Commentary on the Psalms 8

To the end, concerning the eighth.

Another version: 'To the one who grants victory, concerning the eighth.' But the Hebrew says, 'Asheminith.'

'Save me, O Lord, for the holy man has failed, for truths have been diminished from among the sons of men.'

Another version: 'For the faithful have come to an end from among the sons of men.'

Virtue is difficult, and hard to accomplish even in itself, but most of all when the one who practices it is amid a scarcity of good men.

For just as a journey brings toil, but far more so when the traveler is alone and has no one to share the journey with him;

for no small thing is the fellowship and encouragement of brothers.

Considering one another so as to stir up love and good works.

For this reason above all it is fitting to count the men of old blessed—not because they achieved virtue, but because they did so even when there was a great drought of virtue, and those who lived rightly appeared nowhere.

This indeed the Scripture too, hinting at it, was saying:

'Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generation.'

For this reason we marvel at Abraham, for this reason at Lot, for this reason at Moses: because, as stars shining in the deep of night, and

roses amid thorns, and sheep among a thousand wolves, they journeyed the road opposite to all, and were not cut down.

For if this very thing brings difficulty even amid a multitude, and while many are taking the opposite course the one who alone walks against the crowd endures many troubles—and if in sailing too it is hard, when the surging wave bears the opposite way, to steer the ship against the contrary current;

how much more so in the matter of virtue.

For this reason this righteous man too, inasmuch as he alone had laid hold of virtue while all were walking the opposite way, takes refuge in the providence of God, saying:

Nothing else, then, but this does he make plain from these words:

'I have need of the hand from above, of the aid that comes from the heavens, of that alliance.'

For, journeying the road opposite to all, I have great need of providence.

And he did not say, 'Save me, because no holy man has come to be,' but, 'Because the holy man has failed,' showing that even those who did exist perished, since wickedness prevailed and the disease gained the upper hand.

This too Paul fears, when he says:

'Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?' And again:

'Evil companionships corrupt good morals.'

What does it mean, 'The truths have been diminished'? The truths are many.

Just as with colors and other kinds of things, some are genuine and some are false—there is a true purple and a false purple, and so too with saffron, and with precious stones, and with spices, and with other such things;

so indeed it is also with the virtues.

For truth is that which truly is, while falsehood is that which is not.

Since, then, these things had been distorted and darkened—not that they lost their very being of themselves, but that they were driven into exile by men—

for this reason he did not say merely, "The truths are diminished," but added, "from among the sons of men," wishing to make this very point clear.

What, then, is the true adornment? That which concerns the soul.

And what is the false one? That which concerns the body.

False is the adornment of riches; true is the adornment of virtuous deeds.

There is a gladness that is false and one that is true; and so too there are beauties, and powers, and glories.

But the greater part of men, forsaking the truth of these things, pursue the false.

For just as there is a true man and a false one—

the true one being he who lives and acts, the false one being one that is merely painted—

so indeed one may see it also in the case of the virtues.

"Each one has spoken vain things to his neighbor."

"Deceitful lips; with a heart and a heart they have spoken evil."

Another translator says, "He speaks with one heart and another."

He names two vices here: both that they spoke vain things, and that they did so against their neighbor;

for by "vain" he means either what is false, or what is superfluous and unprofitable.

Paul too says something of this kind, when he speaks thus:

And what is yet more grievous, that all had been corrupted.

Therefore he did not say, "This one and that one," but "Each one."

For their wickedness was not simply on the surface, but from deep within, and from the heart.

"With a heart and a heart"—which another interpreter rendered, "With one heart and another"—teaching that there was much duplicity in their heart.

This is more bitter than any enemies.

For the latter are open and manifest, and thereby one can easily guard against them;

but these men, putting forward one mask while being another, become hard to detect by those they plot against, being far more dangerous than those who conceal their swords.

"The Lord will utterly destroy all deceitful lips, and the boastful tongue, those who have said:"

"We will magnify our tongue."

"Our lips are our own."

"Who is lord over us?" Another renders it, "Who shall have dominion over us?" Do you see the prophet's tender care, how he prays on their behalf? For what is said is not against them, but on their behalf—

not that they themselves should perish, but that their wickedness should be done away.

For he did not say, "The Lord will destroy them," but "the deceitful lips."

And again, he asks not that their substance, but that the tongue, the madness, the guile be taken away, that the pride be cut off.

And mocking their folly, he says:

"Our lips are our own."

"Who is lord over us?" These are the words of madmen and of those out of their senses.

For this very reason Paul, speaking in a manner opposite to theirs, exhorts:

"You are not your own; you were bought with a price;"

and he commands that we should not even live for ourselves.

"Your lips are not yours," he says, "but the Master's."

For He Himself made them, He Himself fashioned them, He Himself breathed life into them.

But do you possess them? Yet not all that we possess is truly our own;

For we too possess goods, when others have committed them to us in trust;

and we rent land, when others have given it to us.

In just this way God has leased these things to you as well, not that you should bear thorns, but that you should turn the seed to good use;

not that you should produce arrogance, not deceit, but that through them you should make humility, good report, and love spring up.

And He gave you eyes, not that you should look upon unchaste things, but that you should adorn them with self-control;

and hands, not that you should strike, but that you should show mercy.

And how can you say, 'Our lips are our own,' when you make them slaves of sin, when you make them slaves of fornication, when you make them slaves of uncleanness? 'Who is lord over us?' O devilish saying!

Do you see, O man, all nature proclaiming aloud the might of your Master, His wisdom, His care, His providence?

Your body, your soul, your life, the things seen, the things unseen, nearly all things, so to speak, sending forth a voice and proclaiming aloud the power of the Creator; and yet you say:

'Who is lord over us?' This is the mark of madness, of derangement, of a corrupted soul.

'Who is lord over us?' Others indeed confess the Master, but do away with the doctrine of judgment and of punishment, purchasing a great chastisement for a brief gratification, and, wishing to console themselves by not remembering hell, they unwittingly, through this very fearlessness, cast themselves into the pit of destruction.

Therefore I exhort you both to remember hell and to speak of hell;

in this way mould your soul into fair form.

For great is the usefulness of these words.

For God did not merely threaten hell and thereby already make it manifest, but so that by fear He might make men better.

For this reason the devil also does and contrives everything, wishing to remove the memory of it.

Do not therefore cast out the memory of it, nor say:

'Why do I grieve myself out of season?' Do you grieve out of season? That is grieving out of season—to be in pain when you are in hell.

This is the season for grieving, not that other one.

And this the rich man in the parable of Lazarus makes plain, who, though he grieved ten thousand times, gained nothing.

But if he had grieved in season, he would not have suffered what he suffered.

'For the misery of the poor, and for the groaning of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord.'

'I will set them in safety; I will deal boldly on their behalf.'

Another version: 'I will appoint a manifest salvation.'

Learn how great is the power of humility.

The power of the poor—the poor, I say, those who are crushed in mind—the succour lies in their suffering ill.

For here he speaks neither of a way of life nor of virtue, but says that suffering ill—this is what raises up God, and summons Him to vengeance and to defence.

So great a thing is it to bear wrong nobly; so great is God's providence over those who are ill-treated; the calamity itself, arising from suffering ill, serves in place of the mightiest advocate.

Great is the strength of groaning, which calls down help from above.

Be afraid, all you who wrong the poor.

You have power, and wealth, and money, and the favour of judges;

but they possess a weapon mightier than all these, namely the

groanings and the laments, and the very fact of being wronged, which draws down the alliance from the heavens.

This weapon undermines houses, this has razed foundations, this has destroyed cities, this has sunk whole nations beneath the waves;

I mean the groanings of men who are wronged.

God reveres their good disposition, when, suffering ill, they utter no wicked word, but only groan and bewail their own troubles.

And what does it mean, 'I will set them in safety; I will deal boldly on their behalf'? 'With boldness,' He says, 'I will champion them openly and plainly, so that all may learn of it.'

And when does He not save openly? There are times when it is not openly, but secretly;

for He has no need of glory from men.

But now, since it was likely that their enemies would trample upon them, leap upon them, and reproach them as having no God to help them, in order that those enemies too might be brought to their senses and become better, learning by experience the Master's alliance, 'I will make manifest,' He says, 'the salvation on their behalf.'

The words of the Lord are pure words;

silver refined by fire, tried in the earth.

And what is the connection of this with what was said before? Great and close indeed.

