The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 128
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 129 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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A Song of Degrees. Many a time have they warred against me from my youth, Let Israel now say:
Ὠδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν. Πλεονάκις ἐπολέμησάν με ἐκ νεότητός μου, εἰπάτω δὴ Ἰσραήλ·
"Many a time have they fought against me from my youth up". The Church speaketh of those whom She endureth: and as if it were asked, "Is it now?" The Church is of ancient birth: since saints have been so called, the Church hath been on earth. At one time the Church was in Abel only, and he was fought against by his…
Many a time have they warred against me from my youth: And yet they prevailed not against me.
Πλεονάκις ἐπολέμησάν με ἐκ νεότητός μου, καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησάν μοι.
"Now may Israel say." She now seemeth to be speaking of herself: for she seemed not to have commenced herself, but to have answered. But to whom hath she replied? To them that think and say, How great evils do we endure, how great are the scandals that every day thicken, as the wicked enter into the Church, and we…
The sinners wrought upon my back: They prolonged their iniquity.
Ἐπὶ τὸν νῶτόν μου ἐτέκταινον οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ, ἐμάκρυναν τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτῶν.
"Upon my back have sinners built; they have done their iniquity afar off". Why have they fought against me? Because "they could not prevail upon me." What is this? They could not build upon me. I consented not with them unto sin. For every wicked man persecutes the good on this account, because the good man consents…
The righteous Lord has cut asunder the necks of sinners.
Κύριος δίκαιος συνέκοψεν αὐχένας ἁμαρτωλῶν.
"The righteous Lord shall hew the necks of the sinners"....Which of us does not fix his eyes upon the earth, like the Publican, and say, "Lord, be merciful unto me a sinner"? [Luke 18:13] If therefore all are sinners, and none is found without sin; all must fear the sword that hangs above their neck, because "the…
Let all that hate Zion Be put to shame and turned back.
Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν καὶ ἀποστραφήτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω πάντες οἱ μισοῦντες Σιών.
"Let them be confounded and turned backward, as many as have evil will at Sion". They who hate Sion, hate the Church: Sion is the Church. And they who hypocritically enter into the Church, hate the Church. They who refuse to keep the Word of God, hate the Church: "Upon my back have they built:" what will the Church…
Let them be as the grass of the housetops, Which withers before it is plucked up.
Γενηθήτωσαν ὡσεὶ χόρτος δωμάτων, ὃς πρὸ τοῦ ἐκσπασθῆναι ἐξηράνθη·
But what says he of them? The next words are, "Let them be even as the grass of the house tops: that withers before it be plucked up". The grass of the house tops is that which grows on house tops, on a tiled roof: it is seen on high, and has not a root. How much better would it be if it grew lower, and how much more…
The reapers will come, but they fill not their sheaves from these. For the reapers will come, and will gather the wheat into the barn, and will bind the tares together, and cast them into the fire. Thus also is the grass of the house tops cleared off, and whatever is plucked from it, is thrown into the fire; because…
"So that they who go by say not so much as, The blessing of the Lord be upon you: we have blessed you in the name of the Lord". For you know, brethren, when men pass by others at work, it is customary to address them, "The blessing of the Lord be upon you." And this was especially the custom in the Jewish nation. No…
Every note is a real passage, quoted word for word from a published English translation, with its source. Nothing here is summarised or written by us. Some verses have many notes and some have none, because the Fathers wrote more on some passages than others.
All of these translations are in the public domain. The passages were matched to their verses by the Historical Christian Commentaries project, which also hosts the full texts we link to. The Fathers are a treasury of the Church's mind, and they are best read alongside the life of the Church: if a passage raises a question, bring it to your priest.