O God, make haste to deliver me.
May those who seek my soul be dishonored and shamed;
May those who plot evils against me be turned back and disgraced;
May those be turned back immediately
Who shame me, saying, “Well done! Well done!”
May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You,
And let those who love Your salvation always say,
“Let God be magnified.”
But I am poor and needy;
O God, help me.
You are my helper and my deliverer, O Lord; do not delay. (Ps 70)
The second section prays that all who love the Lord Christ should rejoice and be glad. For persecutors, confusion and shame are sought; for the devoted, exultation and abiding joy. As the Lord says in the gospel: And these shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting. But the psalmist inserts this mode of rejoicing appropriately, for by saying in You he confesses that the joy which boasts in human presumption is transitory. Joined to this is: All who seek You, O Lord. They do not seek You by their own powers, but are sought out by Your fatherly love. You gazed from heaven and sought that the human race might seek You; for the Lord came to us that we might deserve to return to Him. But those who seek the Lord are advised for their welfare on what they ought to say. They must say always: The Lord be magnified. Always indicates continuing time, because we must never cease praising the Lord. So that the meaning may become clearer to us, the order of words should be: “Let them who love your salvation always say: The Lord be magnified.” We should realize that the word magnified has been adopted from human practice, for it is he who is extolled with praises and grows in men’s good opinions who is magnified. But God experiences no increase, for He is known to be Fullness in its unique and inexpressible totality. He cannot grow from any external source, for He continually gives growth to all created things. But we profit from magnifying Him, and our awareness ever increases when with pious hearts we offer praises to God.
May those be turned back immediately
Who shame me, saying, “Well done! Well done!”
May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You,
And let those who love Your salvation always say,
“Let God be magnified.”
But I am poor and needy;
O God, help me.
You are my helper and my deliverer, O Lord; do not delay. (Ps 70)
The second section prays that all who love the Lord Christ should rejoice and be glad. For persecutors, confusion and shame are sought; for the devoted, exultation and abiding joy. As the Lord says in the gospel: And these shall go into everlasting punishment, but the just into life everlasting. But the psalmist inserts this mode of rejoicing appropriately, for by saying in You he confesses that the joy which boasts in human presumption is transitory. Joined to this is: All who seek You, O Lord. They do not seek You by their own powers, but are sought out by Your fatherly love. You gazed from heaven and sought that the human race might seek You; for the Lord came to us that we might deserve to return to Him. But those who seek the Lord are advised for their welfare on what they ought to say. They must say always: The Lord be magnified. Always indicates continuing time, because we must never cease praising the Lord. So that the meaning may become clearer to us, the order of words should be: “Let them who love your salvation always say: The Lord be magnified.” We should realize that the word magnified has been adopted from human practice, for it is he who is extolled with praises and grows in men’s good opinions who is magnified. But God experiences no increase, for He is known to be Fullness in its unique and inexpressible totality. He cannot grow from any external source, for He continually gives growth to all created things. But we profit from magnifying Him, and our awareness ever increases when with pious hearts we offer praises to God.
Cassiodorus, Exposition on the Psalms
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