TRV
Augustine of Hippo
Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 7,530 passages across 62 books
Commentary
Psalms 28:4
Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
"Give unto them according to their works" [Psalm 28:4]. Give unto them according to their works, for this is just. "And according to the malice of their affections." For aiming at evil, they cannot discover good. "According to the works of their hands give Thou unto them." Although what they have done may avail for salvation to others, yet give Thou unto them according to the works of their wills. "Pay them their recompense." Because, for the truth which they heard, they wished to recompense deceit; let their own deceit deceive them.
Psalms 28:5
Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
"For they have not had understanding in the works of the Lord" [Psalm 28:5]. And whence is it clear that this has befallen them? From this forsooth, "for they have not had understanding in the works of the Lord." This very thing, in truth, has been, even now, their recompense, that in Him whom they tempted with malicious intent as a Man, they should not recognise God, with what design the Father sent Him in the Flesh. "And the works of His hands." Nor be moved by those visible works, which are laid out before their very eyes. "You shall destroy them, and not build them up." Let them do Me no hurt, nay, nor again in their endeavour to raise engines against My Church, let them anything avail.
Psalms 28:6
Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
"Blessed be the Lord, for He has heard the voice of My prayer" [Psalm 28:6].
Psalms 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
"The Lord My Helper and My Protector" [Psalm 28:7]. The Lord helping Me in so great sufferings, and protecting Me with immortality in My resurrection. "In Him has My Heart trusted, and I have been helped." "And My Flesh has flourished again:" that is, and My Flesh has risen again. "And of my will I will confess unto Him." Wherefore, the fear of death being now destroyed, not by the necessity of fear under the Law, but with a free will with the Law, shall they who believe in Me, confess unto Him; and because I am in them, I will confess.
Psalms 28:8
· 2 passages
The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
This does not refer to the people which was ignorant of God’s righteousness and tried to establish its own. Rather, it refers to a different people that did not look to itself for its strength but knew instead that the Lord would be its strength as it contends with the devil in the difficulties of this life.
"The Lord is the strength of His people" [Psalm 28:8]. Not that people "ignorant of the righteousness of God, and willing to establish their own." [Romans 10:3] For they thought not themselves strong in themselves: for the Lord is the strength of His people, struggling in this life's difficulties with the devil. "And the protector of the salvation of His Christ." That, having saved them by His Christ after the strength of war, He may protect them at the last with the immortality of peace.
Psalms 28:9
Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
"Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance" [Psalm 28:9]. I intercede therefore, after My Flesh has flourished again, because You have said, "Desire of Me, and I will give You the heathen for Your inheritance;" "Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance:" for "all Mine are Yours." [John 17:10] "And rule them, and set them up even for ever." And rule them in this temporal life, and raise them from hence into life eternal.
Psalms 29:1
A Psalm of David. Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
The Prophet speaks, "Bring unto the Lord, O you Sons of God, bring unto the Lord the young of rams" [Psalm 29:1]. Bring unto the Lord yourselves, whom the Apostles, the leaders of the flocks, have begotten by the Gospel. [1 Corinthians 4:15]
Psalms 29:2
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
"Bring unto the Lord glory and honour" [Psalm 29:2]. By your works let the Lord be glorified and honoured. "Bring unto the Lord glory to His name." Let Him be made known gloriously throughout the world. "Worship the Lord in His holy court." Worship the Lord in your heart enlarged and sanctified. For you are His regal holy habitation.
Psalms 29:3
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
"The Voice of the Lord is upon the waters" [Psalm 29:3]. The Voice of Christ is upon the peoples. "The God of majesty has thundered." The God of majesty, from the cloud of the flesh, has awfully preached repentance. "The Lord is upon many waters." The Lord Jesus Himself, after that He sent forth His Voice upon the peoples, and struck them with awe, converted them to Himself, and dwelt in them.
Psalms 29:4
The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
"The Voice of the Lord is in power" [Psalm 29:4]. The Voice of the Lord now in them themselves, making them powerful. "The Voice of the Lord is in great might." The Voice of the Lord working great things in them.
Psalms 29:5
The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
"The Voice of the Lord breaking the cedars" [Psalm 29:5]. The Voice of the Lord humbling the proud in brokenness of heart. "The Lord shall break the cedars of Libanus." The Lord by repentance shall break them that are lifted on high by the splendour of earthly nobility, when to confound them He shall have "chosen the base things of this world," [1 Corinthians 1:28] in the which to display His Divinity.
Psalms 29:6
He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
"And shall bruise them as the calf of Libanus" [Psalm 29:6]. And when their proud exaltation has been cut off, He will lay them low after the imitation of His Own humility, who like a calf was led to slaughter [Isaiah 53:7] by the nobility of this world. "For the kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers agreed together against the Lord, and against His Christ." "And the Beloved is as the young of the unicorns." For even He the Beloved, and the Only One of the Father, "emptied Himself" of His glory; and was made man, [Philippians 2:7] like a child of the Jews, that were "ignorant of God's righteousness," [Romans 10:3] and proudly boasting of their own righteousness as peculiarly theirs.
Psalms 29:7
The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
"The Voice of the Lord cutting short the flame of fire" [Psalm 29:7]. The Voice of the Lord, without any harm to Himself, passing through all the excited ardour of them that persecute Him, or dividing the furious rage of His persecutors, so that some should say, "Is not this haply the very Christ;" others, "Nay; but He deceives the people:" [John 7:41, 12] and so cutting short their mad tumult, as to pass some over into His love, and leave others in their malice.
Psalms 29:8
The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
"The Voice of the Lord moving the wilderness" [Psalm 29:8]. The Voice of the Lord moving to the faith the Gentiles once "without hope, and without God in the world;" [Ephesians 2:12] where no prophet, no preacher of God's word, as it were, no man had dwelt. "And the Lord will move the desert of Cades." And then the Lord will cause the holy word of His Scriptures to be fully known, which was abandoned by the Jews who understood it not.
Psalms 29:9
The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
"The Voice of the Lord perfecting the stags" [Psalm 29:9]. For the Voice of the Lord has first perfected them that overcame and repelled the envenomed tongues. "And will reveal the woods." And then will He reveal to them the darknesses of the Divine books, and the shadowy depths of the mysteries, where they feed with freedom. "And in His temple does every man speak of His glory." And in His Church all born again to an eternal hope praise God, each for His own gift, which He has received from the Holy Spirit.
Psalms 29:10
· 2 passages
The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
Therefore, God dwells in each one singly as in his temples, and in all of them gathered together as in his temple. As long as this temple, like the ark of Noah, is tempest-tossed in this world, the words of the psalm are verified: “The Lord dwells in the flood,” although, if we consider the many people of the faithful of all races whom the Apocalypse describes under the name of waters, they can also be appropriately meant by “the Lord dwells in the flood.” But the psalm goes on: “And the Lord shall sit as king forever,” doubtless in that very temple of his, established in eternal life after the tempest of this world. Thus, God, who is everywhere present and everywhere wholly present, does not dwell everywhere but only in his temple, to which, by his grace, he is kind and gracious, but in his indwelling he is received more fully by some, less by others.
"The Lord inhabites the deluge" [Psalm 29:10]. The Lord therefore first inhabites the deluge of this world in His Saints, kept safely in the Church, as in the ark. "And the Lord shall sit a King for ever." And afterward He will sit reigning in them for ever.
Psalms 29:11
The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
"The Lord will give strength to His people" [Psalm 29:11]. For the Lord will give strength to His people fighting against the storms and whirlwinds of this world, for peace in this world He has not promised them. [John 16:33] "The Lord will bless His people in peace." And the same Lord will bless His people, affording them peace in Himself; for, says He, "My peace I give unto you, My peace I leave with you." [John 14:27]
Psalms 30:1
A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David. I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
It is then whole Christ who speaks. "I will exalt You, O Lord, for You have taken Me up" [Psalm 30:1]. I will praise Your high Majesty, O Lord, for You have taken Me up. "You have not made Mine enemies to rejoice over Me." And those, who have so often endeavoured to oppress Me with various persecutions throughout the world, You have not made to rejoice over Me.