Expositions on the Book of Psalms
THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN. [PsaLm CV.
patriarchs, whose God He calleth Himself in a special sense, whom the Lord also doth name in the New Testament, where He saith, " Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven."'! This is everlasting inheritance. . . . 7. He next followeth out the history well known in the truth of the holy Scriptures. 'When they were in small numbers, very few, and they strangers in the land" (ver. 12) ; that is, in the land of Canaan. . . . But some copies have the words "very few, and they strangers," in the accusative case,' the translator having turned the Greek phrase too literally into Latin. If we were to render the whole clause in this way, we must say, of them also. Are they styled "christs," because, even though secretly, yet they were already Christians? For although the flesh of Christ came from them, nevertheless Christ came before them; for He thus answered the Jews, " Before Abraham was, I am.'"'® But how could they not know Him, or not believe in Him; since they are called prophets for this very reason, because, though somewhat darkly, they announced the Lord beforehand? Whence He saith Himself openly, "Your father Abraham desired to see My day, and he saw it, and was glad."9 For no man was ever reconciled unto God outside of that faith which is in Christ Jesus, either before His Incarnation, or after: as it-is most truly defined by the Apostle : " For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus." !°
"that they were very few, and they strangers ;"' but the phrase, '" while they were," is the meaning of the Greek ; and the verb, "to be," takes not an accusative, but a nominative after it.3
10. He then beginneth to relate how it happened that they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people. "He calleth," he saith, '' for a famine upon the land: and brake all the staff of bread" (ver. 16). Thus it happened that they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people. But the expressions of the holy Scriptures are not to be negligently passed by. "He called," he saith, "for a famine upon the land;" as if famine were some person, or some animated body, or some spirit that would obey Him who called. . . . Under this impression the old Romans consecrated some such deities, as the goddess Fever, and the god Paleness. Or meaneth it, as is more credible, He said there should be famine; so that calling be the same thing as mentioning by name ; mentioning by name, as speaking ; speaking, as commanding? Nor doth the Apostle say,'' " He calleth those things which be not, that they may be ;"' but, "'as though they were." For with God that hath already happened which, according to His disposition, is fixed for the future : for of Him it is elsewhere said, "' He who made things to come." '? And here when famine happened, then it is said to have been called, that is, that that which had been determined in His secret government, might be realized. Lastly, he at once expounds, how He called for the famine, saying, "' He brake all the staff of bread."
8. "What time as they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people"
(ver. 13). This is a repetition of what he had said, " from one nation to another." "He suffered no man to do them harm: but reproved even kings for their sakes" (ver. 14). "Touch not,' He said, " Mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm" (ver. 15). He declareth the words of God chiding or reproving kings, that they might not harm the holy fathers, while they were small in number, very few, and they strangers in the land of Canaan. Although these words be not read in the books of that history, yet they are to be understood as either secretly spoken, as God speaketh in the hearts of men by unseen and true visions, or even as announced through an Angel. For both the king of Gerar and the king of the Egyptians were warned from Heaven not to harm Abraham,' and another king not to harm Isaac,5 and others not to harm Jacob ;° while they were very few, and strangers, before he went over into Egypt to sojourn with his sons : which is understood to be herein mentioned. But since it occurred to ask, before they passed over and multiplied in Egypt, how so few in number, and those strangers in a foreign land, could maintain themselves : he next addeth, " He suffered no man to do them wrong," etc.
g. But it may well excite a question, in what sense they were styled (Christs, or) anointed, before there was any unction, from which this title was given to the kings.7. . . Whence then were those patriarchs at that time called "anointed"? For that they were prophets, we read concerning Abraham ; and certainly, what is manifestly said of him, should be understood
11. " But He had sent a man before them" (ver. 17). Whatman? "Even Joseph." How did He send him? "Joseph was sold to bea bond-servant."' When this happened, it was the sin of his brethren, and, nevertheless, God sent Joseph into Egypt. We should therefore meditate on this important and necessary subject, how God useth well the evil works of men, as
I Matt. vili. rz. 2 Pauctsstmos et tncolas. 3 LXX. év 1@ elvar avtovs. 'For we cannot say, cum essent pauctsstmos, but cum essent pauctssim?."
8 John viii. 58. 1o y Tim. ii. 5. 12 Isa. xlv. 11.
9 John viii. 56. 11 Rom. iv. 17.
yen, Xil, 17-20, Xx. 3. 5S Gen. xxvi. 8-11. 6 Gen. xxxii., xxxiii. 7 Ps, xiv. 8.