Chapter 118

In this psalm, the prophet describes the life of the saints, their exploits, sorrows, labors, also the uprisings of demons, thousands of inspired thoughts, snares and other means of entrapment, and at the same time, the things by which the saints gain victory: the Law, the words of God, patience, help from above, and finally, what follows the labors, rewards, crowns, rewards. Ps.119:1. Blessed chastity on the way. He who never sins in anything is blameless and blessed. Ps.119:2. Blessed are those who experience His witness; they will seek Him with all their hearts. One must not behave in such a way as to sometimes fulfill and sometimes break the Law. For what is the use of experiencing only the testimonies of God, and not seeking God with all your heart? Ps.119:3. For those who do not do iniquity walk in His ways. Therefore, whoever sins does not know the Divine law, because to know the law means to fulfill it. Ps.119:4. Thou hast commanded that Thy commandments should be kept strictly. Ps.119:5. So that my ways may be corrected, preserve Your justifications. Knowing that without higher help no one can be a keeper of the Law, he tries to achieve this through prayer. The phrase “so that” is used instead of: “oh if only!” Ps.119:7. Let us confess to You the rightness of our hearts. After the prayer, he also points out what is in his will. The beginning of salvation is “confession.” Ps.119:8. Don't leave me to the end. Again he calls for help from above. Ps.119:9. How can I correct my youthful path? Youth is full of many temptations. How will he overcome them, if not by always remembering the words of God? For the thought of the Divine Law, without a doubt, has the power to both purify and protect. Ps.119:10. With all my heart I seek You. If, says the Psalmist, remembrance of God helps to avoid satanic snares - and I have directed all my thoughts towards You, O God - then I am worthy of not remaining outside of Your commandments. And so that these words do not lead anyone to despair, then, guided by zeal for the Law, let us say at the same time: sometimes such foolishness is allowed to happen, due to which the diligence of many led to the opposite end, and in what they thought to succeed, they stumbled, according to what Solomon said: “the essence of the ways of those who think that men are right to be... otherwise they will end up in the bottom of hell” (Prov. 16, 25). Therefore, whoever seeks God with half his heart, intending to devote himself first to God and sometimes to the world, will be rejected by God from His commandments as an unfit warrior. Ps.119:11. Your words are hidden in my heart. For if anyone does not close up the commandments of God in his heart, as in a treasury, then an evildoer will come and steal them away. He sins before God who, having been vouchsafed the knowledge of mysterious words worthy of being hidden from many, does not hide them from whom he should. For it is dangerous to say not only what is false, but also what is true, when someone declares something that should not be declared at all. One should not “cast pearls... before swine”, nor give “holy dogs” (Matthew 7:6). Ps.119:12. Blessed art thou, Lord, teach me by thy justification. Feeling his success as a result of the fact that he sought God with all his heart, he blesses Him, thanking Him for what he has already been honored with, and wants to learn from Him what significance His justifications have. Ps.119:13. My mouth proclaimed all the destinies of Your mouth. What should have been hidden, I have hidden, and what should have been announced, I have announced; because we must all appear before Your judgment seat and be judged according to our deeds. Ps.119:14. On the path of Your testimonies we have enjoyed ourselves, as in all riches. It is understood that this is “wealth” according to God. Therefore he says: nothing captivated me in this life - neither gold, nor dignity, nor power. Instead of all this, Your meetings are both joy and wealth for me. Ps.119:16. I will learn from Your justifications: I will not forget Your words. I will not limit myself to just verbal study, but I will try to understand how to fulfill them, because it is not the hearers of God’s justifications, but the creators of them, who are righteous before God. For in this case a person will never forget them. Ps.119:17. Reward Your servant, live for me. And what does he want as reward for what he brought as a gift? In order for his mind to be enlightened and for him to know the wonderful works of God. Ps.119:18. Open my eyes, and I will understand the wonders of Your law. I do not assimilate the vanity of life, and therefore I ask you to grant me the knowledge of the Divine commandments, for some of them are known, and others are unknown to me. Known, for example: “You shall not kill” (Ex. 20:13) and others, but the following are unknown: why babies are circumcised on the eighth day, or why sacrifices are made for newborns. Ps.119:21. You forbade the proud. He who opposes the proud, forbids them: “The Lord resists the proud” (Proverbs 3:34), which is why the Lord forbids the proud. Ps.119:22. Take away reproach and humiliation from Me. The wicked will humiliate me by reviling me during persecution. Therefore I ask that their reproaches against me become vanity. And if when I was carnally wise, then, turning, I ask you to revive me with Divine words. If, persecuted in this way, I have reached extreme difficulty, then I beg, according to Your promise, to save me from the wicked. Ps.119:23. For the princes are gray, and they slander me. I asked to remove the reproach from me, because they accused themselves of slandering me. However, when the princes of unrighteousness did this, the servant of God did not deviate from God’s justifications, having God’s words as advisers, which he called justifications. And such a person does not accept a single crafty adviser. And the princes of this age, as in the time of Christ, “gathered together upon the Lord and upon His Christ” (Ps. 2:2). These are the ones to whom belongs the wisdom of this age. Ps.119:25. My soul clings to the earth. Persecuted by the wicked, I have come, he says, into extreme difficulty, and I ask you to save me according to Your promise, which says: and the streams “will not cover you” (Is. 43:2). Ps.119:26. Thou hast announced my ways, and thou hast heard me... Ps.119:27. Make me understand the path of Your justifications. Having acquired an understanding of the mysteries contained in Your justifications, and the ability to follow their path, I will be able to talk and talk about the miracles of these justifications. Ps.119:28. My soul takes a nap from despondency. He teaches that it is impossible to drive out the spirit of despondency except by teaching in Divine words. Therefore, one must be sober and watchful, according to the word of Him who said: “Watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41). Ps.119:29. Leave the path of unrighteousness from Me, and have mercy on me by Your law. Ps.119:30. I will follow the path of truth. He asks one thing from God, and attributes the other to himself. Ps.119:37. Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity. “Vanity” is a frantic addiction to spectacles, a deepening of thought into inappropriate and indecent mental representations. This is what Paul explains, saying: “in the vanity of their minds, darkened in meaning, they are alienated from the life of God” (Eph. 4:17-18). Notice the so-called vanity of mind, when someone has a mind, but does not use it to the discretion of the true, and betrays it to the binding Satan. Therefore, the Psalmist, praying that this would not befall him, says: “turn away my eyes from seeing vanity,” because this is already the grace of God. The Prophet also calls vanity what is beautiful in the body and what appears good to the eyes of the flesh. Ps.119:38. Make Thy servant Thy word to fear. Since the fear of God, like a mentor, is needed in all commandments, he begs God to assign it to him. And the following words: Ps.119:39. take away my reproach speaks after a certain guardian of the Divine laws has been assigned to him, and confesses, reproaching himself for what he had already confessed to. “Ordain Thy word unto Thy servant.” Since, as your servant, I fear You, and I wish to have a reasonable fear, in agreement with reason, then “put ... Your word in Your fear,” so that we may not have fear without reason, and reason not without fear. God places His word in His fear, confirming it with reverent, undoubted evidence. For just as some have “zeal... but not according to understanding” (Rom. 10:2), so others have the fear of God, but not according to reason. Take away my reproach, O nepshchev. The prophet, as a man, having committed a sin, sees that reproach will follow him to the Divine Judgment Seat after the resurrection, and therefore he prays and recites the proposed verse. But you cannot say: “Take away your reproach, because when they reproach me for Christ’s sake, the reproach is not mine, but Christ’s.” Even when they revile me for my sins, but I do not repent, I should not say: “Take away my reproach from Me, O nepshchevah: for Your destinies are good.” Ps.119:40. Behold, I have desired Your commandments: live me in Your righteousness. As a reward for yourself, ask for a righteous and virtuous life, because you have not only kept the commandments, but are also disposed towards them with love, and not for anything else, but for their own sake, you fulfill them. And since the truth of the Father is the Son, then the one who wants to live in the Son says this. Ps.119:41. “And may Thy mercy come upon me, O Lord. If I acquire Thy mercy—and this mercy will be for me in Thy salvation—then I will have boldness against those who revile me and rebel against me. Ps.119:42. And I answer those who reproach my word, for I have trusted in Your words. I will say that he who contains such dogmas, which are mocked by ignoramuses alien to the faith, does not deserve reproach. I will prove that these dogmas are full of understanding and wisdom. I answer the word, because I have trusted in Your words. Ps.119:43. And do not take away from my lips the words that are truly true (that is, until my last breath), for I have placed my trust in Your destiny. If we do not live in accordance with what we recognize as good, God will take the word of truth from our lips. Ps.119:44. And I will keep Your law and take it out. I will, he says, be the keeper of Your law, not only fulfilling it at times, but at times not fulfilling it; against. Moreover, I will prosper in it both now and in the future. Ps.119:46. And the verbs about Your testimonies before the kings. Such was Paul, such was Peter, such was the face of the Apostles and martyrs. But just as this befits a martyr, who for Christ is led “before rulers... and kings” (Matthew 10:18), so it also befits those who open their mouths before royal holy souls. For he who receives the word from God, but does not preach the gospel with great power, is worthy of shame, because living in accordance with the Law produces boldness. Ps.119:47. And I learned in Your commandments, which I loved dearly: Ps.119:48. and I lifted up my hands to Your commandments. “Hands” here refers to active forces, because action is the end of the teaching in the commandments. For, after accepting the word about the commandments, it is best to raise your hands to actually fulfill what is required in the commandments, not with sadness or under compulsion, but with a good disposition, and then often reflect and talk about them. Ps.119:49. Remember Your word to Your servant. What “word” does God ask to remember, besides this, so that he would always be with them according to the promise given to them (Matthew 28:20), which was a consolation for them in persecution? Ps.119:50. So console me in my humility. This very hope, generated in me by Your word, consoled and calmed me so much that if any calamity, or danger, or the expectation of death, a serious illness, or loss of property, or persecution, or anything else, according to people, was serious, befell me, this hope in You was a consolation for me. Nothing else gives a rational soul the strength to live its life like God’s word. To the extent that God’s word grows in the human soul, comprehended and accepted by it, to the same extent that which constitutes life (namely, to live here virtuously) and what subsequently gives eternal life increases. Ps.119:51. Pride is a lawbreaker to the extreme: but we have not deviated from Your law. I lived my life according to the Law, guarding the sovereign power of my soul, so that the word of lawlessness would not be hidden in my heart. For when they transgress the Law to the utmost, I have not even transgressed Your law even in the least. Ps.119:52. I have remembered Your destiny from eternity, O Lord, and have been comforted. For, holding in memory that which is rewarded to everyone from century to century, the righteous man is comforted and remains carefree, saying: “The passions of this present time are not worthy of the glory that desires to appear in us” (Rom. 8:18). Remembering the judgments that You carried out in ancient times against the oppressors of the Israelites, I was comforted, knowing that I myself would not be left in persecution, and that everything happens to people according to God’s judgment. Ps.119:53. I have received sorrow from the sinners who forsake Thy law, that is, sorrow for sinners, some of whom sin without the Law, having not even known the beginning of the laws, while others have the Law and transgress it. “If one oud suffers, all the ouds suffer with him; if one oud is glorified, all ouds rejoice with him” (1 Cor. 12:26). Therefore, we must grieve over our brothers who sin, because they are like that, and nurture in ourselves the same dispositions that this saint had. Ps.119:54. Peta bahhu me Your justifications at the place of my coming. “The place of coming” refers to present life, according to what has been said: knowing that “there are strangers and strangers on the earth” (Heb. 11:13). In this place I rejoiced, speaking Your justifications, since together I studied and fulfilled them. Ps.119:59. I have thought about Thy ways, and returned my nose to Thy testimonies. Since I focused all my thoughts on Your commandments, I entered on the path of meetings. Ps.119:60. Prepare yourself and not be embarrassed. Knowing what was said: “child, if you begin to work for the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation” (Sir. 2:1), and always thinking about this, during the invasion of enemies I was not embarrassed, as I had learned to meet them courageously. Ps.119:61. Already the sinner has committed himself to me. What kind of “snake” were these? Were these not evil thoughts with which they intended to cast me down from my position in God? Ps.119:62. At midnight I rose to confess to You. Not only the day, but also the night, even the very middle of the night, when the most pleasant sleep takes over people, I spent singing songs to You and chanting Your righteous decrees. This is what the divine Apostle did together with Silas, when, having taken upon himself wounds and scourgings, with his feet tied, he dissolved prayer with chants, and reaped the fruit of this wonderful vigil; because I experienced Divine generosity (Acts 16:19-39). Ps.119:63. I am a partaker of all who fear You. The perfect one becomes a partaker of Christ, according to what was said: “partakers became [v] Christ” (Heb. 3:14). And the Psalmist, as still guided towards perfection, says about himself that he is a partaker of those who fear the