The Nature of Psalms and Chronology

A shout of victory is offered at his tent. The shout signifies victory, for it is a loud cry made against fallen enemies. For instance, when they encircled Jericho and blew the horns and shouted, the walls of Jericho fell at their shout. Jericho, allegorically, is a place on earth, interpreted as the moon; the place on earth is not according to its increase, but according to its decrease, like the fool: for 'fool' means 'as the moon changes.' Therefore, when he encircles his tent according to all interpretations—the progress was called a tent—the one progressing and succeeding truly becomes a circle of it. And again, the body was called a tent. When the inner man resolutely sets himself against the body, he becomes a circle around it and conquers. When anyone encircles the tent, the body of Jesus, through faith, he is proved a conqueror.

6 I will sing and I will play to the Lord (Ps 94:1). It was said to us in the earlier psalms that to sing means to have contemplation, to send up praises and songs without an instrument. It was said that to play means to practically pour out the song of triumph. Both, then, he says, are sufficient for me: I will play and I will sing. I sing by contemplating the truth. He who takes in the dogmas of piety and having contemplation of their scientific and wise nature, sings. But he who, taking the body as an instrument, both a lyre and a psaltery, striking its strings which are all the impulses and the senses, being able to bring forth a psalm harmoniously, that one plays. This, then, is the holy man who is promised to do the two: to sing and to play. He who subdues his body and disciplines it and performs the moral virtues, such as one doing almsgiving, one establishing gentleness, one advancing in courage, he plays. But he who contemplates each mystery of the truth and is able to penetrate with knowledge every dogma of piety, he sings.

Regarding: 'In the fiftieth, as if we receive some confession upon sin?'—obviously it lies there: 'When Nathan came' and rebuked him concerning Uriah (2 Sam 12). It was a time of confession, and the psalm there sends up a confession. After he had reigned and entered to Uriah, that psalm occurred. Here, however, 'before being anointed' is sung, so that also...

This one differs from that one in time and in practice. But how then is one singing? For virtue is unchangeable. Judas neither saw nor sang to the Lord. Those handed over to the Satan, in order that they might be disciplined not to blaspheme, had not possessed a certain dwelling place and progress in faith and virtue.

However, observe that the various psalms are not altogether spoken concerning one and the same person; for this we have said, that they depend on what kind of person is established according to virtue or wickedness. It is not the same thing to say that a man is without sin and to say that a righteous man is without sin. The one possessing righteousness is not able to be made subject to sin; for how could it be, if the opposites do not coexist? The one possessing evil is not able to have good, unless he first turns away from the evil. Look to what kind of person, not to this one or that one; for when I say that the faithful man is able to do all things, I do not say this one or that one, but all things for the one possessing faith. And even if ever, being faithful, someone possesses the power to do all things and succeeds, but the things of faith fall away from him, I do not say that the faithful man does not succeed, but that this specific man does not succeed.

But is the psalm after this one not earlier in time? The psalms do not require such an order as you seek. That psalm is the one rebuking the Syrian, David. King Saul was at his peak and very much in strength when David was slandered and fled. But much later happened the things concerning Uriah, and much later happened his reigning over all after the final anointing—and this was the third. And much later happened the things concerning Uriah. He was not yet reigning when David threw him out as having taken loaves and the sword of Goliath. Not thus, therefore, is the order of the psalms sought according to the order of times, but according to the successes, but according to the events.

The number fifty has something exceptional; and because of its virtues, the psalm of confession was placed upon it. Observe, then: according to the number fifty, repentance is accomplished. Immediately, too, when the Savior was murmuring at the grumbling of the Pharisees concerning the woman cleansed by him and who came to wash his feet with her own tears and to wipe them with her own hair three times, he proposed: 'Two debtors were to a lender; one owed ten drachmas...'