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COMMENTARY ON PSALM 98 A psalmfor David. HIS PSALM HAS THE SAME sense: it prophesies both appearances of the Savior, though giving more detail of the first. Sing to the Lord a new song (v. 1). Since it proclaims the transformation of ancient things, and forecasts some new way of life, it is right for him to give directions also for a new song [to be offered] to God. Because the Lord has performed marvels: extraordinary and baffling are the things done by the God of all. His right hand and his holy arm have brought him salvation . We have often said that "hand" means operation and right hand successful operation. He means that the salvation of human beings is a function of his power; but, in an example of immeasurable loving-kindness, he considers human life to be to his own benefit.! This is the reason, to be sure, that he did not say, [1660] His right hand saved them, but brought him salvation. By freeing them from the deception of the idols, and giving a glimpse of the exaltation of his kingship, he gave them a share in salvation. He indicated this more clearly in what follows. (2) The Lord made known his salvation in the sight ofthe nations, he revealed his righteousness (v. 2): to all people he offered the saving streams, and showed his righteous kingship to the nations. He was mindful ofhis mercy toJacob, and ofhis truth to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth saw the salvation of our God (v. 3). This bears a close resemblance to the prophecies of the prophet Isaiah: through him the God of all said to Christ the Lord, "I have given you as a covenant of a race, a light of naI . Commentators note the similarity of this psalm to Ps 96, and Theodoret is not disposed to spend much time on the first half of the opening verse. The LXX's version of the verb in the second half, on the other hand, which some English versions render as "brought him victory," does pose a theological problem , and he wrestles with it in his rationalizing way. 136 COMMENTARY ON PSALM 98 137 tions, for you to be salvation to the ends of the earth."2 Since the God of all promised to the remarkable patriarchs, to Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob, and to the divinely inspired David to raise up the Christ from their seed according to the flesh, and to provide salvation to all people through him, he called the promise made to the fathers "covenant"; the other translators, in fact, said "treaty" for "covenant."3 He called Israel his "race," since the Christ came from Jews according to the flesh,4 as the Apostle says; so he said, "I have given you as a covenant of a race," that is to say, to fulfill the treaties made to Jews, but "as a light" no longer for Jews but for nations, since they shared in salvation through faith, having confessed him [in the past] and confessing God from God. Uews] , on the other hand, preferred the gloom of unbelief. Blessed David says as much here, too, He was mindJul oj his mercy to Jacob, and oj his truth to the house ojIsrael , fulfilling the promises made to them. All the ends oj the earth, of course, saw the salvation oj our God: the light of truth rose not only on Jews but on all people. (3) Cry aloud to the Lord, all the earth, sing, be glad, and sing praise (v. 4): so since you have all been freed from the harsh tyranny of the devil, raise the triumphal hymn to [our] saving God; a loud cry is a sound victors make. Hence we do as we are bid: we are in the habit of offering to God this hymn by rejoicing and crying aloud at the mystical moment, [1661] singing and playing and dancing with great cheerfulness. Sing praise to the Lord on a lyre, with the voice oj a psalm (v. 5). You can see this law constantly fulfilled in the churches: we strike up the divine music on the spiritual lyre. We turn our bodies into rational lyres, and use our teeth for strings and our lips for an instrument , while our tongue moves more keenly than any plectrum and produces the harmonious sound of the plucking, the mind moving the tongue like a musician skillfully observing the inter2 . A...

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