Commentary on the Psalms, Psalms 1-72

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 59

COMMENTARY ON PSALM 59 To the end. Do not destroy. As an inscription for David, when Saul sent [spies] and watched his house with a view to killing him. prey to envy, Saul plotted David’s death; on one occasion when David was entertaining him he meant to fell him with his spear, but David got out of the way and escaped death. He tried again to seize him, sending some [spies] and bidding them watch the house, thus making his hostility obvious. David’s wife, however, Saul’s daughter, made it known to her spouse, and helped him get away through a window ; she took a dummy (so the story goes) and gave it the appearance of a sleeping figure, and with clothing made it look like a sick person, showing it at a distance to those bidden to spy, saying David was indisposed with some illness. This happened at night, but when day came the ruse was exposed to Saul and his guards. So then it was that blessed David, on escaping that plot, composed this psalm.1 (2) He makes little reference, however, to the events of the time, forecasting instead great things after receipt of the radiance of the divine Spirit and perceiving in advance the Jews’ fury against God our Savior.2 The Jews, remember, guarded the 336 1. The events are narrated in 1 Sam 18.10–11 and 19.11–17. Despite Michal’s taking the leading role in the latter episode, Theodoret allows her to go nameless—as would Chrysostom in a similar situation. It is noteworthy also that here as elsewhere he sees David as composing the psalm as a literary exercise; there is no suggestion of singing, let alone a liturgical context for its expression—though he corrects this in the last lines of the commentary . 2. Like modern commentators, Theodoret remarks that the title does not do justice to much of the psalm’s content; and by implicit recourse to the mistaken clues in the title (as we have noted in connection with preceding psalms with similar titles) he feels free to find an eschatological reference. Lord’s tomb with soldiers, and at daybreak they found his garments but did not by that stage see the corpse that had been under guard: he had loosed the power of death and had risen. So blessed David, with an eye to the schemes against himself, and perceiving in advance that the God of Israel, the creator and lord of all, who came in the flesh of his own accord, would suffer harsh things at the hands of the Jews, foretells also the calling of the nations and the dispersion of the Jews. (3) Deliver me from my foe, O God, and redeem me from those rising up against me (v. 1). The inspired author’s request is fair: he begged to be freed from waging an unjust attack. Then he describes their purpose: Rescue me from those who practice iniquity, and save me from men of blood (v. 2). Bloodthirsty [1305] and lawless , he is saying, are the enemies, though I caused them no harm at all. Because, lo, they hunted down my soul; strong men beset me (v. 3): employing wiles of all kinds they endeavored to do away with me, trusting in their own power; yet it is fair for them to look for retribution for a prior wrong. (4) There was no iniquity of mine, no sin of mine, O Lord. No trouble was caused to them on our part, he is saying; with nothing to allege against me, they plot my death. Free of iniquity I proceeded and directed [my steps] (v. 4). To be honest, these words apply not to David but to David’s son and David’s lord: he alone “committed no sin, nor was any sin found in his mouth.”3 No one, after all, is without sin except God alone; he in fact is the one who out of his great loving-kindness took flesh of David. Blessed David says this as a kind of type, not claiming complete freedom of sin for himself, but informing us that though he had done Saul no wrong and instead had frequently done him many favors, he becomes the butt of manifold plots. Though there was no sin, they made assaults upon him to snatch him away, guiltless though he was in their regard. Symmachus also translated it this way: “Though there was no sin...