THE PSALMS

A STUDY OF THE VULGATE PSALTER

IN THE LIGHT OF THE HEBREW TEXT
Printed and Bound
in Ireland by :: ::

M. H. Gill dr^ Son.

'
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THE PSALMS
A STUDY OF THE VULGATE PSALTER
IN THE LIGHT OF THE HEBREW TEXT

BY
REV. PATRICK BOYLAN, M.A., D.Litt., B.i).
Professor of Sacred Scripture and Oriental Languages^
St. Patrick's College., Maynoot/i., and Professor of Eastern
Languages^ University College^ Dublin

VOLUME TWO
PSALMS LXXII-CL

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 PREFACE
this volume the author has applied to the Psalms of
IN Books III-V of the Vulgate Psaher the methods of ex-
planation which were used in the hrst volume of the
Commentary. His chief care throughout has been to make the
meaning of the Vulgate Psalms so obvious in the English trans-
might be able to gather that meaning
lation that a careful reader
from the mere reading of the translation without using either
the introductions or notes. The introductions and annotations
were intended to serve primarily to indicate and justify the
author's method of arriving at his English rendering. Hence, in
the first
volume and particularly in the earlier part of that
volume the introductions and commentary were so planned
as to contain only the most essential points in ver}- brief form.
The insistence, iiowever, of friendly critics of Vol. I on the

importance the religious interests of readers of detailed

for
information as to the probable occasion, the literary structure
and thought-sequence, and the doctrinal implications of each
Psalm has induced the author to treat these matters more full}'

in the second volume than in the first. This slight difference in

the general method of the Commentary will not, it is hoped,
lead readers to suppose that the translation has been regarded
as of lesser importance in the second volume than in the first.
The author would like to think that his English rendering of the
Vulgate Psalms 72-150 conveys of itself apart from intro-
ductions and notes a substantially clear notion of the literal
sense of those Psalms.
In Vol. n as in Vol. I the
numbering of the verses in
the Psalms is in accordance with the numbering of Hetzenauer's
edition of the Vulgate.
The replies of the Biblical
Commission concerning the date
in view
and authorship of the Psalms, which have been kept
as an Appendix.
throughout this Commentary, are here printed
vi PREFACE
It has not appeared necessary to prepare an Index to the
Commentary. all points of
References to parallel passages in
doctrinal, historical, and linguistic exposition are so numerous
in the notes that the need of an Index is not likely to be keenly
felt by any attentive reader.
The specialist work on the Psalter which has been published
since the appearance of Vol. I of this Commentary has been
carefully consulted in the preparation of Vol. II. A list of the
more important recent works on the Psalter which have been
helpful to the author is given below.

To
the Right Rev. Monsignor Walsh, V.G., President, H0I37
Cross College, Clonliffe, who, in spite of the pressure of numerous
official duties, found time to read the MS. of this volume and
to make many valuable suggestions for the improvement of the
English version, the author's cordial thanks are due. His thanks
are due also to the Rev. M. B. Langford, M.A., who assisted in

preparing the MS. for the printer and read a great part of the
proofs. To the Rev. J. McQuaid, C.S.Sp., M.A., who undertook
and patiently carried through the task of verifying the Biblical
references in the Commentar^^ and read the entire work in

proof, the author is very specially indebted.

P. B.
St. Patrick's College, Maynooth.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY TO VOL. II

In addition to the works enumerated in the Introduction, \'ol. I,

pp. Ixviii f., the following recently published works have been
frequently consulted during the preparation of \^olume II.

Landesdorfer, Die Psahnen (Regensburg, 1922).

Miller,Die Psalmen (Freiburg, 1921).
Meyer, Die Psalmen, des Priesters Beirachtungshich (Paderborn, 1921).
Stummer, Sumerisch-akkadische Parallelen znm Aufbau alttesta-
mentlicher Psalmen (Wuerzburg, 1922).

Duhm, Die Psalmen, 2nd ed. (Tuebingen, 1922).

Kautzsch, Die heilige Schrift des Alton Testaments, 4th od. (Tuebingen,
1922).
Peters, The Psalms as Liturgies (London, 1922).
Harden, Psalterium juxta Hehraeos Hieronymi (London, 1922).
 CONTENTS
pa<;k
Preface V
Bibliography .
vii

PSALM

72. God is my portion I

73. The desecrated Sanctuary

9
74. The Judge and the cup of His wrath 17
75. Thanksgiving for victory 22
76. The past and the present 28
77. The lessons of History
34
78. Avenge, Lord, Thy desecrated Sanctuary
45
79. The ravaged Vine
49
80. ^1 Hymn for the Feast of Tabernacles
55
81. God's fudgment on unjust rulers and judges 62
82. A prayer for help against hostile neighbours 66
83. How pleasant is Thy Dwelling, Lord 71
84. Israel's comfort in sorroiv 77
85. A complaint
86. Citizenship of Sion .
87
87. The depths of sorrow 92
88. An elegy on the decline of the Davidic dynasty
98
89. The eternity of God and the fleetingness of man 108

90. In the protection of Most High 115

91. The justice of the Lord 122

92. Yahweh, King of the world .

127
93. Yahweh, as Avenging God .
131

94. A processional Hymn ^37

95. Yahweh, King and Judge of the ituorld
142

96. Yahweh King of the ivorld .

146
ix
X CONTENTS
PAGE

.....
r'SAl tl

97. Yahweh, the Salvation of tJie peoples. . . .

150

98.

99.
Holy
.1
is the

Hymn
Lord, our God

of thanksgiving .....
.....
153
158
100. .1 Mirror for Riders
loi. Comfort in exile ......
....
160

164
102.

103.
The
.1
infinite

Hymn
mercy

104. God' s gracious guidance in the days of old

of the
in praise of Creation
Lord
.... . . .
172
177

189
105. Israel's ingratitude towards the
106.

107.
The Tlianksgiving
A confident prayer for victory
of the Rescued....
Lord

....
. . .
197
206

214
108. A prayer for help against treacherous enemies . . 216

109. The Messias as King and Priest and Judge

no. The great deeds of the Lord .....
....
. . . 222

230
111. The fear of the Lord and
112. Praised he the name of
its

Yahweh ....
fruits

.....
233
236
113. The Wonders of the Exodus

114. 115.
Yahiveh and the idols
A song of Thanksgiving
.....
....
238
240
245
116. Praise

117, A
Yahweh all ye
thanksgiving song at Tabernacles
Gentiles

....
....
. . . .251
253
iiS.

1 19-133.
The praise of the Law
The
'
Gradual Psalms
'
....
....
261

277

119.
120. I
Among godless
lift my ....
strangers

....
eyes to the hills
280

283
121. The peace of Jerusalem
122. Oculus Sperans ..... 287
291
123. A song of thanksgiving

124. Trust in the Lord .....

125. Seed-time of tears brings harvest of gladness
. . . .

.
293
296
299
126.

127.
On
The
the blessing of the

blessings of home
128. Ever oppressed, but never o'crthrown
Lord
....
all success depends

.
.

.
303
306
309
 CONTENTS XI

129.

131.
De Profundis
130. Resig7iation
The Dwelling-place
!

....
.

of Yahweh
317
320
132. The blessings of brotherly unity 320
133. A summons to the night-worshippers 329
134.

135.
The praise of Yahweh as
A thanksgiving litany
the

....
mighty God

....
of the Covenant 331
335
136.

137.

138.
By the waters of Babylon
A Hymn of deliverance
The Omnipotence and Omniscience
.... of God
339
344
347
139. A prayer for protection against treacherous enemies .
356
140. Better to be chastised by God than to be honoured by sinners ! 361
141. .-4
prayer of one who persecuted and friendless
is
d>^7

142. A prayer for deliverance and guidance Z7^

143. A prayer for victory and prosperity 375
144. The glory of Yahweh' s Kingdom 380
145. In the Lord alone ive must trust !
383
146. A song of thanksgiving 386
I4y. Winter is past 390
14S. Praise ye the Lord !
394
149. Israel's victory over the heathens 398
150. The great A UeUhia ! .
401

Appendix :

De Atictoribus et de Tempore Compositionis Psalnwrum 403

 PSALM LXXII.
GOD IS MY PORTION
traditional teaching of Israel made happiness and success

THE the necessary consequence of virtue, and unhappiness and

failure the inevitable result of disregard of the Law. The
statement of this view is Psalm i.
classical Cf. Job c. i8. 20.
Yet in practice was found
it that the wicked were often pro-
sperous, while the loyal servants of the Lord were forced to endure
distress and sorrow. This contrast between teaching and fact, this
apparent breakdown of traditional belief, is the problem of this psakn.
It is the problem, also, of the Book of Job. Does God really heed
the doings of men ? Is there indeed knowledge of things human in
the Most High ? Is it true, as Psalm xxxvi. 25, says Junior fui, :

etenim senui, et non vidi justiim derelictiim, nee semen eius reqtiirens
panem ? Cf. Ecclesiastes vii. 14 ;
Mai. iii. 14, 15.
The poet begins with the which he has gathered from aU
lesson
his trials and all his experience
that God is good to the clean of
heart.
Yet for a time he had almost if not actually doubted this
truth : his feet had almost slipped when he compared the lot of the
wicked with his own. Like Job he had seen himself and other pious
'

men poor and weak and distressed, while the godless lived on, grew
old, and became mighty in power, their seed well estabhshed with
them, and their offspring before their eyes, and no rod of God upon
them
'

(Job c. xxi). The godless who had grown wealthy, scorned
the old-fashioned ways of the lovers of the Law. Pride they wore
like a necklace (according to the Hebrew), and with crime and violence

they were clad, as with a garment. Yet God did not smite them, and
the simple among the people were tempted to follow their ways, and
to ask :Does God care ? The psalmist himself was tempted with
the rest, and wondered whether he had kept his hands clean in vain.
This was the moment when his feet had well-nigh stumbled. But at
last light came to his soul. He began to reahse that his doubts were
treason against God, and a rejection of the traditional belief that the
Israelites were the special children of God. During a visit in the
Temple the truth was borne in upon his soul that the joy of the wicked
is short, their path shppery, and their end dreadful, and that the

real value of their success is to be estimated by taking into account

the close of their career. Some particular incident which the psalmist
had heard of before his visit to the Temple (possibly some sensational
downfall of a wicked man who had been deemed secure) may have
 THE PSALMS [72

led his thought in this direction, and, through a special grace of

enlightenment, he was brought to realise clearly that the glory ot
wealth is no more substantial than the visions of a dream, and that
his doubts of God's care and goodness had sprung from brutish
ignorance. Thus hewas made to feel, as of old, that the Lord held
his hand, and was leading him along the true path. He understood
with fulness of comprehension that the true joy of life is close con-
tact with God, and that, in comparison with it, all the wealth of the
godless is little worth. Once more he realised, but more poignantly
than ever before, that there was nothing on earth or in heaven that
he desired but to cling close to God. The words of the psalmist
f,eem to imply that this clinging to God, and living in close associa-
tion with God, will continue not merely during earthly life, but will
last on into the life beyond the grave. God will be his portion for
ever. He will no more ponder over the problem of God's rule of
the world. It is enough for him that God will be always close at hand

to protect him. Cf. 2 Cor. xii. 9.

The psalm naturally into three parts (a) the conflict in the
falls :

soul of the psalmist (2-16) (b) the victory of his faith (17-24) ;
;

(c) the fruits of that victory (25-28). Psalms xlviii and xxxvi, as
well as Psalm i, should be closely compared as regards theme and
treatment, with this psalm.

I. Psalmus Asaph, I. A psalm of Asaph.

Quam bonus Israel Deus his, How good to Israel is God,

qui recto sunt corde ! To those who are clean of heart I

2. Mei autem pene moti sunt 2. Yet my feet had almost stumbled,
pedes pene efEusi sunt gres-
:
My steps had well nigh slipped,
sus mei.
3. Quia zelavi super iniquos, 3. For I was jealous 'gainst sinners.
pacem peccatorum videns. As I looked on the peace of the godless.

4. Quia non est respectus 4. For they take no thought of their death
morti eorum et lirmamentum
: No evil of theirs abideth.
in plaga eorum.
5. In labore hominum non 5. In the troubles of men they share not ;

sunt, et cum hominibus non With mortals they are not smitten.
fiagellabuntur :

6. Idco tenuit eos superbia, 6. Wherefore pride holds them prisoners :

operti sunt iniquitate et impie- With sin and with crime they are clad.
tate sua.
7. Prodiit quasi ex adipe ini- 7. Out of fatness their sin goeth forth,
quitas eorum transierunt in
:
They follow the lust of their hearts.
atfectum cordis.
8. Cogitaverunt, et locuti sunt 8. Perversely they think and they speak ;

nequitiam iniquitatem in ex-

: Of sin they speak proudly.
celso locuti sunt.
9. Posuerunt in coelum os 9. Against heaven they turn their mouth.
suum et lingua
: eorum tran- And their tongue speedeth all through
sivit in terra the land.
72] GOD IS MY PORTION 3

m. Ideo convertetur populus lO, Therefore my people turneth towards

meus hie et dies pleni inveni-
:
them,
entur in eis. For fulness of days is theirs.
11. Et dixerunt Quomodo : II. They say How can God know it ?
:
'

scit Deus, et si est scientia in Is there knowledge indeed in the Most

'
excelso ?
High ?

Ecce
12. ipsi peccatores, et 12. Lo, such are the wicked ;

abundantes in saccule, obtinue- On earth they are wealthy.

runt divitias. Riches they pile up.

13. Et dixi Ergo sine causa : Sosaid

I In vain, then, have I kept my
:

justificavi cor meum, et lavi heart clean.

inter innocentes manus meas : And washed my hands mid the guiltless.
14. Et fui flagellatus tota die, 14- And submitted to scourging each day ;

et castigatio mea in matutinis. While my scourging was daily renewed.

15. Si dicebam : Narrabo sic :

15. If I said:
'
Thus shall I speak '

ecce nationem liliorum tuorum Then the race of thy children I should
have condemned.
reprobavi.
16. Existimabam ut cogno- 16. I took thought to realise that
scerem hoc, labor est ante me : Toil it was in my eyes.

17. Donee intrem

in Sanctu- 17. At last I entered God's shrine,
arium Dei et intelligam in : And gave thought to their final lot.
novissimis eorum.
18. Verumtamen propter do- 18. 'Tis, surely, because of their treachery
lesposuisti eis dejecisti : eos Thou sendest them (evil) :

dum allevarentur. Thou eastest them down when they rebel.

19. Quomodo facti sunt in ig. How quickly they are brought to defeat.
desolationem, subito defecerunt: Altogether they fail because of their
perierunt propter iniquitatem sin.
suam.
20. Velut somnium surgenti- 20. Like a dream at awakening, O Lord,
um Domine, in civitate tua In Thy city Thou defeatest their vain
imaginem ipsorum ad nihilum schemes.
rediges.

21. Quia inflammatum est cor 21. When my heart was embittered.
meum, et renes mei commutati And my reins were disturbed,
sunt :

22. Et ego ad nihilum redactus 22. I was brought unto naught.

sum, et nescivi. And had no understanding ;

23. Ut jumentum f actus sum 23. Like a brute was I before Thee,
apud te : et ego semper tecum. Yet was I ever with Thee :

24. Tenuisti dexte- manum 24. Thou graspest my right hand,

ram meam et in volimtate tua : And guidest me in Thy plan.
deduxisti me, et cum gloria And with honour Thou receivest me.
suseepisti me.
25. Quid enim mihi est in 25. What is there for me in heaven.
eo?lo ? et a te quid volui super And what wish I on earth, but Thee ?

terram ?

26. Defecit caro mea, et cor 26. Let my body and my spirit pine away.
meum Deus cordis mei, et
: Thou God of my heart.
art the
pars mea Deus in seternum. And my portion, O Goa, for ever.

27.Quia ecce, qui elongant se 27. Behold, they perish who withdraw from
a te,
peribunt perdidisti om- : Thee ;

nes, qui fornicantur abs te Thou destroyest tho.se who are un-
faithful to Thee.
4 THE PSALMS [72

2S. Mihi autem adhaerere Deo 28. For me it is precious to cling close to God
bonum est ponere in Domino
: To set my hope on the Lord God ;

Deo spem meam : That I may proclaim all Thy praise,

Ut annuntiem omnes pra"- In the gates of the daughter of Sion.
dicationes tuas, in portis filiae

Sion.

I. Psalmus Asaph ; cf. Ps. xlix. i.

The first verse of this psalm is an emphatic summary of what the

psalmist has learned through his study of God's dealings with men.
However the pious may seem to fail, and the ungodly to succeed, it
is to the upright alone that God is a Friend. The psalm describes
how the psalmist had been tempted to doubt this truth, and how he
has been rescued from his doubts, and made to realise that wealth
and worldly success are vain and fleeting, and that the friendship
of God is the only true good a good that belongs to the upright
alone. Thus, at the beginning of the poem, we find placed dramati-
cally the outcome of the mental struggle which the psalm depicts.
The Hebrew consonantal text of the verse, when properly divided,
gives the sense :

Yea, good to the just man is 'El,

'
Elohim to the pure of heart !

Quam ;
the Greek translators read 'ekh (how !)
instead of 'akh
(verily !).

2. The slipping of the feet suggests the beginning of the loss of

his loving trust in Divine providence the beginning of the doubts
which are put into words below in verse 13/.
Moti=mz.de to totter. Effttsi translates literally the Hebrew
shiipp^khu : water poured out, the footsteps took no definite
like
direction. Firm walking on a straight path implies confidence and
certainty ;
hesitation and indefiniteness of movement imply the
opposite.
3. Zelavi : the disturbance of his mind at the apparent success
of the godless. This it was that inclined his feet to stumble. Pax
' '

does not peace mean

merely the Hebrew shalom includes, in ;

addition to peace, the ideas of health, well-being, success.

4. In the Latin text it is probably better to take the negative
with both clauses. The godless take no thought of death, and even
when they are in any way afflicted, there is no permanence [firma-
mentiim) in their trouble. This fits in well with what immediately
follows. But there are difficulties when v/e compare the Vulgate
with the Hebrew and Greek. The Hebrew text probably ought to
be read :

'en harsubboth lamo :

Ki
Tarn iibhari' 'ulain.
'They have no troubles; sound and fat is their body.'

The idea of death has come in through arranging the consonants of

72] GOD IS MY PORTION 5

the words lamo tarn so as to read l^moiham (' unto their death ').
' '

Respectus represents the Greek avai/euo-t?, refusal (which trans-

lates harsuhboth also in Num. xxx. 6). The Hebrew harsubboth really
'
means bonds,' and may, therefore, have been taken by the Greek
translators as suggesting the idea of compulsion or reluctance.
'

There is no reluctance in regard to their death would mean that

the godless did not find difficulty even in death their death being
so easy that they did not seek to evade it. The translation of the
oldest Latin psalters
non est dedinatio morti is, apparently, to be
understood this way.
'
Firmamentum in piaga eorum takes the place of the Hebrew, And
fat is their body.' It is difficult to equate the Greek (Latin) and
'

Massoretic texts here. The Hebrew 'id, translated body,' is not

quite certain in meaning. Jerome has here, following Symmachus,
Et firma eorum, which supposes 'ulamani, instead of
sint vestibula
'nlam. One
inclined to suspect that the Septuagint translators
is
'

read in their Hebrew text holyam (' their sickness,' or suffering ')
where the Massoretes have 'nlam. Firmamentum is no less difficult
than plaga. Yet, though the Vulgate text is not easily brought into
relation with the Massoretic, its general sense is clear enough. Even
if the negative is not extended to the second clause {et firmamentum,

etc.) itcan be intelligibly explained as meaning that if the godless

should happen to be attacked by any trouble or affliction, they have
a stronghold, or coign of vantage [firmamentum) to which they may
withdraw for security. It is possible that bari' (=' fat ') was read
by the Greek interpreters as b'riah (=bolt, bar) ? Even in their
sickness or smiting they have some kind of protection or security.
Jerome renders the verse thus :

Quod non recogitaverint de morte sua,

et firma sint vestibula eorum.

5. They have no share in the common sorrows of men the labor es

homintim, and do not suffer, like others, from the usual blows of
fortune.
6. Overweening pride is the outcome of their unbroken success.
The Hebrew is more vivid than the Latin :

'

Pride is their necklace ;

Violence covers them like a garment.'

In the second half of the verse iniquitas and impietas form a doublet.
The necklace and the garment are suggestive of the shamelessness
and the vanity of their pride. The godless are typical oriental
parvenus, spending freely on gaudy ornaments the produce of their
unscrupulous deahngs. But the idea may be, and more probably is,
that sin and violence cleave to the godless Hke a necklace or garment.
Jerome renders :

Ideo nuiriii sunt ad superbiam :

circumdederunt iniquitatem sibi
6 THE PSALMS [72

'

7. The Greek
translators read 'awonemo, their iniquity,' instead
'

of the Masoretic reading 'encmo, their eyes.' The Greek (=Latin) is

more intelHgible, since it is not easy to understand how their eyes

could be said to come forth from their fat. The meaning of the phrase
is that their malice has its source in their wealth (fatness), or that it

springs from their perverse heart (Ps. xvi. 10 Adipem stmm con- ;

chiscrunt).
'

Transierunt : the Hebrew has

The thoughts of their hearts
:

break loose ').' The Hebrew verb 'ahhar implies

'

burst forth (or,

excess, passing beyond bounds. Hence the translation transierunt.
For in affectum we should have affectus (as subject of transierunt).
Jerome follows the Massoretic reading closely :

Processerimt a pinguedine oculi eorum :

transierunt cogitationes cordis.

' '

coming forth of the eyes must have been understood

The
by the Massoretes and by Jerome (as well as by the Targum, and
Aquila, and S^inmachus) as a further suggestion of the haughty ap-
pearance of the godless.
*
8. In the translation, in excelso is taken as meaning proudly,'
but the sense of the Hebrew would, probably, be better conveyed
by The godless speak in their pride, as it were, from above,
de excelso.
as if
they were in the heights of heaven. Cf. Isaias xiv. 10.
9. Their speech is directed against heaven and earth, against
God and men. The Hebrew verb rendered by transivit implies here
the energy of constant movement their tongue ranges up and
:

down through the land. Not satisfied with blaspheming against

God, they spare not one of their fellows.
10. The reading which the Septuagint translators had before
them here was
Lakhen yashubh 'ammi h^lom
wime male' yimmas^u lanio.

Jerome, who
renders the second clause Et quis plenns invenietur in
eis? must have readin his Hebrew text umi male' yimmase' lama.
Tha Massoretes read in the first clause 'ammo (his people, i.e. the
followers of the godless), and in the second, ume male' yimmas'u lama,
'
and waters abundant are found in them.'
The verse implies that the wealth and evil example of the godless
tend to seduce many Israelites. The dies pleni of the Vulgate may
be taken as the days of abundance which those who are seduced enjoy.
' '
The abundant waters of the Massoretic text could be understood
as s5m:ibolising the maxims of the godless which are as eagerly assimi-
lated by their dupes as water is drunk by the thirsty. Cf. Is. xii. 3 ;

John iv. jff. vii. 38, 39.

;

11. 12. As the Latin stands, these verses voice the doubts of the
pious. The scientia is the knowledge of the pride of the godless and
72] GOD IS MY PORTION 7
the misery of the pious. hi Excelso = '
with the Most High.*
Cf. Ps. ix. 26.
Ahmdantes in sceciilo ;
the Hebrew means '
for e\-cr secure
'

Ps. xxix. dixi in abundantia

cf. 7 ; Ego meci ('
in mysecurity ')
non movehor in aternum. For similar n.,c of abundantia see
Ps. cxxi. 6, 7.
13. If the wicked have all the
good luck, is it not folly to be pious ?
The dixi has nothing corresponding in the Hebrew text, but it
et

correctly introduces the words that follow. have here the We

doubts of the psalmist himself.
' '

Inter innocentes Hebrew, in cleanness

;
Jerome, in innocentia. ;
'

14. In niatiUinis, every morning.' Cf. Ps. c. 7 Is. xxxiii. 2 ; ;

Lament, iii, 23.

15. The psalmist realises that if he were to express his doubts
openly, it would be a betrayal of the faith of Israel. What he has
so far said, he has not pubhcly proclaimed. The betrayal would
consist in admitting that the Israelites were not really what thev
believed themselves to be, the natio filionim tiiorum, the people of
God. To maintain this would also be blasphemy against God.
16. Since to express his doubts would be a sin against the faith
of Israel and treason agamst the God of Israel, the psalmist felt that
he must devote all his energy to thinking out the problem of the good
fortune of the wicked {=hoc). But the problem was a difficult one
labor est.

17. At this point the solution began to appear. The psalmist

entered the Temple and there he was enlightened (how we are not
told) to realise that the success of the wicked could only be properly
estimated by considering the close of their career {novissima eorur.i).
Intelligere in=' to attend closely to.'
'
18. The Hebrew has Yea, Thou hast set them on slippery
:

paths.' The Greek translators took Jflahoth to mean deceit or

treachery it really means In the Latin we must
:
slippery paths.
supply an object with posuisti it is natural to insert mala (evil).
;

Jerome translates correctly In lubrico posuisti eos God has made

;
;

insecure the ways of the wicked, even though they look on them-
'
selves as secure for ever.'
Dtwi allevarentur ; the Hebrew of this clause, in parallelism with
'
the preceding, has, Thou hast cast them down in ruins.' The Greek
translators read, apparently, Vmas'oth instead of l^mashshu'oth ;

they understood the text to mean either that the wicked are cast
down to ruin at the moment when they are proudly exalting them-
selves, or that their very exaltation is itself their casting down.
This verse shows that the dum allevarentur of the preceding
ig.
verse is less correct than Jerome's ad interitum. Propter iniqiii^ . .

tatem ought to be, according to the Hebrew, prae terrore.

20, Somniiim snrgentium they are brushed aside by God as one
;
8 THE PSALMS [72

puts away at awakening the dread of a terrifying dream. This con-

veys the idea of the suddenness of their destruction.
The second part of the verse is made difficult by the mistake of
'

the Greek translators in reading ba'ir, in the city,' instead of Vha'ir

'

(or h"ur) at awakening.' The imago is either the pomp of the

godless, or their ambitions. When God awakes, as it were, fiom
His slumber, He will sweep away their apparently secure splendour
as one sets aside at awakening the dread visions of sleep, and will
convince the world that the securit}' of ill-gotten wealth is no more
substantial than a dream.
21. From the standpoint of his new enlightenment the psalmist
looks back sadly on the folly of his doubts. He realises now how
' '

foolish he was to envy the success of the godless. The heart and
' '
are the seat of thought and emotion, respectivety.
reins
22, 23. In questioning God's Providence he had shown as much
want of intelligence as if he were a mere brute beast.
24.This describes the loving care of God for the psalmist. What-
ever henceforth befall the psalmist, he will take it as part of
may
God's fatherly plan in his regard. Even if sorrow and affliction
come, the poet is confident that at last he will be received with honour
by his Lord. This seems to be a clear reference to a setting right
of things beyond the grave.
Thus the psalmist has learned two lessons from his experience
and reflection [a) the success of the wicked is but ephemeral, and
;

[h) the ultimate glory and success of the just is secure. It is important
to note that there is here no thought of life after death in a land of
darkness remote from God like Sheol. The just will dwell in the
very presence of God, sharing somehow in His glory.
25. The possession of God is the onty true good.

A tc 'besides
Thee,' or beyond Thee.'
26. Even though his body be nearing decay and death, the heart
of the psalmist remains fixed in the Lord. Instead of Deus cordis
'
met the Hebrew has the Rock of heart.'myCf. Introduction,
p. xxxix. Jerome renders, Rohur cordis mei.
27. A further repetition of the thought that the godless are doomed
to failure. Fornicari a Deo = turn away from the service of God.
The relation of Yahweh to Israel was often compared to that of a
husband to his wife. When Israel turned away from Yahweh by
idolatrous worship the prophets were wont to describe her conduct
as fornication.
28. The true happiness of the psalmist is his nearness to God.
Praedicaiiones=ihemes of praise, i.e. the merciful deeds of Yahweh.
The phrase in partis filiae Sion has crept in here from Ps. ix. 15.
 PSALM LXXIII
THE DESECRATED SANCTUARY
psalm refers clearty to a desecration, and at least partial
THIS destruction of the Temple. The Temple was devastated by
the Pharaoh Sheshonk, about 976 B.C., and again in the
time of Joram (beginning of ninth century) it was pro- ;

faned by Joas of Israel in the time of Amazias (4 Kings xiv). It

was destroyed by Nabuchodonosor in 586, and during the persecu-
tion of Antiochus, it was desecrated and its gates were burned. It
is to be noted that the psalm speaks of the silence of prophecy, so

that itcan scarcely refer to the destruction of the Temple by the

Chaldeans, when Jeremias was energetically active. Theodore
of Mopsuestia ascribed the psalm to the Maccabean period,
taking it to be a complaint over the profanation of the Temple by
Antiochus in 168 B.C. Modern Catholic scholars are inclined to take
the same view. It is strongly defended by Schegg, and the most
recent Catholic commentator on the Vulgate Psalter, Landesdorfer,
holds that Ps. Ixxiii is very probably a Maccabean psalm. Pro-
testant Commentators in general accept the Maccabean date of the
psalm.
The structure of the psalm is clear. It begins with a complaint
and a prayer (1-3). The Sanctuary has been devastated, and God is
asked to look upon the destruction which His enemies have made.
The psalmist then goes on (vv. 4-1 1) to describe in vivid detail the
ruthless work of the enemy in the Temple. We can hear the shouting
of the foes as they break in to the Sanctuary ;
we see the setting up
of their standards as tokens of victory and power ;
we see them hewing
down the decorations of the Temple, destroying its beautiful wails
and doors and their carved work with axes. Then we see the enemy,
when his work of hewing and slashing is ended, preparing to set
fire to the Temple. Even though the fire does not destroy the build-
ing completely, the Temple is. nevertheless, utterly profaned ( even
to the ground '). The fanaticism of the enemy extends beyond
Jerusalem and synagogues are destroyed throughout the land. The
psalmist laments almost despairingly (9-1 1) there is no hope, no
;

message of better things there

;
is no longer a prophet in Israel, and
signs of God's presence and favour are no more.
Yet (vv. 12-17) Yahweh is King of Israel, and so complaint passes

over into confidence. Yahweh was of old the Leader of His people
lO THE PSALMS [7:

so will He be again He has the power to be the Leader of Israel,

for He is the Creator of the universe.
Renewed in confidence the psalmist breaks into tearful petition
(iS-23).

I. Intellectus Asaph. I A Maskil of Asaph

Ut quid Deus repulisti in Why, O Lord, dost Thou utterly reject us ?

finem iratus est furor tuus

:
Whyburneth Thy \\Tath against the
super oves pascucC tua; ? sheep of Thy pasture ?
2. Memor esto conEcregatio- Take thought for Thy people
nis quam possedisti ab
tiiaj, Which ot old Thou didst purchase.
initio. Didst acquire as Thine own possession ;

Kedeniisti virgam haeredita Mount Sion it is whereon Thou dwellest.

tis tuae mons bion, in quo
:

habitasti in eo.

3. Leva manus tuas in super- Lift up Thy hands against their pride
bias eorum .in finem :
quanta overweening :

malignatus est inimicus insanc- What malice the foe hath wTought m
to! the Holy Place !

4. Et gloriati sunt qui ode- 4. They who hate Thee make their boast.
runt te in medio solemnitatis
: In the midst of Thy Shrine.
tua;. They have set up their standards as
Posuerunt signa sua, signa trophies

5. Et non cognoverunt sicut
:

5. For they have no insight

in exitu super summum. Even over the entrance !

6. Quasi in silva lignorum 6. As in a forest, with axes they have

securibus exciderunt januas ejus shattered all its gates ;

in idipsum in securi et ascia

: With axe and with hatchet they have
dejecerunt eam. hewn it down.
7. Incenderunt igni sanctu- 7. They have set fire to Thy sanctuary ;

arium tuum in terra pol- : Even to the soil have they defiled tlie
luerunt tabernaculum nominis Tent of Thy Name.
tui.
8. Dixerunt in corde suo 8. They said in their hearts the whole
cognatio eorum simul Qui-
:

'
brood of them
escere faciamus omnes dies Let us abolish from the land all the
Dei a terra. festivals of God
'
festos !

g. Signa nostra non vidimus, 9. Our signs we see nomore there ;

is no
jam non est propheta et nos :
longer a prophet ;

non cognoscet amplius. And He knoweth us no more !

10. Usquequo Deus impro- 10 . How long, O God, shall Thy enemy mock ?
perabit inimicus irritat ad- : How long shall the foe utterly blas-
versarius nomen tuum in finem ? pheme Thy name ?
11. I't quid avertis manum 11. Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand
tuam, et dexteram tuam, de Thy right hand from Thy bosom for
medio sinu tuo in finem ? ever ?

12. Deus autem rex noster 12 Yet Thou, O God, art our King from of
ante sajcula operatus : est old.
salutem in medio terrae. Who workest deeds of rescue in the
midst of the land.

13. Tu confirmasti in virtute 13. In Thy power Thou didst establish the
tua mare : contribulasti capita sea ;

draconum in aquis. Thou didst shatter the heads of the

dragons in the waters ;
73] THE DESECRATED SANCTUARY II

14. Tu confregisti capita dra- 14. Thou didst shatter the heads of the sea-
conis : dedisti eum escam po- monsters ;

pulis /Ethiopum. Didst give them as food to the beasts

of the desert.
15. Tu dirupisti fontes, et 15. Fountains and brooks Thou madest to
torrentes : tu siccasti tluvios spring forth ;

Ethan. Didst dry up everfiowing streams.

10. Tuus est dies, et tua est 16. Thine is the day. Thine, too, is the night :

nox tu fabricatus es auroram

: Thou didst fashion the dawn and the
et solem. sun ;

17. Tu fecisti omnes termi- Tiiou hast fixed the boundaries of earth
nos terrae a^statem et ver tu
:
17.

Summer and winter both Thou hast
plasmasti ea. made.

1 8. Memor esto hujus, inimi- 1 8. Give heed to this The foe mocketh the
cus improperavit Domino et :
Lord,
populus insipiens incitavit no- And a foolish people blasphemeth Thy
men tuum. Name.
ig. Ne tradas bestiis animas 19. Give not to the beasts the souls of Thy
contitentes tibi, et animas worshippers.
pauperum tuorum ne oblivi- And forget not for ever the souls of
scaris in finem. Thy poor.
20. Respice in testamentuni 20. Look on Thy covenant,
tuum quia repleti sunt, qui
: For the oppressed of the Land are sated
obscurati sunt terras domibus with misery.
iniquitatum.
21. Ne avertatur humilis f ac- 2 1. Let not the poor shrink away disgraced :

tus confusus pauper et inops : The poor and the weak shall praise
laudabunt nomen tuum. Thy Name.

22. Exsurge Deus, judica can- 22. Arise then, O Lord, make defence of Thy
sam tuam memo.- esto impro-
: cause.
periorum tuorum, eorum quse Rem.ember the mockings of Thee
ab insipiente sunt tota die. Which fools pour forth daily.
23. Ne obliviscaris voces ini- 23. Forget not the words of Thy foes ;

micorum tuorum :
superbia The pride of Thy enemies ever in-
eorum, qui te oderunt, ascendit creaseth.
semper.

1. Intellectus ;
see Ps. xli. i.

/yfwgwz=' altogether.' Cf. Ps. xii. i ixxviii. 5 Ixxxviii. 47. ; ;

Pascuae=ih.e land of Israel. Why dost Thou reject the flock

which has hitherto grazed on Thy pasture ? The thought of Yahweh
as Shepherd of Israel is frequent in the Old Testament.
' '
2. Congregation is the community of Israel as the Covenant-
people of God. In virtue of the Sinaitic Covenant Israel was the
special possession of the Lord.
Ab initio from indefinitely ancient times from of old cf. Wisd.
;

ix. 8. Through the Covenant Yahweh acquired Israel as a virga

hcereditatis, a measured and determined piece of property. Virga is
a measuring-rod it is here used for the land which was measured
:

by the measuring-rod. The Hebrew word shebhct can mean both rod
12 THE PSALMS [7^

and tribe, or nation. The latter meaning is more in place here, and
we may take it that the true rendering of the Hebrew original ought
to be tribiis [or nafio) hcErediiatis hia.
Mons Sion while the whole race of Israel is the object of Yahweh's
:

special care. is peculiarly centred in Mount Sion where

His interest
His dwelling (the Temple) stands. As the purpose of the psalm is
to make complaint over the desecration of the Temple, this reference
to Mt. Sion at the outset is natural. The older Latin Psalters generally
have moniem Sion, putting it in apposition with virgam this view ;

of the text not excluded by the Hebrew.

is

3. The poet begins his prayer against those who have desecrated
the Sanctuary.
' '

Superbias in finem limitless pride.';

The Hebrew has Turn :

thy steps towards the eternal ruins [mashshu'oth nesah).' Instead of

vjashshu'oih, which occurs only here and in the i8th verse of Ps. Ixxii,
the Greek translators read (as in Ixxii. 18) mas' of h=' lifting up,' and
'

hence, pride.' Since it is not elsewhere clear that this psalm repre-
sents the Temple as reduced to ruins, the reading of the Greek (Latin)
need not necessarily be corrected. Jerome's Suhlimitas pedum tuonim
dissipata est usqtie ad finem is one of the many passages of his rendering
which are less helpful than the Vulgate.
'
In sancto, in the Kodhcsh,' the Sanctuary, or Temple in general.
4. It is not certain whether sollemnitas should be taken here as
'

(as if the enemy had broken into the Temple during some
'
festival

great festival), or as shrine.' The Hebrew word mo'edh can mean

'

both the festive-gathering and the place where it assembles. Jerome

has, in medio pacti tui.
Posuerunt, etc.: Jerome's rendering makes the sense clear Posue- :

runt signa sua in tropcetim. It would be fearful profanation in the

eyes of a Jew to set heathen military standards in the precincts of the
Temple. It would be a still greater profanation, of course, if there
were question here, not of military standards, but of statues of
heathen gods, or other emblems of heathen worship like the abomina- '

'
tion of desolation which Antiochus set up upon the Altar (i Mace.
i.
54-64).
Et non cognoverunt . . . siimmum : this text is untranslatable as
it stands.In the translation above it has been connected with the
'

clause, posuerunt signa sua signa the trophies (or standards, or ;

heathen emblems) the}' set up in their blind ignorance {ct non cogno-
'

verunt) over the entrance [exitits ought to be in^roitus). The sicut

may be regarded as here pleonastic, for w? is sometimes used
pleonastically in the Septuagint especially with prepositions. Super

summum means simply above.' The entrance in question is not
' ' '

further defined but in the context it would seem to be a door or

;

entrance of the Temple.

The Hebrew here is different, but it also is obscure. With slight
7Z\ THE DESECRATED SANCTUARY 13

emendation the Hebrew text corresponding to et non cognovernnt. . .

securihiis could be rendered :

Hacking (or, raging) like one that wields aloft

Axes in a thicket of trees.

The contrast between the Hebrew and Vulgate texts here is not due
to any great difference in the consonantal Hebrew text read by the
Septuagint translators and that handed down b\^ the Massoretes ;

indeed the only peculiarity of the text read by the Septuagint trans-
lators was the presence therein of the negative. Sicut in exiiu renders
'

k^mabho', while the Massoretes have k^mchhi' like one that wields.'
,

'

The super sunimum {'

aloft ') obviously goes better with like one
'
that wields than with sicut in exitu.
Excidcrunt supposes a better Hebrew text than the Massoretic,
6.
but the Hebrew underlying y^w/r^s ejus, viz., p^thaheha, is less likely
than the Massoretic pittuheha, its carved work
'

sculptiiras ejus, as
'

Jerome renders it. The enemy are depicted as hewing away the
wood-work of the Temple as the woodman hews down the trees in the
forest. Cf. what is 21/; And in his
said of Antiochus in i Mace. i.
'

arrogance he entered into the sanctuary, and took the golden altar,
and the candlestick for the light, and all its accessories, and the table
of the showbread, and the cups, and the bowls, and the golden censers,
and the and the crowns, and the golden adornment of the facade
veil
of the Temple, and he scaled it off. Moreover, he took the silver and
the gold, and the choice vessels he also took the hidden treasures
;

which he found.' When Judas went up to Mt. Sion to re-dedicate

'

the Holy Place, he found the sanctuary laid desolate, and the altar
profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts
as in a forest, or upon one of the mountains, and the chambers pulled
'

down (I Mace. iv. 38). Cf. 2 Mace. i. 8 ;

viii. t,^.

In idipstim=comp\ctely .

' '

7. Incenderunt, etc.; they set on fire,' not, they destroyed with

fire.' It is not said that the Temple was completely destroyed.
The profanation in terram does not imply that the Temple was razed
to the ground, but that its defilementwas complete.
8.
Cognatio, brood, race. Quiescere faciamus ought to mean,
Let us prevent the celebration of the feasts of Yahweh in the land.'
'

'

This was the policy of Antiochus. Cf. i Mace. i. 44/. The king :

sent letters ... to Jerusalem and to the cities of Juda that they
should practise customs foreign to the land, and that they should
cease the sacrificing of whole burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and
drink offerings in the sanctuary, and that they should profane the
sabbaths and feasts, and pollute the sanctuary and those who had
been sanctified.' The Massoretic text, however, speaks of the burn-
ing by the foe of the mo'^dhe 'El. Mo'^dhe 'El could, in itself, mean
festivals of God, but in connection v;ith burning it must mean rather
14 THE PSALMS [73

gathering-places, or synagogues, of God. Jerome renders Incenderunt

omnes solemnitates Dei in terra. But we must either render mo'''d}w
do Aquila and Symmachus), or we must
' '
'El as synagogues (as
change
'
bum '
into something else. It is possible that a primitive

KaTa/caimo/Ki' in the Septuagint has been changed into KaTdTraiVcD/tev .

A reference to synagogues here would put the psalm definitely in the

later post-Exilic period.

9. Signa the reference may be to portents of God's power such

;
' '
as were seen in the olden days, but the signs may be, on the other
hand, such tokens of God's presence as the adornment of the Temple,
and the festive and ordinary cult in the Temple. Some commentators
find here a reference to the observance of the Sabbath and circum-
cision as signs of the continuance of the Covenant. Cf. i Mace.
i.
61).
' '
There
no prophet points, like the synagogues, to a late period
is

of Hebrew history. Note how, when Judas pulled down the old
altar of holocausts, the stones thereof were put away in the mountain
of the House, in a convenient place, until a prophet should come and
decide concerning them (i Mace. iv. 46). Here there is the same
idea of the absence of prophecy as in our Psalm.
Et nos non cognoscet amplins the subject is either : God the
failure of Israel being atoken of His indifference, or it may be the
indefinite subject
' '
there
is none that knows us (since thej^ are
one
no longer marked off in any special way as favourites of God). The
Hebrew is here better And there is no one among us who knoweth
'

how long '

;

no prophet, that is, who can tell them how long their
troubles will last.
Irritat Hebrew has na'as, spurn,' contemn.'
; the
' '

11. The Vulgate must be understood, apparently, as implying

that God has hitherto carried Israel as a child is carried in His
bosom, supporting the burden with His right hand {cf. Num. xi. 12 ;

Is. xl. 11). If God withdraws His right hand from His bosom, Israel
must fall helplessly to the ground. The Hebrew text suggests rather
the thought that God, instead of stretching out a helping right hand
to Israel, is keeping the hand hidden in the folds of His garment.
12. And yet God who leaves Israel to her doom is the same mighty
God who worked wonders for Israel in the sight of all men [in medio
terrae) in the olden days : He is indeed the King of Israel since the
earliest times (ante scccula).

13. The reference is to the crossing of the Red Sea. The Hebrew
' '

has, Thou didst cleave ' (porarta). The Septuagint renders Thou
didst master,' and the Latin confirmasti seems to be a rendering of
(KiMTauo<ra^. Taking the Vulgate by itself we could refer confirmasti
to the building up of the walls of water between which the Israelites
marched across the bed of the sea. Cf. Exod. xiv. 21/.
14. The dracones are usually explained as crocodiles, which, when
73] THE DESECRATED SANCTUARY 15

swimming, could be smitten on the head. The smiting of the croco-

diles has further been understood of the defeat of the Egyptians at
the Exodus. Yet it is probably better to find in the destruction of
the dracones a reference to the overthrow of the primeval monster
of Chaos. Cf . Is. li.
9 ; Job, vii. 12 ix. 13 xxvi. 12.
; ;

'
The populi Ethiopum are not the Ethiopians, but folk of the
desert-dwellers,' jackals. C/. Ps. Ixxi. 9.
i.e.

15. The fontes and torrentes recall the instances of miraculous

provision of water for the Israelites in their desert-wanderings.
Fluvios Ethan Ethan is here simply the Hebrew epithet 'ethan
;

' '

perpetual,' everflowing,' an epithet of streams which flowed in summer

as well as in winter. Such a stream, of course, was the Jordan, and
yet it was dried up to enable the Israelites to cross. Indeed, the
Israelites crossed the Jordan when it was in fullest spring-time flood.

16-17. Yahweh whom the enemies despise is the Lord of nature,

and the Creator of the universe. Instead of auroram et solem the
'

Septuagint has
'
the sun and moon ;
'
the Hebrew has the light and
the sun,' and Jerome luminaria et solem.
18. The hujus may refer either to the foregoing (' Remember all
this '),

or to the following the insolence of Israel's foes. The enemies
are foolish, as their attitudeshows. Cj. Ps. xiii. i. Incitavit,
'

despises,'
'
scorns
'
like irritat in verse 10 above.
The wild beasts are the foes. Instead of animas confitentes
19.
'

tibi Hebrew has the soul of thy dove.' The dove is, of course,
the
loyal Israel. The versions have generally misunderstood or misread
'
the Hebrew torekha, thy dove.' The Sept. translators Tea.dtodhckha
(from yadah, hence confitentes). Jerome connected torekha with torah
(Law) and rendered aniniam entditam lege tiia. The pauper es are
;

the same as the confitentes the loyal worshippers of Yahweh in

Israel.
20. Yahweh is a'^ked to remember the Covenant by which He
bound Himself to become the protecting God of Israel.
Quia repleti . . .
iniqiiitatem is quite hopeless as it stands in the
Vulgate. Jerome's rendering is better :

Respice ad pactum;
quia ref)letae sunt tenebris terrai-,
habitationes iniquae subrutae.

The Massoretic text is not much less obscure than the Vulgate. It
reads (slightly emended) :

Look on thy covenant !

The dark-places of earth are full of dwellings of violence.

The thought of the passage seems to be that the actual situation of

Israel is out of harmony with the Covenant between Yahweh and
His people.
1 6 THE PSALMS [73

21. The hinnilis, pauper, and inops

are all the same, the con-
fitentes of v. 19.
22. Since Yahweh is the covenant-God of Israel, the defeat of

Israel a disgrace to Yahweh. Let Him arise, then, and defend His
is

own cause, and avenge Himself against the fools who despise His name.
23. The fools grow louder and bolder in their contempt for Israel's
God in proportion as they are left unpunished.
 PSALM LXXIV
THE JUDGE AND THE CUP OF HIS WRATH
is possible that verse 2 points to a particular historical occasion

if it does we cannot
IT of this psalm ;
identify that occasion.
Since, however, verses 3-9 resemble the eschatological psalm ii,
it is possible that the main reference of this psalm is not to

any definite historical incident, but to the Messianic judgment against

mockers who will not believe that a Day of the Lord, a Day of Judg-
ment, is coming. The psalmist is convinced either that Yahweh has
justified, or is about to justify, His worshippers, or that the wor-
shippers of the I.ord will ultimately be set right in the eyes of all.
Perhaps the best view of the origin of the psalm is that some recent
act of divine favour towards Israel, possibly the rescue of Jerusalem
from Sanherib's army, inspired the psalmist to assert his confidence
that not merely now, but always in due time (and therefore especially
in the Messianic age), God intervenes in men's affairs to show that
He is, in truth, the support of the just, and the Ruler of the world.
It is the chief concern of the psalmist to convince the sinners, who

appear here as foes of Israel, that Yahweh does, in fact, guide the
world.
The psalm does not begin with the usual summons to join in a
song of praise. We are set at once, as it were, in the midst of a
service of praise. A multitude of worshippers have assembled, and
make the wondrous doings of God the theme of their song. In verses 3
and 4 Yahweh addresses the world. Men may fancy that, because
the judgment of the Lord is withheld, the Day of the Lord will never
come. of the Lord always comes, and however
But the due time
injustice seems to prevail, the Lord will, in His own good time, over-
throw it, and save from its thraldom the world. Cf. Is. v. 19 ;

Habac. ii. 3.
In verses 5 and 6 the psalmist warns the impious (as in Ps. ii)
against the folly of doubting that Yahweh rules the world a folly

like that of the ox, or the bison, that would threaten heaven with
its horns.
In verses 7-9 we have a description of the Judge and the cup of
His wrath. We have here the same picture as in Is. Ii. 17 Jer. xxv. ;

15 Ez, xxiii. 33
;
Ps. ;
lix. 5. The sinners are doomed to drink of
the cup of God's anger.The wine in the cup is unmixed with water,
but mixed with ingredients which have an intoxicating and
it is

maddening effect. The godless must empty the cup to the dregs.
i8 THE PSAUIS [74

Nothing like this can be brought about by men by conquerors from

east or west, south or north. God alone exercises judgment.
The psalmist, like every true worshipper of Yahweh, will rejoice
when the godless are brought to naught, and he will for ever praise
the Lord. But he will do more for he himself will seek to break
the might of the godless. Thus he speaks as a king, or leader, of
the people.

1. In finem, Xe corrumpas, For the choir-leader. Destroy not.' An

Psalmus Cantici Asaph. Asaphite Psalm.

2. Confitebimur tibi Deus : 2. We praise Thee, O Lord we praise Thee ; ;

confitebimur, et invocabimus no- We call on Thy name, and proclaim

mcn tuum. Thy wonders.
Xarrabimus mirabilia tua :

3. Cum accepero tempus, ego 3. W^hen I see the fit time

justitias judicabo. I will hold just trial.
4. Liquefacta est terra, et 4. Even if earth should melt away, and all
omnes qui habitant in ea :
ego itsdwellers.
confirmavi columnar ejus. Yet I hold firm its pillars.

5. Dixi iniquis Nolite inique

:
5. To the godless I say Act not godlessly:
;

agere et delinquentibus
: No- : To the impious Uplift not the horn
: !

lite exaltare cornu :

6. Xolite extollere in altum 6. Uplift not against the Highest your horn ;

cornu vestrum nolite loqui

:
Speak not insolence against God !

adversus Deum iniquitatem.

neque ab Oriente, For neither from east nor from west,
7. Quia
neque ab Occidente, neque a
7.
Xor from the lonely hills
desertis montibus :

8. Quoniam Deus judex est. 8. It is God who is Judge ;

Hunc humiliat, et hunc ex- He humbleth one and exalteth another.

altat :

9. Quia calix in manu Domini 9. For in the Lord's hand is a cup

vini meri plenus misto. Of pure wine, full of wine well-mixed ;

Et inclinavit ex hoc in hoc : He poureth therefrom all around ;

verumtamen faex ejus non est But the lees are not finished ;

exinanita bibent : omnes pec- All the sinners of earth shall drink
catores terra?. them.
10. Ego autem annuntiabo in 10. But
I will exult for ever
;

saeculum :cantabo Deo Jacob. will hymn to the God of Jacob.

I

11. Et omnia cornua pecca- II. And I will break all the horns of sinners ;
torum confringam : et exalta- But the horns of the just shall be high.
buntur cornua justi.

I. Ne Corrumpas
these may be the first words of the song according
;

to the melody which the psalm was to be sung. It is possible,

of
however, that the Hebrew ought to be read 'al tashheth rather than
'

'al tashheth, so that the whole title might mean, For the choir-master
'

in charge of the group of singers called Tashheth (the name Tashheth

being probably a corruption). Cf. Ps. Ivi. i.

Psalmus cantici cf. Ps. xxix, xlvii, Ixvi, Ixvii, Ixxxvi, xci.
;

Confitehimur-confitehimiir-narrahimus imply a better text than

the Massoretic. The praise of God's name in question is on account
74] THE JUDGE AND HIS WRATH 19

of some special act of divine favour recently performed or confidently

expected. That act has been variously identified with the overthrow
of Sanherib's host, with the first victories of the Maccabean period,
and with the judgment of the Messianic time. Many features of
the psalm favour the view that it bears some reference to the delivery
of Jerusalem from Sanherib [cf. Is. xxxvi. 13^. xxxvii. iq^.). The ;

proud insolence of the enemies of Yahweh and of Israel here described

would fit well into the general context of 4 Kings xix, and of Is. xxxvi,
xxxvii. See also Is. x and xiv.
3. Yahweh speaks. The 'time' is the due point of time which
Yahweh knows because He has fixed Accepero is to be under- it.

stood of seizing or grasping mentally (or, whenever) Yahweh

: when
sees that the time for action is come. He intervenes and gives just
judgment. The judgment will be, of course, in favour of Israel,
and will confound the enemies of Israel. The psalmist apparently
believes that the time is come for the intervention of the Lord in the
affairs of His people. It is probably easier to understand the psalm
as looking forward to an energetic intervention and to a judgment
about to take place (or, in the psalmist's opinion, due to take place)
than to suppose that it is a hymn of thanks for a favour recently
received.
4. Liqiiefacta est, etc. even though, to the eyes of men, the whole
;

fabric of things seems to be on the point of breaking up, yet so long

'

as God's hand sustains the world (supports its pillars '), its utter
destruction is impossible. Or the
may Even though the
sense be :

world and its dwellers should tend to wither away in fear before the
coming judgment of the Lord, He will conserve them, for the end is
not yet. Or the sense may be Even though the world should tend
:

to dissolve through fear and dismay because of the injustice which

everywhere prevails, yet God has provided that the foundation of

earth which is justice shall not fail.
5-6. These are words of the psalmist. He warns the enemies of
Yahweh to desist from their mad impiety {cf. Ps. ii. 10^.). 'To raise
the horn = to be proud and haughty. The idea of preparing for
'

attack also present in the phrase.

is

The Yahweh and Israel are like bisons which, in the pride
foes of
of their strength, toss high their heads, and threaten with their
horns. Cf. Deut. xxxiii. 17.
'

In altiim, against God. In the Hebrew marom (=the Height ')

'

is used (like heaven ') as a designation of God.

'

Adversus Deiim the (correct) Hebrew text has here,

: against
the Rock,' i.e. against Yahweh, the Rock of Israel. Cf. Is. xxx. 29 ;

Deut. xxxii. 4, 37 Habacuc i. 12 iii. 13.

; ;

'

Iniquitatem : in Hebrew 'atluih, insolence.'

7-8, Israel will be avenged against the insolent foes of Yahweh ,-

but she will not be avenged by any help of man, or merely natural
20 THE PSALMS [74

powers, coming from any quarter of earth. Her Helper and Avenger
is Yahweh alone, and Him only may she trust.
'

A desertis montibus commentators usually identify the desert

:

with the mountainous desert south of Palestine. On this view

'
hills
the north is not mentioned among the districts from which Israel
may not expect help. The omission of the north is generally explained
as due to the circumstance that, as the enemies against whom Israel
is to be defended are the Assyrians of the north, no help would be
looked to from that quarter. It is not unlikely, however, that the
original text read From the desert and from the mountains,' i.e.
:
'

from the south and the north. The meaning of that reading would
be the obvious one that no help was to be looked for from any earthly
source. This point of view is thoroughly Isaian, for Isaias warned
constantly against the danger for Jerusalem of alliances with foreign
powers. It has been conjectured that Isaias composed this psalm. '

Since no subject is supplied for the sentence, we can insert, cometh

help,' or something similar.
9. The Lord
represented as giving to the nations to drink of the
is

cup See the note on Ps. lix. 5

of His wrath. and note the parallels
;

there quoted. The wine is the symbol of Yahweh's judgment, or of

the punishment which it decrees. The Hebrew is here somewhat
different from the Vulgate. The cup which the Lord holds in His
hand is filled i.e. wine undiluted with water, and
with vinuni merum,
therefore potent in Further, the cup is plemis misto
its effects.
full of spiced wine.The sense is not merely is the cup which the
;

Lord ministers to His foes strong, like undiluted wine, but it is

strengthened in its intoxicating (' staggering ') potency, as wine is
strengthened, by the addition of ingredients such as myrrh, nard, etc. ;

'
'

it is a cup of vinum comptmctionis (Ps. lix. 5), a cup of staggering

11.
(Is. 22).
situation here is the same as in Jer. xxv. i^ff, where
The general
all have to drink of the wine of punishment, and the greatest sinners
have to drink the lees.
There is no real contradiction here between merum and mistntn
'

{cf. Greek olvov aKparov TrXypes Kepao-juaros^

: full of the mixture
of undiluted wine) aKparo? [mentm, meracum) means unmixed with
:

water, and Kepucriia {mistum) is the product of the mixture of pure

wine with pungent ingredients of various kinds. In the Vulgate
plenus must be taken with calix. In the Hebrew it is the wine which
is called mixed (see the translation of the Hebrew in note on Ps. lix. 5).

Ex hoc in hoc this phrase has led some commentators to find

:

here two cups, one filled with undiluted wine (symbolising the goodness
of God), and another plenus misto (symbolising God's justice). But
there is no real ground for such a view. In hoc cannot refer to the
calix, and we cannot suppose, therefore, that the words imply that
God pours the wine from one cup into another. The in hoc has
74] THE JUDGE AND HIS WRATH 21

nothing corresponding to it in the Massoretic text, and it is possible

that it has crept in here from Ps. clxiii. 13. As it stands, the Latin
ex hoc in hoc is best understood adverbially, as=' one after another,'
' '

or, to all in turn,' or all around.'

IncUnavit used of the tilting of the cup.
Venimtamen faex, etc. ; though many sinners have drunk of the
cup, it is not yet empty. The lees are reserved for the present enemies
of Yahweh.
Jerome renders verse 9 :

Otiia calix in majtu Domini est,

et vino meraco usque ad plenum mixius,
et propinabit ex eo :
ventm (amen fences ejus epoiabunt bibenies
omucs impii terra'.

10. Annimciabo ought to be (as in Psalierium Romanum) gaudebo.

Cf. Greek, dyaXkiucroiiai,.
11. For the breaking of the horns, cf. Zach. i. 21. If the psaknist
ishere speaking in his own name, and not in that of the community,
he must be regarded as a king or leader in Israel.
 PSALM LXXV
THANKSGIVING FOR VICTORY
psalm has points of close contact with Psalms xlv and xlvii.
THISThe Ad Assyrios
associated with it
of the title shows that an early tradition
the attack of Sanherib on Jerusalem
(4 Kings xix. 35 ;
Is. xxxvii. 36). But, as in Isaias, so also
here, the attack of Sanherib is depicted, to some extent, in the colours
of the Messianic Judgment against the foes of the Messias. Hence,
while the psalm is primarily a song of thanks for the delivery of Sion
from Sanherib. it is at the same time, a song of thanksgiving, as it
were, for the dawning of the Messianic Era (See verses 3, 9, 12). The
conclusion of the poem describes the overthrow of despotism, and
the union of all peoples and princes in the service of Yahweh (the
overthrow of the proud army of Assyria being a token and pledge,
' '
and partial realisation of this). The predicate fearful given four
times in the (true text of the) poem to Yahweh suggests how bitter
has been the experience of foreign rule in Israel what the foreigners
:

have been to Israel, God will be to them.

2-4. In Shalem the Lord has set up His tent. The name Shalem
{cf. Gen. xiv) is sjonboUc the city
: was to be a city of peace (shalom),
and hence a meet centre of the Messianic Kingdom of Peace. When
the weapons of war
are broken, the reign of peace begins as it is
Wars He maketh
'
said in Ps. xlv. 10 : to cease throughout the world :

He breaketh the bow and shattereth weapons, and shields He bumeth

'
with fire (See note on Ps. xlv. 10, and parallels there quoted). As
Sion is to be the centre of the Messianic reign of peace, so now, when
Sanherib has been defeated, Sion becomes again the undoubted
dwelling of God, as it will be His sacred home after the close of the
Messianic battles {cf. Ps. xlv. 5). As Sanherib has been overthrown
before the gates of Shalem, so the last decisive battles of the final
period will be fought before the gates of Jerusalem (Ps. xlv. 4.)
5-7. Here the decisive overthrow of the Assyrian is described

but again in partly Messianic fashion. As the mere chiding of Yahweh
suffices to overthrow His enemies, the Assyrians, so will the foes of
the Messianic age, who gather to attack Jerusalem {cf. Ps. ii), be
vanquished by the chiding of the Lord. The poet describes in detail
the effect on the enemy of the flashing splendours in which Yahweh
comes to defend His dwelling. In thunder and lightning He comes,
and at His approach the enemy are petrified with fear.
22
75] THANKSGIVING FOR VICTORY
8-1 1. The judgment on the Assyrians passes over, in the mind of
the poet, into the world-judgment of the Messianic time. The weak
and oppressed receive justice. At the very upstanding of God unto
judgment the earth trembles, and the tumult of God's foes is silenced
until they also at last burst into songs of praise.
12-13. The psalmist exhorts Israel and the nations to give praise
to the Lord for the salvation of Israel {cf. Ps. ii, and xlv. 11). The
proud rulers of earth will make humble submission to Yahweh, and
the rule of Messianic peace and justice will take the place of despotism.
Thus the overthrow of Sanherib is not a mere incident in the military
history of Israel it is an
anticipation, a partial rehearsal, of the
:

great events of the Messianic age.

1. In fineni, in Laudibus, 1. For the choir-master on stringed instru-

:

Psalmus Asaph, Canticum ad ments an Asaphite Psalm

: a :

Assyrios. psalm concerning the Ass\Tians.

2. Notus in Judaea Deus : 2. Well known is God in Judasa,
in Israel magnum nomen ejus. In Israel great is His name :

3. Et factus
est in pace locus 3. In Peace hath His place been set.
ejus et habitatio ejus in Sion.
: And in Sion His dwelling.
4. Ibi confregit potentias ar- 4. There broke He the mighty bows,
cuum, scutum, gladium, et Shield, sword (all the weapons of) war.
bellum.

5. Illuminans tu mirabiliter Wondrousl}^ flashed Thy light from the

a montibus aeternis : eternal hills ;

6. Turbati sunt omnes insipi- Dismayed were all the foolish of heart ;

entes corde. They slept their death-sleep ;

Dormierunt somnum suum : Not one of all the proud warriors found
et nihil invenerunt omnes viri aught of his strength ;

divitiarum in manibus suis.

7. Ab increpatione tua Deus At Thy chiding, O God of Jacob, the
Jacob dormitaverunt qui ascen- riders sank into sleep.
derunt equos.

8. Tu terribilis es, et quis re- 8. Fearful art Thou ! Who shall withstand
sistet tibi ? ex tunc ira tua. Thee
In the hour of Thy wrath ?
9. De coelo auditum fecisti g. From heaven Thou proclaimest judg-
judicium : terra tremuit et ment ;

quievit. The earth trembleth, and is silent,

10. Cum exsurgeret in judi- 10. When God ariseth unto judgment,
cium Deus, ut salvos faceret To save all the meek ones of earth.
omnes mansuetos terrse.

11. Quoniam cogitatio homi- 11. Hence evil-plotting men must praise
nis confitebitur tibi et reli-
: Thee,
quiae cogitationis diem festum And the rest of the plotters make
agent tibi. festival for Thee.
12. Vovete, et reddite Do- 12. Make ye vows, and fulfil them, to the
mino Deo vestro : omnes qui Lord your God ;

in circuitu ejus affertis munera. All ye dwellers round about bring

gifts to the Dread One,
13. Terribili et ei qui aufert 13. To Him Who destroyeth the pride of
spiritum principum, terribili princes.
apud reges terras. To Him Who is dreaded by the kings
of earth.
24 THE PSALMS [75

1. In laudibus, with stringed instruments. Cf. In carminibiis,

Ps. iv, vi, liv, and In hymnis, Ps. Ix and Ixvi.
Ad As^iyrios, in regard to the Assyrians. This determination of
the psalm is not found in the Hebrew. The reference is obviously to
the Assyrian advance against Jerusalem under Sanherib in the reign
of Ezechias. See 4 Kings xix. 35 and Is. xxxvii, xxxvi.
2. Notics in Jiid.ra in Israel
. . .
Judaea (Judah) and Israel=
;

all the land of the Hebrews. When Sanherib marched against

Jerusalem, Israel (the northern kingdom) had ceased to exist, Samaria
having fallen in B.C. 722. But in olden days Yahweh had wrought
wondrous deeds of deliverance in North and South.
3. The might of Yahweh has been shown above all in the South,
for in the South, in the city of Shalem, on Mt. Sion, was His tent
(locus), His own special dwelling. As the chosen abode of the Lord
Jerusalem must remain inviolate. In Jerusalem, therefore, must be
chiefly visible the protecting power of the God of Israel.
/ pace the Hebrew has in Shalem, and the parallelism of the
;

verse makes it clear that Shalem is Jerusalem. The name Jerusalem

' '

was, apparently, explained as meaning City of Peace {cf. Gen. xiv. 18

and Hebrews vii. iff.). A City of Peace must necessarily remain safe
from attack. Moreover as the dwelling of the Holy One of Israel,
the peace of Sion must forever remain secure. This was a central
point in the protest of Isaias against alliances of Judah with foreign
powers. The Septuagint translators equated Shalem with shalom,

peace. By printing pace as a proper name Pace, the Vulgate can
be made to convey the real sense of the verse.
Locus is a translation of the Hebrew sokh, tent.
4. In the defence of His dwelling on Sion the Lord has overwhelmed
His foes. Traditional exegesis finds here a description of the over-
throw of Sanherib's army (Is. xxxvii. 35, 36).
'
Potentias arcuum=the mighty bows Hebrew,
: the flames (or
lightnings) of the bows.' The speed of the arrows is compared to
that of lightning. The rendering in the Psalterium Romanum, cornua
arciinm is probabty due to the misreading of the Septuagint K-par?;
as KiftaTd.
Bellum means here not war in general, but the war-equipment of
the enemy.
5. Illuniinans, etc. The general sense of this difficult verse is
clear enough. It a description of the action by which Yahweh
is

dismayed and overthrew His foes, and, like other Biblical accounts
of the appearances of the Lord of Hosts, it contains a reference to
lightnings and a thunder-storm. Amid thunder, and lightnings and
hail, etc., theGod of Israel was wont to come to the rescue of His
people {cf. Judges v. 4 and Ps. xvii. 8-16), and so He comes to rescue
Jerusalem. This does not appear in Isaias' narrative of the destruc-
tion of the army of Sanherib but that narrative is incomplete, and^
:
75] THANKSGIVING FOR VICTORY 25

moreover, a certain freedom of poetic imagery must be permitted

to the author of this psalm.
The text both of the versions and of the Massoretes is unsatis-
'

factory. The Hebrew has Fearful (reading iwra') art Thou,

:

Majestic One, from the hills of booty.' The word for booty is pro-
bably a false gloss on the word which originally stood in the text

' '

'adh, a word which could mean either booty or eternity.'

'
Hence
'
we may render the Hebrew (corrected) text from the eternal hills,' ;

as in Greek and Vulgate. lUuminans represents a Hebrew me'ir,

(instead of the Massoietic na'or, or, as corrected in the trans-
lation just given, nora' = fearful ').
'

The flashing forth is the

coming of Yahweh in a storm of thunder and lightning. Since the
mountains seem to reach to the heavens, the lightnings are thought
of as coming from the clouds and since the mountains, in comparison
;

with human things and the various objects of nature around them,
are immovable and unchangeable, they are called eternal. The
particular mountains here spoken of may be the hills on which
Jerusalem stands. It would be particularly appropriate if Yahweh
came forth with His lightnings from the hills which were the object
' '

of his foes' attack. The expression eternal mountains {hafre

'adh), paralleledby everlasting hills {gibh'oth 'olam) occurs in Habacuc '

iii. Miyahiliter renders the Hebrew 'addir, Majestic One.'

6.
6. The appearance af the fearful glory of God in the storm dismayed
the foes who were marching against Shalem. As the Hebrew puts it :

'

Stoutmen became mere booty, and slept the death-sleep ;

No proud warrior could find his strength.

At Thy chiding O God of Jacob, benumbed were chariot and steed.'

stout-hearted,' was
'

Insipicntes cordc the Hebrew 'ahbire Ichh,

;
' '

read by the Septuagint translators 'obh'dhe lehh, lost (or, straying ')
' '

or it may be that the strength of heart of the enemies

'
of heart :

of Yahweh was taken by the translators as = madness, or folly, since

it would be madness or folly to attack the dwelling of the Most High
(as if they had taken pradiii corde as a sarcasm ior perditi corde).
'
The '
is the sleep of death.
sleep
Instead of in manibus we ought to have, according to the Hebrew,
manus suas as object to invencnint instead of nihil we should have ;

non. Invenire maniis = to find one's strength, to find that one has
strength at one's disposal. In presence of the flashing forth of Yah-
weh's greatness they became, as it were, paralysed. The viri diviti-
the warriors,' of the Hebrew text. The
'

arum are the 'anshe hayil,

as it stands
Vulgate text can be made to bear an intelligible meaning '

viri divitiarum as=' men of power,' and rendering The

by taking ;

men hands.'
of power found no strength {nihil) in their Jerome
renders : Et non invenerunt omnes viri exerciius fnanus suas.
26 THE PSALMS [75

' '

7. The chiding is the threatening implied in the theophany.

Possibly God's voice in the thunder is the special chiding to which

the psalmist refers. At that chiding the enemy horsemen and those
who manned the war-chariots were dismayed and benumbed {dor-
mitaverimt) with fear and terror. The Hebrew nirdam w^rekhehh
'

wasus, benumbed were chariot and steed,' was read by the trans-
' ' ' '

lators, nird'mu rokh'bhe sus. The chariot and steed of the

Hebrew are used by metonym}^ for the warriors who guided them.
8. Truly Yahweh is fearful and irresistible.
'

Ex tunc ira tua : Hebrew me'az, since

ex tunc renders
'

('
when-
ever ')
:
'
Who can withstand Thee when Thy anger has burst forth ?
'

9. The judgment is Yahweh's intervention on behalf of His people,

and His overthrow of the enemy. Here the judgment is spoken of
as coming from heaven in verse 5 it is described as coming from the ;

eternal hills {cf. note on 5). The trembling of earth suggests the
idea of an earthquake for a Hebrew poet an earthquake was part :

of the full grandeur of a theophany. The Hebrew verb which is

translated tremuit does not, however, bear any reference to earth-
quake, but the verb shakat, which is here rendered quievit, is often
used for the subsidence of earth after an earthquake-shock.
10. The mansuetos terrce=humiles terrcB the loyal worshippers of
Yahweh.
11. This is a very difficult verse in the Vulgate. The Massoretic
text reads :

'
For the violence of men (=the fiercest men) wiL praise Thee ;

The rest of Thy wrath Thou withholdest.'

The violence men, Tfmath 'adham, is rendered in the Greek IvOvfjuov

of
dvOporTTov evdvfiiov Were Ovixo^), and Ivdviuov appears in the
(as if

Vulgate as cogitatio. Hence cogitatio must be taken as meaning

something like evil-planning (or, plotters of evil). In the second half '
'

of the verse hemoth, outbursts of anger (Prov. xxii. 24) is rendered

also evdvfiLov
whence cogitationis in the Latin. Thus the rem-
'
'

' '
nants of thought ought to be the remnants of anger (or of evil
planning, the remnants of the plotters of evil).
i.e. Instead of the
Hebrew tahgor the Septuagint writers read fhoggekha (that is, instead
'
of the Massoretic thgr, thou wilt restrain,' the Hebrew read by the
'
translators was thgk, will make Thee festival ').
In the parallelism
' '

the Greek (Latin), will make festival for Thee isbetter than the
Massoretic text. The sense is then :

'

The violent (or, evil-planning) =cog'z7a^j'o hominis shall praise Thee,

The remnant of the violent shall make festival for Thee.' ^

^
possible that there is an echo in verse ii of Zachary xiv, i6
It is And it :
'

shall come
to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which came
against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship and to keep . . .
75] THANKSGIVING FOR VICTORY 27
' '

The Assyrian army in general may be taken to be the violent ; the

' '

remnant of violence is, then, the portion of the Assyrian army

which escaped the destroying hand of God's angel. The proud army
which had advanced to assault the dwelling of the Holy One of Israel
is compelled to acknowledge the greatness of Yahweh and to pay

Him homage. The Messianic colouring of this and the preceding

verses has been pointed out in the introduction to this psalm.
12. Israel must offer thanks for her rescue. The heathen peoples,
too, who dwell round about Israel are invited to join in the thanks-
giving for Israel's safety. This universalism is part of the Messianic
outlook.
' ' '

13. Aufert ; Hebrew, basar, cut

away completely.' Spirilum
=pride. Apud reges=regihus. Yahweh is ierribilis=the dread God
who tolerates no opposition to His power.

the feast of Tabernacles.'

'

Keep festival for Thee

'

may mean keep the Hag

Me Feast (Tabernacles) for Thee. See Thackeray, The Septuagint and Jewish
Worship. (Milford, 1921) p. 71/.
Some commentators have proposed to emend
h/'math 'adham todhekka The violence of man shall praise Thee :

Sh^'erith hemoth tahgor The remnant of anger Thou wilt restrain,

into
H"'math 'A ram todhekka Emath of Aram shall praise Thee ;

Sh^'erith H^math i'hoggekka. And the rest of Emath shall make festival
for Thee.
rest of Emath is explained as the remnant of the defeated army of fiamath
'
The '

which recognises the power of Yahweh in its defeat. Emath (=Hamath) was
the capital of an Aramean kingdom it was situated on the Orontes.
;
 PSALM LXXVI
THE PAST AND THE PRESENT
a time of great national need the psalmist asks himself how the
IN sad lot of his people is to be reconciled with the Covenant, and
with the great promises of God to his fathers.
2-5. In his grief at the fate of his people he cries out to God
in supplication, and stretches out his hands in prayer even in the

night time. He is so troubled that he cannot sleep, for his soul finds
no comfort. He cannot even properly voice his doubts and his
fears.
6-1 1. Yet though he keeps silence his mind is at work. He recalls
the proud past of Israel, and, as he looks back on the gracious deeds
of Yahweh in the olden days, the problems of the present become
all the more insoluble. Once the Lord was the Leader of Israel, and
promised her His favour for ever. Yet now, where is His favour ?
What has become of His promises ? Surely the truth is that God
has changed that His right hand is no more, as it was wont to be,
;

the powerful stay of Israel.

12-16. Yet things cannot remain as they are. In the glorious days
of the Exodus, God did His most wondrous deeds for His people,
astonishing the heathens by His power, and revealing Himself clearly
to the world as the God of Israel
the God of the Covenant. But
the Covenant cannot be undone Yahweh is stiU the God of Israel,
:

and cannot abandon her to destruction.

17-21. Since this is so the psalmist bursts out into a hymn like
that of Exod. xv and Habacuc (ch. iii).
The waters of the Red Sea
are personified, and the appearance of God at the Exodus is described
after the fashion of Ps. xvii. 11^. Yahweh comes amid thunders and
lightnings the
crashing of His chariot wheels, and the flashing arrows
of his lightnings, and earthquake. Between the mountains of waves
He marches with His people who are led by Moses and Aaron, and
follow Him with that confidence with which the flock follows its
shepherd.

1. In linem, pro Idithun, i. For the choir-master of the Yedithun

Psalmus Asaph. singers an Asaphite Psalm.
:

2. Voce mea ad Dominum 2. Loud will I cry to the Lord,

clamavi : voce mea ad Deum, Loud unto God, and He will hear me.
et intendit mihi.
28
 76] THE PAST AND THE PRESENT 29
In die tribulationis mese
3. In the day of my need I have sought
Deum exquisivi, manibus meis afterGod,
nocte contra eum et non sum :
My hands in the night (
I stretch out)
deceptus. to Him,
And I am not wearied
;

Renuit consolari anima mea, My soul will not be comforted.

4. Memor fui Dei, et delecta- 4- I think of God and . . .

tus sum, et exercitatus sum : I ponder and my spirit pineth ;

et defecit spiritus meus.

Anticipaverunt
5. vigilias 5. My eyes forestall the night-watches ;

oculi mei turbatus : sum, et I am sore troubled, vet find not words.
non sum locutus.

Cogitavi dies
6 antiquos : G. I think of the days of old.
et aternos
annos in mente Years long past I recall ;

habui.
Et meditatus sum nocte
7. 7. In the night-time I ponder in my heart,
cum corde meo, et exercitabar, I reflect and search deepl}' my spirit.
et scopebam spiritum meum.
8. Numquid in a;ternum pro- 8. Will God reject for ever ?
jiciet Deus aut non apponet : Will He never be more gracious (than
ut complacitior sit adhuc ? now) ?

9. Aut in linem misericordiam 9. Or, will He cut oil Kis favour wholly ?

suam abscindet, a generatione I'^or ever and ever ?

in generationem ?

10. Aut
obliviscetur misereri 10. Hath God forgotten to be gracious ?
Deus ? aut continebit in ira Hath He prisoned His kindness in His
sua misericordias suas ? wrath ?

11. Et dixi Nunc ccepi : : 11. Then I Now I begin (to compre-
said ;

hEec mutatio dexterce Excelsi. hend) ;

This is a change of the right hand of

the Most High.

12. Memor fui operum Domi- 12. I recount the deeds of the Lord,
ni quia memor ero ab initio
: I recall the wonders of old.
mirabilium tuorum,
13. Et meditabor in omnibus 13. I muse over all Thy works,
operibus tuis et in adinven- : I reflect on Thy great deeds.
tionibus tuis exercebor.
14. Deus in sancto via tua :
14. O God !
holy is Ihy way.
quis Deus magnus sicut Deus Which God is great like our God ?

noster ?
15. Tu es Deus qui facis 15. Thou indeed art God, art He that doth
mirabilia. wonders ;

Notam fecisti in populis vir- Thy might midst the peoples Thou
tutem tuam : hast shown ;

Redemisti
10. in brachio tuo 16. With might hast Thou rescued Thy
populuni tuunr, tilios Jacob, et people,
Joseph. The children of Jacob and Joseph.
17. Viderunt te aqua; Deus, 17. The waters beheld Thee, O God,
viderunt te aqus et timue- ; The waters beheld Thee and feared,
runt, et turbatae sunt abyssi. The deeps were dismayed.
18. Multitude sonitus aqua- 18. Mighty was the roar of the waters ;

rum vocem dederunt nubes.

: The clouds thundered forth ;

Etenimsagittaetuffitranseunt ; Thy arrows sped around ;

19. Vox tonitrui

tui in rota. 19. The sound of Thy thunder was in the
lUuxerunt coruscationes tuae chariot-wheel ;

orbi terra; commota est, ci

:
Thy lightnings illumined the world ;

contremuit terra. The earth trembled and quaked ;

20. In mari via tua, et semitse 20. Through the sea was Thy way ;

tuae in aquis multis et vestigia :

Thy paths were through mighty waters;
tua non cognoscentur. Yet v.ere Thy footprints not seen.
30 THE PSALMS [76

21. Deduxisti sicut oves po- 21. Like a flock Thou leddest Thy people,
pulum tuum in manu Moysi By the hand of Moses and Aarou.
et Aaron.

1. pro IditJmn ;
cf. Ps. xxxviii. i.

2. Ad Dominum : the Massoretic text has unto God in both

' '

parts of the verse. Clamavi ought to be clamaho. Voce mea clamavi

takes the place of the Hebrew, My voice unto God I will cry out,'
'

' '

i.e. I will call unto the Lord and cry out.' Et intendit mihi, that
He may hear me.'
'
the Hebrew darashti
'

have been wont to seek

3. Exqiiisivi, I :

'

means, I have been accustomed to have recourse (to God) for help
and guidance.' What the psalmist has always done in times of need
he does now. He stretches out his hands in prayer, even in the night-
time. eum is the rendering of the Hebrew negdo the Massore-
Contra :

'

tic text has nigg^rah, which is usually translated is stretched out,'

(the root ngr having this meaning in Syriac).
Non deceptiis suggests that the urgent prayer of the psalmist
. . .

has been heard yet this thought fits in badly between the reference
:

to the importunity of his prayerand the phrase remiit consolari anima

'
mea. The Hebrew, wHo' taphug, and it (the hand) is not weary,' is
much more appropriate in the context. The Septuagint read the
first person 'aphug, but the rendering oi'k t)~ar-i']d7]v {non sum de-

ceptiis) is not exact. To give the Latin a reasonable meaning as it

stands, we must understand deceptus as=' disappointed in regard to
'

my strength,' deceived in regard to my powers of endurance.'

i.e.

He found that he was able to persist in his supplication to the Lord.

Yet his soul finds no comfort {cf. Jer. xxxi. 15), and he feels himself
forgotten by the Lord.
Yet he will still keep
4. his mind on God {memor ero, or memor
sum would be better here).
'
sum
Delectatus : the Hebrew has, I will sigh.' The Hebrew
verb hamah means to give forth voice or sound
may be ;
the voice
one of gladness or weeping. Here a word denoting sadness is obviously
required by the context, and we ought to have ingemisco, or a rendering
of the line like Jerome's Recordans Dei conturbabar. :

' '
Exercitatus I meditate with earnestness and effort
:
(For this
sense of ao-oAeo-xfir, cf. Ps. cxviii. 15, 23, 27, 48, 78 it is used to :

render the Hebrew suah and siah). The meditation has for object
the ways of Divine Providence. In the effort of deep thought the
spirit of the psalmist languishes, and becomes exhausted.
5. The vigilicB are the portions into which the night was divided.
These his eyes forestalled, i.e., he was awake before each of them

began a way of saying that he found no sleep. The Massoretic,
'
Thou boldest my eye-lids,' gives the same general sense smrt was :
76] THE PAST AND THE PRESENT 31

read by the Septuagint translators as if it were the plural of shomrah

it was read by the Massoretes as sh^^nuroth,
(watch [of the night]) ;

'

eye-lids.' The Septuagint rendering of the line was influenced by

Ps. cxviii. 148, where the Hebrew runs, kiddfmu 'enai 'ashniuroth
(Vulgate, Prcevenerunt oculi mei ad te diluculo).
The doubts and troubles of the psalmist keep him restless, and
yet he unable to express his feelings {non sum locntus). When he
is

would voice one thought, another opposing thought comes to demand

utterance, and in the stress of contending thoughts he remains speech-
less
a sort of helpless spectator of the conflict in his own soul.
6. He goes back in spirit to the early days of Hebrew history.
The anni aterni are equivalent to the dies antiqid. He brings to
mind the great deeds wrought for Israel by Yahweh in the past.
'

7. The Massoretic text is here quite different My song (or, the ;

music of my harp) is with my heart in the night.' This has been

explained by commentators as meaning that the psalmist, for his
own comfort and consolation, sang in the night time to the accompani-
ment of his harp songs of the glorious past. It is likely, however,
* '

that the Massoretic n^ginathi, my song,' or, my harp-music,' should

be emended into hagithi^meditatus sum.
Exerciiabar: see verse 4 above. Scopeham, 'I deeply searched"
(from borrowed Greek verb o-KOTrew, I search). The first person is
better here than the Massoretic y%appes. The verb used here in the
to hoe,' implies the carefulness and constant
'

Septuagint, o-K-aAAw,
repetition of the self-examination which the psalmist carried out.
'
The Douay rendering, I swept my spirit,' seems to imply a confusion
of scopeham and scopabam.
Jerome, grouping otherwise than the Vulgate, renders vv. 6, 7 thus :

Recogitabam dies antiquos, annos pristinos.

Recordabar psalmorum meorum in node.
Cum corde meo loquebar, et scopeham spiritum meum.
8-10. Here we have the problems which agitated the psalmist.
The questions demand a negative answer.
8. Aut non apponet, etc. see Introd., p. xlv, Semitisms, No. 3.
:

'

Will he never again be more gracious (than He is now) ?

'
Jerome
'
renders : Et non repropitiahitur ultra ?
9. In finem, 'for ever.' A generatione in generationem, 'in every
age.' The Hebrew text runs :

'
Is His favour forever at an end ?
'
Is the promise no more for all time ?

'

The Septuagint translators omitted 'omer, word of promise,' regarding

to be at an end ') which
it, perhaps, as a false repetition of gamar {'

immediately precedes.
10. Continebit, to keep imprisoned
as Agellius explains ;
ita

inclusas tenebit ut nihil inde miseris impartiatur.

32 THE PSALMS [76

11. Et dixi nunc ccspl see Introd. p. xliii. Nunc ccepi has arisen
:

from the mistake of taking the Hebrew hallothi, my being wounded,'

'

'

as if it were the first person perfect hiphil of lialal, hahillothi, I

begin.' Jerome's rendering,

Et dixi, Imhecillitas mea at hcec,
Commutatio dextcrcB Excclsi,

gives the sense of the passage (Jerome read Ifllothi, not hallothi).
Cf. Jer. X. 19. The psalmist is convinced, at the close of his inquiry,
that God's attitude towards Israel has changed, and that therein
liesthe source of his own trouble and grief. The strong right hand of
God, which so often in the past has defended Israel against her foes,
seems to have grown weak or, perhaps, Yahweh is no longer willing ;

to use it in defence of Israel. Hence the psalmist goes on in verse 12

to remind the Lord of His gracious deeds in the past, hoping thus to
move Yahweh to employ His strong right hand again, as of old, in
support of His people. ' '
12. Memor Jut I recount,' ;
I recall.' Quia, representing ki,
need not be translated. The mirabilia are the wonders worked by
God for Israel since the beginning of her history. Read ab initio

with mirabilia.
13. Meditabor,
'
I muse over,'
'
I murmur to myself.' The adin-
ventiones are the same as the mirabilia of verse 12. Cf. for this use
of adinventio, Ps. xxvii. 4 cv. 29, 39. ;

Exercebor see above, vv. 4, 7.

:

' '

14. In sancto, in hoHness,' holy.' The via is God's attitude to-

wards men.
'

Sicut Dens noster the Massoretic text has, like God.'

: The
'

original text had, probably, like Yahweh.' '

15. Tu es Deus is emphatic, Thou art indeed God,' Thou alone '

artGod (Heb. 'attah ha' el, Thou art the

' '
God '). Qui facts mirabilia
isnot a determination of Deus, but of tu Thou art God Thou art
'

He that worketh wonders.'

15. The heathen peoples have often seen the mighty works of
Yahweh ; they have seen them, above all, in the events of the

Exodus.
' '

The sons of Jacob and Joseph are the whole Israelite people.
16.

Jewish commentators explain the mention together of Jacob and

Joseph as due to the fact that Joseph became, as it were, a second
father to the sons of Jacob.
17. The
'

waters are those of the

'

Red Sea, and the abyssi are

equivalent in the parallelism, to the aqucB. The Red Sea was agitated
at the approach of Yahweh it was lashed into huge waves by the ;

winds which the Lord let loose upon it to prepare a passage for the
Israelites. Cf. Exod. xiv. 21.
18. 19. The coming of Yahweh is, as usual, accompanied by a
 76] THE PAST AND THE PRESENT 33

storm of thunder and lightning. Cf. with the description of the

theophany here Ps. xvii., >:cvi. 4, and Habacuc iii. 10.
MtiUitudo is used here hke an adjective, and is descriptive of the
'
sonitus aqii.arum it must be rendered
'
:
mighty,' or similarly. The
Hebrew has, The clouds streamed forth water,' zo/mit mayim 'abhoth ;

zor^mu may have been read by the Septuagint translators as zerem

{'
flood ')
which they rendered -XyOos- There is no obvious bridge
from mayim 'abhoth to sonitus aquarum. Jerome here abandons the
Vulgate rendering, Excnssenmt aquas mibila. Possibly the Greek
translators found a difiiculty in the double mention of clouds in the
passage, and intentionally departed from the Hebrew text (after the
analogy, it may be, of Is. xxviii, 2). The voice of the clouds is the
thunder, and the arrows are the lightnings.

In rota the reference is to the wheels of God's war-chariot, the
rolling of which causes the thunder (for the war-chariot of Yahweh
cf. Habacuc iii. 8). Some commentators take in rota simply as=' all
around,' on account of the orbi terrae which follows.
The coruscationes are the same as the sagittcB. Commota, etc.,
an earthquake is part of the theophany.
' '
20. The Sea is the Red Sea the many waters are the waters
;

of the Red Sea. When Yahweh and His people had passed through
the sea, the waters fell back into their normal position, and all trace of
the crossing was destroyed. This is to emphasise the miraculous
character of the passage through the Sea, which the might of the
Lord had made.
21. When the Lord passed through the sea the people, under the

leadership of Moses and Aaron {cf. Numbers xxxiii. i), followed Him
as sheep trustingly follow their shepherd, and so they continued to
follow Him during the desert-wanderings (cf. Ps. Ixxvii. 52). It is

interesting to note that the next psalm (Ixxvii) deals largely with
these wanderings. The abrupt ending of the psalm makes one think
that the original poem must have been longer.
The points of contact between this psalm and the Book of the
Prophet Habacuc have led many commentators to regard Ps. Ixxvi as
dependent on Habacuc, and as not being earlier, therefore, than the
sixth century B.C. This psalm should be read in close connection with
Ps. xxxviii and Ixxiii. Cf. also the Apocalypse of Esdras v. 33-40,
and Rom. ix.
 PSALM LXXVII
THE LESSONS OF HISTORY
is say whether this poetical resume of the history- of
difficult to
intended merely for purposes of general edification, or
IT Israel is

whether it is not, primarily, an explanation of the transference

of the religious and political hegemony of Israel from the
North (Ephraim) to the South (Juda Jerusalem). The conclud-
:

ing section of the poem is in favour of the second interpretation.

Whatever may have been the immediate purpose of the psalmist,
it is evident that this poem is intended to be an instruction, and

that in composing it, the psalmist believed himself to be acting

in the spirit of Deut. iv. 9. The failures and sins of earlier
generations should be put before the people, that so they may
be warned and saved from the punishments which sins on their
own part would entail. The very striking dispensation of God
which had led to the abandonment of the ancient shrine of Shilo,
and the subsequent selection of Jerusalem as the dwelling-place of

the Lord, is particularly considered since it can be shown to be the
result of Ephraimite disloyalty to God. If the psalm were composed
after 722 B.C., when the northern kingdom ceased to exist, its reflec-
tions on the failure of the North would be more pointed (but the
absence of all reference to the separation of the North from the South
would be then difficult to explain) The teaching of the psalm is like
.

that of Psalms civ and cv, and it resembles, in

many important points,
that of Deut. xxxii, of the speech of St. Stephen (Acts vii), and of
the discourse of St. Paul at Pisidian Antioch (Acts xiii. 16/.). The
Hebrew prophets frequently used history in a like manner to enforce
their teachings cf. Amos i. gff.
: Osee xi. iff. Jer. ii,
; ;
iff. In verse 2
the psalm is called a Mashal, and the whole psalm is, more or less, in
the style of the Sapiential books.
The psalmist regards passages like Deut. iv. 9 vi. 7 Exod. x. 2 ; ; ;

xiii. 14, as a Torah or

'

Law '

given to the fathers, that their children

'

might be saved from their fate. The reference to the fathers gives
'

the poet occasion to review the history of their sins (vv. 8-11). The
allusion to Ephraim in verse 9, if it is in its proper place, is to be
explained by the fact that the rejection of Ephraim forms later the
chief theme of the psalm.
12^. Here the theme proper begins. The goodness of God to the
Israelites at Zoan (Tanis), and then in the Wilderness is described^
the description being based freely on Exod. 13^. and Num. xx. The

34
77] THE LESSONS OF HISTORY 35

Israelitesanswered God's goodness with ingratitude and insults (11-20).

Water not enough for them
is bread and meat they must have too
;

not so much, apparently, because they need them, as because they
wish to see if God can really satisfy their demands. They are heard
and their wish is granted, but it is granted in anger, and their punish-
ment follows immediately. The story of the manna and quails adheres
in general closely enough to Exod. xvi and Num. xi, but there is a
certain amount of poetic freedom. Verse 32 recalls further sins of
disobedience, and verse ^^ refers, perhaps, to the incidents in Num.
xiv. 21/. Verses 34-39 strongly remind one of Judges ii. 11^., but
there is this difference that Israel's turning to God is, in the psalm,

described as hypocrisy as a deception of God.
In 40-55 the poet is still thinking of the sins of the people in the
desert. His further reflection on these sins leads him to recount the
wonders in Egypt which had preceded the Exodus. Here again, as
before, he treats the text of the Pentateuch v/ith a certain amount of
liberty. The plagues of hail and fire he attributes to the work of
destroying angels.
In vv. 56-64 he reviews the apostasies of Israel in Canaan. These
'
were punished by the loss of their Might and Glory
' ' '

the Ark,
by the slaughter of their young men, the childlessness of their women,
and the death without seemly burial of their priests.
65-72. With the appearance of David God's anger is stilled, and,
likea warrior awakening from deep sleep, God falls on the Philistines,
and delivers them over to eternal shame (c/. i Kings v, and the
narrative of David's victories over the Philistines). Through the
sins of the Judges' period Ephraim lost the honour of possessing
God's dwelling at Shilo and David made Jerusalem the political,
;

and, practically, the religious centre of the nation. Unlike the mere
Tent of Shilo the shrine erected at Jerusalem by Solomon is as firm
and enduring as heaven and earth. It is interesting to note that the
Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin,' by
'

sins of

setting religious centres in the North in opposition to Jerusalem,

up
are not mentioned in this psalm. The reason, obviously, is that the
poet takes his theme altogether from the history of Israel up to the
founding of the Temple. There was no need, for his purpose, to refer
to any event of Hebrew history after that time.
The structure of the poem is somewhat clumsy there is much
;

unevenness and some overlapping. Some modern critics regard

w. 40-55 as originally having no connection with the rest of the
after
psalm, but as having formed a portion of a hymn composed
the manner of Exod. xv.^

^
Surveys of Hebrew history similar to that contained in this psahn may
be
read in Ps. civ, cv. cxxxiv, cxxxv ;
Ezech. xx Ecclesiasticus xliv-xlix Wisdom
; ;

10/. ;
I Mace, ii, 51-60
;
Hebrews xi.
36 THE PSALMS in
1. Intellectus Asaph. I. A Maskil of Asaph.

Attendite popule meus legem Hear, O my people, my Law,

meam : inclinate aurem vest- Bend your ear to the words of my
ram oris mei.
in verba mouth.
2. Aperiam in parabolis os 2. I will open my mouth in proverbs.
meum :
loquar propositiones ab Kiddles from of old I will tell.
initio.

3. Quanta audivimus et cog-

What we have heard and have learned,
novimus ea et patres nostri : What our fathers have told us.
narraverunt nobis.
4. Non sunt occultata
a filiis Has not been hidden from their sons
eorum, in generatione altera. Of the generations to come ;

Narrantes laudes Domini, et For we tell of the praises of the Lord, and
virtutes ejus, et mirabilia ejus, His might
quae fecit. And the wonders which He hath
wrought.
5. Et suscitavit testimonium He set up a precept in Jacob,
in Jacob : et legem posuit in And established a law in Israel ;

Israel. And these He commanded our fathers

Quanta mandavit patribus To make known to their sons
nostris nota facere ea filiis suis ;

6. Ut cognoscat generatio 6. So that later generations might learn

altera. them ,

Filii qui nascentur, et ex- So that children still to be born

surgent, et narrabunt filiis suis. Should arise and tell the tale to their sons,
7. Ut ponant
in Deo spem 7. That they might put their hope in God,
suam, et non obliviscantur ope- And forget not the deeds of God,
rum Dei et mandata ejus ex- : And might keep His commands ;

quirant.
8. Ne
fiant sicut patres eo- 8. Nor become like their fathers, a wajTvard
rum generatio prava et exas-
:
andrebellious race,
perans. A race of unstable heart.
Generatio, quae non direxit Whose spirit held not loj-ally to God.
cor suum et non est creditus :

cum Deo spiritus ejus.

Filii Ephrem intendentes
9. 9. The sons of Ephraim, bow-bending and
et mittentes arcum conversi :
shooting.
sunt in die belli. Turned back on the day of battle.
10. Non custodierunt testa- 10. They kept not the Covenant of God :

mentum Dei : et in lege ejus They would not walk in His Law :

noluerunt ambulare.
11. Et obliti sunt benefacto- 11. They forgot His deeds of power
rum ejus, et mirabilium ejus And His wonders which He had shown
quae ostendit eis. them.

12. Coram patribus eorum 12. Before their fathers He did wonders.
fecit mirabilia in terra ^Egypti, In Egypt and in the Field of Zoan.
in campo Taneos.
13. Interrupit mare, et per- 1 3. He divided the sea and led them through ;

duxit eos et statuit aquas : And made the waters to stand as in a

-quasi in utre. skin.
14. Et deduxit eos in nube 14. He led them by the cloud of the day.
diei et tota nocte in illumina-
: And in the night by the fiery glow.
tione ignis.
15. Interrupit petram in ere- 15. He cleft the rock in the desert.
mo et adaquavit eos velut in
: And gave them to drink of waters in
abysso multa. abundance :

16. Et eduxit aquam de pe- iG. Water He made to flow from the rock

tra et deduxit tamquam tlu-

:
Water like rivers He made to flow
mina aquas. down.
n^ THE LESSONS OF HISTORY 37

17. Et apposuerunt adhuc 1 7. Yet sinned they further against Him ;

peccare ei in iram excitave-

: And angered the Most High in the
runt Excelsum in inaquoso. desert.
18. Et tentaverunt Deuni in 18. They tempted God in their hearts,
cordibus suis, ut peterent escas Asking food for their lustings.
animabus suis.
19. Et male locuti sunt de 19. And evil they spoke against God, and
Deo :dixerunt Numquid po- : said :
'
terit Deus parare mensam in
'
Can God deck a table in the desert ?

deserto ?
20. Quoniam percussit pe- 20. Then smote He the rock, and waters
tram, et fluxerunt aqua?, et flowed,
torrentes inundaverunt. And brooks streamed forth.
Numquid panem poterit et
'

Can He also give bread ?

'

dare, aut parare mensam populo Or prepare a table for His people ?

suo ?

21. Ideo audivit Dominus, et 21. This the Lord heard, and rejected
distulit et ignis accensus est
:
(them) ;

in Jacob, et ira asccndit in And fire was enkindled against Jacob ;

Israel. : And wrath arose against Israel.

22. Quia non crediderunt in 22. For they believed not in God,
Deo, nee speraverunt in salu- Nor trusted in His help.
taii ejus :

23. Et mandavit nubibus de- 23. And He commanded the clouds above.
super, et januas coeli aperuit. And the gates of heaven He opened ;

24. Et pluit illis manna ad 24. And rained on them manna for food,
manducandum, et panem coeli And gave them heavenly bread.
dedit eis.

25. Panem Angelorum man- 25. Bread of angels m.ortals ate,

ducavit homo cibaria : misit Food in rich measure He sent them,
eis in abundantia.
26. Transtulit Austrum de 26. The south wind He sent from heaven.
coelo et induxit in virtute sua
: The south-west wind He mightily
Africum. brought :

27. Et pluit super eos sicut 27. Meat He rained on them like dust.
pulverem carnes et sicut are- : Even birds like the sand of the sea.
nam maris volatilia pennata.
28. Et ceciderunt in medio 28. These fell in the midst of their camp.
castrorum eorum circa taber- : All round the tents.
nacula eorum.
29. Et manducaverunt, et sa- 29. They ate and were sated indeed ;

turati sunt nimis, et desiderium What they longed for He gave them ;

eorum attulit eis :

30. Non sunt fraudati a desi- 30. Thev were not deprived of their wish.
derio suo. While their food was still in their
Adhuc esca; eorum erant in mouth,
ore ipsorum :

31. Et ira, Deascendit super 31. The wrath of the Lord rose against them.
eos. And slew their chief men.
Et occidit pingues eorum, And the choice ones of Israel brought
et electos Israel impedivit. low.
32. In omnibus his peccave- 32. Yet for all this sinned they again,
runt adhuc et non credide-
: And believed not His wonders.
runt in mirabilibus ejus.
33. Et defecerunt in vanitate 33. Then vanished their days as a vain thing.
dies eorum et anni eorum : And their years in haste.
cum festinatione.
34. Cum occideret eos, quse- 34. When He slew them, they sought Him,
rebant eum
revertebantur : et Turned back, and came to Him at
et diluculo veniebant ad eum. dawn ;

35. Et rememorati sunt quia 35. And they remembered that God was
Deus adjutor est eorum etDeus : their Helper,
excelsus redemptor eorum est. And God Most High their Saviour.
38 THE PSALMS in

36. Et dilexerunt eum in ore 36. And they loved Him but only with
suo, et lingua sua mentiti words,
sunt ei : And dealt falsely by Him with their
tongue ;

37. Cor autem eorum non 37. But their heart held not fast to Him,
erat rectum cum co nee fideles :
They were not true to His Covenant.
habiti sunt in testamento ejus.
38. Ipse autem est misericors 38. Yet He was gracious and forgave their
et propitius liet peccatis eorum :
guilt.
et non disperdet eos. And destroyed them not.
Et abundavit ut averteret And His wrath He oft turned aside.
iram suam et non accendit
: And let not His full fury blaze forth ;

omnem iram suam :

39. Et recordatus est quia 39. He remembered that they were but flesh,
caro sunt :
spiritus vadens, et A breath that goeth forth, and retum-
non rediens. eth not.

40. Quoties exacerbaverunt 40. How often they provoked Him in the
eum in deserto, in iram con- desert !

citaverunt eum in inaquoso ? And roused Him to wrath in the

wilderness !

41. Et conversi sunt, et ten- 41. Again, and again they tempted God,
taverunt Deum et sanctum : And embittered the Holy One of
Israel exacerbaverunt. Israel.
42. Non sunt recordati manus 42. They remembered not His power
ejus, die qua redemit eos de On the day when He saved them from
manu tribulantis, the tyrant ;

43. Sicut posuit in .^gypto 43. How He wrought in Egypt His signs,
signa sua, et prodigia sua in And His portents in Zoan's Field ;

campo Taneos.
Et convertit in sanguinem How He changed their rivers into blood,
4^.
flumina eorum, et imbres
44.
And their streams that they might
eorum, ne biberent. not drink ;

45. Misit in eos coenomyiam, 45. How He sent against them the dog-fly,
et comedit eos et ranam, et : that devoured them.
disperdidit eos. And the frog which ravaged them.
46. Et dedit serugini fructus 46. How He gave up to mildew their fruits.
eorum, et labores eorum lo- And to the locust their toil ;

custse.
47. Et occidit in grandine vi- 47. Smote their vines with hail.
neas eorum, et moros eorunt And their mulberries with frost :

in pruina.
48. Et tradidit grandini ju- 48. And gave up to the hail their cattle.
menta eorum : et possessionem And to fire their flocks.
eorum igni.
49. 2\Iisit in eos iram indig- 49. Sent against them the glow of His wrath.
nationis suae indignationem,
: Bitterness, anger, and sorrow.
et iram, et tribulationem im- : Missions of angels of woe.
missioncs per angclos malos.
50. Viam fecit semitse irae 50. Gave free play to His anger,
suae, non pepercit a morte ani- Spared not their souls from death,
mabus eorum : et jumenta And gave up their cattle to death.
eorum in morte conclusit.
51. Et percussit omne primo- 51. And smote every first-bom in Eg^-pt,
genitum in terra /Egypti :
Firstlings of all their toil in the tents
primitias omnis laboris eorum in of Cham ;

tabernaculis Cham.
52. Et abstulit sicut oves po- 52. Brought forth His people like sheep.
pulum suum et perduxit eos
: Led them like a flock in the desert ;

tamquam gregem in deserto.

53. Et deduxit eos in spe, et 53. Led them all-trusting, they fearing
non timuerunt et : inimicos naught,
eorum operuit mare. While the sea overwhelmed their foes ;
n'] THE LESSONS OF HISTORY 39

54. Et induxit eos in montem 54. Led them to His holy mountain,
sa.nctificationis su?e, montem, To the mountain which His right hand
quern acquisivit dextera ejus. had won :

Et ejecit a facie eorum Drave before them the peoples.

Gentes et sorte : divisit eis Assigned to them by lot the divided
terram in funiculo distributionis. land.
55. Et habitare fecit in taber- 55- And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in
naculis eorum tribus Israel. their tents.

56. Et tentaverunt, et exa- 56. But they tempted and angered God,
cerbaverunt Deum excelsum : Most High,
et testimonia ejus non custodie- And kept not His laws ;

runt.
57. Et averterunt se, et non 57. And turned away, and were faithless
servaverunt pactum :
quemad- like their fathers.
modum patres eorum, conversi Became like a deceptive bow,
sunt in arcum pravum.
58. In iram concitaverunt 58. Angered Him with their High Places,
eum in collibus suis : et in Made Him jealous with their idols.
sculptilibussuis ad semulationem
eum provocaverunt.
50. Audivit Deus, et sprevit :
59. God perceived it and despised it,
et ad nihilum redegit valde And brought Israel to naught.
Israel.
60. Et repulit tabernaculum 60. And He rejected the Tent in Shilo,
Silo, tabernaculum suum, ubi The Tent where He dwelt among men.
habitavit in hominibus.
61. Et tradidit in captivita- 61. And He gave up to bondage their
tem virtutem eorum et pul- :
'

Strength,'
chritudinem eorum in manus And their Splendour enemV
' '

into
inimici. hands.
62. Et conclusit in gladio po- 62. To He abandoned His people,
the sword
pulum suum et hsereditatem : And His own possession He despised
suam sprevit.
63. Juvenes eorum comedit 63. Fire devoured their young men.
ignis virgines
: et eorum non For their maidens no bride-song was
sunt lamentatse. sung ;

64. Sacerdotes eorum in gla- 64. Their priests fell by the sword.
dio ceciderunt : et vidua; eo- And their widov.'S could not bewail
rum non plorabantur. them.

65. Et excitatus est tamquam 65. Then the Lord awoke like a sleeper.
dormiens Dominus, tamquanr Like a warrior whom wine had o'er-
potens crapulatus a vino. come,
66. Et percussit inimicos suos 66. And He smote His foes from behind,
in posteriora opprobrium sem- : To eternal disgrace He consigned them.
piternum dedit illis.
67. Et repulit tabernaculum 67. And He rejected the Tent of Joseph,
Joseph et tribum
:
Ephraim And chose not the tribe of Ephraim ;

non elegit :

68. Sed elegit tribum Juda, 68. But He chose the tribe of Juda,
montem Sion quem dilexit. The mountain of Sion which He loved.
Et aidificavit sicut uni-
69. 69. And He built His Shrine like a unicorn's
cornium sanctiftcium suum in dwelling,
terra, quam fundavit in see- In the land which He established for-
cula. ever.
70. Et elegit David servum 70. Then chose He David, His Servant,
suum, et sustulit eum de gregi- From the sheep-flocks He drew him
bus ovium de post fetantes
:
away.
accepit eum, From the sucklings He took him,
71. Pascere Jacob servum su- 71. To feed Jacob His people,
um, et Israel haereditatem And Israel His possession.
suam ;
40 THE PSALMS [77

72. Et pavit cos in innocentia 72. And he shepherded them with pure heart,
cordis sui : et in intellectibus And guided them with prudent hand,
manuum suarum deduxit cos.

1. Intdlectus see Ps. xli. i.

:

Attendite=ausculta. Note the use of mens instead of mi. Legem

' '

translates here torah, instruction (=' the words of my mouth ').

2. Paraholis Hebrew, mashal the poem is a mashal because it
; :

contains instruction for those who read it. Lessons from the past can
be usefully applied to the understanding of the present, and the fore-
casting of the future. The content of the psalm is further described
as
propositiones Hebrew, hidoth,
'
riddles
'
because the dealings
of God with the fathers in the past, and the attitude of the fathers to
'

God are full of problems. Read ah initio with propositiones, riddles

from olden time.'
3. The quanta, etc., is to be read in close connection with verse 4 ;
to the generations to come must be handed on all the traditions of the
fathers, for God has so prescribed.
' '

4. while we tell,' or, inasmuch as we tell.' The sense

Narrantes,
is, We shall not hide the ancient traditions, but we shall tell them.'
'

Laudes are the songs of praise which God's great deeds had called
forth. Virtutes=3iCts of power.
legem = guidance, instruction.' The
' '

5, 6. Testimonium=' precept ;

'

general reference here is to Deut. iv. 9 Only take heed and beware :

lest thou forget the things which thou hast seen with thine own eyes,
and lest they depart from thy heart all the daj^s of thy life. But
make them known to thy children and to the children of thy children.'
The psalmist claims to be acting in the spirit of this command. He is
making it possible, as far as it lies in his power, for the children of
coming generations to learn the lessons of the past.
8. The coming generations are to be warned by the historj^ of their
'
fathers not to imitate their fathers' conduct. Exaspcrans, dis-
obedient.' Direxit=' keep it firm, determined to keep to the straight
'

path (c/. Os. vii. 10). Creditus=\oyd\\y devoted.

g. If, as has been frequently maintained, this psalm has for its
chief purpose to explain v/hy Ephraim was rejected, and Juda was
chosen as God's special tribe, we must suppose that the explanation
begins here. On some occasion, which is not otherwise determined,
the Ephraimites, trained bowmen as they were, deserted their country-
men on the field of battle. The Hebrew has
The Ephraimites, :
'

bowmen well-equipped, turned about on the day of battle.' In-

'
tendentes et mittentes arcitm can be rendered, Stretching the bow and
shooting.' The Greek ru^ov can mean both bow and arrow, and
hence the use of to^oi' with both verbs is not so awkward as the use
of arcitm with the two verbs in Latin. Man}' commentators look oa
 '

77] THE LESSONS OF HISTORY 41

verse 9 as a gloss, not originally referring to this part of the poem,

which has somehow found its way into the text (see below, verse

63). The concluding section of the psalm certainly deals with the
election of as the seat of His dwelling by Yahweh, and the
Juda
Ephraim. Verse 58 seems to imply that the failure of
rejection of
the House of Joseph (Ephraim) was a punishment of its sins of
idolatry. Ephraim became traitorous like the fathers, and is likened
to a deceptive bow (verse 57). Possibly verse 9 was originally a
gloss

on verse 57 explaining how the Ephraimites had become a
'

deceptive bow.'
10. Testamenfum=CovensLnt; legem=torah. The mirabili a are the
wonders of the Exodus which are reviewed in the verses that follow.
12. In canipo Tancos
'

in the Plain (or Field) of Zoan.'

;
Zoan
was an important city of the Delta, and the psalmist regards it
apparently, as the residence of the Pharaoh in the Mosaic period.
'

The Plain (or. Field) of Zoan means the city with the country
'

'

around it. It is interesting to note that the expression Field of

'
Zoan occurs in native Eg3/ptian texts in reference to the region of
Lake Menzaleh. (For other references to Zoan in the Old Testament
see Num. xiii. 23 ;
Is. xix. 11 ;
xxx. 4). For the association of
Zoan (=Tanis) with the events of Exodus see Gardiner's article,
' '

Geography of the Exodus in the Reciteil d'ctudes egyptologiques

dediees a la memoir e de Champollion (Paris, 1922), pp. 203-215.
13. Iniernipit is used here of cleaving, or dividing, the sea in ;

verse 15 it is used of cleaving the rock.

In litre the Hebrew has, He piled up the waters as a heap (or
'
:

a wall.' The Hebrew nedh, a heap, or wall, or dam, has been read by
the Greek translators as no'dh, or nodh, a skin bottle. In Ps. xxxii. 7
nedh is also read as nodh. The translators thought of the waters of
the Red Sea as being piled up as securely as if they were enclosed in
a bottle. For the narrative of the crossing of the Sea, cf. Exod. xiv,
and, for a poetical parallel to this verse, see Exod. xv. 8.
15. For the cleaving of the rock see Num. xx. 8-11 Exod. xvii. 6. ;

Cf. Is. XXXV. 6 xlviii. i.

;

17. Apposuerimt see Introd. p. xlv, and note on Ps. vi. 5.

;
The
inaquosumihe wilderness.
18. Ut peterent=petentes.
20. Quoniam, Hebrew, Behold The rendering of Hebrew hen by
'
!
'

iT7(.L is due to Aramaic influence.

Mensam Hebrew has sh^'er, meat niensa is due to verse 19.

; ;

the Hebrew is yith'ahhar, He was furiously angr3\'

'

21. Distulit :

'

The translators taking 'ahhar in the sense of passing by,' understood

yith'ahhar, perhaps, as meaning that God postponed action,
or passed
over the offence for the moment. Some of the older commentators
find in distulit a reference to the postponement of the entrance of the

people into Canaan (so Theodoret). It is probably better to take it

42 THE PSALMS l^^

' '
here, as in Ps. Ixxxviii. 39, in the sense of reject : so Agellius :

Rejecit eos, nullam eorum nUionem habuit, repulit, contempsit. In

vv. 59 and 62 the same Hebrew verb {hiih'abbar) is rendered sprevit.
The phrase Et ira ascendit in Israel is usually regarded as a gloss.
22. Sahitare=s2Lvmg help.
'

24. Panem heavenly bread.' The Hebrew has heavenly

cccli,
'

wheat.' The parallelism shows the bread to be identical with the ' '

manna.
25. Panem angelorum Hebrew has lehem 'abbirim,
: the
'

bread of
'

the mighty (Jerome, paneni fortimn). The translators identified

the
'

Mighty
'

with the angels the strong champions of God. Cf.

'
"Wisdom xvi. 20 Thou gavest Thy people angel's food to eat.'
:

Cf. 4 Esdras i. 19 Cibaria = iood it is the same as

:
panem. In :

'

abundant la, unto satiety.'

26. God brought {transUiUt) the south wind from Egypt (which ,

is rather south-west) to the desert. The Africus is practically the

same as the Auster, but it may, perhaps, be taken as meaning the
south-west wind. The Hebrew has the east and the south wind.
The wind that brought the quails, according to Num. xi. 31, seems to
have been the south wind.
De coelo because the home of the winds is in the heavens. In-
duxit = adduxit.
27-31. For the narrative of the quails compare Numbers xi.
' '
their young men
'

Pingues=' their strong ones

31. elecH, (the :

Septuagint translators read b%ure, electi, instead of bahure, young men.

Impedivit suggests the idea of binding, or netting, the feet, and
so bringing down, or making to fall (so the Hebrew). Commentators
have understood the term as implying that the electi were held back
from entering Canaan.
32. In omnibus his, in spite of all this.
'

33. In vanitate, as a vain thing.' Cf. Num. xiv. 22, 23.

34. Z)t7cz^/o= speedily.
'

35. Adjntor, Hebrew, Rock.' Deits Excelsus='El 'Elyon.

'

36. Dilexerimt ei/ni in ore siio ;

the Hebrew has :
They deceived
Him with their mouth.' The difference isdue, perhaps, to a mis-
reading of qTra.T'qa-av as ))-/ ixir-qcrav . The scnsc of the Vulgatc is that
they made pretence of loving.
'

38.Fiet=factus est. Abundavit ut averteret, often did He turn

aside.' For the construction compare the note on Ps. vi. 5.
39. Spiritus vadens, a mere breath that goes and returns not.
40/. We have here a review of the period of the desert-wanderings,
and of the wonders of the Exodus which preceded them.
Inaquoso see verse 17.
:

' '

41. Conversi, etc. again : and again they tempted (see Ps. vi. 5).
' '
The Holy One of Israel is an expression
frequently found in
Isaias. (See Ps. Ixxxviii. 19.)
77] THE LESSONS OF HISTORY 43
'

43. Stent may mean when.' Posiiit=' performed.' The signa and
the prodigia are the wonders worked in Egypt before the Exodus.
Note that here, as in verse 43 above, the court of the Pharaoh is sup-
posed to be at Zoan (Tanis). There follows a summary of the
prodigia which forced the Pharaoh to let the Hebrews march forth.

44. /m6/'gs= waters parallel to flumina. ;

45. Coenoniyia, a Greek word, the dog-fly {cynomyia v/ould be a

better spelling, cf. Ps. civ. 31).
46. Aenigini Hebrew hasil, the devourer the name of a kind
' '

of locust (as the parallelism demands). The Greek epvo-i/Srj seems to

be some sort of blight or mildew, but some commentators understand
it as designating a class of locusts. Jerome has, Qui dedit bnicho
germen eoriini.

47. Pruina : Hebrew Ifnamal, an otherwise unknown word : the

parallelism suggests that we should have here a word for hail, or
something similar {cf. Exod. ix. 25). Jerome has in frigor e Aquila, ;

' ' ' ' '

by frost Symmachus, by worms

;
the Targum, by locusts.' ;

Kimchi and most modems understand

'

hail.' A different Hebrew

word corresponds to pruina in Ps. cxviii. 83.
48. Possessionem
= '

flocks.'

49. Immissiones per angelos malos Jerome has immissionem : :

'

angclorum malorum, a mission (or sending forth) of angels of woe.'

The angels are called evil because they brought the plagues to
Egypt.
50. Non pepercit, etc.,
'

He did not spare their lives from death.'

'

In morte condusit, handed over to death.' Hebrew has instead of

'

jumenta, Their life {haiyatham) he delivered over to pestilence.'

etc. :

Apparently the Greeks read haiyotham {jumenta eoriim) and sub-

'
' '

stituted death for plague.'

51. Primitias labor is the Septuagint writers read instead of :

' '

re'shith 'onim, the firstlings of strength,' re'shith 'onam, the firstlings

of their Jerome translates, principium partus.
toil.' Cham=Egypt.
Compare with this the last verse of the preceding psalm.
52.
' '

54. Afons sanctificationis Hebrew, hol}^ territory probably :

;

optov has been forced out by the cipo? of the second part of the verse.
The mountain is Sion.
' '

In funiculo distributionis, by the measuring rod Hebrew, :

'

Assigned them a possession by the measuring line (or, lot).'

57. Arcum pravmn, a deceptive bow,' i.e., a bow which does not '

fulfil the hopes placed in it. (See above, verse 9.)

' '

58. The hills are the High Places where heathen sacrifices were
offered, Deut. xxxii, 16/.
59. Sprevit see note on distulit, verse 21.
;

60. The Ephraimite Sanctuary Silo {Shiloh) was abandoned because

of the sins of the Ephraimites. Cf. i Kings iv. 4-11.
61. The Virtus and the Pulchritudo=thc Ark of the Covenant,
44 THE PSALMS [77

which God permitted the Philistines to carry off, as a sign of His

dissatisfaction with the Ephraimites.
' '

62. Condusit, dehvered up,' handed over.'

63. Lamentatae: the Hebrew verb probably refers to the singing
of wedding-songs. To the maidens it was not given to hear the
chanting of wedding-songs.
Non plorahantnr the Hebrew means that the widows of the
64. :

priests did not have the opportunity of bewailing their dead husbands
with due solemnity. The absence of honourable burial was regarded
as a great disgrace (c/. Jer. xiv. 16 Job xxvii. 15). It would be
;

' '

better to read plorahant here. The priests are probably the sons
of Heli, Hophni and Pinehas. See i Kings iv.
65. God is roused, as it

were from sleep from sleep heavy like
that of the warrior who has
drunk deeply and smites the enemies of
Israel from behind, i.e. while they fly before Him in panic. The
reference is to the victories of Israel in the days of Samuel, Saul, and
'

David. Crapulatiis a vino, overcome by wine.'

67, 68. The rejection of the North and the election of the South.
Religious and political hegemony passed completely from Ephraim
to Juda. The Ark was not brought back to Silo, but remained after
itsreturn from the Philistines in Cariathiarim {Kiryath- y^'arim,
see IKings vi and vii), which was in the territory of Juda. Joseph is
mentioned because Ephraim was a son of Joseph.
'

6g. Sanctificinm=' shrine.' The Hebrew has here, He built His

shrine like heaven.' Instead of ramim (=' heaven ') the Greeks read
' '

remim, wild oxen,' or bisons.' The word r^'em is generally repre-

sented by unicornis in the Vulgate. If we retain the Vulgate text
here, we must understand the sense to be that God built His shrine in
a place of unassailable strength.
70. De post compound prepositions are not uncommon in the
:

Vulgate. (C/. Deut. ix, 14, de sub coelo Matt. iv. 25, de trans Jor-
;

dan em, etc.)

'

72. Intellectus manuum, prudent hands.'

 PSALM LXXVIII
AVENGE, O LORD, THY DESECRATED
SANCTUARY
thought of this psalm is closely connected with that of
THE Ps.
Ixxiii and most modern, and many ancient, com-
;

mentators regard both psalms as referring to the desecra-

tion of the Temple by Antiochus Epiphanes.
The psalm begins on a note of passion. The sacred dwelling of
Yahweh has been foully profaned by heathens the servants of the ;

Lord have been slain in great numbers, and their corpses have been
left unburied. The honour of Yahweh and of His people has been
violated. Surely the Lord cannot let the crime of the heathens pass
unpunished !
(1-5).
H Yahweh is unwilling to help, it must be because of the sins of
the fathers, li He will be angry, let Him show His wrath against
the strangers who despise Him. The people of Jerusalem have not
themselves deserved their sufferings, for they are loyal servants of
the Lord. H, indeed, they have sinned, let the Lord be merciful ;

let Him, above all, be gracious towards those who are in bondage,
and in prison, li He does not hear the sighs of the afflicted they must
soon die.
Yahweh ought to act, at least, for the sake of His name. Let not
'

the heathens ask mockingly Where is the God of Israel ?

:
'
Let
the Lord be mindful of His own glory, and requite the heathen for
their scorn and mockery. Vengeance on the foes of the Temple,
and vengeance sevenfold, would the psalmist with his own eyes behold.
The last verse is a vow that the people of the Lord will be constant
in His praise, and from the vow it can be seen that the psalmist con-

fidently looks for the fulfilment of his prayer for help

and vengeance.
With the spirit of this psalm should be compared the words of
Apocalypse vi. 10 How long, Master, the Holy and True, dost
:
'

Thou not judge, and dost Thou not avenge our blood on those who
'

dwell on the earth ?

I. Psalmus Asaph. i. A psalm of Asaph.

Deus, venerunt Gentes in O God, the heathen have fallen on Thy

haereditatem tuam, poUuerunt inheritance ;
^
templum sanctum tuum :
posu- They have defiled Thy holy iemple ;

erunt Jerusalem in pomorum They have made Jerusalem as a tent of

custodiam. orchard-v/atchers,

45
46 THE PSALMS [78

2. Posuerunt morticina ser- 2. They have given the bodies of Thy

vorum tuorum, escas volatilibus servants
coeli : carnes sanctorum tuorum As food to the birds of heaven ;

bestiis terra?. The flesh of Thy saints to the beasts of

the earth.
3. EfEuderunt sanguincm eo- 3. They have poured out their blood Uke
rum tamquam aquam in circuitu water
Jerusalem : et non erat qui All round Jerusalem ;

sepeliret. And there was none to bury them.

4. Facti sumus opprobrium 4. We have been made a bj-word to our
vicinis nostris subsannatio et
:
neighbours,
illusio his, qui in circuitu nostro A scolf and a jest to those round
sunt. about us.

5. Usquequo Domine irasce- 5. How long, O Lord, wilt Thou be furiously

ris in finem accendetur velut
:
angry ?

ignis zelus tuus ? And Thy jealousy burn like fire ?

6. Effunde iram tuam in 6. Pour out Thy wrath on the heathen that
Gentes, qua; te non novcrunt : know Thee not,
et in regna, qua; nomen tuum And on the kingdoms that invoke not
non invocaverunt :
Thy name ;

7. Quia comederunt Jacob :

7. For they have devoured Jacob ;

et locum ejus desolaverunt. And laid waste his land ;

8. Ne memineris iniquitatum 8. Remember not our sins of the past ;

nostrarumantiquarum, cito anti- Let Thy kindness hasten to meet us ;

cipent nos misericordiae tuae : For we are wretched indeed.

quia pauperes facti sumus nimis.
9. Adjuva nos Deus salutaris 9. Help us, O
God our salvation !

noster et propter gloriam no-

: And for the glory of Thy name deliver
minis tui Domine libera nos et :
us, O Lord !

propitius esto peccatis nostris And pardon our sins for Thy Name's
propter nomen tuum : sake !

10. Ne forte dicant in Genti- 10. Lest they say among the heathen :

bus : Ubi est Deus eorum ? et

'

Where is God ?
their
'

innotescat in nationibus coram Let clearly appear in our sight 'mid the
oculis nostris. heathen
Ultio sanguinis servorum tuo- Vengeance for the outpoured blood of
rum, qui effusus est :
Thy servants ;

11. Introeat in conspectu tuo 11. Let the sigh of the prisoners come before
gemitus compeditorum. Thee :

Secundum magnitudinem bra- By Thy strong arm save the children

chii tui, posside filios mortifica- of death.
torum.
12. Et redde vicinis nostris 12. Pay back to our neighbours sevenfold
septuplum in sinu eorum iin- : into their bosom
properium ipsorum, quod ex- The scorn wherewith they scorned
probraverunt tibi Domine. Thee, O God
13. Nos autem populus tuus, 13- But we. Thy people
!

the sheep of Thy

et oves pascuas tuae, confitebimur flock
tibi in soeculum. W^e will thank Thee
for ever :

In generationem et generatio- From age to age we will publish Thy

nem annuntiabimus laudem tu- praise.
am.

'
I. Gentes, the heathen.' Haereditas=' s^ecidl possession': the
reference is to the Holy Land, and to Jerusalem in particular.
Poniomm ciistodiam is a translation of the Greek 6iT(Mpo4>vXaKLov-:

This Greek word is used here to render the Hebrew 'iiyim (also in
Michaeas i. 6 iii. 12
Jer. xxvi. 18);
in Is. i. 8 and xxiv. 20, it is
;
:

used to render the Hebrew, mHiinah, a night-shelter. In the passages

^
78] AVENGE, O LORD 4.7

in Michaeas and Jeremias the Vulgate has acervus lapidum in ;

Is. i. 8
Uigurhim, and in Is. xxiv. 20 tahernacuhim. The rendering
of 'iiyim by 6TrMpo4)vXdKLov is probably due to the influence of Is. i. 8.
The watcher's tent in the orchard is a symbol of loneliness and deso-
' '
lation the night-shelter in the cucumber-field
(like of Is. i. 8).
'
The statement that Jerusalem was reduced to a heap of ruins '

would suggest rather the Chaldean destruction of the city and temple
in 586, than the profanations caused by the Syrians in 170-168.
Yet it is to be remembered that the psalmist speaks here as a poet,
and with passion. (Compare the introduction to Ps. Ixxiii, and the
notes on Ixxiii. 3-11.)
2. Morticina,
corpses
' '

an adjective treated as a noun (late
Latin). It was a refinement of cruelty to leave the dead unburied.
Yahweh is here reminded of the things which are most likely to rouse

His zelus (verse 5) the desecration of His dwelling, and the infamous
treatment of His devoted servants. sancti and scrvi are the The
sam.e. The Sancti are the Jf'sidhim,
the worshippers of Yahweh.
Hasidh is regarded by most modern commentators as a technical
term of the later period of Hebrew history, and the h"sidhim are
identified with the 'Ao-tSatot of i Mace. ii. 42 vii. 13. Many ;

authorities look on the Pharisees as a development of the party of

the H^'sidhim.
The passage, Carnes sepeliret is quoted in i Mace. vii. 17 in
. . .

reference to the murder of three score of the 'Ao-tSntot. This quota-

tion has been used as an argument against the dating of the psalm in
the Maccabean period but it has been pointed out, on the other
;

hand, that if the psalm were composed about 170-168, it could well
be quoted in the text of i Mace, which probably was not written
untifshortly before 100 B.C. Goossens, Die Frage nach makkabaischen
Psalmen, pp. 45-49, argues strongly against the Maccabean dating of
Ps. Ixxiiiand Ixxviii. If, however, the Maccabean origin of Ps. Ixxiii
is admitted, it will, probably, have to be admitted also that Ps. Ixxviii

belongs to that period.

In circuiti!
round
'

about.'
3.
Suhsannatio=d.n object of derision
4. cf. Ps. xliii, 14. For the :

verb suhsannare see Ps. Ixxix. 7 ii.

4 xxxiv. 16. ; ;

The vicini are the peoples dwelling round about the Israelites.
5. The zelits (' jealousy ') of Yahweh was formerly a source of

strength for Israel now it is apparently, turned against her. In

:

' '

finem, for ever,' or furiousty." Cf. Ps. Ixxiii. 10 ;

Ixxix. 5.
These verses agree with Jer. x. 25. If the psalm refers to
6. 7.
the Maccabean period, we have here a quotation from Jeremias.
Those who look on the prophet as the borrov.'cr must make the psalm,
refer to the first destruction of Jerusalem.
8. The standpoint of the psahnist is that the present generation
has not deserved the sufferings which they have to endure ; hence
48 THE PSALMS [78

he supposes that he and his contemporaries are atoning, by their

misfortunes, for the sins of earher generations. The Vulgate text
imphes that the reference is to earher sins of the psalmist and his
fellow-saints, but the Hebrew speaks of the sins of the ri'shonim
{'
the former ones '). Cf. Jer. xi. 10. The generation of the psalmist
isnot conscious of guilt against the Law it feels itself to be hasidh,
;

and believes that it deserves help rather than punishment.

Anticipare, hasten to meet.
9. The reputation of Yahweh
Himself is at stake. The disgrace
of His own people must redound on Himself. H He refuses to rescue
His people, the heathens will say that He lacks, not the will, but the
power to help His own. Cf. Ps. xli. 4 cxiii. 10.
10. ;

Coram oculis nostris so that we may see their punishment

zaiih our own eyes. The prayer is for vengeance to be enjoyed by the
existing generation.
11. Compediti, those in chains. The reference may be to those
actually in prison, or to the whole nation as subjected to the tyranny
of oppressors.
Posside, ought, perhaps, to be salva or redime (reading the Hebrew
Jiattcr). Cf. Ps. cxlv. 7.
'

Mortificata is used for the abstract mortification' death.' The sons

of death
'
= those condemned to death. Cf. Ps. ci. 2i,filii interempto-
rum.
12. In sinu=in sinum. The bosom of the oriental garment served
the same purpose as the pockets of modern garments.
 PSALM LXXIX
THE RAVAGED VINE
psalm was evidently composed in a time of great national
THIS trouble, probably during the period that intervened between
the return from the Exile and the Restoration. There is no
strong reason for assigning it, with many modern critics, to
the Maccabean period. The comparison of the Lord with a shepherd
may have led to the placing of this poem immediately after Ps. Ixxviii.
The poem begins with a prayer that the Shepherd, and Warrior-God
of Israel may place Himself again, as in the olden days, at the head of
the Josephite tribes and of Benjamin. God is asked to turn again
in friendship towards His people, to rouse again His warrior-strength,
and to rescue Juda (if it is Juda that speaks) from its troubles.
In the second strophe God is besought not to be angry, at all
events, when His people pray to Him. Hitherto their prayers have
not mitigated His wrath, and His people have eaten and drunk of
tears. The neighbouring nations mock at the helpless IsraeHtes, and
quarrel among each other as to who shall have the easily looted
belongings of Juda (a situation resembling that which arose after
the Fall of Jerusalem in 586). In the third strophe (9-14) the poet
continues his complaint over the lot of his people. Israel, the Vine
of Yahweh, was lovingly tended by Him in the past. It spread in
luxurious growth over all the land of Canaan, reaching even to the
desert hills of the distant south, and entwining itself round the cedars
of God on Lebanon, and stretching its tendrils to the Mediterranean
on the west, and to the great river, the Euphrates, on the east. But
Yahweh has pulled down the fence of His vineyard, and has given it
over to the wild beasts of the forest. In the last strophe (16-20)
the poet insists on the thought that the vine of Israel is God's own
special planting. Yet that vine has been uprooted, and must surely
perish if the Lord does not intervene. It cannot live without the
support of the right hand which has planted it.
Passing from the symbol of tlte vine to the people whom it sym-
bolises the psalmist begs the care and protection of the Lord for the
'
Man of his right hand '

Israel whom the Lord has raised up as
His own child. The customary vow of loyalty and praise, and another
repetition of the refrain bring the psalm to a close.
Psalm Ixxix shows points of close resemblance with Ps. Ixxxviii.
The imagery of the ravaged vineyard appears again in Ps. Ixxxviii. 41/.
It is not necessary, however, to suppose that the writer of Ps. Ixxxviii
4 49
 THE PSALMS [79

borrowed from Ps. Ixxix. The comparison of Israel with a vine, or

vineyard, was a commonplace of Hebrew literature Cf. Is. v. 1-7 ;
iii. 14 Gen. xlix. 22 Osee x. i
; Jer. ii. 21. Some modern com-
; ;

mentators have found in the Man of the right hand a Messianic

' '

reference, and see in the enumeration of the ideal borders of Israel

another Messianic feature. The refrain, too, has been regarded by
these writers as distinctly Messianic in its form. It would not be
unreasonable to expect that a prayer for the restoration of the glory
of Juda should contain features suggestive of the Messianic restora-
tion of all things
particularly when we remember that the Messianic
glory was itself imagined, to a large extent, as a restoration of the
glories of the Hebrew Empire of David's day.

1. In finem, Pro iis qui com- For the choir-master of the 'Shoshannim'
mutabuntur, testimonium As- ... an Asaphite Psalm.
aph, Psalmus.

2. Qui regis Israel, intende : Thou Shepherd of Israel, hear !

qui deducis velut ovem Joseph. Thou who guidest Israel as a flock !

Qui sedes super Cherubim, Thou who throneston the Cherubs appear
manifestare.
3. Coram Ephraim Benjamin, 3- At the head of Ephraim, Benjamin, and
et Manasse. I\Ianasse !

Excita potentiam tuam, et Arouse Thy strength.

veni, ut salvos facias nos. And come to our help.
4. Deus
converte nos et :
4- God, establish us once more ;
ostende faciem tuam, et salvi Let Thy face shine forth.
erimus. And we shall be saved.

5. Domine Deus virtutum, 5. O Lord God of Hosts, how long vvrilt

quousque irasceris super oratio- Thourage.

nem servi tui ? In spite of Thy servant's prayer ?
Cibabis nos pane lacrima-
6. 6. Thou feedest us with the bread of tears ;
rum et potum dabis nobis in
: And givest us to drink of tears in full
lacrimis in niensura ? measure.
7. Posuisti nos in contradic- I Thou hast made us a theme of strife for
tionem vicinis nostris : et our neighbours.
inimici nostri subsannaverunt And our enemies mock us.
nos.
8. Deus virtutum converte 8. God of Hosts, establish us once more ;
nos : et ostende faciem tuam, Let Thy face shine forth,
et salvi erimus. A nd we shall be saved.
9. Vineam de --Egypto trans- 9. A vine stock Thou tookest from Egypt ;
tulisti ejecisti Gentes, et plan-
: Dravest out the peoples and planted'st
tasti earn. it;
10. Dux
itineris fuisti in con- 10. Thou wast its guide before it,

spectu ejus plantasti radices : Its roots Thou didst set ;

ejus, et implevit terram. It filled all the land ;

11. Operuit montes umbra 11. Its shadow covered the Hills ;

ejus : et arbusta ejus cedros Dei. Its tendrils were twined round the
cedars of God ;

12. Extendit palmites suos 12. It stretched out its roots to the Sea,
usque ad mare et usque ad : And unto the River its tendrils ;

fiumen propagines ejus.

I s. L't quid destruxisti ma- 13. Why didst Thou break dowm its fence.
ceriam ejus et vindemiant eam : That each passer-by may pluck there-
omnes, qui prsetergrediuntur from ?
viam ?
79] THE RAVAGED VINE 51

14. Exterminavit earn aper 14. The boar of the forest hath devoured it ;

de silva et singularis ferus de-

: The soHtary wild swine hath eaten it
pastus est earn. up :

15. Deus virtutuni conver- 15. God of Hosts, look down again fyom
tere respice de ccelo, et vide,
: heaven,
et visita vineam istam. And behold this vine and visit it !

And up again what Thy

.....
16. Et periice earn, quam 16. set right hand
plantavit dextera tua et super : hath planted ;

filium hominis, quern confirmasti

tibi.
17. Incensa et suffossa
igni, 17. Itis burned by fire and o'erthrown
;

ab increpatione vultus tui peri- At the chiding of Thy wrath they come
bunt. to naught ;

Fiat manus tua super vi-

18. 18. Let Thy hand rest on the Man of Thy
rum dexterae tuae et super :
right hand,
filium hominis, quern coniirmasti On the man whom Thou hast strength-
tibi. ened for Thyself.
ig. Et non discedimus a te, ig. Then shall we not depart from Thee,
vivificabis nos : et nomen tuum Grant us life, and we shall invoke Thy
invocabimus. name.
20. Domine Deus virtutum 20. Lord God of Hosts, establish us ;
converte nos : et ostende faciem Make Thy face to shine.
tuam et salvi erimus. And we shall be saved.

1. Pro Us qui commutahuntitr See Ps. xliv. i and Ixviii. i. The

;

Greek adds to the title v-n-lp rov 'Ao-o-vpcov which is taken by

:

some of the older commentators as referring to the Babylonian attack

on Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
Regis, rulest as a shepherd.
2. Cf. Ps. xxii. i Dominus regit ;

' '
me. I ntende^' give eds.' Ot't^wz, a flock (used collectively). Joseph
=Israel, as in Ps. Ixxvi. 16. Sedes super cherubim the cherubs may :

be the heavenly cherubs (the winds) of Ps. xvii. 11, rather than the
Cherubs which stood above the Ark.
' '

Manifestare, show Thyself as a leader,' come forth manifestly,'

Coram, at the head of.' Yahweh is asked to place Himself as
'

Leader at the head of these tribes, as in the old heroic days. Ephraim
and Manasses represent the Northern Kingdom the House of Joseph
(as distinct from Juda) Benjamin and Joseph had the same mother,
:

and so Benjamin is grouped naturally with the sons of Joseph.

Politically Benjamin inclined rather to the North than to Juda.
The omission of Juda is due to the fact that Juda is supposed to be
the speaker here. The prayer represents something merely ideal,
for if the Northern Kingdom were still standing, its intervention on
behalf of the South would be practically unthinkable- so bitter was
the rivalry which always existed between the two kingdoms. The
thought of the prayer is that God should re-establish the departed
strength of the North, and putting Himself at the head of the northern
tribes, come to the help of Juda.
4. Notice the refrain, which recurs in almost identical form in
verses 8 and 20, and somewhat varied in verse 15. The showing of the
 52 THE PSALMS [79

face would be the turning again in friendship towards Juda. Cf. the
'

High Priest's blessing in Num. vi. 24-26 May Yahweh bless thee :

and keep thee may Yahweh make His face to shine upon thee, and
;

show thee favour may Yahweh lift up His face upon thee and give
;

thee peace When God turned away His face from men because
!
'

of their sins, they walked in darkness when He turned in favour :

towards them again, their path was lighted up with the brightness of
'

His face. Convertc does not mean convert,' but re-establish,' set ' '

up again in strength.' The Targum and the older commentators

'
understand it to mean
Bring us back from exile,' but there is no
:

other suggestion of the continuance of the Exile in the psalm. The

city, apparently, needs to be restored, for the wall of defence round
the vineyard has been thrown down, and the enemies of Israel have
poured in to work destruction in the vineyard (vv. 13, 14). Converte
refers to the general process of restoration which is so necessary.
The whole attitude of the poem points to the period following the
return from the Exile as the time of its composition. Cf.
Dan. ix. 25.

5. Irasceris : the Hebrew has :

'
How long wilt Thou fume'
'

{'ashanta, give forth smoke ') ? Cf. the description of the thunder
storm in Ps. xvii. gff. The dark thunder clouds are the smoke of

anger that comes from the nostrils of Yahweh. (See note on Ps. xvii. 9.)
' '

Super orationem in spite of the prayer.'

: Instead of servant,'
' '

the Massoretic text reads people but the Vulgate is to be pre- ;

ferred. Cf. Ps. Ixxvii. 71.

6. Nos for eos referring to the
'

servant
'

(the people). God has

fed them with the bread of tears, i.e., bread consisting of tears [of.
Ps. xli. ^=Fttenmt mihi lacrymae meae panes die ac node). Et
potnm, etc. tears were both food and drink. In mensura : for mensnra
;

' '
the Hebrew has shalish, which means a measure (literally a third :

' '

cf. quart '), and the meaning of the Hebrew is Thou hast made :

' '
us to drink of the cup (literally, the measure ') amid tears the ;

second half of the verse repeats, with slight modification, the first.
We can take in mensura of the Vulgate as it stands, to mean in '

'

abundance,' in full measure.' Jerome has, Potasti nos in lacrimis

tripliciter
taking shalish ('
'

a third,' a measure ') as= threefold, and

' '

understanding tripliciter as meaning abundantly (So also the

Targum). Cf. Ps. ci. 10.
7. Contradictionern, an object of contention, or, something to be
quarrelled with. The reference is to the difficulties which the sur-
rounding peoples caused the post-Exilic community. Subsannaverunt,
cf. Ps. ii. 4.
8. Notice that here, and in the further repetitions of the refrain,
'

'God is called Dens virtutum, God of power.'

9. This comparison of Israel with a vine has many parallels, both
in the Old and the New Testament. See, in particular, the vintage-
79] THE RAVAGED VINE 53

song of Isaias in Is. v. 1-6 cf. also Jer. ii. 21

; ;
xii. lo-ii ; Ezech.
xvii. i-io Mk. ;
xii. 1-6 ;
Matt. xxi. 33-46.
' '

Transtulisti, (in Greek jxeT'Tipa^)

didst change the its home ;

vine was brought from Egypt and planted in Palestine. The native
peoples of Palestine were driven out that Israel might have room to
expand. ' '

10. Dux itineris, Greek oSoTroLija-a^, cleared the way for it,

removing that might impede its growth.

all Viam fecisti, which the
older psalters have, would be better here. In his own translation
Jerome has Prceparasti ante faciem ejus.
: There is no reference in
this phrase to the journey from Egypt to Canaan that is contained ;

in transtulisti.
11, 12. We have here a description of the wonderful growth and
spread of the vine. The Mountains are the desert hills of the South ;

'

the cedars of God are the cedars of Lebanon in the North

'
the :

Sea is the Mediterranean in the West, and the River is the Euphrates.
These were the ideal limits of the spread of Israel {cf. Ps. Ixxiv. 7).
' '

The cedars of God are so called because of their great age and huge
dimensions. The Israelites twined their vines often round living
tree-stems, and the abundance and luxuriance of the vine of Israel (as
well as its spread) are suggested by the splendour of the supports
'

round which it was entwined. With the cedars of God compare

'

'
the mountains of God,' Ps. xxxv. 7 (and see note there).
13. Maceriam wall. For walls round vineyards see Num. xxii,
:

Ut quid=\^h.y ? Vindemiare, pluck its grapes.' The

'

24 Is. V. 5.
;

passers-by are the various hostile peoples who, in recent times, had
' '

attacked Israel.
14. Among these enemies, or rather symboHsing these enemies
generally, are the wild boar, and the ferns singularis. In the East
the wild boar is looked on as the most destructive enemy of vineyards.
'

The Hebrew has in the second half of the verse, the wild beast of
' '

the In Latin ferns is sometimes used to mean wild swine

field.' ;

singularis is an adjective descriptive of the solitary habits of the

wild swine. Some commentators take ferus as the adjective, and
' '

singularis as the substantive, explaining singularis as wild swine

{porous Silvester, according to Bellarmine), and taking ferus as in-
dicative of the wild, untameable, character of that beast. Jerome
has here omnes bestiae agri. It is practically impossible to explain
:

satisfactorily the Septuagint rendering ^aoi/tos tiypto? of the Hebrew,

ziz sadai. It is useless to attempt, with some of the older com-
mentators (such as Theodoret), to identify the wild boar with some
particular enemy of Israel such as Nabuchodonosor. The swine
typifies the ruthlessness and savage fury of destruction shown by
the enemies of the vineyard in general.
15. Note the variation of the refrain.
16. Perfice the Greeks read the Hebrew
: kannah (which is obscure)
54 THE PSALMS [79

as if were the imperative of kanan (and similar in meaning to

it

hekhin). We can translate perfice by, set right {cf. Ps. viii. 3).
' '

Kannah can, however, also be a noun and mean a shoot,' and so

'

Jerome has here rendered : et radicem qiiam plantavit dextera tna.

The clause, et sjtper filiuni hominis quern confirmasti tibi has been
inserted here from verse 18, where it is in place.
17. It is the vinea which is incensa and suffossa. The subject of
peribtint is the people of Israel typified by the vine.
18. The hand in question is a protecting, not a punishing, hand.
'
The man of the right hand is the vine which God's right hand has
'

planted (verse 16). The psalmist passes again from the symbol to the
symbolised. The filius hominis is identical in the parallelism with
the vir dexterae time.
If Yahweh helps the people
'

19. Discedimus, fall away from.'

they will be for ever loyal and grateful.

 PSALM LXXX
A HYMN FOR THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
is generally held by commentators that this psalm is a hymn
IT composed for use at the Feast of Tabernacles (15th to the 22nd
of Tishri, the first month of the civil, and the seventh of the
ecclesiastical year). It is not a difficulty against this view that
the psalm seems to begin with a priestly exhortation to the people
to join in the festivities of the New Moon ceremonial, for the New
Moon in question is that of the New Year, of Tishri, and the first

fortnight of Tishri was celebrated as a sort of continuous festival

leading up to Tabernacles. The blowing of the trumpet, or horn, at
the New Moon of Tishri could be spoken of, therefore, as a part of
the ritual of Tabernacles, and the hymn may be regarded as a New
Year's Hymn and a hymn for Tabernacles at the same time. Taber-
nacles was intended, primarily, to be a commemoration of Exodus,
and of the years when the Israelites dwelt in tents in the wilderness :

but it was also celebrated as a sort of thanksgiving-service at the

close of the vintage season (which may account, perhaps, for the
'

phrase, For the wine-presses,' of the title). Thus the Feast cele-
brated the mercies of God both in history and in nature.
The psalm begins with an address from a choir of priests exhorting
the people (verse 2), the Levites (verse 3) and the priests (verse 4) to
join with full heart in the ceremonial of song and music at the Feast
of Tabernacles, and reminding them that the Feast is of divine

origin, and that all Israel is bound to observe it (z-ba).

In the second part of verse 6 a single speaker comes forward
(as in Ps. Ixxxiv. q ;
xciv. 8/.; Amos vii. 10 ;
Is. v), and, as it were,

interrupting the festive music, sings in prophetic style a message

which he has received, or, repeats, as a prophetic messenger, what
he has heard the Lord say. This prophetic singer represents Yahweh
as reminding His people of the freedom which He had given them at
the Exodus, and of the blessings with which He had favoured them
in the desert (7-8).
In verses 9 to 11 the words of the Lord deal with the greatest of

His mercies towards Israel the giving of the Law, the manifestation
of Himself as the God and Father and Leader of His people. This
manifestation demands the unswerving loyalty of Israel to Yahweh;
and the complete rejection of all forms of heathen worship.
Yet, in spite of the love and favours of the Lord, Israel forgot
Him, and followed after other deities. As a punishment for this
55
 56 THE PSALMS [80

Yahweh left them to themselves, withdrawing His support. Deserted

b}^ their God the Israelites fell under the power of the heathens, and
became their bondsmen. Even now Israel is not altogether loyal,
and the stranger god, and the stranger ruler have influence among the
people (12-13). How splendid it would be if only Israel would now
turn wholeheartedly to its God Its enemies would be quickly
!

broken, and their defeat would continue as long as Israel remained

loyal. Evcr}^ blessing promised in the Law would be poured out
upon the nation. It is only a loyal Israel which can truly join in
the celebration of Tabernacles. It is useless for a people that hankers
after strange faiths and heathen customs to join in songs of thanks-
giving for the liberation from Egypt. This is the lesson of the pro-
phetic message, and it is an appropriate lesson for the season which
began with New Year's Day, included the penitential Day of Atone-
ment (loth Tishri) and closed with the rejoicings of Tabernacles
(15-22 Tishri).
It has been often maintained that there is no real connection
between verses 2-6a and the rest of the psalm, and that, therefore,
we must regard the two parts 2~6a and 6&-17 as having been originally
portions of distinct poems which were brought together because of
the reference to the Exodus in verses 6a and 7. There can be no-
doubt that verse 6b marks a completely new section in the psalm,
and that 66-17 is not intrinsically related to 2-6a. The prophetic
singer in 6b appears as a sort of foreign elem.ent in the midst of the
celebrations of the Feast. Yet, though his words stand out in striking
contrast with the joyous summons to celebrate the festival (2-6fl),
they help to bring home to the minds of the people the implications
of the Feast, and can thus be brought into relation with the first
part of the psalm. That it was sometimes customary to construct
feast-hymns of elements thus apparently unrelated we can see also-
from Ps. xciv. If we read Ps. Ixxx in the quasi-dramatic fashion
suggested in the translation, there will be no need to look on it as an
artificial and casual fusion of unrelated fragments.
The date of the psalm is uncertain, but the best modern critics
agree in regarding it as pre-Exilic.

I. In ftnem, Pro torcularibus, 1. For the choir-master of the Gittith ' '

Psalmus ipsi Asaph. singers. A psalm of Asaph.

(Choir of priests)
2. Exsultate Deo adjutori no- 2. Praise ye God our Helper ;

stro :
jubilate Deo Jacob. Exult unto the God of Jacob ;

3. Sumite psalmum, et date 3. Raise the song make the tabret resound,.
;

tympanum psalterium :
jucun- The sweet harp and the zither.
dum cum cithara.
4. Buccinate in Neomenia tu- 4. At the New Moon blow the horn ;

ba, in insigni die solemnitatis On your splendid feast-day.

vestrae.
5. Quia pracceptum in Israel 5. For thisis a law unto Israel,
est : et judicium Deo Jacob. A decree of the God of Jacob
8o] THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES 57

6. Testimonium in Joseph po- He made it a law in Joseph,

suit illud, cum exiret de terra When he went forth. from Egypt's land.
.'Egypti linguam, :
quam non
noverat, audivit.
(Prophetic singer)
A speech which he knew not he heard.
Divertit ab oneribus dor-
7.
From his shoulder he put off the burden
sum ejus manus ejus in : His hands had done slaves' work with
cophino servierunt. the hod.
'

8. In tribulatione invocasti In need thou didst call, and I freed thee ;

me, exaudivi te
et liberavi te : Out of darkness of storm I heard thee ;

in abscondito tempestatis pro- : At the waters of strife I tested thee.

bavi te apud aquam contra-
dictionis.

9. Audi populus meus, et con- 9.

'
Hear,O mv people, I will admonish thee,
testabor te :Israel si audieris me, O Israel, if only thou wouldst hear me !

10. Non erit in te deus recens, 10. No new God shall be among thee ;

neque adorabis deum alienum. And no stranger God shall thou serve
11. Ego enim sum Dominus 11. For I am the Lord, thy God,
Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Who from Egypt led thee forth.
.'Egypti dilata os tuum, et im-
:
Open wide thy mouth, that I may fill it.

plebo illud.

Et non audivit populus Yet heard not my people my voice

'

12. 12. ;

meus vocem meam : et Israel And Israel heeded me not ;

non intendit mihi.

13. Et dimisi cos secundum 13. And I let them go as their heart desired ;

desideria eorum, ibunt

cordis Their own counsel they followed.
in adinventionibus suis
14. Si populus meus audisset 14. O that my people would hear me !

me Israel si in viis meis ambu-

: That Israel would walk in my ways !

lasset :

Pro nihilo forsitan inimi-

15. 15. Then soon would I humble their foes.
cos eorum
humiliassem et : And stretch forth my hand 'gainst
super tribulantes eos misissem their oppressor.'
manum meam.
16. Inimici Domini mentiti 16. The foes of the Lord would have to bow
sunt ei : et erit tempus eorum before Him,
in saecula. And their lot would endure for aye.
17. Et cibavit eos ex adipe 1 7. But those He would feed with the fat of
frumenti : et de petra, melle the wheat,
saturavit eos. And sate with honev from the rock.

1. Pro torciilaribiis cf. Vs. viii. i and Ixxxiii. i.

: The Hebrew
has, 'al haggittilh, which the Greek translators took to be 'al haggiftoth,
'

concerning (or, for) the wine-presses.' It is possible that haggittith

or haggittoth, nothing more than the name of a group of singers,
is

and that the title has the sense given above in the translation. The
psalm is primarily a song for the Feast of Tabernacles, and, as that
Feast was connected with the close of the vintage, there was a certain
appropriateness in including in its title a reference to the wine-
presses. The phrase pro iorcularibiis can, therefore, mean that
' '

the psalm belongs to the class of songs sung at the wine-presses

{gittoth).
'

2. Adjutor, in the Hebrew, Strength.' '

3. Psalmns=Si song, or chant. Hence sumiie must mean raise,"

58 THE PSALMS [80

' ' ' '

Date does not mean Give here, but Strike

'
or intone.' the :

idiom is the same as Date voccm. Psalter iiini and cithara are two
kinds of stringed instruments
the harp and the lyre. Biiccinate
sound the trumpet.' Neomenia is the New Moon. The horn
'

tuba,
is not to be sounded on every feast of the new moon, but on a particular
New Moon festival that, namely, of the first month of the civil

year, the month Tishri (October). According to Jewish tradition the

ram's horn was sounded at the New Moon of Tishri though in the
Law the sounding of the ram's horn was prescribed only for the
beginning of the year of Jubilee (Lev. xxv. 9). The Feast of Taber-

nacles was celetjrated for a week beginning with the full moon
(the 15th) of Tishri, and the blowing of the horn at the
new moon
was considered, apparently, as a sort of preparation, or prelude, for
the celebration of Tabernacles. Sollemnitas vestra is the Feast of
Tabernacles, which was known as the Feast, Hehag. Cf. 3 Kings
viii. 2 2 Chron. v. 3
;
Ezech. xlv. 25. Cf. also John vii. 2, where
;

Tabernacles is called the Feast of the Jews, and John vi, 4, where
'
the Feast
'

omitting the Pasch
'

may well be the Feast of Taber-

'

nacles. Josephus, Ant. viii, iv. i, speaks of Tabernacles as the holiest
and greatest of the Jewish festivals.
In insigni die the Greek translators have changed somewhat the
;
'

meaning of the original here. The Hebrew has, apparently Blow :

the trumpet at the new moon at the full moon for the day of our
;

Festival,' which implies that the blowing of the horn, or trumpet, at

the new moon of Tishri was a preparation for the Feast of Tabernacles
at the full moon of that month. (The first half of the 7th month was
'

kept as a sort of uninterrupted festival). The rendering On the '

'

splendid day is a free grouping and translation of At the full moon, '

for the day.' Either the translators did not understand bakkeseh, at
the full moon,' or they thought of the full moon of Tishri as a great
day par excellence.

5. Israel is bound by divine decree to the celebration of the Feast

of Tabernacles.
Tabernacles was intended to serve as a commemoration of the
6.
benefitswhich God had conferred on Israel at the Exodus and through-
out the wanderings in the wilderness. Notice how Joseph is men-
tioned with Jacob, as in Ps. Ixxix. 2. Testimonium^ decree, or precept.
The subject of exiret is Joseph.
Lingiiam, etc. : the person Hebrew has here
I heard,' the first '

the phrase being the introductory words of a prophetic speaker who

recounts the words of Yahweh in the following verses. The lingua
quam non noverat (or noveram) is the message of gladness which follows
especially the message concerning the liberation from Egypt and
the benefits of the Exodus. Hitherto Israel had known only the
bitterness of oppression and bondage in Egypt. The Lord now
announces (the prophetic speaker hears Him, as it were, announcing)
8o] THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES 59

the setting aside of the burdens which Israel has had to bear the :

people will no longer have to totter under the burdens of clay and
bricks which their taskmasters had put upon them. Divertit the :

Hebrew has the first person I put off.' From verse 66 to 16 the
'

speaker is Yahweh, as reported by the prophetic singer. Verse 17

should also probably be read in the first person. Maims ejus, etc. ;

the Hebrew has

'
I raisedfrom his shoulder the burden ;

His hands were free from the hod (or basket).'

The Greeks read, instead of the Massoretic kappau middudh ta'%hornah,

'

kappa u baddudh ta'^bhodnah, his hands had worked with the basket.'
The diidh is the hod in which bricks were carried, or the basket in
which the materials for the making of the bricks were collected.
Cf. Exod. i. 14. The translation of ditdh by cophinii,s fixes the
' '

meaning of dudh here as basket many early commentators ;

understood dudh to mean a vessel fashioned from clay (so Kimchi

and Rashi, and also the Targum), so that the sense would be that
the Israehtes were freed from forced work in pottery. There is no
support, however, in the text of Exodus for this explanation. '

8. In ahscondito tempcslatis the Hebrew has, in the darkness of

:

' '

thunder {cf. Jerome,

in abscondito tonitrui), in a thunder-cloud.'
In a thunder-cloud Yahweh also came to the rescue of David (Ps.
xvii. 12).
The aquae Meribah (Exod. xvii).
contradictionis are the waters of
The incident Meribah is regarded as a sign of God's goodness
at
towards Israel which is closely related to the events of the Exodus.
It is remarkable that the miraculous provision with water at Meribah
is the only special favour of the wilderness-period that is mentioned

in this context. Possibly some rite of Tabernacles was regarded as

peculiarly commemorative of Meribah
perhaps the libations of water
made daily on the seven days
first which water brought
of the Feast, at
in a golden vessel from Siloam was poured out, while Is. xii. 3 was
sung {cf. John vii. 37). See the Talmud Tract, Sukkah, iv. 9.
9. Among the events commemorated by
Tabernacles the most
important was the promulgation of the Law at Sinai. The pro-
hibition in the Sinaitic Code of idolatry is here especially insisted

on possibly in view of the needs of the psalmist's contemporaries.
Cf. Lev. xxiii. 38-43.
10. II. These verses are a resume of Exod. xx. 2-6.
Contestabor,
'
call to witness,'
'
admonish.' Si audieris,
'

O that
'

thou wouldst hear ! The Hebrew 'im, translated si, is frequently

used as an optative particle {cf. Ps. cxxxviii. 19). Recens, one
'

hitherto unknown. The Greek Trpoo-c^aros, fresh,' is used here as

a rough equivalent of zar, foreign in Deut. xxxii ;
it renders the
'

Hebrew mikkarobh ban, new-fangled.'

6o THE PSALMS [80

' '

II.Domintis Dens the Hebrew, :

Yahweh, thy God is more
significant. See Introd. p. xxx.
'

Dilata os tuum, etc. Most commentators explain the filHng of

:

the mouth as the granting of the favours with which God was pre-
'

pared to reward the loyalty of a faithful people. Some of those

favours are enumerated in verses 14-17. The Targum understands
the words, Make wide,' etc., as an exhortation to receive gladly the
'

details of the Law.

12-13. Though in verse 9 the poet is at the standpoint of Sinai,
he goes back here to events preceding Sinai. Verses 12-13 are
equivalent to Jeremias vii. 24, and the whole chapter vii of Jeremias
should be read along with this psalm.
Diniisi eos Yahweli left His people to themselves because of
:

the waywardness and stubbornness {sh^riruth, as in Jer. vii. 24) of

their hearts ; they followed their own devices, and fell into the power
of their enemies. The
political failure of Israel is ascribed here, as
throughout the prophetic writings, to the disloyalty of the people
to the Torah.
' '

Adinventiones, plannings,' devices.'

14, 17. This is a picture of what would happen if Israel remained

faithful to the Covenant of what may still be the lot of the existing
generation, if only it turn to Yahweh, and keep His laws.
Sz=' O that
' '

14. 'If only Cf. verse 9 above.

! !

15. Pro nihil=ea.si\y, quickly kim^'at. In Ps. ii, 13 the same

'

Hebrew word is rendered in brevi, in no time.'

Mittere manum has here a hostile sense.
' '

16. Mentiti, to flatter,' to pay false, or forced, homage.' Cf.

Ps. xvii. 46 : Filii alieni mentiti sunt mihi.
The tempiis is the time of their disaster ;
it will perpetually endure.
Some writers, however, taking eorum as referring to the Israelites,
understand the time to be
'

length of days in prosperity,' as Kimchi

puts it
'
the time of their blessing.'
17. The third person cibavit goes badly with the verse immediately
preceding. Hence it has been proposed to read the first person, and
to take the verse as a development of the promise in verses 15 and 16 :

'
With the fat (=the best) of the wheat I would feed them (the
' ' '

obedient Israelites),' etc. The fat of the wheat and the honey
'

from the rock recall Deut. xxxii. 13-14 :

'

He made him to ride on the heights of the earth,

And fed him with the fruits of the field :

He made him to suck honey out of rocks.

And oil out of flint ;

Thick-milk of kine, and milk of goats,

With fat of lambs and rams.
Oxen of Bashan, and he-goats
With the liver-fat of wheat.'
8o] THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES 6i

The wild bees made their nest in the rocks, and oHves grew often
' '

on rocky decHvities. The fat, or the Uver-fat of the wheat is the

best and most nutritious portion of the grain. The wheat and the
honey are suggestive of the abundance of natural wealth in Palestine.
If cibavit is retained it must be regarded as one of those sudden changes
of person which are so common in Hebrew.
 PSALM LXXXI
GOD'S JUDGMENT ON UNJUST RULERS
AND JUDGES
psalmist, like a seer, describes a vision which it was granted
THE to him to see of the Lord sitting in judgment on the rulers
(who were also the gods,' the judges) of earth. The rulers
'

have been summoned together, and the Lord has reviewed their
ruhng and judging, and found it not godhke, but partial, unfair,
and
oppressive. The God-given power which those rulers have received

they have used to crush the helpless and innocent, and to help the
powerful and wicked. Those, who, by their office, were entitled to
be called gods have become morally perverted and blind, and walk
' '

in darkness, so that the foundations of the social and moral order

have begun to totter. All this the psalmist in spirit hears spoken
to the rulers by God, followed by the divine declaration to the proud
'

rulers I have called you gods and sons of the Most High, but,
:

nevertheless, ye shall die like ordinary mortals, as have died all the
princes before you.'
Full of the sense of human injustice, the psalmist in verse 8 prays
that God may set aside all human rulers, and take at once the place,
which is rightly His, of universal King. This is obviously a prayer
for the speedy coming of the Messianic Kingdom.
The psalm is, in many respects, parallel to Ps. Ivii, and should be
studied in close connection with it. The scene of divine judgment
which is depicted in this psalm resembles that in Is. iii. 13/"., and the
close similarity between the forms of injustice which are denounced
in Is. iii and in this psalm should be noted.
The date of this poem is uncertain.

1. Psalmus Asaph. 1. A psalm of Asaph.

Deus stetit in synagoga deo- God standeth forth in the divine assembly.
rum : in medio autem deos diju- He giveth judgment on the gods in their
dicat. midst ;

2. Usquequo judicatis iniqui- 2.

'
How long will ye judge unjustly, '
tatem : et facies peccatorum su- And give preference to the godless ?

mitis ?

3. Judicata egeno, et pupillo : 3. Procure judgment for the poor and the
humilem, et pauperem justi- orphan :

ficate. Establish the right of the lowly and

poor.
4. Eripite pauperem : et ege- 4. Rescue the weak and the poor ;

num de manu peccatoris li- Set him free from the hand of the
berate. godless.
62
8i] GOD'S JUDGMENT ON UNJUST RULERS 63

5. Nescierunt, neque intelle- 5. Neither knowledge nor reason have they ;

xerunt, in tenebris ambulant : In darkness they wander.

movebuntur omnia fundamenta All foundations of the earth are moved.
terras.
6. Ego dixi : Dii estis, et filii 6. I saidindeed Ye are gods,
:
'

Excelsi omnes. Sons all of Most High.

7. Vos autem sicut homines 7. Yet ye shall die like mere mortals ;

moriemini et sicut unus de

: Like one of the princes ye shall fall.'
principibus cadetis.

8. Surge Deus, judica terram : 8. Arise Thon, O God judge the earth
; !

quoniam tu haereditabis in For all the peoples are Thine !

omnibus gentibus.

I. Synagoga dcorum the general interpretation of this psahn

;

' '

depends mainly on the meaning of gods in this verse. Three

' '

explanations of gods have been put for\\'-ard {a) they are the ;

angels who preside over the various kingdoms of the world (after
the manner suggested in the chapters x-xii of Daniel) {b) they are ;

the heathen kings and princes who are regarded as having been
divinely appointed, and are therefore represented as summoned before
God to hear His judgment on their rule (c) they are, like those

addressed in Ps. Ivii, unjust judges the unjust judges of Israel. ;

Since those who are summoned to hear the divine judgment are
spoken of as imjust judges, and since they are promised the death
of mere mortals, we cannot suppose that they are the guardian angels
of different kingdoms. Our choice must be made, then, between
b and c. In favour of c is the general resemblance of the situation
here to that in Ps. Ivii, and the familiar fact that judges were caUed
'

'elohim, gods,' in Israel (as vv^e see from Exod. xxi. 6 xxii. 8, 28). ;

The oppression of the weak and poor which is censured in the psalm
consists in refusing such help and support to the poorer classes in
the State as the judges, the administrators of the law, might be
expected to give. the circumstance that rulers were
In favour of b is

also ever^'where judges, that threatened to the 'elohim that they

it is

will die like the princes who have gone before them, and that, in the
last verse, Yahweh is prayed to take the place of the 'elohim as uni-
versal Judge, so that there cannot be question merely of unjust
judges in Israel. View {b) seems to be most in harmony with the
spirit of the poem, and if we unite (c)
with it to the extent of including
the judges and rulers of Israel among the 'elohim, it becomes a satis-
factory groundwork for the explanation of the psalm. '
'
The assembly of the gods is, then, a gathering of the rulers of
the peoples which has been summoned by Yahweh. The poet speaks
as if he had been present at the assembly, and begins by describing
Yahweh as standing forth to give judgment. We hear nothing of
the details of the trial, but only of a sentence, for the guilt of the
'elohim was, apparently, the reason for their being summoned together.
 64 THE PSALMS [8i

The Hebrew text speaks of a synagoga Dei, which might, of itself, be

a name for the assembly of the Covenant-people, Israel {cf. Num.
'

xxvii. 17 xxxi. 16) it may, however, also mean

; ;
a divine assembly,'
and suggest that the 'elohini have been called together by God, or
that they have been summoned into the presence of the heavenly
court. The second half of the verse in the Hebrew runs 'In the :

midst of the 'elohini He holds judgment.' The Latin makes the

'clohim the objects of the judging, and this agrees substantially with
'

what follows. The Hebrew, In the midst of the 'elohim,' in the

second half of the verse, justifies, to some extent, the Latin synagoga
deorum of the first half. The Latin, as it stands, can be simply under-
stood to mean that Yahweh stands forth in the midst of a gathering
of rulers and judges, and that He proceeds to declare those rulers
and judges guilty of injustice of unfairness towards the poor and
the helpless, and of criminal indulgence towards the powerful.
'

give unjust decisions.' Faciem sumere,

2. Jtidicatis iniqiiitatem,
to take into account rather the individual than the merits of his case,
to be partial it is equivalent to personam accipere (Rom. ii. 11
; ;

'

Gal. 6
Ephes. vi. 9, etc.)
ii. ; ;
it must not be taken to mean, put
on the appearance of sinners.'
3, Here the ideal of ruling and judging activity is set forth.
4.

Jtidicare to procure fair hearing, or trial, for someone

means jnsti- ;

ficare implies the procuring of a sentence of acquittal (Hebrew

hisdik, to declare saddik
'

innocent '). Pupilhis is the

just
'

or,
' '

orphan.' The prophets speak frequently of the absence of fairness

towards widows and orphans, and the poor in Israel. Fairness to-
wards the helpless was the highest and best quality in an Oriental
ruler and judge. Instead of giving decision in favour of the wicked
and against thehelpless innocent, it was the duty of rulers and judges
to stand forward actively as defenders of the oppressed.
5. These words are part of God's address to the rulers. He finds
in them no trace of genuine comprehension of their duties, and speak-
ing of them contemptuously in the third person, He says
'

But these :

have no insight nor understanding their minds are not open to the ;

' '

truth all their being is perverted.' The darkness is the absence of

;

moral principle moral bUndness and perversity. The foundations
'

'
of the earth are the principles of right and justice which the rulers
have abandoned. The bases of the moral order have been disturbed
by their conduct.
6. The heathenrulers, and rulers and judges generally, are ap-
pointed by God. There is no passage in the Old Testament of which

Dii estis, et filii Excelsi omnes is a direct quotation, but judges are
called gods (Exod. xxii Ps. Ivii), and Proverbs viii. 15, 16 says
;
:

By me kings rule and

'

princes decree justice

By me princes have power, and nobles
;

All the judges of earth.'

8i] GOD'S JUDGMENT ON UNJUST RULERS 6s

which seems to mean that heathen princes, and all rulers and judges
of earth are the appointed of Yahweh. Similarly, Hebrew kings are
likened to the angels of God (2 Kings xiv. 17 xix. 28). Our Lord ;

quotes verse 6 of this psalm in John x. 34 to show that, since even

'
the Israelites themselves were spoken of as gods,' there could be no
blasphemy in His description of Himself as Son of God. '

7. Yet though the rulers are called gods,' that will not save them
from death ;
like every prince who went before them, they, too,
' '

shall die (for the phrase shall fall compare Osee vii. 7).
It has been suggested that the primitive text contained here
' '

shedhim, demons,' instead of sarini, princes,' so that the sense

would be 'ye shall fall like one of the fallen angels ( = demons).'
:

If this reading were to be accepted, it would be necessary to hold

that the gods of the psalm were the angelic guardians of the nations
(see note on verse and that we had here a reference to the fall of
i),
the angels. however, no other reason for reading here
There is,
' '

shedhim than the hypothesis as to the meaning of gods for which

the suggested reading is put forward as a support.
8. God is called on to take the place of all earthly rulers. All the
peoples are His {Haercditahis in omnibus gentibus), and He has ap-
pointed all their human rulers. Hence He can put aside those rulers,
and become King of the world Himself. This was the ideal of the
Messianic outlook, and we may regard verse 8, therefore, as a prayer
for the speedy ushering in of the Messianic Era.
 PSALM LXXXII
A PRAYER FOR HELP AGAINST HOSTILE
NEIGHBOURS
psalm has been confident!}- assigned by leading modem
THIS period of the Maccabean struggles. The situa-
critics to the
tion implied in the psalm resembles, certainly, that which
is set out in i Mace. v. There we see described the political and

military situation which followed on the first great successes of the

movement led by Judas Maccabaeus. The peoples who appear in
the Maccabean narrative as leagued against Juda are, to a large
extent, the same as those mentioned in the psalm. The appearance
of Tyre in this psalm as an enemy of Israel cannot be easily paralleled
from any other Scriptural narrative but that of i Mace. v. The
Ishmaelites of the psalm would be equivalent to the Arabians of
the Maccabean text (i Mace. v. 39), and the Hagrites (' Agareni ')
might be regarded as closely allied with the Ishmaelites (if there is


which is very doubtful any connection between Hagrite and
' '

Hagar the mother of Ishmael). Moab might be regarded as repre-

sented by Bosra (i Mace. v. 26). Amalek could not, however, have
been an enemy of Juda in the Maccabean period for the Amalekites
had at that time already long ceased to exist. Ashshur (verse 9) is a

further difficult}^ against the Maccabean dating unless we take it as
a name for the Samaritans, or for the Syrians, or unless we read
Geshur (as the Vulgate does in 2 Kings ii. 9 for the Massoretic
'Asheri). Thus the Maccabean dating
is not without its serious

explained further in the notes below). The alternative

difficulties (as

dating of the psalm in the time of the wars of Josaphat (discussed in

the notes below) is faced also with serious difiiculties, so that one
cannot say more with certainty than that the psalm presupposes a
political situation in which several neighbouring peoples are leagued
in a dangerous confederacj/ against Juda (Israel), such that the national
lifeof Israel is threatened by disasters, as great as those which faced
the Hebrews in their early struggles against the native Canaanite
kings at the time of the Conquest of Palestine, and later during the
period of the Judges. The psalmist prays that the same fate may be
decreed for the present enemies of Israel as was meted out to the
ancient Canaanite princes, and to the Midianites who fought against
Gideon.
1. Canticum Psalmi Asaph. i. An Asaphite psalm
2. Deus, quis similis erit tibi ? 2. O God, who is hke unto Thee ?
Ne taceas,neque compescaris Be not silent, and hold not back,
Deus : O God.
66
82] A PRAYER FOR HELP ^1

3. Quoniam ecce inimici tui 3. For behold how Th}- foes make tumult,
sonuerunt : et qui oderunt te And they that hate Thee raise proudly
extulerunt caput. the head !

4. Super populum tuum ma- 4. Against Thy people they plan evil ;

lignaverunt consilium et cogi- :

Against Thy worshippers they take
taverunt adversus sanctos tuos. counsel.
'

5. Dixerunt : Venite, et dis- 5. They say : Let us destroy them as a

perdamus eos de gcnte ; et non nation,
memoretur nomen Israel ultra. That Israel's name no more may be
heard of.'
6. Quoniam cogitaverunt un- Thus have they all planned.
animiter simul adversum : te
6.
Against Thee have all made a league
testamentum disposuerunt,
7. Tabernacula Iduma^orum 7. The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
et Ismahelitje : Moab and the Agarenes,
Moab, et Agareni,
8. Gebal, et Ammon, et Ama- 8. Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,
lec alienigenae cum habitanti-
: The and the men
Philistines of Tyre ;

bus Tyrum.
g. Etenim Assur venit cum 9. Ashshur, too, has joined them ;

illis facti sunt in adjutorium

:
They give help to the sons of Lot.
filiis Lot.

10. Fac illis sicut Madian, et 10. Do Thou to them as to Midyan and
Sisarae : sicut Jabin in torrente Sisera,
Cisson. As to Jabinby the stream of Kishon :

11. Disperierunt in Endor : 11. At Endor they were destroyed ;

facti sunt ut stercus terra;. Like filth on the streets they were
made.
12. Pone principes eorum si- 12. ]\Iake their princes like Oreb and Zeeb,
cut Oreb, et Zeb, et Zebee et And like Zebah and Salmunna all their
Salmana : chiefs
Omnes principes eorum :

They who
'

13.Qui dixerunt Hrtreditate :

13. said : Let us seize on God's
'

possideamus Sanctuarium Dei. shrine !

14. Deus meus pone illos ut 14. Make them, my God, like whirling stalks.
rotam et sicut stipulam ante
: And like chaff before the wind,
faciem venti.
15. Sicut ignis, qui comburit 15. Like a forest-devouring fire.
silvam et sicut flamma com-
: Like a mountain-burning flame,
burens montes :

16. Ita persequeris illos in lb. So follow them up with Thy storm.
tempestate tua : et in ira tua And terrify them with Thy wrath.
turbabis eos.
17. Imple facies eorum igno- 1 7. with shame
Fill their faces
minia et qu^erent nomen tuum
: That they may seek Thy name, O Lord.
Domine.
18. Erubescant, et contur- 1 8. Let them be for ever ashamed and afraid ;

bentur in saeculum sa^culi et : Let them be abashed and come to

confundantur, et pereant. naught ;

19. Et cognoscant quia no- 19. That they may know that Thy name is
men Dominus
tibi tu : solus Yahweh,
Altissimus in omni terra. That Thou alone art Most High over
all the earth.

I. Canticum psalmi cf. Psalms Ixv, Ixxxvii, cvii.

:

Quis similis, etc. the Hebrew here is parallel to Ne iaceas :

'

'al dmi lakh. There is a verb damah in Hebrew which means to be

' '

similar and another damah which means to be silent.' In the

 68 THE PSALMS [82

'

parallelism d"mi must be regarded as coming from damah, to be

'
silent but the Greek translators derived it from the other damah,
:

'
to be similar.' 'Al, the prohibitive particle, they took to be an
'

ordinary negative particle, and the resulting sense, There is none

like unto thee,' they expressed by a rhetorical question,
'
Who is
'

like unto thee ?

Ne taceas refers to the silence of inaction (as in Os. iv. 6). God
is as inactive in punishing His foes as if He was not aware of their

offences. A'^ compescaris, hold not back

' '
from smiting the foes
of Israel, who are also the foes of God.
'

Somtcritnt,
3. make a clamour.' The enemy are becoming bold
against Israel once more.
' '

Super means here against

'
(Hebrew 'al). Malignavenmt con-
silium : the Hebrew has a conspiracy.'
:
they craftily devise
'
Instead of adversus sanctos the Hebrew has Against thy hidden (or,
stored up) ones,' and Jerome renders, adversits arcanum Umm. The
'
hidden ones,' .fpJmnim., are the Israelites who are hidden, as it
were, by the protection of Yahweh. The proper name S^phanyah
(Sophonias) suggests the same thought. The Sancti of the Latin
text renders the meaning accurately enough, but it is to be noted that
it is not used in the supposed technical sense of the Hebrew I/sidhim.

Jerome's arcanum is probably to be understood of the Temple.

5. De gente is a pregnant expression so that they may cease to '

be a nation.'
6. Of one mind they have made a pact [testamentum disposuerunt)

against Israel, and therefore against God, adversum te.

7-9. There is much dispute as to the historical occasion here
referred to. Several important modern critics argue that the historical
context of this psalm is supplied by i Mace, x, where many of the
same peoples appear as leagued in the Maccabean period against
Israel. There we find as enemies of Juda, Edom, Ammon, the Ish-
maelites (=the Arabians, i Mace. v. 39), Philistine and Tyre. Amalek
is not mentioned in the Maccabean narrative, nor the Hagarenes

(Hagrites), nor Gebal, nor Ashshur. Gebal is not the same as Byblus
{north of Tyre) it is the ancient land of Seir, the northern
:
portion
of the Edomitic highland, the district called by Pliny (Hist. Nat. v. 20)
Gebalene. The Agarenes or Hagrites are mentioned in Chronicles
(i Chron. v. 10, 19/. xxvii. 31), where they appear as a tribe dwelling
;

to the east of Gilead they appear in the inscriptions of Sanherib in

:

close connection with the Nabateans. The AHenigenae are the

Philistines {cf.
Ps. Hx. 10 Ixxxii. 8 Ixxxvi. 4 cvii. 10)
; in Ps. Iv. i,; ; ;
'

they are called in the Vulgate Allophyli. The sons of Lot are
'

Moab and Ammon. The most difficult name to explain is Ashshur.

It cannot be Assyria if the psalm is Maccabean, for the empire of
Assyria had ceased to exist long before the Maccabean period. Hence
it has been suggested that we should read Geshur instead of Ashshur,
82] A PRAYER FOR HELP 69
or that Ashshur= Syria, or that, since Samaria was planted after its
capture by the Assyrians with colonists from Assyria, Ashshur in
this context = Samaria. The Samaritans appear as vigorous enemies
of theHebrews throughout the Another theory
post-Exilic period.
makes Ashshur to be an Arabian mentioned in a Minean inscrip-
tribe
tion. Against the theory of the Maccabean origin of this psalm

stands the mention of Amalek a people that had long ceased to
exist before the alleged date of the psalm, and whom we cannot
identify with any foe of Israel in the Maccabean age. It might be
said, of course, that the reference in Amalek is not so much to a tribe,
or people Amalek, as rather to the district which was anciently
occupied by the Amalekites. The other names are, however, so
names
definitely the of actually existing peoples, that this method of

explaining away the difficulty of the mention of Amalek can scarcely

be accepted. Those who refuse to find the historical background of
this psalm in i Mace, v, seek it in the narrative of 2 Chron. xx, which
describes the successful war of Josaphat against the Moabites,
Ammonites, and the people of Mt. Seir {cf. Gebal), and others. But
among the enemies of Josaphat we do not find Amalek, Philistia,
Tyre, or Assyria. It is, of course, quite possible that the psalm
has not in view either the incidents narrated in i Mace, v, or those in
2 Chron. xx ;
but that it refers to otherwise unrecorded conflicts of
the pre-Restoration period after the Exile. It is evidentfrom the
psalm that the traditional enemies of the Hebrews have formed a
serious combination against them, and that the psalmist considers
the position of Israel to be as critical as it was in the old days when
the Hebrew tribes were first battling for the possession of Canaan, or
when the life of Israel was threatened by the East- Jordan nations in
the days of Gideon. He prays for such help against the foes who now
threaten, as God granted long ago against the enemies of Israel in
the time of the Judges.
10. A war with Midian is described in Num. xxxi. It is probable,

however, that the psalmist has here in view the exploits of Gideon
against Midian (Judges vi, vii, viii). His great victory over the
Midianites described in Judges vii is referred to by Isaias (ix. 4) as
the
'

Day of Midian
'
and this Midian probably is
day of in the mind
of the psalmist here. The overthrow of Sisera and Jabin
is described

in Judges iv, and again, poetically in Jud. v. Sisera was defeated at

the battle of Kishon, and the poetical narrative of his defeat, the
Song of Deborah, is one of the most remarkable documents of ancient
Israel. The story
of the hostihty of Midian follows closely in the
Book Judges on the Song of Deborah, so that it would seem as if
of
the psahnist had before his eyes the Book of Judges. There is no
reference to Endor in the account of the battle at Kishon in Judges,
but Endor was not far distant from the scene of the battle, and some
of the fighting must have swept over it.
70 THE PSALMS [82

12. For Oreb and Zeeb Judges vii. 25. They were the two
see

princes of the Midianitcs whom

Gideon captured and slew after the
exploit recorded in Judges vii. Zebah and Salmunna were the
Midianite princes whose defeat and death at the hands of Gideon
are narrated in Judges viii. The psalmist wishes for the present
enemies of Isreal the same fate which befell the Midianites and their
princes. The circumstance that the poet takes his references to the
past from the stor\^ of Gideon's campaign against the Midianites
implies, perhaps, that the present enemies are largely from the same
district from which the Midianites came.
*
Hereditate possideamus possess as a fixed and rightful posses-
:

'

sion.' Sanctuarmm Dei the Hebrew has, the fields of God,' i.e.,
:

the land of Canaan. The Latin suggests that all Palestine is a shrine
of the Lord. Jerome has piilchritudinem Dei, which, like his arcanum
in verse 3, apparently refers to the Temple.
14. Rotam the psalmist prays that the foes of Israel may become
;

like the stalks of wild artichoke which, thrown together in bundles, are
whirled along by the Vvdnd. That there is no reference to wheels in
the proper sense is clear from the parallelism. We find the same
wish for the future of the wicked in Ps. i. 4 and xxxiv. 5. In Is. xvii
we have '

They (the nations) shall be

: chased as th chaff of the hills
" " '
before the wind, and like the wheel before the whirlwind (Vulgate :

sicut turbo coram tempestcde). Cf. also Job xxi. 18. The stipula is
the dry straw on the threshing-floor, or among the stubble.
15. Like a fire which swiftly consumes a forest, or wood crowning
a hill, and leaves the hill bleak and bare, so shall God swiftly destroy
the enemies in the burning fury of His wrath. Isaias develops in
X. 16-19 a similar picture of the consuming activity of God's anger.
16. Notice that the anger of Yahweh is at once a storm, or breath
of rage, and a glow of wrath.
fiery
17. When Godhas allowed His anger to burn and storm against
them, they will at last turn to Him to seek Him, but they will not
find Him.
18. The piling up of words referring to shame is intended to
suggest the deepest depths of ignominy. When the enemy have
come humbly to Yahweh to offer Him their submission and homage.
He will drivethem contemptuously away.
19. Through their humiliation the enem}^ must learn that there
is one God, and one alone over all the earth, and that that God is

Yahweh. The last verse seems to imply that, when the wicked have
fully realised the true place and power of Yahweh, they also wiT
receive mercy. Thus the harshness of verses 14-18 is softened at
least by implication.
 PSALM LXXXIII
HOW PLEASANT IS THY DWELLING,
O LORD
iHIS is
a genuine pilgrim-song full of enthusiastic love and
longing for Sion and its sacred ceremonial, and for the Holy
City, Jerusalem. It should be read in close connection with
Ps. cxxi and with Ps. xlvii and Ixxxvi.
In verses 2-4 a layman, who may only enter the Courts of the
Temple tells of his vehement longing for the holy places. He has
come from far away, and now in Jerusalem he is at home again, and
compares his mood to that of the bird, that, after long absence, has
found again its nest and its young.
In verse 5 the psalm turns to the praise of the Levites and priests
the dwellers in the House of the Lord.
Yet, as verse 6 tells us, not only are they happy that dwell ever
in God's House they also are happy who, when far away, set their
:

heart on visiting the Holy City, trusting in God's help to carry out
their plan. Even though their path to the Sanctuary (verse 7) may pass
through dark valleys and arid steppes, God will make springs to
.flow for them, and turn the desert into fertile land, and upborne by
the thought of their goal, they will be conscious of no hindrance or
peril on their way. So will they march forward, not growing weary
but rather gathering strength as they go, until they come into the
presence of God in Sion (S).
Arrived in the Temple the pilgrims make their prayer. It is not
chiefly for themselves. They beseech God to look graciously on His

Anointed either the King, or the people so that all may be well
with Israel.
In verse 11 the singer turns back to the delight of his soul in the
nearness of Yahweh (c/. Ps. xxvi. 4). Even though, as a layman he
cannot enter the inner Temple, a day for him in the Temple Courts
is worth a thousand days in his own dwelling far away. He would
fain dwell even on the threshold of the Temple for ever. For there
(12) he has security and happiness, peace and divine favour.
If it is true, as many critics hold, that the psalms which speak of

eager longing to revisit the Temple express the spirit of the Judaism
of the Diaspora, we must date this and similar psalms in the post-
Exilic period. But as there is no convincing reason for supposing
that there was no Diaspora before the Exile, or that pious Jews
were not wont to return from foreign lands in the pre-Exilic period
72 THE PSALMS [8:

to celebrate the great feasts in Jerusalem, we cannot take the post-

Exilic dating as assured.

