Verse 1
Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence.
Beatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum, et in via peccatorum non stetit, et in cathedra pestilentiae non sedit;
In the first and second verses, the Prophet teaches that happiness, insofar as it may be attained in this world, consists in nothing other than true justice. This is what the Apostle says in
Romans XIV : “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
[1] For truly just men alone are God’s friends, nay His sons, and for this reason heirs of His kingdom, blessed in the hope of perfect happiness, and enjoying for the meantime solid peace and joy, which surpasseth all understanding.
[2] In the first verse, he describes the just man in a negative manner and in the second positively, as though to say briefly that a man is just, and for this reason happy, when he turns away from evil and does
good. At this point, it is to be noted carefully and remembered that it is the practice of David and other Prophets to repeat things, so that one verse repeats or explains another. By way of example, in the canticle of Moses: “He is my God and I will glorify him: the God of my father, and I will exalt him;”
[3] and
Deuteronomy xxxii : “Let my doctrine gather as the rain, let my speech distil as the dew;”
[4] and in
Psalm xxxiii: “I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth.”
[5] These repetitions are a most frequent occurrence, as if this repetition is a distinguishing adornment of true, holy Prophets.
The first part of the first verse contains this thought, that man is blessed who does not transgress the law of God. But David expresses this thought in a poetic manner through a metaphor of a way and walking : “Blessed is the man,” he says, “who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly,” that is, he is happy who is just : but he is just who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, that is, who in the way of his life has not followed the counsel, the laws or the opinion of the ungodly, which are quite contrary to God’s way, that is, to God’s law. The next part of the same verse explains the same thing using different words. For when he says : “nor stood in the way of sinners,” it does not mean
He did not stand still in the way of sinners, but rather,
He did not walk in the way of sinners. In this context,
to stand in the way is not to stay still, nor (simply) to walk, but by walking not to go back to a way he has not started. And so the same thing is meant by
Not to walk in the counsel of the wicked and
Not to stand in the way of sinners : for both mean that the man is just who turns away from (such) a way, that is, from the law and counsel of sinners. Since the law of God may be broken not only by living in wickedness but also by teaching wickedness, as it says in
Matthew v: “He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven;”
[6] the Prophet adds : “nor sat in the
chair of pestilence;” that is, he is just, and for this reason blessed, who transgresses the law of the Lord neither in his works nor in his teaching. To sit in the chair of pestilence means to be in a group of men infested with sin, or to keep company with such, and with them to despise God’s law, as if nothing can lead to living well, that is, with joy and gladness, but finding it more useful to satisfy the desires of the flesh, and to indulge the senses in all things. The voice of those sitting in the chair of pestilence is described in
Malach. iii, in these words: “He laboureth in vain that serveth God, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances?”
[7] Concerning the language, the word
beatus / blessed is in Hebrew
ascre, which is plural in form. Many more modern translators render the words as
blessed are the men, etc. But it is more probable that this is an indeclinable word that can mean
blessed or
blessedness. For it is not only the Septuagint translators who render the words as Μακάριος ἀνήρ, that is Blessed is the man; but St. Jerome also translates the Hebrew as Blessed is the man. For
the chair of pestilence, the Hebrew has literally the chair of
lezim, that is, of
mockers, but the sense is just the same. For there is no greater pestilence than to mock God’s law and those who justly and piously try to live in accordance with it. Finally, St. Basil notes that the words
Blessed the man do not exclude women from beatitude; they are included, since the man is the head of the woman, and in the head are also included the members.
[1] For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Non est enim regnum Dei esca et potus : sed justitia, et pax, et gaudium in Spiritu Sancto : [Rom. Xiv 17]
[2] And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Et pax Dei, quae exuperat omnem sensum, custodiat corda vestra, et intelligentias vestras in Christo Jesu. [Philipp. Iv 7]
[3] The Lord is my strength and my praise, and he is become salvation to me: he is my God and I will glorify him: the God of my father, and I will exalt him. Fortitudo mea, et laus mea Dominus, et factus est mihi in salutem : iste Deus meus, et glorificabo eum : Deus patris mei, et exaltabo eum. [Exodux xv 2]
[4] Let my doctrine gather as the rain, let my speech distil as the dew, as a shower upon the herb, and as drops upon the grass. Concrescat ut pluvia doctrina mea, fluat ut ros eloquium meum, quasi imber super herbam, et quasi stillae super gramina. [Deut. xxxii 2]
[5] I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth. Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore; semper laus ejus in ore meo. [Psalm xxxiii 2]
[6] Hebrews IV 7.
[7] He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Qui ergo solverit unum de mandatis istis minimis, et docuerit sic homines, minimus vocabitur in regno caelorum : qui autem fecerit et docuerit, hic magnus vocabitur in regno caelorum. [Matth. V 19]
[8] And you have said: What have we spoken against thee? You have said: He laboureth in vain that serveth God, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances, and that we have walked sorrowful before the Lord of hosts? Et dixistis : Quid locuti sumus contra te? Dixistis : Vanus est qui servit Deo : et quod emolumentum quia custodivimus praecepta ejus, et quia ambulavimus tristes coram Domino exercituum? [Malach. iii 14]
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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