1. 1) This psalm is also against the ungodly nature and hypocrisy. And it appears from this that the dear prophet had more to do with the members of his household than with the enemies. For there are more psalms written of wars of the ungodly nature than of the flesh. Therefore he prays for himself and for the believers. For this is how it tends to go: as soon as one puts his trust in the Lord, the cross does not stay away for long; then enemies are soon there, pursuing us with cunning and persecuting us with violence, as we have seen in the previous psalms. The first and other verses are, as it were, the content of the psalm, for in them he indicates against whom he is speaking.
V. 1. Hear, O Lord, righteousness; heed my cry; hear my prayer.
2. "Hear," he says, "the righteousness"; do not say, my righteousness. I have a cause, thou knowest that it is right. Therefore, dear Lord, hear my cause. They pray much, and boast of their worship, justifying themselves, as Christ says; you can give them
1) Note of the original: "Den 7. Juni" (7. 16ns Innii).
gain nothing. The common rabble lets itself be caught by appearances, and hears them as if they were righteous. But you, who alone can judge the righteous, hear righteousness. Hear what is right, because the world does not want to hear.
That does not come from a false mouth.
3rd There he stabs about himself. He lays out his prayer by contrast [against the wicked]. They also pray, and will take it upon their souls, and upon the last judgment; but it is all false, lying matter. This I complain of thee, and ask not with a false mouth: but that prayer is made in sins. This is a great glory, that he who has the word of godliness has also right prayer. For others, though they pray, yet they pray with a false mouth. But they do it so high that the rabble cannot pass by.
V. 2. You speak in my cause.
4 With this he appeals from human courts, and appeals to another. I do not want my cause to be judged by men. With the same I have already
I will do nothing but condemn them. Therefore, you judge, you represent my cause, and drive those back.
And you look at the law.
For the eyes of men only look upon crookedness and ungodliness. Thus he accuses his adversaries secretly and covertly with these verses. It truly needs to be prayed for; words cannot control things, but only the devout heart. This is almost the summa of the whole psalm. Now he declares with respect to both parties (per partes) wherein their doctrine is false, and his is pure. For the psalm is a prayer for himself and against those, his adversaries. First, however, he speaks for the best of his part. Our part stands thus:
V. 3. You prufest my heart.
6th They, the unholy people, are without a cross, and only wash much, are rich, mighty; but I am tried of thee. Thus it comes to pass, that they which have the word, to them the devil sendeth a cross, hatred, envy, reproach, dishonor, sad thoughts, blasphemy, that we stand ever as silver in the fire. There they stir up and blow with relish; but they are without all cross, in rejoicing.
And visit it at night.
7) "Night" means both according to the letter and in a figurative sense temptations. Oester, however, the word "night" is taken for tribulation. I have suffered many a tribulation, he says, that thou mightest have tempted me. And here notice that he calls the cross a trial, not a corruption, as Paul also says Rom. 5:4: "Patience bringeth experience." "Visit" here means to challenge, to torment. 1) It wants to mean a word of the cross; whoever wants to preach it or learn it, drink the cup of salvation, and say, "I am greatly afflicted," Ps. 116:10.
And purify me.
The Hebrew word Zaraph (XXX), means distill, purify, as the goldsmiths do, goldschmidasti me.
1) In the Latin edition: tridutari instead of: triduiLro.
And find nothing.
This is a very fine consolation and defiance of a good conscience, that he may so surely say: You know that I have done and taught right, as Jeremiah also says, Cap. 17, 16: "What I have preached is right in your sight. Sin finds God well, there he does not speak of now, but he speaks of his cause. We have a good cause, because it is the gospel that we suffer for. We are not persecuted for being adulterers or anything like that. They would well suffer us to help ourselves with harlots, as they do; they would not be hostile to us for that. But they are hostile to us because of this. So now we can boast: You know, O Lord, that I have taught nothing but your word. Though the person be frail, yet the thing is altogether righteous.
I have determined that my mouth shall not transgress.
(10) Because the sophists boast so highly of their work that they also trouble me with it, I have firmly determined that my mouth will not pass before your word, and that I will not teach anything apart from your word. He speaks of the duty of the mouth, that is, of the teaching office.
V. 4. I keep myself in the word of your lips, from the works of men in the way of the murderer.
(11) It is about the word of your lips. This very word [murderer] is also in Jeremiah Cap. 7, 11: "You have made it a murderer's pit"; and Christ, whom we believe, also interpreted it to mean a murderer [Matth. 21, 13]. Pariz (XXX) is called a prowler, parisiensis, from breaking out, that one may tear out to the side to the places of ambush, to assail unwary wayfarers. He now says: They teach the work of men, but I teach the word of God; there it rises above, there it clashes. Such quarrels have been from the beginning of the world, for that is why Cain slew his brother, and will remain until the end of the world. There they stand. God's judgment testifies to them that Zwingli,
Heß, 1) Eck are murderers; the reason is that they do not respect the word, but the works. Those who do this are parisienses and murderers. Now follow prayers. For hitherto he hath magnified his cause, as he is, that he should hold fast, that he should not fall into their doctrine, but put them under the ban, and hold them to be murderers.
V. 5 Keep my walk upon thy footsteps, that my footsteps slip not.
Here now is the danger. They make it so smooth and beautiful that it will be necessary for us to pray that our Lord God will protect us from the hopeless enthusiasts.
Maintain my gait.
For there is danger, my foot may slip. It is necessary to defend oneself with the word and prayer, for he alone can keep the word. The devil can overthrow the whole thing with a single word. As Doctor Eck in Leipzig misled Carlstadt in a very good matter with a single word. Therefore you should diligently notice that the prophet prays so vehemently.
V. 6. I cry unto thee, that thou, O God, wouldest hear me; incline thine ear unto me, hear my speech.
14 He exalts prayer and makes it great, because he describes the necessity of prayer. As if he should say: It is an important matter, one invites all the devils and the whole world upon oneself. Duke Hans of Saxony is quite forsaken; everyone hopes that we will fail because of this. Therefore help, dear Lord.
V. 7. Prove your wondrous goodness, you Savior of those who trust in you.
This is a declaration of necessity, and a very beautiful verse. In Homer it is never so good. We are they that trust in thee, so hast thou the name, that thou
1) The name "Hetz" appears both in the Latin edition and in the old translation. We are of the opinion that there is a mistake here. Should not perhaps 6o6kl6U8 be put instead? That Luther had thought of Cochlaeus at that time is proven by his letter to Justus Jonas of April 23, 1330, Walch, old edition, vol. XVI, 2126. In addition, Cochlaeus is also one of the co-authors of the ooututntio. In the next following psalm, Z58, Eck and "Kochlöffel" are also compiled.
You do not want to leave them. Therefore, show your wonderful goodness and mercy, for we must be helped with miracles. We cannot be helped according to human ways and with human ability. We are too small; if we are to remain, your miraculous power must do it.
Against those who set themselves against your right hand.
This is a prayer full of faith. He does not call his enemies, but God's adversaries, who oppose God and His right. It is your cause, and a cause of your right, your will and your work. But you must do the helping whimsically.
V. 8. Keep me as the apple of your eye.
(17) Again, this is a great making of the prayer, which praises the cause as a good one. As if to say: It takes great diligence that our Lord God does not look badly upon us, but watches over us as over the apple of his eye. For in the whole world there is nothing more delicate than the conscience. It is said in Proverbs: discipline and honor, faith and eye do not suffer a joke, all three are soon corrupted. Thus one can soon make the conscience mad with a small splinter, so that no one knows what happens to it. I am easily harmed, he says, you must let me be commanded to you as the apple of your eye, you must have great respect for me. Therefore you must watch, and speak of the law of the Lord day and night [Ps. 1, 2.], it is well needed. Not as he did who studied forty years on one verse in the Psalter; for the devil is too strong, the flesh too weak, the world too evil.
Shield me under the shadow of your wings.
We are like young chicks; how soon has the consecration scattered them! we cannot escape it.
V. 9. Bor to the wicked who disturb me.
19 By and by he explains what kind of people the wicked are, namely, the most holy ones in the world. They do not afflict, he says, but they disturb; thus he indicates the danger and the difficult situation. Thus Paul says fGal. 1, 13.], "I disturbed the congregation of God."
And so the wicked disturb not only our peace and tranquility, but also souls and people, even deprive us of people, denigrate our books and our work. The wicked do this under the highest pretense of holiness.
Bor my enemies who stand around and around after my soul.
20. those who stand around [for]1 ) to take my life, thus disturb me physically and spiritually.
V. 10. Their fats hold together.
(21) Hitherto he has described their holiness; now he says how mighty and many they are. Are they so great? It is a Hebrew way of speaking that he calls "fat ones" the mighty ones. They have resolved their fatness, that is, have joined together, united their forces.
They speak proudly with their mouths.
(22) This makes them as proud as the nobility and princes are now; they talk with their mouths of vainly winning the game.
V. 11. Where we walk, they surround us.
They lie in wait for us as we walk and as we stand. They always mock all our works and writings. Philip often marvels at those slanderers who blaspheme us, even though we raise the dead, as Christ did. If they cannot condemn us with public appearances, they condemn us with slander. As we go, so it is wrong.
Their eyes are directed to bring us down to earth.
24 That is, in short, they have grasped their meaning, they want to push the thing to the ground.
V. 12. Like a lion desiring prey, like a young lion sitting in the den.
(25) He is always lying in wait to catch us with his false blasphemies, always seeking a cause to come to us. This is the first part, which contains the accusation of his adversaries and the statement of his cause. Now follows the other part.
1) In the Latin edition this "um" is missing.
V. 13. Lord, arise, overpower him, and humble him.
26. arise, come before (praeveni), that is, be stronger than them, humble them, we are too weak, we cannot resist them by the dear God.
Save my soul from the wicked with your sword.
27 That is, by the word, by thy judgment. They will not hear our word, though it is your word; therefore send them your word, your judgment and your wrath. Add to it the deed, get rid of the leather, and let the sentence go. Now he indicates what kind of people they are.
V. 14. From the people of your hand.
28. they are people of your hand, who shall fall into your judgment, and are reserved for your judgment and your hands. They are condemned and belong to your punishment.
From the people of this world.
29. heled (XXX) is called an age (aetatem), as it is also written in another place [Ps. 49, 2.]: Qui habitatis orbem, that is, in a measured time, which is fixed as the time of life. So he calls them such people, who badly desire nothing else but this life. Methim also does not mean men, but the rabble, as it is also written in the fifth book of Moses, Cap. 4, 27: "You will be a lowly rabble among the Gentiles." So also here: There is a noisy rabble before thee, H[archduke] G[eorg] and the H[archdukes] v[on] B[ayern]. They do not heed your word; but here they are great Hansen.
Which have their part in their life.
30 Peter looked at this verse in his other epistle Cap. 2, 13, where he says: Voluptatem]2 ) arbitrantur delicias dici. They regard temporal life for pleasure, that they may live in pleasure, but are not exercised with the cross. Here "life" means good life, that they may live in pleasure, sit in glory, honor, good and power, and are enemies of the cross of Christ [Phil. 3, 18].
2) This word, which must not be omitted here, is added by us according to the Vulgate.
Which you fill the belly with your treasure (absconditis tuis
31 Paul interpreted this [Rom. 16, 18. and Phil. 3, 19.] and called them belly servants. Hidden treasures (abscondita) he calls the benefits of God, because God distributes his gifts mildly and gives them in a hidden way. Here he creates grain from the sand, [there] from a rock wine, oil. These are hidden treasures.
Those who have children who have abundance.
32 Not that it is evil to have children, but that it is evil to have children in abundance, to dwell upon them, and to lust after them, that they may be made great, glorious, and comely in the sight of the world.
And leave the rest to their boys.
(33) They think that they are leaving great goods behind them, but they do not even think of our Lord God, as is said in the Gospel [Luc. 16:19] of the rich glutton. Therefore, this is a description of the life of the world, that one lives in a drunken stupor, and
teach his children also. But I, he says, am a different man.
V. 15. But I will behold your face in righteousness.
This is what is said about the resurrection of the dead. They think that life is life, but there is another. It is not life; I look to another, that is, to your face, that you may be revealed to us; to this we will come through righteousness.
I want to be satisfied when I awake in your image.
The Hebrew word Hekiz (XXXX) actually means to be raised from sleep. The man who is in the world is an image of this life; but when your image shall rise, then shall we be in righteousness. So the things that are here will cease. Then shall thy image arise, that is, then shall we be renewed into the image of the Son, that we may be righteous, wise, and live for ever. But in this world it is not said otherwise, but: You test me with fire.