The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 55
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 56 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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For the end, concerning the people that were removed from the sanctuary, by David for a memorial, when the Philistines caught him in Gath.
Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μεμακρυμμένου, τῷ Δαυὶδ εἰς στηλογραφίαν, ὁπότε ἐκράτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐν Γέθ.
Have mercy upon me, O God; for man has trodden me down; All the day long he warring has afflicted me.
Ἐλεήσον με ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι κατεπάτησέ με ἄνθρωπος, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν πολεμῶν ἔθλιψέ με.
Let whatsoever holy men therefore that are suffering pressing from those that have been put afar off from the saints, give heed to this Psalm, let them perceive here themselves, let them speak what here is spoken, that suffer what here is spoken of....Private enmities therefore let no one think of, when about to hear…
Mine enemies have trodden me down all the day from the dawning of the day; For there are many warring against me.
Κατεπάτησάν με οἱ ἐχθροί μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἀπὸ ὕψους ἡμέρας, ὅτι πολλοὶ οἱ πολεμοῦντές με.
In God I will praise my words; All the day have I hoped in God; I will not fear what flesh shall do to me.
Ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἐπαινέσω τοὺς λόγους μου, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἤλπισα, οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιήσει μοι σάρξ.
All the day long they have abominated my words; All their devices are against me for evil.
Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τοὺς λόγους μου ἐβδελύσσοντο, κατʼ ἐμοῦ πάντες οἱ διαλογισμοὶ αὐτῶν εἰς κακόν.
"All day long my words they abhorred". Thus they are, you know. Speak truth, preach truth, proclaim Christ to the heathen, proclaim the Church to heretics, proclaim to all men salvation: they contradict, they abhor my words. But when my words they abhor, whom think ye they abhor, save Him in whom I shall praise my…
They will dwell near and hide themselves; They will watch my steps, Accordingly as I have waited patiently in my soul.
Παροικήσουσι καὶ κατακρύψουσιν αὐτοὶ, τὴν πτέρναν μου φυλάξουσι· καθάπερ ὑπέμεινα τῇ ψυχῇ μου.
Thou wilt on no account save them; Thou wilt bring down the people in wrath.
Ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηθενὸς σώσεις αὐτοὺς ἐν ὀργῇ λαοὺς κατάξεις· ὁ Θεὸς
"For nothing Thou shalt save them". He hath taught us even for these very men to pray. However "they shall sojourn and hide," however deceitful they be, however dissemblers and liers in wait they be; do thou pray for them, and do not say, Shall God amend even such a man, so evil, so perverse? Do not despair: give heed…
O God, I have declared my life to thee; Thou hast set my tears before thee, even according to thy promise.
τὴν ζωήν μου ἐξήγγειλά σοι, ἔθου τὰ δάκρυά μου ἐνώπιόν σου, ὡς καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ σου.
"O God, my life I have told out to You". For that I live has been Your doing, and for this reason I tell out my life to You. But did not God know that which He had given? What is that which you tell out to Him? Will you teach God? Far be it. Therefore why says he, "I have told out to You"? Is it perchance because it…
Mine enemies shall be turned back, In the day wherein I shall call upon thee; Behold, I know that thou art my God.
Ἐπιστρέψουσιν οἱ ἐχθροί μου εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, ἐν ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπικαλέσωμαί σε· ἰδοὺ ἔγνων ὅτι Θεός μου εἶ σύ.
"In whatsoever day I shall have called upon You, behold I have known that my God are You". A great knowledge. He says not, "I have known that God You are:" but, "that my God are You." For yours He is, when you He succours: yours He is, when thou to Him art not an alien. Whence is said, "Blessed the people of whom is…
In God will I praise his word; In the Lord will I praise his saying.
Ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ αἰνέσω ῥῆμα, ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ αἰνέσω λόγον.
Let us therefore love God, brethren, purely and chastely. There is not a chaste heart, if God for reward it worships. How so? Reward of the worship of God shall not we have? We shall have evidently, but it is God Himself whom we worship. Himself for us a reward shall be, because "we shall see Him as He is."…
I have hoped in God; I will not be afraid of what man shall do to me.
Ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ ἤλπισα, οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιήσει μοι ἄνθρωπος.
The vows of thy praise, O God, which I will pay, are upon me.
Ἐν ἐμοὶ ὁ Θεὸς αἱ εὐχαὶ, ἃς ἀποδώσω αἰνέσεώς σου.
"In me, O God, are Your vows, which I will render of praise to You". "Vow ye, and render to the Lord your God." What vow, what render? Perchance those animals which were offered at the altars aforetime? No such thing offer thou: in yourself is what you may vow and render. From the heart's coffer bring forth the…
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, And my feet from sliding, That I should be well-pleasing before God in the land of the living.
Ὅτι ἐῤῥύσω τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ θανάτου, καὶ τοὺς πόδας μου ἐξ ὀλισθήματος, τοῦ εὐαρεστῆσαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν φωτὶ ζώντων.
"Because You have rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from slipping: that I may be pleasing before God in the light of the living". With reason he is not pleasing to alien sons, that are put afar off from holy men, because they have not the light of the living, whence they may see that which to…
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.