The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 71
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 72 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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For Solomon. O God, give thy judgment to the king, And thy righteousness to the king’s son;
Εἰς Σαλωμών. Ὁ Θεὸς τὸ κρίμα σου τῷ βασιλεῖ δὸς, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ βασιλέως·
"O God, Your judgment to the King give Thou, and Your justice to the King's Son". The Lord Himself in the Gospel says, "The Father judges not any one, but all judgment He has given to the Son:" [John 5:22] this is then, "O God, Your judgment to the King give Thou." He that is King is also the Son of the King: because…
That he may judge thy people with righteousness, And thy poor with judgment.
κρίνειν τὸν λαόν σου ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ τοὺς πτωχούς σου ἐν κρίσει.
Next there followeth, "To judge Thy people in justice, and Thy poor in judgment". For what purpose the royal Father gave to the royal Son His judgment and His justice is sufficiently shown when he saith, "To judge Thy people in justice;" that is, for the purpose of judging Thy people. Such an idiom is found in…
Let the mountains and the hills raise peace to thy people:
Ἀναλαβέτω τὰ ὄρη εἰρήνην τῷ λαῷ σου, καὶ οἱ βουνοί·
"Let the mountains bear peace to the people, and the hills justice". The mountains are the greater, the hills the less. These are without doubt those which another Psalm hath, "little with great." For those mountains did exult like rams, and those hills like lambs of the sheep, at the departure of Israel out of Egypt,…
He shall judge the poor of the people in righteousness, And save the children of the needy; And shall bring low the false accuser.
ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ κρινεῖ τοὺς πτωχοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ σώσει τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν πενήτων· καὶ ταπεινώσει συκοφάντην,
"He shall judge the poor of the people, and shall save the sons of the poor". The poor and the sons of the poor seem to me to be the very same, as the same city is Sion and the daughter of Sion. But if it is to be understood with a distinction, the poor we take to be the mountains, but the sons of the poor the hills:…
And he shall continue as long as the sun, And before the moon forever.
καὶ συμπαραμενεῖ τῷ ἡλίῳ, καὶ πρὸ τῆς σελήνης γενεὰς γενεῶν.
"And He shall endure to the sun," or, "shall endure with the sun" (ver. 5). For thus some of our writers have thought would be more exactly translated that which in the Greek is συμπαραμενεῖ. But if in Latin it could have been expressed in one word, it must have been expressed by compermanebit: however, because in…
He shall come down as rain upon a fleece; And as drops falling upon the earth.
Καταβήσεται ὡς ὑετὸς ἐπὶ πόκον, καὶ ὡσεὶ σταγόνες στάζουσαι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.
"And He shall come down like rain into a fleece, and like drops distilling upon the earth". He has called to our minds and admonished us, that what was done by Gedeon the Judge, in Christ has its end. For he asked a sign of the Lord, that a fleece laid on the floor should alone be rained upon, and the floor should be…
In his days shall righteousness spring up; And abundance of peace till the moon be removed.
Ἀνατελεῖ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ πλῆθος εἰρήνης ἕως οὗ ἀνταναιρεθῇ ἡ σελήνη.
"There shall arise in His days justice and abundance of peace, until the moon be taken away" (ver. 7). The expression tollatur some have interpreted by "be taken away," but others by "be exalted," translating one Greek word, which is there used, ἀνταναιρεθῇ, just as each of them thought good. But they who have said,…
And he shall have dominion from sea to sea, And from the river to the ends of the earth.
Καὶ κατακυριεύσει ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης, καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμοῦ ἕως περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης.
"And He shall be Lord from sea even unto sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the round world": He to wit concerning whom he had said, "There shall arise in His days justice and abundance of peace, until the moon be exalted." If the Church here is properly signified under the term moon, in continuation he…
The Ethiopians shall fall down before him; And his enemies shall lick the dust.
Ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προπεσοῦνται Αἰθίοπες, καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ χοῦν λείξουσι.
"In His presence shall fall down the Ethiopians, and His enemies shall lick the earth". By the Ethiopians, as by a part the whole, He has signified all nations, selecting that nation to mention especially by name, which is at the ends of the earth. By "in His presence shall fall down" has been signified, shall adore…
The kings of Tarshish, and the isles, shall bring presents: The kings of the Arabians and Seba shall offer gifts.
Βασιλεῖς Θαρσὶς καὶ αἱ νῆσοι δῶρα προσοίσουσι, βασιλεῖς Ἀράβων καὶ Σαβὰ δῶρα προσάξουσι.
