Allegorical Interpretation of Psalm 146/147
You say that widows are takeng been separated from men in perfect prudence, by the mutual consent of both, the man and the woman, for the same purpose as those who dissolved the marriage. But more allegorically, the souls that cast off the one who became their father, the devil, are orphans and widows being taken. Once these are taken, the way of the sinners, which is nothing other than wickedness, shall be destroyed by God (Ps 145:10).
Zion, the watchful and examining one of the truth, is the perfect soul, the church of the living God; your God shall reign forever (Ps 146:3), the end of the kingdom shall not be delayed, his rule extending from generation to generation. It is said in this psalm before this, concerning his unending kingdom extending through all ages and how he rules from generation to generation. Therefore, being satisfied with those, as they apply them also to the present words, we shall say nothing more.
Since the psalm is good and beneficial to the user, praising its honor, announce to him that in praising this psalm, there is no difference from that one, especially since the one who sings with spirit and mind and with the heart is not different. If, however, to sing signifies to act in practice, it is advised to those who have perfected this good psalm to also praise Christ through theology, so that, having been perfected in practice and thought, they may rejoice in God; for he says, 'A sacrifice of praise shall glorify me' (Ps 146:5), and the Spirit commands to bring it forward, as those who say, 'Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.'
He also takes up the meek (Ps 147:6), lifting them up to where they inherit the land. But that land they inherit is high above. Therefore it has also been written, 'He will bring you up upon the good things of the earth,' and 'He will lift you up to inherit the land.' He takes up the meek, but he humbles the sinners as those who carry the image of the earth, thinking of low things and those upon the earth. Just as Paul, the meek one, was taken up to the third heaven (2 Cor 12:2) and to be a participant in unutterable things as if in paradise. And all those who call upon their names upon their lands, being in the flesh and not having the Spirit of God, having departed from God upon the earth, are written down.
For thanksgiving, awakening those who have received so many good things. 'Begin,' he says, 'in confession, hymning and glorifying him for those things on which he worked' (Ps 146:8-9). And allegorically, his divine word surrounds the heaven with noetic clouds pouring down a noetic rain: for the heaven above rejoiced, and the clouds (surrounding him) rained down righteousness. From these noetic clouds he prepares rain for the earth, which Jesus spiritually sowed to bring forth fruit divided into one hundred and sixty and thirty, bringing up grass in the deserts for the great-souled and providing for the soul a fresh green clover to be found upon the slavery of men to be fed as food.
But the slavery of men is the irrational animals. This is said concerning the things destined, as we saw in the hundred and third Psalm; let us see them further. He brings up and gives food to the simpler sheep and cattle of those having believed in Christ, which are being saved apart from men. But he gives food not only to these, but also to the high-flying ones, for he commanded the young ravens to call upon him. God gives food to these, since they call upon him, according to the perfect men, concerning whom it is said, 'They called upon the Lord, and he heard them' (Ps 145:4). And you will understand the young ravens to be those from the nations who have believed and because of this call upon the Lord, so that he may give them spiritual food. For the raven is unclean and gloomy. Such are the evil demons and those who have added to impiety, of whom they were formerly sons, but having believed they obtained the heavenly food.
The gates of Jerusalem are the introductory teachings, with the destructive words lying upon them, or the representing ranks of Jerusalem, having the capacity to silence those who contradict (Ps 147:2). 'For he has blessed your sons in you,' those who will act and will possess the capacity of thought; for because they become such sons of her, being blessed in her, they never cease to act, having learned to turn to the house of the Lord all the days of their lives. And the word interpreting it as the one who blessed the...
Greek
χήρας ἀναλαμβανομένας ἐρεῖς τὰς χωρισθείσας ἀνδρῶν ἐπὶ τελείᾳ σωφροσύνῃ, ἐκ συμφώνου συγκαταθέσεως ἑκατέρων, τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ τῆς γυναικός φημι, τῷ αὐτῷ σκοπῷ διαλυσάντων τὸν γάμον. ̓Αλλὰ καὶ ἀλληγορικώτερον αἱ ἀποβάλλουσαι ψυχαὶ τὸν γενόμενον ἐν κακίᾳ πατέρα αὐτῶν διάβολον η καὶ α νδρα ὀρφαναὶ καὶ χῆραι ἀναλαμβανόμεναί εἰσιν. τούτων ἀναληφθέντων ἡ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁδὸς οὐκ α λλη τῆς κακίας ου σα ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἀφανισθήσεται. 1269 Ps 145,10 ̔Η Σιὼν ἡ σκοπευτικὴ καὶ ἐξεταστικὴ τῆς ἀληθείας η τοι ψυχὴ τελεία η ἐκκλησία θεοῦ ζῶντος· βασιλεύσει σου ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ου τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ ε σται τέλος παρατεινούσης τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῦ εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν. Ει ρηται ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμῷ περὶ τῆς ἀτελευτήτου βασιλείας αὐτοῦ διατεινούσης εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ ὡς δεσπόζει εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν. διὸ ἐκείνοις ἀρκούμενοι, ὡς ἐφαρμόζουσι καὶ ταῖς προκειμέναις λέξεσιν, οὐδὲν πλέον ἐροῦμεν. 1270 Ps 146,1bc ̓Επεὶ ὁ ψαλμὸς ἀγαθός ἐστιν ὠφελῶν τὸν χρώμενον, τούτου ε νεκα αἰνοῦντες ἀπαγγείλατε αὐτῷ ὡς κατὰ τοῦτο ψαλμὸν αι νου μὴ διαφέρειν, ἐκείνου μάλιστα ου προφέρει ὁ ψάλλων πνεύματι καὶ νῷ ᾳ δων καὶ ψάλλων τῇ καρδίᾳ. εἰ δὲ τὸ ψάλλειν τὸ πρακτικῶς ἐνεργεῖν δηλοῖ, τοῖς τὸν ἀγαθὸν τοῦτον ψαλμὸν κατορθώσασι παραινεῖ καὶ αἰνεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ θεολογίας, ο πως πράξει καὶ νοήσει τελειωθέντες εὐφράνωσι θεόν· Θυσία γάρ φησιν αἰνέσεως δοξάσει με, καὶ προστάττει τὸ πνεῦμα τῷ προσάγειν αὐτὴν οι ῳ τε ο ντι Θῦσον τῷ θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως. 1271 Ps 146,6 Καὶ τοὺς πραεῖς ἀναλαμβάνει, ἀναβιβάζων αὐτοὺς ἐφ' η ν κληρονομοῦσι γῆν. αυ τη δὲ η ν κληρονομοῦσι γῆν πρὸς υ ψος α νω που ι δρυται. διὸ καὶ γέγραπται ̓Αναβιβάσει σε ἐπὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ε τι Καὶ ὑψώσει σε τοῦ κατακληρονομῆσαι γῆν. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν πραεῖς ἀναλαμβάνει, τοὺς δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὺς ταπεινοῖ ε ως γῆς τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ φοροῦντας τῷ φρονεῖν τὰ κάτω καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς. ου τω Παῦλος πρᾶος ω ν ἀνελήφθη εἰς τρίτον οὐρανὸν καὶ ε ως τοῦ παραδείσου ἐπὶ τῷ μετασχεῖν ῥημάτων ἀρρήτων. καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ ἐπικαλεσάμενοι τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῶν γαιῶν αὐτῶν τῷ ει ναι ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ πνεῦμα θεοῦ μὴ ε χειν ἀφεστηκότες τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γράφονται. 