The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 143
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 144 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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A Psalm of David concerning Goliath. Blessed be the Lord my God, Who instructs my hands for battle, And my fingers for war.
Τῷ Δαυὶδ πρὸς τὸν Γολιάδ. Εὐλογήτος Κύριος ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ διδάσκων τὰς χεῖράς μου εἰς παράταξιν, τοὺς δακτύλους μου εἰς πόλεμον·
"Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands for battle, my fingers for war". These are our words, if we be the Body of Christ. It seems a repetition of sentiment; "our hands for battle," and "our fingers for war," are the same. Or is there some difference between "hands" and "fingers"? Certainly both hands and…
My mercy, and my refuge; My helper, and my deliverer; My protector, in whom I have trusted; Who subdues my people under me.
Ἔλεός μου καὶ καταφυγή μου, ἀντιλήπτωρ μου καὶ ῥύστης μου, ὑπερασπιστής μου, καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ ἤλπισα, ὁ ὑποτάσσων τὸν λαόν μου ὑπʼ ἐμέ.
My Mercy and my Refuge, my Upholder and my Deliverer. Much toils this combatant, having his flesh lusting against his spirit. Keep what you have. Then shall you have in full what you wish, when "death shall have been swallowed up in victory;" [1 Corinthians 15:54] when this mortal body has been raised, and is changed…
Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him? Or the son of man, that thou takest account of him?
Κύριε, τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι ἐγνώσθης αὐτῷ; ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι λογίζῃ αὐτόν;
"Lord, what is man, that Thou hast become known unto him?" All is included in "that Thou hast become known unto him." "Or the son of man, that Thou valuest him?" Thou valuest him, that is, Thou makest him of such importance, Thou countest him of such price, Thou knowest under what Thou placest him, over what Thou…
Man is like to vanity: His days pass as a shadow.
Ἄνθρωπος ματαιότητι ὡμοιώθη, αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ σκιὰ παράγουσι.
"Man is made like unto vanity: his days pass away like a shadow." What vanity? Time, which passeth on, and floweth by. For this "vanity" is said in comparison of the Truth, which ever abideth, and never faileth: for it too is a work of His Hand, in its degree. "For," as it is written, "God filled the earth with His…
O Lord, bow thy heavens, and come down: Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
Κύριε, κλῖνον οὐρανούς σου καὶ κατάβηθι, ἅψαι τῶν ὀρέων καὶ καπνισθήσονται.
"Lord, bow Thy heavens, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke." The Body of Christ, the humble David, full of grace, relying on God, fighting in this world, calleth for the help of God. What are "heavens bowed down"? Apostles humbled. For those "heavens declare the glory of God;" and of these…
Send lightning, and thou shalt scatter them: Send forth thine arrows, and thou shalt discomfit them.
Ἄστραψον ἀστραπὴν καὶ σκορπιεῖς αὐτοὺς, ἐξαπόστειλον τὰ βέλη σου καὶ συνταράξεις αὐτούς.
"Flash Thy lightning, and Thou shall scatter them; send forth Thine arrows, and Thou shall confound them." But there are some that conspire, that "gather themselves together against the Lord, and against His Christ." They have come together, they have conspired. "Flash forth Thy lightnings, and Thou shall scatter…
Send forth thy hand from on high; Rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, Out of the hand of strange children;
Ἐξαπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐξ ὕψους, ἐξελοῦ με καὶ ῥῦσαί με ἐξ ὑδάτων πολλῶν, ἐκ χειρὸς υἱῶν ἀλλοτρίων·
"Send forth Thine Hand from on high." What afterward? What in the end? How conquereth the Body of Christ? By heavenly aid. "For the Lord Himself shall come with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God shall He descend from heaven," Himself the Saviour of the body, the Hand of God. What is, "Out of many…
Whose mouth has spoken vanity, And their right hand is a right hand of iniquity.
ὧν τὸ στόμα ἐλάλησε ματαιότητα, καὶ ἡ δεξιὰ αὐτῶν δεξιὰ ἀδικίας.
"From the hand of strange children." Hear, brethren, among whom we are, among whom we live, from whom we long to be delivered. "Whose mouth has spoken vanity". All of you today, if you had not gathered yourselves together to these divine shows of the word of God, and were not at this hour engaged in them, how great…
O God, I will sing a new song to thee: I will play to thee on a psaltery of ten strings.
Ὁ Θεὸς, ᾠδὴν καινὴν ᾄσομαί σοι, ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ δεκαχόρδῳ ψαλῶ σοι·
"I will sing a new song unto You, O God". "A new song" is of grace; "a new song" is of the new man; "a new song" is of the New Testament. But lest you should think that grace departs from the law, whereas rather by grace the law is fulfilled, "upon a psaltery of ten strings will I sing unto You." Upon the law of ten…
Even to him who gives salvation to kings: Who redeems his servant David from the hurtful sword.
Τῷ διδόντι τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, τῷ λυτρουμένῳ Δαυὶδ τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ ἐκ ῥομφαίας πονηρᾶς.
Deliver me, and rescue me from the hand of strange children, Whose mouth has spoken vanity, And their right hand is a right hand of iniquity;
Ῥῦσαί με καὶ ἐξελοῦ με ἐκ χειρὸς υἱῶν ἀλλοτρίων, ὧν τὸ στόμα ἐλάλησε ματαιότητα, καὶ ἡ δεξιὰ αὐτῶν δεξιὰ ἀδικίας·
Whose children are as plants, Strengthened in their youth: Their daughters are beautiful, sumptuously Adorned after the similitude of a temple.
ὧν οἱ υἱοὶ ὡς νεόφυτα ἱδρυμένα ἐν τῇ νεότητι αὐτῶν· αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτῶν κεκαλλωπισμέναι, περικεκοσμημέναι ὡς ὁμοίωμα ναοῦ.
"Their garners are full, bursting out from one store to another: their sheep are fruitful, multiplying in their streets". Is not this then happiness? I ask the sons of the kingdom of heaven, I ask the offspring of everlasting resurrection, I ask the body of Christ, the members of Christ, the temple of God. Is not this…
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.