Theodoret of Cyrus — Commentary on Scripture

Psalms 37:24

It is impossible for anyone to travel blamelessly the way of virtue without God’s grace. He works in association with those who have this intent: for the acquisition of virtue there is need of human zeal and divine assistance at one and the same time. Thus, you see, even if the one traveling this path should slip, he will gain divine support. Likewise, when blessed David stumbled and ran the risk of coming to grief, he was borne up by divine grace.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 37:8

Psalms 37:31

It is fitting, the psalmist says, to carry around the divine sayings both on one’s tongue and in one’s mind and constantly give attention to them; learning in this way how to behave, the lover of virtue remains intrepid and unmoved, proof against efforts at overthrow.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 37:11

Psalms 37:40

Those who practice righteousness … will enjoy divine aid and attain salvation, and by reason of placing complete hope in him, they will prevail over those endeavoring to wrong them.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 37:14

Psalms 38:1

David made this beginning to the sixth psalm as well, asking to be disciplined in the manner of a surgeon, not a judge, and to be treated not with harsh remedies but with mild ones.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 38:2

Psalms 38:7

So, he means, my handling of desire not fittingly but wastefully proved the cause of these troubles.… From that desire [as he says in the next verse] I garnered the fruit, which was my stooping to earth, he is saying, and constant bewailing on account of my heart’s bitter pangs. For this reason I changed the force of desire and made it a minister to the divine will.… Since once I used it wrongly, I shall always apply it to the benefit of your commands.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 38:3-4

Psalms 38:10

By these statements he implies two things: both the extraordinary degree of depression, by which the light does not even seem to be light, and the deprivation of divine care, which he rightly called “light of my eyes.”

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 38:4

Psalms 38:14

History teaches this more clearly. Even when Absalom mounted a case against his father and drew to his side those who had lost cases in judgment, blessed David was long-suffering. When Shimei berated him with voice and hand upraised, he took the abuse in silence; and he forbade Abishai to try to exact justice against the culprit in the words, “Let him curse me because the Lord bade him curse David.”

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 38:6

Psalms 38:17

Sin made me deserve whipping, he is saying; thus I submit myself to punishment. I long for treatment at your hands, pricked as I am by the pangs of sin.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 38:7

Psalms 40:3

In place of the impious worship of the idols I was taught to sing the praises of the true God and offer a song—not an old one but a new one, suited to the new favors. I no longer make supplication in dirges, you see; instead, I sing of the favors. So this is related, as I said, to the sufferings of David as a type and to the favors done to him. And it is related in particular to the human race sunken to the very depths of sin and consigned to death but retrieved through the incarnation of our Savior and given the hope of resurrection.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 40:3

Psalms 40:5

The wonders performed by your power, he is saying, defy counting and all description: there is no one who can do the like. While your creation is great and beautiful, what you arrange time after time in your providence surpasses human praise—in Egypt, in the wilderness, in the case of Moses, in the case of Joshua, in the case of Samuel, and earlier instances than those, having to do with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the royalty Joseph gained through slavery, not to mention all the other cases individually.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 40:4

Psalms 40:7

The apostolic exhortation sings a similar note to this, “I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, the worship according to reason.” In place of the rites of the Law, the Lord required us to consecrate our limbs. Now, seeing your grace, he says, I offered myself to you in the words “Here I am.” This statement, of course, blessed Paul applies to Christ the Lord, and rightly so: he is our nature’s first fruits, and it is fitting for him in the first place to speak for us and in himself to prefigure in type what is appropriate in our case.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 40:5

Psalms 40:9

Blessed David promises to preach God’s righteousness, the truth of inspired composition, the admirable salvation and immeasurable mercy in a great assembly gathered by divine grace throughout the whole world. And redeemed nature itself promises to give this response to its salvation by flocking to church, moving its lips in hymn singing, proclaiming God’s righteous judgment, recounting his ineffable care and giving a glimpse of the truth of the inspired promises.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 40:7

Psalms 40:12

The church of God, buffeted by billows from the godless, in its struggles is not carried away but attributes developments to sins and failings and begs to enjoy assistance from the Savior. In a particular way, the church of God is not composed completely of perfect people; instead, it numbers also those addicted to sloth and inclined to the careless life, who choose to serve pleasure. Since it is one body, both features are displayed as in the case of one person.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 40:8

Psalms 41:1

Though having lordship of visible and invisible things, he had nowhere to lay his head, was born of a virgin and through lack of bed was laid in a manger. Consequently, the inspired Word declares blessed the one able to understand this poverty and filled with zeal to sing the praises as far as possible of the one who accepted it.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 41:2

Psalms 41:4

I am the one who is poor, he is saying, who embraced voluntary poverty, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who makes my own the sufferings of human beings, who though having committed no sin offers the prayer for human nature as nature’s firstfruits. It should be noted, however, that Symmachus said not “because I sinned against you” but “even if I sinned against you.”

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 41:4

Psalms 41:6

Now, the outcome of events testifies to these things: furtively they conversed together and looked for the way to implement the plot. Then they made a charge of overthrow, saying to Pilate, “He makes himself king and forbids us paying tribute to Caesar,” which is what the prophecy says: “They set up a lawless plan against me.” That is, they leveled a charge of lawlessness against me.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 41:5

Psalms 41:11

All this was said on the part of the nature assumed, which was involved also in the passion.… Since, then, the assumed nature remained free of all wickedness, it was right for him to say, “But you supported me for my innocence and confirmed me in your presence forever”: I received a stable unity, the combining was indivisible, the glory everlasting.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 41:7

Psalms 42:1

I am longing and thirsting for the worship of my living God, he is saying. “To see the face of God” means worshiping him according to the Law, and such worship was confined to Jerusalem.… very appropriately do they name God “strong and living” as they take note of the lifeless and immobile idols of the Babylonians.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 42:2

Psalms 42:4

After the sad events, therefore, he proclaims pleasant ones and ahead of time teaches that they will quickly secure their recall, and with the guidance of God’s grace, they will return to the land of their desire and will rebuild God’s house, will celebrate the customary festivals and welcome into their ears the festive sound and spiritual melody.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 42:3

Psalms 42:11

Do not despair of salvation, O soul, he is saying: you have God as Savior; in him you gain sound hope. Quench your discouragement and receive consolation.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 42:7