Psalm 119: text of prayer in Russian

Psalm 119, along with others, belongs to the so-called “Songs of Ascension.” There are many variations of this name.

Some of them suggest that the songs were performed on the steps of the temple: each on a separate one. There are 15 Songs of Ascension in total, as well as the steps to the temple. And as they were performed, the singer rose higher and higher, to the temple gates.

According to another, it was believed that the word “ascent” meant raising the tone of the voice when singing Psalm 119.

Finally, one of the hypotheses states that the psalms of ascension (return) were sung by Jews returning from Babylonian captivity. At the same time, great meaning is attached to the performance: its performance helps a person to take the true path, increase his spiritual level, and “rise” above his previous state. It is better to read it in solitude in order to deeply feel every word and sow a fertile seed in your soul.

Text of prayer Psalm 119

In Church Slavonic with accents

The difference between the text of Psalm 119 is its small size. When ascending to the temple, it was performed by singers in Church Slavonic (Old Church Slavonic) language:

Song of degrees.
1 To the Lord, when I was in sorrow, I called, and he heard me.
2 Lord, deliver my soul from the walls of unrighteousness and from the tongue of flattery.
3 What will be given to you, or what will be added to your flattering tongue?
4 The arrows of the mighty are sharp, with coals of waste.
5 Woe to me, for my coming continues, having taken up residence in the village of Kedar.
6 My soul is a stranger in many ways; I make peace with those who hate:
7 I always spoke to them, Boryahu and Tune.

In Russian

For a better understanding of the essence, a deeper penetration into the soul of the person praying, Ps. 119 can be performed in solitude and read in Russian:

Song of Ascension.
1 I cried to the Lord in my affliction, and He heard me.
2 Lord! deliver my soul from lying lips, from an evil tongue.
3 What will the evil tongue give you and what will it add to you?
4 Sophisticated arrows of the strong, with burning coals of wood.
5 Woe to me, that I dwell with Mosoch, that I dwell at the tents of Kedar.
6 My soul lived long with those who hated the world.
7 I am peaceful: but as soon as I speak, they lead to war.

Uses [edit]

Judaism[edit]

Verse 66 is recited before the sound of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. [7]
Verse 72 quoted in Pirkei Avot, chapter 6, no. 9. [8]
Verses 89–91 are read during the blessing before the Shema on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. [9]
Verse 99 is quoted in Pirkei Avot, chapter 4, no. 1. [10]
Verse 108 is read before the sound of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. [7]
Verse 122 is read before the sound of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. [7]
Verse 142 is part of Uva Lezion [11] and Tzidkacha. [12]
Parts of verses 153–54 contain the blessing of Rie
on the weekday Amidah. [13]
Verse 160 is read before the sound of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. [7]
Verse 162 is read before the sound of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. [7]
Verse 165 is part of Talmud Berachos 64a. [14]
Verses 166, 162 and 165 are read in this order by the mohel on the brit milah. [15]

Eastern Orthodox[edit]

Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, Folio 49r – David frees the prisoners, Condé Museum, Chantilly

Psalm (118 in the Septuagint) features prominently in the liturgy of the Orthodox Church. There is a tradition that King David used this psalm to teach his young son Solomon the alphabet, but not just the alphabet for writing letters: the alphabet of spiritual life.

The psalm represents an entire kathisma (section of the Psalter) in Orthodox liturgical practice. In Orthodox monasteries they read daily in the Midnight Office: “At midnight I rose to thank You for the judgments of Your righteousness” (v. 62). It is read at Matins on Saturdays and is also sung on many Sundays throughout the year. Most of Matins on Holy Saturday involves the singing of the entire psalm as a prayer, divided into three parts (stazas) with praise (Greek: Enkomia

) between each verse. This singing is performed while everyone stands with candles around the hearse, above which is placed the Epitaphion (a shroud embroidered with the figure of Christ laid out for burial).

The psalm is also sung with special solemnity at Orthodox funeral services and on various All Souls' Days occurring throughout the year, with the singing of "Alleluia" between each verse. Its use here is a reflection of the singing on Holy Saturday. "Alleluia" is sung between verses to signify the victory over death achieved by the death and Resurrection of Christ, and the eternal reward promised to the faithful.

The psalm contains several dozen prayers and runs through several themes. God's kindness in the midst of tribulation and the delight of God's law. God sovereignly “inclines his heart,” and the psalmist “inclines his heart” to the statutes.

Latin Church Liturgy[edit]

On the reverse side

glass depicts a woman
praying
Psalm 119 (118): 22,
Aufer a me opprobrium et contemptum
(“Take away from me contempt and contempt”).

The Rule of Saint Benedict assigned this psalm four minor canonical hours on Sundays and three on Mondays. Sections corresponding to the first four letters of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet are used in Prime, followed by sets of three sections in Terce, Sext and None on Sundays. The remaining sections, corresponding to the last nine letters of the Hebrew alphabet, are assigned Terce, Sext and None on Mondays. [16]

The 1568 Roman breviary of Pope Pius V has Psalm 119 presented in its entirety each day: sections corresponding to the first four letters of the Hebrew alphabet on Prime, and the rest in sets of six sections each at Terce, Sext and None respectively. [17] [18]

In the 1910 reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X, Psalm 119 is read only on Sundays, divided as in the arrangement of Pius V.[18][19]

Since reforms of the Roman rite of liturgy in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, the Liturgy of the Hours has a section of Psalm 119 that corresponds to one letter of the Hebrew alphabet, at the canonical hour of noon for each day of the four-week cycle, except Monday of the first week (when the second half of the Psalm is used instead 19 (18), which is similar in theme) and Friday of the third week (when Psalm 23 (21) of the Passion is used). In addition, part of Psalm 119 is used at the Saturday feasts of the first and third weeks, and another part is used at Vespers on the Saturday of the first week.

In the Roman Rite Mass, passages from Psalm 119 are used as a responsive psalm on Sundays 6 and 17 A of the three-year cycle of Sunday readings, on the Saturday of the first week of Lent and on the third Monday of Easter. It is also used on five days of the first year of a two-year cycle of readings on weekdays at ordinary time [a] and fifteen days of the second year. The piece is also used in the Feast of the Doctor of the Church. [20]

History of writing

The writing of the song is supposedly connected with David's stay with King Saul, who feared and hated God's young anointed. Wanting to get rid of the dangerous young David, beloved by the people, Saul began open persecution. David was forced to flee. He found refuge in the Philistine city of Gath, where King Achish ruled.

The song is the prayer of an exile. In it, he laments that he has to live among the barbarians in a foreign land for too long and endure their injustice and insults (slander), and asks the Lord for salvation.

Music settings[edit]

"O God, my strength and steadfastness" in the Scottish Metrical Psalter

XVI century.

Psalm 119:1 set to music by Charles Villiers Stanford in Three Latin Canticles
, Op. 38.
Psalm 119:18 inspired the hymn " Open My Eyes That I Shall See
" by Clara H. Scott. [21]
Psalm 119:33–38 was set to music by William Byrd as Teach Me, O Lord
.
Psalm 119:57–64 was set to music by Robert White (composer) as Portio mea Domine
.
Psalm 119:89 is a popular worship song in Nigeria.
Psalm 119:105 was set to music by Amy Grant as "Thy Word" on the 1984 album Straight Ahead
.
Psalm 119:105–111 was set to music by Henry Purcell as “Thy Word is a lantern.”
Psalm 119:1–176 was completed in 1671 by Heinrich Schütz.
Psalm 119: 18, 36 and 133 as "Open My Eyes" by John Rutter. Performed by the Cambridge Singers on "Gloria" and other albums.
Czech composer Antonin Dvořák set verses 114, 117, 119 and 120 to music in his Bible Songs
(1894).

The complete English version of Psalm 119 from the King James Bible was completed by Frederick Steinruck, Michael Misiazek, and Michael Owens.

Various metrical settings of Psalm 119 have been published in Protestant Christianity, including Thomas Sternhold's "O God, my strength and fortitude", which appears in the Scottish Psalter

1535. [22] [23] The psalm is set to music in The Book of Psalms for Worship, published by Crown and Covenant Publications. [24]

Interpretation

Small, just seven lines, Psalm 119 has its own compositional features. Its text contains repeated phrases: “a treacherous tongue,” “in a foreign land.” And if Psalm 119 is heard in Russian, they emphasize the tragedy of the situation discussed in the song. Since the psalm is part of the “Songs of Ascension,” the further development of the plot takes place precisely in them.

Verses 1-4: in these lines the singer turns to the Lord and asks to deliver him from evil speech. Only prayer can save him from slander and slander. David is in deep sorrow, realizing that he has succumbed to the false assurances of friendship of his enemies. Smiling, they plotted against him. Finding no way to cope with the situation himself, David turns to the Lord with a prayer for help and protection, to save his soul from the lies of his enemies who are ready to destroy David.
Verses 5-7: In them David complains about his bad surroundings: he has to live among the pagans, who are deceitful and evil. Being forced to be among them causes David deep sorrow. His long wanderings further aggravate the feelings of the exile. He suffers because he is deprived of God's mercy and asks the Lord for protection and strength.

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Psalms, Psalm 119

119 Called “song of ascension” or from Greek. “Song of Degrees” a whole series of psalms is known, starting from 120 and ending with 133. Most of these psalms were written either during the Babylonian captivity or shortly after it. They received their name because these psalms were usually sung in the post-exilic period by the Levites, who stood in two rows on the steps of the temple at the time when the high priest in a golden vessel carried water from the Siloam spring into the temple, i.e., the “songs of degrees” were sung on steps of the temple. The Hebrew name “song of ascent” is explained in the sense of indicating that psalms with such an inscription were sung either by Jews returning from captivity, that is, from Babylon, located in the plain, when they ascended the mountains of Judea, or in general by pilgrims approaching and ascending to Mount Zion on the major annual holy holidays of the Jewish people.

Psalm 119 119 can be considered written during the captivity, before its end, when the Jews were full of expectations of returning to their homeland. Art. 5 indicates being in captivity.

119 When I cried to the Lord, He listened to my prayer. Deliver me now from the evil enemy (1-2). What can wickedness bring to the enemy? Only the Strong One's arrows and gorse coals (3-4). It's hard for me to live among strangers. I am peaceful, but no matter what I speak, my speech causes hostility on their part (5-7).

119:1 The consolation for the captive Jew was the memory of the many mercies that the Lord showed to the Jews in times of their distress if they turned to Him in prayer. This gives him confidence that even in his present situation, his prayer to the Lord will be heard.

119:2 The pagan nations surrounding the Jews are called “lying lips” and “a deceitful tongue.” They are deceitful and deceitful because they could not sympathize with the Jews in their dreams of returning to their homeland, since they could see this as a threat to the collapse of their strong monarchy, and therefore they could be distrustful and false in relations with Jews.

119:3-4 The writer asks, what good does lying do to his enemies? What can she give them? Nothing else but to provoke the wrath of the Strong One, that is, the Lord, who will send punishment (“arrows”) with gorse coals at them. Gorse is a shrubby plant found in Palestine. Its coals are distinguished by their property of slowly decaying, which is why they maintain fire and heat for a long time. The gorse coals here are an image of long-lasting disasters that will be sent by God for “lies.”

119:5 Mosok or Moski, an area in Armenia, near the Black Sea. The “Tent Kidarians” were a nomadic tribe, according to some, wandering between Mesopotamia and rocky Arabia, according to others, living in Egypt. This verse indicates that the writer depicts in the psalm the state of the Jews who were still scattered among various pagan peoples.

119:6-7 The Jews complain that they have already lived for a long time among “those who hate the world, that is, among the pagans; hence the time of origin of the psalm can be attributed to the end of the captivity. I am peaceful; but I’ll just say, they lead to war - a general indication of the situation of the Jewish people in captivity: all the actions and words of a captive Jew were met with hostility and interpreted by his enemies in a bad way, which is why they served as the reason for hostile actions on their part.

Psalm 120 120 can be considered written by the Jews during the captivity: they prayed with the words of this psalm, turning to Zion.

120 This psalm is used at midnight, which is based on the parable of Jesus Christ about the Bridegroom who came at midnight and about the ten virgins. This parable points out the unexpectedness of the onset of the Last Judgment, why the Church instills in believers to be vigilant about their behavior, constant prayer to God and faith in Him alone.

120 I constantly turn to my native mountains and expect help only from the Lord, Creator of heaven and earth (1-2). The Lord your guard will not slumber over you: He will keep Israel from all evil in all their deeds (3-8).

120:1-2 The Jew in captivity prayerfully turned to the mountains of his native Judea and from there from Zion, from God, the Creator and Lord of the whole world, he expected help.

120:3-4 He will not let your foot be moved. The writer encourages the praying and despondent captive. He advises not to waver in faith in God, not to despair in the hope of salvation from captivity, since God is watching over him and will not let him perish.

120:6 The Lord will protect you from all calamities; He will not burn the sun during the day, nor the moon at night. The moon here is considered the source of the nighttime cold that often stings in the East (cf. Gen 31:40

120:8 The Lord will guard your going in and going out; He will keep Israel wherever he is, whether in the house or outside it. The entire psalm represents a prayer to God for reinforcement during captivity and for liberation from it.

121 According to the inscription of the Hebrew Bible (in the Vulgate and in the LXX the name of the author is not indicated), this psalm belongs to David. Its writing must date back to the time when the ark of the covenant had already been transferred to the newly built tabernacle in Jerusalem, when this city was built up and when the journeys of the Jews to this national shrine began and were established, which journey was supported and encouraged by David. The place of this psalm among that group of them, most of which were written during the captivity or shortly after it, does not contradict the inscription, since this psalm, as a national song, could be used by Jews especially intensively during the return from captivity and after captivity when traveling to Jerusalem . To consider it written in a later era (captivity or after it) is not allowed by those parts of the psalm that speak of the complete improvement and greatness of Jerusalem, the establishment of court in it and the strengthening of the house of David (verses 2-5), which did not exist then , and there was a lot of disorder. The name of the tabernacle “house of the Lord” does not contradict the origin of the psalm from David, since the latter often applies this name to the tabernacle and even to the tabernacle of Moses (cf. Ps 5:8

;
22:6
;
26:4
and etc.)

121 I rejoiced when they told me to go to the house of the Lord (1). Here we are standing at the gates of Jerusalem, a city completely built up, where the throne of David stands and where all the tribes flock (2-6). Ask for peace and prosperity for Jerusalem for the sake of my brothers and for the sake of the house of the Lord our God (7-9).

121:1 An indication of the custom of “going up to Jerusalem three times during the year on the great feasts to worship the Lord.” This custom, observed even during the time of the Judges, was restored with special force in the time of David. These words could, of course, be repeated by Jews returning from captivity or even before the end of it, when they were filled with a fiery desire to return to their native Palestine and see sacred places.

121:2-3 The city of Jerusalem appears to be surrounded by a fence with gates built in it; it is merged into one, that is, it is built up with buildings closely adjacent to each other. Jerusalem was not like this during the return and for a considerable time after the return from captivity, when its walls and houses were in ruins.

121:4 The reference of the psalm to the tribal division of the Jewish people also speaks for the writing of the psalm earlier than the time of captivity; under David, tribal division still existed, but after Rehoboam, and especially during the captivity, such division disappeared.

121:5 “Thrones of judgment,” “thrones of the house of David.” David established strict justice upon his accession to the throne, and in order to unite all his subjects under his authority, he granted the right to everyone who was dissatisfied with the decision of his case by the leaders of the tribes to appeal to the king in Jerusalem, through which Jerusalem became in the eyes of the people the city of true “judgment.” With David, a new royal line begins and the throne began to pass to his descendants, there “stand the thrones of the house of David.”

121:6-9 The fortress, strength and beauty of Jerusalem, peace in it, as the central and main city of the Jews, are the foundations of the prosperity of all Judea, of the entire people, which is why every pilgrim prays to God to preserve the indicated mercies for Jerusalem both for the sake of his fellow Jews and and “for the sake of the house of the Lord,” for the sake of preserving the holiness and greatness of this place, as a guarantee and indicator of the people’s loyalty to their Lord.

122 The content of the psalm is an image of the intense, prayerful anticipation that the Jews were filled with before the end of captivity and before returning to their homeland.

122 Only to You, Lord, Who lives in heaven, do we turn in prayer, and only from You do we expect mercy, just as a slave or slave expects reward from his masters (1-2). We expect mercy from You, since after a long time in captivity we have already been filled with contempt from our arrogant and proud enslavers (3-4).

123 Just like Psalm 121, this psalm has the name of David in the inscription only in the Hebrew Bible, but in the Vulgate and the LXX there is no such inscription. In accordance with the inscription, one can think that the psalm was written by David during the war, probably with the Syrians, when the southern borders of Judea were attacked by the Edomites.

123 If the Lord had not been with us, we would have perished in a flood of disasters (1-5). Blessed is the Lord, who has sent us help: in His name is our defense (6-8).

123 It is known that during the fight against Syria, where everyone capable of carrying weapons was brought in, the southern borders of Judea remained defenseless. The Edomites who attacked Judea did not encounter any opposition and, if they had wished, they could have easily surrounded and cut off David from Jerusalem and destroyed his troops. The psalmist rightly compares his dangerous situation with the threat of being swallowed up (verse 3).

123:4-5 Waters are an image of an abundance of disasters; stormy waters are strong disasters that can drown and completely destroy.

123:7 Our soul was delivered, like a bird, from the snare of the catchers—our life, which was threatened with destruction, escaped the latter through the intercession of the Lord.

123:8 Our help is in the name of the Lord - our strength is in the firmness of our trust in the Lord, Who alone can save us from the most severe dangers and, according to human understanding, a hopeless situation.

Psalm 124 can be considered written upon the return from captivity, during the first concerns of those who returned about the improvement of the city, the temple and their lives, when the obstacles encountered on this path were not yet insurmountable, when the prevailing mood among the Jewish people was the mood of joy from returning from captivity and hope for God’s help in the further improvement of one’s life.

124:1-2 He who trusts in the Lord finds in Him the same firm protection that Jerusalem has in the mountains surrounding it on three sides from the attacks of enemies, it is as strong as Mount Zion, firm and immovable. The comparison indicates that hope in the Lord will never deceive the one who trusts in Him. This was experienced by the Jews who were captured, from which they could never free themselves on their own, and who were brought out from there by their hope in the Lord.

124:3 No matter how great the disasters sent by the Lord to the righteous, the latter will not remain unrewarded by Him: the Lord will save him, have mercy and will not bring the righteous to despair, which could prompt him to seek help and protection from the wicked. Such were the disasters of captivity, difficult for the Jews, but not disastrous for their faith, but had the character of purifying it.

125 The first verse of the psalm clearly indicates the time of its writing - during the return from captivity, when the Jewish people were full of the most joyful feelings and expectations.

125 Upon returning from captivity, we were full of joy and thanksgiving to God for the great work of liberation (1-3). Return, Lord, from captivity all those still remaining there. We hoped that the Lord would richly reward our labors in our native fields by sending down a bountiful harvest (4-6).

125:1-3 Those returning from captivity were “as if seeing in a dream,” that is, they imagined pictures of extraordinary contentment and prosperity, which they hoped to find in their native land. Since the return from captivity was a work of God’s mercy, which the pagans were amazed at (v. 3), the Jews could dream that these mercies would be poured out on them abundantly, especially in their country, blessings, and therefore those returning from captivity were full of dreams, dreams, It was like they were in a dream.

125:4 Not all the Jews returned from captivity, but only the poorest part of this people, while the majority remained to live among the pagans. Those who came out of captivity pray for the return of the latter: return, Lord, all that mass of fellow tribesmen who remained in foreign countries, just as You return water to the earth through the southern winds (noon), which bring abundant and necessary water from the sea. soil moisture.

125:5-6 The content of the dreams of the Jews. Those who returned from captivity had a very insufficient amount of seeds for their fields, why the crops they produced covered an insignificant area of land, from which, according to ordinary economic calculations, only a small harvest could be obtained, but the Jews hoped that the Lord would reward their work far beyond their expectations, why “he who carries seeds weeping” into the ground at sowing will “return with joy” at harvest.

126 Only in the Hebrew Bible does this psalm indicate the name of the author Solomon, but in the Vulgate and the LXX there is no last addition, which can be explained by the fact that the LXX translators found it difficult to place the name of Solomon, as a writer, above the psalm that is included in the category “ songs of ascension,” written during the return or upon return from Babylonian captivity. Meanwhile, the content of the psalm, where the writer preaches about man’s complete submission to God and life according to His guidance, and not according to one’s own strength, is completely consistent with the content of the works of Solomon (Proverbs and Ecclesiastes), where the latter puts the “fear of the Lord” as the basis for human behavior. and where it proves the meaninglessness of man’s attachment to the earth. The inclusion of this psalm, written by Solomon, in the category of songs of ascension by the compilers of the canon is probably explained by the fact that this psalm, preaching complete devotion to the Lord, was most often used by the Jews returning from captivity at the time when they were building the second temple and when this the path encountered numerous obstacles, insurmountable by their strength, and therefore their steadfastness in the matter and confidence in its completion could only be nourished by faith and hope in God, which is what the said psalm speaks of.

126 If the Lord does not show favor to a person, then all his attempts and efforts to strengthen his well-being are in vain; The Lord gives tranquility and peace only to those whom He loves (1-2). This is an expression of divine favor - children who are the same protectors for their parents as the archer is for his arrows, with which he will confront the enemies of the people at the gates of the city (3-5).

