The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 39
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 40 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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I waited patiently for the Lord; And he attended to me, and hearkened to my supplication.
Ὑπομένων ὑπέμεινα τὸν Κύριον, καὶ προσέσχε μοι, καὶ εἰσήκουσε τῆς δεήσεώς μου.
Let us say then what this Psalm says. "I waited patiently for the Lord". I waited patiently for the promise of no mere mortal who can both deceive and be himself deceived: I waited for the consolation of no mere mortal, who may be consumed by sorrow of his own, before he gives me comfort. Should a brother mortal…
And he brought me up out of a pit of misery, And from miry clay: And he set my feet on a rock, And ordered my goings aright.
Καὶ ἀνήγαγέ με ἐκ λάκκου ταλαιπωρίας, καὶ ἀπὸ πηλοῦ ἰλύος· καὶ ἔστησεν ἐπὶ πέτραν τοὺς πόδας μου, καὶ κατεύθυνε τὰ διαβήματά μου.
And what hath He accomplished for thee? What hath He done for thee? "He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings" (ver. 2). He hath given us great blessings already: and still He is our debtor; but let him who hath this part of the debt…
And he put a new song into my mouth, Even a hymn to our God: Many shall see it, and fear, And shall hope in the Lord.
Καὶ ἐνέβαλεν εἰς τὸ στόμα μου ᾆσμα καινὸν, ὕμνον τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν· ὄψονται πολλοὶ καὶ φοβηθήσονται, καὶ ἐλπιοῦσιν ἐπὶ Κύριον.
"And He hath put a new song in my mouth." What new song is this? "Even a hymn unto our God" (ver. 3). Perhaps you used to sing hymns to strange gods; old hymns, because they were uttered by the "old man," not by the "new man;" let the "new man" be formed, and let him sing a "new song;" being himself made "new," let…
Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord, And who has not regarded vanities and false frenzies.
Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, οὗ ἐστι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐπέβλεψεν εἰς ματαιότητας καὶ μανίας ψευδεῖς.
"Blessed is that man that makes the name of the Lord his trust, and has not respected vanities or lying madnesses". Behold the way by which you would fain have gone. Behold the "multitude that fill the Broad way." It is not without reason "that" road leads to the amphitheatre. It is not without reason it leads to…
O Lord my God, thou hast multiplied thy wonderful works, And in thy thoughts there is none who shall be likened to thee: I declared and spoke of them: they exceeded number.
Πολλὰ ἐποίησας σὺ Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου τὰ θαυμάσιά σου, καὶ τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς σου οὐκ ἔστι τίς ὁμοιωθήσεταί σοι· ἀπήγγειλα καὶ ἐλάλησα, ἐπληθύνθησαν ὑπὲρ ἀριθμόν.
We will give him other sights in exchange for such sights as these. And what sights shall we present to the Christian, whom we would fain divert from those sights? I thank the Lord our God; He in the following verse of the Psalm hath shown us what sights we ought to present and offer to spectators who would fain have…
Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not; But a body hast thou prepared me: Whole burnt offering and sacrifice for sin thou didst not require.
Θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἠθέλησας, σῶμα δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι· ὁλοκαύτωμα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ᾔτησας.
"Sacrifice and offering You did not desire", says the Psalm to God. For the men of old time, when as yet the true Sacrifice, which is known to the faithful, was foreshown in figures, used to celebrate rites that were figures of the reality that was to be hereafter; many of them understanding their meaning; but more of…
Then I said, Behold, I come: In the volume of the book it is written concerning me,
Τότε εἶπον, ἰδοὺ ἥκω· ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου γέγραπται περὶ ἐμοῦ,
"Burnt-offerings also for sin hast Thou not required." "Then said I, Lo, I come!". It is time that what "was promised should come;" because the signs, by means of which they were promised, have been put away. And indeed, Brethren, observe these put away; those fulfilled. Let the Jewish nation at this time show me…
I desired to do thy will, O my God, And thy law in the midst of my heart.
τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημά σου ὁ Θεός μου ἠβουλήθην, καὶ τὸν νόμον σου ἐν μέσῳ τῆς καρδίας μου.
"In the head of the Book it is written of me, that I should fulfil Thy will: O my God, I am willing, and Thy Law is within my heart". Behold! He turns His regards to His members. Behold! He hath Himself "fulfilled the will" of the Father. But in what "beginning of a Book" is it written of Him? Perhaps in the beginning…
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation; Lo! I will not refrain my lips; O Lord, thou knowest my righteousness.
Εὐηγγελισάμην δικαιοσύνην ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ μεγάλῃ, ἰδοὺ τὰ χείλη μου οὐ μὴ κωλύσω. Κύριε, σὺ ἔγνως
"I have well declared Thy righteousness in the great congregation". He now addresses His Members. He is exhorting them to do what He has already done. He has "declared;" let us declare also. He has suffered; let us "suffer with Him." He has been glorified; we shall be "glorified with Him." "I have declared Thy…
I have not hidden thy truth within my heart, And I have declared thy salvation; I have not hidden thy mercy and thy truth from the great congregation.
τὴν δικαιοσύνην μου, οὐκ ἔκρυψα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου, καὶ τὸ σωτήριόν σου εἶπα· οὐκ ἔκρυψα τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου ἀπὸ συναγωγῆς πολλῆς.
"I have not hid my righteousness within my heart". What is meant by "my righteousness"? My faith. For, "the just shall live by faith." As suppose the persecutor under threat of punishment, as they were once allowed to do, puts you to the question, "What art thou? Pagan or Christian?" "A Christian." That is his…
But thou, Lord, remove not thy compassion far from me; Thy mercy and thy truth have helped me continually.
Σὺ δέ Κύριε μὴ μακρύνῃς τοὺς οἰκτιρμούς σου ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ, τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου διαπαντὸς ἀντελάβοντό μου.
"Remove not Thou Thy mercies far from me, O Lord". He is turning his attention to the wounded members. Because I have not "concealed Thy mercy and Thy Truth from the great congregation," from the Unity of the Universal Church, look Thou on Thy afflicted members, look on those who are guilty of sins of omission, and on…
For innumerable evils have encompassed me; My transgressions have taken hold of me, and I could not see; They are multiplied more than the hairs of my head; And my heart has failed me.
Ὅτι περιέσχον με κακὰ, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμὸς, κατέλαβόν με αἱ ἀνομίαι μου, καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνάσθην τοῦ βλέπειν· ἐπληθύνθησαν ὑπὲρ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς μου, καὶ ἡ καρδία μου ἐγκατέλιπέ με.
"Innumerable evils have compassed me about". Who can number sins? Who can count his own sins, and those of others? A burden under which he was groaning, who said, "Cleanse Thou me from my secret faults; and from the faults of others, spare Thou Thy servant, O Lord." Our own are too little; those "of others" are added…
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, draw nigh to help me.
Εὐδόκησον Κύριε τοῦ ῥύσασθαί με, Κύριε εἰς τὸ βοηθῆσαί μοι πρόσχες.
"Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me". As if he were saying, "'If You will, You can make me clean.' [Matthew 8:2] Be pleased to deliver me. O Lord, look upon me to help me." Look, that is, on the penitent members, members that lie in pain, members that are writhing under the instruments of the surgeon; but still in hope.
"Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it". For in a certain passage he makes an accusation, and says, "I looked upon my right hand, and beheld; and there was no man who sought after my soul;" that is, there was no man to imitate Mine example. Christ in His Passion is the…
"Let them speedily bear away their own confusion, that say unto me, Well done! Well done!". They praise you without reason. "A great man! A good man! A man of education and of learning; but why a Christian?" They praise those things in you which you should wish not to be praised; they find fault with that at which you…
"Let all those that seek Thee, O Lord, rejoice and be glad" (ver. 16). Those who "seek" not me, but "Thee;" who say not to me, "Well done! Well done!" but see me "glory in Thee," if I have anything whereof to glory; for "he who glories, let him glory in the Lord." "Let all those who seek Thee, Lord, rejoice and be…
"But I" (ver. 17). I for whom they were seeking evil, I whose "life they were seeking, that they might take it away." But turn thee to another description of persons. But I to whom they said, "Well done! Well done!" "I am poor and needy." There is nothing in me that may be praised as mine own. Let Him rend my…
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.