Fragments on the Psalms 76–90

[Psalm 76] “My eyes anticipated the watches.” The night is the best time for contemplation, when neither hearing nor sight draws the mind away to other things; for each of them distracts the mind toward itself and draws it away from contemplation. In the night, then, he meditated, occupied with the movements of contemplation; for we showed earlier that “meditation” is said in this sense here. “And my spirit searched”: that is, it was vexed, being not yet able to grasp these things. The present life is night because of ignorance; in it, he says, I did not give myself up to sleep as some others do (“for those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night”), but, being sober, I reasoned with the law about what is to be done. For having learned that present things are temporary and will have an end, I grasped the dangers that surround us. And I dug my spirit as a farmer does, so that, having sown in it, I might reap eternal life; for “he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Above, then, he called the soul “spirit”; but here he means the spirit of the man that is in him, with which the soul searches and meditates; not, surely, the body together with the soul. The soul of the man in the proper sense, then, meditates with the mind, and the spirit, yoked to the mind, searches. “For I will pray with the spirit, I will pray with the mind also.”

“This is the change of the right hand of the Most High.” The right hand of the Father is plainly the Only-begotten, who, as it were, changed us for the better.

“I remembered the works of the Lord.” God’s wonders in creation and elsewhere are many; but the chief of them is that, taking dust, he made a rational living being and established it as his own image. These are God’s wonders toward us from the beginning, which he worked for our sake. For he is seen planting paradise, then shutting it again, bringing on the flood, by which he both punishes and saves, and confounding the tongues of the tower-builders, our common lump. And for our sake he is seen, after the natural law, finding a law …, and after that prophecy. For these are God’s devices, as he contrives to save our race. In these the prophet meditates, searching in them at length and reckoning which of the things mentioned saves man. And having found something else beyond these, he at once added:

“Who is great like our God?” He does not say it by way of comparison (for the infinitely great admits no comparison), but praising and marveling; since he is truly great in strength, and great in condescension, great by power, great by love for mankind, as the following words show.

“You led your people like sheep.” Not in vain did he use the image of sheep here, but because they are guided by shepherds with a rod, just as we too are shepherded by Christ with the cross. Hence he also mentioned Moses, and Aaron besides, who carried a rod as a type of the cross, … in Egypt and …; as they used the rod against the enemies for the benefit of Israel, so Christ too used the cross against the demons for the sake of our conversion.

[Psalm 77] “And he raised up a testimony in Jacob.” The tent of testimony was called “testimony,” in which were laid up the ark of the covenant and the law in the ark, the Cherubim, the mercy seat, and the lampstand.

“So that another generation may know.” You see that he speaks of the nations; for they had not yet been born into piety, since they were to be born through baptism; hence they were rightly called “sons who will be born.” This is truly the knowledge of God: to share the knowledge with others too, and to make sons by teaching the commandments; which those who believed in Christ have clearly done. For they begrudged no one the knowledge of God, nor did they, as those who believed before them, wish to shut out others from entering; but they urge them to set their hope on God.

“So that they may set their hope on God.” These things are proclaimed in the Church to all, to those of the household and to strangers; in it Paul cries to all, “My little children, with whom I am again in labour until Christ is formed in you.”

“And its spirit was not faithful with God.” For they promised faith with the tongue alone, and not with the whole heart and a pure spirit.

“He split the rock in the wilderness.” Perhaps some think that the prophet set out the same sign twice. It is not so; but Moses brought water out of a rock for them a second time: once in the wilderness of Horeb, and the second time in Kadesh, where Miriam died and was buried. Each was to the full, so that it is said to be “as in a great abyss,” since the water was enough to be compared not to a river but to many, because of its abundance. For this was the proof that the wonders had happened to them in truth and not in appearance. And he set out a terrible charge against the people of the Jews: that, when they received such great wonders, though they ought to have refrained from their old sins, they added others like them to those, not simply sinning, but sinning “against him,” that is, offending against the very one who worked the signs.

“And wrath went up against Israel.” For the Master was angry with them, since he saw that they never had a faithful mind toward him, but were always ungrateful for what had been given and doubtful about what had not been given. Therefore he says, “Nor did they hope in his salvation,” meaning Christ, whom many of the prophets called his salvation, and Simeon plainly, taking him in his arms.

“And he commanded the clouds above.” By “clouds above” he means those on high; therefore he also called them “doors of heaven,” as set before heaven. For some clouds are near the earth, so that they are found even lower than the mountains.

“And he rained flesh on them like dust.” So understand this too of a great multitude, for a people so large in number, and so gluttonous, was filled; not for one day but for thirty, as you can learn by going through the book of Numbers.

“While the food was still in their mouth.” And he fettered not those chosen in virtue, the elite, but those chosen in wickedness; for there are some who are eminent in evil.

“And they loved him with their mouth.” Isaiah too blamed the Jews in words like these: “… but their heart is far from me.” How is this proved? For even now we find many who are godly with the tongue alone, when, as the prophet says, “they are not faithful in his covenant.”

“They did not remember his hand.” Again he fittingly calls Christ the hand of God, that is, of the Father; since “all things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being”; so that another prophet also says, “For the hand of the Lord made all these things.” Him, then, they did not remember, who redeemed them “from the hand of the oppressor,” meaning Pharaoh, on the day of the exodus.

“A sending by evil angels.” Not evil in nature, but in purpose; for God does not use such angels for his service. But he called them “evil” because, as commanded, they brought toils and afflictions; as this same Psalmist names the day of judgment “evil,” as full of constraints and toils for sinners; for he says, “Blessed is he who considers the poor and needy; on the evil day the Lord will deliver him.” God uses great love for mankind toward those he disciplines, beginning with the lesser things, so that, being brought to their senses, they may gain the greater. For this reason he first shut up the cattle of the Egyptians in death; but finding them insensible, he struck the firstborn; so that he would not have brought the plague of the firstborn if they had been brought to their senses by the death of the cattle and had become sober.

“And he led them in hope.” In what hope? In the hope of what was promised to the fathers …

In the hope of the promise made to the fathers: “Know for certain that your seed will be a sojourner in a land not its own, and they will enslave them and humble them and afflict them four hundred years; but the nation which they serve I will judge, and afterwards they will come out here with much baggage.” Led by this hope, then, they were not afraid as they crossed the Red Sea on foot, which covered their enemies, and the water rushing over them became a tomb for the Egyptians.

“Fire devoured their young men.” By young men he means those powerful in the law, such as the scribes and the Pharisees, who trusted in the strength of the letter. Fire devoured these, the jealousy toward us, when they saw that we are justified without the yoke of the law. Therefore Isaiah too said to them, “Jealousy will seize an untaught people, and now fire will devour the adversaries.”

“Like a mighty man overcome with wine.” What kind of intoxication? … from wine the mighty become more …; so too we expect God to be more severe after his long-suffering against those who do not perceive it. For what did he do even now?

“And he chose the tribe of Judah.” And yet Zion and Jerusalem itself belonged of old not to the tribe of Judah but to that of Benjamin. But by Judah he means the one who confesses (for this is how Judah is interpreted); the tribe of this one is the Church, for through repentance and confession Mount Zion, which he loved, is saved within her. For everyone who looks out for God is called Zion, since Zion is interpreted “watchtower.” You will surely say: If he was recalling the mysteries of the Church, why did he bring in David, who was much older than these? Because he was father and image of Christ. Hence he was taken “from the flocks of the sheep,” not from the flock. For Christ has many flocks: some of men, some of angels, some of other rational and invisible powers, which are also “in lambing,” that is, are pregnant. For he has no barren flock, but all of them, through fear of him, are with child and give birth to salvation. Therefore Isaiah too said, “From fear of you, Lord, we conceived, and were in labour, and gave birth; we have brought forth upon the earth the spirit of your salvation.”

“To shepherd Jacob his servant”: plainly the people from the nations. For this people is Jacob, since, having supplanted the Jews, it took their birthright; and it is also Israel, for it sees God at the time of the mysteries, face to face, as it were. That God shepherds, hear David saying, “The Lord shepherds me, and I shall lack nothing.” Hear Christ too: “I am the good shepherd.”

[Psalm 78] “They made Jerusalem a hut for keeping fruit.” Why a hut for keeping fruit? Because, having taken the spirit of the law and the prophets, they left them only the fruit of the letter to keep. This was not from men but from God, who wished the proofs of our faith to be kept safe among our enemies. The letter is fittingly called late summer fruit, as having not genuine but temporary nourishment.

“They poured out their blood.” Their blood is the sins of the soul, whose punishment comes upon the blood. These were poured out like water, so as never to be gathered up again, just as water cannot be after it has been poured out. “Round about Jerusalem,” that is, upon it and upon those who come from it. For “his blood be on us and on our children,” as they themselves said when they slandered Christ. “And there was no one to bury.” Why? Because they themselves, being dead, could not bury one another, and the Church does not know how to bury them, that is, to cover over their sins. What prevents it? The sentence of Christ, which says, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” Why? Because, when they try to cover over sinners, they make their own actions more naked and a reproach to all.

“Do not remember against us our ancient lawlessnesses.” For how shall we be able to suffice against both old evils and new? Perhaps the prophet means by ancient lawlessnesses those in the wilderness, since God set many and various threats upon them; therefore he dreads the remembrance of them. Nothing shows a man so poor as his sins; and he becomes poorer when ungodliness is added to sin. Therefore they begged God to hasten his compassions to them, lest, given up in despair because of their deeper poverty, they should perish; so then, grant your help.

“Help us, O God our Saviour.” He makes this petition to Christ; for he is named not only God but plainly Saviour; he is also the glory of the name of God, that is, of the Father; hence Paul too called him the radiance of the Father’s glory. And for what reason? “For the sake of the name,” he says, of God, that is, of Christ, who for this reason is called the mercy seat. He provided propitiation for the sins of the Jews when, being crucified, he said to the Father, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Why does he want the vengeance to become known among the nations? Because it was going to fall upon the demons, who through idolatry had destroyed the blood, that is, the souls, of the servants of God (he means the Jews). And what was the vengeance? The overthrow of the idols, the burning of the devilish temples.

“Repay our neighbours sevenfold.” Here too he did not call men neighbours; for he would not have prayed that sevenfold be done to them, knowing that their judge does not tolerate it. Or how did he sing to him, “For you will repay each according to his works”? So he speaks of demons; for they justly receive sevenfold, since they are of a nature higher than ours, were cast down from heaven, and did not even so become wiser, but trouble the earth with their devices, and not only sin themselves but lead us into sin, and besides this reproach God, as though his image had fallen.

[“But we are your people and the sheep of your pasture.”] He means all mankind. For setting us against the demons who were dashed down from above, he calls man the people of God and the sheep of his pasture. And why the sheep of his pasture? Because we believers feed on him by partaking of the mysteries.

[Psalm 79] “You who shepherd Israel, attend.” This shepherd of Israel is none other than the one who said, “I am the good shepherd,” who shepherds those who have a mind that sees God.

“Stir up your power, and come.” Going on, the prophet made this saying clearer, showing how and why Christ was going to come. For we are the cause of his coming, that he might turn us and set us right. And the manner of his coming is plain: that we might see him face to face; for we would not have been saved otherwise, unless this face had been shown to us.

“You made us a cause of contention to our neighbours.” He keeps to the same petition, to show how necessary it is, and at the same time to teach us not to lose heart when we fail to obtain our prayer, but to persevere; for we shall surely obtain it.

“O God of hosts, turn.” Since neither the law nor the prophets turned Israel, he necessarily begs Christ to turn it.

“And visit this vine.” Since he compared the synagogue of the Jews to a vine, he necessarily divides his discourse, at times toward the image, at times toward those for whom he took the image. The vine of the Jews, then, that is, the synagogue of the Jews, was burned with fire, with that fire of which Christ said, “I came to cast fire on the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!” The fire was cast for this reason, and the vine was dug up, so that, when it was dug up, the foundation hidden in it might be laid bare, of which Isaiah said, “Behold, I lay in the foundations of Zion a stone, precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

“You will give us life, and we will call upon your name.” You will give us life, he says, by the living water of baptism; for then we shall call upon his name, being called Christians from Christ.

[Psalm 80] “Israel, if you hear me, there shall be no new god among you.” He set the “if” of hearing for this reason, to show that, though he foreknew their disobedience, this did not take from them the possibility of changing; for it was open to them, if they wished. And God’s foreknowledge does no harm …

… repentance; since he also knows this, that sinners can change, if they wish. Christ was not a new god, nor a foreign one; for he it was who brought them up out of the land of Egypt; he was from the beginning, he also afterwards, as he showed through the prophecy of Isaiah; for he says, “I am God, the first, and for the things to come I am.” And again, “I am God, and there is no other besides me, righteous; and there is no Saviour except me.” And beyond all dispute the one who became incarnate in order to save our race is called Saviour.

“And my people did not hear.” For they did not endure to hear him when he taught, nor when he preached the gospel, nor did they wish to attend to him when he worked wonders; but they made their ears heavy so as not to hear the Lord’s commandments, and shut their eyes, as Isaiah said, so as not to see the signs. What they suffered in return for this, what follows shows.

“And I sent them away according to the devices of their hearts.” By the devices of their hearts he means the various notions and the methods of reasoning which the people of the Jews used in plotting against the Lord, saying, “What shall we do? For this man does many signs. If we let him alone like this, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our place …”; and according to this counsel they were sent away and went. For the Romans took their place and their city, and they themselves went off as captives.

“And he satisfied them with honey from the rock.” By honey from the rock he means the prophets; since they have prophecy from Christ, who is called the rock, and God satisfied them with it, granting them not one prophet nor a second, but many, and over many generations.

[Psalm 81] He does not say, Judge for the righteous man, nor for the prophet, nor does he charge them not to harm such men, saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones, and do no evil to my prophets”; but “for the orphan and the poor, the lowly and the needy.” Why? Because to the former it is fitting to suffer wrong; but for the latter it is unbearable to be wronged, because of the weakness that lies on them from age or poverty; hence the lawgiver takes their part more strongly.

“Rescue the needy and the poor.” He speaks as of wild beasts those who gape for injustice or greed. So the one who saves the poor man carries off the dignity and wage of a shepherd, namely of him who gave himself for us and rescued us from the spiritual beasts; but the one who plunders, already raging, is ranked among the beasts.

“But you die like men.” He hints at the devil; for he had been allotted the authority of a ruler among the angels; therefore Paul says, “Our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers and against the authorities.” But being lifted up and desiring greater things, he fell.

“Arise, O God, judge the earth.” So the Prophet hints not at a present inheritance but at a future one; hence he begs God to arise and to judge the earth, that is, man; as when he arises, he gives the inheritance to all the nations. For he assigns to all the lot that fits them: one to the humble, another to the self-controlled, another to the merciful, another to the arrogant, yet another to the greedy. For in the present passage he called “nations” not the differences of tongues but those of ways of life.

[Psalm 82] “Do not be silent, and do not be still, O God.” That is: Do not be long-suffering for long. For he called the judge’s long-suffering toward sinners his silence.

“They became a help to the sons of Lot.” That is, they came to their aid. Beware, then, of the enemies within; for they arm those outside as well. And do not trust in kinship, since it is often changed into enmity. Consider also the curse which he brought upon them, putting a pause before it, since he turned his discourse into a prayer, saying:

“My God, make them like a wheel.” He prays that they may never stand, but that their substance may everywhere become invisible, scattered by the force of the one who blows on it.

“So you will pursue them with your tempest.” He calls God’s sudden and most violent movement against sinners a tempest, by which he wishes them to be pursued and dashed down.

[Psalm 83] “Blessed are those who dwell in your house.” Very much so. For even if one has fallen, he stands; even if he is a sinner, he is cleansed; even if he despairs, he will nevertheless not see death.

“Lord God of hosts, hear.” See, he says, that we need your visitation; see that the wound does not cease with human remedies; see that the broken vessel is not foreign to you; and so “look upon the face of your Christ,” that is, in the face of Christ, so that the Father may visit, and the mystery that concerns us may be accomplished by the Father’s good pleasure.

“For the Lord loves mercy and truth.” That is, not sacrifices by blood, but to do mercy and to love the truth, that is, Christ, God.

“He will not withhold good things.” For those who have lived without wickedness and in righteousness, that is, who have lived in innocence, are not deprived of good things, but will receive crowns in proportion; since “each will receive his own wage according to his own toil.”

[Psalm 85] “Gladden the soul of your servant.” Not trusting in being poor in spirit, poor and holy, does he bring his request, but seeking only to receive mercy. Therefore, according to Symmachus, “To you,” he says, “I cry every day.” He means the whole of life; and as one who trusts in nothing human, he asks for his soul the gladness that is according to God. For people are accustomed to delight the body and the flesh with bodily things; but one who has not been removed far from these cannot obtain that gladness. Hence he added, “For to you, Lord, I have lifted up my soul.”

[Psalm 87] “You have removed a friend far from me.” He means Judas and the Jews, “from wretchedness,” either the wretchedness which he himself took upon him, or that by which they are wretched, having sinned. Jesus took up wretchedness, bearing the person of the man who says, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body?” And his acquaintances, as I said, were those of the circumcision; and Judas was a friend, being one of those who heard from him, “I say to you, my friends,” and, “I have called you friends, for all that I heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

[Psalm 88] “I swore to David my servant.” And where did he swear, if not in saying to him, “It shall be, when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, that I will raise up another from your seed, who will come from your belly, and I will prepare his … for ever, and I will set up his kingdom for ever. I will be a Father to him, and he will be a son to me”?

“You rule the might of the sea.” Your truth, he says, is among those who surround you; but we, who are far from you, seeing your mighty works from your providence over land and sea, confess that you are mighty and your truth is round about you. For you calm the sea, great as it is, setting gates and bounds for it; and like a slave to its Master it crouches and cowers, and breaks upon itself, so as not to flood the whole earth.

“Blessed is the people that knows the shout of joy.” He calls blessed his holy apostles, because in his name and by his power they did all the wonders they did.

“Then you spoke in a vision to your sons.” When the Word, being God, was born according to the flesh of a woman and came forth as man, remaining God, then, receiving the anointing because of you, he was named Christ. For the Word, being God and existing as king before the ages, made our things his own, so that we too might be enriched with his.

“He will call upon me, You are my Father.” Here again, by way of the dispensation, the incarnate one calls the Father his God, saying, “I am going to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.” For the prophet, speaking of him and prophesying a child to be born, called him “mighty God, Father of the age to come.”

“Nor will I deal unjustly in my truth.” He calls the firmness of the decree “once,” as admitting no change. “I swore by my holiness” means “I swore by my own holiness.” For since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by his own holiness.

“You have profaned his sanctuary to the ground.” You have stripped him of all security; for, ceasing to trust in the walls of the cities in which he trusted, he has fallen into cowardice.

“How long, Lord, will you turn away to the end?” Remember, say those who speak these words, that we are changeable by nature, being free, lest we run aground into ungodliness. You might also understand “substance” as that by which one is able to endure any of the hardships.

[Psalm 90] “My God, I will hope in him.” Do you see how much boldness he has with God? For, having as it were dedicated his whole self to him, he has in him all his hope of being saved. Such a man is thrice blessed and will be full of all prosperity. So blessed David sings and says, “Lord God of hosts, blessed is the man who hopes in you.”

“His truth will surround you with a shield.” The one who bears all things nobly says the same as Job: “If we received the good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not bear the evil? As it seemed good to the Lord, so it has come to pass.” He, then, who is found in such great achievements does not fear even the devil, who transforms himself into an angel of light, being “a noonday demon,” and who promises a light at its height through philosophy and empty deceit. This whole thing is the noonday demon. And not he alone, but his ministers too, who transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, are noonday demons. But even if each of them pretends to be of the noonday, they do not remain such as they pretend to be, since the light of the ungodly will be quenched when Christ comes and “brings to light the hidden things of darkness and makes manifest the counsels of the hearts.”

“A thousand will fall at your side.” The ten thousands plotted against those on the right as against stronger and mightier ones. But those who fall through things that seem to be on the right are more numerous than those who sin openly. Putting forward righteous deeds as a pretext, most men are pierced through …