Lord, however, not just fearing, but keeping the commandments of God out of the fear of God. Keeping the commandments serves as proof of the fear of God. Ps.119:64. Fill the earth with Thy mercy, O Lord; Teach me by Thy justification. Prophetically predicts the future that the whole earth will be filled with those who fear the Lord. And this will not be due to any other need, but according to Your mercy; for You Yourself will graciously do this, having given Yourself up to be a teacher of people. Ps.119:65. Thou hast done goodness with Thy servant, O Lord. Those who are instructed in the Divine commandments are taught the teaching to be insensitive to the good deeds of God, because he would not have been freed from sin and would not have been numbered among the servants of the Lord if some kind of Divine grace had not been the fault of him. Ps.119:67. Before we even humble ourselves, we have sinned. Having been betrayed for the previous sins I had committed, I was brought to humility, having endured this according to the righteous judgment of God. Therefore, having been admonished, I ask you to teach me and bring me to the knowledge that the humility to which I have been brought serves for my benefit and for admonition. Ps.119:68. You are good, Lord. The righteous man, no matter what happens to him, even if it is sorrowful, says to God: “Thou art good.” This is similar to what was said in another place: “I will bless the Lord at all times” (Ps. 33:2). And by Thy goodness teach me by Thy justification. Ask the good God to teach him, because “the goodness of God’s justifications” is commensurate with the dignity of everyone. Why, it should be said about them: Your destinies have been justified, O God (Ps. 18:10). Ps.119:69. Multiply upon me the iniquity of the proud. So much so, he says, did they stretch out their pride that their hearts became as follows: Ps.119:70. Their hearts are like milk. You will be betrayed by cruel and grievous temptations, which humble you in life and teach you to mortify and enslave the body, and to walk not on the wide and spacious path, but on the narrow and narrow path. For the heart of the saints is refined, but the heart of the proud is fattened. Ps.119:71. It is good for me, for you have humbled me. As if he were saying this: I am content in weaknesses, in insults, in needs, in persecutions, in hardships, just to appear worthy of Your justifications, seeking that which is otherwise impossible to learn. Ps.119:72. The law of Your mouth is good to me more than a thousand gold and silver. He who is guided towards perfection is taught the doctrine of what honor a person is awarded. Ps.119:73. Thy hands create me. And the second dignity is that a person is able to accept and contain His understanding. Give me understanding, and I will learn Your commandments. Having given thanks for the creation, it is very natural to give thanks for the gifted power of thinking, with which a person understands the commandments. Ps.119:74. Those who fear You will see You and rejoice. He teaches that he is not the only one who will receive this gift, but that it will be extended to all who fear the Lord. For he is pleasing to the pious alone, tangibly cognizable both in the word and in the plans of the wisdom he possesses; and for others it is difficult to even see him; because his life is not like the life of others, and his paths are different. And that is why he says: “They will rejoice, for they have trusted in Your words.” Ps.119:75. I understood, Lord, for the truth of Your destiny. By this we learn that God does everything with us in truth. Therefore, it is necessary for us not to be cowardly when admonishing us, but even more so to fall to Him and, by keeping the Law, seek His mercy. Ps.119:76. May Thy mercy console me. The Father's mercy is the Son, Who comforted our hearts, which had fallen under the torment of Satan. Or like this: I beg that, according to Your word, Your mercy will be a consolation and encouragement to Your servant. For many, having accepted consolation, indulge in deception, as if they had acquired it through their own prudence. So that I may not fall into the same error, may Thy mercy be upon me, according to Thy word. Ps.119:77. May Your compassions come to me, and I will live. As You promised consolation, do so, restraining Your servants. Ps.119:78. Let pride be ashamed, for it is your unjust iniquity against me. If I am worthy of Your help, then the enemies of the truth, that is, evil demons and people, will be ashamed. But I will not be proud because they are ashamed, but “I will mock Your commandments.” Ps.119:79. Let those who fear me turn me to You. May I receive instruction from Your servants. It will be such that it will be able to convert souls, because it is enriched by Your fear. Ps.119:80. May my heart be pure. So, after all this, already having an immaculate heart, he nevertheless said: “Be my heart immaculate.” This is similar to what was said elsewhere: “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 50:12). Only then will I not be ashamed when I keep God’s commandments blamelessly. Ps.119:81. My soul disappears for Your salvation, and I trust in Your word. The Prophet teaches us to lust after the