THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
The title of this eighty-seventh Psalm introduces a new area of exploration: its unique wording intended to respond to Melech appears nowhere else. Our earlier interpretations of the titles Psalmus Cantici and Canticum Psalmi have been established, and the phrase “sons of Corea” has been consistently reiterated and understood; however, the subsequent terminology in this title is atypical. The term “Melech” can be rendered in Latin as "choir," reflecting the Hebrew meaning.... The sufferings of the Lord are anticipated here. Indeed, the apostle Peter notes that Christ suffered on our behalf, leaving us an example to follow in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21). This illustrates the concept of answering back. Similarly, the apostle John affirms that just as Christ gave His life for us, we are called to lay down our lives for one another (1 John 3:16). Thus, the choir suggests unity rooted in love, indicating that one who mirrors the Passion of Christ yet lacks love does not truly harmonize, and consequently, it is of no benefit (1 Corinthians 13:3). In the same vein, the Latin terms Precentor and Succentor denote the soloist and the one who follows; likewise, in this hymn of suffering, the choir of martyrs leads those imitating Christ to the ultimate victory in heaven. It is sung by the sons of Corea—those who emulate the Passion of Christ—as Christ endured the crucifixion at Calvary, which is the interpretation of the Hebrew term Cor (Matthew 27:33). In this context, Aman, the Israelite, is understood as the concluding words of this title. Aman is recognized as meaning “brother,” for Christ invites those who comprehend the significance of His Cross to be His brethren, not only unashamedly professing it but also expressing gratitude for His grace, so that it might be said of them, “Behold, a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit” (John 1:47), echoing the scriptural description of Israel being without deceit (Genesis 25:27).
O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried out to You day and night (Psalm 86:1). Let us now listen to the voice of Christ prophesying before us, to which His choir must respond either through imitation or gratitude. May my prayer come before You, incline Your ear to my call (Psalm 87:2). For our Lord prayed not in His divine form, but as a servant; in this way, He too suffered. He prayed in times of prosperity, during the day, and in times of distress, which likely refers to the night. The entry of prayer into God’s presence signifies its acceptance, and His inclination reflects His compassionate hearing, for God does not possess physical members like us. This passage, however, is, as is often the case, a repetition.
For my soul is filled with troubles, and my life draws near to the grave (Psalm 86:3). Is it appropriate for us to describe the Soul of Christ as filled with anguish when suffering only had authority over His body...? Hence, the soul can indeed experience pain without the body, while the body cannot exist apart from the soul. Should we not assert that the Soul of Christ was burdened with the sufferings of humanity, though not with human sins? Another prophet remarks that He bore our griefs (Isaiah 53:4), and the Evangelist reports that He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and began to sorrow deeply (Matthew 26:37-38). The prophet who wrote this psalm, anticipating this event, expressed it through the words, “My soul is full of troubles, and my life approaches the depths.” This conveys the same emotional state articulated differently, as seen in the phrase, “My soul is burdened with death.” The expressions “My soul mourns” and “My life draws near to the grave” resonate with each other. Christ embraced these human vulnerabilities, assuming human flesh and mortality, not out of necessity but by the voluntary act of His mercy. He made His body—the Church—His own, consisting of His holy and steadfast disciples, so that when any member faced trial and grief amid human tribulations, they might not feel estranged from His favor. Rather, like a choir following their leader, they could learn from Him that such sorrows are not sins, but manifestations of human frailty. We find in the apostle Paul, a crucial member of this body, his admission of feeling such burdens when he expressed his deep sorrow for his fellow Israelites. It is plausible to assert that our Lord grieved for them as He faced His Passion, knowing they would endure great guilt. Ultimately, what our Savior conveyed on the Cross—“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34)—is reflected in this psalm: “I am regarded as one who descends into the pit” (Psalm 87:4), referring to those who were unaware of their actions, thinking Him merely subject to death as any other man. The term “pit” signifies depths of sorrow or hell. I was a man without assistance.
Free among the dead (Psalm 86:5). Here, the essence of our Lord is distinctly expressed: who is truly free among the dead, if not He who, though bearing the likeness of sinful flesh, remains sinless? (Romans 8:3)... Thus, being free among the dead, He had the authority to lay down His life and take it up again; no one could take it from Him, for He relinquished it willingly; He was able to restore His body as the temple they had destroyed, according to His design. When all abandoned Him before His Passion, He was not alone, for He testified that His Father had not forsaken Him (John 8:29). Yet His opponents, for whom He prayed, who were ignorant of their actions, were perceived as those lacking aid, wounded and lying in the grave. He further states, “Whom you do not yet remember,” highlighting the distinction between Christ and those who are dead. For although He was wounded and lay dead in the tomb (Matthew 27:50, 60), those who did not comprehend who He was regarded Him as akin to others who had succumbed to injury and slept within the grave, not yet realizing that the time for resurrection had not come for them. Hence, Scripture describes the dead as sleeping, suggesting they are intended to rise again. He, who was wounded and asleep in the tomb, awakened on the third day, becoming like a sparrow that sits alone on the roof, which symbolizes His position at the right hand of His Father in heaven: and He will experience death no more, for death shall no longer have dominion over Him (Romans 6:9). Consequently, He is significantly set apart from those whom God had not yet remembered for resurrection; what was decreed for the Head was reserved for the Body in the end. It can further be said that God remembers in His actions, and then forgets if no action occurs; yet He neither forgets—being unchanging—nor remembers, as He cannot forget. Those who do not understand what they are doing regard me as a man without support, while I remain free among the dead; these individuals view me as wounded, as I lay in the grave. But it is further declared of these individuals, “They are cast away from Thy hand”; that is, when I became such through them, they were separated from Thy hand; those who believed me abandoned are without the aid of Thy hand. As another psalm declares, “They have dug a pit before me, and have fallen into it themselves.” I prefer this interpretation over the notion that they have been severed from Thy hand; as for those who sleep in the grave whom God has not yet remembered—though the righteous are among them, awaiting resurrection—their souls are in God’s hands (Wisdom 3:1), which signifies that they are under the protection of the Most High and abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Those who were cast out from God’s hand perceived Christ as being cut off from His hand, thrusting Him among the wicked who dared to slay Him.
“They placed me in the lowest pit” (Psalm 86:6), signifying the deepest pit. Indeed, the Greek implies this. What is the lowest pit but the ultimate woe, beneath which there is none? It is expressed in another psalm as, “You have brought me up from the pit of misery,” depicting darkness and the shadow of death, oblivious to their actions, they interred Him there, unknowingly honoring Him, for they did not recognize Him whom none of the rulers of this world knew (1 Corinthians 2:8). Is the shadow of death to be understood as the demise of the body, or in reference to those who walked in darkness and in the shadows of death, yet whose eyes were opened to the light rising above them (Isaiah 9:2)? Through faith, they were ushered from the darkness and death of sin into the light and life. Such individuals erroneously numbered our Lord among those He came to rescue, unaware of their peril.
“Thy anger lies upon me” (Psalm 87:7), or as stated in other versions, “Thy wrath”; or, as some translate, “Thy fury.” The Greek term θυμὸς has had various interpretations. Where the Greek texts read ὀργὴ, no translator hesitates to render it as ira in Latin; however, many reject translating θυμὸς as ira, albeit some of the most esteemed Latin scholars have rendered it in Latin from Greek philosophy. I will refrain from discussing this further, yet if I were to propose another term, I would find indignation more fitting than rage, as the latter term is not generally applied to humanity in common use. What does it mean, “Thy wrath is upon me,” except the faith of those who do not comprehend the Lord of Glory (1 Corinthians 2:8), who supposed that God’s wrath was provoked and poured out upon Him whom they dared to crucify, perceiving even that this most heinous fate—the death of the cross—had fallen upon Him? Hence, the apostle remarks, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Therefore, in showcasing His obedience, which He brought to ultimate humility, He declares, “He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the Cross” (Philippians 2:8). Hence, echoing this sentiment, He states in the psalm, “All Thy burdens and storms, Thou hast brought upon Me.” In another psalm, we find the phrase: “All Thy billows have passed over me,” or “have descended upon me,” bearing in mind that the Greek word is διῆλθον, not εἰσῆλθον, and that while both expressions utilize billows and burdens, these cannot be regarded as equivalent. In this context, we interpret burdens as threats and billows as the pain itself, both inflicted through divine judgement. Yet it is said here, “Thou hast brought upon Me all things,” while, in the other instance, it suggests that although some tribulations occurred, all mentioned here had passed away. Evil dissipates when it does not directly wrestle with a person—merely an overhanging concern—or when it impacts him like passing billows. However, in using the term “burden,” it implies they have not merely passed, but have been specifically brought forth upon Me, meaning all that was foretold regarding His Passion was now in the process of fulfillment.