The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 145
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 146 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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Alleluia, a Psalm of Haggai and Zechariah. My soul, praise the Lord.
Ἀλληλούϊα· Ἀγγαίου καὶ Ζαχαρίου. Αἰνεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον.
...Behold the Psalm soundeth; it is the voice of some one (and that some one are ye, if ye will), of some one encouraging his soul to praise God, and saying to himself, "Praise the Lord, O my soul" (ver. 1). For sometimes in the tribulations and temptations of this present life, whether we will or no, our soul is…
While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.
Αἰνέσω Κύριον ἐν ζωῇ μοῦ, ψαλῶ τῷ Θεῷ μου ἕως ὑπάρχω.
But who saith it, and to whom saith he it? What shall we say, brethren? Is it the flesh that saith, "Praise thou the Lord, O my soul"? And can the flesh suggest good counsel to the soul? However much the flesh be conquered, and subjected as a servant to us through strength which the Lord imparteth, that it serve us…
Trust not in princes, Nor in the children of men, in whom there is no safety.
Μὴ πεποίθατε ἐπʼ ἄρχοντας, καὶ ἐφʼ υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι σωτηρία.
"Put not your trust in princes". Brethren, here we receive a mighty task; it is a voice from heaven, from above it sounds to us. For now through some kind of weakness the soul of man, whenever it is in tribulation here, despairs of God, and chooses to rely on man. Let it be said to one when set in some affliction,…
His breath shall go forth, and he shall return to his earth; In that day all his thoughts shall perish.
Ἐξελεύσεται τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπιστρέψει εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ, ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἀπολοῦνται πάντες οἱ διαλογισμοὶ αὐτῶν.
"His breath shall go forth, and he shall return to his earth: in that day shall all his thoughts perish" (ver. 4). Where is swelling? where is pride? where is boasting? But perhaps he will have passed to a good place, if indeed he have passed. For I know not whither he who spake thus hath passed. For he spake in…
Blessed is he whose helper is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God:
Μακάριος οὗ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ βοηθός αὐτοῦ, ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῦ·
What then must we do, if we are not to hope in sons of men, nor in princes? What must we do? "Blessed is he whose Helper is the God of Jacob" (ver. 5): not this man or that man; not this angel or that angel; but, "blessed is he whose Helper is the God of Jacob:" for to Jacob also so great an Helper was He, that of…
Who made heaven, and earth, The sea, and all things in them: Who keeps truth forever:
Τὸν ποιήσαντα τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς· τὸν φυλάσσοντα ἀλήθειαν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,
...Who is this, "Lord his God"? ..."To us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things." Therefore let Him be thy hope, even the Lord thy God; in Him let thy hope be. His hope too is in the lord his god, who worshippeth Saturn; his hope is in the lord his…
Who executes judgment for the wronged: Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord looses the fettered ones:
ποιοῦντα κρίμα τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις, διδόντα τροφὴν τοῖς πεινῶσι. Κύριος λύει πεπεδημένους,
"Who keepeth truth for ever." What "truth for ever"? what "truth" doth He "keep," and wherein doth "He keep it for ever"? "Who executeth judgment for them that suffer wrong." He avengeth them that suffer wrong. There cometh at once to thee the voice of the Apostle: "now therefore there is altogether a fault among you,…
The Lord gives wisdom to the blind: The Lord sets up the broken down: The Lord loves the righteous: The Lord preserves the strangers;
Κύριος σοφοῖ τυφλοὺς, Κύριος ἀνορθοῖ κατεῤῥαγμένους, Κύριος ἀγαπᾷ δικαίους,
"The Lord looses them that are fettered; the Lord lifts up them that are dashed down; the Lord makes wise them that are blind". Perfectly has he by this last sentence explained to us all the preceding ones: lest perchance, when he had said, "the Lord looses them that are fettered," we should refer it to those fettered…
He will relieve the orphan and widow: But will utterly remove the way of sinners.
Κύριος φυλάσσει τοὺς προσηλύτους· ὀρφανὸν καὶ χήραν ἀναλήμψεται, καὶ ὁδὸν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἀφανιεῖ.
Just as you have; "the Lord, guards proselytes". "Proselytes" are strangers. Every Church of the Gentiles is a stranger. For it comes in to the Fathers, not sprung of their flesh, but their daughter by imitating them. Yet the Lord, not any man, guards them. "The orphan and widow He will take up." Let none think that…
The Lord shall reign forever, Even thy God, O Zion, to all generations.
Βασιλεύσει Κύριος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ὁ Θεός σου, Σιὼν, εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν.
"And the way of sinners He shall root out." What is, "the way of sinners"? To mock at these things which we say. Who is an orphan, who a widow? What kingdom of heaven, what punishment of hell is there? These are fables of the Christians. To what I see, to that will I live: "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."…
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.