Translated by Qwen who notes: This translation preserves the scholastic structure, biblical citations, and theological reasoning characteristic of St. Albert the Great's exegetical method. Some Latin phrases and scriptural references have been rendered with explanatory glosses to aid comprehension. The text reflects medieval allegorical interpretation, patristic citations (Augustine, Gregory, Cassiodorus, Jerome), and Aristotelian philosophical categories integrated into Christian exegesis.
St. Albert the Great — Commentary on Psalm 16 ("Oratio David" / "A Prayer of David")
Introduction and Division of the Psalm
"Hear, O Lord, my justice..."
This is the sixteenth Psalm, in which, after having treated of the benefits bestowed upon Christ with respect to the suppression of infirmity, there is consequently added a prayer for benefits to be bestowed, with respect to the removal of external tribulation and the difficulty of proceeding in goodness. For although it may happen that a man is healthy, nevertheless the difficulty of the way and enemies on the way can impede his progress. Therefore, in this Psalm, grace is shown to be given to the just man—and especially to the head of the just, Christ—for sustaining the labor of the journey and for enduring enemies.
But because no one can possess this grace by himself unless it is given by God (Matthew 24:20: "But pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath"), for this reason it is shown to be obtained by the one praying and, as it were, by the merit of prayer. Hence the Psalm is entitled "A Prayer of David." And it is the first of all Psalms so entitled. And the sense is: "A prayer which David composed, and which is fitting for any just person on the way of the Lord who desires to make progress."
Structural Division
This Psalm is therefore divided into two parts:
In the first part, grace is requested against the labor of the journey, so that it may be endured. But because sometimes enemies appear on the journey who may cause one to stumble,
In the second part, there is treatment of the petition for grace against enemies who impede progress on the way, beginning at verse 6: "I have cried out..."
Alternatively, the division may be understood thus:
First, the psalmist asks to be heard on account of the justice that is in himself.
Second, on account of the mercy that is in God.
The first part is divided into three sections:
First, he directs his speech to God's goodness;
Second, to God's wisdom, at "From your countenance...";
Third, to God's power, at "Perfect my steps..."
The first section is further divided into three, according to the threefold merit which he alleges:
Justice in work;
Supplication in speech, at "Give heed to my supplication...";
Right intention in heart, at "Perceive with your ears..."
Verse-by-Verse Commentary
"Hear, O Lord, my justice..."
He says therefore: "Hear, O Lord." But what? "My justice." As if he were saying: "Look upon my justice and hear me." For justice, as the Gloss says, has the force of voice. Indeed, Proverbs 8:1: "Does not wisdom call out?" And nothing is without voice. Nay, even injustice itself has a cry: Genesis 18:20: "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is multiplied." Far be it, therefore, that justice be mute.
And note that the justice of God is that of the giver; our justice is that of the receiver (1 Corinthians 4:7: "What do you have that you have not received?"). Cassiodorus says: "Act, word, life, and thought cry out; indeed, they penetrate even more deeply to God." Ecclesiasticus 35:21: "The prayer of him who humbles himself"—which is justice, according to Matthew 3:15: "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness"—"will penetrate the clouds." John 9:31: "If anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him." Judges 11:21 (cf. context): "Know that the Lord will hear your prayers if, remaining steadfast, you persevere in fastings and prayers in the sight of the Lord." Psalm 118:121: "I have executed judgment and justice; do not deliver me to my oppressors." James 5:16: "The persistent prayer of a just man avails much."
"Give heed to my supplication..."
Behold the second point. As if he were saying: "Not only look upon my justice, but 'give heed'—which is more than merely 'hear'—'to my supplication of mouth,' which is properly for removing evils."
But it seems he speaks less grammatically; he ought to have said: "Give heed to my prayer." I respond: "To give heed" (intendere) is said in three ways:
Sometimes it signifies only the diligence of the mind, and then it governs the dative: Psalm 68:19: "Give heed to my soul and deliver it."
Sometimes it signifies an artificial operation, and then it is the same as "to bend a bow" or something similar: Psalm 57:8: "He bent his bow until they were weakened"; Jeremiah 50:14: "Prepare against Babylon round about, all you who bend the bow; fight against her." And then it is always joined with the accusative.
But supplication, which is for removing evils, is a bow—because, as it is said, a bow (arcus) is so called because it constricts (arctat) the enemy, which supplication does. Exodus 17:11: "And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel prevailed; but if he let them down a little, Amalek prevailed."
Therefore the sense is: "Not only give heed to my prayer, but 'give heed to the prayer itself,' that it may be like a drawn bow, warding off evil from me." Judith 4:13: "Remember Moses, the servant of the Lord, who struck down Amalek, confident in his strength and in his power and in his army and in his shields and in his chariots and in his horsemen, not by fighting with the sword, but by praying with holy prayers."
"Perceive with your ears..."
Here is the third point. As if he were saying: "Not only may you hear my justice and incline your ears to my supplication, but also 'perceive with your ears'—which is still more than to hear or to give heed to—'my prayer,' made not with deceitful lips."
How "deceitful lips" have been spoken of above. In prayer, lips are properly deceitful when the mouth does not correspond to the heart, according to Matthew 15:8: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." Augustine, in the book On the Mirror for Clerics: "Let that which is brought forth in the mouth dwell in the heart."
Likewise, lips are deceitful when there is hatred in the heart and a kiss on the lips. "Lying lips are deceitful." The Lord does not hear such persons, but rather, as it is said, Proverbs 19:9: "He who speaks lies shall perish." Those who speak sophistically: Ecclesiasticus 37:23: "He who speaks sophistically is hateful in everything; he will be defrauded. Grace from the Lord has not been given to him." So with Judas, Matthew 26:48: "Whomever I kiss, he is the one; seize him." The prayer of such lips is not heard. Psalm 30:19: "Let deceitful lips be made mute."
Note concerning Joab, 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 20:9-10, who, taking hold of Amasa's chin, said, "Greetings, my brother," and kissed him. Moreover, Amasa did not notice the sword.
"Let my judgment come forth from your countenance..."
