The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 102
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 103 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Τῷ Δαυίδ. Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐντός μου τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ.
..."Bless the Lord, O my soul! and all that is within me, His holy Name" (ver. 1). I suppose that he speaketh not of what is within the body; I do not suppose him to mean this, that our lungs and liver, and so forth, are to burst forth into the voice of blessing of the Lord. There are lungs in our breast indeed, like…
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his praises:
Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον, καὶ μὴ ἐπιλανθάνου πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐτοῦ·
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His rewards" (ver. 2). But the rewards of the Lord cannot be before thine eyes unless thy sins are before thine eyes. Let not delight in past sin be before thine eyes, but let the condemnation of sin be before thine eyes: condemnation from thee, forgiveness from God. For…
Who forgives all thy transgressions, Who heals all thy diseases;
Τὸν εὐιλατεύοντα πάσαις ταῖς ἀνομίαις σου, τὸν ἰώμενον πάσας τὰς νόσους σου,
Hear ye all His rewards. "Who forgiveth all thy sin: who healeth all thine infirmities" (ver. 3). Behold His rewards. What, save punishment, was due unto the sinner? What was due to the blasphemer, but the hell of burning fire? He gave not these rewards: that thou mayest not shudder with dread: and without love fear…
Who redeems thy life from corruption; Who crowns thee with mercy and compassion;
τὸν λυτρούμενον ἐκ φθορᾶς τὴν ζωήν σου, τὸν στεφανοῦντά σε ἐν ἐλέει καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς,
"Who redeemeth thy life from corruption" (ver. 4). Behold, "the body which is corrupted, weigheth down the soul." The soul then hath life in a corruptible body. What sort of life? It suffereth burdens, it beareth weights. How great obstacles are there to thinking of God Himself, as it is right that men should think of…
Who satisfies thy desire with good things: So that thy youth shall be renewed like that of the eagle.
τὸν ἐμπιπλῶντα ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν σου· ἀνακαινισθήσεται ὡς ἀετοῦ ἡ νεότης σου.
After the battle, then, I shall be crowned; after the crown, what shall I do? "He who satisfieth thy longing with good things". ...Seek thy own good, O soul. For one thing is good to one creature, another to another, and all creatures have a certain good of their own, to the completeness and perfection of their…
The Lord executes mercy And judgment for all that are injured.
Ποιῶν ἐλεημοσύνας ὁ Κύριος, καὶ κρίμα πᾶσι τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις.
"The Lord executes mercy and judgment for all them that are oppressed with wrong"....An adulterous woman is brought forward to be stoned according to the Law, but she is brought before the Lawgiver Himself....Our Lord, at the time she was brought before Him, bending His Head, began writing on the earth. When He bent…
He made known his ways to Moses, His will to the children of Israel.
Ἐγνώρισε τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ τῷ Μωυσῇ, τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ τὰ θελήματα αὐτοῦ.
"He made His ways known unto Moses". ...For the Law was given with this view, that the sick might be convinced of his infirmity, and pray for the physician. This is the hidden way of God. Thou hadst long ago heard, "Who healeth all thine infirmities." Their infirmities were as yet hidden in the sick; the five books…
The Lord is compassionate and pitiful, Long-suffering, and full of mercy.
Οἰκτίρμων καὶ ἐλεήμων ὁ Κύριος, μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος.
"The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: long-suffering, and of great mercy". Why so long-suffering? Why so great in mercy? Men sin and live; sins are added on, life continueth: men blaspheme daily, and "He maketh His sun to rise over the good and the wicked." [Matthew 5:45] On all sides He calleth to amendment, on…
He will not be always angry; Neither will he be wrathful forever.
Οὐκ εἰς τέλος ὀργισθήσεται, οὐδὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μηνιεῖ.
"He will not alway be chiding: neither keepeth He His anger for ever". Since it is in consequence of His anger that we live in the scourges and corruption of mortality: we have this in punishment for the first sin. ...Is it not through His anger, my brethren, that "in the sweat of thy face and in toil thou shalt eat…
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor recompensed us according to our iniquities.
Οὐ κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἐποίησεν ἡμῖν, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν ἀνταπέδωκεν ἡμῖν.
"He hath not dealt with us according to our sins" (ver. 10). Thanks unto God, because He hath vouchsafed this. We have not received what we were deserving of: "He hath not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our wickednesses." "For as the height of heaven above the earth, so hath the Lord…
For as the heaven is high above the earth, The Lord has so increased his mercy toward them that fear him.
Ὅτι κατὰ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἐκραταίωσε Κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν.
"For as the height of heaven above the earth, so has the Lord confirmed His mercy toward them that fear Him". Observe the heaven: everywhere on every side it covers the earth, nor is there any part of the earth not covered by the heaven. Men sin beneath heaven: they do all evil deeds beneath the heaven; yet they are…
As far as the east is from the west, So far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Καθόσον ἀπέχουσιν ἀνατολαὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, ἐμάκρυνεν ἀφʼ ἡμῶν τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν.
"Look, how wide the east is from the west; so far has He set our sins from us". They who know the Sacraments know this; nevertheless, I only say what all may hear. When sin is remitted, your sins fall, your grace rises; your sins are as it were on the decline, your grace which frees you on the rise. "Truth springs…
As a father pities his children, The Lord pities them that fear him.
Καθὼς οἰκτείρει πατὴρ υἱοὺς, ᾠκτείρησε Κύριος τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν.
"Yea, like as a father pities his own children, even so has the Lord had mercy on them that fear Him". Let Him be as angry as He shall will, He is our Father. But He has scourged us, and afflicted us, and bruised us: He is our Father. Son, if you bewail, wail beneath your Father; do not so with indignation, do not so…
For he knows our frame: Remember that we are dust.
Ὅτι αὐτὸς ἔγνω τὸ πλάσμα ἡμῶν· μνήσθητι ὅτι χοῦς ἐσμεν.
"For He knows our forming": that is, our infirmity. He knows what He has created, how it has fallen, how it may be repaired, how it may be adopted, how it may be enriched. Behold, we are made of clay: "The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven." [1 Corinthians 15:47] He sent even…
As for man, his days are as grass; As a flower of the field, so shall he flourish.
Ἄνθρωπος, ὡσεὶ χόρτος αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ, ὡσεὶ ἄνθος τοῦ ἀγροῦ οὕτως ἐξανθήσει.
"Man, his days are but as grass". Let man consider what he is; let not man be proud. "His days are but as grass." Why is the grass proud, that is now flourishing, and in a very short space dried up? Why is the grass proud that flourishes only for a brief season, until the sun be hot? It is then good for us that His…
For the wind passes over it, and it shall not be; And it shall know its place no more.
Ὅτι πνεῦμα διῆλθεν ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐχ ὑπάρξει, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιγνώσεται ἔτι τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ.
"The wind shall go over on it, it shall not be; and the place thereof shall know it no more". For he is not speaking of grass, but of that for whose sake even the Word became grass. For you are man, and on your account the Word became man. "All flesh is grass:" "and the Word was made flesh." [John 1:14] How great then…
But the mercy of the Lord is from generation to generation upon them that fear him, And his righteousness to children’s children;
Τὸ δὲ ἔλεος τοῦ Κυρίου ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν· καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ υἱοὺς υἱῶν,
In your reflections therefore on yourself, think of your low estate, think of your dust: be not lifted up: if you are anything better, you will be so by His Grace, you will be so by His mercy. For hear what follows: "but the mercy of the Lord endures for ever and ever upon them that fear Him". You who fear not Him,…
To them that keep his covenant, And remember his commandments to do them.
τοῖς φυλάσσουσι τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ, καὶ μεμνημένοις τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτάς.
"And His righteousness upon children's children" (ver. 18). He speaketh of reward, "upon children's children." How many servants of God are there who have not children, how much less children's children? But He calleth our works our children; the reward of works, our "children's children." "Even upon such as keep His…
The Lord has prepared his throne in the heaven; And his kingdom rules over all.
Κύριος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἡτοίμασε τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ πάντων δεσπόζει.
"The Lord hath prepared His throne in heaven" (ver. 19). Who but Christ hath prepared His throne in heaven? He who descended and ascended, He who died, and rose from the dead, He who lifted up to heaven the manhood He had assumed, hath Himself prepared His throne in heaven. The throne is the seat of the Judge: observe…
Bless the Lord, all ye his angels, Mighty in strength, who perform his bidding, Ready to hearken to the voice of his words.
Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον πάντες ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, δυνατοὶ ἰσχύϊ ποιοῦντες τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ.
"Bless ye the Lord, ye Angels of His, ye that are mighty in strength: ye that fulfil His word" (ver. 20). By the word of God, then, thou art not righteous, nor faithful, unless when thou dost it. "Ye that are mighty in strength, ye that fulfil His commandment, and hearken unto the voice of His words."
Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts; Ye ministers of his that do his will.
Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ, λειτουργοὶ αὐτοῦ ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα αὐτοῦ.
"Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts: ye servants of His that do His pleasure" (ver. 21). All ye angels, all ye that are mighty in strength: ye that do His word: all ye His hosts, ye servants of His that do His pleasure, do ye, ye bless the Lord. For all they who live wickedly, though their tongues be silent, by their…
Bless the Lord, all his works, In every place of his dominion: Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ τῆς δυναστείας αὐτοῦ· εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον.
"Bless ye the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion". Therefore in every place. Let Him not be blessed where He rules not: "in all places of His dominion." Let no man perchance say: I cannot praise the Lord in the East, because He has departed unto the West; or, I cannot praise Him in the West,…
Every note is a real passage, quoted word for word from a published English translation, with its source. Nothing here is summarised or written by us. Some verses have many notes and some have none, because the Fathers wrote more on some passages than others.
All of these translations are in the public domain. The passages were matched to their verses by the Historical Christian Commentaries project, which also hosts the full texts we link to. The Fathers are a treasury of the Church's mind, and they are best read alongside the life of the Church: if a passage raises a question, bring it to your priest.