Theodore of Mopsuestia

In his own words on Psalms

• Psalms 1:2

  One learns to be bound by the law through continuous meditation so that one shapes himself by it.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 1:2

• Psalms 2:6

  Truly, God did not establish the Word as King at that time, whose power did not just begin at a point but who was and always is powerful, who as in his nature had power to create whatever he wished; so also in his nature he had power rightly so to rule over all things that were made by him.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 2:6

• Psalms 2:9

  Are not, therefore, those words that were spoken by blessed David appropriately applied to the Lord whose kingdom extends to the farthest outposts of the earth and the whole world? [It is he] who, like the rod, threatens and punishes the broken condition of the nations and of the Jews, not in order to destroy them but in order to bring them back together and reshape them, as when the old man is put off and the new man takes his place through the sacrament of baptism. David really said this: "just like a pot of clay you will break them," showing the parallel, since by their contrition there had been no destruction, but a renewal was about to follow. This is likened to the intention of every potter: that the vases, if they do not follow the will and hand of the one making them, while they are yet new and not hardened by the kiln, the potter breaks them and puts them back on the wheel to be re-formed.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 2:9

• Psalms 2:11

  He wants devotion, not coercion … because to obey is more sublime than to yield simply to duty.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 2:11

• Psalms 3:3

  The strength of a stable spirit that is greatly tested in adversity must be considered because, since it possesses hope, even amidst the greatest anguish it does not yield. Those, I say, who mock me say such things to increase my grief. I will not stop hoping in what I have believed because you, Lord, help me as I labor. You guard my step from the danger of evil. You restore my honor and worth.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 3:4

• Psalms 3:4

  It is the greatest faith that allows no hesitation for seeking the help of God for himself and that approaches with confidence of his demand.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 3:5

• Psalms 3:6

  In this verse the psalmist is not moved by his own trials to the point of despairing of the help of God, nor is he dissuaded from a position of faith by words of reproach. He, having learned by experience the fullness of previous help, cries out most confidently after the kindnesses of God toward him through which he is freed from all of the entangling of his troubles: "I will not fear ten thousands surrounding me."

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 3:7

• Psalms 3:8

  What is this blessing of the Lord? Without a doubt it is peace, just as Scripture says in many places: "Peace be over Israel." Through these words he wishes to show that in the place of blessing peace is conferred on the people.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 3:9

• Psalms 4:1

  One who seeks mercy from God shows clearly that he does not demand the fruit of his own merit and the debt of his own zeal but that he wishes to benefit from the patience and kindness of God.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 4:2

• Psalms 4:3

  When there is a burdensome care, however many times I call out to God, he does not delay to hear me: this establishes, therefore, as an example to me and others, his providence. However, it is the custom of those who are bound by their miseries, who are pushed into the folly of bitterness, to complain against God and to say that he shows no concern for the affairs of mortals, nor does he govern human life with reason.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 4:4

• Psalms 4:4

  After he said, "Be angry," he added, "And sin not." I propose it in the form of a question, as if he had said, "Are you angry? Sin not." Although one struggles confused and trapped in the offense of a disturbed spirit because of present affairs, although there seem to be so many causes for indignation, nevertheless do not think that it is true what reason and discipline hand over to us, but the spirit disturbed by wrath presses on us. It is the greatest testimony that your own opinion lacks truth because those things that you know, that you speak, have not come from reason but from your experience.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 4:5

• Psalms 25:4

  As he refers by "way" to people's actions and exploits (as in that verse, "I have run in the way of your commands," as if to say, I determined to do and observe your commands), so he calls God's "way" whatever God deigns to do by creating or arranging. So "teach me your paths" means "make me rejoice in your acting and planning."

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 25:4

• Psalms 25:8

  Mercy is customary with God; righteousness is his constant concern. Often, in fact, he obscures sin with a show of his goodness, and he does not submit individuals' behavior to harsh scrutiny; rather, when he sees some people persisting in their errors without amendment, he applies the rigor of justice and chastises them for the purpose of correcting them, and by the bitterness of the blows he brings the errant ones back to a life of discipline.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 25:8

• Psalms 25:10

  These are the ways of the Lord. Now, he habitually links truth and mercy, as if to say, this is God's work, this his way, this his action, to accord secure and true salvation to those he has chosen.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 25:10

• Psalms 25:21

  Placing my hope in you, I took pains to be such a person that innocent people might associate with me and take pleasure in my company.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 25:21

• Psalms 26:1

  It is not to be read, as some commentators claim, "Judge me, Lord," for if it is read "Judge me," it gives quite a different sense, as though to say, condemn me, as also in Psalm 5 he appealed in the words "Condemn them, Lord," which is not appropriate for a suppliant to ask for in his own case. So it is to be read as "Give me a just verdict" … because I did not swerve from my innocent purpose, nor did I have any doubts about the hope I placed in you.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 26:1

• Psalms 30:5

  By "wrath" he refers to punishment and retribution, by "wrath" the divine Scripture meaning not only the initial response but also lasting anger. So by "wrath" he refers to the awful process of vengeance, and by "anger" the effect it rightly has on sinners, the terms being interchanged as usual.… He takes vengeance when angered and is beneficent by purpose and intention.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 30:6

• Psalms 31:5

  Now, it is to be noted that the Lord cited this verse when on the cross, not that it was said of him in prophetic manner, as some commentators think, but because these words suited him when exposed to the risk of death and passion. So he cited this verse at the time when his soul was separated from his body, and [he] rightly entrusted it to the Father so that he might restore it to his body when it was in need of it at the time of the resurrection.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 31:6

• Psalms 31:6

  You hated them and rebuffed those paying constant attention to doing wrong; far from doing evil in the heat of passion, they involve themselves in the practice of evil as though an obligation (the sense of "paid constant attention"). By "futile things" he refers to the wrongdoing. By "in vain" he means that they got no benefit from their involvement in evildoing because of his hating and punishing them and not allowing them to bring to completion the object of their efforts.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 31:7

• Psalms 33:4

  Everything done by [God] is firm and permanent. The insertion of both these phrases was necessary in the light of the foregoing: he had to recommend thanksgiving and show the justice of the victory and the permanence of the gift so that the thanksgiving and hymn singing to him would emerge as a response to both, the provision of just assistance and the gift of abiding beneficence. He is saying, then, that both these features characterize what is done by God, and if either is missing, the level of thanksgiving could be diminished. That is to say, if the assistance were unjust, it would not be appropriate to offer thanks on their behalf, even though thanks are due for what is received, or if it underwent rapid change, it thus would be unnecessary to give thanks for good things that do not last.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 33:4B

• Psalms 33:5

  Grace and righteousness are characteristic of what is done by God. In other words, he said that loving is characteristic of him, speaking perhaps excessively and meaning that not only does what has been done in the past have these two characteristics, but also he is very fond of doing such things as happen to have these two characteristics.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 33:5A

• Psalms 33:6

  You see, when it says "mouth" in these cases, it intends to indicate an operation affecting visible creation, as when it also says "hand" and "feet" and the like. Elsewhere, too, Scripture says, "The mouth of the Lord said this," in the sense that God revealed what had been determined in our regard; nowhere does the divine Scripture by such corporeal expression describe the Lord's nature or the creation of invisible nature, such as angels and the like, as in our case it is in the habit of saying, "Your hands made me." So by "breath of his mouth" he means "by his decision."

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 33:6B

• Psalms 33:11

  Even if a vast number were scheming, while God wanted the opposite, the vast number would be of no significance to the schemes. Even if rulers planned something, the object of their concern would come to nothing, and they would get no benefit from the government or the vast number of the subjects. Then the more important consideration.… Not only can [God] render the schemes of others ineffectual, but also he can bring great reliability to his own. Now, "thoughts of his heart" is a bodily expression by which he refers to God's determined limit and authoritative decree, as if to say, Such a decision of the Lord is irrevocable.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 33:10B, C-11

• Psalms 33:12

  You the people chosen by him are fortunate for the reason that the Lord's kindness to you is unchanging.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 33:12

• Psalms 33:15

  Nothing done by human beings can escape [God's] attention, since he is the creator of the thoughts' inner chamber, namely, the heart. In fact, this was the meaning, completely consistent with what went before: Blessed are you who are devoted to him who conducts an examination of everything that is done; instead of anything escaping his notice, he has a precise knowledge of everything.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 33:15

• Psalms 33:15

  Some commentators thought that here blessed David means that he individually formed people's souls apart from their body, as though "hearts" meant "souls." Whether this is so or not (it is a topic requiring fuller treatment), here it does not have that sense. Rather, "their hearts" means "them," referring to the whole from the part. So "he forms them individually" means that none of humankind was in existence, as if to say, when they did not exist, he produced them.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 33:15

