Commentary on the Psalms 1 part 22/42

This psalm, moreover, has also been spoken in the person of the captives in Babylon, who promise to hymn God if they may enjoy the divine grace.

'We will give thanks to thee, O God, we will give thanks to thee, and we will call upon thy name.' And from this it is plain that they utter these words while they have not yet obtained their return.

And they promise to hymn God, and to be made resplendent by his venerable name.

For the phrase 'We will call upon thy name' signifies this: that 'Again we shall be called by thy name, and shall be reckoned thy people.'

[Verse 3] 'When I take a set time.' But Aquila and Symmachus render it thus:

'When I receive the Congregation.'

When, he says, we return and are gathered together into thy holy temple, then we shall both hymn thee lawfully and teach those who are ignorant of thy benefits;

for that appointed time will grant us to do this.

'How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?' Thus the prophetic word, having taught what the captives in Babylon ought to say [and having guided as with a tutor those who turn back through repentance to the Saviour of all], shows God answering the promises that had been made, and saying:

'I will judge with uprightness.' Justly, he says, will I give judgment for you and for the Babylonians.

'The earth is melted, and all that dwell therein.' For I am the judge of all the inhabited world, and upon all I shall bring the punishments they deserve.

'I have made firm its pillars.' And I am master of all things, being the Creator of all.

For I have made the earth and set it fast, supporting it as it were with certain pillars, namely my own bounds.

For I have appointed an ordinance, and it shall not pass away.

And I admonish and counsel that every form of iniquity be abhorred, but that men take care for righteousness and for a moderate frame of mind;

for these things he taught through what follows.

'I said to the transgressors, Transgress not;

and to the sinners, Lift not up the horn.' For this is the most grievous of all passions: not only to sin, but also to exult over it.

'Lift not up your horn on high.' Then he shows what sort of 'height' he calls it.

'And speak not unrighteousness against God.' For indeed the horned beasts greatly pride themselves upon their horns.

And the word charges them not to increase their iniquity by arrogance, nor to wag the tongue against God.

'For God is judge.' By 'goings out' he has meant the east;

and thus also the fifth edition renders it;

and by 'desolate mountains,' the northern and southern regions.

For these, by reason of extreme cold and heat, have remained utterly uninhabited.

For whether one seizes the eastern parts, or the western, or attempts to flee to the south, or to the north, he is subject to the divine sentence.

Then he teaches that the changes of life come about by the will of God.

'This one he humbles, and that one he exalts.'

[Verse 9] 'For a cup is in the hand of the Lord, full of unmixed wine, of mixture, and he inclined it from this to that.' And concerning the cup, the prophecy of the divine Jeremiah also teaches.

For he is commanded by the God of all to take this and to give it to Jerusalem to drink, and to the rulers, and to the neighbouring nations.

By 'wine' he names the punishment, since like drunkenness it strips away one's strength and dissolves the harmony of the members.

The prophetic word therefore declares that the righteous Judge brings punishment now upon us, and now upon them;

and now he exalts this one and abases that one, and again he transfers the exaltation to others, and interchanges calamities, and reverses times of prosperity.

Now the captives in Babylon were not taught to say these things without purpose, but as a prior instruction concerning both the servitude under the Babylonians and their own freedom.

For before long Cyrus overthrew the power of those, and restored to these their former freedom.

'Nevertheless the dregs thereof are not emptied out;'

'all the sinners of the earth shall drink of them.' He called the more grievous punishment 'dregs.'

'I indeed,' he says, 'drank the clearer part' — that is, 'I was subjected to lesser evils;'

'but the very sediment the Babylonians shall drink' — meaning, they shall suffer things more grievous than what they wrought;

'for I, having served seventy years, have obtained my return, but they shall be handed over to perpetual servitude.'

'But I will rejoice for ever; I will sing psalms to the God of Jacob.' For just as, when we drank, those men mocked at our misfortunes,

so we, beholding their punishment, will offer up hymn-singing to God;

not exulting over them, but showing ourselves thankful for the benefits received.

The prophecy of Ezekiel also makes mention of these things, and indeed that of Micah, and that of Zechariah;

and when those were overthrown, they became illustrious and much-admired, inasmuch as they had achieved such a victory.

By 'the horn of the righteous' he named the godly disposition of mind.

But if anyone should wish to understand Zerubbabel to be the one here called 'righteous,' whom God used as his minister to accomplish that victory, he will not fail of the truth.

'Unto the end, among the hymns, a psalm for Asaph, a song against the Assyrian.' I did not find the addition 'against the Assyrian' in the Hexapla, but in certain copies.

