THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
The title of this eighty-seventh Psalm introduces a new topic for exploration: the terms found within this text, which are meant to respond to Melech, are unique and not encountered elsewhere. Our prior interpretations concerning the titles Psalmus Cantici and Canticum Psalmi have been laid out, and the repeated phrase “sons of Corea” is consistently noted and elaborated upon throughout, yet the remainder of this title is distinct. The term ‘Melech’ can be rendered in Latin as ‘choir,’ corresponding to its meaning in Hebrew. Here, the Passion of our Lord is foretold. The Apostle Peter asserts that Christ suffered for us, setting an example for us to walk in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21). This constitutes a means of responding. Likewise, the Apostle John states that just as Christ gave His life for us, we ought to offer our lives for our fellow believers (1 John 3:16). This too signifies a reply. The choir denotes agreement, which roots itself in love: thus, one who, by imitating the Lord’s Passion, offers himself to be sacrificed, but possesses no love, does not truly participate in the choir and thus gains no benefit from it (1 Corinthians 13:3). In music, the roles of Precentor and Succentor refer to the ones who lead and follow; similarly, in this Passion hymn, the choir of martyrs trails Christ through to the ultimate glory in heaven. This hymn is performed by the sons of Corea, or those who emulate Christ’s suffering; as Christ was crucified on Calvary, which is how the Hebrew Cor is understood (Matthew 27:33). Similarly, ‘Aman’, interpreted as ‘brother,’ signifies that Christ considers as His siblings those who grasp the mystery of His Cross, feeling no shame about it but letting their gratitude for His grace shine forth, so that it may be proclaimed of them, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile" (John 1:47), echoing the Scripture's depiction of Israel as being honest (Genesis 25:27).
O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried out to You day and night (Psalm 86:1). Now, let us listen as Christ prophetically sings before us; His own choir must either emulate or express gratitude in response. O let my prayer reach You; incline Your ear to my call (Psalm 87:2). Our Lord prayed not in the form of God but in the form of a servant; in this, He truly suffered. He prayed in times of prosperity, namely during the day, and in times of distress, which is suggested to reference the night. The entrance of prayer into God’s presence signifies its reception; the bending of His ear implies compassionate listening, for God does not possess physical members as we do. As is customary, this passage appears to be a reiteration.
For my soul is filled with evil, and my life draws near to the grave (Psalm 86:3). Is it audacious to consider the Soul of Christ as filled with evil when passion could only reach the body? Indeed, the soul can endure anguish apart from the body; however, the body cannot exist without the soul. Thus, should we not assert that the Soul of Christ bore the weight of mankind’s afflictions, albeit not human sins? Another prophet declares that He bore our griefs (Isaiah 53:4), and the Evangelist recounts how He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to feel sorrow to a great degree. The Lord Himself states, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death" (Matthew 26:37-38). The prophet composing this Psalm, foreseeing this, describes Him as saying, "My soul is full of wickedness, and my life draws near to the grave." The same sentiment is conveyed in other words when He claims, "My soul is sorrowful unto death." The wording "My soul mourneth" echoes "My soul is full of wickedness," culminating in the statement that my life approaches the grave. Our Lord embraced these human frailties, just as He took on human flesh, experiencing the death inherent in humanity, not by the necessity of His essence but through the merciful volition to embody them. His one body, which is the Church—of which He is delighted to be the head—includes His members, His holy and faithful disciples. This way, should any of them encounter sorrow or affliction amidst human trials, they would not feel forsaken by His grace; and the body might, like a choir following its leader, learn from its Head that such sorrows do not equate to sin, but rather are tests of human frailty. We acknowledge the Apostle Paul as part of this body, who admitted his soul was burdened with such evils, confessing a heavy heart of continual sorrow for his fellow Israelites. If we declare that our Lord likewise felt grief for them upon nearing His Passion, where they would bear the harshest guilt, we are not mistaken. Ultimately, what our Savior uttered from the Cross—"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34)—is mirrored in the Psalm: "I am counted among those who go down into the pit" (Psalm 87:4), by those unaware of their actions, assuming He was dead, like any other man, and succumbing to want. The term pit denotes depths of sorrow or hell; I was a man without help.
Free among the dead (Psalm 86:5). These words distinctly highlight our Lord’s persona: for who else can be deemed free among the dead but He who, though appearing in the likeness of sinful flesh, stands alone among sinners, untouched by sin (Romans 8:3)? Therefore, He is free among the dead, possessing the authority to yield His soul and reclaim it; no one could take it from Him; instead, He willingly gave it for the sake of His own will, capable of restoring His flesh as the temple destroyed per His design; when all forsook Him prior to His Passion, He was not left deserted, as He declared, "My Father has not left Me alone" (John 8:29); yet those who were His enemies, for whom He interceded, the ones who knew not what they were doing, were regarded as helpless—like those wounded and lying in the grave. He further states, "Whom you do not yet remember," which draws a line between Christ and others who have passed. Though He was wounded and lay dead in the tomb (Matthew 27:50, 60), those who did not understand what they had done and who He truly was, regarded Him as akin to others who died from their wounds and who slumbered in graves—those who had not yet been remembered by God, meaning those for whom the hour of resurrection was yet to arrive. This explains why Scripture describes the dead as sleeping; it seeks to convey that they are meant to awaken, that is, to rise again. Yet He, who was mortally wounded and dormant in the tomb, rose on the third day and became as a solitary bird perched upon the roof, meaning at the right hand of His Father in heaven: death shall no longer reign over Him (Romans 6:9). Thus, He is remarkably distinguished from those of whom God had not yet remembered when it came to resurrection; for what was to occur first in the Head was reserved until the end for the Body. Further, the notion of God’s remembrance implying action and forgetting missing action is illustrated; God neither forgets, for His nature does not change, nor does He remember, as there is nothing for Him to forget. While those unaware of their action see me as a helpless man, I am free among the dead; these individuals perceive me as wounded, and I lie in the tomb. Regarding the same individuals who express such, it is stated that they have been distanced from Your hand; meaning, when I was made such by them, they were kept away from Your hand; the very ones who believed me to be powerless, are devoid of the aid of Your hand; since, as other scripture declares, they have dug a pit before me and themselves have fallen into it.
They placed Me in the deepest pit (Psalm 86:6). This is echoed in the Greek version. What does the deepest pit signify but profound sorrow, unparalleled in severity? For as another Psalm states, "You have brought me up out of the pit of misery." In a dark place and under the shadow of death, unknowingly, they placed Him there, thus honoring Him; they were unaware of the one whom none of this world’s rulers recognized (1 Corinthians 2:8). Whether understood as the death of the body, or metaphorically as described in Isaiah, "They walked in darkness and in the shadow of death," as the light shone upon them (Isaiah 9:2), this signifies those who, through faith, emerged from the darkness and death of sin into light and life—those who regarded our Lord thus, unaware, counted Him among those whom He came to save, lest they be left in the same state.
Your wrath lies upon Me (Psalm 87:7); alternatively, as mentioned in some copies, Your fury; or as others depict, Your anger—bearing in mind that the Greek word is θυμὸς, which holds various interpretations. In cases where Greek texts use ὀργὴ, all translators have gone unhesitatingly with the Latin term ira; whereas with θυμὸς, many resist translating it as ira, although esteemed Latin authors have done so in their translations from Greek philosophy. I will not delve deeper into this matter, but if I were to propose another phrase, I would find the term indignation more acceptable than rage, as the latter in Latin is scarcely utilized in everyday expressions. What could it mean, Your wrath is upon me, except for the belief held by those who do not know the Lord of Glory (1 Corinthians 2:8), who surmised that God’s wrath not only was aroused but had come upon Him, whom they dared to kill—not simply dying but enduring that which they considered the lowest death possible, namely that of the cross. Therefore, the apostle asserts, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us,” for it is written, "Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree" (Galatians 3:13). Thus, wishing to highlight His obedience, extending to the ultimate humility, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death; and because that was seen as insufficient, He added “even the death of the Cross” (Philippians 2:8). This Psalm conveys, “All Your waves,” or as some translate, “Your surges,” or “Your movements,” “You have brought upon Me.” In another Psalm, it says, "All Your surges and waves have overwhelmed me" or, as some better express it, "have passed over me," for the Greek is διῆλθον, not εἰσῆλθον; where the expressions waves and surges cannot be equated. There, we interpret suspension as a threat, while wave signifies suffering; each inflicted through God's judgment. Yet here, we read, "You have brought all upon Me." The previous case indicates passing events; however, in this statement, it suggests totality, where all that was destined to occur came to fruition, even while awaiting its prophetic realization.