be the witness of this, saying: "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Myself." Therefore, because of His holiness and justice, all the nations greatly look up to the admirable right hand of God the Father, which avenges the oppressed, raises up the broken, ^C and illumines those in darkness.

Ver. 12. *Let Mount Sion rejoice, let the daughters of Judæa be glad.*

Those who from all the nations have come to the light of truth rejoice greatly for their own sake, because they have obtained mercy and the participation of every good thing through the divine and most powerful right hand of God the Father. They appear, in a way, to rejoice also with the other people, I mean Israel, as one who is to be called in due time to the knowledge of the glory of Christ, the Savior of us all, and to the participation of the gifts which the Gentiles have already obtained. This the prophetic word also confirms, saying: "After these things, the children of Israel shall return, and shall seek the Lord their God, and David their king, ^D and they shall be amazed at the Lord and at His good things in the latter days." Let Mount Sion, therefore, they say—that is, Jerusalem—and the daughters of Judæa be glad because of Thy judgments, namely, Thy righteous ones. By the daughters of Jerusalem, the towns surrounding and subject to it can be understood. Or you will interpret it thus: namely, Mount Sion

^A signifying the Church of Christ; and its daughters, the souls of the holy ones nurtured therein, or the children of the Church, who have obtained circumcision in the Spirit, which is even better than the first, and Christ is—and that which is through Him—much truer. For the Law was a shadow; truth, however, is Christ.

Vers. 13. Surround Sion, and encompass her; tell of her towers.

^B (From Cyril and Eusebius.) The Holy Spirit exhorts the divine powers to protect the Church of God, so that they may surround and guard her from every side. For "encompass," Symmachus said "fortify"; and for "tell of," Aquila says, "Calculate her towers," but Symmachus, "Number."

^B You will also apply it thus: He commands the form of a choir to be composed, and, having as it were in the center Mount Sion—like a mother—He tells her holy daughters to sing praise to Christ. For I think this is signified by the words, "Tell of her towers." We say, then, that "towers"—that is, the bulwarks of the Church—are the holy apostles and evangelists. Indeed, we recount [the truth] through them, by reciting, and we use their voices and pure mysteries, so that we may be, according to what is said, like "meditative doves." We remember also the prophet who says: "Take with you words" ^C —those, clearly, which are prompted by the Holy Spirit, by which it is possible to learn the mystery of Christ. For it is truly a saving thing to remember God, and to have upon the tongue that which belongs to praise. And elsewhere the Psalmist says: "My tongue shall meditate on your righteousness, all the day your salvation." Still further, the Spirit manifestly exhorts those justified in Christ to open wide the eyes of the mind with great vigilance, and to gaze accurately upon the Redeemer of the Church, who is Christ Jesus. For all our power is Himself, and it relies upon Him. And truly He said to us: "Without me you can do nothing." We shall see Christ, ^D especially as the Creator of both invisible and visible creation (for He is the Maker of all things, being God and Lord and consubstantial with the Father who begat Him), and also from those things accomplished during the time of His advent. For He destroyed all the power of the enemy, He saved the world under heaven, justifying by faith those who had wandered, and calling those from the ends of the earth to adoption—this, on one hand, by all-wise initiation into mysteries, and on the other, by marvelous divine signs, by which it was possible to see that He is in no way inferior to God and the Father. For where equality of power is seen without any distinction, there it is absolutely necessary that there should also be identity of essence.

^A Again, we say that those who are most distinguished among the towers are called bulwarks; and the bulwarks may be the great and chosen ones of the City of God, those who excel within it, in whom God is known, while He defends and saves them from temptations. We, who act as teachers after them, are in a certain sense a part of these, and receiving from them what has been rightly and unerringly spoken, we confirm our own discourses hence, desiring to agree with the dogmas of the truth; that is, weaving together an ethical instruction for the peoples under our hand. We recount these things also to another generation, as the mystical instruction is always handed down even to those who come after us. And the word of those who perform the mystical leading maintains, always and at every time, that since God exists, He shall not cease, but will rather reign over us perpetually.

PSALM XLVIII

^B By this present moral psalm, the divine tribunal is proclaimed to all men, and that day on which God will bring His creation into judgment. The sons of Core appear to take the role of the apostles, who were the initiators of the world; from whom, consequently, the preaching of the Word is diffused into all the earth: and as before the confusion of tongues there was one lip and one voice for all, so now all nations and the whole world and all men become one hearing and one heart, with the one Word sounding in all. For the ancient Law was clearly slow of tongue and ignorant of how to speak well; through a long circuit, and as it were by a letter trace, it stammered to us the things pleasing to God. ^C But behold, at last, the most eloquent mouth of Moses was Christ, who brought figures to the truth, and everywhere exposed the knowledge of necessary things. And the Law indeed educated only the carnal Israel, but Christ, having spread the nets of His own gentleness, has caught the whole world. Merely, therefore, He persuades all the inhabitants of the earth to hear what follows: *Hear these things, all ye nations*, etc.

Vers. 2. *I will incline my ear to a parable; I will open my problem upon the psaltery.*

This is just as if he were to say: I am a man desirous of disputing, and I learn most gladly even the obscure and most involved theorems. ^D But if there should be any need to open these, that is, to make them manifest to the many, I do this with pleasure. For my speech will not be devoid of grace, but it will be like a canticle tempered by the psaltery. He calls "problem" that which he proposes to himself to speak of. Yet pleasure is always mingled with the discourse of the saints. For so also does the all-wise Paul write, that *may your speech* be seasoned with salt.

seasoned with salt, that it may give grace to those who hear. No one will doubt that it is entirely pleasing and dear to the souls of those who love virtue.

Vers. 5. *Why should I fear in the evil day?* etc. *They who trust in their own strength,* etc. *A brother does not redeem,* etc.

^A (f. 270. Of Cyril, Eusebius, Theodoret.) You will also understand it thus. I, who have been deemed worthy by the Holy Spirit to prophesy the divine oracles, am nonetheless shaken by fear, and I shudder at the judgment of God; but you, who are fearless—you who are softened by the present pleasures of life, you who trust not in God but in your own strength, and who boast in the abundance of your wealth—you listen undaunted. Know that none of these things will stand by you on that predicted day. Neither will a brother redeem a brother, nor a friend a friend. For everyone shall receive his own reward; and, "Each one’s work, whatever it is, the fire will test." Who else among men, therefore, will redeem such a one? Therefore it is said: "A brother does not redeem, will man redeem?" Nor will anyone give to God an expiation for himself on that day, nor, as if buying himself back, will he pay a price for his own soul; hence wealth is vain to the possessor, and mortal strength is vain to those who trust in it. If, however, in the present life and in this current existence, someone uses wealth well, employing it wisely according to the saving commandment, as He says: "Who then is the faithful and prudent steward, who in due time will give the allowance to his fellow servants?" he shall possess good hopes. Having already sown for yourself unto justice from here, gather then the fruits of life. For the ransom of a man, as the Wise Man says, is his own wealth. But if you do none of these things, having suffered shipwreck, you will lose your soul along with that very burden of wealth; for after your departure from here, you will no longer be able to use your wealth. Therefore, on the predicted day, neither will he himself give an expiation for himself, nor will he pay the price of ransom and freedom for his own soul, nor will he be helped by a brother or any relative. But those who neither trust in wealth nor boast in their power, but who have endured a laborious and painful life, shall be deemed worthy of the promised life.

*And he labored into eternity. He shall not see corruption, when he sees the wise dying.*

^C (f. 270. b.) For "And he labored into eternity," Symmachus says: "But having ceased in this age, he shall continue to live into eternity." According to Aquila: "And he rested into eternity, and he shall live unto victory." And the fifth edition says: "And he labored into eternity, and he shall live unto victory." For he who has labored in the present age for piety and justice, after ceasing from the great turmoil and confusion, will pass a calm and quiet life, reaching at the end the eternal life. Such a one will not see corruption, when he sees the wise dying. Or according to Symmachus: "He himself shall not see corruption, when he sees the wise"

even to approach their destruction; but from afar, and from above, as if from a high watchtower, he will look upon the corruption of the wise. Of what wise men? Of those whose wisdom God has made foolish.

Vers. 14. And with their mouth they shall be pleased.

When, therefore, he says, we who love a holy and undefiled life, rebuke those who are not accustomed to live in this way, saying: “Man, when he was in honor, did not understand,” and so forth; then they themselves, even if now while they dwell in this world they are unwilling to confess it, yet afterwards they will approve our words: for, being convinced by the very things that have befallen them, they will agree that they were true.

But another piece of scripture is also brought forward: ^B “After this with their mouth they shall bless”; instead of “They shall curse themselves,” being weary of their own deeds. For in that day, he says, all their thoughts shall perish.

Vers. 15. Death shall shepherd them, and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.

You will understand "Death shall shepherd them" as the punishment in death. For, having lost all the strength and glory that was in them, they shall experience the saints as their masters, so to speak, when the morning arises, that is, when the time of Christ’s glory shall arrive. For He shall descend from heaven with the holy angels, with the glory of His Father, to bestow upon the saints the rewards prepared for them, ^C but to consign sinners to punishments and vengeance. Then the help of these men shall also grow old, that is, it shall be destroyed; for that which is growing old and aging, he says, is near to destruction. And from their own glory which they had in the world, they shall be transferred to dishonor.

Vers. 16. But God shall redeem my soul from the hand of hell, when He shall take me.

For the souls of the saints shall run into the hands of God; and the Savior and Lord of all also provided this for us at the time of the venerable cross, saying to the Father in heaven and God: ^D “Father, into Thy hands I will commend my spirit.” And He made paradise accessible to human souls, having entered first, and having said to the thief crucified with Him: “Today you shall be with me in paradise.” For this reason also the blessed Stephen, when he was being stoned, was saying: “Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.” For from now on they do not depart to the lower world.

^A just as the souls of sinners do. And this, I think, is what he says: “But God will redeem my soul from the hand of the grave, when he takes me.” ^B “He shall enter into the generation of his fathers; he shall never see light.” Such a one is deprived of light, along with those who are his fathers in the similarity of their character. For those who have performed the works of darkness depart into the outer darkness, they who lived a beastly life.

PSALM XLIX

Vers. 1. “He called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.”

^A The saints are called by God when, having become man, He spoke and called together the whole earth. But what did He speak? “Make disciples of all nations.” And what follows: “This Gospel must be preached in the whole world.” For Christ is the great and loudly-pealing trumpet. For thus the prophet Isaiah remembers His preaching, saying: “And it shall be in that day, they shall sound with the great trumpet.” He called, therefore, not only Israel as Moses did, the hierophant, but rather all men from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. ^B You may understand it also in this way: the divine Moses called only Israel, as he was constrained by a servile condition and was stammery and slow of tongue. Hence, according to the word of the Psalmist: “God was known in Judea, and his name was great in Israel.” But the Savior and Lord of all, being as He is God from God, manifested Himself to us so that He might call the whole world, whatever inhabitants there are from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. For He says: “Come, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” He also commanded all His holy disciples and apostles, saying: ^C “Going forth, make disciples of all nations.”

Vers. 2. “Out of Sion is the beauty of his excellence.”

^A For the Word of God was and is consubstantial with the Father and radiant in every equal respect. Yet, although He was so constituted in nature, He lowered Himself to self-emptying and “took the form of a servant.” He seemed, therefore, not to show forth the beauty of His own comeliness, because He had assumed our likeness. ^D Because, therefore, one would not estimate His divine and excellent beauty by the standards of human nature, but rather insofar as He is God and equal in power to the Father, He demonstrates this by saying: “Out of Sion is the beauty of his excellence.” And by “out of Sion,” you shall understand instead, out of the supernal Sion; that is to say, through Sion, that which is from heaven and from above. For He was not simply a man who...

was Christ, but rather a heavenly one; not because He brought His flesh down from heaven (for He was born of the holy Virgin), but because the Word who was united to the flesh was from the heavens, for which reason Christ was called the heavenly man. Hence, “out of Sion [is] the excellence of his beauty.” ^A We shall find that the holy apostles understood His beauty. For the most wise Paul said: “Even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer.” For after the resurrection from the dead and the ascension into the heavens, we recognize Him no longer from the measure of the emptying, but from the splendor of the God-befitting majesty.

Vers. 3. *Our God shall come manifestly; our God, and he shall not keep silence.*

When did He come manifestly, except when He became flesh, according to the saying of John, when, having taken upon Himself our likeness, He was born of the holy Virgin and conversed with men? For then He who was by His own nature invisible became visible, and He who was impervious to touch became tangible; He who exceeded every created thing became a partaker of our nature. Therefore, He came manifestly. But, says the Psalmist, coming, He shall not keep silence, because He will convict the world of sin, or because He will announce the will of the Father; for His name is called the Angel of great counsel.

*Fire shall blaze before him, and round about him a mighty tempest.*

^B If in the first advent fire is understood, or is used in place of light, it is certainly named fire in place of a source of light, that we may understand that an intellectual light precedes the knowledge of Christ, through which faith in Him is formed. Of this matter, the pillar of fire that preceded the host of the Jews by night, showing them the way, was a type. Or perhaps it is fitting to think thus also: that since men throughout the whole earth were growing cold through manifold sin, the Word of God, having found them, inflamed them to the desire and zeal for every good work, casting into them, as an intellectual fire, the participation of the Holy Spirit. Hence He said: “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and what will I, if it is already kindled?” For we have become fervent in spirit, as many as have been deemed worthy of such grace; and we have become partakers of the divine nature, from the time we participated in the Holy Spirit. And this is the reason why the manifestation of fire accompanies the grace of the Holy Spirit. ^C For one is baptized in Christ, according to the saying of John, in the Holy Spirit and in fire. Moreover, a certain one of the holy prophets says: “The Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to His temple, and the angel"

of the covenant whom you desire. Behold, the Lord comes, and who shall sustain the day of His entering? Or who shall stand at His appearance? For He Himself enters as the fire of a refiner, and as the soap of fullers. And He shall sit refining and purifying as silver and gold.” ^A For the operation and power of the Holy Spirit melts away every stain within us, consuming like fire the rubbish of sin. Indeed, it did not benefit the hardened hearts of the Jews at all, because they did not accept the grace. Wherefore, also through the voice of Jeremiah, the God of all said concerning them: “The bellows have failed from the fire, the lead has failed; the silversmith refines in vain. Their wickedness has not been melted away. And around Him is a tempest.” For as many as desire to live piously in Christ shall suffer persecution.

^B You may also understand it in this way: Christ was indeed seen, as he says, in a form like our own, that is, as a man, but even so He had the authority and power of the Godhead; casting as if some fire and a violent tempest upon those who opposed His ordinances, and burning up all diabolic strength, and consuming the wicked and opposing powers. For so also does the Psalmist say elsewhere to God concerning those who have stood against His glory: “My God, make them like a wheel, as stubble before the face of the wind, as the fire that shall burn the woods, as the flame that shall burn the mountains; so shall You pursue them with Your tempest, and in Your wrath You shall disturb them.”

“He shall call the heaven above, and the earth, to judge His people.” ^C Here again you will find the skillfulness of the economy of the Savior which took place for us. For of old, the inhabitants of the earth lived a beast-like life, and were “the portions of foxes,” according to the voice of the Psalmist. For they worshipped unclean spirits, offering worship according to regions and cities, and holding as God whatever seemed good to each. But after the Lord who is God appeared to us, He illuminated the hearts of all with the light of the knowledge of the true God; He turned back the wandering, He bound up the broken—as He is indeed a good shepherd, He scared away the beasts from the sheepfold, He sanctified by the Spirit, He fortified with angelic powers, and appointed holy teachers throughout all the earth. ^D “He shall call,” therefore, he says, “the heaven above,” that is, the holy angels who are above and in the heavens, “and the earth,” that is, those who have been chosen in it and appointed to the apostolate, to judge His people. For those who perform the divine ministry of the word, those who were obedient they brought

to God, but those who were not such they left to Satan, saying as it were: "Go into the light of your fire, and into the flame which you have kindled." And indeed they spoke to the Jews; but when they perceived them to be hardened and looking very much toward destruction, they ^A expressly said: "It was necessary for the word of God to be spoken first to you; but since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the nations." [Acts XIII, 46.] See, then, how they discern the people of the Lord. And that angels also assist the holy teachers, and even those who are being instructed, Paul will make clear, saying regarding them: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" [Hebr. I, 14.] Thus also the divine Jacob is said to have seen a ladder [Gen. XXVIII, 12] reaching from earth up to heaven, with the Lord established at its summit, and angels running up and down. For in the Lord, things above are joined to things below, and communion ^B and the bond of love is established for men with the holy angels. And the divine David also sings somewhere: "The angel shall encamp round about those who fear him, and shall deliver them." [Ps. XXXIII, 8.] Therefore, assisting the holy teachers, they themselves also discern the people of the Lord.

Vers. 5. *Gather His holy ones to Him.*

In another way also you will understand this, which indeed seems to me better said. For this is manifest, that the people of God are discerned by the work of spiritual powers, and likewise by those who have been bidden to perform the evangelical and saving preaching. For to them the Spirit commands that they gather His holy ones to Christ: "For whom He foreknew," He says, "He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified." [Rom. VIII, 29, 30.] Therefore, gathering from the whole earth those who are ^C already foreknown as those who will be faithful and genuine, He says: "Gather together." And they are also prepared—that is, they strive to fulfill the worship appointed by Christ with sacrifices not bloody or smoky, but rather spiritual. For it is written: "Offer a sacrifice of righteousness, and hope in the Lord." [Ps. IV, 6.] In sacrifices of this kind God delights, and He receives what is spoken to Him in praise as a spiritual odor. Therefore the divine Melodist says: "I went around and offered in His tabernacle a sacrifice of shouting." [Ps. XXVI, 6.] Very many other things could easily be heaped upon these, from which one may recognize that the rite of praise is a sacrifice ^D pleasing to God. Then he says:

Vers. 6. *And the heavens shall announce His righteousness, O Lord.*

Before others he proposed the saving doctrine to Israel.

For theirs were the promises, ^A and the legislation, and the testament, and the fathers. But when they became wicked and obdurate, and despisers of the evangelical preachings, and rejected the grace calling them to salvation, it necessarily migrated to the flocks of the Gentiles, and possessed the whole world under heaven. And on account of this holy decree, the heavens shall announce His righteousness; for He is a righteous judge, holy and good. He judged also in another way, those throughout the whole earth, and the wicked and apostate dragon. And so He said clearly: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world shall be cast out; and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself.” ^B Yet He Himself says: “God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” How then has there been a judgment of this world? He condemned Satan as an extortioner, and with him the profligate demons; but He took vengeance on the inhabitants of the earth, who were suffering violence. Here therefore David clearly knows Christ as judge; and that He received all power of judging from the Father, he did not hide, saying that God is judge. Thus, having judged, He was glorified from above by the holy spirits of the heavens, as God the righteous judge, and using rightness that is in every respect impartial. Diapsalma.

^C Vers. 7. *Hear, O my people, and I will speak to you; O Israel, and I will testify to you: I am God, your God.* ^D Evident in these words is the introduction of the person of God, who turns the types in the law into truth. For the all-wise Paul says that the commandment through Moses was in force until the time of reformation. And the time of reformation was none other than that in which Christ shone upon those on earth, saying most clearly: “I am the truth.” The things in types are useless, then, when the truth is present; for shadows travail for it, and anyone who is spiritual would see the mystery according to Christ in the letters of the law. Therefore, since the Savior was about to appear to those on earth as the initiator of the initiation beyond the law, He necessarily approaches through the lyre of the Psalmist and testifies to those from Israel, saying: “Hear, O my people, and I will speak to you; O Israel, and I will testify to you.” But lest anyone should suppose that the Psalmist is speaking the words not so much from the mouth of the Lord as from his own heart, He added: “I am God, your God.” What kind of God, then? The good one, who brought Israel out from the iron furnace of the Egyptians' extortion, who bestowed the road through the sea, who nourished them in the desert, who gave that law to you. For you should not suppose me to be another lawgiver, while you see the diversity of laws.

Vers. 12. *If I hungered, I would not tell you.* These words are to be understood in a popular manner. If

For the impossible is set forth as if it were possible, in order to reprove the senseless. For as the prophet says, "God is eternal, God is the creator of the ends of the earth, He shall not hunger, nor grow weary, nor is there any searching of His understanding."

Vers. 16. *To the sinner God has said, etc.* That God by no means says these things to idol-worshippers and those not yet gifted with the divine light, but to the Israelites, is sufficiently evident. For what care could there be for the divine law among those who did not even know that it existed? Who among them, I say, would recount the divine covenant with his mouth? Therefore, he terms the stubborn and intractable Jew, who is still a slave to sin, the "sinner" in this passage. ^B "For everyone," he says, "who commits sin is a slave of sin." For the Son has not yet liberated those who are of such a kind.

[Moreover, I indeed, acting mercifully, remained silent, and did not immediately exact the penalty from you for your wrongdoing, waiting to see if you would repent; but you supposed that I would be like you—that is, you thought that I had remained silent not so much because of my mildness as because I deemed your life praiseworthy; or perhaps you even rejoiced in those things which you did against the law. Therefore, I will reprove you, and I will inflict the due penalties, and I will exact an account of those things which you have wrongly committed in your life, placing your malice as if before your face, so that you may be punished by the anguish of your conscience being increased, with it accusing and condemning you; for difficult is the accusation of the conscience.]

Vers. 20. *Sitting, you spoke against your brother.* ^C Those sitting in the Synagogues spoke against Christ, saying: "What are we doing, because this man performs many signs? If we let him go in this way, the Romans will come, and will take away from us both our nation and our land." Then at last they contrived a scandal against him, and prepared the snare of death. For they dragged him to Pilate and demanded that he be crucified. And if the Psalmist calls Christ the brother of the Jews and the son of their mother, the discourse does not exceed the bounds of propriety. For He was born according to the flesh from the Jews, and for this reason, He may be called a son of the Synagogue.

Vers. 23. *And there is the way by which I will show him the salvation of God.* ^D For observe that, even though the law had been given in ancient times, as if the way by which one might attain unto salvation had not yet been shown, He promises that He will show it. Therefore, without controversy, the things of Christ are better than the Mosaic ones; if indeed the way of salvation is Christ Himself, and His commandments. Therefore, the divine Isaiah said: ["There shall be a way there that is pure, and it shall be called a holy way."] And again Jeremiah: "Stand upon the ways, and ask for the eternal paths of the Lord; and see which is the good way, and walk in it, and you shall find"

purification for your souls." The Savior Himself, however, declared that He is the saving way, saying: "I am the way." For just as His disciple says, "There is no other name under heaven given to men, in which we must be saved," so also does the divine David say that He is the true and great expiation. ^A Ex Corderio.

PSALM L

^B (1) When David had heard from the preceding psalm the Spirit prophesying concerning the judgment of God and charging the sinner: "If you saw a thief, you ran with him, and set your portion with adulterers," he was struck in his soul by the memory of the crime of the stolen bed; he strove to forestall the judgment of God, composing the proposed psalm as a record of accusation against himself. For he was afraid when he heard: "For God shall come manifestly, and fire shall burn before Him, and round about Him a mighty tempest." Therefore he fled to the mercy of God. And again, hearing: "Your mouth has abounded in wickedness, and your tongue has been weaving deceits; sitting you spoke against your brother, and against the son of your mother you laid a stumbling-block," he remembered the devious letter which he had written against Uriah, that he might be taken away in the war. And he says: "For I know my iniquity." And again: "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God." And when he heard again, "I will reprove you, and set before your face," ^C he says: "Turn Your face away from my sins." But when he heard again: "I will not accept calves from your house, nor he-goats from your flocks," and to this he appended: "For if You had desired sacrifice, I would have given it." Now those things regarding Uriah and the reproof of Nathan are written in the second book of Kings. But before Nathan came to him, he did not confess, being oppressed by sin as if by a stupor and drunkenness. Nor did the prophet come to him immediately after the sin. For that saying, "For the iniquities of the Amorites are not yet complete," could also have been said of David. For it was not fitting that his free will be cut short, ^D and that he become worse while his depravity lay in the depths. But when he had brought all the evil into the open, and the disease had abated with the passage of time, and had reached a settled state, then truly the prophet, like a skilled physician, applied the remedy at the opportune moment through rebukes and reproof, since the passion was no longer growing raw or inflamed. Rightly, therefore, does Scripture also denote the time, saying: "And David brought her after the death of her husband into his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son, and the thing that he did appeared evil in the eyes of the Lord. And the Lord sent Nathan to David."

^A Since this was a full year later. Before this, his soul was still turbulent, and he would not have tolerated reproof, or perhaps he might have done some serious harm to the prophet, for he was like those who are deranged by sickness, who rise up against their parents, their dearest ones, and even against their physicians themselves. What, then, was the cause of such a sin for so great a man? Nathan himself taught this by bringing forward the example: He says that two men existed, the one indeed being rich—namely David—and the other poor—namely Uriah. Then he introduces a traveler, a stranger, who had turned aside to the rich man, signifying that a certain stranger—a spirit—had gained access to the soul of David. For without diabolical power, so great a man, one who had maintained continence even in the flower of his youth, would never have descended into such folly. For when he was fleeing from Saul in the desert, he had Achinoam; he had Abigail after the death of her husband; but he does not appear to have approached them throughout his entire time of exile, for he had no children until after the death of Saul. Indeed, the time of his exile was a time of supplication and prayer. But once he had obtained the kingdom, Scripture reports that sons were born to him in Hebron. Knowing that this spirit, which subverts great souls, ^B Solomon said: "If the spirit of the one having power should rise up against you, do not leave your place."

Vers. 3. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy.

Nothing so moves the Lord to mercy as the confession of sin; wherefore David asks for the whole of mercy to be poured out upon him, the entire fountain of compassions. For just as he asked for the greatness of mercy, so he begged for the multitude of compassions, because the sin was great and could not be wiped away otherwise ^C than by receiving a corresponding loving-kindness. For it is the work of the compassions of God alone to wash away hands stained with murder. He has mercy on the nature which He Himself fashioned: for He knows that, being sick with much weakness, it is easily dragged down to the defiled passions of the flesh. For the inventor of sin easily preys upon the human mind, having as an accomplice the law which rages in the members of the flesh. ^D Therefore, one must approach the Physician of spirits, that He may restore good health to the mind; for all strength is from Him. Perhaps, indeed, because David foresaw that in the course of time Christ would appear to men, destined to wipe away all the sins of the world, he rightly calls such a brilliant grace "great mercy." For it is written: "Every sin shall stop its mouth." For, as the Apostle says: "It is God who justifies; who is he who condemns?" Now the Greeks call a sin of this kind—one which is committed by a double transgression of the law—a fall.

^A Since he says "Wash me more," observe again, as is proper, the mystery of Christ. The Law did indeed have purification by water, of which the all-wise Paul also makes mention, saying: "For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the defiled, sanctifies for the purification of the flesh" (Heb. IX, 13). However, the type was powerless for the washing away of sin, and it was performed only for the purification of the flesh; but the grace and power through Christ and through holy baptism, surpassing the purification under the Law, washes away [sin] more thoroughly—nay, rather, it accomplishes the purification of the soul itself as well.

^B "Against Thee only have I sinned," etc. The impious man is he who says to a king: "You commit sin," says divine Scripture somewhere (Job XXXIV, 18). Since, therefore, there was no one who could rebuke me, who had sinned, and You alone were a capable corrector, therefore "Against Thee only have I sinned." He well added: "And I have done evil in Thy sight"; for this is also recorded in the history (II Reg. XI, 27), namely, that that deed was seen as wicked before the Lord.

"That Thou mightest be justified in Thy words, and overcome when Thou art judged." ^C I, he says, was the author of evils, but Your justice shines forth even so. For when a judgment occurs, and the benefits granted by You to me are brought into the midst, and my deeds of audacity are examined against them, You will be shown to be just and loving to mankind, while I shall appear as a transgressor and ungrateful. Therefore, the particle "that" does not here denote a cause; for David did not sin in order that God might be justified, but on the contrary, rather, through his sin, the justice of God is demonstrated. For God exercises providential care for all men.

^D "For behold, I was conceived in iniquities." He says this, not because the operation of sin is natural (for then he could not be punished for it), but because a susceptibility to slipping is bound up with nature; yet it is overcome by resolve and effort, and is not held by necessity because of free will.

^A The captives in Babylon might also say, according to some, to God: "If You wish to demand from me an accounting for the things in which I have offended against You, it is time for You also to exact it from my ancestors; for not even they were found to be grateful." In a certain way, therefore, I have inherited the ingratitude of my fathers, and from them I am dragged into sin. [alt-version omitted]

^A

It is the custom of the saints to appease God and to provoke Him to mercy, sometimes by very many lamentations, and sometimes also by compulsorily accusing the infirmity of human nature that clings to us. Wherefore we hear them crying out: "Remember, O Lord, that we are dust. Man, like grass, are his days." Likewise: "Remember what my substance is." But the most patient Job, explaining this more clearly, cried out to God: "Did you not milk me like milk, and curdle me like cheese? With skin and flesh you have clothed me, and with bones and sinews you have knit me together; you have placed life and mercy with me." We say that the preceding verses now signify exactly as much. For it affirms that the very principle of our birth is not brought about without the filth of carnal pleasure. Marriages are, without doubt, honorable and beyond all reproach before God. Nevertheless, if one should investigate the cause of entering into marriage, he will discover it to be the craving of the flesh; although the act itself is not held in the place of sin. The union is punished, however, if it does not have the law as its assenter, and if the procreation of children is not the true end of the matter. Therefore, as far as concerns only the cravings and carnal motions, "in iniquities we are conceived, and in sins our mothers brought us forth." But if the birth of bodies has a carnal affection as its root, it follows that the thing is plainly morbid, and whatever follows from it. Hence the most sacred Paul complains much about the carnal motions, saying: "For I delight in the law of God according to the inner man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law of sin, which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord, by whom the law of sin has been mitigated, and my carnal assaults have been mortified. And this, besides other good things, the Word ^B of God made flesh has bestowed upon us. How justly the divine Paul testifies: "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the justification of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit." ^C

Ver. 8. *Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti, incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi.*

He demonstrates that human nature has fallen into sin from the beginning because of the transgression of Eve, and that its birth is subjected to a curse. But he weaves his discourse more deeply ^D to show the magnitude of the divine gift, as it is so vast...

^A that it redeems us, through the laver of regeneration, from such a long-standing curse.

And this latter part, although it remains in some way, is less important; but the former, which without doubt ought to have been done, does not appear in our codices: unless perhaps Cyril was satisfied with those things which he had said in Rom. 5:12. Original sin, such as it is in the descendants of Adam, consisting in the privation of justifying grace and righteousness, by which we are made ^B children of wrath and averted from God, is the true and precise opinion of Catholic theologians, according to the divine Thomas, who says: "The privation of original justice, by which the will was subjected to God, is the formal [that is, the formal part] of original sin." I have in my hands, generously communicated to me by the learned and kind librarian of Pesaro, D. Pietro Raffaelli, a little work on original sin published by the most celebrated Cardinal Jacopo Sadoleto; it is written in an elegant style indeed, but because it was composed in a somewhat rhetorical manner and before the decrees of Trent, I do not know how much one should rely upon it. However, it is worth the effort to recite a few specimens of it here. For it begins thus: "The question is sharp, and among others which disturb the Catholic faith of Christ at this time, having been discussed long and much by the dissensions of most learned men, it is: What is that sin which was first committed by our father Adam, the head of the human race, and unwisely taken up against God, from which he was expelled from the most noble gardens, and by divine sentence was condemned to the earth and to death, and which subsequently seized and bound all of us, his stock and offspring, who truly offended himself, so that all of us, imbued with the same, are born in guilt and crime; [and this happens] even before the judgment of reason is awaited, by which we might be able to discern between sin and right action, as soon as we are brought into the light, and even in the very womb of the mother, as soon as we are led into the nature and species of man, we are immediately accused of paternal crime, and undergo with him the same offense against God and the same punishment." For thus also the sacred Letters, and the divine testimonies in them, and our holy ^C mother the Church, the pillar and foundation of the truth, prescribe for us to believe and accept, whose authority it is not right to oppose. And it is written in the sacred Books about this matter, that God created our first parent Adam, and placed him in the most pleasant gardens, that he might exercise himself in their cultivation and custody; and when He had shown him the other trees, flourishing in greenery, beauty, and an abundance of fruits, He granted all of them to him for enjoyment and eating; He excepted only one, which stood in the middle of the enclosure, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, from whose fruit and produce He prohibited Adam: for He forbade anything from it to be taken for food. "For on the day," He says, "you eat of the fruits of this tree, from that very day you shall be bound to death." When Adam had neglected this command of God, therefore, and had eaten from the fruits of the forbidden tree by the persuasion of his wife Eve, he was immediately cast out by God from the most cultivated gardens and cast into the uncultivated and squalid earth, from which, however, he had previously been formed, and after a laborious and difficult life, which is proposed to all who dwell on earth, finally he himself with all his posterity was condemned to death. This sin, therefore, and this punishment of sin, handed down and transmitted to us by our father himself, has flowed deeply into the whole human race, and in no century has anyone ever been found who, indeed, was born from the seed of man, whom the stain of this paternal guilt has not seized, as much in the sin as in the punishment of sin ^D, just as it has also been most clearly demonstrated by the apostle Paul, who, writing to the Romans, says: "Through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin death, and thus death passed upon all men, in that all have sinned," etc. Now since the Catholic Church firmly holds that we, along with our father, as his heirs, have been made guilty of both the sin and its punishment which followed sin, namely destruction and death, just as from such a long-standing curse through regeneration... [the text continues] ...we are made anew. It is asked, therefore, what this sin is, and in what way it clings to us, so that we are for that reason justly and deservedly to be condemned, etc. Sadoleto continues to say many things, and first, the manifold objections against original sin; then the various arguments and reasons by which the nature of this sin was exposed by theologians, especially the Scholastics, according to the diversity of systems; then, returning to the ancients, he concludes thus: "From all of which it is understood that those first ancestors of ours, excelling in sanctity and doctrine, knew very well what this sin of the human race in the parent Adam was, which they called not simply sin, but original sin, so that they might blame the nature guilty of this sin, not the will; by which single word they taught more and more certain things about this sin than all the posterity that followed has done in so many volumes. This original sin, therefore, is not of deliberation, but of nature, not of the will: but it is of both origin and nature, in such a way that the will and deliberation were to follow entirely. For man, born into this love of the world, of the flesh, and of reason by common consent, cannot exist otherwise than as a stranger and averse to God. And so the apostle Paul confirms to us that we are by nature children of wrath, etc." Then the author explains at length how baptism takes away original sin in us, and concludes: "From which I think it has become clear that we are expiated and purified from original sin in baptism, since our mind, in which that sin properly and chiefly clung, withdrawing and pulling itself away from the world, commits itself wholly to God, and from Him, as from a father, expects both an example of the life it should lead and the hope of a blessed and eternal inheritance, etc." Afterwards, having spoken about Christ the Lord as the author of baptism, and His most holy examples, Sadoleto concludes his little work thus: "Since, therefore, this turning away from the world and turning toward the one God is the only way to reach heaven, who, deserting this only guide for correctly completing the journey, thinks he can reach the place where he intends with another guide, especially since no other can be a suitable guide, but the remaining conductors would rather be ones who will wander themselves with their companions, than ones who will lead them safely and without offense? As, therefore, one who rejects the sun as the guide of his journey, and uses another light for walking, if he does so on purpose, he is surely insane and shows himself blind and mindless to beholders, so not to recognize Christ as the sole guide of the right journey is either of pitiable insanity, or of intolerable impiety. And just as the sun provides to those walking not only the light itself and sight, but also imparts vitality to the eyes and bodies of those walking, so from Christ there flows to us not only an example of a divinely lived life, but also strength and vitality to live it, so that what we can do in ourselves nothing, or certainly very little, in Christ the Lord we may both rely on and be capable of all things; for whose grace and mercy, that it may be granted to us to follow Him rightly, we suppliantly pray to the same Lord Jesus Christ himself." On original sin, which is a dogma certain by authority, but difficult to explain, the venerable Bellarmine wrote three entire books in his controversies, to whom I willingly direct the readers, especially those warned by the divine Cyril about the necessity of faith, the fallacy of human wisdom, and that it should be believed in God without any quibbling. See on Rom. 10:6, with our note; in 1 Cor. 1:20; 11:3, with note; note on Ps. 15, verse 8. Finally, there are many places of Cyril on original sin with us besides this, cf. on Rom. 5:12 and 18 with note; note on Ps. 29, verse 8; on Ps. 44, verse 3; and below verse 12 of this Psalm 50. (c) How in this matter the Council of Trent, sess. 5, honored the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, no one is ignorant.

^A It seems that here he calls "truth" a life sincere, with truth and justice; for he who does not will to live thus, lies to God. For man having been brought into the light to do good, as the most wise Paul says, if he becomes wicked, he lies to his Creator, because he does not bring forth the fruits of justice. Thus, elsewhere, the divine David also says in the person of Christ to the Israelites: "Strangers have lied to me." Likewise that: "The work of the olive tree shall lie." But you may also interpret it in another way: namely, that the Law, which sprinkles water for the ablution of the flesh, is weak for purifying sin. But the grace of Christ is incomparably better, being able to destroy all filth whatsoever. God therefore testifies that He loves the truth. Moreover, Christ is the truth, and those things which proceed from Him; contrary to that are the Law, the type, and the shadow. Therefore, You, he says, O Lord, who are truth and love truth, wishing us to pass our life in truth, do so wash away from us our ancient sin, that we may be whitened as snow. But the phrase, "The hidden things You have manifested to me," signifies that all future things, which God stored in the treasury of His wisdom, were revealed through the Holy Spirit. Perhaps he also exaggerates his own sin, so as to strike greater shame into himself, affirming that he sinned not out of ignorance, but while conscious of the Law, and after he had been adorned not only with the benefit of the kingdom, but also with the gift of prophecy. Having therefore demonstrated the gravity of his fault, he requests absolution, saying:

^C Vers. 12. *Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed.*

By hyssop he compares the operation of the Holy Spirit, which is a calorific herb, and one that wipes away any stain of ours. The purification, therefore, takes place by hyssop, that is, by the Holy Spirit. For they say that hyssop is a very hot herb, and endowed with a styptic property; for physicians also make much of it, as being suitable for destroying the filth of the bowels, and for dissolving the concretions and thickness of constricted phlegms and other humors, on account of the natural heat inherent in it. Obliquely, therefore, he hints at that operation of the Holy Spirit which takes place in us, by the grace of which He renders our soul fervent, and takes away every stain from us, being poured out invisibly like fire. For this reason, those inspired by God say that we are baptized by Christ with the Holy Spirit and with fire. But the precious blood of Christ not only frees us from corruption, but also from any inward secret impurity, nor does it let us grow cold with sloth.

Vers. 10. *Thou shalt make me to hear of joy and gladness, etc.*

You shall cure me, he says, so that I may hear through the Holy Spirit.

^A future exultation in the last times. And what could this be, if not that knowledge concerning the resurrection? Which He also denoted by saying: “The bones which have been humbled shall exult.” But when else do the broken bones exult, if not at the time of the resurrection, when, as the prophecy says, “Our bones shall spring up like the herb”? ^B Fittingly, after “Thou shalt sprinkle me,” he added these words; for the hope of the resurrection follows the grace of holy baptism, bearing those who believe in Christ toward the beginnings of an unending and thrice-blessed life. For then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun, and enjoying goods that surpass the mind, they shall possess unending gladness. Therefore, the cleansing through holy baptism is performed immediately; for grace is given in Christ, the Holy Spirit sanctifying and wiping clean the hearts of those who believe. But it is heard, and as yet it is an un-deceived hope, this exultation and gladness concerning the goods that are to be. It seems to some of the interpreters ^C that the exultation and gladness resounding in the divine ears is nothing other than the giver of this, I mean Christ, who will renew and raise up the powers of each soul that has suffered contrition. For by "bones" here we must understand the vigor of the mind. But to speak more simply, he says, “I shall hear,” namely that the double sin has been forgiven me.

*Vers. 11. Turn away thy face from my sins, etc.* ^D “Do not look,” he says, “upon the iniquities committed by me, but rather upon me, who lament them.” To ask for these things is nothing other than to wish that the grace of Christ be given to those upon the earth.

*Vers. 12. Create in me a clean heart, O God.* Creation in the Scripture is said to be not only the production of what is from what is not, but also the change of an existing thing for the better. God “created” the heaven; this is to make from what is not. He also creates when He makes a good man out of an evil one; here, creation is a change of things for the better. And hear David; for since he himself and his heart had already been created, but he had been involved in adultery and murder, and was falling into corruption, he says, “Create,” [alt-version omitted]

APOLLINARIS. The Savior said that Abraham, waiting for his day, had exulted, and when it came to be, had seen it and rejoiced. “Abraham,” He says, “your father exulted that he might see my day; and he saw it, and rejoiced” (John VIII, 56). But David, instead of sight, speaks of hearing. “You shall hear,” he says, “in Hades the cause of great gladness, namely the coming (of Christ) which had been revealed to him by the Spirit; and you shall be glad in Hades in spirit.” And the bones within the graves shall exult with him, having been humbled by sin and death, the body which is the cause of the resurrection having been buried with them.

in me, not that I previously lacked a heart, nor am I speaking of the substance of the soul, but of the best type of life. ^A Perhaps also, as if the heart of all were polluted due to the transgression of Adam and bent toward vice, those who know our nature and can do all things—which indeed He did—ask for a certain reformation of our affairs from the Creator of all. For we have been reformed in Christ by the newness of our mind; and we bear a pure heart, having been converted to the pursuit of virtue. We have been re-created in Christ, having been steered toward the desire for virtue.

Vers. 13. *Ne projicias me a facie tua, et Spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me.*

David, moved by the things that had happened to him, having assumed the person of the human race, prays for the whole world. For already from the transgression of Adam, as from the beginning of the race, human nature has been turned away from God; and thus it was expelled from paradise, and became cursed, though it had formerly been blessed by the Creator. With the increase of the multitude of the race, and with the tyranny of sin pressing upon all, that Holy Spirit breathed into us also withdrew, and the beauty of the image was destroyed. For God said of all: “My Spirit shall not remain in such men as these, because they are flesh.” ^B Therefore, while he says: “Do not cast me away from your face, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me,” he asks for two things at once, namely, the end of the turning away, and the return of the Holy Spirit to us. For that it withdrew justly and deservedly because the heart of all is inclined to evil from youth, he demonstrates eminently, saying: “Do not take [your Spirit] from me.” Nevertheless, he asks no less from the clemency of God ^C that the things which had happened beyond hope might be brought about: which is the same as the restoration of the Holy Spirit who had withdrawn from us, which takes place in reality through Christ, who, by assuming our likeness, removed the turning away, and, by showing forth in Himself the pure and irreprehensible nature of man to God the Father, accepted also the Spirit; for it is easily understood that He Himself is the giver of the Spirit whom the Father sends into men through Christ. Therefore, He breathed on the apostles, saying: “Receive the Holy Spirit.” ^D For so it was given in the beginning to human nature.

Vers. 14. *Redde mihi lætitiam salutaris tui.*

Human nature asks to become a participant in the primary goods, which takes place in reality through Christ, who is joy and salvation. For He freed us from the sadness of corruption, death having been destroyed: we were saved, having been freed from the burden of sin through holy baptism, and we were confirmed by the principal Spirit, which is understood through the words to have been given by the Holy Spirit as strength.

[we have been] led by the governing Spirit, which is true courage through the Holy Spirit. If anyone should choose to accept this and make it dwell in his mind, he will certainly rule over his own desires and will be stronger than diabolical greed, having the Spirit reigning within him. ^A “For as many,” he says, “as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” And again: “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

“My tongue will exult in your justice.”

^B Or also thus: He will make your justice the theme of a spiritual festival, which through the grace of faith justifies the ungodly—that is, through our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who has become for us, from God the Father, justice and sanctification and redemption.

“O Lord, you will open my lips.”

^A Sin is accustomed to binding the tongue and stopped the mouth. Since, then, David’s lips also happened to be closed because of sin, he prays that these be opened, and that he might partake of his former boldness. “You will open my lips,” for the thing is God-given; “for praise is not comely in the mouth of a sinner.” It is opened, however, through repentance, and he begins to declare the praise of God. And those who are captives, because it was not permitted for them to sing the song of the Lord upon a foreign land, or to perform sacrifices, pray for the return.

“A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit.”

^B The power of spiritual worship does not come through simple and mere thought alone, but it is accustomed to receive always the accompaniment of the fragrance of good works, which those who succeed in obedience and docility produce. We say, moreover, that obedience is the fruit of a tender and pliable heart, which has nothing of the hardened quality—of the sort which the hard and unmanageable [nature] of the stubborn Jews was. ^C Accordingly, putting on their person, some one of the holy prophets said: “Why did you lead us astray, O Lord, from your way; did you harden our hearts so as not to fear you?” For hardened hearts are entirely incapable of the word of God. And for the dedication of spiritual fragrance, a broken spirit is a fitting sacrifice, that is, a soul tender and obedient to the divine words.

“Do good, O Lord, in your good pleasure to Zion.”

^A (Of Cyril and Eusebius.) According to the anagoge, when, he says, you do good to Zion—that is, the Church—having been well pleased to sum up all things in the Son, and when the walls of the Church are built, which are those who fence it in, ^D then sacrifices will be offered not...

of blood, but of righteousness, or rather, the sacrifices of praise. Likewise, the offering and the whole burnt offerings will be offerings of righteousness. ^A

*Vers. 21. Then they shall offer calves upon your altar.*

The calf is a holy and legitimate animal; for it is offered for sacrifice because it is pure, and it is greater than the goat or the sheep; by the very size of its body it bears a type of the most perfect sacrifice, and of an intellectual fragrance leaping toward the celestial seats. For the bulk of the body is an image of spiritual amplitude, insofar as it is understood as a matter of the virtues. “They shall offer,” he says, “calves upon your altar,” that is to say, most perfect sacrifices. Or perhaps he calls the teachers of the peoples by a riddle in this place “calves,” on account of the spiritual strength of their mind, whose life is also holy. The most wise Paul suggests this sense to us, when he says that it is written in the law: “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain,” and then adding: “Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake?” ^B

*From the commentaries of Cyril on Psalm L.*

Marvel with me at blessed David. He was not completely overwhelmed by the desire for pleasure, nor did he deem the prophet burdensome to himself; he did not take the rebuke ill, but held the admonition for a gift, and immediately confessed the committed fault, and wept for his sin. And as a strong and skilled charioteer, carried beyond the stadium by the indomitable impulse of his horses, is ashamed and blushes; so even blessed David swerved somewhat from the right path; but, as I said, he recovered his purpose, and wept for his sin. ^C

PSALM LI. *Vers. 1. Why do you boast of malice, you that are powerful in iniquity?*

He calls the powerful one, as one familiar to Saul, or even possessing great malice; or he understands Rhapsaces, who, although he had been sent against Jerusalem, having come as a captive into the hands of the Assyrians. Therefore, it is a preface ^D admiring, and wondering why it is that in such great malice some have not come to their senses, as they ought to have, but instead boast in this. Yet, even if history has Doec, it nonetheless points to the traitor Judas, showing such powerful malice, that he betrayed his own benefactor.

*Vers. 4. You have done deceit like a sharpened razor.*

This is said regarding Doec, who [has done] the entire [priest-killing...]

priests as if with a razor; so vehement was his calumny. Regarding Rhapsaces, moreover, who sought to deceive the people so as to betray the city. But the deceit of Judas ^A was sharp, and cutting with an almost imperceptible edge. For what was sharper than that deceit, which, having sharpened it with the tongue of betrayal, he conspired with those who seized Jesus: "Whomever I shall kiss, he is the one; seize him"?

Vers. 5. You have loved malice above goodness, and iniquity more than to speak righteousness.

(Fol. 294. Of Cyril and Theodoret.) Doec acted unjustly when he calumniated the priest and affirmed things not done by him; for what he said, that he [the priest] had entreated God for David, was a lie and not the truth. It was possible for him to speak with righteousness, by teaching Saul that the cause of David’s departure was unknown to the priest, and that he had received him as a friend of the king, and as one sent on royal business, he entertained him for the honor of the sender. These are likewise the works of Satan, to rejoice in malice, ^B I mean, and in iniquity. He reproves, therefore, also the Jews who do not accept the righteousness in Christ.

Vers. 6. You have loved all words of precipitation, a deceitful tongue.

(Fol. 294.) These things might be said justly also regarding the rulers of the Jews and Judas himself; for they also reviled the Lord insatiably, and the traitor used words full of deceit and hypocrisy. And words of precipitation might be those which drag down the soul of man to death and to Hades, such as whisperings, calumnies, and blasphemy against God.

Vers. 7. He shall remove you from the tabernacle, and your root from the land of the living.

(Fol. 294 b.) And from the tabernacle, that is, he shall remove you from the place of learning, and shall pluck up your root, as a thorny plant, from the land of the living and from the field ^C of the apostles. And this happened also to the Jewish people, who did not accept the justification in Christ. And this is similar to the saying, "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living." They were also removed from the priestly tabernacle, having become captives because of the Lord’s cross [or crucifixion].

Vers. 10. I have hoped in the mercy of God forever.

(Fol. 295.) I, he says, have trusted in none of the vain and earthly things, but in the divine mercy which is wont to accompany those who suffer injury. Anagogically, however, the divine Scriptures call Christ the mercy of God, because through him mercy has come to be for us. For the Father ^D summed up and restored all things in him. And he who has brought forth fruits of alms hopes in the mercy of God, knowing that the merciful shall obtain mercy. And he has his hope not for one age, but also for the span beyond these, the measure of which is infinity, which the psalmist calls the age of ages.

PSALM LII

Vers. 1. *In the end, for Maeleth, understanding to David.*

^A Regarding the words, this psalm imitates the thirteenth and has the same argument, namely the prophecy concerning Rabshakeh and the things that happened then, as well as the saving manifestation of the Lord. But a few terms create the difference between the two; for the thirteenth was titled, *In the end, to David*, whereas this one, while indeed having in its title, *In the end, to David*, yet abounds in the words *For Maeleth, of understanding*, which signify that this psalm is triumphal and to be sung with a dance. For we interpret *maeleth* as a tripudium or dance. Indeed, for *In the end*, other interpreters write *triumphal*. And so that we may accurately analyze the whole title: the expression *In the end* can signify the time at which the prophecies were to be fulfilled, both those concerning Rabshakeh and the Assyrians, and those concerning the advent of Christ. For indeed, both the marvelous destruction of the Assyrians—on account of which the title is inscribed *For the dance*—which those who had attained salvation led, took place long after David’s time; and the salvation of God, appearing to the inhabitants of the earth at the consummation of the age, initiated a dance gathered from all nations in His Church. On which account this psalm was composed for the tripudia and dances that occurred in the last times of the age, when the Only-begotten was made man. The word *understanding* is necessarily added, because we have need of understanding to discern the meaning of the psalmody.

^B Vers. 6. *God has scattered the bones of those who please men.*

He calls the dogmatic powers of the ungodly the "bones," which they indeed sowed into their own writings, persuading [people] to worship the creature instead of the Creator.

Thereafter in codex A there is a lacuna of two quaternions, namely up to verse 3 of Psalm LVII. But it is wonderful that not even in the other Vatican codices, though complete, nor in Corderius himself, does anything of Cyril survive for the intervening Psalms LIII, LIV, LV, LVI, except for one fragment in codd. F, f. 80b, and K, f. 102b, of Ps. LIII, v. 3: *In your power judge me.* That is to say, in Christ; for the Son is the power of the Father.

PSALM LVII

Vers. 3. *For even in your heart you work iniquity on the earth.*

^D It is not without reason that *on the earth* is added; for even if one commits iniquity within the heart, he works it on the earth, that is, in material things. Let the Jews also hear: *Judge rightly, and consider*.

For you seem to be devising iniquity in your heart, and to be thinking one thing while saying another with your mouth. For even if the words are good, with which you wish to favor the Law, the heart nonetheless overflows with bitterness, and your deeds are likewise filled with iniquity, being a proof of the thoughts in the heart, which are able to remain hidden on the ^A earth, but not when all things are laid bare for judgment. Then he continues, lamenting for those who have fallen from salvation, with the following words, saying:

*Alienated are the sinners from the womb.*

^B There are some who, not knowing the custom of the language in the divinely inspired Scriptures, think that some are alienated from God from the very womb, and as it were, have wandered from the womb itself even before the completion of the word. To say this is nothing other than to say, perhaps, that evil is according to nature, and that some have been created from the very act of creation, some good in their manner, and others evil. To think this is that of the Manichaeans, or rather, it is madness; for it is more truthful to speak thus. Observe, therefore, that the blessed David did not say that some were alienated from God, but rather simply and absolutely, not from God, but from the womb. For, as if they were already existing, he says that sinners were alienated already from the womb and maternal ^C viscera, that is, they became strangers and removed, lacking a womb and intellectual viscera capable of bearing good fruits. For our bodies taken from the earth bear fruit according to their own nature; but the souls of men, as if from the womb and matrix of their own hearts, bring forth good fruits, having received from above and from God the seeds of piety.

