Psalm 110 [MT 111]
- Acrostic
Commentary from 25 fathers
The works of the Lord are great, sought out according to all his will.
μεγάλα τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου, ἐξεζητημένα εἰς πάντα τὰ θελήματα αὐτοῦ·
Вє́лїѧ дѣла̀ гдⷭ҇нѧ, и҆зы̑скана во всѣ́хъ во́лѧхъ є҆гѡ̀:
Now they went about in the public place: with boldness they attacked even the market, and in the midst of enemies they prevailed, and that saying was fulfilled, "Be Thou Ruler in the midst among Thine enemies." This was a greater miracle, that they, arrested, cast into prison, should do such acts as these!
Homily on Acts 12
And what followeth? "The Lord shall send the rod of Thy power out of Sion." It appeareth, brethren, it most clearly appeareth, that the Prophet is not speaking of that kingdom of Christ, in which He reigneth for ever with His Father, Ruler of the things which are made through Him: for when doth not God the Word reign, who is in the beginning with God? For it is said, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever." To what eternal King? To one invisible, incorruptible. For in this, that Christ is with the Father, invisible and incorruptible, because He is His Word, and His Power, and His Wisdom, and God with God, through whom all things were made; He is "King eternal;" but, nevertheless, that reign of temporal government, by which, through the mediation of His flesh, He called us into eternity, beginneth with Christians; but of His reign there shall be no end. His enemies therefore are made His footstool, while He is sitting on the right hand of His Father, as it is written; this is now going on, this will go on unto the end. ...
Exposition on Psalm 110
His work is [worthy of] thanksgiving and honour: and his righteousness endures for ever and ever.
ἐξομολόγησις καὶ μεγαλοπρέπεια τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος.
и҆сповѣ́данїе и҆ великолѣ́пїе дѣ́ло є҆гѡ̀, и҆ пра́вда є҆гѡ̀ пребыва́етъ въ вѣ́къ вѣ́ка.
3–4And Paul has declared his [Christ’s] proper and peculiar, natural and excellent sonship when he thus says of God: “Who spared not his own Son, but for us,” who were not his natural sons, “delivered him up.” For to distinguish him from those who are not properly sons, he said that he was his own Son. And in the Gospel we read, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Moreover, in the Psalms the Savior says, “The Lord has said to me, You are my Son.” Where, showing that he is the true and genuine Son, he signifies that there are no other genuine sons besides himself. And what, too, is the meaning of this: “From the womb before the morning I begat you”? Does he not plainly indicate the natural sonship of paternal begetting, which he obtained not by the careful framing of his manners, not by the exercise of and increase in virtue, but by property of nature? Wherefore, the only-begotten Son of the Father, indeed, possesses a flawless sonship; but the adoption of rational sons belongs not to them by nature but is prepared for them by the uprightness of their life and by the free gift of God. And it [human nature] is mutable, as Scripture recognizes: “For when the sons of God saw the daughters of men, they took for themselves wives,” etc. And in another place: “I have nourished and brought up children, but they have rebelled against me,” as we find God speaking by the prophet Isaiah.
Epistles on the Arian Heresy 1:8
3–4And what follows in the psalm would agree with him alone, where it says, “The Lord said to me, You are my Son. Today have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the heathen for your inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for your possession.” For surely only in him has this part of the prophecy received an indubitable fulfillment, since the voice of his disciples has gone forth into all the earth and their words to the ends of the world. And the passage distinctly names Christ, saying as in his own person, that he is the Son of God, when it says, “The Lord said to me, You are my Son. Today I have begotten you.” With which you may compare the words in the Proverbs, also spoken in his own person: “Before the mountains were established, before all the hills he brings me forth.” And also the address by the Father to him in Psalm 109 [LXX]: “I begat you from my womb before the morning star.” Understand then how the holy Scriptures prophesy that one and the same being, Christ by name, who is also Son of God, is to be plotted against by people, to receive the nations for his inheritance and to rule over the ends of the earth, showing his dispensation among people by two proofs: the one being the attacks on him and the other the subjection of the nations to him.
Proof of the Gospel 4:16
3–4Meanwhile, I ask each one’s opinion about the interpretation of “from him.” Are we to understand these words in the sense of coming from another person, or from no one else, or are we to believe that he himself was the one to whom he was referring? They are not from another person, because they are “from him,” that is, in the sense that God does not come from anywhere else except than from God. They are not from nothing, because they come “from him,” for a nature is revealed from which the birth is derived. He himself is not meant, because “from him” refers to the birth of the Son from the Father. Moreover, when it is pointed out that he is “from the womb,” I ask whether it is possible to believe that he was born from nothing, since the true nature of the birth is revealed by applying the terminology of bodily functions? God was not composed of bodily members when he spoke of the generation of the Son in these words: “From the womb before the day star I begot you.” He spoke in order to enlighten our understanding while he confirmed that ineffable birth of the only-begotten Son from himself with the true nature of the godhead, in order that he might impart to the faculties of our human nature the knowledge of the faith concerning his divine attributes in a manner adapted to our human nature, in order that he might teach us by the expression “from the womb” that the existence of his Only-Begotten was not a creation from nothing but a natural birth from himself. Finally, has he left us in any doubt whatsoever that his words “I came forth from the Father and have come” are to be understood in the sense that he is God, that his being does not come from anywhere else except from the Father? When he came forth from the Father, he did not have a different nature or no nature, but he bears testimony to the fact that he is his author from whom, as he says, he has gone forth.
On the Trinity 6:16
3–4But since there are poorly instructed people who, while resisting the doctrine of a Son, think little of the words “from the womb before the morning star I begat you,” as if this referred to his relation to Mary, alleging that he was born of Mary “before the morning star.” Since to say that “womb” could not refer to his relation toward God, we must address the issue briefly here. If then, because the “womb” is human, therefore it is foreign to God; “heart” too clearly has a human meaning, for that which has heart has womb also. Since then both are human, we must deny both or seek to explain both. Now as a word is from the heart, so is an offspring from the womb; and as when the heart of God is spoken of, we do not conceive of it as human, so if Scripture says “from the womb,” we must not understand it in a corporeal sense. For it is usual with divine Scripture to speak and signify in the way of humankind what is above humankind. Thus speaking of the creation it says, “your hands made me and fashioned me,” and, “your hand made all these things,” and, “he commanded, and they were created.” Scripture’s language is suitable then about everything; attributing to the Son “propriety” and “genuineness” and to the creation “the beginning of being.” For the one God makes and creates, but him [the Son] he begets from himself, Word or Wisdom. Now “womb” and “heart” plainly declare what is proper and the genuine, for we too have this from the womb, but our works we made by our hands.
Discourses Against the Arians 4.27
3–4Plainly, divine Scripture, which knows better than any the nature of everything, says through Moses, of the creatures, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”; but of the Son it introduces not another but the Father himself saying, “I have begotten you from the womb before the morning star”; and again, “You are my Son, this day have I begotten you.” And the Lord says of himself in Proverbs, “Before all the hills he begets me”; and concerning things originated and created John says, “All things were made by him”;50 but speaking of the Lord, he says, “The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he declared him.” If then he is a son, therefore he is not a creature; if a creature, his is not a son; for the difference between them is great, and son and creature cannot be the same, unless his essence is considered to be at once from God and external to God.
Defense of the Nicene Definition 3:13
3–4We read that the Son is begotten, inasmuch as the Father says, “I brought you forth from the womb before the morning star.” We read of the “firstborn” Son, of the “only-begotten”54—firstborn, because there is none before him; only-begotten, because there is none after him. Again, we read, “Who shall declare his generation?” “Generation,” mark you, not “creation.” What argument can be brought to meet testimonies so great and mighty as these?
Exposition of the Christian Faith 1.14.89
3–4Again, immediately before the declaration “the Lord created me,” he says, “I will tell of the things that are from eternity,” and before saying, “he begat,” he said, “In the beginning, before he made the earth, before all hills.” In its extent, the preposition “before” reaches back into the past without end or limit, and so “Before Abraham was, I am,” clearly need not mean “after Adam,” just as “before the morning star” need not mean “after the angels.” But when he said “before,” he intended not that he was included in anyone’s existence but that all things are included in his, for thus it is the custom of holy Scripture to show the eternity of God. Finally, in another passage you may read, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were made, you are from everlasting to everlasting.”58Before all created things, then, the Son is begotten; within all and for the good of all is he made; begotten of the Father, above the law, brought forth of Mary, under the law.
Exposition of the Christian Faith 3.9.61-62
"With Thee the beginning on the day of Thy power." What is this day of His power, when is there beginning with Him, or what beginning, or in what sense is there beginning with Him, since He is the Beginning? ...What meaneth, "With Thee is the beginning"? Suppose anything you please as the beginning. Of Christ Himself, it would rather have been said, Thou art the Beginning, than, With Thee is the beginning. For He answered to those who asked Him, "Who art Thou?" and said, "Even the same that I said unto you, the Beginning;" since His Father also is the Beginning, of whom is the only-begotten Son, in which Beginning was the Word, for the Word was with God. What then, if both the Father and the Son are the beginning, are there two beginnings? God forbid! For as the Father is God, and the Son is God, but the Father and the Son are not two Gods, but one God: so is the Father Beginning and the Son Beginning, but the Father and the Son are not two, but one Beginning. "With Thee is the beginning." Then it shall appear in what sense the beginning is with Thee. Not that the beginning is not with Thee here also. For hast Thou not also said, "Behold, ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone; but I am not alone, because the Father is with Me"? Here therefore also, the beginning is with Thee. For Thou hast said elsewhere also, "But the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth His works." "With Thee is the beginning:" nor was the Father ever separated from Thee. But when the Beginning shall appear to be with Thee, then shall it be manifest unto all who are made like Thee; since they shall see Thee as Thou art; for Philip saw Thee here, and sought the Father. Then therefore shall be seen what now is believed: then shall "the beginning be with Thee" in the sight of the righteous, in the sight of saints; the ungodly being removed, that they may not see the brightness of the Lord. ...
Exposition on Psalm 110
3–4He is named Christ from being as man anointed with the Holy Spirit, and called our high priest, apostle, prophet and king. Long ago the divine Moses exclaimed, “The Lord your God will raise up to you a prophet, from the midst of you, of your brethren, like to me.” And the divine David cries, “The Lord has sworn and will not repent, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” This prophecy is confirmed by the divine apostle. And again “seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”
Letter 146
3–4Just as, therefore, from the side of Adam Eve was created, so also from the side of Christ was created the church, which has no spot or blemish. In him, therefore, God has opened an entrance to all the sons of Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob, in order that they may profess their faith in him and have life and salvation in his name. Turn, therefore, and enter into the joy of your father Abraham, because God has fulfilled what he promised to him. Whence also the prophet says, The Lord has sworn, and will not repent: “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” Christ became a priest on the cross, when he offered the whole burnt offering of his own body and blood as a sacrifice for all the world.
The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is merciful and compassionate.
μνείαν ἐποιήσατο τῶν θαυμασίων αὐτοῦ, ἐλεήμων καὶ οἰκτίρμων ὁ Κύριος·
Па́мѧть сотвори́лъ є҆́сть чꙋде́съ свои́хъ: млⷭ҇тивъ и҆ ще́дръ гдⷭ҇ь.
If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec) [Psalms 110:4] By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
And unto what are You born? "The Lord has sworn, and will not repent: You are a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec" [Psalm 110:4]. For unto this were You born from the womb before the morning star, that You might be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec. For in that character in which He was born of the Father, God with God, coeternal with Him who begot Him, He is not a Priest; but He is a Priest on account of the flesh which He assumed, on account of the victim which He was to offer for us received from us. "The Lord," then, "has sworn." What then means, the Lord has sworn? Does the Lord, who forbids men to swear, [Matthew 5:34] Himself swear? Or does He possibly forbid man to swear chiefly on this account, that he may not fall into perjury, and for this reason the Lord may swear, since He cannot be forsworn. For man, who, through a habit of swearing, may slip into perjury, is rightly forbidden to swear: for he will be farther from perjury in proportion as he is far from swearing. For the man who swears, may swear truly or falsely: but he who swears not, cannot swear falsely; for he swears not at all. Why then should not the Lord swear, since the Lord's oath is the seal of the promise? Let Him swear by all means. What then do you, when you swear? You call God to witness: this is to swear, to call God to witness; and for this reason there must be anxiety, that you may not call God to witness anything false. If therefore thou by an oath dost call God to witness, why then should not God also call Himself to witness with an oath? "I live, says the Lord," this is the Lord's oath...."The Lord swore," then, that is, confirmed: "He will not repent," He will not change. What? You are a Priest for ever. "For ever," for He will not repent. But Priest, in what sense? Will there be those victims, victims offered by the Patriarchs, altars of blood, and tabernacle, and those sacred emblems of the Old Covenant? God forbid! These things are already abolished; the temple being destroyed, that priesthood taken away, their victim and their sacrifice having alike disappeared, not even the Jews have these things. They see that the priesthood after the order of Aaron has already perished, and they do not recognise the Priesthood after the order of Melchizedec. I speak unto believers. If catechumens understand not something, let them lay aside sloth, and hasten unto knowledge. It is not therefore needful for me to disclose mysteries here: let the Scriptures intimate to you what is the Priesthood after the order of Melchizedec.
Exposition on Psalm 110
Daniel told a story of another hermit who used to live in the lower parts of Egypt, and who said in his simplicity that Melchizedek was the Son of God. Now when the blessed man Theophilus, the archbishop of Alexandria, heard of it, he sent a message asking the monks to bring the hermit to him. When he saw him, he realized that he was a man of vision and that every thing that he had asked for God had given him, and that he had only said this out of simplicity. The archbishop dealt with him wisely in the following manner, saying, ‘Abba, pray to God for me, because I have begun to think that Melchizedek was the Son of God,’ and he added, ‘It cannot be true, for the high priest of God was a man. But because I had doubts in my mind about this, I sent for you to pray to God for me that He may reveal the truth of the matter to you.’ Then, because the hermit had confidence in the power of prayer, he said to him firmly, ‘Wait three days, and I will ask God about this and then I shall be able to tell you who Melchizedek was.’ So the hermit went away, and returned after three days, and said to the blessed Archbishop Theophilus, ‘Melchizedek was a man.’ The Archbishop said unto him, ‘How do you know that, abba?’ The hermit said, ‘God showed me all the Patriarchs, one by one, and they passed before me one after the other, from Adam to Melchizedek, and an angel said to me, “This is Melchizedek.” That is indeed how the truth of this matter appeared tome.’ The hermit went away, and he himself proclaimed that Melchizedek was a man, and the blessed Theophilus rejoiced greatly.
The Desert Fathers, Sayings of the Early Christian Monks
The reference to Melchizedek (110:4)—the identification of this very mysterious person as a symbol or prophecy of Christ—is made in Hebrews 7. The exact form of the comment there made on Genesis 14 is of course alien to our minds, but I think the essentials can all be retained in our own idiom. We should certainly not argue from the failure of Genesis to give Melchizedek any genealogy or even parents that he has neither beginning nor end (if it comes to that, Job has no genealogy either); but we should be vividly aware that his unrelated, unaccounted for, appearance sets him strangely apart from the texture of the surrounding narrative. He comes from nowhere, blesses in the name of the 'most high God, possessor of heaven and earth', and utterly disappears. This gives him the effect of belonging, if not to the Other World, at any rate to another world; other than the story of Abraham in general. He assumes without question, as the writer of Hebrews saw, a superiority over Abraham which Abraham accepts. He is an august, a 'numinous' figure. One effect which the episode of Melchizedek was to have is quite clear. It puts in, with unforgettable impressiveness, the idea of a priesthood, not Pagan but a priesthood to the one God, far earlier than the Jewish priesthood which descends from Aaron, independent of the call to Abraham, somehow superior to Abraham's vocation. And this older, pre-Judaic, priesthood is united with royalty; Melchizedek is a priest-king. In some communities priest-kings were normal, but not in Israel. It is thus simply a fact that Melchizedek resembles (in his peculiar way he is the only Old Testament character who resembles) Christ Himself. For He, like Melchizedek claims to be Priest, though not of the priestly tribe, and also King. Melchizedek really does point to Him; and so of course does the hero of Psalm 110 who is a king but also has the same sort of priesthood.
For a Jewish convert to Christianity this was extremely important and removed a difficulty. He might be brought to see how Christ was the successor of David; it would be impossible to say that He was, in a similar sense, the successor of Aaron. The idea of His priesthood therefore involved the recognition of a priesthood independent of and superior to Aaron's. Melchizedek was there to give this conception the sanction of the Scriptures.
Reflections on the Psalms, Chapter 12: Second Meanings in the Psalms
He has given food to them that fear him: he will remember his covenant for ever.
τροφὴν ἔδωκε τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν, μνησθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα διαθήκης αὐτοῦ.
Пи́щꙋ дадѐ боѧ́щымсѧ є҆гѡ̀: помѧне́тъ въ вѣ́къ завѣ́тъ сво́й.
"The Lord on Thy right hand." The Lord had said, "Sit Thou on My right hand;" now the Lord is on His right hand, as if they changed seats. ...That very Christ, the "Lord on Thy right hand," unto whom Thou hast sworn, and it will not repent Thee: what doth He, Priest for evermore? What doth He, who is at the right hand of God, and intercedeth for us, like a priest entering into the inner places, and into the holy of holies, into the mysteries of heaven, He alone being without sin, and therefore easily purifying from sins. He therefore "on Thy right hand shall wound even kings in the day of His wrath." What kings, dost thou ask? Hast thou forgotten? "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers took counsel together against the Lord, and against His Anointed." These kings He wounded by His glory, and by the weight of His Name made kings weak, so that they had not power to effect what they wished. For they strove amain to blot out the Christian name from the earth, and could not; for "Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken." Kings therefore fall on this "stone of offence," and are therefore wounded, when they say, Who is Christ? I know not what Jew or what Galilean He may have been, who died, who was slain in such a manner! The stone is before thy feet, lying, so to speak, mean and humble: therefore by scorning thou dost stumble, by stumbling thou fallest, by falling thou art wounded. ..."But on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." When therefore any one falleth upon it, it lieth as it were low; it then woundeth: but when it shall grind him to powder, then it will come from above. See how in these two words, it shall wound him and grind him to powder: he striketh upon it, and it shall come down upon him: are distinguished the two seasons, of the humiliation and the majesty of Christ, of hidden punishment and future judgment. He will not crush, when He cometh, that man whom He doth not wound when He lieth in a contemptible appearance. ...
Exposition on Psalm 110
He has declared to his people the power of his works, to give them the inheritance of the heathen.
ἰσχὺν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἀνήγγειλε τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ τοῦ δοῦναι αὐτοῖς κληρονομίαν ἐθνῶν.
Крѣ́пость дѣ́лъ свои́хъ возвѣстѝ лю́демъ свои̑мъ, да́ти и҆̀мъ достоѧ́нїе ꙗ҆зы̑къ.
"He shall judge among the heathen: He shall fill up what has fallen" [Psalm 110:6]. Whoever you are who art obstinate against Christ, you have raised on high a tower that must fall. It is good that you should cast yourself down, become humble, throw yourself at the feet of Him who sits on the right hand of the Father, that in you a ruin may be made to be built up. For if you abide in your evil height, you shall be cast down when you can not be built up. For of such the Scripture says in another passage: "Therefore shall He break down, and not build them up." Beyond doubt he would not say this of some, unless there were some whom He broke down so as to build them up again. And this is going on at this time, while Christ is judging among the heathen in such a manner as to fill up what has fallen. "He shall smite many heads over the earth." Here upon the earth in this life He shall smite many heads. He makes them humble instead of proud; and I dare to say, my brethren, that it is more profitable to walk here humbly with the head wounded, than with the head erect to fall into the judgment of eternal death. He will smite many heads when he causes them to fall, but He will fill them up and build them up again.
Exposition on Psalm 110
The works of his hands are truth and judgment: all his commandments are sure:
ἔργα χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀλήθεια καὶ κρίσις· πισταὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ἐντολαὶ αὐτοῦ,
Дѣла̀ рꙋ́къ є҆гѡ̀ и҆́стина и҆ сꙋ́дъ, вѣ̑рны всѧ̑ за́пѡвѣди є҆гѡ̀,
"He shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift up his head" [Psalm 110:7]. Let us consider Him drinking of the brook in the way: first of all, what is the brook? the onward flow of human mortality: for as a brook is gathered together by the rain, overflows, roars, runs, and by running runs down, that is, finishes its course; so is all this course of mortality. Men are born, they live, they die, and when some die others are born, and when they die others are born, they succeed, they flock together, they depart and will not remain. What is held fast here? what doth not run? what is not on its way to the abyss as if it was gathered together from rain? For as a river suddenly drawn together from rain from the drops of showers runneth into the sea, and is seen no more, nor was it seen before it was collected from the rain; so this hidden rain is collected together from hidden sources, and floweth on; at death again it travelleth where it is hidden: this intermediate state soundeth and passeth away. Of this brook He drinketh, He hath not disdained to drink of this brook; for to drink of this brook was to Him to be born and to die. What this brook hath, is birth and death; Christ assumed this, He was born, He died. "Therefore hath He lifted up His head;" that is, because He was humble, and "became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross: therefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name; that at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ the Lord is in the glory of God the Father." [Philippians 2:8-11]
Exposition on Psalm 110
Therefore, beloved, He rejoiced as a giant to run His course. What course, if not the mortal path which He deemed worthy to share with us? That is the path through which humankind passes. For they pass through it by being born and by dying. And this river of the human race flows perpetually from the hidden veins of nature from the beginning to the end. From this rapid and turbulent river Christ deigned to drink. You have just heard in the psalm: "He drinks from the torrent in the way." This torrent led us to birth, and led us to death. As from a hidden spring, Christ received the abyss of the sea. For us, He was both born and died. And because men, positioned in the middle of this river, often delight in the flatteries and allurements of the world, which are involved in the silt of this torrent, and they are submerged into the depths of hell, who, eagerly drinking the passing waves, are thus killed by trying to stand in the precipitous torrent and seeking firm steps in its republic: thus the Lord drank from the torrent in the way. What does it mean, "He drank in the way"? He drank while passing through. For He drank and passed through, He did not remain: nor did He stand in the way of sinners. Again, men fear death; because it is necessary for all to be hurled by the force of this torrent: but Christ could not fear the death He voluntarily accepted; thus it is said: "And He rejoiced as a giant to run His course." For He descended and ran: ascended and sat. ...If we ask why all these things were done, dearest ones, we will find they were done for us. For He descended, so that we might ascend; died, so that we might live; rose again, so that we might rise again; ascended into heaven, so that we might learn to despise worldly things and to lift our hearts upward. Finally, to raise our hope after Him, He first raised His flesh: and so that we might hope this would follow in us, what He received from us preceded in Him.
Sermon 372:3
Hence it is also well said through the Psalmist: "He shall drink of the torrent in the way, therefore shall He lift up His head." For indeed from the very beginning of the world a torrent of death had flowed forth in the human race: but the Lord drank of this torrent in the way, because He tasted death in passing. And therefore He lifted up His head, because what He laid in the tomb by dying, He raised above the angels by rising again; and from that point He struck down the ancient enemy forever, from the very place where He temporarily permitted the hands of persecutors to rage against Him.
Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 25
established for ever and ever, done in truth and uprightness.
ἐστηριγμέναι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, πεποιημέναι ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ εὐθύτητι.
ᲂу҆твержє́ны въ вѣ́къ вѣ́ка, сотворє́ны во и҆́стинѣ и҆ правотѣ̀.
He sent redemption to his people: he commanded his covenant for ever: holy and fearful is his name.
λύτρωσιν ἀπέστειλε τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ, ἐνετείλατο εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα διαθήκην αὐτοῦ· ἅγιον καὶ φοβερὸν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ.
И҆збавле́нїе посла̀ лю́демъ свои̑мъ: заповѣ́да въ вѣ́къ завѣ́тъ сво́й: ст҃о и҆ стра́шно и҆́мѧ є҆гѡ̀.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and all that act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures for ever and ever.
ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου, σύνεσις δὲ ἀγαθὴ πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν. ἡ αἴνεσις αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος.
Нача́ло премⷣрости стра́хъ гдⷭ҇ень, ра́зꙋмъ же бл҃гъ всѣ̑мъ творѧ́щымъ и҆̀: хвала̀ є҆гѡ̀ пребыва́етъ въ вѣ́къ вѣ́ка.
[Alleluia.] I will give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and [in] the congregation.
᾿Αλληλούϊα. - ΕΞΟΜΟΛΟΓΗΣΟΜΑΙ σοι, Κύριε, ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου ἐν βουλῇ εὐθέων καὶ συναγωγῇ.
И҆сповѣ́мсѧ тебѣ̀, гдⷭ҇и, всѣ́мъ се́рдцемъ мои́мъ въ совѣ́тѣ пра́выхъ и҆ со́нмѣ.