Cassiodorus

In his own words on Psalms

• Psalms 1:1

  It is important to pay close attention to the order of the text, especially how all of it is directed against Adam. He departed when he abandoned the Lord's commandment; he stood when he delighted in sin, that is, when he erroneously estimated that he would acquire the knowledge of good and evil. But he sat on the chair of pestilence when he left to his descendants the precedents of a dangerous teaching.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 1:1

• Psalms 1:1

  "Blessed is the man." This is a very beautiful and apt beginning. As a result, it seems to take its beginning from blessedness, because the Holy Spirit was warning the weakness of the human race. Consequently, he invites the souls of the fearful so that the delicate hearts of mortals would not withdraw. For who would not be stirred up to some difficult tasks, when happy blessedness is mentioned in advance? Therefore, he is called a blessed man, just as the authority of our forebears have handed down to us, as is most fitting for a man who is pursued by all his desires. But the prophet reminds us in the 143rd psalm that this man is said to be blessed in two ways when he says, "They said that the people are blessed who have these things," and again appends, "Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord." Therefore, the blessed man of the world is he who, as he thinks, is supported by very great security and perseveres in constant joy and worldly abundance. But he excellently applied "man" to that blessed man who is not removed from his plan by any adversity, for he is called a man (vir) from his strength (viribus), who does not know how to fail in his endurance or to boast in some elation in prosperous times, but firmly planted with a stable mind and confirmed in the contemplation of heavenly matters, he always remains dauntless.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 1:1

• Psalms 2:5

  God judges without getting upset, and he causes distress for others while maintaining his affection for them. He does not become enraged when some emotion rises within him against the wicked, but he withholds from them the influence of his grace. Since the blessed Godhead, which always remains the same, eternal and immovable, does not experience emotions, therefore the wrath of God refers to God's retribution against sinners. But such a change of emotion is characteristic of human weakness so that someone becomes sad after being happy, irritated after being at peace, offended after being of good intentions. The phrase "then he will say" indicates the time when he will come to judge the world. Therefore the text speaks appropriately about wrath and rage since obstinate sinners will receive all that they deserve.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 2:6

• Psalms 2:7

  "I have begotten you" refers to the birth about which Isaiah speaks, "Who will tell about his generation?" He is Light from Light, Almighty from Almighty, true God from true God, from whom, and through whom, and in whom all things exist.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 2:8

• Psalms 3:6

  He could not fear a death that he foreknew would last only three days and would benefit the world.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 3:7

• Psalms 3:7

  It is not that God is awakened while sleeping or lying down for rest, but it is common for the divine Scriptures to express a matter through a metaphor, to say something about God using what is familiar to us.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 3:8

• Psalms 3:8

  In a single sentence he both commands us what to believe and promises what we can receive from him.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 3:9

• Psalms 4:4

  Anger that does not lead to deeds motivated by anger is easily forgiven, as Scripture says: "He that conquers his anger is better than he who captures a city." For this reason, the command to manage anger is given so that, if we are already angry, we may not sin through an act of indiscreet rashness. Because of our human brokenness we are not able to get complete control of our hot emotions, but with God's help, we contain them by the power of reason that we are taught. So the blessed prophet permitted what is typical behavior, but forbade what incurs guilt. For if we should become angry and not restrain ourselves through our consciousness of the Lord, but instead should be kept from our wish by some obstacle we cannot avoid, then we must certainly bear the guilt for the action, even if are unable to carry out what we wanted. Another interpretation that finds favor with some is this: we ought to be angry at our past sins, so that we can escape evil in the present. For we cannot turn away new sins unless we condemn old ones with a curse that is truly worthy of praise. For what is repentance but being angry at oneself, so that one is horrified at what he has done and torments oneself, so that the angry judge may not be the one to do it.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 4:5

• Psalms 4:5

  If Christ himself was sacrificed for us, how much more fitting is it that we present ourselves to him as a sacrifice, so that we can find joy in imitating our king!

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 4:6

• Psalms 5:12

  Let us consider how this psalm closes with such a sweet and fitting end, indicating with a single word the benefits of the Lord that even volumes cannot explain.… "Your good will": since the Lord's call precedes any merit, and he does not find anyone worthy, but makes him worthy, it is described as a gracious call; otherwise, it would have been called just. So this is his good will that calls us and draws us to God. We are not able to think or to do anything that is beneficial unless we receive this from the Author of goodness. Thus, as the Apostle says, "For we cannot think anything of ourselves, as if there is something originating from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God."

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 5:13

• Psalms 8:2

  The meaning is this: you are worthy of praise not only from those who are perfect who know you fully, but you are proclaimed with the mouths of beginners in the faith and little children.… The psalmist professes that even infants proclaim God. By this he means those who have begun to come to the Lord in newness of faith, so that this wisdom might appear to have been conferred through God's intervention rather than to have been gleaned through human effort.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 8:3

• Psalms 8:5

  From here on the humility and glory of the Lord Savior is related. He was made less not because of any necessity inherent in his role as servant, but by his loving free wish; as the Apostle says, "He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant." The psalm continues with the words "a little less than angels," because Christ took up the cross to win the salvation of all, since it was for this reason that the Creator of angels was made less than angels. The words "a little less" are well stated, since he took on himself a mortal body, though he had no sin. He "was crowned with glory and honor" when, after his utterly miraculous resurrection, as God he was exalted in as much as he had been made man, and he received the trust of the whole world.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 8:6

• Psalms 8:6

  "You have placed all things under his feet." … Just as nothing is independent of the work of the Lord, so nothing can be shown to be outside the power of Christ, since he is going to judge the world. For by saying "all things," the psalm seems to have omitted neither earthly nor heavenly things. This interpretation is in harmony with what the divine interpreter, the Apostle testifies: "In subjecting all things to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him."

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 8:7

• Psalms 9:5

  From here on, the most sacred second advent of the Lord is explained, when unbelieving nations will be rebuked and the devil with his schemes will perish forever. For when the Lord is present, all things will be peaceful, and the devil's feisty depravity will no longer remain.… The word forever indicates the Lord's coming kingdom which will not end in any age or time.… Therefore let the heretics stop saying that at some point the devil and his followers can be summoned back to grace, since they hear so clearly that they will be condemned "forever and ever" so that not even a trace of their name is able to remain.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 9:6

• Psalms 9:14

  The salvation of the Father is Christ the Lord, his Strength and Wisdom, who has granted us eternal rest and salvation. Therefore the prophet rightly says that he rejoices in him in whom there is no end of joy.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 9:15

• Psalms 9:15

  When he says that "the Gentiles got stuck," he means not those who are held by the fear of the Lord, but those who are so pinned down by the nails of their sins that they are not able to cast them off; unyielding bands appear to restrain them.… For we describe as captured those who are entangled by an intricate deceit. "Foot" here refers to the mental steps and the depraved desire which cause men to pursue vice. This is what Solomon says in Proverbs: "Their feet rush into evil and are quick to pour out blood."

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 9:16

• Psalms 9:16

  The truth of this judgment will be fulfilled when the Lord at last executes his judgments in plain sight, when sinners are handed over to eternal torment. Because they have the freedom to commit offenses in this life, some may think that these acts will escape punishment. But when that day of his appearance arrives and the Lord Savior sits upon his majestic throne, then all will acknowledge that his judgments are in effect, when the human race is separated by his judgment either to his right or to his left. For in order to make fair judgments one must determine the merits of each person without partiality. A plain explanation of this thought follows next. For it shows how one can know that the Lord makes fair judgments. His justice can be observed when a sinner becomes caught in his own tangled deeds, and he receives a punishment commensurate with his actions.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 9:16

• Psalms 9:18

  If patience is lacking in any hardships, the soul is not able to be perfect. For patience is the act of giving thanks, maintained continuously in the fear of the Lord throughout the anxious trials of life to the point of death.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 9:19

• Psalms 9:19

  When the prophet was discussing the end of the world, through the illumination of his heart he foresaw the coming of the Antichrist. Terrified by the magnitude of the danger, he shouted out with a loud voice, "Arise, O Lord, let not humankind prevail." For the Antichrist is certainly the most wicked man and one which human nature is not able to withstand. He possess such great cunning and power that only the Lord's might is able to overcome his wickedness.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 9:20

• Psalms 10:1-2

  In his regard for the afflicted, he says to the Lord in the manner of human weakness, "Why have you withdrawn far away?" This does not mean that God leaves a place and moves to another location since he is completely present in every place. But God is thought to have withdrawn when he is slow to help.… For we think that we are being spurned if we are put off even for the shortest time. But God's presence is much more fruitful when he furnishes us with the consolations that come through great patience.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 10:22

