Commentary on the Psalms (In Psalmos Davidis Expositio)

Here begins the second fifty. And as was said at the beginning of the book, the first fifty pertains to penitents; this second fifty pertains to those who are advancing. Concerning these, three things are to be considered in order: for the first stage of those advancing is justification; the second stage is the exercise of good works; the third is the consideration of the divine works. And so this fifty is divided into three parts. First it touches on those things which pertain to justification; second it treats of those things which pertain to the carrying out of good works, at "God, judgment"; third it treats of those things which pertain to the consideration of the divine works, at "God stood." In justification two things are necessary: namely, turning away from sin, and turning toward God. And so likewise there are two things in sin by opposition: namely, turning away from God, and turning toward sin. First, therefore, he sets down the Psalms which pertain to the turning away from and detestation of sin; second he sets down the Psalms which effect or contain subjection to God, at Psalm 61: "shall it not be subject to God?" (or, if the subject is supplied for readability, bracket it: "shall [my soul] not be subject to God?") Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows the malice of sinners; second he shows the evils which are done by sinners. Sin is aggravated from two things: namely, from the affection for sinning, and from contempt of God. First, therefore, he aggravates the malice of sinners from the first; second he aggravates their malice from the second, at Psalm 52: "the fool has said."

The title: "Unto the end, understanding of David, when Doeg the Edomite had come and told Saul, David came into the house of Abimelech." This history is found in 1 Kings 21 and 22, namely when David, fleeing from Saul, came to Nob where the priests were, and took the sword of Goliath and the loaves of proposition, and Doeg the Edomite was present, who was powerful among the herdsmen; and when Saul complained that no one fought for him against David, this Doeg related how the priest Abimelech had received David, and had given him the sword of Goliath and the loaves of proposition; and so Saul, angered, ordered all the priests to be killed. And when those who were sent were unwilling to lay hands on the priests to kill them, this Doeg killed all the priests. Yet there is a difference between the title and the history, because the prince of priests is called Achimelech in the history, Abimelech in the title. And the Gloss says that this happened through the fault of the scribes, or on account of a mystery: for by David is signified Christ, both because he made use of the office of royal dignity, and also because he made use of priestly dignity, by eating the loaves of proposition. Doeg is interpreted "mute"; Edomite, "earthly"; Saul, "petition"; Abimelech, "the kingdom of my father." By Doeg, therefore, who was moved by earthly things, when David — that is, Christ — had come to Abimelech, that is, to the Jews who are "the kingdom of my father," he told Saul — that is, death — that the impious summoned him with hands and words and killed him. Or, Doeg, that is, the Antichrist, who will stir up earthly men at the end of the world. When Christ had come into the Church, he told the Devil, who will persecute the Church. And principally this whole Psalm is understood of the evil men who persecute Christ, either in himself or in his members.

This Psalm, moreover, is divided into two parts. In the first he treats of the malice of the sinner, who is disposed toward iniquity. Second he treats of the justice of the saints, at "but I, like a fruitful olive tree." Concerning the first he does two things. First he treats of the fault of the wicked. Second, of their punishment, at "therefore God will destroy you." Now it must be known that in a man who is disposed toward sin, three things follow in order. The first is delight in sin. The second is thinking about sin, since we think about those things which we love. The third is glorying in the perpetration of sin. Everyone naturally rejoices when he does what he loves. Thus, therefore, he proceeds from the last. First, concerning the glorying of the wicked in the act of sin. Second, concerning thinking about sin, at "all the day." Third, concerning love of sin, at "you have loved."

Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down the power of certain men for doing evil. Second he shows that certain men glory in an evil work. For some are prompt and strong for evil deeds, and weak for good ones. He says, therefore: you, sinner, who are mighty in iniquity: Jeremiah 3: "you have done evil things, and you have prevailed"; Isaiah 5: "woe to you who are mighty to drink wine," and so forth. You, therefore, who are thus mighty, "why" — that is, "wherefore" — "do you glory in malice"? Whence you ought to be ashamed and confounded and made sorrowful: Proverbs 2: "who rejoice when they have done evil, and exult in most wicked things."

"All the day injustice," and so forth. Here he shows the second thing he had proposed above: namely, that they not only glory in their malicious deeds, but also think about how they may do evil. And first he sets down the constancy of this thinking without interruption; whence he says, "all the day your tongue has devised injustice." It is said improperly that the tongue thinks, because thinking pertains to the heart; and therefore it can be understood in two ways: "your tongue," that is, your heart, which is made manifest in the tongue: Ecclesiasticus 21: "the heart of fools is in their mouth" — because it is one with the tongue, that is, the heart holds itself ready for speech. Or, "your tongue has devised injustice" insofar as it speaks the things it has devised, "all the day." And especially, because he teaches sinning through the tongue.

Second, he effectively carries out what he devises; whence he says, "like a sharp razor you have wrought deceit." And here the likeness holds in three respects. First, because a sharp razor — that is, a razor for shaving — cuts effectively and quickly, since no hair resists it; so Doeg did not revere the priesthood nor fear David, nor anything else, but killed all the priests: Micah 2: "in the morning light they do this," that is, at once. Or, "like a sharp razor," etc.: because just as a razor shaves off hairs, so the wicked sharpen deceit against the just, that is, they send in persecutors; but they truly do this like a razor, which shaves off superfluous hairs: because sinners can take away from the saints only what is superfluous, that is, temporal things, but never spiritual things. But it is like a razor also in this: because it promises only a cleansing, but just as inexperienced barbers cut into the flesh, so the wicked, by their machinations, strive to cut into the flesh of the just — that is, into their reputation — with a wicked tongue: Psalm 27: "they speak peace with their neighbor," and so forth.

Jerome has: "why do you glory in malice? The mercy of God is mighty all the day." And this is the sense, as if he were saying: you who are mighty in evil, why do you glory in malice? Mercy is ready, to which you can be converted.

"You have loved." Here he treats of the affection of the wicked man, or of the sinner, for harming his neighbor. And this affection consists in two things: namely, in exterior things and in interior things. First, therefore, in exterior things he shows the withdrawal of justice. He says, therefore, "you have loved malice above kindness." Kindness is, as it were, a good fieriness, and thus it causes the mind of man to melt for the sharing of good things; malice, on the contrary, moves the impulse of man to do harm. And these wicked men and sinners have loved malice more than goodness — that is, kindness — because they are more prompt to evil than to good, since they are cold and remiss: Job 20: "when evil is sweet in his mouth, he hides it under his tongue." As to the withdrawal of justice he says, "you have loved to speak iniquity rather than to speak equity": Psalm 10: "he who loves iniquity hates his own soul."

As to interior things he says, "you have loved all the words of headlong ruin" — dragging others into death, as Doeg did; again, into the evil of guilt: 1 Corinthians 15: "evil communications corrupt good manners." Or, hurling yourself headlong; and therefore he says, "a deceitful tongue." And you who are talkative and deceitful, or you do this through a deceitful tongue: Jeremiah 9: "their tongue is a wounding arrow, it has spoken deceit."

"Therefore." Above the Psalmist treated of the malice of sinners; here, however, he treats of their punishment: and concerning this he does two things. First he sets down the punishment itself of the wicked. Second he shows the usefulness of the punishment, at "the just shall see." Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down the punishment of the wicked. Second he sets down the manner of arriving at it, at "he will pluck you out."

He says, therefore, "therefore" — namely, because you have loved malice, etc., and have loved the words that hurl others headlong — "God will destroy you unto the end," that is, forever: Psalm 27: "you will destroy them, and you will not build them up." "And rightly, cast them down headlong, O Lord, and divide their tongues," Psalm 54. The manner is, "he will pluck you out." Here it is to be noted that first this destruction is set down as to the manner itself; second, as to the loss of future things. As to the first, two things are to be considered. For sometimes it happens that men have certain foundations in their prosperity, such as friends, and riches, and things of this kind; and therefore they are compared to a root, because through this they are rooted in these things; and therefore he says, "he will pluck you out" — from all those things in which and through which you are rooted in prosperity: Job 19: "he has taken away my hope like a tree torn up"; Jeremiah 1: "that you may pluck up and destroy," and so forth.

Second, he departs by first loss, that is, he is transferred entirely; whence, "he will make you migrate" — that is, he will make you pass — "from your tabernacle," that is, from your house and from your state and from your dignity: Isaiah 22: "I will drive you out from your station"; Job 20: "the eye that had seen him shall not see him." Another reading has, "from his tabernacle," that is, the Church: Revelation 21: "behold the tabernacle of God with men." Now the good are mixed with the wicked; but in the end the wicked will be excluded from the Church, where now they are in number, not in merit.

As to the loss of future things he says, "and your root out of the land of the living" — namely, he will pluck it out. By root here is understood charity, which is the root of all good things: Ephesians 3: "rooted in charity," and so forth. This God takes away from the land of the living, because he takes away from you the gift of charity which he had given. Likewise, from the good is taken away cupidity, which can be signified by the root: 1 Timothy, last chapter: "cupidity is the root of all evils." This God takes away from spiritual men, because those who are eager for temporal things cannot arrive at the land of the living: because "they who wish to become rich fall into temptation" (ibid.), in which cupidities the wicked are rooted, namely the Antichrist and the Devil: Job 5: "I saw a fool" — that is, a sinner — "firmly rooted, and I cursed his beauty at once."

"The just shall see." Here is set down the fruit of the punishment: for God punishes here, and foretells punishments, for the benefit of the just. First, on account of the fear of punishment, because, "and they will fear." And this can be transferred to the state of the present life, in which the just fear, having reverence toward God, and fall away from the state in which they are: Romans 11: "be not high-minded, but fear." But those who are in the homeland do not fear falling from any state, because they are confirmed in the perfection of grace, since they will not be separated, but they will fear with filial reverence: Psalm 18: "the fear of the Lord is holy," and so forth. And they will revere the justice of God. Yet more especially in the present life they fear.

Second, on account of the contempt of sin and of present prosperity. And first the derision is set down. Second the cause of the derision is set down, at "behold." As to the first, "over him" — that is, against him, namely the sinner — "they shall laugh," that is, they shall hold in contempt his confidence and prosperity. And this will happen especially in the future: Psalm 57: "the just shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge"; Job 22: "the just shall see and shall rejoice"; and they deride first the pride of sinners; second their vain confidence and their fragile glory. Pride, because they did not hope in God, but trusted in themselves, and they will say — the just — "behold the man who did not make God his helper," that is, he did not consider that he needed the help of God: Psalm 11: "our lips," and so forth; Deuteronomy 32: "he abandoned his Maker." Concerning vain confidence, whence he says, "but he hoped in the abundance of his riches": Proverbs 11: "he who trusts in his riches shall fall"; 1 Timothy, last chapter: "charge the rich of this age," and so forth.

Concerning vain glory in doing evil deeds, and by God's permission he prevailed; whence he says, "and he prevailed in his vanity." And for this they are derided: Psalm 93: "the Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are vain." Or, "he prevailed," etc., so that it may be referred to the miser, who as to a certain point prevails over all other sinners: Ecclesiasticus 10: "nothing is more wicked than the miser." And from the fact that he is led to this, he easily falls into other sins. Or it can be referred to the Antichrist, because he prevails over all others.

"But I, like a fruitful olive tree." Here he treats of the holiness of the good. And first he shows what they do in the present. Second, what they promise, at "I will give thanks." The saints do a twofold good in the present Church. First, in this, that they conduct themselves well toward their neighbor, bearing fruit in them; and therefore the just man is compared to an olive tree, as if he were saying: the sinner is thus plucked out without fruit, but I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God. And he is compared to an olive tree on account of its richness: for the olive tree always has rich fruit: Judges 9: "I cannot forsake my richness"; Jeremiah 11: "a fruitful olive tree, fair, and abounding in fruit, has the Lord called your name." Here, however, he is compared to the olive tree especially on account of its fruit: because from olives oil is made, by which mercy is signified, from which the just provide for others, and bear fruit in the Church: John 15: "I have appointed you, that you should go and bring forth fruit." And this fruit I have made "in the house of God," not in the world: Psalm 83: "I have chosen to be an outcast in the house of God."

Likewise, with regard to God, the just in this world do another good, namely by hoping in him; whence he says, "I have hoped in the mercy of God," not by my own merits, but by his mercy: Titus 3: "not by the works of justice which we have done," and so forth. And this mercy is "forever." And this can be expounded in two ways. In one way, so that it designates eternity: and thus eternity can be referred to the essence of the divine mercy, which is eternal: Jeremiah 31: "with an everlasting charity have I loved you, therefore have I drawn you, taking pity on you." In another way, so that it is referred to the effect of mercy. Sometimes from the mercy of God eternal goods are granted; and thus, "for ever and ever," that is, through all ages.

"I will give thanks." Here he promises what he is going to do: and he promises two things. One refers to past things: and it is the giving of thanks for benefits conferred; on account of this he says, "I will give thanks to you forever," that is, I will render praises to you. And this, because you, "you have done it" — namely, that I should be a fruitful olive tree in the house of the Lord, and that I hope in the mercy of God. The other refers to future things: "I will wait on your name, for it is good." He waits for the name of Jesus to be his salvation. And this happens especially in those who are in the homeland; whence he says, "for it is good in the sight of your saints," who see the very essence of goodness, whence they cannot but love God.