words and to be filled with love for God’s salvation. And what other salvation is there except the coming of the Lord? “I trusted in Your word” - understand “in Your promise.” The inspired Scripture is also called the “Word.” Therefore, not only the one who awaits the fulfillment of the Divine promise and expects the end of the surrounding evils disappears, but also the one who reads the Divine words, and desiring to study their meaning exactly, recognizes the search for the meaning as consolation and joy. Ps.119:82. My eyes are lost in Your Word. Means our Lord Jesus Christ. For He, according to the words of the Apostle, “is the imam’s intercessor to the Father: and He is... cleansing for our sins” (1 John 2:1-2). Verb: when will you console me? For when the Word comes to me, then I will be comforted. Ps.119:83. Zane would be like fur on the slant. Even in life, the righteous become dead from suffering, which is why they become more like furs than people, becoming cold like hardened frost, because they have chosen ardor and activity for themselves. He becomes a “skin on the face”, who wears out his flesh, does not leave anything inflamed and lustful in it, but, as it were, freezes it. Ps.119:84. How many days are there of Your servant? Short are human days on earth; Therefore, he prays that in their continuation Satan will soon be crushed under his feet, and that he himself will subdue the soul to the Divine Word that descended into it. Ps.119:85. The lawbreakers told me mockery. He understands either “women’s fables” (1 Tim. 4:7) - Jewish teachings, or the commandments of men and the idle talk of the wise men of this age. Ps.119:86. All Your commandments are true: having persecuted me unrighteously, help me. Knowing that at the Divine Judgment he will be rewarded for the untruths he has suffered, he hastens to see that time. Ps.119:87. Soon I will not die on earth. I almost lost my life from their persecution. Ps.119:88. Live for me according to Thy mercy, and I will preserve the testimonies of Thy mouth. The mouth of God is the prophets who served the testimonies, commandments and justifications of God. Ps.119:89. For ever, O Lord, Your Word remains in heaven. Advancing more and more, he touches on the highest dogmas, mentions the eternal Word of the Father, and almost says: “in the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1); when discussing the structure of the universe, he clearly calls all creation servants of Him. Ps.119:90. Thy truth forever and ever. There are two kinds of people who have accepted the truth of God: the Jewish people, who have the Law and the Prophets, and the Church. Therefore, the truth of God is not to all generations, but to the first generation and to the second generation. Otherwise, the nations are in error. But when the first generation rejected the truth and said: take, “take away from the earth such a one” (Acts 22:22); then the truth passed from the first kind to the second kind. You founded the earth and it remains. With this truth the earth was founded. For on this cornerstone, which is laid as the foundation, are all who are saved on earth built up. Therefore, the earth remains, having an indestructible support and a reliable foundation. This truth, having enlightened the earth, created the day when God shone on it. Ps.119:91. The day endures by Thy commandment: for all things are done unto Thee. It is not a day that can change and has an end, like the light of the Old Testament Scripture, because it was given before the time of correction. Yet all this is subordinated to God: for everything is in the service of Him, as the Creator and Provider. Ps.119:92. For if it were not for Thy law that my teaching had been, then I would have perished in my humility. I would have perished from the attack of evil thoughts and the attack of opposing forces on me if Your Law had not become a support for me. Ps.119:93. I will never forget Your justifications, for You have revived me in them. To Yours, he says, I will look to Your laws; because in them I will find life, just as You told me that “whoever created that man will live in them” (Lev. 18:5). Therefore, only the righteous man lives, although apparently he is dying; but the unrighteous are dead, although in appearance they are alive; because the former have in themselves the basis of life - truth; and the latter, not having one, are like inanimate things that are not set in motion by themselves, but from the outside. Ps.119:94. I am yours, save me. Meaning: Your servant I am, Your son I am by grace, Your servant I am. Ps.119:95. I waited for the sinner to destroy me: I understood Your testimonies. It would be appropriate to say: I listened with my mind, and by thinking about You I brought their evil plans to fruition. Ps.119:96. I have seen the end of every end: Your commandment is great and broad. “Death” refers to the machinations of demons. I saw that their end was nothing, because the commandment was made broad for me. These are the words of one who has ascended with all success to the very top of virtue, who has achieved perfect good, who has laid the beginning and the end of many things. For the end of the first perfection serves as the beginning of the next, according