Commentary on the Psalms 57

I will exalt You, my God, my King;

and I will bless Your name unto the age, and unto the age of the age.

It is worthwhile to attend to this psalm above all with exactness.

For this is the one that contains those very words which the initiated continually chant in response, saying:

The eyes of all hope in You, and You give them their food in due season.

For he who has become a son and enjoys the spiritual table would be justified in glorifying the Father.

For a son, it says, glorifies his father, and a servant will fear his lord.

You have become a son and one who enjoys the spiritual table, feeding on the flesh and the blood that gave you new birth;

render, therefore, the recompense for so great a benefit, and glorify Him who has bestowed such things; and when you read the words, attune your mind to what is spoken;

and saying, I will exalt You, my God, my King, show forth great intimacy, that God too may say concerning you, as also concerning Abraham and Isaac and Jacob: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

For if you say, My God, my King, and not only say it but also show forth such love, He too will say the same concerning you: My servant, and My attendant;

which was said also concerning Moses.

And I will bless Your name unto the age, and unto the age of the age.

Do you see how he also points out the foretokens of the life to come? By blessing here he means not that which is through words, but also that which is through deeds.

For in this way indeed is God exalted, and in this way is He blessed.

This too we are bidden to say in the prayer: Hallowed be Your name, that is, Let it be glorified.

Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name unto the age, and unto the age of the age.

Another version: Unto the age continually.

This is especially the mark of a devout soul: that, freed from the affairs of this life, it should devote itself to hymns.

For indeed it would be shameful that a rational man, more precious than all things visible, should fall short of creation in the matter of praise;

and not only shameful, but also absurd.

And how would it not be absurd, seeing that creation itself every day and hour sends up glory to the Master? For, it says, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands.

Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night proclaims knowledge.

Both sun and moon, and the varied choir of the stars, and the good order of all the rest, herald their own Maker.

He, then, who is more precious than all these, if he does not do this, but even leads such a life that blasphemy is brought upon the God who made him, of what pardon will such a man be worthy? What defense will he have, when, having been brought into being for this very end, that he might please the loving God and enjoy the kingdom of things to come, he makes little account of this, but wraps himself in worldly business and secular cares? But this man was not such; rather, throughout the whole of his life he offered praise to God, both that through words and that through deeds.

For indeed we are debtors to Him in many respects: because He made us when we were not, and because He fashioned us such as we are, because He upholds us now that we have come to be, and because He provides for us every day, both in common and individually, both secretly and openly, both when we know it and when we know it not.

For what could one say of the visible things which He made for our sake? The service which they render, the fashioning of the body, the nobility of the soul, the daily governance—that through wonders, that through laws, that through chastisements—His manifold and incomprehensible providence, the crown of good things, that He did not even spare the Only-Begotten for our sake, the gifts already given through baptism, through the mysteries, and those yet to be given, those ineffable good things, the kingdom, the resurrection, the portion filled with all blessedness? For if one should reckon up each of these, he will plunge into an unspeakable ocean of benefits, and will see for how many things he is accountable to the loving God;

and not for these things alone, but also on account of the majesty of His glory, on account of His incorruptible essence.

For indeed on this account too there are owed to Him from us praise, and blessing, and perpetual thanksgiving, and worship, and unceasing service.

This very thing, then, the prophet also declares when he says: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and of His greatness there is no end.

For since he had said, I will bless and I will praise, he shows that He has no need of the praises from us, nor of the blessings, nor is anything added to His glory from the acclaim of those who serve Him.

For His essence, being incorruptible and without need, requires nothing else besides.

But those who praise Him themselves become more radiant.

And not for this reason alone, but also on account of the surpassing excellence of His glory, is praise owed to Him from us.

Wherefore, declaring this too, he said, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised—that is, needing nothing.

What does 'to be praised' mean? Worthy of acclaim, of encomiums and hymns.

Not simply 'Praiseworthy,' but also 'Exceedingly.'

And being unable to set forth in words how greatly praiseworthy He is, he went on to add:

'And of His greatness there is no end.'

which another translator rendered as 'past finding out.'

And what he means is something of this sort:

Since you have a great Master, become you also lofty, and be released from the affairs of this life.

Take up a mind loftier than the lowliness of present things — not that you should become presumptuous and boastful, but that you should be magnanimous and great of soul.

For boastfulness is one thing, and magnanimity is another.

For the boaster is the man who vaunts himself over trifling things and looks down upon his fellow servants;

but the lofty man is he who is humble in mind,

and reckons the illusions of the present life to be nothing.

Where now are those who say that they know God as He Himself knows Himself?

Let them hear the prophet saying, 'Of His greatness there is no end,' and let them be ashamed of their own madness.

'Generation after generation shall praise Thy works.'

What he is accustomed to do, this he works here also.

For whenever he has marvelled at His greatness and His glory, he proceeds also to the demonstration drawn from His works.

This very thing he does here too, and says:

'Generation after generation shall praise Thy works,' showing His greatness from His works.

That is to say, it did not come to pass in a single span of time only and then pass away, nor in two or three years, but it is extended over the whole present age, so that every generation beholds His creative works.

For this is the meaning of 'Generation after generation':

the generation that now is, he says, and that which is coming, and that which follows it, and again that which comes after this, and each of those to come;

and creation again is likewise extended over all this time — such as heaven, earth, sea, air, lakes, springs, rivers, seeds, plants, herbs, and the benefit derived from these, the course of nature never interrupted, rains, the seasons ceaselessly dancing in their round, night, day, sun, moon, the stars, all the rest; and besides these, those things which take place in each generation, both privately and in common, for the correction and for the benefit of the whole common race of all mankind — such as the miracles that continually occurred among the Jews, signs, providence shown in seasons of plenty, in victories in wars, in all other things; such as those at the coming of Christ, in the time of the apostles, in the season of persecutions, greater and far surpassing the ancient ones in magnitude, such as have occurred also in our own generation.

For indeed there is no time whatever, even apart from these common things, that does not bear a sign of His providence.

'And they shall declare Thy power.'

Both through His benefits, he says, and through His chastisements.

For God never ceases in every way, throughout all time, to order things for the sake of our nature.

'They shall speak of the majesty of the glory of Thy holiness, and shall recount Thy wondrous works.'

Another translator: 'They shall recount the beauty of Thy praise, and the words of Thy marvellous deeds.'

Since he spoke of power, he shows that this power too is a power that surpasses all measure.

For neither did it work in a simple manner, nor did it accomplish ordinary things, but it continued working all things wondrously and marvellously, operating above human nature, so that the things that came to pass were full both of wonder and of glory.

Consider then the things that happened in Egypt, the things in Palestine, the things in the time of Abraham, the things in the time of Isaac, the things in the time of Joseph;

again the things in Egypt, the things in the time of Moses, the things in the wilderness, the things after the entrance;

again the things in the captivity, the things in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, the things at the furnace, the things among the lions, the things at the return, the things in the time of the prophets.

For all these things proclaimed the might, the glory, the greatness of Him who wrought them, affording much astonishment and much wonder.

'And they shall tell of the power of Thy terrible deeds, and shall recount Thy greatness.'

By this he shows that His might is perfectly equipped for both, both for benefaction and for punishment, and that all the things enumerated possessed both of these.

But this is to be seen not only in the events of that time, but also in creation; and the instruments of each kind of dispensation are many — for instance, of the terrible things: lightnings, thunders, thunderbolts, whirlwinds, plagues, snows, hail, blight, frost, conflagrations, floods;

and among the reptiles, serpents, scorpions, snakes; and among the birds, the locust; and among the mean creatures, the dog-fly and the caterpillar;

which very things also are most of all works of providence, turning men back, releasing them from slothfulness, rousing them from deep sleep, leading them from stupor to sobriety.

But not in these things only is His power perfectly equipped, but also in the opposite things.

Therefore, wishing to teach us also concerning these things, after saying, 'They shall tell of the power of thy terrible acts, and shall declare thy greatness,' he added:

'They shall pour forth the memory of the abundance of thy goodness.'

Another version renders it, 'of thy goodness,' 'and they shall rejoice in thy righteousness.'

Which yet another translator rendered, 'And they shall celebrate thy acts of mercy.'

But just as we enumerated those terrible things, so it is needful also to speak of the things contrary to them.

For instance, in the case of things visible and

those around us: the yearly seasons, the days, the gardens, the meadows, the varied flowers, the sweet and drinkable water, the usefulness that comes from the rains, the travail of the earth, the manifold fruits, the diverse trees, the gentle winds, the ray of the sun, the lamp of the moon, the varied chorus of the stars, the gentleness of the night;

and among the tame animals: sheep, and oxen, and goats;

and among the wild animals: gazelles, and deer, hares, and many others besides;

and among the birds: the Indian fowls;

and in these very works one may see him not only chastening, but also doing good by far—much more than chastening.

Some things, then, he does for the sake of fear;

but if at some time he should bring an actual trial upon them, it is because of the great insensibility of those who are not corrected by fear.

Yet in these acts of kindness he takes delight, and advances them even to the point of an actual trial, not only toward the worthy, but also toward the unworthy.

Diversifying, then, our salvation, at one time he works these things, at another those, but more often those, since he wills those alone.

For on this account he also threatened hell, not that he might bring it upon us, but that he might not bring it upon us;

and hell he prepared for the devil;

for 'Depart,' he says, 'into the fire prepared for the devil';

but the kingdom he prepared for men, showing that he does not will to cast a man into hell.

'The Lord is compassionate and merciful, longsuffering and of great mercy.'

'The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.'

Do you see the prophet also dwelling upon these kinder themes, and lavishing his words upon them?

For he knows clearly that the riches of God consist especially in these things.

For it would not have been possible to be saved, had not his lovingkindness been great;

it would not have been possible to abide, unless we enjoyed much of his goodness.

'I am he that blotteth out thine iniquities, and in thy sins I have stood as thy champion.'

'The Lord is compassionate and merciful.'

See how he shows his unspeakable lovingkindness.

For he not only has mercy on sinners, but also displays another kind of lovingkindness that is no small thing—his longsuffering—so that they may come to repentance, and, together with his lovingkindness, may be saved also by their own diligence, and may have the confidence that comes from good deeds.

And not simply 'merciful,' but he said 'of great mercy,' showing that this greatness cannot be measured, but surpasses all reckoning.

Accordingly, in what follows he demonstrated it as far as was possible for him, adding and saying:

'The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.'

What does 'to all' mean? Even to sinners, he says, and to those living in transgressions.

For not only the righteous, nor those who do well, nor those who repent, but all men, through the very things they experience, proclaim aloud his mercy and his goodness.

And if anyone should ask me, to whom did he become good, I will answer:

Not to Abel only, but also to Cain;

not to Noah only and his children, but also to those who were overwhelmed by the flood.

For he does all things out of lovingkindness.

And that you may learn how he is good to all, consider from this:

How great a kindness was it, tell me, that that fratricide—one who dared such a slaughter, who defiled his right hand and trampled upon the laws of God—should be handed over to a punishment which was admonition rather than chastisement, so that both that man himself might be cleansed through the long span of time from the sin that had taken root in him, and the rest might be instructed through the things which he suffered? And how great a kindness was it, tell me, in the case of those who were incurably diseased at the time of the flood, and who were reformed neither by threats, nor by words, nor by anything else, to put a stop to their wickedness, and to use the common debt of nature in place of a remedy, and to bring upon them the gentlest death—the death that comes through the

...of the waters. And this word 'to all things' one may observe not only in this instance, but also in all things that are seen, in the living creatures, and in the irrational beasts.

And even if one should ascend to the very angels themselves, to the archangels, he will behold much kindness, many mercies;

for every work enjoys much of His loving-kindness.

And this indeed the psalmist himself perceived, and so he added:

'Let all Thy works give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, and let Thy holy ones bless Thee;'

that is to say, Let them give Thee thanks, let them send up hymns unto Thee, both those honoured with reason and those things that have no voice.

For indeed each of the voiceless things has been so made that it sends up praise through its own nature, and even though it be voiceless, it does so through the men who behold it and enjoy it.

And those things praise Him through their own substance, but men also through their manner of life and through their conduct.

Wherefore he makes this plain also by the addition of the words, 'Let Thy holy ones bless Thee.'

By 'holy ones' here he calls the saints, those who fulfil the commandments of God, those untrodden by sins and by wickedness.

'They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom.'

What is it, 'They shall speak of the glory'? His freedom from all need, His love for mankind, he says, His tender care, His having no need of those He rules, His displaying so great a providence concerning them, the unapproachableness of His light, the ineffableness of His essence, its incomprehensibility.

'And they shall tell of Thy power;'

that is, They shall sing of Thy might, which none can war against, which none can subdue.

not because Thou hast need of these hymns and praises, but for the sake of those who utter them, and in order that they may teach others also, and make them partakers of the praise.

'To make known to the sons of men Thy power, and the glory of the majesty of Thy kingdom.'

By these words he shows that it is for the sake of others' learning of His power that He accepts the praises.

Great therefore is His power, great His glory, great His comeliness, great and unspeakable, not only surpassing all speech, but also conquering every mind.

But this great and unspeakable power has need of those who teach it, because of the ignorance of the many.

Since the sun too is a most brilliant star, and yet those who are diseased in their eyes do not see its light;

so indeed the providence of God is more radiant than any sun, but those who are perverted in their reasonings, and have their ears stopped up, need much care, that their understanding may be opened.

It is needful therefore continually to sound in their ears and to instil the teaching concerning these things.

Then, since he had spoken of the glory of the kingdom and of its majesty, and had passed on without explaining it, he takes it up again, and tells, so far as it was granted him, what the glory is, adding:

'Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all the ages.'

Not of the present things only, he says, but also of the things to come;

for it is without end and without limit, and alone possesses eternity.

'And Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.'

Behold from this also its endlessness.

Everywhere throughout the inhabited world, everywhere throughout the ages, everywhere throughout all times it is stretched forth.

'The Lord is faithful in all His words, and holy in all His works;'

having spoken of the endlessness of the kingdom, its steadfastness, its firmness, its immovableness, he speaks also of the solidity of His words.

For the word 'faithful' means this: sure, true.

And if He is faithful, the things spoken by Him shall assuredly come to pass.

And just as His kingdom is unfailing, and has no end,

so also His words are firm and steadfast.

Neither, then, is that kingdom ever cut short, nor do these words ever fail.

And if they do not fail, the deeds must assuredly follow.

But if anywhere He has spoken something and it has not come to pass, this too is a proof of His truthfulness;

'For at one moment I shall speak against a nation and against a kingdom, to pluck it down and to root it out;'

'and if they repent of their wickedness, I too will repent of the evil that I said I would do to them.'

'I will speak of good things,' he says; and should they change, I too will change what has been said concerning them.

'And holy in all His works.'

What does 'holy' mean? Unassailable, upright, pure, blameless, offering no handle for reproach to anyone.

'The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are cast down.'

Having spoken of the kingdom, that it is without end; of the words, that they are true; of the deeds, that they are unassailable; of the glory, of the majesty, he speaks again of His loving-kindness toward mankind:

which itself too is the greatest glory of His kingdom—that He not only sustains those who stand, but also does not permit those about to fall to suffer this, and raises up those who lie prostrate; and, what is truly wonderful, that He does so for all, not for some one man only, but for all, even though they be slaves, even though they be poor, even though they be obscure, even though they be sprung from obscurity.

For He is Master of all, and neither passes by those who lie fallen, nor overlooks those who are reeling.

This He did in the case of our common nature;

this too He works in the case of each individual.

But if certain of those who have fallen do not rise again, this is not due to Him who wills to raise them up, but to those who are unwilling to rise.

For indeed He willed to raise up Judas when he had fallen, and toward this He did everything; but that man was not willing.

David at any rate, when he had fallen, He set upright again;

Peter, when he was about to fall, He raised up.

'Simon, Simon,' He says, 'behold, Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat;'

'but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.'

Then he speaks of yet another kind of beneficence;

for His providential care is varied and manifold.

'The eyes of all wait upon You, and You give them their food in due season.'

Do you see how he has shown that He is good to all, and His compassions are over all His works? That very thing which was said in the Gospels—'that He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust'—this too he here hinted at when he said:

'And You give them their food in due season.'

For it is not the rains and the earth and the air, but His command, that is wont to bring the fruits to their fulfilment.

And the phrase 'in due season' makes this plain: that all things have been ordered by their seasons, and are brought forth by their various turnings.

For this too above all displays His wisdom: that He does not distribute the provision of food all at once, nor under a single moment, but portions it out through the whole course of the year, so that the husbandman may have rest, and the things produced may not perish.

The phrase 'in due season,' then, is either what we said before—that each thing is apportioned by its seasons;

or that 'You give food to those who are in need and want.'

And how, someone says, did he say, 'The eyes of all wait upon You'? For there are many who say that things exist of themselves—those who live in impiety.

Here he is speaking of the nature of the matter itself, just as elsewhere too when he says:

'To the young ravens that call upon Him;'

and yet the animals are without reason.

'The young lions roaring, to seize and to seek their food from God for themselves.'

And yet these too are without reason, and it is not they themselves who seek;

but here again he is speaking of the nature of the matter;

for this must be said not from any deliberate choice on their part, but from the nature of the things that come to pass.

'You open Your hand, and fill every living thing with good pleasure.'

By 'hand' he means the operation and the bestowing power, teaching you through all things to know that the offspring of the fruits lie not in the elements, but in the providence of God.

Or else, showing the ease of it, he said, 'You open Your hand.'

For since the men of that time, above all forsaking the Author of all, worshipped even the air and the sun, and considered these to be the things that supplied the fruits, he, leading them back up to the sovereignty on high and to the Author and Master of these things, continually adds these words, showing that from His hand come all things, and that from His providential care the good things flow.

And when he says here that He fills them 'with good pleasure,' that is, with well-pleasing satisfaction, it is because He fills each living thing with what He wills, with what is pleasing to it.

For He does not simply give food, but according to what is useful for each, according to the desire of each, according to fullness.

And You give both to the irrational creatures and to men and to all, as is pleasant to each, as is agreeable to each;

And you not only give, but you also fill to the full, so that nothing whatever is lacking.

Therefore he says, 'You fill every living thing with your good pleasure.'

'The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.'

By 'ways' here he means his providential dispensations, his foresight, his tender care, through which he ordered all things.

For all his works, he says, are praiseworthy, filled with wonders, affording no handle to anyone for reproach, even though some may rave and rage against them.

His works, then, are by their very nature such as to shine forth, to gleam brightly, to proclaim aloud the providence, the tender care, the loving-kindness, the righteousness, and the holiness of him who made them.

'The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.'

Behold yet another aspect of his providence, the chief of all good things.

For having spoken of the things given in common even to unbelievers—the nourishment, the rains—he now speaks also of the things bestowed especially upon the faithful.

And what are these? To be near to them—that is, to hold fast to them, to care for them, to exercise providence over them far more greatly than over the others, to be well-disposed toward them and gracious and kindly, and to reveal his good things to them the more.

'He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him, and he will hear their supplication, and will save them.'

And yet, one may say, Paul wished that the angel of Satan should depart from him—that is, the temptations, the afflictions, the plots—and God did not do it.

For since he came to know that he was asking for things that were not profitable, then to will again—and to will earnestly—was the work of God.

'I take pleasure in weaknesses, in afflictions, in persecutions.'

But if at first he wished for the contrary, he wished it out of ignorance;

and when he learned that this was what God willed, he too from then on took pleasure in it.

For the will of God is not one thing and the will of those who fear him another;

and if they too, as human beings, will certain things, yet afterward they are set right.

'The Lord preserves all who love him, and all sinners he will utterly destroy.'

And this too is no small part of his providence—to keep watch, to make secure, to grant the protection that comes from himself.

By 'sinners' he means those who are sick with incurable maladies, those who are unwilling to be set right.

But if he permits even some of those who love him to fall into deaths, this too belongs to one who keeps watch over them;

which is what happened also in the case of Abel.

For even though their bodies were destroyed, yet nonetheless they became more radiant in soul;

and they shall also receive back their bodies incorruptible.

Since, then, he had told the forms of God's providence, as many as it was possible for him to tell—the common ones, the particular ones, the special ones granted to the saints, his tender care for those who are shaken, his providence over those who are laid low, his long-suffering, his correction of sinners, his guarding of the saints—he again closes his discourse with praise, and calls the whole inhabited world into fellowship of the thanksgiving, saying:

'My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever, and for ever and ever.'

Do you see how, out of his kindly disposition, he calls not only those who are benefited but even those who are chastened? For this too belongs to tender care—and not human beings only, but also the irrational creatures, the elements, and all things without sense;

for all things are filled with his goodness.

Let us therefore not cease, we also, to hymn without ceasing him who is so kind, so loving toward mankind, who extends his beneficence everywhere—both by words and by deeds;

so that we may obtain both the present and the coming good things, by the grace and

the loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the might, unto the ages of the ages.