Salmi 33:7 Commento

This is a psalm of praise; it is probable that David was the penman of it, but we are not told so, because God would have us look above the penmen of sacred writ, to that blessed Spirit that moved and guided them. The psalmist, in this psalm, I. Calls upon the righteous to praise God (Psa 33:1-3). II. Furnishes us with matter for praise. We must praise God, 1. For his justice, goodness, and truth, appearing in his word, and in all his works (Psa 33:4, Psa 33:5). 2. For his power appearing in the work of creation (Psa 33:6-9). 3. For the sovereignty of his providence in the government of the world (Psa 33:10, Psa 33:11) and again (Psa 33:13-17). 4. For the peculiar favour which he bears to his own chosen people, which encourages them to trust in him (Psa 33:12) and again (Psa 33:18-22). We need not be at a loss for proper thoughts in singing this psalm, which so naturally expresses the pious affections of a devout soul towards God.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 33 Though this psalm has no title to it, it seems to be a psalm of David, from the style and matter of it; and indeed begins with the same words with which the preceding psalm is ended. Theodoret is of opinion it was written by David as a prophecy concerning Hezekiah, as a song to be sung by the people after the destruction of the Assyrian army.

He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap,.... Which was done on the third day of the creation, by means of which the dry land appeared, Gen 1:9; when the waters of the sea were piled up as an heap, and stood higher than the earth, as they now do; and which is a wonderful instance of the power and providence of God, to bound them, and preserve the earth from being overflowed by them, Job 38:9; he layeth up the depth in storehouses; that is, large quantities of water, for which he has his treasure houses, as for the wind, hail and snow, Psa 135:7; and these are the clouds of heaven above, and the fountains of the great deep below, which the Lord opens and stops at his pleasure; see Gen 7:11.

The reasons according to which he dispenses all things individually are stored up only in the knowledge of God. In fact, we learned in another psalm, which said, “Thy judgments are a great deep,” that the judgments made about each one are called a deep. Therefore, if you seek to know why the life of a sinner is continued but the days of sojourning of the just are cut short; why the unjust thrive but a just person is afflicted; why the young child is snatched away before coming to maturity; whence are wars; why there are shipwrecks, earthquakes, droughts, heavy rains; why things destructive of people are created; why one person is a slave, another free, one is rich, another is poor (and the difference in sins and in virtuous actions is great; she who was sold to a brothel keeper is in sin by force, but she who immediately obtained a good master grows up with virginity); why this one is treated with kindness and that one condemned; and what is the reward in the case of each of these from the Judge; taking all these questions into your mind, consider that the judgments of God are the depths and, because they are enclosed in the divine storehouses, are not easily grasped by those encountering them. To one who believes, a promise is given by God: “I will give you hidden treasures, unseen ones.” When we have been deemed worthy of knowledge face to face, we shall see also the depths in the storehouses of God.

"He gathers the waters of the sea together as into a bottle:" He gathered the people of the world together, to confession of mortified sin, lest through pride they flow too freely. "He lays up the deep in storehouses" [Psalm 33:7]: and keeps in them His secrets for riches.

Praise is the movement of the spirit translated from ignorance to virtue and knowledge.

Then when he says, "Gathering together the waters of the sea as in a vessel," he shows the effect of God in the waters. In the waters, two wondrous things are to be considered. One is that the waters are gathered into one part of the earth and do not occupy the entire surface, which is wondrous for two reasons. First, because the natural order is that water should surround the whole earth, just as air surrounds water. Likewise, the sea is higher than the earth. Second, because although water continually evaporates through the heat of the sun, it is nevertheless preserved in the same quantity. And therefore he says two things: namely, that they are gathered into one by the command of God. Jer. 5: "I have placed the sand as a boundary of the sea, an everlasting decree which it shall not pass; and its waves shall toss and not prevail, and they shall swell and not pass over it." Job 38: "Who shut up the sea with doors," and so on, "its swelling waves?" And therefore he says, "Gathering together the waters of the sea as in a vessel." Water gathered in a vessel has trembling and rising, yet it does not flow out, because it is held back by the skin of the vessel. So the water gathered in the sea has swelling, and yet it does not flow, because it is contained by the divine power. Gen. 1: "Let the waters be gathered together," and so on. The other wondrous thing is that it continually evaporates and is not diminished. Hence, as certain philosophers say, all the water would be dried up by the power of the sun's heat according to nature. And therefore against this he says, "Placing the depths in storehouses." The abyss, according to Augustine, refers to the impassable depth of the waters; and it has a twofold interpretation: from "a," which means "without," and "basis," which means "foundation" -- as though without foundation, and without brightness, because it is deep and dark. In a treasury there are three things: for a treasury denotes a certain quantity of gold, and what is placed in a treasury is preserved -- hence it is called a "theca" (repository) of gold; likewise, it is placed there so that it may be drawn out for use. All of this is in the abyss: because in it there is an immense abundance or multitude of waters. Second, in the abyss the water is preserved and does not fail; third, the waters are drawn out for use, when vapors rise from them and rains are generated and the earth is irrigated. Ps. 17: "The fountains of waters appeared." Mystically, this is expounded in two ways: of the good and of the wicked. Of the good, so that by the waters of the sea we understand peoples. Rev. 17: "The many waters are peoples and nations and tongues." Therefore, as it were, the waters of the sea -- the peoples of this world -- he gathers in the Church as in a vessel. The Church is compared to a vessel because of its unity; and because a vessel is made from the skin of a dead animal, by this it is suggested that some come to the Church so that they may mortify their members which are upon the earth; for the apostles were confirmed as though they were heavens, and from these, peoples were gathered in the Church. "Placing the depths," that is, the profundity of divine meanings, "in storehouses" of Sacred Scripture. Is. 33: "The riches of salvation are wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is his treasure." Or, "the depths" formerly, namely sinners who were deep and dark with the shadows of vices, "placing them as treasures of gold" of the Church. Paul is a great treasure of the Church, and Matthew, and Magdalene, who were once as a kind of abyss. But in reference to the wicked, the water of the sea is understood as the tribulation of this life. Ps. 68: "The waters have come in even unto my soul." God confirms the heavens, yet he does not take away their infirmities, because grace is so preserved interiorly that it does not exclude infirmities exteriorly. And therefore he says that he gathers together the tribulations of them, namely of the heavens, that is, of heavenly men, "in a vessel," that is, in their bodies, "placing the depths," that is, the persecutors of the Church, "in storehouses," because he does not give them freedom to rage against the Church as much as they want.

A call to lively and joyous praise to God for His glorious attributes and works, as displayed in creation, and His general and special providence, in view of which, the Psalmist, for all the pious, professes trust and joy and invokes God's mercy. (Psa. 33:1-22) The sentiment falls in with Psa 32:11 (compare Co1 14:15). The instruments (Psa 92:3; Psa 144:9) do not exclude the voice.