*They went astray, from the womb they spoke lies.*

^D The prophecy also designates the Jews, who had no occasion at all for salvation; because they had been considered among the perverse in the prognostic providence of God, and were known to Him even before conception. Furthermore, they did not speak lies from the womb, but when they had reached a suitable age. David, however, uses repetition in his customary way: for the *Alienated are* is the same as the *They went astray*, and the *womb* is the same as the *uterus*; so that the one meaning of both phrases is this: *Sinners were alienated from the womb, and they spoke lies*, whose fury has the likeness to the father of lies, that ancient serpent. For hear: *Their fury is according to the likeness of a serpent.*

*They shall be brought to nothing like water passing away.*

^C Water that flows by does not stand in the same place. For the same reason, the impious also in their prosperity do not [/cont]

^A remain, but like water running by, they hasten towards ruin.

*He shall bend his bow.* When you hear of a bow regarding God, think of deadly wrath.

*They shall be taken away like wax that melts.* ^B Like wax brought near to fire and melting, they shall be dissolved and stripped of life. For this is what the words mean: *And they did not see the sun.*

*And man shall say: If indeed there is fruit for the just, etc.* The Greek particle *ara* here is not that of one who doubts, but rather of someone who has already been persuaded and has believed, and now, as it were, grants that he has received the fruit of his love towards God—namely, His pardon and help. ^B For, as I said, he himself remains safe through God’s protection, but the sinner is punished on account of him.

PSALM LVIII

*Vers. 4. Behold, they hunted for my soul.* For the wretched Jews did not cease from their perversity, pursuing Christ, laying snares and deceits for Him, and preparing every kind of wicked machination.

*Vers. 6. And You, O Lord, God of hosts, God of Israel, etc.* ^C Perceiving strictly in the one who was to be born from him according to the flesh, Christ, innocence, and also foreseeing in the Spirit the madness of his own countrymen, the Jews, against Him, David implores the Lord of the angelic powers and God of Israel to leave the Jews uncared for—or rather, not even to deem them worthy of any forgiveness, as deicides—and to transfer all His providence to the nations, that He might illuminate them with the light of the knowledge of God. Nor does David alone pray for the conversion of idolaters to the faith in Christ and for the rejection of Israel on account of their iniquities; ^D the Lord Himself does so as well. Hear, then, how even before the incarnation, as if He were already dwelling among us, He speaks on behalf of the whole world to the heavenly Father and God. For God indeed looked upon the earth in times past, but His regard was for Israel alone; among whom Moses was the tutor, who led them through types and shadows toward the mystery of Christ. *For Christ is the end of the law and the prophets.* And the law was heard indeed in former times, but only in Judea; yet the divine and heavenly proclamation has wandered throughout the entire world under heaven. For thus it was said concerning the apostles: *Their sound has gone out into all the earth,* and so forth.

^A And these things, according to a human manner, he offers as a prayer to his own Father and Lord of hosts and God of Israel, and Christ desires to behold them, and he prays.

PSALM LIX

PSALM LX

and who shall reign with him forever. ^A For the prophet proceeds by saying: "For you, O God, have heard my prayers," and connects it by hyperbaton: "Days upon days you have added to the days of the king." Having heard, he says, the prayers, he added days upon days. In the midst was cast the memory of those who fear the Lord, because he promised to them the inheritance which is eternal life.

PSALM LXI

Vers. 2. *Will not my soul be subject to God?* In the submission of the soul toward God, David declares that salvation rests. ^B Certainly, it is a very excellent and useful thing for us, and the best of hopes, to be subject to God, to submit our mind to his yoke, and to cling to him with all piety, saying that prophetic word: "Behold, we shall be yours, for you are the Lord our God."

Vers. 4. *How long do you rush against a man? You all murder.* For Satan is the murderer of souls and spirits: he drives those already subject to sin toward the fall, on account of the infirmity inherent in nature. Perhaps also the discourse inveighs against the wicked ministers of the devil, reproaching them for the excess of their evil machinations: for he says, "man is a weak animal; you, however, urge him on, not content with the first assault, but applying a second and even a third; ^C until you have subdued his soul to you, so that it becomes like a leaning wall and a tottering fence."

Vers. 5. *Nevertheless they have planned to repel my honor.* The demons have also, almost in their use of the mind, cast us down, when they forced us to worship wood and stones; so that it might be said of us: "Man, being in honor, did not understand."

*They have run in thirst.* By the vehemence of the rushing demons, he describes those who incur upon us, thirsting for our destruction and the spoliation of honor. ^D Do you hear how the sons of iniquity strive to drive us from the honor granted by God, and, while hastening to deprive us of the goods bestowed upon us from above, they desire to steal the success of the work, and place all their study upon achieving this? This is what "They have run in thirst" means. But what machinations do they use?

With their mouth they were blessing, and in their heart they were cursing.

^A For there are, indeed there are, some who have a double tongue and a double heart, who in their words make a display of goodness, but in their minds hold poison and every kind of malice.

Vers. 6. *Nevertheless, be subject to God, O my soul.*

He speaks again to his own soul, forcefully inculcating its submission to God. He signifies the magnitude of the temptations, as the Apostle also says: "Who will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear" (1 Cor. x, 13). "For my patience is from Him."

Vers. 7. *For He is my God and my Savior, my helper, I shall not be moved.*

^B We confess, not timidly but confidently and sincerely, that our God is Emmanuel, whom the holy Theotokos the Virgin brought forth. Knowing Him, therefore, to be the true God and the fountain of salvation, we will not suffer to change [our] servitude and pass over to another lordship. For he used the expression "I shall not be moved" instead of "I shall not be displaced." I shall not become a deserter, he says, from the truth to error, nor a slave of sin.

Vers. 9. *Hope in Him, all you congregation of the peoples.*

^A He does not speak of some particular congregation, as Moses did again. ^C But at the same time he also prophesies with a higher aim the calling of all the nations. For the Only-Begotten appeared, not making a particular calling, nor saving only Israel, as through the holy prophets, but calling out to all those throughout the inhabited world and saying: "Hear, all you nations" (Ps. xlviii, 2), and so forth. For the Law through Moses instructed the nation of Israel, but the grace through Christ is spread over everything under heaven.

Vers. 10. *Nevertheless, the sons of men are vain.*

[F] The sons of men are vain in truth—that is, those who only set their mind on the things upon the earth, who are attached to the desires of the flesh, and seek only things that are fleeting.

Vers. 11. *If riches flow, do not set your heart upon them.*

^B Do not consider wealth to be a great thing. For it passes by, as I have said, and just like a shadow, once glimpsed, it flees. Let us rather seek everywhere the righteousness of God; let us search out what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Vers. 12. *God has spoken once, these two things have I heard.*

^A What are you saying, O blessed David? Do you assert that the God of all has spoken only once? Then how is the statement true? For He has spoken not once, but very often, in many parts and in many different ways to our ancestors (Heb. i, 1).

^A Since this is the case, how can it be said that God spoke “once”? We should understand the power of our speech this way; for the inspired man wishes to say: Even if God, he says, had spoken but once, I would indeed correctly know the benefit of the matter, and I should not require His long speeches. Let Him speak once, and we obey: and I receive in myself a twofold instruction, namely the animal and the spiritual. For the method of our piety is always twofold, and it has a twofold endeavor, which we offer to God as an odor of sweetness. For we ought to be pure both in body and in spirit. Or, “He has spoken once” is said for the reason that God’s word, once established with Moses, remains firm and is never revoked, because the Lord God is merciful and ^B compassionate, and tenacious of justice. Therefore, the word “once” is not placed as a number, but as a thing that is certainly to happen. For it is impossible that what God has declared will be the future should not occur. Nor will He revoke His decree, just as that which is written, “I have sworn once in my holy place” (Ps. lxxxviii, 36), is firmly stated. Or finally, it is said “once” here because, even if God has spoken so very often, the scope of His manifold speeches remains one, namely that we should know God as strong and merciful, so that we may flee to the merciful One.

Vers. 12, 13. For power belongs to God, and to you, O Lord, belongs mercy.

For He is powerful, he says, the Lord in judgment, and the same is merciful. For He made statements concerning judgment, and says that he heard these things, namely that He renders wrath to those worthy of it on account of their excess of sins; but to those before whom He has performed worthy works, He bestows this mercy. For the word power signifies wrath, and, against those not deserving, severity. For God holds all things by His power; He overturns the proud with a ^C mighty hand, and the apostate, but He has mercy on those who love Him. Assuredly He will render to each according to the merit of their works. Therefore, do not trust in injustice, nor desire riches.

PSALM LXII. Vers. 2. O God, my God, I watch for you from the light.

He urges us to watch for God, not in such a way that we have a mind distracted by affairs, but uniquely directed to those things which are right and pleasing to God. For this is indeed the manner of life worthy of true saints and the best life.

My soul has thirsted for you, how your flesh has multiplied to me, in a desert land and an impassable and waterless place.

This soul speaks, being in a region of dry doctrines, which therefore requires divine irrigation. There are also the words, “My soul has thirsted for you, and my flesh,” to signify her state, that when she has subjected the flesh to the spirit, and made the soul consonant, she is freed from the passions, and from the pathless and the ^D impassable, that is, she is free from lasciviousness and from wretched desires.

^A When, therefore, we have mortified the members that are upon the earth, then we shall be able to say with confidence the words of David: "Thus in the holy," and what follows. Or perhaps, "thirsting and longing for communion with your holy one." But who is the holy one, if not your only-begotten Son?

"For your mercy is better than lives." ^B Those who have approached the mercy of God, that is, Christ, and count the present life as nothing, will utter these words; clearly declaring that the mercy granted to them by the Only-Begotten is superior to any length of life in this world. Or, by "mercy" he names salvation in Christ; and by "lives," the law—that is, the path of the way of life according to the law. Therefore, he says, your mercy is greater than lives.

"My lips shall praise you; thus I will bless you in my life." ^C He promises the song of praise as the fruit of his lips, and he agrees to bless God not only with his mouth, but also to do this through his life—that is, to glorify him through a virtuous way of life—and he says that I will not stretch forth my hands to a strange god, but only to you, and calling upon your name in my prayers, I will not ask for a petition from any of the so-called gods; but to you, who are God by nature, I will offer my supplications. This is an honorable and exceptional boast: to know only the God of all, and to offer prayers to him alone.

"My soul shall be satisfied as with fat and fatness." ^D He shows how great is the profit of those who have set their hopes on him alone. For just as the body is nourished and becomes more robust by fatty foods, so it happens to the soul through the abundant provision of the Spirit and the joy with which the prophet asks to be filled, so that with exulting lips he may praise the Lord, having been satisfied with spiritual food. For he says: "When I remember your name, then indeed, then my mouth is filled with joy."

"In the shelter of your wings I will exult." ^D He signifies the protecting power of God, or by the word "wings" he indicates the Old and New Testaments.

"My soul has adhered to you." A ^D He calls adhesion a mind that is fixed, as it were, and steadfast in virtue, and inseparable in love. Such was Paul, saying: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" When anyone who is pure is joined to the Pure One through purification, he is thenceforth led by his right hand, that is, by Christ; for he himself is the right hand of God, through whom he directs all things and accomplishes all things. And he can adhere to the Lord who reaches the very end of blessedness.

And he hears from God: “Stand thou with me.” ^A

Vers. 10. *They shall enter into the lowest parts of the earth.* He inveighs next against the opposing powers by whom he has suffered violence, praying that they may be delivered over to eternal punishments; or rather, he prophesies that the evils which they had devised for him will redound upon them; namely, death, the descent into Hades, the sword which they had sharpened against him, and the surrender to beasts.

Vers. 11. *They shall be delivered to the hands of the sword, they shall be portions for foxes.* The sword demonstrates the punishment that will be given there, whose hands are to be considered either as the pains inflicted by it, or its ministers, who are called vessels of wrath. ^B But because of their wickedness, the evil powers are called foxes: for intellectual foxes tear the souls of the infirm, which are accustomed to be fed on dead and putrid corpses, that is, wicked and most perverse spirits. For since the fox is a crafty and unclean animal, it is taken as an example of the spirits of impurity, by whom those who are slothful and not observers of the law are driven about hither and thither. For it is rightly said concerning the just man: “The law of God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be supplanted.” For the law directs to those things that are pleasing to God.

Vers. 12. *But the king shall rejoice in God, every one that sweareth by him shall be praised.* The joy of them—of kings, that is—shall be Christ, so that it is justly to be attributed to their praise that they even swear by him. They swear by the true God, as it is written. ^C Indeed, the divine Moses says: “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and shalt swear by his name.” We also have need, whenever a need to swear arises, to mention only the true God by his very nature, and no one else besides him. Something similar does the blessed David now set forth, saying: “Every one that sweareth in him shall be praised.” For this, too, beyond other things, is a proof of love toward him, if, when the occasion for swearing arises, we make mention of him alone. Do we then affirm that the prophetic word urges us to swear? But why should we not better not swear at all? For the Savior himself commanded us so to behave. ^D What, then, do these words mean for themselves? Why should he who swears by him be praised? This word has a prudent and necessary meaning here. Hear, therefore: The descendants of Israel, although instructed by the divine law and commanded to adore one God alone, because of their extreme wickedness

^A turned aside at various times, and worshipped the works of their own hands, forsaking Him who is by nature God, and swearing by those who are not gods. Therefore, he was then a faithful and genuine man, and exempt from the crimes of idolatry, who did not swear by any other god, but, when there was need for an oath, invoked the name of Him who is by nature God. From the custom then prevailing, he designates a truly faithful and genuine worshipper, saying: «Everyone who swears by God shall be praised.»

PSALM LXIII

Vers. 2. Hear, O God, my prayer, when I supplicate thee, and deliver my soul from the fear of the enemy.

The expression «Hear me when I supplicate» is used to mean: Hear me not silent, but praying; for in such circumstances of affairs, silence is a pernicious thing. Or he says: Hear me quickly, even in the very moment of prayer, just as it is said: «While you are yet speaking, I will say: Behold, I am here.» See how accurate the words of the prayer are; he did not say: «Deliver my soul from the enemy,» but «from the fear of the enemy.» He does not dread the struggles, ^B he does not deprecate the battle, he does not flee from the opposition; he asks rather that he might be strengthened by God, so that he might not succumb to fear. For this, I think, the words signify: «Deliver my soul from the fear of the enemy.» For he asks God for courage, that he might be able utterly to cast down the adversary.

Vers. 4. They have bent their bow, a bitter thing, that they may shoot in secret at the immaculate.

He calls calumny against the immaculate, or the innocent, a «bitter thing»; for while to calumniate even a common person is unworthy, to do so to a just man is far graver, whom they shoot at "in secret," that is, stealthily; for they do not dare to attack him openly. ^C For those whose minds are set on earthly things do not fight with visible weapons, nor with arrows fixed to a wooden reed, but, like a bow, bending their own wickedness, they wound the souls of the holy with bitter arrows, fashioned with malice.

Vers. 5. And they shall not fear.

Whom should they fear? For they do not fear, he says, God, who presides over the saints; nay, they perhaps think they are hidden from Him, saying: «The Lord will not see, nor will the God of Jacob understand.»

Vers. 6. They have confirmed for themselves a wicked word.

For wicked, as I have said very often, are the counsels of the impious, who, devising every ^D kind of iniquity, offend God, the lover of virtue.

PSALM LXIV

Vers. 2. A hymn, O God, becomes thee in Sion, and a vow shall be rendered to thee in Jerusalem.

By Sion, he says, not that earthly one in the region of Judea...

but the one above, in the heavens, the truly "Beautiful City" ^A, the Church of the firstborn, mother of the saints, the most holy dwelling-place of the angels. In the likeness of this, we too occupy the earthly Sion, that is, the Church, and we crown the universal Savior and Redeemer with hymns. For there, perfect and true hymns are rendered to God; therefore, the hymn spoken in Sion, whether in that heavenly one or even in the earthly Church, befits the one God being praised, to whom also vows must be rendered. Moreover, Scripture is accustomed to call the promise which one makes to God a "vow." But when it says, "To thee shall all flesh come," it is as if to say "every man shall believe in thee," speaking by synecdoche, where a part demonstrates the whole, announcing the calling of all nations, and not merely of one Israel, as it had been according to the letter of the law.

Vers. 4. The speeches of the wicked have prevailed over us. By the speeches of the wicked he means the wisdom of the teachers of this age, through which they also grew weak ^B, falling away from the true knowledge.

Vers. 7. Preparing the mountains with thy strength. "Preparing" he says, for making plain and commodious; so that some may be able to ascend the mountains also, that is, to arrive at the highest virtues.

Vers. 8. Who art the one who dost trouble the depth of the sea, the sound of its waves. The nations shall be troubled. By the name of the sea he means the world, and the multitude of all the peoples moving within it. As far as the meaning is concerned, Christ troubles it, like a certain basin ^C and breadth of sea—that is, the multitude of the nations—when he does not permit them to remain in their ancient errors, but rather stirs them to the recognition of his own power and excellence, and, as with certain sounds of waves, excites everyone to praise him. For where or by whom is Christ not now praised? But, after a few things have been interposed, he explains again, saying, "And those who inhabit the ends shall be afraid at thy signs." The nations have indeed feared Christ; for they have heard of ^D the miracles performed by his power and might: they have known those raised from the tombs; by one word and command he set the paralytic free from such a long infirmity; sudden sight was granted to the blind; the stormy sea was miraculously calmed. Having heard of these wonders, the nations have rightly feared the universal Savior and Redeemer, and, having forsaken their ancient and congenital error, they have received the faith. Or, in this place, he calls the foul troop of impure spirits "the sea," which was troubled at Christ's coming. Whence, being terrified, they said, "Hast thou come here before the time to torment us?" Or, finally, if we understand the sea as a raging multitude, he calmed it miraculously. Having heard of these signs, the nations have rightly feared the Savior and Redeemer of all, and have accepted the faith. The sea...

refers to the multitude of tyrants, because of the ungrateful bitterness of their idolatrous worship; and by the sounds of the waves, the plots and tortures against the martyrs—which someone could endure only if he were strengthened and fortified by the power of Christ. ^B

Vers. 9. *Exitus matutini et vesperae delectabis.*

Surely, when the morning time begins to run its course, as well as the evening time—that is, at the beginning of the day and at its end—those who inhabit the world will be shaken with a salutary fear, having seen these great wonders; then also from morning to the exit of evening, that is, at all times, there will be delights for those who exult because of the good things which Christ’s advent has brought. Indeed, even Christ’s own two exits—that is, His processions—took place: the morning one, before all ages from the Father, as it is written: *His goings forth from the beginning, from the days of eternity* 31; the other, from the Virgin, which occurred in the consummation of the ages; and each is a matter of delight and rejoicing. Symmachus, however, saying, "They shall celebrate the processions of the morning and evening with hymns," seems to mean that both at the beginning and the end of the day, those who have abandoned error and have naturally acknowledged the true God will offer up a hymn pleasing to God. Some, however, understand the "exits of the morning" to mean the eastern parts of the earth, and the "exits of the evening" to mean the western parts. Therefore, he says, by becoming man and living on earth, You will gladden the inhabitants of both east and west. *In your light, bring out the nations, and at the consummation of the age, fill them with joy.* ^C

Vers. 10. *Visitasti terram, et inebriasti eam.*

You have sated, he says, the whole earth with heavenly goods; You have filled it with spiritual gifts, that is, all the inhabitants of the world; but us, who were deceived by error, a land once parched and waterless, You have made fertile and most fruitful.

*Flumen Dei repletum est aquis.*

The river of God is His own word. He is also the fountain of life, as it is said: *With you is the fountain of life* 38. The outpourings of this river, that is, His teachings, gladden the Church. ^D

*Quoniam ita est praeparatio ejus.*

He said "thus," in place of "most providentially and as is fitting for God"; hence it is clearly a prediction of future things, not a narration of things past.

^A Vers. 11. *Sulcos ejus inebria*. He calls the innermost parts of the heart "sulcos" (furrows); for when these are inebriated by the distribution of the Spirit, they bring forth an abundance of virtues.

Vers. 12. *Benedices coronae anni benignitatis tuae*. The meaning is: The year of benignity, bearing the fruit of piety, is the time when Christ appeared; at which time it was also blessed for us, as God displayed His innate benignity and clemency. Thus Christ Himself also says by the voice of the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me; he hath sent me to preach the gospel to the poor," and the rest, "to call the acceptable year of the Lord" (Isa. LXI, 1; Luc. IV, 18). For that was truly an acceptable year, in which the only-begotten Son of God became man; and we too were received through faith, while He Himself leads us to God the Father. And a little after: "When therefore thou shalt bless the crown of the year of thy benignity, then also the fields shall be filled with plenty." He compares the souls of believers to fields and lands, which God fattens with divine and spiritual goods, so that they may be able to render the fruit of piety.

^B Vers. 13. *Et exsultatione colles accingentur*. The meaning is: As God’s benignity appears, that which was once desert land will become fruitful; and the hills—polluted by idolatrous sacrifices—will rejoice, having received to dwell in them men who profess an angelic life. Or by the hills he compares the leaders of the holy Churches throughout the ages, and the rulers or pastors and teachers of the peoples. For just as mountains and hills are more prominent than the rest of any region, so likewise the dignity of holy doctors is higher than that of the rest. These also "are girded with exsultation," that is, they have the consolation of the Holy Spirit within them.

Vers. 14. *Et valles abundabunt frumento*. Then the valleys also, that is, the Churches, will supply an abundance of that grain, concerning which the Lord said: "Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (Joan. XII, 24). But why are the Churches denoted by the name of valleys? Because, forsooth, they receive the waters of the intellectual mountains, that is, of the prophets.

^D

PSALM LXV

Vers. 1. *In finem, canticum psalmi resurrectionis*. He predicts at once the calling and salvation of the nations as well, and the spiritual resurrection of those who were thenceforth made alive; just as it had been said: "Raising up the needy from the earth" (Psal. CXIII, 7). Indeed, the person of the apostles is also introduced, recounting how much they have suffered for the sake of the evangelical preaching, and how these afflictions have...

of those who have learned what they have suffered for the sake of the evangelical proclamation, and how their tribulations have led them to eternal joys. Furthermore, the rejection of the Jewish people is also signified.

Vers. 3. Say to God: How terrible are thy works!

^A And the historical sense stands thus; but as it pertains to the spiritual sense, very terrible are the works of Christ—that is to say, his prodigies and the driving away of the host of unclean spirits. But the summit and culmination of his power is the resurrection, which overturned the empire of death and renewed the entire nature of man to immortality. But yet the Jewish multitudes, although spectators of the great miracles of Christ, whereas they ought to have admired the worker of miracles, instead, on the contrary, were blaspheming, saying: "This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons." And after a few words: The blessed Psalmist therefore rebukes them, saying: "Say to God: How terrible are thy works." Cease, he says, to move such an intemperate and unbridled tongue against Christ, the Savior of all. ^B Indeed, it is the custom of the saints to be not a little incensed if any should sin against the common Savior, Christ. And the blessed prophet David does indeed rebuke them more mildly, saying: "Say" (and the rest). But the prophet Isaiah presses upon the insulting ones more fervently, saying: "O perverse children, a seed of adulterers and of a harlot." And a little after: "Are you not children of perdition?" Therefore, seeing them to be contumacious, he leaves off addressing them and turns his words to the accused Christ, saying: Great is thy power, since even thy enemies lie to thee, of their own free will closing their eyes against the light that has risen for the world, though such a superabundance of miracles compels them to believe. For although by the magnitude of his own virtue ^C our Lord accomplished the resurrection of his own humanity from the dead, his enemies, the Hebrews, lied to him; that is to say, they slandered his resurrection.

[numeral]237[numeral] He denotes by enemies and liars the teachers of the Jews who denied the resurrection, and for this reason gave money to the soldiers.

Vers. 4. Let all the earth adore thee, and let it sing to thee.

^D Even if, he says, the Jews will deny thee, yet instead of them the whole earth will bow down to thee and adore thee—that is to say, the nations that dwell upon the earth. For the adoration is no longer in Jerusalem, the legal shadow now having ceased, according to that saying: "Everyone shall adore him from his own place," the adoration now entering in in spirit and in truth, with works responding to the adoration of God.

This prediction concerns the present time, in which God is celebrated with universal hymns among all the nations, and the Lord Christ is called the Most High by all.

Vers. 5. *There we will rejoice in him.* ^A The meaning is: There we will reign with Christ, when he shall reign in the new age, and we will rejoice in him; for we will rejoice in him who mitigates hardships. There he will wipe away our tears, there he will lead us away from all sorrow, lovingly crying out and saying: "I am, I am he who blots out your sins, and will remember them no more."

Vers. 7. *Let not those who provoke [him] be exalted in themselves.* ^B By those who provoke, he means the Jews. That is, let not the arrogant people—namely, Israel—think proudly, nor let them lift up a heavy eyebrow against the nations. Let them not say within themselves: "I am the firstborn of the children of God, I have Abraham as my father." Let them not, I say, think proudly; let them rather know that by their unbelief they have provoked against themselves the pursuing God.

Vers. 8. *Make the voice of his praise heard.* ^C When you hear from us how praises ought to be spoken, then praise with us, no longer as formerly those false gods, but our God. That is, learn from us, and then finally glorify God with us, adorning with perpetual praises the universal Savior and Redeemer.

Vers. 10. *For you have tested us, O God; you have tried us with fire, as silver is tried.* ^D The meaning is: The Spirit predicts the afflictions which befell the apostles on account of their preaching, describing them from their own perspective. For just as silver is melted by fire and is purified very well, so also the souls of the saints are kept from every stain if they resist the onsets of temptations manfully; for their trial is accomplished as if by fire and a melting art. For Paul assigns these expressions to the holy martyrs. But even those who walk through the fire of burning anger, and through the midst of the waters of slippery pleasure and lust, and yet are not detained by these passions, find refreshment.

The disciple of the Savior cries out to us: "Brothers, do not be surprised at the burning among you, which is happening to you for a trial, as though something strange were happening to you; rather, insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings, rejoice." He calls it a burning in these matters...

^A signifying the testing through labors. For we must show ourselves courageous in these things, "knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience," he says, "have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." And after a little: "Therefore, those who bravely endure the struggles for piety, and are accustomed to be found acceptable through temptations, and then, having conquered, have arrived at the goal of their hope, say: 'We went through fire and water, and you brought us out into a place of refreshment.'"

^B Exustion, as I said, he terms the affliction in struggles; by waters he again likens the injuries of the persecutors, or rather their unbridled impulses and unbearable onslaughts: for the onslaught of river waters is unbearable.

*Vers. 11. You have laid tribulations upon our back.*

^C For where is the skill of one who knows how to wrestle discerned, unless contests are proposed and crowns promised? And where is the soldier tested? Is it not when the occasion calls to battle? So, therefore, do labors prove the brave lover of true religion, and temptations make him illustrious. For God led them into the trap, not by forging the temptation himself, but by rather permitting them to be tempted, so that those who were genuine might appear, and that they might receive the unfading crown.

*Vers. 15. I will offer you fat burnt offerings, etc.*

(^A Of Cyril, Athanasius, Basil.) ^D All things are to be understood spiritually, both the burnt offerings and the oxen and the goats, which he promises to pay. And the offering is made with rams. Rams are the movements and impulses which come from the irascible part of the soul; or they are understood as thoughts which, with reason as their leader, fight like a horn against the passions. He immolates an ox who offers himself as a living sacrifice through his deeds; for the ox, being an animal suitable for tilling the earth, has a certain analogy with the body formed from the earth. Goats denote the works of repentance; for they were offered for sin. And incense is the fragrance breathing forth from pure souls.

*Vers. 16. Come, listen, and I will declare.*

(^B f. 269, [H] f. 124) He does not make mention of ancient stories, nor how Israel was delivered from Egypt in times past; but he teaches not according to the legal letter, but as one who has already announced the new covenant, he marvels at the new benefits of our Savior, which He has bestowed upon all our souls.

*Vers. 17. I cried out to him with my mouth, and I exalted him under my tongue.*

(^A f. 332, ^B f. 269, [E] f. 123, [G] f. 59, [H] f. 124) What indeed is "I cried out and I exalted under my tongue," it is necessary to see with precise consideration. For some, while praying, imitate the Jewish malice and emulate the boasting of the impious Pharisees,

being exceedingly high and loud with their voice; for they think, as is likely, from great and extreme ignorance, that if they do not cry out loudly, God will not hear. It is necessary, therefore, since we know that God knows all things and the things in the heart, to pray to Him quietly and secretly; and let the mind cry out to God by the intensifying of the petition. Thus our Savior Himself taught us to pray, saying, "But you, when you pray," and so on. What then does it mean, "I have cried out to Him"? He speaks here of the inward, intense cry, which the inflamed heart produced. ^B

Ver. 18. *If I observed iniquity in my heart, let not the Lord hear me.* Beautiful is the confidence of the saints! For they have a conscience pure from every iniquity. Again he boasts before God, that he was indeed outside of every iniquity; and therefore he is confident that he will be heard. Symmachus, however, says this: "If I have foreseen injustice in my heart, let not the Lord heed me." If while I was praying for freedom and for a return home, I thought at the same time to do something iniquitous after my return, so that I would not obtain divine kindness; that I do not lie, the facts testify. He did not say *I observed* (aspex), but *I was observing* (aspiciebam). The former word signifies an evil thought of short duration; the latter, one of longer duration.

Ver. 19. *Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer.* Seeing me pure from such thoughts, He deigned to grant me an abundance of His gifts. With these things said, the chorus of the pious concludes the discourse with a hymn: for the pure prayer of those having a pure heart was not rejected. Mercy is not absent from prayer: for I, by praying, ask for mercy from God. ^C

PSALM LXVI. [Ver. 2. *God be merciful to us.* "For the Orient from on high hath visited us," as the blessed David says, "God is the Lord, and hath appeared to us." God and Father has shown us His countenance, that is, the Son: for He is the image and "the figure of His substance"; for indeed He said clearly: "He that seeth Me, seeth the Father also. I and the Father are one." — *From Corderius.*] ^D

Ver. 3. *That we may know Thy way upon earth.* I pray, he says, O Master, that Thy countenance may appear, which may illuminate the nations sitting in darkness and lead them to salvation, so that the inhabitants of the earth and the gentiles may know the way of salvation. For when Thou revealest Thy face, the way that leads to Thee is known. What is this way, indeed, if not He who says: "I am the way, and no one comes to the Father except through Me," through whom we have also been saved through faith. Therefore we have known again that the way to the Father is the Son Himself. Moreover, the way of the Lord...

^A and the commandments—according to the word, "Teach me the way of your statutes"—which He asks for, he demands not to be preached only in Judea, where the law was given, but to be known among all the nations.

*Let the peoples confess to you, O God.* ^B (From Cyril and Theodoret.) The prophetic Spirit prophesies the confession of all nations into Christ, and, delighted with the salvation of the world, often speaks the same things, enjoying the continuous narrative of His joy. He says, therefore, that it is fitting for all peoples and nations scattered throughout the world to rejoice, and to dance, and to recount Your benefits. For they knew that You have care for no thing without oversight, but are the judge of all, passing just sentences, leading those who are wandering toward the truth, and punishing those who are unwilling to be persuaded. For when the way was known to those on earth, and the salvation of God was revealed to all nations, having been freed from all malice and the error of polytheism, the nations rejoice, accomplishing moral virtue, and they exult, having received the knowledge of God. And "peoples" and "nations" are used synonymously.

*Let the nations rejoice and exult.*

*Let the peoples confess to you, O God; let all the peoples confess to you.* For how were the people on the earth not going to praise and bring forth fruit, with incense and a pure sacrifice being offered in every place, according to the prophecy spoken here? Repetitions of words indeed make the hearers attentive. However, it is necessary to know that men, while blessing God, offer only words to Him; they are unable to benefit Him by work. But God, blessing, confirms words by work, and provides a supply of every kind of good to those who are blessed. Then He teaches how to obtain the divine blessing.

*The earth gave its fruit; let God bless us.* For every man’s fruit is found in his works. For man is earth; but the Cross is also hinted at. Likewise he sought the blessing. But the nations, in begging to be blessed, seem in some way to ask for the [release] from the judgment of the law.

and rather to thirst for the salvation and grace through Christ.

Vers. 8. *And let all the ends of the earth fear him.* ^A (Cyril and Theodoret.) For the fear of God drives one to the accomplishment of virtue; this having been brought to pass, it will altogether and in every way follow that it is well for those who possess it in all respects. For he who is piously disposed toward the divine laws, and who fears the coming judgment, serves God through the keeping of them. And divine service procures the blessing. Observe also that by the very end, He taught that the divine fear is to be held not only by Jews, but by all human beings. For all tribes and all tongues fear and glorify the Trinity. ^B It must be noted that by the triplication of the word "God," while adding the imperative in the singular, "And let them fear him," He laid bare the mystery of the holy Trinity and the unity of the Godhead.

PSALM LXVII

Vers. 2. *Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered.*

For as long as He is long-suffering and does not bring upon those who transgress the punishment befitting them, He is thought in some way to sleep and rest: but when He loosens the bridle of indignation, then He seems as if to arise and wage war against His own enemies; and the voices of the saints provoke Him to this very thing.

When, therefore, God became man, then indeed His enemies were scattered, and those who hated Him fled.

[Vers. 5. *Sing unto God, etc.*

He commands to prepare the way leading to the heavens for those who are ignorant of the heavenly Father, and for souls widowed and deprived of the bridegroom: for He came to be the avenger and judge of these. Observe the precision of the discourse: for He did not simply say, "Exult," but of necessity added, "in his sight," namely, [in the sight] of our common Savior Christ. It is necessary, however, that we also attend to the observance of this statement: for they who have a taste for the things in the world do indeed sometimes exult, but not in His sight: for He does not deign to look upon them while they celebrate their feasts. And the prophet will teach us the cause of this regarding them, saying: "For with psalters and timbrels and flutes they drink wine; but they do not look upon the works of the Lord, and they do not consider the works of his hands" (Isa. v, 12).] ^D

Vers. 6. *Let them be troubled from his face, the father of orphans, and the judge of widows.*

He demonstrates God's providential power by calling Him "father," and His justice by calling Him "judge"—that is to say, [He shows Him to be] a guardian

of the destitute, and a judge of those suffering injustice. But who are those troubled, if not the wicked demons? For because the nations have been called to the knowledge of the truth, they are troubled to such a degree that they cry out: "What have we to do with thee?" Those who formerly were held in error and worshiped the creature instead of the Creator, being like orphans in this world, without any protection at all, and exposed to all manner of greed, and like widows without the Word as their spouse, having been plundered by Satan and having become portions for foxes—they, I say, after they have believed in Christ, have gained God as a father for a guardian, and Christ as a spouse, who implants in them divine seeds, as they have been united to Him through faith.

God in His holy place.

^B The holy place of God are his lovers, that is to say, the soul of every holy person.

God makes those of one habit dwell in a house.

^A He grants them, he says, a firm and secure perseverance in all good things. For this is what it means to be made to dwell in a house by God. It is necessary to say who the "man of one habit" is. For many have accepted faith in the Lord, but because they have not yet completely turned their minds away from the ancient error, they are still sick in part. For they believe that Christ is God, but they maintain Hellenic dispositions within themselves; for they avoid certain foods as if they were abominable, and they observe certain days; nay, they even name some fate and fortune, and inventing genealogies, they think that human affairs are governed ^C by them. But he who thinks in this way, even after faith, is not a man of one habit, but rather of many opinions, and is changeable, insecure, and unstable.

Bringing out those who were chained in strength.

^A Similar to the saying: "Who says to those in bonds: Come forth, and to those in darkness: Be revealed." Now, bonds and darkness are the worship of idols and that detention in Hades. He says this, therefore, that having gone even into Hades with the power of the divinity, He preached to the spirits there who were once disobedient, and He freed those who had been chained with the fetters of sins and formerly bound with diabolical bonds, having granted the remission of sins. But He also raised up with Himself those who had been held captive by death from of old, having loosened the bonds of death. And He willed to deliver not only those from the nations ^D who believed, but also those under the circumcision; for these He calls the exasperating ones.

^A He says that those who disbelieve are exasperating, whom He also wished to lead out. But because they persevere in disbelief, they dwell in their own bodies as in foul-smelling tombs.

Vers. 8. *Deus, cum egredereris in conspectu populi tui.*

At the time when God determined to deliver Israel, which was worshipping idols and had been nurtured in the customs of the Egyptians, and to recall them to the knowledge of the truth, He appeared to move almost all things: with the waters turned into blood, with hail sent from heaven, with the sea divided and its waves solidified, and with manna raining down from heaven. And now the Psalmist, being about to demonstrate that He who just now descended to the lower regions is the same who formerly, through Moses, led Israel out of Egypt, says to Him: And at that time when Thou wast leading out the Jews, and going before them in a pillar of fire and a cloud through the desert, the whole earth was shaken, as the report of the prodigious departure of the Israelites filled the ears of all, which was unknown to no mortal. For Thy works were heard of, and were carried to the knowledge of the whole world. For as if one were saying: "The whole city was shaken," instead of "it heard and was amazed," so you will understand in this place what is said by the voice of the Psalmist: ^B "The earth was shaken." For it was amazed at the things wonderfully wrought by Thee, who gavest oracles to the sons of Israel on Mount Sinai. But there is also a deeper sense. When God departed from His people, saying: "I have left My heritage, and have gone into the desert," that is, to the Church from the nations, then the greatest shaking and change of things occurred. For the heavens, that is, the Apostles who are wise concerning celestial things, distilled divine and spiritual doctrines and laws. This ^C was also signified by those two goats, of which one was sacrificed, and the other was sent away free into the desert; so that we may think of Christ as having suffered in the flesh at the hands of the Jews, and remaining impassible in His divinity, and as it were migrating into the desert from the God-slayers to the nations. The grace of the Spirit also came upon us, like drops of dew.

Vers. 10. *Pluviam voluntariam segregabis, Deus, hæreditati tuæ.*

According to the literal sense, the rain here denotes the manna, which rained upon the Jews as a peculiar benefit; but spiritually, He calls rain the evangelical word, which was brought down to us from above and from heaven through Christ, or the Savior Himself who descended to the human condition, just as it is said in another psalm: "He shall descend as rain," and the rest. ^D "Voluntary," however, is used to distinguish it from the legal worship. For certain precepts of the Old Testament were not voluntary to God, nor were they, so to speak, primary to man.

^A For it was measured according to the nature of those who received it. Hence it was said: "Who has sought these things from your hands?" But the inheritance of Christ is the Church of the Gentiles, according to those words: "I will give you the nations as your inheritance." To this, therefore, by the will and pleasure of God, the evangelical word was set apart.

To those evangelizing with great power. ^B (From Cyril and Hesychius.) Namely, to the apostles; for He gives them great power of signs and wonders.

To the beauty of the house to divide the spoils. ^B (From the papers: For the blessed disciples divided among themselves what is under heaven; and some preached to these, others to those. Therefore they divided the spoils; for those who had once served the devil, they captured with their admonitions and brought to Christ for the beauty of His house. For the beauty and adornment of the Churches is the holy multitude of those who believe in Christ.)

[Wings of a dove covered with silver.]

Anonymus. He calls the grace of the Spirit ^D the wings of a dove; for in the form of a dove it descended upon the streams of the Jordan. Of this, the simpler and whiter things are presented to the simpler ones, but the deeper things to the more perfect. For the mysteries, he says, are "mine to me and to mine." And those, as imperfect, He waters with milk, but to these He offers solid food. He calls the two Testaments the lots. If, therefore, he says, you draw near to both doctrines, you will see the manifold grace of the Holy Spirit. He commanded not merely to approach, but also to wait upon it continuously. For he who sleeps is motionless.

[They shall be made white as snow in Selmon.]

predicts the day of Pentecost, on which the apostles received the Spirit in Selmon—that is, in Jerusalem—and were illuminated; to whom he was distributing the kingdom of the habitable world, and commanded one to preside over these nations, and another over those.

[Verse 16. The mount of God, a fat mount.] He says this mountain is fat, and indeed also curdled; fat, inasmuch as it is well-watered and, besides this, flourishing, and for this reason able to have many flocks of sheep. For there are very many cattle in the Churches of the Savior, which feed on the words of divinely-inspired Scripture, and drink up the divine and heavenly word. For Christ is among them, who says: ^B "If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink." The mountain is therefore fat, inasmuch as it is well-watered and spiritually flourishing; but it is also curdled, that is, solidified and compact. For there is nothing dissolute or watery in the Church, but everything is restrained toward piety. — From Corderius.

Verse 18. The chariot of God is ten thousand-fold.] He calls the heavenly and intellectual powers the chariot of God, upon which God sits as if on a chariot. The apostles can also be understood as the chariot, by whom God the Word is borne and traverses the world; likewise their successors, who are equally pure and abounding in ^C virtues, bearing to God the fruit of their piety, and being ten thousand times more numerous than those among the Jews who were formerly worthy of the divine indwelling.

Verse 19. You ascended on high, you led captivity captive.] To what height has the Lord ascended? To that of the cross, as He himself teaches you, saying: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth" (John xii, 32)—that is, when I have endured the cross for the sake of the life of all—"will draw all people to myself." Indeed, He obtained dominion over the whole world, having destroyed the prince of this age and having drawn all to Himself. ^D You received gifts in man. For indeed the disobedient, etc.

What these are, the Son himself will manifest, as if speaking from the person of God the Father, saying: "Ask of me" (Ps. ii, 8), and the rest. For the Father delivered to the Son those who were formerly disobedient and deceived by error, so that, by dwelling in them through the Spirit, He might make them sons of God.

^{A B C D} *Lord God be blessed.* For those who are added every day, and through faith in Christ are called to life, strive to glorify Him with ceaseless praises.

*Prosperous shall be the way for us, the God of our salvation.* He who gave us salvation, He says, will also smooth the way for us, so that we may not fall short of such great blessings; and He will open the door of the Word, so that the way of the proclamation may be made prosperous for us.

*Our God, the God of saving, and of the Lord are the outlets of death.* ^B Clearly do the apostles place their trust in Him, whom, even when they had reached the very threshold of death on account of their preaching, God courageously rescued. They say that the outlets of death—that is, the deliverance—belong to His power, since He grants to those who love Him to be able to pass through, or rather to escape, the snares of death. For He alone, being the God who saves and the fountain of salvation, found the outlets of death by rising from the dead. Since every human being has reached the entrance of death, but has never been able to move past it; yet the Lord, who is indicated by these present words, having made outlets of death and opened up to us His inescapable guard, has become the God of saving. Wherefore He also said to Job: *Hast thou come to the fountain of the sea, and hast thou walked in the tracks of the abyss? Do the gates of death open to thee for fear, and have the porters of Hades trembled seeing thee?*

*I will turn back in the depths of the sea.* Those who have been carried down into the abyss of pleasures, he says, and have been submerged in worldly self-indulgences, I will turn back to Myself.

*So that thy foot may be dipped in blood.* He teaches the reason for their conversion, namely that the evil powers have been destroyed. For He brought their blood down to the earth and was sprinkled with the slaughter of them, according to the voice of Isaiah, so that His foot also was dipped in blood. ^C But the discourse describes such things in a more historical manner, and fashions them as if concerning a war and a commander. For those who are accustomed to being victorious in war and battles dip their foot in the blood of the fallen as they trample upon the slain. Here, therefore, since He has shown the God of all as a sort of champion fighting against enemies and liberating those who have been unjustly enslaved, he describes in words both streams of blood and corpses being trampled upon, and these left unburied, thrown out, and lying as food for dogs. You save, therefore, he says, those who are in danger, and you make war upon the enemies, so that your foot may be dipped in blood, and the tongue of your dogs also be dipped in the blood of the enemies. He takes again as if from a manifest fact the example: for herds of cattle are always accompanied by dogs which keep away wild beasts with their barking and biting.

^A Likewise, holy and all-wise dogs accompany the rational flocks of the Saviour, keeping away strange beasts with their own eloquence as if with barking. He calls the guardians of the intellectual sheepfold, the holy apostles and bishops, "dogs of the Lord," whose tongue tastes, as it were, the blood of spiritual enemies. He says, therefore, that the voice of the apostles, aided by Him—that is, by God—will be, as it were, the cause of death for the evil demons. This, however, is metaphorical; for when enemies have been killed, dogs lap their blood and tear their bodies to pieces. Otherwise, the foot of Christ is the man born of Mary, who was stained with blood in his passion. But the tongue of the dogs—that is, of the impure nations—tasted of the immaculate blood after they had receded from the devil. ^B

Vers. 27. *In the churches bless ye God the Lord from the fountains of Israel.*

The fountains of Israel would be the blessed prophets, and before them, the Law. He says, therefore, that we ought not to praise God from any other source than by drawing from their teaching. He counsels this because of the heterodox writings of the heretics. For it is from the legal and prophetic Scriptures that the Lord is praised by those who are able to draw water with joy from these very fountains of salvation. ^C

Vers. 28. *There is Benjamin the younger in an ecstasy of mind.*

Where, indeed? In the churches, or in the midst of those who are singing. And who is Benjamin, if not the blessed Paul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin? He is "the younger," because the Lord appeared to him last of all the apostles. He is in "an ecstasy of mind" on account of his being caught up into the third heaven, and because of the greatness of his revelations, just as he himself says: *For whether we were beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for you*; and also because he obtained a more divine transformation. Hence also that true saying: *He shall eat in the morning, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil.* For he who persecuted the Church was shortly after an evangelist of the faith. ^D

*Princes of Juda, their leaders.*

He also makes mention of the remaining teachers and apostles of the Church, who were chosen from almost every tribe of Israel so that they might be ecumenical luminaries, and he says that they were appointed as princes and leaders of the singers: from the tribe of Juda, like the brothers of the Lord, and Levi, or Matthew; from the tribe of Zabulon and Nephthalim, like Peter and Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee, and Philip, who were from the village of Bethsaida; James of Alphaeus from Capharnaum; Simon the Zealot, who is called the Canaanite. All these are small towns of Galilee, where

Zabulon and Nephthalim obtained their lot. There are two witnesses of this fact, the one a prophet, the other an evangelist; the former predicting, the latter testifying. Wherefore from the said tribes these apostles proceeded, who were constituted princes and leaders of the Churches. ^A

Manda, Deus, virtuti tuae.

By the power of the Father, he means the Son, according to that: "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1, 24). The apostolic choir therefore implores the Father that He may command the Son regarding the preaching of the Gospel; "for I speak not of myself," He says, "but whatsoever He shall hear from the Father" (Joan. XII, 49; XVI, 13); and so that He may strengthen them, He established them, as if pointing with His finger, that the infirm body, falling into death on account of the transgression committed in Adam, ^B would, I say, be vivified by Christ in His own time; they ask that He might deliver the body from corruption and clothe it with immortality, recalling it to the primordial state, that is, to the blessed and integral life which was in the beginning; this the Lord will indeed perform in His own time, when He shall come from heaven, and the dead shall rise incorruptible.

Increpa feras arundinis.

Because many are angered by the lives of the saints conducted according to God, especially the unclean demons, for this reason he asks that the beasts of the reed be rebuked. It must be known that there is a place in Palestine, ^C on the road to the city of Jerusalem, which is named Calamus, because there is much reed there, in which hide fierce and bloodthirsty lions, and other wild beasts lurking in the grove, which lie in wait for those traveling toward Jerusalem. Therefore, from a notorious fact, the discourse of the Psalmist transfers us to arcanum and spiritual senses. For what do the beasts in the Calamus do? They lie in wait with cruel intent for those traveling to the city of Jerusalem. We shall find the same thing being done by unclean demons as well: for intellectual lions lie in wait for those who are pilgrims to the intellectual Jerusalem, who yield to the sterility and levity of inconstant men, and rest in those who are arid toward virtue ^D but slippery toward pleasure. Just as it is said in Job concerning the devil, namely that he lies under every tree, within the reed, the marshy bushes, and the papyrus (Job, XL, 16). Finally, there are other beasts of the reed, namely the inventors of impious heresies, who secretly write things worthy of beasts and perverse, and who, using the reed as a tooth, devour the souls of the simpler-minded.

^A Vers. 31, 32. *Dissipa gentes. Venient legati ex Aegypto, Aethiopia praeveniet manum suam Deo* (festinabit dare manus suas Deo).

As if the intellectual enemies were now dissipated, the apostles henceforth hasten to their preaching. The Egyptians believe, and likewise the Ethiopians, that is, the ends of the earth; for the Ethiopians are the farthest of all, both in the east and in the west. By the Egyptians he signifies the nations that are above all idolaters and opposed to the religion of Israel: for Egypt surpassed other nations in impiety; and by the Ethiopians, as we have said, the ends of the world. Now, how Ethiopia came to the Gospel, and how the prophecy published concerning it was led to its conclusion, it is possible to recognize in the Ethiopian eunuch whom Philip led to the truth, who was symbolically the hand of the queen of the Ethiopians, inasmuch as he was a governor in Ethiopia, and in that he was set over all her wealth or treasury. But that Ethiopia signifies all nations that are black with sin, the bride teaches us in the Canticle, saying among her repentance: *I am black and beautiful* (Cant. 1, 4), the former on account of idolatry and malice, the latter on account of withdrawing from these vices. Thus, therefore, Ethiopia anticipates (or extends) her hand to God while praying; or she also behaved in this way when she brought gifts to the King, both the aromatics of piety and the gold of attained knowledge of God.

Vers. 35. *Super Israel magnificentia ejus, et virtus ejus in nubibus.*

For the holy apostles, tracing their lineage from Israel, demonstrated the magnificence of God by the miracles they performed. And those who after them received the grace of teaching, like certain clouds drawing rain from the sea of the most holy Spirit, brought irrigation to men. Or the expression, *His virtue is in the clouds*, is placed for "great, exalted, admirable." Otherwise, as each one in Israel excels in contemplation and is lifted up above earthly things, so the mighty works and power of God become known to him.

Vers. 36. *Mirabilis Deus in sanctis suis, Deus Israel.*

Lovers of virtue, by the examples of their right living, are the cause that God is praised; and they alone marvel at God, as they are able to contemplate His magnificent providence. So then, this God of the spiritual Israel, or which is the same thing, the God of the holy ones, will strengthen the new people so that they might both speak and do all things for His glory: and He will supply the strength to withdraw from the error of idols, and steadfastness to remain in the pure faith of Christ: for God is benevolent, who fashioned and refashioned and deemed His people worthy of such great goods.

PSALMUS LXVIII. ^D

Vers. 1. *In finem, pro his qui commutabuntur, ipsi Davidi.*

The psalm contains the prayers of the Saviour as if

^A offered in the person of human nature, and it clearly explains the causes for which the punishment of the cross was brought upon Him, as well as the passion itself, and the calamities that would befall the Jews thereafter; in addition to these, it sets forth the introduction of the evangelical way of life, and the teaching of worship in spirit and in truth, within which he also defines the psalm. Regarding the fact that the Saviour offered every prayer in the person of the human nature, this very thing is indicated at the end of the psalm, where He says: "Because the Lord hath heard the poor, and hath not despised His prisoners." For at the consummation of the present age, God the Lord appeared to us, and we were changed by an intellectual conversion—not falling from good to worse, as happened in Adam, but migrating from every kind of evil toward all goodness. Moreover, Paul writes in the Epistle to the Hebrews concerning Christ, that in the days of His flesh He offered up both prayers and supplications with a loud cry and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death. And according to the Gospel, being in agony, He prayed more earnestly, with sweat, while an angel strengthened Him.

Vers. 2. *Save me, O God, for the waters have entered into my soul.*

^A It seems to be spoken in the person of the Lord regarding what came to pass, when, having become man, He humbled Himself unto death. For because He suffers on our behalf, He rightly entreats to be delivered from the temptations which, like a winter torrent, had flooded His soul. Furthermore, the type of Christ, Jonah, says: "The waters have compassed me even unto my soul." And in Job: ^B "Hast thou come to the spring of the sea, and walked in the footsteps of the abyss?"—by which the regions of Hades are indicated.

By the waters the inspired Scripture denotes temptations.

Vers. 3. *I came into the depths of the sea, and the tempest overwhelmed me.*

He varies the discourse with different images, because he cannot find an image worthy of the evils that afflict those who are captive. He also hints at the regions of Hades, into which Christ alone descended and passed through. The expression "I came" is similar to, "I lay down my life of myself." ^C For Christ voluntarily underwent the death which He calls a tempest. It is a fitting cry also for one who has suffered shipwreck in all virtue at once: "I came into the depths of the sea, and the tempest overwhelmed me."

Vers. 6. *O God, Thou hast known my foolishness, and my offenses are not hidden from Thee.*

^D It says: Even if there were some offenses for which they crucified Me, certainly Thou, O God, before anyone else [knowest them].

^A Indeed, Thou who canst be hidden by nothing, Thou, O God, knowest—perhaps before all others—what men call folly, by which I mean My passion. For the Lord's passion became a stumbling block to the Jews, but folly to the Gentiles. ^A They called Christ's passion folly, and the cross weakness. Thou, therefore, O Father, He says, knowest the prudent rationale of the cross, which came to be by Thy decree. He says this, moreover, because He became obedient to the Father even unto death, even the death of the cross. ^B And the expression, "My offenses have not been hidden from Thee," is similar to this: "He who knew no sin, He made to be sin for us."

Vers. 9. *I have become a stranger to my brothers.*

Anyone who is truly pious and possesses a right and unadulterated faith may surely employ this expression. For if at any time religion should suffer persecution at the hands of the enemies of the truth, then affection toward kin and family must needs grow weak; and when the glory of God is dragged into ignominy, then the law of brotherly love must give way; but one God, above all others, must be loved, to whom we owe our life.

Vers. 10. *And I covered my soul in fasting, and that became a reproach to me.*

Someone may say: "Yet Christ bore the reputation of a glutton and a wine-bibber among malignants; ^C why then does He say that He suffered reproaches for fasting?" To this it must be answered that Christ rarely attended banquets to which He was invited, together with His own disciples. But the calumniators spoke thus, because they were ignorant of the rest of His self-restraint. A sufficient demonstration of this is the continuous fast of forty days. The same thing happened also at the time of the passion, when, once the bridegroom had been taken away, the disciples fasted; wherefore He too, foreseeing the passion that was ready, and the evils that would from this come upon the Jews, afflicted His soul with fasting: for fasting suppresses the elation of irrational passions. Moreover, some mock the ascetic labors of the saints; and things which are worthy of admiration become an occasion of mockery for them.

Vers. 12. *And I put on sackcloth as my garment, and I became a parable to them.*

^D The Savior Himself confesses and is afflicted for our sake: for sackcloth signifies a harsh way of life and mourning. Yet this also became a "parable," that is, a reproach, to the Lord. For it is customary for the wicked to reproach the good for the afflictions they suffer; wherefore it was consistent that Christ, after His death, should become a parable to the Jews: for example: "May our enemy suffer such things as this crucified one." According to some, by the word "sackcloth" the body is signified, which is hard and resistant. Some assert that the body which Christ assumed is indicated by this kind of garment.

for that reason, on account of the flesh he had put on, the Lord was insulted. ^A Vers. 13. *Against me they were mocking, those who sat in the gates.* The Jews also used to insult Christ at banquets, making him a subject of drunken conversation and a laughingstock, and in their conversations with one another they would mock him. For the gatherings of idle men spent their time around him, and they "mocked," that is, they were idle and constantly chattering. [Vers. 13. *And those who were drinking were singing psalms against me.* He says these things, indicating the most wretched shipwreck of the Jewish Synagogue, and praying that he might not be suffocated along with them in the depth of ignorance.] Vers. 14. *But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.* ^B Symmachus: "But you are my prayer, O Lord." Having these things occurring, he says, I turn my eye toward you and await the help from you. And the Savior might also be saying to the Father: Even if they insulted me and returned evil for good, yet I will not cease offering my prayers to you on their behalf. And this is evident from what the evangelist records of him, that even on the cross he was praying for those who were crucifying him. Then he puts next the very words of the prayer. *At a time of favor, O God.* ^C For God and Father was pleased to sum up all things in Christ; and "to sum up" is to take back and restore the nature of things to what it was in the beginning. He calls the will of God "favor," that we might be saved, since it pleased him well. "When, therefore, the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law." Having come for this purpose, he says: "A time of favor," which is the same as that saying: "The hour has come." *In the abundance of your mercy, hear me, in the truth of your salvation.* ^D You will do this if you save me, who has died for their sake, through the resurrection. For I am receiving life and salvation on their behalf; for those who were dead because of sin will be made alive with me. The salvation from God is truly the only one, whereas the salvation which physicians and commanders of armies provide is shadowy. *May I be rescued from those who hate me, and from the deep waters.* The Savior also asks to be rescued from the Jews, who hated him because he openly rebuked the wickedness hidden in their souls. Or he calls the depth of the waters death and the temptations which we overcome through Christ. For in that he himself suffered, having been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

^A Vers. 16. *Ne me demergat tempestas aquae.* By the storm of water, he seems to call the abyss and the pit, either the dangers of temptations or sometimes Hades itself. For he says: "Thou hast brought up my soul from Hades," as if the discourse were about someone who had fallen into a pit whose mouth had immediately been closed. But now, after the Lord has shown in those words, "I have stuck fast in the mire of the deep," the dissolution of the body in death, and has recounted the descent into Hades, he now says concerning the ascent: "May I be rescued," he says, "from the depths of the waters," and the rest. For death, having prevailed, swallowed up other souls, and the pit held them fast, having closed them in with its own mouth. Now death is the pit possessing a mouth, having from of old swallowed all who have fallen into it, and after swallowing them, having closed its own mouth so that no one might return to life. But as for me, he says, may no such thing happen. He mentions the storm, wishing to demonstrate the most bitter shipwreck of the Jewish Synagogue, and at the same time praying that he might not be suffocated with it in the abyss of unbelief. But why, when he had said above, "The storm has submerged me," does he now say, "Let not the storm submerge me"? Because it is possible for one who has been submerged to swim up again, he prays that he may not experience again what he has already suffered. I have known waves and other things of this kind, and a terrible storm raised against the soul by the passions of the flesh; to these it is necessary to present oneself as difficult of access, and not be overwhelmed by their salty moisture, but always to pray, saying: "May I be rescued from the depths of the waters," and the rest. ^B

Vers. 17. *Exaudi me, Domine, quoniam benigna est misericordia tua.* But why does the Only-Begotten also need to be heard, being equal to the Father and endowed with equal dignity? He himself states the cause: "Because thy mercy is benign," that is, "Therefore I need to be heard, because I have become man through thy clemency toward men, and for the sake of men I have fittingly assumed this office."

Vers. 18. *Ne avertas faciem tuam a puero tuo.* Because the Father also, on account of the transgression of Adam, had averted himself from human nature, for this reason Christ asks that the Father turn his face toward it again, and not retain his anger: he uses the metaphor of those who, when they are angry, avert their faces. For the aversion of the Lord is abandonment.

Vers. 18. *Quoniam tribulor, cito exaudi me.* On account of the excess of pain, grant me sudden comfort. What then troubles you? Speak; what is burdensome to you, O David? Hear him speaking openly: "For my iniquities have gone over my head, as a burden they have weighed heavily upon me." Therefore draw near ^D

^A to Him who says: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Christ, likewise, may perhaps be speaking with the Father: "I am concerned about a common matter, that is, man, so that he may be rescued by us from captivity into freedom. Answer me quickly, for this mysterious operation regarding man requires haste."

*Attend to my soul, and deliver it.*

^B The Savior seems to say to the Father: "Redeem my soul from him who holds it, that is, from death." And what then is the manner of this redemption? It is the justification in Christ, salvation through faith, and the remission of sins through holy baptism. Thus did God once deliver the Israelites ^C, depicting beforehand to us in shadows and types the mystery of Christ, which was unknown even to the angels themselves.

*Deliver me for the sake of my enemies.*

The Savior, on account of the injustice which we have suffered from our spiritual enemies, rouses the Father to show us mercy. Now if any should call into question why, having prayed so, Christ did not escape these temptations, let him hear that He prayed as man that He might not enter into temptation; yet, because it was profitable for our salvation that He should suffer, He accepted the passion, preferring the divine will to the human.

*For you know my reproach.*

^C To the Father the Savior says: "You know," He says, "the reproach which I have endured for the sake of your name, the shame which I have borne for the sake of your truth, the ignominy which I have suffered for the sake of your glory." For those who afflict me, who buffet me, who crucify me, are doing all these things before your very eyes.

*My heart has expected reproach and misery.*

From this point, Christ relates His own passion, which the evangelists later clearly recorded. But there was no one to sympathize or to console, because the disciples had fled, one here and another there.

*They gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.*

"They made even this food of mine," He says, "bitter and grievous; for to those who eat with sorrow, even the most delicious food is unpleasant." The blessed evangelists note that when Christ was thirsty while hanging on the cross, and asked for drink, they offered Him vinegar mixed with gall; and having tasted it, He would not drink, so that this scriptural prophecy of the Psalm might be fulfilled.

^A

*Verse 23. Let their table be for them in a snare.* Thus also Symmachus interpreted: "May their table be before them for a snare and for a punishment"; so that one may gather from this that the evils which were to occur to the Jews after the passion of Christ are signified. It is just as if one were to say: May they suffer in like measure those things which they prepared for me to experience. For woe to the wicked! because evils shall befall him according to the merit of his deeds.

*Verse 24. Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see.* Bring upon them a dark cloud of temptations, so that, looking in no way toward the light of divine mysteries, the wicked Jews may perish miserably, because of their own madness and indomitable incredulity. For why should the Jews not be darkened, who did not admit the Sun of righteousness? For when they crucified the Lord of all things, the sun set for them, and the daylight was turned into gloom: which was an evident sign of the blinding of the souls of the people who crucified Him. For to a part of Israel blindness has certainly occurred, and a veil is drawn over their hearts; and though endowed with eyes, they see nothing, because they have rejected the true Light, and have voluntarily closed the eyes of their heart by shutting them tight. ^B

*And let their back be always bent.* And completely unnerve their loins: decree the Babylonian captivity, O Lord, so that for their crimes they may fall into calamitous servitude, always oppressed.

*Verse 25. Let the fury of Thy wrath overtake them.* He calls the quick and wretched punishment the fury of wrath. Certainly against the crucifiers the fury of divine wrath was not poured out partially, as is usually the case for the most part, but fully; and every kind of calamity seized them.

*Verse 27. For whom Thou hast struck, they have persecuted.* You, indeed, he says, when demanding from me the penalties of my madness, handed me over to the Babylonians as if to certain executioners: but these involved me in more evils even than had been commanded to them, and increased the pains of my sin. The God of the universe also reproaches this cruelty of theirs, saying: "I delivered them into thy power, but thou hast shown them no mercy: thou hast made the yoke of the elder heavy, and hast not had pity upon the younger." ^C

And when He had tasted it, they say, "He would not drink"; so that this saying is true: "And bowing His head, He gave up the spirit." Up to this point the Psalm describes these things; but from this point on it foretells the sufferings which were to befall them, as the holy evangelists signify, that at the time of the crucifixion they offered to Christ, who was thirsty and asked for a drink, vinegar mixed with gall. ^D

^A If the discourse is about the crucifiers, this is set forth as the cause for which they will suffer such things. Similar to this is that which is said in Zechariah: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." For because He allowed the Son to suffer, He is Himself said to have delivered Him up. Yet the Son suffered not out of necessity, but willingly; for His passion was the salvation of the world. Therefore, He says, because they themselves did not receive Him—who according to your good pleasure came to be in blows for the sake of the passion—they drove Him far from their own salvation. It is not, therefore, that the Father, because He was governing for the best unto death, as had been foreordained, delivered up the Son, that those who served this counsel should be blameless. For they did not set out to do this in order to gratify God, but they accomplished it by the self-moved counsel of their own soul and led by murderous envy. Then he adds: "And they have added to the pain of my wounds." Since He humbled Himself, but they wrapped Him in death; or because they not only killed Him, but also slandered and falsely accused His resurrection; for this reason he again curses them in what follows.

"Add iniquity to their iniquity."

^B This he says on account of the additions of Jerusalem. He calls iniquity the punishment brought upon them by reason of their sin. But if the discourse is about the crucifiers, it means that to their iniquity against the Lord they will promptly add another iniquity, namely, by killing with the sword James the son of Zebedee, and with a club the brother of the Lord, and Stephen with stones. One iniquity was that they did not accept the Truth that had come into the world, lawlessly remaining in the shadow of the law; another iniquity was that, being driven out from Judea and from the typical worship, they nevertheless perform it where it is not permitted. Therefore they do not enter into the righteousness which is through faith in Jesus Christ, and they will be far removed from the delight prepared for the righteous.

"Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and let them not be written with the righteous."

^C Even if the crucifiers were at first enrolled on account of their ancestors who were living before God, so that the promises had been given to them as well, yet because they dared such things, they will deservedly be blotted out, nor will they be written before God with the chosen righteous and those worthy of life with Him, since they repudiated the Author of life and salvation. For things said in the imperative mood must rather be understood predicatively. The book of life is the memory and knowledge of God; there works are written. Blessed, therefore, is he who is deemed worthy of being written in the Jerusalem above. ^D

^A

*Vers. 30. I am poor and sorrowful: thy salvation, O God, hath taken me up.* The words, "I am poor and sorrowful," spoken in the person of the captives, signify this: When you saw me pressed by misery and vexed with many sorrows, you deemed me worthy of your saving help. Moreover, the Lord himself says that he is poor, insofar as he emptied himself and became man; and sorrowful, insofar as he endured the cross and the stripes inflicted by the Jews, saying to the Father: "Thy salvation, O God, hath taken me up." He says this indeed in a human way, yet he preserves everywhere the principle of the dispensation: for it was necessary that he who was made man should also be said to have been raised up by the Father. From this, the evangelical institution is also proclaimed, of which the choir dedicated to God makes a beginning—poor in spirit—which enters, singing the salvation given to it by the Only-Begotten. It is ordained, moreover, that bloodless sacrifices should henceforth be made, but rather those of praise and spiritual ones. Wherefore he proceeds to say:

*Vers. 31. I will praise the name of God with a canticle.* The wickedness of the Jews is deservedly to be lamented, as they were unwilling to recognize the infancy of the legal worship, even though those who were captives in Babylon promised that they would praise God after their return.

*Vers. 32. It shall please God better than a young calf.* That is, a three-year-old and perfect one; for such were the victims commanded by the law. ^B It must be known that a male calf was accustomed to be sacrificed when the Synagogue had fallen into sin, and likewise for the high priest. Since, therefore, the high priests and princes were gathered together against Christ, and stirred up the peoples subject to them against him, and were the cause of their sin, and therefore were in need of legal purification, he says: "I do not offer a material calf, but the pure and bloodless sacrifice which I have established in my Church."

*Vers. 33. Let the poor see and rejoice.* The apostles say concerning those who believed in Christ through their works that, upon knowing these things, the poor in spirit will rejoice. ^C

*Vers. 35. Let the heavens and the earth and the sea praise him, etc.* ^D I call, he says, the whole creation simultaneously and the very elements to sing hymns: for one tongue does not suffice to recount the divine benefits. The supernal powers incessantly praise God for the freedom recovered by the whole world. For the advent of the Savior bestowed this good also, that he joined men on earth to the spirits above, so that one and the same adoration might be performed by all. And if those in the heavens rejoice at the salvation of men, and praise God for this, much more do those who on earth are saved...

^A praise the One who saved them. Therefore it is added: “and the earth,” so as to say: Let all things, those above and those below, praise Him. For by naming the more principal things, he has included the particulars. And he mentioned the sea, because those in the islands also were to receive the salvation of God.

“For God shall save Sion, and the cities of Judea shall be built. ^B And the seed of His servants shall possess it.”

(A f. 352) In a higher sense, Sion is the holy Church, whose cities also have been built—those souls raised up from the slip of unbelief through confession; for Judea is interpreted as "confession." And the servants of God are the holy apostles; and their seed are those who through them have believed in Christ.

PSALM LXIX

To the end, for David, for a remembrance, that the Lord might save me.

(A f. 352 b) It may also be applied from Christ on behalf of humanity, imploring God to arise to aid it. For it would thus come to pass that the hostile demons pressing upon it would be confounded, ^C and all those who rejoice in its salvation would be glad. Therefore He cries out:

“Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek after my soul.”

(A f. 352 b. Of Cyril and Theodoret.) Let them be brought to nothing, he says, they who desire my slaughter, and let them reap the shame that comes from it. In a higher sense, let the demons who, because of the curse of death, exulted over the fall that befell me of old, no longer dominate me. Worthy is the prayer of David! For he does not pray against those who plot regarding money, or regarding the boundaries of land, ^D but against those who plot against the soul, that is to say, the demons, and the wicked and unbelieving men who work with them.

“Let them be turned backward that say to me: Aha, aha.”

(A f. 352 b. Of Cyril and Theodoret.) Those who take pleasure in my evils, he says, would that they might turn to flight with shame, seeing my restoration, and not enjoy that revelry. For “Aha” is a custom for men to say, when they happen upon something of their own pleasure. And the demons say this when we sin; there are times when they even send forth laughter, mocking us. Yet, it is profitable for the one committing sin to be turned backward, through repentance running back to the good which he had abandoned, with the will to feel shame.

“But I am poor and needy; O God, help me.”

(A f. 353) Perhaps these things are also said from the person of the people of the nations, poor and needy because of sin and impiety, asking for

^A Christ’s help, and that their intellectual enemies be put to shame.

PSALM LXX.

PSALM LXXI.

*Vers. 3. “Let the mountains receive peace for the people, and the hills justice.”* By mountains and hills he here means the angelic powers, which formerly, indeed, because of the wickedness rampaging far and wide on earth, did not traverse the earth; but now they have been commanded to receive peace for all men.

*Vers. 4. “He shall save the children of the poor.”* It is necessary to understand who are denoted here by the poor, and who by the children of the poor. He names the holy apostles as poor; for they were poor in spirit. He has therefore saved us, the children of the poor, justifying through the Spirit in faith and sanctifying.

*Vers. 5. “And he shall remain with the sun.”* “He shall remain,” that is, God, both at once as man and as God, is extended to every age; for he existed even before the moon for generations of generations.

*Vers. 7. “Justice shall rise in his days, and an abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away.”* Justice shall rise for us in the time of Christ through faith; and an abundance of peace, through conversion to God. And in addition to this, the ^D devil is also removed from the midst. Observe that he did not say “be taken away,” but—

^A “vicissim auferatur”—to be taken away in turn; for just as he had already destroyed man, so the devil is destroyed in turn.

[Aliter etiam]—In another way too, the devil, the prince of night, was honored throughout the whole world, as he was signified in a figure by the moon, which is placed at the head of the night, offering a sort of illegitimate light, the wisdom of this world. But he who took away the sin of the world dissolved his glory; in whose days justice truly sprang up through faith, and a multitude of peace through conversion to God. It is well written that he will be taken away in turn, for in return for the fact that he destroyed man, he will be destroyed. — Ex Corderio.]

[Vers. 8. Et dominabitur a mari. ^B And what is meant by this: “From sea even to sea”? First, he defines for us the boundaries of the land of the Jews; then, he says, he will propagate his kingdom throughout the entire world. The boundary for the region of the Jews, as it were from the northern parts, lies along the sea towards Palestine and Phoenicia; and from the southern parts, it lies again along the Salt Sea or the Red Sea. He therefore defines the measure of the land of the Jews, and says: “He shall have dominion from sea even to sea.” But this is too little for the Savior of us all, Christ; for it was not consistent that the limits of his kingdom should be confined to the land of the Jews alone. — Ex Corderio.]

[Vers. 9. Coram ipso procident Ethiopes. ^C By Ethiopians in this passage, he understands those who are spiritually Ethiopians, who have their heart clouded by darkness and their mind, as it were, blackened. He calls those enemies who resist the irreprehensible preaching and meanwhile oppose the truth. For they who formerly hated Christ and had a hostile disposition toward him—that is, those who fight against the truth—while they adore lifeless idols and are subject to Satan, will "lick the dust," that is, they will fall upon the earth, clearly adoring him, and, as it were, prostrate themselves at his knees. — Ex Corderio.]

Reges Tharsis. — Reges Sabba. ^D Tharsis of the nations are the Ethiopians. Furthermore, Tharsis signifies the hyacinthine color, as we have it in the prophet: “The appearance of it as Tharsis.” And finally, in Jonah, the city of Tarsus is denoted. [Sabba is a city of India, from whence the queen of the South came to Solomon.]

Vers. 11, 12. Adorabunt eum. — Quia liberavit pauperem a potente. All shall adore him, having been freed from the bitter tyranny of the devil: for he calls him the "potent one," but the "poor one" the human nature, which at that time was destitute of God.

^A And whom does he call poor and needy here, if not clearly the people from the nations? For this is how the Savior remembered them, saying through the voice of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for which he has anointed me, he has sent me to preach the gospel to the poor." For they were poor who were wandering, having no wealth of virtues, and who were destitute also of the knowledge of the truth; and, as the blessed Paul says, having no hope, and without God in this world.

Vers. 15. *And they shall pray concerning him always.*

Who indeed are these who pray, if not we ourselves who have received his faith? For fixing our prayers upon God, we ask that good things be granted to us through Christ. ^B

Vers. 17. *Let his name be blessed.*

Where indeed is Christ not found, or what nation does not glory in this name?

*Before the sun, his name shall continue.*

How then did he receive that which he appears always to have had? ^C [How, or in what manner, did you foreknow? For he speaks of the mystery of Christ before the foundation of the world: which, as the all-wise Paul writes, was indeed kept silent in eternal times, but was made manifest in the last times of the age. If therefore Christ was foreknown, surely we also were in some way foreknown with him.]

Vers. 18. *Who does wondrous things alone.*

Recounting what he achieved at the time of the incarnation, he lifts up a hymn to him, saying: You are the God of Israel, you alone were able to perform these wonders, namely, to destroy the power of Satan and to rescue those caught in the tyranny of the demons. Observe, however, that none of the things spoken in this psalm fit Solomon, born of the wife of Uriah; neither that: "His name is before the sun," nor that: "It was before the moon for ages of ages." From all this, therefore, it is clear that this psalm has been spoken concerning our Lord Jesus Christ.

Vers. 19. *And blessed be the name of his majesty, etc.*

Every knee shall bow to him, and, the Son being honored, he who begat him is honored at the same time: for Scripture says that the Son is the glory of the Father. ^D For thus surely, at some time, conversing with him as the Son, he said: "Father, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee." This name, therefore, he says, that is, the Son, or Christ Jesus, shall be blessed for the ages.

PSALM LXXII

^A Ver. 20. O Lord, in thy city thou shalt bring their image to nothing. He speaks of the city above and intellectual, which is our mother. For if men had preserved thy image, they would deservedly have been deemed worthy of the heavenly city also.

Ver. 24. Thou hast held my right hand, and in thy will thou hast led me. Since the worker of justice, glorying in the grace of God, had said: "Thou hast held," etc., that is, Thou hast appointed me a keeper of thy will; for this reason, the God of all, declaring it something great and excellent, as if it were to speak out loudly, says: "For what have I in heaven?" etc.

Ver. 27. For behold, they who remove themselves from thee shall perish. Some remove themselves from the Lord not by local distances, but in a manner by habit, sentiment, and morals. For wicked and unjust men, and those guilty of other transgressions, are said to be far from God. "For what fellowship has light with darkness?" But the good and just, and those knowledgeable in the noble deeds of piety, are near to God.

Ver. 27. Thou hast destroyed all who commit fornication against thee. The mother of fornication is unbelief. For who, believing that God is present everywhere, and stands by every action, and oversees the intentions of hearts, would either admit an evil thought, or perform an evil deed? Wherefore, as those who assume that God does not think of the things done by them, they shall deservedly perish. Let us cease from the ways of spiritual fornication, that we may not endure the destruction appropriate and owing to those who love sin. Now, spiritual fornication is every kind of wickedness and uncleanness. And because sins separate us from God who draws near, let us remove this dire barrier and whatever prevents us from drawing near to one another. "For God," he says, "is a near God, and not a God far off."

^D Ver. 28. But for me to adhere to God is good. We adhere to God when we draw near to Him in disposition and follow His divine oracles. For so, too, does the Savior himself say somewhere: "He who loves me follows me, and where I am, there also shall my servant be."

...thy servant and thy servant's house, shall be faithful forever. And do as thou hast spoken, and let thy name be magnified forever. Let them say: The Lord Almighty is the God of Israel; and the house of David thy servant, may it be established. It is therefore without reason that in the following ^B psalm, the words, "The hymns of David, son of Jesse, have finished," were inscribed; for they are in reality the conclusion of the present one, and at the same time a part of the thanksgiving because David’s prayers have been fulfilled.

PSALM LXXIII

Vers. 14. *Thou didst give him for food to the peoples of the Ethiopians.* It is to be believed that by Ethiopians are meant those men who possess an obscured and darkened mind, and one not yet illuminated by the divine light. But those who bend their knees to the Son, of whom it was said: *Before him the Ethiopians shall fall down,* are illuminated by him and cry out: *Let the splendor of the Lord our God be upon us.* ^A But those who possess an almost indelible wickedness, and persevere in their own blackness, these shall become food for the heads of the apostate dragon, and they shall fall by the sword.

Vers. 15. *Thou hast dried up the rivers of Ethan.* ^B He speaks of things that happened in the desert, when he provided drink for the people by drawing water from the rock. *Ethan* is interpreted as the south; and the Jordan lies to the south of the land of Judea.

Vers. 17. *Thou hast made summer and spring.* Perhaps desiring to indicate the four climates of the earth, the Prophet cries out to the Lord: *Thou hast made summer and spring,* that is, the torrid and southern parts of the world, as well as the northern and cold ones. Just as in that text: *The north and the sea thou hast created.* ^C Here, however, he passed over autumn and winter, because summer is adjacent to autumn, and winter to spring.

PSALM LXXIV

Vers. 5. *I said to the iniquitous: Do not act iniquitously; and to those who sin: Do not lift up the horn.* In the historical sense, the Assyrians and Babylonians are commanded not to blaspheme against God, nor be proud of their own strength. For the horn is taken as an image of strength, or of a kingdom; as it was said concerning Christ: *His horn shall be exalted in glory,* ^D that is, his kingdom, and his strength and power over all things. It also signifies pride, as in this place: *Do not lift up the horn.* Regarding the meaning, the Savior says that having established the columns of the Church, that is, the Apostles, he warned others so that they would not wander from the commandments: which later statement is addressed to the other class, that is, the circumcised, who were seditious against the Savior and uplifted in wrath: on whose account their fatherland and all its inhabitants were lost. For the Pharisees let loose the reins of their sacrilegious tongues, and poured out a headlong curse against Christ, and violated all laws, while they impiously condemned him whom they ought least to have condemned. They also lifted up the horn, imagining themselves to be [the people of God].

when they say: "We know that God has spoken to Moses."

*Do not lift up your horn on high, do not speak wickedness against God.* Those from among the nations who practice idolatry sin and speak wickedness against God; they lift up their horn as if on high, and extend a proud neck, opposing God, those who fight against the dogmas of the truth, having become accustomed to lying, and knowing neither what they say nor of what they are confident. For indeed, horned animals glory greatly in their horns. The Word exhorts them not to increase their lawlessness, nor to move their tongue against God.

*For neither from the goings forth, nor from the sunsets, nor from the desert mountains.* ^B By these terms, he signifies the entire world of the inhabited earth: by "goings forth," the east, from which the sun rises; by "sunsets," the west; and by "desert mountains," the northern and southern regions, for these are uninhabited due to the excess of cold and heat. Therefore, he says, do not act lawlessly, because nothing that is done lawlessly in the entire inhabited earth escapes God.

PSALM LXXV

*You shine forth wondrously from the eternal mountains.* ^C Prophets and apostles might be called mountains because of the height of the virtue inherent in them, and because there is nothing low or earth-bound in them; and [they are] eternal, because the Word preached by them from God is preserved and remains forever. We are therefore illuminated by them, that is, we are led and taught.

*You are terrible. — All who are around Him will bring gifts.* The "terrible" is hinted at through all these things. By those "around Him," He calls the saints who offer their virtues to Him.

