Commentary on the Psalms 50

'I will give thanks to You, O Lord, with my whole heart.'

Many times have I discoursed to you concerning this.

Wherefore, passing it by, we shall come to what follows next after it.

And what is this, 'And before the angels I will sing praise to You'? Which another translator rendered, 'With boldness, O God, will I sing to You.'

Another version reads, 'Before the gods will I make melody to You.'

If, then, he means the angels in heaven, what is said is of this sort: that 'I will strive to sing together with the angels, and I will earnestly contend to enter into rivalry with them, and to join in the choir with the powers above.'

For even though I am separated from them by nature, nevertheless in eagerness of purpose I will strive to stand alongside them.

But if we take what is said according to the rendering of the others, it seems to me that he is speaking here about the priests.

For it is customary for Scripture to call the priest both an angel and a god.

'You shall not revile gods, nor speak evil of a ruler of your people.'

And again, 'The lips of the priests shall guard judgment, and they shall seek righteousness from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty.'

If, therefore, it is to be taken thus, we must understand it in this way: that 'With the priests, in their presence, while they begin the service with fitting good order and go before, I will follow, and I will attend, and I will sing to you.'

'Because you have heard all the words of my mouth.'

Do you see the abundance of thanksgiving? Do you see the intensity of attentiveness? It is not as with some of the slack and dissolute, who before receiving are vehement enough, but after receiving grow slack;

but this man, both before receiving is intent upon it, and after receiving remains continually giving thanks.

And from this it is shown that he made his prayer pure and excellent, from the very fact that it was heard by God.

For this above all makes a prayer to be heard, when it is made according to God's mind.

So that even of being heard we ourselves are the masters.

For when we ask those things which it is worthy of God to give, when we ask with eagerness, when we present ourselves worthy to receive, he hears when called upon, and fulfills what is asked.

'I will worship toward your holy temple.'

This too is no small virtue, to be able to set foot in the temple, and having set foot in it, to worship with a pure conscience.

For it is not the bending of knees, nor the entering in, that is the thing sought, but to be within with a fervent mind and an intent purpose—to be there not only in body, but also in mind;

even as it is no small dignity to worship the God who is over all, as one ought to worship.

For if in the case of kings this is reckoned as a part of dignity, how much more in the case of the God of all things.

'And I will confess to your name, for your mercy and your truth.'

What is this? 'I will give you thanks,' he says, 'because of your great mercy.'

For it was not from my own achievements that I received the recovery of my homeland and the sight of the temple, but from your mercy and your love for mankind.

For these things I will worship you, for these things I will confess to you: that when I was worthy of chastisement and punishment, and it was just that I should continually dwell in a foreign land, you speedily brought me back.

'Because you have magnified your holy name over all.'

I will give thanks not only for the benefits, but also for that unutterable glory itself, and for the boundless majesty, and for the ineffable nature.

'For you have magnified your holy name over all,' he says;

that is, through the benefits, through the elements, through the things in heaven, through the things on earth, through the chastisements, through the things done to enemies, through the things done to your own people.

For there is no part of the creation above or below that does not send forth a voice brighter than a trumpet, proclaiming the majesty of your name.

Whether, then, you name angels, or archangels, or demons and the insensible elements, or stones, or seeds, or the sun, or the moon, or the earth, or the seas, or things that swim, or birds, or lakes, or springs, or rivers—through all of them your name is shown to be great.

And another, instead of 'You have magnified your holy name over all,' said:

'For you have magnified your utterance above all your names.'

Another: 'Your oracle, In whatever day I call upon you, hear me speedily.'

Another: 'In whatever day I called upon you, you heard me.'

For this also God promised, saying:

'In whatever day you call upon me, I will hearken to you, and I will say, Behold, while you are yet speaking, I am present.'

For such are the souls that are in anguish;

they desire to see the swiftest deliverance from their distresses.

'You will care greatly for me in my soul by your power.'

Another: 'You have set powers together with my soul.'

For indeed the former one, instead of 'Hear me,' another said 'You have hearkened to me.'

What, then, is the meaning of the saying? Things lofty are called 'raised on high' (metetora), from being lifted up; and the 'swellings' of the sea are its waves and its heavings, so named from being lifted up.

Therefore the phrase 'Thou wilt hold me in high regard' means: Thou wilt lift me up, thou wilt exalt me.

This he has set down in another place also, saying:

'According to thy height thou hast held in high regard the sons of men';

that is, Thou hast lifted up, thou hast exalted.

So too he said, 'Thou wilt hold me in high regard,' in order to make plain that: Thou wilt fill me with much gladness, and wilt make my soul to be lifted up on high; and — what is greater than all — thou wilt not suffer this exaltation of mine and this gladness to become unstable, but wilt make it mighty and strong, firm and unshaken.

For this is the meaning of, 'Thou wilt hold me in high regard in my soul by thy power.'

By power thou wilt hold me in high regard, by might thou wilt exalt me, and thou wilt come to my help.

Wherefore another interpreter, bringing out the same sense, said: 'Thou hast established powers for my soul.'

And well did he say, 'for my soul,' since this above all is proper to God: even in afflictions to restore souls, just as also came to pass in the case of the Apostles.

For being scourged, they went back rejoicing; so greatly was their soul held in high regard.

This is above all the work of the power of God;

this above all displays his might: in the very midst of terrors, not to allow the soul to be borne down.

'Let all the kings of the earth give thanks unto thee, O Lord, for they have heard all the words of thy mouth.'

For he is not content to give thanks alone, but takes all who bear rule into fellowship of the thanksgiving — even those who wear the diadems.

For even though great, he says, be their authority and power, yet all of them owe thee thanks, even for the benefits done to others.

Wherefore, to make this plain also, he added, 'They have heard all the words of thy mouth.'

If therefore they give thanks, great

are the fruits they shall reap and the gains they shall win therefrom.

For such are thy gifts, set forth in the midst for all, so that those who are willing may both partake of them and enjoy them.

Nothing, then, can their kingship profit them so much as this: to hear thy words.

This is their security, this their strength, this their adornment, this their comeliness, this their kingship, this the splendour and power of their rule.

'And let them sing in the ways of the Lord.'

But another renders it, 'Let them sing the ways of the Lord.' If then it be 'In thy ways,' this is what was said, 'In thy laws, in thy commandments.'

But if it be 'Thy ways,' then it means: Let them tell, let them hymn, let them proclaim these thy righteous deeds;

for this is the meaning of 'Let them sing.'

'For great is the glory of the Lord';

that is, manifest to all, clear to all, plain to all, made ready for the benefiting of all, holding all men accountable to grace.

'For the Lord is exalted, and he looks upon lowly things.'

Exalted in nature, he says, exalted in essence.

But here, for the present, it is spoken in a more condescending way, adapted to the Jewish mode of understanding, and more figuratively.

But what follows corrects even this, and leads up even the lowly hearer to a great conception.

And what is this: 'And the lofty things he knows from afar'? For here the discourse is about foreknowledge, which above all is proper to the power of God;

wherefore also, discoursing often among the prophets, from this very point he directs his challenge against those held fast in the error of idols.

Another renders it, 'And that which is uplifted he discerns from afar'; another, 'And that which is raised on high.'

For since he had said, 'The Lord is exalted, and he looks upon lowly things,' he added that 'The lofty things also he knows from afar,' making plain that he knows the lofty things not merely so, but even from a great distance — that is, before they come to pass, before they are accomplished, before they come into deed.

'If I walk in the midst of affliction, thou wilt keep me alive.'

He did not say, 'Thou wilt drive away the affliction,' but, 'While I remain in the very midst of the terrors, thou wilt keep me alive';

that is, Thou wilt be able to preserve me safe, even after I have fallen into the very perils;

which indeed is wondrous and marvellous: when griefs and those who plot against him stand round about, to set in safety the one who is encompassed by them.

And against the wrath of my enemies You stretched out Your hand.

Another version has: Against the breath of my enemies You will stretch it out.

Do you see how on both sides the power is very great? For, he says, You are able both to preserve me who am in the midst of terrors, and to bring low and quell those who are raging and frenzied and breathing out fire.

Another version: And Your right hand shall save me; that is, Your power, Your might.

For God is resourceful and full of contrivance, and able to lead up to salvation even out of things given over as hopeless.

The Lord will recompense on my behalf.

Another version: He will accomplish it; that is, He will avenge me on my enemies.

And he did not say, He will avenge, but, He will recompense, showing that: Even if I am liable, He Himself will pay it down and discharge the debt.

And it is possible for this also to be spoken of the things done for us by Christ.

For He Himself made recompense on our behalf.

O Lord, Your mercy endures unto the ages.

Do not overlook the works of Your hands.

He sets down these two grounds for obtaining loving-kindness:

the one, that He is merciful, and good, and unceasingly compassionate, so that His loving-kindness is never interrupted nor comes to an end, nor gives out;

and the other, that He is Creator and Maker.

But just as we ask to be saved on these grounds, so let us also display something worthy of that mercy.

For I will have mercy, He says, on whomever I have mercy.

For mercy does not come simply and without distinction, but it too has a certain discernment.

For if it came simply and to all alike, no one would be punished.

Therefore let us do things worthy not only because we are shown mercy, but also because we have been created by God.

For he who has been fashioned by God, and has obtained such a Maker and King, ought to display a manner of life worthy of His care and of such providence.

we shall attain the good things, which may it be for us all to obtain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the might unto the ages of ages.