Psalm 22 (21):4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You dwell in the sacred realm, O exaltation of Israel. In the realm of holiness, You reside, O exaltation of Israel, which is why You do not heed the voices of wrongdoing. Worship comes from those who behold You, not from the one who sought his own glory by consuming the prohibited fruit. As he gained sight through his physical eyes, he attempted to conceal himself from Your presence (Gen. 3:6-10).

What stands out most is that suffering is fulfilled while You reside in this sacred body. The Prophet refers to Him as the glory of Israel, celebrated and lauded by His own servants. Instead of the term 'praise,' various translators have opted for the term 'song.'

The term "The Holy One" denotes God, the Word, who is one in essence with the Father and was also personally united with the humanity He encountered. In the Gospel, He proclaimed, "I am in the Father and the Father in Me" (John 14:10). The Father is to be praised for Israel, as the Jewish people claimed exclusive knowledge of God, despite their erroneous and unfaithful judgment and their lack of righteousness. By revealing that You dwell within the Son, He has demonstrated that the Son also longs for the salvation of humanity and does not shy away from human mortality, sharing the same will as the Father. It is noted in the Catenae Nikitae that the words (Psalm 21:3-4) should be interpreted as a question: "My God!

In this passage, David focuses not on God's nature in heaven but on His relationship with the Israelites. He isn't merely lamenting that God, who has consistently shown mercy to His people, appears to forget them and withholds support and solace from the needy. Instead, he fortifies himself with endurance, wielding the shield of faith to fend off the fiery arrows of the adversary. David refers to God as Holy, affirming that He remains true to His nature. He highlights the praise of Israel, recognizing God's kindness and generosity toward His chosen ones, which inspires a continual outpouring of their worship. If God were to withhold His goodness, His people would have no song to sing. As one of the members of this community, David remains hopeful that, despite all challenges, he will be welcomed back into the unity of the faithful for the glory of God’s name.

The Son resides in the Holy One, united with the Father, as He proclaimed, ‘I am in the Father, and the Father in Me’ (John 14:10). This also illustrates the presence of the Divine in the sacred humanity of Christ. The true people of God, the Christian community, acknowledges the one true God, Christ the Lord.

"I call out to You, yet You, who listen to the praises of Israel, remain tranquil in Your holy dwelling, untroubled by my pleas." It is evident how profoundly these lines of the antiphon resonate with the celebration of the Exaltation, intertwined with the commemoration of Christ's suffering and crucifixion.