2 Samuel — Chapter 23

These are the last words of David. David the son of Isai said: The man to whom it was appointed concerning the Christ of the God of Jacob, the excellent psalmist of Israel said. Lapide: three interpretations — (1) plainly of Christ, to whom the promise was made; (2) of David himself as the anointed of God; (3) Hebrews: \"a ladder was set up for the Christ of the God of Jacob,\" referring to the ladder of Jacob (Gen. 28) as a symbol of penance and the Messiah's descent. The first sense is the plainest.

The Spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me, and his word by my tongue. Lapide: this is David's explicit claim to prophetic inspiration — \"I am not speaking from my own mind or genius, but breathed upon by the divine Spirit; God dictated the Psalms and I was His instrument.\" My tongue was \"the pen of a ready writer\" (Ps. 44:2).

The God of Israel said to me, the Strong One of Israel spoke, the Ruler of men, the just Ruler in the fear of God. Lapide explains three senses: (1) Chaldaeus — \"He constituted me a king; He is the Messiah who shall arise and rule in the fear of God\"; (2) Vatablus — \"God foretold that I would be a just ruler fearing God\"; (3) allegorically of Christ who rules justly in the fear of the Lord.

As the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, shineth in the morning without clouds; and as the grass springeth out of the earth by rain. Lapide: literally of David's kingdom; allegorically of Christ — \"His rising was from the heavenly grace of the Holy Spirit by whom the Blessed Virgin conceived; 'the Orient from on high hath visited us'\" (Luke 1:78). Angelomus: \"The dawn is the Church, which shines without clouds of unbelief at the rising of Christ from the dead.\"

For my house is not so with God, that he should make with me an eternal covenant. Lapide explains the antithesis: David and his house are not of such intrinsic merit that God should enter an eternal covenant with them; it was by pure grace and liberality that God chose David to serve the generation of Christ. \"All my salvation and all my will\" are fulfilled in this covenant.

But transgressors shall all of them be taken away as thorns, which are not handled with hands. Lapide: thorns need to be cut with iron or burned with fire — the impious must be corrected firmly, not softly; evil cannot be removed by gentle hands alone. Allegorically: God will cut down the houses of the wicked; the house of the just will flourish like grass watered by rain.