in number the thirty-second.
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose iniquities are covered. 3.
Blessed is the man to whom God does not impute sin, and in his spirit there is no deceit.
3 For I have been silent, all my bones are obsolete, since I cry out all day long.
4) For day and night your hand is heavy upon me; I am converted in my grief, when 4) the thorn is pricked.
005 My sin I have confessed unto thee, and that I am not righteous, I have not made excuse.
3) Jenaer (1): their vice or.
4) Weimarsche: "alßo"; later, however, in the interpretation as in the other editions "alß". At the beginning of the explanation of the sixth verse there is again "alßo" in the meaning of "as": "alßo sott er sagen."
006 I said, I will confess unto God my Lord that I am not righteous, and thou hast remitted unto me the disobedience of my sin.
(7) For these also shall every saint pray before thee in due season.
8 But in the flood of many waters they will not reach him.
9. thou art my refuge in the persecution that compasseth me about: deliver me, p my joy! from them that compass me about.
010 I will give thee understanding, and instruct thee in the way that thou shalt walk; I will keep mine eyes upon thee continually.
(11) Do not be like the horses and the mouths that have no understanding.
12. with bridle and bit constrain their jaws, which will not draw near to thee.
(13) He who is disobedient to God will have many afflictions, but he who puts his hope in God will be embraced by mercy.
14. rejoice in god and dance, you righteous, and be glorious all you who are of a right heart.
V. 1. Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven.
(1) As if he said, "No one is without unrighteousness, but all are unrighteous before God, even those who practice the works of righteousness, and so seem to come out of unrighteousness, for no one can help them out. Therefore blessed are they, not those who have no sin or work themselves out of it, but only those to whom God grants it by grace. But who are they? This is what the 5th, 6th and 7th verses will teach.
That sin is covered.
. 2 No one is without iniquity, which God clearly sees in all of us. But blessed are they to whom he covers them up, will not see them, will not remember them, will not know them, but will truly forgive them out of grace. These are the ones who do not cover themselves, do not remit, forgive or forget, but look, know, remember and punish.
V. 2: Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity.
(3) That is, not blessed but unblessed is he who does not impute sin to himself, pleases himself, thinks himself pious, bears no conscience, knows himself innocent, and comforts and relies on it, when the apostle says [1 Cor. 4:4], "I am conscious of nothing, but from it I am not justified." As if he were speaking: a) Blessed is he to whom God does not impute sin, that God is not aware of anything because of his sin. These are the ones who steadily impute sin and infirmity manifoldly to themselves.
In whose spirit there is no falsehood.
(4) That is, that even his heart may not deceive him, if he appears outwardly pious, and esteems himself no other than pious, and may not deceive God.
a) But
Lovers; yet inwardly the opinion is false, and serves not God for God's sake, but for his own sake, and is pious. What evil, false, deceitful cunning most often seduces the great, seeming and spiritual people, who stand fearlessly for the sake of their pious life and many good works, and do not seriously perceive their spirit and inner opinion, nor do they want to take to mind that this deceitful, harmful cunning leaves no man free, but is entirely spiritual in all, and is cast out only by the grace of God.
5 Therefore he calls it a falsehoodb ) in the spirit; not a trick that a man does and thinks up with knowledge against himself or another, but which he suffers and is innate to him, which lets itself be covered and adorned with good life, so that the man wants to think he is pure and free, then lies the evil filth underneath, which the doctors call amorem sui,c ) if the man is pious for the fear of hell or hope of heaven, and not for the sake of God. But this is difficult to recognize, and even more difficult to get rid of, and both may not happen, but by grace of the Holy Spirit.
Now it is to be noted here that the prophet mentions four kinds of iniquity, as, unrighteousness, iniquity, sin, cunning. Iniquity is that man is not pious before God, deprived of what he should have, that is, piety and good works. This is the first harm. The other is "iniquity," which is the evil works that follow, as the other harm from the first; as from poverty may follow stealing or adultery, betrayal, and the like. And these unrighteousnesses are also the good works, which are thus done in deprived and absent true godliness, which is born of grace. The third, "sin," is the evil of nature, which has remained and always remains when iniquity and unrighteousness occur, and is the evil desire, love, fear grown in the skin and innate, which provokes the first two, which is a lasting sin in this time, and in itself it is deadly, if God by grace does not cover it for those who are sorry for it and desire it.
b) List.
c) t amorein Dei eoneupiseentiae.
1672 Erl. 37, 360-3SS. Au[1. of the 7 penitential psalms. 1517 u. 1525. Ps. 32. W. IV, 2281-2283. 1673
to become healthy. Therefore he says: God does not count it. As if he were saying, "It is there, but God by grace does not reckon it; therefore it is daily, and immediately becomes fatal when man becomes hopeful, and does not suffer over it without ceasing. And therefore it is a deception and subtle "trick" to all those who practice good works and think they are now pure, and do not believe that God's goodness does not count their impurity by grace.
V. 3: Because I wanted to conceal it.
7. that is,d ) I did not want to know nor know such sin, and thinking I was pious, did not see such falsehood.
d) Instead of what follows here in § 7 to ? 11, the following is found in the first edition: Before I knew these things, I exalted myself, and boasted to myself, pleased myself well in my good life, knew nothing else, because I would now be pure and pious. But it has subsided, I have become quiet; boasting has turned into complaining. For my piety has been recognized to me that it is wickedness.
Obsolete find my bones.
That is, all my strength and all my ability, even the comfort of my piety, has become weak and old, unfit before you, which was so fresh, strong and young before me. And namely he says: "obsolete"; this may also be understood according to the 7th [8th] verse of the first penitential Psalms, that is, before great fear of your judgment I have become old and gray.
For as the time of a suffering man is long, rather it is surpassingly long, when the bones suffer, that is, the powers of the soul before the sight of the divine judgment, that the Holy Spirit shines terribly into a presumptuous soul, that he may humble it and [it] may learn to know itself. Therefore she says: O God, how long shall the sight shine, my bones become old, weak, sick before it; methinks I must perish thoroughly forever.
Since I scream all day long.
The cry comes from the great fear of one's own knowledge, which comes from the sight of the sensitive gaze of the divine judgment, as has been said. This cry is immeasurable, and with no tongue utterable, only known to the experienced all the days, that he also speaks in the past Psalm [Ps. 6, 7]: "I will wash my bed all nights."
For day and night your hand is heavy upon me.
That is, your terrifying power is too heavy for me; therefore I also cry out, and complain day and night; it is far above me your hand, cannot suffer your punishment, which you threaten me with such a look.
I have turned into my misery.
That is, before I was turned away from my misery, I saw only my pleasure in myself; now I see
My bones pined away through my daily howling.
8 That is, I had no peace, and always had a heavy evil conscience that made me weak and miserable and gave me no rest because I did not confess sin nor seek mercy.
V. 4 For your hand was heavy on me day and night.
(9) This makes my evil conscience, which is a vain image of God's wrath, as if he were standing over me with a club, so there can be no peace in my heart.
My juice dried up, like in summer. Sela.
(10) For such burdens wither the heart, courage and mind, that a man's body also declines.
V. 5. Therefore I make known my sin.
011 Now I perceive that there is nothing better than to confess before thee that there is vile sin with me, and no good; that thy grace alone may be praised and desired, and that all defiance and confidence of merit and good works may cease.
And do not conceal my misdeed.
12. as those do to whom the cunning of the spirit makes them deceitfully confident, so that they may also justify and excuse themselves without fear, and thereby engage in quarrels against other people, fall into arrogance, anger, hatred, impatience, judgment and backbiting, become only more guilty for the sake of their innocence, and in all this still want to have acted rightly and well and justly. They hide their wickedness deeply, for they look at their piety, and do not confess their sin to God truthfully and without evil cunning of their spirit within. But the righteous people do not hide their
differently. I thought I was blessed; now I am miserable in the truth.
When the thorn prick is pricked.
This is because the verdict of your judgment pricks me so cruelly deep, and puts a thorn in my wretched conscience, piercing all the powers of my soul.
V. 5. I have confessed my sin to you.
This is how quiet I have become, how much I have stopped boasting, that I truly confess that I have never done good, but much sin and evil, even when I did well.
They are not angry, they are not impatient to be wronged, for they do not think they can be wronged if they do not find righteousness in them. And these are the blessed, to whom God remits and denies their unrighteousness, because they confessed and repented of it, and because they do not cover or hide their sin, God covers and hides it.
I spoke.
That is, now I see that one must say and do so, it will not and cannot be otherwise. e) As if he should say: You are so gracious, so gladly you hear true confession and humble confession, that you also immediately comfort and lift up, as soon as a man intends to humble himself; as soon as he recognizes himself a sinner and complains to you, he is immediately just and pleasant before you.
I will confess my transgression against me to the Lord.
14. that is, I will reprove myself, so God praises me; I will disgrace myself, so God honors me; I will accuse myself, so God excuses me; I will speak against myself, so God will speak for me; I will say my fault, so He will say my merit, as He did that to Marie Magdalene in the house of Simoni the leper 2) [Luc. 7, 48. 50.].
Then you forgave me the iniquity of my sin. Sela.
15. you forgavef ) because I reckoned and confessed the iniquity of my sin. g)
V. 6. For this all the saints will plead before you.
(16) That is why they will be holy, so that they will complain about their wickedness to you and ask for mercy. And noticeably [he says] 3) "before you".
1) "die" is missing in the Jenaer (2) and in the Erlanger; and immediately following "und verjährn" is missing in the Wittenberger, in the Jenaer (2) and in the Erlanger.
e) That is, I was in the intention, I decided with me.
2) In the old editions: leprosi.
f) have enacted.
(g) f For impik-tas properly means that one does not do what one ought to do; and this is at times alone; but in all sins it runs along, even in all good works that are not done in grace.
3) "says he" is only in the Wittenberg.
For though they seem holy before men, they regard it not, but fear thy judgment, and know that their holiness is nothing before thee, but humbly wait for thy mercy.
In due time.
17) [When and what time is it? as often as man recognizes himself,] 4) or in the time of graces. For this is the appropriate time to ask, as the prophet Isaiah says [Cap. 49, 8.]: "I have heard you in the pleasant time", in which the saints are, when God stirs them up and they are visited with the light of the graces.
That's why when great floods of water come.
(18) That is, the saint who thus stands, not on his holiness, but on the rock of your righteousness, which is Christ, on which is founded every one who is his own accuser, striker, and judge, when many blows and cruel temptations come upon him, like a flood of water, or when he is persecuted for the humble life. h)
They will not get to the same.
19 That is, they will not harm the soul, even if they have to leave body and life.
V. 7. You are my umbrella.
20. in all these rushing waters of temptation, you are my rock on which I stand, so that they will not drown me and swallow me up.
You wanted to protect me from fear.
21 These are the waters, temptations all around.
And with glory of a saved one surround me. Sela.
022 This is that I may boast of thy mercy in all things, and overcome temptation, and be glad. i)
4) Addition of the second edition. - "es" is missing in the Jena and Erlangen editions.
h) f than is said in the past sBußMalm.
i) Instead of K 22: As touched above. For a cheerful conscience in God's mercy overcomes all these above-mentioned storms and temptations. Now GOD answers:
1676 Erl. 37, 3N-367. au[1. of the 7 penitential psalms. 1517 u. 1525. Ps. 32. w. IV, 2285-2288. 1677
V. 8. I will give you understanding and show you the way you should walk.
(23) I will have you in it. You ask me to redeem you; do not suffer, do not teach me, do not teach yourself, leave you to me, I will be master enough for you, I will lead you the way in which you will walk pleasing to me. Thou thinkest it is corrupt, if it does not go as thou thinkest; thyk thinking is harmful to thee and hinders me. It must not go according to your understanding, but over your understanding; lower yourself in ignorance, and I will give you my understanding. Ignorance is the right understanding; not knowing where you are going is knowing rightly where you are going. My understanding makes thee foolish. So Abraham went out from his father's country, and knew not whither [Gen. 12:1]. He gave himself into my knowledge, and let his knowledge go, and came by the right way to the right end.
24) Behold, this is the way of the cross, which thou canst not find, but I must lead thee as one blind: therefore not thou, not man, not a creature, but I, I myself will instruct thee by my spirit and wordl ) the way wherein thou shalt walk. Not the work that you choose, not the suffering that you conceive, but that comes to you against your choosing, thinking, desires, 2) there follow, there I call, there be disciple, there it is time, your master has come, there be not a horse or unreasonable animal. If you follow me and rely on me, then see: 3)
I will beckon you with my eyes.