to what has been said: “When a man dies, then he begins” (Sir.18:6). Ps.119:97. How long have I loved Your law, O Lord? I have my teaching all day long. He who says and does everything according to the Law learns the Law of God. In the very first psalm, David added night to day for those who wanted to become blessed. For we said that here human life is some kind of confusion: therefore, now we have both day and night. But for those who have become saints, night will never come again. Therefore, for a successful person there is a day when he lives according to the Law, and a night when he does not study with all his heart... Ps.119:101. I have forbidden my feet from every evil way. This is what it means to preserve the Divine Law - to fulfill it by deed itself. Ps.119:102. We will not evade Your destinies. Constantly kept in mind the Divine Judgment Seat. Ps.119:103. How sweet is Your word to my throat? They are sweet because they contain reasonable pleasure, sweeter than honey, because honey means everything pleasant among people. Ps.119:105. My lamp is your law. For whoever walks in the light of the Divine Law completes the path of life directly and without stumbling. Ps.119:107. Let's humble ourselves to death, either because of an attack by mental enemies, or because of a harsh life chosen by one’s own free will. Ps.119:113. I hated the lawbreakers, but I loved Your law. Understands the wise of the age and the leaders of heresies. Ps.119:115. Turn away from Me, you who are evil. He understands either evil thoughts or the teachers mentioned above. Ps.119:117. Help me, and I will be saved. Although he said: “You are my helper and my protector” (Ps. 119:14), he still needs constant help. For while we are here, we cannot yet say completely: “I will be saved.” But when we live with the Angels of God, then the teaching of justifications will be face to face, not limited to a shadow alone, but touching the truth itself. Ps.119:118. Thou hast destroyed all who depart from Thy justifications. Such an end awaits those who reject the Law of God. Ps.119:119. Those who transgress all the sinful lands of the earth: for this reason I have loved Your testimony. I guessed that they intended to trample the Divine Law. Ps.119:120. Nail my fear to Your flesh. It is said: “nail” instead of “firm.” So establish, he says, “my flesh” in purity. For only in this case can I say: “Christ has been crucified” (Gal. 2:19). I was afraid of Your destinies, that is, he feared the Divine Law. For no one commits a sin otherwise than by first placing himself outside the fear of God. Ps.119:123. My eyes disappear for Your salvation, that is, at the Divine Coming, from which I hoped that both myself and the entire human race would be saved. Although others, living lawlessly and not having the fear of Thy before their eyes, rejected Thy Law, I only fulfilled it at all times, constantly learning from it. Ps.119:125. I am Thy servant: give me understanding, and I will hear Thy testimonies. He who does not work at all against sin, let him say: “I am Your servant.” As a reward for slavery, this is to ask for reason, given by God and with Him, as it were, stored in a treasury; because “the spirit of wisdom and understanding” (Is. 11:2), and other blessings are God’s gifts. In contrast to other minds, Proverbs says: “The mind of good things gives grace” (Prov. 13:16). For if every understanding were good; then the word “good” would not have been added. Ps.119:126. It is time for the Lord to do: I have destroyed Your law. I did justice and righteousness; There will be no time for You, O God, to bring judgment and righteousness to those who have destroyed Your Law. Ps.119:127. For this reason I have loved Your commandments more than gold and topaz. This is in accordance with what was said: “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver” (Ps. 119:72), and also: “Accept punishment, and not silver, and a tempted mind than gold. Better is the wisdom of precious stones, but anything honest is unworthy of it” (Prov. 8:10-11). Ps.119:128. For this reason I have been guided by all Your commandments. For what exactly? Is it not to continually study the Law? Ps.119:130. And admonishes babies. By “babies” we mean those who are ignorant and like infants. For such as are illumined by Thy light, Thy word filleth their understanding. Ps.119:131. My mouth was opened, and the spirit was attracted. The words of God require that the mind be open. That is why the Savior “opened the minds of the disciples to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). And the understanding imparted by the words of God prevents us from being deceived by pleasure or glory. Ps.119:132. Look upon me and have mercy on me, and so on. Just as You have determined to look upon those who love Your name and to vouchsafe them Your great visit, so vouchsafe me the same visitation, the same mercy. Ps.119:133. Direct my feet according to Your word. According to His word, God directs the steps of those moving from vice and ignorance to virtue and knowledge. For such are guided by the right word. He who does not commit sin is not a slave of sin. Ps.119:134. Deliver me from human slander. He calls the teachings of the heretics and wise men of this age “human slander.” In a literal sense, this happened with Joseph and Susanna. In a figurative sense, human slander refers to the slander of evil forces, from which only God can deliver. Ps.119:135. Make Thy face shine upon Thy servant. Desires to see the coming of the Lord; because the Lord is the image of the Father. And teach me by Your justification. This means the New Testament, by which God the Father justified those who are on earth. Ps.119:136. My eyes see the source of the water. I have shed many tears, mourning those who transgress Thy Law. Ps.119:137. You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgment is right. Shows the reason why he mourned those who transgressed the Law of God, precisely the fact that at the Divine Judgment Seat those who transgress the Law are threatened with punishment, which is also attested here. Ps.119:138. Thou hast commanded the truth of Thy testimony... After these witnesses - heaven and earth and other witnesses, you “commanded” the testimonies as the real truth and the most obvious truth. He did not even weaken their testimony; that is, the very direct rules of Your judgments show Your truth. Therefore, Your testimonies are Divine Scriptures: they are truth according to moral commandments and truth according to the meaning contained in the words. Ps.119:139. Thy jealousy has consumed me; for I have forgotten Thy words. How jealous I became when I saw someone forgetting Your words! And he not only became jealous, but melted away from jealousy for You if he saw those forgetting Your words. About this zeal, expressed on behalf of the Lord in the psalm, “I will remember the disciples, for I have been consumed by zeal for Your house” (John 2:17; Ps.68:10). Ps.119:140. Thy word is kindled with fire. The Word of God is fiercely kindled, and amazing, and above any test; and if anyone has this kindled word, then he “will vie for everything, but he himself... does not quarrel with any one” (1 Cor. 2:15). Ps.119:141. I am the youngest and humiliated. “Youth”, who studies the rudiments of Divine words; “humiliated” because he humbles himself. Ps.119:142. Your truth is truth forever. For righteousness among men is awarded for a short time to those who judge righteously; the truth of God gives an eternal definition. Ps.119:143. Sorrow and need have found me. And in adversity, he says, without negligence I learned in Your Law. Ps.119:144. The truth of Your testimony is forever. What testimonies You gave me, although they are useful for a short time, they are truth forever, because they justify the one who approaches them with full disposition. For the truth that we observe throughout the present age is rewarded not during our short days, but throughout the age. I will live, says the prophet, if you enlighten me; because the foolish cannot enter into that blessed life. Therefore, it is necessary to ask for understanding from the Giver of it to all who ask Him with all their hearts. Ps.119:145. I called out with all my heart. First: “I cried with all my heart, hear me, Lord: I will seek your righteousness. And then: Ps.119:146. I cried out to You, save me, for that which spoke in the sovereign power of the soul was none other than God. Therefore, having loudly called You, I vow loudly to keep Your testimonies. Ps.119:147. I preceded in hopelessness and cried out. “Badness” refers to the darkness or vagueness of circumstances. He says the following: the wicked do everything in disorder, but I have largely conformed to Your Law. Ps.119:150. Those who persecute me with iniquity are approaching. Those who attack me are devoted, he says, to lawlessness. For he who does not intend to wallow in lawlessness does not persecute the righteous. Ps.119:151. You are near, Lord. Elsewhere God says: “I am a God who draws near... and not a God from afar... - says the Lord” (Jer. 23:23); because the power of God is everywhere, as creative and providential. Ps.119:154. Judge my judgment, and deliver me: live me by Thy word. It calls a promise a word; for he promised to come and save us. Ps.119:155. Salvation is far from the sinner, which the princes of this age did not take advantage of. For I have not sought Your justifications. The reason for the persecution of the righteous was that they strayed far from the Divine Law. Ps.119:156. Your bounties are many, Lord. It became known to me, testified by You, that the commandments given to us are firm and immovable; for this is also expressed in the preceding verse: Ps.119:152. From the first I knew it from Your testimonies. Ps.119:158. I see those who do not understand and stop. If I saw someone who did not understand, then, regretting him, I melted out of zeal for God. Ps.119:159. See that I have loved Your commandments, O Lord. You will see examples of good deeds in me. For I not only kept the commandments, but loved them, although nothing forced me to fulfill them. But nevertheless, I need Your mercy to revive me. Ps.119:160. The beginning of Your words is truth. This is the first of Your commandments - to be truthful in everything: in deed, in word, and in thought. Ps.119:161. The princes drove me away. The princes who were in times oppressed me, says the prophet, as enemies of the truth. But I was not afraid of their oppression, I feared Your word. And what is this word if not the following: “Fear not those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul: fear rather than him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28)? Ps.119:162. I will rejoice in Your words, for I have gained much gain. Not only out of fear did I obey the Divine words, but also with great joy, which happens over acquired wealth. And the word is kept more firmly when it is done with joy. Having recalled the pursuing enemies, he also mentioned self-interest. If I had destroyed all my enemies, and collected gain from everyone, says the Psalmist, I would not think about this as much as I highly think about Your words. What kind of words are these, if not those that Paul speaks of when speaking about the Jews: “to us first... was entrusted the word of God” (Rom. 3:2). Ps.119:163. I hate lies... Like them, I did not turn away from the dead man, and I did not disdain him, taking self-interest; because it is useful to abhor untruth alone. Therefore, having understood, as I should, Your Law, I loved him, not in the least inclining him to anything earthly; because, having been resurrected with Christ, “we seek the things on high,” and not the things on earth (Col. 3:1). Ps.119:164. On the seventh day we praise Thee. Throughout his entire life, the enlightened righteous person will have a perfect day, uninterrupted by night. And having become supremely worldly, he praises God sevenfold for being transported from the world created in six days to the heavenly world. As someone placed in God’s paradise, having studied the laws of creation and God’s providence, he confesses about the “destinies of God’s righteousness,” about those destinies according to which God created various creatures and provides for each one. He understands that he does not cease to praise, and says: I always remember Your judgments, according to which You justly rejected the princes who anticipated the alien and delivered the offended. Ps.119:169. May my prayer come near... Ps.119:170. May my petition come before You, O Lord. You see what a strict order there is in Divine words. First it is said: “let it come near”, and then (more importantly): “let my petition come in”; because before you enter, you need to get closer. Approaching the house, if anyone is a friend of the house-lord, he enters it. What was previously called “prayer” (δέησις) is now called “petition” (dignity – ἀχίωμά) from the word ἄχιως. Do not there be virtues in the soul just as there are superior virtues in the world? There is dignity in being an Apostle of Christ; There are dignities and ranks of the Church. The dignity of the soul is to have virtues, or one of them. He who has such “dignity” speaks the above words. Ps.119:171. Let my lips burst forth with singing. Belching, for the most part, happens to the satiated. Thus, the Divine Word knows spiritual food. Thus, the Word itself calls itself bread: “I am the bread of life, which came down from heaven” (John 6:51). And he also says: “Eat My flesh, have life” in you (John 6:54). When we eat this bread, we belch out a song. This is the kind of regurgitation I wish for myself, and this is impossible if you do not “teach me justification.” Ps.119:172. Let my tongue proclaim Your words. He prays that if he says anything, it will be God’s word, according to what was said: “Open your mouth to the word of God” (Prov. 31:8). And such a one does not utter idle words. Why, says Paul: “For you shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal... and if any other commandment is fulfilled in this word, in this word: ‘You shall love your sincere man as you love yourself’” (Rom. 13:9). For here is the truth - “thou shalt love thy sincere man.” Ps.119:173. May Your hand be to save me. This expresses not her being in essence, but her attitude towards those being saved. Such is the following expression: “become my protector in God” (Ps. 30:3). Ps.119:174. I have desired Your salvation, O Lord. If you want to enter into the meaning of this word: then “thy salvation” is Christ; because Jesus is interpreted: the salvation of God. He was sent to us. Our business is to desire God's salvation; because many desire the things of the flesh. God’s work is for us to be saved in Him, to rest in peace, to inherit the holy in Him. For God's salvation is eternal life. God's salvation is interpreted as Jesus being sent for our salvation. Whoever wants to move towards lusting after Him will learn from the Law. Ps.119:175. My soul will live and praise Thee. Talks about the future life. For “our life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). Then I will praise in the proper sense of this word, then “Thy judgments will help me,” which have become glorious, namely, judgment for the righteous without torture, and judgment for those for whom it is necessary, according to torture. Ps.119:176. I got lost like a lost sheep. Having said in what he succeeded, he again says about himself that he is a lost sheep, observing his humility, according to what the Lord said: “When you have done all things... say: we are servants without keys” (Luke 17:10). You might be interested in: