Purity of Heart and the Ropes of Sin
Fixing the heart upon this, he considers it pure, and through not staring intensely at it, he may be shown mercy according to the word of his teaching, if the spoken words are such. Is the one seeing the face of God. Jesus teach you, saying, 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God' (Matt 5:8).
And what are the ropes, namely the evil thoughts and the evil powers that subvert these, which they undertake to cast down the standing against God? But the zeal of those surrounding the righteous with ropes is unceasing, those who with rapid zeal remember the law. The same circumstances occurring to the righteous through the sinners can also be ropes for them; but the righteous, bearing these patiently, does not forget the law of God. And those who entangle ropes into sin through deceptive words; but if one remains sober, he does not forget the law of God (Ps 118:63).
Let us also consider the friend and companion, which says the Preacher, 'that if he falls, the one is to raise his companion' (Eccl 4:9-10). He does not at any time intend to say, 'I am a friend and companion to all who fear God and keep his commandments,' while he himself fears him and keeps his commandments.
If there is not kindness and severity concerning God according to the apostle, the kindness becomes for those standing in faith, but the severity for those having fallen away from it. Since the saint was confirmed in faith, 'Kindness, O God, you have done with your servant,' he says; but he says, wanting to present not through destruction the kindness of God with someone, but with the one serving him, whomsoever he may be. And 'according to your word' approaching implies that the kindness of the Lord becomes with someone with word and a logical cause. Therefore, he who wishes to know the logical and wise part of it, deserves no other teacher to be with him concerning it, so that he may learn with it both instruction and knowledge: instruction indeed the ethical, and knowledge the intellectual virtue of good things. And in Proverbs, 'Get instruction and not silver, and knowledge rather than tested gold' (Prov 4:7).
practical and theoretical benefit
Greek
καρδίᾳ ἐφιέμενος τούτου, ο πως καθαρὰ αυ τη γενομένη θεωροίη αὐτὸ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἀτενίζειν αὐτῷ ἐλεηθῇ κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ, ει ποι α ν τὰ ἐγκείμενα ῥητά. ο ρα δὲ πηλίκος ἐστὶν ὁ ὀψόμενος τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ. ̓Ιησοῦς σε διδαξάτω λέγων Μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ο τι αὐτοὶ τὸν θεὸν ο ψονται. 1102 Ps 118,61 Καὶ τίνα τὰ σχοινία η οἱ πονηροὶ διαλογισμοὶ καὶ αἱ ὑποβάλλουσαι τούτους πονηραὶ δυνάμεις δι' ω ν τῆς κατὰ θεὸν στάσεως ἐνεχείρουν καταβάλλειν; 235 ἀλλ' ἀνήνυτος ἡ σπουδὴ τῶν περιβαλλόντων τὰ σχοινία τῷ δικαίῳ, ο ταν συντόνῳ σπουδῇ μνημονεύοι τοῦ νόμου. τὰ αὐτὰ δύνανται καὶ αἱ περιστάσεις αἱ πρὸς τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν τῷ δικαίῳ προσαγόμεναι σχοινία αὐτῶν ὑπάρχειν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτας καρτερῶς φέρων οὐκ ἐπιλανθάνεται τοῦ νόμου τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ δίκαιος. καὶ οἱ δι' ἀπατηλῶν δὲ λόγων εἰς ἁμαρτίαν παρακαλοῦντες σχοινία περιπλέκουσιν· ἀλλ' ἐὰν νήφῃ τις, οὐκ ἐπιλανθάνεται τοῦ νόμου τοῦ θεοῦ. 1103 Ps 118,63 Μέτοχον δὲ νοήσωμεν τὸν φίλον καὶ κοινωνόν, ῃ φησιν ὁ ̓Εκκλησιαστὴς Οτι ἐὰν πέσῃ, ὁ ει ς ἐγερεῖ τὸν μέτοχον αὐτοῦ. μήποτ' ου ν τοῦτο βούλεται λέγειν ο τι φίλος καὶ κοινωνός εἰμι πάντων τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν θεὸν καὶ τῶν φυλασσόντων τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς φοβούμενος αὐτὸν καὶ φυλάσσων τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ. 