Interview on the Psalms

Interview 1st. To the words: “In sorrow You have given me room” (Ps. 4:2) Interview 2. Psalm of David about the eighth day Interview 3rd on Psalm 13 Interview 4th. On the prophetic saying that says: “Man walks like a ghost, every man who lives” (Ps. 39:6-7), and on alms Interview 5. On the writing of Psalm 50, on David’s repentance and on Uriah’s wife Interview 6. On the rest of Psalm 50, and on repentance Interview 7 on Psalm 51 Interview 8. On the saying: “Pray and give (praise) to the Lord our God” (Ps. 75:12) Interview 9 about the turtle dove, or about the Church Interview 10 on Psalm 77. Reason for Asaph Interview 11. On Psalm Asaph 78 Interview 12 on Psalm 79 Interview 13 on Psalm 80 Interview 14 on Psalm 81. Reason for Asaph Interview 15 on Psalm 82 Interview 16 on Psalm 83 Interview 17 on Psalm 92. To the words: “the rivers lifted up their voice”; and about the Savior’s walk on the sea, about the five loaves and two fishes, and about the first-created people after the fall. Interview 18 on Psalm 94. To the words: “Come, let us rejoice in the Lord” (Ps. 94:1) Interview 19 on Psalm 96. On the words: “The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice” (Ps. 97:1), and on the words: “when He gives up the Kingdom to God and the Father” (1 Cor. 15:24), and on the sacrament of baptism Interview 20 on Psalm 100 Interview 21 on Psalm 101 Interview 22 on Psalm 102 Interview 23 on Psalm 103 Interview 24 on Psalm 104 Interview 25 on Psalm 105 Interview 26 on Psalm 106 Interview 27 on Psalm 107. Song of Psalm to David Interview 28 on Psalm 118. Or about the blameless Interview 29 on Psalm 118 Interview 30 on Psalm 118 Interview 31 to Psalm 139 Interview 32 to Psalm 84 Interview 33 to Psalm 85. Prayer to David Interview 34 to Psalm 86 Interview 35 to Psalm 87 Interview 36 to Psalm 88 Interview 37 to Psalm 89 Interview 38 to Psalm 90 Interview 39 to Psalm 91 Interview 40 to Psalm 92 Interview 41 to Psalm 93 Interview 42 to Psalm 94 Interview 43 to Psalm 95 Interview 44 to Psalm 96 Interview 45 to Psalm 99 To Psalm 95. “Sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord, all the earth” (Ps. 95:1) On Psalm 97. To David. Alleluia To Psalm 98. To David. Unwritten among the Jews Afterword To V vol. Complete collection of works of St. John Chrysostom I. Features of Chrysostom’s interpretation of Psalms II. The Greek text of the Psalter, which Chrysostom used, and its relationship to the existing lists of translations of 70 interpreters 1. The Divine Scriptures are all holy, but the psalms are imbued with special holiness. So, from the very beginning of the book (they speak) directly about abstinence, and above all about not having communication with the wicked. This is precisely where blessed David began with his words: “Blessed is the man who does not go into the assembly of the wicked” (Ps. 1:1). When he speaks of bliss, he means the highest degree of all good things. At the same time (the psalms speak) about communication with the good, about curbing the belly, about holding hands, about non-covetousness, about the insignificance of money, fame and all the like. Listen, for example, to his words about maintaining chastity: “My insides are filled with shame” (Ps. 37:8), and in another place: “Thou hast cut off every adulterer from Thee” (Ps. 72:27). About what should bridle the belly, he says: “While food was still in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and killed very many of them” (Ps. 77:30-31). About the fact that acquisitions should be avoided: “if wealth flows in, do not put your heart on it” (Ps. 62:11), and not seek glory: “at death he will take nothing, and his glory will not go with him” (Ps. 48:18). Do not imitate the wicked: “do not be jealous of the wicked” (Ps. 36:1). He teaches to regard earthly power as nothing: “I saw the wicked, exalting him and standing tall like the cedars of Lebanon: and I passed by, and behold he was not: and his rocks, and his place was not found” (Ps. 36:35-36), - and despise everything temporary: “they considered the people happy who have this, (but) blessed is the people, blessed is the people whose Lord... is their God” (Ps. 143:15). He says (the psalmist) that we not only sin, but there is reward: “You will reward everyone according to his deeds” (Ps. 61:13). “God is a righteous and [mighty and long-suffering] judge” (Ps. 7:12). He also says that humility is wonderful: “I have not exalted my heart” (Ps. 130:1), and that pride is evil: “therefore pride has taken possession of them... they are completely, they are clothed in unrighteousness and their wickedness...” (Ps. 73:6), and in another place: “he gives grace to the humble” (Prov. 3:34), - that alms are beautiful: “wasted: ... gave to the poor, his righteousness endures... for ever and ever" (Ps. 111:9) - that mercy is worthy of praise: "a man who is generous about... He who gives will order his affairs even in judgment" (Ps. 111:5), - which should not be slandered: "Whoever secretly slanderes his neighbor, I will drive him out" (Ps. 101:5). And you will find many - much more than what has been said - thoughts here filled with wisdom. And he talks not only about the present, but also about the future, not only about visible, but also about invisible creation. Do you want to know about heaven, whether it will remain eternal or undergo change? In response to this, he clearly tells you that “they will wear out like clothing, and you will wear them like clothing and they will change” (Ps. 101:27). Or if you want to know about the outer appearance (of the heavens), you will again hear from him: “You stretch out the sky like a covering of skin” (Ps. 103:2). If you want to know what lies further - beyond this sky, he gives you the answer to this too: “Thou shalt cover Your heights with waters” (Ps. 103:3). (The psalmist) does not stop there either, but will tell you both about the breadth and about depth, proving their uniformity: “as far as the east is from the west,... (so much) has He removed our iniquities from us” (Ps. 103:12). If you want to explore the foundations of the earth, then he will not hide this from you, but you will hear from him that (the Lord) “founded it on the seas” (Ps. 23:2). Or do you want to know about earthquakes - why they happen? All your bewilderment is dispelled by his words: “He will look at the earth and make it shake” (Ps. 103:32). If you ask about the purpose of the night, you can find out from him: “You spread darkness, and night comes... when all the beasts of the forest roam” (Ps. 103:20). He will also explain to you why mountains are useful: “high mountains for deer”, and what rocks are for: “a dry rock is a refuge for hares” (Ps. 103:18). Listen, why there are barren trees: “birds make nests there” (Ps. 103:17), and what are springs for in deserts: “they give water to all the beasts of the field,... the birds of the air live with them.” ( Ps. 103:11–12 ). What is the wine for? Not just to drink - water would be enough for that - but to make you happy and joyful: “and wine makes glad the heart of a man” (Ps. 103:15). Once you know this, you will also know how much wine to drink. Where do birds and wild animals get their food from? Listen to how he says: “everything... They expect from You... food and that You give them... in due time” (Ps. 103:27). And if you ask: what are cattle for? - he answers you that the cattle are also for you: “You grow,” he says, “grass for the cattle and grain to serve people” (Ps. 103:14). What is the purpose of the moon? Listen to how he explains: “he created the moon to indicate the times” (Ps. 103:19). That everything, both visible and invisible, was created, and this (the psalmist) taught clearly: “for He [said - and they appeared] commanded - and they were created” (Ps. 149:5). He also teaches that death will be destroyed: “God will deliver my soul from the power of hell, when he receives me” (Ps. 48:16). Where does our body come from and what does it turn into again, this is how the psalmist says: “He remembers that we are dust; and we will return to our own land” (Ps. 102:14; Ps. 103:29). that we humans have something in common with the angels, he says: “he made him a little less than the angels” (Ps. 8:6). And it is said here about the love of God: “As a father graciously rewards his sons, so the Lord graciously rewards those who fear Him” (Ps. 102:13), and about what awaits us beyond the grave, and about the future serene peace: “Return, O my soul, to your rest” (Ps. 114:6). Why is the sky so big? He answers: “The heavens will tell the glory of God” (Ps. 18:2). Why night and day? Not only in order to replace each other, but also in order to edify: “there is no word... and no tongue where their voice is not heard” (Ps. 19:4). Why does the sea encircle the earth? “The deep is like a garment, the covering of it” (Ps. 103:6). This is what it says in Hebrew. Similarly to what is indicated, you will learn (from the psalms) everything else: about Christ, about the resurrection, about the future life, about retribution, about the teaching of morality and everything related to dogmas. And this book is filled with thousands of other instructions. If you have fallen into temptation, you will find abundant consolation here; if you sin, you will find here thousands of ready-made medicines; whether you fall into poverty or into any misfortune, it will show you many. piers Will you be righteous - and then you will derive great benefit from it; Whether you are a sinner, you will receive consolation from here. So, if you, being righteous, suffer disasters, then (as a consolation) you will hear: “for your sake we are put to death every day, we are counted... like sheep... a scarlet mark” (Ps. 43:23). “This has befallen us, but we have not forgotten You” (Ps. 43:18). If your exploits puff you up, (the psalmist) reminds you: “Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no one living will be justified before You” (Ps. 142:2). If you are a sinner and despair of yourself, you will immediately hear someone proclaiming: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as (was) then when anger was poured out” (Ps. 95:7-8) - and you will immediately rise. If your head is crowned with a diadem, you will learn here that “a king cannot be saved by much strength and a giant will not be saved by the multitude of his strength” (Ps. 32:16), and you will maintain modesty. If you are rich and glorious, you will again hear: woe to you, “those who trust in their own strength and boast in the abundance of their wealth” (Ps. 48:7), and: “man is like grass, his days are like a flower of the field, so he too will bloom” (Ps. 103:15) - and you will not consider anything on earth great. After all, if the most beautiful thing on earth - glory and power - is so insignificant, then What other earthly thing can be worthy of attention? But you have fallen into despondency? Say: “With you we will defeat our enemies, and in your name we will destroy them who rise up against us” (Ps. 43:6). But do you see those who prosper not according to their deserts? Listen to what (the psalmist) says: “They will quickly wither like grass, and like green grass they will quickly fall away” (Ps. 37:2). Or do you see that both the righteous and the sinful suffer the same fate? Look, the reason is not the same: “many,” he says, “the punishments of the sinner” (Ps. 31:10), but about the righteous it is completely different: “many are the sorrows of the righteous, but the Lord will deliver them from all of them” (Ps. 33:20), and in another place: “the death of sinners is cruel” (Ps. 33:22), but: “honorable before the Lord is the death of His saints” ( Ps.116:6). Read this constantly and learn from it. Each of these words is an endless sea of ​​​​thoughts: we only took a quick glance at them. If you wish to carefully examine what has been said, you will see great wealth both here and in other scriptures. 2. But since this research is associated with labor - and not a little, we will limit ourselves for now to what has already been said, in order to simultaneously delight the soul with singing and lighten our labor. So, let your lips sing and let your mind be edified. In itself, this is no small matter. In fact, if (psalmody) does not allow you to envy, be upset and fall into despondency untimely, and (inspires) not to highly value either wealth, or sorrow, or poverty, or even life itself, then by this it frees you from all passions. In other words, if we have trained the tongue to sing psalms, then the soul will be ashamed to desire the opposite of what the tongue sings. In this case, we ourselves need to (take) David’s harp so that our soul responds to the psalms - both within itself and with good deeds. If we stop only at half the point, that is, hearing the psalm song and responding with our souls, in our deeds we turn out to be opponents of what is chanted, then the medicine will serve us as a condemnation, and the wrath of the devil will increase - because before we hear, the evil devil is afraid that we will not correct ourselves after hearing; when we, having heard, remain the same, then he is freed from fear. So, let us accompany the psalmody with actions that agree with it in order to overthrow the cruel rage of the demon and attract the grace of the Spirit. Nothing, nothing so elevates the soul, inspires it, frees it from the earth and resolves the bonds of the body, nothing so disposes to wisdom and contempt for everything worldly as the melody of psalms and singing accompanied by rhythm. Therefore, it was precisely when God saw that many people were becoming absent-minded and, as a result, endured fatigue with displeasure, then He, wanting to make work more attractive and soften the feeling of burden associated with it, moved the tongue of blessed David to set out these psalms in order and dissolve the melody with prophecy, so that everyone, inspired by the rhythm of the singing, would send up the sacred hymns to Him with full zeal. Our very nature is so closely and tenderly attached to singing and songs that even the crying and whims of infants are calmed by it. Indeed, nurses, carrying children in their arms and rocking them, put them to sleep by singing different songs to them. For the same reason, travelers often resort to songs when driving pack animals at midday, in order to soften the exhaustion of the journey with these songs. And not only travelers, but also farmers, both while pressing grapes and picking fruits, and while caring for the vines or doing other work, often sing. Sailors do the same thing while rowing. In the same way, women at the loom, turning the shuttle over the stretched warp, sometimes each to themselves, sometimes all together sing one particular song. So, women, farmers, and sailors do this, trying to cheer themselves up in their labors by singing, as if the soul, through singing, can more easily endure everything that is heavy and bitter. And so that demons would not take advantage of such a strong attachment of