I. In finem, Pro torcularibus I. For the choir-master of the Korachite

' '

filiis Core, Psalmus. Gittith ;

a psalm.

/ 2. Quam dilccta tabernacula 2. How delightful is Thy Tent,

tua Domine virtutum : O Yahweh of Host's !

3. Concupiscit, et deficit ani- 3. My soul pineth in longing

ma mea in atria Domini. For the Courts of the Lord ;

Cor meum, et caro mea ex- Jly heart and my body exult
sultaverunt in Deum vivum. Unto the living God.
4. Etenim passer invenit sibi 4. The sparrow hath found a home,
domum et turtur nidum sibi, And the turtle-dove a nest
ubi ponat
:

pullos suos. To place therein their young

Altaria tuaDomine virtutum Thy altars, O Lord of Hosts,
Rex meus, et Deus meus. My King and my God !

5.Beati, qui habitant in do- Happy they who dwell in Thy House,
mo tua Domine in ssecula sae- : O Lord !

culorum laudabunt te. For ever they praise Thee.

6. Beatus vir, cujus est auxili- Happy the man whose help is from Thee,
um abs te ascensiones in corde
: When he hath set pilgrimages in his
suo disposuit, heart.
7. In valle lacrimarum Through the Valley
in loco of Tears,
quem posuit. To the goal he hath fixed !

8. Etenim benedictionem da- He who hath given the Law, giveth also
bit legislator, ibunt de virtute in the blessing.
virtutem : videbitur Deus deo- So rise they from strength unto
rum in Sion. strength ;

Till the God of Gods appeareth on Sion.

9. Domine Deus virtutum ex- 9- Lord, God of Hosts, hear Thou my

audi orationem meam auribus :
prayer !

percipe Deus Jacob. Attend unto it, O God of Jacob !

10. Protector noster aspice 10. God, our Protector, look hither,
Deus et :
respice in faciem^ And behold the face of Thy Anointed :

Christi tui : J
11. Quia melior est dies una II. For a day in Thy Courts is better
in atriis tuis, super millia. Than a thousand ('
at home ').
Elegi abjectus esse in domo Rather would I dwell humbly in the
Dei meimagis quam habitare
: House of my God
in tabernaculis peccatorum. Than abide in the tent of sinners.
12. Quia misericordiam, et 12. For God loveth kindness and truth ;

veritatem diligit Deus gratiam : The Lord giveth favour and glory :

et gloriam datait Dominus.

13. Non privabit bonis eos, 13. To those who walk uprightly He denietb
qui ambulant in inocentia : no good.
Domine virtutum, beatus homo, O Lord of Hosts, happy is the man who
qui sperat in te. hopeth in Thee !

' '

I. Fro torcularibus ;
see Ps. Ixxx. i. For the sons of Korach
see Ps. xli. i.

the Temple is meant, the plural indicating, perhaps,

Tahernacida :

the whole complex of Temple buildings. Ps. xlii. 3 uses the plural
83] HOW PLEASANT IS THY DWELLING 73

in similar fashion. It is clear that this psalm implies the existence

of the Temple, but whether the pre-Exilic or the post-Exilic structure
is the object of the psalmist's longing is not indicated.

3. If we take the verbs here as present, the meaning must be that

the psalmist is overcome with joy at sight of the Temple, or that he
vividly anticipates what will happen when he comes in sight of the
Temple. Some commentators have taken the verbs literally as
translations of the Hebrew perfect, and have assumed that the psalmist
is here describing how he had longed for the Temple while he was
yet
far away from and how
he, then, breaks out into rejoicing when he
it,

arrives in Jerusalem. In any interpretation there is made a contrast

between the longing of the Israelite for the far-away Temple and his
joy at beholding the sacred shrine once again {cf. Ps. xli and xlii).
' '
The courts,' or fore-courts,' of the Temple are mentioned, pro-
bably, because the psalmist is a lajonan, or speaks as the representative-
of a group of (pilgrim) laymen.
'
Cor et caro cf. Ps. Ixxii. 26.
: The cor and caro are the whole
being.'
4. The meaning is not, as some have supposed, that while the
little birds are free to make their nests in the Temple, these longing

pilgrims have been forced to live far away from it. The birds here
are the Israelites themselves and their children who can rejoice in
the Temple as their home ;
and the returning pilgrims in re-visiting
the Temple feel like a bird returning to its nest.
Since the Israelites feel as secure and as safe in the Temple
5.
as do young birds in the nest, so must they be thought doubly happy
who dwell constantly in the Temple itself i.e., the priests and Levites.
' ' ' '
The praising is peculiarly the duty of the dwellers in the Temple
the Priests and Levites.
6. As the Vulgate text stands, the meaning is, that he is happy
who puts all his God when he decides to make pilgrim.ages
trust in to
the Temple (ascensiones). The Hebrew word corresponding to
ascensiones seems xd\ie.x=semitae (as Jerome renders), but the Vulgate
(=Greek) is here to be preferred. There is no reason for doubting
that ascensiones=^\o\\s journeys to Jerusalem at the great festivals
(though, of course, the mystical interpretation of the word as re-
ferring to contemplative ascents of the soul to God is also, in its own
way, legitimate). the pious Israelite who determines to
Happy is

make the pilgrimages, trusting in God to overcome all the difficulties

which may beset the path of pilgrimage In the Hebrew text the !

word which corresponds to disposuit belongs to the following clause.

The word is 'obh^re, which, read with the two following words in the
'

Hebrew, gives the sense, Those who traverse the Valley of Bakha.'
' '

The Septuagint translators read 'obh"re as 'arakh or 'abadh, to set

' '
or (Aramaic) to make {disposuit).
7. In the Greek text we have here accusatives=a^ valient, ad
74 THE PSALMS [83

locum, and we can understand the ablative with in as the Vulgar

Latin equivalent of in with the accusative, it would be better,
'

however, to take in valle as if it v;ere=:' in,' or through,' the valley,

and to regard in loco a.s=in locum. Then, replacing disposutt of the
preceding clause by transeuntes, we get the sense that the pilgrims
who trust in God are happy even when they pass through the Valley
of Tears on their way to the Place (^the Temple). The Hebrew
' '

Valley of Bakha' has been taken by the Greek translators as the

'

Valley of Tears by reading Bakha (which is usually translated as

'
balsam-shrub ') as bekheh (' tears '). So also in 2 Kings v. 24, the
' '
Greek text transforms bakha' into weeping (possibly influenced by
' '
the place-name Weepers in Judges ii. 5). Following the older
' '

versions generally, we may assume that Valley of Tears is here the

' '

correct sense of the text. This Valley of Tears (which has passed
from here into the Salve Regina) cannot be identified with certainty.
Prince Max identifies it with a bleak, wild valley between Jerusalem
and the Dead Sea where St. Sabbas built his monastery, the Lawra.
Perhaps it is not necessary to seek any precise identification for the
Valley in question the psalmist wishes to say that for the pilgrim
;

whose trust is in God no portion of his path to the Shrine will hold
terrors not even if that path were to pass through the bleakness
and darkness of a wild valley which ordinary travellers would call a
'

Valley of Tears.' The locus quern posuit can be interpreted only

of the Temple, which the pilgrim had determined for himself as the

goal of his journey. The Hebrew is here again very different. It runs :

Passing through the Valley of Tears,

They make it a place of springs.'

The wildness and bare bleakness of the valley is unnoticed by the

pious enthusiastic pilgrims, and, instead of a place of dread, it becomes
for them a place of peace and verdure and rest, like an oasis to the
'
desert-traveller. V/here the Massoretic text has ma'yan, a place of
' ' ' '

springs,' the Greek translators read ma'on, a place or dwelling

{locus) .
8. The Vulgate apparently means In that place (the Temple)
:

the Legislator {i.e. God, who prescribed the ascensiones) will give
blessings to the pilgrims. Remembering these blessings the pilgrims
hurry on, not growing weary as travellers do whose road is long,
but rising from strength to strength, finding new vigour as they
advance towards their goal, where they hope to look on the glory
of the God of Israel in Sion. The analogy between this interpretation
of the text and the facts of the spiritual life has often been noted,
and it has been often quoted in favour of the purely mystic inter-
pretation of ascensiones.
83] HOW PLEASANT IS THY DWELLING js

The Hebrew is here again quite different in its suggestiveness. It

runs ;

'
An early rain hath decked it with blessing
'
;

They go from strength to strength ;

He = they) ( appeareth before God in Sion.'

' '

Moreh, early rain (autumn rain) v/as taken by the translators

as the participle, morch=tea.cher {legislator), and the preposition 'el
'

used after the verb y era' eh {videbitur) was taken as 'El, God.' The
'

verb ya'teh, clothe,' deck,' was taken as=' give.'

'
Thus the same
original consonantal text has been read in very
different fashions.
The early rain and the blessing which it gives form a development
of the picture in the preceding passage. The bleak valley becomes
for the enthusiastic pilgrims a fertile oasis which the autumn rains
have decked with verdure.
The prayer of the pilgrims in the Temple.
9.
God of Jacob ' '

Jacob was the great type of the pilgrim to whom God reveals Himself.
Our Shield has become Protector noster. The
' '

10. The Hebrew

Christiis {' Anointed may be the King the Anointed of the Lord
')
' '

'

or be the whole people Ps. xxvii. 8), regarded as the

it may {cf.
Israel of God.'
11. Atriis ;
see verse 3. The Hebrew baharti which is correctly
'

rendered elegi ought, probably, to be emended into baJfdarai, in my

home.' A day in the Courts of Yahweh is better than a thousand
at home. Hence we should read in the following, Abjectum esse. . .

{melius est) quam habitare in tabernacuUs peccatorum, 'It is

. . .

better to be lowly in the House of my God than to dwell in the tents

of sinners.'
it differs wholly from the
12. The Latin is here quite clear, but
'

Hebrew the latter has

: For a sun and a shield is Yahv/eh God.' :

There is no way of reducing the Greek and the Massoretic texts here
to a single primitive consonantal text. Apparently the Greek trans- '
' '

lators refused to designate God either as sun or shield,' and, there-

from strength to strength many commentators' '

*
Instead of rendering
translate from rampart to rampart,' as if there were question of a procession
'

advancing from point to point up to the Temple on Sion, or of marching from

tower to tower in the fortihcations of Jerusalem (as in Ps. xlvii. 13/.). An
interesting attempt has been made by Dr. Peters in the journal
of Biblical
Literature (Vol. xxxix. 1920, p. 52/f.) to show that this psalm is to be under-
stood as a processional hymn, and that the clauses from verse bb {A scensiones, etc.)
to verse 8 are merely indications as to the course of the procession. He renders
Causeways in the midst of them (between the western hill
'

these verses thus :

and Mt. Sion) they have passed over. In the valley of weeping the fountain that
they make (=point where Virgin Spring issues through tunnel
in Tyropeon

Valley). Also the pool (probably lower pool of Siloam) the leader encircleth.
Is seen
They go from rampart to rampart (up the scarps of the hill of Ophel).
the God of Gods on Sion (procession reaches the southern gate of Temple).
']6
THE PSALMS [83

fore substituted for the Hebrew a commonplace of Jewish thought.

It has been conjectured, however, that, instead of the Massoretic
shemesh, sun, the Greeks read in their Hebrew shemen, oil,' and that
'

'

they rendered maghen, shield,' by (io-qdaa. Thus eAaiov (oil)

and /3o;'i6eia may have originally stood in the Greek text. Through
scribal error ekuwv became e'Aeov [misericordia) and then fSoydeLa
,

became dXydeia (after Ps. xli. 9 and xlii. 3). This is the only place
in the Old Testament where God is directly called sun
'

though in
'

Ecclus. xlii. 16 the glory of God which is manifest in all His works
is compared to the rising sun the rays of which illuminate all things :

'
The rising sun is revealed over all things :

As the glory of the Lord is over all His works.'

12. God will withhold no blessing from those who walk in justice
since He gives to them favour (His divine favour) and glory (a quasi-
divine endowment, kahhodh). Receiving so much. His worshippers
can need naught else. Notice that throughout this psalm and else-
where Deits viriutum=Deiis exercittiti.m=God of Hosts.
 PSALM LXXXIV
ISRAEL'S COMFORT IN SORROW
^HIS psalm is a liturgical composition dating from the post-

Exilic period. It reflects the griefs and hopes of the post-

Exilic community in Israel. The decree of their liberation
from Babylon had filled the Exiles with joy, but their home-
coming had been full of disappointment. Instead of joy and peace,
unsettlement and sadness prevailed throughout the land, and men were
wondering why the Lord had brought them back from Babylon only
to the disillusionment of Juda. We find in the psalm the same spirit
which breathes in the beginning of the books of Aggaeus and Zachary.
If the Lord had great designs for Israel when He used Cyrus to set
the Exiles free, why does He not begin to accomplish them ? Has
the divine anger which handed over Jerusalem and its people to the
Chaldeans not been appeased by the sufferings of the Exile ? Is
that anger about to burst forth against His unhappy people once
more ? Is there no hope that the old greatness of Israel will be
restored ? Surely the wonders of the past, and, above all, the grace
of liberation from captivity will not end in the destruction of Israel !

The poem falls easily into three parts. In the first (2-4) the
graces and mercies of the liberation from the Exile are recalled. We
can imagine this part of the psalm as sung by a portion of the people
gathered together for worship, by a choir, or by the priests.
The second part of the psalm includes verses 5-8. Here another
choir implores the Lord to complete the mercies which the Liberation
had begun. Surely He will not be again angry with His people as
He had been before the Exile. Surely His wrath will not blaze
forth unto the destruction of Israel again It is time for the Lord
!

to show His gracious favour again, that Israel may live and praise
Him.
In the third section (9-14) a soloist sings a prophetic message of
comfort for Israel. As if listening to the words of Yahweh the prophet
sings. His song is an oracle of hope. Help from the Lord is at

hand. The words of Yahweh are words of peace of rest and of
security. The Peace and the Glory of the Lord will soon be seen
again in Israel. A wonderful picture of the Lord's benignant rule
is drawnin familiar Messianic colours. Justice, Truth, Graciousness,
Peace, as Yahweh's ministering Angels, will rule everywhere in the
land. The earth will be fruitful beyond all hope. Wherever the
Lord walks abroad in the land Justice goes before Him and Peace
11
78 THE PSALMS [84

follows in His train. The hope that painted a picture like this at a
time of deepest political depression could spring
only from the un-
shakeable conviction that God was on the side of Israel.
The structure of this poem should be compared with that of
Ps.
cxxv where the prophetic portion is wanting, and also with
that of xciv and Ixxx.

1. In finem, Filiis Core, Psal- For the clioir-master of the Korachites.

mus. A psalm.

(Choir A)
2. Benedixisti Domine terram Thou hast blessed Thy land, O Lord ;

tuam : avertisti captivitatem The exiles of Jacob Thou hast brought

Jacob. back :

3. Keniisisti iniquitatem ple- 3. Thou hast pardoned the sin of thy

bis tuae operuisti omnia pec-
:
people ;
cata eorum. All their sins Thou hast forgiven.

4. Mitigasti omnem iram tu- 4. Thou hast put away Thy anger
am avertisti
: ab ira indigna- Thou hast turned aside Thy burning
;

tionis tuas. wrath.

(Choir B)
5. Converte nos Deus salu- 5. Establish us again, our rescuing God !

taris noster et averte iram

:
Abandon Thy anger against us.
tuam a nobis.
6. Numquid in asternum ira- 6. Wilt Thou be angry with us for ever ?
sceris nobis ? aut extendes iram And stretch out Thy wrath from age
tuam a generatione in genera- to age ?
tionem ?
7. Deus tu conversus vivi- 7. Thou wilt grant us life again, O God,
ficabis nos et plebs tua la;tabi- And Thy
:
people shall rejoice in Thee !

tur in te.
8. Ostende nobis Domine 8. Show us, O Lord, Th}'- favour,
misericordiam tuam et salutare : And grant us Thy saving help.
tuum da nobis.

(Prophetic soloist)
9. Audiam quid loquatur in I listen to what the Lord God speaketh
me Dominus Deus :
quoniam within me.
loquetur pacem in plebem suam. of peace for His people He
Verily,
Et super sanctos suos et in :
speaketh,
eos, qui convertuntur ad cor. And for His worshippers.
And for those who take it to heart.
10. Verumtamen ti- 10. Yea His rescue is near to us that fear
prope !

mentes eum salutare ipsius ut : Him,

inhabitet gloria in terra nostra. That glory may dwell once more in our
land.
11. Misericordia, et Veritas II. Kindness and Truth have met together :
obviaverunt sibi justitia, et
:
Justice and Peace have kissed.
pax osculatae sunt.
12. Veritas de terra orta est : 12. Truth hath sprung from the eaith ;

et justitia de coelo
prospexit. Justice looketh down from heaven !

13. Etenim
Dominus dabit 13. Indeed the Lord granteth blessing,
benignitatem et terra nostra:
And our land giveth its fruit.
dabit fructum suum.
84] ISRAEL'S COMFORT IN SORROW 79

14. Justitia ante eum ambu- 14. Justice goeth before Him,
labit : et ponet in via gressus And maketh His footsteps a path.
SViOS.

'

1. Filiis Core, psalmus, a Korachite psalm.'

' '

2. Benedixisti : Hebrew, Thou hast found pleasure in ;

the
same Hebrew word is used in reference to the Servant in Is. xlii. i.

Cf. Matt. iii. 17 xii. 18. ;

Avertisii avertere is used in the Psalter to render a variety of

:

Hebrew verbs. Here, if captivitas means, as commentators on the

Vulgate generally assume, the exiles in the Babylonian captivity
(the abstract being used for the concrete) avertisii
must =' Thou hast
brought back.' Commentators on the Hebrew text prefer, as a rule,
to translate shabhta sh^bhtUh, Thou hast changed the lot, or fate.' '

'

But whether we render Thou hast changed the lot of Jacob,' or

'
Thou hast brought back the exiles of Jacob,' the meaning is ultimately
the same, for there can be little doubt that the text refers to the great
intervention of Yahweh in the fate of Israel which resulted in the
return from the Exile. The psalmist is enumerating in verses 2-4
the blessings and favours which the Lord conferred on Israel when
He brought the Babylonian Exile to a close. The exiles had returned
from Babylon full of hope and enthusiasm, but their hope did not
soon find fulfilment, and their enthusiasm gave way quickly almost
to despair.
3. Remisisti and opernisti are equivalent in the parallelism.
The
sign of God's pardon was the permission to the Exiles to return.
'

IJitigasti
4. :
'

make to cease (Jerome, contimnsti) ; cf. Ps.

Ixxxviii. 10.
'

Ira indignationis, burning wrath.'

5. Converte nos,
'

establish us again
'

(Ps. Ixxix. 4). The Hebrew

shnhhenu is strange, for shuhh is usually intransitive. Possibly we
pray, return,' and read it with the next
'

.should read skuhh-na

following verb, haphcr
,

to cease) = make
so that the sense would
(

O our rescuing God, pray make to cease once more Thy anger
'

be,
against us.' We could get this same sense from the Vulgate by
omitting nos and regarding converte as used idiomatically (as explained
in note on Ps. vi. 5). It had seemed when the Exile was ended that
God would henceforth be gracious with His people. Yet they are
still in difficulties, and the outlook is dark. Hence the prayer that
God may finally cease from His anger, and make Israel at last
secure.
Surely the wrath which had brought on the Exile,
6. and which
for a little time had seemed to be ended, will not be maintained for

ever. Exiendes, protract {cf. Zach.

'
i. 12). With this verse
'
should be
compared Ps. Ixxvi. 9, and chapters Ixiii-lxiv of Isaias.
8o THE PSALMS [84

'

7. Detis the Septuagint translators read ha'el,

:
God,' which
is better than the Massoretic h^lo' {nonne). Co^iversiis vivi- . . .

' '

ficabis, Thou, Lord, wilt again give us life Cf. Ps. Ixx. 20, and
verse 5 above. The people are dead, as it were, at present, and it
depends on God whether they will live again. If the Lord gives them
life again, they will praise Him. From the dead He cannot hope for
praise.
8. Salutare, saving help (Ps. i.\. 16). The loving kindness of
the Lord will be shown in His gracious rescue of Israel from
her sorrows.
g. Here obviously begins a new section of the psalm. The poet
begins to speak as a prophet. He will tell the people what the Lord
says in answer to their prayer. The burden of the prophetic

oracle is hope hope in the nearness of salvation. Like Isaias
'
in chapter he speaks words of comfort for Jerusalem
xl, Her ;

battling over and her iniquity is pardoned, for from the hand
is

of Yahweh she hath received double for all her sins. The . . .

glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it.'
Cf. Is. xlv. 8 Iviii. 8. ;

In me is not represented in the Hebrew but it suggests here the ;

appropriate sense of a message received by the psalmist from God

who speaks within him.
Qnoniam introduces the direct discourse. God speaks of peace.
He will not be always angry. To His sancti, His loyal servants, He
will particularly grant peace.
the Greek has, unto those who
'
In eos qui convertunhtr ad cor :

turn their heart to Him.' The

Massoretic, w^'al yashubhu I'kislah,
'
and let them not return to folly,' contains a warning which does
not fit weU into a message of hope and kindness. Hence it has been
'

proposed (by Delitzsch) to read w"'al yesh^bhit bHi kislah, and let
them not be without hope.' The Greeks read in their Hebrew text,
we'He shabhe libbam loh, to those who return in heart (or, turn their
'

heart) to Him
'

which may well have been the genuine original text.
We may take ad cor as=' from their heart,' sincerely {qtd ad illitm ' '

corde convertuntur) or we may understand the phrase as meaning

'

returning to their own heart

;

from which they had gone

'

away by sin, taking seriously the warnings they have heard.
Augustine who read qui convertimt cor ad ipsum (like the Greek),
says Eja fratres,
: vultisad vos pertineat ista pax quam loquitur
Deus ? Covertite cor ad ipsum, non ad me, aut ad ilium, aut ad
quempiam hominem.
10. Verumtamen, 'verily.' Salvation is nigh. Instead of (the
defeat and disgrace and disillusionment which the people have suffered,
they will soon see the glory of olden days dwell in the land once more.
This re-dwelling of glory is the end which God aims at in His new
attitude of kindness towards His people. The glory in question has
 84] ISRAEL'S COMFORT IN SORROW 8i

been understood by many Commentators as the Sheldiinah, the token

of Presence of which we hear in Exod. xvi. lo, and
the divine
3 Kings viii. ii
the cloud which iilled the House of the Lord when
the Lord entered into His dwelling. that visible token of Yahweh's U
presence once again appears the greatness of the Israelite people will
surely be re-established. But possibly the reference is not to the
'
Shekhinah (since the text speaks only of Glory,' not of His Glory ') '

but to the splendid condition of the re-estabhshed (and Messianic, or

quasi-Messianic) Israel.
11-14. The poet describes in detail the blessings of the new period
first the spiritual blessings in verses 11, 12, and then those of the

material order, verses 13, 14. The blessings of the spiritual order are
loving-kindness, truth (fidehty), justice and peace. Kindness and
Truth, thought of as ministering spirits, or angels, hasten to meet
each other in friendship Justice and Peace, thought of also as angehc
:

beings, salute each other with a kiss. In one end of the earth Kindness
rules in another Truth.
; Here there is Justice there flourishes ;

Peace. Wrath and punishment have ceased love and truth are :

supreme. Or, as verse 12 puts the thought. Truth is as universal

as the green which clothes the earth, and Justice is as all-ruling as the
sun which looks down on all things from heaven. It is not necessary
to discuss whether the Truth and Justice of verses 11 and 12 are
human or divine. What the poet wishes to suggest is the all-
embracing influence and rule of justice and truth in the new era. It is
clear that we have here definite Messianic features, and that the poet
imagines the new order, which the saving help of Yahweh will set up,
in the same fashion as the author of Ps. Ixxi. It is to be noted in
'

connection with the expression Justice sprouteth forth from the

' '

earth,' that one of the technical titles of the Messias was, the Sprout
'

{cf. Ps. Ixxi. 7, and the notes on Ps. Ixxi generally), and that shooting"
' '

forth,' or sprouting forth belongs to the Messianic vocabulary {cf.

Is. iv. 2 ;
xlv. 8 ;
Ixi. 11, etc.). The personification of Kindness,
Truth, Peace, etc., is frequent, as we have seen, in the Psalter {cf.
Ps. xlii. 3 ;
xcvi. 2, etc.). Justice, Truth, Kindness and Peace are,
in a sen.se, the angels to whose charge the men of the Messianic kingdom
will be entrusted.

Benignitaiem
13. the Hebrew speaks of the good
: which may,
' '

perhaps, be chiefly the rain (according to Deut. ii. 12). Fruitfulness
of the soil is one of the most frequently enumerated tokens of the
Messianic era.
14. Et ponet in via gressus suos this would be more intelligible ;

if we had
ejiis instead of suos. We could then render and maketh :
'

His steps a way,' i.e., Justice walks before Yahweh, but it also follows
'

in His footsteps. The Massoretic text seems to mean Justice :

goeth before Him, and giveth heed to the path of His footsteps,'
and the Vulgate is a literal reproduction of this Massoretic text.
6
82 THE PSALMS [84

If the Hebrew were slightly emended we could get the suitable

sense :

'

Justice goeth before Him,

And Peace (or, Salvation) on the path of His footsteps. .'

When Yahweh passes through the land Justice is His herald and
Salvation (or Peace), the minister that follows Him. The present
sorrows of Israel will be followed by an age which shall know naught
but glory, graciousness, kindness, truth, justice, peace, abundance
and the visible presence and rule of Yahweh.
 PSALM LXXXV
A COMPLAINT
1-7 are an introduction which describes the wretched-
VERSES ness of the psahnist (who represents, perhaps, the people of
Israel), and emphasises the kindness and mercy of the Lord.
The psalmist hopes for a favourable hearing for his prayer
because he is loyal to God and zealous in worship. God will surely
hear him.
In verses 8-10 the might of Yahweh as Creator and sole God is
extolled. Even the heathens will be forced to acknowledge the great-
ness of Israel's God at the end of days. A God so mighty as Yahweh
cannot abandon His faithful servants.
Verses 12 and 13 contain the customary vow to give praise and
glory to the Lord, only He grants to the singer His gracious help
if

and rescue. The vow is preceded by a prayer (verse 11) that God
may keep the psalmist steadfast in that goodness which he had
claimed as his in the introduction. Obviously such goodness is
necessary in one who confidently hopes for God's help.
In verse 14 the complaint proper is set forth (in words borrowed
from Ps. liii. 5). We learn that the psalmist is suffering under some
'

sort of oppression, inflicted by godless and strong ones.'

'
are
'
We
not told the precise character of the oppression. The words of the
psalm are general and conventional. Verses 15-17 take up again the
praise of God's mercy which we have in the introductory verses,
and
beg for a token of Yahweh's favour for the psalmist. When the
godless and the strong ones clearly see that Yahweh is on the side
of
the psalmist they will be cast into confusion.
'
The title, Prayer of David,' given to this psalm is justified by
the circumstance that the greater part of the psalm consists of echoes
of Davidic psalms. The general character of the psaLm (even apart
from obvious dependance on a great many other psalms) its
its

vagueness, pecuhar arrangement, and the psalmist's method
of
the post-
describing himself all these things point, probably, to
Exilic period as the date of the poem.

Oratio ipsi David. A prayer of David,

I. Inclina Domine aurem tu- i. Bend down Thine ear to me, O Lord,
am, et exaudi me :
quoniam and hear me,
inops, et pauper sum ego. For I am poor and wretched.
83
H THE PSALMS [85

2. Custodi animam meam, 2. Protect me for I am faithful.

quoniam sanctus sum salvum : Rescue Thy servant, my God,
fac servum tuum, Deus meus, He hopeth in Thee.
sperantem in te.
3. jNIiserere mei Domine quo- 3. Have pity on me, O Lord,
niam ad te clamavi tota die : For unto Thee I cry all the day :

4. Laetilica animam servi tui, 4. Gladden the soul of Thj' servant.

quoniam ad te Domine animam For to Thee, O Lord, I Uft up my soul.
meam levavi.
5. Quoniam tu Domine
sua- 5. For Thou, O Lord, art kind and gentle,
vis, et mitis : et multae miseri- And rich in pity to all who call upon
cordia; omnibus invocantibus te. Thee.
Auribus percipe Domine
6. 6. Give ear, O
Lord, to my prayer,
orationem meam et intende : And regard the words of my plaint.
voci deprecationis meaj.
7. In die tribulationis meae 7. In the day of my trouble I cry unto
clamavi ad te quia exaudisti :
Thee,
me. For Thou wilt hear me.

8. Xon est similis tui in diis 8. Thy like is not among the gods, O Lord !

Domine : et non est secundum Nought is like unto Thy works.

opera tua.
9. Omnes Gentes quascumque 9. All the peoples Thou hast made shall
fecisti, venient, et adorabunt come,
coram te Domine et gloriiica- : And do homage to Thee, O Lord,
bunt nomen tuum. And praise Thy name.
10. Quoniam magnus es tu, 10. For Thou art great and dost wonders :

et faciens mirabilia tu es Deus : Thou alone art God.

solus.

11. Deduc me Domine in via 11. Lead me, O Lord, on Thy path.
tua, et ingrediar in veritate tua : That I may walk in Thy truth.
laetetur cor meum ut timeat no- Let my heart rejoice
men tuum. That it feareth Thy name.
12. ConHtebor tibi Domine 12. With all my heart I will praise Thee, O
Deus meus in toto corde meo, Lord my God !

et glorificabo nomen tuum in I will exait Thy name for ever.

seternum :

13. Quia misericordia tua ma- 13. For great towards me was Thy favour ;

gna est super me : et eruisti ani- From deepest Sheol Thou hast rescued
mam meam ex inferno inferiori. me.

14. Deus, iniqui insurrexerunt 14. O God, the godless have risen up against
super me, et synagoga potenti- me ;

um quaesierunt animam meam : The band of the strong ones seek my

et non proposuerunt te in con- life.

spectu suo. They keep Thee not before them.

15. Et tu Domine Deus mi- 15. But Thou, O my God, art gracious and
serator et misericors, patiens kind,
ct multa; misericordiaj, et verax. Long-suffering, rich in pity and true.
16. Respice in me, et miserere 16. Look on me and be gracious to me ;

mei, da imperium tuum puero Give strength to Thy servant.

tuo et salvum fac filium an-
: And help the son of Thy handmaid.
-cillae tua?.

17. I'ac mecum signum in 1 7. Show me a sign of Thy favour,

bonum, ut videant qui oderunt That they who hate me may see and
me, et confundantur :
quoniam be brought to shame,
tu Domine adjuvisti me, et con- Because Thou, O Lord, hast helped
solatus es me. and consoled me.
85] A COMPLAINT 85

Oratio ipsi David verse 6 of this psalm describes it as an oralio,

;

and since it is to a large extent a mosaic of quotations from Davidic

'

psalms it is called a prayer of David.' Oratio appears in the titles of

a number of psalms. Cf. Ps. xvi, Ixxxix, ci, cxli.
1.Cf. Ps. xvi. 6b (Ps. xvi being also an Oratio David) xxx. ^a : ;

xl. 11a Ixx. 2b ; Ixxxvii. 3^

;
ci. 3. With verse ib compare Ps. ;

xxxvi. 14.
'
2. Sanctus a
loyal worshipper.'
: The psalmist calls himself
' '
also a servant of the Lord. This does not necessarily imply that the
prayer is uttered by an individual in his own name, and for himself.
If, as hold, the prayer is liturgical, Israel may be regarded as
many
the suppliant. As David was a serviis Domini, so could Israel as a
people be called the servus Domini. With 2a compare Ps. xxiv. 20a.
' '

3. Tola die, always,' at all times.'

4. Animam levavi ; cf. Ps. xxiv. i : Ad te Domine levavi animam
meam.
' '

5. Suavis, kind ; cf. Ps. xxiv. 8, Didcis et rectus Domimis.

' '

Mitis, quick to forgive,' gracious,' Jerome renders propitiabilis. ;

' '

Miiltae misericordiae, rich in loving-kindness see below verse 15. ;

6. Compare Ps. v. 2-3 ;

Verba niea aiiyibns pc/cipe Domine,

intellige clamorein meum.
Intende voci orationis meae, rex raeus et Dens mens.

7. Compare Ps. xvi. 6a :

Ego clamavi quoniam exaudisti me Deus.
8. Compare Exod. xv. 11 :

Quis similis tui in fortibus Domine ?

Quis similis magnificus in sanctitate,

tiii,
terribilis atque laudabilis, faciens mirabilia ?

Cf. Ps. Ixxxviii. 9 Deut. iii. 24. Verse 9 and 10 show that the psalmist
;

did not ascribe a real existence to the gods of the nations. There is
nothing with which God or His works can be compared. In the
second half of the verse we must add opus or simile.
Is. Ixvi. 18-20.
9. Compare Ps. xxi. 286
Ixxi. 11 ; ;

10. Cf. Ps. xlvii. 2. T^.' es Deus solus excludes the reality of the

heathen gods.
11. Cf. Ps. xxvi. II. The
'

way
'

is the path of God's command-

ments.
'

Laetetur, etc. the Hebrew has Make one (or, single)

;
heart, :
my
so as to fear Thy name.' The Septuagint translators read here
yihadh (imperfect of hadhah), laetetur, instead of the Massoretic
It is possible that
'

yahedh,
'

make one
(piel imperative of yahadh).
there is here an echo of Jer. xxxii. 39, and that the sense of the Hebrew
Give me (the community) a single, uniform spirit, so that we
'

here is :

may all equally fear Thee.'

12. Cf. Ps. ix. 2.
86 THE PSALMS [85

13. Infernus inferior is the lowest undenvorld. The community

was dead, as it were, and in the farthest recesses of Sheol.
14. Almost verbatim from Ps. liii. 5. See note there.
15. See note, verse 5 above. Cf. Exod. xxxiv. 6 Num. xiv. iS
; ;

Joel ii. 13. The mercy and kindness of God are frequently emphasised
in the Old Testament. This verse suggests an idea of God which is
closely similar to that conveyed by the New Testament.
16. As it stands in the Vulgate this verse is apparently^ a prayer
for the fulfilment of the prophecy in 2 Kings vii. 11-16. The imperiiim
is, then, the rule promised by Nathan to the house of David. The
older psalteries read here more accurately potestatem, which renders
the Septuagint reading Kpdro';. Neither the Hebrew 'oz nor the
Greek kputos is intended to mean kingly rule. The prayer is a prayer
for strength to overcome the attacks of enemies. Jerome renders :

Da fortitudinem tuam servo tuo.

Filius ancillae is parallel to servus it means a slave born in the
;

household. Such slaves were regarded as peculiarly loyal {cf. Ps.

cxv. 16; Exod. xxiii. 12). The psalmist in calhng himself a. filius
ancillae wishes tomake his prayer more urgent.
17. Fac mecum, etc.; A signmn in bonnni is a token that will prove

that Yahweh is on the side of the psalmist not a portent, or miracle.
The psalmist hopes that the Lord will intervene on behalf of Israel,
so that the enemies of Israel may see that He is still the God of Israel,
and be thwarted in their plans. Cf. Ps. xxxix. 4.
 PSALM LXXXVI
CITIZENSHIP OF SION

one of the Songs of Sion a song of praise concerning
is

THIS Jerusalem, the City of God. It was a favourite thought of

Hebrew prophecy that Jerusalem, as the dwelling-place of
Yahweh, was an inviolable sanctuary. When the city was
overthrown by the Chaldeans in 586 B.C., the conviction of Jerusalem's
spiritual inviolability became more prominent. Even though it had
fallen politically, Jerusalem could still become the great centre of
the pure worship of God, the spiritual home of all true believers.
With the spread of Judaism and the increase of proselytism among
the heathens, Jerusalem tended to be regarded more and more as
the mother of foreign peoples {cf. Is. Iv. i xliv. 4/.; ii. 2^.).;
The
thought of Sion's universal spiritual motherhood is the central thought
of this poem. Wherever the Jewish worshipper may be, he looks to
Jerusalem as to his mother thither his heart turns in prayer, and
;

thither he pilgrims when opportunity offers in order to take joyous

share in the liturgy of the Temple.
The psalm begins with the praise of Jerusalem as the city of God's
own dwelling, and the object of His special choice and love (vv. 1-3).
Then, in verses 4-6 the Lord tells wondrous things {glonosa) of Sion.
It is the centre not merely of Palestine, but of all the world. Egypt
(called here by the poetic name Rahab) and Babylon look on Sion as
the home of Yahweh's worship, and because they have learned to
acknowledge Yahweh as their God, regard themselves as citizens of
Sion. Philistia, Kush, and Tyre are represented, too, among the
loyal friends of Yahweh, and as citizens of Sion, are spoken of as
bom there (verse 4). While it is thus true that all the great heathen
nations have given children to Sion, Sion herself is universal
mother of all her children ;
whether born far away or within her
walls, the boast ismade that in Sion they were born. When the
Lord reads through the list of the peoples He finds everywhere His
own, His worshippers, Jews of the Diaspora, and fervent proselytes.
'
Over each nation appears, as it were, the rubric These were born :

there
'

(in Sion)

(vv. 5-6). Considered as the mother of the sons of
God throughout the world, as the metropolis of the Messianic Kingdom,
Sion is the abode only of the glad and joyous (verse 7).
This psalm should be read along with and xlv. There is
Ps. xlvii
no indication of exact date in the psalm ;
but modern commentators
are probably right in assigning it to that portion of the post-Exilic
period when proselytism was already flourishing.
87
 88 THE PSALMS [86

I l-ilius Core, Psalinus Can- I. A Korachite Psalm.

tici.

Fundamenta ejus in montibus His dwelling is on the sacred hills ;

Sanctis :

2. Dilij;it Dominus portas Si- z. The Lord loveth Sion's gates more than
on super omnia tabernacula all the tents of Jacob.
Jacob.
3. Gloriosa dicta sunt de et, 3. Of thee proud things are told, thou Cit\-
civitas Dei. of God !

!Memor ero Kahab, et Baby-

4. 4.
'

Rahab and Babel I will name of those

lonis scientiumme. that know me ;

Ecce alienigenae, et Tyrus, et Lo the Philistines, Tyre and the

!

populus ^thiopum, hi fuerunt Ethiopians were born here !

illic.

5. Numquid Sion dicet Ho-

:
5. Of Sion men shall say,
mo, ethomo natus est in ea :
Every man was born there ;

et ipse fundavit earn Altissimus ? The Most High Himself hath estab-
'
lished it !

6. Dominus narrabit in scri- 6. In the books the Lord maketh record

pturis populorum, et principum : Of the peoples and princes that were
horum, qui fuerunt in ea. born there.
7. Sicut Itetantium omnium 7. A dwelling of the joyous is the dwelling
habitatio est in te. in thee.

I. Psalmjis cantici ; cf. Ps. xxix. i.

'
Fundamenta is not foundations,' but that which has been set
up on foundations, a firmly fixed dwelling. The ejus which renders
a masculine suffix in the Hebrew must refer to Dominus. Jerusalem
'
is the foundation of the Lord. It has been established on the sacred
hills
'
the
eastern and western hills on which the city stood. If
the foundation of God is the Temple rather than the city, as has often
been held, the monies sancti might be a plural of amplification referring
to the hill on which the Temple stood. Since, however, the psalm
refers in general to the city of Jerusalem rather than to the Temple,
' '
we may take the fundamenta as=civitas Dei. Holy here means
chosen, set apart, inviolate. not meant that the hills were of It is
themselves holy, apart from their being chosen as the site of the Holy
City. The portae Sion are Jerusalem. God loves Jerusalem more
' '

than [super) all the dwellings of Jacob [i.e., the other districts of
Palestine). He loves Jerusalem because it was the place which He '

had chosen, to set His name there.' Even though Yahweh loves the
whole land of Canaan, His special possession, He loves Jerusalem
most of all. The mystical explanation of the psalm (as expounded,
for instance, by Theodoret) regards Sion as the heavenly Jerusalem.
3. The gloriosa are what is said in verses 4-7. Dicta ought rather
to be dicenda. Jerusalem is the civitas Dei because it is God's dwelling.
'

4. Here the Lord Himself speaks. Mentor ero, I will mention,'

' '

or I mention (the Greek translators read in their Hebrew 'ezkor, not,

as in the Massoretic text, 'azkir). Rahab is Egypt {cf. Ps. Ixxx. 11 ;
Is. XXX. 7). God reckons, or will reckon, Egypt and Babylon, the
 86] CITIZENSHIP OF SION 89

ancient enemies of His people, among His worshippers, among those

who acknowledge (Scientes) Him. There ishere the same thought as
'

in the Isaian prophecy, xix. 25 ;

Blessed is my people Egypt and
Assyria, the work of hands.' my When Yahweh reckons up His
adherents He must include the Egyptians and Assyrians among them.
Modern commentators find here a reference to a Jewish Diaspora in
Egypt and in Babylonia with its fringe of Egyptian and Babylonian

proselytes. It is not necessary, however, to find such concrete meaning

in the verse. The thought here is rather that even among the heathen
nations, which were most hostile to Yahweh and Jerusalem, there are,
or will be, many loyal servants of the God of Israel. This would be
quite intelligible from the Messianic point of view.
Alienigenae^^Fhilistmes (the Allophyli of Ps. Iv. i). The Philistines

and the Tyrians and Ethiopians like the Egyptians and Babylonians
are here among the friends of Yahweh, and, furtherm.ore, are actually
reckoned among the citizens of Jerusalem. Fiierunt renders the
' '

Greek eyan]6i]<Tav {=^eyevvi'i6i}(rav), Were born (Hebrew, ynlladh).

To be born in Jerusalem is to have the rights of a citizen of Jerusalem.
Thus the city of God becomes a sort of universal metropolis, the centre
of all the great heathen peoples who had been Israel's bitter foes in
the ancient days [cf. Zach. viii. 3 Is. liv. 1-3 Ix. 4
;
Ixvi. yff). ; ;
' '
Instead of the Hebrew singular, this one was born there [zehyidladh
sham), the Greek, adapting itself to the context, has the plural, which
is faithfully reproduced in the Latin. There may, however, be a
'

contrast intended in the Hebrew between the zch, this one,' of

verse 4 and the 'tsh iv^'ish, homo et homo of verse 5. In verse 4 the
meaning may be that this one and that one, but not all the members
of the nations enumerated, possessed the citizenship of Sion, whereas

every dweller in Sion itself was, in the fullest sense, a burgher of the
Holy City. But the more natural interpretation is to find the same
thought expressed in verses 4 and 5-
in detail in verse 4, and more
generally in verse 5.
5. The question does not look for a negative answer. It implies
an attitude of wonder, as it were, at the greatness and importance of
Sion (Jerusalem). Sion is not a nominative, but as we can readily
' '
see from the Hebrew, a dative it can be rendered
;
of Sion,' or, in
Of Sion men will say Every man was born there.'
'

regard to Sion.' :

every man
' '

The may be, as suggested above, every dweller in

Jerusalem, or it may be every man, generally. The latter sense is
the more suitable, since it makes Sion the mother-city of the world.
It is interesting to note that the usual text of the Septuagint reads
here //.//r^^p ^Uw kpd, etc. Mater Sion dicet {cf. Psalterium Rom.),
'
and that the Greek text, as it stands, must be rendered Sion is my :

mother shall a man say, and man was born in her.' lsh]Ti]p ^Uov
is, perhaps, a corruption of /xt) ry Ilmv. Several modern com-
mentators accept the Greek /jv/t///) as correct on the supposition
90 THE PSALMS [86

'
that 'em, mother,' was omitted, by a very natural scribal error,
from the Hebrew text. It would certainly fit in excellently with the
context to have here an emphatic statement of the universal mother-
hood of Sion {cf. Gal. iv. 26, quoted by Theodoret). The early
commentators who followed this Greek reading identified the homo
natiis in ea,with Christ, as the First-born of the New Jerusalem.
'

Homo homo is a Hebraism meaning every man.' The citizen-

et

ship of Sion is not a precarious blessing, for the Most High Himself
maintains,- and will maintain (Hebrew, y^khon^neha), the Holy City.
'

6. The Vulgate in scripturis raises the suggestion of Sacred

Scriptures
'

such prophetic writings as were already in existence at
the time the psalm was composed. If we take scriptiirae in this
sense there is here a reference to prophecies of a universal kingdom,
with Sion as metropolis, which are now regarded as fulfilled or re-
affirmed. But this interpretation of scriptiirae is unhkely. The
Hebrew text speaks of the registering of the peoples by the Lord.
When He goes through His Book of the Nations, He finds, as a sort
' '

of rubric referring to each nation, This one was born there {i.e., in

Jerusalem. TheHebrewphraseis thesameasin verse4). The Hebrew

'

runs : Yahweh reckoneth in the list of the peoples This one was :

bom there.' The Princes are not mentioned in the Hebrew text.
' '

The Greeks transferred sharim (' singers ') from verse 7 to this place,
and read it as sarim (' princes '). If we must explain the Latin as it
is, popnlorum and principum have to be taken as objects governed by

narrabii.
The use is an imitation of the Greek,
of the genitive after narrare
which construes with the genitive. Horum resumes the
8tr)yeicr9aL

genitives popnlorum and principum.

Fuerunt ought to be, as in verse 4, nati sunt.
For the idea of a Book of Life, or register of the Citizens of Sion,
cf. Ps. cxxxviii. 16 Is. iv. 3 Ezech. xiii. 9
;
Matt. x. 30
;
Luke ; ;

x. 20.

7. Stent represents the ^* of the Hebrew; it is not really the

usual particle of comparison, for it means here that the two actions
of singing and dancing sharim kHwlHim are simultaneous. The
singers, as has just been said, appear in the Vulgate in verse 6 as
'
the princes
'

{sarim). HolHim means

'
those who dance
'
which is

more concrete than its Latin

representative Omnium laetantes.
habitatio est in te implies a Hebrew text kol m^'ono bakh which is far
'
better than the Massoretic kol ma'yanai bakh, all my fountains are

in thee.' In the Massoretic text these words are taken as those of

' '

the rejoicing citizens of Sion, the fountains being, perhaps, the

fountains of salvation which flow unto them from their citizenship in
Sion {cf. Is. xii. 3). The Vulgate means that all the citizens of Sion,
all who have their dwelling in Sion, are full of gladness. Joyous
gladness is an essential feature of the Messianic Kingdom. Every
86] CITIZENSHIP OF SION 91

member of that kingdom will be a citizen of Sion. Therein lies the

pride and glory of the Holy City.
Jerome renders verses 5-7 thus :

Ad Sion aiitem dicetur,

Vir et vir natus est in ea,
et ipse fundavit earn Excelsus.
Dominus nunieravit scribens populos :

ipse natus est in ea.

Et cantabunt quasi in choris :
Omncs fontes rnei in te.
 PSALM LXXXVII
THE DEPTHS OF SORROW
poet, speaking in his own person, or as representing Israel,
THE likens himself to a man at the point of death (verse 4).
Inspirit
he sees himself already among the dead wholly forgotten, in
the deepest depths of Sheol, cut off from God (vv. 5-7). He is
avoided by his friends, and excluded from all intercourse with his
fellows as if he were a leper. (Exod. xiii. 46.)
In verses 8 and 15^. he makes us to understand how he regards
his affliction he is a victim of God's anger, given up to God's terrors.
:

His anguish of heart can only be explained as due to the darkness

which has come from the turning away of God's face. The disease,
whether it is the bodily disease of the poet or the condition of the
Israelitenation, is, therefore, a proof of God's anger. Yet the
psalmist neither proclaims his innocence (like Job) nor confesses his
guilt. He simply asks :
'

hast Thou withdrawn from me Thy

Why
'
favour ? Even though
the biUows of God's wrath sweep over him,
and his soul is plunged in darkness, he still continues his prayer to
Yahweh. Like Job, sorrow binds him all the more closely to the
Lord. If he dies and descends to Sheol, that will bring no profit to
Yahweh, for neither praise nor homage is given to the Lord by the
'

Shades.' As long as the psalmist still lives, his prayers and homage
will continue, so that Yahweh will gain more from his life than from
his death. The conclusion of the poem shows none of that relief
and renewed confidence which the utterance of complaint in most
of the psalms seems to bring.
With psalm should be read Psalms xxxvii, vi, cxli
this Isaias ;

xxxviii. 10-20. The whole tone of the poem reminds one constantly
of the Book of Job, and the psalm has, apparently, been greatly
influenced by the style of Job. Its dependence on Job, and other
features of the psalm inchne one to regard it as a purely individual
poem describing the sorrows, bodily and mental, of the psalmist.
Yet, as pointed out the notes, there are indications of a
in
communal reference in the psalm, and the possibility cannot be
quite excluded that it gives a picture of Israel's sorrows and griefs
as a nation.
Apart from its obvious literary dependence on other psalms and
on Job there is nothing in the psalm which helps to determine its
date.

92
8;] THE DEPTHS OF SORROW 93

1. Canticum Fsalmi, Filiis A Korachite psalm for the choir-master

Core, in finem, pro Maheleth ad of the antiphonal singers a Maskil :

respondendum, intellectus Eman of Heman, the Ezrachite.

Ezrahitae.

2. Domine Deus salutis mese : 2. O Lord, my rescuing God,

in die clamavi, et nocte coram te. cry to Thee by day,
I
In the night (is my cry) before Thee.
3. Intret in conspectu tuo 3. Let my prayer come before Thee ;

oratio mea : inclina aurem tuam Bend Thy ear to my cry.

ad precem meam :

4. Quia repleta est malis ani- 4. For my soul is filled with sorrow ;

ma mea : et vita mea inferno And mv life is nij^h unto Sheol.

appropinquavit.

5. i-Estimatus sum cum de- 5. Even now am 1 numbered with them

scendentibus in lacum : factus that go dovvn to the pit.
sum sicut homo sine adjutorio, I am become as one without help ;

6. Inter mortuos liber. 6. I am abandoned among the dead.

Sicut vulnerati dormientes in Like the slain in the tomb,
sepulchris, quorum non es me- Whom Thou rememberest no more
mor amplius : et ipsi de manu They are cut olf from Thy hand.
tua repulsi sunt.
7. Posuerunt me in lacu in- 7. In the deepest pit they have placed me ;

feriori : in tenebrcsis, et in um- In darkness and the shadow of death.

bra mortis.
8. Super me confirmatus est 8. Upon me Thy wrath lies heavily ;

furor tuus : et omnes fluctus All Thy breakers Thou hast made to
tuos induxisti super me. sweep o'er me.

9. Longe fecisti notos meos a My friends Thou boldest far from me ;

me :
posuerunt me abominatio- They look on me as a foul thing.
nem sibi. I am imprisoned and cannot go forth ;

Traditus sum, et non egredie-

bar :

10. Oculi mei languerunt prae 10. My eye through grief groweth dim.
inopia. I cry to Thee, Lord, ail day long ;

Clamavi ad te Domine tota I spread out my hands unto Thee.

die expandi ad te manus meas.
:

11. Numquid mortuis facies II, Dost Thou wondrous deeds with the dead?
' '

mirabilia aut medici suscita- : Will the shades rise again to praise
bunt, et confitebuntur tibi ? Thee ?

12. Numquid narrabit aliquis 12. Do they tell in the grave of Thy kindness.
in sepulchre misericordiam tu- Of Thy truth in the land of 'the dead ?
am, et veritatem tuam in per-
ditione ?

13. Numquid cognoscentur in 13- Are Thy wonders made known amid
tenebris mirabilia tua et justi- : darkness,
tia tua in terra oblivionis ? Th}' justice in the Land of Forgetful-
ness ?

14. Et ego ad te Domine cla- 14. But cry unto Thee, O Lord
I ;

mavi : et mane oratio mea prayer in the morning cometh be-

My
pra^veniet te. fore Thee.
15. Ut quid Domine repellis 15. Why rejectest Thou, O Lord, my prayer ?
orationem meam : avertis faci- Why turnest Thou from me Thy face ?

em tuam a me ?

16. Pauper sum ego, et in 16. Poor am

and wretched since youth
I ;

laboribus a juventute mea : ex- Cirown up, I have been cast dov/n and
altatus autem, humiliatus sum dismayed ;

et conturbatus.
94 THE PSALMS [87

17. In me transierunt irsc tuae: 17. Over me Th}' anger has swept ;

et terrores tui conturbaverunt Thy terrors dismay me.

me.
18. Circumdederunt me sicut 18. They encompass me ever, like water
aqua tota die circumdederunt:
They encompass me wholly.
me simul.
19. Elongasti a me amicum 19. Far from me Thou puttest friend and
et proximum : et notos meos a neighbour,
miseria. And every acquaintance, through my
wretchedness.

1. The title describes the psalm as a Korachite psalm for the

choir-master of a group of singers which is called in the text Mahaletk

ad respondendum (Hebrew, MaJflath l"amoth). This name may
possibly mean Antiphonal Choirs
' '

even though there is no trace
of antiphonal singing in the psalm. The psalm is further described
as a Maskil of Eman (Heman), the Ezrachite.'
'
We hear of a Heman,
a Korachite, who was a singer, in i Chron. vi. 33 (c/. i Chron. xxv. 5).
Since, however, the Heman of this psalm-title is probably not to be
identified with the Heman of i Chron. vi. 33, Heman the son of
Zerach, the brother of Ethan (see next psalm), one of the four great
wise men of the Solomonic era (i Chron. ii. 6) is apparently referred
to here. But Heman, the son of Zerach, was, like Ethan, of the
tribe of Juda, and could not, therefore, be a Korachite, since the
Korachites were of the tribe of Levi. It has been suggested that the
Heman of i Chron. ii. 6 was by birth a Levite, and that he was
adopted into the tribe of Juda. This suggestion has nothing to
recommend it beyond its suitability as a means of explaining how a
man could be both a Levite and a man of Juda. It has been sug-
gested also that the title of the psalm does not identify Heman with
the Korachites, but that it merely ascribes the musical setting of the
psalm to the Korachites, and its literary composition to the wise '

man of Juda, Heman. The Scptuagint has simply Heman, the

' '

Israelite (just as, in Ps. Ixxxviii it has Ethan the Israelite '). It
is quite possible that the titles of this psalm and the following arose
from an attempt to identify the two famous wise men Heman and
Ethan (3 Kings iv. 31 i Chron. ii. 6) with two Levites bearing the
;

same names.
Pro Mahaleth cf. Ps. lii. i. :

Ad respondendum even though the psalm is not suited for anti-

;

phonal rendering, it is not impossible that a choir especially con-

nected with antiphonal singing may have been entrusted with the
care of this psalm. Jerome renders the title Cantiaim carminis :

filiorum Chore victori per chorum ad praecinendum eruditionis Heman

Ezraitae.
2. The tearful prayer for help is supported by three reasons in
verses 4-10, 11-13 and 14-19. With node we must supply a verb
'

meaning also to cry.'

8;] THE DEPTHS OF SORROW 95

3. In conspectn for in conspectiim.

4. Amma=' self
'

cf. Ps. iii. 3.

:
Infernus is Sheol, the Under-
world. Cf. Ps. vi. 6.
5. Aestimatus :
cf. Ps. xxvii. i ;
cxlii. 7.
'

Sicut homo sine adjuiorio ; Hebrew, K^ghebhcr 'en "yal, like a

'

man gebher ') without strength,' like a man

(that should be strong,
in a fainting-fit. The phrase well describes the condition of a tottering
State, but it would also tit the condition of an individual stricken
down with a grievous illness or afflicted with a deadly and loathsome
disease.
'

6. among the dead,' set apart from companions, sundered

Free
from alland sympathy, utterly isolated and uncared for. Vulnera-
love
' '

tus here means slain the psalmist has almost reached the unlovely :

freedom of the slain that sleep in their tombs, forgotten by all. The
Hebrew has Whom Thou (God) rememberest no more, for they
:
'

are cut off from Thy hand.' They are cut off from God's hand because
they are removed from His protection Sheol lies, in a sense, outside ;

the reach of God's hand {i.e.. His power). This verse would, perhaps,
describe more appropriately the fate of a people than that of an
individual, for while an individual could only speak of himself as
sunk in Sheol and shut out from God by a great extension of poetic
licence, he could thus describe metaphorically the condition of the
nation.
7. Positeriint :
Hebrew,
'

Thou hast put.' The la ens inferior is

the deepest part of Sheol, the infernus inferior of Ps. Ixxxv. 13. In
cf. Lam. iii. 6. In umbra mortis
'

tenchrosis, in dark places.' : is a

translation of h^salmaweth. The Massoretic text has bim"solth,
'
'

in the depths {cf.

Exod. xv. 5 Job xxvi. ; 5), as if Sheol were
beneath waters.
8. Cf. Ps. xxxi. 4 ;
xxxvii. 3. Induxisti : the Hebrew has :

'
Thou hast humbled me with all Thy billows.' The Septuagint
translators read 'innitha, instead of the Massoretic 'imiitha.
9. The psalmist
has become loathsome in the sight of his friends,
likeJob {cf. Job xix. i^^ff, 19 Ps. xxx. 11). He is like one smitten ;

with leprosy, or some such horrible disease, so that no one will venture
to approach him. For the law dealing with lepers see Lev. xiii.
natural.
46-59. The individual interpretation of this verse is very
Traditus sum Hebrew, I am shut in and go not forth
:
like
' '

one in prison. Jer. xxxii. 2, 3 Lam. iii. 7. ;

Languerunt cf. Ps. xxxvii. 11 his eyes have become dim through
: :

misery or it may be that he wishes to say that the blindness
which
often was associated with leprosy had already come upon him. Cf.
Ps. vi. 8 xxx. 10 ; Job xvii. 7. ;

Clamavi iota die Cf. Ps. Ixxxv. 3.

. .
Expandi, spread out the
. :

hands in attitude of prayer.

II. It is to the advantage of Yahweh that His servants enjoy a
96 THE PSALMS [87

will indicate His great-

long life on earth, since, on the one hand, that
ness and power, and, on the other, it will secure to the Lord the con-
tinuance of His servants' praise. There is here impKed the famiUar
Jewish teaching on Shcol the land of darkness and deep
'
shadow
where everlasting terror and disorder dwell.' Sheol is practically
outside the domain of Yahweh's power, and its inhabitants offer
Him neitherhomage nor praise. It is not to be expected that God
will work the wonder of raising up those who are dead that they may

praise Him. '

Ant medici stiscitahunt the Hebrew has : Or will the Rephaun :

'

(=the dwellers of Sheol) arise to praise Thee ? with which agrees, in

general, Jerome's rendering, Attt gigantes siirgent
et confitehuntur tihi?
Medici has arisen from reading the Hebrew RP'M as roph^'im
'

(participle of rapha ,
to heal,' hence medici) instead of the Massoretic

R'pha'im,
'

Shades.'
Suscitahunt, which supposes the Hebrew
yakimii, ought to be surgent (rendering the Massoretic yakumii). The
Vulgate and Hebrew, though so different here in meaning, go back
to the same primitive consonantal text.
12. The dead will not praise the loving-kindness or the truth of
God (Ps. xxiv. 10). Perditio is here equivalent in the paralleUsm to
sepulchrum. '

Darkness and Land of Forgetfulness are names for Sheol.

