Commentary on the Psalms 47 part 1/2

Praise the name of the Lord; praise the Lord, O you His servants.

You who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

Again he invites them to this sacrifice, the one that is offered through praises.

For this too is a sacrifice and an offering to God.

I will praise the name of my God with a song; I will magnify Him with praise;

and this shall please God more than a young bullock that puts forth horns and hoofs.

And he continually makes mention of the house and the courts, fixing them to the place, and not permitting them to leap away from it.

Since indeed from the very beginning He ordained it to be raised up for this purpose, that the gathering of them all to one place might become for them the abolition of every impiety and idolatry, and that they might not, becoming self-willed and unrestrained, wander everywhere, and take groves and springs and hills and mountains as occasion for a pretext of impiety, sacrificing there and pouring libations upon the high places.

For this very reason He judges as guilty of murder the one who sacrifices anywhere outside the temple, saying:

'Whoever does not bring it to the tabernacle and sacrifice it, blood shall be reckoned to him.'

For this reason He gathers them together from every quarter to that place there, so that both by hearing they might be brought to sober-mindedness, and might keep away from their erring frame of thought.

And he exhorts them to sing and to make melody and to praise, because the praises offered to God were also occasions of piety for them, containing the ancient narratives—the things in Egypt, the things in the wilderness, the things in the land of promise, the things concerning the law, the things at Mount Sinai, the things of the wars;

and the very same thing became at once a giving of glory to God, and at the same time for those who sang an occasion of instruction, both ordering their life and leading them by the hand to accuracy of doctrine.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

That which is above all most longed for by the hearers—this he continually sets before them: the loving-kindness, the mercy, the goodness.

Sing praises to His name, for it is good.

He says this to show that the thing has a certain pleasure in itself, along with its profit.

For its chief and foremost gain is to utter hymns to God, to purify the soul, to make the reasoning uplifted, to be trained in accurate doctrines, to practice wisdom concerning things present and things to come.

And besides these things, it has, through the melody, much pleasure and a certain consolation and relief, and it makes the singer dignified.

And that it produces such people is clear from the fact that one of the translators said, 'For it is seemly,' and another, 'For it is sweet.'

And both speak the truth.

For even if the one singing be ten thousand times licentious, yet standing in awe of the psalm, he lulls to sleep the tyranny of licentiousness;

and even if he be weighed down by ten thousand evils, and held fast under despondency, being soothed by the pleasure he lightens his reasoning, gives wings to his understanding, and makes the soul uplifted.

For the Lord chose Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession.

He does not speak of the common benefits, which they have in common with others, but of their own peculiar and special one.

And what was this? That He chose the people and dedicated them to Himself, and displayed toward them a certain providence peculiar to them beyond all others.

And everywhere the prophets do this, weaving most of their discourses out of the benefits shown toward themselves.

But what does it mean, 'For a special possession to Himself'? For wealth, for abundance.

For even though the nation was small, yet He chose it for Himself as wealth, having regard not to its fewness but to its virtue, toward which He desires to lead them by the hand and therefore chooses them; as though the rest of mankind did not constitute for Him so great a wealth as this people, and as though this indeed came to pass both from the goodwill of Him who chose and from their own training.

For Paul knows how to call the salvation of men 'wealth', as when he says:

'For the same Lord is rich unto all, and upon all that call upon Him.'

'To his own lord he stands or falls.'

Do you see how he set forth the love of God toward them, His providence, His tender care, His affectionate disposition, in that He called them a special possession?

Therefore by both of these things he shows His extraordinary providence toward them: both that He chose them, and that He chose them for a special possession to Himself.

Do you see how he set forth His love toward mankind? For this reason, at the beginning, he said:

'Praise Him, for the Lord is good.'

'For I have known that the Lord is great.'

Behold, he sets down yet another reason for singing praise.

You have known, but do the others not know? They know indeed, yet not as I do.

For it belongs to the most holy and those who have ascended highest to know His greatness more exactly—not all of it, whatever it is, for that is impossible, but more clearly than the rest.

'And our Lord is above all gods.'

Behold, he says, the one who said that the Lord is great, and that 'You have known', as he proceeds diminishes his statement, and compares Him with the others, and by way of comparison grants Him preeminence.

By no means, he says; rather, he was speaking then in accordance with the weakness of his hearers, leading them up to this by little and little.

For it is not very expressive of His greatness to say that God is greater and is mighty above those gods;

but, as I said before, he proportions his discourse to the meanness of his hearers, raising them up by little and little.

For it was well pleasing that they should for the present hear this and be persuaded of it.

For that He surpasses all beyond all comparison, he makes plain through what follows, laying down the greatest proof of His power, and showing that even the former things were said on account of the weakness of the hearers;

for this reason, when he merely makes an assertion, he says small things;

but when he establishes and demonstrates and furnishes the proof of His greatness, he sets down the great things.

What then does he set down after this that is worthy of Him and belongs to God alone? Behold:

'Whatsoever the Lord willed, He did, in heaven and on earth, in the seas, and in all the depths.'

Do you see all-sufficient power? Do you see the fountain of life? Do you see invincible might? Do you see incomparable preeminence? Do you see authority nowhere hindered? Do you see that all things are easy and effortless to Him? For all things, he says, whatsoever He willed, He did.

Tell me also, where? In heaven and on earth.

That is to say, not here only, but also in heaven.

Not in heaven only, but also on earth.

Not on earth only, but also 'in the seas, and in all the depths.'

For by 'the deep' he means the regions beneath the earth.

just as by saying 'in heaven' he means the regions above the heavens.

By which, being so many, His will is nowhere impeded, but pervades all things; and what is indeed marvelous, He who made them did so not with toil, not with labor, not by command, but by will;

for He only willed, and the work followed.

Do you see how he set forth both the ease, and the abundance of the things He made, and the unhindered authority? Then, leaving aside mention of the heaven and the sea themselves, he sets down the things in them—and not even all the things in them, but passing over the things in the heaven, though they are more marvelous, he speaks of the things concerning the heaven.

Why ever so? Because the former things, even if they were great, were yet unseen by the many;

but these things, even if lesser, were nevertheless visible, and had all men as spectators.

Since, then, his discourse was addressed to men who were not so much trained by faith to have a conception of things unseen, as they were led by the hand from the things visible,

from this point he weaves his discourse, and begins his teaching—doing himself the very thing which he exhorted others to do.

And what is this? To praise God from His works, and to render praises to Him, carefully considering each of the things that have come into being, and giving glory for each one.

For since, exhorting them to praise God, he had said repeatedly, 'Praise the name of the Lord; praise the Lord, O you servants;'

He shows also how one ought to praise God: by traversing the whole body of creation, and marveling, and being struck with astonishment at His wisdom, His providence, His power, His care.

From this we learn that there is not merely one sea, this one that lies about us, but many and diverse seas, and boundless expanses of ocean.

For he said, «In the seas and in all the deeps.»

For the Caspian, the Indian, and the Red Sea are almost separated from this one, and round about, on the outside, lies the Ocean.

«Bringing up clouds from the ends of the earth.»

This too is spoken of in Job.

«He who binds up the water in His clouds.»

But this prophet does not say this, but something else that is marvelous.

And what is this? That the air, being the denser element, is borne upward and carries a load aloft, and the heavy thing rises, traveling the contrary road.

Marvelous indeed is even the fact that the water is held up within it; but far more marvelous is that, being held up, it is carried upon that which is light.

And what is yet more paradoxical is this: that what was held up by that air, once it has flowed out of the cloud, is no longer held and supported by the air below it, but pours forth on every side and is carried down to the earth.

And yet, if this water were held up by nature, it ought to have been held up in the air as well.

For just as, if one were to leave a wineskin full of water up in the air, and it were then borne along by the air, the water held inside would also be carried along, poured out through the skin;

so too it would follow that the same thing should happen here.

But since all things are full of wonder, and the things that happen are paradoxical, all these things come to pass beyond all sequence, beyond all reason.

For indeed what is held up in the air of the cloud is not held up in the air that comes after it.

Do you see the paradox, and how, by taking that which seems inferior to the rest, he has shown it to be marvelous? Then he shows yet another wonder, saying «From the ends of the earth,» or «From the extremities of the earth.»

For they do not merely rise up, but they also travel; nor do they release their rain there where they first appear, but often, having sped past many regions, they produce their rain elsewhere, passing over cities and nations.

This, then, is the marvel, not merely that they are drawn up, but that they also travel as though upon upper floors, bearing the mass of so great a body of waters.

«He made lightnings into rain.»

Behold yet another paradox again, and natures contrary to one another coming together.

For there is nothing more fiery than lightning, nor anything colder than water; yet nonetheless these are mingled together, and are not confounded, nor blended into one, but each keeps its own properties.

For the fire remaining in the water, and the water in the fire, neither did the one dry up the other, nor did the other quench it.

And yet lightning is sharper, brighter, and more piercing than the fire of the sun.

And our eyes bear witness to this, being able continually to fix themselves upon the very rays of the sun;

yet they are unable to endure the flash of that lightning even for a moment.

