The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 42
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 43 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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A Psalm of David. Judge me, O God, and plead my cause, against an ungodly nation: Deliver me from the unjust and crafty man.
Ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυίδ. Κρίνον με ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ δίκασον τὴν δίκην μου, ἐξ ἔθνους οὐχ ὁσίου, ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἀδίκου καὶ δολίου ῥῦσαί με.
For thou, O God, art my strength: wherefore hast thou cast me off? And why do I go sad of countenance, while the enemy oppresses me?
Ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεὸς κραταίωμά μου, ἱνατί ἀπώσω με; καὶ ἱνατί σκυθρωπάζων πορεύομαι ἐν τῷ ἐκθλίβειν τὸν ἐχθρόν μου;
And since patience is needful in order to endure, until the harvest, a certain distinction without separation, if we may so speak (for they are together with us, and therefore not yet separated; the tares however being still tares, and the grain still grain, and therefore they are already distinct); since then a kind…
Send forth thy light and thy truth: They have led me, and brought me to thy holy mountain, And to thy tabernacles.
Ἐξαπόστειλον τὸ φῶς σου καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου, αὐτά με ὡδήγησαν καὶ ἤγαγόν με εἰς ὄρος ἅγιόν σου, καὶ εἰς τὰ σκηνώματά σου.
But in order that she may do this, hear what she says, what she supplicates, what she prays for. Pray thou for what thou hearest; pray for it when thou hearest it; let these words be the voice of us all: "O send out Thy Light and Thy Truth. They have led me, and brought me on unto Thy holy hill, and into Thy…
And I will go in to the altar of God, To God who gladdens my youth: I will give thanks to thee on the harp, O God, my God.
Καὶ εἰσελεύσομαι πρὸς τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸν εὐφραίνοντα τὴν νεότητά μου, ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν κιθάρᾳ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεός μου.
Now then that we have been led on even to "the Tabernacle," and are placed on "His holy Hill," what hope do we carry with us? "Then will I go in unto the Altar of God." For there is a certain invisible Altar on high, which the unrighteous man approaches not. To that Altar he alone draws nigh, who draws nigh to this…
Wherefore art thou very sad, O my soul? and wherefore dost thou trouble me? Hope in God; for I will give thanks to him, Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Ἱνατί περίλυπος εἶ ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ἱνατί συνταράσσεις με; ἔλπισον ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐξομολογήσομαι αὐτῷ, σωτήριον τοῦ προσώπου μου, ὁ Θεός μου.
And again, in order that he may draw the sound from that sounding-board below, he addresses his soul: he says, "Why art thou sorrowful, O my soul, and why dost thou disquiet me?" I am in tribulations, in weariness, in mourning, "Why dost thou disquiet me, O my soul?" Who is the speaker, to whom is he speaking? That it…
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.