' ' '

13.
Neither God's wondrous deeds nor His justice will be remembered in
the nether-world {cf. Job xiv. 21). It is, therefore, of no advantage
to the Lord that the psalmist should perish ;
rather will Yahweh
lose greatly by the death of His loyal friends : Pretiosa in conspectu
Domini mors sanctorum ejus. For Sheol as Land of darkness cf.
Eccle. ix. 5, 6, 10 ;
Is. xxxviii. 18 ;
Baruch ii. 17 ;
Ecch. xvii.

26, 27.
14. The dead do not cry to Yahweh, but the psalmist cries to
Him et ego. The persistent prayer of the psalmist is a further
reason why he should be heard. Mane suggests the urgency and
intensity of the prayer. ' '

15. Orationem meam : Hebrew, my soul ;

but as the psalmist's
prayer for help and rescue, the Vulgate and Massoretic texts are
is

fundamentally identical in meaning. The Greek ivpoa-evxi'iv is perhaps,

a corruption of ^pvx'qv- Jerome has Quare ahjicis animam meam.
' '

16. If the psalm is a communal poem, the youth in question is

the period of the Exodus {cf. Ps. cxxviii. i). If it is the song of an

individual, the meaning must be that the disease has afflicted him
from the days of his j^outh. Since, however, it is not likely that a
loathsome disease like leprosy could have troubled a man from his
early youth, this verse furnishes a further reason for regarding the
psalm as a communal poem. Possibly the verse means merely that
the psalmist has suffered from bodily afflictions in general not

necessarily leprosy since his youth.
87] THE DEPTHS OF SORROW 97
In laborihus : the corresponding Hebrew means, in a weakly, or

dying, condition.
Exaltatus autem lutmiliatis sum : the Hebrew has :
'

I have
borne Thy 'emekha (Jerome, Portavi furor em tuum).
terrors,' nasa'thi
' '
The Septuagint translators read nisse'thi 'amukh. For the dread
compare Gen. xv. 12.
Conturhatus the meaning of the Hebrew 'aphunah is uncertain.
:

17. Cf. Ps. xli. 8 Fluchis tui super me transieritnt. Cf. Ps. xvii, 5
:
;

xvi. II ;
xxi. 12, 16 ;
cvi. 10, 11, 12 ; Jon. ii. 3, 5.
' '

18. The comparison with water arises from the waves of the

preceding verse.
See above, verse 9. Compare Job xix. 13.
19.
A the Massoretic text has mahshakh, darkness
miseria :
My
' '
'

friends are darkness,' i.e., only darkness ( = blindness cf. verse 10) ;

remains my friend. A miseria translates mehoshekh, from darkness

' '

the darkness being identified with wretchedness. Neither the

Massoretic reading nor the Vulgate text is satisfactory. If the con-
sonants of the Hebrew text were otherwise grouped they could be
made to read m^yndda im hasakh=' acquaintances He hath held
back,' which would make a good parallel to elongasti a me amicum et
proximum. Jerome renders Notos meos abstuhsti. :

7
 PSALM LXXXVIII
AN ELEGY ON THE DECLINE OF THE
DAVIDIC DYNASTY
psalm is, most part, a complaint over the apparent
for the

THIS House of David. The poem was composed in a

failure of the
time of political disaster. The House of David seems to be,
for the moment, overthrown. The walls and fortifications of
Jerusalem have been reduced to ruins. Everywhere is disgrace
and shame. The precise period of Jewish history which is reflected
in the psalm cannot be determined, but there is less reason for
ascribing the poem to the Maccabean, than to the pre-Restoration,
post-Exilic period. The Messianic outlook of the psalm is not that
of the Maccabean period.
In the misery of the time the psalmist seeks to comfort his people
with the thought of Yahweh's power and His fidelity to His promises.
He begins in hymn-hke style with the praise of God's kindness and
truth. Sad as the time is, there is still ground for hope. The Lord
has promised great things to David, and the things which He has
promised must come to pass, for the graciousness and truth of Yahweh
are as firm as the heavens (vv. 2-5).
In verses 6-18 the heavens burst forth into a hymn of praise in
which the might and the fidelity of Yahweh are extolled. Yahweh
is greater than all the
angels. There is none like Him in the heavens.
By His might He subdued the powers of Chaos, and built up the
heavens and the earth. The mountains rejoice at His strength, for
His arm only is strong. Yet not by force does He rule kindness and
:

truth are the stay of His throne. In spite of all, then, Israel must be
happy and hopeful, for Yahweh is Israel's God and King, and the
shout of joy at Yahweh's great festivals is yet known in the land.
Once again will the horn of Israel be upraised. '

Yea,' answer the

people in verse 19, our King whom we look for, our Shield, is the
'

possession of the mighty and faithful God, Yahweh, the Holy One
of Israel.'
In verses 20-38 the psalmist reflects at length on the ancient
Messianic oracles, and, above all, on the promise of Nathan to David
(2 Kings This section of the poem is a poetic paraphrase of the
vii).
oracle of Nathan. The Davidic Dynasty is depicted as the dynasty
to which the Messianic Kingdom is to be entrusted, and that Kingdom
is represented chiefly as an external
' '
world-power. Its King is the
first-born and the mightiest of the kings of earth [cf. Ps. ii. 7 ;

98
88] DECLINE OF THE DAVIDIC DYNASTY 99
]xxi. ii). So firmly is the Messianic hope attached to the House of
David that even the transgression of Davidic kings will not make
void the promise made through Nathan to David. Transgressing
kings will be punished, but the pact with David will stand firm.
What God has once sworn He will not repent of. The Throne of
David will be firm as long as sun and moon endure. He that has
sworn is God, and God '
the Witness in heaven is true.
'

In verses 39-46 the psalmist utters his complaint. The present
bitterly contrasts with all the glorious fortune that God had promised
through Nathan. The King of Israel has been overthrown Jerusalem :

is in ruins the hostile peoples round about show their contempt

:

for the city and the people, and are not rebuked. God has raised
the enemies of the House of David aloft, and has gladdened all its
foes. The sharp sword of the Davidic king God has turned aside in
battle, and the throne of David, which was to stand firm as heaven,
God has cast down. The days of Israel's glory have been shortened,
and she is covered with shame.
In verses 47-52 the psalmist prays almost peremptorily for a
change in the attitude of God. The life of men is short, and if God
does not make haste, the end of Israel will come speedily. Yahweh
is reminded urgently, and indeed, as it were, threateningly, of His

promises. Surely God will not forget His words the words which

He swore to David Surely He will not permit the enemies of His
!

people to mock Israel and Israel's God. Surely He will requite the
scorn with which the Gentiles have scorned the Davidic Dynasty !

Verse 53 is the Doxology marking the close of the third book of

the Psalms.

1. Intellectus Ethan Ezra- 1. A Maskil of Ethan, the Ezrachite

hitae.
(Introduction)
2. Misericordias Domini in 2. The kindness of the Lord I will evermore
aeternum cantabo. sing ;

In generationeni et generatio- Through the ages my mouth will pro-

nem annuntiabo veritatem tuam claim Thy Truth.
in ore meo.
'

3. Quoniam dixisti In aeter-:

3. For Thou saidst Kindness for ever shall
:

num misericordia aediiicabitur abide in heaven

'

in coelis praeparabitur Veritas

: There Thy truth shall stand firm.
tua in eis.
4. Disposui testamentum elec- 4.
'
I made a covenant with my chosen ones ;

tis meis, juravi David servo I swore unto David my servant.

meo :

'

Usque in aeternum prae-

5. 5. I will establish for ever thy seed.
parabo semen tuum. I will build up thy throne for ever.'
Et aedificabo in generationeni
et generationem sedem tuam.

(Hymn of the heavens)

Confitebuntur coeli mira-
6. 6. The heavens proclaimed Thy wonders, O
bilia tua Domine etenim veri-
: Lord,
tatem tuam in ecclesia sancto- And Thy truth in the assembly of the
rum. Holy Ones.
100 THE PSALMS [88

7. Quoniam quis in nubibus 7. For who in the clouds is equal to the

aequabitur Domino : similis erit Lord ?

Deo in filiis Dei ? Who is like God among the sons of

God ?
8. Deus, qui glorificatur in 8. A God who is feared in the council of
consilio sanctorum magnus et :
Holy Ones,
teiribilis super omnes qui in cir- Mighty and terrible over all that sur-
cuitu ejus sunt. round Him !

9. Domine Deus virtutum 9. Lord God of the battle-hosts who is like

quis similis tibi ? potcns es Do- Thee ?

mme, et Veritas tua in circuitu Strong art Thou, Lord, encircled with
tuo. Truth ;

10. Tu dominafis potestati 10. Thou lordest it over the might of the Sea ;

maris motum autem liuctuum

: The tumult of its waves Thou calmest.
ejus tu mitigas.
11. Tu humiliasti sicut vul- 1 1 . Thou bowest the Proud One like one trans-
neratum, superbum brachio : in fixed ;

virtutis tuae dispersisti inimicos With Thy mighty arm Thou scatterest
tuos. Thy foes.
12. Tui sunt coeli, et tua est 12. Thine are the heavens, and Thine is the
terra, orbem terrae et plenitudi- earth ;

nem ejus tu fundasti : All the earth and what fills it Thou
hast established ;

13. Aquilonem, et mare tu 13. The North and the Sea Thou hast
creasti. fashioned :

Thabor et Hermon in nomine Thabor and Hermon rejoice at Thy

tuo exsultabunt : name.
14. Tuum brachium cum po- 14. Thine is arm with hero-strength
the ;

tentia. Strong is Thy hand high uplifted Thy ;

Firmetur manus tua, et exal- right hand ;

tetur dextera tua :

15. Justitia et judicium prse- 15. Justice and right are the stay of Thy
paratio sedis tuas. throne ;

Misericordia et vertas praece- Kindness and Truth go before Thee.

dent faciem tuam :

16. Beatus populus, qui scit 16. Happv the people who knoweth the
jubilationem. festival cry.
Domine, in lumine vultus tui O Lord, in the light of
That walketh,
ambulabunt. face Thy !

17. Et in nomine tuo exsulta- 17. Because of Thy name they ever rejoice ;
bunt tota die et in justitia tua
: In Thy justice they are made great.
exaltabuntur.
18. Quoniam gloria virtutis 18. For Thou art their mighty glory ;

eorum tu es et in beneplacito
: In Thy favour our horn is uplifted ;

tuo exaltabitur cornu nostrum.

(The People)
19. Quia Domini est assum- ig . For to the Lord belongeth our Shield,
ptio nostra : et sancti Israel To the Holy One of Israel our King.
regis nostn.

(The Oracle)
20. Tunc locutus
es in visione 20. Once Thou spakest in vision to Thy pious
Sanctis tuis, et dixisti Posui : ones :

adjutorium in potente et ex- :

'

On a mighty one I have put salvation ;

altavi electum de plebe mea. A chosen one from my people I have

raised up.
21. Inveni David servum me- 21. I have found my servant David,
um : oleo sancto meo unxi eum. I have anointed him with my holy oil ;

22. Manus enim mea auxilia- 22. My hand will give him help.
Ijitur ei : et brachium meum And my arm will make him strong ;

confortabit eum.
88] DECLINE OF THE DAVIDIC DYNASTY loi

23. Nihil proficiet inimicus in 23. The foe will have no power against him ;

eo, et filius iniquitatis non appo- No godless one shall bring him evil.
net nocere ei.

24. Et concidam a facie ipsius 24. I will cut down before him his foes,
inimicos ejus et odientes eum : Those who hate him I will drive in
in lugani convertam. headlong flight ;

25. Et Veritas mea, et niiseri- 25. My Truth and my Favour shall be with
cordia mea cum ipso et in no- : him ;

mine meoexaltabiturcornu ejus. And in my name his horn will be up-

raised :

26. Et ponam in mari manum 26. I will set his power on the Sea,
ejus : et in fluminibus dexteram And his right hand on the rivers.
ejus.
"
27. Ipse invocabit me Pater:
27. He shall address me :
My Father art
mens es tu Deus : meus, et Thou,
susceptor salutis meac. My God and the source of my safety."
28. Et ego primogenitum po- 28. I will make him the first-born.
nam ilium excelsum prae regibus The highest of the kings of earth ;

terrae.
29. In asternum servabo illi 29. I keep for him ever my favour
will ;

misericordiam meam et testa- :

My covenant with him shall stand firm ;

mentum meum lidele ipsi.

30. Et ponam in saeculum sae- 30. I will maintain for ever his seed,
culi semen ejus : et thronum ejus A
And his throne as long as heaven
sicut dies coeli. endureth :

autem But if his sons abandon my Law

'

31. Si dereliquerint 31. ;

filii ejus legem meam et in : If they walk no more in my judgments,

judiciis meis non ambulaverint :

32. Si justitias meas profana- 32. If they profane my decrees,

vennt et mandata mea non
: And keep not my commands,
custodierint :

33. Visitabo in virga iniqui- 33. I will visit their sins with the rod,
tates eorum et in verberibus : And their evil doings with smitings ;

peccata eorum.
34. Misericordiam autem me- 34. Yet my favour I will not turn from him,
am non dispel gam ab eo neque : Nor will I violate my truth.
nocebo in veritate mea :

35. Neque profanabo testa- 35. I will not profane my covenant,

mentum meum : et quae proce- Nor make vain the words of my lips.
dunt de labiis meis, non faciam
irrita.
36. Semel juravi in sancto 36. Once I sware by my holiness :

meo, siDavid mentiar : To David I will not lie :

37. Semen ejus in aeternum 37. His seed shall abide for ever
manebit.
38. Et thronus ejus sicut sol 38. And his throne before me, like the sun.
in conspectu meo, et sicut luna And like the moon, abiding for ever.
perfecta in aeternum et testis : And the Witness in heaven is true.'
in coelo fidelis.

(Complaint)
39. Tu vero de- repulisti et 39. But Thou hast despised and rejected,
spexisti distulisti Christum tu- Hast cast off Thy Anointed.
um.
40. Evertisti testamentum 40. The pact with Thy servant Thou hast
servi tui profanasti in terra
: contemned.
Sanctuarium ejus. Thou hast
cast to the ground his
shrine :

41. Destruxisti omnes sepes 41. Thou hast broken down all his walls,
ejus :
posuisti firmamentum ejus Hast laid his strong places in ruins.
formidinem.
102 THE PSALMS [88

42. Diripuerunt eum omnes 42. Allwho pass by the way despoil him ;

transeuntes viam : factus est To his neighbours he has become a bye-

opprobrium vicinis suis. word.
43. Exaltasti dexteram depri- 43. Thou hast uplifted the right hand of his
mentium euni : l;ctihcasti omnes oppressors.
inimicos ejus. Hast gladdened all his foes :

44. Avertisti adjutorium gla- 44. Thou hast turned back his strong sword,
dii ejus et non es auxiliatus ei
: Hast not helped him in battle :

in bello.
45. Destruxisti eum ab emun- 45. Thou hast stripped him of his glory,
datione et sedem. ejus in terram
: Hast cast to the earth his throne :

collisisti.
46. Minorasti dies temporis 46. Thou hast shortened the days of his
ejus :
perfudisti eum confusione. youth.
Hast covered him with shame.

(Petition)
47. Usquequo Domine avertis 47. How long, O
Lord ? Wilt Thou turn
in finem : exardescet sicut ignis away for ever ?
ira tua ? (How long) will Thv wrath burn like
fire ?
Memorare quas mea sub-
48. 48. Remember, O Lord, of what nature I am,
stantia numquid enim vane
: How weak Thou hast made all the
constituisti omnes filios homi- sons of men !

num ?

homo, qui vivet,

49. Quis est 49. Whois the man that liveth, and seeth
et non videbit mortem eruet : not death ?
animam suam de manu inferi ? Who rescueth his soul from the power
of Sheol ?
50. Ubi misericordias sunt 50. Where are Thy old-time favours, O Lord ?
tuae antiquas Domine, sicut jura- Which once Thou swarest in Thy truth
sti David in veritate tua ? to David ?

51. Memor
esto Domine op- 51. Give thought, O Lord, to the shame of
probrii servoruni tuorum (quod Thy servants :

continui in sinu meo) multarum Which I bear in my bosom from peoples

Gentium. many :

52. Quod exprobraverunt ini- 52. Wherewith, O Lord, Thy enemies reviled,
mici tui Domine, quod expro- Wherewith they reviled Thy Anointed's
braverunt commutationem Chri- successor.
sti tui.

(Doxology)
53. Benedictus Dominus in 53. Blessed be the Lord for ever. Amen.
aeternum flat, fiat. :
Amen.

1. Intellectus Ethan : the psalm is a Maskil (see Ps. xli. i) of

Ethan the Ezrachite. In 3 Kings iv. 31 Ethan appears as one of the
famous wise men of Israel, and in i Chron. ii. 6, he is named as a
son of Zerach and brother of Heman, and as a member of the tribe
of Juda. Cf. Ps. Ixxxvii. i.

2. The
chief purpose of the psalmist is not to extol the kind deeds
of the Lord, but rather, by praise of God's graciousness and fidelity,
to move Him to show favour and give help to the now failing House
of David. God once promised to that House unending rule, and
surely He will not make void His promise The actual situation in !

Israel is full of gloom, and the psalmist naturally looks for comfort
to the great ancient promises made to the dynast}^ of David. The
88] DECLINE OF THE DAVIDIC DYNASTY 103

promise which he has chiefly in view is that which was made through
Nathan (2 Kings vii. 5-16).
'

3. Dixisti is obviously better than the Massoretic, / said.'

'

AedificahitKr, shall stand firm.' The second part of the verse

reads in Hebrew :
'

The heavens therein Thou establishest Thy
truth.' In coelis ought, therefore, to be coeli, and it should be read
with what follows, praeparabitur, etc. In eis resumes coeli in Hebrew
fashion. For praeparare see Ps. xxiii. 2.

4. T estamentum=co\er\d.ni. The reference is to the promise

made by Nathan.
'

5. This is the substance of Nathan's promise. Praepamho, I will

'

firmly establish (Hebrew 'akhin).

6. In verse 20 the psalmist returns to the promise of Nathan.
In verses 6-18 he makes the heavens to chant a hymn in praise of

God the mighty God who has power to fulfil his promises. In
verse 19 the people are represented as taking up the hymn on their
own account.
Confitehuntnr is here probably to be taken as equivalent to a past
tense. The hymn of heaven may be regarded as a sort of echo of
Nathan's words to David. The mirahilia are the wondrous deeds
which Yahweh performed for Israel and David. Since the heavens
here chant the praises of God, we may assume that the ecclesia sancto-
rum {kVial k^dhoshim) =^the angels {cf. verse 8). Note that the Hebrew-
word here rendered by sancti is not the quasi-technical Jfsidhim, but
' ' '

Ifdhoshim the sancti are not the pious,' but the holy ones (the
;

angels).
7. This is the reason
of Heaven's praise. In filiis Dei is parallel
to in nuhibus, and, as dwellers in heaven (' the clouds ') the filii are
the angels. Since the angels belong to the 'elim (see Ps. xxviii. i)
they are rightly called b^ne 'Elim {filii Dei).
8. The sancti are here again the Jfdhoshim, the angels. The omnes
qui in circuitu sunt are obviously also the angels.
9. Veritas tua in circuitu tuo is
a strange phrase perhaps it means :

that God's Veritas is inseparable from Him.

10. II the reference here may be to the victory of God over the
:

primeval monster of Chaos. Superbum represents the Hebrew Rahabh

(which occurs as an epithet of Egypt, Ps. Ixxxvi. 4). Vtilneratum=
transfixed.
'

Brachium virtutis tuae-=^' Thy strong arm :

compare such familiar
constructions as Deus salutis meae ; sacrificium justitiae, etc. (See
Introd. p. xlvi. No. 7.)

13. et mare :
Aquilonem mare is the Mediterranean, and hence,
the West. We
should expect rather a word for South. The Septua-
of the Massore-
'

gint translators read here w^yam, and the Sea,' instead

and the South.' The chief mountains of Palestine,
'
tic w'yamin,
Thabor and Hermon, rejoice at the manifestation of God's glory in
 104 THE PSALMS [88

creation
just as do the stars of morning in Job xxxviii. 7. Cf,
Ps. Ixxvnii. 6 Ixiv. 13.

14. Tiium
;

put emphatically at the beginning

is Thine alone is '

the arm.' Cum poicniiu is equivalent to an adjective, mighty.'

'

15. Praeparatio=' stay, support.' Graciousness and Truth are

either heralds that go before the Lord, or ministering spirits that
attend at His throne. Cf. Ps. xlii. 3 Ixxxiv. 14. ;

16. 17. How blessed is Israel in possessing Yahweh as its God

and King !

Jiibilatio is the glad cry of festival rejoicing

songs of praise sung

with enthusiastic vehemence {cf. Ps. cl. 5). The light of God's face
shines on those to whom God is gracious. It is they who walk in
the light of God's face that know the shout, or song, of joy.
Tola ^/<j= always.
Exaltabuntur they are raised up above others
:
they increase ;

in power.
' '
18. Gloria virtutis eorum, their mighty glory (See above
'
verse 11). In beneplacito tuo, by Thy favour.' The Lord will give
to Israel glory and power once more. The horn is a symbol of
strength (Ps. Ixxiv. 5).
19. The people here take up the chant. Assumptio=' protection.'
'
The Hebrew has : To Yahweh belongeth our shield.' In the second
half of the verse the genitives in the Vulgate are, apparently, in

apposition to Domini as if Yahweh were called the Holy One of
'

' '
Israel (an Isaian epithet of God) and also our King.' In the
' '

Hebrew, however, Our King is a nominative, in apposition to

' '
Our Shield {Assumptio nostra). The sense is :

'

To Yahweh belongeth our Shield,

To the Holy One of Israel (belongeth) our King.'

The King is the shield of Israel. The reference is, apparently, to

the ideal King of prophecy, who, because he has been announced in
prophecy, is declared to belong to the Lord.
20. The hymn to God has reached its conclusion in the mention of
the Messianic King, and the psalmist resumes the theme of verses 4-5.
He goes on now to develop the implications of Nathan's prophecy.
Up to verse 29 he deals with the divine election of David as king,
and in verses 30-38 he deals with the prophecy of the
pennanence
of David's throne.
Verse 20 refers to 2 Kings vii {cf. 1 Chron. xvii. 15). The sancH
{h^sidhim) are either David and Nathan, or the Israelite people as
recipients of the divine oracle concerning David's House. In visione=
through prophecy.
' *
Posui adjittorium in potente, I place (my) help in a strong one
'
I make a strong one the instrument
{gibbor, i.e., David), by which
I send
help to my people.' David is the electus.
 88] DECLINE OF THE DAVIDIC DYNASTY 105

21. Cf. I Kings xvi. 1-13.

22. The hand of Yahweh will never leave David without help.
'

23. Proficiet No enemy shall deceive him

: the Hebrew has :
'

(so also Jerome ; non decipiet

inimicus eum). The Septuagint trans-
' '

lators took nasha' here as meaning lend on usury in the context, ;

'

however, the verb nasha' obviously ought to be taken as meaning to

deceive,' parallel (to nocere). The Vulgate may be rendered :
'
An
enemy shall have no success against him.'
Films
iniquitatis,
'
an evildoer.' Non apponet, shall not continue
to injure him, shall not again injure him. For the construction see
Ps. vi. 5. The Hebrew text has simply,
'
No evildoer shall humble
him
'

Kings vii. 14).

{cf. 2 The apponet (see Introd. p. xlv) has come
in here from the parallel in 2 Kings vii. 10 which is rendered in the
Vulgate Nee addent filii
:
iniquitatis ut affligant ettni siciit prius.
25. Exaltabiinr cornu :
Cf. Ps. Ixxiv. 5.
26. The wide extent of the
Davidic empire is here recalled, as in
Ps. Ixxi. 8 Dominabitur a mart usque ad mare, et a flumine usque ad
:

Sea is the Mediterranean, and the

' '

terminos orbis terrarmn. The

rivers are the Euphrates and Tigris (though we should expect here
' '

'

the singular, referring to the Euphrates only). Mamis means power,

authority.'
in
27. For the words compare 2 Kings vii. 14. Susceptor :

'

Hebrew, Rock.' Cf. Ps. iii. 4.

' '

As Israel is the
28. first-born of the peoples (Exod. iv. 22), so
'

is David the iirst-born

'
of kings, the lirst and most powerful among
' '

them. First-born implies here pre-eminence rather than priority,

as in Col. i. 15.
Cf. Hebr. i. 6.
' '

29. Testamentum=^' covenant.' Fidele steadfast,' ; abiding.'

'
My covenant with him {ipsi) will stand firm."
30. The
'

days of heaven
'
= as long as heaven endures. Cf.
Deut. xi. 21.
withdraw.' Jerome has, Non auferam. God
'

34. Dispergam,
> will uphold the prophecy made to David, in spite of the sins of his

posterity. The Hebrew 'aphir ought to be emended into 'asir, which

is fairly represented by dispergam.
'
'
I will not do injury to my Truth
Neque nocebo in veritate mea : ;

i.e., I will not deny it, I will maintain it inviolate.

'

36. Semel=' once for all.' In sancto meo, by my hohness.'

The phrase, like most
'

Si mentiar, I will not speak falsely.'

. . .

asseverations in Hebrew, is elliptical

'
HI he, may so and so befall

me !
'

Cf. Introd. p. xlvi. n. 5.

37. The oath begins here.

38. Cf. I Kings vii. 16. The throne of David shall subsist as

long as sun and moon endure {cf. Ps. Ixxi. 5). Perfecta is, apparently,
an attribute of luna in the Vulgate. It renders a Hebrew finite verb
Hke the moon
' '

which refers to throne : it (the throne) stands firm

io6 THE PSALMS [88

for ever. We can get this sense fairly well by regarding perfecta as
an attribute of sedes (supplied from the context).
' '

The Witness in heaven is Yahweh Himself.

39. In glaring contrast with the glorious promise of Nathan is
the present lot of Israel and of David's house. The psalmist com-
plains about this contrast up to verse 46, and in verses 47-52 he
prays for its removal.
Tu vero :
Thou, the Author of the promise, hast made it void !

'

Distulisti, Thou hast rejected.' The Christus is primarily the

Anointed, the King sprung from Davidic stock ; but it may
here be taken, perhaps, as = the House of David together with
the people.
40. Profanasti in terram :
Cf. Ps. Ixxiii. 7. Sanduarium ; the
' '
Hebrew has nezer, crown,' In Ps. cxxxi. 18 nezer is
diadem.'
represented by sanctificatio .
Apparently in the mind of the Latin
translators sanciuarium the Temple. is

41. The ejus here and in the following verses refers to the Christus.
The sepes and firnuimcntum are the fortifications of Jerusalem built
by David. '
Formidinem Hebrew has, Thou hast reduced his fortifica-
: the
tions to ruins.' The Hebrew ^nfhittah (=' ruins ') is derived from
' '

hathath, to destroy a derived sense of this word is to terrify,' to

:

break one's courage.' Regarded by the Greek translators as con-

nected with the secondary meaning of hathath, m'hittah was taken to
mean 'that which excites terror.' Jerome has accepted the view of
the Septuagint, and rendered, Posuisti munitiones ejus in pavorem.
The ruins of the ancient fortifications are calculated to arouse terror
because of the vastness of their destruction.
42. The neighbours are, probably, the Edomites and Arabians
who were especially hostile to the post-Exihc community. Verses 41-
42 are based on Ps. Ixxix. 13.
44. Adjutoriiim gladii: the Hebrew has, 'the flint ('rock') of
his sword,' i.e., his sword which is as hard as flint [cf. Is. v. 28). The
'

Vulgate means, his helping sword,' the sword which might have

brought him help whether the King's own sword, or the sword of
others.
45. Ah emundatione : the Greek translators took miifhar as=min
'

fhar, away from cleansing,' and regarded the verse as asserting

the destruction of the Levitical system if the Levitical purifications :

could not be carried out, that implied the impossibility of the Temple-
cult generally. Baethgen proposes to read, instead of mitt"haro,
'
matteh miyadho, the sceptre from his hand.' This would give a good
parallelism with Et sedem ejus in terram collisisti.
46. The verse does not refer merely to David, but to the Davidic
dynasty and to Israel.

47-52. Prayer for help. Verse 47 is almost verbatim from

88] DECLINE OF THE DAVIDIC DYNASTY 107

Ps. Ixxviii. 5. Surely the present anger of the Lord will not last for
ever !

48. Quae mea substantia neither Massoretic text nor Vulgate is

:

here satisfactory. Possibly the original text was, '/khor '"dhonai mah
hadhel '"'ni, Remember, O Lord, how short-lived I am.'
'
Substantia^
'life, being.' Cf. Ps. xxxviii. 6; Substantia mea tanquam nihilum
ante te.

Numquid, etc. ; surely Yahweh has not fashioned a whole genera-

tion to make it live in misery, and without hope of the fulfilment of
His promises !

49. It is true that all men must die, but it is not true that the
lives of all men must be hopeless and futile.

50. God cannot forget His former graciousness to the throne of

David, nor can He set aside His sworn promise.
'

51. Opprobrium servorum tuorum, the shame which Thy servants

'

have to bear it is a shame which comes from many peoples.

; Cf.
Ps. Ixxviii. 12 Redde vicinis nostris septuplum in sinu eornm, and
;

see note on that verse.

It would seem as if the Anointed speaks in verses 51-52 on his
own behalf and on behalf of the people. But it is possible that the
psaknist speaks himself in the first person.
Commutationem
52. Hebrew, footsteps :
'

the footsteps of the

'

Anointed (Mashiah) may be the hopes and ambitions concerning the
Messias current among the people since the days of David. In the
'
Latin commutatio seems to mean successor,' one that takes the place
of another {cf. Cahph=Arabic Khahfah= Successor [of Mohammed]).
The word here used in the Massoretic text, 'ikJfbhoth is from the same
' ' '

root as 'ekebh, reward,' requital,' exchange,' which the Greek

translators read here.
53. The Doxology marks the close of the third Book of Psalms.
For the other parallel endings see Ps. xl. 14 Ixxi. 19 cv. 48. ; ;
 PSALM LXXXIX
THE ETERNITY OF GOD AND THE
FLEETINGNESS OF MAN
poet begins with the pious confession that the Lord is
THE Helper in every need, and then goes on to speak of
Israel's
the eternity of God as if he were beginning a h^Tnn to that
eternity. But his words are not the beginning of a hymn.
He is interested for the moment in the eternity of God merely because
he will contrast with it the weakness and transitoriness of man. On
the one side is the mighty God Who existed before the universe was
formed, before Whom a thousand years are but as a day, or as the
night-watch that passes unnoticed on the other side is man, sprung
:

from the dust and returning thereto after a few fleeting years man
whose generations follow each other in ceaseless change, springing up,
like the grass which shoots in the morning, dries up in the sunshine,
and is dead before the sunset. Cf. Is. xl. 6 Job xiv. i. ;

Yet not so much with the shortness of man's life is the psalmist
concerned, as with the cause of that shortness which is sin. Our

chief sorrow is that we are under the curse of sin, and that we must,
therefore, constantly endure God's wrath during our brief, sad life.
Through sin death entered into the world, for by sin was God made
angry. Because of sin, then, our life is a thing of 70 to 80 years, and
all that it has to boast of is striving and tears.
It is best for us to reahse that sin is the cause of sorrow and death.
It is well, therefore, to count up our days, and to realise the shortness
of life, and thus to fill our hearts with wisdom, and due fear of the
Lord.
God will give heed to our prayers, says the psalmist, speaking for
Israel and for himself, and will turn to us again with kindness ; in

spite of the shortness and sorrows of life, we shall see soon a dawn of
gladness, after a night of trouble.
In the concluding section 15-17 the psalmist prays that Israel,
so sorely tried in the Exile, may see once more the favour of Yahweh,
and thus be made to forget all the dark days of her grief. He prays
that the glory of the Lord may be seen once again in the land of Israel,
and that Yahweh may once again rule in the midst of His people,
and guide them to success.
The poem is, in a fashion, a meditation on the text of Gen. iii. 19,
and is thus, in a special way associated with Moses. Yet, though
the majestic tone of the psalm makes it well worthy of Moses, the
108
 89] THE ETERNITY OF GOD 109

apparent references to the post-Exilic lot of Israel, and the echoes of

Is. xl. 6 and Job xiv. i contained in the psalm make its ascription to
Moses at least very doubtful.

I. Oratio Moj'si hominis Dei. i. A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God.

Domine, refugium factus es O Lord, Thou wast a refuge for us.

nobis a generatione in genera-
:
Through all the ages.
tionem.
2. Priusquam montes fierent, Before the hills were made, and earth and
aut formaretur terra et orbis a : universe were formed
szeculo et usque in saiculum tu es Thou wast, O God, and Thou abidest
Deus. for ever.
3. Ne avertas hominem in hu- To dust Thou bringest man again :

militatem et dixisti Converti-

: : Thou speakest Keturn, ye sons :
'

of
mini tilii hominum. men !
'

4. Quoniam mille anni ante 4- For a thousand years before Thee

oculos tuos, tamquam dies hest- Are like vanished yesterday, like a
erna, qua? praeteriit, night-watch ;

Et custodia in nocte,
5. Qua? pro nihilo habentur, 5. Of no account are their years ;

eorum anni erunt.

6. Mane sicut herba transeat, 6. Like grass which shooteth.
mane fioreat, et transeat ves- : In the morning it shooteth, and
pere decidat, induret et arescat. groweth ;

In the evening it f alleth, becometh hard,

and withereth.

7. Quia defecimus in ira tua, 7. Yea, we

fade away through Thy anger.
et in furore tuo turbati sumus. Weare dismayed by Thy wrath.
8. Posuisti iniquitates nostras S, Our sins Thou keepest before Thee,
in conspectu tuo sasculum no- : Our Ufe in the light of Thy face.
strum in illuminatione vultus
tui.
9. Quoniam omnes dies nostri 9. For all our days vanish in Thy wrath.
defecerunt : et in ira tua de- Our 3'ears we consume like a sigh.
fecimus.
Anni nostri sicut aranea medi-
tabuntur
10. Dies
:

anorum nostrorum 10. The days of our life seventy years are

in ipsis, septuaginta anni. they ;

Si autem in potentatibus, Eighty they are at the best ;

octaginta anni et amplius eo- : And all beyond that is toil and trouble :

rum, labor et dolor. For weakness o'ercometh us,

Quoniam supervenit mansue- Away we are snatched.
tudo ; et corripiemur.

II. Quis novit potestatem irse 11. Who knoweth the might of Thy anger.
tuas ; And Thy wrath, as Thy fear demand-
eth ?

12. Et prse timore tuo iram 12. Teach us to reckon our days.
tuam dinumerare ? That we in our hearts may be wise.
Dexteram tuam sic notam fac :

et eruditos corde in sapientia.

13. Convertere Domine us- 13. Turn to us Lord. How long ?
quequo ? et deprecabilis esto lie gracious once more to Thy servants ;

super servos tuos.

14. Repleti sumus mane mise- 14. Let us be sated with Thy favours in the
ricordia tua et exsultavimus, et :
morning ;

delectati sumus omnibus diebus That we may rejoice and be glad all
nostris. our days ;
no THE PSALMS [89

13. Laetati sumus pro diebus, 15. Let us rejoice for the days when Thou
quibus nos humihasti annis, : humbledst us,
ijuibus vidimus mala. For the years when we looked on mis-
fortune !

Respice in servos tuos, et

16. lO. Look down on Thy servants, and on Thy
in opera tua et dirige filios
: work,
eorum. And guide Thou their children.
17. Et sit splendor Domini 17. Let the glory of the Lord Our God fee
Dei nostri super nos, et opera upon us :

manuum nostrarum dirige super Give success to the work of our hands ;

nos et opus manuum nostrar-

: Let the work of our hands have success !

um dirige.

1.
'

Man of God
'
is the title of Moses in Deut. xxxiii. i, and Jos. xiv.

6 other prophets and messengers of God also receive this title

:
cf. ;

Judges xiii. 6 i Kings ii. 27. This is the only psalm ascribed to
;

Moses, and if it is really Mosaic in origin it must have undergone some

editorial modification, for the concluding section seems to contain
references to the Exile. Modern Protestant critics regard the whole
psalm as post-Exilic. St. Jerome ascribes not merely this psalm
but also Psalms xc-xcix (see Jer. Ep. cxl, c. 2) to Moses.
The psalm begins by thanking the Lord for His goodness in showing
Himself a protection and shelter to Israel {nobis) throughout the
generations.
2. The thought of the generations leads the psalmist on to reflect
'
on the eternity of God. Before the eternal hills,' and before even
the earth itself [terra et orhis=orbis terrae) were fashioned, God existed,
and He will exist even to the most distant ages from eternity and :

unto eternity He is.

In contrast with the eternity of God is the transitoriness of

3.
man. The shortness of man's life is due to the divine decree in
Gen. iii. ig In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane, donee revertaris in
:

terram de qua sitrnptus es : quia pulvis es et in ptilverem reverteris.

The Hebrew of verse 3 runs Thou makest man dust again, and :
'

sayest Return (to dust), ye children of men.'

:

Ne avertas the ne is due to the mistake of reading 'el twice

:

first as 'el=God, and then as 'rt/=prohibitive particle. Humilitas
represents the Hebrew dakka' ^which properly means something

'
crushed or trampled, and hence, dust.' The Greek translators took
' '

it in the sense of lowliness.' Convertimini is the command, Return

ye to the dust.' It can, however, be taken also as a command to
return to God from sin the implication being that sin is the source
of death and the chief reason for the divine sentence in Gen. iii.
19,
that this verse emphasises still further the
4. It is fairly clear
fleeting character of human existence. In verse 3 the poet said :

'
How
fleeting compared with Thy eternity
is man's Now he life !
'

goes on to say Even a thousand years in human affairs an

:
'

immensely long period is but a moment before Thee.' Yesterday
89] THE ETERNITY OF GOD m
is gone. cannot return
It quia praeteriit would be better than quae :

praeteriit. Custodia is one of the three watches into which the night
was anciently divided it was a brief time which passed unnoticed
:

by sleepers, and yet a thousand years before God is shorter than

the duration of a night-watch to us.
'

5. The Vulgate text is easily understood Something which one

:

'
heeds not are their years i.e., their years are as nothing. But the
'
Hebrew is different Thou sweepest them aivay, and they fall
:
asleep
(indeath)
'
z^ramtam shenah yihyu. The Massorctic shenah,
'

sleep,'
'

was read apparently by the Greek translators as shanoth, years,' and

'

zWamtam, Thou sweepest them away (as if by a storm-flood) was '

read as something equivalent to to, i^ovSevM/mriL it : is not clear,

however, how this sense was derived from the Hebrew. i^ovSevMixara
is found only once again in the Old Testament, in Dan. iv. 14, where
' '
it translates shaphel, lowly,' despicable.' It is possible that the
translators read instead of z^ramtam, zirmatham, taking zirmah as
'
that which flows away,' and is, therefore, regarded as worthless. It
ispossible also that the Massoretic text is here corrupt, even in its
consonants and it has been proposed that we should read z^ra'tam
;

'
shanah shanah, Thou sowest them year by year.' Adopting this
reading and omitting hahboker as a dittograph in the following line,
and emending that line further to read kehasir wchelfliph, we should
get as the sense of 5 and 6 :

Thou sowest them year by year ;

They are Uke the grass of the aftermath.

In the morning it shoots forth and grows ;

In the evening it fades and dries up.

6. Mane Hebrew babboker keha.^ir

sicut herba transeat renders the

yaTfloph. Since
probable, as already said, that babboker should
it is

be omitted as a dittograph we may omit the first mane. Reading

then the Vulgate according to the emendations suggested in the
Hebrew text we get :

Erunt (the years of a man's hfe) sicut herba quae crescii (=transit)
Mane floret et crescit ;
Vespere decidit, indurat et arescit^

Indurai et arescii is a double rendering of the Hebrew yabhesh. The

rendering of the Hebrew halaph by transirc in the Vulgate is not
'
the word must mean here something like
'
correct ; shoot forth
(a meaning which is elsewhere found in the imperfect hiphil of halaph,
and in the perfect kal of the same verb as here).
7-9. The fleeting character of all human affairs is illustrated in
the history of Israel. Israel has failed {defecimus), and as in the case
of humanity generally, her failure has been brought about by her
sins which have aroused God's anger.
 112 THE PSALMS [89

8. has been so great as to attract the attention of God

Israel's sin
in a very special manner that sin stands before God's eyes lighted
:

up with the full light of His face.

Saecitlnm nostrum is strange, one expects here a parallel to iniqui-
'
tates. The Hebrew '"lumenn, our hidden (sins) was read by the '

Greeks as 'olamenu, saeciilum nostrum. Jerome has negligentias

nostras (cf. Ps. xviii. 13 xliii. 22). Looking at the Vulgate alone
;

we might take saeculum nostrum as=' our worldly spirit,' our sinful- '

' '
ness.' The Targum reading 'Imn as our youth [cf. 'elem, 'almah)
'

renders, the sins of our youth.'

9. The meaning of this verse would be clearer if it were rendered
according to the Hebrew :

Quoniam omnes dies nostri defecerunt in ira tua ;

Consumpsimiis (soJerome rightly) annos nostras sicut suspirium
' '
The comes from reading the particle of comparison k^mo {sicut)
spider
were kHaw, i.e., the particle k" ( = hke ') and the participle,
'
as if it
' '

taw, of the verb tawah (' to spin '). The spinner was identified with
the spider. Meditabtmtur is based on the reading ha glut (plural 3rd.
person perf. Kal of haghah, which is often rendered meditari), instead
'
of the Massoretic hegheh, a sigh.' Jerome, reading here hogheh, the
participle of haghah, rendered quasi sermonen loquens {cf. the familiar
rendering :
'
We bring our years to an end, as it were a tale that is
told ').

The Hebrew text emphasises the sadness of hfe. Jerome com-

bining different renderings explains Quomodo enim loquentis sermo :

praetervolat, ita et opus araneae incassum texiiur. Jerome seems to

have attached to meditari here the sense of fruitless effort. Bellarmine,
explaining the Vulgate says :
Tempus vitae nostrae exercebitur vanis
laboribus et timoribus, suspicionibu,s in temporalibus bonis
doloribus,
procurandis temporalibtis malis cavendis, sicut aranea exercetur in
et

iexendis retibus omni re fragilioribus, non sine propriae substantiae

consumptione.
10. Human life is a span of 70-80 years. It is but a short time,
and, therefore, the Lord should make haste to rescue Israel before
' '
the existing generation passes away. The days of our years are
the days of our life. In ipsis resumes, in Hebrew fashion, the dies :

'

As for the days of our life therein are (comprised therein are)
'

70 years the average length of human life is three score and ten
Si autem in potentatibus
;

'

years. but if there is question of a very

high measure, of something greatly beyond the average,' life may
'
extend to 80 years. Potentatus does not mean exceptional vital
' '

strength,' itmost,' means at

highest figure.' Amplius at the
eoruni
more than 80 years beyond 80, life is but toil and trouble.
;

The Septuagint translators read here rubbam, amplius eontm the

Massoretic text has rahbam, which is usually rendered
'
;

their pride
'

89] THE ETERNITY OF GOD 113

so that the Massoretic text would mean apparently Their pride :

(all that they

can boast of) is nothing but toil and trouble there is :

nothing to boast of even in the longest life.

Quoniam snpervenii, etc. this differs greatly from the Hebrew.

;

speedeth hence, and we

'

The latter has : For it (their pride) swiftly

'

take flight.' The verb gaz,

'

speed away,' was rendered

disappear,'
' '

e.-?]X6e (through Arabic influences) hish, haste,' hastily,' was

;

' '

taken as if it were from hashah, to be silent (hence, mansuetudo) ;

conipiemur {Trai8ev07jcr6ne6a) seems to be based on a different con-

sonantal text from that which the Massoretes have followed. The
Vulgate is not very intelligible here, nor does it become much more
intelligible through Jerome's explanation Posi septuaginta annos et :

octoginta, cum venerit Domini mansuetudo et dies nobis mortis ingnierit,

non judicahimur juxta meritnni, sed juxta clementiam : et quae piitatur
correptio esse, eruditio est et doctrina. Jerome means, apparently, that
the coming of death is for the pious the coming of the Lord in His
gentleness, and the judgment after death is merely an enlightenment
given by the Lord.
11. 12. The swiftly approaching death of Israel is a token of
God's deep anger against His people. No one can tell how long that
anger will last.
Et prae timore tuo iram tuani instead of prae we should have:

secundum then the sense would be

;
:

Who can know the might of Thy anger,

And (who knoweth) Thy wrath as due fear of Thee demands ?

Secundum timorem //^//w= according to the fear of Thee, i.e., as

fear of Thee (due reverence for Thee) requires.
12. The Hebrew has :

To reckon up our days that teach Thou us,

That so in our heart we may set wisdom.

The psalmist prays for instruction on the shortness of hfe, and believes
that a wise heart {i.e., prudence, and the fear of God) will be the fruit
of that instruction.
Dexteram tuani represents the Hebrew y^min^'kha, while the
'
the k {=kha) is due to ditto-
'

Massoretes have yamenu, our days :

graphy, the k of the following word, ken, being mistakenly read

twice. For the explanation of eruditos corde see Introd. p. xhi.
Usquequo, How long
'

13. Converter c' turn to us (graciously).'

is besought to turn from the heat of
'

(wilt Thou be angry) ? God

His wrath, and be again gracious towards His people. For usquequo
compare Ps. vi. 4 xii. i. ;

14. The psalmist is confident that his prayer will be heard. Israel

is plunged in the night of her sorrow : the psalmist prays that the
114 THE PSALMS [89

dawn may come quickly. Instead of repleti snmus we should have,

repU nos. ExsuUavimus et delectati stimus=' that we may rejoice.'
15. Laetati snmus better, Laetifica nos
;
'

give us gladness as a
set-off against the days of sorrow through which Israel has passed.'
16. Opera : Yahweh for His people. The
the special care of
Hebrew has :
'

Thy work
Let be visible to Thy servants.' The re-
establishment of Israel will show to the world that Yahweh is present
among His own, and that He guards them with loving care.
Ei dirige filios eoriim the Hebrew has, wah^dhar^kha 'al b'nehem,
:

' '
And Thy glory to their sons this is parallel to, Let Thy work be
'
;

visible to Thy servants.' The Greek translators read w^hadhrekh,

'
And do Thou direct,' instead of waJif^dhar^kha.
'

17. Splendor. Hebrew, no' am, favour.'

'

Opus manumn nostrarmn-=' our undertakings generally.

 PSALM XC
IN THE PROTECTION OF MOST HIGH
is an antiphonally arranged hymn of confidence in God's
THIS protection. The main theme of the poem is God's interest
in the individual just man. On that interest is based the
confidence of the pious in the unfaihng protection of the Lord.
In verses 1-2 the first singer, or the first group of singers, intro-

duces the theme of the psalm the security of the pious as based on
God's love. The pious man is guest of the Lord, a domesticus Dei,
and he has, as such, a right to the inviolability of the guest. Yahweh
is the hill-top, or highland, retreat, or shelter, to which the pious may
fly forsafety when pursued.
In verses ^-^ a second singer, or group of singers, sings of the
perils to which the pious may be exposed

symbolising them by the
net and the pit of the hunter. Yahweh keeps His servants safe from
these perils He is like the bird that hides its young from danger
:

beneath its wings, or like the shield that protects the soldier in battle.
Though the pious are surrounded by evil influences in the night and
during the day though they may be encompassed in the night-time
;

by the demonic powers of pestilence, and be exposed in the day-time

to the perils of burning, poisonous, winds, and the fiery arrows of
the noon-tide sun, yet will no evil come nigh to them, nor any ill
approach their homes. Secure themselves, they shall be favoured
with the delight of looking on the defeat of all their foes.
In the first half of verse 9 the first singer, or singer-group pro-
All that is true, for the Lord is my hope.'
'
claims :
This declaration
is taken up by the second choir, and some of the special kinds of

help which Yahweh gives to His own are described. The Angels will
bear the pious in their hands over the rough places of life, and the
true servant of the Lord will tread unharmed on the lion and the
adder.
The psalm concludes with an oracle of the Lord (vv. 14-16).
Yahweh solemnly confirms what the singers have said. He promises
'

to the pious rescue and help, because they know the name of Yahweh.
'

But the Lord promises His pious servants not merely rescue and pro-
tection, but also honour among their fellows, and great length of Ufe.
The psalm contains striking reminiscences of the Song of Moses
(Deut. xxxii)

a pecuharity which it shares with the preceding psalm.
Hence has been conjectured that the two psalms were composed
it

by the same author. Psalm xc might be regarded as the answer of

115
ii6 THE PSALMS [90

faith to the prayer in Ps. Ixxxix. The Massoretic text does not
ascribe the psalm to any author.

1. Laus Cantici David. 1. A Psalm of David.

/^
Qui habitat in adjutorio Altis- He that dwelleth in the shelter of Most
simi, in protectione Dei coeli High.
commorabitur. He
that abideth in the shado\\' of
Shaddai,
2. Dicet Domino :
Susceptor 2. Saith to the Lord My Protector art
:

mens es tu, et refugium menm : Thou,

Dens mens sperabo in eum. My refuge, my God in Whom I trust.

3. Quoniam ipse liberavit me For He rescueth thee from the hunter's

de laqueo venantium, et a snare.
verbo aspero. And from
the word that destroyeth :

4. Scapulis suis obumbrabit

With His pinions He shieldeth thee ;

tibi: et sub pennis ejus sperabis. Under His wings thou art secure ;

5. Scuto circumdabit te Veri- His Truth guardeth thee like a shield.

tas ejus non timebis a tiniore
: Thou shalt not fear the terrors of night.
nocturno.
6. A sagitta volante in die, a Nor the arrow that flieth by day
negotio perambulante in tene- Nor the plague that creepeth abroad in
bris ab incursu, et daemonio
: the darkness.
meridiano. Nor the demon's attack at the noon-
tide.
7. latere tuo mille,
Cadent a If thousands fall at thy right hand.
et decern millia a dextris tuis : Yet will (the evil) not reach unto thee ;

ad te autem non appropinqua-

bit.
8. Verumtamen oculis tuis But with thine eyes thou shalt see,
considerabis : et retributionem Shalt behold the doom meted out to
peccatorum videbisj sinners.

9. Quoniam tu es Domine 9. For Thou, O Lord, art my Refuge.

spes mea Altissimum posuisti
: Thou hast chosen Most High as thj-
refugium tuum. Refuge
10. accedet ad te malum
Non 10. No evil shall come into thee ;

et flagellumnon appropinquabit No plague shall draw nigh to thy tent ;

tabernaculo tuo.
11. Quoniam Angelis suis 11. For to His angels He hath given thee in
mandavit de te ut custodiant : trust
omnibus viis tuis.
te in To keep thee in all th}^ ways :

In manibus portabunt te
12. : 12. In their hands they shall bear thee up.
ne forte offendas ad lapidem Lest thou dash thy foot 'gainst a stone.
pedem tuum.
13. Super aspidem, et basili- 13. On snakes and adders thou shalt tread
scum ambulabis : et conculcabis The lion and the dragon thou shalt
leonem et draconem. trample on.

14. Quoniam in me speravit, 14. Because he trusted in Me I will help him ;

liberabo eum :
protegam eum, I will guard him, for he knoweth My

quoniam cognovit nomen ineum. Name :

15. Clamabit ad me, et ego 15. He calleth to Me and I hear him ;

cxaudiam eum : cum ipso sum In time of need I am with him ;

in tribulationc :
eripiam eum et I rescue him and make him great ;

glorificabo eum.
90] THE PROTECTION OF MOST HIGH 117

16. Longitudine dierum re- i6. With fulness of days I will sate him ;

plebo eum et ostendam

: ilU I will make him to see My salvation,
salutaie meum.

1. Laus David the title describes the psalm as song of

cantici :

praise to be sung yet the psalm is obviously not a song of praise, or

;

hymn. Laus cantici may be taken, perhaps, as equivalent to psahnus

cantici (as in Ps. xxix. i, etc.). The Hebrew gives no title to the
psalm, and though many thoughts of the poem might very suitably
he applied to the circumstances of David, we are not bound to assume
that David was its author.
'

Qui habitat ;
this translates a Hebrew participle, he that
dwelleth
'

gives the subject of dicet in verse 2.

;
it The Hebrew has
in verse 2
'
I shall say,' 'omar, but in the translation the Vulgate, He '

shall say,' has been followed (the Greek translators having read

'omcr), and the two verses are taken as the statement of a general
principle by a first group of singers. Altissinii renders the Hebrew
'

'Elyon is not an adjective, but one of the ancient

Most High,' which
names of God
Gen. xiv. 22 Num. xxiv. 16 Deut. xxxii. 8
Is. xiv. 14).
{cf.
Dei represents another ancient name of God Shaddai
; ;

{cf. Gen. xlix. 25).

There is a peculiar solemnity in the use of these
ancient and venerable divine names {cf. v. 14 below). Instead of
' ' '

help and protection the Hebrew has covert and shade.' In the
ancient days when there were as yet no Israelite fenced cities or
fortresses, the peasants on the approach of bands of robber nomads
hid themselves and their belongings in mountain-caves, or on more
or less inaccessible hill-tops. What the rock-cave or the hill-top
were to the terrified country-folk God is to those that trust in Him.
'

Commorahitur the corresponding Hebrew word means to spend

;

the night,' rather than to abide (though the sense of abiding belongs
sometimes to the term) protection in the night was more valuable
;

than shelter during the day. Shaddai is thought of as the Host who
entertains His guests and gives them lodging for the night. Cf.
Gen. xix. 8.
2. In the first verse God is called by the ancient mysterious names

'Elyon and Shaddai here He receives the more familiar (and more
:

'

trusting) designations, Yahweh, and my 'Elohini.'

3. Here the second choir begins. The quoniam takes up what

'

the choir or singer has said

first Thy trust is indeed well placed, :

for,' etc. The snare is a symbol of treachery {cf. Ps. xxxvii. 13 Ivi. 7 ; ;
'

cxxiii. 7). The vcrhuni asperum is parallel to the snare,' and seems
to mean the word of calumny. The Hebrew has middehher hawwoth,
the Greek reads more
' '

which means from destructive pestilence ;

'

correctly midd^bhar from the word of.' In verse 6 below negotium

is based on a similar reading of mdbr, where middcbher of the Massoretes
 ii8 THE PSALMS [90

is more correct. Jerome has followed the Massoretic text here in his

rendering : a morte insidiaruyn}

4. Compare Deut. xxxii. 11 :

Like an eagle that rouseth its nest.

And poiseth o'er its young ones,
He spread out His wings, and took it {i.e., His people, Israel)
And bore it on His pinions.

Yahvvch, according to the Song of IMoses carried Israel, like an

eagle, on His wings. Here He appears as protecting His people with
outstretched wings. Cf. Ps. xxxv. 8 Exod. xix. 4 (' How I bare ;

you on eagles' wings ') Matt, xxiii. 37. Scapulae, ought to mean
;

' ' '

back but here it means, obviously, wings.'

;

5. God will surround him with the protecting shield of His favour.
The Hebrew has A shield and a buckler is His truth.' The Greeks
:
'

read yishar'kha, He will encompass thee,' instead of the Massoretic

'

' '

w'soherah, and a buckler {sahar is used rather in Aramaic than in

Hebrew in the sense of surround,' encompass '). The Hebrew ' '

word rendered by scutum means a large shield such as would protect

the entire body. It is very striking that Yahweh should be repre-
sented as interposing His own person, as it were, between His wor-
shipper and peril. There is nothing of the supposed Old Testament
sternness of God here.
The timor nocturmts includes all the natural terrors and perils of
the night.
6. The arrow that flies by day is probably the rays of the sun
' '

which might prove to be deadly at mid-day. For other arrows of

God cf. Ps. xxxvii. 3 ;
Lam. iii. 12, 13 ; Job vi. 4 ;
xvi. 13.
A negotio, etc.; here, as already said, the Hebrew word debJier,
' ' '

plague,' pestilence,' was read by the Greeks as dahhar, word,' or

'

thing.' The thought underlying the phrase is primarily, perhaps,

that pestilence is helped in its spread by the vapours of the night.
It is to be noted, also, that for the ancient Hebrews there was some-

thing mysterious and demonic in infectious diseases, and the night

is,obviously, the most suitable time for the working of malignant
demonic influences {cf. Is. xxxvii. 36 it was in the night time, too, :

that the destroying Angel of pestilence overthrew the Assyrian army.

The Destroying Angel of the Exodus is represented, further, as

Possibly the Hebrew should be read as mibbor hawwoth, from the pit of
* '

destruction this would make a neat parallel to the fowler's snare

'
: the pit
' '
' '

being a pit such as was used by hunters to trap big game. The pit was covered
' '

over with branches, etc., and the game walking over the covering of the pit fell
into it and could not climb out. Sheol is often spoken of as a pit on the ' '

analogy of such trenches or pits used for trapping game, and if the suggested
reading mibbor could be accepted, we might possibly hnd a reference here also
to Sheol.
90] THE PROTECTION OF MOST HIGH 119

accomplishing his mission of death during the night-time). Perambu-

lans suggests the restless energy with which the pestilence spreads
itself around.
Ab incursu et daemonio mcridiano this can be taken in the Vulgate
:

as a hendiadys '
from the demonic attack at mid-day.' Incursus
renders the Greek (TVjxirTwtm, which could well be used of a sudden
attack of plague. Just as the darkness was favourable to the spread
of disease, so might the mid-day sun be regarded as a friend of plague.
But whence comes the idea of demonic attack ? If the Greek trans-
lators shared the ordinary Jewish notions on the nature and spread
of pestilential diseases, they might have supposed that the demons
of plague were wont to be peculiarly active at mid-day, and therefore,
' '

have used the phrase demonic attack at mid-day for the sudden
appearance of a plague-stroke during the great heat of the oriental
noontide. It is also, possible, that the demonic attack was under-
stood by the Greeks of spiritual perils. Theodoret has a quaint
comment on this verse pointing out that after meal-time when they
are sated (and, therefore, presumably, at mid-day) men are an easy
'

prey for the demons, since they are then devoid of protection from
above.'
The Hebrew text, however, seems to have nothing about demons
'

nor spiritual dangers. It runs From the destruction which rageth

:

' '

at mid-day.' Ketebh, which is usually rendered destruction may

possibly mean the destructive, plague-promoting, glow of the mid-
'

day sun. But since the destruction is said to rage,' it is probably

something more than the mere fiery heat of the sun something

like a wind or storm. Hence it has been conjectured that the
' '

reference in the raging destruction may be to the dreaded poison-

carrying simoon from the southern deserts. Baethgen points out
that in Jewish legend the deadly simoon was transformed into a
demon which dwelt in Arabia, and he seems to imply that the Jewish
personification of the simoon suggested to the Greek translators the
'

mid-day demon.' The simplest explanation of the daemonimn

meridianum is to be found, however, in a misreading of the text
which the Greek translators had before them. The Massoretic text
reads :mikketebh yaskudh (better, yashodh) soJfrayim. The Greek
translators read the text as mikketebh w^shedh soTfrayim. Shedh
' ' '
means demon,' and instead of rageth (yashodh), the Greek trans-
and the demon.' We have here another of the
'

lators read w^shedh,

many instances in which the Massoretic and Vulgate texts, in spite
of apparently serious disagreements, can be reduced to one primitive
consonantal text.
Jerome renders here : A morsu insidiantis meridiei (which recalls
his a morte insidiaritm of verse 3 above). The Syriac version has,
'
From the wind which rages at mid-day,' referring obviously to the

simoon which would be most deadly at mid-day.
 I20 THE PSALMS [90

7. Even though thousands fall through the attacks of disease,

and through other disasters, at the right hand of him who trusts
in Yahweh, yet will the loyal and trusting worshipper of the Lord
stand secure. No evil can come nigh to him who has sought his
protection in the Lord. The subject of appropinqv.ahit is to be
' ' '

supplied from the context. It is evil or death,' or something

similar. This verse is an extraordinary^ proclamation of faith. Even
though a whole world should fall in death all round the believer, he
will go his way untouched, unharmed.
8. His enemies, the enemies of God, he will see discomfited, and

duly requited for their misdeeds. Rejoicing at the failure of the

godless a chief pleasure of the just.
is

9. The second half of this verse seems to be a sort of answer to

the first. 9& marks, apparently, the beginning of a new section sung
by the singer or choir whose words we have seen in verses 3-8.
The second choir here says to the first Thou hast made the :
'

Most High thy refuge.' Cf. verse 2.