25. will not leave thee, thou shalt not sink, will not forget thee; thine eyes shall be closed upon thee, 4) because mine eyes are open upon thee. Hast thou not read, The eyes of God are open upon the upright?" [Ps. 34, 16.] and the mountain Moria is called, Dominus videbit [Gen. 22, 14.], without doubt,
1) In the old editions: "learn".
k) this.
1) "by ... Word" is missing.
2) get - encounter, befall.
3) Weimarsche: "alßo dan"; Wittenberger, Jenaer (2) and Erlanger: "so denn"; Jenaer (1): "alsdenn".
4) Erlanger: should.
that I alone shall see it, as I did when 5) Abraham did it, in which he did not do anything. This is recently nothing else than a right, simple faith and firm trust, confidence, hope God wants from us. Therefore, in these words, faith, hope, humility, patience are not expressed by name, but what is of the same virtue type and nature. 6) Many are those who write of virtues, praising the names rather than indicating their nature.
V. 9. Do not be like horses and mouths that have no understanding.
26) These are the ones who do not let me rule, but, like the sensual animals, follow as far as they feel; where they do not feel or examine, they do not follow [and do not understand the spirit]. 7) For horses and mouths are not made to understand things that are not sensible, therefore they are not moved by them to love or to suffer. So, the people who do not want to do, let, or suffer further, because just that they can measure and comprehend, feel, examine, and they cannot become measly of my understanding 8). They are the same with reason that horses are with the senses, both of which walk no further than sensitively.
You have to put a bridle and bit in their mouths if they don't want to go to you.
27.m ) I do not like those who have to be forced with laws, like animals with bridles, but those who serve me freely and willingly without the coercion of the law, out of spirit and love.
5) "als" is missing in the Wittenberg, Jena (2) and Erlangen.
6) Weimarsche: imprinted.
7) Addition 1525.
8) Walch and the Erlanger: "moderately". The meaning is: you cannot measure my mind.
m) Instead of the following in § 27: those who do not want to understand, who are like horses, and want to do it according to their good opinion and conceit, send them repugnance until they have to come. That is to say, oolnneütz iutrure, when necessity makes will, and the must is turned into the ought, until he says: Shall I, then I will; must it be so, then so be it. Thus God compels the stubborn horses and mouths when he does not allow them to obtain what they want. Let them first go astray in the way of God, like the brave horses, until they get into gear and learn to understand that it must be suffered, and not go according to our will.
V. 10. The wicked must suffer much.
(28) These are the ones who govern themselves, do not want to suffer God's rule, do not walk any other way than according to their own liking,n ) and yet think that they respect and honor God in the best way, they are the most obedient, the most pious, the most right, because they have a good opinion and that what their good opinion gives is right. They are always disobedient to God, for they are of a hopeless mind, and they are not subject to God's mind; therefore they must suffer much and be afflicted, and it is all in vain, without all merit and consolation. [For they have no good conscience, but vain toil and labour in their good life, to which the law and a heavy evil conscience drive them, as the horses and the mouths]. 1)
But whoever hopes in the Lord will be embraced by goodness.
29) Just as those surrounded 2) the judgment and wrath of God, from which they have much misfortune and not happiness, because they stand on their own, putting their hope in their own good opinion. So, the right people who
n) 1 whom God can still force with sweetness nor sourness, nor with curls nor with draughts that tear bridle and bit,
1) Addition. 1525.
2) Weimarsche: "umbringt"; Erlanger: "umbbringet".
do not hope in themselves or in their own good judgment, or certainly do not rely on them; they are surrounded by goodness. o) From which they have much good and happiness. That is why he is polluted by them.
V. 11. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and be glad.
(30) That is, you who trust in God, may you also rejoice in God; you who neither trust nor rejoice in yourselves, but despair and grieve in yourselves, (3) being enemies to yourselves, and pleasing nothing in your mind.
And praise all who are sincere from the heart.
31 That is, be bold and courageous,p , exalt yourselves, boast, be well pleased, as a man who boasts. For the heart that is right toward God, and not bent on itself or anything else but God, is founded on eternal good, and stands. Therefore it has superfluous of which it can boast, glory, flaunt and defy, as the apostle says: "Whoever wants to boast, let him boast of GOD" [1 Cor. 1, 31.]. But the crooked souls, bowed down in themselves with false goodness and deceitful good opinion, boast in themselves and not in God.
o) Mercy.
3) Jenaer (1): "afflict yourselves".
p) defiant and cocky.