Divine Discipline and Repentance
He is Lord, the God of the divine powers, but also the God of Israel, attending to visit the nations so that He might heal them as they are being badly consumed by idolatry and the service of demons. The visitation of the nations occurs because the divine Word has been sent to heal all and to save them from the corruptions that take hold beforehand. Indeed, He is a physician of souls, healing those who are crushed in heart. He is called God of powers and Lord of the rational, holy animals and heavenly hosts. Just as He is God of these powers, so also, by the voice of the discerning men called Hebrews of Israel, He is God (Ps 58:10-11).
While David was being pursued by Saul because of the aforementioned envy, he knew what the successor of the kingdom would be. And having prophetically seen what was to come, and having been anointed for this by Samuel—though he was not yet fully filled with the knowledge of it—he did not repeatedly rush into his hands, wanting to legally receive the kingdom from God, but not to seize it by assault and murder. From this intention he says, 'God is my strength, I will guard myself toward You' (Ps 58:10), not intending to strike, but waiting to receive it from You; and I am confident in this assurance, having known through experience many times that You are both God and my perceiver. For it is not by our power that we are worthy to reign, but rather Your mercy, having foretold me, will show itself to me among my enemies, in which they shall be disciplined by falling under punishment, but I shall receive the kingdom from You.
And regarding the thought of reigning from God according to Abraham: it is written that if some say to the patriarch while he is not perceptibly ruling, 'King, You are with us,' ruling pleasingly to God, he says, 'My God is my strength, I will guard myself toward You' (Ps 58:12); for You will lead into the kingdom those who have spoken, as the Corinthians say, 'And it would be good if you reigned, that we might reign with you.' (Ps 58:13ab). As a matter of history: the enemies lying in wait are worthy to be rebuked by God, but not to die. For it is not right that, if they remained wicked, they should die, for they would bring an end to the divine law; but being scattered by the power of God and being handed over to captivity, they will cry out to...
Having experienced God as a trial of punishment. But He also wills that they be brought low from the height of the pride they possess, which is the one defending the Lord who carries up the prayer. For complete punishment prepares and turns one toward recognition. But David, sparing them from this, pleaded that they might be disciplined by a more moderate punishment so that they might be sober; he adds the following: for if they are scattered, they are punished at once, and they will be able to be gathered together again having repented. Likewise, He also wills that they be brought low, that is, humbled: to stop the sin of their mouth, the word of their lips, which is beneficial both to those being humbled and to the majority, so that they may not be provoked to zeal against those speaking and saying things in pride and unrighteousness. For those having spoken with pride, having lied against the righteous, receiving the condemnation in the pride of their own words contrary to their works, they receive it as if being caught as lawless men being reproved.
It is to be reproved also from the present word those who think with a defensive mindset that the Creator is a heretic (Ps 59:3). God is angry not to destroy, but to have mercy. By this, 'I will bless You, Lord, what You were angry with me for, toward salvation' (Ps 59:3). For if He is angry toward salvation and toward mercy, His anger is not a passion, but is received usefully.
Those striving for material things and thinking of earthly things (Ps 59:4), regarding them as being stable and imperturbable, this such a state brings harm to them; it is better to be shaken and troubled by the mercy of God in a useful way. For having known that to be entangled in material things and to think of them causes trouble and shaking, turning away from the former bad life toward a serious one, without care and having been crushed, having received the realization of the existing destructions from the demons, she will call upon the Lord who is able to heal these things.
Hard things are shown to someone if he falls into painful circumstances (Ps 59:5); but if anyone receives them toward the recognition of former sins, he drinks the wine of compunction, taking from the drinking the cause of being moved to repentance. Often the Scripture unreservedly calls the hard circumstances 'hard things'.
