Изъяснение псалма 59-го.

Ps.59:1. To the head of the choir. On the musical instrument Shushan-Eduf. David's Scripture for Study. Ps.59:2. When he fought with Syria of Mesopotamia and with Syria of Zovan, and when Joab, returning, defeated twelve thousand Edomites in the Salt Valley. “In the end, O those who want to change, as a pillar to David, as a teaching:” “Once upon a time he burned the middle of Syria and Syria of Sobal, and Joab returned and smote Edom into the wilds of salt with twelve thousand.” This has already been described in the second book of Samuel; but the inscription: “to the end” makes it clear that some kind of prophecy is also attached to the story. The inscription also includes: “about those who want to change.” This change forces us to assume some kind of revolution, and, moreover, a revolution not in the past, but in the future, for the Prophet did not say: “about those who have changed,” but says: “about those who want to change.” And the writing of the crowd indicates victory. It is necessary to say briefly about the content of the prophecy. Blessed David, having won countless victories, foresaw with spiritual eyes the future lawlessness of the people and the captivity that would befall them for this lawlessness. But he also foresaw the future return from captivity by the goodness of God, and considered it necessary to first describe both the sorrowful and the joyful for the benefit of those who would live in those times. Ps.59:3. God! You rejected us, You crushed us, You were angry: turn to us. “God, you have rejected us, and you have cast us down.” Here he predicts captivity, and then God’s truthfulness and love for mankind. “Thou art angry, and thou hast shown mercy to us.” He was angry for his iniquities, but after punishment he pardoned him. Ps.59:4. You have shaken the earth, you have broken it: heal its damage, for it is shaking. “You shook the earth and confused you.” This depicted the invasions of the Assyrians and Babylonians, because, like an earthquake, they destroyed everything to the ground. Then he prays for humanity. “Heal her contrition as you move.” And again he describes what happened. Ps.59:5. You have given your people cruel experiences, and you have given us to drink the wine of amazement. “You showed your people that you are cruel.” What exactly? “Thou hast given us to drink the wine of tenderness.” With many disasters, says the Prophet, as if through some wine You brought us into insensibility and filled our souls with illnesses. This is how Aquila translated: “You gave us the wine of sleep.” Ps.59:6. Grant to those who fear You a banner, so that they may raise it for the sake of the truth. “Thou hast given a sign to those who fear Thee, that they should flee from the face of the bow.” The blessed Prophet Ezekiel describes this more clearly. For he said that he saw an Angel, who was commanded by the God of all to go through the whole city and put a sign on the foreheads of those who groan about the iniquities of the people (Ezek. 9:4). But this was an image of what was happening among us: for from divine grace we received a true sign, with which we are invulnerable to the arrows of the enemy. Ps.59:7. That Thy beloved may be delivered; save with Your right hand and hear me. “For let Thy beloved be delivered.” With this sign, says the Prophet, You protect those dedicated to You, who for their virtue have been worthy of Your love. “Save with Your right hand, and hear me.” Turn away the disasters that weigh upon Your people, and through Your care, as if by some right hand, raise up those who have been overthrown. Thus, having offered a prayer, the Prophet hears the answer, and is unable to hide it, but announces it to everyone. Ps.59:8. God said in His sanctuary: “I will triumph, I will divide Shechem and measure the valley of Succoth. “God spoke in His holy things,” that is, He spoke through the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, using the language of the Prophet instead of an instrument. “I will rejoice, and I will divide Sikima, and I will measure out a vale of dwellings.” Sikimah is a city left by Jacob to Joseph. In it Ephraim, after dividing the tribes, founded a kingdom. And the Prophet calls the valley of dwellings the entire country of Israel, as being deserted and then serving as a place for shepherds’ tents. Therefore, the God of all promises to return those who were in captivity, to divide their father’s land for them, and to fill it with inhabitants so much that those who settled will seek to measure it, and having done so, they will divide the land. Ps.59:9. Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, Ephraim is the strength of my head, Judah is my scepter. “Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine, and Ephraim is the strength of my head.” Gilead is not the name of a tribe, but a place, and Manasseh is the name of a tribe; He received the land of Gilead as an inheritance at the very beginning. Therefore, he calls both the tribe and its land his property, foreshadowing the return and settlement of those countries. And Ephraim is promised the return of his former strength. Instead of: “my head,” Symmachus expressed himself: “my superior,” that is, I will make him, as before, a supporter. "Judas is my king." since, upon returning from captivity, the tribes remained undivided, and only Zerubbabel, descended from Judah, had leader and king: then the Prophet rightly called Ephraim the fortress of the head or authority, and Judah the king. It is said: “My king,” that is, I appointed him as a king and reigns over My people. So in Isaiah it is said: “The Lord says to My anointed Cyrus” (Is. 45:1), that is, to My anointed. Ps.59:10. Moab is my laver; I will stretch my boot on Edom. Shout to Me, land of the Philistines! "Moab is the Konob of My Hope". Aquila translated this as follows: “Moab is the chamber of my font”; and the Syriac translator: “The pot of My ablution.” Since we have the custom of washing our feet in such vessels and wiping trampled clothes with our feet, the Prophet depicted the subordination of Moab to the qadia of ablution. The word “konob” in Divine Scripture is also used in the meaning of punishment. Blessed Ezekiel also makes it clear, who was commanded to call Jerusalem konob, its inhabitants - meat, the king of Babylon - fire, the necessary food - juha, upon the depletion of which the meat was burned (Ezek. 24: 3-10). So the blessed Jeremiah saw “the konob being set on fire, and its face was from the face of the north” (Jer. 1:13). Therefore, the Prophet says that Manasseh will return his land to himself, and Ephraim will acquire his former power, and Judah is called the king of all, but the Moabites will submit to them, seeing their irresistible strength, and not only they will submit, but also the Edomites and foreigners. “I will stretch out my boot on Idumea: the foreign women will submit to me.” In addition to the Moabites, I will enslave the Edomites, and I will force the foreigners to submit as well. The Divine Scripture calls the Philistines foreigners, not because other peoples are of the same tribe with the Jews, but because other peoples were distant from the Jews, and the Philistines were not only identified with, but lived even among the Jews. So the Jebusites inhabited Jerusalem for a very long time. So the Gibeonites lived in Gibeon, the Ghazites, the Ascalonites and others lived nearby. And we learn this more clearly from history. So the Prophet, instructed in this by the God of all, wants to see the prosperity of the people upon their return and says: Ps.59:11. Who will lead me into the fortified city? Who will bring me to Edom? Ps.59:12. Are you not, O God, who has cast us away, and you are not going out, O God, with our armies? “Who will lead me into the city of enclosure? Or who will guide me to Edom? “Aren’t you, O God, the one who rejected us?” Calls Jerusalem the city of enclosure. Symmachus translated: “fenced city.” Since Jerusalem was devastated and lost its walls, and upon returning from captivity its fences were renewed, the Prophet wants to see the city surrounded by walls, to go like a king to Idumea, and to always see the hostile Edomites forced into slavery. And this, says the Prophet, was done by You, O Lord, who rejected us and handed us over to the rule of the Babylonians. Thus foretelling good things, he prays for those who mourn. “And will you not go forth, O God, in our power?” You see, he says, with what fierceness they attack us, and you do not lead us, you do not show your power over your enemies, as you usually do. Ps.59:13. Give us help in cramped conditions, for human defense is vanity. “Give us help from sorrow: and human salvation is in vain.” The conjunction: “and”, replacing it with another, Symmachus translated it more clearly, and said: “Give us help from sorrow, because human salvation is vain,” that is, help the suffering, for You alone can stop disasters, and human help without You is vain. Therefore, I rightly added: Ps.59:14. With God we will show strength, He will overthrow our enemies. “In God we will create strength: and He will abolish the cold that afflicts us.” Let us call on His Providence and firmly trust in Him. He alone is enough to save us from adversity and crush the dominion of our enemies. You might be interested in: