Thomas Aquinas, on Ps 21:1

“Unto the end, for the morning protection, a psalm for David.”

“In the preceding psalms, the tribulation that David endured from his son and from Saul seems to have been treated first; but here, in the third decade, the persecution he suffered from the entire people is addressed, who rejected him at Saul's command. This Psalm is therefore divided into three parts. In the first, the tribulation is narrated. In the second, a prayer is poured out to God for deliverance; in the third, a thanksgiving is offered. The second begins at Ps. 24: "To you, O Lord, I have lifted up"; the third at "Bring to the Lord," Ps. 28. Regarding the first, he does two things. First, he sets forth the tribulation; second, he shows how he is helped by God in tribulation, at Ps. 22: "The Lord rules me." As was said above, just as in other prophets, so here certain things then present are treated insofar as they were a figure of Christ and pertained to the prophecy itself. And therefore sometimes certain things are set down that pertain to Christ, which exceed, as it were, the capacity of the historical accounts. And among other things, this Psalm especially treats of the passion of Christ. And therefore its literal sense pertains to Christ. Hence he specifically spoke this Psalm during the passion when he cried out, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani," which is the same as "My God, my God," etc., as this Psalm begins. And therefore, although this Psalm may be said figuratively of David, it is nevertheless specifically referred to Christ in its literal sense. And at the Synod of Toledo, a certain Theodore of Mopsuestia, who expounded this psalm literally of David, was condemned, both for this and for many other things; and therefore it must be expounded of Christ. It should be known, moreover, that five Psalms treat at length of the passion of Christ, of which this Psalm is the first. The others touch upon the passion of Christ more briefly. The second is "Judge, O Lord, those who harm me," Ps. 34. The third is "Hear, O God, my prayer, and do not despise my supplication." The fourth, Ps. 68: "Save me, O God, for the waters have entered in." The fifth, Ps. 108: "O God, do not be silent about my praise." And this is on account of the five wounds of Christ, or on account of the five sheddings of blood. And there is one manner of proceeding in all of them, because they begin with lamentation and end with the salvation of peoples, since from the passion salvation was brought about for all people. Jerome's title is: "For the choirmaster, for the deer of the morning." In our text: "For the choirmaster, for the assumption, or for the doe of the morning." In this Psalm the passion of Christ is principally treated. Secondly, the resurrection is touched upon in it, because through it the passion is made intelligible, and the passion is ordered toward the resurrection -- just as if I should say, "this man has been freed," it shows that he was a slave. Therefore this Psalm belongs to David, that is, to Christ. And it is "for the assumption," that is, the resurrection, and this was in the morning; hence "for the doe," that is, for human nature, or "for the deer of the morning," that is, Christ: Ps. 107: "I will arise at dawn." This title, however, refers to when David went as a fugitive and was hiding in the wilderness like a deer. Hence he said above, Ps. 17: "And he made my feet like those of deer." Therefore on account of that tribulation which prefigured the passion of Christ, this Psalm is given its title. In this way, however, it is better referred to Christ, so that by the deer is understood the human nature in Christ, because a deer passes through thornbushes without injury to its feet; so Christ passed through this present life without any defilement of himself. Likewise, a deer leaps most excellently: so Christ ascended from the pit of death to the glory of the resurrection. And therefore he is called a deer, and he is called "of the morning" because he rose at that time. This Psalm is divided into three parts. In the first, a complaint is set forth. In the second, a narration of the passion, at "But I am a worm." In the third, a petition for deliverance is placed, at "But you, O Lord, do not remove your help far from me." Regarding the first, he does three things. First, the complaint or question is set forth. Second, an exposition of the complaint is given, at "Far from my salvation." Third, the reason for complaining is given, at "But you dwell in the holy place." This is the translation of the Septuagint. In the Greek and in the Hebrew, however, "look upon me" is not found; rather it reads: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Because Christ spoke these words on the cross; but "look upon me" was inserted. Therefore the petition is set forth when he says, "My God, my God." Moreover, "God" is repeated twice for greater certainty: Gen. 41: "That you saw the same thing a second time pertaining to the same matter is a sign of its certainty." "Look upon me," that is, have mercy on me: Ps. 24: "Look upon me and have mercy on me, for I am alone," etc. "Why have you forsaken me?" These were the words of Christ on the cross. From these words, however, Arius took occasion for his error: namely, that in the death of Christ the divinity was separated from the humanity. Hence, according to him, the Lord complains about this, saying, "Why have you forsaken me?" But this is erroneous. It should be known, however, that someone is said to be forsaken by God when God is not present to him, as he seems to be present when he protects him and fulfills his petition: Jer. 20: "The Lord God is with me as a mighty warrior; therefore those who persecute me shall fall and shall be weak." And because Christ was not freed from bodily suffering when he was in his passion, in this respect he is said to have been forsaken for a time, that is, exposed to suffering: Rom. 8: "He did not spare his own Son," etc. Likewise that petition, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me," as stated in Mt. 26, does not seem to have been fulfilled, because it was according to the flesh: Is. 54: "For a moment and briefly I forsook you," that is, I exposed you to suffering; "and with great mercies I will gather you," namely, in the resurrection. And therefore he says, "Why have you forsaken me?" That is, "Why have you exposed me to suffering?" "Far from my salvation are the words of my transgressions." Here the complaint or question is expounded. And first in general. Second in particular, at "My God, I will cry out." He says therefore, "You have forsaken me." And this, because the words of my transgressions are far from my salvation, that is, from the salvation of me, a true man, insofar as I have a human nature: Ps. 118: "Salvation is far from sinners." And these words -- namely "forsaken," and "far," and "why" -- do not seem to be the words of a just man or of justice, but seem to be words of my transgressions, that is, of a sinful man; that is, they show me to be not just, but a sinner. Hence Christ spoke these words in the person of the sinner, or of the Church. And this is one of the rules set forth above at the beginning of the Psalter: that the things which pertain to the members, Christ says of himself, because Christ and the Church are, as it were, one mystical body; and therefore they speak as one person, and Christ transforms himself into the Church, and the Church into Christ: Rom. 12: "We, being many, are one body in Christ." In the members of Christ, that is, in the Church, there are transgressions or sins. But in the head, that is, in Christ, there is no transgression, but only the likeness of transgression: Rom. 8: "God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and concerning sin condemned sin": 2 Cor. 5: "Him who knew no sin he made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ." Now Christ, when the passion was imminent, prayed, "Father, if it be possible, let this pass," etc., Mt. 26. But these words of Christ praying can be expounded in two ways. In one way, so that Christ uttered them as bearing the person of the weak who are in the Church, because it was to happen that some weak members of his, when suffering was imminent for them, would be afraid. In another way, that he uttered this petition bearing the role of the weak flesh in Christ, which naturally fears and flees death. What he asked, therefore -- to be delivered -- was a word either of the members in whom transgression is found, or of the flesh of Christ in which there is the likeness of transgression or sin. And therefore he says "words" by which he asked to be delivered, which are "of my transgressions," that is, of the faithful, for whose transgressions I suffer; or they are of the weak flesh which has the likeness of transgression: "far from" bodily "salvation," because the cup, or the suffering, does not pass from me as I asked; as if to say, I do not obtain the salvation I intend if my petition, which I make, were to be heard, "Father, let this cup pass from me." And therefore Jerome's text has, "Far from my salvation are the words of my groaning." Augustine expounds it differently in the Book on the Grace of the New Testament: these words by which I ask to be freed from suffering and complain that I have been abandoned to suffering are far from my salvation, which according to my divinity I ought to bring about. Mt. 1: "He himself shall save his people from their sins." And he assigns the reason why he was forsaken: for there is a twofold salvation -- one bodily, which is common to men and beasts: Ps. 35: "Men and beasts you will save, O Lord." The other is spiritual and eternal; and this belongs properly to Christ: hence he says "my," because the salvation of the new testament was brought about through Christ: Is. 45: "Israel is saved in the Lord with an eternal salvation." And these differ, because the first was sought in the old testament, while the second is sought in the new. Why then was he left capable of suffering? Because he came in the new testament. And these words which he spoke here are "far from my salvation," the spiritual one, because they are for bodily salvation. "Far." Christ speaks in the person of sinners, who are sometimes forsaken by God on account of sins. Hence he says, the words of my transgressions, that is, of sinners, are far from salvation, the spiritual kind, because this is the reason why sinners are not saved -- because they are sinners: Jn. 9: "God does not hear sinners." Or according to Augustine, he speaks, "from me," as if by forsaking me you have made me far from my salvation, that is, bodily salvation: and these words are "of my transgressions."”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.