"The kings of Tharsis and the isles shall offer gifts, the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall lead presents". This no longer requires an expounder but a thinker; yea it does thrust itself upon the sight not only of rejoicing believers, but also of groaning unbelievers— except perchance we must inquire why there…
And all kings shall worship him; All the Gentiles shall serve him.
Καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ βασιλεῖς, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη δουλεύσουσιν αὐτῷ.
But those gifts which have been foretold as to be led, seem to me to signify men, whom into the fellowship of the Church of Christ the authority of kings doth lead: although even persecuting kings have led gifts, knowing not what they did, in sacrificing the holy Martyrs. "And there shall adore Him all kings of the…
For he has delivered the poor from the oppressor; And the needy who had no helper.
Ὅτι ἐῤῥύσατο πτωχὸν ἐκ δυνάστου, καὶ πένητα ᾧ οὐχ ὑπῆρχε βοηθός.
But while he is explaining the reasons why so great honour is paid Him by kings, and He is served of all nations: "because He has delivered," he says, "the needy man from the mighty, and the poor man, to whom was no helper". This needy and poor man is the people of men believing in Him. In this people are also kings…
He shall spare the poor and needy, And shall deliver the souls of the needy.
Φείσεται πτωχοῦ καὶ πένητος, καὶ ψυχὰς πένητων σώσει.
But it might occur to one; if because of sins man was held by the devil, have sins pleased Christ, who saved the needy man from the mighty? Far be it. But "He it is that shall spare the helpless and poor man": that is, shall remit sins to the man, humble and not trusting in his own merits, or hoping for salvation…
He shall redeem their souls from usury and injustice: And their name shall be precious before him.
Ἐκ τόκου καὶ ἐξ ἀδικίας λυτρώσεται τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔντιμον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ.
"From usuries and iniquity He shall redeem the souls of them". What are these usuries but sins, which are also called debts? [Matthew 6:12] But I think they have been called usuries, because more of ill is found in the punishments than has been committed in the sins. For, for example's sake, while a man-slayer kills…
And he shall live, and there shall be given him of the gold of Arabia: And men shall pray for him continually; And all the day shall they praise him.
Καὶ ζήσεται, καὶ δοθήσεται αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ χρυσίου τῆς Ἀραβίας, καὶ προσεύξονται περὶ αὐτοῦ διαπαντός· ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν εὐλογήσουσιν αὐτόν.
"And He shall live, and there shall be given to Him of the gold of Arabia". There would not have been said, "and He shall live" (for of whom could not this be said, though living for ever so brief a space of time on this earth?) unless that life were being recommended to our notice, wherein He "dies no more, and death…
There shall be an establishment on the earth on the tops of the mountains: The fruit thereof shall be exalted above Lebanon, And they of the city shall flourish as grass of the earth.
Ἔσται στήριγμα ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐπʼ ἄκρων τῶν ὀρέων· ὑπεραρθήσεται ὑπὲρ τὸν Λίβανον ὁ καρπὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξανθήσουσιν ἐκ πόλεως ὡσεὶ χόρτος τῆς γῆς.
"And there shall be a firmament on the earth, on the tops of the mountains". For, "all the promises of God in Him are Yea," [2 Corinthians 1:20] that is, in Him are confirmed: because in Him has been fulfilled whatever has been prophesied for our salvation. For the tops of the mountains it is meet to understand as the…
Let his name be blessed forever: His name shall endure longer than the sun: And all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed in him: All nations shall call him blessed.
Ἔστω τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, πρὸ τοῦ ἡλίου διαμενεῖ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ εὐλογηθήσονται ἐν αὐτῷ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς· πάντα τὰ ἔθνη μακαριοῦσιν αὐτόν.
"Be," therefore, "the name of Him blessed for ever: before the sun endures the name of Him". By the sun times are signified. Therefore for everlasting endures the name of Him. For eternity does precede times, and is not bounded by time. "And there shall be blessed in Him all the tribes of the earth." For in Him is…
Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who alone does wonders.
Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια μόνος,
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath done wonderful things alone". Contemplating all things above spoken of, a hymn bursteth forth; and the Lord God of Israel is blessed. For that is being fulfilled which hath been spoken to that barren woman, "and He that hath delivered Thee, the God of Israel, shall Himself…
And blessed is his glorious name forever, even forever and ever: And all the earth shall be filled with his glory. So be it, so be it.
καὶ εὐλογητὸν τὸ ὄνομα τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· καὶ πληρωθήσεται τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. γένοιτο, γένοιτο.
"And blessed be the name of His glory for everlasting, and for age of age". For what else should the Latin interpreters have said, who could not have said for everlasting, and for everlasting of everlasting? For it sounds as if one thing were meant in the expression "for everlasting," and another thing in the…
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.