Psalm of David 61 in Russian and Church Slavonic

Text of prayer Psalm 61

In the Orthodox tradition, this prayer is read in church in Church Slavonic. But for a simple parishioner this language can be difficult due to the peculiarities of reading and stress in words. The meaning will become clearer if you read the text translated into Russian in advance. Only then can you begin to memorize the original.

In Church Slavonic

In Russian

Christian Psalm 61: interpretation and text in Russian

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The text of Orthodox Psalm 61, according to interpreters, dates back to the time when its author, the Israeli king David, was on the verge of being overthrown from the throne. His situation is best illustrated by the fifth verse of the psalm: “They plotted to overthrow him from the heights, they resorted to lies; they bless with their lips, but curse in their hearts” (Ps. 61:5), where the word “height” means precisely the high social position of the king, and the second part of the verse speaks of the deceit and hypocrisy of his associates. In the Christian text of Psalm 61, the prophet David addresses them, asking when they will stop persecuting him, and warns that they will soon be overthrown, obviously referring to God's punishment.

When should you read Christian Psalm 61?

The interpretation of Psalm 61 tells that by the words “sons of men,” David meant the children of noble people, and he called the children of mere mortals “sons of men.” In Psalm 61, the king equates them, saying that neither one nor the other has any weight: when it comes to human life, only God decides the fate of his creatures. The psalmist holds the same opinion regarding wealth - in difficult situations, he advises not to count on savings, but to rely on the will of God. Listen online and read Christian Psalm 61 for those who can no longer endure trials sent from above.

Listen to the video of the Orthodox prayer Psalm 61 in Russian

Read the text of the prayer Psalm 61 in Russian

To the head of the choir Idifumov. Psalm of David.

My soul rests only in God: my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock, my salvation, my refuge: I will not be shaken any more. How long will you lean on the person? You will be cast down, all of you, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence. They plotted to overthrow him from above and resorted to lies; They bless with their lips, but curse in their hearts. Rest in God only, my soul! for in Him is my hope. He alone is my stronghold and my salvation, my refuge: I will not be shaken. In God is my salvation and my glory; The strength of my strength and my trust are in God. People! trust in Him at all times; pour out your heart before Him: God is our refuge. The sons of men are but vanity; sons of husbands - lies; if you put them on the scales, all of them together are lighter than emptiness. Do not rely on robbery and do not be vain about theft; when wealth increases, do not put your heart on it. God once said, and I heard it twice, that with God is power, and with You, Lord, is mercy, for You reward each person according to his deeds.

Church Slavonic text of Psalm 61, from the Psalter

Will not my soul obey God? from this is my salvation. For it was my God who saved him, my intercessor; I don’t move much. How long will you stay with a person? you all kill, as if you have bowed to a wall and raised a stronghold. Otherwise, reject the value of my consultation, you are in thirst; I bless with my lips and prostrate with my heart. Obey God first, my soul; because that’s why I have patience. For it was my God who saved him, my intercessor; I will not move. In God is my salvation and my glory; God is my help, and my trust is in God. Trust in him, all the multitude of people; pour out your hearts before him, for God is our helper. Above all, the sons of humanity are vanities, the sons of humanity are deceitful in the measure of untruth; and from the bustle together. Do not trust in untruth, and do not desire admiration; Even if wealth flows, do not apply your heart. God spoke with one eye, I heard this two, the power of God, and yours, Lord, mercy; for you reward each one according to his deeds.

History of writing

The psalm was written at a difficult moment for David, when there was an uprising in Jerusalem. David's son Absalom, being a greedy and greedy man, betrayed his father, inciting the Israelites to rebel against God's anointed. At that moment everything changed.

The king’s once close friends suddenly became his enemies, and everyone turned away from him. Dejection and sorrow would have destroyed the king's soul if not for the help of the Lord and his life-giving power. At the moment of spiritual decline, only thanks to the Almighty, David was able to maintain sobriety of mind and firmness of thought.

And here is the song of David's heart with gratitude to the mercy of God. And every time, singing to God and giving himself confidence with optimism in the process of communicating with Jehovah, David said to himself: that’s it, I won’t hesitate anymore! However, time passed, circumstances again weighed heavily on David’s heart, and he again sought protection and salvation from Jehovah. That is why David composed so many songs, dedicating them to the God of his salvation.

61:4 How long will you lean on the person? You will be cast down, all of you, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence.

A rhetorical question to which only God knows the answer: How long will the wicked oppress normal people? David only knows one thing: sooner or later, this “honey” will end for the wicked of the whole earth.

61:5 They plotted to overthrow him from above and resorted to lies; They bless with their lips, but curse in their hearts.

The wicked planned to take a dominant position on God's earth. It’s interesting that even they understand: you can’t get to the top through outright wickedness; you have to disguise it as plausible activity. The lips bless, but the heart hates - a favorite tactic that all the hypocrites of the earth are forced to resort to for the sake of their own prosperity, otherwise the hatred pouring out will not make its way to success: even the wicked themselves do not respect hatred, and therefore hide it under the guise of splendid speeches.

61:6 Rest in God only, my soul! for in Him is my hope.

That’s why David chose to trust only God: go figure out which of those who speak beautifully and sweetly is a hypocrite hiding the hatred of his heart, and which is a sincere lover of David? This is a difficult task. It’s easier for God to listen to all the speeches addressed to you; at least He won’t be a hypocrite.

61:7,8 He alone is my stronghold and my salvation, my refuge: I will not be shaken. 8 In God is my salvation and my glory; The strength of my strength and my trust are in God.

Therefore, Jehovah is David’s only stronghold, a rock on which he can lean when he falls and not fall. Only in Him can David hope. Everything else, no matter how strong it may seem - friendship, connections, money, position, etc. - cannot be a support for a believer, because they are short-lived, like the person himself.

61:9 People! trust in Him at all times; pour out your heart before Him: God is our refuge.

That is why David advises all his people to rely on God: only God alone makes sense to pour out your heart and everything that is heaped on it, all worries and secrets - only the God of heaven is worth giving, for there is no one else so strong and reliable in universe for a person to whom he could entrust all his most intimate and valuable things. He is God, and He listens to EVERYTHING so that He can understand how and what to help His servants, where to direct them and how to heal their wounds. Like a doctor, he listens to EVERYTHING in order to establish the correct diagnosis, even if the signs of the disease are unattractive and our prayers may sometimes hurt His hearing.

61:10
The sons of men are but vanity
; sons of husbands - lies; if you put them on the scales, all of them together are lighter than emptiness. The sons of men are one misunderstanding: if you collect them all on the ground and put them on God’s scales, the air will turn out to be heavier. If all of them together are lighter than emptiness, then how much does one weigh???? To open his heart to him? Well, no, it’s impossible to trust such an empty person with your heart.

61:11 Do not rely on robbery and do not be vain about theft; when wealth increases, do not put your heart [on it].

Even if you rely on human abilities, practically build your seat and accumulate treasures - then this too is empty. Even if we manage to achieve something, we should not elevate ourselves and think that this will add weight to us on God’s scales. EVERYTHING is empty, both in a person and in everything he deals with and is proud of - IF a person lives without God in his head and only admires himself.

61:12,13 God said once, and I heard it twice, that with God is power, 13 and with You, O Lord, is mercy, for You render to everyone according to his deeds.

Only Jehovah has weight in this life, only it is possible to hold on to him, for emptiness will not hold you when you fall and will not save you from collapse. And if you cling to a rock, you’ll see that you won’t fall over, you’ll stay on your feet so that you can continue to move forward on your path to God.

Interpretation

It has always been difficult to see the true meaning of the psalm, but we will try to understand this issue. The chant itself consists of three parts. Each part consists of four verses, which are full of ideas about calming the soul and divine protection from the injustice of this world.

Verses 1-3. This talks about how omnipotent the Lord is. He will bring salvation to all who are strong in their faith. David believes that the number of sinners and their sinful deeds does not matter. God sees each of them, and they will all be overthrown and punished.

Verse 4. David cannot come to terms with the hypocrisy of his neighbors, who said one thing in front of the king, but planned evil behind his back. The ruler condemns such people, considering them criminals in the face of God.

Verses 5-8. God will never leave His creations to be torn to pieces by sinners. David in this song reports that the Lord helps not only him personally, but also other righteous people. Throughout his wanderings, the king met many kind people and strengthened their faith in the Almighty.

Verse 9 This verse brings up the question of destiny. David says that people initially have their purpose. Regardless of categories, classes, estates, everyone is equal before God and his providence. The Lord knows the fate of every person - from the commoner to the nobility. The Word of God is many times heavier than all the deeds in the earthly kingdom.

Verse 10 In this verse the prophet says that wealth has no weight before God. If it doesn’t exist, then you shouldn’t dream about it, and if it exists, then you shouldn’t boast about it. If wealth exists and increases, be happy with all your soul.

Verses 11-12. David says how the Almighty said that power, strength and mercy are concentrated only in His hands. This thought confirms the fact that earthly superiority is insignificant before the power of the Lord. But deeds, good or bad, will be appreciated by Him.

Kathisma 8 Psalm 61

Psalm 61

This psalm, like the previous one, can be dated back to the time of David’s flight from Jerusalem during the uprising of Absalom.
This is consistent with the indication that the enemies planned to overthrow David “from on high” (5), of course, his social position, that is, the throne, which he did not possess under Saul. For their success, enemies resorted to hypocritical lies (5) and their dominance was accompanied by robberies and thefts. The last two features coincide with the designated time, since the uprising against David was prepared by a hypocritical outward expression of respect for him and at the same time the dissemination of false information about him; after the temporary transfer of power into their hands, the enemies gave themselves over to all kinds of thefts. David spoke about the latter very often in other psalms from the same time. I trust only in the Lord, and therefore all my enemies will be cast down, no matter what lies they resort to (2-5). My only and true defense, like all people, is only the Lord. Run to Him, and do not rely on people, for only the Lord has power and mercy (6-13).

1 To the head of the choir Idifumov. Psalm of David. 2 My soul rests only in God: my salvation comes from Him. 3 He alone is my rock, my salvation, my refuge: I will not be shaken any more.

3. "He is my stronghold"

, a common comparison, which is translated by many: “He is my rock,” indicating the indestructibility of Divine help.
- “I will not hesitate any more”
- David can no longer have doubts that the attacks of his enemies will be successful, and therefore his fear of the possibility of his death disappears, and is replaced by faith in liberation.

4 How long will you press on the person? You will be cast down, all of you, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence.

4. The death of enemies will be unpreventable by any means. They will climb a crumbling wall that cannot be supported by any effort.

5 They plotted to overthrow him from on high and resorted to lies; They bless with their lips, but curse in their hearts.

5. In the relations of David, as a king, to his people, the enemies could not point out anything criminal or harmful to the latter. His authority stood high not in terms of his rank as a king, but also in terms of his actual value, evidenced by all his previous activities as a ruler. To dethrone him ( "from on high"

) enemies
“resorted to lies
.
To lull David’s vigilance and for the success of their enterprise, they showed him false respect, “but they curse in their hearts
. Such methods are common where there is no truth in actions and purity in aspirations.

6 Rest in God only, my soul! for in Him is my hope. 7 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my refuge: I will not be shaken. 8 In God is my salvation and my glory; The strength of my strength and my trust are in God. 9 People! trust in Him at all times; pour out your heart before Him: God is our refuge.

9. By “the people” we can understand those people who accompanied David in his flight and who despaired of the possibility of salvation for him. - “Pour out your heart to Him”

- turn to Him with sincere, unfeigned prayer and firm faith.

10 The sons of men are but vanity; sons of husbands - lies; if you put them on the scales, all of them together are lighter than emptiness.

10. "Sons of Men"

- ordinary people, ordinary people;
“sons of husbands”
are noble persons.
Hope for both on the day of salvation is “vanity and lies,” since the degree of their influence on the final destiny of a person, in comparison with divine guidance, if put on the scales, will turn out to be “lighter than emptiness,”
a person in determining his destiny is nothing.

11 Do not rely on robbery and do not be conceited in theft;
when wealth increases, do not put on it
.

11. One should not think that impunity for theft and robbery, as well as material wealth in the hands of a person can serve as protection and support and an indestructible stronghold for him. The temporary advantage on the side of the wicked and his outward predominance should not cause imitation: “do not try”

to this heart. All contents 9-11 art. directed by David to the people around him in exile, who were plunged into despondency and who were losing faith in the possibility of saving David and themselves because they saw a material advantage on the side of his predatory enemies.

12 God said once, and I heard it twice, that with God is power, 13 and with You, O Lord, is mercy, for You render to everyone according to his deeds.

12-13. “God spoke once, and twice I heard”

- I heard a twofold truth once spoken by God for the guidance of man: 1.
“The power is with God”
- the power to dispose of everything that exists belongs only to God alone, as the Supreme World Ruler;
2. “Grace”
is also sent down by Him. The meaning of the whole expression is the true and sure protection of the merciful Lord alone.