Изъяснение псалма 110-го.

"Hallelujah" The ancient Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, having gathered as great a multitude as possible, once took up arms against the tribe of Judah; and then Joasaphat, a descendant of David, a man whose piety was attested, reigned over him. Having learned about the multitude of enemies, he and all the people came to God, asking for His irresistible help, and received what he asked for; because the God of all commanded them to boldly go against their enemies, as if under His guidance. When the day came, the enemies rushed against each other, and began to kill themselves as opponents, so that no one escaped this death. The army of the Jews, seeing this from one vantage point, rushed as if they were ready prey; They robbed their enemies and returned with great gain, and, as the story of Chronicles shows, they entered the divine house with Musikian weapons, singing songs to the Giver of victory (2 Chron. 20, 28). Foreseeing this, the Prophet wrote this psalm, like a kind of song proclaimed by the pious Jehoshaphat. And in the inscription it is called a song; because the word: “Alleluia,” as we have already explained, is translated by the words: “praise the Lord”; since “hallilu” means “praise”, and “Ia” means the Lord, or Jehovah. Ps.110:1. I praise [You], Lord, with all my heart [in the council of the righteous and in the assembly. “I will confess to You, Lord, with all my heart.” With all my thoughts I offer You, O Lord, a song of gratitude. "In the council of the right and the host." I am not alone, but with me is a congregation of the pious; because at this time the people were freed from idolatry, the king taught everyone piety. Therefore, the Prophet calls the assembly of the pious “the council of the righteous.” Ps.110:2. Great are the works of the Lord, desirable to all who love them. "Great is the work of the Lord." Truly wonderful and amazingly accomplished by the power of the Lord. "Exquisite in all His will." Whatever the Lord pleases, He does; Each of His works is filled with wisdom and attracts praise from everyone. Ps.110:3. His work is glory and beauty, and His righteousness endures forever. “Confession and splendor are His work.” Everything produced by Him, both creation and economy, is majestic, and supernatural, and worthy of the song of all people. The Prophet here calls thanksgiving by “confession.” “And His righteousness endures forever.” There is nothing unrighteous in what He does, but everything is adorned with righteousness; because he rules everything, always guided by righteousness. Ps.110:4. He made His miracles memorable; The Lord is merciful and generous. Ps.110:5. He gives food to those who fear Him; remembers His covenant forever. “He created the memory of His miracles.” since he clearly committed the destruction of his enemies, and he did the same thing under his ancestors, either by hiding the Egyptians under the waters, or by lifting up the hands of Moses, defeating the Amalekites, and through Joshua, crushing the Canaanites and other nations; The Prophet called the punishment of enemies a reminder of miracles: that is, that Your glorious miracles, which are considered false by the infidels, are true, You proved by new miracles, and reminded us of what You performed under our ancestors. “The Lord is merciful and generous.” “I will give food to those who fear Him.” Other translators replaced the word “food” with the word: prey. Both are true; because the Jews, as if they were ready prey, rushed to the wealth of their enemies, and brought abundant food from there. “He will remember His covenant forever.” Symmachus translated this: He gave spoil to those who fear Him, remembering His eternal covenant; because it preserves the unforgettable memory of the promises given to the fathers, and for its sake it communicates good things to us. Ps.110:6. He showed the power of His works to His people to give them the inheritance of the Gentiles. “To build up the strength of His works among His people, to give them a tongue.” He made His power especially obvious to us, giving us the riches of their shame, but also turned their property into our property. Ps.110:7. The works of His hands are truth and judgment; all His commandments are true. Ps.110:8. Firm for ever and ever, based on truth and rightness. “The works of His hands are truth and judgment.” He did this not contrary to justice, but very lawfully; because the enemies, having no right to complain about us in any way, attempted to destroy us completely. And therefore he pronounced a true and truthful verdict on them. “All His commandments are true,” “Established for the ages of ages, created in truth and righteousness.” God, laying down the law, promised His favor to those who keep the law. The Prophet says this here too, namely, that the promises about keeping the commandments are not false, and those who decide to fulfill them always benefit from His providence. For we too, who sincerely begged Him, turned out to be victorious over those who were hostile. The Prophet expressed this also in the addendum. Ps.110:9. He sent deliverance to His people; He commanded His covenant forever. Holy and terrible is His name! “The deliverance of the messenger for His people: a commandment for His covenant forever.” The promises of God are not only not false, but are forever immutable. “Holy and awesome is His name.” For believers, it is holy, highly desirable, and exudes an abundance of blessings, while it torments and punishes non-believers and those living lawlessly. Ps.110:10. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; All who keep His commandments have a right mind. His praise will endure forever. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Therefore, it is necessary to fear and tremble Him. This is the first foundation of divine teaching. For the Prophet does not call wisdom in words, but the knowledge of the divine. Therefore, fear is necessary for beginners, and love for perfect ones. “And understanding is good for all who create.” Knowing is not enough for perfection; and contemplation has a need for activity; One who has been granted divine understanding must decorate knowledge with deeds and serve them as the Giver of understanding. “His praise endures forever.” By the way, the Prophet added this, teaching how a lover of virtue benefits from this for himself; because God, even if no one wanted to sing songs about Him, has eternal and unceasing song. Among the Jews, they say, this psalm is written in alphabetical order, and composed in the order of the letters. The psalm that follows it is composed similarly. You might be interested in: