Augustine of Hippo — Commentary on Scripture

Psalms 23:4 · 2 passages

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

As long as you remain in this present life, you are walking in the midst of vices, of worldly pressures, which are the shadow of death. Let Christ shine in your heart, who lights the lamp of our minds with the love of God and neighbor; and you will not fear any evils, since he is with you.

"Yea, though I walk in the midst of the shadow of death" [Psalm 23:4]. Yea, though I walk in the midst of this life, which is the shadow of death. "I will fear no evil, for You are with me." I will fear no evil, for You dwell in my heart by faith: and You are now with me, that after the shadow of death I too may be with You. "Your rod and Your staff, they have comforted me." Your discipline, like a rod for a flock of sheep, and like a staff for children of some size, and growing out of the natural into spiritual life, they have not been grievous to me; rather have they comforted me: because You are mindful of me.

Psalms 23:5

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

"You have prepared a table in my sight, against them that trouble me" [Psalm 23:5]. Now after the rod, whereby, while a little one, and living the natural life, I was brought up among the flock in the pastures; after that rod, I say, when I began to be under the staff, You have prepared a table in my sight, that I should no more be fed as a babe with milk, [1 Corinthians 3:2] but being older should take meat, strengthened against them that trouble me. "You have fattened my head with oil." You have gladdened my mind with spiritual joy. "And Your inebriating cup, how excellent is it!" And Your cup yielding forgetfulness of former vain delights, how excellent is it!

Psalms 23:6 · 2 passages

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

"And Your mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:" that is, as long as I live in this mortal life, not Yours, but mine. "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord for length of days" [Psalm 23:6]. Now Your mercy shall follow me not here only, but also that I may dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

In the sacred Eloquence we read, “His mercy goes before me,” and, “His mercy shall follow me.” It predisposes a person before he wills, to prompt his willing. It follows the act of willing, lest one’s will be frustrated. Otherwise, why are we admonished to pray for our enemies, who are plainly not now willing to live piously, unless it is that God is even now at work in them and in their wills? Or again, why are we admonished to ask in order to receive, unless it is that he who grants us what we will is he through whom it comes to pass that we will? We pray for enemies, therefore, that the mercy of God should go before them, as it goes before us; we pray for ourselves that his mercy shall follow us.

Psalms 24:1

A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, the compass of the world, and all they that dwell therein" [Psalm 24:1]; when the Lord, being glorified, is announced for the believing of all nations; and the whole compass of the world becomes His Church.

Psalms 24:2

For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

"He has founded it above the seas." He has most firmly established it above all the waves of this world, that they should be subdued by it, and should not hurt it. "And has prepared it above the rivers" [Psalm 24:2]. The rivers flow into the sea, and men of lust lapse into the world: these also the Church, which, when worldly lusts have been conquered by the grace of God, has been prepared by love for the reception of immortality, subdues.

Psalms 24:3

Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?

"Who shall ascend into the mount of the Lord?" Who shall ascend to the height of the righteousness of the Lord? "Or who shall stand in His holy place?" [Psalm 24:3]. Or who shall abide in that place, whither He shall ascend, founded above the seas, and prepared above the rivers?

Psalms 24:4

He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

"The innocent of hand, and the pure in heart" [Psalm 24:4]. Who then shall ascend there, and abide there, but the guiltless in deed, and pure in thought? "Who has not received his soul in vain." Who has not reckoned his soul among things that pass away, but feeling it to be immortal, has longed for an eternity steadfast and unchangeable. "And has not sworn in deceit to his neighbour." And therefore without deceit, as things eternal are simple and undeceiving, has so behaved himself to his neighbour.

Psalms 24:5

He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

"This man shall receive blessing from the Lord, and mercy from the God of his salvation" [Psalm 24:5].

Psalms 24:6

This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

"This is the generation of them that seek the Lord" [Psalm 24:6]. For thus are they born that seek Him. "Of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob. Diapsalma." Now they seek the face of God, who gave the pre-eminence to the younger born. [Romans 9:12]

Psalms 24:7

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

"Take away your gates, you princes" [Psalm 24:7]. All you, that seek rule among men, remove, that they hinder not, the entrances which you have made, of desire and fear. "And be lifted up, you everlasting gates." And be lifted up, you entrances of eternal life, of renunciation of the world, and conversion to God. "And the King of glory shall come in." And the King, in whom we may glory without pride, shall come in: who having overcome the gates of death, and having opened for Himself the heavenly places, fulfilled that which He said, "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." [John 16:33]

Psalms 24:8

Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

"Who is this King of glory?" Mortal nature is awe-struck in wonder, and asks, "Who is this King of glory?" "The Lord strong and mighty." He whom you deemed weak and overwhelmed. "The Lord mighty in battle" [Psalm 24:8]. Handle the scars, and you will find them made whole, and human weakness restored to immortality. The glorifying of the Lord, which was owing to earth, where It warred with death, has been paid.

Psalms 24:9

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

"Take away your gates, you princes." Let us go hence straightway into heaven. Again, let the Prophet's trumpet cry aloud, "Take away too, you princes of the air, the gates, which you have in the minds of men who 'worship the host of heaven.'" [2 Kings 17:16] "And be lifted up, you everlasting gates." And be lifted up, you doors of everlasting righteousness, of love, and chastity, through which the soul loves the One True God, and goes not a-whoring with the many that are called gods. "And the King of glory shall come in" [Psalm 24:9]. "And the King of glory shall come in," that He may at the right hand of the Father intercede for us.

Psalms 24:10 · 2 passages

Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

Now this is said twice in one and the same psalm … in a way that might be thought superfluous and unnecessary. But in the repetition of the same words pay attention to how they end, and notice why it is said twice. It is as if, you see, to the one who rises again once and ascends once, gates are opened twice, both those of hell and those of heaven. It is a new thing, after all, God present in hell; it is a new thing, a man taken up into heaven. At each moment, at each point, princes are terrified: “Who is this King of glory?” How can we tell this? Listen to the reply given to each. The first questioners are told, “The Lord, the valiant and mighty, the Lord mighty in war.” What sort of war? Undergoing death for mortals, suffering alone for all, the Almighty not resisting and yet conquering death in dying. Great indeed, then, is the King of glory, even in the netherworld. This is also repeated to the heavenly powers.… But because he lifts up a man also with him to heaven, it is as if he is not recognized there either, and they ask, “Who is this king of glory?” But there, because he is…

Now this is said twice in one and the same psalm … in a way that might be thought superfluous and unnecessary. But in the repetition of the same words pay attention to how they end, and notice why it is said twice. It is as if, you see, to the one who rises again once and ascends once, gates are opened twice, both those of hell and those of heaven. It is a new thing, after all, God present in hell; it is a new thing, a man taken up into heaven. At each moment, at each point, princes are terrified: “Who is this King of glory?” How can we tell this? Listen to the reply given to each. The first questioners are told, “The Lord, the valiant and mighty, the Lord mighty in war.” What sort of war? Undergoing death for mortals, suffering alone for all, the Almighty not resisting and yet conquering death in dying. Great indeed, then, is the King of glory, even in the netherworld. This is also repeated to the heavenly powers.… But because he lifts up a man also with him to heaven, it is as if he is not recognized there either, and they ask, “Who is this king of glory?” But there, because he is no longer a contender but the winner, because he is not fighting but celebrating his triumph, the reply here is not “The Lord mighty in war,” but “The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.”

"Who is this King of glory?" What! Do you too, prince of the power of this air, [Ephesians 2:2] marvel and ask, "Who is this King of glory?" "The Lord of powers, He is the King of glory" [Psalm 24:10]. Yea, His Body now quickened, He who was tempted marches above you; He who was tempted by the angel, the deceiver, goes above all angels. Let none of you put himself before us and stop our way, that he may be worshipped as a god by us: neither principality, nor angel, nor power, separates us from the love of Christ. [Romans 8:39] It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in a prince; that he who glories, should glory in the Lord. [1 Corinthians 1:31] These indeed are powers in the administration of this world, but "the Lord of powers, He is the King of glory."

Psalms 25:1

A Psalm of David. Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.

"Unto You, O Lord, have I lift up my soul" [Psalm 25:1]: with spiritual longing have I lift up the soul, that was trodden down on the earth with carnal longings.

Psalms 25:2

O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

"O my God, in You I trust, I shall not be ashamed" [Psalm 25:2]. O my God, from trusting in myself I was brought even to this weakness of the flesh; and I who on abandoning God wished to be as God, fearing death from the smallest insect, was in derision ashamed for my pride; now, therefore, "in You I trust, I shall not be ashamed."

Psalms 25:3

Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

"And let not my enemies mock me." And let them not mock me, who by ensnaring me with serpent-like and secret suggestions, and prompting me with "Well done, well done," have brought me down to this. "For all that wait upon You shall not be confounded" [Psalm 25:3].

Psalms 25:4

Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.

"Let them be confounded who do vain things unrighteously." Let them be confounded who act unrighteously for the acquiring things that pass away. "Make Your ways, O Lord, known to me, and teach me Your paths" [Psalm 25:4]: not those which are broad, and lead the many to destruction; [Matthew 7:13] but Your paths, narrow, and known to few, teach Thou me.