TRV
Theodore of Mopsuestia
Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 490 passages across 31 books
Commentary
Psalms 45:4
· 2 passages
And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
To what human being would he apply this achievement or the magnitude of what is described? To whom would he apply the verse “Your right hand will guide you in marvelous fashion” when the divine Scripture consistently says of all the righteous that it is with God’s help that they acquire strength?
It is therefore clear from this that he is not speaking of a human being as king: no human being exercises such zeal for bringing about the kingdom in himself and uses weapons and all such things so as to teach gentleness to his own; on the contrary, he is concerned to gain power, and wipe out the opposition and in every way make his own people fearsome to the enemy.
Psalms 45:6
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
Immediately he proceeded to say also “a rod of equity,” which suggests correctness and justice in prosecution. Such an expression, however, seems not applicable to a human being—at least such an expression occurs nowhere in reference to a human being—whereas it is applicable to God, of whom he says also in another place, “He will judge the world in righteousness; he will judge peoples in rectitude,” and elsewhere, “Good and upright is the Lord,” and “Because the word of the Lord is upright.”
Psalms 45:7
Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
On the one hand, he separated the natures by uttering definite statements of different ideas (there being a great difference between “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever” and “Hence, God your God anointed you”), and on the other hand, he gave a glimpse of the union by saying this of one person.
Psalms 45:8
All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
In his wish to imply both the passion and the glory of the passion he says “myrrh, resin, and cassia from your garments,” suggesting by “myrrh” the passion, and by mention of “resin and cassia” implying the fragrance and splendor of the passion, as if to say, Even the passion itself, which affects your temple, will be accompanied by great fragrance and glory, with the result that the fragrance from it will spread to the whole world, as the apostle also says: “We are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” Now, he did well to mention “myrrh” and associate it with the phrase “from your garments” for us to understand the divinity to be free of suffering.
Psalms 45:9
Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
The church is in attendance on you, he is saying, on your right; that is, it will always be assembled for you. The church is always assembled in union with him both in purpose and in the grace of rebirth, just as members and body are with the head, as the apostle says in one place, “You are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” … For this reason, “at your right hand” was well put, as if to say by way of underlining the honor stemming from the more important member. [The church] is in attendance on you, enjoying the greatest honor from you.… clothed in much adornment. So while it was vouchsafed the dignity of sonship and called and made body of Christ, it was clothed in the greatest adornment, the beauty of the spiritual graces: the marvels performed through the saints were like a kind of golden and marvelous adornment, bringing splendor to the believers in Christ, who composed the church.
Psalms 45:13
The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.
By “within” he refers to the mind, and the words can refer only to not bodily beauty but virtue of soul. This, in fact, is the true glory of the devout, purity of conscience, for which they will be utterly conspicuous in the judge’s sight.
Psalms 46:5
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
He was not in one part of the city and cut off from another but “in its midst,” surrounding it all, protecting it all equally from the foe.
Psalms 49:8
(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
Sin is worse than everything; it is this that must be feared, not the possibility of being in need of money, since a person who is rich and in the grip of a multitude of sins is in real difficulty and does not find release from the troubles.… Nor can he then himself by paying money to God prevail on him to desist from punishment; nor does he succeed in redeeming his soul, weighed down as it is with sin. And so sin is worse than anything, since no one who is weighed down by it and is consequently the object of punishment by God can be freed from danger.
Psalms 49:12
Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.
Despite having so much enjoyment in the present life, possessing many natural advantages by comparison with other living creatures and enjoying a great number of gifts, they did not understand the greatness of the honor conferred on them by God; instead, by their insensitivity to the possession of their attributes they are no different from cattle, which possess no intelligence.… While giving little heed to thanking the giver, they live a heedless life and grow old in their sins. Thus, they also are the objects of a rigorous verdict from God.
Psalms 49:13
This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.
He uses “this” as a demonstrative, meaning, Such behavior is responsible for their troubles, and their heedless enjoyment of God’s good things inevitably brings down on them God’s punishment.… Even when those forebears who were in receipt of riches suffer retribution and just punishment from God, people after them do not come to their senses; on the contrary, they are pleased with the words and actions of the others and hasten to imitate them, acting in similar fashion regarding wealth and the good things of this life, giving too little heed to virtue to be brought around by the punishment of their predecessors.
Psalms 49:15
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
God is able to pluck one from the midst of death even if it seems already to have taken hold (the phrase “from the hand of hades” meaning, Even if it has one in its grasp, it is possible and very easy for God to snatch one away).
Psalms 50:14
Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
Offer me this sacrifice of praise. That is, offer yourself as a victim to me, taking pains to live in thanksgiving to me and devoting yourself totally to me.… Pray always to me about everything; render me this and perform it. The phrase “pray to me about everything” means, consider me responsible for all your good things, and receive from me all that is at any time good, no one being able to pray unless persuaded of this.… It will be no idle conjecture for you, since with this attitude you will, even if calling in the midst of afflictions, be heard and will attain what you aspire to, and so will take occasion from the beneficence to give even greater glory.
Psalms 50:16
But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
The fact, he is saying, that you take pains to read the law, mouth the words of its stipulations, and listen carefully to its being read is no excuse. It only sets me more against you, your knowing the law, listening to the commandments and putting them on your lips while in practice pursuing the opposite, the result being that the reading is useless for you. Instead, listening to me when I speak and give commands in the law is an insult to me when there is utter neglect of me in practice.
Psalms 72:5-7
They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
So that now, concerning the things to be promised to the people through the kingdom of Zerubbabel, who was assigned for this through the divine judgment, it was not at all inappropriate for the prophet, speaking, to say, “he comes righteous and saving,” so that he might show that he is present with them and that he has been chosen by God for the kingship in order to do these things. It says that those very things, therefore, have successively happened concerning the people through him. But let these things suffice for the most accurate teaching. The prophet is speaking concerning Zerubbabel and prophesying present things concerning him, if also as a prophet himself he had a certain vision concerning things to come, he adds:He shall govern the waters from sea to sea And from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zech 9:10) This also has apparently been said hyperbolically, that he will prevail over many enemies and that he will occupy much territory, having given it for habitation to the Jews. The seventy-first [seventy-second] psalm by the blessed David is similar; in the form of a pr…
So that now, concerning the things to be promised to the people through the kingdom of Zerubbabel, who was assigned for this through the divine judgment, it was not at all inappropriate for the prophet, speaking, to say, “he comes righteous and saving,” so that he might show that he is present with them and that he has been chosen by God for the kingship in order to do these things. It says that those very things, therefore, have successively happened concerning the people through him. But let these things suffice for the most accurate teaching. The prophet is speaking concerning Zerubbabel and prophesying present things concerning him, if also as a prophet himself he had a certain vision concerning things to come, he adds:He shall govern the waters from sea to sea
And from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zech 9:10)
This also has apparently been said hyperbolically, that he will prevail over many enemies and that he will occupy much territory, having given it for habitation to the Jews. The seventy-first [seventy-second] psalm by the blessed David is similar; in the form of a prayer ir it has a figure of the prosperity of Solomon, where it says, “May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon throughout all generations! May he have dominion from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Is it not obvious that these things are said hyperbolically?
And from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zech 9:10)
This also has apparently been said hyperbolically, that he will prevail over many enemies and that he will occupy much territory, having given it for habitation to the Jews. The seventy-first [seventy-second] psalm by the blessed David is similar; in the form of a prayer ir it has a figure of the prosperity of Solomon, where it says, “May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon throughout all generations! May he have dominion from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Is it not obvious that these things are said hyperbolically?
Romans 1:1
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
All things are servants of Christ, and he is Lord of all. Therefore Paul calls himself a servant first of all, thereby encouraging the rest to do likewise. He also recalls the unique lordship of the Son but not in such a way as to deny the lordship of the Father, which is confessed by everybody. In saying that he was set apart, he showed that he was not only called but also chosen from among many as useful for the preaching of the gospel.
Romans 1:7
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul says to all because with Christ everyone is equal. When he says: “to those beloved of God, called to be holy,” he cuts out unbelievers. The forgiveness of sins and the gift of sonship may be what he means by “grace,” and the defeat of the invisible enemies, from whom Christ has delivered us, may be what he means by “peace,” as well as the refusal of the body to rebel against the reasonings of the soul and godly agreement with one another.
Romans 1:8
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
It seems that Paul begins by giving thanks in his other epistles too, thereby teaching by word and deed those to whom the letter is written that one ought to begin by thanking God, not only for one’s own but also for others. But here this salutation has a special importance, because after the teaching of Peter, anyonewho wanted to teach them the doctrines of godliness had to show that he accepted Peter’s teaching and was not trying to introduce them to anything which went against that. Therefore his praise of the Romans was no accident. Often in his letters he used the salutation as a way of preparing those who would be better disposed toward him as a result of such praise, for the reading of what had been written.“Through Jesus Christ” had to be added here, not to qualify Christ’s ministry, as it seemed to some of the heretics, but because he is the cause of our thanks. Hence the apostle says that he thanks God for them all and that Christ is the cause of his thanksgiving.
Romans 1:9
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
Paul rightly says “with my spirit,” contrasting this with the carnal worship of the Jews in circumcision and sabbatarianism and other such sacrifices, none of which is either spiritual or true. Some have pointed out that the phrase is a simpler way of saying “with my mind and with my will.”
Romans 1:11
For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
Paul showed by his longing to see them that his desire was genuine, and by his eagerness to share, that the Romans’ spiritual gift was not something private but that he himself would be the one who would impart it.