Psalm of David 33 in Russian and Church Slavonic languages

The text of Psalm 33 is a special song of praise that was written long ago by King David himself. They say that he feigned madness in order to escape from another ruling king named Achish. The text seemed to cleanse David of everything he had ever done, protected his soul from bad intentions, and shed light.

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Today, the singing of psalms is a teaching about the spiritual, that the Gospel ministry is very important for humanity. Therefore, if a believer wants to live in harmony, understanding and long life, in goodness and warmth, then Psalm 33 is a must-read.

Psalm 33

Psalm 33 - text with emphasis and translation How Psalm 33 was written (history) Explanation and brief interpretation of the psalm

PSALM 33 – TEXT WITH EMPHASIS AND TRANSLATION

Psalm No. 33 (with Glory) listen:

KATHISMA 5

Glory:

HOW PSALM 33 WAS WRITTEN AND WHAT IT MEANS

Saving his life, David was forced to hide from his pursuer King Saul (Book of 1 Samuel 21:1-13) in the land of the Philistines. Not long before this, during the war, David killed the strongest Philistine warrior, Goliath, and when he was with them, the Philistines recognized the winner of their hero, grabbed him and led him to the king. Then David pretended to be mad, began to crawl on the ground and drool from his mouth. The king, seeing such a man, did not believe his subjects and ordered the madman to be expelled from the palace. Having thus received salvation, David in a psalm poured out gratitude to God for His mercies towards pious people and sang the teaching about the fear of God, that the wicked will be punished for their sins. The inscription is a psalm of David, when he pretended to be mad before Abimelech and was driven away from him and withdrew. All the Philistine kings were called Abimelich, just as the Roman rulers were called Caesars or the Egyptian rulers were called pharaohs.

EXPLANATION AND BRIEF INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 33

Ps.33:2 I will bless the Lord at all times; I will make His praise in my mouth. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise is continually in my mouth. To bless means to praise the Lord, i.e. “gratitude for blessings, for God’s mercies.” The meaning of this verse is as follows: in prosperity or in sorrow, I will never stop blessing the Lord, knowing that everything that happens is from God and according to his providence, there are no accidents. I will praise Him unceasingly; I will attribute everything to the glory of the Lord.

Ps.33:3 My soul shall glory in the Lord: let the meek hear and be glad. In the Lord my soul will glory; The meek will hear and rejoice. David understands that it was not he himself who, by his luck and intelligence, was able to escape execution, but God helped him, and therefore thanks Him for this goodness. Next in the psalm there is an appeal to the meek, i.e. to those people who trust in the will of God and do not return evil for evil. David calls on them to rejoice, to rejoice with him, seeing how miraculously he, without fighting, only trusting in the help of the Lord, was saved from trouble. Theophan the Recluse taught: “Cast sorrow upon the Lord, and He will arrange for you everything for which you have neither the strength nor the means.”

Ps.33:4 Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. The magnification and exaltation of God is necessary, first of all, for us, so that we understand with our hearts the depth of His creation - the world, the universe, and from this understanding we ourselves are filled with the triumph of the spirit. David calls on all the meek who love God to share this spiritual joy together (let us lift up His name together).

Ps.33:5 I sought the Lord, and heard me, and delivered me from all my sorrows. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my dangers. David did not just seek the Lord, but made efforts (seeks), like a child who has lost his parents seeks relatives. And God heard David calling, but not his voice itself, but his inner call, which came from his very heart. Saul had many opportunities to destroy David, but being under the protection of the Lord, the prophet avoided captivity and death, i.e. sorrows.

Ps.33:6 Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed. Those who turned their gaze to Him were enlightened, and their faces would not be ashamed. Those who believe and love (approach) the Lord will receive God’s grace and enlightenment. After all, those people who have some kind of trouble usually have a sad, mournful appearance, and after they come under God’s protection, sorrows go away and sadness and troubles recede from a person, and his face is not ashamed in trusting in God.

Ps.33:7 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard and saved him from all his troubles. This beggar cried out, and the Lord heard and saved him from all his troubles. This beggar is what David calls himself. He was then in exile, in need, without shelter, relatives and friends. Any person in trouble can be called a beggar, and he does not need to despair, he must call on God - He will definitely hear and help. There are a huge number of such examples in history, and in the life of every person, if you are careful, there are examples of God’s protection. A beggar is not someone who has no money. Poor and blessed are those who have the Lord and love for Him in the first place in their hearts, and then everything else.

Ps.33:8 The angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear Him and will deliver them. After baptism, the Lord gives each person a guardian angel who protects him, unless, of course, he himself drives away the angel with his evil deeds. Those who fear God and try not to sin are protected by the angel from external troubles and dangers.

Ps.33:9 Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man who trusts in Nan. Taste and see how good the Lord is! Blessed is the man who trusts in Him. David calls - try (taste) yourself and make sure that those who trust in the Lord, pray earnestly to Him, will receive confirmation of the goodness of God to those who resort to Him. Blessed is the one who trusts in God, because he will certainly receive help. The blessed and the poor always carry within themselves love for God, for the world, they have no evil in their hearts. Those who trust in the Lord endure any trials much calmer than those who do not have faith. They do not lose heart, rightly considering everything that happens to be God’s providence.

Ps.33:10 Fear the Lord, all your saints, for there is no hardship for those who fear Him. Fear the Lord, all you His saints, for there is no poverty among those who fear Him. The psalmist calls everyone who believes in God saints. We need to live godly and never forget the fear of God. We must remember the danger that our sins may offend the holiness of the Lord. Those who fear the Lord need not fear difficulties or even hardships. Sustained by the grace of the Holy Spirit, they receive spiritual benefits that are immeasurably higher than all treasures - those who fear God have no deprivation.

Ps.33:11 With riches they become poor and hungry: but those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good. The rich became poor and began to starve, but those who seek the Lord will not tolerate the need for any good. Here the word “rich” refers to arrogant people who trust in their own strength and power rather than in God. Throughout their lives, they accumulate wealth in various ways, including dishonest ones, sometimes even more than they need. During accumulation, they develop a passion for covetousness, which leads to fear of losing treasures and position in society. Often, by the will of God, they lose their savings, but even if the Lord does not deprive them of their wealth, such people are rarely satisfied with life because of their fears. There are cases when such rich people “sit on bags of money,” but because of stinginess, they lead a miserable lifestyle. In contrast, the psalmist speaks of those who seek (seek) the Lord. Such people, even if they are in poverty by earthly standards, actually live easily, there is love for the Lord in their hearts, it helps them painlessly endure all the difficulties and sorrows of life.

Ps.33:12 Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. The prophet, as a teacher, calls to learn the most important thing that leads to the love of God - the fear of the Lord. But this is not the same as fear (fear) of the enemy or demons. The fear of God among true believers lies in the fear of losing the love and protection of the Lord.

Ps.33:13 Who is a man, though he may love the days and see good things? Does a person want to live and does he love long life in order to see good? In other words: who wants to live and likes to see prosperity? According to the teaching of the holy fathers, in this verse, in addition to earthly life, one must understand the life of the next century. A belly means a healthy, happy life.

Ps.33:14-15 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from uttering flattery, turn away from evil and do good: seek peace and marry. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful words. Avoid evil and do good; seek peace and follow it. These two verses provide guidance for a happy life. The prophet points out that in addition to the obvious evil that a person can create with the help of the tongue, there is also flattery, sweet speech, which hides behind itself deceit, lies and cunning (restrain your lips from speaking flattery). It is a great sin when a person, using trust, learns all the secrets, and then, with the help of this information, brings harm to the person who trusted him. But it is not enough to receive the Kingdom of God as a reward by avoiding evil; it is also necessary to do everything opposite to evil; instead of pride, one must be humble, instead of laziness, hardworking; anger and rancor must be opposed to meekness. And there is no need to respond to evil that comes from others with evil; it would be more correct to repay with good. In this way one can find a peaceful and tranquil life (seek peace). And get married and - i.e. pursue, follow goodness, peace, seek these virtues.

Ps.33:16-17 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are upon them in prayer The face of the Lord is upon those who do evil, who destroy their remembrance from the earth. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are on their cry. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to destroy the memory of them from the earth. All those people who move away from evil, lies and hypocrisy, who do good, who live a righteous life, are under the protection of God because He always turns His gaze to them, hears them and protects them, protects them from troubles. The Lord also looks at the wicked and evil and does things to destroy their memory, to forget their sinful deeds. There are examples of this in history: the extermination of sinners in the Flood, the destruction of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, etc.

Ps.33:18 The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them from all their sorrows. The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their sorrows. But, if it happens that prayers do not help, this means you need to be patient, everything will work out. After all, the Lord and His actions are incomprehensible to our minds.

Ps.33:19-20 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and will save the humble in spirit. Many are the sorrows of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver me from all of them. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and will save the humble in spirit. The righteous has many sorrows, and the Lord will deliver him from all of them. The psalmist reassures the righteous that the Lord is always nearby, covering with His right hand from enemies. The righteous, even in difficult trials, never grumble about life or God; they humbly accept everything that happens to them. The Lord helps them even in sorrows, giving them strength and patience, and in the end, they receive a reward for their perseverance and love for God.

Ps.33:21 The Lord guards all their bones, not one of them will be broken. Although the righteous pass into eternal life with their souls, their body will also be incorruptible and preserved. There are many cases in history when, during the reburial of the remains of saints, their bodies, upon opening the graves, were found intact and incorrupt. The Lord shows us such miracles to glorify the righteous and as another proof of His power, which is incomparably higher than any laws of nature. In a spiritual sense, the holy fathers explain this verse to us in such a way that the righteous always maintain their good disposition, despite any sorrows and trials.

Ps.33:22 The death of sinners is cruel, and those who hate the righteous will sin. Sinners, unlike righteous people. A completely different fate awaits. Atheists believe that all suffering ends with the death of a person, and beyond death there is emptiness, but this is not so, in fact, everything is just beginning. David prophesies that sinners, at the hour of death, will see their destruction and will be horrified by what they have done in their earthly life, but it will be impossible to correct anything. Upon death, demonic forces take their souls and send them to torture, where they are left to await the Last Judgment. During earthly life, the wicked considered the righteous to be backward people, humiliated and insulted them with words and deeds. Everything changes after death, and then those who hate the righteous will sin, they will understand that they spent their lives in vain, but it will be too late.

Ps.33:23 The Lord will redeem the souls of His servant, and all who trust in Him will not sin. The Lord will deliver the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him will perish. The Lord will free from sorrow all who trust in Him, take all those who love Him and place them in heavenly bliss. There, after death, the theory of hope for salvation will turn into practice, into reality, the righteous there will fully feel, see, touch what they believed in here.

Thus, through the entire psalm, the prophet calls on us so that we do not sin, be virtuous, and then we will receive the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward!

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History of writing

At the time of the composition of Psalm 33, David had already left the shepherd's business, arriving at the royal court, where he became famous as the conqueror of Goliath. Vice became the favorite of the people, which Saul did not like. The king's heart was filled with anger and jealousy, which made him pursue the young singer. David was forced to leave his homeland, wander through deserts and caves, hoping to find a safe refuge.

He wanted to find one in Gerar, but the ruler of this city, Abimelech, did not agree to accept the prophet. When the former shepherd was captured and brought to the king, he was forced to pretend to be mad to save his own life. It worked; Abimelech did not recognize the foaming man as David. The latter, full of joy at this, decided to turn to the Almighty with speeches of gratitude. Then he wrote Psalm 33, a song of praise that is still popular in our time.

Reading rules

There are no strict rules for reading prayers, and the same applies to songs of gratitude. Psalm 33 is read morning and evening during prayer rules or services. You can pronounce the words like a prayer, or chant them, but you must follow the accents for singing. The basic rule of reading any prayer is to speak with an open heart and sincerely, as befits an appeal to the Lord.

The meaning of prayer

To understand what the prayer is about, it is worth analyzing it verse by verse; this is necessary so that the person who will pronounce the text is aware of its entire deep meaning and carries out the ritual consciously:

• From 1 to 3. It says that everything that people do good in their lives is the merit of the Almighty, and you should not attribute it to yourself, but, on the contrary, constantly praise the Heavenly Father for all blessings and protection.
• Verse 4 In it, the psalmist David calls on all believers to join him in a prayer of praise, since he alone cannot give God the honor that he deserves.
• From 6 to 7. By his own example, King David experienced all the mercy and power of the Lord, who raised a simple shepherd above the kings according to his will, therefore the psalmist calls on other people to draw closer to the Most High and be imbued with wisdom from him, which is beyond human understanding.
• Verse 8 Here we are talking about the fact that those who are devoted to the Lord have a protector in the form of an angel of God who will destroy all enemies who are plotting evil against Christians.
• Verse 9 This section encourages people to experience the goodness and great love of the Creator.
• Verse 11 In it, the Jewish people are called thirsty for God. It also draws attention to the fact that God's people are separated from the pagan tribes.
• From 12 to 14. The psalmist David calls on the pagans to turn to the one Living God and stop serving idols. It also talks about the danger of judging your neighbor.
• From 15 to 16. Here is a reminder for all believers that it is necessary to avoid evil and strive to do good deeds, because the Lord sees even what is hidden from human eyes and blesses a hundredfold for the good done by man.
• 21st verse. It is said that the Almighty blesses the obedient and faithful and grants them abstinence and piety.
• 22nd verse. King David reminds us of what awaits people who did not accept the Lord, and says that their fate is in fiery hell.

After a person has grasped the meaning of the psalm written by the Jewish king David, he can begin to read it as part of the prayer rule that every true believer Christian performs.