PSALM LXXVI

*My voice to the Lord, and I cried out.* For those who possess earthly wealth ^D frequently provoke through it the incursions of those who plot against them. But the armor of the righteous man is God, and the expectation of salvation through help from above.

*I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.* Regarding "I meditated," he says it in place of "I have been anxious" and have become caught up in petty cares, such that I even drew near to faint-heartedness. Then, what has happened, or what on the whole was the matter over which he was meditating, that is, worrying, he demonstrates by saying next: *All my enemies have seized the watch.*

And what, again, is this? When enemies lay siege to a city, if those who dwell in it see the guards, that is, the battlements, they are in hope of being saved; but if they should grow drowsy, and then the enemies coming upon them...

if they seize the guards and surmount the walls, ^A then they are truly victorious. When therefore the Psalmist, taking a simile from a military situation, says: "All my enemies have seized the guards," he wishes to teach that all my enemies have gained the victory over me, and the adversaries have prevailed. And after a few words: "As for a city, the enemies have gained the victory and have prevailed."

[Vers. 11. This is the change of the right hand of the Most High. He calls the right hand that which takes up the saints, and saves them, and brings down enemies, and overturns those who resist—the right hand of the Father, the timeless and eternal, which is the Only-begotten. For this reason, casting myself down again, he adds: "I have changed, and I have now thought correctly. I am disposed to believe that God both loves and saves the saints."]

(A f. 384, E Cyril and the Theologian)

Vers. 14. God, in the holy one is thy way. He says that the way of God is the study of truth, the correct handling of every matter—a matter, I say, of everything just and holy.

Vers. 15. Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast made thy power known among the peoples. For He Himself is the author of wonders, because He alone is by His own nature and truly God.

Vers. 16. Thou hast redeemed with thy arm. You will understand the power and the arm to be the Son of God. ^C [For when the Egyptians were punished and were enduring those intolerable plagues, Israel was being instructed, and was being taught by the very things themselves what the power of the Savior was. — Ex Corderio.]

Vers. 17. The waters saw thee, O God, and they were afraid, and the depths were troubled. Holy baptism delivers, and rescues powerfully from the tyranny of the devil. For he dominates us through the sin that festers in our members.

Vers. 19. The clouds gave a voice, for thy arrows run about, etc.

According to the tropological sense, the multitude of those gathered...

in the Churches of God, compared to waters, seeing God ^A dwelling among men, received the salutary fear which is the beginning of wisdom. The abysses, that is the class of the incredulous, were troubled, rising up against the Church. And the clouds which were commanded henceforth not to shed rain upon the ancient vineyard, Israel, are the disciples of the Saviour, who, administering the evangelical word and having distributed the heavenly rain throughout all the world, gave a voice: "For their sound has gone out into all the earth." And the salutary and chosen arrows which wound the souls of those being saved are again the apostles themselves, or else the fiery oracles of God and the energy of the Spirit, running everywhere. But also the thunder, the evangelical discourse that has resounded throughout the world, whence some were called sons of thunder. It was given in the wheel, that is, in this spherical world which is moved in a circular motion; in which is another wheel, namely the life of men, as it is in Ezekiel, "A wheel in the middle of a wheel." ^B But also the lightnings, which flash to us the intelligible light, the ministers of the Gospel, to whom it was said: "You are the light of the world," shone even to the ends of the earth. For we do not say that David was making mention of the lightning that occurs during rain, but that he wished to denote by the name of lightning the radiance of the intelligible and divine light. It should be known that every holy person has nothing angular or rough, but, like a wheel, touches the earth with only a small part; and in such a person, having nothing crooked, the voice of wisdom resounds. But the sinner is in other respects also crooked; and if he prays, he prays in corners, according to inclined lines and not the straight path leading his soul. But let even sensible lightnings turn us to the God who thunders and lightens; for they have something wonderful, that with their rays appearing suddenly they shine upon the world, so that the darkness of night is dissolved; for not only the sun dissolves darkness, but also lightning. And if it is necessary to dwell here a little longer on the discourse, as if by way of example, the loud-voiced apostles, being wheels, ^C receive the voice of the word according to the Gospel; thus they also lighten, and their light shines before men, and it is possible to see the lightnings of their thoughts and of their deeds.

PSALM LXXVII

us into the land of promise, of which He made mention, saying: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." ^A

*He gave them bread from heaven.* The bread of heaven is the Only-Begotten of God; this is, in reality, the true manna: the bread from heaven provided to every rational creature.

PSALM LXXVIII

*Vers. 5. How long, O Lord, wilt Thou be angry for ever?* Because Christ very readily receives the prayers of the saints which they offer for sinners; for they bring aid to their brethren, and share in the tears of the afflicted, and make the calamities of others their own, as if they themselves were suffering for the sake of their charity: therefore, prostrating themselves before the merciful God, they say: "How long, O Lord, wilt Thou be angry for ever? Shall Thy jealousy burn like fire?" Do not, He says, pursue those who have sinned without measure and incessantly. You are not by nature so constituted; for while God indeed strikes those who neglect to live rightly, yet because His clemency is great and incomparable, He does not deal with us according to our iniquities, nor does He repay us according to our sins. For He always restrains His wrath, ^B and does not inflict punishments equal to our sins; to such an extent that some, because of His inherent benignity and habit of forgetting injuries, might almost accuse Him of being angry at all. For behold, even the most patient Job, as a suppliant before God, said: "Why hast Thou not forgotten my iniquity, and cleansed the sin?" But indeed, I ask, why do you accuse the Lord? I do not accuse, he says, but rather I petition for that benignity which is customary and innate to Him. Such was that glorious athlete.

*Vers. 6. Pour out Thy wrath upon the nations that have not known Thee.* The prayers of the saints are profitable to us; for they prostrate themselves as suppliants to God for us, and in a certain manner turn away the wrath rushing upon us toward others, saying: "Pour out Thy wrath upon the nations that have not known Thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon Thy name." Therefore, does He wish divine wrath to be poured out upon others ^C who have committed no sin? How could it happen that God would tolerate one inciting Him to injustice? Or how could he be a saint at all who would utter such harsh prayers? What, then, does he say? When some of those who are under God and have honored His worship commit sin, then certainly He punishes moderately, mingling wrath with pardon; but when some of those who do not know Him continually provoke Him, then He lets loose upon them His unrestrained wrath. ^D

For we have become exceeding poor. It is necessary to see of what kind is the poverty understood in our regard, and what sort of wealth we have altogether cast away. Human nature was stripped of every good, destitute of heavenly gifts, and estranged from familiarity with God. For through the sin that intervened, we were divested of immortality and fell in with a cruel and impious robber—I speak of Satan. For God did not make death, but He created all things unto immortality, and the origins of the world were full of salvation; but by the envy of the devil, death entered into the world. Therefore, we became exceeding poor, but in Christ we have become rich, having recovered the things that were at the beginning. For He who was rich became poor with us, that we might become rich by His poverty. ^A

PSALM LXXIX

[Before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. By the three most illustrious tribes, it designates the entire race of Israel. — Ex Corderio.]

Vers. 3. Come to save us. These things were spoken prophetically. But they had their fulfillment, as I said, in us, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. For in the final times of the age, the Only-begotten Word of God became man.

Vers. 4. Show Thy face, and we shall be saved. They call the Son the face of God and the Father; for He is the image and stamp of His substance, and in Him alone the beauty of God and the Father is made manifest. ^B By the face of the Father, that is to say the Son, shining upon us, we have turned from our vain, ancestral conduct to the living and true God, and we have been saved through Him.

Vers. 5. How long wilt Thou be angry against the prayer of Thy servant? He no longer complains of Him as delaying, but rather entreats Him to hasten the grace; yet God, who knows all things, understands the fitting time for each individual matter. ^C

Vers. 6. Thou shalt feed us with tears in measure. Mourning and groaning, we take our necessary food. But this Thou hast done to us, measuring out the punishment to our sins.

Vers. 7. Thou hast made us a contradiction to our neighbors. But how were the sons of Israel exposed to the contradiction of their neighbors and to the mockery of their enemies? Why, clearly, by being weakened, and oppressed, and placed under the feet of their enemies; certainly in that sorrow ^D

^A they do not complain as if He had acted unjustly, but they lament rather for Israel, because it had become destitute of His aid.

*Vers. 10, 11. Thou wast the guide of the way before it, and didst plant its roots, etc.* ^B For by going before them, He cast out the nations from their sight. And the root of the Jewish vine is Moses or Joshua. These filled the earth with their own piety; for their virtues spread everywhere. Having metaphorically named the people a vine, he persists in the metaphor. And by "mountains," he refers to the power of the neighboring nations; but by the "shadow" covering them, he means the dominion of Israel imposed upon them; by the "cedars of God," he refers to the lofty princes who received power from God; and by the "arbustive vines" that surround the cedars, he refers to the Israelitic kingdom which became more illustrious than these—a thing which we know happened under blessed David and Solomon. For the great David exacted tribute not only from the aliens—the Idumeans, the Ammonites, and the Moabites—but also from both Syrias. And to Solomon came also the queen of the Ethiopians; so famous had he become among all. By "branches" he refers to the multitude of the people, and by "shoots," the proselytes who came from the Gentiles and received divine knowledge. Through all these things he showed the former fruitfulness of the people. ^C

*Vers. 14. The boar out of the wood.* You may understand this also concerning the devil.

*Vers. 15. Turn again and look down.* Cease Thy turning away; have regard for the desolate vineyard, and let down upon it the intellectual rain. Surround it, as with a fence, with intellectual powers, and by Thy power and grace confirm the vineyard—I say, "which Thy right hand hath planted." Now, the right hand of the Father is the Son; for through Him, as through His hand, He works all things. ^D For then the burned one will blossom again and revive, and it will bring forth good fruits; for those who set it on fire shall perish. The face of God is the Son; for He is the image and character of His substance, and in Him we behold the Father.

*Visit this vineyard, and make it perfect.* Dispose, He says, in a certain way concerning the Son of Man; that is, grant to men a good heart, so as to know and to receive by faith Him who became man. And a little later: When, therefore, He shall establish this vineyard, and shall prepare its heart to receive through faith the Son of Man, then surely that which was burned by fire and dug up and was rendered altogether useless, will sprout again and revive and bring forth good fruits: for they who burned it—

and dug it up shall perish from the rebuke of Thy countenance. And again, he calls the Son the countenance of God and the Father; for He is the image and character of His substance, and in Him we have beheld the Father.

*Upon the man of Thy right hand, and upon the son of man.*

^B We confess that in these words he names the Savior of all, Christ, that is, the only-begotten Word of God; because He became man, he speaks of what concerns Him in a human manner. This is Christ, this is the Word of God who became man, and who for our sake endured the emptying, yet remained what He was.

PSALM LXXX

*When he went out of the land of Egypt, he heard a language he did not know.*

^{D B} This is a great and singular thing, and sufficient for every blessedness to the man who is once a lover of God. For he was led out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and a high arm, as it is written, and escaped the tyranny of that place. And a little later, passing over all these things, the author of this canticle makes mention of the law given at Sinai. ^C For there Israel heard a language he did not know. There for the first time was a prophecy uttered to him concerning the Savior of us all, Christ. And in what manner, I shall say. For the people stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, when God had descended upon it in the form of fire. Then, as it is written in Exodus, the Lord spoke these words: "Hear, O Israel; I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." And after a few things, then the holy Scripture says: "And all the people saw the voice, and the fiery lamps, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. And all the people were afraid, and stood far off. And they said to Moses, saying: Speak thou to us, and let not God speak to us, that we die not." Do you hear how they could not endure the unusual voice? Could they not bear God speaking? And after a little, for this reason the Psalmist, wondering, says concerning it: "When he went out of the land of Egypt," and what follows. For he heard God giving the law; ^D but since the matter was unbearable to them, they sought a mediator, saying to the blessed Moses: "Speak thou to us, and let not God speak to us, that we die not." Then what follows from this? God and Father immediately perceived that we were in need of a mediator. But it could not come to pass that Moses, being a mortal man just like us, should be the perpetual mediator between God and men; wherefore He immediately brought forward the prophecy concerning Christ, saying: "I will raise up for them a prophet from among their brethren like thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak all that I command him. And it shall be, whoever shall not hear as many things as the prophet shall speak...

^A in my name, I will take vengeance on him. The Son, therefore, has become a mediator between us and God. But how a mediator? He emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and moved about on earth as a man. And after many things, the Father said that he would put his words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And the Son said: "I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who sent me, he has given me commandment what I should say and what I should speak." And again: "The words that I have spoken to you are not mine, but his who sent me." He speaks the words of the Father, not as a minister of words, but as being the Word of the Father himself. For this reason the prophet Isaiah says of him: "A child is born to us, whose government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called the Angel of the great counsel." And the great counsel of God and the Father is that which the Son, being (as I said) the Word of the Father, has proclaimed to us. ^B

Vers. 7. His hands served in the basket. For those who were serving in the brickwork used to put clay into a basket and carry it on their backs. And a basket, even to this day, is called the vessel in which burdens are carried. He says, therefore, that he turned their back away from burdens, that is, he liberated them from carrying them. He also liberated their hands from serving in the basket. This is, in sum, the meaning of the verses, which carries with it no difficulty at all. And after many things: Nevertheless, Moses was the minister of those who were liberated carnally; but Christ has become the minister for us who are liberated ^C spiritually. For he has conquered the intellectual Pharaoh, that is, Satan, whom he drove out from his tyranny against all. He also liberated us, not so much from bodily, but from spiritual slavery.

Vers. 16. The enemies of the Lord have lied to him. For when it was expected of them that they would bring forth the fruit of piety with all zeal and effort, they became wicked to the contrary.

Vers. 17. He satisfied them with honey out of the rock. As if he were to say: just as God nurtured a newborn and tiny infant, one needing much care, by providing bread to satisfaction and filling them ^D with honey food, which is the proper nourishment of little children.

PSALM LXXXI.

Vers. 1. God stood in the synagogue of the gods. In this place, he undoubtedly calls the Savior God, a true God, not spurious or of false name; certainly not one who has obtained this title graciously from another, but who is truly and by his own nature what he is, and is so called. Contrary to these, he calls those gods who in reality [are not...]

so, but are named so by grace; ^A of whom the all-wise Paul also speaks, saying: "For even if there are so-called gods and lords, whether in heaven or on earth, yet for us there is one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through Him." There are, then, some who are called gods by grace. And indeed it has been said to us also through the voice of the Psalmist: "I said: You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High." The true God, then, the only-begotten Word of God, stood in the assembly of gods. But of what gods? Of those who have been honored by the divine calling because of the dignity of the priesthood. For thus Paul also names them, saying: "You shall not revile the gods, nor speak evil of the ruler of your people."

[I said: You are gods, and sons of the Most High. Since we have become His sons, inasmuch as we have received the natural and true Son into our minds through the Holy Spirit, for this reason we have been honored by the calling and named gods, ^B although we are not such by nature, but for the sake of honor and glory. Nevertheless, even if we are called gods, yet there is One who is such by nature and in truth, and is above all; but we are so by participation, as I have said.]

PSALM LXXXII

[Behold, Your enemies have made a noise. Behold, the Prophet has exposed another type of enmity toward God. For those who behave as enemies to the people of God and to His saints, they choose to wage war against Him whose servants and close friends those people are.]

[And who would be able to scheme anything against God, or to set himself against Him, or even in any way to imagine it, He who is inaccessible not only to the eyes but also to the thoughts? But He takes upon Himself the things that have been attempted against them; ^C and for this reason the traps laid against them are said to be against God Himself, as the Father and protector and guardian of those who are afflicted with injuries. — But who are they who scheme these traps?

Those who hate You have lifted up their head.

Again, as if speaking about serpents and adders, he says: "They have lifted up their head." For just as serpents silently lift their head to bite, and raise themselves slightly from the earth, so also those who fight against the glory of Christ lift their head slightly; ^D but they fall immediately, for they are struck by Him who is accustomed to crush the heads of the dragons.]

Tabernacula Idumæorum, et Ismaelitæ, etc.

These barbarians were peoples and hostile to carnal Israel,

^A and they were called "aliens" by way of distinction. But God was saving even them at that time, proving the incursions of the nations to be in vain.

Ver. 9. *And Assur also is joined with them.* He sins against the knowledge itself who compels the mind, which is naturally gifted with the power of sight, to sin. And those who have undertaken the war against You are the Gebalites, and also Assur, and the rest.

PSALM LXXXIII

Ver. 2. *How lovely are your tabernacles!* He calls these tabernacles eternal and heavenly. ^B [But since, through the grace and kindness of God who has compassion on all, they have been called by Christ, and having opened the eye of the mind have received the light of truth, have known the truth, have learned the ways of piety, and have entered into the divine courts, they henceforth praise Christ, the Savior of all. — Ex Corderio.]

Ver. 4. *The turtle-dove found a nest for herself.* As I said, the authors of this poem admire the beauty of the Church: they praise, moreover, the pious charity of its teachers, because like certain turtle-doves they warm their own young ^C at the divine altars. The "young" of the teachers are those who have received the faith through them, for they hold the place of spiritual fathers. For it is the custom of divine Scripture to compare holy teachers to turtle-doves. And for what reason? The turtle-dove is very vocal and melodious; and to us who are eager to learn, such appear the discourses of the holy teachers. These, therefore, are in the likeness of spiritual turtle-doves. And not only does the soul rejoice and exult, but the body also has become a participant in the gladness, having received the hope of the resurrection. For the text hints at this. ^D For this reason, he has also called Him the living God, as being the giver of life. For certainly the Babylonian gods, and likewise those of our ancestors, were altogether lifeless and insensible: which is why those who have abandoned them most excellently name Him, who is truly God, as "living."

Ver. 5. *[Blessed are they that dwell in your house.* For it is in the churches especially that those skilled in holy studies gather the occasions of salvation: for the Holy Spirit speaks in them through the holy prophets, through the voice of the apostles and evangelists. And just as in a physician’s office there are many who are sick, and sometimes even with diverse diseases, yet each is able to obtain the suitable remedy, so we find it to happen also in the churches. — Ex Corderio.]

Ver. 6. *He has disposed ascensions in his heart.* What ascensions? To heaven, clearly. For we ponder within ourselves, and we are in hopes that we shall ascend into the upper city, that of the saints.

the mother of the saints, the Church in heaven, and there we shall be with the Savior of all, Christ. ^A [God of gods has been seen according to the flesh. Let us not, therefore, endeavor to follow Jewish ignorances, but let us rather believe that He is also truly Son, and God from God, He who according to the flesh from a woman descended for our sake into our human conditions, so that He might bring us back to His own glory, so that in Him that which was servile might become sonship; that which was needy might become rich; that which was subject to corruption might overcome death; that which was under sin might be sanctified. For we have attained all these things through the manifestation of Christ, the Savior of us all.]

Vers. 9. *Domine Deus virtutum.* ^B He calls Christ the Lord of hosts and God of Jacob, lest anyone, because of his birth in the flesh, consider Him a recent God; but rather let us believe Him to be that same One whom the fathers of Israel themselves worshipped, whom they beheld in foreknowledge, whose mystery they did not ignore, with God and Father revealing it, and the Holy Spirit illuminating it.

Vers. 11. *Elegi abjectus esse in domo Dei mei, magis quam habitare in tabernaculis peccatorum.* Enjoying your care, O Lord, your people always sit in your temple, reaping great benefit from it. For the good things which one gathers there in a single day, he could not collect elsewhere, even if he exhausted many thousands of days. This it was fitting for those held captive in Babylon to say, who were forced to live with impious men, gaining no advantage from it, but rather considering how much benefit they would have obtained in the temple of God. ^C

[Vers. 12. *Quia misericordiam et veritatem diligit Dominus.* The prophet has placed upon the psalm a beautiful seal: hope in God, to which it is blessed to cling; for it becomes an anchor to the one tossed by storms, and an unbreakable wall to the one under attack.]

PSALM LXXXV

PSALM LXXXVI

as the Churches, or those who are in them. For we are temples of the living God, and the house of God, as the Scriptures say. As to what the foundations are which Christ places within us, Paul will teach us, saying: "Faith, hope, love; and besides these, fortitude and patience, temperance and self-control, meekness and long-suffering," ^A and in short, every kind of virtue.

The earthly Zion, which is in the Judean territory, is a part of the city of Jerusalem, being indeed high and situated as if on a mountain; for this reason, it is interpreted as a watchtower. To this Zion, situated as it were on a mountain, holy Scripture likens the Church, that is, the multitude of those who have believed. For the Church is high, having nothing lowly; for it does not deign to set its mind on the things of the earth, but rather seeks the things above; and the fosterlings of the Church, although they walk upon the earth, have their citizenship in heaven.

PSALM LXXXVIII

Vers. 5. *I will prepare thy seed unto eternity.* Indeed, Christ has been raised up from his seed according to the flesh, and from the tribe of Judah, from which also the blessed David himself was sprung.

Vers. 11. *In the arm of thy power.* He calls the Son the arm of the Father, through whom He works all things; just as we ourselves are also accustomed to do everything by our own hand. ^B

Vers. 16. *O Lord, they shall walk in the light of thy countenance.* They shall walk in the light which is from the Spirit, and which is sent forth from thy countenance, that is, from thy Son. For the Holy Spirit leads us to each of the works which must be done in the light.

Vers. 17. *In thy name they shall rejoice.* For the name of Christ, having been invoked upon us, always adorns us; since we have been named Christians because of Christ. ^C

Vers. 22. *[For my hand shall help him, and my arm shall strengthen him.* The Savior said: "The works which the Father has given me that I should perfect them; the very works which I do bear witness concerning me, that he himself has sent me." And again: "I speak nothing from myself; but the Father abiding in me, he does the works." And this is what the Father now says concerning him: "For my hand shall help him, and my arm shall strengthen him." — Ex Corderio.] ^D

Vers. 24. *I will put those who hate him to flight.* For after the cross of the Savior, the synagogue of the Jews has fallen into grave and unavoidable calamities. For they were delivered into the hands of enemies, who laid waste their whole region; and so they were dispersed.

^A Vers. 25. *Cornu ejus extolletur.* The divinely inspired Scripture is accustomed to signify pride by the word "horn," if it speaks of sinners; but glory, if the discourse concerns the just. [By names most appropriate to the Father, the Son Himself is also honored; for example, when I say, "True God," this holds for both the Father and the Son, since He Himself is the Truth and the life. And He said this regarding His own Father: "All mine are thine, and thine are mine." — *Ex Corderio.*]

Vers. 27. *[Ipse invocabit me, Pater meus es tu.* ^B God shall set Him also as firstborn, just as the great Paul also says: "That He might be the firstborn among many brethren"; and again: "The firstborn from the dead, and the firstborn of every creature." Moreover, the Savior said to Mary: "Go, tell my brethren, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God." For He is indeed the Only-Begotten as God, but the firstborn as man; for He has as brethren those who have believed, and He calls God His Father as God, but again calls Him His God as man. — *Ex Corderio.*]

Vers. 29. *In aeternum servabo illi misericordiam meam, et testamentum meum fidele ipsi.* ^C He speaks here to the people who believe through Him; by "mercy," however, he means the forgiveness that comes through faith. By a "faithful covenant," he means one that is safe, firm, and enduring; for the former covenant ceased on account of its weakness and uselessness. "For the law made nothing perfect." The former covenant ceased, I say, because it had only the shadow of a type and merely the appearance of the truth; but there came for us the introduction of a better hope, by which we draw near to God, as the blessed Paul writes.

Vers. 37. *Thronus ejus sicut sol.* ^D By "throne," in this place, he means his dominion, that is, the Church. The Church is truly Christ's throne; for He rests in it, just as He does in the holy angels. For it is written: "Heaven is my throne." Certainly, the celestial Church functions as a throne; and likewise, this terrestrial Church is the throne of God who holds sway over us all. The Church of Christ, he says, will therefore shine and illuminate the world under heaven, and will remain continuously just as the sun and the moon. Just as no one in the heavens can extinguish the orb of the sun and the moon, so no one among men will ever obscure the rays of the Church, that is, its intellectual splendor; for it always shines just like the sun and the moon.

Vers. 39. *Tu vero repulisti et despexisti, distulisti Christum tuum, etc.* Instead of, "You have permitted Him to be repelled and despised." For the Father did not repel or despise His own Son, but rather the Jews have done this, yet by the permission of God the Father. "Thou hast cast off thy Christ," that is,

Thou hast deferred fulfilling the promises concerning Him. But how did He defer? "Thou hast overturned the covenant of thy servant." Thou didst promise, he says, that it would remain forever; for such was the covenant entered into by Thee with Him; ^A nevertheless the Jews crucified Him, and He was reckoned among the dead. He suffered, he says, and was lifted up on the cross. Therefore, Thou hast overturned the covenant of thy servant; Thou hast profaned his sanctuary, casting it to the ground; Thou hast cast down, he says, His glory to the ground. For as much as He came to suffer, He was considered a mere man. Yet He did not remain among the dead, nor did the passion bring any disgrace upon Him, but rather, from it He obtained greater glory. Nevertheless, the prophets narrate the events as if they had already occurred.

Vers. 44. Thou hast not helped Him in the war.

Since He who was by His own nature God, and the true Son, and Lord of the powers, permitted the passion, although He could not have suffered had He willed otherwise, and Thou, O Father, wert silent in that matter, for this reason we say that Thou didst not help Him. By "war," he designates the time of the honored Cross, when Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, and indeed Satan himself above all, warred against the glory of Christ.

Vers. 45. Thou hast dissolved him from purification.

"Dissolved," for "thou hast cast down"; for that which is dissolved is cast down. ^B Therefore, Thou hast cast Him down from His purification, that is, from being believed to be pure. For He was thought to be wicked, and was condemned as a sinner.

[Thou hast cast his throne to the ground.]

Since He suffered according to the flesh, and became free among the dead, and those who crucified Him thought that He had been consumed by the passion, and had altogether ceased to be and to be called [what He was]; for this reason he interprets the opinions of those who crucified Him, saying: "And Thou hast cast His throne to the ground." — Ex Corderio.]

Vers. 47. How long, O Lord, dost Thou turn away unto the end?

Dost thou see how he wishes to understand the economy? "How long, O Lord?" that is, until when shall the audacity of the Jews prevail? They killed, he says, the Author of life. Will He lie dead? Will Thou turn away unto the end, and shall Thy wrath be kindled like fire? ^C But the turning away and the wrath are not against Christ; do not think that, but against us. For we have sinned in many ways, we have fallen from the paradise of delights, in our progenitors, I say.

Vers. 49. Who is the man that shall live and shall not see death?

It is true, therefore, that Thou hast not created the sons of men in vain; the very nature of events shall testify to this: for we died in Adam, but we have lived again in Christ.

^A Vers. 50. "Where are Thine ancient mercies?" He calls "ancient mercies" that restoration to immortality which was foreordained before the foundation of the world. "That I have borne in my bosom of many nations." We receive in a certain manner into our bosom the gifts which some confer upon us. In this passage, God is asked to be mindful of the promise which He bestowed in the bosom of many nations. For what did the Savior promise to the nations? The forgiveness of sin, deliverance from death, salvation, and life. ^B Vers. 52. "That they have reproached the commutation of Thy Christ." That is, the Church, or those who believe in Him; for we say that the Church is composed of these. And why is it called a "commutation"? Because for the Synagogue of the Jews, the Father has given to the Son the Church gathered from the nations.

PSALM XC

Vers. 2. "My God, and I will hope in Him." You see how much confidence he has before God; for by entrusting his whole self to Him, as it were, he places in Him all the hope of his salvation. This man is truly most blessed, and will be filled with all prosperity. Thus, the blessed David sings: "O Lord God of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in Thee."

^C Vers. 3. "He shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunters, and from a turbulent word." And what is the "turbulent word"? It is that of the unholy heretics; for they disturb the hearts of the innocent, blaspheming unrestrainedly and understanding neither what they say nor of what things they assert. For the former, as far as it lies within them, drag the Son away from the consubstantiality with God the Father and bring Him down from the highest thrones, numbering Him among creatures, and saying that He who is the creator and Artificer of all things is a creature, and was brought into existence from non-existence. ^D Others invent falsehoods about the Holy Spirit, saying that He too is a created thing; thus drawing fire and punishment down upon their own heads. What then does the Psalmist say concerning them? "Confuse, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for they have become accusers of the truth, and patrons of falsehood." Their word, therefore, is turbulent, for it is not supported by the truth.

Vers. 5. "Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flieth by day." And what is this? We know two modes of treachery. For some, those they wish to

^A entrap, they set snares and weave deceits, either openly and as if in the daytime, and publicly, or else they do it through terror. By "terror by night," he designates secret danger, and the malice that lies hidden in night and darkness; but by the "arrow that flieth by day," he signifies the manifest and public aggression.

Vers. 6. "From the assault and the noonday demon." ^B By the "noonday demon" he designates *acedia*, or negligence, which sometimes creeps upon certain people. And a little later: Some suffer an "assault" when their mind succumbs to pleasure, when the heart grows faint and devolves into carnal delights, when it grows sluggish toward the works of religion, and neglects the pursuit of virtue. But even then God saves; for He draws one back from the assault and from *acedia*, that is, from the noonday demon.

Vers. 7. "A thousand shall fall at thy side." In this place, he calls the "side" the left or oblique part. Even if they are many, he says, and in number far greater than those who set upon the godly, nevertheless thou shalt behold them falling on this side and that, while thou thyself art miraculously preserved by thy guardian and defender. For, as the Holy Scriptures say ^C (Exod. XVII, 16), "The Lord fights with a hidden hand against Amalek for all time." Nor does He cease to bring salvation to those who love Him.

Vers. 9. "For thou, O Lord, art my hope; thou hast made the Most High thy refuge." It must be noted that some understand the aforementioned verses differently, perversely and viciously indeed; for they refer them to the person of Christ Himself, joining the verses into one sense and saying: "For thou, O Lord, art my hope; thou hast made the Most High thy refuge." And a little later: They say that Christ has as His refuge the Most High God, namely, the heavenly Father. The author of this interpretation for them was Satan, who attributed such a sense to these verses, as we learn from the evangelical Scripture. For when he tempted Christ, he translated Him to the pinnacle of the temple, and said ^D (Matt. IV, 5, 6): "If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence. For it is written: He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." For since Satan is a calumniator and a seducer, he adapted what was said concerning us to the person of Christ, the Saviour of us all. But let us not follow that sense which pleases Satan. But if the Arians have understood it thus, it is nothing surprising; for they obey their own father. Moreover, Satan is a liar, and the truth has not remained in him, as the oracle of the Saviour states (Joan. VIII, 44). And a few words later: For if that, as they themselves think, be true,

we have made Christ our hope, while he himself has the Father as a refuge; therefore, we have fled to one who needs help, and we call him Saviour who is saved by another. These things are not so, God forbid. We say, therefore, to those accustomed to think in this way: You speak other things to us, and you report to us a different error. You go outside the straight path; abandoning the royal road, you fall into thorns and pits; you have fallen away from the truth. The Son is equal and similar in all things to the Father, and he is the ^A imprint of his substance, the image and radiance of his glory, and he is the Most High just as the Father is.

*Flagellum non appropinquabit tabernaculo tuo.*

The tabernacle, according to inspired Scripture, does not always signify the body, but rather a city, a region, or a house. The blessed David confirms this, saying: "If I enter into the bed of my couch; if I 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" (Psal. CXXXI, 3-5).

*Quoniam angelis suis mandavit de te.*

Satan used these verses, reciting such things to our common Saviour Christ as if he were an ordinary man. For since he is total darkness and has a darkened mind, he did not understand the power of what was said, [since the psalm was spoken from the person of every righteous man to whom the Most High, the God of heaven, brings aid.] ^C Furthermore, he was ignorant that the Word, being God, became man, and that he himself was the one who, according to the economy, was being tempted. But Satan, as I have said, supposed the words were spoken as if of an ordinary man, or as if of one of the holy prophets. But it is among the most absurd things for us who know precisely the mystery, and who have believed that he is God and the Son of God, and that for our sake he became man, even so to think that these verses were spoken about him. Therefore, it does not befit the person of our Saviour Christ, who is the ^D Saviour of us all, to be told: "You have set the Most High as your refuge," seeing that he himself is the Most High, the refuge of all, the hope of all, the all-powerful right hand of the Father. It was fitting, therefore, that it should be understood of every genuine worshipper and that it should be said by the Father: "You have set the Most High as your refuge: evils will not come unto you, and the scourge will not draw near to your tabernacle." For he protects.

^A the Most High, that is to say Christ, those who trust in him, and those who approach him with faith.

*Verse 12. In their hands they shall bear you up, etc.*

For just as parents according to the flesh, when they see a rugged and difficult path, take up their infants in their hands, lest by any chance they should be harmed, having tender feet and being as yet unable to endure a hard path; so also the intellectual powers do not allow those who are not yet able to endure labors, and who possess a mind that is still in a childlike state, to be wearied beyond their strength, but they snatch them from every temptation, lest by any chance, having become discouraged, they fall under the feet of Satan and renounce the determination to serve God.

*Verse 13. You shall walk upon the asp and the basilisk.*

And Christ formerly trampled upon him himself, and even now still tramples upon him, giving to his own disciples the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy.

*And you shall trample upon the lion and the dragon.*

By the lion, the dragon, and the basilisk, one might understand Satan himself and the ^B wicked angels who rebelled along with him, who did not keep their own origin, and for whom the gloom of darkness is reserved forever. The asp and the basilisk, and indeed the lion and the dragon, can ALSO be understood as those who are accustomed to obey the will of the devil and imitate his perversity; who are bitter, violent, extremely harsh, and in no way different from savage beasts, also carrying with them the venom of serpents. And if you like, understand by serpents and basilisks the inventors of impious heresies.

*Verse 14. Because he has known my name.*

Who, then, is he who knows his name? Truly it is he who serves him alone, who worships him alone, and who knows no other God besides him; he who worships him with a pure conscience and is alienated from every charge of idolatry; he who subjects to him the docile neck of his mind; he who obeys his will—this man truly knows his name. Now, when you hear "name," think of "glory." For it is written: ^C "A good name is better than much wealth," that is to say, glory.

*Verse 16. With length of days I will satisfy him.*

Whom, then, does he promise to satisfy with length of days? Let us return to the beginning of the whole psalm. He says there: "He who dwells in the help of the Most High, in the protection of the God of heaven, shall remain." If anyone, therefore, is under the help of the Most High and is protected by the guardianship of the God of heaven, this person will be filled with a multitude of days, and shall see the salvation of God, that is to say, the salvation bestowed by Christ. ^D

He promises, therefore, to those who love Him, life in the age to come, blessed and most tranquil, blameless, and extending into infinite ages.

Henceforth, regarding Psalms XCI, XCII, XCIII, XCIV, XCV, and XCVI, there are many parts of Cyril’s explanation in the Vatican codices, which Corderius has already published without the author’s name, and sometimes even under the name of another, but not under the title of Cyril. For all these passages must indeed be restored to Cyril by the authority of the Vatican codices. I, however, for the sake of my project, while omitting the Corderian fragments, will write their beginnings and their endings for the time being, so that it may now become known how much should be claimed for Cyril, when his entire explanation of the Psalms, having taken up the Corderian parts as well, shall be ordered and finally brought together into one single body. MAI. — We shall provide the Corderian fragments in their entirety, with the note of the Vatican codex from which it is claimed for Cyril prefixed to each. ^A

PSALM XCI

[Vers. 1. Psalmus cantici.] The entire scope of the canticle regards the day of the Sabbath; for the Sabbath is an image of the life which is in Christ, and of the evangelical way of life, which the Savior Himself has renewed for us, changing the shadows of the Law into spiritual worship. ^B

[Vers. 2. Bonum est confiteri Domino.] Confession is a hymn composed with thanksgiving to the glory of God. We owe, moreover, thanks to Christ, the Savior of us all, for the good things we have experienced; these, however, we have received from Him in many ways. For when He was God, the Lord shone upon us, enveloping all things with glory befitting God, and imparting the ray of the true knowledge of God.

[Vers. 3. Ad annuntiandum mane misericordiam tuam, et veritatem tuam per noctem.] Do not imagine that the Psalmist, in these lines, intends to make a distinction, as if one ought to announce mercy in the morning and truth during the night. He does not say this; but the verse is to be read in this way: "To announce in the morning and by night," that is, by day and by night, "mercy and truth." To announce is the same as to proclaim, which is to glorify. And what is to be announced? Certainly the mercy and the truth of God the Father; that is to say, Christ. For we have received mercy in Him, we have been justified by faith, we have been sanctified by the Spirit, we have been delivered from the tyranny of the devil, we have been adopted as sons, we have become heirs of the kingdom of heaven. ^C Therefore, God the Father had mercy on us in Christ; and He taught us through Him the truth, that is to say, the adoration and worship in spirit and truth.

[Vers. 5. In factura tua.] The most beautiful work, or the perfection of the counsel of God the Father, and, as it were, the work of His own hand, is the power of our dispensation, as Christ himself taught us: "For God so loved the world," He says, "that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." ^D

^A *Verse 7. The senseless shall not understand these things.* It is not granted to all, in an absolute sense, to be able to understand the mystery of Christ, which is so profound and sacrosanct; it is granted rather to those to whom the Father himself may reveal it.

*Verse 8. When the sinners have sprung up.* They have sprung up, he says, like hay, or like an herb in the field; they appeared to bloom for a little time, but afterward they bowed down—that is, they were bent and humbled, and brought to utter destruction—those who operated iniquity against Christ.

^B *Verse 9. But Thou, O Most High.* For the only-begotten Word of God is Most High, even if He lowered Himself into a voluntary emptying (κένωσις), and underwent the lowliness of humanity, so that He might renew human nature unto immortality, and lift up what was humble, and honor what was dishonored, and illuminate the servant by the grace of adoption: "For He became poor for our sake, though He was rich, so that we might become rich by His poverty." The Word of God is therefore Most High, even if He has become man; for He did not cease to be God, but remained what He was. "You, O Lord," he says, "remaining one and the same in the same manner, abide as Most High in the highest, never changed or altered throughout all eternity, but you persist infinitely like unto yourself; but we ^C who are base and abject, and far removed from Your power, are carried and changed here and there."

*Verse 11. And he shall be exalted like a unicorn.* They hold that the unicorn is an animal that has a horn on its forehead, straight, high, and unbroken; when it uses this against other animals, it always conquers and prevails: it is strong and formidable. To this unicorn the divine Scripture likens the new people. But when I say "new people," understand those who through faith have conquered all the nations.

*Verse 12. And my eye has looked down upon my enemies.* That word "looked down" means the same as seeing enemies falling, struck down by those who are against them. These, moreover, are they who fight against the truth and the glory of God, arming themselves with audacity. Such were some of the rulers of the ^D Jewish Synagogue, the Scribes and Pharisees; for they did not cease to insult Christ, and wickedly to attack His reputation.

*Verse 13. The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.* Indeed, holy Scripture deigns to liken those who have been justified in Christ to palm trees and cedars. For the palm is a tree that is always budding, well-rooted and tall, and cordial, sweet-scented, and bearing a sweet fruit. Of this kind are all those who by Christ’s justice

and all who possess righteousness in Christ; for they stand firm and unshaken, having a pure heart. Thus, somewhere, the Psalmist also says: “Create a pure heart in me, O God.”

[Vers. 15. They shall still be multiplied in a fruitful old age.] Their fruitfulness will not be temporary, he says—lest anyone should surmise this about the nations because of their flourishing—but they are multiplied and progress in a fruitful old age; for as time advances, the piety of the nations is multiplied.

[Vers. 16. Those planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.] He says the house and courts of the Lord are the holy Churches, in which those who are planted through faith bring forth fruit in patience. They flourish, indeed, in their individual Churches. For he has called the universal Church spread throughout the whole world, in a collective sense, the house of God.

PSALM XCII

[Vers. 1. The Lord has reigned.] For he who was man with us before his resurrection from the dead, when he ascended to the Father in heaven, ^B then put on his own splendor, and girded himself with the power that was his from the beginning: for he sat reigning with the Father.

^A For when the Lord had ascended, and had girded himself with power, and had put on splendor, then also the rivers lifted up their voices. For divine Scripture very often likens the Word of God to a river, and a fountain, and a torrent. And thus too David sang: “The river of God is filled with water.” For there comes forth as a river from the fountain of God and the Father, the Word—God, begotten of him by nature.

^B [For those blessed disciples did not keep silent, but rather lifted up their voices; that is, they proclaimed the mystery of Christ to the whole earth.]

Vers. 4. *From the voices of many waters.* As, he says, from the sound of many waters or of rising floods, a wondrous roaring is lifted up, so too is the clamor of the nations singing their sacred praises, who celebrate the universal Savior, Christ.

^B [Vers. 4. *Marvelous in the heights is the Lord.* For even if the Word, according to the voice of John, “became flesh,” and took the form of a servant, and “humbled himself,” yet even so, he exists as Lord in the sublimitates befitting God and in the form of a servant.]

PSALM XCIII.

[Vers. 5. *How long shall sinners, O Lord?* Who, then, are these? Surely the Scribes and Pharisees, who dared to despise Christ.]

[Vers. 5. *They have humbled thy people, O Lord.* For they have truly vexed the inheritance of God: for they did not allow them to acknowledge Christ, nor to participate in the goods through faith. But when the shepherd himself plots against his sheep, and the ruler of the flock feels no care for the sheep, then the Lord of the flock is provoked to just wrath. We shall find that this happened to the Jews together with their teachers.]

^C [This discourse charges them with a twofold crime. For not only do they commit injury against the weaker ones, whom they ought rather to have pitied, exposing them to intolerable miseries (for this is what “they have killed” signifies); but they even blaspheme against the very supreme nature itself, saying that it does not consider human affairs at all, nor look upon our concerns. Such an opinion belongs to the impious Gentiles, who neither acknowledge the true God by nature, nor bring themselves to believe that all things are governed by his will. Yet some of the Israelites also have labored under this same insane perfidy.]

[Vers. 7. *And they said: The Lord shall not see. Understand, O ye senseless among the people.* In this place, the correction signifies indignation.

For Solomon said: *My son, neglect not the discipline of the Lord, neither faint when thou art rebuked by him: for whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth: and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.* Thus, the power of rebukes denotes ^A chastisement. — (F. 168.) Natural reason [shows] that the Creator can by no means be inferior to the thing created. Senseless and foolish, therefore, are those who, not knowing things according to nature, fall into reasonings contrary to nature; and because they do not wish to undergo judgment for such deeds, they even persuade others that there will be no judgment. And it is impossible to assume this; unless, perhaps, one should suppose that God does not hear what is said, and does not behold or know what is done, and that He is ignorant of these things.

(B f. 385, H f. 416. Cord. Diodori.) [Rebuking their sin, God did not immediately bring down the consequences ^B from above; but as one good, and compassionate, and possessing incomparable gentleness, He offers them the remedy of admonition instead, and prepares the word of instruction, saying: *Understand, ye senseless.* As if saying: Even if late, at least now be wise, reflecting within yourselves: *He that planted the ear in others, does He not hear? He that formed the eye for us, does He not see?* Shall He who is the source of all good for us be deprived of these things? Therefore, putting aside the opinions of the foolish, let us remember the sayings of the Proverbialist: *Make straight paths for thy feet, and direct thy ways.* For the ways of man are before the eyes of God; and He considers all his paths. Thus disposed, we shall live a straight and blameless life, as if God were overseer.]

[*The Lord that instructeth nations, shall he not rebuke?*] (B f. 385, H f. 417. Cord. Eusebii.) [He wishes those who are on the earth to withdraw from vanity and from temporal, corruptible, and passing things; and to prefer rather those things which are firm and permanent, and which lead to eternal life. He calls "thoughts" here those notions that reside in the mind, or the desires which some have concerning any given thing.]

[*Blessed is the man whom thou shalt instruct, O Lord.*] (B f. 383, H f. 417. Cord. Anonymi.) [Moses indeed instructed the ancients, performing for them legal rites; but they were not blessed, for they did not possess the righteousness that is in faith, nor the sanctification through the Spirit. But blessed in truth are those who are perfected in Christ, and who earn from Him illumination through the Holy Spirit, and have been enriched with exact knowledge of the mysteries regarding Him. ^D And after a few words: How will you instruct him? Is it by scourges? He does not say this; but how this must be understood here, the Psalmist himself interprets, saying: *And you shall teach him out of thy law.*]

^A Vers. 13. *From evil days.* Truly ill-omened and evil days for those who are utterly cast out and destined to go to the punishment of fire; days, I say, of inexorable judgment.

[*Until a pit be digged for the sinner.*] But a pit shall be digged for the lovers of sins; for they shall be thrust down into hell, that they may be tormented with Satan.

[Vers. 14. *For the Lord will not cast off his people.*] For He has not permitted us to be cast down into the pits of sin forever, but has snatched us away and saved us by a grace that forgets injuries, justifying the ungodly and cleansing the defiled from all filth.

^B He has indeed departed from us as far as the flesh is concerned, after his resurrection from the dead, having ascended into the heavens and sitting at the right hand of God and the Father. But since as God He fills all things, and heaven is full of Him, and the whole earth is also full, we believe and are persuaded that He is even now with us, and through Him we gain the power to overcome the snares of the devil, the tyranny of sin, and the onset of innate pleasures. And after a few words: Has He then, because we have remained in the world while He ascended to the Father, departed from those who love Him? By no means; for He Himself has given us assurance, saying: *I will not leave you orphans; but I will come to you.* He came to us, having sent to us in his stead and as Himself the Paraclete, that is, the Spirit who proceeds from the Father, who is also the Spirit proper to the Son Himself.

[Vers. 15. *Until justice be turned into judgment.*] By justice He names Christ; and He says that He will return for judgment; for He was taken up having trampled upon death, and ascended to the Father and God in the heavens, but after the appointed times He shall return for judgment, and with Him all the upright in heart, that is, the saints. ^C

Justice is the Savior and Lord of all Himself. For thus God the Father names Him through the mouths of the holy prophets, saying: *My justice is near at hand, and my mercy shall soon appear.* And a little later: He shall return unto judgment, that is, He shall come from heaven in the glory of his Father with the holy angels, so that He may judge the world in justice. For then, he says, *when justice is turned into judgment, they shall be about it,*—that is, near and around it, or with it— *all the upright in heart,* that is, the just. ^D

^A [Verse 16. *Who will rise up for me against the malignants?*] To me, he says, who am struggling against the malignants, who shall stand with me? Or who shall stand by me against those who work iniquity? This voice is not that of the ignorant, but of those who rightly know and believe that they will have Christ as their helper entirely and always, and that He Himself will rescue them, and will show them to be superior to the wiles of the enemy.

[Verse 18. *If I said: My foot is shaken.*] By "foot" here he does not mean a part of the body (do not suppose this), but the inclination of the mind and the will of the soul, from which we proceed to each of our practical acts. For to each of us the rudder of his own mind has been entrusted. And so, the lover of chastity, and he who practices the self-restraint most pleasing to God, is often shaken, while Satan, as is his wont, instigates him toward absurd pleasures; yet God defends and saves him. ^B

*Your consolations have gladdened my soul.* God consoles those who toil for the sake of virtue, those who labor for piety, those who desire to succeed in the way of life pleasing to Him, those who mortify the impulse of the flesh and fight against their own wills, until they rightly accomplish that which they strive for.

*Shall the throne of iniquity cling to You?* ^C By "iniquity" he denotes Satan; for he is the inventor and teacher of iniquity and sin; and by "throne" signifies rule, that is, power. "Does there exist, then, O Master," he says, "anyone so unlearned and senseless as to think and conceive in his mind that the throne of iniquity, that is, the tyranny and rule of the devil, is a partner in Your kingdom?" Far be it, he says; for You alone are God and Lord of the powers, and You rule over all things together with Your own Father.

^D [For Satan attaches trouble to every divine command; for he does not allow those who desire to cultivate virtue to be able to do so easily, but he plots and attacks, and attempts to drag into the pits of iniquity those who desire to succeed in a holy and most lawful life. Therefore, he forms trouble upon the command, clearly by fighting against the divine precepts, and not allowing upright men to fulfill them. But he makes the path of piety, which is most smooth and easy to traverse for those who wish to walk it, more rugged.]

[Verse 21. *They will hunt for the soul of the just.*] [For the wicked and impious lie in wait for holy men.]

^A For the wicked and the abominable demons lie in wait for the saints, and men with them who are unjust and most loathsome and god-hated, whose care it is to think on the things which are theirs; and they set various-featured snares. But as Solomon says: “A deceitful man will not catch his prey.” For God delivers and saves those who cleave to Him, so that they, even rejoicing in this, may say: “Our soul has been delivered as a sparrow from the snare of the hunters: the snare was broken, and we were delivered.” And after a few words: They have hunted for the souls of the saints, and the wicked and abominable demons, and Satan himself who is their leader, have set snares for them. For they lay plots against every holy man and gnash their teeth against those who are accustomed to do well. For it is written that “His food is choice.” ^B

PSALM XCIV

[Verse 1. *Come, let us exult in the Lord.*] Those who say these things invite to their own fellowship those who were estranged from them. For this word “Come” befits not those who are present, but those who are separated. Israel, moreover, had in a certain way departed—not, indeed, by reason of intervals according to place, but according to the mind's understanding—namely, through disobedience. “Come,” therefore, putting away ferocity and laying aside intractability, “let us exult in the Lord,” that is, let us take hold of faith in Him, let us come to the inheritance of the gifts from Him, which provides us with the adoption of sons, the participation of the Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sins, and the kingdom of heaven.

[Jubilation is a certain triumphal voice, which is uttered when enemies have been slain and foes overthrown. Come, therefore, let us jubilate to the Savior and Redeemer: since He redeemed both Israel and those from the nations from the slavery of the devil, from the tyranny of the enemies; He delivered those who had sinned from sins and offenses, from the law that condemns and exacts penalties for sins; and He justified through faith both Greeks and Jews and the rest of the nations.] ^D

Let us insult Satan, let us jubilate, now that he himself is conquered and lying low; let us celebrate a triumph over the impious beast constrained by an indissoluble snare.

[Verse 3. *For the Lord is a great God.*] Does he therefore say “great” as if in comparison with other minor ones? He does not say this at all, but rather that the dignity of this greatness belongs to the God who is such by nature alone. For He is in truth the glory of God and the incomparable greatness. And that Christ is the great God, and is so named even in the divine Scriptures, the blessed Paul confirms, saying: “Waiting for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of the great God and..."

Savior of our Lord Jesus Christ.” ^B [What gods? Those of false name? He does not say this, but those who are in heaven and upon the earth—that is, the rational and supernal powers, and indeed the saints who are on earth; to whom, by Him who is above all, the name of divinity has been given for the sake of honor and glory. In this way the Psalmist also makes mention of them, saying: “The God of gods, the Lord, hath spoken,” and what follows.]

[And the heights of the mountains are His.] ^B [What are the heights of the mountains? That is, those which are elevated in glory and are most conspicuous in the heavens, such as Principalities, Thrones, Virtues, Powers, Dominations, Archangels, and the Seraphim themselves. But all these are His; for He, as the Son, sits with the Father, while they stand by and minister to Him, crowning Him with songs of praise.]

[For His is the sea.] ^B [Do you see how he shows Him to be Master of all things? How do we admire earthly kings? We call them masters of land and sea; but while we measure these titles of praise to them, we do not at all say that they are the creators of the elements. For this belongs only to the God who is over all, since He alone is the creator and Artificer of the universe. Let the wanderers, then, come and let them approach the light of truth; let them acknowledge with us the Word of God who became man; let them confess that He is truly God and the Son of God.]

[Come, let us worship, and fall down.] ^B [When you see, he says, in our image—that is, in human form—the King and Lord of all, the God-Word who shares the throne with the Father, do not ignore the dispensation, do not shrink from worshipping Him, do not refuse to fall down before Him; but rather recognize that He is our God, and we are His people.]

[Today if you will hear His voice.] ^C [And what is this “today”? It is the time that is present, in which the only-begotten Word of God became man; for then we all heard His voice. For He has not spoken to us through one of the saints, nor did He come to us in the manner of the prophets, but as the God of all and Lord.]

[Forty years was I offended.] ^D [For those from Israel were unwilling to heed the threats, and were unwilling to dissolve the threat through repentance; for which cause they did not obtain the land promised to their fathers; for that is what He called His rest.]

PSALM XCV

^A [Vers. 1. Sing unto the Lord a new song.] All things have become new in Christ, and the old things have passed away: and in us is fulfilled that which is written in the book of Psalms: "Thy youth shall be renewed as the eagle." For we have been renewed in Christ, putting off indeed "the old man, which is corrupted according to the deceitful lusts; and putting on the new, which is renewed in the image of him that created him."

Vers. 2. Declare from day to day his salvation.

Whose, indeed? Certainly of God the Father, namely the Son, concerning whom He speaks to us through one of the holy prophets: "My righteousness is near at hand; my salvation shall go forth, and my judgment shall rest for a light of the people." For by the name of mercy and righteousness He indicates the Son; for through Him we have experienced clemency, and have learned every path of righteousness. And a little later: The expression "from day to day" is placed for "every day"; which the blessed disciples truly performed, they who, having passed over no time, ran about through every region and city, announcing Christ and delivering the divine teaching. They preached His wondrous things to the peoples everywhere, His prodigies, that is, the magnificent works performed beyond the expectation of all.

^B [Vers. 4. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised.]

Our Lord is truly great and possesses an excellence over all things most befitting to God: but no one at all is equal and consubstantial to Him. For there is one only Son by nature truly of God and the Father, and crowned with the dignities of His Begetter, "greatly to be praised," that is, to be glorified also by the spirits above and in the heavens, and by those who are on earth. The new song therefore, according to the things said, teaches that the Lord of the new song is some one great and greatly to be praised, and furthermore terrible over all gods: great indeed as the Word of God and Creator of all; praiseworthy indeed as Benefactor and Savior of all; not terrible to all, but to those who formerly were held to be gods, namely to the wicked demons, whom He removed from the midst, repelling their snares against men. But lest you should suspect that He is said to be terrible against the saints, who are also called gods, He necessarily added: "For all the gods of the gentiles are demons." But the Lord Himself is great and greatly to be praised.

^C [Vers. 5. The gods of the gentiles are demons.]

That is, the wicked and unclean spirits, who claim the glory of God for themselves, and as if a certain dust, they pour the darkness of ignorance into the minds of men, so that they may not look upward to the Creator of all and

and Lord. But that we who are illuminated, and have acquired the knowledge of the truth, may show to them that which they were ignorant of, saying: "But the Lord made the heavens." For from the magnificence of the works and from the beauty of the creatures, their Creator is analogously perceived. The Divine is indeed lovable by nature, and no one could ever see what He is according to His nature; but from the beauty of the creatures, and from the beauty of the visible creation, the transcendent nature of His glory is perceived.]

Confession and beauty are before Him.

^B And what is that "before Him"? Or what does this verse wish to say? For he says, no one is worthy to look upon Him, unless one be endowed with beauty in soul and heart, and knows also how to confess, that is, to glorify magnificently and worthily for the glory of God. This is "Confession and beauty are before Him," that is to say, in His eyes.

"Bring sacrifices, and enter into His courts."

(B f. 589, H f. 452.) And by what paths entering will you enter? By faith, clearly; for this is the entrance to salvation. And after a little: And what sacrifices does the blessed Paul commemorate, saying: "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, your rational worship."

"He shall judge the peoples in uprightness."

(B f. 589 b, H f. 453.) The Lord has judged the peoples in uprightness, He has saved the world under heaven, He has delivered it from the hands of the devil, He has freed it from the tyranny of the demons, He has justified through faith those who had once wandered, He has subjected them to His own yokes, He has rendered them holy worshippers, He has condemned the destruction of Satan and his angels.

"Let the sea be moved."

(H f. 453 b.) When you hear of the sea in these verses, do not assume this to be the one meant, but rather another, that is, this terrestrial space, or rather the entire inhabited world and those in it.

Let the heavens rejoice.

^C (B f. 590, H f. 455 b. Cord. Athanasii.) For the prince of malice, Satan, the sower of tares, the inventor and teacher of all wickedness, had dragged human nature into death from the beginning through the transgression in Adam; but the Creator of all transformed it again into incorruptibility, having abolished death in Christ, and having removed sin from the world. Therefore, the Holy Spirit commands all who are in heaven and all who are on the earth to celebrate, saying: "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth exult."

^A Ver. 12. "Then all the trees of the wood shall exult." We certainly do not say that it is possible for senseless trees to rejoice; for this rather befits the saints, who, he says, rejoice most especially when Christ shines upon the world. ^B Ver. 13. "For he comes to judge the earth." He comes, having undertaken a plan befitting the dignity of God. He will condemn the beast who is the prince of evils, and will send him into the unquenchable fire. He will deliver those who had fallen under his dominion, that is to say, us, and he will justify us by faith.

PSALM XCVI

Ver. 1. "To David, when his earth was restored." Christ, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, is very often called David by the inspired Scripture; just as also "Israel" [is called] those who derive from Israel, and "Jacob" those who derive from Jacob. Therefore, the psalm is sung to David, that is, to Christ according to the flesh. But when and for what reason is it sung? "When," he says, "his earth was restored." And a little later: The only-begotten Word of God appeared to us, stilled the disturbances, and restored the earth. But the psalm will teach by what plan this was accomplished, saying: "The Lord has reigned, let the earth exult, let many islands rejoice." Thus he restored our condition; namely, because Christ has reigned. This is the cause of the solemnity.

[Vers. 2. "Justice and judgment are the setting of his throne." For Christ has reigned over us, so that he might justify by faith those who were in sins. He also employed a judgment worthy of God and benevolent: for he justified us not out of works of righteousness, but according to his great mercy. And he saved us through water. But through what water? Through the holy and mystical one, clearly, in which that many-headed dragon, and together with him the malignant powers, was crushed and trampled, or rather, was even destroyed.]

[Vers. 3. "Fire shall go before him." He ^C does not mean this sensible and visible flame, but a certain divine power, unconquerable, irresistible, and inevitable, devouring his enemies like fire. But these were, before all others, the wicked demons and the leader of their flock: this one, together with the others, the Savior burned up. For those who were oppressed by him on earth could not otherwise be snatched away, unless he had brought upon him his own devastating and abolishing wrath, like a certain fire. Thus, therefore, he rescued those who were held by him, saved the captives, liberated the deceived, and called them to the light of truth.]

[Vers. 4. "His lightnings have shone upon the world." The splendor of Christ appeared to all the peoples of the earth ^D

^A and illuminated the hearts of all. And after a little: It seems that the blessed Psalmist calls by the name of Christ's lightnings those who minister the divine and evangelical preaching, that is, the apostles and evangelists, to whom Christ himself also said: "You are the light of the world." For the true light is the Son himself, illuminating every rational creature. But since they have become partakers of the light from him, they themselves also are called the light of the world. Thus, these ministers of the evangelical proclamations have become like lightnings, traversing the whole subcelestial sphere everywhere, and casting the divine and intelligible light into the hearts of those who are being initiated into the mysteries.]

[“It saw, and the earth was moved.” That is, it looked up. For having foretold that His lightnings have shone upon the world, he shows immediately how much it profited the subcelestial realm for the intellectual lightnings to have been sent by Christ, by which, as we said, the holy apostles and evangelists are meant, through whose all-wise initiations the earth looked up. And this, too, was a feat of Christ our Savior, of all.]

Vers. 5. The mountains melted like wax before his face.

[“The heavens declared his righteousness.” He means in these not the element itself, but those who are in the heavens, that is, the holy angels; these report the righteousness of God and the Father. For He has saved those on earth, having justified them in the faith in Christ. For so the earth became full of His glory. But since practical virtue is also often called righteousness, only the heavens, being righteous men, know how to declare this practically. For a righteous man will declare a proven faith, when their faith is reckoned unto righteousness.]

[“Worship him, all you his angels.” To whom are they bidden to worship? Christ, clearly, that is, the Only-Begotten who became man. “For when,” he says, “he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith: And let all the angels of God worship him.” Necessity truly brought the worship of the angels here, so that we might not be ashamed to worship God whom the angels worship; at the same time, we may know that as we worship God, we ascend to the order of the angels. Furthermore, since it is proper for the angels to worship ^D

and not to be worshipped, the demons, having fallen from this angelic dignity, could indeed be worshipped, but only through the error of those who worship them. ^A]

[Vers. 8. *Audivit, et lætata est Sion.*] It seems, therefore, that this discourse wished here to declare the first calling of the Jews, which indeed Christ also had accomplished first. This He also spoke of long ago through the voice of David, saying: "But I have been constituted king by Him upon Sion, His holy mountain, proclaiming the commandment of the Lord." That is, He will make manifest the good will of God the Father. ^B

[Vers. 11. *Lux orta est justo.*] "Orta est" (hath arisen) is used for "oritur" (ariseth). For if any man is upright and just, to him there most certainly arises within his mind and heart the intelligible and divine light. For those who are cultivators of the best pursuits will by no means be devoid of sacred gifts. Therefore, for him who has practiced that active virtue which is called justice, there has arisen the light of knowledge—which is nothing other than the true light, of which the Father said: "But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise." ^C

*Rectis corde.* What does it mean to have a "rectum cor" (upright heart)? Surely one that is erect and not inverted.

[Vers. 12. *Lætamini, justi, in Domino.*] For it is truly fitting for those who love Christ and are lovers of piety to rejoice exceedingly in Him, as also in the good things which are to be bestowed upon us by Him—namely, spiritual things, which possess a secure and constant movement. ^D

*Confitemini memoriæ sanctitatis ejus.* "Confessio" (confession) denotes an act of thanksgiving. We ought, therefore, to give thanks because He who is God by nature, the Lord of all, and co-throned with the Father, exceeding all in dignity, has deigned to be mindful of us; and, having been mindful, He has also blessed us. This the blessed David will likewise teach us, saying: "The Lord hath been mindful of us, and hath blessed us."

PSALM XCVII. Vers. 2. *Cantate Domino canticum novum.* The canticle becomes "new" because all things in Christ are new; the old things have passed away. And a little further on: "But what are these new things? They are, clearly, those which have been brought about through Christ. For of old, as I was saying, the God of all delivered Israel through Moses, and rescued them from bitter servitude; moreover, He drowned the pursuing Pharaoh in the sea, and in this very act God was glorified. But those things happened to them. We, however, see the new things which have been accomplished by Christ. Not one single nation has been redeemed, as of old only Israel was, but rather..."

the whole earth has been saved. ^A We do not see an Egyptian man drowned in the sea, but rather the proud and destructive Satan himself falling and lying under the feet of the saints. For Christ said elsewhere: "Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall harm you."* He calls "serpents and scorpions" the wicked and venomous demons, from whose perversity we have been delivered.

And after a few words, He will teach you again on what account and what we ought to sing, saying: "Because the Lord has done wonderful things." And what are these things? These are the excellent and admirable deeds which the Savior and Lord of all has done.

^B 269 [His right hand hath saved for Him.] For the right hand of the Father, that is to say the Son, has saved this sphere beneath the heavens. The Father Himself names Him thus, saying: "For I will lift up my hand to heaven, and I will swear by my right hand,"** by which I fixed the heaven and founded the earth.

For the right hand of God and the Father, that is to say the Son, saved the world for His own Begetter, bringing it to the knowledge of God, and delivering the creature, crushed by sin, from death and corruption, even though it had been made according to the image of the Creator.

[He calls the Son the right hand of God and the Father; for through Him, as through His own hand, the Father produced everything that it might exist, as the most wise John testifies concerning Him, saying: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made."*** But just as a man's hand is not foreign to his body, but is from it and in it, so this all-powerful right hand of the Father, the creator and artisan of all things, at which all works tremble, has saved for itself and for the Father—what did it save? Clearly, the entire sphere beneath the heavens: for through the evangelical proclamations, He has drawn it toward the knowledge of His glory. — Ex Corderio.]

[Vers. 2. The Lord hath made known His salvation.] He calls Christ salvation and righteousness; for God and the Father has saved us through Him, and in Him has also justified us in faith.**** — Ex Corderio.]

[Vers. 3. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.] That is to say, no one has remained destitute of the salvation which comes through Christ. For, as I was saying, the whole earth has been called through faith. — Ex Corderio.]

[Vers. 8. The rivers shall clap their hand.] What hands do the rivers have? Or how can they clap? Since, with the nations being subdued to the Lord and called through faith, the disciples rejoiced, starting off songs of victory in their joy, not unlike those who clap in their...

^A joy, likening them to rivers and saying: "The rivers shall clap their hands for the same."

[Scripture inspired by God is accustomed at times to liken the holy prophets, apostles, and evangelists, and furthermore also the rulers of the holy Churches, who preach the divine word to the peoples, are skilled in sacred dogmas, and fulfill the ministry of mystagogy, to fountains and rivers. Indeed, it said concerning them through the voice of the prophet Isaiah: "Draw water with joy from the fountains of the Savior." He calls them fountains of salvation, since they spring forth for the peoples subject to them the word from heaven, which they themselves receive from Christ. Just as the saints themselves say: "From his fullness we have all received."]

[When, therefore, you hear about the holy rivers that they shall clap their hands, understand that they shall rejoice, be delighted, be glad, and celebrate a festival. For what reason? Because the Lord has saved the subcelestial world; because the Only-begotten Word descended from heaven and became like unto us, that he might destroy the prince of this age, that he might dissolve corruption, destroy death, taking away the sin of the world, and make us pure through baptism, sanctify us through the Spirit, and make us sons of God. This is the cause of the joy of the saints; for this reason they are bidden to clap their hands, that is, to rejoice. — Ex Corderio.]

[^B *The mountains shall exult.*]

He does not call these sensible and visible mountains, but the spiritual and sublime powers, or rather the angels who stand around the divine throne. The powers are therefore sublime. These rational and supreme forces rejoice greatly over those who are saved in Christ; they rejoice, moreover, by glorifying the Savior for our sake. — Ex Corderio.] ^C

PSALM XCVIII.

[Ver. 1. *The Lord has reigned.*]

Let them cast in vain the shafts of their envy against Christ, let them construct snares that are powerless to harm him who knows not how to suffer. — Ex Corderio.]

[Ver. 2. *The Lord is great in Sion.*]

The Savior was not great or high in the corporal Sion, but rather in the spiritual one, that is, the Church; which he prepared for himself not having spot or ^D wrinkle, but rather holy and immaculate, as it is written.]

[For he is not like one of the false-named gods, known indeed by some but ignored by others; but he, while glorified in heaven by the supernal spirits, is also adored by us on earth. High, therefore, in glory, he also puts his own fear into those who know him, which is also the salvation of the soul. — Ex Corderio.]

[Ver. 3. *Let all give thanks to your name.*]

The honors of kings, he says, love to have power

the ability to judge and to legislate ^A. For the necessity of judging and of framing laws absolutely accompanies royal dignity. God is indeed already the judge and lawgiver of the universe. For it is written: "For God is judge" (Ps. XLIX, 6). And again: "There is one lawgiver and judge" (Jas. IV, 12). And, "The honor of the king loves judgment" (Ps. XCVIII, 3). Now, the ability to judge and to legislate belongs also to the Son. For he said to us: "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father" (John V, 22). — Ex Corderio.]

*Let them give thanks to your name, which is great.* ^B For great and high is the name of the Godhead, that is to say, its glory. For the Creator of all things is not as some creature, but he surpasses all things with an incomparable excellence. Furthermore, there is nothing similar to him, except the only One who is from him and in him and consubstantial with him, God the Word, who, having become man, is praised by the seraphim. For he himself is the name that is above every name; for at his name every knee shall bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. II, 10, 11). Great, then, and admirable is the name of the Godhead, if indeed every knee bows to him, the creation visibly worshipping him and crowning him with honors worthy of God.

*Exalt the Lord our God.* ^C That is, believe that he who was made man is the most high Word of God, thinking nothing lowly about him, as the miserable Jews, indeed, used to do.

*And worship at his footstool.* Does God, then, have such feet resting upon a footstool? And does he have hands and eyes as well? Do not suppose this. For even though the discourse is woven by him as if from our own affairs and human things, yet these things are understood in a manner worthy of God regarding him. Since, therefore, it is the custom for those who worship earthly kings to kiss their feet, the Psalmist transfers the statement from human custom to God, saying: "And worship at his footstool" (Ps. XCVIII, 5). — Ex Corderio.]

*Because they kept his testimonies.* Consequently, he honored them as those who honored him; he loved them as sincere servants, as having become keepers of his oracles. Therefore, obedience is not without its reward, but rather brings the highest honor because of its readiness and tractability. — Ex eodem.]

PSALM XCIX

rejoicing in hope: in the hope, certainly, which is altogether prepared for the saints. — Ex Corderio.]

[If anyone does not serve Him in gladness, let him not presume to appear in His sight, approaching His Church with unwashed feet. — Ex eodem.]

*Vers. 3. Know that the Lord He is God.*

This is Christ, who redeemed the whole earth with His own blood. He is also the author of our creation. For we were not brought into being automatically, but we are the work of His hands. Therefore we are His people and His sheep. And we may consider “people” to be the part of mortals that is more rational; but “sheep,” the part that is destitute of such discernment, and lacks experience of the divine oracles, according to that: ^B “I have gone astray like a lost sheep.”

PSALM C

*Vers. 1. [A Psalm of David itself.]*

A psalm to David himself. That is, a hymn and glorification to Christ, who according to the flesh is of the seed of David. For from Jesse and David sprang the plant of peace, the divine and glorious and超mundane shoot. And after a few words: The person of a holy man is introduced, so that he might delineate for us outstanding examples of living, not so that he might snatch up forms of life from others, nor that he might hunt for empty glory (for this is foreign to the saints), but rather that he might benefit us through this, and we might learn in what manner those who wish to please God ought to live. — Ex Corderio.]

^C [I will sing of mercy and judgment to thee, O Lord.]

I know, he says, that you are a merciful and just judge, and I will praise you for these very things. For God and Father has had mercy on us, justifying us in Christ through faith, and granting us the remission of ancient sins, and pronouncing a just judgment over us. — Ex eodem.]

*Vers. 2. [I will sing and will understand in the way without stain.]*

I will sing, he says, to thee, O Master, and I will glorify thee assiduously: furthermore, I will also understand in the way without stain; that is, with understanding and wisdom I will walk the straight and unswerving and blameless path. For it behooves us to be most understanding if we wish to please God, and to have a heart most full of wisdom: yet not of worldly and secular wisdom, but rather of that which Christ bestows. For in him ^D “are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden”; and he himself makes the blind wise, and is the provider of all understanding.]

[And what then does this mean? For as long as we are engaged in filth and sins, we do not have Christ dwelling in us: but when we have washed away the filth of sin, and have cleansed ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, and have performed sanctification in the fear of God, then for us

is present within us, and dwells within us, and we are his house]. ^A *[I walked in the innocence of my heart].* What is the meaning of, "In the innocence of my heart"? It is as much as to say: without wickedness, without curiosity, not loving the tumults of worldly affairs and vain distractions, but rather having within myself a mind stable and tranquil, altogether like that ancient Jacob of whom it is written: "And Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in a house."

^B *[I set no unjust thing before my eyes].* I paid no attention, he says, to any base or unholy matter, or one that calls for transgression. There are many such things among us as well. For a person transgresses whenever he falls into a desire for things that in no way belong to him, and becomes an unjust lover of another’s property. Likewise, he transgresses who succumbs to bodily pleasures and becomes guilty of the crime of adultery. Whoever slanders his brother violates the law, as do those who take advantage of whomsoever of the weaker ones they can. And that I may not spend time speaking of each single matter, every kind of baseness carries with it the crime of transgression. And after a little: But perhaps you will say: Was he then sinless? And how then is this possible? For freedom has been preserved for sins, and sinlessness belongs only to God who is over all: "Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth." And after a little: How then ought one to understand that: "I did not set an unjust thing before my eyes"? He did not say: I have never fallen into an unjust act, but rather, "I did not set an unjust thing before my eyes." That is to say: I have desired and proposed in my mind never to look upon an unjust thing. But if it happened that I strayed as a man, he says, it is nothing to be wondered at; for pilots, who are also well-skilled in their art, are often in danger along with their ship when a savage storm of winds descends.

*Not that a crooked heart cleaved to me.* That is to say, a man having a crooked, that is to say, a distorted, heart.

^D *[As for him who turned away from me the wicked, I did not know him].* That is to say, I even made as if I did not know them. For I did not deem it worthy to be their friend. Am I then like one who is proud? By no means, he says, but knowing that "evil communications corrupt good morals."

The fruit of a holy mind is to renounce the wicked; but the proof of the greatest wickedness is to slander one’s brothers.

*[With a proud eye].* For there are very many soul-passions in us; yet one, above all others, is more absurd and to all men unbearable,

^A to which God Himself is opposed. This is pride, which also has as its sister and companion avarice, or the insatiable desire for having more. These two are pits for souls and gates of destruction, and worthy of unquenchable fire. Who does not flee from the arrogant man? Who does not turn away from him who, with an insatiable hand, gathers the profits of wealth and brings many under his own power?

*Vers. 6. [My eyes are upon the faithful of the earth.]* That is, the holy ones, so that they might also ^B "sit with me"—that is, be with me and reign together forever, and bring forth useful things. For a good counselor is an exceptional good for a man. It makes him precious and desirable, for he provides guidance to whatever is useful, and teaches those things that conduce to salvation (and suggests things that perfect one's utility).

*270 PSALM CI.* *Vers. 3. [Incline Thy ear to me.]* "Incline," he says, "Thy ear to me." To what end? Because, truly, when I am in tribulation, I am not able to pray with boldness. By "tribulation," however, he refers to the imposition of temptations, whether of sensible or of intelligible trials.

*PSALM CIII.* *Vers. 15. [And wine gladdens the heart of man.]* Furthermore, this wine is altogether spiritual, ^C and it brings about a saving inebriation.

*Vers. 16. [The trees of the field will be satisfied.]* His discourse was not about trees, but rather about the holy ones who are rooted in the faith and bringing forth the fruit of righteousness.

*Vers. 25. [This great sea.]* He assimilates the Church to a ship, with this world of ours understood in the figure of a sea. Indeed, he compares our human life to the sea because of its instability and the perpetual motion of the things in it; and the numberless genus of creeping things represents the multiform and, as it were, many-faced multitude of men, ^D understanding this variety from the diversity of their affections. For the nature of all is the same, and the manner of generation is in no way different, but the mind is multifarious and the heart in us is constantly thinking many things. And knowing this, one rightly said: "As faces are not like faces, so neither are the minds of men." But we say the ships that transit even this intelligible sea, according to what is written, are the holy Churches of our Savior, which indeed are in the world, but exist superior to the world: just as, for example, it is possible to see cargo ships which are indeed in the waters, but are higher than the waters. The Churches, therefore, which navigate this spiritual sea after the manner of ships, receive those who believe and transport them, just as into another pure land

namely, to the kingdom of heaven, and to hope in Christ, and to sanctification through the Spirit, and to the homeland of the saints, that is to say, to virtue. ^A For being strangers and sojourners upon the earth, according to what is written, they do not have a continuing city here, but hasten toward that one, of which God is the builder and maker. The Church, therefore, shall be understood as a skiff or ship, having the saints as rowers: who also, because they have accepted the faith, have Christ with them always. But a terrible storm sometimes suddenly breaks out, and ten thousand waves of distress rise up against the holy vessel; and countless temptations set it aflame, and indeed the ferocity of evil spirits, having swooped down, brings it to the very fear of death. ^B And while Christ is indeed with His own acquaintances, yet because He often permits them to suffer for the sake of dispensation, He seems in a way to imitate one who is asleep. When, therefore, the turmoil is truly excessive and no longer bearable by the rowers, and he sees that matters are already at the extreme of evil, then indeed, then it is fitting to cry out, almost saying: "Arise, why sleepest Thou, O Lord? Arise, and do not cast off forever. Why dost Thou turn Thy face away? Dost Thou forget our poverty and our affliction?" For He will arise without delay, and will immediately drive away all fear; but He will rebuke the tempters, and will change the mourning into gladness, spreading forth a calm and waveless serenity. For He will in no wise despise those who trust in Him. ^C

Animals small with great.

This dragon which Thou hast formed.

May my discourse be pleasing to Him.

Let sinners vanish from the earth.

And shortly after: Hear then, for I shall speak in few words. For before the advent of the Savior, we were all wallowing in sins; Satan ruled over the world; there was no one who did good, not even one; all had turned aside, together they had become useless. For the Gentiles, who were worshipers of idols, knew not the ways of modesty, nor understood the path of the good life, nay rather, they did not even know at all the Creator of all things and the Savior Christ. The Jews, on the other hand, had the Law as a pedagogue, but a man could not be justified in the Law ^A. And shortly after: Therefore we were all in sins; the earth was full of iniquity. But when the only-begotten Word of God appeared, and became man, sinners ceased, they failed who were indulging in iniquities. For how or in what manner, I ask? For He justified all, He turned them away from their crimes, He rendered them free and cleansed. Thus, therefore, the sinners left are few, but many are those who have been justified.

PSALM CIV

PSALM CIX

Vers. 3. [Tecum principium in die virtutis (With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength).] He calls the day of the power of God that in which He shall judge the entire world and "shall render to each according to his works." But He who is in the Father, and has the Father in Himself, will surely come even then—He who is in a certain sense the principle, without a principle, of His own nature, only according to that from which He is, in that He exists from the Father. — Ex Corderio.

PSALM CXIII

as corruptible, nor an image of a corruptible man; but since God deigned to become man without change, we make an image of Him as man, although we know Him to be God by nature. We do not, therefore, say that the image is God, but we know it is God who is depicted in the image, whose likeness the image possesses. But the Greeks, led astray, believe that the likenesses themselves are gods. ^A

PSALM CXIV

Vers. 4. *I will take the cup of salvation.* For it is indeed a cup of salvation to hymn God, the Savior of all the universe. In this God delights, this is the incense He receives from us. For as Christ Himself said: "God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."

PSALM CXVII

Vers. 26. *Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.* The others indeed come clothed in the form and condition of slavery; but He comes with glory worthy of God, and in the name of the Lord—that is, clearly, of the one who is truly and by nature God. And what is "in the name of the Lord"? That is, in glory worthy of God, and in a lordship and pre-eminence that is beyond all things.

PSALM CXVIII

so, I think, to be forgetful is a cause of ruin. ^A One must hide the commandments of God in the heart, on account of the demons who are accustomed to snatch them away. Solomon advises the same thing in the Proverbs: "My son," he says, "if you accept the word of my commandment and hide it within yourself, your ear will heed wisdom." Since, therefore, the Lord in the Gospels called the commandments mentioned here "seed" that is snatched away by the birds of the air, he who performs the commandment always hides it; for those who snatch it away are said to "snatch" because they do not permit us to do it.

Vers. 40. *In thy righteousness quicken me.* ^B God the Father quickens us through His own righteousness; and this is Christ.

Vers. 67. *Before I was humbled I went astray.* For on account of the pre-passions of the mind, and, if I may so speak, the sicknesses of natural thoughts that run ahead, the tyranny of the tempter becomes more intolerable; and before we are humbled by the devil, we have already sinned, laboring under internal destruction before the external attack. For before we succumb completely, we indeed accept sin as if honoring it by the consent of our mind, and through this we open an entrance ^C to Satan. The fate which unfortunately befell the traitor Judas is a type and image of this matter.

Vers. 96. *Thy commandment is exceeding broad.* For God requires spiritual fortitude, continence, patience, and in addition to these, other virtues.

Vers. 109. *My soul is in thy hands always.* He calls "hands" the practical works, through which we are accounted worthy to arrive at the vision of God.

Vers. 120. *Nail down my flesh with thy fear.* He said "nail down" instead of "fasten." Fasten, therefore, he says, my flesh in chastity. ^D

*PSALM CXIX.*

Vers. 5. *Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged!* He loathes the present life; and because it is prolonged