Here, as it were, he directs his speech to wisdom, which was the second point. And two things are said:
First, he asks that his merits and the rewards to be given for them be considered by divine wisdom;
Second, he explains what those merits are which he asks to be considered, at "You have proved my heart..."
In the first section, as has been touched upon:
First, he asks that divine wisdom attend to his merits;
Second, that it attend to the rewards which are to be given to him, at "Your eyes..."
He says therefore: "Thus may your goodness hear, give heed, and perceive with its ears; and let my judgment"—that is, the examination of my merits—"come forth from your countenance," that is, from your disposition and wisdom, which makes you known, just as a person's face makes him known, so that I may be able to say that which is in Isaiah 49:4: "My judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God."
And note that our judgment, by which we judge ourselves, punishing ourselves for sins—concerning which 1 Corinthians 11:31: "But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged"—ought to proceed from the countenance of God, from consideration, namely, of divine disposition, because we see that He thus afflicts His own. Proverbs 11:31: "If the just man is recompensed on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!"
Likewise, the judgment by which we actively judge others ought to proceed from His countenance—that is, from His wisdom and illumination: 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 3:9 (cf. 1 Kings 3:9; context of Solomon's prayer): "Give therefore to your servant an understanding heart, that he may judge your people."
"Let your eyes behold equity..."
Behold the second point. As if he were saying: "Consider my merits, and also let your spiritual eyes"—that is, your wisdom and understanding—"behold equity," attending not to strict justices, but to equities. For equity is justice mixed with mercy. Job 20:7 (contextual): "Let him propose equity against me, and let my judgment come to victory." Lamentations 2:64: "You will render to them their recompense, O Lord, according to the works of their hands." Tobit 3:2: "All your ways, O Lord, are mercy and truth and judgment."
"You have proved my heart..."
Here is the second section, in which he specifies those merits which God ought to attend to:
First, the merit of the heart;
Second, of the mouth, at "That my mouth may not speak...";
Third, of work, at "For the sake of the words..."
But if it is asked why the order is inverted—for above he alleged the merit of work, namely justice, and lastly that of the heart, whereas here it is the contrary—it must be responded that when prayer or petition is made, so that the petition may enter, it is necessary that justice precede, and it ought to be formed by right intention. But it is one thing in the showing forth of merits: for since every merit begins from the heart and through the mouth proceeds further into work, the one showing forth merits ought to begin from the heart and proceed to the mouth and finally to work. And for this reason, there it is thus, but here thus.
To the first merit, namely that of the heart, belong three things which are touched upon in the text:
First, probation;
Second, visitation, at "And you have visited...";
Third, examination, at "You have examined me by fire..."
In probation is noted acceptance by the divine will; in visitation, frequent inspection of the one approved; in examination, perfect purification of the one frequently inspected—as happens with gold. First it is proved by touching with the touchstone; second, it is carefully and frequently inspected from all sides; moreover, it is examined by fire and purified to perfection.
He says therefore: "Weigh my merits, as I have said, with respect to the heart, because 'you have proved my heart' by tribulation, 'by night'"—that is, you have found it proved. Or: "You have rendered it proved by temptation," or "you have found it proved through it." Tobit 12:13: "Because you were acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove you."
And note that "to prove" (probare) is said:
By showing forth something, disputing and acting in judgment: Acts 24:13: "Nor can they prove to you the things of which they now accuse me";
By commending: So speaks Paul, 2 Corinthians 10:18: "For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom God commends"; Ecclesiasticus 34:23: "The Most High does not approve the gifts of the wicked";
By experiencing and examining, in whatever manner: Luke 12:56: "You know how to prove the appearance of earth and sky."
So it is taken here.
"And you have visited..."
As if he were saying: "Carefully and frequently, proving by night"—that is, by tribulation, which is called night: Job 30:17: "By night my bone is pierced within me, and my pains do not cease."
And note that "visitation" sometimes signifies simple presence: Psalm 26:4: "That I may see the delight of the Lord and visit His temple." Sometimes, a presence afflicting for correction: Psalm 88:33: "I will visit their iniquities with the rod." Amos 3:2: "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities." Sometimes, a presence afflicting for punishment: Isaiah 27:1: "The Lord will visit with His hard and great and strong sword upon Leviathan"; and 24:21: "The Lord will visit upon the host of heaven on high." Sometimes, however, it implies a presence consoling: Psalm 105:4: "Visit us with your salvation"; Luke 1:78: "The Dayspring from on high has visited us."
In the second manner it is taken here.
"You have examined me by fire..."
"Purifying me from every stain, and thus iniquity has not been found in me." Isaiah 1:25: "I will smelt your dross purely and take away all your tin."
In the first instance, "you have examined me by fire, as silver is examined." But how does he say, "Iniquity has not been found in me"? Proverbs 20:9: "Who can say, 'My heart is clean; I am pure from sin'?" 1 John 1:8: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves..."
I respond: He calls "iniquity" not mortal sin, and which a man can say he is without, through the grace of God. Job 16:18: "I have suffered these things without the iniquity of my hand, when I had pure prayers to God."
And note that in this verse he calls tribulation "night" and "fire": "night" because it blinds some: Zephaniah 1:17: "I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like the blind"; "fire" because it illuminates others. Thus Tobias was illuminated by the gall of the fish.
"That my mouth may not speak..."
Here he alleges the merit of speech. He says therefore thus: "You have examined the heart, and you have so examined it that my mouth may no longer speak 'the works of men.'" For he speaks the works of men who flatters a sinner, or who also recalls the sins of others by detracting. For what are the works of men, properly speaking, except sins? Job 31:30: "I have not allowed my throat to sin." Ephesians 4:29: "Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth." 1 Peter 4:11: "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the words of God."
"For the sake of the words..."
Here is the third point, in which he shows the merit of work. And:
First, he shows the cause of merit;
Second, the merit itself, at "I have kept..."
He says therefore thus: "From the heart and mouth, and also 'for the sake of the words of your lips'"—that is, of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, which are as it were two lips; or of the Prophets: Jeremiah 15:19: "If you separate the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth."
"I have kept," in work, "hard ways"—that is, operations harsh by nature. And if perhaps afterwards they were made easy by grace and habituation: Isaiah 40:4: "The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain." For harsh are the ways in which the Saints have walked, and hard: Hebrews 11:36-37: "Others, namely the saints, experienced mockings and scourgings, moreover also bonds and imprisonments; they were stoned, they were sawn asunder," and the rest which the Apostle commemorates there. Hard was the way of Lawrence and Vincent upon the gridiron; and yet, for the sake of the words of God's lips promising great things, they endured these. Gregory: "The consideration of the reward lessens the force of torment." Jerome, to the monk Antoninus: "Naked, follow the naked Christ."
It is said to be great and difficult, but great are the rewards: 2 Maccabees 6:30: "O Lord, who have holy knowledge, manifestly show that, though I could be delivered from death, I endure harsh bodily pains; but in soul, for fear of you, I willingly suffer these." I know that you say, Psalm 88:35: "The things that proceed from my lips I will not make void."
"Perfect my steps..."
Here is the third point of the entire first part, in which he directs his speech to power—for it belongs to power to perfect what has been begun. And two things are said:
First, he asks for consummation in good, that he may not stand still in the commandments but may progress even to the fulfillment of counsels;
Second, he asks for perseverance, at "That my footsteps may not be moved..."
He says therefore thus: "Consider my merits, and you, O most powerful one, 'perfect my steps'"—that is, my works. These are the steps of which Proverbs 4:25: "Let your eyelids go before your steps." Perfect these: Deuteronomy 33:6 (contextual): "Your perfection and your doctrine for your holy man, whom you have proved in temptation." Job 4:6: "Where is your patience and the perfection of your ways?"
"Perfect," I say, "not in the broad ways of sin, but in your paths"—that is, in your counsels—concerning which Proverbs 4:11: "I will lead you in the paths of equity; into which when you shall have entered, your steps shall not be straitened." Many do not find this path: Job 28:7: "The bird has not known the path"—that is, of Christ.
"And so perfect that my footsteps may not be moved from the same paths, but that I may persevere in them." Footsteps: external, of works of humility and obedience; internal, that the irascible power may always remain in detestation of the evil which it abandons, the concupiscible in love of the good which it has promised. Concerning these footsteps, Job 13:27: "And you have considered the footsteps of my feet."
But alas for me! Many today retreat from these footsteps: Isaiah 33:8: "The wayfarer has ceased; he has passed by the path; the covenant has been made void." Against such the Lord says, part 6: Luke 9:62: "No one, putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." 2 Peter 2:21: "It had been better for them not to have known the way of justice than, after having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment which was delivered to them."
Second Part of the Psalm: Prayer Against Enemies
"I have cried out..."
Here begins the second part of the Psalm, in which, after having requested grace against the labor and hardness of the way, and as if now having obtained it confidently, he prays against the multitude of enemies impeding the very way.
And this part is divided into two:
First, he asks for preservation and protection from enemies impeding progress;
Second, for contrary retribution upon them and for the afflicted good, at "Arise, O Lord, prevent..."
In the first section there are several points:
First, he asks with great confidence to be heard;
Second, he proves that he ought to be heard, at "Make wonderful your mercies...";
Third, the determination of the petition is set forth—namely, in what he wishes to be heard: in his protection against enemies, at "From those who resist your right hand...";
Fourth, how he wishes to be heard: "As the apple of the eye...";
Fifth, in what manner: "Under the shadow of your wings...";
Sixth, from whom: "From the face of the wicked...";
Seventh, why: "My enemies..."
In the first point, three things are touched upon:
First, certain confidence of obtaining;
Second, petition for the Lord's preparation to hear, at "Incline...";
Third, readiness to hear, at "And hear me..."
He says therefore thus: "I have petitioned, nor in vain; whence confidently I say: O God, 'I have cried out,' incited to this, 'because you have heard me.'"
But it is objected: "Why do you cry out if you have been heard?"
Response: "I have been heard in the preceding petition on account of my justice, and strength has been given to me against the difficulty of the way; here, therefore, trusting, I cry out to obtain grace against the multitude of those who impede."
Moreover, Christ cried out three times:
In preaching: John 7:37: "On the last and great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink'"—and thus He awakened those sleeping in unbelief.
In raising Lazarus: John 11:43: "He cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!'"—to raise those despairing, who already stink like Lazarus by the habit of sin.
On the cross, about to die: Matthew 27:50: "But Jesus, crying out again with a loud voice, yielded up the spirit"—to soften those hardened in sins; whence at that cry the rocks were split and the monuments opened.
Thus He cried out and was heard: John 11:42: "I knew that you always hear me." Hebrews 5:7: "He was heard for his reverence."
And note four causes on account of which one crying out is not heard:
The turning away of the hearer, which happens when one asks feignedly; for then God turns away His ear and flees.
Remissness of the cry, which happens in the slothful: Isaiah 58:1: "Cry, cease not"; Luke 18:1ff: the widow persisting before the unjust judge was heard. This slothfulness is generated by prosperity: Psalm 21:3: "I will cry by day"—that is, in prosperity—"and you will not hear."
The distance of the one crying out: This is in those who are wandering in heart, running about through things remote from God. Such was the prayer of the Pharisees, who prayed in the corners of the streets, having their heart set on temporal gain. Psalm 72:27: "Those who distance themselves from you shall perish."
The interposition between the one crying out and him to whom he cries: This is in sinners and the impious, who interpose a cloud of malice: Lamentations 3:44: "You have interposed a cloud to yourself, that prayer may not pass through"; Isaiah 59:2: "Your iniquities have divided between you and your God."
"Incline your ear..."
"And so prepare yourself to hear; and it is necessary, because you dwell on high and we below: Job 11:8: 'He is higher than heaven, and what will you do?' Psalm 113:16: 'But the earth He has given to the sons of men,' etc.; 2 Kings (2 Samuel) 19:16 (contextual): 'Incline your ear'"—namely, mercy, which receives prayers just as the ear receives voice. Above, in Psalm 10 according to the Hebrews, verse 17: "The Lord has heard the desire of the poor; your ear has heard the preparation of their heart."
"And hear my words" after you have thus inclined yourself: Daniel 9:17: "Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of your servant and his supplications"—or rather, your words, because they are inspired in me by you. For Gregory says: "God hears no one unless He inspires him to pray."
