The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 59
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 60 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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For the end, for them that shall yet be changed; for an inscription by David for instruction,
Εἰς τὸ τέλος, τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις ἔτι, εἰς στηλογραφίαν τῷ Δαυὶδ εἰς διδαχὴν,
when he had burned Mesopotamia of Syria, and Syria Zobah, and Joab had returned and smitten in the Valley of Salt twelve thousand.
ὁπότε ἐνεπύρισε τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν Συρίας, καὶ τὴν Συρίαν Σοβὰλ, καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν Ἰωὰβ, καὶ ἐπάταξε τὴν φάραγγα τῶν ἁλῶν, δώδεκα χιλιάδας.
O God, thou hast rejected and destroyed us; Thou hast been angry, yet hast pitied us.
Ὁ Θεὸς ἀπώσω ἡμᾶς καὶ καθεῖλες ἡμᾶς, ὠργίσθης καὶ ᾠκτείρησας ἡμᾶς.
"God, Thou hast driven us back, and hast destroyed us" (ver. 1). Is that David speaking that smote, that burned up, that defeated, and not they to whom He did these things, that is to say, their being smitten and driven back, that were evil men, and again their being made alive and returning in order that they might…
Thou hast shaken the earth, and troubled it; Heal its breaches, for it has been shaken.
Συνέσεισας τὴν γῆν καὶ συνετάραξας αὐτὴν, ἴασαι τὰ συντρίμματα αὐτῆς, ὅτι ἐσαλεύθη.
"Thou hast moved the earth, and hast troubled it" (ver. 2). How hath the earth been troubled? In the conscience of sinners. Whither go we? Whither flee we, when this sword hath been brandished, "Repent, for near hath drawn the kingdom of Heaven"? "Heal the crushings thereof, for moved it hath been." Unworthy it is to…
Thou hast shown thy people hard things: Thou hast made us drink the wine of astonishment.
Ἔδειξας τῷ λαῷ σου σκληρὰ, ἐπότισας ἡμᾶς οἶνον κατανύξεως.
The first labour is, that thou shouldest be displeasing to thyself, that sins thou shouldest battle out, that thou shouldest be changed into something better: the second labour, in return for thy having been changed, is to bear the tribulations and temptations of this world, and amid them to hold on even unto the end.…
Thou hast given a token to them that fear thee, That they might flee from the bow. Pause.
Ἔδωκας τοῖς φοβουμένοις σε σημείωσιν, τοῦ φυγεῖν ἀπὸ προσώπου τόξον· διάψαλμα.
Wherefore this? "You have given to men fearing You, a sign that they should flee from the face of the bow". Through tribulations temporal, he says, You have signified to Your own to flee from the wrath of fire everlasting. For, says the Apostle Peter, "Time it is that Judgment begin with the House of God."…
That thy beloved ones may be delivered; Save with thy right hand, and hear me.
Ὅπως ἂν ῥυσθῶσιν οἱ ἀγαπητοί σου, σῶσον τῇ δεξιᾷ σου καὶ ἐπάκουσόν μου.
"That Thy beloved may be delivered: save me with Thy right hand, and hearken unto me" (ver. 5). With Thy right hand save me, Lord: so save me as that at the right hand I may stand. Not any safety temporal I require, in this matter Thy Will be done. For a time what is good for us we are utterly ignorant: for "what we…
God has spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, and divide Shechem, And measure out the Valley of Tents.
Ὁ Θεὸς ἐλάλησεν ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ, ἀγαλλιάσομαι καὶ διαμεριῶ Σίκιμα, καὶ τὴν κοιλάδα τῶν σκηνῶν διαμετρήσω.
"God has spoken in His Holy One"....In what Holy One of His? "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." [2 Corinthians 5:19] In that Holy One, of whom elsewhere you have heard, "O God, in the Holy One is Your way." "I will rejoice and will divide Sichima....and the valley of tabernacles I will measure out."…
Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; And Ephraim is the strength of my head;
Ἐμός ἐστι Γαλαὰδ, καὶ ἐμός ἐστι Μανασσῆ, καὶ Ἐφραὶμ κραταίωσις τῆς κεφαλῆς μου· Ἰούδας βασιλεύς μου,
"Juda is my king: Moab the pot of my hope" (ver. 7). What Juda? He that is of the tribe of Juda. What Juda, but He to whom Jacob himself said, "Juda, thy brethren shall praise thee"? What therefore should I fear, when Juda my king saith, "Fear not them that kill the body"? "Moab the pot of my hope." Wherefore "pot"?…
Judah is my king; Moab is the caldron of my hope; Over Edom will I stretch out my shoe; The Philistines have been subjected to me.
Μωὰβ λέβης τῆς ἐλπίδος μου, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰδουμαίαν ἐκτενῶ τὸ ὑπόδημά μου, ἐμοὶ ἀλλόφυλοι ὑπετάγησαν.
"Into Idumæa I will stretch out my shoe". The Church speaks, "I will come through even unto Idumæa." Let tribulations rage, let the world boil with offenses, even unto those very persons that lead an earthly life (for Idumæa is interpreted earthly), even unto those same, "even unto Idumæa, I will stretch out my shoe."…
Who will lead me into the fortified city? Who will guide me as far as Edom?
Τίς ἀπάξει με εἰς πόλιν περιοχῆς; τίς ὁδηγήσει με ἕως τῆς Ἰδουμαίας;
"Who will lead Me down into the city of standing round?" (ver. 9). What is the city of standing round? If ye remember already, I have made mention thereof in another Psalm, wherein hath been said, "And they shall go around the city." For the city of standing round is the compassing around of the Gentiles, which…
Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? And wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our forces?
Οὐχὶ σὺ ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ ἀπωσάμενος ἡμᾶς; καὶ οὐκ ἐξελεύσῃ, ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἡμῶν;
"Wilt not Thou, O God, that hast driven us back? And will not Thou, O God, march forth in our powers?". Wilt not Thou lead us down, that hast driven us back? But wherefore "hast driven us back"? Because You have destroyed us. Wherefore hast destroyed us? Because angry You have been, and hast had pity on us. Thou…
Give us help from trouble: For vain is the deliverance of man.
Δὸς ἡμῖν βοήθειαν ἐκ θλίψεως, καὶ ματαία σωτηρία ἀνθρώπου.
Thou therefore, O God, that will not march forth in our powers, "Give to us aid from tribulation, and vain is the safety of man." Go now they that salt have not, and desire safety temporal for their friends, which is empty oldness. "Give to us aid:" from thence whence You were supposed to forsake, thence succour.
In God will we do valiantly; And he shall bring to nought them that harass us.
Ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ποιήσομεν δύναμιν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξουδενώσει τοὺς θλίβοντας ἡμᾶς.
"In God we will do valour, and Himself to nothing shall bring down our enemies." We will not do valour with the sword, not with horses, not with breastplates, not with shields, not in the mightiness of an army, not abroad. But where? Within, where we are not seen. Where within? "In God we will do virtue:" and as if…
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.