The Integrity of the Soul and the Power of Prayer
He will protect you from all the power of the enemy, and he will not wrong you in any way. Since many have set out to fight me through false doctrine and other evils, fight them instead on my behalf; for they shall be surely destroyedce you are the Lord who crushes wars (Ps 34:2).
Taking hold of your companion's shield and the wealth of truth, 'Arise to my help' (Ps 34:3), that is, become my champion. In the same way, you will think of the sword. It is noteworthy that in the upcoming verses he used imperative words instead of optative ones; for 'Let their way be made' (Gen 7:21) instead of 'May their way be made,' and 'Let him come' instead of 'May he come,' and the rest similarly. And 'he shall fall in the snare' (Ps 34:8); for according to their actions, each one is punished.
When these things happen to them, my soul shall rejoice (Ps 34:9), seeing by providence the wicked being punished and the diligent being benefited; but it will also experience delights, having gained experience of his salvation, of God. Let those who desire to take everything from the bare word and nothing allegorically be rebuked, even from the context of the verse. For it is not foolish to think that the bones possess the thought of God, so as to praise him and know that no one is like him. For concerning the bones of man (and his powers and true doctrines are these), it is said, 'All my bones' (Ps 34:10); for through every thought and true doctrine, I was established that nothing of the created is like the Lord; for he himself is the image of the invisible God and the character of the divine essence.
Furthermore, whether the poor man is more distinguished than the laborer, and whether by essence or by thought, the one who is poor and remains poor, and the one who has fallen from wealth, and the laborer who acquires things through toil to live. Those who, rising up and stirring themselves up as witnesses of injustice rather than justice, ask sophistically, 'I do not know.' For the diligent knows nothing of the wicked, that is, he has not been mixed with any of the evil ones; and a testimony: 'He who keeps the commandment shall not know an evil word' (Prov 14:16). And in
For here the 'will not know' stands instead of 'has not trusted' or 'has not been tested' regarding an evil word. For it is a falsehood to think that one who guards the divine commandment does not know an evil word; for having a discernment of evil and good, he has turned away from all other things to keep the commandment. He does not say such a thing: 'They, interrogating me, seeking to distinguish my lack of experience or knowledge or intention regarding evils, questioned me about them, just as the Egyptians did to Joseph, and the elders to Susanna.' (Ps 34:12).
When I, desiring to perform my duties toward all people blamelessly, wishing to live in peace with all men if possible, they instead returned evil to me for these good things, enemies and ill-wishers appearing through all things; and they attempted to annul in themselves the good fruitfulness of my soul. If, indeed, being persuaded by their questions, I had become such as they wished to make me, my soul would have been rendered barren, no longer receiving the divine marriages of the Bridegroom. But if the disciples of the Teacher were to say, 'and thus the soul of the Teacher is not rendered barren, falling into errors through its own stumbling block, annulling those born from it through discipleship,' this would be an error.
Because luxury, stirring up irrational pleasures, irrationally exalts the soul, while fasting, doing the opposite, cuts down the passions; but also praiseworthy fasting effects a cleansing of sins, truly working blindness and humbling the soul. For him who has prayed well, the prayer returns to him, bringing back the good things for his sake, and having turned back, it is drawn into the bosom of the one who sent it. And 'the bosom' signifies their ruling principle; for their humiliation was into their bosom in the land of Egypt, and all things come into the bosom of the innocent; and in this way all the righteous go into the bosom of Abraham, that is, into the same mind and promise as he. (Ps 34:13).
I did not lie so pleasingly toward those wishing to harm the things previously mentioned, as if one were pleasing to a neighbor and a closer brother; but not so, as they were not pleasing to me as a neighbor and a closer brother. (Ps 34:14). Since I lied as if concerning genuine brothers...
