ภาษาไทย

Theodore of Mopsuestia

Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 490 passages across 31 books

Commentary

381–400 of 490
Psalms 33:20

Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.

[God] is always helping and providing us with salvation. The term “protector,” you see, is a metaphor from those thrusting their own shields among the enemy and by protection from these often sheltering others and freeing them from every disaster.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 33:20A

Psalms 34:15

The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

God takes care of the righteous (by “eyes” referring not simply to sight but also to what is done by God in beneficence and providence).… He also accepts their requests.… But he has an eye also for the wicked, though not in the same way as for the good. To what effect? “To destroy remembrance of them from the land”: … God gives evidence of great care for the righteous, accepting their supplication while completely disregarding those guilty of wrong actions and inflicting destruction on them.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 34:16A-17B

Psalms 34:18

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

He did not apply the terms “lowly” and “contrite of heart” simply to those reduced to this condition from the disasters but to those in this condition by intent and resolve. Even if tested by disasters, on the basis of their lowliness of intent they thought that they received their just deserts, asked God with due reverence for help and received it by gift. So it is clear from this that even by saying above “let the gentle hear and be glad” he refers neither to those humbled of necessity by disasters nor to those in this condition by nature, whom the general run of good people like to think gentle, but to those in this condition in heart and purpose, who emerge by their zeal in bearing nobly the wrongs done them since they look to God for help. This, in fact, is gentleness, not being insensitive or keeping complete silence while ignoring sensation even in situations that are often unavoidable, when it is possible to effect a greater good.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 34:19B

Psalms 34:19

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

It often happens that the righteous are put to the test in extreme troubles and severe tribulations.… Even if they are tested by many troubles and many tribulations, God allowing this to their advantage, he nevertheless definitely frees them from the troubles, not allowing them to be overcome by the disasters in the end.… He rescues them after allowing the tribulations for a while to their advantage, keeps those in the midst of tribulations free from harm and preserves their strength completely.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 34:20-21

Psalms 34:21

Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

Not only do sinners meet such a fate, but also those hostile to the righteous will fall foul of troubles. Now, he says this to bring out the extent of the providence that God shows for the righteous. “Will come to grief” means that they will stumble, will trip up, will fail in their hostile intent against the righteous by being punished by God; “come to grief” meaning “missing the mark,” which means failing to achieve a purpose and intent at odds with that prescribed—hence our calling a wrong action a sin as being at odds with the proper intention.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 34:22B

Psalms 35:10

All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?

I shall say no one is like you, he means, and shall confess you to be more powerful than everyone, even those considered strong and powerful; you are capable of rescuing the poor and insignificant and delivering them from their scheming against the odds.… You see, both the insignificance by comparison with him of the one who suffers and is rescued and also the might of the schemers brought out his greatness: the more effective the release from the schemers was shown to be, the more powerful did the one who effected it appear.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 35:10B, c

Psalms 35:20

For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.

They make a pretense by uttering words under the guise of peace, but in reality their words are completely full of anger and evil. All the words, in fact, were not of peace, though they seemed to give that impression; rather, they were spoken with complete viciousness under pretense, for they continued hatching plots and schemes against me, planning such things and turning them over in their soul.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 35:20

Psalms 36:1

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD. The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

The lawbreaker thinks his sinning is [hidden] within—that is, he believes that he is escaping notice in sinning.… Now, it is typical of the person employing deceit to think that schemers escape notice, because they are always under that impression when they use flattering language; after all, unless they expected to escape notice, they would not have persisted in their deceitful pretense.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 36:2A

Psalms 36:2

For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.

If he had “the fear of God before his eyes,” he would not have employed deceit in the belief that he was escaping our notice (realizing that it was not possible to escape God, everything being known to him, who knows and understands everything clearly). If he really had dread of the Lord, he would have shown much zeal in guarding against sin.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 36:3A

Psalms 36:6

Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.

His decisions and decrees, which he applies in judging and examining human beings, are immeasurable, like the deep. Thus, it is impossible to find out why he allows righteous people often to suffer at the hands of the unrighteous, as I find happening in my own case. While the fact that his care and providence for us is wonderful is clear from his never allowing our sufferings to be unbearable, I am unable to discover precisely why he does not leave us in perfect peace but permits us for a time to be pursued unjustly by them. Hence, “your judgments” strike me as more inaccessible than any “deep.”

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 36:7B

Psalms 36:9

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

You flood us with life, abundantly supplying us with it from the great number and variety of what is given us by you for sustenance and life.… Without light we can see nothing that exists, for when we are deprived of light and plunged into darkness, we have no recognition of what is at hand; whereas when light is available, we see and discern by recognition. So for discerning other things we need light, whereas light itself requires nothing else any longer for our being able to see; instead, with the aid of light itself we succeed in seeing everything through light and discern everything, including even light itself.… His meaning was to present the utter generosity and abundance of God’s gift—thus his mention of these two things in particular: the light (he made clear that from it he provided us both with existence itself and with sustenance) and enjoyment of the light, through which he conveyed the pleasure of life.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 36:10A, B

Psalms 36:10

O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

They were formed by you so as to be able, if they wished, both to know you and to hope in you, and to enjoy the good things stemming from this.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 36:11A

Psalms 37:9

For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Do not consider blessed those people for being in a position even to do whatever they wish, nor with your eyes on their suffering no harsh fate decide to attempt at any time in your own case to do some wrong. “Because the evildoers will be wiped out”: those guilty of wickedness will some day pay the full penalty and perish.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 37:8B-9A

Psalms 37:15

Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

Even if the sinner tries to plot against the righteous person and is bent on carrying it through in every way, do not then grind your teeth at his going unpunished. God will spit on his plot, knowing that he will suffer sometime and that it is he who will sustain harm from his plot against the righteous.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 37:15

Psalms 37:34

Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

Since, then, God does not allow the righteous, even if vulnerable to sinners, to be subject completely to their verdict, do not be despondent if ever you fall foul of disaster; instead, expect help from God by observing his decrees and commands, being attentive to his good pleasure and not withdrawing from virtue on account of the hardships besetting you. “And he will exalt you to inherit the land”: if you do this, he will shelter you, even if vulnerable to the sinner, and make you exalted by ensuring you secure occupancy of the land. “In the destruction of sinners you will see”: not only will you be freed from their scheming, but also you will see them destroyed.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 37:34A-C

Psalms 39:1

To the chief Musician, even to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

It is a universal custom to be upset when you see your plans at the mercy of sinners, and to be upset also at your own misfortunes, especially when you are badly treated by wrongdoers while conscious of your own virtuous behavior. The general run of people react to such developments by turning to criticism and displeasure with the God of all. Hence, blessed David says, “I shall guard my ways so as not to sin with my tongue”: I kept my words to myself, that is, I made a decision and judgment to guard myself against any sin.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 39:2

Psalms 39:11

When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.

So this is what should concern us, being rescued from sins and attaining reconciliation with you, which results in complete resolution of problems, and not taking pains over other things, which are futile and useless for the painstaker, never bringing one an outcome for the pains or providing one with lasting benefit from the pains.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 39:12c

Psalms 41:2

The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

He comments on God’s favors to him in different ways: he will give freedom from perils, he says, will closely guard him so that he will suffer nothing, provide him with life and make him appear as blessed by the vast number of favors in the sight of everyone.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 41:3A

Psalms 42:8

Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

I considered further that though the impending troubles are so numerous, it is very easy for you to provide a solution; if by day you bid lovingkindness to be shown us—in other words, relief from the troubles to occur—it happens so quickly that immediately those in receipt of good things set about singing through the night and offering hymns of praise to you for what has happened. When God enjoins mercy by day, then, immediately by night “his song is with me,” as if to say, So prompt will be the discharge of his command that, with his command given by day, it is possible for me to sing by night of the good things done to me.

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 42:9A

Psalms 42:11

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

“My personal savior is my God”: I trusted that you would doubtless meet my request, since you personally are my salvation and my Lord (the term “personal savior” meaning “my support, my glory”—in other words, It is you yourself who provides me with this).

COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 42:11C

All writers