1 My heart sheweth me the wickedness of the ungodly: that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
Romans · AD 56 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Arnobius the Younger · AD 460 There is no fear of God in the sight of one who sins against himself that he may find his own iniquity and hate it. He praises injustice as the unjust one is praised. He does not wish to understand good actions by which he will be made worthy in the recesses of his own heart. He meditates on evil as he draws near to the way that is not good, and he does not abhor evil.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 In the preceding Psalm the Psalmist implored the help of God against the persecutions of sinners; here he describes the wickedness of sinners.
2 For he flattereth himself in his own sight: until his abominable sin be found out.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 For it is written: There is no fear of God before his eyes: because he hath dealt deceitfully before him, that he might find his iniquity unto hatred. For what did he find? For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "For he has wrought deceitfully in His sight" [Psalm 36:2]. In whose sight? In His, whose fear was not before the eyes of him that did work deceitfully. "To find out his iniquity, and hate it." He wrought so as not to find it.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 But the cause is, "because he has acted deceitfully." When someone in the sight of a king does something hateful to the king, it is a sign that he does not fear him; so the sinner, when he commits sin in the presence of God, who sees all things, it is a sign that he does not fear God, because "in his sight," namely of God, "he has acted deceitfully," that is, he has committed d…
3 The words of his mouth are unrighteous, and full of deceit: he hath left off to behave himself wisely, and to do good.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 What shall I say about Judas the traitor, who sought after greed and found sacrilege, saying: What will you give me, and I will hand him over to you (Matt. XXVI, 15)?
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he would not understand, that he might do good" (ver. 3). Ye see that he attributeth that to the will: for there are men who would understand and cannot, and there are men who would not understand, and therefore understand not. "He would not understand, that he might do good."
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Next he sets forth the progress from the root. And first he sets forth the sins of the mouth. Second, of the heart and of action.
4 He imagineth mischief upon his bed, and hath set himself in no good way: neither doth he abhor any thing that is evil.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 Moreover, he meditated wickedness in his bed, where he should have sought the truth. For in our beds, we should remorse our sins, not commit them by our very actions, as the Prophet says: "What you utter in your hearts, and in your beds you are remorseful."
Cassiodorus · AD 585 He did not pass through this world's life like those who are confident that they have left it behind but have still remained in it and have become stuck in it.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Likewise, sometimes a man commits sin from a pursuit of malice; hence he says, "He has meditated iniquity on his bed," that is, in his heart. Or "on his bed," that is, when he is in secret: Prov. 24: "The thought of a fool is sin and abomination." "He has set himself." Here he sets forth what is committed in action. And first he sets forth the cooperation in evil.
5 Thy mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the heavens: and thy faithfulness unto the clouds.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 (Verses 5, 6.) Finally, let us consider what follows. 'O Lord,' he says, 'in heaven is your mercy, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the deep abyss.' Did not Paul follow this passage to say: 'Wretched man that I am!
Caesarius of Arles · AD 542 Mercy abides in heaven, but it is reached by the exercise of it on earth.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 "O Lord." Here he shows what he has received from God. And first he enumerates the goods themselves. Second he asks that they be given to him, at "Extend." Concerning the first he does two things. First he proposes the cause of the goods he has received from God.
6 Thy righteousness standeth like the strong mountains: thy judgements are like the great deep.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 Human beings, being ignorant of the judgments of God, which are "a great abyss," are accustomed to complain against God and to say, Why do unjust people and unjust robbers and impious and wicked ones suffer nothing adverse in this life but everything yields prosperity to them, honors, riches, power, health, and the health and strength of the body even serves them.
Theodoret of Cyrus · AD 458 While those people turn their hand to such things as though no one were watching, you, Lord, possess immeasurable mercy, incalculable truth and righteousness comparable to the highest mountains. Now, your truth comes to human beings through the inspired authors as though through some clouds, regaling them with saving rain.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 "Men." Above the Psalmist commended the justice, truth, and mercy of God, and his judgments, from which goods come to us; here he enumerates those goods: and concerning this he does two things. First he commemorates the goods that he commonly bestows upon every creature.
7 Thou, Lord, shalt save both man and beast; How excellent is thy mercy, O God: and the children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 But the sons of men will hope in the protection of your wings; that is, not the generation of vipers, but the sons of men who live in the image and likeness of God.
Bonaventure · AD 1257 Scripture enlightens from above by means of divine promises, for its teaching is concerned with things above. Hence the Apostle writes: For we know that if the earthly house in which we dwell be destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made by human hands, eternal in the heavens. And: "In My Father's house there are many mansions," says the Lord.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 "But the children." Here he sets forth the spiritual goods, which are three: confidence, spiritual nourishment, and intelligible knowledge: and these correspond to the grades of beings.
8 They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house: and thou shalt give them drink of thy pleasures, as out of the river.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 Therefore, the good drunkenness is that of a healing cup. But there is another drunkenness from an overflow of Scriptures. And there is another drunkenness through the infusion of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, those who spoke in different languages in the Acts of the Apostles, seemed to be full of new wine to those who were listening.
Cassiodorus · AD 585 "They will become inebriated," an expression that usually describes the corrupt habit of people who become inundated with too much wine and become sluggish by this affliction of their mind, is here directed to the situation of good people.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Likewise those who live here below are nourished with a special nourishment. And first he sets forth the nourishment itself. Second he sets forth its cause, at "With you." Spiritual nourishment consists in two things: namely, in the gifts of God and in his sweetness.
9 For with thee is the well of life: and in thy light shall we see light.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 What other light of God can we speak of, in which a person sees light, except God's spiritual power, which when it lightens a person causes him either to see clearly the truth of all things or to know God, who is called the truth?
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 Christ … is man and God. He prays as man and gives what he prays for as God. Now what you have to grasp is that he assigns everything to the Father for the simple reason that the Father is not from him, but he is from the Father. He gives everything to the fount from which he is derived.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 "And in your light." There are two privileges of the rational creature. One is that the rational creature sees in the light of God, and because other animals do not see in the light of God, he therefore says "in your light." This is not understood of light created by God, because in that sense it would be understood as that which is said in Gen.
10 O continue forth thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee: and thy righteousness unto them that are true of heart.
Theodore of Mopsuestia · AD 428 They were formed by you so as to be able, if they wished, both to know you and to hope in you, and to enjoy the good things stemming from this.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 He does not, indeed, extend His mercy to them because they know Him, but that they may know Him; nor is it because they are upright in heart, but that they may become so, that He extends to them His righteousness, whereby He justifies the ungodly.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 "Extend your mercy." Here he turns to prayer, and asks for the mercy of God. And first he asks his petition regarding others. Second, regarding himself, at "Let not the foot of pride come to me." He asks two things, corresponding to two kinds of people who dwell in the house of the Lord: for some know God through faith; some who are also justified cling to him.
11 O let not the foot of pride come against me: and let not the hand of the ungodly cast me down.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 (Verses 11, 12.) Therefore he added most beautifully, 'Let not the foot of pride come unto me, and let not the hand of sinners move me. There have they fallen, all that work iniquity.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 Advance on the road to sublimity by the footstep of humility. He himself exalts those who follow him humbly, who was not ashamed to descend to the fallen.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 For himself he asks two things. First he asks to be preserved from sin, and this by removing two causes of sin. One is interior: and this is pride, which is the beginning of all sin; hence he says, "Let not the foot of pride come to me," that is, let the desire to be proud be removed from me: Sir.
12 There are they fallen, all that work wickedness: they are cast down, and shall not be able to stand.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 But wherefore so greatly fearest thou this? Because it is said, "Thereby have fallen all that work iniquity" (ver. 12); so that they have come into that abyss of which it is said, "Thy judgments are like the great abyss:" so that they have come even to that deep wherein sinners who despise have fallen. "Have fallen." Whereby did they first fall? By the foot of pride.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 "There they have fallen." Here the reason for the petition is set forth: and it is twofold. First, because from this foot there is a fall: just as when someone falls because of a bad foot: and therefore he says, "There," that is, in the foot of pride. "They have fallen." Behold, the beginning of all sin is pride, Sir. 10.