TRV
Augustine of Hippo
Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 7,530 passages across 62 books
On Psalms
Psalms 20:6
· 2 passages
Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
Sometimes people run off to a mountain to pray, as though God will be able to hear them better from there. Do you want to make contact with God in your prayer? Humble yourself. But again, just because I have said, “Do you want to make contact with God? Humble yourself,” do not take it literally and materialistically and go off down to underground vaults and there start beseeching God. Do not go seeking either caverns or mountains. Have lowliness in your heart, and God will give you all the high altitude you want. He will come to you and be with you in your bedroom.
"The Lord fulfil all Your petitions." The Lord fulfil not only the petitions which You made on earth, but those also whereby Thou intercedest for us in heaven. "Now have I known that the Lord has saved his Christ" [Psalm 20:6]. Now has it been shown to me in prophecy, that the Lord will raise up His Christ again. "He will hear Him from His holy heaven." He will hear Him not from earth only, where He prayed to be glorified; [John 17:1] but from heaven also, where interceding for us at the Right Hand of the Father, [Hebrews 7:25] He has from thence shed abroad the Holy Spirit on them that believe in Him. "In strength is the safety of His right hand." Our strength is in the safety of His favour, when even out of tribulation He gives help, that "when we are weak, then we may be strong." [2 Corinthians 12:10] "For vain is" that "safety of man," which comes not of His right hand but of His left: for thereby are they lifted up to great pride, whosoever in their sins have secured a temporal safety.
Psalms 20:7
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
"Some in chariots, and some in horses" [Psalm 20:7]. Some are drawn away by the ever moving succession of temporal goods; and some are preferred to proud honours, and in them exult: "But we will exult in the name of the Lord our God." But we, fixing our hope on things eternal, and not seeking our own glory, will exult in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalms 20:8
They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
"They have been bound, and fallen" [Psalm 20:8]. And therefore were they bound by the lust of temporal things, fearing to spare the Lord, lest they should lose their place by "the Romans:" [John 11:48] and rushing violently on the stone of offense and rock of stumbling, they fell from the heavenly hope: to whom the blindness in part of Israel has happened, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and wishing to establish their own. "But we are risen, and stand upright." But we, that the Gentile people might enter in, out of the stones raised up as children to Abraham, [Matthew 3:9] who followed not after righteousness, have attained to it, and are risen; [Romans 9:30] and not by our own strength, but being justified by faith, we stand upright.
Psalms 20:9
Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.
"O Lord, save the King:" that He, who in His Passion has shown us an example of conflict, should also offer up our sacrifices, the Priest raised from the dead, and established in heaven. "And hear us in the day when we shall call on You" [Psalm 20:9]. And as He now offers for us, "hear us in the day when we shall call on You."
Psalms 21:1
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
"O Lord, the King shall rejoice in Your strength" [Psalm 21:1]. O Lord, in Your strength, whereby the Word was made flesh, the Man Christ Jesus shall rejoice. "And shall exult exceedingly in Your salvation." And in that, whereby Thou quickenest all things, shall exult exceedingly.
Psalms 21:2
Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
"You have given Him the desire of His soul" [Psalm 21:2]. He desired to eat the Passover, [Luke 22:15] and to lay down His life when He would, and again when He would to take it; and You have given it to Him. [John 10:18] "And hast not deprived Him of the good pleasure of His lips." "My peace," says He, "I leave with you:" [John 14:27] and it was done.
Psalms 21:3
· 2 passages
For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
"For You have presented Him with the blessings of sweetness" [Psalm 21:3]. Because He had first quaffed the blessing of Your sweetness, the gall of our sins did not hurt Him. " Diapsalma. You have set a crown of precious stone on His Head." At the beginning of His discoursing precious stones were brought, and compassed Him about; His disciples, from whom the commencement of His preaching should be made.
And what is here more fitly understood than that very desire of good of which we are speaking? For good begins then to be longed for when it has begun to grow sweet. But when good is done by fear of penalty, not by the love of righteousness, good is not yet well done. Nor is that done in the heart that seems to be done in the act, when a person would rather not do it if he could evade it with impunity. Therefore the “blessing of sweetness” is God’s grace, by which is caused in us that what he prescribes to us delights us, and we desire it—that is, we love it; in which if God does not precede us, not only is it not perfected but it is not even begun, from us. For if without him we are able to do nothing, we are able neither to begin nor to perfect, because to begin, it is said, “His mercy shall prevent me”; to finish, it is said, “His mercy shall follow me.”
Psalms 21:4
He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
"He asked life; and You gave Him:" He asked a resurrection, saying, "Father, glorify Your Son;" [John 17:1] and You gave it Him, "Length of days for ever and ever" [Psalm 21:4]. The prolonged ages of this world which the Church was to have, and after them an eternity, world without end.
Psalms 21:5
His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
"His glory is great in Your salvation" [Psalm 21:5]. Great indeed is His glory in the salvation, whereby You have raised Him up again. "Glory and great honour shall Thou lay upon Him." But You shall yet add unto Him glory and great honour, when You shall place Him in heaven at Your right hand.
Psalms 21:6
For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
"For You shall give Him blessing for ever and ever." This is the blessing which You shall give Him for ever and ever: "You shall make Him glad in joy together with Your countenance" [Psalm 21:6]. According to His manhood, You shall make Him glad together with Your countenance, which He lifted up to You.
Psalms 21:7
For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
"For the King hopes in the Lord." For the King is not proud, but humble in heart, he hopes in the Lord. "And in the mercy of the Most Highest He shall not be moved" [Psalm 21:7]. And in the mercy of the Most Highest His obedience even unto the death of the Cross shall not disturb His humility.
Psalms 21:8
Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
"Let Your hand be found by all Your enemies." Be Your power, O King, when You come to judgment, found by all Your enemies; who in Your humiliation discerned it not. "Let Your right hand find out all that hate You" [Psalm 21:8]. Let the glory, wherein Thou reign at the right hand of the Father, find out for punishment in the day of judgment all that hate You; for that now they have not found it.
Psalms 21:9
Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
"You shall make them like a fiery oven:" You shall make them on fire within, by the consciousness of their ungodliness: "In the time of Your countenance:" in the time of Your manifestation. "The Lord shall trouble them in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them" [Psalm 21:9]. And then, being troubled by the vengeance of the Lord, after the accusation of their conscience, they shall be given up to eternal fire, to be devoured.
Psalms 21:10
Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.
"Their fruit shall You destroy out of the earth." Their fruit, because it is earthly, shall You destroy out of the earth. "And their seed from the sons of men" [Psalm 21:10]. And their works; or, whomsoever they have seduced, You shall not reckon among the sons of men, whom You have called into the everlasting inheritance.
Psalms 21:11
For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
"Because they turned evils against You." Now this punishment shall be recompensed to them, because the evils which they supposed to hang over them by Your reign, they turned against You to Your death. "They imagined a device, which they were not able to establish" [Psalm 21:11]. They imagined a device, saying, "It is expedient that one die for all:" [John 11:50] which they were not able to establish, not knowing what they said.
Psalms 21:12
Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.
"For You shall set them low." For You shall rank them among those from whom in degradation and contempt You will turn away. "In Your leavings You shall make ready their countenance" [Psalm 21:12]. And in these things that Thou leavest, that is, in the desires of an earthly kingdom, You shall make ready their shamelessness for Your passion.
Psalms 21:13
Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.
"Be Thou exalted, O Lord, in Your strength" [Psalm 21:13]. Be Thou, Lord, whom in humiliation they did not discern, exalted in Your strength, which they thought weakness. "We will sing and praise Your power." In heart and in deed we will celebrate and make known Your marvels.
Psalms 22:1
To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
"O God, my God, look upon me, why have You forsaken me far from my salvation?" [Psalm 22:1]. Far removed from my salvation: for "salvation is far from sinners." "The words of my sins." For these are not the words of righteousness, but of my sins. For it is the old man nailed to the Cross that speaks, ignorant even of the reason why God has forsaken him: or else it may be thus, The words of my sins are far from my salvation.