our soul to this kind of pleasure and corrupt everyone by introducing their prodigal songs, God erected psalms as a defense against them, combining both benefit and pleasure in one thing. From worldly songs, harm and destruction, and in general a lot of terrible things can be caused by them, since they dispose the soul to shamelessness and lawlessness, pamper and relax it. From spiritual songs, on the contrary, there is great benefit and benefit and great sanctification, and they can serve as the basis for all wisdom, since their very words cleanse the soul, and, in addition, the soul that sings them receives the Holy Spirit. So, let us sing psalms filled with wisdom with our souls, so that little by little we can ascend to the highest level. If you can sing psalms, then you can sing hymns. And this is a more divine matter. Namely, the psalms are characterized by everything human, but the hymns, on the contrary, do not contain anything human. Hymns, not psalms, are sung by the powers above. On the contrary, it is not “a beautiful song in the mouth of a sinner” (Sir. 15:9). This is why Paul exhorts: “Singing in grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16), not just with your lips, but with attention. To sing like this means to sing to God, but if only the sound of a voice is heard in the air, then you are singing to the air. You don’t need a special place, you don’t need time, but in any place and at any time you can sing psalms in your mind. Whether you are walking around the square, or on the road, or talking with friends, everywhere you can ascend with your soul (to God), you can cry out (to Him) silently. Thus Moses cried, and the Lord heard him. If you are a craftsman, then you can sing psalms in the workshop while you work. Whether as a soldier or sitting on a judgment seat, you can do the same. You can sing without a voice, as long as the thought sounds inside. After all, we sing not to man, but to God, and He hears the voice of the heart and penetrates into our innermost thoughts. And just as spiritual men who have the anointing of the Holy Spirit always pray for their neighbors and offer fervent prayers, so we will do the same, every day we will approach God both for ourselves and for our brothers. How can you approach God? Having a right life and a clear conscience, which cannot be achieved in any other way except by adhering to the law of God day and night. And let no one tell me that “before the interpretation I could not know the meaning of the psalms.” And without interpretation, even one verse can inspire great wisdom in anyone who is at all willing to be attentive, induce them to make decisions and bring great benefit in life. For example, you will say: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord” (Ps. 112:1). If you are able to understand what the words you say mean, then after that you will no longer consider for yourself a model, neither a nobleman, nor a rich man, nor an owner of luxurious houses, nor one who has access to the court, nor even the crown bearer himself, and no one else, as long as he is in reverence, in wisdom, in the fear of God. (You should be disposed to this) not only by the future, but also by the present itself, because here, too, he who lives piously is stronger than all those. So, let us also be diligent in turning to God; let us learn how to address Him. God is not looking for eloquence or smooth speech, but for the beauty of the soul. And if she says what pleases Him, she receives complete satisfaction. Indeed, if, when visiting some famous person, you derive great benefit from communicating with him, then even more so is he who, through prolonged prayer, is in constant communication with God. And a sinner can accomplish great things if he prays with humility: this is already the beginning of virtue. This is exactly what happened with the publican (who achieved everything with simple words), thanks to the fact that he cultivated a good mood in himself. What was his mood? He reproached himself, hit his chest and did not dare to raise his eyes to the sky. If you pray like this, you will make your soul lighter than a feather. So, may our prayer be quiet and humble, may her face be filled with pleasantness, tenderness and meekness, and may she not turn against our enemies. Such a prayer is worthy of heaven, such a language is worthy of angels. If we offer prayers to God for those who offend and insult us, then our prayer for ourselves will be heard. If we set our souls in this way, then we will be able to say to God with boldness: “Have mercy on me and hear my prayer” (Ps. 4:2). And He will easily bow to our prayer and grant us the kingdom of heaven, which may we all be worthy to achieve, by the grace and love of mankind of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and in the Patrology of Min, classified as Spuria The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” Praise is αἶνος, and in Chrysostom: ὕμνος. 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