Psalm 24 [MT 25]

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. [Psalms 24:1] If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that showed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

The foolish person counts as his own possession that which never actually belongs to him, seemingly ignorant in his greed that “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof,” for “God is king of all the earth.” It is the passion of having that gives people a false title of lordship over that which can never belong to them. “The earth,” says the wise preacher, “abides forever,” ministering to every generation, first one, then another, that is born on it. But people, though they are so little even their own masters that they are brought into life without knowing it by their Maker’s will, and before they wish are withdrawn from it, nevertheless in their excessive vanity think that they are its lords; that they, now born, now dying, rule that which remains continually.

On Virginity 4

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, the compass of the world, and all they that dwell therein" [Psalm 24:1]; when the Lord, being glorified, is announced for the believing of all nations; and the whole compass of the world becomes His Church.

Exposition on Psalm 24

He is Lord of the whole world. He is its Lord, however, not by wresting authority or by depriving anyone else of lordship but by personally creating it and leading it from nonbeing into being.

Commentary on the Psalms 24:2

Having set forth the tribulation and the divine help, here the Psalmist commends the power of the one who assists. The title is not new in the Hebrew; but in the Latin is added "on the first day of the week." Here it should be known that, as it says in Ex. 20: "Remember to keep holy the sabbath day," etc., this is the third commandment. For in six days God made heaven and earth and all things that are in them, and on the seventh day he rested; and so we too ought to rest on the seventh day out of reverence. Hence all the days of the week are called sabbath, just as the Lord's Day is called the first of the sabbath. Mt. 28: "In the evening of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week." And from then on the whole week is called sabbath. Lk. 18: "I fast twice in the sabbath": hence this Psalm on the first of the sabbath commemorates those things which pertain to the first of the sabbath, that is, to the Lord's Day. On which three things were done: namely, the creation of the world, the production of light, and the resurrection of Christ, as is found in the Gospel, Mt. 28. The Psalmist therefore treats of these things: namely, of the power of the Creator, and the glory of the one rising; and perhaps this Psalm was sung on the first of the sabbath, but it seems to be disjointed. Nevertheless it should be known that in the time of David God was worshipped only in Judea; and David, considering that God is the God of the whole earth, and seeing in the prophetic spirit that it would come to pass that he would be worshipped in the whole world, composed this Psalm: and he treats of this here. This Psalm is therefore divided into three parts. In the first he sets forth his universal dominion; in the second he shows the manner by which men approach God, at "Who shall ascend"; in the third he foretells the future worship of God throughout the whole world, at "Lift up." Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows that God's dominion is universal; second he sets forth the sign or cause, at "For he himself founded it upon the seas." Or thus: in this Psalm he treats of three things. First, of creation; second, of illumination, at "Who shall ascend"; third, of the resurrection, at "Lift up," or of the glorification of the one rising. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets forth the power of the Creator; second he gives the reason, at "For he himself founded it upon the seas." Now it should be known that the earth can be considered in two ways: either as one element, or as the dwelling place of men: and in both ways it is under divine dominion. In the first way, there were some who did not extend divine providence to corruptible things, but only to the heavens. Job 22: "The clouds are his hiding place; he walks about the poles of heaven, and does not consider our affairs." Ezek. 9: "He has forsaken the earth, and the Lord does not see it." The Psalm says: you lie; because "the earth is the Lord's," namely the element itself over which he has dominion: or the earth, that is, the Church, which is the good earth that produces much fruit. Is. 40: "Who has weighed the mass of the earth with three fingers, and balanced the mountains in a scale and the hills in a balance?" But he adds, "and the fullness thereof." Gen. 1: "The earth was void and empty," etc., because it was not full of trees and other things that pertain to the adornment of the earth, such as plants and herbs. Or, "the fullness of the earth," that is, the fullness of the graces of the Church. And this is Christ, who brought every fullness of graces in himself. Sir. 15: "Your face is full of graces." Jn. 1: "Of his fullness we have all received." In the second way also, "the world is the Lord's," that is, our habitable earth. "And all who dwell therein," that is, all its inhabitants. Ps. 9: "He shall judge the world in equity, and the peoples in justice." Is. 45: "I did not create it (namely the earth) in vain; I formed it to be inhabited." The center is the lowest place in the world, toward which the earth tends by its gravity, and all other things yield to it: and Ps. 103 says: "He founded the earth upon its stability," because it tends there by gravity: and upon nothing, because nothing supports it from below; and Is. 40 says: "He has weighed the mass of the earth with three fingers," by coldness and the continuity of its parts. But because the earth is an element, and from it together with the other elements a compound is formed; and the earth is dry and cold, whence neither from motion nor from flowing is one part continuous with another, it needs moisture to hold it together and make it continuous, and so it is founded or established upon the waters; and because in nearly every part of the earth there is, as it were, a generation of waters, the whole earth can be said to be founded upon the water: for which reason he says, "He himself founded it upon the seas." Or just as a foundation holds a building together, so water holds the earth together, lest it become discontinuous. The discontinuity of the earth also causes the water, which is liquid and heavy, to flow throughout almost the whole earth. Likewise, by the world is designated the Church and all who dwell in it, namely the faithful; and we all belong to Christ: and whether we live or die, we are the Lord's, as the Apostle says in Rom. 14.

Exposition on the Psalms of David

This verse teaches about God’s kingdom to come, in which he will reign over all. And in order to make known that as maker and natural Lord he will reign over it, he said [in the next verse], “He is its foundations.”

Exposition on Psalm 24

"He has founded it above the seas." He has most firmly established it above all the waves of this world, that they should be subdued by it, and should not hurt it. "And has prepared it above the rivers" [Psalm 24:2]. The rivers flow into the sea, and men of lust lapse into the world: these also the Church, which, when worldly lusts have been conquered by the grace of God, has been prepared by love for the reception of immortality, subdues.

Exposition on Psalm 24

Next he gives the reason for the aforesaid, because namely "he founded it upon the seas"; as if to say: that belongs to the craftsman which the craftsman himself makes. But God made the earth and the things that are on the earth. Therefore the earth and its fullness are his. But some say that God's providence does not extend to earthly things. But against this is the sign of great providence in the arrangement of the waters in relation to the earth, because the lighter elements ought to be above the heavier ones. Similarly therefore, just as the air surrounds the water, so the water ought to surround the earth. And the philosophers assign many causes for this. But the cause is divine providence, so that there might be a habitation for men and animals; hence Moses in the beginning, when he set forth the creation of things, first set forth the earth as formless; hence "the earth was void," that is, formless, "and empty" of trees; and therefore he presented it as surrounded or covered by water, "and darkness," that is, the waters, "were upon the face of the deep," that is, upon the earth, "and the spirit of the Lord," that is, the air, "was moving over the waters." Or "the earth was void," that is, invisible because of the waters; hence it follows, "Let the waters be gathered," etc., "and let the dry land appear"; as if to say: because the earth is first in the order of elements, it was done by divine providence that it should be above the waters, so that men and animals might live upon it, and the waters nonetheless occupy the earth as far as the seas extend: hence he says, "He himself founded it upon the seas," that is, next to them, as elsewhere: Ps. 136: "By the rivers of Babylon" (that is, beside the river of Babylon) "there we sat," etc. "He founded it," that is, established it firmly, so that the sea should not overwhelm it: Job 38: "I set bars and doors for the sea, and said, Thus far shall you come and no further; and here you shall break your swelling waves": Jer. 5: "Who has set the sand as a boundary for the sea, an everlasting decree which it shall not pass." "And upon the rivers he prepared it," that is, next to the rivers; and he says "prepared," not "founded," because for preparation it is required that it be irrigated by a river; Ps. 64: "The river of God is full of water; you have prepared their food, for so is its preparation: watering its furrows, multiplying," etc. Or the Church is founded upon the seas, that is, upon tribulations: Ps. 92: "Wonderful are the surges of the sea." And upon the rivers, that is, upon the persecutions by which the Church was prepared for the crowns of the martyrs. Or "upon the seas," that is, upon bitternesses; and yet for its consolation he prepared rivers of consolations: Ps. 45: "The rushing of the river makes glad," etc.

Exposition on the Psalms of David

Where should you stand, you who seek sanctification from God? The writer says, “You have established my feet on the rock.” “Christ was the rock.” Let us learn about the one who follows these promises.

Selections from the Psalms 24:3

"Who shall ascend into the mount of the Lord?" Who shall ascend to the height of the righteousness of the Lord? "Or who shall stand in His holy place?" [Psalm 24:3]. Or who shall abide in that place, whither He shall ascend, founded above the seas, and prepared above the rivers?

Exposition on Psalm 24

After he taught briefly that everything which the Lord created belongs to him, he now embarks on the second section with a question; he answers by telling what sort of people they ought to be who desire to say that they are his.

Explanation of the Psalms 24:3

"Who shall ascend?" As if to say: he is great, and how shall one approach him? Eccl. 2: "Who is the man that can follow the king his maker?" And therefore he teaches the manner of reaching him: hence concerning this he does two things. First he poses the question. Second, the answer, at "The innocent in hands." In the question he asks two things: namely, about the way or the movement: "Who shall ascend?" And about the terminus: "Or who shall stand?" The mountain here signifies the height of divine justice or majesty: Ps. 35: "Your justice is like the mountains of God." The mountain therefore is the height of divine majesty, or the sublimity of Christ, who is called a mountain: Is. 2: "In the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted," etc. Who therefore shall ascend so as to reach Christ and God? Holy men who dispose their ascents in their heart shall ascend, as the Psalmist says. Likewise: who will be able to stand there, where he is who is the holy place, the place of glory? Jer. 17: "The place of our sanctification, the expectation of Israel": Ex. 3: "The place where you stand is holy ground": as if to say: who shall be established there? But elsewhere, Ps. 121 says that this is so: "Our feet were standing in your courts, O Jerusalem." Hence next the answer is given.

Exposition on the Psalms of David

Let no one speak deceitfully to his neighbor. The mouth of the malevolent is a deep pit. The innocent person, while he believes easily, falls readily; but though he falls, he rises; and the shuffler, with all his arts, goes headlong to ruin, from which he can never rise or escape. Therefore let everyone weigh well his words, and let him not say to another what he would not say to himself.

Epistle 2:5

Truly Judas ascended onto the mountain of the Lord, but he did not stand in his holy place. He was not innocent in hands or pure in heart, but a thief who was taking the money.

Notes on the Psalms 23[24].4

"The innocent of hand, and the pure in heart" [Psalm 24:4]. Who then shall ascend there, and abide there, but the guiltless in deed, and pure in thought? "Who has not received his soul in vain." Who has not reckoned his soul among things that pass away, but feeling it to be immortal, has longed for an eternity steadfast and unchangeable. "And has not sworn in deceit to his neighbour." And therefore without deceit, as things eternal are simple and undeceiving, has so behaved himself to his neighbour.

Exposition on Psalm 24

It is appropriate, he is saying, for him who desires to ascend that mountain both to purify his soul of idle thoughts and to keep his hands away from such pursuits. He put “hands” in place of pursuits, and by “heart” he implied desires: with the latter we form our intentions, and by the former we put them into action.

Commentary on the Psalms 24:4

Truthful swearing is certainly not forbidden in the Old Testament, but since the cause of perjury often arises for human nature from the weakness of the mind, in the New Testament it states that it is more beneficial not to swear oaths at all.… One who is going to do something other than promised swears deceitfully, not believing that it is perjury to wickedly manipulate someone who makes the mistake of trusting him.

Explanation of the Psalms 24:4

"The innocent." And first he shows this in general. Second, in particular: "This is the generation." Concerning the first he does two things. First he proposes the merit. Second, the reward, at "He shall receive." In the merit there is one thing that pertains to innocence of action; hence he says, "The innocent in hands": Job 22: "The innocent shall be saved; and he shall be saved by the cleanness of his hands": Ps. 25: "I have walked in my innocence." Another pertains to the purity of the heart: and as to this he states that the heart must be kept pure from interior concupiscences: hence he says, "and clean of heart": Mt. 5: "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God." Likewise from every desire for temporal things: "Who has not taken his soul in vain," that is, who has not poured it out upon vain things, or who does not vainly glory in his virtues, or who does not allow his sensuality to reach the point of consenting to sin. Jerome has "who do not lift up in vain," because from purity of heart some become proud: Ps. 130: "Lord, my heart is not exalted." Likewise it pertains to truthfulness of speech; hence it follows, "nor has he sworn deceitfully to his neighbor": Zech. 8: "Do not love a false oath."

Exposition on the Psalms of David

"This man shall receive blessing from the Lord, and mercy from the God of his salvation" [Psalm 24:5].

Exposition on Psalm 24

Now, it was quite appropriate for him to associate mercy with blessing: even what are thought rewards are given to human beings only on account of divine lovingkindness. I mean, all the righteousness of human beings is not nearly sufficient for gifts bestowed by God and certainly not for those yet to come, which even surpass human imagining.

Commentary on the Psalms 24:4

The one who will judge is the very one who blesses; the one who could have issued a sentence of incommutable damnation declares innocence. Therefore he wanted the value of the kindness to be acknowledged because of the worthiness of the one who overlooks offenses.… The blessing of acquittal follows mercy so that this blessing might be perceived to have come not through merits, but through the Lord’s kindness. For there is no one who does not have need to be shown mercy. Transgressions are forgiven so that a crown may come, just as freedom will not be able to be granted until slavery has first been removed. Our savior is the Lord Christ by whom blessedness is bestowed and sins are loosened. What he said earlier should not disturb us: “He will receive blessing from the Lord”; later he added, “And mercy from God his savior,” while in the order of things he pardons our sins first, and afterwards the gifts of his blessings follow. You often find that the order is varied so that mercy is placed first.… This figure is called anastrophe or an inversion, when we express a thought in a reversed order.

Explanation of the Psalms 24:5

"He shall receive." Here the reward is set forth. The reward consists in two things: namely, in the attainment of goods: "He shall receive a blessing," that is, good things from God: Prov. 10: "The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the just": 1 Pet. 3: "For unto this were you called, that you might possess a blessing as your inheritance." Likewise, in liberation from evils: hence he says, "And mercy from God his savior," who delivers from misery. Or in another way: the innocent in hands can approach; because he can be innocent for this reason, that "he shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy," because he avoids sins; Rom. 9: "It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."

Exposition on the Psalms of David

No one seeking the face of God will see his face and live, … unless he or she has been changed.

Selections from the Psalms 24:6

"This is the generation of them that seek the Lord" [Psalm 24:6]. For thus are they born that seek Him. "Of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob. Diapsalma." Now they seek the face of God, who gave the pre-eminence to the younger born. [Romans 9:12]

Exposition on Psalm 24

Next he shows this manner in general: "This is the generation of those who seek the Lord"; as if to say: in general there are many such: and these are the whole generation of those who seek God, who are innocent, etc. Hence Scripture speaks of the good as of one generation: Mt. 24: "This generation shall not pass away," namely of the good, etc. And he describes it by two things: namely, by their pursuit, because it seeks nothing but God: hence he says "of those who seek God," even in this life: Is. 55: "Seek the Lord while he may be found." To what end? That they may arrive at his vision; hence it follows, "of those who seek the face of the God of Jacob": Gen. 32: "I have seen the Lord face to face, and my soul has been saved."

Exposition on the Psalms of David

Solomon was not the Lord of hosts. But, when our Christ arose from the dead and ascended into heaven, the heavenly princes chosen by God were ordered to open the gates of heaven that the King of glory might enter and sit at the right hand of the Father until he makes his enemies his footstool. Now, when these heavenly princes saw that he was in appearance without beauty, honor or glory, and not recognizing him, they asked, “Who is this King of glory?” And the Holy Spirit, either in his own name or in the Father’s, answered, “The Lord of hosts. He is the King of glory.” But I am sure that everyone will admit that none of the gatekeepers of the temple at Jerusalem ever said of Solomon (though he was ever so glorious a king) or of the ark of testimony, “Who is this King of glory?”

Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter XXXVI

God spared not his own Son for you, letting him become a curse for us; for “cursed is he who hangs on a tree”; … that he might redeem us from our sins. The sun was darkened on the day of our redemption; hell lost its right to us, and we were enrolled for heaven. The eternal gates were lifted up that the King of glory, the Lord of might, might enter in, and humankind, born of the earth, destined for hell, was purchased for heaven.

On Flight in Time of Persecution 12:2

He comes to the heavenly gates: angels accompany Him: and the gates of heaven were closed. For He has not yet ascended into heaven. Now first does He appear to the powers of heaven as flesh ascending. Therefore to these powers it is said by the angels, who are the couriers of the Saviour and Lord: "Lift up your gates, ye princes; and be lifted up, ye everlasting doors: and the King of glory shall come in.

Fragments from Commentaries on Various Books of Scripture - On Psalm XXIII. Or XXIV.

It was not the Word himself that needed an opening of the gates, being Lord of all; nor were any of his works closed to their maker; but we it was that needed it, whom he carried up by his own body. For as he offered it to death on behalf of all, so by it he once more made ready the way up into the heavens.

On the Incarnation of the Word 25

The Word, being the image of the Father and immortal, took the form of a servant, and as man he underwent death for us in his flesh, that thereby he might offer himself for us through death to the Father. Likewise also, as man, he is said because of us and for us to be highly exalted, that as by his death we all died in Christ, so again in Christ himself we might be highly exalted, being raised from the dead and ascending into heaven, “where the forerunner Jesus has entered for us, not into the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” But if no Christ has entered into heaven itself for us, even though he was previously and always Lord and Framer of the heavens, then it is for us, therefore, that the present exaltation is written. And as he himself, who sanctifies all, also says that he sanctifies himself to the Father for our sakes, not that the Word may become holy but that he himself may in himself sanctify all of us, in like manner we must take the present phrase, “He highly exalted him”—not that he himself needed to be exalted, for he is already the highest, but that he may become righteousness for us, and that we may be exalted in him and may enter the gates of heaven, which he has also opened for us, the forerunners saying, “Lift up your gates, O you rulers, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.” For here also the gates were not shut on him who is the Lord and Maker of all, but because of us this too is written, to whom the door of paradise was shut. And therefore in a human relation, because of the flesh that he bore, it is said of him, “Lift up your gates,” and “shall come in,” as if a man were entering; but in a divine relation on the other hand it is said of him, since “the Word was God,” that he is the “Lord” and the “King of glory.” Such our exaltation the Spirit foreannounced in the eighty-ninth psalm, saying, “And in your righteousness shall they be exalted, for you are the glory of their strength.” And if the Son is Righteousness, then he is not exalted because he himself was in need, but it is we who are exalted in that Righteousness, which is he.

Discourses Against the Arians 1.41

If he ascend up into heaven, ascend with him. Be one of those angels who escort him or one of those who receive him. Bid the gates be lifted up, or be made higher, that they may receive him, exalted after his passion. Answer to those who are in doubt because he bears up with him his body and the tokens of his passion, which he did not have when he came down, and who therefore, inquire, “Who is the King of glory?” that it is the Lord strong and mighty, as in all things that he has done from time to time and does, so now in his battle and triumph for the sake of humankind. And give to the those who doubt the question the twofold answer. And if they marvel and say as in Isaiah’s drama who is this that comes from Edom and from the things of earth? Or how are the garments red of him that is without blood or body, as of one that treads in the full winepress? Set forth the beauty of the array of the body that suffered, adorned by the passion and made splendid by the Godhead, than which nothing can be more lovely or more beautiful.

On Holy Easter, Oration 45:25

Learn what our temple is, if you would know; It is one that no artisan has built, A structure not of riven fir or pine, Nor reared with blocks of quarried marble fair. Its massive weight no columns high support Beneath the arches of a gilded vault. By God’s Word it was formed, not by his voice, But by the everlasting Word, the Word made flesh. This temple is eternal, without end, This you attacked with scourge and cross and gall. This temple was destroyed by bitter pains. Its form was fragile from the Mother’s womb, But when brief death the Mother’s part dissolved, The Father’s might restored it in three days. You have beheld my saving temple rise On high, surrounded by an angel throng. The everlasting gates uphold its roof; Through lofty towers the glorious stairs arise, And at the top appears a shining path.

The Divinity of Christ 518-36

As our Lord ascends to the Father in triumph, he issues commands to the angels saying, “Open to me the gates of justice; I will enter them and give thanks to the Lord.” These are the gates of which in the twenty-fourth psalm the angels were speaking while they were preparing for the entrance of the Lord: “Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the King of glory may come in!” Aptly are the gates commanded to lift up high and raise aloft their portals, since, in accordance with the dispensation and mystery of the flesh and in conformity with the victory of the cross, he reenters heaven mightier than he had come down on earth. “This gate is the Lord’s; the just shall enter it.” Through this gate, Peter has entered, and Paul, and all the apostles and martyrs, and today the saints continue to go in; through this gate, the thief was the first to pass with the Lord. Have faith, therefore, and be hopeful for your own entrance.

Homily 94, on Easter Sunday

"Take away your gates, you princes" [Psalm 24:7]. All you, that seek rule among men, remove, that they hinder not, the entrances which you have made, of desire and fear. "And be lifted up, you everlasting gates." And be lifted up, you entrances of eternal life, of renunciation of the world, and conversion to God. "And the King of glory shall come in." And the King, in whom we may glory without pride, shall come in: who having overcome the gates of death, and having opened for Himself the heavenly places, fulfilled that which He said, "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." [John 16:33]

Exposition on Psalm 24

Let no one wonder, I ask you, on hearing of the ignorance of the invisible powers: they have neither advance knowledge nor complete knowledge—only the divine nature has that knowledge. Angels and archangels, however, and the other companies of the invisible powers know as much as they are taught, for which reason the divine apostle also, speaking of them, said, “So that to the principalities and authorities in the heavenly places the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known through the church.” Now, if they came to learn the divine wisdom more precisely through the life of the church, there is nothing out of order for the powers on high to be ignorant even of the mystery of Christ’s ascension when they see the human nature and do not perceive the divinity concealed in it.… No human being had ever passed through [the eternal gates]; but when God the Word became human and took up our first fruits, he both led the way up to heaven and took his place at the right hand of majesty in the highest places, above every principality, authority, dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.

Commentary on the Psalms 24:6-7

Now it is said to that one: Open the gates for your leaders. Cast away the example of Adam who is your leader according to the flesh, and lift up the eternal doors holding the powerful and mighty king of glory, powerful in battle, overcoming faults and their offsprings, worthless of spirit. Therefore, lift up the gates for your leaders. “Just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man.”

Commentary on the Psalms 24

Gabriel, who is called the strength of God, is also sent to Mary. For he came to announce him who deigned to appear humble to conquer the powers of the air. Of whom it is said through the Psalmist: "Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." And again: "The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory." Therefore, he who was the Lord of hosts and mighty in battle, coming to wage war against the powers of the air, was to be announced through the strength of God.

Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 34

7–10

"Lift up." This is the third part of the Psalm: in which he foretells how it was to come about that God would be worshipped in the whole world, as the literal sense explains. God is said to dwell in man through faith: Eph. 3: "That Christ may dwell through faith in your hearts": and through charity: 1 Jn. 4: "He who abides in charity abides in God, and God in him." Likewise, he is said to enter who begins to be where he was not before. God therefore enters into us when we begin to have faith in him. Once the whole world did not have faith in God: and this happened because of a twofold impediment: namely, because of the decrees of rulers, and because of ancient custom. The first happened because individual cities proposed to themselves laws of idolatry, and established particular gods: and this worship was, as it were, deeply rooted; the demons also fostered this. Likewise the angels were worshipped, whom they called the host of heaven: and these impediments were the gates or doors that, being shut, prevent entry into the house. He does three things. First he foretells what is to come. Second, he poses a question. Third, he gives the answer. He says therefore: "You rulers," that is, O evil men, or O demons, "lift up your gates," that is, raise up the impediments which you place so that men may not approach God. Jerome has "raise up"; as if to say, remove them, etc. Ps. 9: "You exalt me from the gates of death, that I may declare all your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion." "And you, eternal gates," that is, the eternal and ancient impediment: "be lifted up," that is, be removed: Ps. 75: "You shine wonderfully from the everlasting mountains"; as if to say: you ancient impediments, remove yourselves from the hearts of men: and then he who is the "king of glory shall enter" into the world through faith and charity and worship. Or it can be said that there are twofold gates: some that are evil, which close the way to life; others that are good, by which the way of life is opened. Ps. 117: "Open the ways of life," that is, of justice, etc. The evil gates are sins; the good ones are virtues. He says therefore: O rulers, lift up your gates, that is, open them, and remove sins: and acquire the "eternal" gates, that is, the eternal gifts from the eternal God: "be lifted up," in your hearts, and the king of glory shall enter. He speaks prophetically, because from the beginning not all believed at once, but they doubted; as if to say: whom do we want to believe, and whom do we want to obey? The God of the Jews? Ex. 5: "I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go." And therefore he shows this when he says, "Who is this king of glory?" And he answers: "The Lord, strong and mighty." A king appears glorious for three reasons. Because first he acquires great things by strength; hence he says "strong": Prov. 12: "The hand of the valiant shall rule": Job 9: "If strength is sought, he is most mighty." Second, because of his power; and he shows this when he says "the Lord, mighty," because he is most powerful to rule: Job 36: "God does not cast away the mighty": Dan. 7: "His power is an everlasting power," etc. Third, because he is a good warrior; hence he says "the Lord, mighty in battle," by which he conquered death and the Devil in all things: Rev. 5: "The lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered." Or "strong" in his own nature, "mighty" in jurisdiction over his own, and "mighty" against adversaries. Now what he says a second time, "Lift up," etc., can be called a repetition: and this so that the hearers may not delay in learning who this mighty one is. Or the first is addressed to the rulers, that is, to the demons; but what he says here is addressed to the good angels, who also by their own dignity, though not by their own effort, were previously worshipped by men who venerated them: 2 Kgs. 17: "They worshipped all the host of heaven": as if to say, remove the impediments on account of which men worship you. And therefore here he says, "The Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory." In the Gloss, however, there is another exposition. Christ descended to hell and ascended into heaven: and here he foretells both of these. And first he admonishes the infernal powers to open up; hence he says, "Lift up," etc. O infernal rulers, open your gates: "and be lifted up," etc. "And the king of glory shall enter." But when the demons asked, "Who is this king of glory?" he answers: he who was "strong and mighty in battle" against you. Second he admonishes the citizens above us to open the gates of Paradise. Hence Christ, responding as if with the voice of a herald and acting in that role, directing his voice toward heaven, says: O heavenly rulers, "lift up," that is, open, "your gates," etc. "And he shall enter," etc. And to those asking, he says, "The Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory." Now it should be known, as Dionysius says, that this is not to be understood as though the angels were ignorant of the mystery of the incarnation; but in wonder they said, "Who is this king of glory?" because the glory of Christ surpasses all knowledge. For sometimes Christ himself teaches about himself through Scripture, as it says in Is. 63: "I who speak justice," etc. But here not he himself, but others concerning him, namely the angels, respond, "The Lord of hosts," etc.; because some angels receive illumination immediately from God, as it says in Is. 6: "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and it was full," etc. Others receive it from those angels, such as the middle and lowest orders: and to these the answer is given here by other angels.

Exposition on the Psalms of David

Christ must be understood to be an exterminator of spiritual foes, who wields spiritual arms and fights in spiritual strife.… It is of such a war as this that the psalm may evidently have spoken: “The Lord is strong, the Lord is mighty in battle.” For with the last enemy death did he fight, and through the trophy of the cross he triumphed.

Against Marcion 4.20

Lord of Sabaoth is translated “Lord of powers.” And he is the captain of the powers of the Lord, whom also the divine powers salute as Lord of Sabaoth in Psalm 24, foretelling his return from earth to heaven.… In the Hebrew he is here again called Lord of Sabaoth. And since he is the King of glory, and by his sojourn here the whole earth would be filled with his glory, both in the psalm and in the prophecy the fulfillment is rightly placed in the present: in the prophecy in the words, “The whole earth is full of his glory,” in the psalm at the beginning where it says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and all that dwell therein.”

Proof of the Gospel 7:1.311-12

[Daniel 8:16-17] "And I heard the voice of a man in the midst of the Ulai, and he cried out and said: 'Gabriel, make this vision intelligible (Vulgate: make this man to understand the vision).' And he came and stood near to where I was standing." The Jews claim that this man who directed Gabriel to explain the vision to Daniel was Michael. Quite appropriately it was Gabriel, who has been put in charge of battles, to whom this duty was assigned, inasmuch as the vision had to do with battles and contests between kings and even between kingdoms themselves. For Gabriel is translated into our language as "the strength of, or the mighty one of, God." And so at that time also when the Lord was about to be born and to declare war against the demons and to triumph over the world, Gabriel came to Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20) and to Mary (Luke 1:26-27). And then we read in the Psalms concerning the Lord in His triumph: "Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle; He is the King of glory" (Psalm 24:8). But whenever it is medicine or healing that is needed, it is Raphael who is sent, for his name is rendered as "the healing of," or "the medicine of God" - that is, if one cares to accept the authority of the Book of Tobias (Tobit 12:11-15). And then, when favorable promises are made to the people, and hilasmos, which we might render as "propitiation" or "expiation," is the thing required, then it is Michael who is directed to go, for his name means, "Who is like God?" Of course the significance of the name indicates the fact that the only true remedy is to be found in God.

"And he said to me: 'Son of man, understand that in the time of the end the vision shall be fulfilled.'" Inasmuch as Ezekiel and Daniel and Zechariah behold themselves to be often in the company of angels, they were reminded of their frailty, lest they should be lifted up in pride and imagine themselves to partake of the nature or dignity of angels. Therefore they are addressed as sons of men, in order that they might realize that they are but human beings.

St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER EIGHT

"Who is this King of glory?" Mortal nature is awe-struck in wonder, and asks, "Who is this King of glory?" "The Lord strong and mighty." He whom you deemed weak and overwhelmed. "The Lord mighty in battle" [Psalm 24:8]. Handle the scars, and you will find them made whole, and human weakness restored to immortality. The glorifying of the Lord, which was owing to earth, where It warred with death, has been paid.

Exposition on Psalm 24

Gabriel, who is called the strength of God, is also sent to Mary. For he came to announce him who deigned to appear humble to conquer the powers of the air. Of whom it is said through the Psalmist: "Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." And again: "The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory." Therefore, he who was the Lord of hosts and mighty in battle, coming to wage war against the powers of the air, was to be announced through the strength of God.

Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 34

But after he had destroyed his enemies through his passion, the Lord, who is mighty in battle and strong, … goes, bearing victory and trophies, with the body that arose from the dead.… Certain powers say, “Who is this that is coming from Edom, with scarlet garments from Bosra, so beautiful?” And those escorting him say to those stationed at the gates of heaven, “Lift up your gates, and the King of glory will come in.”

Commentary on the Gospel of John 6:287-88

"Take away your gates, you princes." Let us go hence straightway into heaven. Again, let the Prophet's trumpet cry aloud, "Take away too, you princes of the air, the gates, which you have in the minds of men who 'worship the host of heaven.'" [2 Kings 17:16] "And be lifted up, you everlasting gates." And be lifted up, you doors of everlasting righteousness, of love, and chastity, through which the soul loves the One True God, and goes not a-whoring with the many that are called gods. "And the King of glory shall come in" [Psalm 24:9]. "And the King of glory shall come in," that He may at the right hand of the Father intercede for us.

Exposition on Psalm 24

"Who is this King of glory?" What! Do you too, prince of the power of this air, [Ephesians 2:2] marvel and ask, "Who is this King of glory?" "The Lord of powers, He is the King of glory" [Psalm 24:10]. Yea, His Body now quickened, He who was tempted marches above you; He who was tempted by the angel, the deceiver, goes above all angels. Let none of you put himself before us and stop our way, that he may be worshipped as a god by us: neither principality, nor angel, nor power, separates us from the love of Christ. [Romans 8:39] It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in a prince; that he who glories, should glory in the Lord. [1 Corinthians 1:31] These indeed are powers in the administration of this world, but "the Lord of powers, He is the King of glory."

Exposition on Psalm 24

Now this is said twice in one and the same psalm … in a way that might be thought superfluous and unnecessary. But in the repetition of the same words pay attention to how they end, and notice why it is said twice. It is as if, you see, to the one who rises again once and ascends once, gates are opened twice, both those of hell and those of heaven. It is a new thing, after all, God present in hell; it is a new thing, a man taken up into heaven. At each moment, at each point, princes are terrified: “Who is this King of glory?” How can we tell this? Listen to the reply given to each. The first questioners are told, “The Lord, the valiant and mighty, the Lord mighty in war.” What sort of war? Undergoing death for mortals, suffering alone for all, the Almighty not resisting and yet conquering death in dying. Great indeed, then, is the King of glory, even in the netherworld. This is also repeated to the heavenly powers.… But because he lifts up a man also with him to heaven, it is as if he is not recognized there either, and they ask, “Who is this king of glory?” But there, because he is no longer a contender but the winner, because he is not fighting but celebrating his triumph, the reply here is not “The Lord mighty in war,” but “The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.”

Sermon 377:1

Who is the King of glory? Christ, the Son of God, he is the King of glory, casting off the prince of shame. He lifts high the eternal gates of the holy universal church, having cast down the temple of idols just as the gates of their prince the devil. If you should ask, “Who is that King of glory?” the apostle will answer, “The King of all for their salvation, Christ, Son of God, who rules forever.”

Commentary on the Psalms 24

He is the king of glory who makes glorious those who glorify him, as it is said by the Lord: “Those who glorify me, I will glorify.” He allots power and strength and other gifts to each one as he desires.

Explanation of the Psalms 24:9

Gabriel, who is called the strength of God, is also sent to Mary. For he came to announce him who deigned to appear humble to conquer the powers of the air. Of whom it is said through the Psalmist: "Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." And again: "The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory." Therefore, he who was the Lord of hosts and mighty in battle, coming to wage war against the powers of the air, was to be announced through the strength of God.

Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 34

With the report of his resurrection, already accomplished, going ahead of him, the Lord of hosts and the King of glory himself at length appeared and made clear with what great might he had overcome the death he had temporarily tasted.

Homilies on the Gospels 2:9