1104 Ps 118,65.66a Ου σης περὶ τὸν θεὸν χρηστότητος καὶ ἀποτομίας κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον, ἡ μὲν χρηστότης γίνεται ἐπὶ τοὺς ἑστηκότας τῇ πίστει, ἡ δὲ ἀποτομία ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀφεστηκότας αὐτῆς. ἐπεὶ ου ν ὁ α γιος ἐβεβαίωτο ἐν τῇ πίστει, Χρηστότητα, ει πεν, ἐποίησας μετὰ τοῦ δούλου σου. σοῦ δὲ ε φη, παραστῆσαι βουλόμενος μὴ κατὰ ἀποκλήρωσιν γινομένην μετά τινος τὴν χρηστότητα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοῦ δουλεύοντος αὐτῷ, ο στις ποτ' α ν ῃ ου τος. Τὸ δὲ Κατὰ τὸ λόγιόν σου προσκείμενον δηλοῖ σὺν λόγῳ καὶ αἰτίᾳ λογικῇ γίνεσθαι μετά τινος τὴν τοῦ κυρίου χρηστότητα. διὸ καὶ τὸ λογικὸν καὶ τὸ σοφὸν αὐτῆς γνῶναι θέλων οὐκ α λλον ἀξιοῖ διδάσκαλον αὐτῷ περὶ αὐτῆς γενέσθαι, ι να σὺν αὐτῇ καὶ παιδείαν καὶ γνῶσιν μάθῃ, παιδείαν μὲν τὴν ἠθικήν, γνῶσιν δὲ τὴν διανοητικὴν ἀρετὴν καλῶν. καὶ ἐν Παροιμίας τὸ Λάβετε παιδείαν καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον καὶ γνῶσιν ὑπὲρ χρυσίον δεδοκιμασμένον ἀνοιστέον ἐπὶ πρακτικὴν καὶ θεωρητικὴν ὠφέλειαν. 1105 Ps 118,66b ̓Επεὶ ὀρθῶς καὶ φρονίμως ταῖς παρὰ σοῦ ἐντολαῖς προσελθὼν ἐπίστευσα αὐταῖς ὡς τηρῆσαι αὐτάς, ο ρεξόν μοι σοφίαν, διδάξας με χρηστότητα καὶ παιδείαν καὶ γνῶσιν. συνᾴδει τούτοις τὸ ̓Επιθυμήσας σοφίαν διατήρησον ἐντολάς, καὶ κύριος χορηγήσει σοι αὐτήν. 1106 Ps 118,67 Εἰ γὰρ καὶ διττὸς ὁ τρόπος τοῦ ἐπάγεσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ δι' ἁμαρτίας, τοῖς δ' ἐπὶ τῷ δοκιμασθῆναι καὶ φανερωθῆναι αὐτῶν ἐπαγομένων, τούτων τὸ ε λαττον ἑαυτῷ διδοὺς πεπλημμεληκέναι ει πεν. ἀλλ' ο μως, φησίν, ἐφύλαξα τὸ λόγιόν σου, ι ν' ω σπερ πλημμελήσας ἐταπεινώθην, ου τως κατορθώσας καὶ φυλάξας τὸ λόγιόν σου ἀφεθῶ τῆς ταπεινώσεως. 1107 Ps 118,68 Οὐκ εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀξίαν ἀφορῶν ( ̓Επλημμέλησα γὰρ) ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν σὴν χρηστότητα, ἐπεὶ χρηστὸς ω ν χρηστότητα ε χεις, ἀξιῶ διδαχθῆναι οὐ παρ' ἑτέρου η σοῦ αὐτοῦ τὰ δικαιώματά σου. 1108 Ps 118,69 Πολλῶν ἀπατεώνων ἀπονενοημένων κατὰ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου καὶ μυρία ο σα πρὸς διαβολὴν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνατροπὴν δῆθεν λεγόντων, ἀδικία πολλὴ ἐπ' ἐμὲ γεγένηται. ο μως δὲ εἰ καὶ δεινὰ ἐδόκουν λέγειν α τοὺς ἀνερματίστους ἀποστῆσαι αὐτῶν δύναται, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ ἐπιτείνων τὴν σπουδὴν καὶ τὸν πόθον εἰς αὐτὰς ἐν ο λῃ καρδίᾳ ἐξηρεύνουν αὐτάς, ὡς τὸ κάλλος αὐτῶν τεθεωρηκότα με ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς καὶ ἐπιτεταμένης αὐτῶν ἐρεύνης κατεγνωκέναι σφόδρα τῶν διαβαλλόντων αὐτάς. Ει ποι δ' α ν ταῦτα καὶ ὁ πρός τινων ὑπερηφάνων τε καὶ δυναστῶν καταπονούμενος καὶ ἀδικούμενος ἐν τοῖς τοῦ βίου πράγμασιν· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου, φησίν, δυνήσομαι μαθεῖν φαυλότερον ει ναι τὸ ἀδικεῖν καὶ ἀποστερεῖν τοῦ ἀδικεῖσθαι καὶ ἀποστερεῖσθαι. 1109 Ps 118,70 ̓Επεὶ γὰρ ποτισθέντες τὸ λογικὸν καὶ α δολον γάλα πρὸς τῶν παιδευόντων οὐ διῴκησαν οὐδ' ε πεψαν αὐτὸ συστραφὲν καὶ παγὲν ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἐτύρωσε τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν. ἀλλ' ου ν εἰ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι τοῦτο πεπόνθασι παρ' ἑαυτούς, ἐγὼ τὸν νόμον σου διὰ μελέτης ε χων ἐσπούδαζον αὐτὸν νοεῖν, τῆς τούτου νοήσεως λυούσης οὐ μόνον τὴν ἀχλὺν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν παχύτητα τῆς ὑλικῆς διαθέσεως. Ps 118,72 ∆ιττοῦ ο ντος τοῦ νόμου, τοῦ μὲν πνευματικοῦ καὶ πρὸς διάνοιαν, τοῦ δὲ κατὰ γράμμα καὶ τὴν σκιὰν διαταγέντος δι' ἀγγέλων ἐν χειρὶ
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.