Изъяснение псалма 52-го.

Ps.53:1. To the head of the choir. On a wind weapon. David's teaching. “In the end, O Maeleth, give reason to David.” Theodotion translated the words: “about Maeleth”: “for rejoicing”, Symmachus: “with the help of the face”, Aquila: “with rejoicing”. This psalm contains the same idea with the previous psalm, as well as the thirteenth psalm. For the content of both psalms is the same. Both condemn the blasphemy of Sennacherib and Rapsakes, and also foretell the destruction of the wicked. This is why the inscription mentions rejoicing, to which, without a doubt, those who achieved salvation and sang songs to God indulged. It is added: “at the end”, because the prophecy came to fulfillment at the end of time. Ps.53:2. The madman said in his heart: “There is no God.” They became corrupt and committed heinous crimes; there is no one who does good. “The speech is foolish in his heart: there is no God.” For not only against the so-called gods, but also against the true God, he moved his tongue, saying: The gods of the tongues were not able to deliver their country from my hand. Will the Lord Deliver Jerusalem? Where is the God of Hamath? And where is God Arphad? And where is the God of the city of Sepharuim (2 Kings 18:33–35)? “Corrupted and disgusted in lawlessness.” The cause of wickedness, says the Prophet, is lawless life; fearlessly doing whatever they please, they do not want to even think about God, who oversees everyone, but they assured themselves that no one controls the creation. “Do not do good,” that is, everyone loved the wickedness of the Assyrians. Ps.52:3. God looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there was one who understood and sought God. “God came from heaven to the sons of men, see, if you understand or seek God.” However, God, in whom they do not believe, God who dwells on high and looks upon the humble, wanted to examine their deeds. Ps.53:4. They all deviated and became equally obscene; there is no one who does good, not even one. “Everyone has turned aside, together with the obscenities of the Bysh: do not do good, not to one,” that is, he found everyone as having deviated from the right path and loving all kinds of vice. Ps.52:5. Will not the workers of iniquity, who eat my people as they eat bread, and do not call on God, come to their senses? “Will not all the workers of iniquity, who devour my people bread, understand? I didn’t call on the Lord.” But those who tried to devour My people like bread, and those who despised the Provider God, learn through experience the harm of unrighteousness. Ps.52:6. There they will fear fear, where there is no fear, for God will scatter the bones of those who fight against you. You will put them to shame because God has rejected them. “There they will be afraid of fear, where there is no fear.” I will cause them to be horrified and confused when nothing that causes fear is noticeable, but punishment will befall them invisibly. And through this means the defeat inflicted on them by the Angel. “For God has scattered the bones of men-pleasers: you are ashamed, for God has humiliated them.” The words: “scattering the bones of people-pleasers” were translated by Aquila and Symmachus as follows: “God scattered the bones of those encamped around You.” Therefore, says the Prophet, “they will be afraid of fear, where there is no fear,” since God, Whom they blasphemed, seeing that they had unjustly besieged His city, betrayed them to destruction, giving them to be eaten by birds and beasts, and scattered their bones. And it will not be a mistake to call Rapsacus a people-pleaser, who, having descended from the Jews, uttered blasphemous words against the God of all, thinking to please those Assyrians. Ps.53:7. Who will give salvation to Israel from Zion! When God brings back the captivity of His people, then Jacob will rejoice and Israel will rejoice. “Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel?” Whoever gave us this pleasure, says the Prophet, will give salvation to those who have become captives: because the ten tribes have already been enslaved and deported, and many cities of Judah have also been taken. “When God brings back the captivity of His people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel will rejoice,” that is, then we will have complete joy when we see that other captives have returned to their homeland. By this we also learn, according to the apostolic commandment, “to weep with those who weep, to rejoice with those who rejoice, and also to be wise to one another” (Rom. 12:15-16), and to consider the well-being of our neighbor as our own joy. You might be interested in: