Diodorus of Tarsus — Commentary on Scripture

Psalms 17:3

Even before I make the request, my predicament does not escape you, nor are you ignorant of all the designs in my heart that I experience in the night and ponder by day.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 17

Psalms 17:14

Since I do not know how to ask for manifest punishment of them, whereas you are aware, having as you do hidden treasuries of wisdom, inflict on them the punishments you best know.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 17

Psalms 18:1

This psalm has a title consistent with the theme, as can be found also in [2 Samuel]. Blessed David uttered it in thanksgiving, in fact, toward the end of his life when reminding himself of all the favors he had been granted by God throughout his life. It is typical of pious people, you see, to keep constantly in mind God’s kindnesses done to them, and especially at the time of death it seems right to them to number them, both out of gratitude and also to teach those coming later how great is God’s providence and lovingkindness toward those hoping in him.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 18

Psalms 18:1

The phrase “I shall love” does not mean I shall love you from this point on since you always provided me with many things; rather, the tense has been changed, and the meaning is, my love and affection for you, my master, were always right and proper. I felt benevolence and longing for God, in fact, for he proved to be everything to me in time of need—strength in war, steadfastness in endurance, refuge in misfortune, rescuer from all the schemers. So while even the opening of the psalm sufficed as a perfect hymn of praise, anyone with love for God repeatedly adopts the same sentiments as an intense form of thanksgiving when occupied in recalling God’s graces. In a range of texts, in fact, he seems to recite and go over the same sentiments in the process of recalling every event from childhood to old age in which God provided him with help and support.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 18

Psalms 18:6

Having made his introduction to this point, from now on he recounts more descriptively how many dangers he encountered and how God against the odds rendered him always superior to the schemers. He also recounts the dangers in a very figurative manner, as also the help of God, the greater the difficulties, the greater the lovingkindness rescuing him from such awful dangers.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 18

Psalms 18:7

The effect of God’s hearkening and being moved to wrath was that everything together was reduced to alarm and confusion, their common master being enraged.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 18

Psalms 18:15

He presents him as a general come to the aid of his own man, mentioning as arrows all the missiles indiscriminately—hail, coals, things that are naturally used as missiles.… In fear of the one appearing and the missiles and lightning flashes, the earth bared itself in all directions so as even to reveal its hidden secrets, springs, and anything else hidden in its depths. “At your rebuke, Lord.” The exclamatory remark emphasized nicely that creation has no one else to dread in this way except the author of creation himself.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 18

Psalms 18:50

Since by the Holy Spirit he understood that God’s promises were not confined to him alone but would pass also to his offspring, so he spoke in this way here with particular reference to Christ’s life. The outcome, in fact, showed that David’s offspring, blessing and sanctifying the nations, referred to no one other than the Lord of all. The blessing affected the offspring without restriction, after all, and following David, remember, there were many famous descendants of his in each generation (Christ himself thought to be the one proven to be famous and great)—first Solomon, then Uzziah, then Hezekiah, then Josiah—yet none emerged as more precisely realizing the force of the promise than Christ alone, and after him there was no one, nor is there anyone to whom the blessing of the promises would be thought to refer. After all, with Judah in captivity and the tribes intermingled, and no clarity as to who was descended from whom, it is now obvious that the fulfillment of the promise rested with Jesus himself, to whom in this case as well both the prayer and the prophecy allude, “To Dav…

Since by the Holy Spirit he understood that God’s promises were not confined to him alone but would pass also to his offspring, so he spoke in this way here with particular reference to Christ’s life. The outcome, in fact, showed that David’s offspring, blessing and sanctifying the nations, referred to no one other than the Lord of all. The blessing affected the offspring without restriction, after all, and following David, remember, there were many famous descendants of his in each generation (Christ himself thought to be the one proven to be famous and great)—first Solomon, then Uzziah, then Hezekiah, then Josiah—yet none emerged as more precisely realizing the force of the promise than Christ alone, and after him there was no one, nor is there anyone to whom the blessing of the promises would be thought to refer. After all, with Judah in captivity and the tribes intermingled, and no clarity as to who was descended from whom, it is now obvious that the fulfillment of the promise rested with Jesus himself, to whom in this case as well both the prayer and the prophecy allude, “To David and his offspring forever.” I mean, those of the company of Hezekiah, even if they seemed to enjoy some grace from God, did not do so forever, death befalling each one with the result that they were not the subject of blessing forever.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 18

Psalms 19:1

This nineteenth psalm is doctrinal: just as the fourth, also being doctrinal, censures those claiming that existing things do not benefit from providence, so too the present psalm levels an accusation against those who claim … that existing things were made by no one, instead coming to be by themselves. Necessarily following on this is the view that these things also do not merit providence: with no admission of the Creator, the provider is also not acknowledged by them, either.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 19

Psalms 19:2

Now, where there is order there is also proof of the one determining order, and there too denial of being self-made, since what is not done by anyone cannot show order. All these visible things surely illustrate order. So he is saying, “They announce some pattern and cry aloud the order of the orderer and the folly of the notion of being self-made.”

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 19

Psalms 19:4

The voices of visible creation … are equally clear to everyone, both Greeks and barbarians, giving everyone the one message, that they were made by someone and do not exist of themselves.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 19

Psalms 19:7

What the written law does by teaching its intentions to those with a knowledge of writing the law in nature does by teaching those with an understanding eye that there is a Creator of visible realities.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 19

Psalms 19:12

Having given instruction in regard to devotion, at this point he proceeds to speak of the sins in respect of human beings and puts people on the alert so as to realize what is an involuntary sin and what voluntary, and how they differ from each other, and further into how many types involuntary sin is divided. He employs an admirable division, first dividing sin into two, voluntary and involuntary. After this he divides the involuntary sin into three, since for example we fall when compelled, or through weakness or when mislead; or we do something when an incident occurs that is more influential than good intentions, or we prove too weak to overcome the power of lust and fall into sin, or in many cases we make a judgment with the best of intentions but by some deception we are inveigled into doing the opposite.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 19

Psalms 21:13

Exalted though you are, then, you are shown to be more exalted through your power and in outdoing all the arrogant, as by inflicting the blow on them from on high. For this reason we shall not cease singing your praises always.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 21

Psalms 22:11

He did well to focus his attention on providence in general, asking … “Who is the one who shaped me in the womb, who is the one who brought me from the womb, who is the one who nourished me at maternal breasts and brought me to this stage of life?” Having anticipated my needs and provided me with such benefits when I contributed nothing, then, will you now cut me adrift when I both perceive your kindness and am able to give thanks? What, then? “Do not keep your distance from me, because tribulation is nigh, because there is no one to help me”: as you provided all these benefits … therefore, now too, when they all advance against me with intrigues and you are the only one left for my salvation, lend help.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 22

Psalms 22:14-15

He mentions what is typical of people worried and distressed: since all worry affects the heart, he did well to add “my heart was melted like wax,” my mind having no stability or composure or sound hope; instead, under pressure from the threats and depressing expectations my thoughts dissolved like wax. Next, as happens also with those in distress, “my strength was dried up like a potsherd”: all my condition left me, depression reducing me to great dryness.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 22

Psalms 25:7

By “youthful sin” he refers to the people’s sins in Egypt, where they committed idolatry, remember. So now, he is saying, remember not those sins but your lovingkindness, by which even then you were kind to them in their ignorance and had mercy on them of your own accord even without being asked; and so now, too, exercise such care and lovingkindness for your own sake.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 25

Psalms 25:8

How is it, if God is naturally loving and merciful, that he allowed some people to be subjected to punishments? David added “and upright” to bring out that justice accompanies goodness. He goes on, in fact, “Hence he will legislate for sinners in the way”: for this reason, that justice also is an attribute of his, “he will legislate for sinners in the way,” that is, he will correct sinners so as to bring them to uprightness. In regard to sinners, he is saying, God gives evidence of justice, whereas in regard to others it is goodness.… Nevertheless, whether people are punished or enjoy happy outcomes, they find everything happening to their own benefit, provided the mind is set on God and does not waver.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 25

Psalms 27:1

Tribulation caused the Israelites to live in darkness, as it were, whereas the Lord’s support proved a light and help to them.

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 27

Psalms 27:2

Having referred to the victory in the introduction, he states these two clauses by way of narrative; lest he seem to be giving thanks needlessly, he introduces as well the reason for thanksgiving in the words “When some enemies assembled against me who were so fierce and unrelenting as even to take a piece of me, as it were, then in particular I clearly sensed God’s help, with their fall and our conquest.”

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 27