"Make wonderful your mercies..."
Here is the second point, in which he proves that he ought to be heard, alleging God's mercy toward those who hope. He briefly repeats the petition and adds the cause, at "You who save..." He says therefore: "Make wonderful"—that is, show forth as wonderful—"your mercies," by hearing me in my petitions.
God sometimes makes His power wonderful, according to Ecclesiasticus 42:30-31: "He is almighty above all His works, and His power is wonderful." Sometimes His knowledge, according to Psalm 138:6: "Your knowledge has become wonderful to me." But above all, He makes mercy wonderful. Cassiodorus: "That could not be wonderful unless it had been beheld under some novelty." Gregory: "First, He made His mercy wonderful when He ordained that His Son should die for servants and enemies, just as the Church sings: 'O wonderful condescension of your pity toward us, that you might redeem a servant, you delivered up your Son.'"
Likewise, He makes mercy wonderful by converting and recalling the sinner who has turned away, receiving as if an adulterous spouse into repeated marriage: Jeremiah 3:1: "But you have played the harlot with many lovers; nevertheless, return to me, and I will receive you."
Likewise, by carefully preserving those converted through Angels and through Prelates: Psalm 30:22: "Because He has made His mercy wonderful toward me in a fortified city."
And finally, He makes it wonderful by delivering from so manifold misery, both of punishment and of fault. Gregory: "The mercies of the Lord are made wonderful if our miseries are recalled to memory."
"You who save those who hope in you..."
As if he were saying: "Thus make wonderful, and you ought, because 'you save those who hope in you.'" Lamentations 3:25: "The Lord is good to those who hope in Him." Ecclesiasticus 2:11: "Know that no one who has hoped in the Lord has been confounded." Proverbs 29:25: "He who hopes in the Lord shall be exalted." Romans 8:24: "By hope we have been saved."
"From those who resist your right hand, protect me..."
From this it follows that someone resists the right hand of God, which is power; indeed, some do. Against this, Job 9:13: "God, whose wrath no one can resist."
I respond that there he speaks of the wrath of God to come in the future, which no one will be able to resist; but here "right hand" is called, as the Gloss says, favor and benevolence, which regards the will rather, to which many resist.
But against this, Romans 9:19: "Who resists His will?"
I respond that to His will of good pleasure no one resists; but to His will of sign many do, because they do not avoid what is prohibited nor do what is commanded. Job 14:13: "They themselves have been rebellious to the light"; and 15:26: "He has run against Him"—that is, against God—"with neck outstretched."
Moreover, the "right hand" is also said to be the Son, to whom many resist; and it is called "right hand" for three reasons:
By reason of strength: Aristotle, in the book On Animals: "The right-side members are stronger than the left." Job 9:19: "If strength is sought, He is most robust." 1 Corinthians 1:23-24: "We preach the power of God."
By reason of operation: For the right hand is the principle of working. John 8:25: "Who are you?" Jesus said to them: "I am He who also speaks to you." Colossians 1:16: "All things were created through Him." John 1:3: "All things were made through Him."
By reason of peace and covenant: Isidore: "The right hand (dextera) is so called from giving (dando); through it a pledge of peace is given." 2 Maccabees 6:58: "Now therefore let us give the right hand to these men and make peace with them." And we have been pacified with Christ: John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you..."; Ephesians 2:15: "That He might create in Himself one new man, making peace."
"Protect me as the apple of the eye..."
As if he were saying: "Protect, and so protect, as the apple of the eye, which is most diligently guarded." Deuteronomy 32:10: "He guarded him as the apple of His eye." Zechariah 2:8: "For he who touches you touches the apple of my eye."
This the giving of alms does: Ecclesiasticus 17:18: "The alms of a man shall be as a signet with him, and he shall preserve grace as the apple of the eye."
And note that this apple, to whose likeness he asks to be preserved, is Christ. Whence, if Christ is speaking, the sense is: "Protect me as the apple of the eye"—that is, just as the apple of the eye is guarded. Or: if some just person is to be guarded, "protect me as the apple of the eye," just as, namely, you have guarded Christ.
And Christ is called "apple of the eye" (pupilla) for six reasons:
By reason of the name: For Cassiodorus says that pupilla is so called as if pusilla ("very small"). For it is something small. So Christ: Philippians 2:7: "But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant."
By reason of goodness: Cassiodorus: "In our body, nothing more excellent than the apple of the eye is found." So nothing in the whole body of the Church is more excellent than Christ: Song of Songs 5:10: "My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands."
By reason of purity: For Isidore says that pupilla is so called as if pura ("pure"), just as puella ("girl"). But what is purer than Christ? 1 Peter 2:22: "Who committed no sin..." Moreover, He had no earthly dust in Himself, living in extreme poverty: Luke 9:58: "But the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
By reason of tenderness: For it does not permit itself to be touched: Proverbs 4:3: "For I was a tender son in my father's sight, and an only child in the sight of my mother." John 20:17: "Do not touch me." Nevertheless, this apple was touched very harshly in His passion: Matthew 26:55: "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?" With thorns and nails and lance this apple was pierced, and for this reason it shed a tear: Ecclesiasticus 22:24: "Piercing the eye brings forth tears." And Hebrews 5:7: "With a loud cry and tears offering up prayers"—namely, He was heard.
By reason of composition: For the eye has a threefold substance: tunics, humor, and light. The first, outermost, is Christ's flesh: Job 10:11: "You have clothed me with skin and flesh." The second, interior, is as it were the soul, which is compared to water: 1 Samuel (1 Kings) 1:15: "I have poured out my soul in the sight of the Lord." Lamentations 2:19: "Pour out your heart like water." The third, innermost and hidden, is Christ's divinity: 1 John 1:5: "Because God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." Isaiah 45:15: "Truly you are a hidden God."
By reason of formation: For according to Aristotle, in the book On Animals, eyes are formed last in animals which have eyes. And Christ was made man at the end of times: Galatians 4:4: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son..."
"Under the shadow of your wings..."
Here he determines in what he wishes to be guarded: namely, in the shadow of wings. He says therefore: "Thus guard, and I add the place in which I wish to be guarded: 'Under the shadow of your wings'—not elsewhere—'protect me.'"
