Psalm 65 (64):7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Not by their own strength. For He has raised up mighty heralds, whom He refers to as mountains; lowly in their own sight, yet exalted in Him. These mountains are formed by His might. What does one of these mountains proclaim? We carry within us the sentence of death, so that we might not place our hope in ourselves, but in God who brings the dead to life. (2 Cor. 1:9) The one who relies on self and does not place their trust in Christ does not belong to those mountains that He has established through His strength. Forming mountains by His might, He dons strength. What does it mean to be girded with power? Those who center their lives on Christ create a protection around Him.

He who establishes the mountains as His stronghold, with ‘mountains’ signifying the opposing forces. You make them ready for judgment, for You ready the depths for them. And You will accomplish this, for You are powerful.

He then illustrates, to the best of his ability, the might of God. The One who establishes the mountains as a fortress is clothed in strength; He who calms the depths of the sea, at the sound of His waves, who can withstand. Simmachus interpreted the term ‘establishing’ as ‘preparing’, while Theodotion substituted ‘troubling’ with ‘taming’. Yet the Prophet comprehends this: You make the mountains steadfast and unshakeable, and the sea, as it pleases You, You cause to surge and then to rest, so that its tumult is silenced; and You accomplish all these wonders with ineffable and boundless power, with which You adorn Yourself like a girdle. For the one who is girded can act with effortless authority, thus the Prophet symbolically refers to God’s power as a girdle.

They equipped the mountains with their might. In these expressions, David acknowledges the might of God, offering hymns of praise. The one who establishes—Simmachus rendered it as one who firmly establishes. You, declares the Lord, are the one who firmly secures the mountains and hills, so that, as Theodoret notes, they cannot be moved by the fierce and relentless blows of powerful winds. Athanasius interprets these mountains as the wicked forces of demons, arranged by God as a consequence of sin. They are destined for the depths, and this, he asserts, You shall accomplish with strength. Girded with fortitude. You, says He, Lord, are girded with might as if bound by a belt, signifying strength that encompasses an innumerable host of creations, alongside perfect attributes of every nature.

He presents an additional justification: drawing from the all-mighty nature of God, which demonstrates that it is within His power to liberate His people from bondage when He chooses. He illustrates God's power through the contrasting forces of earth and water, indicating that God has established the earth so securely that its mountains remain immovable against the strongest winds. Conversely, He has created water to be so fluid that it responds to even the gentlest breeze.

Ultimately, this represents the realization of the prophecy found in this psalm, which was revealed to David through the Holy Spirit, highlighting the glory and majesty of God, who has selected Zion as the location of the covenant. In this same psalm, the prophet announces the return of the people of Judah from their Babylonian exile to Jerusalem. Jeremiah and Ezekiel further affirmed this prophetic truth, assuring us that we should find comfort in the hope of the liberation we seek, as inspired by this psalm. Additionally, it also signifies the restoration of individuals from the bondage of sin to the freedom offered by the heavenly Jerusalem, through the grace of Christ our Lord, for His everlasting glory. This message proclaims the call extended to all humanity, resonating with the words of the prophet Joel: ‘I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh’ (Joel 2:28).