Изъяснение псалма 40-го.

Ps.40:1. To the head of the choir. Psalm of David. "At the end, a psalm to David." Some added the present psalm to David, and others to Hezekiah; but neither one nor the other allows us to accept the Divine Gospel, because the Lord Christ, in one conversation with His sacred disciples. He also added this: “If you know this, you are blessed if you do. I do not speak about all of you, for I know, I chose them: but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, the one who eats bread with Me lifts up his heel against Me. Henceforth I tell you, before it shall not even be, but even when it is, you will have faith, for I am” (John 13:17-19). Therefore, when the Lord says: “Let the Scripture be fulfilled,” and shows that the real psalm goes to Him, and not to another, then I consider it bold and daring to invent another content for the psalm that does not belong to it. Ps.40:2. Blessed is he who thinks about the poor [and needy]! On the day of trouble the Lord will deliver him. “Blessed is he who considers the poor and wretched.” In some lists I found the word “wretched,” but it is not in the Hebrew, nor in the Hebrew and other translators. The Prophet calls the Lord of all poor, because “he is rich,” as the divine Apostle says, “for the sake of our poverty, so that we through His poverty may be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9); and: “who was in the form of God, not to be equal to God by admiration, but to make Himself a little, taking on the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:6-7), having dominion over the visible and invisible, had no place to lay his head, and having been born of the Virgin, for lack of a bed, was laid in a manger. Therefore, the prophetic word pleases the One who can understand this poverty, and strives, to the best of his ability, to glorify the one who has taken it upon himself. Then the Prophet shows the fruits of this satisfaction. “On the day of cruelty the Lord will deliver him.” Symmachus translated the words: “day of bitterness”: “day of bitterness.” This Prophet gives us to understand, as I think, the day of judgment, which is terrible and destructive for the wicked, and promises that a clear knowledge of this poverty will free him from the disasters of that terrible day. 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. “May the Lord protect him and live him, and may he be blessed on earth and may not deliver him into the hands of his enemies.” He will not only enjoy future blessings, but also in his present life will be rewarded with Divine providence, becoming famous and glorious and escaping the machinations of hostile people. And since it is natural for someone who has a corruptible body to fall into illness, he promises liberation from it. Ps.40:4. The Lord will strengthen him on his sickbed. You will change his whole bed in his illness. “May the Lord help him on his sickbed: thou hast turned his whole bed into his sickness.” He will free him, says the Prophet, from every illness, and will transform illness into health. The words: “you turned your bed into illness” are used in the meaning: “changed.” Thus, having described the rewards for those who understood this wonderful poverty, the Prophet shows us who the poor are, how He took on poverty, and imagines what He proclaims and says about Himself. Ps.40:5. I said: Lord! have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I have sinned before You. “Az said: Lord, have mercy on me, heal my soul, as I have sinned.” I, he says, am a beggar, I am the one who has accepted free poverty, I am the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, I appropriate human infirmities to myself, and although I have not committed sin, I offer prayer for human nature, as the firstfruits of this nature. It should be noted, however, that Symmachus did not say: “as if I have sinned against You,” but: “if I have sinned against You.” Ps.40:6. My enemies say evil things about me: “When will he die and his name perish?” “My evil decision has been made against me: when will he die and his name perish?” He calls the Jews, those who envy and plot death, enemies. The sacred gospel history shows the same thing. It is said: “And he made a council, how they would destroy Him” (Matthew 12:14). After this, the Prophet begins to prophesy about Judas. Ps.40:7. And if anyone comes to see me, he tells a lie; his heart contains untruth, and he goes out and interprets. “And when he came in and saw his heart spoke in vain, he gathered up iniquity for himself, and went out and spoke.” So the divine Evangelists inform us that Judas said to the Jews: “What will you give me, and I will deliver Him to you? - and in time, that He might be betrayed” (Matthew 26:15–16). The prophecy says the same thing. “And when you come in you see it in vain. “You come out and say the verb.” For, going in and going out, he plotted death together with the Jews. And then the Prophet predicts this evil plot of theirs. 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.” “Together all my enemies whisper against Me, and think evil against Me.” “I have laid the word of crime on Me.” The end of events testifies to this, because, discussing among themselves in silence, they were looking for a way to carry out their evil intentions. Then they laid down accusations of usurping power for themselves, telling Pilate that he calls himself King, and forbids “giving tribute to Caesar” (Luke 23:2). The prophecy says the same thing: “You laid the word of crime on Me,” that is, they made a lawless accusation against Me. “Won’t eating food cause you to resurrect?” Even if I endure death, will I not rise again and scatter those who prepared it? And this is similar to the Gospel saying: “Destroy this church, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19); and again: “Behold, we are ascending to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be delivered into the hands of sinners; and they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again” (Matthew 20:18–19). Therefore, he rightly called death sleep. 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. “For the man of My peace, in whom I trusted, O eater of My bread, magnify the stumbling upon Me.” Aquila and Theodotion expressed this more clearly: “the man of my peace, to whom I have entrusted myself”; and Symmachus translated it like this: “but also the man who was with Me in the world and in whom I trusted.” For not only were My enemies preparing death for Me, but also a person close to Me, who feigned a good and peaceful disposition and ate bread at the same meal with Me, discovered the wickedness hidden in him. The Prophet called wickedness the heel in a figurative sense, taken from those competing in running speed, who try to trip up and drop those running with the heel. Esau, deceived by Jacob, said the same thing: “Justly was his name called Jacob; Ps.40:11. But You, Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up, and I will repay them. Ps.40:12. From this I know that You will favor me if my enemy does not triumph over me. “But you, Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up, and I will repay them.” “In this knowledge, because you have willed Me, because My enemy will not rejoice in Me.” And all this was spoken from the received nature, which suffered. So in the Holy Gospel we hear that the Lord Christ prays: “Father, save Me from this hour” (John 12:27); and again: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). Ps.40:13. And You will keep me safe and place me before Your face forever. “But you accepted me for my kindness, and you established me before you forever.” And this befits the servant’s image, perceived by the Only Begotten of God. “He did not receive it from an angel,” as the divine Apostle says, “but from Abraham’s seed he received it: therefore he must be like the brethren in everything, so that the high priest may be merciful and faithful to those who come to God” (Heb. 2:16-17). So, since the received nature remained free from all vice, he rightly says: “You accepted Me for kindness, and established Me before You forever,” For I accepted firm unity; and the union is indivisible, and the glory is eternal. Ps.40:14. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! Amen, amen! “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: be ye, be ye.” The Divine Prophet, foretelling this, marveling at the ineffable Sovereign love for mankind, and realizing Who took upon Himself this free poverty, utters a song to Him with His tongue, so that He himself may accept a blessed death. He rightly uttered a song after suffering, teaching that the One about whom he prophesies is not only a man, but also the eternal God, who has an indestructible and endless existence. You might be interested in: