The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 139
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 140 in the KJV and most English Bibles
Tap Fathers under a verse to read what the saints said about it.
Rescue me, O Lord, from the evil man; Deliver me from the unjust man.
Ἐξελοῦ με Κύριε ἐξ ἀνθρώπου πονηροῦ, ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς ἀδίκου ῥῦσαί με·
"Deliver me, O Lord, from the wicked man". Not from one only, but from the class; not from the vessels only, but from their prince himself, that is, the devil. Why "from man," if he meaneth from the devil? Because he too is called a man in a figure. ...Now then being made light, not in ourselves, but in the Lord, let…
Who have devised injustice in their hearts; All the day they prepared war.
οἵτινες ἐλογίσαντο ἀδικίας ἐν καρδίᾳ, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν παρετάσσοντο πολέμους.
"Who have imagined unrighteousnesses in their heart"....From them free me, from them let Your hand be most powerful to deliver me. For easy is it to avoid open enmities, easy is it to turn aside from an enemy declared and manifest, while iniquity is in his lips as well as his heart; he is a troublesome enemy, he is…
They have sharpened their tongue as the tongue of a serpent; The poison of asps is under their lips. Pause.
Ἠκόνησαν γλῶσσαν αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ ὄφεως, ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν· διάψαλμα.
"They have sharpened their tongues like serpents". If still thou seekest to make out the man, behold a comparison. In the serpent above all beasts is there cunning and craft to hurt; for therefore does it creep. It hath not even feet, so that its footsteps when it cometh may be heard. In its progress it draweth…
Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the sinner; Rescue me from unjust men; Who have purposed to overthrow my goings.
Φύλαξόν με Κύριε ἐκ χειρὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἀδίκων ἐξελοῦ με· οἵτινες ἐλογίσαντο τοῦ ὑποσκελίσαι τὰ διαβήματά μου.
"Preserve me, O Lord, from the hand of the sinner, from unrighteous men deliver me". Here they wear their real colours, they are known; here we have no need to understand, but to act: we have need to pray, not to ask who they are. But how you should pray against such men, he explains in what follows. For many pray…
The proud have hidden a snare for me, And have stretched out ropes for snares for my feet; They set a stumbling block for me near the path. Pause.
Ἔκρυψαν ὑπερήφανοι παγίδα μοι· καὶ σχοινία διέτειναν παγίδας τοῖς ποσί μου, ἐχόμενα τρίβου σκάνδαλον ἔθεντό μοι· διάψαλμα.
"The proud have hidden a trap for me" (ver. 5). He hath briefly described the whole body of the devil, when he saith, "the proud." Hence is it that for the most part they call themselves righteous when they are unrighteous. Hence is it that nothing is so grievous to them as to confess their sins. They are men who,…
I said to the Lord, Thou art my God; Hearken, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication.
Εἶπα τῷ Κυρίῳ, Θεός μου εἶ σὺ· ἐνώτισαι, Κύριε, τὴν φωνὴν τῆς δεήσεώς μου.
And what remains? What remedy amid such ills, in such temptations, such dangers? "I said unto the Lord, You are my God". Loud is the voice of prayer, it excites confidence. Is He not the God of the others? Of whom is not He God, who is the true God? Yet is He specially theirs, who enjoy Him, who serve Him, who…
O Lord God, the strength of my salvation; Thou hast screened my head in the day of battle.
Κύριε Κύριε, δύναμις τῆς σωτηρίας μου, ἐπεσκίασας ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλήν μου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμου.
Commending this to the ears of God, let him say, "Lord, Lord." Thou Lord-Lord, that is, most truly Lord, not like the lords-men, not like the lords who buy with money-bags, but the Lord who buys with His Blood. "Lord, Lord, Thou strength of my health", that is, who givest strength to my health. What is the meaning of…
Deliver me not, O Lord, to the sinner, according to my desire: They have devised mischief against me; Forsake me not, lest they should be exalted. Pause.
Μὴ παραδῷς με, Κύριε, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας μου ἁμαρτωλῷ· διελογίσαντο κατʼ ἐμοῦ, μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς με, μή ποτε ὑψωθῶσι· διάψαλμα.
"Deliver me not over, O Lord, by my own longing to the sinner" (ver. 8). Behold to what end Thy overshadowing shall avail for me, that I suffer not heat from myself. And what could that "sinner" do to me, rage as he would? For wicked men raged against the martyrs, dragged them away, bound them with chains, shut them…
As for the head of them that compass me, The mischief of their lips shall cover them.
Ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ κυκλώματος αὐτῶν, κόπος τῶν χειλέων αὐτῶν καλύψει αὐτούς.
"The head of their going about, the toil of their own lips shall cover them" (ver. 9). Me, he saith, the shadow of Thy wings shall cover: for, "Thou hast covered me in the day of battle." Them what shall cover? "The head of their going about;" that is, pride. What is, "their going about"? How they go about and stand…
Coals of fire shall fall upon them on the earth; And thou shalt cast them down in afflictions: They shall not bear up under them.
Πεσοῦνται ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἄνθρακες πυρὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ καταβαλεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ταλαιπωρίαις, οὐ μὴ ὑποστῶσιν.
"Coals of fire shall fall upon them upon earth, and Thou shalt cast them down". What is, "upon earth"? Here, even in this life, here "coals of fire shall fall upon them." What are, "coals of fire"? We know these coals. Are they different from those of which we are about to speak? For these I see avail for punishment,…
A talkative man shall not prosper on the earth: Evils shall hunt the unrighteous man to destruction.
Ἀνὴρ γλωσσώδης οὐ κατευθυνθήσεται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἄνδρα ἄδικον κακὰ θηρεύσει εἰς καταφθοράν.
"A man full of words shall not be guided upon earth". "A man full of words" loves lies. For what pleasure has he, save in speaking? He cares not what he speaks, so long as he speaks. It cannot be that he will be guided. What then ought the servant of God to do, who is kindled with these "coals," and himself made a…
I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the poor, And the right of the needy ones.
Ἔγνων ὅτι ποιήσει Κύριος τὴν κρίσιν τοῦ πτωχοῦ, καὶ τὴν δίκην τῶν πενήτων.
"I know that the Lord will maintain the right of the needy". This "needy" one is not "full of words;" for he that is full of words, wisheth to abound, knoweth not to hunger. He is "needy" of whom it is said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." They groan among…
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to thy name: The upright shall dwell in thy presence.
Πλὴν δίκαιοι ἐξομολογήσονται τῷ ὀνόματί σου, κατοικήσουσιν εὐθεῖς σὺν τῷ προσώπῳ σου.
"But the just shall confess to Your Name". Both when You shall plead their cause, and when You shall maintain their right, they "shall confess to Your Name;" nought shall they attribute to their own merits, all they shall attribute to nought save to Your mercy....Therefore see what follows, see wherewith he concludes.…
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.