Didymus the Blind
Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 311 passages across 24 books
Commentary
Psalms 9:15
The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
One is not held by the sin and unrighteousness of another; rather, each one will die in his own sin. The wicked, first harming themselves, strive deceitfully to drive others into the same curse. Secretly they build traps of deceit with their own plans and words, so they may seize someone unsuspecting. But by that very trap that they have hidden they are punished, for vindicators will keep those very ones they have caught. This punishment is done by the providence of God. For what other is the judgment of God than that the sinner is caught by his own deeds, because he holds the reason for his own condemnation for those who live unrighteously. This agrees with that which is said before: “He who has opened a pit for his neighbor will fall into it.”
Psalms 9:16
The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
For if the whole psalm is called a song because of its tone and force, then the term “song” would be placed at the beginning of [the psalm], as it is in a number of psalms. But here it is otherwise, and after the diapsalma he begins the song; the title is placed between the diapsalma and song. It is reasonable, therefore, that the following has the sense of a psalm.
Psalms 10:3
For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
[The wicked] are chiefly of this type who lack wisdom and spiritual resources, nor do they hold to teachings of the faith correctly. They incur the judgment of wise providence when they praise the sinner indulging in his own desires. However, it becomes apparent enough that the sinner strives not for better things but for more pleasing and desirous ones. In addition to that mistake, they judge that they who have riches and human glory are taking part in blessing. Accordingly, they claim the wicked are blessed by God; but it is necessary to believe that blessing of God is granted to the religious.
Psalms 10:5
His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
This is the reason why the sinner provokes the Lord, because he does not keep him before his eyes, because he turns himself away from God. The one who sins conducts himself in this way. Concerning all of this, God says, “They have shown me their backs and not their faces.” Cain, the offspring of this wickedness, “departed from the face of the Lord God.” That is, he turned himself away from him. Inasmuch as these words are spoken about people being sinners, even more so do they speak about the devil. “His ways are profaned at all times.” For of which people are the ways profaned for all time, since even the wicked often live with much honesty? He enters without permission to draw people to corrupt deeds and even to deny the providence of God. And so he persuades many to believe that the world is without the direction of God, and later he falls away from right ideas concerning the governing of God and the knowledge of judgment.
Psalms 10:7-10
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
He lies in wait in secret, like a lion in his den or a savage lion in his cave so that he may drag off the poor by crafty speech and, equally often, by their deeds. After he has caught him in the trap he will draw him to apostasy. Wild beasts are threatening, and especially so the lion. Often, therefore, lying in wait, while he discusses fasting, he openly persuades them to greed; and addressing modesty, he introduces them to a certain appearance of luxury. Thus, he pushed Eve deceptively in the garden to commit transgression, saying she was going to be equal to God. Thus he lured Judas by greed.
Psalms 10:14
Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
The poor abandon themselves to you. You will care for his deliverance so that you may make him rich in heavenly goods. So also, the orphan is helped, protected and nourished like a son. It is important to understand here that the orphan is one whose father is the devil because of iniquity but who has cast him out through the practice of repentance.
Psalms 10:16
The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
The land of God is the good heart; from this land the nations perish when they are driven by whatever destruction of mind and every evil thought.… No sinner is allowed to walk in this land, for the righteous alone possess it. It is said by a good man: “I believe I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Psalms 11:6
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
Harsh punishments are often denoted in Scripture by the word cup.… So it follows that even in this place “cup” denotes the punishment to be poured out, especially, the fullness of this cup is fire, sulphur and a stormy wind, whose symbols were written in Genesis, the type of punishment inflicted by the Lord on Sodom and Gomorrah. Besides fire and sulphur, there is also in the cup the stormy wind. The fire indicates threatening flames; sulphur, the force by which more fire is burned; and, finally, the wind illustrates the certain whirlwind of temptations; chiefly we are able to learn this from the writing of Isaiah. … Let us flee impiety, so that there is no cup of this type for us, and we may live righteously; so that we may drink to drunkenness that which is the best. From which also it is said: “The Lord is my portion and my cup.” Because the Lord is just and loves justice, he shows his face to the upright.
Psalms 40:7
Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
He calls the “roll of the book” every divinely inspired Scripture, both the legal and the prophetic. In these Scriptures things are written concerning the memory of the Savior among us. The psalmist calls it a roll because everything is summed up into one.
Romans 7:11
For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
The word sin does not refer to a particular substance but to the manner and life of one who has sinned.… Paul calls nothing sin except the one who is the source and begetter of sin, viz., the devil.
Romans 7:13
Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
Here Paul is expounding the person of Adam. For although he had the image of God dwelling in him, he turned away from true life and chose death instead. Moreover, this death was not just the common death of our bodily members but the spiritual death of disobedience as well.