The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.
Read Chapter 129
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
4. "Upon my back have sinners built; they have done their iniquity afar off" (ver. 3). Why have they fought against me? Because "they could not prevail upon me." What is this? They could not build upon me. I consented not with them unto sin. For every wicked man persecuteth the good on this account, because the good man consenteth not with him to evil. Suppose he do some evil, and the Bishop censure him not, the Bishop is a good man: suppose the Bishop censure him, the Bishop is a bad man. Suppose he carry off anything, let the man robbed be silent, he is a good man: let him only speak and rebuke, even though he doth not reclaim his goods, he is everything bad. He is bad then who blameth the robber, and he is good who robbeth! ...Heed not that such an one speaketh to thee: it is a wicked man through whom It speaketh to thee;but the word of God, that speaketh to thee, is not wicked. Accuse God: accuse Him, if thou canst!
5. Thou accusest a man of avarice, and he accuseth God on the g...
Back. Hebrew, "labourers have laboured on my neck "(St. Jerome) or "back. "They have made me bear the yoke, or have ploughed up my back. This proverbial expression shows the cruelty of the Babylonians, (Calmet) and of the enemies of Christ, (Isaias l. 6.) and the martyrs. (Theodoret)
Hebrew charash, means also to work like a blacksmith, Genesis iv. 22. (Berthier)
The Church bears patiently all crosses. Sinners build on her, or even on God's back, when they go on in their wicked ways, presuming that they will be saved at last by the sacraments (Worthington)