This psalm, however, has the following subject:

for it foretells the events concerning Sennacherib, and the punishment brought upon his army.

'God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.' For when in one night, through an angel, those so many myriads received the death-dealing blow, the God of all was made manifest to all, exercising exceeding care for Israel, and making his own epiphany in Judah.

'And his place is made in peace, and his dwelling-place in Zion.' For when the multitude had been destroyed, those who were left fled, having become messengers of the divine power.

Thereupon the city enjoyed peace, and all supposed that God had truly been pleased to dwell in Zion.

Then he teaches how God is known in Judah.

'There he broke the might of the bows, shield, and sword, and battle.' 'Before the walls of the city,' he says, 'having at one and the same time destroyed heavy-armed men, and archers, and light-shield bearers, he rendered their weapons wholly useless.'

'Thou dost enlighten wondrously from the everlasting mountains.' But Symmachus renders it thus: 'Thou art manifest, exceeding great from the mountains of prey.'

'For in our mountains, having delivered the enemies over to the hunt of death, thou wast shown exceeding great and manifest before all.'

'For by the marvel thou dost enlighten those who know thee not, and dost teach who thou art.'

'All the foolish in heart were troubled;'

'they slept their sleep, and found nothing.' For having exercised a haughtier spirit against thee, they endured sudden confusion, through the folly of their soul, and, supposing they would sleep securely, they were cheated of their hope.

For death succeeded their sleep.

This too the history teaches, that when they rose up they found all the bodies dead.

'All the men of wealth with their hands.' But Symmachus thus:

'All the mighty men their hands.'

'The strength of their hands availed them nothing,' he says, 'by which they expected to snatch away the wealth of all.'

And teaching why, then, they profited nothing thereby, he added:

'At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, they that mounted the horses fell into a slumber.' 'Thou didst nod,' he says, 'and at once they fell down who boasted of knowing the art of horsemanship.'

For just as one who is drowsy readily falls asleep when he wishes, so those men received a swift end of their life.

'Thou art terrible, and who shall withstand thee?' For who is able to withstand thee, and to escape the punishment brought by thee? 'From that time was thine anger.' As soon as thou didst hear the blasphemy, thou wast able to chastise the wicked, but thou wast longsuffering, awaiting their change.

'From heaven thou didst cause judgment to be heard.' 'From on high,' he says, 'thou dost bring forth thy verdicts against whomsoever thou wilt.'

But the word 'thou didst cause to be heard' Symmachus rendered 'thou wilt make a hearer.'

'For the thought of man shall confess to thee, and the remnant of thought shall keep feast to thee.' Having enjoyed these good things, we consecrate our reasonings to hymn-singing, not occupying even the smallest part of them with any other care.

'Vow, and render unto the Lord our God.' They exhort one another both to promise gifts and to fulfil the promises.

For it is shameful and full of ingratitude that all the neighbouring peoples should do this out of fear, while those who had obtained the benefit should be sick with ingratitude.

For this he made clear through what follows.

'All that are round about him shall bring gifts to him that is terrible, [v. 13] even to him that takes away the spirits of rulers, terrible among the kings of the earth.' They will bring the gifts, being terrified by the wonders that have taken place, and having learned through the events that this One is truly God, who brings death even upon those who hold dominion and who are supposed to reign over the earth.

'Unto the end, for Jeduthun, a psalm for Asaph.' But Symmachus renders 'through Jeduthun.'

He too had been entrusted with a choir of those who sang praises to God;

for to make a pronouncement concerning matters in doubt is not without danger.

It represents the Israelites when they were under constraint, and the divisions of their reasonings, and the pains that thereupon spring up.

He has framed the psalm as of those recounting these very things after the return, and singing praises to God.

'With my voice I cried unto the Lord, with my voice unto God, and he gave heed to me.' 'Diligently,' he says, 'I offered up my prayer, and speedily I obtained my request.'

Then he teaches the occasion of these things.

'In the day of my affliction I sought out God.' For, being smitten with pains, I diligently sought out the divine help;

for the word 'I sought out' hints at the diligent prayer.

Then he shows the manner of his supplication.

'With my hands by night before him, and I was not deceived.' But Symmachus thus:

'My hand is stretched out continually by night.'

'Keeping quiet by night, I stretched out my hands, entreating to obtain lovingkindness, and I did not fail of my hope.'

For this is what 'I was not deceived' signifies — that is, 'I did not keep vigil in vain, but I gathered the fruit of my prayer.'

'My soul refused to be comforted.'

[v. 4] 'I remembered God, and was gladdened.' 'I shook off every occasion of solace, and had as my sole consolation the remembrance of God.'

'I meditated, and my spirit fainted.' But Symmachus thus:

'Continually conversing with myself, and reckoning up the evils that beset me, I despaired of deliverance from them, and received the bitter stings of despondency.'

'Mine eyes anticipated the watches.' He calls 'watches' the divisions of the night, in which the watchmen hand over the guard one to another;

and by these words he indicates the sleeplessness throughout the whole night.

'I was troubled, and I spoke not.' These same words also in the forty-first psalm:

'My soul was troubled within me.' For I did not endure to disclose my thoughts to others.

'And I mused.' 'I renewed,' he says, 'the memory of thy former benefits, and pondered how great the benefits were that our ancestors obtained from thee;'

how they were set free from the bondage of the Egyptians, how they crossed the Red Sea, how they received the land promised to their fathers.

'By night I communed with my own heart, and my spirit made diligent search.' As for the phrase 'made diligent search,' Theodotion rendered it 'searched out,' while Aquila said 'dug about.'

These things, he says, reasoning within myself by night, I searched out: why then did He exercise such great providence over our forefathers, yet overlooks us in our afflictions? And besides these things I also reasoned thus:

'Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will He be favourable no more? Will He cut off His mercy utterly to the end?' Has He then entirely renounced our affairs, and declared us alien from His own care? 'He has brought His word to an end from generation to generation.' Symmachus renders it thus:

'He brought to an end His utterance concerning each generation.'

'I feared this too,' he says, 'that He, foreknowing from above the things of each generation, sets forth the bounds appointed for each generation.'

'Has God forgotten to be gracious? Will He in His anger shut up His compassions?' But again I consoled my soul, reasoning that the compassionate God will not endure to consign our affairs to a kind of forgetfulness, nor, as by some wall of wrath, to dam up the fountains of His mercy.

'And I said, Now have I begun; this is the change of the right hand of the Most High.' 'I,' he says, 'became to myself the author of such a change:'

'I, through sin, brought forth punishment for myself;'

'so then I hold the beginning of these evils.'

'Now I have begun to be chastened by the right hand of the Most High, which, in place of its former benefits, now brings punishments upon the left.'

For he called the punishment 'a change of the right hand of God,' inasmuch as the right hand of the Most High is wont to bestow good things.

But not even with these reasonings was I content.

'I remembered the works of the Lord; for I will remember Thy wonders from the beginning.'

'And I will meditate on all Thy works, and I will muse upon Thy doings.' For all Thy wonders wrought toward us from the beginning I will set forth in the midst, and, making these continually my meditation, I will not cast away the better hopes.

'O God, Thy way is in the holy place.' Symmachus renders it thus:

'O God, Thy way is in sanctification;'

and Aquila, 'In that which is sanctified.'

'Thou art holy,' he says, 'and Thou dost rest in the holy place, and dwellest and walkest about therein.'

'For Thou alone workest wonders such as Thou willest.'

'Thou hast made known Thy power among the peoples.'

[v. 10.] 'Thou hast redeemed with Thine arm Thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.' To all men Thou hast shown forth Thy might, having set free from the bondage of the Egyptians the people that was called by Thy name;

they who had Jacob as their forefather, and were shown to be illustrious from their kinship with Joseph.

'The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw Thee, and were afraid; the depths also were troubled.'

Thou didst scourge the Egyptians, and set free Thy people; Thou didst appear upon the sea, and the deep was divided, and the streaming element stood up on either side.

'For indeed Thine arrows pass through.'

[v. 19.] 'The voice of Thy thunder was in the wheel.' But Symmachus renders it, 'The heaven gave forth a sound.'

For when a violent south wind blew, as the history says, the deep was divided;

and when the air is compressed, and the clouds gather together, the wind is brought forth.

'And Thy punishments,' he says, 'went forth against the enemies after the manner of arrows;'

and by the crash of the thunder Thou didst clog the wheels of the Egyptians' chariots.

This too the history teaches;

'For it came to pass in the morning watch that the Lord looked upon the camp of the Egyptians, and bound together the axles of their chariots, and led them with violence.' 'Thy lightnings gave light to the world.' For the light of Thy wonder-working ran through all the world after the manner of lightning.

This too Rahab the harlot said to the spies:

'The fear of you, and the dread of you, has fallen upon us;'

'for we have heard how the Lord your God divided the Red Sea before you.' v. 20.

'Thy way is in the sea, and Thy paths in many waters, and Thy footsteps shall not be known.' It is easy for Thee both to cleave the sea, and to ride upon many waters, and to leave not even a footprint;

for Thou hast a nature that is incorporeal.

And these things he has added to the foregoing.

'For invisibly,' he says, 'leading the people, Thou didst show us not even a footprint of Thy going.'

'Thou didst lead Thy people like sheep, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.' For using these as ministers, and speaking through them, Thou didst guide Thy people, and didst instruct them in Thy law.

And of all these things they made mention, stirring up the God of all things to mercy, and beseeching Him that they might enjoy the same care.

'Of understanding, for Asaph.' Having given the ancient law to the sons of Israel, the God of all things enjoined that it be taught continually, and that they instruct their children;

and indeed that they also point out to their offspring the reasons for the feasts, so that, learning the divine benefits, they might become thankful toward Him who had bestowed such gifts.

of the good things bestowed, and of the ungrateful disposition of those who received them.

'Give heed, O my people, to my law.' I earnestly charge you to hearken carefully to the things spoken;

for I offer you the present exhortation as a kind of law.

'Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.' Hear willingly the things spoken by me.

'I will open my mouth in parables;'

'I will utter dark sayings from of old.' For since he was making an accusation of the fathers for the benefit of the children, he called such a narrative a 'parable,' as being enigmatic and offering its benefit in hidden form.

And he has added that he brings forth ancient problems as well.

And teaching whence he had learned these things, he went on:

'Which we have heard and known them.' Then he showed who were their teachers.

'And our fathers have told us.'

[v. 4.] 'They were not hidden from their children to another generation, declaring the praises of the Lord, and His mighty acts, and His wonders which He did.' 'From above,' he says, 'and from the beginning, those who were eyewitnesses of the wonders taught these things to their own children, and they in turn handed down this instruction to their offspring.'

'And this,' he says, 'they did in obedience to the divine law.'

'And He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel.' He calls 'testimony' the tabernacle that was pitched in the wilderness, as containing the tablets of the testimony.

For the law, as we have already said before, he also calls commandments, and testimonies, and judgments, and ordinances;

and this has been stated more clearly by us in the eighteenth psalm.

'Which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children.' 'This,' he says, 'He enjoined through that legislation, that the fathers should hand down the narrative of the wonders to their offspring as a kind of inheritance.'

'That another generation might know them, even the children who should be born and grow up, and should tell them to their children.' For thus these, having learned these things from the fathers, again offered the same instruction to those descended from them, and the memory of these things was preserved unforgotten;

and what is the fruit of the instruction? v. 7.

'That they might set their hope in God;'

'and not forget the works of God, but seek out His commandments.' For learning the power of God, and how easy it is for Him to do all good things, they will gain a firm hope in Him;

and they will follow the laws laid down by Him.

'That they might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and provoking generation.' For learning the ungrateful disposition of the fathers, and how by the transgression of the law they often moved God to anger, they will guard against imitating them.

'A generation that set not its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful with God.' For those men did not gain a firm faith in God, being unwilling to travel the straight road, but having a disposition opposed to the divine ordinances.

'The sons of Ephraim, bending and shooting with bows, turned back in the day of battle.' He accuses the tribe of Ephraim in particular, as having greatly esteemed the worship of idols;

for this both the history of the Judges teaches us, and the third book of Kingdoms.

For they set up the heifers;

and they withdrew the nine tribes from the worship prescribed by the Law;

and thus they became the authors of the apostasy.

It is this above all that the grace of the Spirit foresees, and so it denounces the sin that has not yet been committed,

offering them the counsel that befits them;

for though it knew that they would not accept the exhortation, it nevertheless offered the fitting benefit.

For 'they turned back in the day of battle';

for though they prided themselves greatly on their experience in warfare, when war appeared they turned to flight.

'They did not keep the covenant of God, and in his Law they refused to walk.' He has finely brought to light the self-determining character of their disposition.

'And they forgot his benefactions and his wonders which he had shown them.' And showing when he wrought these things, he added:

'The wonders which he did before their fathers.' Then he teaches the time and the place:

'In the land of Egypt, in the plain of Tanis.' All these wondrous works of God that took place in Egypt, of which their fathers were themselves eyewitnesses, they cast out of memory.

For the marvel of the sea is beyond nature, and the passage granted through it.

For the God of all made to stand on either side the nature of the waters, which is disposed to flow downward, confining it, as it were within a wineskin, by his word.

For since the fashioning of wineskins is able to contain the liquid nature exactly, he fittingly applied this image to the divided sea, showing the power of the divine word.

'And he led them by a cloud by day, and all the night by the light of fire.' For the same cloud by day warded off the harmfulness of the sunbeam, while by night it supplied the service of fire.

And this he taught more plainly by what follows.

'And he brought water out of the rock, and brought down waters like rivers.' For the water that gushed forth was divided into many channels, providing an easy and lavish grace to those who thirsted.

'And they added yet more to sinning against him;'

'they provoked the Most High in the waterless place.'

'And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking food for their souls.' Yet not even this cast out the wickedness of their disposition, but they persisted, beset by the sickness of ingratitude;

and after so many benefactions they wished to make trial of the divine power, and though in need of food, they did not seek to obtain what they needed, but accused God as though he were unable.

'And they spoke against God, and said:'

'Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? There he struck a rock, and waters flowed, and torrents gushed forth;'

'can he also give bread, or prepare a table for his people?' The matter of water, he says, is easy and simple;

for what was hidden in the bowels of the earth was brought up to the surface.

'But the nourishment of bread, which is sown and grows over time, how could he provide it to us all at once, and drive away the famine that presses upon us?' (v. 21)

'and a fire was kindled in Jacob, and anger went up against Israel.' Wherefore the Lord of all, being indignant, he says, deferred giving them the land promised to their fathers, and delivered them over to punishments of every kind.

But he did not bring upon them swift destruction, waiting for their children to grow up.

The writings of the blessed Moses make mention of the punishment by fire.

This blow, he says, they endured. (v. 22)

'Because they did not believe in God, nor did they hope in his salvation.' Yet even though they were such, he provided them the uncultivated nourishment;

for this is what the following words teach.

'And he commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven.'

'And he rained down manna upon them to eat.' For the clouds did not yield their customary birth-pangs, but instead of the rain that is wont to water the seeds cast into the ground, they brought forth the wondrous nourishment.

And by 'doors of heaven being opened' he named the supply from above.

For since we are accustomed to fit doors to our storehouses and to open them when we wish to bring something out, the prophetic word shows the God of all supplying the manna as it were out of certain storehouses.

'And he gave them bread of heaven.'

[v. 25.] 'Man ate the bread of angels.' He calls it 'bread of angels' because it was supplied through angels,

who minister at the divine nods.

And the divine Apostle speaks thus:

'Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?' And again:

'For if the word spoken through angels became firm,' and what follows.

And he calls it 'bread of heaven' as being brought down from above.

For divine Scripture also calls the birds that fly through the air 'birds of heaven.'

'He sent them provision to the full.' To satiety, he says, he imparted to them of this nourishment.

Then he goes through the supply of meat as well.

'and he brought on the south wind by his power.'

'And he rained flesh upon them like dust;'

'and it fell into the midst of their camp, round about their tents.'

'And they ate and were filled exceedingly;'

'and he brought them their desire.'

'They were not deprived of their desire.' They enjoyed, he says, what they craved, and filled up their gluttony;

yet nonetheless they were made to pay the penalties of their insatiability.

'While the food was still in their mouth, [v. 31] the anger of God went up against them, and slew among the most of them, and shackled the chosen ones of Israel.' For since, having received much experience of the divine power, they did not believe that God was able to supply the nourishment, he brought on the chastisement as well, teaching that he was capable of doing both—both to provide good things and to bring on punishments.

But nonetheless, they persisted no less in transgressing.

'In all these things they sinned still, and did not believe in his wonders.'

'And their days failed in vanity;'

'and their years in haste.' Sinning, he says, and transgressing, and taking no forethought whatever for the things that could profit them, but clinging fast to vain and unprofitable pursuits, and going after these with all haste, they departed out of life.

'Whenever he slew them, then they sought him out, and turned back, and rose early to God.'

for thence they reaped no small benefit.

For while enjoying good things, they had no perception of them;

but when chastised, they drew near, entreating the divine loving-kindness.

'And they loved him with their mouth;'

'and with their tongue they lied to him.'

'But their heart was not upright with him;'

'nor were they faithful in his covenant.' They professed to love him while using false words.

For their reasoning spoke against their words, plotting things contrary to the divine laws, and not enduring to believe the divine oracles.

'But he is compassionate, and will be merciful to their sins, and will not destroy.'

Yet nonetheless he, employing his own goodness, did not endure to deliver them to utter destruction. 'And he will multiply to turn away his wrath, and will not kindle all his anger.' And Symmachus renders it thus:

'And to a great extent he turned away his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath.'

He did not, he says, bring upon them a punishment equal to their transgressions.

'And He remembered that they are flesh, a wind that passes and does not return.' For He knew the weakness of their nature.

And that before long they would receive the end of their life.

'How often did they provoke Him in the wilderness,'

'they angered Him in a waterless land.'

It is possible to learn each of these things more precisely from the history.

For at one time they made the calf into a god;

at another they were initiated into the rites of Baal-Peor.

At other times they plotted their tyrannous rebellion against great Moses;