Greek
κύριον τὸν θεὸν τῶν θείων δυνάμεων ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ̓Ισραὴλ θεὸν προσέχοντα ἐπισκέψασθαι τὰ ε θνη ο πως ἰάσηται αὐτὰ διάγοντα κακῶς διὰ εἰδωλολατρείαν καὶ δαιμόνων θεράπειαν. γίνεται δὲ ἡ ἐπισκοπὴ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀποσταλέντος τοῦ θείου λόγου ἐπὶ τῷ πάντας ἰάσασθαι καὶ σῶσαι ἐκ τῶν προκαταλαβουσῶν διαφθορῶν. ἰατρὸς γοῦν ἐστι ψυχῶν, τοὺς συντετριμμένους τῇ καρδίᾳ ἰώμενος. ∆υνάμεων δὲ θεὸν αὐτὸν καλεῖ καὶ κύριον η τοι λογικῶν ἁγίων ζῴων καὶ στρατευμάτων οὐρανίων. ὡς δὲ τούτων τῶν δυνάμεων θεός, ου τω καὶ τῶν διορατικῶν ἀνθρώπων ̓Ισραὴλ καλουμένων ̔Εβραίων φωνῇ θεός ἐστιν. 614 Ps 58,10.11 ∆ιωκόμενος ὁ ∆αυὶδ ὑπὸ Σαοὺλ διὰ τὸν προειρημένον φθόνον ε γνω ο τι ε σται τῆς ἀρχῆς διάδοχος. καὶ προφητικῶς μὲν θεωρήσας τὸ ἐσόμενον καὶ ἐκ τοῦ κεχρίσθαι εἰς τοῦτο ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαμουήλ, πλὴν εἰ καὶ ου τω πεπληροφόρητο, οὐκ ἀνῄρει αὐτὸν πολλάκις εἰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ παραδοθέντα, νομίμως ἐκ θεοῦ ἀντιπαραλαβεῖν τὴν ἀρχὴν βουλόμενος ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπιθέσθαι καὶ δολοφονῆσαι. ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς προθέσεώς φησιν ̔Ο θεὸς τὸ κράτος μου, πρὸς σὲ φυλάξω, οὐ σφετερίσασθαι αὐτὸ προαιρούμενος ἀλλ' ἐκδεχόμενος παρὰ σοῦ αὐτὸ λαβεῖν· θαρρῶ δὲ τῇ περὶ τούτου διαβεβαιώσει, γνοὺς 113 πεῖρᾳ πολλάκις ο τι καὶ θεὸς καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου τυγχάνεις. κα ν γὰρ μὴ ἐξ ἡμετέρας δυνάμεως α ξιος λαβεῖν τὸ βασιλεύειν, ἀλλά γε τὸ σὸν ε λεος προφθάσαν με δείξει μοι ἐν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου, ὡς αὐτοὶ μὲν παιδευθήσονται κολάσει ὑποπεσόντες, ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν λήψομαι παρὰ σοῦ. Καὶ πρὸς διάνοιαν δὲ ὁ κατὰ τὸν ̓Αβραὰμ ἐκ θεοῦ τὸ βασιλεύειν ε χων. γέγραπται γὰρ ὡς ει πόν τινες τῷ πατριάρχῃ οὐκ αἰσθητῶς κρατοῦντι Βασιλεὺς παρὰ θεοῦ σὺ ει ἐν ἡμῖν. βασιλεύων ἀρεσκόντως θεῷ ἐρεῖ ̔Ο θεός μου τὸ κράτος μου, πρὸς σὲ φυλάξω· σὺ γὰρ εἰσάξεις εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοὺς εἰρηκότας Κορινθίους Καὶ ὀφελόν γε ἐβασιλεύσατε ι να καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν συμβασιλεύσωμεν. 615 Ps 58,12.13ab ̔Ως πρὸς ἱστορίαν· τοὺς ἐπικειμένους ἐχθροὺς ἐπιτιμηθῆναι πρὸς θεοῦ ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀποθανεῖν ἀξιοῖ. οι δεν γὰρ ο τι, εἰ μένοντες φαῦλοι ἀποθάνοιεν, λῆξιν ε ξουσι τοῦ θεϊκοῦ νόμου, διασκορπισθέντες δὲ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμει καὶ εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν παραδοθέντες στενάξουσι πρὸς θεὸν πεῖραν κακώσεως ἐσχηκότες. Βούλεται δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ καταχθῆναι ἀπὸ υ ψους η ς ε χουσι ὑπερηφανίας, ποιοῦντος αὐτὸ τοῦ ὑπερασπίζοντος κυρίου τοῦ τὴν δέησιν ἀναφέροντος. ἡ γὰρ παντελὴς τιμωρία εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν παρασκευάζει καὶ προτρέπεται. ο τι δὲ φειδόμενος αὐτῶν τοῦτο ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἐπρεσβεύετο, ι να τῇ μετριωτέρᾳ τιμωρίᾳ σωφρονισθέντες νήφωσιν, ἐπάγει τὰ ἑξῆς· ἐὰν γὰρ διασκορπισθῶσιν, ὁμοῦ καὶ τιμωροῦνται καὶ συναχθῆναι πάλιν δυνήσονται μετανοήσαντες. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ καταχθῆναι τουτέστι ταπεινωθῆναι βούλεται ̔Αμαρτίαν στόματος αὐτῶν, λόγον χειλέων αὐτῶν, συμφέρων αὐτοῖς τε τοῖς ταπεινουμένοις καὶ τοῖς πλείοσι ω στε μὴ παροξυνθῆναι πρὸς ζῆλον τῶν ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ λαλούντων καὶ φθεγγομένων α δικα. οἱ γὰρ μεθ' ὑπερηφανίας λελαληκότες οἱ κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου ψευσάμενοι· ο ταν ἐναντίαν τοῖς ε ργοις τὴν ε κβασιν ἐν τῇ ὑπερηφανίᾳ τῶν οἰκείων λόγων συλλαμβανόμενοι δέχωνται, ὡς παράνομοι καταληφθέντες ἐλέγχονται. 616a Ps 59,3b ̓Ελεγκτέον καὶ ἐκ τῆς προκειμένης λέξεως τοὺς ἀμυντικὸν φρονοῦντας ει ναι τὸν δημιουργὸν αἱρετικούς. ὀργίζεται ὁ θεὸς οὐχ ι να ἀπολέσῃ, ἀλλ' ι να οἰκτειρήσῃ. τούτῳ συνᾴδει Εὐλογήσω σε, κύριε, ο τι ὠργίσθης μοι εἰς σωτηρίαν. εἰ γὰρ εἰς σωτηρίαν ὀργίζεται καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ οἰκτεῖραι, οὐ πάθος ἡ ὀργὴ αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ χρησίμως παραλαμβανομένη. 617a Ps 59,4 Οἱ προσπαθοῦντες τοῖς ὑλικοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπίγεια φρονοῦντες† ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τῷ ἐμπαθεῖς ει ναι οι ονται εὐστάθειαν καὶ ἀταραξίαν ε χειν, βλάβην δὲ αὐτοῖς ἡ τοιαύτη κατάστασις φέρει· ο θεν χρήσιμον ἐλέῳ θεοῦ συσσεισθῆναι αὐτὴν καὶ ταραχθῆναι μεταμελείας τρόπῳ. γνοῦσα γὰρ ὡς ἐπιβλαβὲς τοῖς ὑλικοῖς ἐνέχεσθαι καὶ φρονεῖν τάραχον καὶ συσσεισμὸν σχοίη, μετατιθεμένη ἐκ τοῦ προτέρου φαύλου βίου ἐπὶ σπουδαῖον, ἀμέλει καὶ συντριβεῖσα, αι σθησιν λαβοῦσα τῶν ὑπαρξάντων συντριμμάτων ἐκ τῶν δαιμόνων παρακαλέσει τὸν δυνάμενον κύριον ἰᾶσαι ταῦτα. 618a Ps 59,5 ∆είκνυταί τινι σκληρά, ο ταν ἐπιπόνοις περιπέσῃ· α περ ἐάν τις δέξηται ἐπὶ μετάγνωσιν προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων, οι νον κατανύξεως πίνει, αἰτίαν τοῦ κατανύττεσθαι ἐπὶ μετάνοιαν λαμβάνων ἐκ τοῦ ποτισμοῦ. πολλαχοῦ δὲ τῆς γραφῆς† ἀκράτου ὁμωνυμεῖ τὰ σκληρὰ τὰ περιστατικά,
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.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- 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.