Homily 25, on Psalm 97
Latin source: Germanus Morin (ed.), Sancti Hieronymi Presbyteri Tractatus sive Homiliae in Psalmos , Anecdota Maredsolana III (Maredsoli, 1897) — public domain. Psalm numbering follows the Septuagint/Vulgate (Morin).
Sing to the Lord a new song. The new song is the Son of God crucified, which had never before been heard. Let a new thing have a new song. Sing to the Lord a new song. He indeed is a man who suffered — but you, sing to the Lord. He suffered indeed as a man, but he saved as God. Sing to the Lord a new song. A new song deserves a new name. Therefore it is said elsewhere too: 'And a new name,' he says, 'shall be given to you.' A new name deserves a new song. And in the Apocalypse it is said: 'To him that overcometh,' he says, 'I will give a pebble, and I will write upon it a new name.' The new name is that of the Christians. Sing to the Lord. Why? For what has he done? Why does he deserve a new song? Because he has done marvelous things. He worked signs among the Jews: he healed the paralyzed, he cleansed the lepers, he raised the dead. This other prophets also did. He turned a few loaves into many and fed a countless multitude. This Elisha also did. What then did he do that is new, so that he deserves a new song? Do you want to know what new thing he did? God died as though a man, that men might live; the Son of God was crucified, that he might lift us up to heaven. Because he has done marvelous things. Do you want to know that he has done marvelous things? The widow's son lay in the upper room: Elisha came and drew himself together, and placed mouth to mouth, and hands to hands, and feet to feet. For if he had stretched himself out, the widow's son would not have come back to life: therefore he drew himself together, that he might give life. Since he was in the form of God, therefore he took the form of a man, therefore he drew himself together, that he might make us higher.
His own right hand has saved for him. What he says is this: He saved men — not another's work, but his own; that is, what he had made for himself, he himself saved for himself. He had made man for salvation, who by his own fault had perished: this One died, that he might save man for himself by his own right hand. Here 'right hand' is put for power, and 'arm' for strength. And his holy arm. Although both 'arm' and 'right hand' may be said to be Christ — 'The right hand of the Lord has done valiantly.' 'And the arm of the Lord, to whom has it been revealed?' — nevertheless, since here it is said of Christ, the right hand and the arm of the Lord is his power.
The Lord has made known his salvation. He did not say 'he showed,' but 'he made known.' What he says is this: what before they had known of God, and by their own fault had forgotten. Therefore God, coming by his grace, made manifest to them this thing which they had lost. So this is what he says: Him whom Adam had known, whom Seth had known, whom Enoch had known, who called upon the Lord and hoped in him, and whom Noah had known, and whom afterward the human race had forgotten — he came again into the world, that men who afterward had forgotten might again come to know him. The Lord has made known his salvation. In the Hebrew it reads: The Lord has made known his Jesus. For wherever 'salvation' (salutare) is said, in the Hebrew 'Jesus' is put. In the sight of the nations he has revealed his righteousness. By no means in Judea alone, but in the sight of the nations. For it was just that the Savior should save his creature. He has revealed his righteousness — which had been obscured by the unbelief of men.
He has remembered his mercy. 'He has shut up all things under sin, that he might have mercy on all.' And his truth to the house of Israel. He remembers mercy: he fulfills truth. He has remembered his mercy: that is, toward the people of the nations. And his truth to the house of Israel: fulfilling by this work what he had promised to the patriarchs.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Not Israel and Judah alone saw it, but all the ends; and at the same time, according to the mystical senses, the ends of the earth. As long as we are in the midst of the earth, we cannot see God. When therefore we as it were leave the earth and are on the summit, then we deserve to see God. Do you want to know how the ends of the earth see God? We read in Ezekiel: 'And those wheels,' he says, 'which are turned, were called gelgel,' which means 'revelation, revelation.' For GEL means 'revelation,' GELGEL 'revelation, revelation.' Those wheels then hear 'revelation, revelation': because the wheel touches the earth as it were only at some small point, and the whole of it hastens toward heaven. Therefore it is said also in another place: 'Holy stones are rolled upon the earth.' And what is said in Ezekiel? 'Wherever,' he says, 'the spirit went, thither the wheels also followed.' Let us too follow the Holy Spirit, and let us be called wheels. And what is said there? 'And they went not,' he says, 'backward, but always went forward.' And at the same time consider what he says. 'They did not turn back,' he says, 'but always went forward.' For they forgot the things that were past, and reached out toward the things before them. 'And they were full,' he says, 'of eyes.' For all of those wheels were full of the light of God. It is not the time now to discuss the wheels and the cherubim and the living creatures in Ezekiel.
Rejoice in God, all the earth. Not Judea alone, but all the earth — rejoice in the Lord. Send forth the standards of the victorious army. Sing and exult and make melody. Sing — in thought; but make melody — that is, with all your members. Let the hand make melody in almsgiving, let the foot make melody by going about in good work.
Make melody to the Lord on the harp. Let all your strings have voice. There cannot be a harp if one string is missing. What does it profit you if you are chaste, and yet greedy? What does it profit you if you are both chaste and generous in almsgiving, and yet envious? What does it profit you if you have six strings whole and one broken? If one string is lacking, the perfect sound of the harp cannot exist. On beaten trumpets and with the sound of the horned trumpet. We read in the book of Numbers that there are two kinds of trumpets: one kind of trumpet beaten out of silver, and another kind of trumpets made of horn. So here both are named: On beaten trumpets and with the sound of the horned trumpet. What is said is this. The trumpet beaten out of silver is the word of God. 'The words of the Lord are chaste words: silver tried by fire, purified sevenfold.' Again, in 'the sound of the horned trumpet,' here the man of God is brought in reigning. In the scriptures 'horn' is properly said for kingship and for power, as it is written there: 'He has raised up a horn of salvation for us.' And in another place it is written: 'In you we will toss our enemies on the horn.' So see here what he says. Have two trumpets, both the silver and the horned: the silver, that you may have the word; the horned, that you may have power. Do you want to know that 'horn' is always put in a good sense? We read in Leviticus: 'Let no animal be offered except whatever is horned.' Three kinds of animals are offered: the ox, which has horns, and the ram, which has horns, and the he-goat, which has horns. Do you suppose it is said without reason, that no animal be offered except what is horned? So we too, as long as we have a horn, deserve to be a victim of God. But if our horn has been struck off, we are as it were feeble, and we cannot come among the priests of God.
Let the sea be moved, and the fullness thereof. Let the sea be moved, and let the bitter waters be changed into sweet. In fact, Marah too was changed and made into a sweet taste. Nothing else made that bitter water sweet except the wood of the cross, which had been cast into it. It seems to me that the bitter sea is the law of Moses. This is what is called Marah, that is, 'bitter.' This bitter water of the old law received the wood of the cross, and was made sweet.
The rivers shall clap their hands together. Let us ask the Jews, who understand according to the letter. Do rivers have hands? Do rivers have voices? Do rivers have feet? Do rivers have a belly? Someone may say: It is not written about a belly, about feet. But I say to you: from one member we understand the rest as well; for we cannot understand hands without feet, without a belly, without the other members. The rivers shall clap their hands together. The rivers, which have drunk from the fountain of Jesus. 'They have forsaken me,' he says, 'the fountain of living water.' The rivers themselves run from the fountain of Christ. He is the fountain, we are the rivers — if indeed we deserve to be rivers. Christ is the fountain, and the saints are the rivers; but those who are lower are little streams. Others, however, are torrents. Who are the torrents? Those who have waters for an hour, and when temptation comes are dried up. The rivers shall clap their hands together. It is not one river, there are many rivers: as many as the saints are, so many also are the rivers. But these rivers have no dissension among themselves: since they are the rivers of Christ, therefore they have concord among themselves. The rivers shall clap their hands together. They clap with the hand: the works of the saints are the praise of God. Christ is praised not by voice, but by work; he does not hear the voice, but the works. The rivers shall clap their hands together. Therefore he himself says in the Gospel: 'He who thirsts, let him come and drink; and rivers,' he says, 'shall flow from his belly.' The mountains shall exult in the sight of the Lord. What likeness is there between rivers and mountains? But since he speaks of the perfect saints, he did not say, 'the little streams shall clap their hands together,' but, 'The rivers shall clap their hands together.' See the order. Let the sea be moved, and the whole world: the rivers clap their hands together, his saints: the mountains no less, who have attained to the highest righteousness. Let us say it also in another way. Let the sea be moved, which before had been unmoved — let it be moved at the coming of Christ. Let the sea be moved: we have already said, this is the law of Moses. The rivers clap their hands together: this is the prophets. The mountains shall exult before the sight of the Lord: this is the apostles. Because he comes to judge the earth. By no means did he come only lowly in the flesh, but he comes glorious in his majesty. Because he comes to judge the earth. He did not say 'to destroy,' but 'to judge.' He comes to judge, that he may separate the tares from the wheat: he comes, that he may separate the bad little fish from the good.
He shall judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in equity. Righteousness is set down, and equity. If righteousness is set down, and afterward equity, it is properly called εὐθύτης (euthytēs), 'straightness,' which makes the crooked straight. So he comes to judge in his righteousness, that what is crooked may in him be made straight. To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.