Greek
πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, καὶ οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς οὐ μὴ ἀδικήσῃ. 326 34,1c ̓Επεὶ πολλοὶ οἱ διὰ ψευδοδοξίας καὶ τῆς α λλης κακίας πολεμεῖν μοι προύθεντο, τούτου χάριν σὺ ἀντ' ἐμοῦ πολέμησον αὐτοῖς· ἀναντιρρήτως γὰρ καταλυθήσονται, ἐπεὶ Κύριος συντρίβων πολέμους ὑπάρχεις. 327 Ps 34,2.3a ̓Επιλαβόμενος τοῦ καταλλήλου σου θυραιοῦ καὶ τοῦ ο πλου τῆς ἀληθείας ̓Ανάστα εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου, τουτέστιν ὑπέρμαχός μου γενοῦ. τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ τὴν ῥομφαίαν νοήσεις. 328 Ps 34,8 Σημειωτέον ο τι ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις στίχοις ἀντὶ εὐκτικῶν προστακτικοῖς ἐχρήσατο ῥήμασιν· τὸ γὰρ Γενηθήτω ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν ἀντὶ τοῦ γενηθείη καὶ τὸ ̓Ελθέτω ἀντὶ τοῦ ε λθοι, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ὁμοίως. Καὶ ἐν τῇ παγίδι πεσεῖται ἐν αὐτῇ· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν πρᾶξιν ε καστος τιμωρεῖται. 329 Ps 34,9 Τούτων συμβάντων περὶ ἐκείνους, ἡ ἐμὴ ψυχὴ ἀγαλλιάσεται ὁρῶσα κατὰ πρόνοιαν τοὺς μὲν φαύλους τιμωρουμένους, τοὺς δὲ σπουδαίους εὐεργετουμένους· ἀλλὰ καὶ τέρψιν ε ξει, πεῖραν λαβοῦσα τοῦ σωτηρίου αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ. 330 Ps 34,10a Οἱ πάντα ἐκ ψιλῆς τῆς λέξεως καὶ οὐδὲν ἀλληγορικῶς ἐκλαμβάνειν ποθοῦντες ἐλεγχέσθωσαν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ προκειμένου στίχου. οὐδὲν γὰρ ου τως ἠλίθιόν ἐστιν ὡς νομίσαι τὰ αἰσθητὰ ὀστᾶ ε ννοιαν ε χειν θεοῦ, ω στε ὑμνεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ εἰδέναι ο τι οὐδεὶς ο μοιος αὐτῷ. περὶ γὰρ τῶν ὀστῶν τοῦ ε σω ἀνθρώπου (δυνάμεις δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ δόγματα ἀληθῆ ταῦτα) ει ρηται τὸ Πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου· διὰ πάσης γὰρ ἐννοίας καὶ δόγματος ἀληθινοῦ ἐβεβαιώθην μηδὲν τῶν γεννητῶν ο μοιον ει ναι τοῦ κυρίου· μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου καὶ χαρακτὴρ θεϊκῆς ὑποστάσεώς ἐστιν. 331 Ps 34,10c ̓Επιστήσεις δέ, εἰ ε τερός ἐστιν ὁ πτωχὸς παρὰ τὸν πένητα καὶ πότερον τῇ ὑποστάσει η τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ, τῷ ἐγχωρεῖν τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ πτωχὸν ει ναι πτωχεύσαντα τῷ ἀποπεπτωκέναι ου ε σχεν πλούτου καὶ πένητα τῷ μετὰ πόνου περιποιεῖν τὰ πρὸς τὸ διαζῆν. 332 Ps 34,11 Οἱ μὴ δικαιοσύνης ἀλλ' ἀδικίας μάρτυρες διαναστάντες καὶ διεγείραντες ἑαυτοὺς σοφιστικῶς ἐπερωτῶσιν α οὐ γινώσκω. οὐδὲν γὰρ τῶν φαύλων γινώσκει ὁ σπουδαῖος, τουτέστιν οὐδενὶ τῶν πονηρῶν ἀνακέκραται· μαρτύριον δέ· ̔Ο φυλάσσων ἐντολὴν οὐ γνώσεται ῥῆμα πονηρόν. καὶ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ τὸ Οὐ γνώσεται ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐ πεποίωται οὐδὲ ἀνακέκραται κατὰ ῥῆμα πονηρόν. ψεῦδος γὰρ τὸ νομίζειν μὴ ἐπίστασθαι ῥῆμα πονηρὸν τὸν φυλάττοντα τὴν θείαν ἐντολήν· διάκρισιν γὰρ ε χων πονηροῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ, τα λλα πάντα ἀποστραφεὶς ῥήματα ἐπὶ τὸ τηρεῖν τὴν ἐντολὴν η λθεν. ο ου ν λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· πεῖραν οὐκ ε χοντα οὐδὲ γνῶσιν η ε ννοιαν τῶν κακῶν διερεθίζοντές με, ἐπηρώτων με περὶ αὐτῶν ω σπερ ἡ Αἰγυπτία τὸν ̓Ιωσὴφ καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τὴν Σουσάνναν. 333 Ps 34,12 ̓Εμοῦ φιλοτιμωμένου τὰ πρὸς πάντας καθήκοντα ἀμέμπτως ἐπιτελεῖν βούλεσθαι, εἰ δυνατὸν μετὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων εἰρηνεύειν, αὐτοὶ ἀντὶ τούτων τῶν καλῶν πονηρὰ ἀνταπεδίδουν μοι, ἐχθροὶ καὶ δυσμενεῖς διὰ πάντων ἀναφαινόμενοι· τὸ ο σον δ' ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐν καλοῖς εὐτεκνίαν τῆς ψυχῆς μου ἀναιρεῖν ἐπεχείρουν. εἰ γοῦν πεισθεὶς αὐτῶν ταῖς ἐρωτήσεσιν τοιοῦτος ἐγεγόνειν οι ον η θελόν με ποιῆσαι, ἠτεκνώθη α ν ἡ ψυχή μου μηκέτι δεχομένη τὰς θείας τοῦ νυμφίου γονάς. εἰ δὲ τέκνα λέγοιντο οἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦ διδάξαντος, καὶ ου τως ἀτεκνοῦται ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ διδασκάλου, σφάλμασιν περιπεσοῦσα τῷ ἑαυτῆς σκανδάλῳ, ἀναιροῦσα τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῆς γεναμένους διὰ μαθητείας. 334 Ps 34,13b 334 ̓Επειδὴ ἡ 73 τρυφὴ τὰς ἀλόγους ἡδονὰς διεγείρουσα ἀλόγως ἐπαίρει τὴν ψυχήν, νηστεία τὸ ἐναντίον ποιοῦσα καθαιρεῖ τὰ πάθη· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων καθαίρεσιν ἡ ἐπαινετὴ νηστεία ποιεῖ, η καὶ ἀληθῶς ἀτυφίαν ἐργαζομένη τῇ ψυχῇ ταπεινοῖ αὐτήν. 335 Ps 34,13c Τοῦ καλῶς προσευξαμένου ἡ προσευχὴ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀνακάμπτει φέρουσα τὰ ἀγαθὰ ὑπὲρ ω ν γέγονεν, καὶ ἀποστραφεῖσα εἰς κόλπον συστρέφεται τοῦ ἀναπέμψαντος αὐτήν. σημαίνει δὲ ὁ κόλπος τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν αὐτῶν· Ου τος γὰρ ὁ φαυλισμὸς αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ εἰς κόλπον αὐτῶν, καὶ Εἰς κόλπον ἐπέρχεται πάντα τοῖς ἀδίκοις· καὶ ταύτῃ καὶ πάντες οἱ δίκαιοι εἰς κόλπον ̓Αβραὰμ χωροῦσιν, τουτέστιν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτῷ γνώμην καὶ ἐπαγγελίαν. 336 Ps 34,14 ̓Εγὼ ου τως εὐαρέστως διεκείμην πρὸς τοὺς βλάψαι τὰ προειρημένα βουλομένους, ὡς α ν τις εὐαρεστοίη τῷ πλησίον καὶ τῷ σφετέρῳ ἀδελφῷ, η ου τως, ὡς πλησίον αὐτῶν καὶ ὡς ἀδελφὸς σφέτερος εὐηρέστουν αὐτοῖς. ̓Επεὶ ὡς περὶ γνησίων ἀδελφῶν διεκείμην
About this text
Discover how early Christians interpreted the Psalms as divine messages and prophecies about salvation and judgment.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.