For do not suppose, he says, that these things were spoken lightly, nor that the threat is superfluous;

His sayings are pure, free from all falsehood.

For just as silver that has been refined by fire has nothing foreign or spurious in it, so also the words of God: whatever He may speak must by all means come to pass.

Silver refined by fire, tried in the earth.

Another version: Refined, passing through the earth.

But the Hebrew, instead of 'passing through the earth,' says 'Baalil laares,' that is, that which is smelted, that which flows in the earth.

Purified seven times.

Do you see how by the image of the material he demonstrates its freedom from falsehood, its truthfulness? For just as that which has been smelted, which has been fired, which has undergone this many times, is estranged from any foreign material, having been purified with exactness;

so also is the pronouncement of God.

You, O Lord, will keep us, and will preserve us from this generation, and forever.

Another version: You will guard them, and will preserve us from this generation, and forever.

Another version: Together with the everlasting generation.

The ungodly walk about round about.

Another version: They shall walk about in a circle of the ungodly.

According to your loftiness you have greatly regarded the sons of men.

Another version: When the lowly among the sons of men are exalted.

Yet another: According to the height, made precious for the sons of men.

But the Hebrew says, 'Charm zollo, lebne Adam.'

You, O Lord, will keep us, and will preserve us.

Observe him continually, or rather perpetually, taking refuge in God, and seeking his alliance from thence;

for the help is all-powerful, interrupted by no span of time.

We have need of nothing human, he says;

for you are the one who keeps us perpetually.

What does it mean, 'The ungodly walk about round about'? According to the Seventy it must be understood thus, that even though the ungodly should encircle us, we shall suffer nothing;

for you both keep us, and lift us on high, and make us glorious.

But according to the other translator this must be said:

The ungodly shall be thrust out, when you exalt the lowly, the sons of men;

that is, when you glorify us who are thought to be despicable, who are brought low, you will remove them and thrust them away.

And what does 'According to your loftiness' mean? It is equivalent to: You have made them like yourself, so far as it is possible for a man to be like;

for 'Let us make man,' He says, 'according to our image, and after our likeness.'

For what He is in heaven, that we are upon the earth;

and just as none is higher than He above, so upon the earth none is like this living creature in virtue.

'Be,' He says, 'like your Father who is in the heavens.'

And He imparted to us even of the name;

'I said, You are gods,' He says, 'and all of you sons of the Most High.'

And He made him to be a creator too, and

And now Moses transforms the creation, and now others transform other elements;

But to us He has given the charge to build Him a temple, namely ourselves.

If, therefore, you do not fashion a heaven, yet you do fashion a temple of God.

For heaven itself is glorious for this very reason, that it has God dwelling within it;

or rather, through Christ, so are we also.

For it says, 'He raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places at His right hand';

and He granted us to do greater things than He Himself did.

For it says, 'The signs which I do, he too shall do, and greater than these shall he do.'

And in the Old Testament, one changed the sea, another reined in the sun, another commanded the moon to stand still, and another turned back its rays upon itself;

and the children in the furnace bound fast the energy of the element, and the raging flame fell silent, and though it blazed it hissed as though shackled.

The wild beasts also know how to reverence the friends of God;

and even when hunger constrains them, they become more temperate.

Let gluttons be put to shame by the self-restraint of the beasts.

The lions beheld Daniel, and they became philosophers;

yet we, when we behold the Son of God coming to us, do not practise such wisdom.

Those lions chose to perish by hunger rather than to touch the body of the holy man;

yet we, seeing Christ going about naked and wasting away with hunger, do not even part with our superfluities, but, living in abundance, we overlook the saints.

Again, the earth brought forth to another friend of God so many gifts from its own bosom, so great a yield as never before.

And why do you marvel that they themselves were held in reverence, when even their garments and their shadows were dreadful to demons, and to death, and to disease? Angels too reverenced men, and honoured them exceedingly.

For how could they not, when their own Master honoured them? And this may be seen both in the Old and in the New Testament.

'According to Thy loftiness Thou hast greatly regarded the sons of men.'

Considering, therefore, the greatness of the honour, let us render a worthy return for it, lest the exceeding abundance of the honour become for us a provision unto punishment;

from which may we all be delivered, both we who teach these things and those who learn them, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom belongs all glory, honour and worship unto the ages of ages.