Text of Psalm 43
According to the church canon, Psalm 43 is sung in the Old Church Slavonic language in churches. Not everyone works with this version of the text at home, mostly trained believers. Others, to better understand the meaning of the song, resort to reading a modern translation into Russian.
In Church Slavonic
In Russian
Interpretation
The meaning of Psalm 43 is fully revealed to those who carefully study the interpretation of individual songs of the ancient work:
- Verses 1 to 6: The author points out that the Jews received Palestine only thanks to God's help. The Almighty was merciful to this people, granting them his protection. Here His strength is compared to the strength of every animal that repels its enemies. For Jews, the main military leader is God.
- Verses 7 to 13: The righteous, chosen by the One Creator, do not part with the Icon of the Covenant. God's help is visible everywhere, but not on the “young side”, where the people suffer from plunder. This part of the song also mentions human trafficking, which, although unprofitable, was commonplace in those days. As a result of such trades, many Jews ended up in Greece and Egypt.
- Verses 14 to 20: The chosen people were scattered and faced ridicule and mockery. Each of the Jews who fell into slavery was considered a corpse. The emphasis in the poems is on the feeling of hopelessness.
- Verses 21 to 26: God knows all mysteries. He knows that the Jews were faithful to Him, differing from others in their devotion. At the same time, they do not see proper help from above, which makes them grieve.
We read the Psalter. Psalm 43
Audio |
Conversation with Archpriest Alexy Ladygin about the Psalter.
Let's continue talking about the Psalms and look at the 43rd Psalm. It, like the previous ones, has a prescription: “To the end of the sons of Korah, to the understanding.” In it we will hear the prophecy of the holy psalmist David about the Maccabees, who fought the Macedonians and, of course, trusted in the Lord, because their cause was just - they sought to defend their faith in every possible way. “O God, our ears were filled with hearing, and our fathers told us the work that you did in their days, in the days of old.” The psalmist speaks amazing words from the Maccabees: “O God, our ears are filled with hearing...”. They themselves heard with their own ears how the fathers announced to them the work “that the Lord Himself had done” in ancient times. This is a very important point that interpreters pay attention to. Saint John Chrysostom says that we take care of our children, so that they receive all kinds of secular education, so that they can sing even secular songs, but they have little spiritual knowledge. When raising children, it is necessary to always make sure that they know who helps in life and how they can achieve this or that goal in life.
If we trust in God, then the Lord always helps us. If we do not trust in the Lord, then the Lord will not help us. But the Maccabees knew who helped them, they knew who arranged life in Israel, and, of course, it was the Lord Himself who arranged it. And therefore, in difficult times, when everyone rebelled against them and when they could lose the most important thing in their life - faith, they do not leave faith, but strive in every possible way for the Lord to help them.
“Those things they did in their days, even in the days of old,” that is, the Lord once helped Israel. And here you need to understand that it would be impossible to enter the Promised Land if there were no God’s blessing. But the Lord supported the Jews, and they were able to enter the Promised Land and receive it.
“Thy hand has consumed the tongues, and I have planted them, I have embittered people, and I have driven them out.” The next verse talks about the tribes of the Canaanites, because the Lord drove them out. They were not defeated by force of arms, but by God’s blessing. Because these people lived wickedly, the Lord expels them from this land. They received reproach and became embittered by receiving evil. Only through evil does a person become embittered when he is deprived of everything he had. They received evil and were expelled by the Lord Himself from the Promised Land, which the Lord gave to the Jews.
“You did not destroy the earth with your sword, nor did your arm save them, but Your right hand, and Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, as You were pleased in them.” The verse says that it was the Lord who drove them out - not that they had weapons, it was not the power that was shown through weapons, but it was God's blessing: the Lord wanted it that way.
“You yourself are my King and my God, commanding the salvation of Jacob.” Here again the Psalmist says: just as in those times, so today the brothers of the Maccabees confess You as Lord. This is a relationship with God through the salvation that He prepared for Jacob.
“Because of You we will rip our enemies by the horns, and because of Your name we will despise those who rise up against us.” Again the psalmist David says that all our trust is in You, Lord, we have never sought anything else in our lives: Your word is above all weapons. And if there is Your favor, Your disposition, then we will be able to cope with the enemies rising against us. “We will rip off the horns” - that is, just as animals with horns can, by the power of these horns, defeat the enemy, drive him away from ourselves, so we, if Your favor be, with such great strength will be able to protect both our land and our faith, which is precisely Now there are assassination attempts.
“For I trust not in my bow, and my sword will not save me.” Again the Maccabean brothers say: we do not trust in weapons, although we have them. The Maccabees actually gathered a whole army from the Jews; they were good warriors and could win by force of arms. We know how important weapons are even in today's times: countries that have weapons have both political and economic superiority in their lives, they can defend themselves. But all the same, the Maccabee brothers say: “Although we have earthly power, we understand that this is not enough to expel and defeat the enemy. This requires God's favor. Even the most beautiful bow and wonderful sword will not save me, about which the psalmist David speaks: “For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword will not save me. Thou hast saved us from those who oppressed us, and thou hast put to shame those who hate us.” Who "saved us"? The Lord saves us from those who want to shame us and hate us. And if the Lord is with us, then such a goal can really be achieved.
“Let us boast in God all the day long, and let us confess Your name forever. Now you have rejected and put us to shame, and you will not go away, O God, in our power.” And although we have sinned, although we are in such a state, we still, Lord, will never lose trust in You, but we will always boast all day long and confess Your name forever: we will glorify You, speak of You as ours Intercessor, Helper, about the One who always brought us out of difficult situations and helped us in days of disasters and difficulties. But today the time has come when the people have sinned: today we are in a state of great tribulation. “Now you have rejected and put us to shame” - and the Lord rejected them for their sins, for apostasy, for the compromise that they were looking for in life. Today they are experiencing difficulties and shame - God has abandoned them.
If God left, it means they fell into such a state. What kind of condition is this? The Psalmist speaks very well about this: “Thou hast brought us back in the face of our enemies, and those who hate us have spoiled them for themselves.” What does it mean to “bring us back”? That is, before we were always first, and You, Lord, treated us as Your firstborn, always gave Your favor, but now we stand in last place among other nations: You have turned away from us. And those who hated us came and today plundered us, dispersed us to different places and took possession of our property.
“Thou hast given us as sheep for food, and scattered among the nations.” That is, the Lord gave them not as a gift or as an inheritance (when sheep have the opportunity to multiply, then life still continues), but gave them as “sheep for food,” that is, “for slaughter,” and scattered them among the pagans. What does it mean to give “as food”? This is when sheep that are no longer suitable are given away so that they can multiply and replenish the flock. Infertile sheep are primarily eaten, while valuable ones are left for procreation. That is, the Lord gave them to the pagans, who scattered them as barren, as those who could not bring any benefit: “Thou hast given Thy people without a price, and there is no multitude in our shouts.” We know that without a price we give away old, unnecessary things - now even special stores are being created so that we can either give away cheap, unnecessary or worn goods or sell them at a very low price. And they compare themselves precisely with unnecessary goods, unnecessary people, with slaves who can no longer bring any benefit, having neither the strength nor the opportunity to do something good to their master. This is the state the Jewish people find themselves in, and they are being given over to the pagan people without price.
And here the Maccabee brothers state that “thou gavest thy people without price, and there was not a multitude in our shouts. Thou hast ordained the reproach of us by our neighbors, the imitation and desecration of those around us.” You, Lord, have given them to their neighbors, pagan peoples who do not take them into account and speak very badly about them: “Thou hast made us a byword among the nations...”. This is a very well-known expression: you have become some kind of not very positive hero in the stories that are circulating among your neighbors. “A parable of the town” is precisely the stories that pagan peoples, and indeed all nations, say about you, they simply laugh at you, say bad words about you: “Well, where is their God, Who has always helped them and on Whom did they have their hope?
How do the neighbors feel about this? “Thou hast made us a byword among the nations, to bow the head among the people.” Nodding your head has different meanings, of course. Some nod their heads when they laugh at a person, others regretfully say that you had everything, but because of your apostasy, you lost what God gave you.
“All day long my shame is before me, and the coldness of my face covers me...” Indeed, they are in such a state that every minute, every hour they are in a shameful position, shame covers their face. That is, it is impossible to raise their faces: they see these “nods” and hear stories about them - today they have turned out to be the talk of the town from the voice of reproach and slander, from the face of the enemy and expelling. They are in such a state, constantly hearing not only words that offend them, but also enduring lies, because there is no truth in these words. And, besides, untruth is accompanied by slander. And all this from enemies who drove them out of the place promised by God Himself.
“All this has come upon us, and we have not forgotten You, nor have we committed unrighteousness in Your covenant.” Despite the fact that we are now a byword, that we are experiencing reproach and slander, we still do not forget You, Lord. We do not seek another god, we do not grumble in distress, but we strive in every possible way to fulfill Your Law, emphasizing that You are our God. This is a very deep and lofty thought - it says that we should thank God even in a difficult state, not betray Him and not look for another force that would help us and bring us out of a difficult state. The Maccabees, as the best sons of their people, say: “Yes, the enemy is evil, he persecutes us, and he persecutes us not simply because we are a bad people, but because it is we who bow to You, we glorify You, the True God. We could renounce our faith, as we were offered - to be together with the pagans, and they would accept us. But we will never agree to this, because we love You, we want to be with You even in a difficult situation.”