• Psalms 10:3

  When the evil person is praised, he becomes conceited; he does not give a thought to correcting his ways, provided that someone can always be found to praise him in spite of his faults. The exaltation of sin follows, so that the one known as an evildoer is blessed. Deceived by the insincerity of those who sing his praise, such a person lets himself get drawn into the excessive pride of tyranny. Strictly speaking, one ought to understand this passage as referring to the Antichrist; he is led to this point by the crowds of deceivers so that he proclaims himself not only as earthly king, but even as God of all things.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 10:24

• Psalms 10:7

  His wickedness is described as a two-fold corruption, for in his mouth he will have a blasphemous cursing when he makes the false claim that he is the Son of God. He will also have bitterness when he imposes the death penalty on those who resist him, and he will hand over to punishment whoever refuses to worship him as the deity. He will have these things in his mouth, which he will speak in public. But "under his tongue," as the psalmist says, indicates that he will have the most savage thoughts, so that since he himself is already destroyed he may hasten to destroy everything.

  Explanation of the Psalms 10:28

• Psalms 10:9

  In earlier times, the persecution of the church was merely violent, when Christians were being pressed by pagans through proscriptions, torture and beatings to sacrifice to idols. A second type of persecution is through deceit, which is currently being carried out by heretics and false Christians. A final form still remains, and it is predicted to come through the Antichrist. No form of persecution is more dangerous than this, since it will be extremely violent because of the power of this unique kingdom, and it will result in deception through miraculous signs. As a result, just as the Lord says in the Gospel, "it will deceive, if possible, even the elect." The word lion refers to the violence of this kingdom, and the phrase "in his den," predicts its deceit.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 10:29-30

• Psalms 10:14

  When he says, "he is left to you as a poor man," he shows that the one who is left to him is not cheated of any advantage, for to be left to the devoted Prince is the same as to be handed over to all good things.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 10:35

• Psalms 10:14

  He will find that the one whom he had hoped had forgotten has remembered, and he will realize that the sins that he had believed to be too numerous to be remembered, even to the point of being immeasurable, are actually taken into account.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 10:34

• Psalms 10:16

  After the universal calamity has been abolished, the psalmist turns to the new order of things. For after the Antichrist has been killed, the eternal, holy and benevolent kingdom of the Lord will come. Wicked evil is permitted to advance quite far in order that the longed-for kingdom of the Lord may be received with greater thanks. For in God's kingdom, the blessed are without worry and find rest, nor is there any more fear of the traps that the holy are compelled to endure in this world.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 10:37

• Psalms 10:17

  "Your ear has heard." We should regularly note that God does not have any physical members, but the the power by which he hears is called his ear, that by which he sees his eye, and that by which he acts his hand. These ideas should be committed to memory so that we may not seem to offend you by repeating them, because they often need to be repeated.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 10:38

• Psalms 11:1

  In this passage, the psalmist speaks about those who are drawn off to earth's highest places by the most trivial desire. Those who turn to the most worthless proclamations because of the fickleness of their unsettled mind are rightly considered similar to them.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 11:2

• Psalms 11:3

  Heretics … have destroyed the law of the Lord … by false interpretations, changes resulting in the death of some, while the Scriptures were intended to serve as the Lord's prophets for our salvation.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 11:4

• Psalms 11:6

  "It rains" refers to the words of the preachers flowing down from heaven which are rain showers for the pious, but fiery snares for the ungodly. For the pious produce fruit based on their proper understanding of the words, but the ungodly suffocate their souls with the noose of their perversity by handling the words improperly.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 11:7

• Psalms 11:7

  He added: "his face beheld righteousness," namely, that righteousness that he himself graciously grants. For humanity does not have anything of worth on its own; it can only lay claim to what it has received from the Lord, the Granter of all good things.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 11:8

• Psalms 12:1

  Since he was observing that this world burdens souls, he asks the Lord to be saved. He knew that genuine medicine can only be found with God.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 12:2

• Psalms 12:3

  Consider the piety of the speaker, for he does not direct his prayer against people, since many of them needed to be converted, but against the vices themselves.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 12:4

• Psalms 12:5

  "I will arise" is a metaphor to indicate that the one who is not familiar with the human need to lie down out of weakness does in fact rise up. But he says I will arise, I will appear and be manifest in the Son. For the strength and majesty of the Father and of the Son are one and undivided. For the Father appears and is manifest in the Son, as Christ himself says in the Gospel: "He who sees me sees the Father also."

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 12:6

• Psalms 12:7

  Here he consoles us in tribulations while [in heaven] he establishes us in the security of eternity. Here he helps us, but there he glorifies and crowns us. In this way, a most devoted Creator preserves us here in order that we may not perish and that he may bless us there so that we can no longer be miserable in any way.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 12:8

• Psalms 12:8

  "The wicked walk in a circle" so that they are never able to arrive at the right path, since crooked paths are always associated with bad character.… For this reason, they are not able to attain the rest of the eighth day, for they are always turning backward like wheels.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 12:9

• Psalms 13:1

  He asks for the appearance of Christ whom he already foresaw. For his face is what was capable of being seen with the eyes of the body, which that holy man with this general longing rightly desired to look upon. Such a face deemed it right to save the world by his heavenly appearance.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 13:1

• Psalms 13:3

  The eyes of the heart … sleep in death when they are closed by the pleasure of the flesh and the light of faith is buried. This is the sort of sleep in which the enemy rejoices.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 13:4

• Psalms 13:4

  If someone withdraws himself by a single mental step from the Lord's strength, then he inevitably steps into the devil's trap.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 13:5

• Psalms 13:5

  The love of God is a spring shower of virtues under which a blessed desire begins to bud and holy action bears fruit. This love is patient under adversities in this life, temperate in prosperity, powerful in its humility, joyful in affliction, benevolent toward enemies, and overcomes the wicked by its goodness. From this source, even heavenly creatures are constantly ignited by God's love as a restoring flame, a growing desire for salvation. To summarize all of this with a phrase from the Apostle: "God himself is love."

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 13:1.13:1

• Psalms 14:1

  We cannot do good unless we have come to Christ through God's mercy. For when we approach him and do not turn away from him, without a doubt every good is performed. This is the end that was promised in the heading of the psalm.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 14:1

• Psalms 14:1

  "They are corrupt." By turning away from the sound thinking found in the Scriptures, they show that they have fallen into corrupt patterns of thought. The punishment for sin comes next. Defiled by their despicable unbelief, they become abominable to the Lord by their errors.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 14:1

• Psalms 15:1

  Unlike some of the psalms, this one is not shrouded in darkness, but here the Lord responds to the prophet's question following the pattern of the Decalogue, indicating that one reaches his blessed hall by ten virtues.… This is that divine Decalogue, a spiritual psaltery of ten strings. This is a number befitting of a crown, which only the one who destroyed the world's vices together with his Father was able to fulfill. Let us constantly ask for his almighty power so that we who are not able to fulfill what has been commanded may be able to do them once we have been enriched by his gift.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 15:1, 5

• Psalms 15:2

  He testifies in the Gospel that he always spoke without deceit when he says "Everything that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." What could be more pure or simple than that the unchangeable truth, without corruption by any addition or omission, might come to human ears in the purest possible integrity. "Nor did he commit any wrong against his neighbor." … [This virtue is] demonstrated in the life of the Lord: … Not only did Jesus hurt no one, he also endured all things patiently.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 15:3

• Psalms 15:2

  The Lord Christ … entered the temple in Jerusalem free from all sin. For while others entered the house of God for purification, he alone entered in such a state that he might stand before the face of the Father without sin. He did not do this that the law might grant him something, but so that he, as the best legislator, might bestow something on the law by fulfilling it.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 15:2

• Psalms 15:4

  When people swear an oath, they make a promise with God as their witness. But when God himself makes a promise, it is more appropriate to say that he has sworn. For "to swear" means "to speak justly" or "to speak truthfully." Now a person speaks truthfully when he promises those things which are fulfilled. Therefore God's swearing consists in making promises and fulfilling them, as it says elsewhere: "The Lord has sworn truthfulness to David, and he will not deceive him."

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 15:4

• Psalms 15:5

  Money is clearly to be understood in two senses in the Holy Scriptures. The first is the metal money that we are completely forbidden to loan out for interest, because the vice of greed consists of the desire to demand back what you know that you have not lent. The Lord Christ certainly had this sort of money, which he entrusted to Judas to be distributed to the poor. He did not devote this type of money to making interest, but he gave it to those in need because of his merciful generosity in order to teach us. The other kind of money is the sort that we are persuaded by the gospel's teaching to give over to gain interest, namely, the most holy proclamations and divine instructions.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 15:5

• Psalms 16:1

  Let us consider how this psalm teaches us about the tremdendous gift of salvation. In times of suffering, it conveys confidence and promises eternal glory in hope, so that by teaching us that our future will be prosperous we do not fear adversity in the present. This psalm is a heavenly school, a source of learning for life, a lecture hall filled with truth, and without doubt a unique teaching which occupies its students with fruitful meanings rather than with the flattery of empty words.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 16:11

• Psalms 16:1

  The person of the Lord Savior is represented throughout the entire psalm. The first theme is undertaken from the perspective of his humanity in accordance with his custom. He speaks to the Father, asking to be saved because he has always placed his hope in him. In speaking this way, he does not minimize his own divinity in any way, but shows the nature of his humanity.… In the second theme, he returns thanks to the Father, who by appearing at his right hand, has overcome the iniquity of this age by the strength of his omnipotence. On this basis, he claims that his soul has been freed from hell, and he mentions that after the glory of the resurrection he has been placed among the delights at his right hand.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 16:1

• Psalms 16:2

  He points all things back to the one who has freely given them, not to himself who has received what was conferred on him.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 16:2

• Psalms 16:6

  According to an ancient custom, an inheritance used to be divided by roping off the lands, so that each person might obtain a portion of land by measurement, allotted by the size of the tract and the status of the individual. In this way, it says in the Old Testament that Moses commanded Joshua to distribute the inheritance of the promised land to the children of Israel through the use of cords. So he now rightly said "cords," because he spoke about the breadth and glory of his inheritance.… The inheritance of Christ is the predestined multitude of the saints.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 16:6

• Psalms 16:8

  By explaining what he did, he passes on to us the unique remedy through which we can avoid sins. For the person who constantly keeps him in his mental line of sight does not turn toward transgressions in any way.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 16:8

• Psalms 16:10

  Where are the false statements of the Apollinarians who say that the Lord Christ did not have a rational soul? Here he cries out and gives thanks to the Father because his soul is not abandoned to hell in the normal way, but is glorified by a swift resurrection and has passed to the realms of heaven.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 16:10

• Psalms 16:11

  To "fill up from full" means to make something more than full, and he who brings more pours into a container that is already full. That joy fills up in such a way that the vessel always remains full. This text also indicates that all the righteous are going to be filled with the joy of the Lord's face in that blessedness, and because it is the Lord who speaks, he testifies that he is able to be filled up among them. But we should consider more carefully what it means when he says here that he will be filled with delights at the right hand of the Father, although he said earlier "for he is at my right hand so that I may not be moved." Without a doubt, in this age after he assumed human flesh, he was whipped, bruised by slaps, and splattered with spittle. Since he was not overcome at all by any of these adversities, the Scripture rightly says that the Lord was always there at his right hand. For he overcame the opposition of the world because he did not depart at all from the contemplation of his Father. But after the glory of the resurrection, he can rightly say that he found delight at the right hand of the Father since by that time the opposition of the world had come to an end, his humanity had become filled by the glorification of his full majesty, and he now reigns united with the Word together with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and forever. "Even to the end" refers to perfection and eternity. His glory remains in his perfection and will not come to an end at any time.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 16:11

• Psalms 17:1

  Although some psalms contain prayers combined sporadically with other diverse material, this psalm is almost entirely a supplication in its composition. Therefore it is appropriately designated as such from the start, since its purpose is entirely focused on zeal for prayer.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 17:1

• Psalms 17:4

  When sins are avoided, the path is hard, and the ascent is always difficult. But when we slip toward vices, the road is easy and downhill. But the Lord Christ appeared before us in this world and demonstrated the laws of meekness and self-control. So he rightly says that through the commands of the Lord he walked the hard ways of people with undefiled feet.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 17:4

• Psalms 17:5

  "In the paths," that is, "in your commandments"; for if we are devoted followers on the ways that are truly the right ones, then we will obtain the rewards of our heavenly fatherland.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 17:5

• Psalms 17:6

  Human weakness is not strong enough to reach the Father on its own. For when he hears, he graciously shows his indulgence, and he bestows his mercy in advance so that he is able to accept the prayers of those who implore him.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 17:6

• Psalms 17:8

  The Father's protection is compared to wings. Mercy and love are, so to speak, the wings of the Father with which he asks to be protected. This comparison is drawn from the example of birds who guard their own dear offspring by spreading out their wings.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 17:8

• Psalms 19:8

  They are truly right, because he is known to have acted in the same say as he taught. In contrast, those whose words are not consistent with their works show that their version of justice is not right.

  EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 19:9