1 To him that excelleth. A Psalme committed to the sonnes of Korah. Lord, thou hast bene fauourable vnto thy land: thou hast brought againe the captiuitie of Iaakob.
Jerome · AD 420 You have blessed, O Lord, Your land. This is spoken of the coming of the Savior. This properly according to the history; but according to the tropology, after we have spoken of the history, we shall discourse afterwards. You have blessed, O Lord, Your land. This we have said of the coming of the Savior.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 The Prophet sings to Him of the future, and uses words as it were of past time: he speaks of things future as if already done, because with God that which is future has already taken place...."Lord, You have been favourable unto Your land" [Psalm 85:1]; as if He had already done so.
2 Thou hast forgiuen the iniquitie of thy people, and couered all their sinnes. Selah.
Jerome · AD 420 You have remitted the iniquity of Your people. No one remits anything except what is owed. You have covered all their sins. You have covered them with virtues, and therefore the sins do not appear. For example, You have covered iniquity with righteousness, You have covered unchastity with chastity, You have covered blackness with whiteness.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 For how did He turn away the captivity of Jacob? See, how that that setting free is spiritual, see how that it is done inwardly. "You have forgiven," he says, "the iniquity of Your people: You have covered all their sins" [Psalm 85:2].
3 Thou hast withdrawen all thine anger, and hast turned backe from the fiercenes of thy wrath.
Jerome · AD 420 You have softened all Your wrath, You have turned away from the wrath of Your indignation.
4 Turne vs, O God of our saluation, and release thine anger toward vs.
Jerome · AD 420 Convert us, O God of our salvations. He did not say, "of our salvation": because we have sinned much, we have need of many salvations.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 And as these things are said of the future, though the sound of the words is past, it follows: "Turn us, O God of our salvation" [Psalm 85:4]. That which he had just related as if it were done, how prays he that it may be done, except because he wished to show that he had spoken as if of the past in prophecy?
5 Wilt thou be angry with vs for euer? and wilt thou prolong thy wrath from one generation to another?
Jerome · AD 420 Will you be angry with us forever? or will you extend your wrath from generation to generation? Your wrath has profited unto salvation: for this reason you were angry with the former people, that you might have mercy on ours.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "Be not angry with us for ever" (ver. 5). For by the anger of God we are subject to death, and by the anger of God we eat bread on this earth in want, and in the sweat of our face. This was Adam's sentence when he sinned: and that Adam was every one of us, for "in Adam all die;" the sentence passed on him hath taken effect after him on us.
6 Wilt thou not turne againe and quicken vs, that thy people may reioyce in thee?
Jerome · AD 420 O God, You, turning again, will bring us to life. As long, therefore, as the Lord does not turn to us, we are dead.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 But [the objector might continue], "It is by his own will that each person abandons God and is deservedly abandoned by God." Who would ever deny this? And the reason why we ask not to be brought into temptation is that this may not happen. And if we are heard, then this indeed does not happen, because God does not allow it to happen.
7 Shew vs thy mercie, O Lord, and graunt vs thy saluation.
Jerome · AD 420 Show us, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your salvation. What in Latin is called "salvation" (salutare), in Hebrew is called "Jesus." Therefore in Hebrew it is said thus: Show us, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your salvation: Unless you first be merciful toward the human race, your Jesus will not be given to us.
8 I will hearken what the Lord God will say: for he will speake peace vnto his people, and to his Saintes, that they turne not againe to follie.
Jerome · AD 420 I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me. Many think, when Moses speaks and says, "Thus says the Lord," and Isaiah, and the rest, and when it is said, "The word of the Lord came to Isaiah" or "to Ezekiel the prophet," that the speech comes from outside, and that the prophet hears through these ears of his what is spoken by the Lord. It is not so.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "I will hearken" (ver. 8). The Prophet spoke: God spoke within in him, and the world made a noise without. Therefore, retiring for a little from the noise of the world, and turning himself back upon himself, and from himself upon Him whose voice he heard within; sealing up his ears, as it were, against the tumultuous disquietude of this life, and against the soul weighed down b…
9 Surely his saluation is neere to them that feare him, that glory may dwell in our land.
Jerome · AD 420 Nevertheless his salvation is near to those who fear him. See what he says. Those who fear the Lord have the Lord near, since fear does not yet possess perfection: "For perfect love casts out fear." Therefore we who love the Lord have him not nearby, but within.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "Nevertheless, His salvation is nigh them that fear Him" (ver. 9). There were some even then who feared Him in the Jewish people. Everywhere throughout the earth idols were worshipped: devils were feared, not God: in that nation God was feared. But why was He feared?
10 Mercie and trueth shall meete: righteousnes and peace shall kisse one another.
Jerome · AD 420 Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed. Mercy and truth have met. I see two things, which by coming together and meeting become one. Justice and peace have kissed.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "Mercy and truth have met together" (ver. 10). "Truth in our land," in a Jewish person, "mercy" in the land of the Gentiles. For where was truth? Where the utterances of God were. Where was mercy? On those who had left their God, and turned themselves unto devils. Did He look down also upon them?
11 Trueth shall bud out of the earth, and righteousnes shall looke downe from heauen.
Jerome · AD 420 Truth has arisen from the earth, and justice has looked down from heaven. The truth of the promise has arisen from the earth, and the sun of justice has looked down from heaven: that he might lavish his light upon men set in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "Truth has sprung out of the earth, and righteousness has looked down from heaven" [Psalm 85:11]. "Truth has sprung out of the earth:" Christ is born of a woman. The Son of God has come forth of the flesh. What is truth? The Son of God. What is the earth? Flesh.
12 Yea, the Lord shall giue good things, and our land shall giue her increase.
Jerome · AD 420 For indeed the Lord will give kindness. For this reason these kisses were given, that the Lord might give kindness. And our land will give its fruit. What was promised at that time, we now see fulfilled.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "For the Lord shall give sweetness, and our land shall give her increase" [Psalm 85:12]....He will give unto you the sweetness of working righteousness, so that righteousness shall begin to delight you, whom before unrighteousness delighted: so that thou who at first delighted in drunkenness, shall rejoice in sobriety: and thou who at first rejoiced in theft, so as to take from…
Bonaventure · AD 1257 And so, concerning the fruit of grace, it is written in the Psalm: "For the Lord will give goodness: and our earth shall yield her fruit." And so these fruits come forth from Christ, blessed by Joseph who produced fruit of heaven, and of the dew, and of the deep that lieth beneath, that is, the charismatic gifts of the graces, by means of dew on humble hearts.
13 Righteousnesse shall go before him, and shall set her steps in the way.
Jerome · AD 420 There are many things which might be said, but the hour compels the sermon to reach its end. Let us together pray to the Lord, that both my speech and your hearing may be turned into work. "For not the hearers only are just before God, but the doers." For he who speaks or hears, and does not do, either listens or speaks unto his own condemnation.