Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms by Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.
Latin Text from public domain Migne Editors, Patrologiae Cursus Completus.
Translated into English using ChatGPT.
Table of Contents
On Psalm 1
Preface
Since God has set forth the highest incentive to virtue to be the enjoyment of future blessedness, the devil also devised a powerful spur of delight in error. The first indication of both viewpoints is Adam, the first of the human race, placed by God in the paradise of pleasure so that he might enjoy eternal delight and be incited to virtuousness for the sake of future offspring. For it was not unknown to God that he would allow a place for error, and that he must propose hope of salvation to others, by which they would strive to restore the lost human seat to the race. And by the same likeness of the serpent which foreshadowed the enticement of pleasure, being deceived by the persuasion of his wife. Therefore, with the opportunity presented, the adversary worked death for me through pleasure. So what was given to me for life by divine grace became death for me, and the enemy had an easier agreement with man; for he presented a false appearance of nature to bring about the fall. For his works pleased the Lord: the beginnings of nature pleased him, which the Lord, seeing, said: Very good (Gen. 1:31).
The Angels praise the Lord, the Powers of Heaven sing to Him, and before Him the beginning of the world, the Cherubim and Seraphim, with the sweetness of their melodious voices, say: Holy, holy, holy (Isaiah VI, 3). Countless thousands of angels stand by, and a great multitude of elders sings together like the voices of many waters, chanting Alleluia (Rev. XIX, 1 et seq.). The very axis of heaven carries a more explicit message, revolving with a certain perpetual harmony, so that its sound is heard in the furthest parts of the earth, where there are certain secrets of nature. And it does not seem contrary to the use of nature; since a sound sent forth from the woods or mountains results in a more pleasing applause, and that which they have received is returned with a sweeter sound. Nature even finds in the very rocks and stones something to delight in. The sight of some delights, the use of others, or simply their charm. Even wild animals and birds are soothed by the delight of a more pleasant or more melodious voice. Even to suckling infants, either severity is a terror or gentleness a pleasure. Therefore, it is a natural pleasure.
Therefore, even the holy David, who perceived from where man came and by what deceit he was cast down (for if he had held fast to the grace of that eternal and heavenly delight infused into him by the Lord, he would not have lost it, being captivated by worldly enticements, nor would he have undergone the injuries of such miserable afflictions), he therefore, striving to restore and reform that gift of singing, established for us a heavenly model of conduct.
Indeed, although all divine Scripture breathes forth the grace of God, the book of Psalms is particularly sweet; for Moses himself, who described the deeds of the ancestors in plain language, when he led the people of the fathers across the Red Sea with memorable admiration, beholding Pharaoh the king and his forces engulfed, raising his own genius to greater things (because he had achieved greater things by his own strength), sang a triumphal song to the Lord (Exodus 15:1 and following). Maria also took up the tambourine, encouraging the others, saying: Let us sing to the Lord; for he has been gloriously honored; he has thrown horse and rider into the sea (Exodus 15:20). Likewise, when Moses had read the law of the Lord, so that its memory might be fixed in the hearts of those who heard, he spoke through a canticle, saying: Listen, heavens, and I will speak; let my teaching come down like rain, my words descend like the dew, like showers on the grass, like snow on the earth (Deuteronomy 32:1 and following).
Therefore, God is delighted not only to be praised by a song but also to be reconciled by it. Therefore, Moses used a song most especially when he testified to heaven and earth, so that the world would eagerly listen to the sound of heavenly grace singing its salvation, and the sweetness of the sacredness would endure forever in the hearts of human beings by the observance of the Law. Finally, the tablets of the Law were broken and shattered by the indignation of Moses before they were confirmed by a song. But when they were consecrated by such a seal, human anger had no place, because sanctification excluded it from the sanctuary. Therefore, the song of the Lord, soft as dew, descends from heaven, and the faith of men, like grass, is infused with a certain spiritual grace. These two songs, therefore, like the two eyes of the world, the lights of heaven, illuminate the whole body of his work.
