History of writing
David came to power after using cunning to save Israel from the cruel King Goliath. However, David had an envious person - King Saul, who was his son-in-law. After Saul began persecuting his father-in-law, David had to hide, because certain death awaited him. The future ruler wanted to hide among the Philistines, but the people seized the fugitive and brought him to Abimilech for trial.
David realized that he would not be able to avoid death, so he played the crazy man perfectly. Abimilech refused to believe that this crazy man was a hero, so he kicked him out along with his servants.
After his sudden deliverance from death, the king wrote a text for the psalter in which he says “I will bless the deeds of the Lord and thank him for saving my life.”
Psalm 33 is included in the fifth kathisma
Interpretation and meaning of Psalm 33
Today you can read chants in Church Slavonic and Russian. You can even find the latest translations that have the accents. However, no matter what translation you read, the meaning of the prayer remains the same.
Pay attention to the main ideas of the psalm to interpret its meaning:
- God must be praised for all the good deeds that a person does, since this is the merit of the Almighty;
- everyone needs to strive for unity with the Creator, because in this way one can gain wisdom and know the truth;
- those who oppose the righteous will receive in full from the Angel of the Lord;
- God's people are distinguished from the Gentiles, and the Jewish people are called hungering for the Lord;
- sinners need to know God's teaching and also not condemn anyone;
- all people need to deviate from evil deeds and not forget that the eyes of the Almighty are righteous;
- The Lord preserves all human virtues, including temperance and piety.
We read the Psalter. Psalm 33
Audio |
Conversation with Archpriest Alexy Ladygin about the Psalter.
– Last time we looked at an amazing psalm that supports our trust in God. It happens that we doubt God’s mercy towards us, because we have so many sins, but this psalm gives hope.
– He still brings us closer to eternity. On the one hand, this psalm is Christological, and on the other hand, it reminds us of the Judgment of God that awaits every person, and that the mercy of God will abide with those who love and fear the Lord.
But the 33rd psalm, which we will examine today, speaks precisely of the mercy that the Lord showed to the psalmist through Abimelech when David changed his face. The psalm, which is very deep in meaning, tells how David ate the showbread, which only priests could eat, and this, according to the holy fathers, was a prototype of that Heavenly Bread that the whole people eats - priests, ordinary people, and adults , and infants, regardless of gender and class, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ. Here we see the depth of the wisdom that was inherent in King David. He did not have it by nature, but because the psalmist had the fear of God, and the Lord always helped him.
This psalm begins with very profound words:
“I will bless the Lord at all times; I will make his praise in my mouth.” As the holy fathers say, everywhere and always you need to bless and praise the Lord. And it is no coincidence that the Holy Scriptures say that we pray unceasingly. This prayer can not be interrupted even when we are eating or talking to someone and our lips are busy. And the holy fathers tell us that, in addition to our physical ones, we also have inner lips with which we must glorify the Lord all the time of our lives. Anyone who loves to pray is familiar with the state when a person is constantly in prayer: at work, at work, at home, in some household, everyday situations, and even when falling asleep. Many people have told me that sometimes in the evening they pray so sweetly, fall asleep, and the whole night passes in prayer: they kneel in their sleep, continue to read the akathist or pray at a service. And when they wake up in the morning, it turns out that the night has passed in an instant, but at the same time they experience such a huge surge of strength, as if they had slept for a long time, had a wonderful rest and are ready to create something good. This is the special state of soul to which the holy psalmist David calls us.
“My soul will glory in the Lord, that the meek may hear and be glad.” The glorification and singing of the Lord can only be heard by those who are filled with the same spiritual state as King David. They can be filled with joy at such deep prayer and unite in a prayerful impulse with a person praising the Lord. Who are these people? These are those who have moderation in everything, are in a peaceful and calm state of mind, do not get irritated themselves and do not irritate others.
– This is probably already a Heavenly state of mind?
- This is a great, good state.
– How can you achieve this in modern life, when people will step on your foot in the subway, push you on the bus, and curse you?..
- By meekness! And you should always ask everyone for forgiveness, as if you did it, then you will not be irritated, and others will joyfully accept your humble and meek answer.
“Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.” With whom can one exalt the Lord and sing praises to Him? Only with those who possess meekness can one glorify the Lord, uniting with them in an outburst of prayer. The other person will be filled with envy, hatred, and rejection.
“I sought the Lord, and heard me, and delivered me from all my sorrows.” The Lord always hears the one who seeks Him and turns to Him for help, especially if he is a meek, humble person with a believing heart. God not only hears, but also helps him, saving him from sorrows and difficulties. The psalmist himself presented his life to the Lord when he was persecuted by King Saul, and, unable to defend himself, he could only hide and humbly and meekly do the will of God. After all, the Lord chose and anointed David to be king while Saul was still alive, so the psalmist had many difficulties and sorrows, from which the Lord delivered him and helped him in everything. He gave His chosen one patience, and through it the necessary wisdom of life.
But one should not think that a righteous person is constantly in a state of peace, tranquility and does not experience any hardships - everyone has them, but a believer is never left alone with these sorrows - the Lord sends him Heavenly grace. And such a person patiently, without any grumbling, endures difficulties, thereby becoming familiar with a state that makes him wise and elevates him. Without patience, a person will not have the gifts necessary to ascend spiritually to Heaven. By sending His grace to a person, the Lord makes his situation easier, and he does not become embittered in his heart, does not hurt him, but is spiritually enriched.
“Come to him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed.” A beggar is not someone who has nothing. A proud, conceited person with many gifts cannot cry to the Lord, since he trusts only in himself. It also talks about the poor in spirit. These are the people who know that spiritually they have nothing. They only trust in God’s help, they believe that the Lord will not abandon them and will Himself fulfill their spiritual gifts. And the Lord, of course, hears such people, helps and delivers them from sorrow.
“The angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear him and will deliver them.” Here we are talking about the same thing as in the previous psalm. We talked about Demetrius Donskoy, St. Sergius of Radonezh, Alexander Nevsky, Alexander Suvorov and Feodor Ushakov - in difficult times, the angel of the Lord stood next to them, saving them from all sorrows and suffering. The Lord sends each of us a guardian angel who will protect us from the evil of this world. We know from the chronicles how the Battle of Kulikovo took place, when the Archangel Michael and the Heavenly Army went out to battle with the soldiers of Demetrius Donskoy. What is this? Is it a metaphor or was there really a living participation of Heaven itself in earthly affairs? Yes, it was, and we find confirmation of this in New Testament history. The power of the Church of Christ is so great because the Lord is always with it. With His Blood He creates, washes, purifies and preserves it until the end of the age, and the Lord protects all the faithful who enter it and gives them a guardian angel. Even the holy prophet David faced this in the Old Testament. He felt that the Lord was helping him, giving him an angel who would take up arms against his enemies and protect him in the most difficult moments.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who trusts in Nan.” He is wise and blessed who trusts in the Lord. Such a person receives grace, mercy from Him and the good necessary for life. At the same time, there is also a prophecy here that relates to the New Testament - we can feel the fullness of God’s love when we approach the Holy Chalice, when we taste the Body and Blood of our Divine Savior.
“Fear the Lord, all your saints, for those who fear him will have no hardship.” Great words! Saints are those who fulfill the commandments of God, who follow the Lord. We call Christians saints because they are sanctified at the moment of baptism, dedicated to God, born again to the Lord from the font for eternal life. If a person strives to preserve God’s favor, is afraid to violate the Law of God, then he will strive in every possible way to preserve this great mercy and grace. This is exactly what the psalmist David is talking about here. The Lord will not give a believer insurmountable circumstances in life or unbearable sorrows, unlike an unbeliever. We see that unbelievers are unhappy, and it is not because they are poor or unlearned - they may be rich, well-educated and high-ranking. They are unhappy for the reason that they will never have happiness as a part that unites them with God. After all, happiness is gained by a person through complete communication, through peace, tranquility, through the confidence that the Lord will intercede for you and protect you all the days of your life.
“Those who are rich are poor and hungry; but those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good.” We just said that the rich become poor; wealth cannot be held in your hands. A believer, even without possessing much property or occupying a high position, has enough for a happy and joyful life, communicating with God. The Lord both nourishes him and protects him from enemies, visible and invisible. I remember a parishioner of mine who once said: “I was rich in the 90s - I don’t want to anymore.” He believed in God and realized that wealth does not bring happiness to a person.
“But it can also bring happiness to others.” I am now making a lot of films about Russian churches and monasteries, and I know that many of them were erected at the expense of merchants, princes, and boyars.
– With the correct distribution of funds, of course, this is possible. Although I once read one edifying letter written before the revolution by a father to his son, which said: just don’t be a merchant, because a merchant is unlikely to be saved.
– But how many merchants were involved in charity!
– Yes, but there was also a lot of injustice towards ordinary people, a lot of unrighteous acts. Although many merchants were saved not by their lives, but by the charity they did.
– This is evidenced by the churches they built in Moscow.
“But the merchants’ path was very difficult, difficult, filled with temptations and temptations. Just like it is now with the new Russians: you can build churches, but you can also “Curshavel.” The temptation is huge. That’s why my friend said: “I was rich, but I don’t want to anymore, because it’s just anxiety, suffering and a lot of temptations. Happiness is when a person is with God. What I have is enough for me, and I am happy that there is a Lord whom I can always serve.”
“Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” Here again wonderful, wonderful words sound! The Lord, as a Father, addresses every person, He is our Heavenly Father. And it is no coincidence that the prayer “Our Father” shows us how the Lord treats us, how close He is to us. How can a father stand far from his child? Of course not! And the Lord is next to us, He cares about all our problems, difficulties and joys. This is exactly what is being said here. The fear of the Lord is not the fear that the Lord might strike us. The Lord loves us, and we are afraid of losing God’s love for ourselves through breaking His commandments.
“Who is a man who loves his life and sees good things?” Here the psalmist David speaks about life. The Holy Scripture calls all days on earth evil, because through their vanity they remove us from the Lord. What kind of life do we want to see? What days are good, according to the psalmist? Here we are talking about eternity - there will be good days, but we must look for eternal life in our lives and strive for it. There every day will be joyful, happy and kind, there it will be associated with serving God.
“Keep your tongue from evil and keep your lips from speaking flattery.” Here the psalmist David says how careful a person should be with his word. If someone has learned to bridle his tongue, he has achieved perfection. When we loosen our tongue, then through this we perish. All evil comes to us through our tongue if a person utters a word that has a destructive effect. Flattery is that secret sin that we already plan and then commit. The psalmist David warns every person against this obvious and secret evil.
“Turn away from evil and do good: seek peace and get married.” He who seeks peace enjoys it. To put it briefly, we can remember the very deep words that the Lord gives us: “Brothers, if it is possible, if it depends on you, keep peace with everyone.” We must strictly seek it, strive for it.
“The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are upon their prayer.” The Lord sees and hears the righteous and never turns His Face away from him.
“The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to consume their memory from the earth.” But an evil person must also remember that the Face of God is always looking at him - the Lord knows and sees all his deeds, and he will have to answer for his bad deeds.
“The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them and delivered them from all their sorrows.” We have already said that a righteous person who trusts in God will always see help from the Lord, and through patience and grace he will overcome any difficulties and sorrows that he will have to face in life.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and He will save those who are humble in spirit.” Naturally, the Lord is closer to those who have humbled themselves, but at the same time, those who have a contrite heart, that is, a heart filled with repentance, are also close to Him. The Lord approaches such a person.
“Many are the sorrows of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver me from them all.” The Lord sends sorrows to the righteous for cleansing. Through this, the righteous rise, because sorrow gives birth to patience in a person, and it gives birth to wisdom, which helps a person avoid sins and teaches one to overcome all trials, and through this bring those who communicate with you closer to God. Why do we look for a storehouse of wisdom from many elders? Through sorrow they became familiar with patience, which revealed to them the sources of wisdom.
“The Lord guards all their bones, and not one of them will be broken.” “When the Lord punished me,” says the psalmist, “he did not put me to death.” The Lord protects His righteous, and if it is necessary to accomplish some feat, then God opens the limits of eternity for such a person. How many martyrs shed their blood, on which the Church of Christ is based! By irrigating the earth with it, the martyrs brought countless people to God. And the Lord, of course, did not crush, but preserved their bones for eternity, for the glory that was revealed to the entire Church of Christ.
“The death of sinners is cruel, and those who hate the righteous will sin.” A sinful person suffers before death. He is entering the phase of the Last Judgment, which is already happening to him. Through the renewal of conscience, he sees all his unworthy deeds, misdeeds, and sins. We often see that the unrighteous cannot die, but at the same time the righteous will sigh three times and depart in peace. Vladyka Veniamin remembers how miraculously his grandmother died - and among my relatives I know how they quietly went to the Lord without any lying in bed. And if someone had to suffer, then people in such a world carried this cross, which showed the height of their Christian heart. But whoever hates a righteous person, a believer, someone who goes to church, someone who prays, then he sins mortally, and we must always remember this, which is what the psalmist David tells us here.
“The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants, and all who trust in Him will not sin.” None of those who trust in the Lord sins. Not only should we not rely on ourselves, but we should really trust in God, and this is the righteousness of a believer. And the Lord will deliver the souls of His servants - He will always help, will not leave them alone and will never be in debt to those who serve Him. The Lord always pays tribute and will not forget such a person in the future century.
“It remains only to repeat the words of Johann Sebastian Bach, a believer who, dying, said: “Finally I will hear real music!”
Transcript: Evgenia Osiptsova
How and when to read
The time at which a psalm should be sung depends entirely on the desire of the believer. You need to choose a moment when a person is ready to experience harmony, goodness, warmth and become closer to the Almighty. You need to read the text thoughtfully and clearly. Believers claim that after reading the chant, miraculous changes occur in their lives.
Most of the works from the book of Psalms were written by the prophet David
You need to read the Psalter in silence and solitude
Psalm 33 – a song of praise
Text of Psalm 33 in Russian
1 Psalm of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech and was driven away from him and withdrew.
2 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise is continually in my mouth.
3 My soul will glory in the Lord; The meek will hear and rejoice.
4 Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.
5 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my dangers.
6 Those who looked to Him were enlightened, and their faces were not ashamed.
7 This beggar cried, and the Lord heard and saved him from all his troubles.
8 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them.
9 Taste and see how good the Lord is! Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
10 Fear the Lord, all you His saints, for there is no want among those who fear Him.
11 The people of Skim are poor and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
12 Come, children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
13 Does a person want to live and does he love long life in order to see good?
14 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful words.
15 Avoid evil and do good; seek peace and follow it.
16 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are on their cry.
17 But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to destroy the memory of them from the earth.
18 [The righteous] cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their troubles.
19 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and will save those who are humble in spirit.
20 Many are the sorrows of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver him from all of them.
21 He keeps all his bones; not one of them will be crushed.
22 Evil will kill the sinner, and those who hate the righteous will perish.
23 The Lord will redeem the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him will perish.
If you carefully read the psalm and think about every word, it becomes clear why it has gained such fame. The chant is imbued with amazing power, which can only be comprehended during certain periods of life. This psalm is a must-read for everyone who wants to know the deep essence of life and get closer to God.
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Help from the Orthodox Psalm 33 for those reading it
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The text of Psalm 33 in the Orthodox Psalter is preceded by the following unusual inscription: “A Psalm of David, when he pretended to be mad before Abimelech and was driven away from him and withdrew.” Such a preface immediately suggests that this song was written on the basis of some historical event. Abimelech is not a name, but a title of the Philistine king, whose name was Achish. It is known that David, as the conqueror of Goliath, was presented to Achish, and in order to get rid of the obsessive attention of the Philistine ruler, he was forced to pretend to be crazy.
The interpretation of Psalm 33 explains the words “Come, children” (Ps. 33:12) in this way: having run away from Abimelech and finding himself on the street, David was surrounded by a crowd of children, but in order not to disturb his image of a madman, he was forced to continue the game, for which the children ridiculed him cruelly. Already being a king, David greatly regretted this incident, because, in his opinion, he had lowered himself in the eyes of the younger generation, and the words “Come, children, I will teach you the fear of the Lord” indicate that he is ready to correct the mistake. Reading, listening and watching Psalm 33 online is recommended for protection from attacking enemies.
Listen to the video of the Orthodox prayer Psalm 33 in Russian
Read the text in Russian prayer Psalm 33
Psalm of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech and was driven away from him and withdrew.
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise is continually in my mouth. In the Lord my soul will glory; The meek will hear and rejoice. Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my dangers. Those who turned their gaze to Him were enlightened, and their faces would not be ashamed. This beggar cried out, and the Lord heard and saved him from all his troubles. The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them. Taste and see how good the Lord is! Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Fear the Lord, all you His saints, for there is no poverty among those who fear Him. The Skimns are in poverty and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord do not suffer the need for any good. Come, children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Does a person want to live and does he love long life in order to see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful words. Avoid evil and do good; seek peace and follow it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are on their cry. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to destroy the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their sorrows. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and will save the humble in spirit. The righteous has many sorrows, and the Lord will deliver him from all of them. He keeps all his bones; not one of them will be crushed. Evil will kill the sinner, and those who hate the righteous will perish. The Lord will deliver the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him will perish.
Psalter, read Psalm 33 in Church Slavonic
I will bless the Lord at all times; I will make his praise in my mouth. My soul will glory in the Lord; let the meek ones hear and rejoice. Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and heard me and delivered me from all my sorrows. Come to it and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed. This beggar cried out, and the Lord heard and saved him from all his sorrows. The angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear him and deliver them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Nan. Fear the Lord, all you saints, for there is no hardship for those who fear him. The rich became poor and hungry; Those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good. Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is a person who loves life and sees good things? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from uttering flattery. Avoid evil and do good; seek peace and marriage and... The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are upon their prayer. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, even to consume their memory from the earth. The righteous cried out, and the Lord heard them and delivered them from all their sorrows. The Lord is near to those who are broken in heart, and will save those who are humble in spirit. Many are the sorrows of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver me from all of them. The Lord protects all their bones, not one of them will be broken. The death of sinners is cruel, and those who hate the righteous will sin. The Lord will deliver the souls of his servants, and all who trust in him will not sin.
