Quote source
The expression “Every man is a lie” occurs for the first time in the Psalter, in Psalm 115 in the second verse. The full quote would read like this:
“I believed, and therefore I said: I am greatly crushed. I said in my rashness: every man is a liar.”
This psalm is included in kathisma 6 and, according to monastic tradition, is read in Church Slavonic every morning church service on Saturday and Tuesday. The psalm is also read before receiving Communion, so that every church-going Christian has heard this text.
This psalm was written by an unknown author who apparently experienced disappointment or betrayal of a loved one. The meaning of the text and the manner of writing forced theologians and interpreters to call it a “martyr’s psalm.”
Psalm 115 is turned to for protection from the deception and lies of others
Despite the bitterness in the text and meaning, the song has the inscription “Gratitude,” which means exaltation and glory of the Lord. Indeed, the next 3-10 verses of the song are entirely devoted to the glorification of the Heavenly Creator, in which the author gives glory to Him.
In addition to approved services, this song is read in moments of severe disappointment in people or in situations when a person needs protection from evil people and their deception. Many Christians read the psalm understanding and realizing that they themselves often deceive and disappoint people, asking God to give them strength and strength.
St. Athanasius the Great
Psalm. Hallelujah
Beliefs, the same words. Having said: in faith, in the same words, as if having already given thanks to the Lord and having reached the heavenly abodes, he says that he would not have uttered these words if he had not been firmly confident in God’s promises. These promises were full of mercy. Blessed are those who weep now, for they will rejoice (Luke 6:21). If their eyes were full of tears, then, obviously, they would receive joy in those monasteries. The words of the Psalmist are quoted by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, saying: having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written: we have believed, in the same words we have spoken (For with the heart we believe the truth, but with our lips we confess for salvation - Rom. 10:10), and we believe, and we also speak the same words (2 Cor. 4:13), and by the spirit of faith he means either the state of our spirit into which faith leads us, or the Spirit given by God to those who have faith. With these words: in faith, in the same words - in agreement with what was said: if you do not believe, you will not understand (Is. 7:9). First a person believes, then he understands, and after this he speaks. But when, says the Psalmist, I believed and spoke great things, then seeing that I myself was nothing, I greatly humbled myself. Similar to this is what John said about Jesus: It is fitting for Him to grow, but for me to decrease (John 3:30). For he prayed, not putting aside anything from the greatness that he had, but only in comparison with the excellent teaching and life of Christ. So now he said: I humbled myself, not because of the diminishment of height, but out of discretion, in comparison with myself, the highest.
Interpretation of the Psalms.
Interpretations
To correctly interpret the above quotation, one must understand the meaning of the psalm as a whole and analyze the first verses. It is clear from the text that the author has experienced a severe betrayal and from now on he places his hopes and dreams only on the Lord.
Important! And only by hoping and believing in the Heavenly Father is a person able to not only believe another person, but also trust him again after betrayal. Thus, faith and love for God helps a person to believe in people and love them. God is an inexhaustible source of love for the entire world around us.
John Chrysostom recorded his own interpretation of a phrase that would seem to define man as a deceitful creature. The theologian said that the psalms often touch upon a person’s character, pointing out imperfections. John Chrysostom characterizes the entire psalm by saying:
- The time of writing the psalm is the next war of the Jews with their enemies.
- The author stands on a large stone, seeing the weakness of the Jewish army and shouting that one must trust only in the Lord.
- The words “I am greatly afflicted” show that the author was in great despondency, it is obvious that the army of his people was losing and he was disappointed in it.
- The expression “in a frenzy” shows that the singer was in some shock from what was happening, not fully aware of what was happening around him.
- According to Chrysostom, the expression uses one of three words: “falsehood”, “lies” and “insufficient”, i.e. the person is deceitful/lies/is insufficient. Which indicates not the insignificance of man, but his imperfection and sinfulness.
Chrysostom, in his interpretation, comes to the conclusion that the singer only showed that desperate disappointment in a person is natural - he is sinful, his nature will always be inferior and there is no point in relying on it. Instead, you should turn to the Lord and trust only in Him - because He is perfect and will never fail.
Psalm 115 read at Saturday worship
The theologian Lopukhin largely agrees with John Chrysostom and also points out that the meaning of the psalm is to point out the imperfections of human nature and direct hopes to God. Theologian says:
- The writer is a deeply religious person who, in moments of sadness and disappointment, resorts to the Lord.
- He says that the hope of another person's help is not only deceptive, but also that people often live by their intentional, conscious deceptions of loved ones.
- Lopukhin expresses the opinion that the author was so upset that this can be seen as an allusion to the actions of the Samaritans at the Persian court - their betrayal led to defeat in the war.
- Even when in a difficult situation, a person must turn and rely only on God.
Thus, the phrase “Every man is a lie” is not just a denigration of people, it is a frank picture of the incompleteness of nature and character. The author is trying to show that no matter what kind of person he is, he will always be influenced by sin (will disappoint). Therefore, one must trust and hope (be enchanted) only by the Heavenly Father.
Evfimy Zigaben
Beliefs, and also words.
The Great Basil says that since the prophet David said at the end of the previous psalm: I will please the Lord in the land of the living; therefore, now at the beginning of this psalm he says: I believed what I prophesied in another psalm, that is, I believed that I would please the Lord in the land of the living, which is why I said this. For I did not see this country with my bodily eyes, but, according to Theodoret, faith showed it to me. At the same time, in the 26th Psalm he also said: I believe that I will see the blessings of the Lord in the land of the living, although this is explained there in a different meaning.
I was very humbled (extremely).
“I,” he says, having received such foreknowledge from God that I would please God, became very humble, considering myself unworthy of this great gift and fearing lest I should become proud and lose such a great gift.
Words of the Great Basil: Faith must precede words about God, faith, not proof. Faith, which is stronger than logical methods, attracts the soul to agreement. But, oh, if only it were given to me to believe worthily, let me now speak to this great church of God five words with my mind (understandable). And let no one mock our teaching because we force our listeners to agree to our words without proof. For the principles in any science are necessarily taught to students without proof. And in general, a soul that begins to speak without faith will chatter in vain, as if it has not assumed any basis for the word. So, the beginning of a wise word is faith, firmly rooted in the heart of the speaker. Then David points out how we can achieve perfect faith with the following words: but I have humbled myself extremely. For whoever has not humbled his mind and does not say like the Apostle: brethren, I do not consider myself to have yet attained; but he measures the incomprehensible with his own reason, he cannot speak about himself: I believed, that’s why I said it; because he cannot add the following words: but I was extremely humbled. Chrysostom: The Apostle explains the idea contained in these words to the Corinthians: having, he says, the same spirit of faith, as it is written: I believed, why, and said: we also believe, therefore we say: where the spirit of faith calls the disposition that comes from faith, or the spirit given from God to those who have faith. And the words: I believed, therefore I spoke, agree with the following: by believing with the heart they are justified, and by confessing with the mouth they are saved (Rom. 10:10).
This phrase is associated with ideas about the sin of lying, but this opinion is not popular in the Church
There is an opinion that the phrase should be taken literally. Every person is a lie, a lie is a sin, a person, therefore, is sinful by nature, weak and generally a deluded creature.
For example, this opinion is shared by Holy Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky):
“Every person is a lie” - this does not mean that every person always lies and in everything and tells lies - no! but only that it is not rooted in Truth. And therefore, anyone, even the best person, can make a mistake and tell a lie, a lie, because even he is not protected, due to the fact that he is a sinful person, both from mistakes and from delusions. Not protected!
Filaret
metropolitan
The sin of lying does not quite fit into the conversation about this verse, but since such an opinion was voiced by the Metropolitan, a few words are needed on this topic. A lie is a crime against truth and against God.
Since the times of ancient Egypt, theological texts have especially condemned lying as a grave sin. The Christian tradition calls the devil a slanderer, emphasizing how terrible it is to go against the truth.
And it is actually quite difficult for a person not to lie. Any lie is a sin, but it is all very deep in human nature. Saint Tikhon (Zadonsky) writes:
“We see that there are different lies in the world. A merchant lies when he says that his goods are worth such and such a price, but this is not so. A witness in court lies when he says something that he has not seen or heard, or does not say what he has seen and heard, and calls black things white, and bitter things sweet... A worker who, having taken a decent price, promised to work diligently to the one who hired him, lies. , but it works lazily or doesn't work at all. The debtor is lying who borrows money and promises to repay, but does not pay... The shepherd is lying who promises and swears to shepherd the flock of Christ's sheep, but does not shepherd or carelessly shepherds them. Thus, a Christian lies who, in Holy Baptism, promises to work for Christ the Lord, but does not work. Such is everyone who, after holy Baptism, commits lawlessness and cleaves to the vanity of this world.”
Tikhon (Zadonsky)
bishop
That is, in some sense, every person is indeed a lie, but this is a stretch of comparison. Whatever one may say, people are not doomed to tie their lives to untruths. Moreover, there are many guides on how to deal with lies.
Perhaps the most succinct and accurate was given by Archimandrite Eleazar:
“Telling the truth is the best policy. A person can be intellectually developed, cultured, understanding art, painting, music, but have a muted conscience and be blind. Culture does not free you from sins. The first requirement that the Apostle Paul offers is to reject lies. The duty of an Orthodox Christian is to tell the truth. Lies should be overcome, remembering that sophistry and resourcefulness do not bring any benefit. Christ is the Conqueror of lies. He redeemed humanity from sin and we need to strive to increase righteousness.”
Elezar
archimandrite
By leaving a comment, you accept the user agreement
On what occasions is Psalm 115 read?
Psalm 115 is part of Kathisma 16. According to the ancient traditions of the monks, it is pronounced during Saturday services. During Lent, the work is read twice a week, more precisely, on Tuesday and Saturday.
To appeal to the Almighty within the walls of the temple, it is customary to use prayer in the Old Church Slavonic language. To communicate with the Lord privately (at home), the Russian translation of the text is also suitable. In this form, Psalm 115 is easier to perceive, to understand its intent and deep meaning.
In everyday life, following the advice of ministers of the Orthodox Church, prayer is used to protect against slander of others. It is also recommended for reading by those who tend to often lie to loved ones.