But indeed David was chosen by the Lord for this task as the one who excelled in what is rare in others: to shine constantly and consistently in this work. We read one song in the book of Judges (Judges 5:2ff), the rest, following the custom of history, having been recounted, in which the deeds of our ancestors are expressed. Isaiah also wrote one song (Isaiah 12:1ff), by which he sweetly comforted the hearts of readers; in the rest, he resounded with the terrifying trumpet of reproof. They could not even object to that song, those who persecuted him unto death because of other things he said. One from Daniel (Dan. III, 52 et seq.), one from Habakkuk (Habakkuk III, 2 et seq.). Solomon himself, though he is said to have sung countless songs, left one behind that the Church has received, the Song of Songs. Therefore, in the others, it is possible to notice individual songs.
History instructs, Law teaches, prophecy announces, correction chastises, morality persuades: in the book of Psalms is the progress of everyone, and a certain remedy for human salvation. Whoever reads it, has with which he can heal his own wounds of passion with a special remedy. Whoever wants to see, as in a common gymnasium of souls, and in a certain stadium of virtues, finding prepared different kinds of contests, let him choose for himself what he deems himself more fit for, so that he more easily reaches the crown. If someone wishes to recount the deeds of their ancestors and desires to imitate them, they will find the entire series of their father's history contained within a single psalm (Psalm 77:8 et seq.). In this way, they acquire a treasury of memory through the economy of reading. Those things which are explained more briefly also seem easier. Furthermore, consider the magnitude of how it distinguishes the opposing errors in a short span of time and interweaves a second act of reconciliation, so that you may simultaneously understand the weight of offense caused by disbelief and what prompt faith contributes. If someone wants to explore the power of the law, which is completely bound by love (for whoever loves their neighbor has fulfilled the law), let them read in the Psalms with what affection of love they defended themselves against the reproach of the whole people, exposing themselves to serious dangers alone; in which they will recognize the glory of charity not unequal to the triumph of virtue. If someone fears harsh rebukes, let them hear the one who says: Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath (Psalm 6:2); and let them learn how they should temper the criticism of an angry judge. If anyone wishes to learn an example of patience, let them read in the psalms: 'If I have repaid those who did evil to me' (Psalm 7:5); and let them take note that the Gospel precept foresaw this in spirit and surpassed it in virtue. You have, therefore, that proverbial saying: 'The patient man is a physician of the heart' (Proverbs 14:30). If anyone also wishes to be fortified against the assaults of spiritual wickedness, what more should they know than to sing psalms to themselves? David, when he was younger, used to play the harp; and he would drive away the evil spirit of Saul, who had previously tormented him.
But what shall I say of the virtue of prophecy? What others have announced through enigmas, seems to be openly and clearly promised to this man alone, that the Lord Jesus would be born from his seed, as the Lord said to him: 'Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne' (Psalm 131:11). Therefore, in the psalms, not only is Jesus born to us, but He also undergoes that saving passion of the body, rests, rises again, ascends to heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. What no one of human beings dared to say, this Prophet alone proclaimed, and afterwards the Lord himself preached in the Gospel (Luke 24:44).
Furthermore, all the writers of the psalms have presented examples in their writings, either from the sayings of those who came before: the psalms have nothing except what is their own. What, therefore, could be more pleasing than a psalm? As David himself beautifully said: 'Praise, he said, because the psalm is good: let it be enjoyable and fitting praise to our God' (Psalm 146:1). And truly; for a psalm is the blessing of the people, the praise of God, the praise of the people, the applause of all, the speech of all, the voice of the Church, the melodious confession of faith, the devoutness full of authority, the joy of freedom, the joyful shout, the result of joy. It mitigates anger, abdicates worry, and alleviates sorrow. It serves as nightly armor, daily instruction; a shield in fear, a festival in sanctity, an image of tranquility, a pledge of peace and harmony, like a lyre combining diverse and disparate voices into one melody. At the dawn of the day, it resounds with a psalm, and it echoes a psalm at sunset.
The Apostle commands women to be silent in the Church; even the psalm itself proclaims: this is sweet to every age, this is suitable for both sexes. The old sing it, having laid aside the severity of old age; the veterans respond to it with joy in their hearts; the youths sing it without envy for sensuality; the adolescents sing it without danger and temptation of a loose age and attraction to pleasure; the young maidens themselves sing it without the expense of matronly modesty; the little girls, with sobriety and gravity, sing a hymn to God without any loss of modesty; and the afflicted intone it with the sweetness of their softened voices. This tenacious boyhood, this joyful childhood, delights in learning what others decline. This is a certain game of greater progress in education, which is taught with seriousness. How much effort is made in the Church to achieve silence when readings are read? If one speaks, everyone interrupts; when a psalm is read, he is the one who creates silence. Everyone speaks, and no one interrupts. The psalm resounds with the authority of kings. David rejoiced to be seen in this ministry. The psalm is sung by emperors, praised by the people. Each one strives to shout out what is beneficial for all. The psalm is sung at home, recited outside. It is received without labor, preserved with pleasure; the psalm brings together those who disagree, unites those who are divided, reconciles those who are offended. For who would not forgive him, with whom he has sent forth one voice to God? Truly a great bond of unity, for the entire number of the people to come together in one chorus! The strings of the lyres may be different, but the harmony is one. In the fewest strings, the fingers of the artist often make mistakes; but in the people, the artistic spirit does not know how to make mistakes. The Psalm is the exchange of nocturnal work, the reward of daytime rest, the instruction for beginners, the confirmation for the accomplished. It is the ministry of angels, the heavenly army, the spiritual sacrifice. The Psalm and the stones respond: the Psalm is sung, and even the stony hearts are softened. We see the cruel being made to weep, the merciless being forced to bend.
The teaching contends with grace in the psalm. It is sung for delight, and learned for instruction. For the more violent precepts do not endure; but that which you have perceived with sweetness, once infused, is not accustomed to slip away from the depths of the heart. What is it that does not occur to you while reading the Psalms? In them, I read a Song for the Beloved, and I am inflamed by the desire for holy love (Psalm 44:1); in them, I recognize the winepresses of the divine mystery (Psalm 8:1 and elsewhere); in them, I recount the grace of revelations, the testimonies of the resurrection, and the enumeration of promises (Psalm 50:3 and following); in them, I learn to avoid sin, and unlearn to be ashamed of repentance for my sins. So great a king, so great a prophet has provoked me with his own example, that I either strive to lessen a committed sin, or guard against one not committed.
Therefore, what is a psalm but an instrument of virtues, which the venerable Prophet, playing with the plectrum of the Holy Spirit, made heavenly sounds resonate on earth? At the same time, when he played on strings and chords, that is, on the remains of dead voices, he directed the song of divine praise to heavenly things; he certainly taught us first to die to sin, and then only in this body to discern the diverse works of virtues, by which the grace of our devotion would reach the Lord; so that with our minds fixed on heavenly things, no earthly desire for vices would find its way in, and our souls would shine with the sweetness of heavenly grace. Therefore, deservedly, the Lord, praising the servant of the great duty, said: I have found David according to my heart.
They also say that those who play the lyre are more skilled at singing inwardly, as the fables tell of the lyre player Aspendius; they also say that the reasons for the melodies and certain rhythmic constraints are in the upper part of the harp. Therefore, David taught us to sing inwardly, to sing with the soul, just as Paul sang, saying: I will pray with the spirit, I will pray with the mind; I will sing with the spirit, I will sing with the mind (1 Corinthians 14:15), and to shape our lives and actions with a view to higher things, so that the pleasure of sweetness does not arouse bodily passions, by which our soul is not redeemed but burdened; for the holy Prophet, remembering himself singing for the redemption of his soul, said: I will sing to you on the lyre, O Holy Israel: my lips will rejoice when I sing to you; and my soul, which you have redeemed (Psalm 70:22). But now let us begin the preludes of this psalm that has been proposed to us.
Commentary
(Vers. 1) "Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked." How fitting, how opportune a beginning! For just as those who have undertaken some solemnity of a contest usually propose a prize to be displayed, boast of the honor of the crown, so that they may gather with greater enthusiasm for the competition and strive with more determined effort: in the same way, our Lord Jesus has set forth the glory of the heavenly kingdom, the grace of perpetual rest, the blessedness of eternal life as incentives for human virtue. Moreover, when the emperor advances to war, he promises a donative to the soldiers, as well as promotions in military ranks, so that the hope of rewards may assuage their labors and conceal the fear of danger. Like a herald, therefore, of a great emperor, the holy David exhorts the soldiers, calling them athletes and expressing the reward, saying: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. He begins with the reward, in order to elevate the weight of the future contest; he sends forth the reward, so that each person, leaping over the anxieties and labors of present affairs in their heart, may eagerly strive to obtain the blessedness of the future. Blessed, he said, is the man. What more could be given to a man, than that nothing more could be given to God by Apostolic authority (I Tim. VI, 15 and 16)? For blessed indeed, and the only one powerful, and king of kings, and lord of lords, God is called. He alone is powerful, he alone is king of kings, he alone is lord of lords, yet he does not exceed the power of blessedness. He has given us a common partnership in his name, which is considered worthy of divine honor.
Let us now consider in what manner the Blessed man spoke, and not only the Blessed men: since both sexes are called to grace. Did he exclude women from the fellowship of beatitude because he called only the man blessed? Far be it; for God did not exclude females from the fellowship of creation, because he created the man first. For God said: Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness... And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:26-27). In man, both are represented: in man, the sex is expressed. But just as when the word "man" is used, both are included: so when the word "man" is mentioned, the woman of whom that man is the husband is understood. Furthermore, She shall be called Woman, for she was taken out of Man (Genesis 2:23). Also, it is added that when the nature of two things is the same, their actions cannot be distinct: and when their work is equal, surely their reward is equal as well. Therefore, Scripture does not omit the partner of the union when it speaks of man, for it also does not remain silent about the partner of nature when it speaks of human. Therefore, just as there we read of man being made, and although there is one nature, we cannot deny that the principal sex was created first: so here, when we read of man, we also recognize the female sex as the principal part. Therefore, the studies of virtue are equal, because the prerogative of creation is equal. But why do you debate about gender, when it is not the struggles of the body, but of the soul, that require attention, which do not have a gender? Therefore, do not discern honor there, do not distribute rewards, where gender is not discerned. However, do not be careless if the one who was first called to exercise was the one who fell last. The one who started poorly should follow, not lead; so that she may be more modest after the experience. Eve deviated from the order of nature, she should have waited for the one who came before. The clever serpent began from behind; therefore the Prophet turns back to the higher one, assuredly one who would not have fallen unless he had followed from behind.
Finally, he called us back from falling before he challenged us to the palm of victory. Blessed, he said, is the man who has not gone in the counsel of the wicked. See where you are called blessed, O man: not in wealth, not in power and honors, not in noble birth, or in beauty and attractiveness, not in bodily health, in which there is no good of nature; finally, they not only have an easy change into opposites, but also serve as a means of sin for those who do not know how to use them. For who is righteous for the sake of money? Who is humble in positions of power? Who is merciful for the sake of nobility? Who is pure for the sake of appearance? These allurements are more for sin than fruitful for the progress of virtue.
What does he then want to say that he preferred to say: He did not leave, and he did not stand, as if from the past; when he could say: Blessed is the man who does not go in the counsel of the wicked, and does not stand in the way of sinners, and does not sit in the seat of the pestilent? See the doctrine; for he is not immediately blessed who is not wicked or a sinner, because of the uncertainty of the outcome. For it is not written in vain: Before death do not praise anyone (Ecclus. 11:30). Therefore, as long as someone is in this life, they cannot be praised with a definite statement, since they can still fall into error; however, the person who concludes life without stumbling is rightly considered blessed, as they enjoy the company of the blessed.
But perhaps you will say: By what reason, then, did he elsewhere say: Blessed is he that understandeth concerning the needy and the poor (Ps. XL, 1)? For he did not say blessed is he that understands, but that one who understands; because those who do good, in the very work and by which they are tested, find the reward of their work in that same work. Indeed, the blessed fruit is the good deed of conscience. However, those who restrain themselves from evil are not immediately blessed if they have deviated from fault once or twice, but if they are able to avoid the contagion of sin throughout their whole life.