1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in thee: and under the shadow of thy wings shall be my refuge, until this tyranny be over-past.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "Have pity on me, O God, have pity on me, for in Thee hath trusted my Soul" [Psalm 57:1]. Christ in the Passion saith, "Have pity on Me, O God." To God, God saith, "Have pity on Me!" He that with the Father hath pity on thee, in thee crieth, "Have pity on Me." For that part of Him which is crying, "Have pity on Me," is thine: from thee this He received, for the sake of thee, th…
2 I will call unto the most high God: even unto the God that shall perform the cause which I have in hand.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "I will cry to God most high" [Psalm 57:2]. If most high He is, how heareth He thee crying? Confidence hath been engendered by experience: "to God," he saith, "who had done good to me." If before that I was seeking Him, He did good to me, when I cry shall He not hearken to me?
3 He shall send from heaven: and save me from the reproof of him that would eat me up.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "He has sent from heaven and has saved me" [Psalm 57:3]. Now the Man Himself, now the Flesh Itself, now the Son of God after His partaking of ourselves, of Him it is manifest, how He was saved, and has sent from heaven the Father and has saved Him, has sent from heaven, and has raised Him again: but in order that you may know, that also the Lord Himself has raised again Himself…
4 God shall send forth his mercy and truth: my soul is among lions.
Athanasius of Alexandria · AD 373 One thing you can count on: Corruption does not save those who get into it. On the contrary, it sets itself up against them, tears them down and brings about their doom. Woe to those people against whom this prophecy is written! For the evil they pursue is sharper than a two-edged sword, and it will first slay those who lay hold of it.
Tyrannius Rufinus · AD 411 I have read the document sent from the East by our friend and good brother to a distinguished member of the Senate, Pammachius, which you have copied and forwarded to me.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 ..."He hath sent from heaven His mercy and His truth." For what purpose? "And hath drawn out my soul from the midst of the lions' whelps" [Psalm 57:4].
5 And I lie even among the children of men, that are set on fire: whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 In the same way I too was having the truth about the catholic church, as it is spread throughout the whole world, dinned into me from every side by the words of the divine Scriptures; and the false accusations about the betrayers leveled against it by my relatives made me deaf. I am not comparing myself with Paul's merits but with his sins.
Bede · AD 735 Amos too speaks of the glory of the humanity [Christ] had assumed: "He who builds a means of ascent in heaven and founds his promise on earth." He built a means of ascent in heaven when he created for himself a human body and soul in which he would be able to mount up to heaven.
6 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 We heard the apostle telling us, "We are ambassadors for Christ, exhorting you to be reconciled with God." He would not be exhorting us to be reconciled unless we had been enemies. So the whole world was the Savior's enemy, the captor's friend; that is, God's enemy, the devil's friend. And the whole human race, like this woman, was bent over and bowed down to the ground.
7 They have laid a net for my feet, and pressed down my soul: they have digged a pit before me, and are fallen into the midst of it themselves.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 ...Let your Love see the Lord speaking to us, and exhorting us by His example: "A trap they have prepared for My feet, and have bowed down My Soul" [Psalm 57:7].
Caesarius of Arles · AD 542 Our Lord Jesus Christ gave great assurance to his witnesses, that is, to the martyrs who, on account of their human weakness, were worried that perhaps they would perish after death if they died while confessing him. He did this by telling them, "Not a hair of your head will be harmed." Are you, whose hair will not be harmed, afraid of perishing?
8 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing, and give praise.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 But the patience of good men with preparation of heart accepts the will of God: and glories in tribulations, saying that which follows: "Prepared is my heart, O God, I will sing and play" [Psalm 57:8]. What has he done to me? He has prepared a pit, my heart is prepared. He has prepared pit to deceive, shall I not prepare heart to suffer?
9 Awake up, my glory; awake, lute and harp: I myself will awake right early.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "Rise up, my glory" [Psalm 57:9]. He that had fled from the face of Saul into a cavern, says, "Rise up, my glory:" glorified be Jesus after His Passion. "Rise up, psaltery and harp." He calls upon what to rise? Two organs I see: but Body of Christ one I see, one flesh has risen again, and two organs have risen. The one organ then is the psaltery, the other the harp.
10 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing unto thee among the nations.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 Therefore there has risen psaltery and harp in the dawn, and he confesses to the Lord; and says what? "I will confess to You among the peoples, O Lord, and will play to You among the nations: for magnified even unto the Heavens has been Your mercy, and even unto the clouds Your truth." Heavens above clouds, and clouds below heavens: and nevertheless to this nearest heaven belon…
11 For the greatness of thy mercy reacheth unto the heavens: and thy truth unto the clouds.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 Giving therefore to Him thanks, let us say with the same Psalm the last verses, which sometime since too I have said, "Be Thou exalted above the Heavens, O God, and above all the earth Your glory." For this to Him the Prophet said so many years before; this now we see; this therefore let us also say.
12 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth.