The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 74
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 75 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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For the end, Destroy not, a Psalm of a Song for Asaph.
Εἰς τὸ τέλος, μὴ διαφθείρῃς, ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς τῷ Ἀσάφ.
We will give thanks to thee, O God, We will give thanks, and call upon thy name: I will declare all thy wonderful works.
Ἐξομολογησόμεθα σοι ὁ Θεὸς, ἐξομολογησόμεθα, καὶ ἐπικαλεσόμεθα τὸ ὄνομά σου· διηγήσομαι πάντα τὰ θαυμάσιά σου.
"We will confess to Thee, O Lord, we will confess to Thee, and will invoke Thy name" (ver. 1). Do not invoke, before thou confess: confess, and invoke. For Him whom thou art invoking, unto thyself thou callest. For what is it to invoke, but unto thyself to call? If He is invoked by thee, that is, if He is called to…
When I shall take a set time, I will judge righteously.
Ὅταν λάβω καιρὸν, ἐγὼ εὐθύτητας κρινῶ.
And he saith what? "When I shall have received," he saith, "the time, I will judge justices" (ver. 2). When shall He judge justices? When He shall have received the time. Not yet is the precise time. Thanks to His mercy: He first preacheth justices, and then He judgeth justices. For if He willed to judge before He…
The earth is dissolved, and all that dwell in it: I have strengthened its pillars. Pause.
Ἐτάκη ἡ γῆ, καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες αὐτὴν, ἐγὼ ἐστερέωσα τοὺς στύλους αὐτῆς· διάψαλμα.
But now what? "The earth has flowed down". If the earth has flowed down, whence has it flowed down except by sins? Therefore also they are called delinquencies. To delinquish is as it were by a kind of liquidity to slip down from the stability of firmness in virtue and righteousness. For it is through desire of lower…
I said unto the transgressors, Do not transgress; And to the sinners, Lift not up the horn.
Εἶπα τοῖς παρανομοῦσι, μὴ παρανομεῖν, καὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι, μὴ ὑψοῦτε κέρας.
We have heard now, brethren, that which day by day is not kept secret: let us hear now what He has cried through these pillars....He cries what? "I have said to unjust men, Do not unjustly"....But already they have done, and they are guilty: already there has flowed down the earth, and all they that dwell therein.…
Lift not up your horn on high; Speak not unrighteousness against God.
Μὴ ἐπαίρετε εἰς ὕψος τὸ κέρας ὑμῶν, μὴ λαλεῖτε κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀδικίαν.
"Be not therefore lifted up: speak not iniquity against God"....What says He in another Psalm? "These things you have done," having enumerated certain sins. "These things you have done," He says, "and was silent." What is, "I was silent"? He is never silent with commandment, but meanwhile He is silent with punishment:…
For good comes neither from the east, nor from the west, Nor from the desert mountains.
Ὅτι οὔτε ἀπὸ ἐξόδων, οὔτε ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, οὔτε ἀπὸ ἐρήμων ὀρέων,
Therefore here also in this Psalm (dearly beloved attend), whereas that which He said, "Do not speak iniquity against God," this He saw many men do in heart, He hath also added, "for neither from East, nor from West, nor from the deserts of the mountains (ver. 6), for God is Judge" (ver. 7). Of thine iniquities God is…
For God is the judge; He puts down one, and raises up another.
ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς κριτής ἐστι· τοῦτον ταπεινοῖ, καὶ τοῦτον ὑψοῖ.
"One He humbles, and another He exalts". Whom humbles, whom exalts this Judge? Observe these two men in the temple, and you see whom He humbles and whom He exalts. "They went up into the Temple to pray," He says, the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican...."Verily I say unto you, that Publican went down justified…
Therefore here also in this Psalm (dearly beloved attend), whereas that which He said, "Do not speak iniquity against God," this He saw many men do in heart, He has also added, "for neither from East, nor from West, nor from the deserts of the mountains, for God is Judge". Of your iniquities God is Judge. If God He…
For there is a cup in the hand of the Lord, Full of unmingled wine; And he has turned it from side to side, But its dregs have not been wholly poured out; All the sinners of the earth shall drink them.
Ὅτι ποτήριον ἐν χειρὶ Κυρίου, οἴνου ἀκράτου πλῆρες κεράσματος· καὶ ἔκλινεν ἐκ τούτου εἰς τοῦτο, πλὴν ὁ τρυγίας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐξεκενώθη· πίονται πάντες οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ τῆς γῆς.
"For the cup in the hand of the Lord of pure wine is full of mixed". Justly so. "And He has poured out of this upon this man; nevertheless, the dreg thereof has not been emptied; there shall drink all the sinners of earth." Let us be somewhat recruited; there is here some obscurity....The first question that meets us…
But I will exult forever: I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀγαλλιάσομαι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ψαλῶ τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ.
..."There shall drink," he saith, "all the sinners of the earth." But who shall drink the wine? Sinners shall drink, but in order that they may not remain sinners; in order that they may be justified, in order that they may not be punished. "But I," for all drink, but separately I, that is, Christ with His Body, "for…
And I will break all the horns of sinners; But the horns of the righteous one shall be exalted.
Καὶ πάντα τὰ κέρατα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν συγκλάσω, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται τὰ κέρατα τοῦ δικαίου.
"And all the horns of sinners I will break, and there shall be exalted the horns of the Just". This is, the one He humbles, the other He exalts. Sinners would not have their horns to be broken, which without doubt will be broken at the end. You will not have Him then break them, do thou today break them. For you have…
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.