126:1-2 The words of these verses have a special meaning in the mouth of Solomon, who became famous for his grandiose buildings of the temple and palaces, on the construction of which many architects and craftsmen of that time worked, which is why it would seem that man’s perseverance and efforts are always crowned with success. Solomon says the opposite. The meaning of his words is that every human work begun with the blessing of the Lord will be crowned with success, but that which is not built with the blessing, but especially contrary to His will, no matter what the person’s efforts, will end in failure. An example of the latter is the building of the Tower of Babel after the flood, which is an expressive monument not of how great is the effort of man and how fruitful is his genius, but of how fruitless all his efforts are if they are directed against God or provoke His wrath. He gives a dream to His beloved - not in the sense that whomever the Lord loves can do nothing, but in the sense that the one who creates in accordance with the will of God and at His command can be at peace for the successful completion of his work, since he finds protection for himself in the Almighty Being. In relation to the situation of the Jews after the captivity and their concerns about the construction of the second temple, these words could fill them with confidence that no matter how great the obstacles they encountered on their way, the construction work would end in success, since it was in accordance with the will of God, and therefore, the Jews drew strength and energy here to continue it.

126:5-6 The ancient Hebrews saw the abundance of children as a sign of divine favor. The writer finds out the meaning of what is the external benefit of many children and what is the divine favor here: children are the protection of their parents, and children are also the protection of the city and the fatherland from enemies when they come to the defense of both during attacks.

127 Those failures that befell the Jews in their enterprises upon returning from captivity, such as. on the part of the Samaritans, oppression from the pagans, insufficient harvests undermined their energy in building the temple and could cause some fear that the Lord would deprive them of his mercy, as a result of the latter they could be instilled with a certain coldness of attitude towards the matter and attempts to improve their relationship with the pagans external position. All this was a threat, lest the Jews abandon the true God and thus finally destroy themselves as God’s chosen people. Instilling in them faith in God, inspiring them to continue building the temple and restoring their former greatness as a holy and God-chosen people, was the need of the moment and served as the subject of the preaching of the prophets Haggai, Malachi and Zechariah. The present psalm bears close resemblance to the content of the speeches of these prophets.

127 He who walks according to the commandments of the Lord will be rewarded by Him with success in his labors and family happiness (1-4). The Lord will bless him to see the prosperity of Jerusalem and his grandchildren (5-6).

127:3 The wife is compared to a fruitful “vine in your house.” The Jews used to, as they still do in the East, plant vines near their homes, so that their branches twined around the building itself.

127:5 The Lord will bless you from Zion, that is, from the sacred mountain of Jerusalem. The reference to Zion served as a warning - not to get carried away with pagan cults, but to strictly follow the commandments of the Lord, for whom the Temple is being built in Zion, that is, the true God.

128 For the same purpose - the religious inspiration of Israel and the introduction of faith in God into it, not only the promise of good things in the future could serve, as we saw in Ps 127

, but also indications of the facts of his past life, from which it is clear that the Lord rewarded the Jews for their devotion to Him. Therefore, the said psalm, as an addition to 127, must be considered written also in the post-exilic period, during the activity of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, during or around the time of the activity of Ezra and Nehemiah.

128 My enemies oppressed me greatly, but the Lord cut the bonds of the wicked and saved me (1-4). May all my enemies now be ashamed, may they turn into withered grass and may they not hear good wishes for the success of their cause (5-8).

128:1 By “youth” here we mean the former life of a Jew before the exile, and especially his initial life after leaving Egypt, when he, as a young people devoted to God, often took advantage of His miraculous help in difficult moments of life.

128:3 On my ridge the Oratai were screaming - an image of the severe disasters that the Jewish people had to endure, when enemies sat on its ridge and bent it to the ground, that is, they forced it to suffer greatly. One can also understand here the Babylonian captivity, the time of civil lawlessness of the Jews. By ridge, some mean Mount Zion and Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Babylonians.

128:4 He cut the bonds of the wicked and brought them out of captivity.

128:5 To be ashamed and turn back is to fail. Let all persecution by enemies at this time end in failure.

128:6-7 The writer prays to God to turn his enemies into dried grass on the housetops. On the flat roofs of Jewish houses, as now among the inhabitants of the East, a small, thin layer of earth was often poured, on which grass appeared, grew quickly and dried quickly, which therefore could not be reaped. Let the enemies of the Jews be weakened, like this grass, let them turn into powder and be scattered by the wind.

128:8 Every worker is usually told wishes for success in his labors. May the activities of the enemies of the Jewish people be so unsuccessful that no one will express to them wishes and blessings from the Lord.

129 This psalm is also a prayer to the God of the Jews who were in captivity, from which they longed for liberation and fervently prayed to the Lord for this.

Psalm 129 is used at Vespers, before the time of nightfall (with which the times of the Old Testament can be compared), when the believer prays to God for his preservation in well-being and for forgiveness for the “iniquities” he committed during the day.

129:1 From the depths - this refers to the disasters of captivity and rejection from God, of which he was an expression.

129:3-4 Captives ask God for mercy for their sins. There is not a single sinless person on earth; if the Lord began to punish everyone for the act they committed, then no one would escape His condemnation (“if you, Lord, notice iniquities, who will stand?”). But the Lord can cleanse from sins and then have mercy, which is what the writer prays for (v. 4).

129:5-6 I trust in His word, that is, I believe that You, Lord, will fulfill those promises that You gave through the prophets about liberation from captivity; by Your mercy, our iniquities will be forgiven and we await liberation with greater desire and tension than with which the night watchman awaits the coming of the morning, the end of his responsible and difficult type of service.

129:7-8 Faith in the mercy of the Lord creates in the writer the confidence that He will send “much deliverance,” that is, complete release from captivity, and that He will not impute to the Jewish people their iniquities, and this confidence gives a cheerful and joyful tone to everything the content of the psalm.

130 According to the inscription in the Hebrew, Greek and Latin Bibles, this psalm is attributed to David. The reason for its writing from the circumstances of the life of this king can be considered his response to the censure of Michal when transferring the ark of the covenant to the Tabernacle of Zion. The latter, in the king’s dancing in front of this shrine, saw the humiliation of his royal dignity, which, obviously, she believed in the strictly calculated and methodically important actions of the king, and not in such simple, sincere and artless behavior as David was distinguished here. His response to Michal (see 2 Kings 6:20-22

) is very close to the content of this psalm, where David talks about his humility.

130 Lord, I have never been proud or artificially arrogant: this is alien to me. Like a child, I humbly surrendered to the will of the Lord. Let Israel also trust in Him (1-3).

130:1 I did not enter into the great and beyond my reach - the same thing that “my heart was not puffed up,” that is, I did not try to artificially maintain my dignity, to show in myself not what I have, but what I would like to see others in raising my dignity. David always lived by what was in him, and in this case, sincerely rejoicing in the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant, he showed his joy in unartificial actions.

130:2 A child, weaned from the breast and mother, accustomed to other food, sits calmly in her arms, not demanding anything from her. David compares himself with such a child, who relied with full faith on God’s help and did not make any demands on Him.

130:3 Probably represents a liturgical addition of later times.

131 The said psalm can be considered written by Solomon when he was transferring the ark of the covenant from the tabernacle of David to the temple he had newly built. This event is indicated, for example, in v. 8, where the writer turns to the Lord with a prayer to stand with the ark at the “place of rest,” by which the Lord will show favor to his anointed “for the sake of David” (v. 10). Verses 8-10 are also cited as the content of Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple (see 2 Chronicles 6:41-42

). And the entire content of the psalm represents a solemn song, most appropriate for the indicated time.

131 Lord, remember all the contrition of David, preoccupied with the construction of the tabernacle, which then stood in the fields of Jaarim (1-6). Now let us all go to the foot of the place of the Lord’s permanent abode and let everyone rejoice (7-9). Do not turn away, O Lord, Your face from Your anointed one, from the descendants of David, to whom You promised Your favor if he is faithful to You (10-12). Behold, the Lord has chosen Zion as His dwelling place forever and will pour out His favor on all people. He will make David's horn grow and put all his enemies to shame (13-18).

131:1 Contrition is David’s lamentation over the fact that he did not see the Ark of the Covenant, this greatest shrine of the Jewish people, in a dwelling worthy of him, and he lamented about the construction of a building worthy of Jehovah.

131:3-5 Point out David’s tireless efforts in finding a place worthy of Jehovah to build His tabernacle.

131:6 Ephrath is the name of a city in the region of Cariathyarim, and Jaarim, from Heb. Jachar, which means “forest,” is a place near Cariathyarim, from which David carried the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem.

131:7 His footstool is the ark of the covenant, on which the Lord himself was invisibly present and which, therefore, was His footstool.

131:8 A place of rest is a place of permanent residence of the Lord (verse 14 v.

). The Ark of Power is the ark of the covenant with which the Jews went into battle and from which the Lord provided miraculous help to the Jews.

131:9 May Your priests always be heralds of truth, unswervingly following Your commands, and may they teach this truth, this knowledge of the law, to all the people by their word, by explaining it, and by their lives - may they set an example of worthy fulfillment of the law. The saints are the entire Jewish people, called to be a holy people. They will rejoice, because having been taught by their shepherds the knowledge of the law and living their lives in accordance with the commandments of the Lord, they will cause an outpouring of rich mercies from Him.

131:10 The anointed one is Solomon. The expression so that the Lord would not turn away his mercies from him “for the sake of David” shows the extraordinary humility of Solomon, according to which he does not consider himself so valuable before God that he could point to any merits before Him and ask for rewards for them as payment; he asks these favors for himself for the sake of his father's merits.

131:11-12 The oath of the Lord “in the truth which He will not deny” consists in the promise to David of the descent from him of an unbroken series of kings. But this promise of God is conditioned by the constancy and strength of the affection of the descendants of David to the Lord, that is, God's obligation rests not on external fidelity to his promise, but on the moral value of those to whom it is given. The history of the Jewish people perfectly illustrates this promise when it shows that the Lord rewarded all the descendants of David faithful to Him and supported them on the throne, but then, when they retreated from Him, the royal line of David ceased.

131:14 Jerusalem is “the rest of God forever,” for the entire time of the faithfulness of the Jewish people to Him, to which He will pour out His mercies. The expression “forever” has another meaning. With the rejection of ancient Israel and its replacement by the New Testament, Jerusalem appeared as a holy city in the eyes of all Christians and, while Christianity is alive and active, and it, according to the promise of Christ, is eternal, until then this city is a sacred place for the whole world, a place of the appearance and birth of new life , a place glorified by the works, teaching and death of the Savior of the world.

131:16 Sl. Art. 9

131:17 Horn is a symbol of strength, strength. The horn of David was, of course, not in those military successes with which he secured and made his people formidable for their pagan neighbors, and not in the internal reforms that brought order and tranquility into the life of the people, since both had only temporary significance and transitory value, and by the horn one must understand its eternal power and eternal value. The latter consisted in the descent from him of the Messiah, the founder of a new kingdom, indestructible by any forces of hell and the machinations of people, and who brought into life a new light that attracted the whole world to himself. In this sense, ap. Peter applies the words of this psalm directly to Christ ( Acts 2:30

132 In the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin Bibles, the psalm is attributed to David. Its origin can be dated back to the time of the transfer of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, when the latter became not only an administrative center for the entire Jewish people, but also a religious one, which was supposed to serve as a connecting link for all tribes and thereby unite the entire Jewish people into a strong and powerful nation. David understood this significance of Jerusalem with the transfer of the ark of the covenant to it well, and the psalm he wrote was not only a clarification of this meaning, but also an invitation to all those dissatisfied with the transfer of the ark here (and there were some, see the explanation of Ps 67:16-17

) to fraternal unity.

132 Life in unity between brothers is as good and beneficial as the oil poured on the head of Aaron, or like the dew of Hermon that revives Zion.

132:2 At the ordination of Aaron as high priest, this amount of ointment was poured on his head ( Lev 8:12

) that it flowed down to the edges of the clothes. The latter probably means the lower floors, which corresponds to the meaning of the image: just as the ointment poured on Aaron, flowing from his head, reached the lower edge of his clothes, so Jerusalem unites among itself the most separated and remote parts of the Jewish people.

132:3 From Mount Hermon, very rich in moisture and strong dews, the latter was often carried by the winds to Zion, refreshing and supporting the vegetation there. Just as valuable is the ointment on the head of Aaron, as beneficial is the dew of Hermon, so valuable and beneficial is the unification of all Jews near Jerusalem, the new center of religious and administrative life.

133 Upon their return from captivity, the Jews took care to restore correct worship according to the law of Moses. The pious writer encourages the Levites and priests to honorably fulfill the duties of serving in the temple. This service should also include nightly prayer before God, for which zealous service the Lord will worthily reward those who honor Him (verses 1-3). In the words “bless the Lord during the night,” calling for constant vigil and glorification of God, the basis for its use at the Midnight Office.

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