For thou hast delivered me out of all trouble: and my eye hath looked down upon my enemies.

“Then He gives thanks to God the Father for the accomplishment of all these acts: I will give thanks unto Your name, O Lord, for it is good, for You have delivered Me out of all affliction. He has assigned to each clause its strict fulfilment. Thus at the beginning He had said: Save Me, O God, by Your name; after the prayers had been heard it was right that there should follow a corresponding ascription of thanks, in order that confession might be made to His name by Whose name He had prayed to be saved, and that inasmuch as He had asked for help against the strangers that rose up against Him, He might set on record that He had received it in the burst of joy expressed in the words: You have delivered Me out of all affliction. Then in respect of the fact that the violent in seeking after His soul did not set God before their eyes, He has declared His eternal possession of unchangeable divinity in the words: And My eye has looked down upon Mine enemies. For the Only-begotten Son of God was not cut off by death. It is true that in order to take the whole of our nature upon Him He submitted to death, that is to the apparent severance of soul and body, and made His way even to the realms below, the debt which man must manifestly pay: but He rose again and abides for ever and looks down with an eye that death cannot dim upon His enemies, being exalted unto the glory of God and born once more Son of God after becoming Son of Man, as He had been Son of God when He first became Son of Man, by the glory of His resurrection. He looks down upon His enemies to whom He once said: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will build it up. John 2:19 And so, now that this temple of His body has been built again, He surveys from His throne on high those who sought after His soul, and, set far beyond the power of human death, He looks down from heaven upon those who wrought His death, He who suffered death, yet could not die, the God-Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is blessed for ever and ever. Amen.”

“"God, by your name." Above, in other Psalms, the Psalmist dwelt upon the iniquity of sinners as regards the affection for sin and contempt of God; here he sets forth the persecution which he suffers from them. The title: "Unto the end, an understanding of David, among songs." The first part of the title is plain. The second touches upon the history which is written in 1 Kings 23, when David came to the desert of the city of Ziph, and the men of that city accused David to Saul, and Saul persecuted him, yet was not able to seize him; whence this accusation did not harm David, in which it is signified that the Ziphites — that is, those who flourish in this world; Isaiah: "the glory of the world is like the flower of the field" — accuse the saints, yet are not able to harm them, because the saint is hidden among the Ziphites, since the saint does not flourish among sinners, but his flourishing is in what is hidden — namely, the flowers of honesty. Colossians 3: "your life is hidden with Christ." David therefore treats in this Psalm of the good who are hidden among the wicked and suffer persecution from them. This Psalm, then, is divided into three parts. First he sets forth a prayer. Second he shows the necessity of praying, at "for strangers." Third he sets forth a recompense, at "I will freely sacrifice." Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down the petition. Second he sets down the granting of it, at "God, hear." His petition turns on two things. For first he asks on his own behalf. Second, on behalf of his enemies. For on his own behalf he asks that he be saved, not through his own merits but on account of love of the divine name. Whence he says: "God, in your name save me." Acts 4: "there is no other name given under heaven," and so on. Proverbs 18: "the name of the Lord is a most strong tower." On behalf of his adversaries he asks for judgment, which can be understood in three ways. In one way, of the judgment of discernment — namely, that his cause be examined. Psalm: "judge me, God, and discern." In another way, that it be understood of the judgment of persecution — namely, that according to his justice God judge him, freeing him from evils. Isaiah 12: "he shall judge the poor in justice." In another way, of the judgment of condemnation. And this he does not ask out of desire for vengeance, but by conforming himself to divine justice. Or he says this by foreseeing the judgment of the wicked. And this is what he says: "and in your power judge me, God; hear my prayer." Here the granting of the prayer is set down. In prayer there are two things: namely, that which is asked for, and the asking itself. Now sometimes God grants what is asked for, and not the asking itself, because that which is asked for, one obtains from grace and mercy, and these are gifts given by God. But the asking itself sometimes proceeds from a sinner, and therefore is not granted, because it is not acceptable to God. And therefore he asks, namely, that his prayer or petition be fulfilled, when he says: "God, hear my prayer," and that God perceive his words with his ears — "with your ears perceive the words of my mouth" — which happens when God accepts and approves his words. Psalm: "my words with your ears," and so on. "For strangers have risen up." Here he sets down the necessity of praying, where he dwells upon the persecution of his enemies: first from their disposition, second from their power, third from their contempt of God. From their disposition: because when someone entirely a stranger to another persecutes him, this is dangerous, since he rises up against him without mercy; and therefore he says, "for strangers" — that is, demons, or sinners. If it be referred to any righteous man, "they have risen up against me" without any compassion or mercy. But those can be called strangers who conduct themselves otherwise than friends do, just as Saul was a stranger to David, and the Ziphites who accused him to Saul. Job 19: "my acquaintances have withdrawn from me like strangers." From their power: because when a weak man attacks, one can defend oneself; but these are strong, "for the strong have sought my soul." 1 Kings 24: "Saul chose three thousand men to pursue David." Or "the strong," that is, demons. Luke 11: "when a strong man armed," that is, the devil, and so on. From contempt of God: because sometimes someone desists from persecution insofar as he is held back by love of God. But these do not desist even for this reason, whence he says, "and they have not set God before their sight." Psalm: "for he said in his heart: God will not require it." "For behold, God helps me." Here he shows that he has been heard in prayer. And first he shows that he has been heard as to one thing. Second he sets down being heard as to other things, at "turn away the evils." It was said above that the prayer was on his own behalf when he said "save me," and for his enemies when he said "in your power." First, then, he says he was heard on his own behalf, for he says he was saved; and then he spoke of the enemies who rose up against him and who sought his soul, and in both respects he has been saved. For against the insult of his enemies he says, "behold, God helps me" — that is, he affords me help. Isaiah 50: "the Lord God is my helper." Against this — that they seek my soul — he says, "the Lord is the upholder of my soul," as if to say: the Lord has saved me by taking me up into his protection. Wisdom 3: "the souls of the just are in the hand of God." Psalm: "but you, Lord, are the upholder," and so on. "Turn away the evils upon my enemies." Here he asks to be heard on behalf of his enemies. And he asks two things corresponding to the two things they were doing to him: they were persecuting him, and they were seeking to kill him; and therefore he asks that they themselves suffer persecution and be killed. As to the first he says, "turn away" — namely, from me — "upon my enemies the evils" which they seek to bring upon me, as if to say: turn back upon them those evils which they wish to bring upon me. As to the second he says, "destroy them," that is, cause them to be destroyed, that is, killed; "and this in your power" — or, "in your power," that is, on account of your power. But this seems to be against the word of Christ, who says: "pray for those who persecute you." It must be said that all these imprecations which are read in the prophets can be understood in three ways. In one way, by way of pronouncement, because they were speaking by the Spirit of God and foretelling future things — by way of speech, as if he said "turn away," etc., that is, "you will turn away." Whence in the Hebrew it is found in the present tense, "you turn away." In another way, according to conformity with divine justice. Third, according to spiritual denunciation: sinners, when they cease to sin, then they die and cease to be sinners. And this is to be prayed for continually. "I will freely sacrifice to you." Here he sets down the recompense. And first the recompense is set down. Second, the reason for the recompense is set down. He intends to recompense with two things: sacrifice and confession. As to the first he says, "I will freely sacrifice to you." Against this, above he said "if you had desired sacrifice, I would have given it." And it must be said that here he speaks of the sacrifice which is acceptable to God, which is the sacrifice of a contrite spirit and of the chastisement of the body. 1 Corinthians 9: "I chastise my body," and so on. Romans 12: "that you present your bodies a living sacrifice," and so on. The third sacrifice is of better things. Hebrews, the last chapter: "do not forget beneficence and fellowship, for by such sacrifices God is well pleased" — that is, God is appeased. With this threefold sacrifice, then, I will sacrifice to you, freely, that is, with joy. 1 Esdras 3: "in all in which sacrifice was offered of one's own accord." 2 Corinthians 9: "God loves a cheerful giver." As to the second he says, "I will confess to your name, Lord, for" — namely, by an act of thanksgiving. Tobit 12: "bless the God of heaven," that is, give thanks. And why? Not on account of temporal goods, as sinners do, of whom it is said, "he will praise you when you have done well to him." But on account of God's goodness and kindness, and on account of the benefits received, because I have been heard in my petitions. Whence he says he was heard as to what concerns himself, when he says, "for you have delivered me out of all tribulation." And you have heard him as to his enemies, for "my eye has looked down upon my enemies," because they were not able to harm me. Or "looked down," etc., because he despised their felicity and prosperity: "he is brought to nothing," and so on.”

“Enemies, from the hill which divided the armies. I saw them retire, (Haydock) and in security beheld their chastisement. (Menochius) Bible Text & Cross-references: A prayer for help in distress. 1 Unto the end, in verses, understanding for David. 2 When the men of Ziph had come and said to Saul: Is not David hidden with us? [1 Kings xxiii. 19.] 3 Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me in thy strength. 4 O God, hear my prayer: give ear to the words of my mouth. 5 For strangers have risen up against me; and the mighty have sought after my soul; and they have not set God before their eyes. 6 For behold God is my helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul. 7 Turn back the evils upon my enemies: and cut them off in thy truth. 8 I will freely sacrifice to thee, and will give praise, O God, to thy name: because it is good: 9 For thou hast delivered me out of all trouble: and my eye hath looked down upon my enemies. Table of Psalms 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quisque finibus commodo nibh, ut elementum velit sollicitudin at. Donec suscipit commodo risus. Nunc vel orci eget ligula elementum consequat. Fusce velit erat, convallis scelerisque aliquet ut, facilisis egestas tellus. Quisque sit amet sapien placerat, ultricies sapien ut, vestibulum ex.”