Psalm 65 (64):3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

We have a Savior who declares that authority over all humanity has been bestowed upon Him. (John 17:2) Thus, that King began to manifest Himself when it was proclaimed, "To Thee shall all flesh come." He affirms, "To Thee, all flesh shall come." Why will every human being approach Him? Because He took upon Himself our mortal form. To what end will all humanity come? He drew His beginning from the womb of the Virgin; and now that the first fruits have been offered to Him, the remainder will follow to fulfill the sacrificial offering.

Through this, he proclaims the mission to all the nations, in line with the words of Joel, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28).

Listen to my supplication. Grant my plea and free me from the chains of captivity. To You, all humanity will come. These words offer a definitive glimpse of the divine blessing bestowed upon the Gentiles. As the Prophet declares, we earnestly desire to return and rejoice in Your holy sanctuary; soon, the entire human race, liberated from the shackles of idolatry, will turn to You, the one true God.

Listen, he implores, O Lord, to my supplication, and grant me my requests. In the phrase, ‘To Thee shall all flesh come,’ as noted by Theodoret, there is a prophetic declaration regarding the nations that they shall come to faith in Christ; he refers to the nations as flesh, possibly indicating that he views the entirety of humanity as a part, or due to the fact that the Gentiles lived in a way that was governed by earthly desires. Alternatively, David may be referring to the collective resurrection of all individuals, during which all who have been resurrected will recognize God.

Since it has been declared that your supplication will be fulfilled in Jerusalem, he petitions on behalf of the people, requesting that the Lord grants him the grace to return from exile to Jerusalem to present a sacrifice of praise and gratitude there. He does not seek his own return alone, but desires that all may turn their hearts to God and come by faith first to the earthly Jerusalem, which represents the church, and subsequently, through enlightenment, to the heavenly Zion. Just as God wishes for everyone to be redeemed and to attain an understanding of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), so too do the faithful aspire and pray that all humanity may recognize and glorify God. Consider my plea: to You shall all humanity gather.

Ultimately, this represents the realization of the prophecy found within this psalm, which was revealed to David through the Holy Spirit, for the glory and honor of God, who has chosen Zion as the place of the covenant. In this same psalm, the prophet foretells the return of the people of Judah from their Babylonian captivity to Jerusalem; consequently, Jeremiah and Ezekiel declared with prophetic certainty the eventuality of this return, urging us to find comfort in the promise of the liberation we seek. It is also interpreted as the deliverance of individuals from the bondage of sin to the freedom of the Heavenly Jerusalem, achieved by the grace of Christ the Lord, to His everlasting praise, the chosen ones. This also proclaims the divine calling extended to all humanity, in accordance with the words of the prophet Joel: ‘I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh’ (Joel 2:28).