And the sun runs across the heaven throughout the whole day, but this lightning, in a single instant of time, traverses the entire inhabited world;

just as Christ also bears witness, saying:

«As the lightning comes forth from the east and shines even to the west.»

«He who brings forth the winds out of His treasuries.»

This again is another nature, affording us no small benefit, but so great a one that it contributes much to our life: reviving bodies that are wearied, cooling them, and making the air lighter.

For this is the work of the winds: to stir up the air, that it may not become corrupt through being motionless; to ripen the fruits; and to nourish bodies.

What could one say of their uses in navigation—the seasons at which they arise in due order, and yield place to one another, dancing over the open sea and conveying the mariners across? The one escorts the ship onward, the other receives it in turn; they travel opposite courses, and they render their service, and their very strife proves again useful to human life.

And one could tell of ten thousand other works of the winds.

But nonetheless, passing over all these and leaving them for the hearer to gather up for himself, the Prophet set forth only the ease of the act of creation.

For in saying «Out of His treasuries,» he does not mean to indicate that there are actual treasuries of winds, but the readiness of Him who presides over them, the preparedness of creation, its being held in readiness.

For just as the one who has goods in his treasury brings them all out at his ease, and whenever he wishes;

so too the Creator of all things made all things with ease, and handed them over to nature.

Do you see how great a diversity there is even in the air, just as in water and in fire there are many variations? For of water, some is from springs, some is of the sea, some is of the air, some is in the clouds, some is heavenly, some is above the heavens, and some is beneath the earth.

And in fire likewise: some is in the sun, some is in the moon, some is in the stars, some is in the lightnings, some is in the air, some comes from wood—the fire that is about us—and the fire of the lamp, and some comes from the earth.

For indeed such a thing is in many places given forth from the earth, as are the springs of waters;

one from stones rubbed together, another in the foliage of trees when they too are rubbed together, and another in thunderbolts.

So too in the air: one part is denser, the part about us;

another is thinner, and yet another, higher still, is more fiery.

And of the winds the differences are many;

for one is thinner, another denser;

one is colder, another drier;

one is moister, another warmer.

And air and cloud: the one moves more leisurely, the other more swiftly, as though upon horses.

So too with the clouds and winds: some of them are like vessels that carry water, at one time filled with waters, at another borne along empty;

And you, beholding these things and their difference and variety, marvel at the Creator.

Who smote the firstborn of Egypt.

Having spoken of things in general, and having shown God's providence over the whole inhabited world—through the lightnings, through the winds, through the airs, through the clouds, through the rains—and having refuted the foolish talk of those who say that providence extends only as far as the moon, he comes to the particular, to the portion concerning the Jews.

For that the earth and the heaven and all things visible enjoy His love toward mankind, he showed by what has been said;

but in order that he might render the Jews more grateful, he narrates the particular matters also, showing that He who is the universal God, and who provides for all things, granted to them certain special benefits.

And yet the things done for them were again universal.

For the very fact that they were chosen out from the rest made the others jealous;

which Paul also shows when he says,

By their trespass salvation is come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.

For just as a father, when his children have withdrawn from him, takes one of them and sets him upon his knees, and does this not for that one's sake, but much rather for the sake of the others, that they, stung by the honor, may run to their father to enjoy the same tender care;

so also did God do in the case of the Jews.

For having taken them up, not upon His knees, but upon His arms—as the prophet says—and having borne them up upon His shoulders, He bestows on them the things they longed for: a temple, sacrifices, which they sought above all with the greatest exactness, protection in wars, victories, trophies, the abundance of the land, the fruitfulness of nature; adorning these with such things, and leading the others into emulation.

But since they were likely to become base if perpetually indulged, He also disciplines them by means of chastisements.

For great is the wisdom of God, and out of things impossible it finds a way.

And observe the discernment of the prophet;

having led his discourse from the general things to these particulars—so that none of the foolish might suppose God to be a partial God—when he had come to the universal matters, then he takes hold of these words, and says:

Who smote the firstborn of Egypt.

Does it not seem to you rather that these things came to pass on account of the Jews? If then I show that these things came to pass also for others' sake, what will they say who deny that God's providence is universal? How then is it possible to show it? Now the declaration of God suffices above all, which clearly makes it plain, and says:

That I may show in you My power, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.

Do you see death becoming good news, and that God-sent plague becoming a proclamation, going about everywhere and heralding the power of God? Therefore He provides for the whole inhabited world even when He orders the affairs of the Jews.

And indeed He made His power known even of old, as in the case of Joseph, in the case of Abraham; but nevertheless now more clearly.

How? Then indeed through benefactions;

but later also through a plague;

and He does not cease—which I have often already said—continually and in every generation displaying Himself through His deeds, and making Himself known.

Yet He does not always do this in the same way, but variously and in different manners;

for at one time through the wife of Abraham, having disabled the birth-pangs of nature, and later through famine, and through plenty;

and after these things through the plagues that came one upon another.

Since, then, they were condemning God for weakness, and were themselves destroying the firstborn, and had stained the river with blood;

He shows them, even at that very time, His might through more obscure means.

For the midwives of the Egyptians, having despised those cruel commands, and having outwitted the harsh decree of the king, enjoyed great prosperity.

Now both of these were works of God's providence;

for both to show these women to be braver than those who wear diadems, and to render recompense to them, and to increase them into a great multitude.

For the words, 'He dealt well with the midwives,' mean this: their kindred was multiplied;

for through the very means by which they did good to the Jews, through these they received their recompense from God.

Since, therefore, they did not destroy their children, God also granted to them the blessing of many children.

But since they persisted in remaining insensible, He brought upon them a sharper blow, and the whole world came to know it, and the Egyptians came to know it too;

and the former by hearsay, but the latter in their own sufferings, and by sight, and by experience, beheld the power of God.

For this reason too He foretold it to them, so that the blow might not be thought to be some chance occurrence and a spontaneous death.

What, then, has been said elsewhere concerning the Saviour, this too may be said here.

And what is this? 'And rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies.'

For having led them out, He brought the blow not somewhere else, but in that very city.

And behold, even in the blow, His loving-kindness.

For He began first from the cattle, and only then proceeded against human beings.

Who, then, would not marvel at the power—how He struck down all things in one single instant of time—and at the sparing forbearance, and at the ineffable wisdom? For neither did He inflict this as the first blow, since He willed to correct them through other means; nor, when He did inflict it, did He inflict it without forewarning.

Why so? So that by words He might bring them to their senses, and that they might not come to the actual experience of the deeds;

nor again, when they were not corrected, did He allow the blow to become ambiguous.

For, so that no one might suppose it to be spontaneous, or a disease, or a pestilence coming upon them, behold how many things take place.

First, that in one night they all perished.

Second, that it was all the firstborn.

For if it had been a pestilence, it would not have touched all the firstborn only, and spared the second-born;

but it would have come upon all without distinction.

Third, that if it had been a pestilence, it would not have kept away from the Jews altogether and touched only the Egyptians; but rather it would have wrought far greater havoc upon those bodies which were worn down by toil and hardship and by so many evils, those bodies so shriveled by poverty and famine;

and not the royal bodies, nor those in high rank, which enjoyed much ease and partook of much tending care.

If it had been a pestilence, it would not have come upon them all at once, but would first have shown all the preludes of its approach.

But as it is, these things happen all together, so that the senselessness of the Egyptians might be exposed.

For indeed, even after this blow, and after clearly learning that the blow was sent by God, they pursued the Jews as they departed—which was a sign of their utmost senselessness, and a very great vindication on God's behalf.

For since the signs were about to cease, He brought them to a close with such a sign as also served, in the case of the earlier ones, as a vindication to those willing to give heed.

For lest anyone should say, 'Why then are all punished, when it is the king who detains the Jews and does the wrong?'—by means of this last blow He resolves this difficulty.

How by means of the last blow? Because when their firstborn were smitten, they cast out the Jews even against the king's will.

So that, had they wished it from the very outset, they would have been able to prevail over him.

It was not, then, from any inability, but from unwillingness, that they did not overrule the king.

And the pursuit which followed thereafter was an aggravation of the accusation against them.

This very thing also happened in the case of Saul.

For when it was needful to rescue his son, all in common flattered the king, and rescued the son even though the king had acted lawlessly;

but when he wished to slaughter so many priests, they neither uttered a word, nor stood up in their defense.

And if in the former case they had nature cooperating with them, yet here too they had nature on the side of justice.

For they were priests, and the slaughter was unlawful, and it was the wrath of an unrighteous judgment.

But the cause was their indifference, and their not grieving greatly on behalf of the priests.

See, at any rate, what evils overtook them afterward;

for they paid no ordinary penalty for that neglect.

Whenever, then, some lawless deed is done, let no one be sluggish, but hotter than fire, and let him grieve no less than those who are wronged; and in this way the greater part of evils will be checked.

But why also the cattle? Since these things came to pass on account of men, on account of man He punishes the beasts as well, so as to increase the fear, so as to intensify the calamity, so as to show that the plague was sent by God and that the war came down from heaven.

He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt.

What is the meaning of, In the midst of thee? Either he means the place, or he means openly.

For the phrase, In the midst, everywhere signifies openly, as when he says in another place:

He wrought salvation in the midst of the earth;

since that which is in the midst is manifest to all.

He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt.

they came to pass also for the instruction of those who ought to profit thereby;

for they did not happen in a simple manner, but with much marvellousness, so that both by the smiting and by the wonder they might produce a twofold benefit.

Upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.

Hast thou seen the unspeakable power? how, though they were all together, the punishment singled out these men, and those suffered while others gained? But how does he say, Upon all his servants? And yet not all of them had firstborn;

but he is speaking of the other signs; and while these were being smitten in Egypt, the Jews gained thereby;

while in the wilderness, when the Jews were being benefited, others were profited.

And the plagues He brought upon the enemies, but the benefits upon these, through both benefiting all.

And for what reason does He not benefit these also? Because the majority of men are wont to acknowledge God when smitten rather than when benefited.

But since He Himself was not willing to punish, behold Him continually holding back the plagues, and through both displaying both His power and His love toward mankind.

And yet it would have sufficed, after one, and a second, and a third, to destroy them utterly as men incurably diseased;

but He was not willing; rather, though foreknowing what was to come, and that they would be no better even at the fifth, nor the sixth, nor the tenth, He did not cease doing His own part;

whence above all one may marvel at His power, and His care, and His wisdom, and His goodness.

His care, in that He bore with them;

His wisdom, in that, knowing what was to come, He did His own part;

which very thing is itself above all a mark of His love toward mankind—to begin from the lesser things, from the more irrational creatures.

And as He advanced He laid hold even of the king, which above all caused the events to be proclaimed abroad.

For the things done in the case of private persons may well escape notice;

but when the one receiving the blow is conspicuous, there is nothing to hinder the matter from being noised abroad everywhere.

Having therefore stated the cause for which He smote, he tells also the plagues, and yet he does not enumerate these one by one, nor by kind, but hinting at them all in a single phrase he passes over them by saying, He sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt.

Then again He leads the people out of Egypt into the wilderness, everywhere showing that God is not partial, nor confined to holding sway over one region, but over the whole inhabited world.

Who smote many nations, and slew mighty kings;

along the whole way giving in various ways pledges of His power, and in the very act of teaching them acting as their general through the deeds themselves.

For through the wars He was teaching also the former things—that it was neither the nature of the air, nor the power of the elements, nor any other such thing, but the hand that generaled them that made war;

and through both were both things shown: through the things in Egypt the things in the wilderness, and through the things in the wilderness the things in Egypt.

For when they themselves, without weapons and without battle array and without combat, struck down the enemies, He made it plain to them that in Egypt too it was not because He had need of the elements that He set these things in motion against them, but because He wished to display His own power in varied and diverse ways, He made use of the things at hand for these purposes.

Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan.

He does not go over the cities, nor does he recount the battle array little by little, but again with magnanimity he runs past countless snowflakes of wonders.

For though he could have dwelt upon it, and magnified that tragedy, he does not do so;

but even amid the multitude and abundance of the works of God, he passes over them all cursorily.

And yet these were armed men, dwelling in walled cities, and practised in tactics;

while the others were fugitives, inexperienced in wars, just released from long slavery and prolonged tyranny, worn out by famine and by punishment, exposed to all so as to suffer evil;

yet they were mightier than all, because of the hand that generaled them.

And the war also had justice on its side.

For it was not they who took the offensive, but the others who furnished the grounds for it, walling up the road against them—which was an act of the utmost inhumanity.

And the Edomites he did not permit to enter into the war.

For lest, taking courage from His silence, they should afterwards again come against them, but rather that they might know with whom they ought to war and whom they ought to spare, He does this in the wilderness, laying down for them by means of these events a law as to how they must deal with those they encounter.

And all the kingdoms of Canaan.

Do you see the whole world being instructed from this? For just as fire falls upon thorns, so did they advance upon all, and no one was able to withstand them.

Hear, then, what Balaam says—having learned it not from the prophets, nor from Moses, but from the events themselves:

This is the nation that licks up all the earth.

Do you see how aptly the metaphor is spoken? He did not say, 'That which wars,' or 'That which overthrows,' but 'That which licks up'—wishing to represent the effortlessness of the victory, and the trophies won without bloodshed, and the conquest gained by a mere onslaught.

They need neither battle-array, he says, nor engagement, but it suffices only to advance, and everything gives way and yields.

For not by the law of war and battle-array alone did He make them prevail—lest anyone should reckon the outcome to them—but He also stirred the very elements of the world against their foes.