Salmos 19
Augustine of Hippo · Comentário Patrístico (catena)
Salmos 19:1
"The heavens tell out the glory of God" [Psalm 19:1]. The righteous Evangelists, in whom, as in the heavens, God dwells, set forth the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, or the glory wherewith the Son glorified the Father upon earth. "And the firmament shows forth the works of His hands." And the firmament shows forth the deeds of the Lord's power, that now made heaven by the assurance of the Holy Ghost, which before was earth by fear. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:2
"Day unto day utters word" [Psalm 19:2]. To the spiritual the Spirit gives out the fullness of the unchangeable Wisdom of God, the Word which in the beginning is God with God. [John 1:1] "And night unto night announces knowledge." And to the fleshly, as to those afar off, the mortality of the flesh, by conveying faith, announces future knowledge. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:3
"There is no speech nor language, in which their voices are not heard" [Psalm 19:3]. In which the voices of the Evangelists have not been heard, seeing that the Gospel was preached in every tongue. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:4
The sun's maker could only be seen by the sun's light, because he "set his tabernacle in the sun." He who was before the sun that he made, before the day star and all stars, before all angels, the true Creator (for all things were made by him, and without him was nothing made), that he might be seen by the eyes of flesh that see the sun, set his own tabernacle in the sun—showed his flesh in manifestation by this light. — HOMILIES ON 1 JOHN 1:2
Salmos 19:4
"Their sound is gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world" [Psalm 19:4]. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:5
He came in the flesh intending to cleanse the vices of the flesh. He came, clothed in healing human clay, to cure our interior eyes that our outer earthy vesture had blinded, so that, with soundness of vision restored, we who had before been darkness might become a shining light in the Lord and so that the Light might no longer shine in darkness but might be clearly envisaged by those perceiving it. For this purpose, he came forth as a bridegroom from his chamber and "has rejoiced as an athlete to run the course." Comely as a bridegroom, strong as a giant; amiable and terrible, severe and serene; beautiful to the good, stern to the evil—remaining in the bosom of his Father, he took possession of the womb of his mother. In this bridal chamber, that is, in the womb of the Virgin, he united human to divine nature. The Word was made flesh for us so that coming forth from his mother, he might dwell among us, and so that, going forth to his Father, he might prepare a dwelling place for us. — SERMON 195:3
Salmos 19:5
But our very life came down to earth and bore our death, and killed death with the very abundance of his own life. And thundering, he called us to return to him into that secret place from which he came forth to us—coming first into the virginal womb, where the human creature, our mortal flesh, was joined to him that it might not be forever mortal—and came "as a bridegroom coming out his chamber, rejoicing as a strong man to run a race." For he did not delay but ran through the world, crying out by words, deeds, death, life, descent, ascension—crying aloud to us to return to him. And he departed from our sight that we might return to our hearts and find him there. For he left us, and behold, he is here. He could not be with us long, yet he did not leave us. He went back to the place that he had never left, for "the world was made by him." In this world he was, and into this world he came, to save sinners. To him my soul confesses, and he heals it, because it had sinned against him. O mortals, how long will you be so slow of heart? Even now after life itself has come down to you, will you not ascend and live? — Confessions 4.12.19
Salmos 19:5
"In the sun hath He set His tabernacle." Now that He might war against the powers of temporal error, the Lord, being about to send not peace but a sword on earth, in time, or in manifestation, set so to say His military dwelling, that is, the dispensation of His incarnation. "And He as a bridegroom coming forth out of His chamber" (ver. 5). And He, coming forth out of the Virgin's womb, where God was united to man's nature as a bridegroom to a bride. "Rejoiced as a giant to run His way." Rejoiced as One exceeding strong, and surpassing all other men in power incomparable, not to inhabit, but to run His way. For, "He stood not in the way of sinners." — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:6
"His going forth is from the highest heaven" [Psalm 19:6]. From the Father is His going forth, not that in time, but from everlasting, whereby He was born of the Father. "And His meeting is even to the height of heaven." And in the fullness of the Godhead He meets even to an equality with the Father. "And there is none that may hide himself from His heat." But whereas, "the Word was even made flesh, and dwelt in us," [John 1:14] assuming our mortality, He permitted no man to excuse himself from the shadow of death; for the heat of the Word penetrated even it. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:6
Someone lights a lamp.… That lamp, as far as regards the little flame that shines there, that fire has light in itself.… When the lamp was not there, your eyes were inactive and saw nothing. Now they, too, have light, but not in themselves. Accordingly, if your eyes turn away from the lamp, they are darkened. If they turn toward it, they are enlightened. But that fire, as long as it exists, emits light; if you wish to take the light away from the fire, you extinguish it also at the same time; for without light it cannot remain in existence. But the light, Christ, is inextinguishable and co-eternal to the Father, always glowing, always shining, always burning; for if he did not burn, would it be said in the psalm, "There is no one who can hide from his heat"? — TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 22:10.1
Salmos 19:7
The law cannot be fulfilled except by spiritual persons, and there cannot be such save by grace. The more one is assimilated to the spiritual law, the more one attains to a spiritual disposition, and the more one fulfills the law. The more one delights in it, the less one is afflicted by its burdensomeness and the more one is quickened by its light.… When grace forgives sins and infuses a spirit of charity, righteousness ceases to be hard and becomes even pleasant. — ON VARIOUS QEUSTIONS TO SIMPLICIAN 1:1.7
Salmos 19:7
"The law of the Lord is undefiled, converting souls" (ver. 7). The law of the Lord, therefore, is Himself who came to fulfil the law, not to destroy it; an undefiled law, "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth," not oppressing souls with the yoke of bondage, but converting them to imitate Him in liberty. "The testimony of the Lord is sure, giving wisdom to babes." "The testimony of the Lord is sure;" for, "no man knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him," which things have been hidden from the wise and revealed to babes; for, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:8
"The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" [Psalm 19:8]. All the statutes of the Lord are right in Him who taught not what He did not; that they who should imitate Him might rejoice in heart, in those things which they should do freely with love, not slavishly with fear. "The commandment of the Lord is lucid, enlightening the eyes." "The commandment of the Lord is lucid," with no veil of carnal observances, enlightening the sight of the inner man. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:9
"The fear of the Lord is chaste, enduring for ever" [Psalm 19:9]. "The fear of the Lord;" not that distressing fear under the law, dreading exceedingly the withdrawal of temporal goods, by the love of which the soul commits fornication; but that chaste fear wherewith the Church, the more ardently she loves her Spouse, the more carefully does she take heed of offending Him, and therefore, "perfect love casts" not "out" this "fear," [1 John 4:18] but it endures for ever. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:9
As for that fear that is holy, enduring forever, if it can exist in the world to come—and how else can we interpret "enduring forever"?—it will not be a fear deterring us from an evil that might befall us but a fear preserving us in a good that can never be lost. For in a state where love of possessed good is utterly unchangeable, there, if I may put it thus, fear of all evil will be perfectly at peace. What "holy fear" really means is a will so fixed that we shall necessarily refuse to sin and guard against it, not out of worry or weakness lest we fall, because our love is perfectly at peace. — City of God 14.9
Salmos 19:10
"The judgments of the Lord are true, justified together." The judgments of Him, who "judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son," are justified in truth unchangeably. For neither in His threatenings nor His promises doth God deceive any man, nor can any withdraw either from the ungodly His punishment, or from the godly His reward. "To be desired more than gold, and much precious stone" (ver. 10). Whether it be "gold and stone itself much," or "much precious," or "much to be desired;" still, the judgments of God are to be desired more than the pomp of this world; by desire of which it is brought to pass that the judgments of God are not desired, but feared, or despised, or not believed. But if any be himself gold and precious stone, that he may not be consumed by fire, but received into the treasury of God, more than himself does he desire the judgments of God, whose will he preferreth to his own. "And sweeter than honey and the honey comb." And whether one be even now honey, who, disenthralled already from the chains of this life, is awaiting the day when he may come up to God's feast; or whether he be yet as the honey comb, wrapped about with this life as it were with wax, not mixed and become one with it, but filling it, needing some pressure of God's hand, not oppressing but expressing it, whereby from life temporal it may be strained out into life eternal: to such an one the judgments of God are sweeter than he himself is to himself, for that they are "sweeter than honey and the honey comb." — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:11
"For Your servant keeps them" [Psalm 19:11]. For to him who keeps them not the day of the Lord is bitter. "In keeping them there is great reward." Not in any external benefit, but in the thing itself, that God's judgments are kept, is there great reward; great because one rejoices therein. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:12
However great a person's righteousness may be, he ought to reflect and think, lest there should be found something blameworthy that has escaped indeed his own notice, when that righteous King shall sit on his throne, whose cognizance no sins can possibly escape, not even those of which it is said, "Who understands his transgressions?" "When, therefore, the righteous King shall sit on his throne, who will boast that he has a pure heart? Or who will boldly say that he is pure from sin?" Except perhaps those who wish to boast of their own righteousness and not glory in the mercy of the Judge. — ON THE PERFECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTEOUSNESS 14:33
Salmos 19:12
You must know then, dearly beloved, that God's testing is not aimed at his getting to know something he was ignorant of before but at bringing to light what was hidden in a person, by means of a test, which is a kind of interrogation. People are not as well known to themselves as they are to their Creator, nor do the sick know themselves as well as the doctor does. A person is sick; he is suffering, the doctor is not suffering, and the patient is waiting to hear what he is suffering from from the one who is not suffering. That is why a man cries out in a psalm, "From my hidden ones cleanse me, O Lord." There are things in a person that are hidden from the person in whom they are. And they will not come out, or be opened up or discovered, except through tests and trials and temptations. If God stops testing, it means the master has stopped teaching. — SERMON 2:3
Salmos 19:12
"Who understands sins?" [Psalm 19:12.] But what sort of sweetness can there be in sins, where there is no understanding? For who can understand sins, which close the very eye, to which truth is pleasant, to which the judgments of God are desirable and sweet? Yea, as darkness closes the eye, so do sins the mind, and suffer it not to see either the light, or itself. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:13
"Cleanse me, O Lord, from my secret faults." From the lusts which lie hidden in me, cleanse me, O Lord. "And from the" faults "of others preserve Your servant" [Psalm 19:13]. Let me not be led astray by others. For he is not a prey to the faults of others, who is cleansed from his own. Preserve therefore from the lusts of others, not the proud man, and him who would be his own master, but, Your servant. "If they get not the dominion over me, then shall I be undefiled." If neither my own secret sins, nor those of others, get the dominion over me, then shall I be undefiled. For there is no third source of sin, but one's own secret sin, by which the devil fell, and another's sin, by which man is seduced, so as by consenting to make it his own. "And I shall be cleansed from the great offense." What but pride? For there is none greater than apostasy from God, which is "the beginning of the pride of man." [Sirach 10:12] And he shall indeed be undefiled, who is free from this offense also; for this is the last to them who are returning to God, which was the first as they departed from Him. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:14
"And the words of my mouth shall be pleasing, and the meditation of my heart is always in Your sight." The meditation of my heart is not after the vain glory of pleasing men, for now there is pride no more, but in Your sight always, who regardest a pure conscience. — Exposition on Psalm 19
Salmos 19:15
"O Lord, my Helper, and my Redeemer." O Lord, my Helper, in my approach to You; for You are my Redeemer, that I might set out unto You: lest any attributing to his own wisdom his conversion to You, or to his own strength his attaining to You, should be rather driven back by You, who resistest the proud; for he is not cleansed from the great offense, nor pleasing in Your sight, who redeemest us that we may be converted, and helpest us that we may attain unto You. — Exposition on Psalm 19