Псалом 40

This psalm was written during the persecution of Absalom, as indicated by David’s confession of his sinfulness before God (Ps. 40:5) and especially the indication of the betrayal of a person close to him (Ps. 40:10), by which one must mean Ahithophel. May the Lord strengthen the one who remembers and cares for the poor and needy (2-4). Abandoned during my illness, I prayed to the Lord for mercy. My enemies gloated over me a lot; Even my friend (5–10) left me. Heal me, Lord, do not let the enemy triumph over me, place me forever before you (11-13). Ps.40:2. Blessed is he who thinks about the poor [and needy]! On the day of trouble the Lord will deliver him. Ps.40:3. The Lord will protect him and spare his life; blessed will he be on earth. And You will not give him up to the will of his enemies. Ps.40:4. The Lord will strengthen him on his sickbed. You will change his whole bed in his illness. These verses depict the situation of David even before his flight from Jerusalem, at a time when he was physically unwell and when his friends gradually abandoned him, and the preparations for Absalom's rebellion grew. Then he experiences for himself how difficult the situation of a lonely sufferer is, how dear the sympathy of other people is to him and how high the virtue is compassion. Therefore, David prays to God to send down “bliss” - a reward for those who sympathize and help everyone who is sick and in need. “May the Lord deliver them,” David prays, “from misfortunes, from enemies, and make their life happy, and help them in their illnesses by sending them recovery (“you will change his whole bed in his illness” - you will turn the bed of illness into a bed of health). Ps.40:5. I said: Lord! have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I have sinned before You. After praying for others, David moves on to pray for himself: he asks God to “heal his soul,” forgive his sin (with Bathsheba) and save him from his enemies. Ps.40:6. My enemies say evil things about me: “When will he die and his name perish?” Ps.40:7. And if anyone comes to see me, he tells a lie; his heart contains untruth, and he goes out and interprets. Ps.40:8. All those who hate me whisper among themselves against me, plotting evil against me: Ps.40:9. “the word of Belial came upon him; he fell ill; he will not rise again.” Ps.40:10. Even the man who was at peace with me, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, lifted up his heel against me. His enemies are eagerly awaiting his complete destruction. They hypocritically visited David during his illness, came to make sure of his weakness, and when they left him, they discussed what they had seen, plotting maliciously against David. They saw David’s illness as punishment from God (“the word of Belial came upon him”), which is why they thought that it (the illness) should lead to death. He experienced a cruel illness, incurable. David can now rely only on God: even the person who would be obliged to support him, close to him (“a man at peace with me”), on whom David relied and who shared a meal with him (the highest signs of intimacy), increased the severity of his situation (“he lifted up his heel against me”) with his betrayal. It is known from historical books how David’s trust was enjoyed by Ahithophel and what impression his betrayal made on him. By his act, Ahithophel prefigured Judas, a close disciple of the Savior, to whom He entrusted the care of the material maintenance of himself and his disciples and who, although he used the signs of his Teacher’s love for himself, especially at the Last Supper, nevertheless betrayed him to his enemies (John 13:18). Пс.40:11 . But You, Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up, and I will repay them. Пс.40:12 . From this I know that You will favor me, if my enemy does not triumph over me, Ps.40:13. but You will keep me safe and set me before Your face forever. David prays to God for forgiveness of his sin, for healing from illness and for punishment of his enemies. In this punishment, deserved by his enemies, David will see a sign of God’s favor towards himself and forgiveness of his sin (the past tense of the verbs stands instead of the future). - “And you... will place me before Your face forever” - that is, I will serve You forever, throughout the entire continuation of my earthly life, or in the sense - this Your favor will serve as a guarantee for me that beyond the grave I will stand before You, live near You. Пс.40:14 . Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! Amen, amen! Represents a liturgical addition. The word “wake up, wake up” (glory) (“amen, amen”) concludes the first collection of David’s psalms. You might be interested in: