Psalm 18 (17):28Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It may appear unjust to the wicked that You choose to restore those who acknowledge their transgressions. You will bring low the proud. However, those who fail to grasp the righteousness of God and attempt to establish their own, (Rom. 10:3) You will bring to humility.

For You will deliver the lowly. This pertains to the Apostles. And the gaze of the arrogant shall be brought low. This pertains to the Pharisees and scribes.

You bestow salvation upon those who possess humility in spirit or situation, granting them glory. In contrast, those who are haughty and bound by pride are compelled to lower their gaze and contemplate the frailty of their being.

You will deliver the humble and bring low the proud. The humble are those marked by righteousness. The proud, on the other hand, are easily discerned through their gaze, as their elevated brows signify their arrogance. In contrast, you have caused these proud ones to look down in sorrow, their eyes cast to the ground. Alternatively, this lowly people refers to the Gentiles, burdened by their transgressions. The proud represent the Jews, who take pride in their laws and lineage.

The prophet elucidates the preceding verses by revealing why the Lord honors those who are reverent, treats the righteous with kindness, and stands with His chosen ones, or more simply, with the meek and humble, acting gently and granting them salvation. Humility, regarded as the foundation of all virtues, is especially pleasing to God; thus, the Lord preserves and lifts up all who are humble by bestowing His grace upon them. In contrast, pride, considered the root of all vices, is abhorrent to God; for this reason, He stands against the proud, bringing them low and humbling them. The visible nature of pride is evident in the eyes more than in other aspects, which is why it is stated, “Humbling the eyes of the proud.”

Those who are ensnared by demonic influence and whose sins bring them low are mercifully saved by Christ the Redeemer through His sacrifice and death. To all who embrace humility for the sake of Christ, grace is bestowed, for Scripture teaches that everyone who humbles themselves will be exalted (Lk. 14:11). The eyes of the arrogant are filled with demonic pride and jealousy of humanity's salvation; thus, they are brought low and cast into darkness, for they fail to perceive the light of truth eternally, unlike the wicked who resist coming to repentance in humility.