The book of psalms, called the Psalter, belongs to the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. And therefore, whether we speak about the Psalter in general, or separately about this or that psalm, about this or that saying of the psalmists, we must speak as about a saying and scripture that is sacred and inspired by God. What is Holy Scripture? – The Holy Scriptures were given to people from God Himself; and the holy men by whom it was written were guided by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we all need to be sure that it is written for very important purposes, namely:

1) in order to enlighten and instruct us in what relationship we are and should be in relation to God and His creatures,

2) in order to tell us everything that needs to be known and done for the glorification of God, for the happiness possible in Him on earth and eternal bliss in heaven. For this purpose, Holy Scripture tells us about the creation of the world by the omnipotent Word of God, imparts knowledge of the holy, blessed life of the first ancestors in paradise and their fall from the heights of happiness through the transgression of God’s commandment. Then,

3) showing what we owe to the Almighty Creator, Merciful Benefactor and Righteous Judge, Holy Scripture teaches how we can preserve and strengthen His eternal love for us and prepare ourselves to achieve the glory of the children of God. Specifically, the purpose of Holy Scripture is,

4) to make us wise in the matter of salvation through living faith in Jesus Christ; to present to our eyes the grace of God given to us in Jesus Christ; arrange our spirit “in the image and likeness of God” (); to establish in our souls the knowledge of truth and faith, love and holiness; and lead to “unceasing coexistence with the saints” (), “towards the achievement of perfection, according to the age of the fulfillment of Christ” () and to glorification with Christ in heaven.

2. Important The Psalms in general and in particular are for home use by Christians.

What can be said about Holy Scripture in general, the same should be said about the Psalter in particular; because the Psalter can be called an abbreviation of the entire Holy Scripture, and there is, one might say, a book in the world so many edifying, like the Psalter. Everything that concerns the spiritual needs of man, all this is in the Psalter. This is a treasury from which everyone can draw comfort and strength in all situations of life; this is the fullness of divine wisdom. Some of the psalms express feelings of gratitude and reverence; others extol the greatness of God and praise His omnipotence, wisdom and goodness; others appeal to the mercy and forbearance of the Creator and beg for forgiveness of sins; others, finally, contain prophecies about Christ and His Kingdom. That is why, among all the Old Testament books of the Holy Scriptures, divinely inspired and useful for teaching (), the book of psalms is the most commonly used among Christians, loved by them more than other books and, one can positively say, necessary for everyone. According to St. , this book is “a garden that contains the plantings of all other books - it is a mirror where the sinful human soul sees itself in its present form, with all its passions, sins, iniquities, in all its various movements, directions and states; sees all his ailments and finds real cures for his spiritual illnesses in this wonderful book. Yes, the book of psalms is not far from every person, it is not a work of art that is alien and extraneous to us, it is our book about ourselves. The psalms of David are the songs of our soul; his prayerful voices and cries are the voices and cries of our spirit, suppressed by sin, oppressed by sorrows and misfortunes. Besides this, where will we find the best examples of prayers, supplications, thanksgivings, praises and glorifications of God, if not in the psalms of David? In my opinion,” says Athanasius, “the book of psalms measures and describes in words the whole of human life, mental dispositions and movements of thoughts, and beyond what is depicted in it nothing more can be found in a person. Whether repentance and confession are needed, whether sorrow and temptation have befallen anyone, we persecute whether who, or got rid of malicious intent, became sad and confused and suffers anything similar to the above, or sees myself prosperous, and the enemy brought into inaction, or intending to praise, thank and bless the Lord - for all this he has instructions in the divine psalms... Therefore, even now, everyone, pronouncing the psalms, let him be trustworthy that God will hear those who ask with the psalm word. That is why, with the words of the psalms, believers have ascended to the Throne of God at all times. In the ancient centuries of Christianity, believers were required to memorize the Psalter. Morning and evening, at meals and classes, believers strengthened and delighted themselves with the chants of this holy book. And here, in Holy Rus', for many centuries and until recently, especially among the common people, learning to read and write began with the Psalter, and almost always all book learning ended with it. Therefore, this sacred book in many houses of common people was and is, one might say, the only reference book. In particular, it is the same, and not only a reference book, but also a prayer book, in all Russian monasteries, for all monastics.

3. Relation to the Psalter Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles.

The Lord Himself, in His conversations with the disciples and with the Jewish people, as well as His apostles in their inspired writings, often refer to the book of psalms. Yes, St. The Apostle Paul, teaching the believers the rules and instructions of a holy life in Christ, says: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing yourself, in psalms and songs and spiritual songs, singing in grace in your hearts to the Lord” (). That is why the book of psalms should be the road for us.

4. About the reasons ambiguities and difficulties in understanding the true meaning in the psalms and about their interpretations.

Meanwhile, for many who read the book of psalms, it is not clear in many of its places - it is not clear due to the originality of the language, images and expressions, the depth of thoughts, as well as the darkness of its Slavic translation. The meaning of many psalm sayings is especially dark and incomprehensible for those who have not received sufficient scientific education or have none at all. All 150 psalms, as we know, were originally composed and written in Hebrew. From this language, over time, they were translated into Greek, and much time later they were translated from Greek into the Slavic language. Since each language has its own nature, its own characteristics peculiar to it alone (idiom), then when translating psalms from one language to another, the true meaning of psalm sayings in many places, naturally, had to suffer significant changes due to the inevitable inaccuracy in expressions. The Slavic language itself, in which we now read the sacred books, as well as the Psalter, is now not clear to everyone and not in everything. All this serves cause of blackout the meaning of the psalms.

That is why, from the very first centuries of Christianity, attempts and works began to appear to explain the Psalter. It is known that St. Hippolytus the martyr (II century), the learned Christian writer Origen (III century), and in the IV century we already see several famous interpretations of the psalms, such as: Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, St. Hilary, blessed Theodoret, Jerome, Augustine and others. These explanations and interpretations, recently collected by Palladius, Bishop of Sarapul, in his book “Interpretation of the Psalms”, as well as in the book of the learned Greek monk Euthymius Zigaben, we will accept in guidance in this brief explanation of the psalms.

5. ABOUT properties and the nature of what we offer explanations of the psalms.

Thus, what we offer explanation of the psalms It will not be something new, but something ancient, not our own, but our father’s. This is the voice of sacred and venerable antiquity, the voice of the Holy Church, obligatory for all believing Orthodox Christians for all times. Since the interpretation of the psalms that we have undertaken cannot constitute any kind of scientific work, but is nothing more than the fulfillment of our sincere desire to understand for ourselves and help our neighbors, by diligently reading or listening to the Psalter, in the best understanding of the true meaning of what we read, then we, if possible Let us avoid what concerns the mysterious meaning in the psalms, and let us have more in mind their literal and historical meaning; and for this purpose we will more often turn to biblical sacred history. Nevertheless, it must be said that one cannot completely abandon the spiritual, non-literal meaning of the psalms when explaining them.

6. ABOUT representative and prophetic sense psalms.

If we understand the sayings of the psalms in the literal sense, then they reveal the different circumstances of the writers or compilers of the psalms and the fate of the Jewish people. But in a spiritual sense, the Psalter prophetically depicts the Savior and shows various states and examples in the lives of believers. David the psalmist himself represents a clear and multifaceted prototype of Jesus Christ, combining in his person the titles of king and Jewish prophet. The Jewish people prefigured the New Testament people of God - Christ; the enemies of the Jews, depicted in many psalms, prefigured the enemies of Christ's Church; and the victories of the Jews served as a prototype of the spiritual victories won by believers in Christ the Savior.

7. Conditions for most successful and useful understanding and learning the true meaning of the psalms.

In order to read or listen to the reading of the psalms with the best understanding of their meaning, with all the benefit for the soul and in accordance with the intention of their primary author - the Holy Spirit, we must, if possible, a) know and understand other scriptures, especially the story of David, who is narrated in the first two and partly in the Third Book of Kings and in the First Book of Chronicles, b) notice which passages from the Psalms and how they are applied to Jesus Christ and His Church by the New Testament writers, i.e. the apostles and evangelists, and c) preserve within oneself a heart regenerated by the grace of the Holy Spirit, renouncing carnal feelings and thoughts. The more we succeed in the holy Christian life, the more capable we will be of understanding the divine teaching of the Psalter and of perceiving the heavenly consolation that reading it brings to believers.

8. ABOUT titles: psalm and psalter.

Psalm(Greek - psalmus, from - I sing) means: a song of praise. From the collection of many psalms into one book, this book is called the “Book of Psalms”, and in the Hebrew Bible - the “Book of Praises” (sefer tegilim). Psalms, like songs of praise to God, were intended for singing and were sung either simply by one choir of singers, or by a choir in combination with music, with playing musical instruments, or instruments - stringed and vocal or trumpet - such as were the case in the time of David and after him. quite a few (; ; ; and many others). One of these musical instruments was called psalter; why and the most book psalms later named Psalter.

9. ABOUT writers of psalms.

At the beginning of the psalms, in the specially published Slavic Psalter, the so-called “Teaching Psalter,” as if a common inscription for all psalms, the words are placed: “David the prophet and the king’s song.” Perhaps, on the basis of this inscription, many unlearned people consider David to be the compiler of the entire Psalter. But this opinion is not fair. Both from the various private inscriptions found on almost all psalms, at the beginning of them, and from their very content, it is clear that the writers of the psalms were different. According to inscriptions in the Hebrew Bible, 73 Psalms are attributed to David. In addition, in the Greek and Slavic Bibles, those psalms are attributed to him that do not have an inscription in the Hebrew Bible, of which there are fifteen. Some of these psalms are also attributed to David by the sacred writers of the New Testament, for example, the 2nd psalm - St. writer of the Acts of the Apostles (); Psalms 31 and 94 – St. ap. Pavel (; ). From the very content of the psalms it is clear that some of them were written before David, others - during the time of David, and others relate to the Babylonian captivity, which was more than 400 years after the death of David, and even to the times following him. Of all 150 psalms, 12 were Asaph, 12 sons of Korah, 1 Heman, 1 Solomon, 2 prophets Haggai and Zechariah, 1 Moses and other psalmists. The reason that in ancient times all the psalms were attributed by many to David, St. Athanasius considers David himself. He himself chose the singers, he himself appointed which musical instrument to teach them to sing this or that psalm, and therefore, as the founder of choral and musical singing, he was awarded the honor that not only the psalms he composed, but also everything uttered by other singers was attributed to David .

10. ABOUT signings at the beginning of the psalms.

As for the various private inscriptions preceding the psalms and consisting mostly of one or two words, for example, at the end, in songs, about winepresses, etc., it must be admitted that the explanation of these inscriptions presents much more difficulties than the most difficult passages psalm sayings. According to the Reverend Palladium, the inscriptions were made at different times and by different persons, because some of them are found only in the Hebrew Bible, others in the Greek Bible alone or only in the Slavic Bible, which naturally indicates different persons who made the inscriptions at different times. And there is no doubt that most of these inscriptions are very ancient, because they are found in the most ancient editions of the Hebrew and Greek Bible. In any case, in order not to leave the zealous and reverent reader of the Psalter in bewilderment regarding the various incomprehensible inscriptions above the psalms, we must provide at least a brief explanation for each of them, borrowing it from the same saints. fathers and teachers of the Church. But we will do this in its own place, when explaining this or that psalm.

11. Order of explanation of the psalms and dividing them according to content.

The very explanation of the psalms is supposed to be conducted in the form of conversations and in the order in which they follow one after another in the Psalter. Deviation from this order can only be allowed in cases where one psalm has great similarity with another both in content and in the literal expression of thoughts and feelings, such as Psalm 69 with 39 (in vv. 14–18).

Among all 150 psalms, according to their content, there are - 1) psalms prayers, or pleading: a) about the forgiveness of sins, which are: 6, 24, 37, 50, 129 (these psalms are called repentant), b) in case when we go to the temple of God: these are 41, 42, 62 and 83, c) when we are in sorrow and misfortune– Psalms 3, 12, 21, 68, 76, 87 and 142; 2) there are psalms thanks: a) for God’s mercies to every person and b) for mercies to the whole Church, such as 45, 47, 64, 65, 80, etc.; 3) there are psalms historical and there are 4) psalms prophetic, relating especially to Jesus Christ, such as: 2, 8, 15, 21, 44, 67, etc. The last psalms are also called messianic, because they contain prophecies about the coming Messiah, i.e. about our Savior Lord Jesus Christ.

12. About the arrangement of the psalms in the Psalter itself.

In the order of the psalms, as can be seen from the previous one, there is no systematic sequence that should be and happens in scientific works or in historical collections, i.e. There is no arrangement so that first, for example, the contents of psalms of prayer or supplication should follow, then historical or thanksgiving, then prophetic, and so on. There is no such order in the arrangement of the psalms, but they are arranged, as the holy interpreters of the psalms (St. Athanasius of Alexandria, Blessed Theodoret, etc.) think, according to the time of their collection, since they were collected at different times, in parts, and in At the beginning of the book are those that were found first.

Introduction

The Book of Psalms is used more often than other books of Holy Scripture during Divine services and in personal, private prayer. The most common are the two main texts of the Psalter: Church Slavonic and Russian, included in the Synodal edition of the Bible.

The Church Slavonic text of the psalms is a translation from the Greek text of the Old Testament, which arose in the 3rd century. BC e. This Greek text is called the Septuagint, or the translation of the seventy interpreters (LXX). It was this Greek translation that formed the basis of the patristic tradition of interpretation of Holy Scripture in the first centuries of Christianity in the East and West.

The Russian, Synodal translation of the Psalter, which is part of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, was made in contrast to the Church Slavonic Psalter according to the Hebrew text of the Bible, therefore, when comparing it with the liturgical Psalter, there are certain inconsistencies, and it is not able to fully clarify many difficult passages.

Understanding its meaning, and simply the literal content of the psalms, presents certain difficulties that can be overcome. The Psalter has always been a source of prayerful inspiration for all generations of Christians and thus has a long history of reading and interpretation.

Two approaches to explaining the psalms can be outlined: an approach based on the tradition of the existence and perception of the psalms in the history of the Church, and an approach based on biblical criticism, based on the original text and the historical context of the emergence of the Psalter.

Both the Greek text of seventy interpreters and the Church Slavonic text, dating back to the works of Saints Cyril and Methodius, became an independent phenomenon of spiritual culture, and most importantly, the biblical prayer text of the Slavic peoples. And we must understand it, and not only understand, but see and feel the spiritual richness and fullness of this prayerful prophetic sighing, which inspired and rejoiced our ancestors.

The goal of biblical criticism is to reconstruct the original text and identify its true meaning, that is, the one that the author intended in his historical context. Therefore, for biblical studies, the Hebrew text from which the Psalter was translated into ancient Greek as part of the Septuagint is more important. However, the key to the church’s understanding of the Psalter lies in the tradition of its existence and reading. In the Roman Empire, Byzantium and Rus', the Psalter existed in the form of a Greek translation by seventy interpreters and a translation from it into Church Slavonic. Thus, the original Hebrew text appears rather on the periphery of the Orthodox tradition. P. A. Yungerov (1856-1921), a famous pre-revolutionary researcher and translator of the Old Testament, had a high opinion of the Slavic text of the Psalter and believed that it “is a copy of the Greek church Psalter, as it was and is now used in worship, interpreted in the ancient paternal period and in recent times."

Giving priority to the Greek text, the Greek and Slavic traditions, one should not at all diminish the importance of the Hebrew text and the achievements of modern biblical studies. The scientific approach to the Holy Scriptures and elements of biblical criticism are well known to the ancient Church (eg Origen, Lucian, St. Jerome of Stridon). Therefore, along with other sources of interpretation of the psalms, for their understanding it is necessary to turn to the tradition of studying the Hebrew text and its translation. Psalms are a poetic text, filled with images and various figures, which are characterized by parallelism, rhythm, repetition and other features characteristic of the Jewish biblical tradition.

Being simultaneously a biblical and liturgical book, the Word of God and a prayer book, the Psalter, both as an object of interpretation and from the point of view of the form of the text, is an integral and separate work that existed independently. The historical path of the Greek Psalter in the LXX translation is unusually complex due to the many reconciliations, editions, reviews, etc., and in fact it is difficult to say for sure from which exact text the Church Slavonic translation was made at one time, which in turn was also subject to changes. Thus, the scientific, critical edition of the Septuagint will not reflect all forms of expression of the rich and living text of the Psalter, in the perception of which not only various methods of biblical exegesis can be applied, but the prayer experience of the Church must also be taken into account.

The text of the Psalter used during worship, that is, the Church Slavonic text for a Christian in Slavic countries is the text of a living church tradition. Therefore, it is this, more than the original Hebrew text, that can be considered as the first object of explanation. The richness and completeness of meaning and form, no less than in the study of the Hebrew original, is revealed when perceiving the text of living church tradition, because, just as the prophet once composed the psalms, responding to the Word of God speaking to him, so in the Church, responding to the Divine Logos, that same Revelation. It is the existence of the text in the Tradition of the Church that gives us the true richness of the content and meaning of the psalms.

This explanation is a consideration of the Psalter in the context of various forms of Sacred Tradition, so that the texts so often heard and read become an expected and joyful event in church and personal prayer. The purpose of this commentary will be an attempt to awaken love and interest in the Book of Psalms, to draw attention to the richness of its content.

The explanation will not be a line-by-line commentary on each verse, but will concern both the general nature of each psalm, its meaning and significance, the biblical-historical context, and its individual verses, either causing special difficulties in understanding, or having special significance.

To understand the psalms, it is necessary, firstly, to consider the lexical meaning of words with the help of dictionaries, various translations, etc., and secondly, to understand the meaning of the content with the help of interpretations. Now, when comprehending the psalms, we turn to the tradition of understanding them at different times and, collecting different approaches to their explanation, we have a wide palette of meanings for ourselves. The Psalter, perceived through the experience of reading it by ancient church authors and Christian thinkers, becomes an amazing expression of deep intuitions and the most important truths of faith.

Sources for explaining the psalms can be their translations, ancient classical interpretations, patristic works, liturgical use and, in general, any Christian context for their citation and reference.

Of course, an important aid in explaining the text is its translation. Currently, there are two main translations of the Psalter into Russian. Synodal translation of the 19th century. from the Hebrew text and translation by P. A. Yungerov from the Greek text of the Septuagint. Naturally, the second translation is more consistent with the Church Slavonic Psalter and was undertaken at one time precisely for its better understanding. In addition, P. A. Yungerov’s translation also became a study of the Psalms: his brief notes on individual verses of the psalms are especially valuable, opening up prospects for further research to explain difficult passages. We can also mention the translation from Church Slavonic made by E. N. Birukova and I. N. Birukov 1.

There are many known texts devoted to the explanation of the Psalter, which arose in the golden age of patristic writing in the 4th-5th centuries. Here are the most famous and significant of them.

Interpretation of the Psalms attributed to St. Athanasius of Alexandria. Due to insertions by later authors, modern scholars deny this work authenticity. However, in this explanation, one can undoubtedly hear the voice and read the opinion of the ancient Church in the interpretation of the Psalter. Moreover, this is the Alexandrian tradition with its allegorical approach and Christocentric understanding of the psalms. This is a patristic text that was preserved by the ancient Church and brought to us by the Orthodox tradition, inscribing it with the name of one, perhaps the most significant of the authors who composed it.
The most significant and famous interpretation of the Psalter in the Orthodox East was the interpretation of Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus, which combined Antiochene scholarship and the established tradition of church understanding of the psalms. According to P. A. Yungerov, his “explanation is brief, moral and typological.” Blzh. Theodoret pays attention to language, images, historical facts, and translations available in his time.
Conversations on the Psalms of St. Basil the Great does not cover the entire Psalter: conversations on Ps. 1, 7, 14, 28, 29, 32, 33, 44, 45 and 48.
Due to the lack of a Russian translation, the typological explanation of the psalms of St. is also less known. Cyril of Alexandria, which is also incompletely preserved.
Conversations on the Psalms of St. John Chrysostom reflect the “scientific” approach to the interpretation of Scripture characteristic of the Antiochians. Although the works of this saint are primarily of a moral nature, the basis for preaching in them is a scientific approach, an understanding of the literal meaning and elements of biblical criticism in the form of the use and comparison of existing translations of the Bible into Greek. Discourses on 58 psalms (4-12, 43-49, 108-117, 119-150) are considered authentic.

Also, such valuable authentic works of the holy fathers as the “Epistle to Marcellinus on the Interpretation of the Psalms” by St. are devoted to the interpretation of the psalms. Athanasius of Alexandria and “On the Inscription of Psalms” by St. Gregory of Nyssa.

Many texts by other church writers have been preserved, famous in their time, but later criticized due to their non-Orthodox views. Such authors include Origen, Didymus the Blind, Apollinaris of Laodicea, Diodorus of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Evagrius of Pontus, Asterius the Sophist. However, their works undoubtedly had an influence on Orthodox exegesis, so their legacy has its value both in method and in content. For the most part, these are texts that have not been translated into Russian, but are available, however, in the Greek original.

Western authors have interpretations of all 150 psalms of the blessed one. Augustine. From other authors, what has come down to us for the most part is either conversations on some psalms, or fragments and explanations of individual psalms. It is important to mention Hilary of Pictavia, St. Ambrose of Milan, blessed. Hieronymus of Stridon, Cassiodorus.

The interpretation of Euthymius Zigaben, well known in the Orthodox tradition, dates back to the later Byzantine period and represents a reworking of previous patristic explanations, supplemented by its own interpretation.

How the ancient church authors read and understood the psalter remains a mystery to us in many ways. Often the explanations have the character of a sermon and have a moralizing sound. Also, sometimes authors develop their own thoughts, dear or relevant for their time, simply starting from the sacred text, for example, considering the psalms as steps of spiritual ascent (St. Gregory of Nyssa). Like the entire Old Testament as a whole, so, in particular, the Book of Psalms, already on the pages of the New Testament, is presented as a primarily messianic book, prophesying about Christ the Savior.

In Church Slavonic

In Russian

(translation by P. Yungerov)

In Russian

(Synodal translation)

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, and does not stand in the path of sinners, and does not sit on the seats of the destroyers, 2 but his will is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he will learn day and night. 3 And it will be like a tree planted by the rising waters, which will yield its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall off, and everything that is created will prosper. 4 Not like wickedness, not like this, but like dust, which the wind sweeps away from the face of the earth. 5 For this reason, the evil spirits will not be resurrected for judgment, below the sinner for the council of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the wicked will perish.

Blessed is the man who did not go to the meeting of the wicked, and did not stand in the way of sinners, and did not sit in the company of destroyers, but in the law of the Lord is his will and he will study His law day and night. And he will be like a tree planted by springs of water, which will yield its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall away. And whatever he does will be successful. Not so wicked, not so: but like dust that is swept away by the wind from the face of the earth! Therefore the wicked will not rise up into judgment, nor sinners into the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked and does not stand in the way of sinners and does not sit in the congregation of the wicked, but his will is in the law of the Lord, and he meditates on His law day and night! And he will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which brings forth its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither; and in everything he does, he will succeed. Not so - the wicked; but they -
like dust blown by the wind. Therefore the wicked will not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

At every vespers on the eve of the holidays (except for the Lord's Twelve) and at the Sunday all-night vigil, we hear the beginning of the Psalter, for the assimilation and fulfillment of which, according to the story from the Fatherland, one monk did not have a whole life. Spiritual life is depicted as a procession along one of two paths. This theme of choice and description of the path of good and evil is characteristic of the Bible and early Christian literature. The basis of biblical morality and spirituality is the choice of path, therefore, at the beginning of the Psalter, which speaks of the many different phenomena of spiritual life, a person is faced with a choice between the “law of the Lord” and the “council of the wicked.”

The first psalm is noticeably different from the rest; according to the unanimous testimony of ancient interpreters, it is an introduction to the entire Psalter as a whole. According to S. Averintsev, “it is preceded by all subsequent psalms, just as a spoken prayer is preceded by reflection in silence” 2.

St. Gregory of Nyssa says: “The psalm, presented to everyone, had no need for an inscription, because the purpose of what is said in it is clear to the readers; namely, it serves as an introduction to philosophy, advising us to move away from evil, to remain in goodness and, if possible, to become like God.”

St. Athanasius the Great, in his letter to Marcellinus, calls this psalm proclaiming beatitude, indicating how, for what and who can be called blessed, and in the interpretation of the psalms it is said that this is how David begins the prophecy about Christ, and calls those who trust in Him blessed. Since Christ in some places of Scripture is compared to a tree, then, according to the interpreter, the Psalmist implies that those who believe in Christ will be His body. St. Athanasius at this point formulates his most important principle of interpretation: in the Scriptures “Christ is everywhere to be found preached.” Following the Alexandrian tradition of biblical interpretation, St. Athanasius gives a characteristic Christ-centric passage and a vivid example of the symbolic interpretation of the words of the Psalm: And it will be like a tree planted by the rising waters, which will yield its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall away: “Christ is the tree of life; Apostles are branches; blood and water from the side of Christ - fruit, and blood in the image of suffering, and water in the image of baptism; words are leaves." Thus, the general moral character of the psalm acquires a deeper symbolic meaning.

The perception of the first psalm in the conversation of St. Basil the Great. It is characterized by deepening into the world of human thoughts, the innermost movements of the human heart. He understands the first psalm ascetically, turning to the inner world of the soul. Thus, to take the advice of the wicked means to doubt God’s Providence, the fulfillment of God’s promises and spiritual life in general. To stand in the path of sinners means not to feel the constant fluidity and change in life, which “has neither constant pleasures nor long-lasting sorrows.” Stopping a person on the path of life when the mind submits to carnal passions deprives one of bliss. Sitting “on the seats of the destroyers” means stagnation in sin, a prolonged stay in evil, a habit of sin, which “produces in souls some incorrigible habit” and passes into nature, and “he is blessed who is not carried away to destruction by the lures of pleasure, but with patience awaits the hope of salvation." Explaining the name of the destroyers of St. Vasily emphasizes the property of sin to easily and quickly multiply and spread to others: “Thus, the spirit of fornication is not limited to dishonoring one, but comrades immediately join in: feasts, drunkenness, shameful stories and an indecent woman who drinks together, smiles at one, smiles at another seduces and inflames everyone to the same sin.”

Finally, Blessed Theodoret gives a more practical and scientific interpretation. For him, this psalm has not only moral significance, but also a dogmatic dimension. He distinguishes between the concepts of wicked and sinners. The first are those who have a wrong idea of God, the second are those who lead lawless lives. The categories named in the first verse - path, standing and sitting - found their refraction in the presentation of the foundations of ascetic work: “the thought, whether it be bad or good, first comes into motion, and then is established, and after this it assumes a certain unshakable constancy.” The image of a tree near sources of water is also correlated with present life, in which, thanks to hope, one can be comforted by the expectation of future fruits: “although the fruits of labor are collected in a future life, yet here, as if some leaves, constantly carrying good hope within themselves, turn green and rejoice , and in the delight of the spirit bear the burden of labor.”

Now it is necessary to clarify several difficult passages in the first psalm.

Verse 1: Blessed is the man. The very concept of bliss goes back to God. In the proper sense, God is blessed, possessing all perfections. According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, “this is the definition of human bliss: it is likeness to the Divine.” Interpreters note that, of course, we are talking not only about men, but about man in general, as is typical of biblical language: the part means the whole. The psalmist “with the unity of nature considered it sufficient to designate the whole to point out what is predominant in the genus” (St. Basil the Great).

The first verse of the bl. Augustine has a direct Christological interpretation: “This should be understood about our Lord Jesus Christ, the Man of the Lord... You should also pay attention to the order of words: go, hundred, sit. Man left when he withdrew from God; became, enjoying sin; sat down when pride crushed him. He would not have been able to return back if he had not been freed by the One who did not follow the advice of the wicked, did not stand in the way of sinners and did not sit on the seat of destruction” 3.

Verse 5: For this reason the wicked will not be resurrected for judgment, below the sinner in the council of the righteous causes difficulties in understanding both in the lexical meaning and in theological comprehension. The expression of the psalm: the wicked will not rise for judgment is used not in the sense of denying the resurrection of sinners, but as an indication that the uprising of the wicked will not be for the trial of their cases, but for the pronouncement of a sentence on them, since they are already condemned: they “immediately after the resurrection they will be punished, and will not be brought to trial, but will hear a sentence of execution” (Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus). A council can be understood as a meeting. Sinners in this case will be removed from the host of the righteous.

If judgment and council are considered as synonymous concepts (as well as the wicked and sinners) 4, then this passage can be understood to mean that sinners will not be justified in any way before the righteous (they will not stand before their judgment or in their presence) or so that the wicked have no nothing to do with the righteous. In any case, they will not participate in court.

For the Lord tells us the way of the righteous... The concept of knowledge in the Bible is rich and varied, but it always presupposes not only information about the subject of knowledge, but also deep personal relationships. So, in the interpretation of St. Athanasius understands this knowledge as preference and endowment of mercy and grace.

From Western interpreters we will give an understanding of the last verse of the blj. Augustine: “And the way of the wicked shall perish” means the same thing as the words: The Lord knows not the way of the wicked. But this is said more simply - in the sense that to be unknown to the Lord means death, and to be known to Him means life. For the knowledge of God is existence, and His ignorance is non-existence.”

Priest Dimitry Rumyantsev,
Master of Divinity

Psalter for teaching. M.: Rule of Faith, 2011.
Averintsev S.S. Listening to the word: three actions in the initial verse of the first psalm - three stages of evil. // Selected Psalms. / Per. and comment. S. S. Averintseva. M.: St. Philaret Orthodox Christian Institute, 2005. P. 126-136.
Augustine Blessed Interpretation of the first psalm. / Per. from lat. diak. Augustin Sokolowski. http://www.bogoslov.ru/text/375834. html.
“Usually the Psalmist thus repeats in a simpler form what was said before: that is, by the word “sinners” they mean the wicked, and what is said about “judgment” is here called “the council of the righteous”” (Blessed Augustine. Interpretation on first psalm).

Bibliography:

Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Epistle to Marcellinus on the interpretation of the psalms. // Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Creations: In 4 vols. T. IV. Moscow, 1994. P. 3-35.
Athanasius of Alexandria, St. A warning about the psalms. // Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Creations: In 4 vols. T. IV. M., 1994. - pp. 36-39.
Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Interpretation of the Psalms. // Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Creations: In 4 vols. T. IV. Moscow, 1994. pp. 40-422.
Basil the Great, St. Conversations on the Psalms. // Basil the Great, St. Creations: In 2 vols. T. 1. M.: Sibirskaya blagozvonnitsa, 2008. P. 461-610.
Gregory of Nyssa, St. On the inscription of psalms. M.: Publishing house named after. St. Ignatius of Stavropol, 1998.
Efimy Zigaben. Explanatory Psalter of Efimius Zigaben (Greek philosopher and monk). Explained according to patristic interpretations. Per. from Greek Rep. [B. m., b. G.].
John Chrysostom, St. Conversations on the Psalms. M.: Spassky Brotherhood, 2013.
Theodoret of Cyrus, bl. Psalter with explanation of the meaning of each verse. M., 1997.
Books of the Old Testament translated by P. A. Yungerov: Educational books / Ed. A. G. Dunaeva. M.: Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, 2012. (Bibliography).
Complete Church Slavonic dictionary. /
Comp. priest Grigory Dyachenko. M.: Father's House, 2001.
Psalter: In Russian translation from the Greek text LXX / with an introduction and notes by P. Yungerov. — Rep. - Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, 1997.
Razumovsky G., prot. Explanation of the Holy Book of Psalms. - M.: PSTGU, 2013.
Psalms 1-50 / edited by Craig A. Blaising and Carmen S. Hardin. — (Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture. Old Testament VII). — 2008.

1) in order to enlighten and instruct us in what relationship we are and should be in relation to God and His creatures,

2. Important The Psalms in general and in particular are for home use by Christians.

3. Relation to the Psalter Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles.

4. About the reasons ambiguities and difficulties in understanding the true meaning in the psalms and about their interpretations.

5. ABOUT properties and the nature of what we offer explanations of the psalms.

6. ABOUT representative and prophetic sense psalms.

7. Conditions for most successful and useful understanding and learning the true meaning of the psalms.

8. ABOUT titles: psalm and psalter.

9. ABOUT writers of psalms.

10. ABOUT signings at the beginning of the psalms.

11. Order of explanation of the psalms and dividing them according to content.

12. About the arrangement of the psalms in the Psalter itself.

New book

The publishing house of our monastery has published a new book - “The Life of the Hieromartyr Veniamin (Kazan), Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdov, and those like him who suffered the Venerable Martyr Sergius (Shein), the martyrs Yuri Novitsky and John Kovsharov » .

In the new book of the famous Russian hagiographer Archimandrite Damascene (Orlovsky), the reader is offered the life of Metropolitan Veniamin (Kazan) of Petrograd - one of the first holy martyrs who did not sin with their soul or conscience during the persecution that began and gave their life for Christ and His Church .

M there is a blessing that is only possible for a person on earth, above this blessing there is no marriage. And this is because it gives the key to inner life. The goodness is inside us, we just have to open it up. Complete bliss is in heaven, in the future life it only lasts.

all teachings →

Optina
books

Schedule of Divine Services

April ← →

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30

Latest photo album

"Bright Faces of Lent"

Video

Spiritual conversations with pilgrims

all videos →

On the interpretations of the psalms of St. Ambrose the Elder of Optina

Hierodeacon Luke (Filatov),
resident of the Moscow St. Danilov Monastery,
postgraduate student of the general church postgraduate school
them. Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal to the Apostles

The report was read at the section "Optina Pustyn in the history of Russia: experience for the future" during the Optina Forum 2010

1. General instructions of St. Ambrose on reading the psalms

The book of psalms occupies a special place in the Holy Tradition, thanks to its deep theological content, abundance of messianic prophecies, and excellent artistic form. The Psalter was the basis of Old Testament worship, and later formed a large part of the subsequent worship of the Christian Church. The great saints of antiquity were involved in the interpretation of the psalms: Basil the Great, Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria, John Chrysostom.

Among the exegetes of the Byzantine period, it is necessary to note the monk Euthymius Zigaben. His book, dedicated to the explanation of the psalms, contains the most complete collection of patristic interpretations.

In Rus', the Psalter was of exceptional importance for the cultural life of society; it was used to teach literacy.

The works of contemporaries of the Optina elders, Saints Philaret of Moscow and Theophan the Recluse, are devoted to the explanation of the psalms.

In the spiritual heritage of the Optina Elder Ambrose, interpretations of the psalms occupy a prominent place. The mind of a spiritual mentor, according to the word of Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, as if floating in the Law of the Lord. As a rule, the Optina elder starts from the text of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, then confirms his thought with verses from a psalm or other Old Testament text, and then gives a patristic explanation on this issue. As the Rev. himself testifies. Ambrose, he did not at all hide himself behind the words of Holy Scripture, but based his opinion on the words of Scripture.

Elder Ambrose paid great attention to psalmody in the spiritual life of a Christian, both monk and layman. This is evidenced by the texts of instructions, traditionally divided into two main groups according to addressees.

The mentor left the number of psalms read to the laity at their discretion, but pointed out the need for attentive and reverent reading, which provides food for the mind and heart. This approach confirms, as the saint explains, the psalm word: “Sing to our God, sing wisely”(Ps. 46, 7, 8,) . Rev. Ambrose considered it useful to memorize selected psalms. For example, for children's reading and memorization, Psalms 90 and 26 were recommended for them.

For monastics who, due to their lifestyle (for example, hermits) or other circumstances, could not attend church services every day, the elder established a cell rule, mainly compiled from the psalms of David. This rule was the custom of the Optina confessors and was adopted from former monks who labored in solitude. It included: morning prayers, six psalms, the rite of 12 psalms and the first hour.

Rev. Ambrose advised resorting to psalmody not so much during periods of complacency, according to the apostolic word (James 5:13), but during times of sorrows, temptations and circumstances. In such cases, the Optina elder considered it useful to read the following psalms: 26th, 90th, 3rd, 53rd, 58th, 142nd, 36th, 39th, 69th.

2. Interpretation of St. Ambrose of Optina on the 126th Psalm

“When He will give His beloved sleep. This is the son's heritage of the Lord, the reward of the fruit of the womb."(Ps. 126, 2, 3). When God gives peace and freedom to the Jews from their attacking enemies, then they will be able to restore the temple and Jerusalem and will receive the blessing of childbearing as a reward. The children born will be the people of God.

“Like arrows in the hand of the strong, like the sons of the shaken”(Ps. 126:4). Rev. here. Ambrose chooses the interpretation of St. Athanasius the Great, who by “shocked” (?κτετιναγμ?ονυς) understands the Jews rejected for the crucifixion of Christ. Their sons are the apostles, who became the arrows of the Mighty One in battle with enemies.

“Blessed is he who gets his desire from them”(Ps. 126:5). Blessed is the one who receives the fulfillment of the desired promise, that is, he will be honored with liberation from battle with the enemy, many children and other Divine gifts.

“They will not be ashamed when they speak against their enemies in the gates”(Ps. 126:5). This verse, according to the explanation of the monk, points to the ancient custom of not receiving enemy ambassadors inside the city, but talking to them at the gates.

Next, Rev. Ambrose proceeds to explain the psalm in a spiritual sense. The content of the psalm in this aspect is interpreted as the creation of a spiritual house of virtues. The elder relies on the text of the hymns of the Sunday service, compiled by Rev. Theodore Studite.

“Unless the Lord builds a house of virtues, we labor in vain; but no one will destroy our city that covers the soul.”

“Unless the Lord builds a spiritual house, we labor in vain; unless neither word nor deed is accomplished"

According to the Optina mentor, a house of the soul is created from various stones of virtues and the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments. True trust in the Lord is understood by Rev. Ambrose, as an internal activity aimed at acquiring humility, for the sake of which God will preserve the city of piety and other virtues. The work of a person who strives only in bodily work and does not have the spiritual help of God, and therefore does not have true faith, hope and love, is vain.

Under "womb" in the spiritual sense one should understand the human heart. "The reward of the fruit of the womb" means filiality(i.e. adoption), granted to those who struggle as their hearts are cleansed from sin, and who earnestly pray: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb.”(Ps. 50:12), who constantly resort to the Lord, born "from the womb before the morning star"(Ps. 109:3).

"Sons of the Shocked" in the Christian sense, according to the explanation of Rev. Nikita Stifata, mean people exhausted by voluntary deeds, who have shaken off the old man through repentance and received the power to defeat mental enemies. Blessed is the man who has acquired such power from God. He will respond to “the invisible enemies at the door of his heart.”

3. On the Interpretations of St. Ambrose of Optina on other psalm texts

Rev. Ambrose, in his general Christmas greeting of 1880, offers a complete interpretation of the 22nd Psalm. The monk follows mainly the blzh. Theodoret, dwelling in more detail on the meaning of the Church Sacraments. In confirmation of his thought about the bold passage of the Christian soul through aerial ordeals, he refers to St. John of Carpathia.

A detailed interpretation of the 66th verse of the 118th Psalm: “Teach me goodness and punishment and reason”(Ps. 119:66) is at the same time ascetic, spiritual, moral and doctrinal in nature.

The letters of the venerable elder offer teachings on psalm verses, which are used at festive services as prokeemons.

Among them, interpretations of the Sunday prokeimns of the first tone have been published: “Today I will rise, says the Lord, I will rely on salvation, I will not complain about it.”(Ps. 11:6) and the seventh voice: “Arise, O Lord my God, may Thy hand be exalted; do not forget Thy poor ones to the end.”(Ps. 9:33). Elder Ambrose of Optina composed a sermon on the holy prokeimenon: “My mouth speaks wisdom, and my heart teaches understanding.”(Ps. 48:4).

Let us especially highlight the interpretation of St. Ambrose verse: (Ps. 113:11). It serves as the great prokeme, which is read at Great Vespers on Monday of Bright Week, as well as at Great Vespers on the second day of the Lord's twelve feasts of Epiphany, Transfiguration, Ascension and Exaltation.

Rev. Ambrose provides an overview of the history of the Divine Economy. He notes that God has created more on earth than in heaven. In heaven, God created ethereal and perfect angels, but not completely established in goodness. The third part of the angels could not stand the test and fell away from God. These angels were carried away by the proud Lucifer, who from a luminous angel turned into a serpent - a dragon, as stated in the revelation of St. John the Evangelist (Rev. 12:3-4). The fallen angels and their malefactor are left to their evil will. They will receive due reward at the Last Judgment.

On earth God created the fleshly man Adam, “I will take away the dust from the earth and breathe into his nostrils the breath of life”(Gen. 2:7), that is, a rational and immortal soul. According to the interpretation of Elder Ambrose, Adam was created carnal, firstly, for humility. So that, remembering creation from the earth, man would humble himself. Secondly, so that a person can be pardoned as weak.

Deceived by the serpent and expelled from paradise with sweets for disobedience, the forefathers were not completely abandoned by God. They were promised deliverance (Gen. 3:15), which was accomplished through the coming of Christ and His redemptive feat (John 3:16).

According to Rev. Ambrose, God created more on earth than in heaven, because His Only Begotten Son, having become incarnate, became the God-man and, after completing the atonement, glorified human nature more than angelic nature. The Lord was pleased to deify all people, but this is hindered by human unbelief, evil faith, wicked life or negligence. God reproaches us through the prophet David: “Az rekh: you are gods by nature, and you are all sons of the Most High: but you, like men, die, and like one you fall from princes.”(Ps. 81, 6-7).

Elder Ambrose calls, reminding us of God’s great mercy, to sincere and humble repentance, as well as feasible correction.

4. Conclusion

In the proposed article of interpretation on the psalms by St. Ambrose of Optinsky are presented only briefly. It is written in detail about the elder’s explanation of Ps. 126, as well as about the teaching on the prokeimenon “Our God is in heaven and on earth, He created everything that He willed”(Ps. 113:11). The elder’s interpretations of other psalm texts may become the subject of new publications.

The material presented in the article shows that in his exegesis the Rev. Ambrose built on the achievements of the great theologians of antiquity: St. Athanasius the Great, Blessed. Theodoret of Cyrus, Rev. Nikita Stifat. It can be assumed that Rev. Ambrose also used the book of St. Euphemia Zigabena, which contains patristic interpretations of the psalms.

In the writings of the venerable elder there are various levels of exegesis: historical, educational, spiritual and ascetic. The spiritual and ascetic interpretation of the psalms points to the most important virtues, reveals their content, shows their interrelation, the order of acquisition, and the ways of achievement. In this aspect, the elder often follows the venerable. Nikita Stifat.

His teachings Rev. Ambrose enriches the thoughts of the reverend fathers of the Philokalia: John Climacus, Isaac the Syrian, Peter of Damascus, John of Carpathia.

Search the Scriptures
for through them you think that you have eternal life;
and they testify of Me.
(John 5:39)

Moreover, you know the sacred scriptures from childhood,
who are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness,
May the man of God be complete, equipped for every good work.
(2 Tim. 3:15-17)

Preface

This work was written to help Orthodox believers study the Holy Scriptures more carefully.

We tried to include here only what helps this, and deliberately passed over in silence controversial theories, which sometimes do not clarify, but only obscure the light of Truth.

We would caution the reader against making judgments about the Word of God based on its reviews or paraphrases; Therefore, we recommend that after reading and completing small practical exercises, proceed directly to reading the Bible, using additionally available patristic commentaries. Works on biblical theology and historical-critical studies are recommended to be read later, after becoming familiar with the entire Bible and acquiring the skill of interpreting it in the patristic spirit.

However, even the interpretations of the holy fathers cannot and should not replace one’s own reflection on the sacred text of Scripture.

Psalms in the life of the Church

The Psalter is the book of prayers of the Church, an image of what our prayer can be. The psalms were written by famous righteous people of the Old Testament, used by many generations of pious people and by our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and later served as the basis of worship. Initially, only those who knew the entire Psalter by heart were tonsured into monasticism.

And today, anyone who would like to know what real church prayer is cannot ignore the Psalter.

If the educational, historical and prophetic books of the Bible give us an “external” look at the essence of things, then in the psalms we clearly see the inner world of a person and comprehend the mystery of his personal relationship with God. In this, in terms of the depth of Revelation, of all the Old Testament books, the Psalter comes closest to the Gospel.

About ways to read the Psalms

There are several ways to read the Psalter:

Daily circle readings. The psalms form the basis of the daily cycle of worship, and for each period of the day the Church has assigned the reading of certain psalms. These psalms are either related to time (for example, the morning ones), or reflect the history of creation, the Fall and salvation of our world (the Vespers Psalms), or prophetically refer to the events of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ (read on the hours). During worship, excerpts from psalms (for example, prokeimnas) are also used. We invite the interested reader to look at a separate study by N.P. Borisova. according to the Six Psalms (available on the Internet) and try to independently analyze the sequence of one of the hours or the order of singing the 12 psalms.

Poems of kathisma. The Church Slavonic Psalter is divided into 20 sections, or kathismas. In this case, several psalms are read in a row, with “Glories” inserted between them (i.e., additional prayers to the Most Holy Trinity). Each day of the week has its own kathisma, so that the entire Psalter is read during the week. Despite the fact that today the Psalter is read in Church Slavonic, which is not always understandable, this reading brings its own benefits - we can reflect on individual topics that can be easily distinguished. This cyclic reading allows you to get to know the Psalter better and remember for yourself some passages that come to mind in the appropriate situation. We advise you to visit a monastery with an established liturgical life and take part in the service when the monks read the Psalter.

Study of individual psalms. After reading with research and interpretation, many psalms become more understandable and relatable. It is very important not to forget that the psalms are still a prayer, so we suggest starting and ending such reading with special prayers, and following the advice that is usually given for the prayerful reading of Holy Scripture. Some verses of the psalms can be taken by heart and used as themes for your own prayers. In difficult times, such psalms will come to mind, strengthen, and in joy, direct the spirit to praise the Lord. And yet, let us not forget that such reading cannot replace church services, in which we perceive the psalms not as an isolated text, but in the context of the entire liturgical life of the Christian Church.

Reading Scripture with life, knowing it through experience. This is the most effective way of reading: often people who have not received theological training, but lead a righteous life, have interpreted Scripture better than theology professors. But this does not mean that one should not study Scripture and the methods of its interpretation at all: for a righteous person this will only serve to enrich his spiritual life and to greater success in righteous labors.

Prayers before reading the Psalter

So often our soul is not peaceful, and simply cannot perceive the Word that God offers us for edification. Therefore, we always advise reading the opening prayers in order to come to a state in which we can hear Him.

We offer here traditional prayers before reading the Psalter translated into Russian, not out of dislike for Church Slavonic, but solely out of concern for the reader to be able to understand with his mind what he is reading.

If he is a priest, then he says:
Blessed be our God, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
If not, say with tenderness:
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen. King of Heaven: Trisagion. And according to Our Father:
The following troparia:
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for without knowing any justification for ourselves, we sinners offer You this prayer: Master, have mercy on us.
Clava:
The honor of Thy prophet, O Lord, is a triumph, Heaven is showing the Church, with men the Angels are rejoicing. Through his prayers, Christ God, establish our life in peace, so that we may sing to You: Alleluia.
And now:
Great is the multitude of my sins, O Mother of God! Therefore, I resorted to You, Pure One, with a prayer for salvation. O blessed one, turn Your gaze to my aching soul and pray to Your Son and our God to give me forgiveness for everything that I have done wrong.
Lord, have mercy (40).
And bow as much as you can.
Also a prayer to the Holy Life-Giving Trinity:
All-Holy Trinity, God and Creator of the whole world, help and guide my heart to meaningfully begin and complete with good deeds the reading of these inspired books, which the Holy Spirit spoke through the mouth of David. I, unworthy, wish to read them, realizing my ignorance; but, falling down, I pray to You and ask You for help: Lord, direct my mind and strengthen my heart not to be burdened by reading my lips, but to rejoice in understanding what I read, and to prepare to do the good deeds that I learn and read about. Having been enlightened by good deeds, may I be placed at Your right hand at the Judgment and numbered among Your chosen ones. So, Master, bless, with a heartfelt sigh, sing to you like this with your tongue:
Come, let us worship our King, God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ, our King, God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, our King and God.
Then stand a little until all your senses become silent. And start reading slowly, without laziness, with tenderness and a contrite heart. Read quietly and meaningfully, with attention, slowly, so that you can understand what you are reading with your mind.

Text of Psalms and translations

The Psalms were originally written in Hebrew, and it was from Hebrew that the text was translated for the Synodal Translation (SP). The first Slavic translations were made from the translation of the Psalter into Greek (the so-called translation of the seventy, Septuagint). The LXX translation was made before the birth of Christ and does not contain changes made by Jewish scribes to the Hebrew Bible subsequently. We recommend using the translation by Prof. P.A. Yungerov, as continuing the tradition of the Church Slavonic Bible. The Synodal translation of the Bible is also good (it sometimes conveys the poetics of the language better than Yungerov’s translation), but in many places it deviates from the Septuagint.

Let's mention other options. Translation of the Six Psalms and Selected Psalms by S.S. Averintsev is designed in the traditions of the high style of translation of classical authors. Translation ed. M.P. Kulakova, on the contrary, is very simple, intelligible, but sometimes freely interprets the original. Of the English translations, we can recommend the New Jerusalem Bible, which makes a fairly loose attempt to convey the style of the original, comparing it with the more conservative English Standard Version (Revised Standard Version).

Of course, anyone who wants to fully experience the beauty and depth of the Psalms cannot do without studying ancient languages, but it is worth it.

The importance of knowing history for understanding the text

To better understand the psalms, it is useful to know the general context of life at that time, the customs of the peoples with whom the psalmist deals.

The collection of psalms includes works from different times and different authors. Some psalms were composed back in the era of the Exodus (15th century BC). Others (most) were composed by the king and prophet David (10th century BC) and his court singers. Some psalms date back to the time of the Babylonian captivity (6th century BC). There are also later psalms, written 3-4 centuries before the birth of Christ (the language testifies to such late composition - no longer Hebrew, but Aramaic).

Familiarity with other books of the Bible can help in studying the historical situation; it is especially important to read 1-2 books of Kings. If reading the Bible itself seems difficult, you can use the general works of Fr. Alexandra Men “Magism and Monotheism” and “Messengers of the Kingdom of God” (the books are sometimes controversial in terms of their theology, but are interesting in terms of the breadth of material they cover and historical details).

For a correct understanding of the text, it is important to find out the reason for compiling the psalm - information about this is sometimes obvious from the text itself, sometimes mentioned in the subtitle, sometimes it becomes clear from parallel passages. Some information can be gleaned from the comments, but we do not recommend going too deep into it.

Look at Psalm 3. How might writing it help you understand the meaning of the psalm? (the name Absalom should take you to 2 Kings 13-18).

Psalms as poetic works

Psalms are not just prayers, but prayers composed in the language of poetry.

The soul is touched, cries, rejoices when it hears the melodies that have come down to us from hoary antiquity. How much we will lose if we do not hear this poetic component in the psalms, because everything in the Word of God is beautiful - both meaning and form.
In addition, some knowledge of the peculiarities of poetic language will help to more accurately understand the content of the psalms.

We invite the reader to delve a little deeper into the structure of biblical poetry. A few hours spent understanding the structure of biblical poetry will be rewarded handsomely.

The Byzantine, European and Russian poetry familiar to us is built on a certain rhythm, the endings rhyme.

Praise God, servants of God,
Everyone kneel before Him!
The filth, the heat, the wind, the silence and circles of stars,
He guides everything with His finger.
Raise your hands with love,
And all the melancholy, all the hearts of torment,
Oh brothers! you are at His feet
With a prayer, with a quiet heartfelt groan -
And He who rules Zion,
Will send blessings to you.
F.N. Glinka

Servants-circles, Nim-His, hands-torment, feet-you, groan-Zion - these are pairs of rhymed endings, which, together with a certain order of alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables (measure), form a poetic form.

Otherwise in the Psalms. Semitic poetry is also based on paired (parallel) members, but they are formed not by rhyme, but by meaning. This parallelism of members is a basic poetic device (regular meter is rare and plays a much smaller role than in European poetry). There are different classifications of parallelism, we will give the classic scheme of the Anglican bishop Robert Lowth (his study was published in 1753).

1. Synonymous parallelism - both stanzas talk about approximately the same thing, but in the second stanza there may be a clarification of thought, and, as a rule, increased expressiveness.
Depending on the order of the members, synonymous parallelism can be forward or backward.

These verses clarify that God not only remembers but also visits man, that understanding God's purpose must include a willingness to learn; Moreover, it is clear that in the second couplet the emotional expression increases (unfortunately, this is practically not reflected in Russian translations).

There are expanded synonymous constructions that include several lines:

God, grant Your judgment to the king
and Your righteousness to the king's son,
To judge Your people with righteousness
and Your poor according to the law.
(Ps. 72:1,2)

Court-king
Pravda is the king's son
Your people are true
Poor Thy are the lawful court

A-B
NE
D-C
D-A

In synonymous parallelism, sometimes one verse should be understood literally, and the second - figuratively:
How a father encourages his sons,
Thus the Lord has graciously given to those who fear Him.
(Ps. 102:13)

2. Antithetic parallelism– the second line expresses the same idea as the first, but in a negative or contrasting form:

3. Synthetic (progressive or incremental) parallelism– the next line does not repeat, but develops the idea of the previous one:
Avoid evil and do good
seek peace and strive towards it.
(Ps. 33:15)

Start glorifying the Lord
sing to our God on the harp,
Clothing the sky with clouds,
who prepares rain for the earth,
growing grass on the mountains
and grain to serve people,
Who gives their food to livestock
and the raven's chicks calling upon Him.
(Ps. 146:7-9)

An interesting analysis can be obtained if we analyze Psalm 148 in this way.

1 Praise the Lord from heaven,
Praise Him in the highest.
2 Praise Him, all you His angels,
Praise Him, all His armies.
3 Praise Him, O sun and moon,
Praise Him, all you stars of light.
4 Praise Him, O heavens of heavens
and waters that are higher than the heavens.

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord.

For He commanded, and they were created;
6 He set them for ever and ever;
gave a statute that will not pass away.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
great fish and all the deeps,
8 fire and hail,
snow and fog,
the stormy wind that fulfills His word,
9 mountains and all hills,
fruitful trees and all cedars,
10 beasts and every livestock,
reptiles and winged birds,
11 The kings of the earth and all nations,
princes and all the judges of the earth,
12 boys and girls,
elders and youths

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord.

For His alone name is exalted,
His glory is on earth and in heaven.
14 He has exalted the horn of His people,
the glory of all His saints, the sons of Israel,
people close to Him.

Hallelujah.

1-4: praise of heavenly powers (synthetic parallelism):
2 angelic powers,
3 heavenly bodies,
4 all the matter of heaven
5.6 – result: the reason for praise throughout the world,
7-12 – praise of the earth (synthetic parallelism)
7.8 – elements,
9,10 – plants and animals,
11,12 – rulers and people.
13-14 summary: the reason for the praise in the people of Israel.

Poems that fall out of meter, introduce a new topic, or summarize are called en A Cruz.

Look Ps. 36:2; 36:21;148:5b, 6; Is. 6:10, Matt. 7:6. Make diagrams of them. What types of biblical parallelism do these verses refer to? Try to find examples of each form of biblical parallelism on your own.

Chiasmus.
Parallelisms can be combined into a complex structure called chiasmus. Prot. John Breck defines chiasmus as “balanced utterances arranged symmetrically around a central idea in forward, backward or antithetical parallelism.”

We see an example of chiasmus already in the first psalm. We present the text of the psalm, printed in such a way (in the shape of a funnel) that the parallels and the center of the chiasmus are visible.

1 Blessed is the man who did not go into the assembly of the wicked, and did not stand in the way of sinners, and did not sit in the company of destroyers,
2 But his will is the law of the Lord, and he will learn his law day and night.
3 And he will be like a tree planted by springs of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not fall away.
And whatever he does will be successful.
4 Not so the wicked, not so: but like dust that the wind sweeps away from the face of the earth!
5 Therefore the wicked will not rise up in judgment (they will not stand - SP)
and sinners into the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The parallels here are:

1-5b meeting - meeting
2-5a teaching in the law - defeat in court
3-4 rooted tree - a leaf that is swept away by the wind
The success of the righteous in all matters is the center of the chiasmus.

In ancient times, the alphabet was taught from beginning to end, then from end to beginning, then from ends to middle: alpha-omega, beta-xi, mu-nu... The text was read in the same way (from the center to the edges, from the edges to the center), to find the chiastic structures embedded there. Let's try to read this psalm from the edges to the center, in a spiral, as if we were moving deeper into a funnel.

1-5b. The righteous does not participate in the assemblies of sinners > sinners will not participate in the assemblies of the righteous.
2-5a The righteous learn in the law of the Lord (but the sinner does not), > sinners will not stand in judgment,
3a-4 The righteous will live forever and be fruitful > sinners will be swept away.
3b The righteous will be successful in all his undertakings. This verse is the center of the chiasmus, which reveals the main point of the entire passage.
Verse 6 represents the anacrusa:
(the righteous will be successful because) God knows the ways of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Ps.3 can be parsed similarly.

1 Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

2 Lord! How my persecutors have multiplied! Many are rebelling against me.
3 Many say to my soul, “He has no salvation in his God.”
4 But You, O Lord, are my protector, my glory, and You lift up my head.
5 With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain.
6 I fell asleep, I slept, and I arose, for the Lord will protect me.
7 I will not be afraid of the multitude of people who attack me all around.
8 Arise, Lord! Save me, my God! For Thou hast struck down all those who have fought against me in vain; Thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.

9 Salvation is from the Lord, and your blessing is on your people.

2-8 – Lord, the persecutors have multiplied. > Arise, Lord, You have struck down all those who were fighting in vain.
3-7 Many frighten me > I will not fear the multitude.
4-6 You, O Lord, are my protector > You will protect me.
5. I cried to the Lord, and He heard me.
Anacrusa: 9 Salvation is from the Lord, and your blessing is on your people.

We invite the reader to independently isolate the center of the chiasmus in Psalm 8, Gen. 24:32, and read the spiral principle of 1 John. 3:9.

Additional means of artistic expression
Researchers also pay attention to the imagery inherent in poetic speech: for example, a sinner can be compared to a lion, a robber, he digs a hole (constructs intrigues); God can “see with His eyes” and deliver with “His arm.” Of course, all such figures of speech should not be taken literally.

For the expressiveness of speech, economy of words is used (some auxiliary parts of speech are skipped, due to which the speech acquires brevity and expressiveness), some psalms are written in acrostics, in some psalms a certain rhythm is found (praise, elegy or march), but this can only be felt by reading the psalms in Hebrew.

Hymns of the Old and New Testaments

(according to edition: Psautier. Version oecumenique texte liturgique, les editions du Cerf, 1977)

Ref. 15:1-18
Deut. 32:1-12
1 Sam. 2:1-10
3 Par. 29:10-13
Comrade 13:1-8
Comrade 13:9-18
Judith 16:1-2, 13-15
Proverbs 9:1-6, 10-12
Prem. 3:1-7, 3:7-9, 9:1-12
Sire. 32:8-11, 37:1-17, 40:13-16
Isa.2:2-5, 9:1-6; 12:1-6; 26:1-4.7-9.12; 33:2-10; 33:13-16,;38:10-20; 40:1-8;40:9-17;42:10-16; 45:15-25; 49:7-13; 61:1-9; 61:10-11, 62:1-7; 63:1-5; 66:10-14
Jer. 7:2-7; 14:17-21; 17:7-8; 31:10-14
Lamentations 5:1-7, 13, 16-21
Ezek. 36:24-28
Dan. 3:26-41; 3:52-57; 3:57-88.56
Os. 6:1-6
Avv. 3:2-4, 13-19
Soph. 3:8-13

OK. 1:47-55; 1:68-79; 2:29-31
Eph. 1:3-10
Phil. 2:6-10
Col. 1:12-20
1 Tim. 3:16
1 Peter 2:21-24
Open 4:11, 5:9,10,12; 11:17-18,12:10b-12b; 15:3-4; 19:1-2, 5-7

Musical accompaniment of psalms

Psalms were originally sung, and accompanied by playing musical instruments - strings (harp, harp), wind instruments (horn, trumpet, pipe, bagpipe) and even percussion (cymbal - an analogue of cymbals, tympanum - tambourine). Often this happened with songs and dancing, so natural for the people praising God, or with crying and lamentation, if the psalm was a repentant one. In Christian worship, instruments were replaced by chants, at least in the Orthodox Church (remnants of the use of musical instruments can only be seen now in the Church of Ethiopia). The complexity of the melodies led to the fact that over time, “professionals” began to glorify God in songs on the choir, often people of little church, busy making money. It wasn't like that in ancient times. It was the beauty of communal singing that blessed Augustine was struck by when he came to the service of his future mentor, St. Ambrose of Milan.

And although among the chants used in the Church there are examples that may never be surpassed (Gregorian chants, ancient Russian Znamenny chant), it is in the spirit of Christianity to look for new forms that could attract people to the Church and to prayer. For example, the famous Father of the Church, Ven. Ephraim the Syrian set prayers and psalms to melodies popular among his contemporary heretical followers of Vardesan.

Outside of worship, some saints, for example, St. Filaret of Moscow, used musical instruments (harp) to sing psalms, and there was a tradition of spiritual poetry in Rus'. It is unlikely that these traditions can be revived in full, much less made widespread. And yet, today we need such a performance of the psalms that can evoke a response from listeners (especially young people) and inspire them to live in accordance with the commandments.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the traditions of singing psalms in the Gregorian, Byzantine and Old Russian traditions, as reworked by Russian composersXIX century, for example, S.V. Rachmaninov; listen to transcriptions of psalms for musical instruments (I. Yazykova and Y. Pasternak, Teze community, etc.).

We ask those who have the gift of playing musical instruments, in the name of Christ, not to bury their talent, not to justify themselves by their own unworthiness, but to learn the musical performance of psalms or songs on the theme of psalms, using ready-made notes or setting the psalms to music yourself - with a guitar, flute, etc. No matter what is said, Russian rock cannot replace songs that clearly speak about God, and no book analysis of the psalm can compare with what a good musical performance will give to the heart.

Types of Psalms

Each introduction to the Psalter makes its own attempt to create a rubric for the psalms. As a rule, reading such lists is quite boring, but for someone who would like to pray according to the Psalter, such lists will tell you which psalm will be in tune with our spirit in a given situation in life.

We invite the reader not to use a ready-made list, but to compose his own in the process of reading the psalms.

Interpretation of the Psalms

The Fathers of the Church and church interpreters can give different comments on the same verses of the psalm. Let's take Ps. for example. 1:1:

Blessed is the man who did not go to the meeting of the wicked, and did not stand in the way of sinners, and did not sit in the company of destroyers.

St. Athanasius the Great comments:
“David initiates the prophecy about Christ. who was to be born from him. Therefore, first of all, He pleases those who trust in Him. He calls those blessed who did not follow the advice of the wicked, did not stand in the way of sinners, and did not sit on the seats of the destroyers. For among the Jews three kinds of people rebelled against the Savior: the scribes, the Pharisees and the lawyers, and they are rightly called wicked, sinners and destroyers. And life is called a path, because those who are born are brought to an end.”

Evfimy Zigaben comments as follows:
“By advice we mean desire. An atheist or pagan is called wicked, and a sinner, although a believer, leads a lawless and depraved life; a destroyer is one who not only sins himself, but also corrupts and seduces others with his illness. It can be done differently: by council we mean their meeting, by the path of sinners - the devil, because he who does not stand in the devil comes to God, Who said: “I am the way” (John 14:6), along which people pass to virtue. Under the seat is the teaching of the evil ones.”

This psalm is sung at Vespers, constantly reminding us of the bliss that awaits the righteous.

Finally, one of the fathers of the desert, Patermufius, explained this place with his life. He, being illiterate, began to learn the psalter, and, having heard this verse, went into the desert for many years, based his entire life on these words and shone with holiness.

It would seem that if there are such wonderful comments and examples, why try to interpret the sacred texts yourself? Indeed, the interpretations of the Church Fathers will forever remain for us models from which to learn. But God did not give us reason in vain, and our task is not only to repeat their comments, but also to understand what a particular psalm means personally for my life. And here the interpretations of the Fathers can only be a help to us, but not a replacement for our own reflection, by the way, commanded at the very beginning of the Psalter:

His will is in the law of the Lord,
and he will learn His law day and night

(speaking of the righteous in Ps. 1:2, cf. Ps. 77:13, 119:16, 117, Deut. 11:18-21)

Reading the Psalms, we can generally identify several levels of understanding.

In the first, literal (or historical) approach, the psalms are viewed as fragments from the lives of the Old Testament righteous. We can learn from them the biblical vision of the world, but also notice the difference between the Old Testament and New Testament Revelation. It is more correct to begin the study of the psalm with an understanding of its literal meaning, and only then move on to other types of interpretation.

Let's take the tenth psalm as an example.

1 To the end. Psalm of David.

I trust in the Lord
How will you say to my soul: “Fly to the mountains like a bird?”
2 For behold, the sinners have drawn their bows, they have prepared arrows in their quiver,
to shoot in the darkness at the upright in heart,
3 And what You have done, they have destroyed,
and what did the righteous do? (When the foundations are destroyed, what will the righteous do? - SP)
4 The Lord is in His holy temple:
The Lord is His throne in heaven,
His eyes look upon the poor.
His eyes test the sons of men.
5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
but he who loves unrighteousness hates his own soul.
6 He will bring down snares on sinners:
fire and brimstone and the stormy spirit are their portion (from) the cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous and loves righteousness,
He sees righteousness in His face(He sees the righteous in His face - SP).

The mention of mountains in the first verse allows us to relate this psalm to the events described in 1 Samuel. 23:14 (from the Brussels Bible link). Then the situation described in the psalm looks something like this: David, being anointed king and occupying a prominent place at court, serving God and the king with faith and truth, found himself out of favor with Saul, who was looking for how to destroy him by cunning. David has to flee to the mountains to avoid being struck in the desert.

This psalm can be analyzed sequentially, then the first half of the psalm is a question: “Lord, what should we do?”, and the second is God’s answer, why this is happening and how it will end. However, if we notice the chiasmus here, then the entire psalm can be read from the center to the edges, and it will appear to us in the following form:

4 God tests every person and cares for everyone (His presence is felt in the temple; but His dominion is greater, over all the earth, He is attentive to those who do not care. He tests man. How will man behave?)

3-5 The wicked, who destroys the work of God, prepares his own destruction (Sinners have already destroyed the foundations, what should the Anointed One do now? But those who love unrighteousness hate their own souls - they prepare their own destruction, because the Lord is watching)
2-6 The wicked, no matter what intrigues they plot, will perish (Sinners are ready to destroy David, taking advantage of the surprise, but like Sodom and Gomorrah, it will also be bad for the wicked),

1-7 Although sometimes it seems that it is better to disappear, the hope of the righteous will be realized, and he will appear before the Lord (Neighbors advise David to fly away like a sparrow, to hide in the mountains. David hopes for help from the Lord. For the Lord is righteous and loves righteousness, the righteous will not perish , but will stand before the face of God).

The details should also not escape our attention. The “darkness” mentioned in verse 2 is a picture of what: an unexpected ambush, an unfavorable time, or the darkened consciousness of sinners? And is it possible to hit a person if you aim at him in the dark? “Foundations” – is it the law of God, which was trampled upon by sinners, the basis of David’s authority (his anointing as king), or, in principle, the work of God, in which the righteous participates? If the latter, then it is interesting that although it may be completely destroyed, nowhere is it said that he himself will suffer harm; on the contrary, he will see the Lord.

Having grasped the literal meaning, you can move on to the second level of understanding the text of the psalm, i.e. ask ourselves what this psalm means to us. After all, the Lord tests us in this way, and we have deeds that seem to be pleasing to God, but as soon as we start doing them, obstacles appear and people “put spokes in the wheels.” And when everything collapses, you just want to run away. Here you can notice verse 3: When the foundations are destroyed, what will the righteous do?(SP) In other words, will we become despondent, will we blame others for our troubles, will we become embittered, or will we hope and try to improve the situation?
Here you can use in moderation what the fathers call “spiritual meaning.” For example, one girl found the following allegorical interpretation close. At the beginning, we are all righteous: this is the foundation given to us by God and the piety of our parents. The destroyed foundation is life without God, into which she strayed due to the fact that she fell under the influence of sinners (demons and people acting at their instigation). She herself bears the consequences of this: fire and brimstone are tears and the bitterness of despondency, a stormy spirit is a shattered nervous system. But this psalm became a harbinger of hope for her: realizing herself to be poor, she turns to God for admonition and hopes to see Him again. Some may find this reading somewhat artificial, but for this girl the psalm seemed like a prophetic answer from God to her problems.

The next level of reading opens when we discern in the text an internal connection with the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Any text of the Bible indirectly speaks about Him, but in the Psalms this is most obvious (for example, the verses of Psalm 21 sound like a vivid prophecy).

Indications of the Lord in the psalm we are examining can be seen in the following places:

Art. 2 - the greatest evil, the delivery of Christ to death, was also carried out at night (Luke 22:53),
Art. 3 - no guilt was found in Christ (Luke 23:22)
Art. 4 - He was exposed in the form of a beggar, but God did not abandon Him (Isa. 53, Phil. 2:7)
Art. 6 - He had to drink the cup of wrath for the sins of the people (John 18:11, Mark 14:36).
Of course, it is not necessary and not immediately that our interpretation will be so harmonious. Often, when reading Scripture in a Gospel conversation group, we do not follow this sequence of interpretation, preferring instead a lively discussion of what has been directly revealed.

After the psalm has been read and analyzed on three levels—literal-historical, personal, and as prophecy—one can turn to the individual themes of that psalm and see how they are revealed in the Holy Scriptures (using a Bible search or a dictionary search). , in the works of the Holy Fathers, divine services and biographies of saints. Here such topics could be:

Beggar,
The righteous and the sinners (the wicked),
Test (temptation) and God's care for man,
Truth (justice) of God and Judgment of God,
Cup (of anger)
Trust in God
Temple (Tabernacle, Sanctuary) and Throne,
Vision of God (now and at the end of time).

In the appendix we present a wonderful commentary by St. John Chrysostom on the tenth psalm. As you can see, the saint makes extensive use of the translations available to him, quotes from parallel passages in the Bible, tries first to find out the literal meaning of the psalm, and only then proceeds to moral preaching.

Interpretation of St. John Chrysostom on Psalm 10.

The great power of trust in God and the powerlessness of enemy intrigues and attacks. – Why do many of the wicked overcome others? -What is the weapon of the righteous against the wicked? - “He who loves untruth hates his own soul.” – What does it mean: “their share (from) the cup”? – The dangers to which the rich are exposed, and the peace of the righteous.

1. "I trust in the Lord, how will you say to my soul: “Fly to the mountains like a bird?" (v. 1). Another (Aquila): come up to the mountains like a bird moved in. "For behold, sinners have drawn their bows, and have prepared arrows in their quiver, that in the darkness they may shoot at the upright in heart." (v. 2). Another (Symmachus): like in the dark.

"And what You did, they destroyed, but what did the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple" (v. 3). Another (Symmachus): because the laws are broken. Third (unknown, see Orig. Copy): because the teachings will be corrupted. Great is the power of hope in God. She is an impregnable fence, an insurmountable wall, an invincible help, a quiet haven, an indestructible fortress, an irresistible weapon, an irresistible force that makes its way among impassable places. With it, the unarmed defeated the armed, the wives defeated their husbands, and children very easily turned out to be stronger than those experienced in the art of war. And is it surprising that they defeated their enemies when they were victorious over the world itself? Before them, the elements forgot their nature and turned in their favor, the animals were no longer animals, and the oven was no longer an oven, because hope in God transforms everything. Sharp teeth, a cramped prison, natural ferocity, painful hunger, jaws close to the prophet’s body, nothing (was for them) an obstacle, but hope in God, holding back the jaws stronger than any bridle, turned them back. Imagining this, the Psalmist said to those who advised him to withdraw and flee and seek salvation in safe places: " I will trust in the Lord, as you say to my soul."? What are you saying? I have the Lord of the universe as my assistant; I have the one who does everything easily and always as my leader and patron; and you send me to an uninhabited place and advise me to seek safety in the desert? Is the help of the desert greater than the One who can do everything with great ease? Why do you force me, heavily armed, to flee, as if naked and unarmed, and want to make me an exile? You would not advise someone who has an army and is surrounded by walls and weapons to flee into the desert, and if you did, you would seem ridiculous: why do you drive out the one with whom the Lord of the universe himself is, forcing him to wander and flee from the attack of sinners? Besides what has been said, I have another reason not to run. If God helps, and the attackers are sinners, then is not the one who advises to imitate the timid birds subject to extreme dishonor? Don't you know that the army prepared against me is weaker than a spider's web? If the enemy of the earthly king, wherever he goes, is everywhere in danger, afraid and trembling, then even more so is the enemy of God of all: wherever he goes, everyone is his enemy, and even nature itself, because, like the friends of God, they fear the elements and beasts, and every creature is respected, so even inanimate creatures arm themselves and attack the enemy and adversary of God. That is why some were torn to pieces by animals before they touched the ground, others were destroyed by fire. The enemies have arrows and a quiver, and everything is ready for them - already " prepared"them," he says, " into the quiver“, - but they have no strength, and we are not afraid of anything like that; even if I saw someone shooting an arrow, I would not be afraid. Indeed, what is the use of weapons if there is no strength? they do not have it, because there is no favor of God towards them. They plot and attack indirectly; but that is why I especially laugh at them, because they throw their arrows in the darkness. Nothing can be more powerless than a man plotting plots. to defeat him; he falls by his own hand and dies from his own cunning. What could be more powerless than the one who is defeated by his own weapons? In addition, it must be said that they attack us not only as sinners against those strengthened by God, and, moreover, with cunning? , but they also attack innocent people who have not done them any harm. And this makes them weak. there is another reason that destroys the power of their attack. Which one? " What", speaks, " You did it, they destroyed it". The meaning of his words is as follows: they attack and wage war with You, violating Your law and Your commandments. Truly, they are striving to destroy Your commandments, and those that are perfect. Either this is what the prophet says, or that they are transgressors of the law. Not a small thing proof of their weakness is that they go to war without keeping Your commandments. That is why they fight against the righteous and plot intrigues because they do not obey Your commandments.

2. Having revealed the weakness of the enemies, and showing it not in what others show, (since he did not say that they have neither money, nor fortresses, nor allies, nor cities, nor art in war, but, abandoning and despising all this, as if it meant nothing, said that they are lawless, that they attack people who have not done them any harm, that they violate the commandments of God), - the prophet then speaks about the arming of the righteous, revealing hence the ease of their victory over their enemies. Likewise, we must distinguish between the strong and the weak, and not be especially afraid of what people worthy of ridicule are afraid of. Really, what do they say? So-and-so is cruel, cunning, has a lot of money and great power. But that’s why I especially laugh at him: all these are types of weakness. But he, you say, knows how to plot? In this you reveal to me a new kind of weakness.

Why do so many of these people win? Because you don’t know how to fight them well, because you yourself seek the same thing that makes them weak - fame and power. Avoid this cause of enmity, defeat your opponents differently: the proud - with humility, the selfish - with non-acquisitiveness, the incontinent - with abstinence, the envious - with friendliness, and you will easily defeat them. Having revealed, as I said above, the weakness of the opponents, see how he depicts the armament of the righteous. " Righteous", speaks, " what did you do"? That is, when the enemies are so prepared, you ask: how did the righteous arm himself? Listen." The Lord is His throne in heaven, His eyes look upon the poor, His eyes test the sons of men" (v. 4).

Do you see how briefly he expressed his defense of him? You ask: what did he do? I resorted to God, who lives in heaven and exists everywhere. He did not draw a bow, did not prepare a quiver, like his enemies, did not sit down in darkness, but leaving all this, he defended himself against everything with hope in God and opposed them to the One who has no need for anything like that, neither in time nor in place. , neither in weapons nor in money, but with one wave he does everything. Do you see his defense, invincible, quick and easy? " His eyes look upon the poor, His eyes test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, but he who loves unrighteousness hates his own soul" (vv. 4-5). Another translator (Aquila) says: eyes search him. Third (unknown translator, see Orig. Copy): Lord, righteous tester.

Fourth (Akilah): He tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves unrighteousness His soul hates. "He who loves falsehood hates his own soul"Do you see a ready Helper, a trustworthy Defender, Who is present everywhere, sees everything, watches everything, Who especially tends to provide and take care, even if no one asked Him, to hinder those who offend, help those who are offended, to give rewards for virtues to some, and to assign punishments for sins to others? He knows everything; His eyes see the whole universe; and He not only knows, but also desires to correct everything. righteous"(v. 7). If He is righteous, then He will not only look at such things. He disgusts the wicked, approves of the righteous. Further, revealing here too what he spoke about in the previous psalm, i.e., that Vice in itself can sufficiently punish sinners, he adds: " he who loves falsehood hates his own soul". Vice is disgusting to the soul, hostile and destructive, so that the vicious one already experiences punishment even before punishment. You see how enemies turn out to be easy to catch on all sides if the righteous person has such a Helper, and they are defeated by the very same weapon with which they defend themselves, causing harm and destruction to yourself? Do you see the ease of this help? There is no need to go anywhere, or to run, or to spend property, because God is present everywhere and sees everything." He will bring down snares on sinners: fire, and brimstone, and a stormy spirit - their share (from) the cup (of sorrows). For the Lord is righteous and loves righteousness; His face sees righteousness" (vv. 6, 7).

Another translator says (unknown translator, see Orig. Copy): will rain on lawless coals.Third, unknown translator (see Orig. Copy): he will see that he is right their face, i.e. the righteous, or His - God. Having spoken of the punishment that comes from vice itself, and knowing that many do not look at it, the prophet finally shakes the soul of the wicked with punishment sent from above, using strong expressions and terrible names; says that fire, brimstone, stormy winds and hot coals will rain down on them from above, wanting to represent with these figurative expressions the inevitability of revenge, the highest degree of torment, the speed and destructive power of punishment.

3. What does it mean: " their share (from) the cup"? This is their destiny, he says, this is their property, this will befall them in life, from this they will perish. The reason is given further: because the All-Seeing will not allow this to pass with impunity. As another prophet says: " It is not natural for Your pure eyes to look at atrocities, and You cannot look at oppression" (Hab. 1:13), so he also expresses it in the words: " The Lord is righteous and love righteousness l". It is especially characteristic of God to accept truth and justice, and He will never allow anything contrary to it.

That is why at the beginning of the psalm the prophet said: " I trust in the Lord, how will you say to my soul: “Fly to the mountains like a bird?“Those who hope for the blessings of life are no better than a bird, which, hoping for the desert, becomes easily caught by everyone. Such is the one who hopes for wealth. Just as a bird is caught by children, and nets, and snares, and other countless means, so too the rich man is caught by both friends and enemies. He lives in even greater danger than a bird, having many people who catch him, and above all - his vicious desires; he is an exile, always dependent on the circumstances of the time, he is afraid of the ferocity of the executioners; and the anger of the king, and deceit from flatterers, and deception from friends; when enemies rise up against him, he trembles more than anyone; and when there is peace, he fears intrigues, because he does not have lasting and inalienable wealth. from one place to another, passing through deserts and mountains, dwelling in darkness, finding deep darkness in the middle of the day and plotting deeds.” The path of the righteous is like a radiant light that brightens more and more until the full day"(Proverbs 4:18). They do not dare to plot intrigues or commit injustice, and have a calm soul. But the wicked, constantly plotting intrigues, always remain in darkness and fear, like thieves, robbers and adulterers; they are during the day they see darkness, because their soul is overcome by fear. How can this darkness be dispelled? If, having abandoned all this, you are confirmed in hope in God, even if you were the greatest sinner. Take a look", says the Wise One, " look at the ancient generations and look: who believed the Lord and was ashamed?" (Sir.2:10)? He did not say: righteous, but: " Who". At least, he says, it was a sinner. What is surprising is that sinners, holding on to this anchor, become invincible for everyone; such is the special property of devotion to God that even if you are burdened with sins, you will find encouragement in His love for mankind, because, as " cursed is the man who trusts in man"so blessed," who trusts in the Lord"(Jer.17:5,7). So, leaving everything else, hold on to this anchor. God sees everything and judges righteously, and not only judges, but also carries out His judgment. Therefore, the prophet, having spoken about His righteousness, depicts and punishment by fire and a stormy spirit. He does this because he cares about sinners and wants to motivate them to correction with punishment, for all these reasons, let us resort to Him and constantly turn our eyes to Him. In this way we will achieve all the good things. Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Assignment for independent work

We invite you to interpret Psalm 1 yourself.

Start with prayer.

Read the text. Try on your own, without looking at the previous pages, to isolate the chiasmus, designate its center and anacrusis. What is the main meaning of the psalm? Test yourself, and then move on to a detailed interpretation, using various translations: find out the literal meaning of the psalm, try not to leave a single word incomprehensible.

Have you noticed the following? Art. 1. Some translations replace “destroyers” with “mockers” and “cynics”. Art. 2. What law are we talking about? What are the positive characteristics of the blessed husband, how does his path in the Old Testament differ from the New Testament? Art. 3. Consider how the geographic and climatic features of Palestine influenced the formation of this image. Find out by searching which types of fruit are mentioned in Scripture. Why is the clarification “in due time” added? What can a tree with never-falling leaves be an image of? For a prophetic interpretation of the image of the sources of water, see John. 4:14. Art. 6. Where else does the Bible talk about two ways? (cf. Deut. 30:15-20, Matt. 7:13-14).

Read this psalm again, trying to answer the question: “What does all this mean for me personally?”

How have my views about the world changed after reading this psalm? What will I try to do or not do now? Does this psalm give hope, and in what way, does it help to see the purpose of life more clearly?

Find patristic comments on this psalm and compare what you get with them. Think about how selected verses of this psalm could accompany you in your daily life, try to remember these verses. We advise you to return to this psalm during this day, during the week, reflect on it, try to read it together in a group - much more can be revealed.

Now move on to prayer. Psalms often begin with lamentations and petitions, then there is a remembrance of Divine help and admonition, and everything ends with gratitude and a confession of hope in God. Why don't you try to structure your prayer this way?

We also ask you to remember R.B. Vladimir, his mentors in Christ and all the participants in the Gospel conversations, thanks to communication with whom around the Scriptures it became possible to write this work.

We thank you for your work in studying the ways of interpreting the Psalms with us and wish that the book of Psalms will become for you a treasury of good teachings, healing the soul and giving peace; a weapon against night fears, repose from daytime labors (St. Basil the Great); a mirror in which you will see the movements of your own soul and, conscious of them, you will pronounce the words themselves (St. Athanasius the Great); a book that enlightens the souls of the faithful in all churches throughout the universe (Blessed Theodoret of Cyrrhus) and, among images of various spiritual states of man, gives clear prophetic instructions about the Savior (St. John Chrysostom).

A Selected Bibliography to Help the Student of the Psalms

The Psalter in Russian translation from the Greek text with an introduction and notes by P.A. Yungerova. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. 1997

Bible. Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testaments. Synodal translation (any edition is possible, but preferably with links and appendices from the Brussels publishing house “Life with God”, or the Explanatory Bible by A.P. Lopukhin)

Psalter in Church Slavonic (preferably a separate edition, with prayers included before and after each kathisma and “Glory”)

Saint Athanasius the Great. Epistle to Marcellinus on the interpretation of the psalms (the most common patristic introduction to the Psalter) and his. Interpretation of the Psalms. Creations, vol.4.

Saint Basil the Great. Discourses on the Psalms (selected Psalms explained) Creations, vol. 1.

Saint John Chrysostom. Interpretation of the Psalms. Creations, vol. 5, book. 1.2. (almost all psalms explained)

Saint Theodoret of Cyrrhus. Interpretation of the Psalms.

Explanatory Psalter by Euthymius Zigaben (compilation work containing excerpts from the above-mentioned fathers for each verse of the Psalter)

P.A. Yungerov. The doctrine of the Psalter, its features and significance in the general system of biblical doctrine. Kyiv, 2006 (built according to the scheme of classical dogmatists, but based on the material of the Psalter)

K. Lewis. Meditation on the Psalms. Collection of op. in 8 vols., vol. 8. M., 2000 (can serve as a good introduction to the modern reading of the Psalter)

Biblical Theological Dictionary of the Holy. V. Mikhailovsky. M., 1996 or: Bible Dictionary by B. Getze. Gummersbach, 1997 (with the help of a dictionary you can search the Bible thematically)

Dictionary of Biblical Theology, ed. K. Leon-Dufour et al. K.-M., 1996 (articles on various topics of biblical theology)

We have not included later commentaries in Russian in this list, since they are mostly compilations and not independent works.

We also recommend using computer programs that simplify searching in various translations. Such programs are “BibleQuote” (free, entry-level, user-friendly interface), “Slavic Bible” (paid, advanced level) and BibleWorks (not Russified, expensive, professional level) for Windows; PalmBible+ (free) is the most convenient program for Palm.