Изъяснение псалма 51-го.

Ps.51:1. To the head of the choir. David's teaching. Ps.51:2. After Doeg the Edomite came and reported to Saul and told him that David had come to the house of Ahimelech. "In the end, peace to David" “Occasionally go to Doik of Edom, and tell Saul, and say to him: David has come to the house of Abimelech.” And from this it is clear that Abimelech had two names. For Doeg, as the first book of Samuel shows, denounced Ahimelech to Saul and thereby prompted him to beat up the priests. And here and in the thirty-third psalm the Prophet calls him Abimelech. The divine David, having learned about the slander against the priests, wrote this psalm, encouraging those offended to be patient and firm, and showing the truthfulness of God’s judgment. That is why I wrote the psalm: “to the end, of reason,” so that, guided by prudence, we would expect the end in every matter. The psalm also contains a prediction about the fury of Rapsaks, who, descended from the Jews, and then becoming a captive of the Assyrians, learned their wickedness, uttered blasphemous words against God and attempted to mislead the Jewish people with deceptive speeches. Ps.51:3. Why do you boast of villainy, O mighty one? God's mercy is always with me. “Why do you boast more powerfully in malice? lawlessness all day long." The Prophet calls Doik strong, as someone close to Saul, and Rapsak, as the person who was entrusted with military leadership. He offers a speech in the form of a question, advising him not to think too much about himself in his anger, and not to waste all his time on deceit. For the words: “all day” Symmachus translated: “every day.” Ps.51:4. Your tongue invents destruction; like a sophisticated razor, you have it, insidious! “Your tongue devises lies: as if you have created a cunning razor for flattery.” With lying words, says the Prophet, you defile the tongue (for you used the word: “intentions” instead of: “spoken”), and you utter speeches like a sophisticated razor, causing destruction to those who believe them. Ps.51:5. You love evil more than good, lies more than telling the truth. “Thou hast loved evil more than kindness, rather than speak truth.” Instead of the best, says the Prophet, you chose the worst, you preferred false speeches to true ones; He loved untruth rather than truth. Ps.51:6. You love all kinds of disastrous speech, treacherous tongue. “Thou hast loved all the words of the flood, and a flattering tongue.” He called such a tongue as flood verbs and a flattering tongue that a lie can completely destroy; the image of speech is taken from those who immerse in water and force those immersed to remain in the depths of the waters. This is what Doik did; because with his false words against Abimelech he completely destroyed the entire priestly city. Rapsak tried to do the same, but was unable to do so, because he made false promises to those standing on the walls, but did not catch the spoils. Ps.51:7. Therefore God will completely crush you, destroy you and uproot you from [your] home and your root from the land of the living. “For this sake God will destroy you completely: He will take you away, and will remove you from your village and your root from the land of the living.” By preferentially choosing wickedness, says the Prophet, you will not escape the definition pronounced by the God of all, for he will soon depose you, betray you to final destruction, exclude you from the list of the living, and, having uprooted you, condemn you to death. And from this there will be a very great benefit for those who were outraged by the success of the wicked people, and will see their destruction. And the Prophet says: Ps.51:8. The righteous will see and be afraid, they will laugh at him [and say]. Ps.51:9. “Here is a man who did not place his strength in God, but hoped in the abundance of his wealth, and was strengthened in his wickedness.” “They will see the righteous and fear, and they will laugh and shout about him”: “Behold the man who did not make God his helper, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and gained what he could through his vanity.” The host of the righteous, says the Prophet, will be filled with special reverence, having seen the righteous judgment of God, and will laugh in joy and admiration at the failure of wickedness and at such a gain of real prosperity. Ps.51:10. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God, and I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. “I am like an olive tree that bears fruit in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.” And the great David says this about himself, and gives this lesson to Hezekiah: for both of them were lovers and fosterlings of piety. The Prophet, in the first psalm, likened the ascetic of virtue to a tree planted on the shore by the waters, always growing green and bearing timely fruit; and here he also called the righteous man a fruitful olive tree planted in the house of God, as having acquired firm trust in God, and for the sake of this hope he decided to work and bear the laborious fruits of virtue. Ps.51:11. I will forever praise You for what You have done, and I will trust in Your name, for it is good in the sight of Your saints. “Let us confess to You forever, as You have done: and I endure Your name, for it is good before Your saints.” Having been worthy of this good deed, I will always sing praises to You, Master, always loving this name that is so kind to those who lead You, and remaining committed to it, and reaping the benefit from it: because the name of God is good and exalted not for all people, but for those who have been worthy of the knowledge of God. You might be interested in: