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Theodoret of Cyrus

Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 1,374 passages across 50 books

Commentary

1,041–1,060 of 1,374
Psalms 25:22

Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

Prayer offered to God befits a king: it is appropriate for one appointed to rule to exercise complete care of his subjects. This is surely the reason that blessed David offered prayer not only for himself but also for a people entrusted to him, especially as the salvation of the one who reigns wisely and well constitutes the welfare of the whole people. The verse implies something else as well, however. Israel was divided, in the time of Saul, of Mephibosheth and of Absalom. Consequently, if I were to enjoy your aid, he is saying, and prove stronger than my adversaries, Israel itself would obtain peace by putting an end to civil strife and would revel in your good things.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 25:10

Psalms 26:1

A Psalm of David. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.

I appeal to you, O Lord, to act as judge of the justice of my cause: I know you are God, I placed my hopes in your providence, and I am confident I shall not fall into the hands of my pursuers.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 26:2

Psalms 27:2

When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Those who stole an advantage over me in their pursuit like wild animals and their attempts to make a meal of me while still alive, far from doing me any harm, were themselves the victims of total destruction.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 27:3

Psalms 27:3

Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

Having such wonderful experience of assistance, he is saying, even should two or three times the number of enemies try to attack me, I would brave the difficulties, armed with this hope.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 27:3

Psalms 27:4

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

Having enjoyed such beneficence, he is saying, I seek from my benefactor not wealth or influence, royalty or glory, but constant attendance in the divine temple, contemplation of the divine beauty there and inspection of everything happening in accordance with law. I have … already secured salvation from that source and escaped the hand of my pursuers. This the mighty David both asked for and received from the munificent God: he brought back the divine ark, erected another more wonderful tabernacle and assembled the different choirs of singers. You could gain a more precise knowledge of this from the books of Chronicles.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 27:4

Psalms 27:11

Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

In place of “Guide me by law,” Aquila and Theodotion said, “Illuminate,” whereas Symmachus has, “Give me a glimpse of your way.” … Become for me in your own person both lawgiver and guide, giving me a glimpse of the path leading to you.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 27:7

Psalms 27:14

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

The mind adorned with virility, he is saying, and by means of it getting the better of the onset of misfortunes, is strengthened, and gains the victory and awaits the divine promises, to which it becomes the heir, the body also co-operating. Now, he calls the life looked forward to “land of the living” insofar as it is separated from death and free of corruption and sadness.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 27:8

Psalms 28:1

A Psalm of David. Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

If you keep silence with me and deprive me of your help, I shall immediately be consigned to death, which he called “pit,” since the grave is dug like a pit.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 28:1

Psalms 28:2

Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.

Though the temple was not yet built, he gives the name “temple” to the tabernacle in which he prayed, distant from it in body but directing his mind there. Likewise also when blessed Daniel in Babylon prayed, he opened the windows facing Jerusalem, not under the impression that God was confined there but from his knowledge that the divine manifestation occurred there.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 28:2

Psalms 28:3

Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.

The prayer of blessed David is to have no truck with those who practice duplicity: he calls abhorrent those who say one thing but mean another.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 28:2

Psalms 28:4

Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.

Let no one think, however, that the righteous person is cursing his enemies: the words are a mark not of cursing but of a just verdict. “Grant them their due repayment,” he says, meaning, May they fall foul of their own schemes, which they hatch against one another. This is said also in the seventh psalm, “Their trouble will come back on their own head, and their wrong will come down on top of them.”

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 28:3

Psalms 28:9

Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

The prayer for the people befits the king as well: it is also admirable about mighty David that though pursued also by the people, who waged war on him along with Saul, he offered supplication on their behalf to God. He foresaw their future conversion, you see, and had regard not for the injustice but for the servitude to come.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 28:5

Psalms 29:1

A Psalm of David. Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

You who are entrusted with the divine message, he is saying, and are called children of God, bear the divine message everywhere with all enthusiasm, transform those reared on nonsense into rational people and offer them first to God; then through them present the worship and the hymns, celebrating the benefactor in the divine dwellings. This resembles what was said by the Savior to the sacred apostles, “Go, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 29:4

Psalms 29:3

The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.

Now, the verse forecasts the voice emanating from heaven at the Jordan, “This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” He called it “thunder” as coursing to the whole world through the sacred Gospels.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 29:4

Psalms 29:4

The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

From this he prophesies the power imparted to the apostles.… The narrative of the Acts also teaches us things in harmony with this: we learn from there how at his ascension Christ the Lord addressed his holy disciples in the words, “Stay in this city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Ten days later on the feast of Pentecost, “there came a sound from heaven like that of a violent wind blowing.” … Now, he gives the name “voice” to the grace of the Spirit filling the apostles with power and might and rendering puny people magnificent.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 29:5

Psalms 29:5

The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

He signals through these words the overthrow of the idols: since the idols’ precincts in ancient times were on high places, providing no fruit to their worshipers, he likened them to “the cedars of Lebanon,” which though lofty do not naturally bear edible fruit.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 29:5

Psalms 29:6

He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

The people who believe, freed from that error [idolatry] and called beloved for that reason, will be invincible and unconquerable in being rid of polytheism and worshiping one Godhead.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 29:6

Psalms 29:9

The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

Now, he called “woods” the idols’ precincts as being utterly fruitless; these are the kinds of woods or coppices that the best woodcutters are accustomed to chop down, leaving the earth bare of them, and they plant fruitbearing trees and sow seeds of edible crops. The cultivators of the world did this, too: pulling up idols’ precincts by the roots, they planted the divine churches in their place.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 29:8

Psalms 29:10

The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.

He will build a world that is inundated with the torrent of iniquity, will restore it and will make it a new creation. Hence blessed Paul also cries aloud, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 29:9

Psalms 30:2

O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

Human nature did not beseech God and look for reprieve from destruction; rather, it constantly fell to wailing and weeping, with death in view and no expectation of resurrection. Accordingly, the psalmist made mention of the tears and laments that occur with the sick and dying to show the ineffable lovingkindness of God … [by which,] without being invoked and seeing only the wailing, he took pity on what was happening and gave a reprieve from death.

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 30:2

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