1272 Ps 146,7 Εἰς εὐχαριστίαν διεγείρων τοὺς τῶν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν τετυχηκότας. ̓Εξάρξατε, ε φη, ἐν ἐξομολογήσει ὑμνοῦντες καὶ δοξολογοῦντες αὐτὸν ἐφ' οι ς εἰργάσατο. 1273 Ps 146,8.9 Περιβάλλει δὲ κατ' ἀλληγορίαν τὸν θεῖον αὐτοῦ λόγον οὐρανὸν ο ντα νεφέλαις νοητὸν ὑετὸν ῥεούσαις· Εὐφρανθήτω γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς α νωθεν, καὶ αἱ νεφέλαι (αἱ περιβάλλουσαι αὐτὸν) ῥανάτωσαν δικαιοσύνην. ̓Εκ τούτων τῶν νοητῶν νεφελῶν ἑτοιμάζει τῇ γῇ ὑετόν, η ν ε σπειρεν ̓Ιησοῦς πνευματικῶς ἐπὶ τῷ ἀγαγεῖν καρπὸν διαιρούμενον εἰς ἑκατὸν καὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ τριάκοντα, ἐξανατέλλων χόρτον ἐν ο ρεσι τοῖς μεγαλοφυέσι καὶ ε παρμα ψυχῆς ε χουσι ἐπὶ τῷ εὑροῦσαν τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων δουλείαν χλόην νεαρῶς τεθηλυῖαν εἰς κόρον τραφῆναι. δουλεία δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ α λογα ζῷα. ει ρηται περὶ τῶν προκειμένων τὰ ὑποπεσόντα ἐν ἑκατοστῷ καὶ τρίτῳ ψαλμῷ, ο θεν ἐκείνοις ἀρκεσθέντες ἑξῆς ι δωμεν. ̓Εξανατέλλει καὶ δίδωσι τροφὴν τοῖς ἁπλουστέροις τῶν πεπιστευκότων Χριστοῦ προβάτων καὶ κτηνῶν α μα ἀνθρώποις σῳζομένων. οὐ μόνον δὲ τούτοις τροφὴν δίδωσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ὑψιπετέσι γεγενημένοις τῷ αὐτὸν ἐπικαλεῖσθαι ου ς κοράκων νεοσσοὺς 272 προσηγόρευσε. δίδωσι δὲ τούτοις ὁ θεὸς τροφήν, ἐπείπερ ἐπικαλοῦνται αὐτὸν κατὰ τοὺς τελείους α νδρας, περὶ ω ν ει ρηται ̓Επεκαλέσαντο τὸν κύριον, καὶ αὐτὸς εἰσήκουεν αὐτῶν. Νεοσσοὺς δὲ κοράκων νοήσεις τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν πεπιστευκότας καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπικαλουμένους τὸν κύριον, ι να δῷ αὐτοῖς τροφὴν πνευματικήν. ἀκάθαρτος γὰρ κόραξ καὶ ζοφώδης. τοιοῦτοι δὲ οἱ πονηροὶ δαίμονες καὶ οἱ τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ προστετηκότες ω ν οἱ πάλαι αὐτῶν γενόμενοι υἱοὶ πιστεύσαντες ε τυχον τῆς οὐρανίου τροφῆς. 1274 Ps 147,2.3 Πύλαι τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ αἱ εἰσαγωγικαὶ παιδεύσεις εἰσίν * ἐπικείμενοι αὐταῖς οἱ διὰ κατα * α λυτοι λόγοι η οἱ πρεσβεύοντες * τάγματα η τοι τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἱκανότητα ε χοντες τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας ἐπιστομίζειν. Οτι εὐλόγησε τοὺς υἱούς σου ἐν σοί, τοὺς πράξει καὶ νοήσει ἱκανότητα κεκτημένους· η διὰ τὸ ου τως υἱοὶ τυγχάνειν αὐτῆς ἐν αὐτῇ εὐλογούμενοι περαιτέρω αὐτῆς οὐδεπώποτε γίνονται, οὐ * ου πράξει μαθόντες ἐν οι κῳ κυρίου ἀναστρέφεσθαι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς ἑαυτῶν. ̔Ερμηνεύων δὲ ὁ λόγος ὡς ὁ εὐλογήσας 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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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.