The wings of God are charity and mercy, under which he wishes to be protected. These are those of which Matthew 23:37: "How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings!" These wings protect us both in adversities and in prosperities and overshadow: Psalm 120:6: "By day the sun shall not burn you, nor the moon by night"—for you are overshadowed by divine wings.
Moreover, the wings are the arms of Christ extended on the cross, concerning which Deuteronomy 32:11: "He spread His wings and took him up"; John 12:32: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself." Malachi 4:2: "And healing is in His wings."
Moreover, the wings are the two Testaments of that white hen, divine knowledge and wisdom, by which the Church is overshadowed. For it knows through the Scriptures, as it were in shadow, what will finally be exhibited from under these wings, and it will know openly: 1 Corinthians 13:12: "We see now through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face." Song of Songs 2:3: "Under his shadow, whom I had desired, I sat, and his fruit was sweet to my throat."
Moreover, the "hen" also signifies Prelates, who ought to have two wings: wisdom and piety, in whose shadow they may cherish their subjects: Ezekiel 17:3: "A great eagle with great wings..."; Lamentations 4:20: "Under your shadow, O Prelate"—that is, in wisdom and mercy—"we shall live among the nations."
But they have become like kites: Zechariah 5:9: "And behold, two women"—that is, effeminate Prelates—"had wings like those of a kite." Isaiah 34:15: "There," that is, in the Cathedral Church, "have the kites gathered together, one to another." Jeremiah 2:34: "And on your wings has been found the blood of the souls of the poor and innocent."
"From the face of the wicked..."
Here is the fifth point, in which he shows from whom he wishes to be guarded. For if above he touched upon this at "From those who resist your right hand, protect me," here he speaks more openly. He says therefore: "Thus protect me under the shadow, and this 'from the face of the wicked' who have afflicted me."
What is it that you say? If they have afflicted you, and you still fear being afflicted, how is it that, speaking as you do, you do not seek to be freed from their hands rather than from their face?
Response: Whether Christ speaks or the Church, it is most fittingly said: for one is more burdened by the deformity of the wicked—which properly is seen in the face—than in the endurance of one's own injury. As if he were saying: "It weighs more heavily to see the deformity of wretched sinners than to endure any severity of punishment whatsoever." Nor is it strange, for the deformity of an evil soul is so great that it can scarcely or never be described. Chrysostom, however, on Matthew, describes it in some measure. Let there be, therefore, a man emitting fire from within, having black dragons hanging from either shoulder for hands. Let him have a mouth with sharp swords fixed in place for teeth, and for a tongue a spring pouring forth deadly poison. Let his belly be more consuming than any furnace, devouring all things cast into it. Let his feet be winged and more vehement than every flame for moving himself. And let his very face be constructed of a dog and a bear, and let him speak nothing human, but have a terrible sound. Let him also hold flame in his hands. And he adds: "Perhaps these things seem terrible to you which have been said, but we have not formed him as he deserves."
In this phrase, "from the face" and not "from the faces," is noted the unity of intention in evils, that they may persecute the good: Hosea 11:12: "Iniquity is bound up for Ephraim."
"My enemies..."
Here is the sixth and last point, in which he shows why he asks to be guarded: because of manifold attacks. And two things are said:
First, the manifold malice of the adversaries;
Second, the avidity of the malignants, at "They have taken me up..."
In the first part, five things are noted:
First, deliberation on destroying him;
Second, joyful apprehension if they can, at "They have closed their fat...";
Third, mockery of the captured, at "Their mouth...";
Fourth, vilification of the mocked, at "Casting me forth...";
Fifth, the reason for all these things of theirs, at "They have set their eyes..."
He says therefore: "Thus I ask to be protected, nor is it strange, because 'my enemies'—demons and evil men—'have surrounded my soul,' deliberating and conferring, just as a castle is considered and surrounded from which side it can be taken. So the Jews literally surrounded Christ: John 11:47: "The chief priests therefore gathered..." And in Psalm 21:17: "For many dogs have surrounded me." So also do demons surround the soul: Ecclesiastes 9:14: "A great king came against him and besieged it." Jonah 2:6: "The abyss surrounded me." Luke 19:43: "Your enemies will cast a trench about you..." And he fittingly says "my soul," because the Jews sought nothing but the soul of Christ, nor do demons seek anything but the soul of the just: Genesis 14:21: "Give me the souls, but take the rest to yourself." Gregory: "He thinks he has done nothing unless he wounds souls."
"They have closed their fat..."
Behold the second point: joyful invasion. As if he were saying: "Thus they have surrounded by deliberating, seeking, and also 'they have closed their fat'"—that is, the joy by which they grew fat and leaped like a fat animal—"they have closed," that is, brought to an end or covered themselves entirely.
But for greater understanding of this word, which is adeps (fat), it is taken in multiple senses:
In a good sense: internal devotion: Psalm 62:6: "My soul shall be filled as with marrow and fatness."
Holy Scripture is better fat: Isaiah 34:6: "The sword of the Lord is filled with blood... it is made fat with fatness," where he speaks against sins, but promises goods.
But the best fat is spiritual joy, infused into the heart by God alone: Leviticus 3:16: "All the fat shall be the Lord's."
But evil fat is malice universally, according to Job 15:27: "His belly is full of fat," namely, of the wicked.
And of this can be understood what is said here: "They have closed their fat"—that is, they have shut up their malice within themselves, closing it in to blind themselves. Or: they have closed it to bring it to an end, killing the Lord. For as Bernard says: "Original sin is indeed grave, but any personal sin is graver; but gravest of all is that singular sin which they committed against the Lord of majesty, most cruel homicides, or, if it is lawful to say, deicides." Matthew 23:32: "And you, fill up the measure of your fathers."
Fat is worse still as pride, for animals full of fat are wont to be proud and untamable. This is the fat of King Eglon: Judges 3:21-22: "He thrust it"—namely, the dagger—"into his belly so strongly that the hilt followed the blade into the wound, and was closed in by the very abundant fat." And of this can be read: "They have closed their fat"—that is, shut it within themselves, in no way humbled.
Fat, moreover, which is the occasion of both the aforesaid, is temporal abundance: Psalm 72:7: "Their iniquity has come forth as it were out of fatness."
"Their mouth has spoken pride..."
...mocking the captive. Psalm 30:21: "And they opened their mouth wide against me, they said, 'Aha, aha!'" For this the poor man prays: Psalm 24:3: "Neither let my enemies mock me." And the Jews mocked Christ: Matthew 27:40: "Vah! You who destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days..."
"Casting me forth..."
Here is the fourth point, namely the vilification of the mocked. As if he were saying: "Thus they speak proudly, mocking, and also 'casting me forth' as something vile outside Jerusalem, they surrounded me to crucify." Matthew 21:39: "And taking him, they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him." John 19:5: "Jesus therefore went out, bearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment." And 19:17: "And bearing His cross, He went out to that place which is called Calvary." Hebrews 13:12: "Jesus, that He might sanctify the people by His own blood, suffered outside the gate." So also His members: Jeremiah 38:6: "And they let Jeremiah down with ropes into the cistern, in which there was no water, but mud." And Acts 7:58 concerning Stephen: "And casting him out of the city, they stoned him."
So also nowadays, if some receive the word of God, they soon cast it out: Jeremiah 8:9: "They have rejected the word of the Lord, and what wisdom is in them?" Nay, if for a short time, as in Lent and Advent, they receive God into themselves through grace, they reject Him in summer, just as winter boots are cast aside. Ezekiel 23:35: "You have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back."
"They have set their eyes..."
Behold the fifth and last point, namely the reason for the preceding. As if he were saying: "Thus they do these things, because 'they have set their eyes'"—that is, the intention and affection of their heart—"firmly established to decline toward this earth," material and trampled. This is plain in the Jews who killed Christ, who turned their eyes to preserving earthly things: John 11:50, 48: "It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish. Lest perhaps the Romans come..."
Moreover, in Christ there was divinity as heaven and humanity as earth. But the Jews attended only to the earth, that is, the humanity in Christ. Proverbs 17:24: "In the face of the prudent"—that is, of Christ—"wisdom shines," namely divine wisdom; "but the eyes of fools"—namely, the Jews—"are in the ends of the earth," namely in Christ's humanity. Isaiah 42:18: "Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see. Who is blind but My servant?" Truly blind, who did not see Christ's divinity, which every creature perceived. Gregory: "The sea knew Him, because He offered Himself to be trampled by feet. The heavens knew Him, because at the Lord's birth they sent a star. The sun knew Him, because at His passion it darkened its rays. The earth knew Him, because it trembled when He died." Bernard: "The whole machinery of the world grew pale and trembled at the death of Christ."
This is the universal reason, both in demons and in men, why they persecute the good: because they have set their eyes to decline toward the earth. Daniel 11:9: "They have turned their eyes that they might not see heaven, nor remember the judgments of the just."
"They have taken me up..."
Here is the second part, in which the malignity of the persecutors is shown, and it is shown in two things: first, in cunning; second, in cruelty, at "And like a young lion..." He says therefore thus: "They persecute, and for this reason, and also cruelly, because 'they have taken me up,' not in any manner, 'but as a lion' prepared for prey, which devours and tears cruelly. And this is true in Christ with respect to the greater Jews: Zephaniah 3:3: "Her princes in the midst of her are roaring lions." So also demons, like lions, take up sinners for prey: 1 Peter 5:8: "Your adversary the devil..." And in Psalm 7:3: "Lest at any time he tear my soul like a lion."
"And like a young lion," not raging openly, but dwelling in hiding, whence he lies in wait cunningly, like certain Jews who cunningly and secretly procured the death of Christ. Lamentations 3:10: "He has been to me a bear lying in wait, a lion in secret places." And such are called "young lions," for these were outwardly humble and abject. For this reason Jeremiah complains of all together: Jeremiah 12:8: "My heritage has become to me like a lion in the forest; she has given her voice against me. Therefore I have hated her." Behold, in hiding he gave his voice against me. Behold, prepared for prey.
And in these words is noted the twofold temptation of the devil, by which he attacks his own through himself and through his own: openly and secretly. Concerning these, Psalm 90:5-6: "You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, of the arrow flying in the day"—as to the open—"of the business walking in darkness"—as to the hidden.
"Arise, O Lord..."
Here is the second part of the second section of this Psalm, in which just retribution is requested for the adversaries; second, for the just and those enduring their harassment, at "But I in justice..." In the first part, three things:
First, the liberation of the just from the impious to be rendered in the future, at "Lord, from the few...";
Second, the fault or demerit on account of which it is owed to them, at "From your hidden things..."
In the first part, three things:
First, the arousing of the Lord;
Second, the petition, at "And prevent him...";
Third, the proof that he will be heard, at "Your sword..."
He says therefore: "So great is the necessity of persecution, as I have premised. Therefore, 'arise,' You who seem to sleep or not to care for human sins. Elsewhere, Psalm 43:23: "Arise, why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise, and do not cast us off to the end."
"And prevent him..."
Here is the petition, and he asks three things:
Haste of help;
The overthrow of the enemy, at "And supplant him...";
And deliverance, at "Deliver my soul from the impious."
He says therefore thus: "Arise and 'prevent him,' that is, the enemy, namely the Jewish people persecuting me, as Augustine, Jerome, and Cassiodorus say. This letter has them, namely the Jews, but this letter has him, signifying the Jewish people, and he speaks in the manner of runners. As if he were saying: "They run swiftly to persecute me, but You 'prevent them' by punishing." Proverbs 1:16: "Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood; but You prevent, that they may receive punishment first before they shed." And this came to pass, for they were blinded before they killed Christ: 1 Corinthians 2:8: "If they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory." Wisdom 2:21: "These things they thought, but they did not accomplish in deed, and they erred; for their malice blinded them."
"And supplant him..."
Behold the second point. As if he were saying: "Prevent, and when You have overtaken, 'supplant him,' that is, cast him down by wrestling; for to cast down in wrestling is called 'to supplant.' For such are wont to place something under the soles, or to draw something from under the sole."* And so it was done: for they were shamefully cast down and supplanted, dispersed and scattered throughout the whole world. Proverbs 19:3: "The folly of a man supplants his steps," as to understanding. And in chapter 11:6: "The wickedness of the sinner supplants him," as to the foot of affection. For this reason it is said, Jeremiah 46:6: "Let not the swift flee away, nor the valiant man think to escape." Amos 2:14: "Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength."
"Deliver my soul..."
Behold the third point. "Thus prevent and supplant the members of the devil, the impious, and 'deliver my soul,' both my own and that of all Mine, 'from the impious' devil, who, standing on the horn of the cross, was waiting for it, as he was wont to carry it off to hell. Job 40:18: "Behold, he will drink up a river and not wonder; and he trusts that the Jordan may run into his mouth."
"Your sword..."
Behold the third point. As if he were saying: "I have asked that You may take hold, and You ought, because I say, 'deliver,' not any thing whatsoever, but 'your sword,' my soul, which is your sword; whence You ought to deliver it, and especially from the enemies of Your hand, the Jews and demons, who oppose Your power, which is understood by the hand. According to Isidore, a framea is a sword sharp on both sides, and is called framea from the material, as if ferrea (iron). The soul of Christ is therefore called a sword, as if iron, hard and altogether inflexible in justice: Psalm 45:6: "God is in the midst of it; it shall not be moved." But it was sharp on both sides, the soul of Christ, when on one side by the keenness of intellect it could comprehend and penetrate the divinity to its innermost depths, and on the other side, by the sense, it could most acutely penetrate the passions of the body, so that neither contemplation hindered the sense of passion, nor the sense of passion in any way drew it away from contemplation. This is the sword with which God conquered hell, drawing it from its sheath, namely, from His flesh. Ezekiel 21:28: "O sword, O sword, draw yourself out, to slay, be sharpened to kill, and be bright to separate the pious from the impious, and to show forth your power." And afterwards, with victory accomplished, the sword was again placed in its sheath, in His body, to remain there forever. And since all things are Yours, Job 41:2: "All things under heaven are Mine," this especially is Yours, which was assumed into the unity of the person of Your Son, and on this account is to be most especially delivered by You.
"Lord, from the few..."
Here is the petition for just retribution to the wicked themselves. And it is read in multiple ways. Threefold interpretation:
First, so that "the few" may be understood as the unfaithful Jews. And thus it is read: "Lord, who are almighty in their life"—that is, in their present life, which they think is theirs and seek no other. Wisdom 1:2, 6, 9: "For we are born of nothing, and after this we shall be as if we had not been. Come therefore, and let us enjoy the good things that are." And it is added: "For this is our portion, and this our lot." "Divide them"—that is, separate them from their land, Jerusalem, and the adjacent country, that that may be fulfilled which is in 2 Kings 25:21: "Judah was carried away out of their land." And so divide them that they may be separated from one another, "from the few," scattered hither and thither. This is more plainly found in Augustine's text, which reads thus: "Lord, You will destroy them from the earth"—as to the first; "disperse them in their life"—as to the second. And this is just: for they killed Christ to preserve the land, whence they justly lost it; and to keep the nation united, John 11:48: "The Romans will come and take away our place and nation." For this reason, divided from the land and separated from one another, they will not be safe. And the sense is: "Lord, in their life..."
Or thus, so that "the few" may be understood as the faithful Jews. For as historians teach, especially Josephus, with the extermination of the Jews impending, a few faithful withdrew into the kingdom of Agrippa, warned by an angel, where they lived. As before, "divide them from the few," that is, from the faithful, from their land, the faithful having departed. Or "the few" can signify all the elect, and it is read thus: "Lord, divide them for Your few elect," and so that "their land," that is, the land of the elect, which is the land of the living. And this "in their life," that is, according as their life has deserved. Concerning the division, Matthew 25:32-33: "He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."
This imprecation is already fulfilled for evil prelates: for they are divided from the few, from the humble who are few in number and consider themselves nothing, while they themselves are many in honors, delights, and riches. Above, in Psalm 4:8: "From the fruit of their grain, wine, and oil, they are multiplied." Likewise, they are divided from the earth, because they do not labor but rest: Psalm 72:5: "They are not in the labor of men, and they shall not be scourged with men." But as Bernard says, "with demons." And finally, that will happen to them which the Lord threatens to the evil servant: Luke 12:46: "He will cut him in sunder and appoint his portion with the unbelievers."
"From your hidden things..."
Here is the third point, the demerit on account of which he imprecates this punishment, and a twofold one is touched upon:
First, in themselves absolutely;
Second, in comparison to others, their successors, namely according to some readings, at "They are filled..."
He says therefore: "Thus punish them, and they are worthy, because 'from your hidden things'"—that is, sins and impurities which You do not know, but rather are hidden from You. Against this: Are the sins of men hidden from Him? Elsewhere, Psalm 18:13: "From my hidden sins cleanse me, O Lord." But how are they said to be hidden from God, of whom Hebrews 4:13 says: "All things are naked and open to His eyes?"
Response: Not from simple knowledge—Psalm 89:8: "You have set our iniquities before You"—but from knowledge of affection. Habakkuk 1:13: "Your eyes are pure, that You cannot behold evil, and You cannot look on iniquity."
"With these hidden things of Yours their belly is filled"—that is, the capacity of reason, says Jerome; or memory, as Augustine says. Thus filled is he that there is no place in him for God, but there is forgetfulness of Him. Romans 1:28-29: "He delivered them up to a reprobate sense, to do those things which are not convenient, being filled with all iniquity, malice..." Now the things of the wicked are in their belly, but on the day of judgment they will cry out as a woman in labor: Psalm 47:7: "There were sorrows as of a woman in labor." And what else but that of Jeremiah 4:19: "My bowels, my bowels I am pained at the very heart." And you will grieve for them, because henceforth it can never go forth through confession. 2 Kings 19:3: "The children are come even to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth." Matthew 24:19: "Woe to those that are with child and that give suck in those days."
And note that there is a threefold belly:
Gluttony: Philippians 3:19: "Whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame."
Human infirmity: Psalm 43:25: "Our belly is cleaved to the earth." Song of Songs 7:2: "Your navel is called the Church," that is, the weaker part of you, "like a round bowl..."
Memory and conscience, as is said here: Proverbs 13:25: "The belly of the wicked shall want."
Also, "hidden things" can be called the precepts of God and the miracles of Christ, which were hidden from God to other nations, but the Jews are filled with these. Deuteronomy 4:8: "What other nation is there so renowned that has ceremonies and just judgments, and all the law which I set before your eyes this day?"
"They are filled with children..."
Here is the second part, in which the transfusion of iniquity into others is shown, and:
First, the abundance of malice in them is noted;
Second, the transfusion into others from that, at "And they have left..."
For it is read according to Augustine threefold:
First, as here, that "children" is taken properly for natural offspring. And then twofold:
Either in a good sense, and the sense is: "Thus they are filled with Your commandments and miracles."
Or also with sins: "And they are filled with children," in the dative, for the benefit of their children, not their own. And there, because they left their remnants to be saved to their own, according to Isaiah 10:21: "The remnant shall be converted, the remnant, I say, of Jacob, to the mighty God."
"To their little ones." As if he were saying: "Not of themselves shall they be saved, but of their own."
Or thus: "They are filled with sins, and this to their children," that is, to the damage of their children, and therefore because they left the remnants of malediction to their children, when they cried out, Matthew 27:25: "His blood be on us and on our children." As if he were saying: "To such an extent are they filled with sins that they poured them out upon their posterity." Jeremiah 31:29: "The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the teeth of the children are set on edge." Just as a mother sometimes eats, and her nourishment passes into her fetus when it suckles milk, so their malice passed to the children through the fathers themselves. Wisdom 4:6: "From evil dreams the children that are born are witnesses of the wickedness against their parents in their examination."
Thirdly, it is read that "children" may be called evil works, remnants, etc. "They are filled with children," ablative case, that is, with their evil works and maledictions generated from themselves. "Filled," I say, to the utmost. Wisdom 3:12, 16: Of such children: "The offspring of the wicked will be a witness against them..." But against this: Sins do not satisfy: Ezekiel 16:28: "And after you had committed fornication, neither were you satisfied." And Proverbs 30:15: "Three things are insatiable..."
Response: Desire is twofold: one is natural, this is satisfied; for one is sometimes satisfied so that nature desires no more, although it is not true satisfaction. And there is a vitiated desire, this is in no way satisfied, but always desires more and more, and of this is understood what is said in Ezekiel and Proverbs.
But if it be objected that the natural appetite is satisfied by God alone: Augustine, in the Confessions: "Our heart is restless until it rests in You." For who doubts that the natural appetite was made to receive God, and to be filled by Him alone? On account of this, it must be said that there is a satiation of loathing, and by this are vices and pleasures in creatures satisfied, for every natural pleasure, when frequent, turns to loathing. Whence the wicked, Wisdom 2:1: "For our time is a short spark in our life," and Ecclesiastes 1:14: "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit," with loathing, that is, and disgust. And there is a satiation of true repletion, which is in the natural appetite from God alone.
Another reading has: "They are filled with pork," and some supply: flesh. Therefore the children of the wicked, namely their works, are pigs. It is very unnatural that a man should beget a pig, for he eats a pig when he delights in evil work, like those of whom Isaiah 3:9: "They have declared their sin as Sodom, and they have not hid it." Wisdom 11:3ff: "The ancient inhabitants of Your holy land, whom You abhorred for their odious works... through magic arts and unholy sacrifices, and merciless murderers of their own children, and devourers of human blood..." Lamentations 4:10: "The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children," without doubt to eat them.
Others say that "porcina" is food for pigs, whence they supply this: "They are filled with porcine"—that is, food for pigs. Therefore they are pigs: Luke 15:16, the prodigal son "desired to fill his belly with the husks that the swine did eat." It is therefore no great thing if, from men made pigs, they are left to demons to possess them: Matthew 8:30: "If You cast us out hence, send us into the herd of swine," which was done.
"But I in justice..."
Here is the second part of this section, and two things are said:
First, the disposition to remuneration;
Second, the remuneration itself, at "I shall be satisfied..."
He says therefore: "Thus they are dealt with, but I, thus treated by them in myself and in Mine, 'shall appear,' manifest to Your sight, not as Adam, who hid himself: Genesis 3:8: "Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord." Psalm 72:6: "They are covered with their iniquity and impiety, as with a garment," like hypocrites excusing their sins in confession. But I "shall appear," not empty: Exodus 23:15: "You shall not appear in My sight empty." But "in justice," which will prepare me to receive Your glory: Wisdom 1:15: "Justice is perpetual and immortal," that is, acquiring perpetuity and immortality. But the injustice of the impious is the acquisition of death.
And note that he says "to Your sight." As if he were saying: "From Your very sight I have justice and every grace." Esther 15:17: "You are very terrible, O Lord, and Your face is full of graces." Genesis 6:8: "Noah found grace before the Lord."
"I shall be satisfied..."
Behold the second point. As if he were saying: "Thus I shall appear adorned with justice, which nevertheless I have from You, and thus 'I shall be satisfied.'" Joel 2:26: "You shall eat in plenty and praise the name of the Lord your God." And Isaiah 65:13: "Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry." Matthew 5:6: "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall be filled," not with pork as others, but "with Your glory, when it shall appear."
But against this, Ecclesiasticus 24:29: "They that eat me shall yet hunger." And 42:26: "Who has seen His glory?"
Response: Satiation sometimes signifies full satisfaction of the appetitive faculty, so that it requires nothing more; thus it is taken here. Sometimes it implies loathing and rejection of the thing we have used; thus it is taken in Ecclesiasticus 42:26 and denied in 24:29. There will therefore be a satiation not loathsome, and a hunger without lack, so that always having enough we may desire, and never grow weary. In this, moreover, that he says "when it shall appear," it is shown that this is the whole reward: John 17:3: "This is eternal life..."
Jerome's text: "I shall be filled when Your glory shall appear." Whence our assimilation to God will be our [reward]: 1 John 3:2: "We know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is." Follows: Colossians 3:4: "When Christ, who is your life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory."
CONTINUE
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