My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
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Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
1. "To the end," for His own resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself speaketh. For in the morning on the first day of the week was His resurrection, whereby He was taken up, into eternal life, "Over whom death shall have no more dominion." Now what follows is spoken in the person of The Crucified. For from the head of this Psalm are the words, which He cried out, whilst hanging on the Cross, sustaining also the person of the old man, whose mortality He bare. For our old man was nailed together with Him to the Cross.
2. "O God, my God, look upon me, why hast Thou forsaken me far from my salvation?" (ver. 1). Far removed from my salvation: for" salvation is far from sinners." "The words of my sins." For these are not the words of righteousness, but of my sins. For it is the old man nailed to the Cross that speaks, ignorant even of the reason why God hath forsaken him: or else it may be thus, The words of my sins are far from my salvation.
Protection, susceptione. Hebrew ayeleth, hathuchar, or "for a speedy interposition "or succour. See ver. 2, 20, and 25.
St. Jerome, "the morning stag. "(Haydock)
Many of the titles are almost inexplicable, and this is one of the most puzzling; (Calmet) but is of no service for understanding the psalm, which certainly speaks of Jesus Christ, as the apostles have quoted several texts, and Theodorus of Mopsuesta was condemned for asserting that it was only accommodated to him. (Conc. v. col. 4.) (Berthier)
Grotius comes too near this system, by explaining it of Christ only in a figurative sense. We ought to do quite the reverse, if we allow that some verses regard David, as a figure of the Messias; (Calmet) or rather, as the same person speaks throughout, we must understand the whole of Him. (Berthier, t. ii.)
The Jews were formerly of the same opinion, (Lyranus) but seeing the use which was made of this psalm by Christians, they have explained it of David, or of the miseries of the n...
