The Hand of Judgment and the Right Hand of Salvation
He asked to have obtained the length of days, so that he might have them immortally and without end. The length of days is received also by the one who has enlightened himself with the light of knowledge, as if he had a doctrine of truth enlightened within him; for each description of thought is a certain day.
The salvation of God acquires great glory for the king raised from the dead and for everyone rising together with him (Ps 20:6-8a). You will lay glory and majesty upon him, this glory which is according to the resurrection. And 'you will lay upon' signifies that even before this glory he had another, according to 'I glorified and again I will glorify.' And majesty is that which is becoming in great things. The becoming in great things has not happened concerning the Savior alone. For what is greater than to raise the dead and to walk upon the sea and his enormous miracles among those nearby? But even from his rising from the dead, the becoming in great things has exceeded for him; for he was taken up into the heavens and sat at the right hand of the Father, 'For you will give him blessing unto the age of ages.' All these things have exceeded for him, that blessing is given to him for the age of ages from the Father, by which he blesses those approaching him; then especially the curse having been turned for our sake, he redeemed us from the curse of the law regarding becoming mortal, through the blessing of Abraham (Gen 12:3). 'Rejoice him in joy before your face' (Ps 16:11). Oh, the same grace and peace are given from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, the seed from God, such that the same joy from God and from his face comes to be; for the face is the character of his subsistence. And these things shall happen concerning the king, hoping in God the Lord, finding himself being of those who hope. For having approached the expected things through experience, he rejoices before the face of God. And otherwise: since your image is a face, and this is the God the Word, the king becoming with this face makes his temple profitable and, becoming conformed to him, rejoices in joy.
Having received oil from the Most High to be anointed with oil of exultation, he possesses an impassable priesthood from the anointing, according to the order of Melchizedek, a priest unto the age (Ps 20:8b-9). For that he shall not be shaken shows that he will not soon see the worthiness from which he is shaken.
Changing into something else. His hand is not found for a few, but for all the enemies of God, bringing punishments upon them and warring against those set against the divine law, according to 'The Lord fights with a hidden hand against Amalek' (1 Sam 15:30). And perhaps he means by enemies those bringing in thoughtlessness and embracing ungodliness. For if these do not set God before them, the hand would be found distressing them and bringing rebuke upon them, so that then they might know what God stands over of those who sin. He says 'hating God' here regarding those committing sin. For if in keeping the commandments the love of the perfect God is completed, according to 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word' (John 14:23), he who does not keep the word and the commandments of God hates God. And he who hates thus is said to be perishing. Since there is no expectation of the Savior coming, the right hand of God, to seek and save the lost, it is fittingly said: 'May your right hand bring all who hate you to prosperity' (Ps 20:10).
But by what does the right hand differ according to the writings? One should consider the hand set upon punishments, as 'Your hand has utterly destroyed them' (Ps 6:10), and 'Now having sent the hand, I will strike you' (Ps 77:10) (and indeed 'The hand of the Lord has laid hold of me' Job 10:1); but the right hand is upon salvation and other good things; for 'His right hand saved him', and 'He made the right hand of the Lord a power', and 'The right hand of the Lord saved me' (Ps 18:35), and such things. It is fitting, then, that even here he says the hand is found punishing the enemies, but the right hand is found for those who hate Him, so that they might be found no longer in destruction.
Regarding Ps 20:10a, I think it is meant that they shall be cast upon the enemies; not that anyone is handed over for punishment to be cast as a furnace of fire always and continually, but as at the time of the shining of the divine face. And there also, 'the time' signifies not a duration of time but the kind of state of those capable of receiving the face of God. And I think also that the mention of the furnace was not in vain; for just as a furnace does not burn in vain or by chance, but for some useful purpose in baking bread or something similar, so also God sets punishments at the time to encounter such people as may be able to behold His face. Ps 20:10b The...
Greek
ᾐτηκέναι καὶ μακρότητα ἡμερῶν ᾐτήσατο, ι ν' ε χῃ αὐτὴν ἀθανάτως καὶ ἀπεράντως. μακρότητα ἡμερῶν δέχεται καὶ ὁ φωτίσας ἑαυτῷ φῶς γνώσεως, ὡς ε καστον δόγμα τῆς ἀληθείας πεφωτισμένον ε χειν· ἑκάστη γὰρ περιγραφὴ νοήσεως ἡμέρα τίς ἐστιν. 167 Ps 20,6–8a Τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ δόξαν περιποιεῖ μεγάλην τῷ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάντι βασιλεῖ καὶ παντὶ τῷ συναναστάντι αὐτῷ. ∆οξὰν καὶ μεγαλοπρέπειαν ἐπιθήσεις ἐπ' αὐτόν, δόξαν ταύτην τὴν κατὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν. τὸ δ' ̓Επιθήσεις σημαίνει ο τι καὶ πρὸ ταύτης τῆς δόξης ἑτέραν ει χεν κατὰ τὸ ̓Εδόξασα καὶ πάλιν δοξάσω. ε στιν δὲ μεγαλοπρέπεια τὸ ἐν μεγάλοις πρέπον. τὸ πρέπον ου ν περὶ τὸν σωτῆρα ἐν μεγάλοις γεγένηται. τί γὰρ μεῖζον τοῦ νεκροὺς ἐγείρειν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης βαδίσαι η τῶν παραπλησίων τεραστίων αὐτοῦ; ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναστάντος, ἐν μεγάλοις τὸ πρέπον αὐτῷ ὑπῆρκται· εἰς οὐρανοὺς γὰρ ἀνελήφθη καὶ ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκάθισεν, Οτι δώσεις αὐτῷ εὐλογίαν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος. ταῦτα πάντα περὶ αὐτὸν ὑπῆρκται, ο τι εὐλογία αὐτῷ εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος δίδοται παρὰ τοῦ 45 πατρὸς καθ' η ν εὐλογεῖ τοὺς προσπελάζοντας αὐτῷ, τότε μάλιστα ο τε κατάρα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γεγενημένος ἐξηγόρασεν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ νόμου κατάρας ἐπὶ τῷ εἰς τὰ ε θνη γενέσθαι τὴν εὐλογίαν τοῦ ̓Αβραάμ. Εὐφρανεῖς αὐτὸν ἐν χαρᾷ μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου. ω σπερ ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ αὐτὴ χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη δίδοται, ου τω τὴν αὐτὴν χαρὰν ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ γίνεσθαι συμβαίνει· πρόσωπον δὲ θεοῦ ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ. ταῦτα δὲ γενήσεται περὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἐλπίζοντα ἐπὶ θεὸν κύριον τυγχάνοντα τῶν ἐλπιζομένων. πείρᾳ γὰρ προσβαλὼν τοῖς προσδοκωμένοις εὐφραίνεται μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ. Καὶ α λλως· ἐπεὶ πρόσωπον ἡ εἰκών σου τυγχάνει, αυ τη δ' ἐστὶν ὁ θεὸς λόγος, μετὰ τούτου τοῦ προσώπου γινόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς ναὸς αὐτοῦ χρηματίζει καὶ σύμμορφος αὐτοῦ γινόμενος εὐφραίνεται ἐν χαρᾷ. 168 Ps 20,8b.9 Παρὰ τοῦ ὑψίστου ε λαιον λαβὼν τῷ κέχρισθαι ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως, ̓Απαράβατον ε χει τὴν ἐκ τῆς χρίσεως ἱερωσύνην, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισέδεκ ω ν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἱερεύς. τὸ γὰρ μὴ σαλευθῆναι αὐτὸν δηλοῖ μὴ πρόσκαιρον αὐτὸν ε ξειν ἀξίαν ἀφ' η ς ἐστιν σαλευθῆναι μεταβάλλοντα εἰς ε τερόν τι. Οὐ τισὶν ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῦ θεοῦ εὑρίσκεται ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ η τοι κολάσεις αὐτοῖς ἐπιφέρουσα η πολεμοῦσα τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους τῷ θείῳ νόμῳ κατὰ τὸ Πολεμεῖ κύριος κρυφαίᾳ χειρὶ ἐπὶ ̓Αμαλήκ. καὶ τάχα ἐχθροὺς δύναται ἐνταῦθα λέγειν τοὺς ἀπρονοησίαν εἰσάγοντας καὶ ἀθεότητα ἀσπαζομένους. τούτοις γὰρ μὴ τιθεμένοις θεὸν εὑρεθείη ἡ χεὶρ θλίβουσα καὶ ἐπιτιμίαν αὐτοῖς ἐπιφέρουσα, ὡς τότε αὐτοὺς γνῶναι ο τι θεὸς ἐπιστατεῖ τῶν ο λων. Μισοῦντας ἐνταῦθα θεὸν λέγει τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας. εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῷ τηροῦντι τὰς ἐντολὰς ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ τελειοῦται κατὰ τὸ ̓Εάν τις ἀγαπᾷ με, τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐμὸν τηρήσει, ἀκολουθήσει τὸν μὴ τηροῦντα τὸν λόγον καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ μισεῖν τὸν θεόν. ὁ δὲ ου τως μισῶν ἀπολωλέναι λέγεται. ἐπεὶ ου ν προσδοκία ἐστὶν ἐλεύσεσθαι τὸν σωτῆρα ο ντα θεοῦ δεξιὰν ἐπὶ τῷ ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός, εἰκότως λέγεται· ̔Η δεξιά σου ευ ροι πάντας τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε. Τίνι δὲ διαφέρει κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς χεὶρ δεξιᾶς θεωρητέον. τὴν χεῖρα ἐπὶ τῶν κολάσεων τάττει, ὡς τὸ ̔Η χείρ σου ε θνη ἐξωλόθρευσεν, καὶ Νῦν ἀποστείλας τὴν χεῖρα πατάξω σε (Καὶ γὰρ χεὶρ κυρίου ἡ ἁψαμένη μού ἐστιν)· τὴν δὲ δεξιὰν ἐπὶ τῆς σωτηρίας καὶ τῶν α λλων ἀγαθῶν· Εσωσεν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἡ δεξιὰ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ∆εξιὰ κυρίου ἐποίησεν δύναμιν, καὶ ∆εξιὰ κυρίου υ ψωσέν με, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα. εἰκότως ου ν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν μὲν χεῖρα εὑρίσκεσθαι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τιμωρουμένην αὐτούς φησιν, τὴν δὲ δεξιὰν εὑρίσκειν τοὺς μισοῦντας ο πως εὑρεθέντες μηκέτι ω σιν ἐν ἀπωλείᾳ. 169 Ps 20,10a Τὸ Θήσεις αὐτοὺς ἀναφέρεσθαι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς νομίζω, ου ς τινας διὰ τὸ κολάσει παραδεδόσθαι θήσει ὡς κλίβανον πυρὸς οὐκ ἀεὶ καὶ ἐπ' α πειρον ἀλλ' ε ως τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς ἐπιλάμψεως τοῦ θεϊκοῦ προσώπου. σημαίνει δὲ κἀνταῦθα ὁ καιρὸς οὐ χρόνον ἀλλὰ τὴν ποίαν κατάστασιν τῶν δυναμένων χωρῆσαι τὸ θεοῦ πρόσωπον. νομίζω δὲ καὶ τὸ τοῦ κλιβάνου ο νομα μὴ μάτην παρειλῆφθαι· ὡς γὰρ οὐ μάτην οὐδ' ὡς ε τυχεν ἐκκαίεται κλίβανος ἀλλ' ἐπί τινι τέλει χρηστῷ η ἀρτοποιΐᾳ η α λλῳ τινὶ τοιούτῳ, ου τω καὶ τὰς κολάσεις τίθεται θεὸς ἐπὶ τῷ καιρὸν ἀπαντῆσαι τοιοῦτον καθ' ο ν ἐνιδεῖν τῷ προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ δυνήσονται. 170 Ps 20,10b Τοὺς
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
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- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.