Chapter 48

Ps.48:1. Finally, son of Kore, psalm. This psalm preaches about the Divine judgment of all people, and about the day in which God will bring every creature to judgment. The sons of Kore can represent the person of the Apostles, who led the mysteries in the heavenly places. Ps.48:2. All nations will hear this; all who live throughout the world will be inspired. Just as the entire human race calls to salvation, so the word calls everyone together to the doctrine of Divine judgment. Ps.48:3. Earth-born and sons of humanity. “Earth-born” calls people more rude, barbarians, inhabiting desert places, not governed by the laws of society, “sons of men” – leading a more educated life and governed by laws. Ps.48:4. My mouth will speak wisdom. Just as he divided his listeners into many categories, so he divides his teaching into different types. This is what the face of the Apostles says, having in their mouth Christ, Who is the Wisdom of the Father. For the Apostles, having Christ in their mouths and always learning about Him in their thoughts, acquired understanding, and so sharpened their minds for understanding that they understood the Savior’s parables proposed in the Gospels. Why, when Christ asked them: “Do you understand all this? She said to Him: “to her” (Matthew 13:51). Ps.48:5. I will incline my ear to the parable. Having sharpened my mind to understand saving parables, I am able to comprehend the mind contained in them. And to those who, due to infancy, are unable to do this, I will reveal what is concluded, I will explain the fortune-telling and parables. And I will do this with the help of My psalter, that is, a body emitting a voice like an organ with which the soul is tuned to song, skillfully moved by every feeling, every member, every part of the body. Ps.48:6. What am I afraid of on the day of fierceness? This begins the word on judgment, setting out the first part of the teaching as if in the form of a preface. He begins with a question in order to have an answer to it. The question is: “What am I afraid of?” The speech must be stopped at the word “I’m afraid” so that the following meaning comes out: if someone asks, “I’m afraid of everything,” wanting to know from me the reason for my anxiety, then let him listen without distrust that there is a fierce day that I fear and am terrified of. I'm terrified, because on that day the iniquity of my heel shall pass over me, that is, the deviation from the divine path that I made in life, through entertainment and deception, transgressing the law of God, will come to pass. Therefore it is said: “this wickedness will pass over me,” whereas it should be said: my evil deeds that I have done will appear before me, surrounding and besieging me from everywhere and not giving me the opportunity to escape torment. He calls the day of judgment a cruel day, because it will be cruel for those who are subject to torment. And the Apostle called it the day of wrath, saying: “You store up for yourself wrath on the day of wrath” (Rom. 2:5). Ps.48:7. Relying on their strength. In general, this means: listen to this, relying on wealth and strength. What should they listen to? Of course, it is not otherwise, but that on that day wealth will not benefit them. For no one can deliver them from the wrath that threatens them for sin. Ps.48:8. My brother won't save me. He calls a God-loving and honorable person brother. And therefore, like a brother (add: God-loving), so no other person will be able to deliver anyone on that day. If a brother, and a God-loving one at that, is not able to do so, then he will even be unable to achieve this wealth. Ps.48:9. And the price of delivering your soul. Having taught that wealth will not be used in the least on the day of judgment, he also teaches what is useful. What is useful? - to acquire a life that is exhausting and difficult. For those who acquire it will be worthy of the life promised in the next century. He who troubles himself with activity to the end will live by knowledge, and will rest forever, and will live victorious. Ps.48:10. And he will live to the end. He will not see harm Ps.48:11. when the wise one sees the dying. They will be so far from the wicked that they will not even come close to their destruction. Who are these dying wise men, besides those about whom it is said: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and destroy the understanding of the wise” (1 Cor. 1:19)? So, Scripture in this place instructs in every possible way that on the day of judgment neither the rich nor the imaginary wise man can deliver himself, but he alone will receive eternal life who has exhausted himself in this life. Together the mad and the senseless will perish. Together, he says, both the wise and the foolish will be given over to destruction, because they did not differentiate from each other, serving idols equally. And they will leave their wealth to strangers. For they did not want to make it their own, providing benefits to those in need. Ps.48:12. And destroy their dwellings forever. The graves mean the deadness in which they clothed their souls, not thinking anything true and right about God. The villages in which they lived during life will move from one clan to another. For he said this above: “they will leave their wealth to strangers.” I named my names on the lands. They had to work through faith and bright life so that their names would be written in heaven, and they gave themselves names on earth, creating cities of the same name for themselves. Ps.48:13. And this man is in honor and not in reason. The reason why they fell into a high opinion of themselves is called carnal desires. And this means not understanding your honor, that you were created in the image of God. They exchanged heavenly villages for living on earth like senseless cattle, and life from God for coffins. Ps.48:14. This path is their temptation to them. The Divine Scripture usually names the life of everyone and the time of life of everyone. This path, he says, they made for themselves harsh and hostile, as if they did not reason about anything right. But when they stumbled on it, then they did not notice the temptations. And to this day they are pleased in their mouths. As if he were saying this: they will confess, repenting of having embarked on this path, but will no longer have time for repentance. Ps.48:15. Like sheep are in hell. Since they did not want to have a good shepherd over them, but renounced their honor, corrupted their bodies like cattle, they became the sheep of hell for this, and the one who shepherds them will lead them to his pastures, some into eternal fire, others to where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, and others into utter darkness. And they have the rights of the morning. They will no longer rise up against the pious, as they did in this life; on the contrary, those who are worthy of the morning time and the new light will prevail over the wicked. And their help will be promised in hell. Any help or strength for them that glory gave them will be destroyed by death, for it is said “he will promise” instead of “he will be destroyed.” Ps.48:16. Otherwise, God will deliver my soul from the hand of hell when He accepts me. But I, who say this, will be delivered by God, and my soul will not be taken away and left with these sheep in hell. Ps.48:17. Fear not when a man becomes rich. Having learned what the end of the wicked will be, do not please those who are enriched in life, do not be afraid, as if abandoned beyond all hope, do not lose heart, as if, deprived of real blessings, you are deprived of great blessings. Know firmly that deliverance from death and eternal life await you. And the one whom many call happy because of wealth, fame and false wisdom will no longer have anything for himself, he will even be taken away naked from everything that he had in the world. Ps.48:18. As if he never died, he would not take it all. Godless people thought that they could derive one benefit from wealth, so that their soul would be blessed in mortal and temporary life, when people praise and call them happy for the blessings that they apparently possess. Below his glory will fall with him, because everything is temporary. Such a one will then give thanks to You, the Creator, when You increase his wealth. Ps.48:20. He will even reach the family of his fathers. He will imitate the jealousy of his fathers and, coming from evil fathers, he will inherit wickedness. Even until a century he will not see the light. Those who are wise in this way have become spiritually blind, neither in their mortal life were they enlightened by the light of knowledge, nor in the future will they be worthy of eternal light. You might be interested in: