Psalm 28 (27):6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Victory and Declaration The Lord supports the steadfast and bestows eternal life upon the risen. Consequently, since the dread of death has been removed, those who trust in Me openly acknowledge Me before Him, not out of obligation to the law, but willingly from their hearts. And I will acknowledge those who abide in Me before Him.

Having received wisdom through divine revelation and anticipating future aid from a distance, I began to sing. Praise the Lord, for He has heeded the sound of my supplication. The Lord is my support and my protector.

The Lord, he proclaims, is deserving of praise and exaltation. Because David was confident in receiving his requests, he affirms that the Lord answered him.

Resurrected anew. Observe the language employed! He does not merely state 'resurrected,' but 'resurrected anew,' for that which has never risen cannot rise again. The flesh of our Lord first came to life when He was born from the pure womb of the Virgin Mary, as foretold by Isaiah: And a branch shall spring up from the root of Jesse, and a branch shall grow from his root (Isaiah 11:1). It came to life again when the life of His body, destroyed by the Jews, rose in the splendor of the Resurrection, emerging from the tomb, and like a flower, it released a fragrant aroma and revealed its beauty, granting eternal life to all humanity. The fragrance that emanates from Him embodies the goodness of righteous actions, and the beauty He manifests reflects the holiness of everlasting divinity.

This marks the beginning of the second section of the psalm, where the prophet expresses gratitude to God for His grace. Up to this point, we have observed how he fervently prayed during his times of trouble; now, through this declaration of gratitude, he affirms that his supplications were not in vain. His example illustrates that God is perpetually willing to provide assistance regardless of how frequently His servants seek His aid. He elaborates on this idea in the subsequent verse, referring to God as his supporter and protector, or, as rendered in the Hebrew, his stronghold and shield, indicating that he was divinely rescued from his adversaries. He further emphasizes his faith or confidence, through which God empowered him to triumph over the schemes of his foes.

This psalm is thought to have been authored by David during the time of Absalom's rebellion. Forced out of Jerusalem, the king fervently beseeches the Lord to intervene on his behalf against the deceitful Absalom and his followers, asking for a decisive response to save him from the peril of death, referring to the soul—Hebrew term 'nepesh'—as the center of his intense desires. He expresses to himself the falsehoods uttered by his slanderers, who manipulated the truth for personal gain. The Hebrew conveys: ‘lest I should doubt that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!’ (v.1). With unwavering hope, the psalmist, amidst flight, raises his hands towards Jerusalem, the dwelling place of the Lord, praying for the Lord to respond to him (v.2).

The seer, perceiving through the Spirit the profound mystery of Christ's becoming flesh, His triumphant resurrection, and the restoration of Adam, offers gratitude to the Lord. In doing so, he instructs us to express thanksgiving, confess our faith, and exalt God.