Psalm 65 (64):6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Even if he sang beautifully in his youth, age inevitably obscures such talents. Perhaps the sound of his speech elicits pleasure, despite it being halting due to the loss of teeth; nonetheless, if he embodies righteousness, if he refrains from desiring what belongs to others, if he generously shares his possessions with the needy, if he offers sound wisdom and judicious counsel, if he holds fast to all faith, if he believes in faith—then he is willing to extend even to these broken members, for many martyrs are indeed aged. Why, then, do we find love for him? What virtue do we perceive with our earthly sight? None. Therefore, righteousness possesses a distinct beauty that is discerned with the eyes of the heart, inspiring love and fervor: countless souls have discovered love in those very martyrs, despite their bodies being ravaged! Can it be that when blood drenches their forms and the beasts rend their flesh, nothing remains for our eyes but sights that invoke horror? What could there be to love but the inherent beauty of righteousness amidst such gruesome acts? These are the blessings found in the House of God; let us prepare to be enriched with them. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matthew 5:6). Your sacred temple radiates with righteousness. And this very temple, beloved, embodies none other than yourselves. Embrace righteousness, and you become the temple of God. Hear us, O God our Savior (Psalm 64:5). Now it has been revealed who is addressed as God. The Savior, in particular, is the Lord Jesus Christ. More clearly has He been revealed, of whom it is said, To Thee shall all flesh come. That One who is welcomed into the Temple of God is both many and One. In the declaration of the One, it is said: ‘Hear, O God,’ signifying my need; and since this One consists of many, it is now said: ‘Hear us, O God, our Savior.’ Welcome Him as He is openly proclaimed, Hear us, O God, our Savior, the Hope for all ends of the earth and those distant seas. Thus, it is proclaimed, To Thee all flesh shall come. They arrive from every corner of the globe. The Hope for all ends of the earth—not limited to one region, not exclusive to Judea, or Africa, or Pannonia, or East or West, but the Hope for all ends of the earth and those shores afar. Such imagery refers to this world, a bitter sea filled with tumultuous storms, where men, driven by corrupt desires, consume one another like fish. Observe the wicked sea, a salty expanse, fraught with anguish; witness the kind of individuals it harbors. Who seeks inheritance except through the demise of another? Who seeks gain but through someone else's loss? How many crave elevation through the downfall of others? How many wish for others to sell their goods to benefit their own purchases? The oppression they impose upon one another and the consumption by the powerful is relentless. When one fish consumes another, the greater feeds on the lesser..... For the wicked fish caught in the nets claimed they could no longer endure, yet they themselves became even more corrupt than those they could not withstand. The nets ensnare both the good and the wicked. The Lord declares, The kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea, gathering every good thing; when it is full, it is drawn ashore, where the good are collected into vessels, and the wicked are discarded; so it will be at the end of the age (Matthew 13:47-49). He elucidates what the shore represents, and what the ultimate destination of the sea is. Angels shall emerge and separate the wicked from among the righteous, casting them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Oh! Citizens of Jerusalem, ensnared in the net, and being good fish; endure evil, for the net shall hold together: you shall remain in the sea, not among those who are gathered into vessels. For He is Hope from the ends of the earth, and He is also Hope in the distant sea. Far off, indeed, for the sea extends endlessly.

The virtuous person is sanctified by his purity and avoidance of sinful passions, and he is remarkable because of his righteousness and divine virtues.

Listen to us, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and those far off at sea. This expresses the prophecy that the Gentiles would come to faith in Christ: hear, says the Lord, you who are the hope of all nations. The phrase "the ends of the earth" refers to those who inhabit distant lands, while "those at sea" alludes to those living on islands, signifying those far removed from the mainland. According to Abba Dorotheus, some interpret that those at the ends of the earth represent individuals caught in profound wickedness, whereas those far out at sea are considered to be in deep ignorance; nonetheless, Christ stands as their hope. Theodoret observes that this also proclaims the salvation of the entirety of creation, recalling the prophecy of the patriarch James, who stated that "the prince of Judah shall not lack a prince, nor the leader of his descendants, until He comes, to whom it belongs, and who is the hope of the nations." Here, He is identified as the hope of all the ends of the earth and those far off at sea.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God until He has mercy on us” (Psalm 122:1-2).