They have not been hidden from their children, in another generation. Declaring the praises of the Lord, and his powers, and his wonders which he hath done.
לֹ֤א נְכַחֵ֨ד ׀ מִבְּנֵיהֶ֗ם לְד֥וֹר אַחֲר֗וֹן מְֽ֭סַפְּרִים תְּהִלּ֣וֹת יְהוָ֑ה וֶעֱזוּז֥וֹ וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָֽׂה׃
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Our generation is blessed with a revival that allows us to proclaim the glories of the Lord, recounting His mighty acts and wonderful deeds. Our forebears have shared these stories, celebrating the praises of the Lord. The Lord is to be adored above all, for what greater source of healing can exist? He has raised a testimony in Jacob and instituted a covenant among His people.
Their children were made aware of His mighty deeds. It was not for a different generation, but for their offspring, that all the wondrous acts of the Savior were revealed. Consequently, they spoke openly, 'declaring' to them 'the glories of the Lord and His strength.'
They declared this for the purpose of enlightening us, their children, with understanding.
and indicating where he had acquired this knowledge, he stated, ‘I have both heard and learned these truths. - He identified those who were its instructors. Our ancestors have conveyed these teachings to us. They were not hidden from their offspring through the ages, proclaiming the glory of the Lord, His might, and the wonders He performed. From ancient times and at the outset, the seers of the miraculous imparted these lessons to their children, and in turn, they passed them on to subsequent generations. This was done in adherence to God's commandments. For this reason, the Prophet added.
They communicated to their offspring the lessons they had received, transmitting these teachings directly to them. Likewise, the children did not keep hidden what they had learned from their ancestors; instead, they shared these lessons with the subsequent generation, and this cycle continued. The directive was clear: "Take heed to thyself... forget not all the events which thine eyes have seen, but teach thy children, and thy children's children" (Deuteronomy 4:9). They declared the greatness of the Lord, His might, and the wonders He has performed. The statement "and our fathers have told us" aligns with the act of proclaiming these deeds, where the phrase about not withholding from their children serves to emphasize this idea.
Thus, the same divine deeds are referred to as works of praise, acknowledging both the powers of God and the miraculous acts that inspire awe. The "powers" can refer to the mighty acts against adversaries, while the "miracles" signify those wonders God has accomplished for His people, of which specific instances will be shared. As Athanasius remarked, the Savior performed great works not for another purpose, but for their children. Hence, they constantly celebrated all the virtues of the Lord and His omnipotence.
To demonstrate that his teachings aligned with those proclaimed by the prophets, he states, ‘It shall not be withheld from their children in the next generation: I will declare the praises of the Lord, and His power, and His miracles which He hath wrought. Who are those of whom it is said before, ‘our fathers have told us’?’... The subsequent words in the manuscript from which this dialogue was derived are unclear, making their interpretation challenging. It is noted, ‘It was not withheld from their children to the next generation.’ The ‘next generation’ refers to the Gentiles, which the prophet confirms in another passage, saying, ‘shall declare to the Lord the generation to come’ (Psalms 21:31).
They are recognized as children of the true Israel, having inherited from the Israelites a reverent legacy, as Paul remarked about them: ‘to whom belong the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the statutes, and the law, and the worship, and the promises; to them also the fathers’ (Rom. 9:4, 5). Thus, they proclaimed praises as sons of God. Without the guidance of the prophets teaching us, we would not have known how to glorify God with words such as, ‘Bless ye, all the works of the Lord’ (Dan. 3:57), and once more, ‘Praise the Lord from heaven, praise him in the highest’ (Ps. 148:1), alongside, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts!’ (Isa. 6:3), and similar expressions. From these teachings, we learned of God’s might and the miracles He performed: the wonders revealed against Pharaoh, or Nebuchadnezzar, or the giants, and others like them; the miraculous deeds He accomplished with Job, David, Daniel, the three young men, and others who triumphed amid trials.
In this context, there appears to be an inconsistency within the text. We recognize that the Prophet assured us he would reveal profound and hidden truths, yet here he states that the teachings will be commonly understood and conveyed through tradition. Where, then, are the revelations I previously referred to? This inquiry can be clarified by noting that, while the Psalmist speaks of matters familiar even to the layperson, he presents them with a regal and noble dignity to stir the hearts of humanity more deeply, thereby capturing greater attention. To dispel any uncertainties, he clarifies that he will not introduce anything novel, but instead will discuss, on Wednesday, concepts that are widely recognized and embraced by the Church without question.
For this reason, he refers not only to hearing but also emphasizes knowledge, stating, “What we have heard and what we have known.” Given that various rumors circulate throughout the world that are unworthy of our trust, and that many people often only share fictional tales, the Prophet prudently authenticates all that is heard with the acknowledged and dubious testaments of the Church Fathers, particularly those whom God Himself endorsed and entrusted with His divine teachings, allowing them to be transmitted through the ages to future generations. Consequently, he adds: Let us not keep this knowledge from our children, meaning, let us not withhold anything from our descendants; rather, we should make an effort to pass down all that we have received from our predecessors to their heirs, ensuring that no one has cause to claim ignorance. He then also reveals the purpose of this transmission, proclaiming “the praises of the Lord, and his power, and his miracles which he hath wrought.” However, since mere human agreement would not suffice to render this doctrine completely reliable, the Prophet advances further by declaring God as its source: thus, he informs us that the fathers did not impart this doctrine to their children out of their own volition, but by the divine command of God.
This Psalm attributed to David, rich in prophetic insight, was entrusted to Asaph, the leader of the singers, to proclaim it for the understanding of all, regarding the countless blessings bestowed by God Almighty upon the ungrateful nation of the Jews, admonishing them for their lack of gratitude, and guiding others to appreciate the boundless grace of God, especially as manifested through Christ the Lord, who trusts in His name. In this psalm, the prophet David appears to speak on behalf of Christ to the Christian faithful, urging them to pay attention to the teachings of the Gospel. The message of this psalm is relevant not only to the Jews but now primarily to the followers of Christ: the old covenant serves as a shadow of the new.
The Savior calls upon His people to listen closely, lest they face the same consequences as the ancient Israelites, who disregarded God’s commands. The Savior instructs them to carefully study the law of the Gospel and to receive the prophecy with sincere hearts.
While the Jewish people were powerful, they faltered at the time of Christ's Passion due to their disbelief. Among them, the tribe of Ephraim was particularly unfaithful, having fallen into the idolatry of the golden calf and leading the other nine tribes into sin. For this betrayal, God stripped them of their bravery; despite their proficiency in archery, they succumbed to fear and retreated during the battle. Consequently, they were taken captive and scattered among the nations.
God showed mercy to the Jews, even as He observed that they had completely surrendered to worldly wisdom and refused to repent. In His profound compassion, He chose not to annihilate all the Jews in the wilderness but instead spared them and extended His mercy. Humanity, embodied in flesh, is susceptible to passions and decay. The Spirit departs from man and will not return until the Second Coming.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS