John Chrysostom, On Psalm 118

cries out, holy. 55.681 Cursed are they that turn aside from thy commandments. Let us fear therefore, brethren, lest the curse of the Holy Spirit come upon us. This curse the law also brings upon the transgressors. For cursed, it says, is every one that continueth not in the things which are written in the book of the law, to do them. And we also, singing to the Holy Spirit, become harmonious, sending away with a curse those who turn aside from the commandments of God, Let us take heed therefore, lest while calling others cursed, we ourselves should become so by the transgression of the commandments of God. Take away from me reproach and contempt, for I have sought out thy testimonies. Nabal reproached the prophet, calling him a runaway slave; the Gittites also reproached him. Being grieved therefore at these things, he beseeches that the reproaches be wiped away, since he sought out the divine testimonies. Therefore the present sayings do not fit the reproaches from Shimei. For those happened after the sin; but those of Nabal and the others before the sin. In another psalm therefore the same prophet says: The reproach to those who prosper, and the contempt to the proud; and, These are sinners and prospering in the world they have obtained riches; and again another prophet says: Why do sinners prosper, and grow old in wealth? The prophet therefore prays that this reproach and contempt be taken away from them (or: from him). For the things of this world, wealth and glory, these he calls reproach and contempt, considering this to be glory and honor, to seek the testimonies of God. For princes also did sit and speak against me. According to the letter, Saul and Abner and Ahithophel reviled David; but according to the meaning, the verse refers to Christ. For Herod and Pontius Pilate and Annas and Caiaphas took counsel to kill him; but he was with his disciples in the garden discoursing on the things of God the Father. For he said to them: The things that I have heard from my Father, these I have announced to you. But since he became a perfect man, and took the form of a servant, he has also been named a servant. But thy servant did meditate in thy justifications. But I, confessing thy lordship, had thy justifications as my meditation. For thy testimonies are my meditation, and thy justifications my counsels. For having rejected all human suggestion, I follow thy precepts, and I speak nothing else, nor am I in meditation of other things, except concerning thy testimonies and thy justifications. For this is of a perfect man. My soul hath cleaved to the pavement. Through these things he showed the excess of his humiliation. For so also in the forty-third psalm he said: Because our soul is humbled down to the dust; our belly hath cleaved to the earth. That is, I was not exalted, I did not become proud, but humble-minded. For this is the meaning of, My soul hath cleaved to the pavement. Wherefore I ask: Quicken thou me according to thy word. That is, direct my life according to thy law. And it shows first its communion with the body, which is from the dust of the ground, then also his voluntary humiliation, which he showed for the things in which he sinned, expecting through it to live through the word of God who exalts the one who humbles himself. Quicken thou me according to thy word. He does not ask for life indefinitely, but for life according to the law. I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy justifications. εʹ. I have declared all my deeds to thee, O Master, and I have not endured that any of my affairs should be hidden from thee. For this reason thou didst consent to my supplications. I beseech to learn thy justifications accurately. And the same prophet says also in another psalm: I said, I will confess against myself my iniquity to the Lord: and thou forgavest the impiety of my heart. And in another prophet it is said: Tell thou thy sins first, that

ἅγιον βοᾷ. 55.681 Ἐπικατάρατοι οἱ ἐκκλίνοντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου. Φοβηθῶμεν οὖν, ἀδελφοὶ, μὴ ἔλθοι ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἡ κατάρα τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Ταύτην καὶ ὁ νόμος τὴν ἀρὰν τοῖς παραβάταις προσφέρει. Ἐπικατάρατος γὰρ, φησὶ, πᾶς ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει τοῖς ἐγκειμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου, τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά. Καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ ψάλλοντες τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι σύμφωνοι γινόμεθα, τῇ ἀρᾷ παρα πέμποντες τοὺς ἐκκλίνοντας ἀπὸ τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, Προσέχωμεν οὖν, μήποτε ἄλλους ἐπικαταράτους λέγον τες, αὐτοὶ ἡμεῖς ἐσόμεθα τῇ παρεκτροπῇ τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Περίελε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὄνειδος καὶ ἐξουδένωσιν, ὅτι τὰ μαρτύριά σου ἐξεζήτησα. Ὠνείδισε τὸν προφήτην ὁ Νάβαλ, δοῦλον δραπέτην ἀποκαλέσας· ὠν είδισαν αὐτὸν καὶ οἱ Γεθαῖοι. Ἀλγυνόμενος τοίνυν ἐπὶ τούτοις, ἀποτρίψασθαι τὰ ὀνείδη παρακαλεῖ, ἅτε δὴ τὰ θεῖα ἐκζητήσας μαρτύρια. Οὐχ ἁρμόζει τοίνυν τοῖς παρὰ τοῦ Σεμεεὶ ὀνείδεσι τὰ παρόντα ῥητά. Ἐκεῖνα γὰρ μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐγένετο· τὰ δὲ τοῦ Νάβαλ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἐν ἑτέρῳ οὖν ψαλμῷ λέγει ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης· Τὸ ὄνειδος τοῖς εὐθηνοῦσι, καὶ ἡ ἐξουδέ νωσις τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις· καὶ, Οὗτοι ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ εὐθηνοῦντες εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατέσχον πλούτου· καὶ πάλιν ἕτερος προφήτης λέγει· Ἵνα τί ἁμαρτωλοὶ εὐ θηνοῦσι, πεπαλαίωνται δὲ καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ; Εὔχεται οὖν ὁ προφήτης ἐξ αὐτῶν (φ. αὐτοῦ) περιαιρεθῆναι τοῦτο τὸ ὄνειδος καὶ τὴν ἐξουδένωσιν. Τὰ γὰρ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου πράγματα, πλοῦτος καὶ δόξα· αὐτὰ λέγει ὄνειδος καὶ ἐξουδένωσιν, τοῦτο κλέος καὶ τιμὴν ἡγούμενος, τὸ ζητεῖν τὰ μαρτύρια τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκάθισαν ἄρ χοντες καὶ κατ' ἐμοῦ κατελάλουν. Κατὰ μὲν τὸ γράμμα ὁ Σαοὺλ καὶ ὁ Ἀβενὴρ καὶ ὁ Ἀχιτόφελ ἐλοιδόρουν τὸν ∆αυΐδ· κατὰ δὲ διάνοιαν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν ἀνα φέρεται ὁ στίχος. Καὶ γὰρ Ἡρώδης καὶ Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος καὶ Ἄννας καὶ Καϊάφας συνεβουλεύοντο αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖ ναι· αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ κήπῳ διαλεγόμενος τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός. Εἶπε γὰρ πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός μου, ταῦτα ἀνήγγειλα ὑμῖν. Ὡς δὲ γενόμενος τέλειος ἄνθρωπος, καὶ μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν, ὠνόμασται καὶ δοῦλος. Ὁ δὲ δοῦλός σου ἠδολέσχει ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασί σου. Ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν σὴν δεσποτείαν ὁμολογῶν, μελέτην εἶχον τὰ σὰ δι καιώματα. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ μαρτύριά σου μελέτη μού ἐστι, καὶ αἱ συμβουλίαι μου τὰ δικαιώματά σου. Πᾶσαν γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνην εἰσήγησιν ἀπωσάμενος ταῖς σαῖς ὑποθήκαις ἀκολουθῶ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον λαλῶ, οὔτε ἐν μελέτῃ εἰμὶ ἄλλων πραγμάτων, εἰ μὴ περὶ τῶν μαρτυ ρίων σου καὶ τῶν δικαιωμάτων σου. Τοῦτο γὰρ τελείου ἀνδρός. Ἐκολλήθη τῷ ἐδάφει ἡ ψυχή μου. Τὴν ὑπερ βολὴν τῆς ταπεινώσεως διὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσεν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῷ τεσσαρακοστῷ τρίτῳ ἔφη ψαλμῷ· Ὅτι ἐτα πεινώθη εἰς χοῦν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν· ἐκολλήθη εἰς γῆν ἡ γαστὴρ ἡμῶν. Τουτέστιν, οὐχ ὑψώθην, οὐχ ὑπερήφανος ἐγενόμην, ἀλλὰ ταπεινόφρων. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἐκολ λήθη τῷ ἐδάφει ἡ ψυχή μου. ∆ιὸ αἰτοῦμαι· Ζῆσόν με κατὰ τὸν λόγον σου. Τουτέστι, κατὰ τὸν νόμον σου τὴν ζωήν μου διεύθυνον. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ πρῶτον μὲν τὴν πρὸς τὸ σῶμα αὐτῆς κοινωνίαν ἐκ τοῦ ἐδάφους οὔσης τοῦ χοὸς, ἔπειτα καὶ τὴν ἑκούσιον ταπείνωσιν αὐτοῦ, ἣν ἐφ' οἷς ἡμάρτανεν ἐπεδείξατο, ζῆσαι δι' αὐτῆς διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ προσδοκήσας τὸν ταπεινοῦντα ἑαυτὸν ἀνυψοῦν τος. Ζῆσόν με κατὰ τὸν λόγον σου. Οὐκ ἀορίστως αἰτεῖ ζωὴν, ἀλλὰ τὴν κατὰ νόμον ζωήν. Τὰς ὁδούς μου ἐξήγγειλα, καὶ ἐπήκουσάς μου· δίδαξόν με τὰ δι καιώματά σου. εʹ. Πάσας σοι, ∆έσποτα, τὰς ἐμὰς δεδήλωκα πράξεις, καὶ οὐδέν σε λαθεῖν τῶν ἐμῶν ἠνεσχόμην. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο ταῖς ἱκετείαις ἐπινεύσαις. Ἀντιβολῶ μαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς τὰ σὰ δικαιώματα. Λέγει δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ψαλμῷ· Εἶπα, Ἐξαγορεύσω κατ' ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀνομίαν μου τῷ Κυρίῳ· καὶ σὺ ἀφῆκας τὴν ἀσέβειαν τῆς καρδίας μου. Καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ προφήτῃ εἴρηται· Λέγε σὺ τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου πρῶτος, ἵνα