Psalms 109

Psalms 109:1

Augustine of Hippo: The Psalm, then, begins thus: “O God, be not silent as to my praise; for the mouth of the ungodly, yea, the mouth of the deceitful is opened upon me” [Psalms 109:1]. Whence it appears, both that the blame, which the ungodly and the deceitful is not silent of, is false, and that the praise, which God is not silent of, is true. “For God is true, but every man a liar;” [Romans 3:4] for no man is true, except him in whom God speaks. But the highest praise is that of the only-begotten Son of God, in which He is proclaimed even that which He is, the only-begotten Son of God. But this did not appear, but, when His weakness appeared, lay hid, when the mouth of the ungodly and deceitful was opened upon Him; and for this reason his mouth was opened, because His virtue was concealed: and he says, “the mouth of the deceitful was opened,” because the hatred which was covered by deceit burst out into language. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:2

Augustine of Hippo: “They have spoken against me with false tongues” [Psalms 109:2]: then chiefly when they praised him as a “good Master” with insidious adulation. Whence it is elsewhere said: “and they that praised me, are sworn together against me.” Next, because they burst into cries, “Crucify Him, crucify Him;” [John 19:6] he has added, “They compassed me about also with words of hatred.” They who with a treacherous tongue spoke words seemingly of love, and not of hatred, “against me,” since they did this insidiously; afterwards “compassed me about with words” not of false and deceitful love, but of open “hatred, and fought against me without a cause.” For as the pious love Christ for nought, so do the wicked hate Him for nought; for as truth is earnestly sought by the best men on its own account, without any advantage, external to itself, in view, so is wickedness sought by the worst men. Whence among secular authors it is said of a very bad man, “he was wicked and cruel for no object.” — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:3

Augustine of Hippo: “In place,” says he, “of loving me, they detracted from me” [Psalms 109:3]. There are six different acts of this class, which may, when mentioned, very easily be borne in mind; (1) to return good for evil, (2) not to return evil for evil; (3) to return good for good, (4) to return evil for evil; (5) not to return good for good, (6) to return evil for good. The two first of these belong to the good, and the first of these two is the better; the two last belong to the wicked, and the latter of the two is the worse; the two middle to a sort of middle class of persons, but the first of these borders upon the good, the latter on the bad. We should remark these things in the holy Scriptures. Our Lord Himself returns good for evil, who “justifies the ungodly;” [Romans 4:5] and who, when hanging upon the Cross, said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” [Luke 23:34] … — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:4

Augustine of Hippo: He adds, “Thus have they rewarded me evil for good” [Psalms 109:4]. And as if we asked, what evil? For what good? “And hatred,” he says, “for my good will.” This is the sum total of their great guilt. For how could the persecutors injure Him who died of His own free-will, and not by compulsion? But this very hatred is the greatest crime of the persecutor, although it be the willing atonement of the sufferer. And he has sufficiently explained the sense of the above words, “In place of loving me,” since they owed love not as a general duty only, but in return for His love: in that he has here added, “for my good will.” This love He mentions in the Gospel, when He says, “How often would I have gathered your children together, and you would not!” [Matthew 23:37] — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:5

Augustine of Hippo: “Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him; and let Satan stand at his right hand” [Psalms 109:5]. Though the complaint had been before concerning many, the Psalm is now speaking of one….Since therefore he is here speaking of the traitor Judas, who, according to the Scripture in the Acts of the Apostles, was to be punished with the penalty due to him, [Acts 1:20] what means, “set thou an ungodly man over him,” save him whom in the next verse he mentions by name, when he says, “and let Satan stand at his right hand”? He therefore who refused to be subject unto Christ, deserved this, that he should have the devil set over him, that is, that he should be subject unto the devil….For this reason also it is said of those who, preferring the pleasures of this world to God, styled the people blessed who have such and such things, “their right hand is a right hand of iniquity.”. .. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:6

Augustine of Hippo: “When sentence is given upon him, let him be condemned, and let his prayer be turned into sin” [Psalms 109:6]. For prayer is not righteous except through Christ, whom he sold in his atrocious sin: but the prayer which is not made through Christ, not only cannot blot out sin, but is itself turned into sin. But it may be inquired on what occasion Judas could have so prayed, that his prayer was turned into sin. I suppose that before he betrayed the Lord, while he was thinking of betraying Him; for he could no longer pray through Christ. For after he betrayed Him, and repented of it, if he prayed through Christ, he would ask for pardon; if he asked for pardon, he would have hope; if he had hope, he would hope for mercy; if he hoped for mercy, he would not have hanged himself in despair…. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:7

Augustine of Hippo: “Let his days be few” [Psalms 109:7]. By “his days,” he meant the days of his apostleship, which were few; since before the Passion of our Lord, they were ended by his crime and death. And as if it were asked, What then shall become of that most sacred number twelve, within which our Lord willed, not without a meaning, to limit His twelve first Apostles? He at once adds, “and let another take his office.” As much as to say, let both himself be punished according to his desert, and let his number be filled up. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Gregory the Dialogist: But still, what is more serious, another asks for the death of an enemy, and the one whom he cannot pursue with a sword, he pursues with prayer. And the one who is cursed still lives, yet the one who curses is already held guilty of his death. But God commands that an enemy be loved, and yet God is asked to kill an enemy. Whoever therefore prays in this way fights against the Creator in his very prayers. Hence it is said under the figure of Judas: “Let his prayer become sin.” For it is prayer becoming sin to ask for those things which the very one who is petitioned forbids. — Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 27

Origen of Alexandria: This is certainly what David also says in the Psalms. “Let his prayer become sin,” when not only is there nothing of worth sought in his sacrifices but even much of blame. For you hear the Lawgiver decree that if anyone eats from that “which was left over to the third day, he will incur the sin.” From this we must understand how great a destruction of sins is imminent for the human condition when sin arises even in that place where the offering of the atonement is sought. — HOMILIES ON Leviticus 5:9.2

Psalms 109:8

Acts (1:15-22): And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. [Psalms 109:8] Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

Augustine of Hippo: “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow” [Psalms 109:8]. After his death, both his children were fatherless, and his wife a widow. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Augustine of Hippo: Petilianus said, “We must consider, I say, and declare how far the treacherous traditor is to be considered dead while he was still living. Judas was an apostle when he betrayed Christ; and the same man was already dead, having spiritually lost the office of an apostle, being destined afterwards to die by hanging himself, as it is written: “I have sinned,” he says, " ’ in that I have betrayed innocent blood’; and he departed, went out, and hanged himself.” The traitor perished by the rope: he left the rope for others like himself, of whom the Lord Christ cried aloud to the Father, “Father, those that you gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” For David of old had passed this sentence on him who was to betray Christ to the unbelievers: “Let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.” See how mighty is the spirit of the prophets, that it was able to see all future things as though they were present, so that a traitor who was to be born hereafter should be condemned many centuries before. Finally, that the said sentence should be completed, the holy Matthias received the bishopric of that lost apostle. Let no one be so dull, no one so faithless, as to dispute this: Matthias won for himself a victory, not a wrong, in that he carried off the spoils of the traitor from the victory of the Lord Christ. — LETTERS OF PETILIAN THE DONATIST 2:8-17

Origen of Alexandria: And if we must make a statement regarding Judas that may overwhelm our opponents with shame, we would say that, in the book of Psalms, the whole of Psalm 108 [LXX] contains a prophecy about Judas, the beginning of which is this: “O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent; for the mouths of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful man are opened against me.” And it is predicted in this psalm both that Judas separated himself from the number of the apostles on account of his sins and that another was selected in his place; and this is shown by the words “and let another man take his position.” But now suppose that he had been betrayed by one of his disciples, who was possessed by a worse spirit than Judas and who had completely poured out, as it were, all the words that he had heard from Jesus, what would this contribute to an accusation against Jesus or the Christian religion? And how will this demonstrate its doctrine to be false? We have replied in the preceding chapter to the statements that follow this, showing that Jesus was not taken prisoner when attempting to flee but that he gave himself up voluntarily for the sake of us all. Therefore it follows, that even if he were bound, he was bound agreeably to his own will, thus teaching us the lesson that we should undertake similar things for the sake of religion in a spirit of willingness. — AGAINST CELSUS 2:11

Psalms 109:9

Augustine of Hippo: “Let his children be vagabonds, and be carried away, and beg their bread” [Psalms 109:9]. By “vagabonds” he means, uncertain whither to go, destitute of all help. “Let them be driven from their habitations.” He here explains what he had said above, “Let them be carried away.” How all this happened to his wife and children, the following verses explain. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:10

Augustine of Hippo: “Let the extortioner search out all his substance, and let the strangers spoil his labour” [Psalms 109:10]. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:11

Augustine of Hippo: “Let there be no man to help him” [Psalms 109:11]: that is, to guard his posterity; wherefore follows, “nor to have compassion on his fatherless children” — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:12

Augustine of Hippo: But as even orphans may, without one to help them, and without a guardian, nevertheless increase amid trouble and want, and preserve their race by descent; he next says, “Let his posterity be destroyed; and in the next generation let his name be clean put out” [Psalms 109:12]: that is, let what has been generated by him generate no more, and quickly pass away. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:13

Augustine of Hippo: But what is it that he next adds? “Let the wickedness of his fathers be had in remembrance in the sight of the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be done away” [Psalms 109:13]. Is it to be understood, that even the sins of his fathers shall be visited upon him? For upon him they are not visited, who has been changed in Christ, and has ceased to be the child of the wicked, by not having imitated their conduct. [Ezekiel 18:4, 20] …And to these words, “I will visit the sins of the fathers upon the children,” [Exodus 20:5] is added, “who hate Me;” that is, hate Me as their fathers hated Me: so that as the effect of imitating the good is that even their own sins are blotted out, so the imitation of the wicked causes men to suffer not their own deservings only, but those also of those whom they have imitated…. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:14

Augustine of Hippo: “Let them always be against the Lord” [Psalms 109:14]. “Against the Lord,” means in the Lord’s sight: for other translators have rendered this line, “let them be always in the sight of the Lord;” while others have rendered it, “let them be before the Lord always;” as it is elsewhere said, “You have set our misdeeds in Your sight.” By “alway,” he means that this great crime should be without pardon, both here, and in a future life. “Let the memorial of them perish from off the earth:” that is, of his father and of his mother. By memorial of them, he means, that which is preserved by successive generations: this he prophesied should perish from the earth, because both Judas himself, and his sons, who were the memorial of his father and mother, without any succeeding offspring, as it is said above, were consumed in the short space of one generation.. .. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:15

Augustine of Hippo: “And that, because he remembered not to act mercifully” [Psalms 109:15]; either Judas, or the people itself. But “remembered not” is better understood of the people: for if they slew Christ, they might well remember the deed in penitence, and act mercifully towards His members, whom they most perseveringly persecuted. For this reason he says, “but persecuted the poor man and the beggar” [Psalms 109:16]. It may indeed be understood of Judas; for the Lord did not disdain to become poor, when He was rich, that we might be enriched by His poverty. [2 Corinthians 8:9] But how shall I understand the word “beggar,” save perhaps because He said to the Samaritan woman, “Give me to drink,” [John 4:7] and on the Cross He said, “I thirst.” [John 19:28] But as to what follows, I do not see how it can be understood of our Head Himself, that is, the Saviour of His own body, whom Judas persecuted. For after saying, “He persecuted the poor man and the beggar:” he adds, “and to slay,” that is, “that he might slay Him,” for some have so rendered it, “Him that was pricked at the heart.” This expression is not commonly used except of the stings of past sins in the sorrows of penitence; as it is said of those who, when they had heard the Apostles after our Lord’s ascension, were “pricked in heart,” even they who had slain the Lord…. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:17

Augustine of Hippo: The Psalm then continues: “His delight was in cursing, and it shall happen to him” [Psalms 109:17]. Although Judas loved cursing, both in stealing from the money bag, and selling and betraying the Lord: nevertheless, that people more openly loved cursing, when they said, “His blood be on us, and on our children.” [ — Exposition on Psalms 109

Augustine of Hippo: For in that same Book of Testimonies, in order to justify somehow his assertion that “all are ruled by their own will,” Pelagius has cited this passage from the psalm, “And he loved cursing, and it will come to him, and [he] would not have blessing, and it shall be far from him.” But who does not know that this is a fault, not of nature, as God created it, but of the human will, which turned away from God? Even if he had not loved cursing, had desired blessing, and, in this instance, denied that his will was helped by divine grace, the fact is that, in his ingratitude and impiety, he would be abandoned to be ruled by himself. The result of being deprived of divine guidance and brought to ruin is that he would discover through punishment that he was incapable of being ruled by himself. — PROCEEDINGS OF PELAGIANS 3:7

Psalms 109:18

Augustine of Hippo: “Let it be unto him as the cloak which covers him” [Psalms 109:18]. Since he has before spoken of the cloak, why does he repeat it? When he said, “He clothed himself with cursing as with a raiment;” does the raiment with which he is “covered” differ from that with which he is “clothed”? For every man is clothed with his tunic, covered with his cloak; and what is this, save boasting in iniquity, even in the sight of men? “and as the girdle,” he says, “that he is always girded withal.” Men are girded chiefly that they may be better fit for toil, that they may not be hindered by the folds of their dress. He therefore girds himself with curses, who designs an evil which he has carefully contrived, not on a sudden impulse, and who learns in such a manner to do evil, that he is always ready to commit it. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:20

Augustine of Hippo: “But work Thou with me, O Lord God” [Psalms 109:20]. Some have thought “mercifully” should be understood, some have actually added it; but the best copies have the words thus: “But work Thou with me, O Lord God, for Your Name’s sake.” Whence a higher sense should not be passed over, supposing the Son to have thus addressed the Father, “Deal Thou with Me,” since the works of the Father and of the Son are the same. Where although we understand mercy—for these words follow, “for sweet is Your mercy,"— because he said not, “In me,” or, “over me;” or anything of this sort: but, “work Thou with Me;” we rightly understand that the Father and Son together work mercifully towards the vessels of mercy. [Romans 9:23] “Work with me,” may also be understood to mean, help me. We use this expression in our daily language, when we are speaking of anything which is in our favour; “It works with us.” For the Father aids the Son, as far as the Deity aids Man, on account of His having assumed the “form of a servant,” to which Man, God, and to which “Form of a servant,” the Lord too is Father. For in the “form of God,” the Son needs not aid, for He is equally all-powerful with the Father, on which account He also is the helper of men….And because when he had said, “Work Thou with me,” he added, “for Your Name’s sake,” he has commended grace. For without previous deserving works, human nature was raised to such a height, that the whole in one, the Word and Flesh, that is, God and Man, was styled the Only-begotten Son of God. And this was done that that which had been lost might be sought by Him who had created it, through that which had not been lost; whence the following words, “For Your mercy is sweet.” — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:21

Augustine of Hippo: “O deliver me, for I am needy and poor” [Psalms 109:21]. Need and poverty is that weakness, through which He was crucified. [2 Corinthians 13:4] “And my heart is disturbed within me.” This alludes to those words which He spoke when His Passion was drawing near, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” [Matthew 26:38] — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:22

Augustine of Hippo: “I go hence like a shadow that declines” [Psalms 109:22]. By this he signified death itself. For as night comes of the shadow’s declining, so death comes of mortal flesh. “And am driven away as the locusts.” This I think would be more suitably understood of His members, that is, of His faithful disciples. That he might make it much plainer, he preferred writing “locusts” in the plural number: although many may be understood where the singular number is used, as in that passage, “He spoke, and the locust came;” but it would have been more obscure. His disciples, then, were driven away, that is, were put to flight by persecutors, either the multitude of whom He wished to be signified by the word locusts, or their passing from one place to another. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Augustine of Hippo: “I am poor and needy,” and I am better only when in sorrow of heart I detest myself and seek your mercy, until what is faulty in me is repaired and made whole and finally I come to that state of peace that the eye of the proud cannot see. Yet in what others say about us and in what they know of our deeds there is grave danger of temptation. For our love of praise leads us to court the good opinion of others and hoard it for our personal glorification. And even when I reproach myself for it, the love of praise tempts me. There is temptation in the very process of self-reproach, for often, by priding himself in his contempt for vainglory, a person is guilty of even emptier pride; and for this reason his contempt of vainglory is an empty boast, because he cannot really hold it in contempt as long as he prides himself on doing so. — Confessions 10.38

Psalms 109:23

Augustine of Hippo: “My knees are weak through fasting” [Psalms 109:23]. We read, that our Lord Christ underwent a fast of forty days: [Matthew 4:2] but had fasting so great power over Him, that His knees were weakened? Or is this more suitably understood of His members, that is, of His saints? “And my flesh is changed because of the oil;” because of spiritual grace. Whence Christ was so called from the Greek word, chrisma, which signifies unction. But the flesh was changed through the oil, not for the worse, but for the better, that is, rising from the dishonour of death to the glory of immortality….His flesh was not yet changed. But whether the Holy Spirit be represented by water through the notion of ablution or irrigation, or by oil through that of exultation and the inflaming of charity; It does not differ from Itself, because Its types are different. For there is a great difference between the lion and the lamb, and yet Christ is represented by both…. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:24

Augustine of Hippo: “I became also a reproach unto them” [Psalms 109:24]: through the death of the Cross. “For Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” [Galatians 3:13] “They looked upon Me, and shaked their heads.” Because they beheld His crucifixion, without beholding His resurrection: they saw when His knees were weakened, they saw not when His flesh was changed. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:25

Augustine of Hippo: “Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to Your mercy” [Psalms 109:25]. This may be referred to the whole, both to the Head and to the body: to the Head, owing to His having taken the form of a servant; to the body, on account of the servants themselves. For He might even in them have said unto God, “Help Me:” and, “O save Me:” as in them He said unto Paul, “Why do you persecute Me”? [Acts 9:4] The following words, “according to Your mercy,” describe grace given gratuitously, not according to the merit of works. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:26

Augustine of Hippo: “And let them know how that this is Your Hand, and that Thou, Lord, hast made it” [Psalms 109:26]. He said, “Let them know,” of those for whom He even prayed while they were raging; for even those who afterwards believed in Him were among the crowd who shook their heads in mockery of Him. But let those who ascribe unto God the shape of the human body, learn in what sense God has a hand. Let us therefore understand, that the Hand of God means Christ: whence it is elsewhere said, “Unto whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” [Isaiah 53:1] … — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:27

Augustine of Hippo: “Though they curse, yet bless Thou” [Psalms 109:27]. Vain therefore and false is the cursing of the sons of men, that have pleasure in vanity, and seek a lie; but when God blesses, He does what He says. “Let them be confounded that rise up against me.” For their imagining that they have some power against Me, is the reason that they rise up against Me; but when I shall have been exalted above the heavens, and My glory shall have commenced spreading over the whole earth, they shall be confounded. “But Your servant shall rejoice:” either on the right hand of the Father, or in His members when they rejoice, both in hope among temptations, and after temptations for evermore. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:28

Augustine of Hippo: “Let my slanderers be clothed with shame” [Psalms 109:28]: that is, let it shame them to have slandered me. But this may also be understood as a blessing, in that they are amended. “And let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a double cloak;” for diplois is a double cloak; that is, let them be confounded both within and without: both before God and before men. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:29

Augustine of Hippo: “As for me, I will confess greatly unto the Lord with my mouth” [Psalms 109:29]….Is He said to “praise among the multitude” because He is with His Church here even unto the end of the world; [Matthew 28:20] so that we may understand by “among the multitude,” that He is honoured by this very multitude? For he is said to be in the midst, unto whom the chief honour is paid. But if the heart is, as it were, that which is mid-most of a man, no better construction can be put on this passage than this, I will praise Him in the hearts of many. For Christ dwells through faith in our hearts; [Ephesians 3:17] and therefore he says, “with my mouth,” that is, with the mouth of my body, which is the Church. — Exposition on Psalms 109

Psalms 109:30

Augustine of Hippo: “For He stood at the right hand of the poor” [Psalms 109:30]. It was said of Judas, “Let Satan stand at his right hand;” since he chose to increase his riches by selling Christ; but here the Lord stood at the right hand of the poor, that the Lord Himself might be the poor man’s riches. “He stood at the right hand of the poor,” not to multiply the years of a life that one day must end, nor to increase his stores, nor to render him strong in the strength of the body, or secure for a time; “but,” he says, “to save my soul from the persecutors.” Now the soul is rendered safe from the persecutors, if we do not consent to them unto evil; but there is no such consent to them when the Lord stands at the right hand of the poor, that he may not give way through his very poverty, that is, weakness. This aid was given to the Body of Christ in the case of all the holy Martyrs. — Exposition on Psalms 109