Fragments on the Psalms · §58 · Origen of Alexandria

Psalm 11:8-9 — you, Lord, will keep us; the ungodly walk in a circle

“You, Lord, will keep us, and you will preserve us … The ungodly walk in a circle” (Psalm 12:7).

Since the circle is opposite to the straight according to crookedness and straightness, and the ungodly walk in a circle, the pious then walk a straight path. Therefore he says: You will keep us, because circling around us, the ungodly, plotting against our salvation, and these would be opposing powers.

Greek

11.8,9 Σὺ, Κύριε, φυλάξεις ἡμᾶς, καὶ διατηρήσεις ἡμᾶς ... Κύκλῳ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς πε ριπατοῦσιν. ̓Επειδὴ ὁ κύκλος τῇ εὐθείᾳ ἐναντίος ἐστὶ κατὰ τὴν σκολιότητα καὶ εὐθύτητα, οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς κύκλῳ περιπατοῦσιν, οἱ εὐσεβεῖς α ρα εὐθείαν περιπατοῦσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· Φυ λάξεις ἡμᾶς, ἐπειδὴ κυκλοῦντες κυκλοῦσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, ἐπιβουλεύοντες τῇ ἡμῶν σωτηρίᾳ, ου τοι δ' α ν ει εν ἀντικείμεναι δυ νάμεις.

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About this text

Origen's verse-by-verse notes on Psalms 1 to 22, read as words about Christ and as steps in the soul's progress from shunning evil to doing good.

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–c. 254) was a Christian teacher in Alexandria and later at Caesarea. This English is the Greek fragments of his comments on the Psalms.

The sections follow the Psalms in order, beginning with Psalm 1 and running through Psalm 22. He reads them as prophecies of Christ and as a picture of the soul's progress. These fragments are not Didymus the Blind's commentary on the Psalms, and they are not Didymus's separate book of fragments on the Psalms.

A reader meets the opening psalms, including the tree and the water of Psalm 1 and the king of Psalm 2, then the psalms that follow. Psalms are cited by the Septuagint numbering.

Fresh English from PG 12 Greek of Fragmenta in Psalmos, Psalms 1–22.3.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 12 Fragmenta in Psalmos (Greek)

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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