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COMMENTARY ON PSALM 53
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COMMENTARY ON PSALM 53 To the end. On Mahalath, of understanding for David. n mahalath” Theodotion rendered “On the dance,” Symmachus, “by dancing” and Aquila, “in dance.”1 This psalm has the same meaning as the preceding, and likewise the thirteenth as well.2 That is, there is one theme for both: both condemn the blasphemies of Sennacherib and Rabshakeh, and forecast the destruction happening to the impious. That was the reason it had a title about dancing, which they performed who gained salvation and sang praise to God. “To the end” is also attached on account of the prophecy reaching fulfillment at a later time. The present psalm also has this meaning in the title. (2) Listen to what the inspired author says: The fool has said in his heart, There is no God (v. 1). Not only against those so-called gods, but also against the true God he directed his words, saying , “Surely the gods of the nations were unable to rescue their land from my hand (it is clear they were unable; how could they, after all, since they in no way exist?) so that the Lord will rescue Jerusalem (have regard, lawless one, to what extreme you pitch the drift of your words; it hurts you to kick against the goads).3 308 1. Theodoret himself eventually accepts this meaning for a term of which modern commentators are prepared to admit ignorance. 2. Theodoret does not make the bald statement of a modern commentator like Weiser on Ps 14 and 53 that “the psalm has been transmitted a second time” and so requires no comment at this place, nor, of course, on the other hand, is he able to base his reserve on evidence that “the existing variants may reflect two different dialects” and a northern and a southern edition , as does Dahood. At all events, aware that the LXX text of both is not identical, he proceeds to give another commentary. The degree to which it coheres with the more expansive former commentary (where there is evidence also of influence by Eusebius) is unclear owing to discrepancy between codices there (see notes 3 and 4 to Ps 14). 3. Cf. Acts 26.14. Where is the god of Hamath, where the god of Arpad, where the god of the city of Sepharvaim (these gods so called by the fools likewise later provided the wretch little support)?”4 They became corrupt and loathsome in their transgressions. The lawless life, he is saying, is responsible for impiety: those doing everything without a care in the world have no wish to give thought to the God who observes them, convincing themselves that no one is at the helm of creation. There is no one who does good: everyone, he is saying , loved the Assyrians’ evil ways. (3) All who are devotees of those gods are foolish, no matter in what eminence or obscurity they are placed; they give no heed to the fact that [1261] God looked down from heaven on the sons of humans to see if there are any who are intelligent or seek after God (v. 2). The God in whom they have no faith, who dwells on high and surveys the lowly, nevertheless chose to conduct an examination of their doings. All went astray and at the same time proved useless (all who held the same viewpoint); there is no one who does good, there is not even one (v. 3). He found everyone straying from the right path, he is saying, and embracing every kind of evil. (4) Have they no knowledge, all those who commit lawlessness? What will they know? That the Lord God will exact vengeance? Who are they? He told in what follows: Those who eat up my people like a meal of bread,—clearly the non-believers. He makes their ailment more obvious in saying they did not invoke God (v. 4). Yet in fact through experience they will learn the penalty for wrongdoing , those who tried to consume my people like a loaf of bread and scorned the provident God. There they will be possessed by fear where there was no fear (v. 5): I shall make them terrified and mournful, not from fearsome apparitions but from the punishment imposed unbeknownst. Now, through this he indicates the blow inflicted on them by the angel.5 Because God scattered bones of those who pleased human beings; they were ashamed because God scorned them. Aquila and Symmachus rendered He...