• Psalms 33:20

  [God] is always helping and providing us with salvation. The term "protector," you see, is a metaphor from those thrusting their own shields among the enemy and by protection from these often sheltering others and freeing them from every disaster.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 33:20A

• Psalms 34:15

  God takes care of the righteous (by "eyes" referring not simply to sight but also to what is done by God in beneficence and providence).… He also accepts their requests.… But he has an eye also for the wicked, though not in the same way as for the good. To what effect? "To destroy remembrance of them from the land": … God gives evidence of great care for the righteous, accepting their supplication while completely disregarding those guilty of wrong actions and inflicting destruction on them.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 34:16A-17B

• Psalms 34:18

  He did not apply the terms "lowly" and "contrite of heart" simply to those reduced to this condition from the disasters but to those in this condition by intent and resolve. Even if tested by disasters, on the basis of their lowliness of intent they thought that they received their just deserts, asked God with due reverence for help and received it by gift. So it is clear from this that even by saying above "let the gentle hear and be glad" he refers neither to those humbled of necessity by disasters nor to those in this condition by nature, whom the general run of good people like to think gentle, but to those in this condition in heart and purpose, who emerge by their zeal in bearing nobly the wrongs done them since they look to God for help. This, in fact, is gentleness, not being insensitive or keeping complete silence while ignoring sensation even in situations that are often unavoidable, when it is possible to effect a greater good.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 34:19B

• Psalms 34:19

  It often happens that the righteous are put to the test in extreme troubles and severe tribulations.… Even if they are tested by many troubles and many tribulations, God allowing this to their advantage, he nevertheless definitely frees them from the troubles, not allowing them to be overcome by the disasters in the end.… He rescues them after allowing the tribulations for a while to their advantage, keeps those in the midst of tribulations free from harm and preserves their strength completely.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 34:20-21

• Psalms 34:21

  Not only do sinners meet such a fate, but also those hostile to the righteous will fall foul of troubles. Now, he says this to bring out the extent of the providence that God shows for the righteous. "Will come to grief" means that they will stumble, will trip up, will fail in their hostile intent against the righteous by being punished by God; "come to grief" meaning "missing the mark," which means failing to achieve a purpose and intent at odds with that prescribed—hence our calling a wrong action a sin as being at odds with the proper intention.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 34:22B

• Psalms 35:10

  I shall say no one is like you, he means, and shall confess you to be more powerful than everyone, even those considered strong and powerful; you are capable of rescuing the poor and insignificant and delivering them from their scheming against the odds.… You see, both the insignificance by comparison with him of the one who suffers and is rescued and also the might of the schemers brought out his greatness: the more effective the release from the schemers was shown to be, the more powerful did the one who effected it appear.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 35:10B, c

• Psalms 35:20

  They make a pretense by uttering words under the guise of peace, but in reality their words are completely full of anger and evil. All the words, in fact, were not of peace, though they seemed to give that impression; rather, they were spoken with complete viciousness under pretense, for they continued hatching plots and schemes against me, planning such things and turning them over in their soul.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 35:20

• Psalms 36:1

  The lawbreaker thinks his sinning is [hidden] within—that is, he believes that he is escaping notice in sinning.… Now, it is typical of the person employing deceit to think that schemers escape notice, because they are always under that impression when they use flattering language; after all, unless they expected to escape notice, they would not have persisted in their deceitful pretense.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 36:2A

• Psalms 36:2

  If he had "the fear of God before his eyes," he would not have employed deceit in the belief that he was escaping our notice (realizing that it was not possible to escape God, everything being known to him, who knows and understands everything clearly). If he really had dread of the Lord, he would have shown much zeal in guarding against sin.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 36:3A

• Psalms 36:6

  His decisions and decrees, which he applies in judging and examining human beings, are immeasurable, like the deep. Thus, it is impossible to find out why he allows righteous people often to suffer at the hands of the unrighteous, as I find happening in my own case. While the fact that his care and providence for us is wonderful is clear from his never allowing our sufferings to be unbearable, I am unable to discover precisely why he does not leave us in perfect peace but permits us for a time to be pursued unjustly by them. Hence, "your judgments" strike me as more inaccessible than any "deep."

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 36:7B

• Psalms 36:9

  You flood us with life, abundantly supplying us with it from the great number and variety of what is given us by you for sustenance and life.… Without light we can see nothing that exists, for when we are deprived of light and plunged into darkness, we have no recognition of what is at hand; whereas when light is available, we see and discern by recognition. So for discerning other things we need light, whereas light itself requires nothing else any longer for our being able to see; instead, with the aid of light itself we succeed in seeing everything through light and discern everything, including even light itself.… His meaning was to present the utter generosity and abundance of God's gift—thus his mention of these two things in particular: the light (he made clear that from it he provided us both with existence itself and with sustenance) and enjoyment of the light, through which he conveyed the pleasure of life.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 36:10A, B

• Psalms 36:10

  They were formed by you so as to be able, if they wished, both to know you and to hope in you, and to enjoy the good things stemming from this.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 36:11A

• Psalms 37:9

  Do not consider blessed those people for being in a position even to do whatever they wish, nor with your eyes on their suffering no harsh fate decide to attempt at any time in your own case to do some wrong. "Because the evildoers will be wiped out": those guilty of wickedness will some day pay the full penalty and perish.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 37:8B-9A

• Psalms 37:15

  Even if the sinner tries to plot against the righteous person and is bent on carrying it through in every way, do not then grind your teeth at his going unpunished. God will spit on his plot, knowing that he will suffer sometime and that it is he who will sustain harm from his plot against the righteous.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 37:15

• Psalms 37:34

  Since, then, God does not allow the righteous, even if vulnerable to sinners, to be subject completely to their verdict, do not be despondent if ever you fall foul of disaster; instead, expect help from God by observing his decrees and commands, being attentive to his good pleasure and not withdrawing from virtue on account of the hardships besetting you. "And he will exalt you to inherit the land": if you do this, he will shelter you, even if vulnerable to the sinner, and make you exalted by ensuring you secure occupancy of the land. "In the destruction of sinners you will see": not only will you be freed from their scheming, but also you will see them destroyed.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 37:34A-C

• Psalms 39:1

  It is a universal custom to be upset when you see your plans at the mercy of sinners, and to be upset also at your own misfortunes, especially when you are badly treated by wrongdoers while conscious of your own virtuous behavior. The general run of people react to such developments by turning to criticism and displeasure with the God of all. Hence, blessed David says, "I shall guard my ways so as not to sin with my tongue": I kept my words to myself, that is, I made a decision and judgment to guard myself against any sin.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 39:2

• Psalms 39:11

  So this is what should concern us, being rescued from sins and attaining reconciliation with you, which results in complete resolution of problems, and not taking pains over other things, which are futile and useless for the painstaker, never bringing one an outcome for the pains or providing one with lasting benefit from the pains.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 39:12c

• Psalms 41:2

  He comments on God's favors to him in different ways: he will give freedom from perils, he says, will closely guard him so that he will suffer nothing, provide him with life and make him appear as blessed by the vast number of favors in the sight of everyone.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 41:3A

• Psalms 42:8

  I considered further that though the impending troubles are so numerous, it is very easy for you to provide a solution; if by day you bid lovingkindness to be shown us—in other words, relief from the troubles to occur—it happens so quickly that immediately those in receipt of good things set about singing through the night and offering hymns of praise to you for what has happened. When God enjoins mercy by day, then, immediately by night "his song is with me," as if to say, So prompt will be the discharge of his command that, with his command given by day, it is possible for me to sing by night of the good things done to me.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 42:9A

• Psalms 42:11

  "My personal savior is my God": I trusted that you would doubtless meet my request, since you personally are my salvation and my Lord (the term "personal savior" meaning "my support, my glory"—in other words, It is you yourself who provides me with this).

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 42:11C

• Psalms 45:4

  To what human being would he apply this achievement or the magnitude of what is described? To whom would he apply the verse "Your right hand will guide you in marvelous fashion" when the divine Scripture consistently says of all the righteous that it is with God's help that they acquire strength?

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 45:7A

• Psalms 45:4

  It is therefore clear from this that he is not speaking of a human being as king: no human being exercises such zeal for bringing about the kingdom in himself and uses weapons and all such things so as to teach gentleness to his own; on the contrary, he is concerned to gain power, and wipe out the opposition and in every way make his own people fearsome to the enemy.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 45:5B

• Psalms 45:6

  Immediately he proceeded to say also "a rod of equity," which suggests correctness and justice in prosecution. Such an expression, however, seems not applicable to a human being—at least such an expression occurs nowhere in reference to a human being—whereas it is applicable to God, of whom he says also in another place, "He will judge the world in righteousness; he will judge peoples in rectitude," and elsewhere, "Good and upright is the Lord," and "Because the word of the Lord is upright."

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 45:7B

• Psalms 45:7

  On the one hand, he separated the natures by uttering definite statements of different ideas (there being a great difference between "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever" and "Hence, God your God anointed you"), and on the other hand, he gave a glimpse of the union by saying this of one person.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 45:8B

• Psalms 45:8

  In his wish to imply both the passion and the glory of the passion he says "myrrh, resin, and cassia from your garments," suggesting by "myrrh" the passion, and by mention of "resin and cassia" implying the fragrance and splendor of the passion, as if to say, Even the passion itself, which affects your temple, will be accompanied by great fragrance and glory, with the result that the fragrance from it will spread to the whole world, as the apostle also says: "We are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." Now, he did well to mention "myrrh" and associate it with the phrase "from your garments" for us to understand the divinity to be free of suffering.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 45:9A

• Psalms 45:9

  The church is in attendance on you, he is saying, on your right; that is, it will always be assembled for you. The church is always assembled in union with him both in purpose and in the grace of rebirth, just as members and body are with the head, as the apostle says in one place, "You are the body of Christ and individually members of it." … For this reason, "at your right hand" was well put, as if to say by way of underlining the honor stemming from the more important member. [The church] is in attendance on you, enjoying the greatest honor from you.… clothed in much adornment. So while it was vouchsafed the dignity of sonship and called and made body of Christ, it was clothed in the greatest adornment, the beauty of the spiritual graces: the marvels performed through the saints were like a kind of golden and marvelous adornment, bringing splendor to the believers in Christ, who composed the church.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 45:10A-C

• Psalms 45:13

  By "within" he refers to the mind, and the words can refer only to not bodily beauty but virtue of soul. This, in fact, is the true glory of the devout, purity of conscience, for which they will be utterly conspicuous in the judge's sight.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 45:14A

• Psalms 46:5

  He was not in one part of the city and cut off from another but "in its midst," surrounding it all, protecting it all equally from the foe.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 46:6A

• Psalms 49:8

  Sin is worse than everything; it is this that must be feared, not the possibility of being in need of money, since a person who is rich and in the grip of a multitude of sins is in real difficulty and does not find release from the troubles.… Nor can he then himself by paying money to God prevail on him to desist from punishment; nor does he succeed in redeeming his soul, weighed down as it is with sin. And so sin is worse than anything, since no one who is weighed down by it and is consequently the object of punishment by God can be freed from danger.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 49:6B-9

• Psalms 49:12

  Despite having so much enjoyment in the present life, possessing many natural advantages by comparison with other living creatures and enjoying a great number of gifts, they did not understand the greatness of the honor conferred on them by God; instead, by their insensitivity to the possession of their attributes they are no different from cattle, which possess no intelligence.… While giving little heed to thanking the giver, they live a heedless life and grow old in their sins. Thus, they also are the objects of a rigorous verdict from God.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 49:13

• Psalms 49:13

  He uses "this" as a demonstrative, meaning, Such behavior is responsible for their troubles, and their heedless enjoyment of God's good things inevitably brings down on them God's punishment.… Even when those forebears who were in receipt of riches suffer retribution and just punishment from God, people after them do not come to their senses; on the contrary, they are pleased with the words and actions of the others and hasten to imitate them, acting in similar fashion regarding wealth and the good things of this life, giving too little heed to virtue to be brought around by the punishment of their predecessors.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 49:14A-B

• Psalms 49:15

  God is able to pluck one from the midst of death even if it seems already to have taken hold (the phrase "from the hand of hades" meaning, Even if it has one in its grasp, it is possible and very easy for God to snatch one away).

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 49:16

• Psalms 50:14

  Offer me this sacrifice of praise. That is, offer yourself as a victim to me, taking pains to live in thanksgiving to me and devoting yourself totally to me.… Pray always to me about everything; render me this and perform it. The phrase "pray to me about everything" means, consider me responsible for all your good things, and receive from me all that is at any time good, no one being able to pray unless persuaded of this.… It will be no idle conjecture for you, since with this attitude you will, even if calling in the midst of afflictions, be heard and will attain what you aspire to, and so will take occasion from the beneficence to give even greater glory.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 50:14A-15

• Psalms 50:16

  The fact, he is saying, that you take pains to read the law, mouth the words of its stipulations, and listen carefully to its being read is no excuse. It only sets me more against you, your knowing the law, listening to the commandments and putting them on your lips while in practice pursuing the opposite, the result being that the reading is useless for you. Instead, listening to me when I speak and give commands in the law is an insult to me when there is utter neglect of me in practice.

  COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 50:16