Chrysostom and other interpreters say that the Maccabee brothers act as the best sons of their people. Of course they lived righteously, they can say that they still live in righteousness, although in difficulties. Not all, not all the people lived in righteousness, otherwise they would not have experienced difficulties, but they (the Maccabee brothers) bring their holiness not only for themselves, but also for the whole people, emphasizing that while there are still righteous and saints in this people, for the sake of which the Lord can spare the whole people. And they ask to spare him, and in return they will give their loyalty to the Lord and righteousness of life: “And do not our heart turn back, and you have turned our paths away from Your path. For Thou hast humbled us in the place of bitterness, and covered the shadow of death.”
Yes, difficulties: they feel humility within themselves, yes, this is a place of bitterness, that is, a place of malice, because now they have received untruth, as the Canaanite people once received in this place. They are now in anger and untruth. “And the shadow of death covered us” - that is, sorrow covered them, like death itself. Indeed, you can compare this test with death, because the tests are very difficult, you lose the most precious thing that your people have - this is the temple, you lose the land, and not just your homeland, but the Promised Land given by God, you lose what you have gained the work of your life. This is indeed a very difficult test, mortal tribulation, as the Psalmist calls it. And despite the fact that it exists, they have a different feeling - loyalty, gratitude to God. And a huge prayer asking the Lord to help.
“If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have lifted up our hands to a strange god.” We have not raised our hands to a foreign god, we have not forgotten the name of our God. Will not God seek these? “That is the secret news of the heart.” That is: “Lord, You see that we have not forgotten You, we have not betrayed Your law, because You see the secrets of the heart.” And so, being in such great holiness, they show God the openness of their hearts, their pure thoughts, their desire to defend the faith.
“For Your sake we are put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep of the slaughter.” For the sake of God they are ready to die all day long. What does it mean? That is, to kill yourself always, every day, all your life. “All day” is not just one day, it’s every day, our whole life, “we are counted as sheep of the slaughter,” that is, to give ourselves completely as a sacrifice to the Lord Himself.
“Arise and write off everything, Lord? Resurrect and do not reject it completely.” Symbolic language is used here, it is said that the Lord will rise: He is “sleeping” - this is the state of the relationship between the Jewish people and God, the Lord does not hear them, He seems to be in a dream. But he does not hear, not because he is asleep, but because there is not yet a strong, deep cry of the people themselves to God. And here he breaks through when the people say: “Arise, write off everything, Lord?” Resurrect (wake up) and do not completely reject us. “Do you turn away your face?” In vain do You turn away Your Face, forgetting our poverty and sorrow. Indeed, the hearts of the people are filled with sorrow and difficulty; they understand that without God it is impossible to win in this difficult situation. Therefore they say: “Lord, do not turn Your face away from us, do not forget our poverty and sorrow in which we find ourselves and remain.”
“For our soul is humbled to the dust, our belly clings to the earth.” It is indicated here, on the one hand, that difficulties came due to the fact that sin filled humanity, that the flesh took precedence over the spiritual, that in their sins they became like their animals, which crawl on the earth in their wombs. But this humility that they experienced gives them the opportunity to cry out to God: Rise, Lord, help us and deliver us in Your name. “Arise, Lord,” say the brothers, “and help us, deliver us for the sake of Your holy name.” That is, we cannot offer anything more to You, Lord, than Your great name, which is not forgotten among our people, which is glorified and for the sake of which we endure reproach. You are a great shrine to us, and for this reason help us.
Indeed, he who trusts in the Lord and glorifies His name will never be forgotten by Him. And the Maccabee brothers knew what they could provide to God: there is nothing higher than the name of the Lord in the whole universe, there is nothing more holy than His name. They know this name, and they know it firsthand, they know the mercy and love of God (“our fathers told us, and we heard with our own ears”). They knew the Holy Scripture very well and from it they drew wonderful conclusions, simply wonderful, that if you are with God, if you fulfill the Law of God, then the Lord will never leave and the power of your weapon will be truly invincible.
In our time, when there is a bias toward earthly, material hope, a departure from the Holy Scriptures, from the understanding of biblical history, which was man’s guide to God, we must still remember that if we do not strengthen everything that we have with the power of Himself Gentlemen, we will be defeated. And only those who are with God become a great and invincible people.
This is the amazing 43rd Psalm, dear brothers and sisters, that we studied today. I think that he will bring us great consolation in the days of sorrow and injustice that will happen to us. We will always trust in the Lord, call on Him and, for the sake of His holy name, ask for help and forgiveness.
Leading priest Alexey Ladygin
Recorded by Elena Kuzoro
