I am forgotten as one dead from the heart. I am become as a vessel that is destroyed.
נִ֭שְׁכַּחְתִּי כְּמֵ֣ת מִלֵּ֑ב הָ֝יִ֗יתִי כִּכְלִ֥י אֹבֵֽד׃
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse
They overlooked me as if I had ceased to exist in their hearts. I felt like a forsaken vessel. It appeared to me that I had become disconnected from all the work of the Lord, existing in this world without purpose, while others hesitated to stand beside me.
I have been overlooked, as one who is lifeless within the hearts of others. In the memories of companions, I am forgotten, left isolated and abandoned by all, akin to a deceased person. This state arises not only from the necessity of my death but also from the way a dead individual is disregarded by the living, as everyone prefers to forget me to escape the fear of being associated with me. As Theodoret notes, any vessel is kept as long as it appears valuable to those who use it; however, once it loses its perceived usefulness, it is completely cast aside. Thus, in a similar vein, I have become an afterthought, regarded as unnecessary.
Those who lack faith and heretics, those who do not fully accept the Scriptures, when witnessing the Lord upon the cross, fell into doubt regarding His divine nature, believing that His death extinguished their hope. This may also refer to heretics who, after hearing the sacred Scriptures in the Church and observing extraordinary deeds, turn away and are drawn instead to the teachings of the wicked, fleeing from the truth that they find intolerable. A shattered vessel is one that is rendered unfit for any essential purpose. Can it be stated in gentler terms than to assert that His omnipotence and strength matched our frailty?
Yet, it is crucial to recognize that such an understanding exists only in the minds of the deluded, while in Him always resided perfect omnipotence and astonishing divine completeness, as the apostle affirms: "in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col 2:9), meaning inherently and evidently.
He recounts another misfortune resulting from well-known persecution—specifically, how he became scorned by neighboring nations who learned of his dishonorable escape. His friends and acquaintances grew fearful, worried that an association with him would lead to Absalom's wrath and potentially cost them their lives should he be victorious. I faced ridicule from all my adversaries and experienced deep disdain from those around me, leading to trepidation among those who were familiar with me. The malice of my enemies transformed me into a source of mockery for my neighbors, instilling fear in my friends; indeed, many turned away when they saw me fleeing, abandoning me to avoid the risk of losing their lives if they chose to stand with me.
Thus, they regarded me as if I were dead to them, forgetting me completely as if I had never existed and expelling me from their hearts altogether, akin to someone who had long been buried. They presumed I was already lifeless. I resembled a shattered vessel, as all my friends, acquaintances, and neighbors treated me with contempt, viewing me as valueless. This is evidenced by the fact that I have overheard the derision and curses directed at me by many in the vicinity. In these expressions, he seems to remember the taunts of Shimei, who spoke ill of him and dared to throw stones, believing David was so diminished in stature, as one exiled, that he no longer had authority and was therefore cast out forever like a vessel of disgrace. The blasphemies of Shimei are detailed in the second book of Kings, chapter 16. Although only Shimei's insults are mentioned here, it is likely that many others reviled David at that time, as the truth of his situation suggests: I have heard the curses of many when they gathered against me to take my life. The sacred narrative in the second book of Kings, chapter 17, informs us that following the slander of Shimei, a council convened at Absalom's residence to conspire against David. This is the implication of the prophet's words, indicating that while I hear curses being leveled at me here, they are simultaneously plotting my demise in Jerusalem.
When the followers of Christ witnessed His crucifixion in a state of utter humiliation, they grieved and went away. In contrast, many unfaithful heretics, observing that Christ the Lord achieved salvation through His suffering on the cross yet failing to recognize Him as the true God, turn away from the Holy Church and forfeit the teachings of those who uphold Christ as the genuine God. Those who forget are cleansed from their hearts like the lawless Jews, desiring not to acknowledge the Resurrection of Christ; thus, they are described as vessels of destruction, embodying brokenness and decay.
He who had died within was overlooked. The just one was abandoned from the heart, meaning he was expelled from the heart, as if he were lifeless.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS