Ps 96:10

“What then do we all, who have assembled before Him, before Him who is exalted far above all gods? He hath given us a brief commandment, "O ye that love the Lord, see that ye hate the thing which is evil!" [Psalm 97:10]. Christ doth not deserve that with Him thou shouldest love avarice. Thou lovest Him: thou shouldest hate what He hateth. There is a man who is thine enemy, he is what thou art; ye are the work of one Creator, with the same nature: and yet if thy son were to speak unto thine enemy, and come to his house, and constantly converse with him, thou wouldest be inclined to disinherit him; because he speaketh with thine enemy. And how so? Because thou seemest to say Justly, Thou art my enemy's friend, and seekest thou aught of my property? Attend then. Thou lovest Christ: avarice is Christ's foe; why speak with her? I say not, speak with her; why dost thou serve her? For Christ commandeth thee to do many things, and thou dost them not; she commandeth thee, and thou dost them. Christ commandeth thee to clothe the poor man: and thou dost it not; avarice biddeth thee defraud, and this thou dost in preference. If such be the case, if such thou art, do not very confidently promise thyself Christ's heritage. But thou sayest, I love Christ. Hence it appeareth that thou lovest what is good, if thou shalt be found to hate what is evil. ...”

“I should not pass over without investigating the significance of the phrases, to love God and to love one's neighbor. A person who loves God will do the following: obey his command in all respects; observe his laws and precepts; attempt to sanctify himself because God is holy, as is written: "Be holy, because I the Lord your God am holy"; fulfill the direction of the prophet: "You that love the Lord, hate evil"; think of nothing but divine and heavenly subjects, for God is a lover of nothing but holiness, justice and piety; do only what God seems to love.”

“Let us love, let us love freely: for we love God, than whom we find nothing better. Let us love Him for Himself, and ourselves in Him, yet for His sake. For he truly loves a friend, who loves God in the friend, either because He is in him, or that He may be in him. This is true love: if we love ourselves for another reason, we hate rather than love. For he who loves iniquity: what does he hate? perhaps his neighbor, perhaps his neighbor's wife? Let him shudder, he hates his own soul. Hatred of the soul, love of wickedness. Therefore, against the hatred of wickedness, love of the soul. You who love the Lord, hate evil. God is good, what you love is evil, and you love yourself in evil: how do you love God when you still love what God hates?”

“It is true Psa 97:12 is = Psa 32:11, Psa 97:12 = Psa 30:5, and the promise in Psa 97:10 is the same as in Psa 37:28; Psa 34:21; but as to the rest, particularly Psa 97:11, this strophe is original. It is an encouraging admonition to fidelity in an age in which an effeminate spirit of looking longingly towards lit. ogling heathenism was rife, and stedfast adherence to Jahve was threatened with loss of life. Those who are faithful in their confession, as in the Maccabaean age (Ἀσιδαῖοι), are called חסדיו. The beautiful figure in Psa 97:11 is misapprehended by the ancient versions, inasmuch as they read זרח (Psa 112:4) instead of זרע. זרע does not here signify sown = strewn into the earth, but strewn along his life's way, so that he, the righteous one, advances step by step in the light. Hitzig rightly compares ki'dnatai ski'dnatai, used of the dawn and of the sun. Of the former Virgil also says, Et jam prima novo spargebat lumine terras.”