Chapter I.
David is often seen speaking about the vanity of the world in his songs, but most notably in Psalm 72, where he expresses his deep initial disturbance at the prosperity of the wicked and the difficulties of the righteous, but later indicates that he has been corrected. It is uncertain whether David himself is the author of the same Psalm or if it should be attributed to Asaph.
The discourse of the holy Job is concluded: now let us adore that discourse which we find in the Psalms. Indeed, David did not remain silent in many places about the vanity of the world, and frequently affirmed that the things considered good in this world are empty, especially in Psalm 38, where he says: Yet all is vanity, every living man (Psalm 38:6); and although man walks in the image of God, he will be troubled in vain, he hoards and does not know who will gather them. And elsewhere: How long, O Lord, how long shall sinners, O Lord, glory? (Psalm 93:3) They may have a shadowy glory here, where they have left the world, but they cannot find the fruit of comfort. Yet the same Asaph inserted the seventy-second psalm, in which he himself, using the name of Asaph, declares that his was the beginning of a fall; so he was greatly distressed when he saw sinners in this world abound in riches and abound in worldly things, while he, who had justified his heart, was in afflictions and hardships; nor did he lightly endure the offense at the beginning; but afterwards, being corrected by the scourges of the Lord, and enlightened by the grace of divine knowledge, he truly learned the true series of tradition.
However, nowhere do I find that the holy Asaph was ever troubled by any adversity; but indeed the holy David endured many serious and perilous situations, for he speaks of his own labors. Therefore, the psalm is inscribed not as if it were by the holy Asaph, but as if it were for the holy Asaph, as the title indicates, which is more clearly manifest in the Greek Psalter, so that it appears that David even gave this psalm to Asaph, as he had written it himself. But because it is written in the title itself that the Psalms of David have ended, how can it be that, after these ten psalms have been completed, a psalm of David should embrace the inscription of titles to the very end? Therefore, disregarding this kind of definition, let us consider the series of the psalms, and let us draw the beginning from the first verse of the prophetic interpellation.