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Commentary on Psalm 89
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COMMENTARY ON PSALM 89 Ofunderstanding, for Ethan the Israelite. EEING THE FALSE GODS honored in shrines while the ark of God remained solitary and unrevered, blessed David [1576] promised to build the divine Temple. Accepting this resolve of his, God rewards the fine promise and guarantees to make him a rational temple from his own loins, and through it to achieve the salvation of all human beings and provide him with an unending kingdom. These promises he made to him through the prophet Nathan: the story of the Chronicles teaches it clearly,l and in the second book of the Kings Nathan said to him, ''The Lord announces to you that he will build himself a house."2 The story of the Acts also recalls this. Blessed Peter, when making a speech to the Jews, outlined this along with many other things: "David, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn him an oath that the Christ according to the flesh would come from the fruit of his loins and sit on his throne, spoke with this foreknowledge of his resurrection, His soul was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.';3 Being without sin: there is no one among human beings without sin except Jesus, God the Word made flesh from David. These promises he made also to the patriarch Abraham, saying to him, "In your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed."4 Commenting on this the divinely inspired Paul spoke this way, ''The promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; he does not say, And to his offspring , as in the case of many, but as in the case of one, And to his offspring, which is Christ."5 1. 1 Chron 17. 2.2 Sam 7.11. 3. Acts 2.30-31 paraphrased; cf. Ps 132.11. The comment about the sinlessness ofJesus is from the long form of the text. 4· Gen 22.18. 5· Gal 3.16. 85 86 THEODORET OF CYRUS (2) Their successors, with an eye on these promises and the prospect of themselves made captive and forced to inhabit a foreign land, the royal city made desolate and the monarchy extinguished , remind the God of all of the promises. At one time they bring to the fore the patriarch Abraham, his son and descendant in reminding God of the agreements, at another time blessed David and the promises made to him. In similar fashion the blessed martyrs Hananiah, [1577] Azariah, and Mishael made mention of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel in imploring God in the furnace.6 The charism of inspiration, therefore, composed this psalm for the benefit of those people, teaching how to appease God and gain the benefit of loving-kindness on his part. This is the reason for "Of understanding" in the title: it is particularly necessary for those under correction not to say anything out of place when voicing complaint, but await the divine mercy. Ethan was personally entrusted with a choir of singers in the Temple, who sang God's praises; in fact, it is not the psalm of Heman, as some claim-rather, as we maintain, he too was in charge of a choir of singers, receiving from the divine David the commission also of singing with the others.7 (3) I shall sing ofyour mercies forever, 0 Lord, from generation to generation I shall proclaim your truth with my mouth (v. 1). Begging the divine mercy, they sing of the mercy, and in their desire to witness the truth of the promises to David, they promise to teach each generation. Because you said, Mercy will be 1:tuilt in heaven forever, your truth will be prepared (v. 2). It is God's word spoken to David, that he would maintain his mercy to his seed forever. Accordingly, they recall this promise. You said, he means, you will increase and not lessen your mercy (the term will be 1:tuilt meaning ''will be increased and receive an increment "). Symmachus said ''will be set in place": you promised, he is saying, to confirm the truth of the words. 6. Dan 3.35 [GreekJ. 7. See note 1 to the previous psalm for Theodoret's interpretation of elements in the title. Ethan, here also described as an Israelite in defiance of the sense of the "Ezrahite" of the original, is listed in 1 Kings 4.31 along with Heman as one of the paradigmatic sages. For Mowinckel "these wise...