V. 1-3: To sing a psalm of David. O Lord, how long will you forget me? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I be troubled in my soul, and daily fear in my heart? How long shall my enemy rise up against me?
The simplicity of the expression in Hebrew, that four times the same word "how long" is repeated, is more pleasing and serves more to bring out a strong emphasis than the translation of the Latin interpreter, who loves variety, and has put in the third place [instead of usquequo] quam diu, not without great impairment of the emphasis. It seems to be a general saying in this psalm, spoken in the person of those who suffer similar things as David, that is, death and hell. This position of the heart is similar to that in the sixth Psalm, for here too he speaks [v. 4.] of death and struggles with despair, but praises the mercy of God.
2 This is also indicated by the extremely violent entrance, that he bursts forth with four struggling and sharp questions. For although in every affliction the delay is severe, in this spiritual one it is most severe, so much so that in the 6th Psalm he says [v. 8, Vulg.]: "I have grown old among all my enemies," and Ps. 32:3: "For when I would have concealed it, my bones fainted, through my daily weeping." Thus he complains four times about the excessive delay of divine help and laments that he has been abandoned, that he has been given over to oblivion, that is, that he is in despair and will never be accepted for mercy; for this is what happens to those who are in this fear of eternal death.
3 There is now an emphasis on the individual words with which he expresses that God is angry as far as the feeling and the attitude of the spirit are concerned. You do not only rely on me as if you wanted to test me and observe me, but you also forget me as one who has been destroyed and extinguished.
out of the book of life and out of your memory, who is utterly rejected, and whom you will never see; and not merely for a time, but utterly (in finem) and forever, so that there is no hope left, but I must be eternally lost with the damned. Even though I cry out and cry out to you here, behold, not only do you not hear me, but so that you do not hear, you even turn your face away from me and have become implacable.
4 Does he not depict with appropriate words this extremely bitter anguish of heart, which is felt everywhere that God has turned away, is hostile, unforgiving, implacable, eternally angry? For here hope despairs and despair hopes at the same time, and only the inexpressible groaning lives, with which the Spirit represents us [Rom. 8, 26], who floats on the waters covered with darkness, as Gen. 1, 2. says. No one understands this who has not tasted it; it does not happen with imaginations and play of thoughts, as those who play with thoughts (speculatores) can calmly do their play, but it is in the innermost feeling of the immortal life, that is, of the soul. Immortal is the one who suffers, immortal are the things that oppress us, namely sins, immortal is the final purpose for which this happens, namely God who rejects, and immortal are those who oppress us, namely the devils who accuse us before God, as Revelation 12:10 says.
5 And so this affliction is eternal and inevitable from all causes (as they say), according to the essential cause (materiali), according to the final cause (finali), according to the effecting cause (efficiente), according to the manner (formali). For the soul suffers less in the part according to which it is temporal and mortal, that is, through the flesh and sensation. But in the part according to which it is immortal, it is tormented in such a way that its
cannot be consoled. I call the soul mortal and immortal to express the nature of the thing, so that someone could not catch me in my words. For the soul dies to this life, while it nevertheless lives immortally for the life to come. Thus it suffers less from men, from the world, from the flesh, than from the devils who oppress it by reproaching it with sins, death and hell; it suffers less in sensual sufferings than in the fear and terror of conscience; less because of the satisfaction for sins and the hoped-for reconciliation with God, than because of the eternal and immutable foreknowledge of God, according to which it is rejected.
(6) Therefore, let no one think that these words are ordinary afflictions: You forget, you turn away, you do not hear, you do not decide to be heard, you erase me from your memory, you will never look at me again, and even (as Job Cap. 9, 16. says: "Even if I call upon him and he hears me, I do not believe that he hears my voice," as if he wanted to say: "He appears to me to be so adamant that even though someone might assume that I am heard, I do not believe it so completely that I cannot hope that my voice is heard, let alone heard.
(7) Now, when someone feels that God is thus against him, the wretched man, left to himself, does what follows, that is to say, he anxiously tries to make himself free by trying on all sides, takes many counsels, but always remains in such a way that he does not know any counsel, as Hezekiah says in Isaiah Cap. 38, 15. [Vulg.] says: "What shall I say? Or what will he answer me, since he has done it himself?" For when a man is seized with distress, he knows not whither to turn. For when he wants to flee to God, he hears this, "You hide your face from me," and, "What will he answer me, since he has done it himself?" If he wants to flee to someone else, there is no one else who could pull him out, yes, everything pleads with God against him, and so he is driven by fear to seek much advice from all sides,
and yet they cannot be found. That is why he says [v. 3, Vulg.], "How long shall I take counsel in my soul?" for it is the same expression as in the first Psalm, v. 1, "the counsel of the wicked," namely, the counsels of the heart, according to which he should keep and guide himself.
(8) No one knows what the trials of such a sorrowful soul are, except the one who suffers them. But Job gives us an excellent example in the entire ninth chapter, as he lists the glorious and wonderful works of God, and shows how the soul thinks many things in this hour that is given to it. Soon it straightens up to see what God has done to the wicked, so that it wants to comfort itself; again, since it hopes that its previous good works will be respected, it falls down again, and says [Job 9:20]: "Though I am pious, yet he makes me wrong," yes, he even says this: Even if someone were innocent before him, he could still destroy him (for this is how one feels); therefore he says [v. 22.], "He kills both the pious and the wicked," as if to say, "It matters not whether you are righteous or unrighteous here; he can reject any one. And he cannot find anything here that he could set as a difference between a godly and an ungodly, since he recognizes that everything is God's, freely given.
(9) But neither the place nor my ability allow me to treat this chapter with dignity. Christ suffered the same tribulation on the cross; since he says [Matth. 8, 20.] that he does not have where to lay his head; and [Ps. 142, 5.]: "I cannot escape, no one takes care of my soul", because restlessness, fear, flight, consternation prevail here.
(10) "And have sorrow in my heart daily," that is, sadness, affliction, dejection (for this is what the Hebrew says) all day long. For he fears every moment as he worries about being eternally rejected. It is precisely the fear that causes the pain that does not allow the challenged to flee. Therefore Paul expresses all this with these words, Rom. 2, 8. f.: "To them that are contentious, unkindness and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon all the souls of the
People who do evil, especially to the Jews and also to the Greeks."
11. ponam consilia in anima mea [I will lay counsel in my soul] is spoken after the Hebrew manner, as: I have put my words in your mouth, and: Put this in your heart. I have put my soul in my hand. In Latin, we would say for it: Capiam consilia, to take counsel], and "in my soul", that is, with myself, because there was no one from whom I could have received counsel, since no man knows this sighing, let alone could counsel it. So, as he suffers alone, he also anxiously discusses various things alone within himself; there is no sharing of advice or of the pain he has in his heart. And it is precisely this that troubles him most, for in other, ordinary tribulations one can find people who have suffered similar things and know how to advise and comfort.
12. "How long shall my enemy rise above me?" Before he attributed this to God, who forgets him and turns away from him, does not hear him; now he attributes it to the enemy. And here the victory already begins to lean toward the challenged, and the temptation to come to an end. For it is part of the victory to recognize the enemy in this challenge and to gain the upper hand over him. For even though the enemy is elevated by God's decree, in the midst of the temptation the enemy is not before one's eyes, but God alone seems to do everything. And the enemy also strives with great zeal that the one who is challenged should not ascribe it to him, but to God alone, as was shown in the case of the crucified Christ, whom they attacked with blasphemies in such a way that it seemed as if he were hated by God. Thus he says in the 3rd Psalm, v. 3: "Many say of my soul, 'It has no help from God'."
13 He does not call the enemy by name, but speaks in general terms, but he understands the devil and his plots, because he actually reigns in this temptation. Therefore there are some who believe that Christ also suffered this temptation many times, especially in the garden, and Joh. 12, 27. f., where He
said, "Now my soul is saddened. And what shall I say? Father, help me out of this hour. But this is why I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." These are wonderful words and certainly full of anguish. See how he also here takes counsel in his soul, which is afflicted. First, "What shall I say?" Secondly, he asks, "Help me." Again he retracts this [v. 27.], "But therefore am I come to this hour," until he said, "Father, declare thy name." Here, at last, the struggle is ended, which, no one should be surprised to learn, is wrought by the devil. For Lucas writes Cap. 4, 13. that the devil, when he had tempted him in the wilderness, departed from him for a time. From this they conclude, and not unreasonably, that he was often challenged after that. For there is no need to listen to those who want to present Christ as an insubstantial block, of whom we must believe that he, as a pure and true man, was subjected to all temptations, as he also says to his disciples [Luc. 22:28]: "It is you who have persevered with me in my temptations."
14 Therefore, after recognizing the enemy who does this, the ray of divine mercy immediately begins to shine and strengthen the soul, so that it accuses the enemy and has good confidence in God, which could not be in the midst of the whirlwind of the storm. Therefore, this is also the last part of the complaint, that the enemy rises against him.
V. 4 Look and hear me, O Lord, my God. Enlighten my eyes, so that I do not fall asleep in death.
In the section of verses that is confused in Latin, I follow the Hebrew. Behold, how different a heart is here! Since he complained before that he had prayed in vain, that God had forgotten him and had turned away and not heard him, now that he has stopped, he has gained the confidence that his prayer will be heard, as Christ taught Luc. 11, 5-8. about stopping in prayer by the example of a friend who refuses and another who stops. So also God beats for a little while the request
For if the prophet did not believe that he would be heard, he would not pray. Therefore he now comes forth almost victorious, and asks that the challenge be ended, and that he may be graciously looked upon, since he is indeed already looked upon and heard. For we do not ask that we may be looked upon sooner than he looks upon us; but [we ask] that we may also be able, through peace of heart and good confidence, to be looked upon, since, looking upon us by his obliging grace, he has caused us to ask to be looked upon and heard, so that there is not only the grace of God who has mercy on us, but also the peace of the man who knows mercy.
(16) But he opposes each one with another: he had complained of four evil things, so now he demands four good things. "Behold" refers to the word, "How long wilt thou forget," as if to say: Not only did you not see me, but you also did not think of me, but now do not remember me alone, but also come closer and look at me, so that the more frightening the evil was, the greater the good you do me. "Behold," however, according to the Scriptures, denotes the active intervention (effectum) 1) of the merciful God, as is said of the word "make up" in the preceding Psalm [v. 6, § 32], and "behold" denotes a sooner and lovelier activity (effectum) than "remember," just as it is harder when God does not remember than when He does not behold. Thus, in a beautiful and appropriate contrast, he puts the evil he has suffered together with the good he is to receive.
17) "Hear me, O Lord, my God," refers to the word: "How long hast thou hid thy face from me? You were distant and implacable, as if you wanted to do nothing but condemn me, like a severe, harsh judge. Not only did you not hear me, but you also turned away your face so that you would not hear me. But now that you have become "the Lord my God," do not turn to me alone.
1) In the Basel: EeeturQ instead of: eKeetuin.
me that thou hearest me, but that thou also hearest me, as if thou wouldest do nothing else but preserve me, so that instead of an angry judge I might have an exceedingly gracious God.
18. "Enlighten my eyes, lest I fall asleep in death," refers to the word: "How long shall I trouble my soul, and be afraid in my heart daily?" For when God's face is turned away from us, there immediately follows affliction, dismay, darkness in the mind, and that one knows no counsel, so that we grope, as it were, in darkness, and search on all sides for where we can escape. So when the Lord lifts up the light of his countenance upon us [Ps. 4:7], and turns his face toward us to hear us, our eyes are again enlightened, and all is full of the most fruitful counsels. For "he that walketh by day doth not stumble, because he seeth the light of this world" [John 11:9]. So we come to him and are enlightened, and our faces are not put to shame [1Kings 2:16].
(19) To this word, "How long shall mine enemy exalt himself over me?" refers what follows [v. 5], "Lest mine enemy boast that he hath become mighty over me." But here he adds, "Lest I fall asleep in death," remembering the danger. For "fall asleep" is the same expression which fin the Vulgate] Ps. 4, 9. by requiescam, and by Jerome by dormiam there translated, "I lie and sleep all in peace," that is, I shall, when I have died, lie in peace with my fathers. For thus he uses the word "sleep," because he speaks in the Spirit, and the custom of Scripture so entails, not to denote bodily sleep, but death.
20. and, as I have said, in this verse is indicated the great strength of this temptation, which consists in the fact that death and hell are held forth as momentarily imminent, and that this terror oppresses with intolerable bitterness, and (as Hezekiah says Isa. 38, 10.): the gates of hell will now swallow me up into the eternal pit, and, as it is said in another place [Ps. 69, 16.]: "Let not the hole of the pit close upon me." Therefore pray
that he will not fall asleep in death, that is, that he will not die and lie dead in eternal death, which he expresses more extensively in the 6th Psalm, v. 6: "For in death you are not remembered; who will thank you in hell? The opposite saying is found in Ps. 4:9: "I lie down and sleep in peace." For while the light of the face of GOD is upon him, he is joyful, and he dies in peace. But where he turns away his face and lets him labor anxiously in his soul with his counsels, he fears with pain that he will die in death, that is, in utter restlessness and eternal disgrace, as dust, seized by the whirlwind, is driven about.
Therefore this verse is the light for this psalm, in that it clearly shows that this challenge takes place in the high things, namely faith, hope and love, where distrust, despair, hatred, blasphemy and the like abominations of hell and the damned contend in the bitterest battle with faith, hope and love. The struggle (negotium) of unchastity, anger, pride, avarice with chastity, meekness, humility, generosity, yes, the fury of bodily persecution, be it fire, famine, sword or disgrace, is nothing compared to this evil. Therefore, it must be understood here that he fears death for this reason, because in death there is no praise and remembrance of God, but hatred and blasphemy, which he detests most.
V. 5. lest my enemy boast that he has become mighty over me, and my adversaries rejoice that I lie down. 1)
(22) Since this is a verse in Hebrew, the sense becomes clearer if the connective et is inserted in the middle to indicate clearly the repetition of the same thing, in this way: Ne forte dicat inimicus meus: Potui ei, et tribulatores mei exsultent, quod motus fuerim. For the verbum: Potui ei ["I have become powerful of it or: Praevalui
k^usvutui udversus eum. Hui tridulaut ine, exultadunt, si ruotus kuero. -The Jena and the Erlangen offer: öxaltabuut.
adversus eum [I have prevailed against him] the Latin translator rendered Ps. 129, 2. like this: Etenim non potuerunt mihi ["but they have not overpowered me"]. For this is how it is spoken in Hebrew, where we say: to have the upper hand against someone. It is the same thing, then, that the enemies boast that they have prevailed, and that the oppressors rejoice that he is defeated, which would happen in any case if he were to pass away in death. In the same sense he also speaks in the 6th Psalm, v. 9, against them: "Depart from me, all evildoers (that is, you who cause me XXX or pain), for the Lord hears my crying." And Ps. 38:17: "For I think that they will not rejoice over me. If my barrel were shaken, they would boast highly against me." There almost with the same words the same thought is expressed, as one can see.
This is the boasting and shouting of the devils, as they did through the Jews against the crucified Christ [Matth. 27, 42. f.]: If you are the Son of God, then come down from the cross. Help yourself. Deliver him, lusts for him; where the enemy rises, as he complained in the third 2) verse. That this does not happen, or does not happen eternally and irretrievably, is what he asks for here. Since this is already exceedingly burdensome when it is done by men in the victories in temporal things, which are to be regarded as child's play, this humiliation is incomparably more terrible when it is done by devils in the victories that concern eternal things. This is the extreme misfortune, whereof it is said: Woe to the vanquished! where, in addition to the misfortune and the tribulations, the reviling, rejoicing and boasting is added, which tends to hurt more than the battle itself, yes, more than death and destruction itself. By this similitude (symbolo) we are taught what will happen to the conquered when they become eternally disgraced. But how the devils can rejoice, of whom we believe that they suffer their damnation everywhere, I leave to others to explain. There are plenty of examples that they rejoice over the fall of the saints.
2) The text says: ynarto.
860 L. xv, 253-2S5. Works on the first 22 Psalms. Ps. 13, 5. 6. w. iv, ios3-io5s. 861
and even if the examples were not, the sight of this scripture is enough to make believers certain of the truth of this matter.
V. 6 But I hope that you will be so gracious; my heart rejoices that you are so willing to help. I will sing to the Lord that he is so good to me.
This is a verse in Hebrew, and the last part [in the Vulgate]: et psallam nomini Domini altissimi, is taken from the 7th Psalm, v. 18. For the Hebrew text closes the second part of the verse thus: "That he hath done so well for me," or, to render it literally: For he has rewarded me. Therefore the first part has three parts: "I hope that you are so gracious"; "my heart rejoices that you are so glad to help"; "I will sing to the Lord". These movements of the heart have been abundantly spoken of in the 5th Psalm.
25 But he seems to oppose this to the boasting of his enemies, as if to say: They boast that they have prevailed, and rejoice that I am defeated. But I boast not of my strength, but of thy mercy; I rejoice not in my victory, but in thy help, that is, in the salvation whereby thou hast made me blessed by thy mercy, who was unworthy, and deserving of something quite different; so that there is a strong emphasis on the words, "that thou art so merciful". (misericordia tua) and "that you are so glad to help" (salutari tuo).
(26) Hereby is again inculcated what must often be inculcated because of those who know nothing of God and because of the arrogant hypocrites, namely, that there is no one who is not found to be a damned sinner before God, that also no one can stand before this rough storm (aquilonis) of the devils, however holy and full of good works he may be. For the devils immediately make these good works stink by their exceedingly powerful accusations, if one does not despair in sincere faith and hope of his own merits and worthiness, and grasps only the mercy of God, and holds that God has done them in vain.
and trusts that through it alone one attains blessedness, so that in such a way there is the opportunity to sing to the Lord alone, not to us, since he has made the unworthy blessed out of pure mercy, and our heart can rejoice in this blessedness. For if something else could serve for blessedness than the mercy of God, he would undoubtedly have stated this here as well; rather, he complained that all the counsels of his soul, among which he also spoke of his merits, had caused him nothing but pain. Mercy alone is so completely necessary, and suffers nothing beside it, for which man could hope at the same time. For that would mean "grabbing with the legs" [Ezek. 16, 25] and "limping on both sides" [1 Kings 18, 21], and after the manner of the Samaritans, honoring God and an idol at the same time. But GOtte serves no one but by faith, hanging purely and solely on His one mercy. Otherwise, not only the Lord is sung and thanks are given, but also our idol, that he had a hand in it; but let that be far away.
27 "For he has repaid" (reddidit). One need not dream here of merits worthy of merit, of merits worthy of eternal life, of merits to which the grace of God is due in equity (merita digni, condigni, congrui), as we take this word retribuere or reddere. For what is given out of mercy alone (redditur) is given to the unworthy and for nothing; for this is due singing, praise and thanksgiving. But what is recompensed for merit, without mercy, even out of the requirement of justice, praise and singing is due to him who does it, not to him who recompenses. Such godless teachers, by these their harmful teachings, extinguish the joy of the heart and the kindness of God among men, and take away His praise, as Micah Cap. 2, 9. Says: "You drive the wives of my people from their dear homes," that is, from the confident heart that rejoices in the help of God's loving mercy, "and always take from their young children my ornaments." This is certain and is also confirmed by the custom of all people,
that those who rejoice in their benefactor, sing to him, bless him, who realize that they have been helped in vain. In order for us to recognize how much more this is to be done to God, and to do it, we must know 1) that what a person has lost or seemed to have lost in the temptations, he will receive again all the more abundantly afterwards, because God will give it back to him.
Therefore, the word "retribute" indicates a loss of goods rather than a gain, if one pays attention to the use of Scripture, or rather a change of things, in that God kills and makes alive, makes sinners and makes them righteous, and generally takes everything away and gives everything back. Whoever does not have this knowledge of the cross must be driven by these dreams that merits must be collected, which are balanced by rewards according to equity, dignity and worth (congruis, condignis, dignis) also with God. For also the word of the apostle [2 Tim. 4, 8.]: "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the LORD, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day," I would prefer to interpret it in such a way that he refers to his adversaries, rather than to his merit, in this way: Since GOD is a righteous judge,
1) In the Jena: seiendes instead of: seienänin. The Weimar one puts a period before 8cien6nin.
In that day he will give me the crown for the disgrace with which the world disgraces me in this time; but he will repay it for its honor, with which it flaunts itself as an unrighteous one in this time, and will change it into shame in that day, so that he definitely indicates that one thing should be taken away and another given in its place, both out of mercy, for nothing, as the priest Joshua in Zechariah, Cap. 3, 1-5, his unclean garments are taken off, in which Satan resisted him, and he is clothed with ceremonial garments, as it says there.
29. that which is expressed in the Latin by mihi, and in the Hebrew by over me, is the same expression as above [v. 3.], "How long shall my enemy rise over me?" and Ps. 7, 9. [Vulg.], "According to my innocence over me," where we would more properly have said: [Judge me] according to my innocence benefit me (mihi), than what we have [Ps. 7, § 66], taught and accepted from Jerome, since this expression indicates only a movement toward a place, as also in the 38th Psalm, v. 17. "If my foot wavered, they would boast high against me" (super me). So also there [Ps. 7, 9.]: Judge me according to my innocence, or: Judge for me (ad me) or for my benefit (mihi), so that "judge me" must be connected with the verb "judge", not with "innocence".