Commentary on the Psalms (In Psalmos Davidis Expositio)

In the preceding psalm the Psalmist showed confidence with respect to God; but here he asks from God a mercy that establishes him firmly. The title is: Unto the end, a Psalm of David. This title is already clear from above, namely that this psalm, which David composed, leads us unto the end, that is, unto Christ, because it treats of his passion in certain respects. Yet it is said in the Gloss that, according to Jerome, in the original the title is: Understanding, for the sons of Core; and this is a new title among the titles of the Psalms. One must know, then, that, as is read in Numbers 16, when Dathan and Abiron made a schism against Moses over headship of the people, Core then rose up against Aaron over the headship of the priesthood, and was then burned; yet not all of his household consented to this, and so those of them who did not consent remained, and hence in David's time ministries among the singers were given to them. And it is understood that this psalm was appointed in those days to be sung. But it must be noted that, in those psalms where it is said, Understanding, for the sons of Core, it is given to be understood, according to the letter, in every case where "understanding" is placed, that through that psalm the people are roused to understand the divine benefits, or certain secrets, as in that verse, Psalm 93: understand, you senseless ones; and there, Psalm 77: attend, O people, and so forth. Mystically, Core is interpreted as Calvary, and Christ was crucified in the place of Calvary; and therefore this psalm is attributed to the sons of the passion, that is, of the cross of Christ. And these are they who have crucified their flesh, as is said in Galatians 5.

The Psalmist's intention is that he asks for divine mercy. This psalm is therefore divided into two parts. In the first he asks for divine mercy in general; in the second, in particular, at the words But thou, O Lord. Concerning the first he does two things: first he asks for mercy; second he sets forth the necessity of asking for mercy, at the words My enemies. Concerning the first he does two things: first he shows to whom mercy is owed; second, feeling in himself that he merits mercy, he asks for it, at the words I said, because Matthew 5 says: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Mercy, then, is owed to the merciful for a twofold reason. First, from divine acceptance, because God accepts mercy, through which a man becomes an imitator of God — Luke 6: Be ye merciful, and so on. Second, from the prayer of the saints — Ecclesiasticus 29: Shut up alms in the bosom of the poor, and it shall pray for thee: and this he does at the words the Lord preserve him. Concerning the first, he first foretells the merit; second, the reward.

He says, then: Blessed is he who understands concerning the needy and the poor. Blessed is he who is merciful, who has pity on the needy and the poor — Proverbs 14: He that hath mercy on the poor shall be blessed. And he says, who understands, not who helps, because, as has been said, one ought to be merciful after the manner of God; but God does not wait to always be asked. Hence he comes to the aid of desire before it is asked; and therefore he is truly merciful who not only comes to the aid of those who ask, but also comes to the aid of the needy before he is asked — Job 31: If I have denied to the poor what they desired, and have made the eyes of the widow wait. The needy is one who needs to receive from another; he is called poor who has little. Jerome has, who considers, etc., that is, who takes upon himself the care of the affairs of the poor — Job 29: I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame. Mystically, if this be referred to Christ: blessed is the Christian if he is a son of Core, that is, of the cross of Christ through meditation, who understands, that is, who has his understanding brought back into obedience, understanding concerning the needy and the poor, that is, the benefit which Christ conferred through the cross — Lamentations 3: Remember my poverty and transgression, the wormwood and the gall.

He sets forth the first when he says, In the evil day the Lord will deliver him. Days according to their own nature are good, because they are made by God — Psalm 118: By thy ordinance the day continueth; but they are called evil on account of the evils that happen in them — Ephesians 5: Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. And he says, in the evil day, that is, in the day of some evil tribulation. Now the evil day is manifold: namely, of overthrow — Ecclesiastes 11: In the day of good things be not unmindful of evils. The greatest of evils is eternal damnation, which threatens man at judgment, whether particular judgment, that is, at death, or at the universal judgment, that is, at the end of the world. And that day is evil on which such damnation occurs, that is, that day, the day of wrath, the day of tribulation and distress, and so on. On this evil day the Lord delivers the merciful man — Matthew 25: I was hungry, and so forth; Come, ye blessed, etc.: not that mercy alone, without the other virtues, delivers a man, but because through mercy a man makes satisfaction for sins.

The Lord preserve him. Here he shows how mercy is merited from the prayer of the saints, who pray for the merciful. And a prayer is set down for the merciful man existing in a state of prosperity; second, for one existing in a state of adversity. In a state of prosperity a man needs two things: namely, to be advanced and preserved in good; second, to be freed from evils. Now there is a threefold good: the good of nature, the good of grace, and the good of glory. As to the first, the good of nature, he asks that it be preserved for him; hence he says, the Lord preserve him, namely in the good he possesses, that is, in the good of nature — Psalm 55: Preserve me, O Lord, namely lest the good of nature be corrupted through sin, or through impending tribulations. He asks that the good of grace be given, when he says, and give him life; for through grace a man has spiritual life. This life must be considered, and it is had through formed faith — Habakkuk 2: My just man liveth by faith; Galatians 2: And that I live now in the flesh, I live in the faith of the Son of God. Even apart from this life, that is, of grace, our life is death — 1 Timothy 5: She that liveth in pleasures is dead while she is living. As to the third good, namely of glory, he says, and make him blessed upon the earth. If this be understood of perfect beatitude, then it is said, upon the earth, namely of the living — Psalm 26: I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living; Matthew 5: Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth. But if it be understood of the beatitude of this life, insofar as we savor in our mind something eternal, as is said in Philippians 3: our conversation is in heaven; then it is said, make him blessed upon the earth, that is, by this participation in that beatitude, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. Here he asks to be freed from evils. Among all evils the greatest evil is to fall into the hands of enemies — Psalm 58: Deliver me from my enemies, O my God, because enemies pursue and afflict out of hatred; hence he says: deliver him not up to the souls, that is, to the wills of his enemies, whose way it is always to hate, which is nothing other than to will evil. When, therefore, someone is subjected to evils, he is delivered up to the will of the enemy. Or, into the souls of his enemies, that is, into the power of the Devil and his ministers.

The Lord give him help. Here a prayer is set forth for the merciful man existing in adversity. And first he asks for divine aid, or support; second he alleges the necessity of this. He says, then: the Lord give him help upon his bed of sorrow. He asks for the merciful man, or simply for the just man, the son of Core, that the Lord give him life, and that he make him blessed upon the earth; second, that he preserve him, and that he not deliver him up to the souls of his enemies. And from this someone might gather that the merciful man would in no way be afflicted. Hence, to exclude this, he says that sometimes his bed is filled with sorrows, and this happens to the merciful man himself sometimes for correction — Job 33: He rebukes sometimes through pain upon the bed. Or for humbling, just as a sting of the flesh was given to Paul, 2 Corinthians 12; or for testing: Job throughout, and Tobias. And therefore he says, the Lord give him help, that is, to the merciful man existing in tribulation, upon his bed, literally, in which he lies, or in which he rests — 1 Corinthians 10: God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able. And that thou give him help, great necessity demands this, because thou hast turned all his couch in his sickness. And he speaks here after the likeness of one in a fever, who finds no place in the bed in which he can rest, but continually turns himself. And so he says, thou hast turned, as if to say: he needs help, because his sickness is so great that he is continually turned over throughout the bed. And this is according to the literal sense; yet, taking it simply, everything by which he used to rest in temporal things has been turned for him into bitterness, because in these things God places bitterness, so that, once they are despised, he may be turned to God — Ecclesiastes 2: And when I had turned myself to all the works which my hands had wrought, I saw in all things vanity.

And because mercy is owed to the merciful, being conscious of his own mercy, he asks for mercy. First, then, he asks for mercy absolutely; second he shows in what respect he chiefly asks it; third he assigns the reason for the petition. He says, then: O Lord, I said, have mercy on me; as if to say: I do not have recourse to justice, but to mercy, because our salvation is not in our own justices — Isaiah 64: All our justices are as the rag of a menstruous woman. But in respect of what does he ask for mercy? Where there is chiefly misery. And this — namely mercy — is granted where there is chief beatitude, because beatitude is not in bodily things, since bodily things are ordered to the final beatitude. Therefore the chief misery is not in bodily things, but in those things which have within themselves a disposition contrary to beatitude, as in adulteries, thefts, homicides, and other sins; and he who does such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God, as the Apostle says in Galatians 5, but is damned — Proverbs 14: Sin maketh nations miserable. For sin has disordered the body, and the body has disordered the soul — Wisdom 9: The corruptible body is a load upon the soul. And this health is had from God alone — Wisdom 16: Neither herb nor mollifying plaster healed them, but thy word, O Lord. And the reason for this petition is, because I have sinned against thee. But do sins merit mercy? No; this is therefore to be continued in such a way that the word "because" designates the matter of mercy, not its merit. There is no misery where there is no place for mercy. And so, because I am wretched, I ask for mercy. Or else the word "because" may denote a meritorious cause; and thus, because confession of sin is a merit of mercy, he therefore says, I ask for mercy, because I confess that I have sinned against thee — Proverbs 28: He that hideth, etc.; but he that shall confess shall obtain mercy. Or otherwise: because I have sinned against thee; as if to say: why do I ask for mercy? Because thou alone art he who canst heal; because the injury and the sin were committed against thee, therefore the remission belongs to thee. And in every sin God is offended. And this verse is sung in the third tone, because sin is remitted by the faith and the operation of the Trinity.

My enemies have spoken. Above, the Psalmist asked for a healing mercy; but here he sets forth the necessity of such a petition, which is caused by his foes; and according to the mystical sense — since the literal sense is plain — these words are spoken in this place in the person of Christ. Concerning this he does three things. First he sets forth the disposition of the wicked who will his evil. Second he sets forth the zeal of those lying in wait, at the words and if he came in. Third he sets forth the plan of those plotting, at the words against me, since he was an enemy. First he desires to injure; second he lies in wait; third he considers how it might be accomplished. He says, then: my enemies have spoken evils against me, in their heart or in their mouth — Matthew 12: An evil man out of an evil treasure bringeth forth, etc. — and these evil words are expressive of their desire for the death of Christ, or of the just man. Hence it is said, when shall he die. This is a manner of speech expressive of desire — Psalm 41: When shall I come and appear, etc.; Wisdom 2: Let us condemn him to a most shameful death. And they wished for the death of Christ so that his fame, which was then renowned, might be extinguished — Jeremiah 11: Let us cut him off from the land of the living, and let his name be remembered no more. Hence they say, and his name shall perish. But the contrary happened, because through his death he was the more exalted, and many were converted after the death of Christ — John 12: If the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it bringeth forth much fruit; and although the wicked lie in wait for the good so that their name may be extinguished, yet, as is said in Proverbs 10: the memory of the just is with praises. And this the sinners bring about by lying in wait. Thus, then, he first sets forth the manner of lying in wait; second he shows the effect of the snares, at the word he came in. Concerning the first he does three things: first he sets forth the deceitful entry; second, the feigned word; third, the treacherous mind. He says, then: if he came in to see. Jerome has, to visit; as if to say: they did not come for the sake of friendship, but for the sake of spying. Thus the princes of the Jews came in order to seize Jesus. Thus also, after the death of Christ, many entered the Church in order to seize and lie in wait for holy men. This is what the Apostle says in Galatians 2: because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privately to spy our liberty. As to the second, he says, he spoke vain things, that is, the people of the Jews spoke false things against Christ, because with their mouth they feigned sweet words — Matthew 22: Master, we know that thou art true — while inwardly they were contriving his death — Psalm 11: They have spoken vain things every one to his neighbor; with deceitful lips, and with a double heart have they spoken. As to the third, he says, his heart gathered together iniquity to itself. A treacherous mind is one that gathers words by which it may offend the just man. For such men do not act like bees, which gather honey, but like beetles, which gather dung. But the good gather honey, because they sweeten others with divine sweetness. And so he says, his heart gathered together iniquity to itself. And he says, to itself, that is, against itself — Proverbs 1: they lie in wait for their own blood. Or, to itself, that is, for the attainment of its own desire, because if they could catch him in some evil, they would greatly rejoice — Ecclesiasticus 18: If thou give to thy soul her desires, she will make thee a joy to thy enemies; thus they spoke against Christ, Matthew 27: We have remembered, that that seducer said, etc. Next the effect of their snares is shown, because as they went out they slandered him; hence he says, he went abroad, and spoke the same thing. He went out, either from feigning, or from malice, or from familiarity, or from friendship, because before he was, and seemed to be, as it were a friend, and thus he spoke the same thing, that is, falsehood, as before, and words of falsity. Or, he went out abroad from the bosom of truth, or from the friendship which he feigned, or from the Church, or from the fellowship of Christ — John 6: many of his disciples went back.

Against me. Here he shows their evil counsel, how they do harm. And first he sets forth the counsel of his enemies; second he shows that certain good friends too agreed in this, at the words the man of my peace. And first he sets forth the order of their taking counsel, showing that first those taking counsel come together; second they discuss the matter about which they take counsel; third they determine what is to be done. And he describes these three things here. He says, then: all my enemies whispered together against me — the Gloss says, he went out; and afterward follows, the same thing, and so forth — and this is found in Jerome's version, yet it makes no difference. And he says, whispered, that is, spoke silently; and this manner belongs especially to counselors, and most of all in the case of evil counsels and evil men, who do this in secret — Leviticus 19: Thou shalt not be a detractor, nor a whisperer among the people; Ecclesiasticus 28: The whisperer and the double-tongued is cursed, and so forth. And he says, against me. And thus these are not good counsels, but evil ones — Psalm 35: He hath devised iniquity on his bed. And therefore they devised evils against me — Psalm 1: Blessed is the man who hath not walked, etc. They devised an unjust word against me, that is, unjust. This, then, they determined in their council — John 11: It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people. And from that hour they thought, etc.; Matthew 21: This is the heir; come, let us kill him; Wisdom 2: Let us condemn him to a most shameful death. This unjust word is found in Jeremiah 18: Thou knowest, O Lord, their counsel against me unto evil and death. Shall not he that sleepeth rise again? Here he sets forth the reasoning behind their wicked determination. The word "not" is superfluous: as if to say, he who sleeps will not rise again; as if to say, if we kill him, he will not rise again — Wisdom 2: There is no one known to have returned from among the dead. And so they believed that the resurrection was a deception. Or otherwise: Shall not he that sleepeth, etc., so that the word "not" is construed with the word "add," and the sense is that these are the words of the Church taunting them; as if to say: you determined to kill him, but you did this in vain, because he will rise again; hence it says: shall not he that sleepeth rise again? And it says, sleepeth, because this too is said in Daniel 12: Many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; for the death of Christ was, simply speaking, a sleep, since he laid down his own life, and died not through violence, but through his own will. And therefore he had the power of taking up his soul again by the power of his divinity — 2 Corinthians 13: For although he died through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God.

For even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted. Above, the Psalmist set forth the counsel of the enemies plotting the death of Christ; here, however, he introduces the counsel of friends. And because Christ himself, in John 13, applies this very word to Judas, let us here likewise expound it of Christ. Here he does two things: first the condition of the man is described; second, the fault. The condition of the person of Judas is described by three things which aggravate the sin: namely, that he was a friend, that he was intimate, and that he had received benefits. As to the first, then, he says: for even the man of my peace. He had said above that he slept, this being brought about by the traitor; or, my enemies devised an unjust word against me. But it is no wonder, for, the man of my peace — since Judas was reckoned among his friends. This prophecy, moreover, was fulfilled in fact, because he betrayed Christ with a kiss, which is a sign of friendship and peace. Hence the Lord said, in Luke 22: Judas, dost thou betray the Son of man with a kiss? Psalm 27: They speak peace with their neighbor, and so forth. Jeremiah 20: I have heard the reproaches of many, and terror on every side, from all the men who were peaceable to him, and who kept at my side. Again, he was intimate; hence, in whom I trusted. But was Christ deceived in his hope? No. And therefore he says, in whom I trusted, that is, in whom I seemed to hope, that is, to have confidence, because he had entrusted to him the management of his affairs. Or, in whom I trusted, that is, of such a condition that I conducted myself toward him as one who ought to trust in him. But sometimes a man believes he is trusting in one whom he believes a friend, and in whom he ought to have confidence, and yet is deceived — Jeremiah 9: Trust not in any brother of thine; Micah 7: Believe not a friend, and trust not in a leader. Or, in whom I trusted, in my members who were hoping in Christ — Matthew 25: What you did to one of my least ones, you did to me. As to the third, he says, who ate my bread, because Christ designated him by the sign of the bread — John 13: he to whom I shall reach the bread dipped. And although Judas ate the bread of Christ, yet he proceeded against him — Ecclesiasticus 29: he will feed and give drink to the ungrateful. Or, my bread, that is, my teaching — Genesis 49: Aser, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to kings. Such is the bread of Christ, which is rich on account of the sweetness of his teaching — Psalm 118: How sweet, and so forth. He hath magnified against me supplanting. Behold the sin. Jerome has, hath lifted up his heel against me. And he speaks after the likeness of one who wishes to utterly crush another; as if to say: he attempted to grind me down completely. And the diversity of the translations seems to have arisen from an ambiguity, because what is lifted up on high is thereby magnified. Or: he hath magnified against me supplanting, that is, he wrought a great supplanting against me, because he brought about death — Jeremiah 9: Every supplanter shall be utterly supplanted; Amos 5: They have hated him that rebuketh in the gate.

But thou. Christ has already set forth his petition in general; but here he shows in respect of what he asks for mercy; hence he says, they have troubled me, but nothing remains except to have recourse to God; and therefore he says, but thou, O Lord, have mercy on me. Mercy ought to be present where there is misery; Christ, however, was made a partaker of our misery, not as regards guilt, but as regards penalty, and especially as regards the penalty of death. And therefore, have mercy on me — Psalm 88: I will not take my mercy from him. But in respect of what he asks for mercy, he shows when he says, raise me up again; as if to say: they say, he shall not rise again, but do thou raise me up. But did not Christ rise again by his own power, since he says, raise me up? Indeed it seems that he did, since the Psalmist says in the person of Christ, I slept and rose up again (Psalm 3). It must be said that Christ, according as he was man, did not have the power of rising again, but according to the power of his divinity, which is the same in the Father and the Son. And therefore, if he rose by the power of the Father, he rose by his own power. And he asks from the Father, as man, that which he possessed as God, so as to show that this comes about by the power of his divinity. And I will requite them. Here he sets forth its effect. Christ had a twofold power after the resurrection, since it is in heaven and on earth; and therefore he requites them with temporal captivity, because they were scattered throughout the world, and he will requite them in the future with damnation — John 5: he gave him power to do judgment. Jerome has, raise me up again and I will requite thee; as if to say: this is the fruit of the resurrection, that once raised up I will bring many to the knowledge of thy name — Psalm 115: What shall I render to the Lord, and so forth.

By this I know. Here he sets forth his confidence of being heard. And first he sets down that God willed him, that is, that the paternal will was well-pleased in him; hence he says, because thou hast willed me — Matthew 3: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Isaiah 42: my soul hath been well pleased in him. Likewise he says, my enemy shall not rejoice over me, that is, Judas; and even if he rejoiced at his death, he will not rejoice in the end, because he will be grieved at the resurrection — Micah 7: Rejoice not, thou my enemy, over me, because I am fallen; I shall rise again. And this text can be arranged in two ways. In one way, so that the first is an argument for the second; and the sense is: from this, that I consider that I am acceptable to thee. In another way, so that the second is the cause of the first; so that the sense is: because my enemy will not be able to rejoice over me, I have known that thou hast willed me. But because he needed some sign, he says, I have known, that is, I have made it to be known, or because others have come to know this. But thou hast upheld me by reason of my innocence, and so forth. Here, having been heard, he gives thanks. And first he confesses the benefit; second he adds praise, at the word blessed. In the benefit he confesses everything that pertains to himself. For first he sets forth the merit; second he shows the benefit of the resurrection; third, the state of the one risen; fourth, the exultation. As to his merit, let us consider his innocence; hence he says: but thou hast upheld me by reason of my innocence — 1 Peter 2: who did no sin; Psalm 25: but I have walked in my innocence. And by reason of this merit he says he has been upheld, or taken up. He does not say this of the assumption into the unity of the person, because that assumption was not from the merits of the man Christ himself, but from pure grace — whence also it was brought about by the operation of the Holy Spirit; but he says this of the being taken up from the netherworld, by which he rose. Psalm 3: But thou, O Lord, art my protector. And he says, thou hast upheld, namely my soul from the netherworld, and my flesh from the tomb. But in what manner was he taken up? Was it perhaps to mortal life, as Lazarus was? No; rather he was taken up to the state of immortality; hence he says: and thou hast confirmed me in thy sight for ever, that is, in the state of immortality — Romans 6: Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more. And still more: because he has established him before his own countenance — Hebrews 9: he entered into heaven itself, that he may appear now in the presence of God for us. And this for ever, that is, always.

Blessed be the Lord. Here he sets forth praise; and concerning this he does two things: first he sets down certain matters on the part of the one praised; second, on the part of the one praising. Blessed. To bless is nothing other than to call good. In one way we bless God, and in another way God blesses us. We bless God by acknowledging his goodness — Tobit 12: Bless ye the God of heaven; Ecclesiasticus 43: Blessing the Lord, exalt him as much as you can. But God blesses us by causing goodness in us, because for him to speak is to make; Psalm 148: for he spoke, and they were made. He shows the second when he says, the Lord. The power of God is considered under two aspects: first, according to the work of governance — Wisdom 12: But thou, ruling with power, judgest with tranquility, and with great reverence disposest of us; and second, according to the work of creation. And he touches these two things when he says, the Lord, to whom it pertains to govern; second when he says, God, for this is what all suppose God to be: the first principle of being for all things. But the work of governance has ministers, whereas in the work of creation there can be no ministry. Hence the honor owed to a governor can be communicated to others — Galatians 4: ye received me as an angel of God — and this is dulia. But latria, which is owed to the Creator, is owed to no one else. And so the Gloss says: Lord, to whom dulia is owed; God, to whom latria is owed. And he says, of Israel, that is, of those who see God, because although he governs all things, yet only the faithful obtain the rich fruit of his governance, which is life. And although all worship God, yet only the faithful offer the worship of latria to God alone. He shows the third when he says: from eternity and unto eternity, namely because thy power is not bodily, but eternal — Psalm 144: thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages. On the part of the one praising he mentions two things: namely, the confession of the mouth — Romans 10: with the heart we believe unto justice, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation; and this he does when he says: blessed be God, and so forth. Likewise, the complacency of the affections — Philippians 4: rejoice in the Lord; and therefore he says, so be it, so be it; as if to say: he takes delight in his good things, and he repeats the word to signify the continuance of this delight — 1 Paralipomenon, last chapter: O Lord God, keep this will. In the Hebrew it reads, Amen, amen. And because "amen, amen" is placed at the end of books, some believe that the Book of Psalms is divided into many books, and that one is completed here. But this is not true, because "so be it," or "amen," is placed here so that it may be a continuation of the will, not a completion of the work.