10. Because the singer has made Most High his refuge no evil
' '
can approach him. The scourge may be disease (Jerome renders
' '

lepra) or other affliction. Tent is not merely his dwelling, but

everyone and everything that exists therein. The faith of the
individual becomes thus a protection to his family and his associates.
11. Mandavit de fe He has given the Angels a commission con-
:

cerning thee. Cf. Gen. xxiv. 7 Deut. xxxiii. 27

; Is. Ixiii. 9 ; ;

Matt. iv. 6. This text is rightly used to prove the existence of Guardian
Angels. The Angels are commissioned to carry the trusting wor-
shipper gently and lovingly, bearing him carefully over rough places
lest his foot strike against a stone. We must think here of the wretched
roads which traversed the rugged, stony .land of Palestine, and we
must think also of the slight protection which was given to the feet
of the Hebrew wanderer by the poor, thin sandals which he was wont
to wear.
12. Compare Prov. iii. 23.
' '

13. Instead of asp the Hebrew has sha^al, lion. The lion and
the adder are symbols of powerful and treacherous foes. The Greek
'
translators read lahash, asp,' instead of shahal. The leonem of the
second part of the verse shows that the Massoretic shahal of the first
part is correct. The adder (Hebr. pethen) is called hasiliscus, kingly
' '

the origin of this designation is said to be the presence on the creature's

head of a spot resembling a crown.
14. Here we have a divine oracle, which confirms the words of
the human singers. God promises to the pious man all that the
latter has prayed or can pray for rescue, protection, constant
for,
gracious hearing, help in every need that may arise, honour among
his fellows, and length of days. God will give everything to those
that trust in Him {cf. Ps. xlix. 15, 23). The pious man knows the
90] THE PROTECTION OF MOST HIGH 121

Lord he knows His names (as we see in vv. 2 and 3) and hence he
: ,

knows how rightly to invoke the Lord and to ask His help. To know
God's name, however, is not merely to know the name by which God
is invoked it is also to know much of the real character of God, to
;

be the possessor of special, revealed knowledge concerning Him.

Knowledge like this necessarily affects conduct, for rightly to know
God is to love That one who knows, and, therefore, loves the
Him.
Lord, and keeps His commands must enjoy prosperity and honour is
a commonplace of Hebrew teaching.
16. The surest sign of God's favour was a long life. The salutare
is the saving help
the constant divine assistance, which the pious
is made to experience.
 PSALM XCI
THE JUSTICE OF THE LORD
psalm is a hymn which glorifies the justice of God's
THIS Providence. It is assigned by the title to the Sabbath.
The structure of the hymn is easily seen. Verses 2-4 express
the delight of the psalmist in giving praise and thanks to
the Lord. For him and for Israel it is a necessity to burst out into
songs of praise unto the Lord. The halls of the Temple must ring
with the praises of Yahweh not merely at the time of the morning
offering,but even throughout the night. Instruments of all kinds,
but especially the great ten-stringed harp, make joyous accompani-
ment to the hymns of Israel's praise.
Verses 5-7. The reason for the songs of praise is the justice of
the Lord. The works and plans (' thoughts ') of Yahweh are all
guided by justice. It is only a fool that cannot recognise the universal
presence of Yahweh's just rule.
in His treat-
8-9. The first proof of Yahweh's justice can be seen
ment of the godless. They seem to prosper for a little time, but their
prosperity is only apparent. In truth they are reserved for destruc-
tion, and in that destruction men will clearly see the hand of God.
10-13. The second proof of God's justice is His attitude towards
the just. The poet is one of those, and he is confident that Yahweh
will raise up his horn and permit him to feast his eyes on the down-
' '

fall of the wicked, and gladden his ears with listening to the story of
their defeat. When the godless are gone, the pious will flourish like
the palm, or like the cedar of Lebanon.
14-16, The just will rejoice in the blessings of Yahweh, and will
live in closest contact %vith His Sanctuary. Living in the Temple they
will flourish like fruit-trees, transplanted to the courts of the Lord.
Rich in blessing they will be Hke trees that blossom and bear fruit
in old age, and will thus proclaim to the world that the Providence
of Yahweh is just.
The date of this psalm cannot be determined.

1. Psalmus Cantici, i. A Psalm for the Sabbath.

In die sabbati.

2. Bonum est confiteri Do- 2. It is good to praise the Lord,

mino et :
psallere nomini tuo And to hymn Thy name, Most High,
Altissime.
3. Ad annuntiandum mane 3. To proclaim in the morning Thy favour
misericordiam tuam et verita-
: And Thy truth in the night
tem tuam per noctem.
122
91] THE JUSTICE OF THE LORD 123

4. In decachordo, psalter io :
4, With ten-stringed psaltery and harp,
cum cantico, in cithara. With zither-accompanied song.

5. Quia delectasti me Do- 5. For Thou gladdenest me, Lx)rd, by Thy

mine in factura tua : et in deeds ;

operibus manuum tuarum ex- I rejoice o'er the works of Thy hands.
sultabo.
6. Quam magnificata sunt 6. How great are Thy works, O Lord !

opera tua Domine nimis pro- 1 Too deep are Thy thoughts !

fundae factae sunt cogitationes

tuae:
7. Vir insipiens non cogno- 7. The foolish man knoweth this not :

scet : et stultus non intelliget The fool comprehendeth it not.

haec.

8. Cum exorti fuerint pecca- 8. "When the godless spring forth as the
tores sicut foenum et apparue- :
grass,
rint omnes, qui operantur ini- And evil-doers all bloom forth,
quitatem : 'Tis that they may but vanish for ever ;

Ut intereant in saeculum sa;-

culi ;

g. Tu autem Altissimus in 9. But Thou, Most High, art forever.

aeternum Domine.
10. Quoniam ecce inimici tui 10. Yea, verily, Thy enemies, O Lord,
Domine, quoniam ecce inimici Yea, verily, Thy enemies perish :

tui peribunt et dispergentur: All evil-doers are scattered.

omnes, qui operantur iniquita-
tem.

11. Et exaltabitur sicut uni- 11. But my horn is raised like that of the
cornis cornu meum et senectus : bison :

mea in misericordia uberi. My old age enjoyeth fulness of favour :

12.Et despexit oculus meus 12. My eye hath its pleasure in my enemies ;

inimicos meos et in insurgenti- :

My ear heareth gladly (of the fall) of
bus in me malignantibus audiet my fierce foes ;

auris mea.
13. Justus, ut palma florebit :
13. The just man bloometh like the palm ;

sicut cedrus Libani multiplicabi- Like a cedar of Lebanon he flourisheth.

tur.

14. Plantati in domo Domini, 14. Planted in the House of the Lord
in atriis domus Dei nostri fiore- In the Temple-courts of our God they
bunt. bloom :

15. Adhuc multiplicabuntur 15. Even in old age they bear rich fruit.
in senecta uberi : et bene pati- Are still green and flourishing ;

entes erunt,
16. Ut annuntient : 16. Thus proclaiming that the Lord, our
Quoniam rectus Dominus God, is just,
Deus noster et non : est iniqui- That in Him is no wrong.
tas in eo.

I. In die Sabhati : this psalm was used as a Sabbath-song in the

Temple-worship. It deals in the form of a song of praise with the
same theme which we find in Ps. xxxvi, xlviii, Ixxii.
'
Grace (favour) in the morning and Truth in the night
3.
the
'

grouping is merely rhythmical. The song of praise should never
cease in the Temple.
124 THE PSALMS [91

4. Cantico the corresponding Hebrew, higgayon, means rather a

:

type of vehement music or song than a musical instrument the :

'
sense is, With zither-accompanied higgayon.' For the harp of ten
strings compare Ps. xxxii. 2 ;
cxhii. 9.
'

5. Factum the Hebrew,

: means performance,' work.' po'el
'

The performance Yahweh's watchful care over Israel

in question is :

it is not His creative work, but the whole work of His Providence,

particularly in regard to Israel. The methods of that Providence

the fool cannot understand.
' '

6. Thethoughts of the Lord include the policy which permits

to the godless the enjoj^mcnt of a transitory success and happiness
so as to make their failure at the end all the more complete.
'

7. Insipiens Hebrew, the brutish man.'

:
Cf. Ps. Ixxii. 22 ;

Ego ad nihilum redactus sum et nescivi ; nt jumentum factus sum apud

te. Cf. Ps. xlviii. 11, and the animalis homo of i Cor. ii. 14, and the
insipiens of Rom. i. 21. The haec=the method of God's dealings with
the godless. Tlie brutish man has no principle of explanation for the
facts of history or life. Cf. Wisd. xiii. iff.
8. The profundity of God's
thought is seen especially in this,
that the very prosperity of the wicked is made the chief instrument
of their punishment. They are allowed to become prosperous and
secure, in order that the sudden and unexpected loss of their
advantages may be peculiarly painful. They are like the grass
that quickly shoots forth and as quickly withers. Cf. Ps.
XXX vi. 2, etc.

Apparuerint : the Hebrew, yasisu=shoot forth parallel to exorti

fuerint. Jerome has :

Germiiiaverunt impii quasi foenum

et floruerunt omiies
qui operantur iniquitatem.

The Vulgate (following Septuagint) rendering apparuerint maj'-

be due to a confusion between siis, to shoot forth,' and a
'

'

very rare verb of similar form, sus, to peep forth.' Cf. Canticle
of Cant. ii.
9.
Ut intereant : their prosperity was permitted to this very end

their complete and final overthrow. Cf. Prov. vi. 4.

9. It is because Yahweh rules eternally in heaven that the over-

throw of the impious is certain.
Altissimus ;
the Hebrew would be better rendered by, Tu autem
in altissimis.
10. Cf. Judges v. 31.
11. Et exaltahiturthis is based on a Hebrew reading wattarom.
:

The Massoretic text has waitarem=' and Thou exaltest.'

'
Sicut unicornis like the horn of the bison.
: For the unicorn
' '
see Ps. xxi. 22. Raising the horn means giving strength and
boldness.
91] THE JUSTICE OF THE LORD 125

Et senechts mea in misericordia nheri the Hebrew has And my: :

'

" "
powerlessness (Thou exaltest) with fresh oil.' Dcbiiitas, would
be better than senecins. Senecfus (or, dehilitas) is to be taken with
exaltabitnr. Misericordia may be due to a confusion between kXaiov,
' ' ' '

oil,' and eAedv,mercy (see Codex B) as in Ps. Ixxxiii. 12.

pity,'
Dcspexit regard with pleasure their failure. The inimicos nieos
:

of the Vulgate represents a much better Hebrew than the Massoretic

slmrai.
Aitdiet as the eyes of the psalmist will be gladdened by the sight
;

of his adversaries' defeat, so will his ears be gladdened when he listens

to the story of their failure. St. Augustine thinks that the reference
is to the joy which the blessed will have when they hear the words
addressed to the wicked lie in ignem aeternmn.:
Joy at the utter
discomfiture of enemies is frequently a chief consolation of the
psalmists.
Verses 13-16 recall Ps. li. lo-ii. Like the cedar the just
13.
man attains a great age, and, like the palm, he maintains an appear-
ance of dignity and splendour. Agellius thus develops the sym-
bolism Utraque arbor quidem diuturna est, utraqiie semper floret, sed
:

palma fritctifera est, cedrus infmctifera ; riirsits haec ramis abundans,

ilia noii item. Ergo florentis probi pulchritudincm ct suavitatem palmae
comparavit, generis et stirpis propagationem cedro Libani.
' '

14. Cf. Ps. li. 10. Planted does not refer to the palm or the
cedars, but to the just whom
the trees symbolise. The just of Israel
have free ingress to the Temple, and there, as it were, they strike
root and flourish. Even though it is possible that trees of some kind
grew in the precincts of the Temple, certainly no cedars grew there,
so that we are justified in referring verse 14 directly to the just. The
fulness of the Hves of the loyal worshippers, their wealth of good works,
and the prosperity which marked their career are suggested by the
comparison with fruit-trees (like the palm) that have been transplanted
to the courts of the Temple. Cf. Ps. i. 3.
15. The Hebrew here runs :

'
Even in old age they bear fruit :

Verdant and full of sap are thej'.'

In the first half of the verse the just are likened, it would seem, to
the palm, and in the second half to the olive.
'

Mitltiplicabuntur represents the Hebrew y^tiubliiui, they bring

forth fruit.'
In senecta iiberi : the Greek translators divided their Hebrew
'
text differently from the Massoretes, taking scbhah, old-age,' with
the following word which they, apparently read d^shcnah (instead of
the Massoretic d^shenim) making it feminine singular, to agree with
sebhah. In the Hebrew d'shenim (=' green ') and ra'"nannim
(=' juicy ')
are adjectives descriptive of the just as symbolised by
126 THE PSALMS [91

palms and olives. Jerome renders Pingues et frondentes crunt.

:

Bene patientes is an attempt to construe a rendering, ei'Tra^ouires

(=feeling themselves sound and well), which the Greeks took to be
the meaning of ra'^nannim.
16. Ut annuntient the success of His worshippers will itself
:

proclaim to the world the truthfulness and uprightness of Yahweh.

Cf. Deut. xxxii. 4.
Dens noster : the Hebrew has '

My Rock.' Cf. Introd. p. xxxix.

 PSALM XCII
YAHWEH, KING OF THE WORLD
psalm is a hymn to Yahweh as King of the universe.

THISThejoycry with which

'
it begins : The Lord is King,' is a cry
of at the sight of Yahweh ascending, as it were, the

throne from which He rules the world. For a time Israel

had been cast down in defeat, and it had seemed as if Yahweh had
abandoned His rule of the nations. But once again He has inter-
vened and shown His might and His justice. Israel's enemies have
been overthrown, and in the pride of victory, the psalmist sings as
if now, for the first time, Yahweh were the King of the world,
'
Yah-
weh is King.' What the intervention was that proved the love of
the Lord for Israel we do not know. It was not the return from

Exile, for verse 5 speaks of the Temple as still standing inviolate.

The ascription of the psalm to David is wanting in the Massoretic
text, and it is improbable that the occasion of the poem was an event
of the Davidic period. The enthronement of Yahweh is coloured
for the psalmist by the Messianic outlook Yahweh, as King of the :

world, depicted in the traditional imagery of the Messianic King.

is

The King of the Messianic End-period was traditionally regarded

as resuming and repeating in Himself the glories of the Lord of the
Creation-period. So the Lord of the v/orld is here shown restraining
His foes as the Creator restrained His adversaries, the powers of
Chaos and the Abyss, when He shut in the Sea with the sand
' '

When he burst forth, issuing from the womb.
When I made
cloud his apparel.
And thick vapour his SY<-athing band,
And imposed on him a decree,
And set a bar and doors :

'

Thus thou mayest come, but no farther

far
And here shall thy swell be broken.' (Job xxxviii. ;

S-ii.)
^

The enemies of Yahweh may stonn and rage, but above the sea-
storm of their fury Yahweh sits unmoved on His eternal throne.
No billows, however highly tossed, of their raging can attain to the
everlasting throne which is set above the waters of earth and heaven
Ps. xxviii. 10). It is not now for the first time that Yahweh is
[cf.

"
^ See C.
J. Ball,
The Book of Job," p. S7, and compare the references to
the Epic of Marduk which Ball gives in his notes on these and the follow-
ing verses of Job xxxviii. pp. 41^'^-
127
128 THE PSALMS [92

King His reign is from eternity

: and to eternity. The recent defeat
of Israel's foes which has driven them back from Jerusalem and the
Temple is a striking proof of the permanence of Yahweh's rule, even
when His foes may seem for a moment to prevail. His promises of
help to Israel, and of inviolability for His Sanctuary have
been ful-
filled in the deed of rescue which He has performed for His people,
and the psalmist looks forward triumphantly to the permanent
inviolabihty of Sion.
Laus Cantici ipsi David in A psalm of David for the day before the
die ante sabbatum, quaudo Sabbath, when the earth was estab-
fundata est terra. Ushed.

1. Dominus regnavit, deco- 1. The Lord is King He is robed in glory

: :

rem indutus est indutus est: He hath clad and girded Himself with
Dominus fortitudinem, et pras- power :

cinxit se. He hath made firm the world ;

Etenim firmavit orbem terrae, It tottereth never.

qui non commovebitur.
2. Parata sedes tua ex tunc : 2. Thy throne standeth firm since the days
a saeculo tu es. of old ;

From eternity Thou abidest.

3. Elevaverunt flumina Do- 3. High raised the waters, O Lord,

mine elevaverunt flumina vo-
:
High raised the waters their roaring.
cem suam. High raised the waters their billows.
Elevaverunt flumina fiuctus
suos,
4. A vocibus aquarum multa- Yet beyond the thunder of the waters
rum. mighty, wondrous,
Mirabiles elationes maris :
Beyond the surgings of the sea,
mirabilis in altis Dominus, Is the Lord wonderful on high.

5. Testimonia tiia credibilia 5. Trustworthy indeed are Thj' testimonies

facta sunt nimis : domum tuam Holiness beseemeth Thy House,
decet sanctitudo Domine in Even to the end of davs.
lonsfitudinem dierum.

I. The inscription is wanting in the Hebrew text. The Talmud

explains the ascription of the psalm to the day before the Sabbath,
by saying that it was on the sixth day that the creation was completed,
and that it was on that day, therefore, that the Lord began to reign
over the world and its dwellers. The psalm is not, however, a mere
Creation-hymn. It celebrates some great event in which Yahweh is
regarded as taking up again, as it were, the rule of the world as its
Creator, which, in a period of apparent indifference to the fate of
Israel, He seemed to have abandoned. Thus the psalm may be
taken almost with certainty as occasioned by a poHtically important
victory won by Israel. But as in so many other psalms the greatness
and might of the intervention by which Yahweh has re-established
the power and the confidence of Israel, are represented as attributes
of the Messianic King, and the manifestation of Yahweh's greatness
92] YAHWEH, KING OF THE WORLD 129

which has been given in the recent rescue of Israel is regarded as a

sort of re-enthronement of the Lord
of the Creation-period as King
of the World. That re-enthronement is, at the same time, depicted
as the coming to the throne of the King of the Messianic Age. Thus
in the psalm are interwoven with the thought of Yahweh's wonderful
intervention on behalf of His people features derived from the
Messianic hope, and from the traditional poetic method of describing
the glories of the primitive, and idyllic. Creation period, when Yahweh
ruled as King of a young and still sinless world.
JJominiis regnavit Psalms xcvi and xcviii begin also with the
:

cry, Dominits regnavit. The Messianic reference of the words can

be seen in Is. xxiv. 23 and Hi. 7. Cf. Apoc. xix. 6. The rescue of
Israel which has just taken place proves that Yahweh is indeed King
of the world.
Decorem indutus est the psalmist's mind is here divided between
:

the thought of nature as the glorious garment which the Lord puts
on, and the thought of the King of the world as ascending His throne
in all the splendour of His coronation-robes. The two thoughts can
be fused in the notion of the Creator taking His place on the throne
of the world at the moment of the completion of creation.
Firmavit based on Hebrew tikken {cf. Ps. Ixxiv. 4) which is
:

better than the Massoretic tikkon. The psalmist thinks of the earth
as having been brought to tottering through general (moral) disorder.
But Yahweh, by His judgment has once again made the order of
the world secure. Cf. Ps. xcv. 10 Correxit orbem terrae qui non
;

commovehitur.
2. Ex tunc this is parallel to a saecido, and has the same meaning.
:

Before the recent intervention of the Lord in the affairs of His people,
it might, perhaps, have seemed as if He had ceased, for a time at least,

from the task of ruling the world. In reality, however, His rule is
everlasting it has not ceased, nor will it ever cease or be disturbed.
:

3. The wildly raging sea is a symbol of the raging of Yahweh's

foes the heathen peoples that would, if they could, overthrow His

throne {cf.
Ps. xlv. 7). The vox is the thundering of the sea. The
fiumina are not merely rivers (as if the Euphrates and the Nile were
'

meant), but the floods,' or turbulent rivers which symbolise in

general the enemies of the Lord. Kimchi refers here to Ezech. i. 24,
where the whirring of the Cherub's wings is compared to the sound of
'

many waters, and to Is. viii. 7 Wherefore the Lord shall bring up
:

upon them the waters mighty and many of the river, the king of
Ashshur and all his glory.' There is no definite geographical allusion
in the fiumina.
4. The Latin would probablj- be better if it read :

A vocibus aqiiarum nitiltarnm mirabilium,

Ab elationibus maris,
Mirabilis in altis Dominus
130 THE PSALMS [92

The (7
represents the Hebrew particle of comparison min. Mira-
of which it is a second ad-
hilis is falsely separated from aquarum,
jective

following multarum. Elationes is in apposition to aquarum,
and ought to be taken as governed also by the particle of comparison.
The raging sea is wonderfully glorious and majestic with its thunderous
crashing, and the breaking of its mighty waves
but more majestic
;

still is He who sits untroubled on His everlasting throne above the

storms of earth. The wrath of man against Yahweh is as futile as

the storming of the earthly oceans against Him who sits enthroned
above the flood. Ps. xxviii. 10.
'

testimonies of the Lord are the various manifestations

'

5. The
of His will
particularly the judgments which He has pronounced
beforehand against His foes. The divine intervention which oc-
casioned the psalm furnishes a proof of God's interest in the affairs
of men.
'

The holiness of the House

'

(the Temple) is its in\iolabihty that :

no enemy has been permitted to despoil the Temple is a genuine

token of the Lord's constant presence and protecting care.
 PSALM XCIII

YAHWEH, AS AVENGING GOD

xxxv, and Ixxvi form a group by themselves.
xciii,
with the problems connected with the divine
PSALMS
They deal
rule of the world. Ps. Ixxvi treats of the problems of
Providence in relation to the history of the nation, Israel.
Ps. xxxv and xciii deal with the difficulties which arise for the pious
from the presence of sin and sinners in Israel. Cf. also Ps. Ixxii.
In a solemn introduction the author of this psalm calls on God to
arise in judgment against the tyranny of sinners. Why does God
allow evil to persist so long ? If He does not soon intervene the

pious will be forced to despair (1-3). Then follows a brief description

of the doings and sayings of the sinners. The psalmist complains
in particular of their perversion of justice, and of their insolent
indifference towards God (4-7). Cf. Ps. xiii. 4; x. 4, 11; Ixxii.
II, etc.
In verses 8-11 the psalmist addresses a solemn reproof and warning
to the godless, which reminds one of the style of prophetic preaching
{cf. Jer. xiii. 13/. ;
Is. viii. 9/.). Will they not be convinced of their
foUy Surely the Creator of eye and ear, the Judge of the world,
?

the source of all human insight cannot remain ignorant of that which
a man, who is a mere breath, thinks and does !

The poet goes on verses 12-15 to reflect on his own good

in
fortune in possessing the Law of God. For him that Law is not a
burden, but a delight. God who gave the Law must continue to be
the guardian of all justice on earth.
In verses 16-19 the psalmist sings of something which is higher
and better than the Law. This is communion, fellowship with God.
Through his sufferings the pious learns that the greatest of all
good
things is union with God. knows that there is a just God
Since he
who will avenge him, the pious man can wait quietly and confidently
till the time of his salvation comes. The psalm becomes here an
enthusiastic hjonn of praise of the soul resting in God. Cf. Ps. Ixxii.
In the final section (20-23) the poet proclaims his conviction that
God is not a God of injustice, but of justice, and that sinners will^
in the end, feel the fury of His wrath.
Though the psalm is connected with the name of David by the
superscription, the general standpoint and tone of the poem
would
suggest a comparatively late date. The Hebrew text gives no super-
scription to the psalm.
131
132 THE PSALMS [93

Psalmus ipsi David, Quarta A Psalm of David ;

for Wednesday.
sabbati.

1. Deus ultionura Dominus : 1. The God of vengeance, the Lord,

Deus ultionum libere egit. The God of vengeance hath acted
boldly.
2. Exaltare qui judicas ter- 2. Arise thou who rulest the earth !

rain redde retributionem super-

: Give requital to the proud !

bis.
3. Usquequo peccatores Do- 3. How long, O Lord, shall the wicked,
mine, usquequo peccatores glo- How long shall the wicked boast ?

riabuntur :

4. Effabuntur, et loquentur They babble, haughtily they speak

iniquitatem loquentur onines,:
4.

They boast all the evildoers.
:

qui operantur injustitiam ?

5. Populum tuum Domine 5. They trample, O Lord, on Thy people.
humiliaverunt et hasreditatem :
They oppress Thy inheritance.
tuam vexaverunt.
6. Viduam, et advenam inter- 6. The widow and the sojourner they slay.
fecerunt : et pupillos occiderunt. And murder
"
the orphans.
7. Et dixerunt Non videbit :
7. They say : The Lord seeth it not ;

Dominus, nee intelliget Deus The God of Jacob heedeth it not."

Jacob.

8. Inteiiigite insipientes in 8. Ye dullards of the people give heed !

populo : et stulti aliquando Ye fools be ye sometime wise !

sapite.
9. Qui plantavit aurem, non 9. Who shall He not
hath fixed the ear
audiet ? aut qui finxit oculum, hear ?

non considerat ? Who hath fashioned the eye shall He

not see ?

10. Qui corripit Gentes, non 10. Who chideth the nations shall He not
arguet qui : docet hominem punish

scientiam ? Who teacheth men knowledge ?
11.Dominus scit cogitationes 11. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men
hominum, quoniam vanae sunt. How vain the}- are.

12. Beatus homo, quern tu 12. Luckv the man whom Thou teachest, O
erudieris Domine : et de lege Lord!
tua docueris eum, Whom Thou teachest out of Thy Law,
13 Ut mitiges ei a diebus 13. To give him peace on the evil day
malis donee fodiatur peccatori
: Until the pit is digged for the godless.
fovea.
14. Quia non repellet Domi- 14. For the Lord will not reject His people.
nus plebem suam et h^eredita- : Nor abandon His inheritance.
tem suam non derelinquet.
15. Quoadusque justitia con- 15. Until judgment is based upon justice.
vertatur in judicium et qui : And the upright of heart cleave thereto.
juxta illam omnes qui recto
sunt corde

16. Quis consurget mihi ad- 1 6. Who will arise for me against the godless ?
versus malignantes ? aut quis Who will stand by me against evil-
rstabit mecum adversus ope- doers ?

rantes iniquitatem ?
17. Nisi quia Dominus adju- 17. Were not the Lord my Helper,
vit me paulo minus habitasset
:
Long since had my soul dwelt in Sheol.
in inferno anima mea.
"
18. Si dicebam Mctus : est 18. Whenever I thought :
My foot is un-
pes mens misericordia tua Do-
:
steady,"
jnine adjuvabat me. Thy kindness, O Lord, gave me help.
93] YAHWEH, AS AVENGING GOD 133

19. Secundum multitudinem 19. If my heart was weighed down bv my

dolorum meorum in corde naeo ;
griefs,
consolationes tuae laetificaverunt Tliy comfortings gladdened my soul
animam nieam.

20. Numquid adhaeret tibi se- 20. Doth the chair of the godless cling to
des iniquitatis qui lingis labo-
: Thee ?

rem in praecepto ? Who devisest trouble by (Thy) law ?

21. Captabunt in animam ju- 21. They seek after the life of the just,
sti et sanguinem innocentem
: And innocent blood thev condemn.
condemnabunt.
22. Et factus est mihi Domi- 22. But the Lord is a refuge for me
nus in refugium et Deus meus
;
My God is the Help which I hope for.
in adjutorium spei meae.
23. Et reddet illis iniquitatem 23. To those He requiteth their guilt ;

ipsorum et in malitia eorum

: In their sin He scattereth them ;

disperdet eos :
disperdet illos The Lord, our God, scattereth them.
Dominus Deus noster.

I. ipsi David : the general situation implied in the poem is not

in favour of Davidic authorship. The inscription may be taken to
mean that the psalm is Davidic in tone (so Hoberg).
Quarta sabbati=the Septuagint assigns the psalm to Wednesday,
so that it may be assumed that it was used as a hymn in the
Temple-
service in the Second Temple on Wednesdays. The Talmud suggests
this also.
Liber e egit this represents the Hebrew haphia' which may be
:

' '

regarded as an imperative, Appear {cf. Ps. xlix. 2). The Greek

translators took the word as referring to the justice and impartiality
of God's dealings with men, and rendered it by i-!rapp7](TLU(raro :

Jerome has ostendere.

2-4 the description of the godless here recalls Ps. Ixxii. 6-9.
:

'

Effabuntur, speak great things.' Agellius says Effari non : . . .

est simpliciter loqiii, sed ex imo pectore tamqiiam redundantia ex jitgi

fonte verba proferre non sine tnniore quodam ac sono vocis. Jerome
renders the first half of the verse Fluent loquentes antiquum. :

The Hebrew verb yabbi'n is used in the same way without object in
Ps. Iviii. 8.

Loquentur in the second half of the verse is a rendering of

yith'amnfrii, which has probably a reciprocal sense they urge each

other on by their proud vaunting speech.
5. This verse does not imply that the godless in question are

foreigners. The whole people of Israel have been made to suffer

through their doings, but if they were men of influence, such as

judges, that would be easily intelligible. In verses 6 and 15 the
sinners are represented as unjust judges who observe onl}^ the
technicalities of the law. Cf. with verse 6, Is. i. 10, 23 Habacuc i. 13.
the special possession of the
;

Haereditas=^ls>xdie\. Lord.
7. Dixenmt think {in corde, :
understood). The words which
follow summarise their thoughts.
134 THE PSALMS [93

8-9 : The absurdity of the standpoint taken by the sinners. As

"
in Ps. xiii. i, the}' are called fools." How
can their doings remain
hidden from Him who is the Fashioner of ears and eyes ? As
Theodoret puts it Shall the Maker of these things be wanting in
:

that power which He has given to others ?

' ' '

10.Corripit ought to mean train,' teach (c/. Is. viii. 11 ;

Prov, xxxi. I for a similar use of the Hebrew yasar). Yahweh is H
the Teacher of the nations He surely has the right to chide them when
they disregard His teaching. The scientia is here primarily knowledge
of God and of His will. It to be noted that the psalmist makes
is

Yahweh the Teacher, not merely of Israel, but of all the peoples.
Cf. with this the Pauhne teaching, Rom. i. 21 ii. 14/. ;

11. Here we have no longer a question, but the positive statement

that God knows the thoughts and plannings of men. Hence He
knows also the cruel and callous designs of the sinners of verse 7.
The sense of the Hebrew would be better conveyed if we had quoniam
vani sunt men are a mere breath {hehhel) and how can a mere
: ;

breath withdraw itself from the power of an omnipotent Creator ?

In the Latin the vanity and emptiness of men's thoughts, rather than
the insignificance of men themselves, is emphasised. This does not
change the thought conveyed by the Hebrew very greatly.
12. In contrast with the foohsh sinners who fondly imagine that
God does not concern Himself with the doings of men the psalmist
sets those who have gained a true insight into God's plans by a
careful study of His Law. These men will be untroubled and happy
in spite of the evils of the time. This verse is based on Job v. 17
(where, however, the instruction in question is that which is gained
by suffering, rather than by the study of the Law).
13. Ut mitiges ei Jerome has more correctly, tit qtdescat a diehus
:

afflictionis. The days of trouble are the evil days which will fall
to the lot of the godless. From these the pious will be preserved [cf.
Ps. xlviii. II for a contrast with this). The pit is the destruction
which is prepared for the sinner. Obviously retribution is to begin
' '

in this life. Mitigare must here mean save,' rescue.' It is used

'

in Ps. Ixxxiv. 4 Ixxxviii. 10 in the sense of

;
restrain.' Here it
'
renders hishkit, to procure rest from.' The sense is not that
suggested by Bellarmine ut mitiges ei : tristitiam qitae oritur a
diebus malis.
14. What is true of the individual just man is true of the whole
people of God {cf. Deut. xxxii. 9). Even though the people are in
trouble, it is unthinkable that they shall not in time be rescued
therefrom.
15. Judicium is
'

justice
'
in the concrete whether in the form of
fairness in conduct, generally, or honesty in giving decisions, in
particular. The psalmist means that justice will become the norm
of conduct when the godless judges who are now perverting justice
93] YAHWEH, AS AVENGING GOD i
:>3

shall have been set aside. Theodoret, taking Justice as a name for
Christ finds here a prophecy of the coming of Christ and of the rejec-
tion of the Jews.
'

Et qui juxta illam the Greek gives the meaning

: All who are ;

'

of upright heart are such as will be in accordance with justice that ;

is, the upright of heart will always seek to maintain the true standard
of justice. The Latin is to be understood thus : omnes qui redo
corde stmt {tales su.nt) qui juxia illam (sitnt).
i6. A question which the psalmist (here perhaps representing
Israel) puts to himself in time of need. He has no doubt as to the
answer (vv. 17-18). Compare Ps. Ixxii. 25. Mecum, by my side in
battle [cf. Ps. liv. 19).
17. We must add /;//ssr/ .' nisi fuisset quia.
Paulo wms=aimost {cf. Ps. cxviii. 87).
In inferno: infernus is sheol, the underworld. The Hebrew has
'
*
in silence {dtimah). The silence is that of the land of death.
' '

Si dicebam, whenever I said {i.e., thought).

18.

19. This verse seems to say that there is a proportion between

the tribulations which the just man suffers and the comfort he receives
from God. Theodoret quotes here 2 Cor. i. 5 Qnoniam sicut abundant ;

passiones Christi in nobis ; ita et per Christum abundat consolatio

nostra. Cf. 2 Cor. viii. 9.
20. voices one of the cares which beset him
The question it is ;

addressed to God. Surely God cannot take sides with the sedes
iniquitatis, with the unjust judges, against those who keep
His Law !

This question is answered in what precedes it is answered also in ;

verses 22-23.
Qui fingis this in the Latin refers to God {fibi)
: hence it must ;

be taken to mean, 'Who decreest trouble by (Thy) Law 'i.e., who

makest laws that are difficult to observe. The Hebrew participle
Ps. i. i)
yoser can be read with kisse' hawwoth, sedes iniquitatis {cf.
'

and the sense then becomes, Which maketh mischief according to

the Law
'

i.e., which does evil under pretence of observing
the law.
The seat of the judges is a sedes iniquiiaUs, because it is a centre and
source of injustice. Cf. Ps. cxxi. 5.
Jerome renders :

Numqtiid particeps ent tui thyouiis insidiariun

fingens laboreni in praecepto ?

21. Captabunt,
'
The Septuagint read here
make chase
after.'
Massoretic
instead of the
yaghoddu
= congreganiur. Jer.
yasuddu,
renders Copulabuntur adversus animam jnsti.
:

22. Verse 21 and 22 can be taken together thus Even though :

the life of the just man, and condemn

they gather together against
innocent blood, yet will Yahweh be to me a place of refuge, etc.
136 THE PSALMS [93

'
Et Dens mens in adjuiorium spei meae : Hebrew, And my God
(will be) a rock, a refuge for me.'
'

Adjuiorium spei meae, as it stands, must be rendered, the help

in which I hope.' Cf. Ps. iv. 2.
'

23. In malitia is sometimes rendered, through their wickedness,'

'

sometimes, on account of their wickedness.'

Disperdit : Hebrew=' exterminate.' Jer. has :
perdet eos.
 PSALM XCIV
A PROCESSIONAL HYMN
simplest view of this psalm is to take it as a processional
THEhymn sermon.
which passes over into a prophetic exhortation, or
It falls naturally into three sections.

(a). The community, advancing on

in solemn procession
one of the great feasts from the city to Sion, chants a hymn unto
the might and glory of the Lord. The greatness of Israel's God
appears in the world which He has fashioned, and in His exaltation
above the gods of the heathens. (Verses 1-5).
{b). When the procession reaches the Temple-entrance a choir
of

priests invites it to enter, reminding the people that, as men do

homage to visible earthly rulers, so they must bow down, cast them-
selves prostrate, and kneel before the Lord of the Temple. (Verses 6-7).
(c). With verse 8, the Hymn
passes over into a prophetic exhorta-
tion. One of the priests, speaking in the person of Yahweh, as Amos
or Jeremias would have spoken to a festive assembly, reminds the
multitude that the fruit of their festive gladness ought to be the
conversion of their hearts to God {cf. Jer. xxxiv Amos iii. i). ;

They should be warned by the fate of their forefathers in the Wilder-

ness against unbelief and indifference. If they will now listen to the
voice of God who speaks to them through the prophetic speaker they
may be privileged to enter into the Rest which was denied to their
rebellious and unbelieving forebears. Cf. Ps. Ixxvii ;
Exod. xvii. 7 ;

Num. xiv. 23, 28-30 ;

Deut. vi. 16 ;
xii.9 ;
xxxiii. 8.
The psalm is assigned to David in the Septuagint. The Hebrew
text contains no ascription. Theodoret regarded it as a Davidic
forecast of the situation in Israel in the time of Josias, and believed
that David here speaks in the person of Josias. Hebrews iv. 7
quotes vv. 8-9 as Davidic, and Catholic commentators rightly insist
that the Psalm contains nothing which excludes Davidic authorship.
Most modern Protestant writers refuse to regard it as a genuinely
Davidic psalm, but they differ greatly as to the period to which they
would assign the composition of the poem. Those who agree that the
psalm was intended for use on one of the great feasts as a liturgical
song differ in the determination of the feast some ascribing it to

the Dedication of the Second Temple, others regarding it as a Llymn
New Year's Day.
for the Feast of Tabernacles or for
An interesting comparison between the two psalters, the Romamim
and the GalUcanuni, can be made by putting together the text of
137
 138 THE PSALMS [94

Psalrn xcivasit is read in the Vulgate (or Gallica^iiim) text at Matins

on the Feast of the Epiphany {3rd Nocturn), and the text from the
Psaltermm Romanum which is read as the invitatory psalm at the
beginning of Matins.

Laus Cantici ipsi David. [The people in procession]

Venite, ercsultemus Domi-

1. 1. Come let us hymn to the Lord !

no jubilemus Deo sahitari

: Let us e.Kult in our rescuing God !

nostro :

2. Praeoccupemus faciem ejus 2. Let us come before Him early with song.
in confessione et in psalmis : And with hymns let us exult in Him.
jiibilemus ei.

yuoniam Deus magnus Do-

3. 3. For the Lord is a mighty God,
minus et Rex magnus super
: A mighty King over all the gods.
omnes deos.
4. Quia in manu ejus sunt 4. In His hands are the ends of the earth ;

omnes fine terrje et altitudines : The mountain-tops are His.

montium ipsius sunt.
5. Quoniam ipsius est mare, 5. His isthe sea He hath made it
:
;

et ipse fecit illud et siccam ; And the dry-land His hands have
manus ejus formaverunt. formed.

[Choir of priests]
Venite adoremus et proci-
6. 6. Come let us bow down, and fall prostrate ;

damus et ploremus ante Domi-

: Let us weep before the Lord, our
num, qui fecit nos. Maker.
7. Quia ipse est Dominus 7. For He is the Lord, our God,
Deus noster et nos populus : And we are the people of His pasture,
pascuae ejus, et oves manus the sheep of His hand.
ejus.

[Soloist]
8. Hodie si vocem ejus audie- 8. If ye would hear His voice to-day !

ritis,
" Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
9. Nolite obdurare corda ve- 9.
stra : As on the day of Massah in the desert.
Sicut in irritatione secundum When your fathers tempted me,
diem tentationis in deserto : And tried me, though they saw my
ubi tentaverunt me patres vestri, deeds.
probaverunt me, et viderunt
opera mea.
10. Quadraginta annis offen- 10. For fort}' j-ears I was angry with that
sus fui generationi illi, et dixi : race :

Semper hi errant corde. I saidIn heart they evermore stray

: ;

11. Et isti non cognoverunt 11. Indeed they knew not my ways.
vias meas, ut juravi in ira mea : So that I sware to them in my wrath :

Si introibunt in requiem meam. They shall not enter into my Rest."

I. Latts cantici Cf. Ps. xc. xci and xcii. :

The people exhort each other to glorify God as the Lord of the
world, and in particular of Israel. Jubilare=pv2iise. God is to be
praised as salutaris, as Rescuer, Saviour. [Cf. Ps. xxvi. 9.)

' '
The face of God is the divine attitude, or disposition prae- :

occupare faciem ejus means to secure His favour by timely intercession.

Confessio is the means by which the divine favour is to be secured {cf.

Ps. xli. 5). It is apparently implied that timely praise of God may
<)4] A PROCESSIOXAL HYMN 139

prevent change in His present attitude of favour. The timehness

a
of the praisemay, however, simply mean that it is to be offered before,
or along with, the morning sacrifice.
Psalmis cf. Ps. Ivi. 9, 10.
:

3. Cf. xlvii. 2
Ps. xlvi. 3 xcv. 4 xcvi. 9.
;
The might of ; ;

Yahweh revealed especially in the physical world, as verses 4 and 5

is

explain. In setting Yahweh above the heathen gods the psalmist

uses popular phraseology, or employs a recognised literar}- figure
which does not imply his own acceptance of the existence of such
gods. (C/. Ps. xcv. 4 xcvi. 9.) ;

After verse 3 the Psalterium Romanum adds :

quoniavi non repellet
Dominus plebem siiam. It is interpolated in the Septuagint from
verse 14 of the preceding psalm.
4. The greatness of Yahweh seen pcculiarty in nature. His
is

rule is universal. It reaches to the ends of the earth

(a better reading
than the Hebrew mehk^re 'rtr^^s), and the tops of the highest mountains.
The Romanum reads here o.ltitndines montium ipse conspicit. :

5. The Romanum reads, Et aridam fundavernnt the reference is :

to the dry-land as distinct from the sea. The Latin would probably
represent the Hebrew better if it read et {ipsius est) sicca quani :

manns ejus formaverunt.

6. The words are addressed to the people who are about to enter
into the forecourts of the Temple. They may, perhaps, be regarded
as spoken by the choir of priests who receive the procession at the
Temple-entrance. The summons to worship includes the various
attitudes of the worshippers, bowdng down, prostrating with face to
the ground, and kneeling. Cf. 2 Chron. vii. 3 Dan. iii. 10. ;

Ploremus implies a Hebrew nibhkeh. The Massoretic text reads

'

nibhr^khah, us kneel.' It has been suggested that the Greek

let

KX.av(TU)fiv is a corruption of oKAaVoj/xei' (' let us kneel ').

(ploremus)
Jer. has flectamiis genua. If ploremus is retained, the tears must be
understood as tears of thanksgiving.
7. Populiis pascuae The Romanum has
: ^os autem popiilns ejus :

' '

el oves pascuae ejus. The pasture is Palestine, and the Israelites,

who dwell in Palestine, are the special people of Yahweh {cf. Ps. Ixxiii. i ;

'

xxii. I ;
2 Kings vii. 8). The hand '=the flock guided
flock of His

by His hand. Cf. the symbol of the Good Shepherd, John x. 14, 16.
8. Here the words of the prophet-like speaker begin. We can
suppose that he is one of the priestly body. He speaks in the name
-ofYahweh, prefacing his words by a wish that the people would '
'

hear and give heed If ye would but hear His voice to-day
:
If !

they would hear and follow the warnings of the Lord, it would be
well with them It is possible, however, to take the meaning as,
!

'
Whenever ye hear His voice, etc' The words from Nolite obdurare
on are to be taken as spoken by Yahweh. The author of the Epistle
to the Hebrews interprets hodie of the period between the conversion
140 THE PSALMS [94

of the individual and the laial judgment (Hebrews iii. 7-19), and
' '

ascribing this psalm to David argues that the Rest which had been
promised to Israel in the days of the conquest of Palestine had not
yet been attained in the Davidic period. In the psalm it is most
natural to refer ]ioche to the feast at which the psalm was intended
to be sung. As the Israelites are bowed down in homage before their

(jod, listening to the solemn words of the speaker who represents the
Lord, let them take care lest they should be wanting in loyalty or
trust towards the God who is in their midst !

In irritatione seciindiim diem tcntaiionis the Greek translators, :

as in Psalm Ixxx. 8, took Meribah and Massah as ordinary substantives.

As can be seen from the narrative in Exod. xvii. 1-7 and Num. xx. 1-13.
Irritatio and Contentio are really commemorative place-names.
' ' '

Meribah and Massah might be rendered Strife and Trial,' so that

'
the passage might run in English Harden not your heart as at
:

Strife like the day of Trial in the desert.'

: The people who have
come in procession to the Temple are warned not to imitate their
ancestors who at Meribah and Massah showed their want of faith in
the protecting presence of their Lord. They put Yahweh to the
test, though there was no reason for doing so, since they had clearly
seen the wonders which He had wrought for them.
Et viderunt
even though they saw,' or had seen.' The opera ^
' '

the miraculous gift of water recorded in Exod. xvii. 6. This manifest

token of divine favour made the murmuring and unbelief of the
Israelites peculiarly unreasonable. The Romanum omits me after

probavermit.
' '
For the proving at Meribah and Massah, cf. Deut. xxxiii. 8 ;

Ps. Ixxx. 8 ;
Exod. xvii. 2, 7 Num. xx. 13.
;

10. The anger of God lasted during the forty years of the desert ^

wanderings all that time Yahweh endured Israel, but only with
;

loathing offensns fid. The g eneralio the generation of those who

==

came forth from Egypt. The Romannm has proximus fin generationi

huic which seems to be based on a misunderstanding of the Greek.
' '
The nearness in the context could only be that of hostility.
11. The men of that perverse generation paid no heed to God's
dealings with them. Neither the favours nor the chastisements of
God could make them realise what the Lord had done for them. The
ways of God are the graces and favours which He bestowed on
' '

Israel [cf. Ps. Ixxx. 14).

The and unbelief of Israel compelled the Lord to
indifference
'

pronounce with an oath the sentence They shall not enter into :

my Rest.' The negative oath is expressed, as usual, in affirmative '

form. The Hebrew oath generally took the form May so and so :

happen to me, if .' Hence the affirmative

. . oath is naturally

introduced by a negative particle, si non, and the negative oath by

an affirmative particle, si. The oath is that recorded in Num. xiv. 26^.
94] A PROCESSIONAL HYMN 141
' '

The Rest in the context of the oath is the Promised Land, where
Yahweh was about to take up His residence in the midst of His people.
The author of Hebrews takes
it as the eternal rest of heaven, the
' '

sharing in the Sabbath-rest of God. That the Rest has an eschato-

logical meaning here also is evident.
'

Ut has here been taken in the sense so that.' It might, however,

' ' '

also be rendered, how.' In that case the ways of the Lord would
be more clearly defined as being the oath which He swore
'

they ;

knew not my ways, how I sware . . .'

 PSALM XCV
YAHWEH, KING AND JUDGE OF THE
WORLD
psalm found with slight variations in i Chron. xvi. 23-33
is

THIS In I we have a poem composed of several psalm

Chron. xvi
cv. 47, 48) which is said to have been
passages (civ. 1-15 ;

sung at the bringing of the Ark from the house of Obededom

to Sion. The authority of the Chronicler stands, therefore, for
the ascription of this Psalm xcv. to David. That authority is sup-
ported by the title of the psalm in the Septuagint, A poem by David
'

when the House was built after the Captivity.' The Septuagint
title is probably based on the statements in i Chron. xvi. Direct
Biblical statements like those of the Chronicler in chapter xvi cannot
be set aside, and the Catholic commentator must admit that
Psalm xcv is substantially of Davidic origin. The points of obvious
contact between this psalm and the second part of Isaias have led
nearly all modern non-Catholic commentators to regard Psalm xcv
as post-Exilic. Against this, however, it is pointed out by Catholic

writers that the apparently Isaian features of the psalm especially
its pronounced universalisih, could well have originated from one
gifted with the spirit of prophecy, like David. The Davidic origin
of Psalm xcv does not, however, exclude the possibility that the
Davidic poem has been modified somewhat by editors. Verse 5, for
instance, which is remarkably similar to such passages of Isaias as
xl. 18-26 xH. 21-29
;
xliv. 9-20, may have been inserted in the
;

psalm subsequently to the period of Isaias.

The structure of the psalm is simple. The first six verses contain
the New Song. The ancient songs are not grand enough to com-
memorate the great occasion of the psalm. Hence a new song is
required. Its theme is the rule of Yahweh over the whole world
heathen as well as Jewish. The Messianic rule and kingdom are
obviously before the poet's mind. In the Messianic Kingdom there
will be no contrast of Israel and the Nations, for all the world will

equally submit to the sway of the Messianic King. Thus the be-
ginning of the Messianic period is the beginning of the salvation of

the heathens not of their destruction. Instead of the thought
that Israel is to attain world-power by victorious battles, we have
here the thought that Israel has a spiritual mission to the nations.
Israel must make known to all the glory of the one God, Yahweh.
The heathen gods must fade away into the nothingness which they

14Z
95] YAHVv^EH, KING AND JUDGE 143

symbolise. The psalmist sees in spirit the proud works of men's

hands cast down in the dust before the face of Yahweh, while Majesty
and Greatness minister in attendance about the Messianic throne.
The second part of the poem (vv. 7-10) depicts the jubilation of
the subjects of the Messianic King when He comes to His throne.
They gather together to do Him homage as they were wont to pay
homage to earthly kings on their coronation-day. Yahweh is ac-
claimed as King of the whole world and as Judge of the nations.
The poet sees the nations coming in festive procession, bringing

gifts to the palace of the King.

The last three verses (11-13) represent Nature as joining in the
nations' cry of welcome to the Messianic King. Heaven, earth, sea,
land, and forests unite with men in one great song of praise and
homage.
The accession of the Messianic King is largely the theme also of
the next three psalms. All four should be read and studied together.
Psalms xcvii and xcv are very intimately related. Psalm xlv, xxxii,
Ixxv, and xlvi should be compared and contrasted with Psalm xcv.

1. Canticum ipsi David, I. A song of David when the House was

;

Quando domus aedificabatur being built after the Exile.

post captivitatem.

Cantate Domino canticum no- Sing to the Lord a new song.

vum cantate Domino omnis
:
Sing to the Lord all the earth !

terra.
2. Cantate Domino, et bene- 2. Sing to the Lord praise ye His name
; ;

dicite nomini ejus annuntiate : t'roclaim every day His salvation.

de die in diem salutare ejus.
3. Annuntiate inter Gentes 3. Recount to the nations His glory.
gloriam ejus, in omnibus populis Amid all the peoples His wondrous
mirabilia ejus. deeds.
4. Quoniam magnus Domi- 4. For great is the Lord, all worthy of praise.
nus, et laudabilis nimis terri- : More dreadful than all the gods.
bilis est super omnes deos.
5. Quoniam omnes dii Gen- 5. For the gods of the heathen are but
all
tium dsmonia Dominus autem
: demons.
coelos fecit. But the Lord hath made the heavens.
6. Confessio, et pulchritudo 6. Splendour and Majesty are before Him :

in conspectu ejus sanctimonia : Holiness and Grandeur are in His

et magniiicentia in sanctificatio- shrine.
ne ejus.

7. Aiferte Domino patriae 7. Bring to the Lord, ye tribes of the

Gentium, afferte Domino glori- nations,
am et honorem : Bring to the Lord glory and praise.
8. Afferte Domino gloriam no- 8. Bring to the Lord the praise of His name.
mini ejus. Bring hither gifts and enter His courts.
Tollite hostias, et introite in
atria ejus :

9. Adorate Dominum in atrio 9. Do homage to the I^ord in His holy

sancto ejus. shrine ;

Commoveatur a facie ejus uni- Let all the world tremble before Him.
versa terra :

10. Dicite in Gentibus quia lo. Proclaim to the peoples : The Lord is
Dominus regnavit. King ;
H\- TPIE PSALMS [95

Etenim correxit orbem terrae For He hath stabhshed the earth :

qui non commovebitur judica- : It nevermore moveth :

bit populos in aequitate. He will judge the nations in fairness.

ir. La^tentur coeli, et exsultet 11. Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be
terra : commoveatur mare, et glad ;

plenitude ejus : Let the sea and its billowrs be roused :

12. Gaudebunt campi, et 12. Let the fields and all in them rejoice ;

omnia qua^ in eis sunt. Then shall be glad every tree of the
Tunc exsultabunt omnia ligna forest.
silvarum
13. A facie Domini, quia Before the face of the Lord when He
venit quoniam venit judicare
: cometh.
terram. For He cometh to judge the earth.
Judicabit orbem terrae in He will judge the world with justice.
aequitate, et populos in veritate And the peoples with truth.
sua.

1. Canticum nov-um the song must be new, for no existing hymn

:

was great enough for the occasion the coming of Yahweh as Judge
of the world. The first summons to song may be regarded as ad-
dressed to Israel, the second to the whole world.
' '
2. De diem
die in daily,' from day to day.' Baethgen com-
:

pares Ps. xviii. 3

but the sense there is different.
3. The greatness and glory of the Lord are to be proclaimed among
the Nations. The emphatic universalism of the psalm is not, as
modern commentators suppose, unthinkable in a Davidic composi-
tion. Cf. Ps. xvii.
4. This versea quotation from Ps. xlvii. 2. Cf. Ps. xciv. 3.
is

The comparison with the heathen gods is merely a literary figure.

That the Psalmist does not accept the reality of the heathen gods is
clear from verse 5.
5. Daemonia this takes the place of the Hebrew 'Hilini, which
:

' '

may mean Nothings the Greek translators evidently believed

:

that the heathens worshipped demons either consciously or uncon-

sciously (Similarly i Cor. x. 19-20. Cf. Gal. iv. 8). Jerome renders
sculptilia. Over against the mere nothings which the heathens
worship is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens. Even if the gods
of the heathen were the sun and moon and stars, yet these, whose
home is the heavens, have been fashioned by God's omnipotent
hand.
6. Confessio renders hodh which really means
'

glory.' Jerome
rightly renders gloria. The Greek translators were misled, apparently,
' ' "
by the similarity of hodh, glory,' and liodhah, to praise to confess.'
Pnlchritudo is not an exact rendering of the Hebrew liadhar this :

means grandeur or splendour. Jerome has decor.

' '
Sanctimonia corresponds to 'oz, strength {cf. Ps. viii. 3) :

Jerome renders fortititdo.

' ' ' '

Sanctificatio means shrine or sanctuary (Hebrew, mikdash).

95] YAHVVEH, KING AND JUDGE 145

Jerome has sanctuarmm. Praise and Splendour, Strength and Beauty

are, perhaps, thought of as spirits ministering round the throne of
Yahweh.
7-9 : these verses are borrowed with some modifications from
Ps. xxviii. 1-2. Instead of the angels of Ps. xxviii the foreign nations
appear.
The glory of His name is given to Yahweh by recognising Him
8.
'

as the only true God. The Chronicler substitutes for into His
'

courts,' before Him.'

9. In ntrio sando ejus : the Massoretic text has bViadlirath kodhesh,
'
which usually rendered,
is in holy adornment.' The Greeks read
hasroth instead of hadkrath.
'

Commoveatur, tremble in reverential awe.'

10. In the Psalterium Romanum the words a ligno follow regnavit.

Justin (Tryph. vii. 3) accuses the Jews of having omitted these words
from the psalm. Cf. the hymn, Vexilla Regis, 1. 12.
Correxit : instead of tikkon the Greek translators read tikken.
' '

Correxit must be here rendered as established,' made firm.'

Judicahit populos in aequitate anticipates verse 13, and is wanting

in the parallel text of Chronicles. It was, perhaps, interpolated here
from Ps. ix. 9.
12. An echo of Isaias. Cf. Is. Iv. 12.
Thpx, in the Messianic period.
i.e., When Yahweh assumes com-
plete control of the nations, the prophecy in Is. xliv. 23 will be fulfilled :

"
Rejoice, ye heavens, for Yahweh hath done it :

Be glad ye depths of the earth !

Burst forth, ye mountains, into shouts of joy,

The forest and all the trees thereof ;

For Yahweh hath rescued Jacob

And in Israel He shall be glorified."
13'

13. Venit represents the prophetic perfect of the Hebrew.

Veritas the loyalty of Yahweh towards His own people will be
:

the reason why He shall judge the heathens in justice.

ro
 PSALM XCVI
YAHWEH KING OF THE WORLD
theme of this psahii, Uke that of Psalm xcv and xcviii, is the

THE coming
is
of Yahweh to His throne as Messianic King. Emphasis
placed here rather on the inner than the outer glory of the

event rather on the victory of truth and justice in the
Messianic period, than on the external splendour and majesty of
the Mess anic King. In the first verse the announcement of the
accession of the Messias is made. Since the whole earth is subject
'

to the Messianic King, the earth, including the far off Isles of the

Sea,' takes up the h3'-mn to the King. Cf. Ps. xlvi. 2ff. xcv. i.;

Verses 2^ describe the actual coming forth of the King. We

have here the usual familiar features of Old Testament Theophanies
(c/.M cheas i. 3 Habacuc iii. 2>ff-
;
Ps. xvii. 8/.
',
Ps. Ixxvi. 17/., etc.).
;

As the Messianic King advances to His throne the clouds gather

round Him. Fire encircles Him, and His lightnings flash over the
world. Before the intensity of the fires which encompass Him,
mountains melt like wax before the flame. The earth trembles as
in an earthquake. .Here are all the features of the Theophany of the
Davidic Psalm xvii, and here we recognise the ancient literary forms
employed in the of Deborah (Judges v. 4, 5).
Song The mighty
God of nature who
here described is represented, further, as the
is

Lord of right and justice. As in Ps. Ixxxviii. 15, Right and Justice
are the stay of His throne.
Verses 7-9 celebrate the victory of truth over error. Before the
Messianic King the false gods fade away, and their worshippers stand
'

abashed. But while the Day of Yahweh is a day of defeat for the
'

heathen, it is a time of rejoicing for Sion and the towns round about
her. The is, however, not so much over political success
rejoicing
(which may be here implied), as over the victory of truth.
As verses 7-9 deal with the victory of truth over falsehood, so
verses lo-ii celebrate the triumph of justice in the Messianic age.
Iniquity is overcome, and the pious are set free from its thrall. Men
walk in the light of God's face, and their hearts are filled with joy
and peace. Let all men rejoice, then, in Yahweh and join in the
praise of His name.
"
It may be that the glad cry Yahweh is King," refers to some
:

particular intervention of the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the entire

psalm may, possibly, be the commemoration of such intervention.
Interpreting it thus some commentators have regarded this psalm as a
146
96] YAHWEH KING OF THE WORLD 147

hymn of thanksgiving for the release from the captivity of Babylon.

But whether or not the psalm celebrates a particular intervention of
Yahweh on behalf of Israel, it must be admitted that the imagery of
the psalm is definitely Messianic, and that the establishment of divine
rule on earth which is here described is essentially the setting up of
the Messianic Kingship. Even the Author of Hebrews seems to
take the psalm as primarily a celebration of the inauguration of the
Messianic period (c/. Heb. i. 6). The absence of all immediate
suggestion in this psalm that the reign of the Messias is to be
preceded by violence or destruction, and the emphasis on truth
and justice as the stay of the Messianic throne imply a more
spiritual outlook on the Messianic period than we find, for instance,
in Ps. cxlix.
In stjde and thought this psalm stands in the closest relations
with the preceding psalm. The imagery of the first half of Ps. xcvi
recalls, as has been said, that of Ps. xvii, which is undoubtedly Davidic.
While then, in the Hebrew there is no ascription to an author, the
'

Vulgate title (following the Greek), By David, when order was again
established in his land,' implies a possible and reasonable view on the
origin of the psalm. We do not know the precise reference in the
phrase, When order was again established in his land.' Davidic
'

origin of the psalm would not be affected by the admission of the

presence of post-Davidic editorial elements in the text (as, for instance,
in vv. 7-8). Hoberg, one of the most conservative Catholic com-
mentators on the Psalms, is inchned to regard the psalm as a post-
Davidic elaboration of verses 8-15 of Ps. xvii. He thinks that a
view like this which makes the nucleus of the psalm Davidic sufficiently
explains the ascription of Ps. xcvi to David in the title.

I. Huic David, Quando terra By David, vvhen his land was again set
eius restituta est. in order.

(Yahweh ascends His throne.)

Dominus exsultet
regnavit,

The Lord is King let the earth rejoice,
terra : Isetentur insulsc multae. Let all the islands exult.
2. Nubes, et caligo in circui- 2. Clouds and darkness are about Him :

tu ejus justitia, et judicium

:
Right and justice are the stay of His
corr actio sedis ejus. tlirone.
3. Ignis ante ipsum
pragcedet, 3. Fire goeth before Him
et inflammabit in circuitu inimi- And devoureth His foes round about.
cos ejus.
4. Illuxerunt fulgura ejus orbi 4. His lightnings illumine the world,
terras vidit, et commota est
: The earth hath seen it, and is in throes ;

terra.
5. Montes, sicut cera fluxe- 5. The mountains melt like wax before the
runt a facie Domini a facie : Lord,
Domini omnis terra. All the earth before the face of the
Lord.
6. Annuntiaverunt coeli justi- 6. The heavens proclaim His justice.
tiam ejus et : viderunt omnes And all the peoples behold His glor}-.
populi gloriam ejus.
148 THE PSALMS [96

(The victory of Truth.)

Confundantur omnes, qui
7. 7. Confounded are all who worship things
adorant sculptilia et qui glori- ;
graven.
antur in simulacris suis. They who boast of their idols ;

Adorate eum onines Angeli All ye gods do Him homage !

ejus :

8. Audivit, et laotata est Sion. 8. Sion heareth and rejoiceth ;

Et exsultaverunt fili;c Judae, The daughters of Sion exult.

propter judicia tua Domine : Because of Thy judgments, O Lord.
9. Quoniam tu Dominus Al- 9. For thou, Lord, art Highest over earth,
tissimus super oinnem terram : Exalted above all the gods.
nimis exaltatus es super omnes
decs.
(The triumph of Justice.)
10. Qui diligitis Dominum 10. Hate, ye who love the Lord, evil.
odite malum : custodit Dominus The Lord guardeth the souls of His
animas sanctorum suorum, de loyal ones:

manu peccatoris liberabit eos. From the sinner's hand He saveth

them.
11. Lux orta est justo, et 11. A light shineth forth for the just one,
rectis corde tetitia. And delight for the upright of heart.
12. Lajtamini justi in Domi- 12. Rejoice ye just in the Lord,
no : et confitemini memoriae And praise ye His holy name.
sanctificationis ejus.

1. The reference in Qtiando terra ejus resiilnta est, is obscure. The

restoration of the land in question must have taken place towards
the close of David's career, when Israel enjoyed comparative peace
from her foreign enemies. Modern non-Catholic commentators, for
the most part, attach no importance to the Greek (Vulgate) title of
this psalm.
Dominusregnavit is the glad cry of the psalmist at Yahv/eh's
accession he would have the whole world to join with him in his
:

rejoicing. The insulae multae are the heathen lands in general.

' '

Cf. Is. xli. I, 5 xlii. 4, 10. See Ps. Ixxi. 19. The Isles meant
;

originally the coast-lands of the Mediterranean but in the second ;

half of Isaias the word is frequently used to designate the outlying

' '

heathen lands. The Nations are the heathen lands which sur-
round Palestine. Those who seek a particular historical occasion
for the psalm find it usually in the return from the Exile.

Compare Ps. xvii. 8-15. The Song of

2. Deborah is the oldest
description of this kind of Theophany.

Yahweh, in Thy progress from Seir,

In Thy march from the field of Edom,
Earth quaked, yea, heaven (rocked),
Yea, the clouds dripped water.
The mountains shook before Yahweh,
Before Yahweh, the God of Israel. (Judges v. 4-5.)

Even in the days of Deborah the literary method of depicting the

coming of Yahweh to Israel's rescue was comparatively fixed. '

For the Day of Yahweh as darkness, see Soph. i. 15 Joel ii. 2.
'

;
96] YAHWEH KING OF THE WORLD 149

Compare also the thought of God as dwelhng in darkness in 3 Kings

viii. 12 ; Exod. xx. 21.
' ' '

Correction ma khon, support,' foundation cf. Ps. Jxxxviii. 15. :

Verses 2, 3, 6 resemble closely Ps. xlix. 3-6.

3. For the various features of the Theophany compare the com-

mentar}^ on Ps. xvii. SJf.

Compare Ps. Ixxvi. 18, 19 xxviii. 8 Ixxvi. 17.

4. ; ;

5. Compare Micheas i. 4.
A facie Domini oninis terra this should be corrected according
;

to the Greek and Hebrev/ into .4 facie Domini omnis tcrrae.

6. The glory of Yahweh which the peoples have seen -is the over-
throw of the foes of truth and justice who were the foes of Yahweh
and of Israel. In this overthrow the Lord has shown His omnipotence.
7. If the psalm is to be taken as commemorating the release from
the Exile, the worshippers of images are, probably, in the first instance,
the Babylonians.
Adoratc the Hebrew has the perfect, not the imperative.
:

All the gods do Him homage.'

'

Angeli ejus the Hebrew has

: :

' '

As in Ps. viii. 6 the Greek translators substituted angels for '^lohim

{cf. Ps. cxxxvii. i).
In Hebrews the text is quoted as it stands here.
Jerome has Adorafe :cum omnes dii.
8. Compare Ps. xlvii. 12. The news that has been heard, and
which causes Sion to rejoice, is the accession of the Messianic King,
or that intervention of God on behalf of Israel which may have
inspired this poem.
9. Compare Ps. xlvi. 3-10 ;
xciv. 3.
10. Odite qui oditis malum would be better. The Mas-
malum :

soretic text, however, as v^ell as the Sept., Targum, and Jerome have
the imperative. The Syriac has the perfect.
' '

11. The light is salvation, rescue, primarily. But there is here

the idea also of walking in the light of God's face.
'

Orta est ; the Hebrew zaru.a' sown,' ought to be corrected into

,

zarah, 'has risen.' Confusion of 'ayin and heth is found also else-
where. Cf. Ps. xiii. 6.
12. This verse looks like a fusion of Ps. xxxi. 11 and xxix. 5.
'

Memoriae sanctificationis ejus His holy name.' :

 PSALM XCVII
YAHWEH, THE SALVATION OF THE
PEOPLES
the
preceding, this psalm, is largely taken up with the
LIKE End-period, the Messianic age. It is
in thought with Ps. xcv than with Ps. xcvi.
more
closely connected
Here, as in
"
Ps. xcv, there is question of a new song." The occasion
of the poemhere also obscure, but the predominance. of Messianic
is

imagery just as marked in this as in the preceding psalms.

is Hence
if the psalm was intended to commemorate some victorious inter-

vention of God on behalf of Israel, that intervention is viewed as a

phase, or foreshadowing, of Messianic rule. The presence of ideas
and literary forms resembling closely those found in Isaias xlii-xliv
is characteristic of this psalm, as of the preceding, so that the ascrip-

tion of the psalm to David must be understood in the same way as

in Ps. xcvi. Indeed, the peculiarly close connection of verses 1-3
with Isaias 10 and lix. 16
Hi. Ixiii. 5, suggests that this psalm is
;

more completely a product of the period of Deutero-Isaias than even

Ps. xcvi. It is more exact, therefore, to speak of this psalm simply
'
as Davidic,' than to ascribe it to David as author.
The structure of the psalm is clear. In verses 1-3 we have the
"
new song." The psalmist calls for the new song to celebrate the
establishment of the unquestioned rule of Yahweh over the nations.
By the might of His arm the Lord has compelled the nations to ac-
knowledge His rule. This the psalmist regards as the bringing of
salvation to Israel, so that the overthrow of God's foes is represented

as an act of divine favour towards Israel as the giving to Israel its
rights against the nations. Thus it is here implied that the accession
of Yahweh to the Messianic throne has been preceded by a victory
over, and humiliation of, the heathen peoples. But when God's
purposes in the punishment of the heathen have been attained, then
the heathen also share in the general salvation. Thus, the universality
of grace is made to depend on Judgment
the world-judgment which
we meet with so often elsewhere.
Yahweh takes His seat as King. As an earthly
After His victory
King applauded when he comes to his throne, so all the world
is

acclaims Yahweh (vv. 4-6). The heathens turn away from their
gods and join with Israel in welcoming the Lord as King and Saviour
of the world. The ceremonial of welcome and joyous acclamation
is thought of after the manner of 4 Kings xi, xii. Cf. Numbers
xxiii. 21, and Ps. xliv.

150
97] YAHWEH, SALVATION OF THE PEOPLES 151

The poet now passes on to describe (in vv. 7-9) how aU nature
joins in the chorus of applause and jubilation which greets Yahweh's
accession. The ocean thunders its joy the rivers clap hands, and
the mountains burst forth into shouts of rejoicing
"
before the Lord
;

who cometh to judge the earth."

I. Psalnius ipsi David. 1. A Psalm of David.

Cantate Domino canticum no- Sing unto the Lord a new song.
vum quia mirabilia fecit.
: For He hath wrought wonders.
Salvavit sibi dextera ejus et : His right hand hath helped Him,
biachium sanctum ejus. And His holy arm.
2. Notum fecit Dominus salu- 2. The Lord hath made known His salvation,
tare suum in conspectu Genti-
: He hath shown to the heathens His
um revelavit justitiam suam. justice.
3. Recoi'datus est misericor- 3. He hath been mindful of His favour,
diae suae, et vcritatis sua? domui And of His truth to the House of Israel.
Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen
Viderunt omnes termini terra? The salvation of our God.
salutare Dei nostri.

4. Jubilate Deo omnis terra :

4. Exult unto the Lord all the world,
cantate, et exsultate, et psallite. Hj'mn and rejoice and make music,
5. Psallite Domino in cithara, 5. Make music unto the Lord on the zither.
in cithara et voce psalmi : On the zither with loud-ringing song ;

6. In tubis ductilibus, et voce 6. With clash of trumpets and horns,

tubae cornea?. Exult before Yahweh, the King.
Jubilate in conspectu regis
Domini :

7. Moveatur mare, et pleni- 7. Let the sea be roused and its waves,
tude ejus orbis terrarum, et
: The earth and what dwells thereon.
qui habitant in eo.
8. Flumina plaudent manu, 8. Let the rivers clap hands,
simul montes exsultabunt Let the hills rejoice
9. A conspectu Domini quo- :
9. Before the face of the Lord when He
niam venit judicare terram. cometh,
judicabit orbem terrarum in To judge the earth.
justitia,, et populos in a?quitate. He judgeth the earth in justice.
And the nations in fairness.

I. Ipsi David see the Introduction to the psalm.

:

Canticum novum as in Ps. xxxii. 3

: xcv. i cxliii. 9 cxlix. i ; ; ; ;

xxxix. 4 Is. xlii. 10.

;
It is a song not hitherto existing in the liturgical

books, but composed specially for a particular occasion. The newness

of the song implies the importance of the occasion.
Mirabilia are the great deeds which Yahweh has wrought for
Israel's salvation and His own glorj'. These He has wrought by
His own strength alone.
Salvavit Hebrew
hoshi'ah, wrought salvation.'
: The Latin ought
'

to be, salvavit ei dextera ejus. Et brachium sanctum ejus looks incom-

plete. We
should expect a parallel to salvavit, etc., thus :

His right hand wrought for him salvation ;

Hi-i holy arm succoured him ;

or something similar. Cf. Is. Ixiii. 5.

152 THE PSALMS [97

With 1&-3 compare Is. lii. 10 Paravit Dominus hrachium sanctum

:

snum in ocv.lis omnium gentium, et videbunt omnes fines terrae salutare

Dei nostri. The salvation is that which has been granted to Israel it ;

" "
is the same thing as the justice of the second half of the verse.
3. The miscyicordia and Veritas, the grace and fidclit}^ of God appear
together as usual.
It would be better to read, with the Greek and the Psalt. Romamim,
'
misericordiae suae Jacob, thus supplying a parallel to Israel.'
4. Cf. Is. lii.
9. Compare also Ps. xxxii. 2-3 ;
xlvi. 2, 7 ;
Ixv. i ;

xcix. I.

5. Cithara :
cf. Ps. xxxii. 2. Psalmus=' hymnody.'
6. the silver trumpets which Moses prepared at
Ttibis ductilibits :

the command of God (Num. x. 2) are described as ductiles, and we

may regard ductiles here in the psalm as a gloss from Num. x. 2.
'

The word msLy be translated beaten.' The trumpets here named in

the Hebrew text, the Jfso froth, were those especially used by the
priests (Num. x. 2-10). The other word used here in the Hebrew is
shophar. This is a more general word, and may be rendered, after
'
the Latin, as cornet.' The psalmist means that trumpets of metal
and trumpets of horn are to be used.
Jubilate the Hebrew word hariu means raise the fni'ah,'
;
'

the
cry of welcome and acclamation for the King. Cf. Num. xxiii. 21.

7. With vv. 7-9 compare Ps. xcv. 11-13. Plenitudo=' what fills
it.'

S. For the clapping

of hands see 4 Kings xi. 12. Cf. Is. v. 12.
Here, as before, it is emphasised that right and justice are the
9.
stay of the Messianic throne.
 PSALM XCVIII
HOLY IS THE LORD, OUR GOD
is a to the holy God of Israel, the King of the world
hymn
THIS who enthroned on the Cherubim. The psalm is divided
sits
into three strophes, Vv'hich are clearly marked off from each
other by a refrain.
The holy and mighty God now
again shown clearly
of Israel has
to the world that He is the Lord and King and the Ruler of
of Israel,
the world. Let men, therefore, praise His dread and mighty name,
for He is holy. (vv. 1-3.)
God has shown His might b}/ exercising justice on behalf of Jacob,
by intervening, that on Israel's behalf against the heathen. The
is,

overthrow of Israel's enemies is also the overthrow of the enemies of

Yahweh. For His justice in helping Israel the Lord is to be extolled.
Holy is He. (vv. 4-5.)
Yahweh is not merely mighty and just. He is gracious as well.
In the olden days He was ever accessible to the repentant prayers of

His people even though the whole history of Israel is a nistory of
disloyalty and sin on the part of the people. His graciousness was
never deserved by the nation Israel, but it was often moved by the
prayers of such heroes of the faith as Moses, Aaron, and Samuel.
There are still in Israel men loyal to God, and the recent intervention
of Yahweh in defence of His people may have been due to the r

prayers. In full recognition of the gracious mercies of the Lord let

Israel bow down in homage before Him and praise His holiness, (vv.

5-9-)
There is nothing opposed to Davidic authorship in the general
tone of the psalm. Many modern non-Catholic critics admit that
the psalm is pre-Exilic. Some Protestant Vv'riters find the immediate
occasion of the poem the intervention of Yahweh which it cele-

brates in the defeat of the army of Sanherib others are willing to
:

put it back as far as the beginnings of Hebrew prophetic literature in

the middle of the eighth century B.C. Catholic critics while em-
phasising, in conformity with tradition, the Davidic origin of the
psalm, admit here also that a certain amount of post-Davidic
editorial work may, perhaps, be traced in the poem. Here, as
' '

in the other Dominus regnavit psalms. Messianic colouring is

clearly present.
153
154 THE PSALMS
1. Psalmus ipsi David. 1. A Psalm of David.

Dominus regnavit, ireiscantur

'
The Lord is let the nations
qui sedet super Cherub- tremble King,'
populi :

im, moveatur terra.

!

Who throneth on the Cherubs let the

earth shudder !

2. Dominus in Sion magnus : 2. Mighty is the Lx)rd on Sion,

et e.Kcelsus super omnes populos. And exalted above all the peoples.
3. Conliteantur nomini tuo 3. Let men praise Thy mighty Name,
magno :
quoniam terribile, et For it is fearful and holy.
sanctum est ;

4. Et honor regis judicium 4. The glorious King loveth justice :

diligit. Just order Thou hast estabhshed :

Tu parasti directiones judici- :

Justice and right Thou hast \vrought in
um et justitiam in Jacob tu Jacob.
fecisti.
5. Exaltate Dominum Deum 5. Praise ye the Lord our God,
nostrum, et adorate scabellum And bow low before His footstool,
pedum ejus :
quoniam sanctum For He is hoi v.'
'

est.

6. Moyses et Aaron in sacer- 6. Moses and Aaron are among His priests,
dotibus ejus et Samuel inter : And Samuel among those who call on
eos, qui invocant nomen ejus : His Name :

Invocabant Dominum, et ipse They called unto the Lord and He heard
exaudiebat eos : them ;

7. In columna nub is loque- 7. In the pillar of cloud He spake to them :

batur ad eos. They kept His behests, and the Law which
Custodiebant testimonia ejus, He gave them.
et prajceptum quod dedit iUis.
8. Domine Deus noster tu ex- 8. O Lord our God Thou didst hear them :

audiebas eos :Deus tu propitius Thou wast gracious to them.

fuisti eis, et ulciscens in omnes Thou didst avenge all their evil deeds.
adinventiones eorum.
9. Exaltate Dominum Deum o. Praise ye the Lord our God,
nostrum, et adorate in monte And bow down before His holy hill ;

sancto ejus quoniam sanctus: For the Lord, our God, is holy.
Dominus Deus noster.

The triumphant cry, Dominus regnavit, implies, as has already

I.

been some striking event has taken place which proves that
said, that
Yahweh is still, in truth, the King of Israel. We do not know what
that event was, but it has so clearly shown forth the might of the
Lord that the nations are bidden to submit tremblingly to the God
of Israel. Irascantur represents the Hebrew yirg^zu whereas in ;

Ps. iv. 5, in the clause, Irascimini et nolite pcccare, raghaz was taken

by the Greeks as meaning to be moved with anger.' It really means

'

in both contexts to be moved by fear, to tremble.'

'
The parallel
moveatur terra makes that meaning certain here. Jerome renders :

Commoveantur populi.
Qui sedet super cherubim is an epithet of Yahweh (Ps. Ixxix. 2) ;

it is to be taken as a second subject to regnavit {=inalakh) Yahweh :

'

isKing. He who is enthroned on the Cherubs (is King).' Jerome

has sessor cherubim
: concutiatitr terra. As enthroned ;
on the
98] HOLY IS THE LORD, OUR GOD 155

Cherubim, Yaliweh is the mighty God of the Covenant. The peoples

are the heathen peoples who had been the enemies of the Lord and
of His people. The thought of the universal rule of the Messias
underlies this verse.
Messianic imagery is obvious here.
2.

3. Confiteantitr the subject of this verb is not populi

:
this verb :

Let them praise,' Let men praise.'

' '

is used in the indefinite sense,

' ' ' '

The adjectives great and fearful are to be connected with the

' '

Name but in the Hebrew text holy is most probably a description

:

'

of Yahweh Himself, rather than of His name :

'

Holy is He ;
see
verse 5 and 9. The v/ords
'

Holy is He may be thought

'
of as chanted
by the multitude.
4. Honor regis commentators on the Vulgate have frequentty
:

taken honor regis as a construction like longitudo dierum (Ps. xx. 5) ;

'

taken thus it would mean rex honoris, the glorious King.' Honor
' ' '

represents the Hebrew which means

strength or, power.' It
'oz,
has been proposed to regard the clause honor regis jiidicinm diligit
as connected with verse 3 rather than with verse 46, and to read
honorem regis as if it were an object of confiteantur. This view has
against it the difficulty of the refrain in verse 3. We naturally expect
a new beginning after the refrain. The Hebrew w^'oz melekh mishpat
'ahebh
And the strength of a king who loveth judgment,' which is
'

literallyreproduced in the Vulgate, sounds strangely, and various

emendations have been proposed. Zenner omits mishpat 'ahebh, and
makes 'oz melekh the object of konanta [parasti), and renders thus :

'
A kingly power Thou hast estabUshcd,
Fairness, right, and justice Thou hast practiscil towards Jacob.'
'

It has been proposed, also, to read^a'oz, may he be strong,' instead

'

Thus we should get the sense, May

'

of w'^'oz, and the strength.'

the King that loveth justice be strong.' It would be useless, however,
to enumerate the various views of commentators on the Hebrew
text of this passage. The Vulgate, considered in itself, conveys the
comparatively clear and suitable thought that to love justice is
becoming to the honour or majesty of God. As Theodoret puts it :

'
To love justice makes the King honourable.'
'

Parasti directiones Thou hast set up due order.' Direct iones

:

[=mesharim) is equivalent to jndicium and jiistitia. The older com- '

mentators take directio mostly in an active sense as, guidance,'

' '

precepts,' the law,' etc. It is better, however, to regard directiones

as explained here by judicium and justitia. These two words em-
ployed together seem to cover the whole sphere of uprightness fair-

ness of action and uprightness of heart. The verse states that the
Lord has estabhshed the rights of Israel as against the world. He
has done so by the acts of graciousness towards Israel which have
proved that He is still in very truth the King of Israel. For directio
156 THE PSALMS [98

(in the singular) see Ps. xliv. 7 cxviii. 7.

;
In Jacoh=' in the case
towards Jacob.' The justice of Yahweh towards Israel
'

of Jacob,'
consists in the loyal performance of His part as Covenant-God of
Israel.

5. Since the Lord is just, as well as holy and mighty, He must

be praised.
The scabdlnm might be the Ark on which Yahweh is enthroned,
or the Temple, or the Holy Cit}' in general. In verse 9 we have the

Holy Mountain instead of the footstool from which it may, perhaps,
be inferred that the footstool here is Mount Sion. Cf. Ps. cix. i ;

Is. Ixvi. I ;
Ix. 13.

Quoniajn sanctum est from the Hebrew we can see that the
:

referenceis to the Lord, rather than to the scabeUnm. Hence w'e

should have here, Sanctns est. These are the words of the throng in
response to the psalmist's exhortation to v/orship the just God of
Israel.
6.This third strophe deals with the mercies of God towards
Israel. He has not shown Himself merely mighty and just towards
His people. He has been much more kind and gracious towards them
than they have deserved. Had he been strictly just towards them,
they would have come to naught. But at the tearful intercession
of heroes of prayer and saintliness Uke Moses, Aaron and Samuel,
He stayed His just wrath against their constant sins and displayed
His mercy rather than His justice. For the prayer of Moses see
Exod. xvii. 10, and for that of Samuel, i Kings vii. 9 prayer was
;

the constant function of the High Priest Aaron. In Num. xii. 5 God
speaks to Moses and Aaron out of the pillar of cloud (of which the
Shekhinah over the Ark was the continuation). The voice of God
to Samuel (i Kings iii. 4 /f.) vmy have come out of the Shekhinah.
Moses is spoken of as a priest it was Moses who consecrated the
:

first High and before the consecration of Aaron, Moses, as

Priest,
mediator between God and the people, performed priestly functions
(Ex. xxiv. 8). Samuel, though he also seems to have performed priestly
functions, is put among the invocantes nomen Domini. Any pious
Israelite could call on the name of the Lord, but there is reference
here, probably, to some solemn prophetic manner of calling on the
Name of Yahweh. The extraordinary influence of the prayers of
Moses and Samuel with God is referred to, in a way which strongly
recalls this psalm-passage, in Jer. xv. i Then said the Lord to me
: :

'

Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet would my heart
not turn to this people.'
It is possible that the psalmist has in mind here the possibility
that now, as in the past, there are heroes of prayer in Israel, at whose
intercession recent great things have been accomplished. But his
main purpose is to emphasise the graciousness of the Lord's mercies
towards Israel in the past. It was not in view of any merit of the
98] HOLY IS THE LORD, OUR GOD 157

whole people of Israel that Yahweh did not abandon Ihem to the
destruction which they deserved. In all the nation there were but
a few genuinely loyal servants of the Lord, and because of the prayers
of these the sinful race of Israel was spared. It is highly important
to note the stress which the psalmist here lays on the effica.cy of
intercessory prayer.

The subject of invocahant is indetinitc the whole class of invo-
cantcs nomen Domini (and not Moses, Aaron, and Samuel merely).
Whenever the Hebrews turned to God with prayer of like spirit with
that of the ancient saints, such prayer was heard.
7. Custodiebant may be taken relatively, cos qui ciistodiebant. In
the pillar of cloud Yahweh answered those who kept His laws {iesti-
nionia). It is not necessary to limit the reference here to Moses and

Aaron, for, though it was only to these that God spoke from out the
might be said that every pious Israelite whose prayers
pillar of cloud, it
before Shekhinah were favourably answered, was spoken to
the
from out the pillar of cloud. This interpretation would make it
easier to explain the adinveniiones of the following verse.
8. Ulciscens in omnes adinveniiones eorum this might be taken
:

as meaning that God avenged on the Israelites their own evil deeds,
or implying that God avenged the evil things which they (God's
loyal worshippers) had to endure at the hands of others. Kimchi
' ' ' '

and others who confine the reference in them and their to Moses
and Aaron, explain the evil deeds as those which were done against
Moses and Aaron (especially the rebellion of Core and his associates).
Bellarmine explains Ulciscens fidsti omnes injurias quas ipsi patie-
:

bantur ab iniquis. This sense is less likely than the other. God was
gracious to His people yet though long-suffering and merciful. He
;

was a jealous God, and sent His people from time to time such trials
as would remind them of their disloyalty to\\ards Him. For ad-
inventio of. Ps. xxvii. 4 ;
c v. 29, 39.
Here again the psalmist invites the Israelites to worship their
9.
holy, mighty, and merciful God and King in His Temple on Sion.
Again the people answer, as in verse 5 (and, probably, verse 3),
'

Yea, holy is He.'

 PSALM XCIX
A HYMN OF THANKSGIVING
to the title, this psalm, is a hymn of thanksgiving,
and from verse 4 we see that it is a processional hymn. It
ACCORDINGwas sung as the people were about to enter the gates of the
Temple for a thanksgiving-sacrifice. It is divdded into two
strophes, {a) verses 1-3 (b) verses 4-5. The first strophe was sung
;

by the people, and the second by the Temple-priests.

In the first strophe the theme of the poem is announced Yahweh :

alone is God Israel is His people.

;
All the world is called on to

worship Yahweh, the God of the world. Israel is asked to rejoice

because the mighty God of all things has chosen Israel to be His own.
In the second strophe the priests invite the multitude to enter the
Temple with praising song, for the great God of Israel is all goodness
and favour, and ever faithful to His own. Thus the second strophe
develops the theme announced in the first.
Neither in the Hebrew nor the Vulgate is the psalm ascribed to
an author.
I. Psalmus in confessione. 1. A Psalm for the thanksgiving-sacrifice.

(The People.)
Jubilate Deo omnis terra
2. : 2. Rejoice unto God all ye lands :

servite Domino in laetitia. In gladness serve ye the Lord ;

Introite in conspectu ejus, in Enter before Him with jubilee.

exsultatione.
3. Scitote quoniam Dominus 3. Know ye that Yahweh is God :

ipse est Deus ipse fecit nos, et

; He hath made us, we are His :

non nos
ipsi : His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Populos ejus, et oves pascua^
ejus :

(The Priests.)
Introite portas ejus in con-
4. 4. Enter Plis gates with thanksgiving,
fessione, atria ejus in hymnis : His courts with song :

confitemini illi. Give Him thanks bless His name

;

Laudate nomen ejus :

5. Quoniam sauvis est Do- 5. For gracious is the Lord ;

minus, ?cternum misericordia

in Forever endureth His favour,
ejus, et usque in generationem And for ages unending His truth.
et generationem Veritas ejus.

I. In confessione :
cf. Ps. xciv. 2 ; xcix. 4 ;
cxlvi. 7. The title
'

is rightly explained by the Targum as meaning For the thank-

'

offering {cf. Lev. vii. 11, 12). It is possible that the thank-offering
referred to v^^as for some specific divine favour. But it may, on the
158
99] A HYMN OF THANKSGIVING 159

other hand, have been merely one of the regular thank-offerings.

It is probable that the psalm was not a song of thanks for any special
intervention of Yahweh on behalf of Israe', but rather a hymn of
thanksgiving for the special election of Israel.
Servite ii. 11.
in the sense of divine worship. Cf. Ps.
;
In conspcciu,
for in conspectum. The psalmist insists, as St. Paul so often does,
on the need for gladness in the service of God. The gladness here
referred to is the demonstrative rejoicing of the hymns mentioned
in verse 4.
3. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the sole God. Hehas made
Israel, i.e., He has chosen it out from among all peoples to be His
own special possession. Through Israel He has willed to become
known to the nations. therefore, the herald of His revela-
Israel is,

tion, and for this all peoples should join with Israel in her hymn of
thanks for her special election.
Et non ipsi nos this is a very prosaic phrase.
:
A slight change in
the Massoretic text, the substitution of zej'^lo {' and His ') for w^lo' ,

'

and not,' gives the sense, and we are His.' Jerome renders rightly
'
:

Ipse fecit nos et ipsius sumus. The change suggested in the Massoretic
text is supported by the Targum and by many Hebrew MSS. Popidus
ejus, etc., cf. Ps. xciv. 7.
4. The doors are those which open into the atria of the Temple.
'

5. Siiavis= dulcis. Hebrew, tohh, good.'

In aeternum misericordia ejus these words were often sung when
:

thanksgiving processions were entering the Temple. Cf. Ps. cxvii ;

Jer. xxxiii. 11 ;
2 Chron. v. 13 ;
vii. 6 ;
Esdras iii. 11.
 PSALM C
A MIRROR FOR RULERS
this psalm a ruler lays down the principles on which he intends
and announces his determination to secure
IN from his
to base his rule,
subjects the fulfilment of their obligations as subjects.
In verse i the singer declares that graciousness and justice
will be the foundation of his rule, and that perfection of conduct will
be his special study. In verses 26-4 he declares that he will be
strenuously watchful over himself, and that he will keep evil men far
apart from him. The proud he will discard (verse 5), but loyal and
virtuous citizens he will care for, and take into the royal house (6).
He will seek always to purify the Holy City and the Land, of evil-
doers (7-8).
The programme of rule here set out is fully in harmony with
all that is known of the policy of David, and there is, therefore, no

difficulty in accepting the ascription of the psalm to David made in

the title. The immediate occasion of the psalm may have been the
transference of the Ark to Sion (2 Kings vi. 11^.). Theodoret regards
the psalm as a forecast of the reign of King Josias other writers :

have assigned its composition to Ezechias. Modern critics are more

inclined to regard the psalm as containing rather the programme of the
pious community of Israel, than that of a ruler of Israel. It is,
however, much more natural to take the psaim as giving the thoughts
of an individual, and
of a Ruler. It resembles closely the Davidic

psalm XXV. Theodoret tells us that certain Codices of the Greek

Psalter assigned this psalm to the fourth day of the week. It may,

therefore, be inferred that it was used in the public liturgy on

Wednesdays at the time when the Septuagint version of the Psalter
was made. In the new Breviary Psalter this psalm appears in Lauds
of Wednesday (instead of, as formerly, in Maiins of Saturday).

1. Psalmus ipsi David. 1. A Psalm of David

Misericordiam, et judicium Of graciousness and right I would sing.

cantabo tibi Domine : To Thee, O Lord, I would chant ;

Psallam,
2. Et intelligam in via ini- 2. I would give thought to the Perfect Way.
maculata, quando venies ad me. When wilt Thou come to me ?

Perambulabam in innocentia In simplicit}' of heart I will walk,

domus meae.
cordis mei, in medio In the midst of my house.
3. Non proponebam ante ocu- 3. I will put naught that is unjust before my
los meos rem injustam faci- :
eyes ;

entes pracvaricationes odivi. The doers of evil I will hate.

160
 100 A MIRROR FOR RULERS i6i

4. Non adhassit mihi cor pra- 4. No ruthless heart will cleave to me ;

vum declinantem a me nialign-

: The impious who turneth away from
um non cognoscebam. me, I shall not know.

Detrahentem secreto prox-

5. Whoso slandereth his neighbour in secret,
imo hunc persequebar.
suo, Him
shall I pursue.
Superbo oculo, et insatiabili With the man of proud eyes and insatiable
corde, cum hoc non edebam. craving,
I will hold no friendship.
6. Ociili mei ad fideles terras For the trust}^ ones of the land I will seek.
ut sedeant mecum ambulans in : That they may dwell with me.
via immaculata, hie mihi mini- Whoso walketh on a blameless path.
strabat. He shall serve me.
7. Non habitabit in medio do- But he shall not dwell in my house
mus mea; qui facit superb iam : Whoso acteth proudly.
qui loquitur iniqua, non direxit Whoso speaketh impiously
in conspectu oculorum meorum. Shall not come before my eyes.
8. In matutino interliciebam 8. Even in the morning, I will destroy the
omnes peccatores terric ut dis- : sinners of the land.
perderem de civitate Domini Sweeping from the Cit}^ of the Lord
omnes operantes iniquitatem.' every evil-doer.

1. Misevicordiam
et judicium these are the two sides of royal ;

Judicium means here right, justice.' A ruler must be

'

activity.
gracious towards the good, but justly severe towards the wicked. It
is not necessary to suppose, with some commentators, that the psalmist

speaks here directly of the graciousness and justice of Yahweh it :

may be said, however, that as the Anointed of the Lord, the true
king of Israel would aim at reflecting in himself and his rule the
distinctive features of the rule ofYahweh. Thus, indirectly, there
a reference to the divine qualities of grace and justice.
is
'
Cantabo according to the Hebrew this should be rendered,
: I

would sing,' Let me sing.' Psallam-=l would sing songs to music.

'

'

2. Intelligani in via immacidatu the seilse is, I would meditate ;

(or, think well) on a Perfect Way.' The verses which follow contain
the psalmist's reflection on the Perfect Way. The Perfect Way is
the ideal of conduct. The King is determined to take perfection as
his standard. It has been suggested, in view of Ps. xlvi. 7, that the
'

Hebrew verb here rendered intelligam 'askilah, may mean, I would

'

I would sing a maskil.' If this rendering were

sing wisely,' or,
possible, we should have to consider the verses that follow as a Maskil
dealing with the duties of a King.
Quando ad me the Hebrew shows that the sense is not,
venies :

'
When Thou
comest to me (as if the thought were, I would meditate
'

on the Perfect Way, if Thou wert present to help me), but, When
'

wilt Thou come to me '

The his for the

for the senseKing
?
expresses longing
coming of the Lord of the presence of Yahweh. Theo-
'

doret explains I long for Thy coming {paroiisia), I crave for Thy
:

'

appearance grant Thou my desire

; Cf. Is. Iviii. 2. !

Peramhulabam : the imperfects are to be regarded as implying

1 1
1 62 THE PSALMS [loo

continuous action in the future. Grammatically, of course, it would

be possible to take the different imperfects here as stating either
what is actually going on in the present, or what was customary in
the past.
Innocentia cordis mci : with single-minded probity-.
In medio donins meac private life. : in my
3. Re7n injustam Hebrew d^bhar h'liya'al, which Jerome renders,
:

verhiim Belial [i.e., a disgraceful thing). He will not consider, even

for a moment, anything which is evil.
' '

Facientes praevaricaiiones the Hebrew has, the doing of evil :

;

' '

the Greeks read 'oseh, doer,' where the Massoretes read ''^soh, doing.'
Cor pravum not referring to his own heart, but to the hearts of
:

his associates.
Declinantem, etc. ;
the Hebrew text is differently arranged here.
Jerome renders :

Facientem declinationes odivi.

Nee adhaesit mihi :
Cor pravum recedit a me ;
Malum nesciam.

The Vulgate follows the Greek in fusing together two separate clauses
into Declinantem a me malignum non cognoscebam, but the Greek has
here the genitive absolute, When
'

the impious turns ciside from me,

I know (him) not.'
Detrahentem the slanderer. The hunc and citm hoc of this verse,
:

and the hie of the next verse are Hebraisms they are pleonastic in ;

Latin.
Superbus ocwiMS=the proud man. Insatiabile cor=ih.e covetous
man. Jerome renders :

Superbum oculis et altum corde

Cum hoc esse non potero.

'
Edcbani the Greek translators read here, lo' 'okhel, I will not
:

eat:' the Massoretic text has, lo' 'ukhal, 'I cannot' ('endure,' or
something similar being understood).
Cum hoc represents a Hebrew 'itto the Massoretes have 'otho, ;

him.' Eating with a man implies familiarity, and if we retain the

'

Vulgate reading we must explain 7ion edebam as=' I will hold no

friendship with.'
6. His eyes will be on the watch to discover the loyal ones {i.e.,
the God-fearing) in the land, so that he may bring them to hve v/ith
him. The citizen who vvalks on the Perfect Way shall come into the
royal house to serve upon {ministrare) the king.
'

7. Superbiam the Hebrew has deceit,' r'miyah

:
probabl}' the :

' '

Greeks read ramah, the high,' or proud.'

Non '
The Hebrew
'

direxit : will not abide,' will not prosper.'

'

is lo' yikkon, will not stand firm.'

100] A MIRROR FOR RULERS 163

In matutino interficieham the sense is obviously not that the

:

king will each morning, or any morning, order a universal slaughter

of the wicked. The psalmist states merely with poetical hyperbole
that he will be ever zealous to remove the wicked from the land.
The royal courts will be held with unfailing regularity, the royal
zeal for justice being symbolised by the hour at which the king begins
his work as judge and ruler. Theodoret, who regards the psalm
as a Davidic prophecy of the reign of King Josias, explains the morning
as the beginning of the reign of Josias. Cf. 4 Kings xxii. 23 2 Chron.
;

xxxiv. 35.
Civitas Dei :
Jerusalem would have a genuine claim to this title
after the transference of the Ark to Sion.
 PSALM CI
COMFORT IN EXILE
psalm is a prayer of exiled Israel for the restoration of
THIS Sion. The psalmist speaks
that Yahweh
in the name of the people.
hear
He
the cry for help of the exiled
prays may
people. The nation is threatened with extinction. Israel
is like a man whose flesh has been wasted
through illness, whose
bones cleave to his skin, and whose desire for food has vanished.
It is constant weeping over her lot that has thus weakened and wasted
Israel. She has become like a lonely bird that lives amid ruins, and
complains in the night time on house-tops. Her enemies mock her,
and her former friends weave her nam^e into their curses. God's
anger weighs so sorely that her bread is like ashes, and salt tears are
her drink. Her days are as the lengthening shadow which betokens
the nearness of night the close of her day seems to be at hand.
:

But Yahweh, the eternal God and the Lord of the Covenant,
cannot permit that His people should perish. He will surely arise
again in His might and re-establish Sion and terrify the heathen by
His great deeds. If the ordinary Israelite loves the very stones and
the dust of Jerusalem, the God whose dwelling is Sion, cannot forget
His love for the Holy City.
Full of confidence in the coming of rescue from God, the psalmist
directs that a record be made of the deeds of God's love and mercj''
which are about to take place, so that generations yet unborn may
give thanks to Yahweh for the restoration of Sion.
He prays that Israel may not be snatched away untimely in the
prime of her life, before she has seen the fulfilment of God's promises.
Yahweh, unlike His creatures, is unchangeable, and hence His pro-
mises must be fulfilled. It follows, therefore, that Israel will be
rescued, and that she will be estabUshed again before the face of the
Lord until all the promises have been accomplished. Thus the
psalmist, through reflection on the eternity and unchangeableness
of the Lord, passes from deep dejection into confident hope.
This psalm is the fifth of the Penitential Psalms.
It was obviously composed while Jerusalem still lay in ruins, but
there is no good reason for supposing with some modern critics that
the ruined condition of Jerusalem referred to is that of the Maccabean
period (i Mace. i. 33 x. 10).
;
It is much simpler and more natural
to take the psalm as a prayer of the exiled community in Babylon.
It will be noted that this psalm contains many echoes of other psalms,

164
lOl] COMFORT IN EXILE 165

of Lamentations, of Job, and of the second part of Isaias. The

apparent contrast between verses 13-23 and the rest of the psahn
has led some critics to see in the psalm a combination of two poems
which were originally distinct, a purely personal Lamentation, and
a poem dealing with the End-period, the Messianic age (vv. 13-23).
Even a conservative Catholic scholar like Hoberg regards verses
14-23 as an interpolation inserted in a psalm which was complete
without them. Verse 13, however, Hoberg assigns to the original
poem. Landesdorfer, the most recent Catholic commentator, has
no hesitation in accepting the critical theory that the psalm is a
combination of two originally distinct poems, an individual Lamenta-
tion, verses 1-12, 24-28,and a later eschatological and national
poem, verses 13-23. The national poem was inserted, Landesdorfer
says, to introduce a tone of hopefulness into the deep despondency
of the Lamentation. It will be seen from the brief outline of the

thought-sequence of the psalm given above that the interpolated

poem, if it is really an interpolation, fits easily into harmony with the
rest of the psalm it will be also noticed that the
; motif of God's
unchangeableness and eternity appears in both sections of the psalm
as a ground for hope and confidence on the singer's part.

1. Oratio pauperis, Cum anxi- 1. A prayer of one oppressed, who in his

us f uerit, et in conspectu Domini sadness pours out his complaint
eftuderit precem suam. before the Lord.

2. Domine exaudi orationem 2. Hear Thou, O Lord, my prayer,

meam et clamor mens ad te
: And let my cry come unto Thee ;

veniat.
3. Non
avertas faciem tuam 3. Turn not Thy face from me.
a me : in
quacumque die tribu- In the day of my grief bend to me
lor, inclina ad me aurem tuam. Thine ear ;

In quacumque die invocavero On the day when I cry unto Thee,

te, velociter exaudi me. Do Thou quickly give ear to me !

4. Quia defecerunt sicut fu- 4. My days fade away like smoke ;

mus mei et ossa mea sicut

dies : And my bones are dried up like fire-
cremium aruerunt. wood.
5. Percussus sum ut foenum, 5. I am " burned up " like grass, and dried
et aruit cor meum :
quia oblitus up is my heart,
sum comedere panem meum. For I have forgotten to eat my bread.
6. A voce
gemitus mei adhje- 6. By reason of my loud groaning
sit OS meum
carni meae. My bones cleave to my flesh.
7. Similis factus sum pellicano 7. I am like the pelican of the desert ;

solitudinis factus sum sicut

: I am become like an owl in (its)
nycticorax in domicilio. dwelling ;

8. Vigilavi, et factus sum sicut 8. I watch and am become like the bird
passer solitarius in tecto. That is lonely on the house top.

Totadieexprobrabantmihi
9. All the day long my enemies mock m.e,
inimici mei et qui laudabant
: And they who once praised me make
me, adversum me jurabant. me their curse :
1 66 THE PSALMS [lOI

10. Quia cinerem tamquam 10. For I eat ashes like bread,
panem manducabam, et potum And mingle my drink with tears,
meum cum fletu miscebam.
11. A facie its: et indignatio- 11. Because of Thy fierce wrath.
nis tuae :
qui elevans allisisti Thou raisest me up and castest me
me. down.
12. Dies mei sicut umbra de- 12. My days are as a lengthening shadow,
clinaveruut et ego sicut foenum : And I like the grass I am withered.
arui.

13. Tu autem Domine in JEter- 13. But Thou, O Lord, abidest for ever.
num permanes : et memoriale And the memory of Thee is from age
tuum in generationem et genera- to age.
tionem.
14. Tu
exsurgens misereberis 14. Thou wilt arise and have pity on Sion,
Sion quia tempus miserendi
:
For time to show her mercy
'tis :

ejus, quia venit tempus. The Season hath come.

15. Quoniam placuerunt ser- 15. For Thy servants love even her stones,
vis tuis lapides ejus : et terrae And feel pity for the very dust of her.
ejus miserebuntur.
16.Et timebunt Gentes no- 16. And the nations shall fear Thy name, O
men tuum Domine, et omnes Lord,
reges terrae gloriam tuam. And all the kings of the earth Thy
glory.

17. Quia aedificavit Dominus 17. For the Lord hath built up Sion,
Sion : et videbitur in gloria sua. And hath shown Himself in His glory
18. Respexit in orationem hu- 18. He hath turned to the prayer of the
milium : et non sprevit precem lowly.
eorum. And hath not despised their pleading.
19.Scribantur haec in gene- 19. Let these things be written for a future
ratione altera et populus, qui :
age;
creabitur, laudabit Dominum : A race still to be fashioned shall praise
the Lord.
20. Quia prospexit de excelso 20. He hath looked forth from His holy
sancto suo Dominus de coelo :
height ;

in terram aspexit : The Lord hath looked from heaven

into earth,
21. Ut audiret gemitus com- 21. To hear the sighs of the captives.
peditorum ut solveret filios : To set free the children of death ;

interemptorum :

22. Ut annuntient in Sion no- 22. That men may proclaim the Lord's name
men Domini et laudem ejus in : in Sion,
Jerusalem. And His praise in Jerusalem,
In conveniendopopulosin
23. 23. When the peoples gather together.
unum, et reges ut serviant Do- And the kings to worship the Lord ;

mino.

24. Respondit ei in via virtu- 24. He hath broken my strength on the way.
tis suae Paucitatem dierum
: He hath shortened my days.
meorum nuntia mihi. "
25. Ne revoces me in dimidio 25. I say : Snatch me not hence at the half
dierum meorum in generatio- : of my days :

nem et generationem anni tui. From age unto age are Thy years.
26. Initio tu Domine terram 26. Of old Thou didst establish the earth ;

fundasti : et opera manuum And the heavens are the work of Thy
tuarum sunt coeli. hands.
27. Ipsi peribunt, tu autem They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure :

permanes : et omnes sicut vesti- They shall all wear away like a gar-
mentum veterascent. ment :

Et sicut opertorium muta- Like a vesture Thou wilt change them,

bis eos, et mutabuntur : And they shall pass av/ay.
i( 1] COMFORT IN EXILE 167
28. Tu autem idem ipse es, et 28. But Thoxi art the same,
anni tui non deticient. years will not fail.
Thy
29. Filiiservorum tuorum ha- 29. The children of Thy servants shall dwell
bitabunt et semen eorum in
:
[before TheeJ,
Sccculum dirigetur. And their seed shall be established
for ever."

1. Oratio pauperis : it is probable that this ought to be rendered,

*
Prayer for one oppressed.' The pauper is the Israelite people in
captivity.
Effundere precem cf. i Kings i. 15, 16.
: The heart is full of
complaint, and when this is poured out, the heart is relieved.
' ' '

2. Clamor rather, sigh,' or,

:
waihng (Hebrew).
3. Cf. Ps. Ixviii. 18 Iv. 10. ;

4. Cf. Ps. xxxvi. 20. The psalmist means that his days pass
quick]}^ and leave no trace, just like smoke which is scattered by the
wind.
Cremmm the corresponding Hebrew, moktdli, means, probably,
:

burning.' Thus the whole phrase in Hebrew would mean

* '

glow,' or :

'
And my bones are burned as with a burning,' i.e., the glow of fever
in his limbs has made him to feel, as it were, that his bones have been
dried up by fire. The Latin means that his bones have become
(apparently through the fever of affliction) as dried up as fire-wood.
The ultimate meaning of both Hebrew and Latin is, thus, practically
the same. Jerome renders Et ossa mea quasi frixa {cf. the Greek,
:

(ppvyiov) contahueriint.
5. Peraissus : the Hebrew here means My heart is burned up :

and withered like grass. The Greeks took the Hebrew hukkah as
being derived from nakhah to smite it is really from another verb ;
' '

nakhah which means to burn,' or to cause sun-stroke.'

Et aniit is probably a marginal gloss borrowed originally from
verse 12 below. The heart is the source of vital sap, and the centre
of vital strength. The psalmist's heart has been burned up by the
fever of suffering. This suggests the imminent break-down of his
organism generally, i.e., the near approach of the extinction of Israel.
Quia oblitus sum the psalmist does not mean that his present
:

weakness is due to his forgetfulness to eat, but only that his forgetful-
ness to eat is itself an indication of the peril of his condition. Cf.
Job xxxiii. 20.
From much lamenting his flesh has wasted away, so that he
6.
has become merely skin and bone. Cf. Job xix. 20 Ps. xxi. 16 ; ;

Lament, iv. 8.

7. Pellicano solitudinis : the bird referred to in the Hebrew cannot

be identified with certainty. One expects here the name of a bird
of timid nature and solitary habits. Both the Greeks and Jerome
have taken the Hebrew ka'ath as= pelican the pelican is, however, a :

water-bird, and not a bird of the desert.

1 68 THE PSALMS [loi

Nycticorax in domicilio here again the Hebrew word has, is

:

uncertain in meaning. Jerome reading bos renders bubo solikidinum.

Nycticorax means the night-raven, or the owl. Jerome's rendering,
solitudinufn, is much closer to the Hebrew than in domicilio. we H
retain domic ilium we must understand it of the owl's dwelling, which
is usually among ruins.
The comparison in verse 7 implies that Israel is so broken-spirited
and afflicted that she seeks to avoid the faces of men, and even the

very light of day.

8. Passer the Hebrew, sippor means any kind of small bird, not
;

necessarily the sparrow.

Solitarius Agellius explains
;
Ut passer qui solus in tectis versatur,
:

omnia suspecta habens, et capi pertimescens : sic ego omnia reformidabani

et in agris desertisque locis extra urbes versabar. Some modern
" "
commentators regard the lonely bird as the owl that complains
by night from house-tops. Baethgen quotes Virgil, Georgics, i.
403 :

de culmine summo
Nequicquam seros exercet nociua canttis.

9. Here we have some

of the causes of the psalmist's sadness.
'

Qui laudabant me the Greeks read m^halHai, those who praise

:

me,' i.e., those who formerly praised me, or, those who pretended to-
praise me. The Massoretic text has m'kolalai (for m^hol^lai), which
'

means they who rage against me.' This would be suitable parallel
'
to my foes.'
'

Adversum me jurabant : swear by me,'

the Hebrew is simply,
i.e.,they use the name of Israel in their imprecations in some such
" "
fashion as May God do to thee as He did to Israel {cf. Is. Ixv. 15 ;

Jer. xliv. 12 xxv. 18). The sufferings of Israel will be taken, the
;

psalmist thinks, as a token that Yahweh has abandoned His people.

The misery of Israel which the heathen will thus misinterpret is
described in the following verse. The Vulgate, adversum me jurabant,
suggests the thought of conspiracy against the psalmist.
10. Sorrow is symbolised by ashes [cf. Job ii. 12). For tears as
Israel's daily drink, cf. Ps. xli. 4 Ixxix. 6. The eating of ashes ;

for bread means scarcely, as Hoberg thinks, that grief has made the

psalmist's palate unable to discriminate between bread and ashes.

Potum cum fletu miscere may mean mixing drink with tears, or mixing
drink amid tears the former is more likely here.
:

11. The misery of Israel is due to the anger of the Lord.

Quia allevans allisisti me the psalmist is probably thinking here

:

of a storm of wind which seizes up objects in its path and dashes

them again to the earth {cf. Is. Ixiv. 6 Job xxvii. 21 xxx. 22). ; ;

So has he been whirled aloft and dashed headlong by the tempest

of his misfortunes. But there may be present also the idea that
the greatness of the psalmist's former privileges makes his present
loi] COMFORT IN EXILE 169

wretchedness all the more bitter God has raised him up, as it were,
;

only to hurl him to his ruin the higher the pinnacle of his former
:

success the more utterly complete the destruction to which he is

now being dashed.
12. The lengthening shadows betoken the close of the psalmist's

day (c/. Cant, of Cant. ii. 17 Jer. vi. 4). The Hebrew would be
;

better represented by dies met siait umbra quae decimal. The Greeks
read natayu, declinaverunt, or declinant, instead of the Massoretic
natui, declinata. Cf. i Chron. xxix. 15.
13. Here begins the section (13-23) which is regarded by most
recent critics as a distinct poem which has been interpolated into
the lamentation of the psalmist. It fits in very naturally with the
preceding. While man, the object of God's wrath, is so weak and
ephemeral, God is eternal.
'

Mcmoriale tiiiim :
Thy name.' Cf. Exod. iii. 15 ;
Lament.
V. 19.
H the name of Yahweh abides for ever Israel cannot abandon
hope, for Yahweh is the God of the Covenant. Hence the psalmist
passes at once to the assertion of his confidence in coming rescue.
14. Once again will Yahweh arise to protect His people, and to
" "
fulfil His promises to Sion. The time is the time of which the

prophets have spoken the time of Israel's deliverance, the Day of
Yahweh. That time must be close at hand, since Israel stands at
the brink of destruction. If rescue is delayed there will be no Israel
to rescue. The Latin has tempus in both clauses of 146 the Hebrew ;

has two words, 'eth and mo'edh, which might be represented, as in

' ' '

Acts i. 7 by tempus and mome7iti;tn, time and season.' Cf. Jer. xxv.
II, 12 ;
xxix. II ;
Ps. Ixxiv. 3 ;
Dan. ix. 2.

15.Lapides and terra refer to the ruins of Jerusalem the exiles :

love the very stones and dust of the Holy City, even while it lies in
ruins. It cannot be that Yahweh loves His earthly dwelling less
than His people love it.
Cf. Is. hx. 19.
16. The might which Yahweh wiU display in the
rescueand the reconstruction of Sion will make the nations fear
Him, and will compel their princes to do Him homage. We have
here the obviously Messianic thought that the re-establishment of
"
Israel will lead to the conversion of the nations."
17. The perfects in this and the following verse are prophetic
perfects the psalmist sees the intervention of the Lord completed
;

and Israel fully restored. Sion will be rebuilt, and the ancient glories
of the Temple- worship wiU again be seen, so that all the world may
know is on Sion.
that God's dwelhng
" " '
18. The Lord will give ear to the lowly (Hebr. the naked ').
Not wealth or power, but loyal worship will be the path-way to
success.

19. The haec are the prophecies of verses 17 and 18. When these
170 THE PSALMS [loi

prophecies have been accomphshed those who behold their fulfihnent

will have reason to praise and thank the Lord.
In generatione ciltera = in gencnitioncm alteram, for a future race.'
'

Qui creabitur=" still to be created." It is not necessary to suppose

that there is any reference to the
"
new creation " of the Messianic
time. The psalmist wishes to leave a record for future times of the
great things which are about to happen in the restoration of Sion.
20. This is further description of the rescue which the psalmist

confidently expects. Cf. Ps. xiii. 2 xxxii. 13.

;

21. Those in bondage are the exiles in Babylon. Filii intercmplor-

um ought to be filii mortis, i.e., those condemned to death. The
Greeks seem to have misunderstood the Hebrew, i'muthah (' death ').
Jerome has, filios interit-us. If we take the Vulgate intcremptorum as
' ' '
the slain,' we must understand the sons of the slain as children
of the exiles who had been slain by the Babylonians.
23. In conveniendo : for the construction see Introd. p. xlv.
"When the Messianic rule established the heathen peoples and their
is

princes will come together to worship Yahweh {cf. Ps. xxi. 28). The
'
Hebrew has kingdoms,' in the second half of the verse not
'

kings.'
24.The psalmist turns away from the brightness of the Messianic
age to look again at the misery of his own condition (or, as modern
critics say, the text is again the text of the original lamentation, so
that this verse follows immediately on verse 12). The Latin text is
here very different from the Massoretic. For an explanation of the
difference see Introd. p. xlii. The Hebrew text which runs :

He hath broken my strength on the way.

He hath shortened my days ;

means that Yahweh has broken the strength of Israel while the
nation was moving on towards the attainment of the Messianic
blessings.
25. Since Israelseems to be in danger of complete destruction,
and is likely, which she had hoped
therefore, to fail in the destiny
was hers, the psalmist prays that her life may not be cut off while
she has as yet traversed but half the way to her goal. Cf the Canticle
of Ezechias, Is. xxxviii. 10. Israel is like an individual who is
about to be cut off in the flower of his age, before he has accomplished
his life's task. But surely, thinks the psalmist, the promises of
Yahweh will not be made void through the untimely destruction of
His people ! God is omnipotent and eternal. Why, then, should
He See above, verses 12 and 13.
let Israel die ?

26. 27. The psalmist develops the thought of God's eternity

looking backwards in verse 26, and forward in verse 27 {cf Is. li. 6, 8).
In verse 27 the thought is Even though the heavens and earth pass
:

away, God will abide. Verses 26-28 are quoted in Hebr. i. 10-12 as
loi] COMFORT IN EXILE 171

applied by the Father to Christ. The idea of a new heaven is imphed

in verse 27 but it is not here of importance for the psalmist.
MiUahis . niutabuntur
. . mutabis eos rightly renders the Hebrew
:

taJfliphem, but mutabuniur does not so accurately re-present y a h'^lophu ;

praeteribunt or praeterlibentur, as Van Sante has it, would be better.
'

28. Ipse es Thou art the same.' The unchangeableness of the

:

Lord implies, ultimately, that His promises to Israel will be fulfilled.

29. The psalmist has found comfort and confidence in his medita-
tion on the power and the unchangeableness of the Lord. Israel
will not fail. She will abide as a people until her destiny as the
Covenant-people of Yahweh is fulfilled.
Habitabimt we should understand (on the basis of the second
:

half of the verse in the Hebrew) in conspectu tuo. Israel will not

merely continue to live she will enjoy the favour of Yahweh's

;

friendship and blessing.

'

Dirigetnr : will be established.' For dirigere see Ps. cxxxix. 12 ;

vii.10 ;
xxxvi. 23 ;
xxxix. 3 Ixxxix. 17, etc.
; The Massoretic text
"
omits for ever." The whole verse runs thus in the Hebrew :

The children of Thyservants shall abide,

And their seed shall be established before Thee.

This is a prophecy of the permanence of Israel, as a people and

of the continuance of the Covenant between Yahweh and His people.
It presupposes that the present disastrous condition of Israel must
cease, and that rescue and restoration must quickly come. Hence,
the thought of the concluding verses is the same as that of verses 13-23.
 PSALM CII

THE INFINITE MERCY OF THE LORD

psalm is a hymn of praise. It may be taken, in all pro-
THIS bability, as purely individual in origin, and not intended
In no other portion of the Old
l^rimarily for liturgical use.
Testament is the goodness and graciousness of God so em-
phasised as here here God is hymned, not as the mighty, dread
:

Lord of nature, or as the victorious God of battle, or the glorious

King of Israel, but as the loving Father who is all pity for His way-
ward children.
The psalmist cries out to his soul to praise Yahweh, and to forget
not even one of His favours. Then he recounts some of the more
striking favours which he has received from the Lord. He has been
aiflicted, apparently, with an illness that had brought him to the

verge of the grave. That illness he looks on as the result of his sins.
But God has pardoned his sins and has restored his bodily health.
In soul and body renewed, and fully conscious of the blessings he
has received, he is constrained to burst forth into a song of praise
to the God compassion and love.
of
The God Who has rescued the psalmist from sorrow of body and
soul is the ancient Saviour-God of Israel, the Helper of aU who serve
Him. Hence the psalmist, feeling that his own personal experience
is bound up somehow with the history of his race, passes over the

history of Israel in brief and swift review to show how the God of
Israel has ever been long-suffering, loving, and merciful towards

His people and, in particular, towards the pious, those that fear
'

Him.' Since, then, both to individuals and to the race God has been
uniformly so loving and fatherly, it must be the chief occupation of
each and all to give unceasing thanks to the God and Father of Israel :

no worshipper of Yahweh should for a moment forget that everything

which he is and has is a gift of the Father's love.
From this strain of thankful jubilation the psalmist passes on to
reflect sadly on the weakness of human nature in which man's sinful-
ness is rooted. But there is comfort even in the thought of man's
weakness, for God, our Maker, knows well what a frail structure is
ours, and He is ever ready, therefore, to pardon those sins of His
servants which plainly spring from their weakness. But towards
those who proudly persist in their sins God is unbendingly stern.
The thought of man's
frailty leads the psalmist to meditate for a
moment on the shortness of human life, but here again he passes on

172
 102] THE INFINITE MERCY OF THE LORD 173

quickly to the comforting thought of God's ever-abiding love for His

own. It matters httle that life is so brief if God's love is unending.
The psalmist now turns his eyes to heaven there he beholds ;

this loving God enthroned in His heavenly palace as King of the

universe, waited on by angelic beings. Moved by the awesome
splendour of his vision he cries out to earth and heaven to praise the
mighty God who so graciously deals with the earth-born sons of
men. His own soul he summons, too, to join in the chorus of earth
and heaven, and thus returns to the point at which his poem began.
There is nothing in the text of the poem which excludes Davidic
authorship. On subjective grounds, however, most modem non-
Catholic critics ascribe this psalm to the Exilic period.

1. Ipsi David, 1. By David.

Benedic anima mea Domino : Praise the Lord, O my soul.
et omnia, quje intra me sunt, And all that is in me His holy name !

nomini sancto ejus.

2. Benedic anima mea Domi- 2. Praise the Lord, O my soul,
no : et noli oblivisci omnes re- And forget not one of His favours,
tributiones ejus.
3. Qui propitiatur omnibus 3. Who pardoneth all thy transgressions.
iniquitatibus tuis qui sanat : Who healeth all thy diseases,
omnes intirmitates tuas.
4. Qui redimit de interitu 4. Who saveth thy life from the grave,
vitam tuam qui coronat te in
: Who crowneth thee with grace and
misericordia et miserationibiis. favour,
5. Qui replet in bonis desi- 5. Who sateth with good things thy longing :

derium tuum renovabitur ut

: So that thy youth is renewed like an
aquilfe juventus tua :
eagle's.

6. Faciens misericordias Do- 6. The Lord dealeth forth kindness

minus : et judicium omnibus in- And right, to them that suffer in-

juriam patientibus. justice.

7. Notas fecit vias suas Moysi, 7. To Moses He made known His ways ;

filiisIsrael voluntates suas. To the children of Israel His will.

8. Miserator, et misericors Do- 8. Merciful and gracious is the Lord,
minus longanimis, et multum
:
Long-suffering and gracious, indeed !

misericors.
g. Non in perpetuum irasce- 9. He remaineth not angry for ever :

tur neque in seternum com-

: Nor doth He always chide.
minabitur.
10. Non secundum peccata 10. He dealeth not v/ith us according to our
nostra fecit nobis :
neque secun- sins.
dum iniquitates nostras retri- Nor requiteth unto us our iniquities.
buit nobis.

11. Quoniam secundum alti- 1 1 . For, as heaven is high-raised above earth.

tudinem a teiTa
coeli corro- : So stablisheth He His kindness over
boravit misericordiam suam su- them that fear Him :

per timentes se.

12. Quantum distat ortus ab 12. As far as the morning from evening.
occidente longe fecit a nobis
: So far casteth iie from us our sins :

iniquitates nostras.
13. Quomodo miseretur pater 13. As a father hath pity on his children.
liliorum, misertus est Dominus So pitieth the Lord those that fear
timentibus se ; Him:
174 THE PSALMS [l()2

14. Quoniam ipse cognovit 14. For He knoweth well our frail structure ;

figmentum nostrum. He remembcreth that we are but dust.

Kecordatus est quoniam pul-
vis sumus :

15. Homo, sicut fcenum dies 15.

Yea, man like the grass are his days :

ejus, tamquani flos agri sic Like a flower of the field he bloometh
efflorebit.
16. Quoniam spiritus pertian- 1 6. But the wind sweepeth o'er it : 'tis gone
sibit in illo, et non siibsistet et : Nor doth a man more know its place.
non cognoscet amplius locum
suum.
1 7. Misericordia autem Do- 1 7. But the favour of the Lord is eternal :

mini ab ^eterno, et usque in (And abideth for aye o'er them that
aeternum super timentes eum. fear Him)
Et justitia illius in tllios lilior- And His justice unto children's chil-
um, dren,
iS. His qui servant testa- 1 8. For them that uphold His covenant,
mentum ejus : And remember His commands, to do
Et mcmores sunt mandatorum them.
ipsius, ad faciendum ea.

19. Dominus in coelo paravit 19. In hath the Lord fixed His
heaven
sedem suam et regnum ipsius : throne ;

omnibus dominabitur. His rule embraceth the world.

20. Benedicite Domino omnes 20. Praise the Lord, ye. His angels.
Angeli ejus :
potentes virtute, Ye strong ones that accomplish His
verbum illius, ad audi-
facientes word,
endam vocem sermonum ejus. (When ye hear the voice of His com-
mands).
21. Benedicite Domino omnes 21. Praise the Lord all ye. His hosts,
virtutes ejus : ministri ejus, qui Ye His servants that do His will.
facitis voluntatem ejus.
22. Benedicite Domino omnia 22. Praise the Lord all His works
opera ejus in omni loco
: domi- In every place of His power.
nationis ejus, benedic anima Praise the Lord, O my soul !

mea Domino.

1. Omnia quae intra me sunt : his entire inner being parallel to

anima mea.
2. Retributiones : acts of favour. These are enumerated in
verses 3-5 they are, forgiveness of sins, healing of bodily infirmity,
;

preservation from death, complete restoration. The close connection

of bodily disease and sin is emphasised both in the Old and New
Testament.
' '

3.Propitiatur pardons {cf. Ps. xxiv. 11). The relative clauses

:

here and in the following verses represent the accusative of the

participle in Hebrew
governed by bless,' praise.' This
' '

participial
construction, in God are
which the attributes and actions of
enumerated, known feature of Oriental hymnody generally.
is a well
A very striking instance of Hebrew participial style is the prayer of
Manasses, 2/. Egyptian hymns often consist simply of an intro-
'

duction, Blessed is so and so,' followed by participles in which the

might and glory of the god are extolled. Commentators who main-
tain that this psalm is primarily communal and liturgical regard the
infirmities here mentioned as the sorrows of the Exile.
102] THE INFINITE MERCY OF THE LORD 175

4. The interitus is the grave, or death. If the singer were to be

identified with Israel, the destruction would be naturally identified
with the Babylonian Exile (so Theodoret).
Coronal grace and mercy are thought of as a splendid crown with
:

which God adorns His loyal servants {cf. Prov. iii. 3). Theodoret :

aptly cites here Is. Ixi. 10, and Ixii. 3.

Desidenum tuuni : the Hebrew has 'edhyekh, which would probably

mean, as Jerome renders it, ornanientum timm. Adornment might be
taken as equivalent by metonymy to adorned appearance, and the
' '

bona might then be regarded as=' comeliness He makes altogether ;

comely thy fair appearance.' Thus the verse could be taken as a

description of the psalmist's soul, or of Israel thought of as a beautiful
maiden. The reading 'edhyekh is, however, suspect, and com-
mentators have suggested many emendations. The Greeks evidently
took "^dhi as equivalent to kabhodh, which sometimes has the sense
' '

of soul,' or desire.' Cf. Ecclus. 31, 28.

Judicium : the Hebrew has the plural, mishpaiim=' fair verdicts,'
' '

justice.' Miserationes represents s^dhakoth, deeds of justice.'

7. God's deahngs with Moses are a specimen of divine graciousness.
[cf. Exod. xxxiii. 13 xxxiv. 6). Moses besought the Lord to teach
;

him the way on which he was to walk. The ways here spoken of are
the methods of God's gracious providence towards Israel.
8. Compare Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7 Yahweh passed by in front of :
'

Moses, and said, Yahweh, Yahweh, a gracious and merciful God,

long-suffering, and rich in favour and truth, who maintaineth favour
unto thousands, and pardoneth guilt and transgression.' The words
of the Lord to Moses became a sort of creed of the pious in Israel {cf.
Ps. Ixxxv. 15 cxliv. 8 Joel ii. 13
;
Neh. ix. 17 Ecclus. ii. 11). It
; ; ;

isinteresting to note that the words in Exod. xxxiv. 6 were taken as

the characteristic description of God in Islam Allah, the gracious '

and merciful.'
9. This verse is a borrowing from Is. Ivii. 16 and Jer. iii. 5, 12.

Though the psalmist's sins had merited destruction, God has

10.

granted him pardon and a new life.

11. The infinite greatness of God's mercy is brought out by the

comparison. The mercy of Yahweh reaches out in immensity like

the vault of heaven, over all those that fear Him. The imagery here
which is taken from the hght-space between earth and heaven con-
sidered in its height and in its extension, is pecuharly Hebraic. Cf.
Ps. XXXV. 6.
12. Compare Zach. v. 5-11 ;
Mich. vii. 19. As far apart as are
the sunrise and sunset has God put our sins from us.
Note the emphasis on the fatherly love of God. The thought
13.
of as a loving Father was not so central in the Old Testament as
God
it is in the New. Hence the psalmist's words here are peculiarly
impressive. It has been said that this psalm generally reads hke a
176 THE PSALMS [102

fragment of the New Testament transferred to the Old. Those who

fear Him are the pious Israehtes.
14. It is God's knowledge of men's weakness that moves Him to
mildness and pity towards their shortcomings (c/. Ps. Ixxvii. 39).
He knows our figmentiim (our nature, our constitution) because it
was He who fashioned us from dust (Gen. ii. 7 iii. 19). God is the ;

great Potter who knows completely the vessels He has

fashioned {cf.
Ps. cxxxviii. 13/.). See also Rom. ix. 2off., for another apphcation
of the thought of the Creator as a great Potter.
ci. 12
15. Compare Ps. Ixxxv. 5/.; xxxviii. 5
Is. xl. bff.\ Job; ;

xiv. 2. The frailty of man's being appears also in the shortness of

his life.

is the wind.
16. Spiritns The psalmist is thinking here, probably,
of the destructive effect of the burning simoon. Like the flower
which fades at the first breath of the simoon, so man is brought to
naught by the least breath of adversity.
Non cosnoscet : man vanishes so utterlv that men do not remember
the place where he has lived. Ejus would be better than sif.nm the ;

subject of cognoscei is indefinite, man in general. The Hebrew has :

His place knoweth him no more.' Cf. Job vii. 10.

'

17. However frail and ephemeral

man may be, God is eternal,
and His mercy endures for ever. Thus the psalmist finds comfort in
a hope which stretches out beyond the grave he is conscious that :

God's favour will be shown even to the children of his children.

18. Compare Exod. xx. 6.

19-22. All creatures are summoned to join in praise

of Yahweh,
the Gracious and Merciful. This Benedicite omnia opera is expanded
in Ps. ciii and cxlviii.
'
Paravit : estabUshed.' Cf. Ps. xcii. 2.
' '

20. Compare Ephes. iii. 10 ;

vi. 12. Viriute, strength ; vocem,
'
sound.'
21. Virtutesthe hosts of the Lord in general
: Hebrew, s'bhaau, ;

' '

exsrcitus ejus. hosts The

include, probably, the Angels, the stars,
and all the great powers of nature, such as storm, fire, etc.
 PSALM cm
A HYMN IN PRAISE OF CREATION
ciii is a companion and counterpart to the preceding
celebrates the providence of Yahweh
PSALM
psalm.
towards
Psalm
man
cii

the present psalm glorifies the greatness of

:

God The thought of the psalm follows in general

in nature.
the course of the Creation-narrative in Genesis i.
The psalmist begins with a summons to his soul to praise the
Lord, and with a cry of joy at the greatness of Yahweh. The poem
then develops in detail the aspects of God's greatness which appear
in Creation. As the narrative in Genesis i begins with the creation
of the heavens, above which God has His dwelhng, so also does this
psalm. As a great king robes himself in splendid raiment, Yahweh
has robed Himself with light. In the great fabric of the universe
He has taken the upper storey,' the place above the waters of
'

heaven, for His abode the foundations of His dwelling are in the
:

upper waters. The vault of heaven He has stretched out as a mighty

tent-roof. The clouds which sweep across the skies are God's chariot,
and they are borne along on the pinions of the storm-winds. Before
the chariot of God the winds speed as His heralds, and the flashing
lightnings are the servants that accompany Him.
The third day of creation is treated at great length. The psalmist
first celebrates the separation of water and land. The earth was
founded on pillars unshakable, but it was enveloped in waters as
with a garment. With His thunder His threatening voice, the
Lord terrified the v/aters, so that they fled from before Him into
the ocean-hollows, and the dry land with its hills and valleys stood
forth. For the Deep, in which the earth had been sunk, the Lord
set a limit which it may nevermore pass.
In a further section the psalmist sings the work of the second
half of the third day. Though the Deep has i-eceded to its oceans,
land and water are not completely estranged. In the valleys there
are springs for the use of living creatures that live there. On the
hills and highland plateaus the rains come down from the heavens to

keep fresh the trees, and to water the pastures. The earth, thus
cared for and watered by Yahweh, is fruitful for beasts and for men,
producing rich herbage and abundance of wine, oil, and grain. While
the domestic animals and men dwell chiefly in the lowlands, the rocky
hills are the home of the wild beasts and birds.
Then the poet passes on to the fourth day of Creation, and chants
J2 177
1-8 THE PSALMS [103

the creation of the heavenly bodies. Chief among these are the moon
and sun.The moon determines divisions and festivals of the year ;

the sun rules the life of day and night. The night belongs to the
wild beasts in the darkness they come forth from their dens in the
;

forest, and with growls demand from the Lord their sustenance.
But day belongs to men. The beasts of prey shrink back to their
lairs at the sun-rise, but man
goes then forth to his work.
The poem then passes on work of the fifth day, the creation
to the
of living beings. Full of admiration the psalmist surveys the immense
multitude of creatures that dwell on land and in the seas, and glorifies
God's care for them all. For each single one of His creatures God
makes provision for each one of them He opens His hand, and
:

each of them eats therefrom. He provides, not merely for their

conservation, but also for the renewal of their kinds.
In a double Epilogue (31-34) the poet prays that God may take
delight in His works, as man, when he beholds them, is compelled to
rejoice in them. He himself will sing the praises of the Lord as
long as he lives. He prays that the song which he has here composed
on Creation may be pleasing to the Lord.
In the concluding verse (which may be a liturgical addition) he
prays for the destruction of the sole discordant element in nature

the wicked, and summons his soul (as in verse i) to the praise of the
Lord.
be noted as important for critical purposes, that this
It is to

psalm agrees with Gen. i in placing the creation of the heavenly bodies
after the separation of land and sea and the creation of plant-life.

Though the psalmist seems to work almost exclusively with the

material of Gen. i, he uses that material with considerable freedom,
thus helping modern students of Genesis to discriminate in reasonable
fashion between the content and the form of Gen. i. The similarity of
theme and style between Ps. cii and ciii leads naturally to the ascrip-
tion of both psalms to the same author. There is no information as
to authorship in the Massoretic text of Ps. 103, but the Vulgate
assigns the psalm to David.
Every student of Egyptology must be struck by the resemblances
between the Hymn to Aton found at El Amarna which has been
usually assigned to King Akhnaton, and this psalm. Though the
resemblances are very curious in some respects, they are not such as
to establish a dependence of the psalm on the Hymn of Akhnaton.
It must be remembered that Akhnaton's hymn is a glorification of
the sun as the sole god, the creator of the world and the source of
nie for all that is. For the psalmist, however, the universe is the
creation of Yahweh, and the sun and moon are merely objects, though,
of course, important objects, in that creation. The reference to the
Livyathan (verse 26), to the Deep, to the cloud-chariot and the storm-
steeds of Yahweh, and other features of the psalm have often been.
103] A HYMN IN PRAISE OF CREATION 179

explained as echoes of ancient non-Hebrew creation stories, and of

Oriental myths. It is difficult, however, to distinguish in the psalm
between what is due to the psalmist's own imagination working on
the narrative in Gen. i and elements derived from outside sources
which may have been current as a sort of literary stock-in-trade in
the psalmist's age. The attitude of the psalmist is as precisely
monotheistic as is that of the author ol Gen. i.

I. Ipsi David. 1. By David.

(First and Second days of Creation.)

Benedic anima mea Domino : Bless thou the Lord, O my soul !

Domine Deus meus magniticatus O Lord, my God, how mighty Thou

es vehementer. art!
Confessionem, et decorem in- With glory and majesty Thou art robed,
duisti :

2. Amictus lumine sicut vesti- 2. Clothed with light as with a garment,

mento : The heavens Thou unfoldest as a tent :

Extendens coelum sicut pel-

lem :

3. Qui tegis aquis superiora 3. Their heights Thou coverest with

ejus. waters :

Qui ponis nubein ascensum The clouds Thou makest Thy chariots :

tuum qui ambulas super pen-

: Thou inovest on the wings of the wind.
nas ventorum.
4. Qui facis Angelos tuos, 4. Into winds Thou transformest Thy
spiritus : et ministros tuos ignem angels.
urentem. Thy ministers into flaming fire.

(Third day of Creation first half.) :

5. Qui fundasti terram super 5. Thou hast fixed the earth on its bases :

stabilitatem suam non inclina- : It will not be shaken for ever.

bitur in saeculum sseculi.
6. Abyssus, sicut vestimen 6. The Deep as a garment was its covering :

turn amictus ejus super montes : Above the hills stood the waters :

stabunt aquae.
7. Ab increpatione tua fu- 7. At Thy rebuke the^^ fell back.
gient : a voce tonitrui tui for- At the sound of Thy thunder they fled ;

midabunt.
8. Ascendunt montes et de- :
8. The mountains arose, and the valleys
scendunt campi in locum, quern sank down
fundasti eis. To the place which Thou didst fix for
them.
9. Terminum posuisti, quem 9. A limit Thou didst set which they shall
non transgredientur :
nequecon- not pass :

vertentur operire terram. No more shall they cover the earth.

(Third day of Creation : second half,

plant-life).
10. Qui emittis fontes in con- 10. Thou releasest the springs in the vallej-s :

vallibus : inter medium monti- Among the hills the waters meander :

um pertransibunt aquae.
11. Potabunt omnes bestiae 11. They give drink to the beasts of the
agri :
exspectabunt onagri in field ;

siti sua. The wild asses thence slake their thirst.

Super ea volucres coeli
12. 12. Above them the birds of heaven dwell ;

habitabunt de medio petrarum : From among the rocks they give forth
dabunt voces. their song.
i8o THE PSALMS [103

13. Rigans montes de supe- 13. From the heights of heaven He giveth
rioribus suis de fructu :
operum the hills to drink :

tuorum satiabitur terra : The earth is sated with the fruit of

Th}' work :

14. Producens foenum jumen- 14. Thou makest the grass to shoot forth
tis, et herbam servituti homi- for the cattle.
num : And herbage for the servitors of naan.
Ut educas panem de terra : That Thou mayest bring forth bread
from the earth,
15. Et vinum L-etificet cor 15. And wine which gladdeneth man's
hominis : heart.
Ut exhilaret faciem in oleo : To make (his) face shine with oil,
et panis cor hominis contirmet. And that bread may strengthen his
heart
16. Saturabuntur lignacampi, 16.
;

The trees of the field are sated

et cedri Libani, quas plantavit. The cedars of Lebanon which He hath
planted :

17. Illic passeres nidificabunt. 17. Itthere that the birds build their nests ;
is
Herodii domus dux est eorum : The home of the stork is their guide :

18.Montes excelsi cervis :

pe- 18. The high hills are for the wild goats.
tra refugium herinaciis. The rocks are a refuge for the hedge-
hogs.
(Fourth day : the heavenly bodies).
19. lunam in tempora
Fecit :
19. The moon He made to mark off the
sol cognovit occasum suum. seasons ;

The sun knoweth the hour of its

setting.
20. Posuisti tenebras, et facta 20. Thou spreadest the darkness, and night
est nox in ipsa pertransibunt
: cometh,
oranes bestiae silvae. Wherein creep forth all the beasts of
the forest :

21. Catuli leonum rugientes, 21. The young lions growl for their prey.
ut rapiant, et qucerant a Deo And demand from God their food ;

escam sibi.
22. Ortus est sol, et congre- 22. The sun riseth and they shrink away,
gati sunt : et in cubilibus suis And in their dens they crouch ;

collocabuntur.
23. Exibit homo ad opus su- 23. Man goeth forth to his work.
um et ad operationem suam
: And to his toil till the evening.
usque ad vesperum.
(Fifth day : marine life.)
24. Quam magnificata sunt 24. How manifold are Thy works, O Lord !

opera tua Domine ! omnia in All of them in wisdom hast Thou made.
sapientia fecisti impleta : est The earth is full of Thy creations ;

terra possessione tua.

25. Hoc mare magnum, et 25.

Yonder sea vast and wide-extended
spatiosum manibus : illic repti- Therein are gliding things numberless,
lia,quorum non est numerus. Living things small and great.
Animalia pusilla cum magnis :

26. Illic naves pertransibunt. 26 Therein move about the " sea-eagles,"
Draco iste, quem formasti ad The Leviathan which Thou madest to
illudendum ei :
play with ;

27. Omnia a te exspectant ut 27. To Thee all of them look,

des illis escam in tempore. That Thou give them their food in due
time.

(God's Providence.)
28. Dante te illis, coUigent : 28. Thou to them
givest they gather it
(it) ; ;

aperiente to manum tuam, When Thou

openest Thy hand they are
omnia implebuntur bonitate. filled with good things :

29. Avertente auteni te faci- 29. Hidest Thou Thy face, they are terrified :

em, turbabuntur auferes spiri- : Withdrawest Thou Thy breath, they

tum eorum, et deficient, et in expire.
pulverem suum revertentur. And return to their dust :
103] A HYMN IN PRAISE OF CREATION i8i

30. Emittes spiritum tuum, et 30. Sendest Thou forth Thy breath, the}' are
creabuntur et lenovabis faci-
: created.
em terrse. And Thou renewest the face of the
earth.

(Epilogue I Let the Lord rejoice in

:

His work !)
31 Sit gloria Domini in srrci:- 31. Eternal glory to the Lord.
lum :laetabitur Dominas in Let the Lord rejoice in His works.
operibus suis :

32. Qui respicit terrain, et fa- 32. When He gazeth on the earth it
cit tremere
earn qui tangit : trembleth :

montes, et fumigant. When He toucheth the mountains

they smoke.

(Epilogue 2 the psalmist will rejoice

:

in the Lord.)
33. Cantabo Domino in vita 33. I will sing to the Lord all my life;
meo psallam Deo meo, q'.iam-
: I will chant to my God while I live.
diu sum.
34. Jucundum sit ei eloquium 34. May this song of mine give Him pleasure 1

meum :
ego vero delectabor in Verily I will rejoice in the Lord.
Domino.
35. Deficiant peccatores a ter- 35. May the wicked cease from the earth.
ra, et iniqui ita nt non sint ; And evildoers be no more !

benedic anima niea Domino. Bless the Lord thou, my soul !

'

1. Magnificotus :
great.'
' '

Confessio, praise ;
decoy has almost the same meaning ; {cf.
' '

Ps. xcv. 6). The praise is that which the self-manifestation of

God in creation particularly in the heavens demands. In the
Hebrew the thought seems to be conveyed that creation is a sort of
glorious vesture of God just as light,
in the following verse, is

declared to be the raiment of God.

2. {cf. 1 Tim. vi. 16).
Amictus Imnine As earthly kings appear in
royal state, clad in splendid garments, so does the King of kings
appear arrayed in the dazzhng robe of the radiant, many-coloured,
sky.
Extendens . . .
pelleni {cf. Is. xl. 22).
: The dome of heaven is
here thought of, in Bedouin fashion, as the roof of a tent. Cf. Ps.
xviii. 6.

3. Here the world is represented, not as the nomad, but

as the

house-dwelling peasant thinks it. It is a great two-storied building,

or a building the roof of which serves as a sort of upper storey on :

the ground-floor the earth, men dwell, but the upper-storey, heaven,
is the dwelling of God. The sifperiora =the upper storey. The
firmament was made, according to Genesis i, to divide between the
upper waters and the lower. The upper waters supply the rains
which fall on the earth ;
it is of these upper waters that verse 3 speaks.
The Hebrew has :
'

Who fixes the beams of His upper storey in the

seems to imply that the dwelling of God is a palace
'

waters ;
this

supported, like a lake-dwelling, above the upper waters by great

1 82 THE PSALMS [103

beams resting somehow on the waters. Thus, just as the firm earth
isregarded as based on the waters of the Deep (Ps. xxiii. 2), so the
home of God was imagined as cstabhshed on the upper waters. Cf.
Job xxxviii. 6 ;
xxvi. 7.
'

Asccnsiim : chariot.' The clouds are the chariot of God, and

the winds are the winged steeds of the chariot {cf. Zach. vi. i^'.).
For the chariot of God compare Ezech. i. Compare the chariot of
the Babylonian sun-god referred to in 4 Kings xxiii. 11.
4. The Hebrew text is usually rendered :

Who maketh winds His messengers.

And flaming His servants.
fire

This would mean, in connection with the foregoing, that, as the

clouds are the chariot of God and the winds the steeds of the chariot,
so the winds and lightnings are His attendant servants. The winds
on whose pinions the Lord's chariot is borne are the ordinary winds
which sweep the clouds across the sky the winds that accompany :

the flaming fire (=lightnings) are obviously storm-winds. For the

imagery generally compare Ps. xvii. The Greek translators took
' ' ' ' ' '

messengers (angels) and servants as the nearer, and winds

' '

and flaming fire as the remote objects they, therefore, took the ;

verse to mean :

Who transformest into winds Thy angels,

And Thy ministrants into flaming fire.

With that interpretation agrees the Targum rendering Who :

'

maketh His messengers swift like the winds and His ministrants
powerful like flaming fire.' Some commentators take the Greek
(= Vulgate) to be almost exactly equivalent to the Hebrew as usually
understood :

Thou hast created messengers for Thyself namely, the winds

Thou hast created servants for Thyself namel}', flaming fire. :

Hebrews i. 7 gives to the passage the sense God makes His :

' '

angels into winds and flaming fire (on every interpretation servants
'
is parallel to angels ') He makes them, that is, as completely
:

subject to His will as if they were ordinary powers of nature, such as

wind and fire, storm-wind and lightning.
5. Here begins the description of the work of the third day of
creation. StahiUtas :
foundation, firm basis. The structure of the
earth is the most solid of all things hence it : must rest on mighty
foundations. But, as no eye has seen these foundations, the firmness
of the earth was an object of wonder to the Hebrew mind. Cf.
Job xxxviii. 6.
6. Here is suggested the condition of earth as it is described in
Gen. i. 2, 9. The Abyss once covered the earth like a garment so
103] A HYMN IN PRAISE OF CREATION 183

that no portion of dry land conld be seen. Even the hills were
covered.
7. As a warrior rushes to battle, raising his war-cry, so Yahweh
advanced against the Deep with threatening cry. At the sound of
His thundering voice the terrified Deep fled away. For the Hebrews
'
thunder was the voice of God.' In the Babylonian Epic of Marduk
there is described a great struggle between Marduk and Tiamat
(=the Deep) the imagery of which may possibly have been in the
mind of the poet who composed these verses.
8. As the waters of the Deep retreated, the
dry land appeared
the hills seeming to rise up and the valleys to sink down. The phrase
'
in locum quern fiirulasti eis is to be explained, probably, as the one
' ' '

place of Gen. i. g. Hence the place in question is the place of

the waters, and not of the mountains and valleys, and we must read
Ascendunt campi as a parenthesis.
. . .

Q. To
the Deep, which had fled at the chiding of Yahweh, a
barrier was set by the Almighty which it might nevermore pass to
overwhelm the earth. Cf. Job xxxviii. 10/. :

"
When imposed on him (the Deep) a decree,
I
And fixed a bar and doors :

Thus far thou maj^est come, but no farther ;

And here shall thy proud waves be stayed."

The imagery of the psalmist, as well as of the author of Job, may have
been influenced by earlier Oriental poetry.
10. Here begins the story of the distribution of land and water.
Even though the waters of the Deep had withdrawn, it was necessary
that the surface of the earth should be supplied with water for the
support of plant-life and animal-life. The poet speaks first of rivers
and brooks, and then of the rain. Both were originally portions of
the Deep which once enveloped the world.
For the brooks in the valleys, compare Deut. viii. 7. The plentiful
provision of water was a matter of immense importance for the
Easterner hence the peculiar emphasis on the blessings of an abundant
;

water-supply in this section of the poem.

The streams find their way through the hills, bringing comfort
to the wild beasts for which God has taken such careful thought. As
a specimen of the wild beasts thus provided for, the psalmist mentions
the wildest and least partial to man the wild ass.
Far away in the
solitude of the steppes God provides for the least tameable of wild
beings.
The wild asses are represented in the Greek (and Latin) as looking
confidently {expectahnnt) to God for their sustenance. The Hebrew
'
has :The wild asses slake their thirst.' Where the Massoretes
' '

read, yishh^ru, they break,' they quench,' the Greeks read an

' ' '

Aramaic verb, y^sabh^rii, they hope for.' Thirst ought to be the

object of the verb, but the Greeks, misled by their false reading,
1
84 THE PSALxMS [103

y'sabb'rn, rendered, Trpoo-Se^ovrai ovaypoi e'ts 8i\pav

aiVaii' they took :

the verse to mean that the wild asses trust to the springs (or,
to the Lord)
'
in reference to their thirst hoping that the thirst
'

will be extinguished. The Latin, as often, replaces the Greek ac-
cusative by the ablative, in siti sua. Jerome renders : et reficiat

onager sitini snam.

12. Super ea :
ought to mean, by the springs
in the context this
and the streams not, were perched on the
of course, that the birds
backs of the wild asses. Beside the springs and brooks the trees
would abound, and in the trees would be the home of the birds. But
the Latin (Greek) has
'

from among the rocks not from among

'
'

'

the trees.' In the Hebrew we have, from the midst of the foliage,'
which Jerome renders, de medio iicmorum. It is clear that the Greek
' '

translators read in their Hebrew text kephim, rocks where the

Massoretes have '"pha'im, foliage.' The picture implied in the
'

verse that of groves beside the water-courses, from the midst of

is

which the voices of the song-birds are heard. The peculiar abruptness
of super ea, without any definite antecedent, suggests that the text
may be here somewhat displaced. Hence it has been proposed to
read verses 16, 17 between verses ii, 12. This arrangement would
explain the occurrence of the reference to foliage in verse 12 the

'

trees being mentioned in verses 16, 17. Upon them,' in this arrange-
ment, would mean upon the trees. The growth of the trees is also
thus made depend immediately on the waters of the streams
to
which suits the context well. The whole passage verses 11, 16, 17, 12
would thus deal first with the springs and streams, then with the use
of them by the most timid of desert-creatures, and then v^^ith the

groves which would flourish beside them. The groves suggest the
song of the birds. The scene described might well be some oasis
which the psalmist had visited.
13. De sttperiorihus suis : for the super iora see verse 3 above.
The rains are sent from the home of Yahweh to water the tops of the
and the highland plateaus, which the water of the valley-springs
hills
cannot reach.
' ' ' '

De fructu operum eorui-n the fruit is the rain the works

: ;

may be taken as parallel to super iora. Thus the meaning is that the
is the fruit, or produce, which God has stored in the
'

rain upper
chamber where He has His dwelling.
'

14. The rain quenches the thirst of the parched earth after :

the rain the wealth of vegetation on which the hfe of men and beasts
so much depends, shoots forth. In Palestine the tillage fields and
pasture-lands lay largely on the hillsides, and their fruitfulness de-

pended altogether on the rain. Cf. Ps. Ixiv. 10-14.

Servituti ought, probably, to be taken as=' service-cattle,' parallel
to jumentis. The Hebrew text would, in this view, have to be changed
from the Massoretic '"bhodhath to '"bliuddatli.
103] A HYMN IN PRAISE OF CREATION 185

Ui cdiicas as the text stands it seems to mean that Yahweh

panem :

brings forth bread from the earth by supplying food to the jnmenta
'

and servitus. The Hebrew would be better rendered : That they

may bring forth grain from the earth.'
15. Et vinum laetificet the Vulgate construction here
: is obscure :

laetificet (like exhilaret and

might be regarded as dependent
confirmet)

on ttt which gives no good sense, or vinum might be taken as depend-
ing on educas. Perhaps it is most suitable to regard the Hebrew
corresponding to ut educas panem de terra and et vinum, etc., as a
gerundial construction, and to render it :

Bringing forth grain (bread) from the earth.

And wine which gladdeneth man's heart.
The following clause could then be similarly understood :

Making faces to shine with oil.

The Hebrew clause corresponding to et panis cor hominis confirmet

cannot be reasonably construed, and must, in all probability, be
regarded as a gloss. Condamin
^
in order to secure a smoother
Hebrew text, has proposed to remove the clauses Et vinum laetificet
cor hominis, and Et panis cor hominis confiirmet, as glosses. We should
have then as our text :

Bringing forth grain from the earth,

Making faces to shine with oil.

Since, however, the clause, Et vinum, etc., can be actually construed,

and we should naturally expect a reference here to wine as well as
to grain and oil, it seems better to excise only the clause, Et panis
cor hominis confirmet. The bread has been already mentioned. For
wine as brightening and gladdening Hfe, see Ecclus. xl. 20 Eccle. ;

X. ig. Oil was used for anointing the head on festive occasions. Cf.
Ps. xxii. 5 Luke vii. 46.
;

16. See above on verse 11, 12. Instead of 'trees of the field'
"
the Hebrew has trees of Yahweh," and some such expression is

required as a parallel to the cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted.'

'

It is possible that the Greek translators had in their Hebrew text

Shaddat (the ancient designation of God), and that they read it as
'

The trees of Shaddai would form a perfect

'

srtie?/j=plain, or field. '

cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted {cf. Ps.

'

parallel to the
XXXV. 7). If the suggestion here made is correct we must suppose
that the Massoretes substituted here Yahioeh for Shaddai.
17. The Httle birds make their nests in
the trees by the brooks.
'

Herodii domus, etc., the herodius is the stork, and its domus is

^
See article on Ps. ciii by Condamin in the Nouvelle Revue Theologique,
July, igai.
1 86 the' psalms [103

that the nest

its nest. As tlie Vulgate text stands, the meaning is

of the stork leads the way for the or (following the Greek) little birds,

that it dominates over the nests of the other birds by its great height.
The Hebrew has simply :

The stork its home is the cypress (or, fir-tree).

b'roshim, fir-trees was read by the Greeks as bWsham,

' '

The Hebrew
'
at their head.' Jerome has milvo abies donius ejus. :

18. This verse, expressing God's care for His various creatures,
fitsbut loosely into the immediate context. It may be said, however,
that, since the poet has dealt with the homes of the birds
in the groves

of the and the forests of the hills, it is natural that he should

valleys
refer to God's care in providing a home for the stags and the herinacii.
The stags roam freely the herinacii dwell in the crevices
on the hills ;

of the rocks. There uncertainty as to the animal referred

is much
to by the Hebrew term shaphan (corresponding to herinacius).
The word is usually rendered rock-badger.' The Greek word '

'

means in both of its constituents,

Xotpoypi'AAtot pig,' so that
herinacius is most naturally translated
'

hedgehog.' The common

seems to be connected with the reading
'

EngUsh rendering, conies,'

Aayojots also found in the Greek text.

Jerome renders verses 17, 18 :

Ibi aves nidificabuut ;

milvo abies domus ejus :

Monies excelsi cervis ;

petra refngium ericiis.

19. celestial bodies, the work of the Fourth Day, are

The great
now considered. As in Gen. i, so here, their chief purpose is to divide
the day and night and to mark off the seasons. The moon has a
greater importance for the calendar
than the sun, since its phases
determined the months and festivals. The great division of day and
night is due to the sun.
20, 22. The night is the time when the beasts of prey
move abroad :

in the night the roar of the hon is heard. That roar, though it
terrifies men, is on the one hand the Hon's prayer for food, and,
on
the other, his thanks for favours received from the Lord.
When the sun rises the wild beasts shrink away to their
22, 23.
lairs {congregati^ye'asephun,
'
withdraw '),
and men go forth to their

daily toil. Note, how for the psalmist, as for the author of the story
of the Fall, man is predominantly a tiller of the field.
24. The Fifth Day comes now
to be considered.
Possess^, creatures. The poet
'

Mfl^w j/fM to, 'great,' manifold.'

is overwhehned at the immense multitude of living things which

God has fashioned. As the psalmist has already spoken of the

of God's creation on land, he now passes on to reflect on God's
glories
103] A HYMN IN PRAISE OF CREATION 187

greatness as shown in the sea. Verses 25, 26 arc based on Gen.

i. 20, 21.
' '

Hoc :There is !

Spaiiosum manibus : Hteral rendering of Hebrew=' wide-extended.'

Reptilia, ghding things.
' '

26. One does not expect ships included among the to find
wondrous products of God's work in the oceans. Condamin pro-
poses to read here in the Hebrew, 'ozniyoth instead of 'niyoth (' ships ').
'Ozniyoth=' SQ2i-e2ig\e5' {cf. Lev. xi. 13). Draco iste Hebrew,
:

' '

Livyaihan {cf. Gen. i.

21). The Livyathan, here regarded as the
chief of the sea-monsters, was, according to the popular view, fashioned
by God to be a sort of plaything, or playmate {ad illudendum ei)
Job xl. 29). It is to be emphasised that Livyathan appears here
{cf.

simply as a great monster of the sea

not as the Chaos (=Tiamat)
of the Babylonian story of Creation. Ad ilhtdendmn ei could also
be taken as, to mock
'
him
'

the meaning, on that view, being that
God created the Livyathan in order to show that the greatest
strength of creatures was as nothing in comparison with the might
of God.
27. All creatures look to God for their food. Here the poet passes
from the creation of living things to their conservation.
28. God holds out His hand with food to His creatures, and eagerly
they seize what He gives them. God is like a great farmer who care-
fully tends all the creatures that live on His farm.
29. If God withdraws His care His creatures are cast into
dismay. The spiritits here is the breath of life of the creatures.
When that is withdrawn their bodies return to the dust whence
they came.
30. But when God sends forth His vivifying breath, life begins
again and the face of the earth is renewed. The liturgical books read
here (with the old Latin Psalteries) emitte.
31 The final section of the poem goes back, after the characteristic
.

manner of Hebrew poetry, to the beginning. The purpose of the

whole poem is to proclaim the praise of God. As a court-poet might
wish the King perpetual memory of his name, so the psalmist here
wishes the King of the universe the perpetual endurance of His glory.
May Yahweh rejoice always in His creation, taking that pleasure
therein which an artist takes in his masterpiece.
32. This reference to the dreadful greatness of the Lord whose
mere glance makes the earth to writhe in earthquake and the touch
of whose hand sets volcanoes in action, is introduced as a prelude to
verse 35 {cf. Amos ix. 5). While God rejoices in His creation. His
angry might against those who would disturb its harmony is

fearful.

33. However terrible God may be towards sinners, the psalmist

will rejoice in and praise Him Him his whole life long.
i88 THE PSALMS [103

34. Eloqtiium : the psalmist's song (Hebrew siah),

35. His wish for the destruction of sinners is such as we often
find elsewhere in the psalms : see Ps. iii. 8
;
v. 2, 11;
vii. 10, 17;

ix. 6, 7;
xvi. 13. Many of the psalms end in a short wish or prayer
{cf. Ps. xxviii. 10;
xxxii. 22;
cv. 47; cxxxvii. 7, 8). It is possible

that, as indicated in the translation, verse 35 (or, at all events, 35a)

is not a portion of the original psalm, but onty a liturgical
addition.
 PSALM CIV
GOD'S GRACIOUS GUIDANXE IN THE DAYS
OF OLD
psalm resembles closely Ps. Ixxvii. It is partly a hymn,
THISand partly God
a
with
of
didactic poem.
Israel in
It is a review of the gracious
the past which is intended to
dealings
give hope and courage to the Israelites of the psalmist's
time. The gracious and mighty God who guided the early career
of Israel cannot have forgotten His specially chosen people. He will
help them again, even though they arc now, as the Patriarchs once
were, weak and politically unimportant. Let them, therefore, thank
God for His mercies to His people in the past and beg the continuance
of His favour towards Israel in the present.
Verses i-ii. The psalm begins, like a hymn, with a summons to
the praise of Yahweh. The great deeds of the Lord for ancient
Israel are the ground of the praise. Israel should study closely
'
the story of God's dealings with His people, so as to seek the face
of Yahweh,' reaUse, that is. His presence and manifestations in the
Israel of the past, whether remote or recent. Thus they will learn
that Yahweh's loyalty to the Covenant has never changed, that He
has been ever true to the promise which He swore to the Patriarchs.
The psalmist then goes on to prove the unfailing fidelity of the
Lord to His promises by a review of the history of Israel up to the
moment at which it entered into Canaan.
In verses 12-15 the wanderings of the Patriarchs in Canaan and
Egypt are described, and God's jealous care for His chosen ones is
emphasised. Then follows (in verses 16-25) the history of Joseph,
as an introduction to the entrance of Jacob's family into Egypt.
In verses 26-38 God's care for Israel, as exemplified in the Plagues of
Egypt, is the psalmist's theme. In verses 39-42 the wonders of
the march through the desert are recalled, and in the concluding
verses, 43-45, the psalmist returns to the thoughts with which he
had begun : all the great things that Yahweh has done for Israel
He has done in fulfilment of the Covenant which He made with the
Patriarchs. If Israel, on its part, is faithful even now to that
Covenant the gracious mercies of the olden days will be renewed
unto His people by the God of the Covenant.
The psalm contains no reference to authorship. Since it seems
to imply a poHtically weak condition of Israel, the majority of modern
commentators are inclined to ascribe it to the period shortly following

iSy
190 THE PSALMS [104

the return from tlie Babylonian ILxilo, when disappointment and

defeat had turned the hopes of the people almost into despair. Against
this dating stands the fact that verses 1-15 of this psalm appear

(together with portions of Ps. xcv and cv) in i Chron. xvi, as a song
sung at the transference of the Ark to Sion in the time of King David.
There is nothing in the text of Ps. civ which would exclude a Davidic
origin or dating, and it is obvious that a poem celebrating the divine
guidance of Israel up to the point at which Canaan was occupied
would be appropriate for the occasion of the transference of the Ark
to Sion. That transference was a symbol of the taking possession
of His chosen Land by Yahweh and a song of Israel's glory in the
;

Exodus and on the march to Canaan would fittingly be sung at the

inauguration of Yahweh's kingly rule in Palestine. Jerusalem had
remained in heathen hands until the days of David, and the solemn
coming of the Ark to Sion might, therefore, be regarded as the formal
act by which Yahweh assumed possession of Canaan, and as the
completion of the conquest of Palestine towards which Ps. civ
points.
Looked at from a literary standpoint there can be no doubt that
Ps. civ forms a perfectly complete poetic unity, and that it makes a
much greater impression of originahty than the mosaic-like poem in
I Chron. xvi.

Alleluia !

Confitemini Domino, et in-

1. Give thanks to the Lord, and call upon
vocate nomen ejus annuntiate : His name :

inter Gentes opera ejus. Proclaim amid the heathens His deeds f

2. Cantata ei, et psallite ei :

Sing to Him, and hymn to Him ;

narrate omnia mirabilia ejus. Recount all His wonders.

3. Laudamini in nomine sanc- Make boast of His holy name ;

to ejus laetetur cor quaerentium

: Let the heart of them that seek the
Dominum. Lord rejoice.
4. Qua^rite Dominum, et con- 4- Seek ye the Lord and be strengthened ;

firmamini qua?rite faciem ejus

: Seek ye His face evermore ;

semper.
5. Mementote mirabilium Remember His wonders which He did,
ejus, quae fecit prodigia ejus, : His portents and the judgments of His
et judicia oris ejus. mouth.
6. Semen Abraham, servi Ye seed of Abraham, His servants,
ejus : filii
Jacob, electi ejus. Ye sons of Jacob, His chosen ones !

7. Ipse Dominus Deus noster ;

He, the Lord, is our God ;

in universa terra judicia ejus. Over all the earth go His judgments.
8. i\Iemor fuit in soeculum He remembereth forever His covenant.
testamenti sui verbi, quod : The promise which He made, unto
mandavit in mille generationes :
generations a thousand.
9. disposuit ad Abra-
Quod Which He agreed on with Abraham,
ham et juramenti sui ad Isaac
: : And His oath unto Isaac.
10. Et statuit illud Jacob in 10. For Jacob He established it as a law,
prajceptum et Israel in testa-
: For Israel as a covenant eternal.
mentum seternum :

11. Dicens tibi dabo terram : II. When He said To thee I give Canaan
Chanaan, funiculum haereditatis As thy allotted possession."
vestrse.
104] GOD'S GRACIOUS GUIDANCE 191

12. Cum essent numero brevi, 12. When they still were but few
paucissinii et incola2 ejus :
Few, and mere guests in the land.
13.Et pertransieruntdegente 13. They wandered from people to people.
in gentem, et de regno ad popu- And from kingdom to nation :

lum alterum.
14. Non reliquit hominem no- 14. He permitted no man to harm them,
cere eis : et corripuit pro eis And kings, for their sake. He chastised.
reges.
15. Nolite tangere cliristos 15.
'

Touch ye not my Anointed,

meos : et in prophetis meis

And do naught of evil to my prophets.'

nolite malignari.

16. Et vocavit famem super 16. When He called famine into the land.
terram et omnc tirmamentum
: And brake every stay of bread,
panis contrivit.
17. Misit ante eos viruni : in 1 7. He sent a man before them ;

servum venumdatus est Joseph. Joseph was sold as a slave ;

1 8. Humiliaverunt in conipe- iS. They placed his feet in the stocks ;

dibus pedes ejus, ferrum per- Into chains he was cast,

transiit animam ejus,
19. Donee veniret verbum 19. Till his word should be fulfilled.
ejus. Till the oracle of the Lord should
Eloquium Domini inflamma- save him.
vit eum :

20. Misit rex, et solvit eum ;

20. The King sent and released him.
priuceps populoruni, et dimisit The Ruler of the peoples, and set him
eum. free.
21. Constituit eum dominum 21. He appointed him lord over his house.
donius suae et principem omnis
: Chief steward of all his possessions,
possessionis sua; :

22. Ut erudiret principes ejus 22. That he might guide his princes as he
sicut semetipsum et senes ejus :
pleased.
prudentiam doceret. And teach his ancients wisdom.

23. Et intravit Israel in JEgy- 23. Then Israel entered into Egypt,
ptum : et Jacob accola fuit in And Jacob became a guest in the land
terra Cham. of Cham
24. Et auxit populum suum 24. He made His people fruitful indeed.
vehementer : et iirmavit eum And stronger far than their foes.
super inimicos ejus.
25. Convertit cor eorum
ut 25. He changed their hearts :

odirent populum ejus et dolum :

They hated His people.
facerent in servos ejus. And wrought treachery on His servants.
26. Misit Moysen servum su- 26. Then sent He Moses His servant.
um Aaron, quem elegit ipsum,
:
And Aaron whom He chose.
27. Posuit in eis verba signo- 27. He accomplished among them His
rum suorum, et prodigiorum in wonders,
terra Cham. And portents in the land of Cham.
28. Misit tenebras, et obscu- 28. He sent darkness and it was dark ;

ravit et non exacerbavit ser-

:
But they heeded not His words.
mones suos.
29. Convertit aquas eorum in 29. He turned their waters into blood.
sanguinem et : occidit pisces And slew their fish.
eorum.
30. Edidit terra eorum
ranas 30. Their land swarmed with frogs,
in penetralibus regum ipsorum. Even in the chambers of their kings.
31 Dixit, et venit coenomyia
.
:
31. He spake and the dog-fly came.
et cinifes in omnibus finibus And gnats in all their borders.
eorum.
32. Posuit pluvias eorum 32. He sent them hail instead of rain.
grandincm :
ignem comburen- Devouring firethroughout their land.
tem in terra ipsorum.
192 THE PSx\LMS [104

33. lit percussit vineas eorum, 33. He smote their vines and fig-trees.
et ftculneas eorum et contrivit : And brake the trees of their land.
lignum finium eorum.
34. Dixit, et venit locusta, et 34. He spake and the locusts canie.
bruchus, cujus non erat nume- And the Dcvourcr, numberless,
rus :

35. Et comedit omne fcenum 35. And ate all things green in the land,
in terra eorum et comedit : And consumed all tiie fruit of their
omnem fructum terras eorum. land.
36. Et percussit omne primo- 36. He smote every first-born in their land,
genitum in terra eorum primi- : The lirst'fruits of their strength.
tias omnis laboris eorum.
37. Et eduxit eos cum argento 37. He led them forth with silver and gold,
et auro :et non erat in tribubus And there was no weakling in their
eorum infirmus. tribes.
38. Lsetata est .-Egyptus in 38. Egypt rejoiced at their going,
profectione eorum :
quia incu- l'"or fear of them had fallen upon them.
buit timer eorum super eos.
39. Expandit nubem in pro- 39. He spread out the cloud to protect them,
tectionem eorum, et ignem ut And a fire to give them light in the
lucerct eis per noctem.
40. Petierunt, et venit cotur- 40.
night.
They besought the quails came,
nix : et pane coeli saturavit eos. And with bread from heaven He sated
them.
41. Dirupit petram, et fluxe- 41. He cleft the rock, and the waters flowed.
runt aquaj abierunt in sicco
: Brooks ran through the desert.
flumina :

42. Quoniam memor fuit ver- 42. For He remembered His holy word
quod habuit ad
bi sancti sui, (Which He had given to) His ser\'ant
xVbraham puerum suum. Abraham.

43. Et eduxit populum suum 43. And He led forth His people 'mid glad-
in exsultatione, et electos suos ness,
in laetitia. And His chosen ones amid joy.
Et
44. dedit illis regiones 44. He gave them the lands of the heathen ;

Gentium : et labores populorum And the toil of the nations they seized ,

possederunt :

45. Ut custodiant justifica- 45. That they might keep His decrees.
tiones ejus, et legem ejus re- And observe His laws.
quirant.

I. Allelma in the Hebrew text the Alleluia ends the preceding

:

'

psalm. Alleluia=./w/%f Yah, praise ye Yahweh. It appears as a

superscription in the psalms civ-cvi, cx-cxviii, cxxxiv-cx.xxv, cxlv-

cl. In Ps. cxlvii-cl Alleluia appears also at the end. In the Hebrew
text Alleluia first appears at the end of Ps. civ (verse 103). In the
Massoretic text appears, further, at the end of Ps. cv, cvi, cxiii,
it

cxv, cxvi, cxxxv, Apart from the four last psalms, therefore,
cxlvi-cl.
the concluding Hal'lu Yah of the Hebrew text appears in the Vulgate,
as an initial Alleluia transferred in each case to the following psalm.
In the Vulgate psalter Alleluia occurs in the titles of twenty psalms,
which are, for that reason, known as the Psalnii alleUijatici. Alleluia
both at the end, and at the beginning of psalms, is liturgical in origin.
The Jews called the psalms cxiii-cxviii of the Hebrew text the
' '
and Ps. cxxxvi the Great Hallel.' In the Second Temple
Hallel,'
the Hallel was sung at the three great Feasts, Pasch, Pentecost, and
104] GOD'S GRACIOUS GUIDANCE 193

Tabernacles, and also at the feast of the Dedication, and occasionally

at the feast of the New Moon. At the Pasch the psalms cxiii and
cxiv (Heb.) were sung before the Paschal Supper, and Ps. cxv-
cxviii (Heb.) were sung at the close of the Supper, when the fourth
wine-cup had been filled {cf. Matt. xxvi. 30). The use of the cry,
Hal'^lu Yah passed over from the Jewish into the Christian liturgy
especially into the Christian liturgy of Eastertide.
'

Invocatc nomcn ejus the Hebrew means Cry aloud with mention
: :

of His name,' i.e., proclaim that Yahweh is our God. The opera are
the great deeds which the Lord has done for Israel.
2. Psallere :
cf. Ps. vii. 18.
is the mark of the true Lsraelite.
' '

3. To
seek the Lord The
people are here urged by the psalmist to live up to their designation,
Quacrentes Dominum.
4. Confirmamini is an imperative. The Hebrevv^ text has here
' '

'11.ZZ0, his strength : The Greeks read 'ozzu. Jerome has el :

virtuievi ejus.

5. The prodigia are chiefly the wonders worked against Egypt,

and the jiidicia oris ejits are the judgments of God against the
Egyptians, See verses 2yff. below.
6. Semen : this a vocative, and is to be joined with mementote.
is

7. Yahweh is the God of Israel, but His power extends also over
the whole earth. Note, however, that while Yahweh is, as it were,
the special possession of Israel, and His relations towards Israel
are, therefore, those of grace and favour. His connection with the
world generally is that of a Ruler who announces stern judgments.
This thought developed throughout the psalm.
is
' '

The
8. wordis the word of promise to the Patriarchs it : is

the same as the Covenant. It cannot be changed, and hence it

endures for ever.

Juramenti is dependent on mcmor.
9.
The oath sworn unto Isaac was confirmed unto Jacob
10. see :

Gen. xxviii. i-^ff-', xxxv. ()ff. Thus it became an eternal decree.

11. The actual words of the promise.
'

Funicidum haereditatis vestrae the inheritance measured out to :

you' {cf. Ps. Ixxvii. 54). The measuring rope is taken as=the land
which is measured by it.

12. When
the promise was made, the patriarchal family was small
and unimportant. The psalmist wishes to emphasise the wondrous
nature of a promise which guaranteed the future possession of the
whole land of Canaan to an unimportant family of strangers. Paucis-
'

simi reproduces the Hebrew kivi'^'at, almost nothing.' Incolae=

garim, i.e., strangers whose stay in the land was merely tolerated. Cf.
Gen. xxiii. 4, where Abraham calls himself a ger (stranger) among the
Canaanite peoples.
13. The poet proceeds to show how the handful of apparently
194 THE PSALMS [104

helpless everywhere enjoyed the peculiar protection of

patriarchs
God. The races and kingdoms here mentioned are the
different

peoples of Canaan and the Egyptians.

14. The reference here is to the divine protection which Sara and
Rebecca received: Gen. xii. 17 xx. 3, 8 xxvi. 11. ; ;

15. The warning of Yahweh to the kings in question {cf. Gen.

' '

xxvi. 11). The patriarchs are called prophets because they were
recipients of divine revelations. In Gen. xx. 7 God calls Abraham a
'

prophet.' Christi=' anointed.' Cf. Ps. ii. 2.

In this and the following verses God's gracious guidance of

16.
the fortunes of His people is illustrated by the history of Jacob and
Joseph. God sent two famines on the land of Canaan in order to
accomplish His designs in Israel's regard. The first of these compelled
Abraham to visit Egypt (Gen. xii. 10-20) the second occurred ;

Joseph was in Egypt (Gen.

vv'hile xii. 53). Yahweh is spoken of
' ' ' '
elsewhere as summoning famine (4 Kings viii. i), or as sending
it(Amos viii. 11). '
Firmamentmn the Hebrew has matteh leJiem, staff of bread.'
:

' ' '

Bread is called staff,' or support {firmamenUim) because it is the
chief support of Ufe. Cf. Ps. xiv. 16 Is. iii. i Ps. Ixxi. 16. ; ;

17. It was by the direct design of God that Joseph was sold by
his brethren, so that he might go before them into Egj^pt to prepare
a place for them. 'os= the sons of Jacob. Cf. Gen. xlv. 5.
18. The imprisonment of Joseph is here described. The subject
of humiliaverunt =the Egyptians. Jerome renders Adflixerunt in ;

compedcs pedes ejus.

Ferrum pertransiit animam ejus : in the parallelism the sense

ought to be :
'
He
(=his soul) was cast into fetters.' The Hebrew
' ' *
means literally His soul entered into iron,' i.e., he entered into
:

fetters. The original text does not suggest, therefore, the idea of
iron entering into his soul.
' '

19. The word is Joseph's interpretation of the Pharaoh's dream ;

it was an oracle {eloquium) of Yahweh, since Joseph was inspired to
explain the dream.
Infiammavit, Jerome has eloquium Domini probavit eum. The
:

Hebrew verb here used, sarapJi, means to establish as pure or genuine

by testing. Kimchi explains He came before Pharaoh like silver
:

'

purified, for the cup-bearer had said to the Pharaoh As he inter- :

preted to us, so hath it fallen out.' Infiamm^.vit is an incorrect

rendering of -vp/no which means here to test as in a furnace (Jerome's
prohavit).
' '

20. The King is the Pharaoh (Gen. xii) : the princeps populorum,.
is, of course, the same.
21. Compare the narrative in Genesis.
the Hebrew has le'sor=' binding
'

22. Ut erndiret : : the Pharaoh

gave Joseph authority to cast even the Egj^ptian princes into chains^
104] GOD'S GRACIOUS GUIDANCE 195

if he should wish to do so. The Greek translators read, apparently,

'

l^yasser, to instruct,' and took the verse as meaning that Joseph

was entrusted with the mission of imparting to the Egyptian princes
a measure of that wisdom which was his [sicut semctipsum). The
Hebrew means that Joseph was authorised to cast the Egyptian
lords into bonds at his own pleasure
'

{b^naphsJw) The sicvJ '

semetipsum would represent rather k^naphsho than the Massoretic

h^naphsho. The Vulgate accurately reproduces the Septuagint here.
Not only was Joseph to have power over the nobles of Egypt he ;

'

v/as also to teach wisdom to the proud scholars of Egypt, to make

wise men of the elders.'
23. Accola : Israel was a sojourner [ger) in Egypt.
24. Auxit . . .
firmavit : the subject is Yahweh. Cf. Exod.
i.
7, 9, 20.
25. Eorum of the Egyptians.
: Verses 25-38 give a brief sum-
mary of the story of the Plagues.
27. Posuit : the subject is Yahweh ;
in the Hebrew the verb is

plural [samii), Moses and Aaron being the subjects.

The reading
represented in the Vulgate (sam) is more suitable in the context it :

is Yahweh Himself, according to the psalmist, rather than His repre-

sentatives, that works the wonders.

In eis, among the Egyptians. The words of his wonders = His
' '

wondrous deeds. Cf. Ps. Ixiv. 4.

28. The psalmist does not adhere to the exact sequence of the
narrative in Exodus he begins with the 9th plague (Exod. x. 22, 23).
:

'

Obscuravit Yahweh made dark (so Hebrew)

:
'

Jerome, con- :

ten ebravit.
Exacerbavit the subject of this verb were Yahweh, the sense
: if

would be that He did not send the plagues in a sudden outburst

of anger, so as to exasperate the Egyptians, but quietly and deliberately
and after sufficient warning. The Greek has here a plural verb and
omits the negative, so that the Greek text gives the sense The :

Egyptians embittered His words,' i.e., they did not obey His words.
Jerome, following a Hebrew text practically identical with the
Massoretic, renders Ef non fuenmt increduli verbis ejus. In this
:

rendering Moses and Aaron would be the subjects.

The context,
however, seems to demand the Egyptians as the subject. The
'
'

Massoretic text, wHo' mam, and they were not rebellious ought, '

perhaps, to be emended into, w'lo' shani^ru, and they observed not."

The darkness was sent on the Egyptians because they had not ful-
filled the commands of Yahweh. If the subject of exacerbavit is not

Yahweh, suos must be changed into ejus.

29. The first plague Exod. vii. :
17, 21.
'

30. It is probable that they went up ought to be inserted

'

And
in the text before in penetralibus. This is the second plague (Exod.
viii. 1-13).
196 THE PSALMS [104

31. The half of the verse recounts the fourth plague (Exod.
first

viii. 20-32) the second half refers to the third plague (Exod. viii.
:

16-19). For the cenomyia (dog-fly) cf. Ps. Ixxvii. 45.

32-33 : the seventh plague (Exod. ix. 13-35). Posnit :
Jerome
has dedit.
34~35 the eighth plague (Exod. x. 1-20) : locusla and hnwhiis
are similar in meaning.
36. The tenth plague (Exod. xi. iff.; xii. 2()ff.\ cf. Ps. Ixxvii. 51).
Primitias eorum ought
. . . to be, according to the Hebrew,
primitias omnis virtutis virilis eorum, the firstlings of their manly
'

strength.' Apparently the Greek translators understood the Hebrew

'onam as if it were 'awen (=toil, trouble) with the suffix of the third
person plural. It is more natural, however, to take it as coming

manly strength = the

' '
from 'on (power, strength). The firstlings of
first-born {cf. Ps.
Ixxvii. 51). Jerome renders primitias tmiversi :

'

partus eorum. The Syriac text has simply risk kul yaldhon, each :

first-born.' Some commentators find reference here rather to the

precious possessions of the Egyptians generally than to their first-
born children.
37^. The Exodus : see Exod. xii. 31-36. Infirmus=' a stumbler,'
as in Is. v. 27.

38. Cf. Exod. xii. 31-33. Timor eorum is the Egyptians' fear of
the Israelites.
39. Cf. Ps. Ixxvii. 14 ; Exod. xiv. 19-20.
40. The psalmist refers to the first occasion on which the quails
were sent to the month after the Exodus {cf.
Israelites in the first Ps.
lxx\di. 27). The bread from heaven=the Manna (Ps. Ixxvii. 24).
41. See Ps. Ixxvii. 15, 20, and compare Exod. xvii. 6 Num. xx. ;
11.
' '

Ahire is used here in the sense of flow (Hebrew, halakh).

42. The poet returns to the thought of verse 8 all the wonders ;

which he has recalled were due to the promise made by God to Abra-
ham. Quod hahuit takes the place of the Hebrew preposition, 'eth,
'
unto.'
44. Lahores renders here 'amal, 'toil' {i.e., the product of toil).
Possederunt, took possession of (Heb. yarash).
' '

45. J ustificationes ejus : Hebrew hukkau,

His His statutes,'
laws '=legem ejus. The observance of the Law was the condition of
peaceful retention of Canaan. The halHu Yah which here ends the
Hebrew psalm appears in the Vulgate at the beginning of the following
psalm.
 PSALM CV
ISRAEL'S INGRATITUDE TOWARDS THE
LORD
thispsalm begins, in hymn-like fashion, with a
THOUGH summons to the people to praise the Lord, it abandons in
verse 4 the style of a hymn and passes over into the manner
of a penitential psalm. Its main theme is the ingratitude of
Israel for the favours showered on it by Yahweh, and the most
striking instances of that ingratitude are sadly confessed in verses
6-46. In verse 47 the psalmist prays for such renewal of God's
favour as always followed the seasons of Israel's repentance in the
past. The peculiar favour which the psalmist now hopes for from
the Lord is the gathering together of the children of Israel from the
Diaspora of the Gentiles. In verse 46 there is a clear reference to
the return from the Babylonian Exile. Hence the dispersion of the
Israelites spoken of in verse 47 must be regarded as belonging to the
Post -Exilic period. Verses 47 and 48 are quoted by the Chronicler
in I Chron. xvi. 35, 36, so that this psalm must be older than 330 B.C.
At the time when i Chron. xvi. 8ff. was written Ps. cv must have
formed the conclusion of a collection of psalms. That that collection
corresponded exactly to our present Fourth Book of Psalms cannot
of course, be inferred with certainty from the presence of verse 48.
of this psalm in Chronicles. It is, however, widely held that the

appearance of verse 48 in i Chron. indicates that the existing division

of the Psalter into five books was known already in the time of the
Chronicler.
This psakn should be read along with Psalm^s Ixxvii, Ixxx, and civ.

Alleluia. Alleluia.
1. Confitemini Domino qiio- 1. Give praise to the Lord for He is good.
niam bonus quoniani
: in saecu- For His favour endureth forever !

lum niisericordia ejus.

2. Quis loquetur potentias 2. Who can tell the great deeds of the Lord ?
Domini, auditas faciet omnes Who can shew forth His praise ?
laudes ejus ?

3. Beati, qui custodiunt judi- 3. Happy are they who hold fast to justice.
cium, et faciunt justitiam in And practise righteousness ever !

omni tempore.
4 Memento nostri Domine in 4. Remember us, Lord, in Thy favour to-
beneplacito populi tui : visita wards Thy people :

nos in salutari tuo : with Thy help,

Visit us
5. Ad videndum in bonitate 5. That we may see the happiness of The
electorum tuorum, ad lictandum chosen ones,
197
 198 THE PSALMS [105

in laetitia gentis tux : ut lauderis That we may rejoice in the gladness of

cum hasreditate tua. Thy people,
That Thou mayest be praised because
of Thy possession.

6. Peccavimus cum patribus 6. We have sinned with our fathers ;

nostris injuste egimus, iniqui-

: We have done injustice, wrought evil.
tatem fecimus.
7. Patres nostri in .^Lgypto 7. Our fathers heeded not Thy wonders in
non intellexerunt mirabilia tua :
Egypt,
non fuerunt memores multitu- They remembered not the wealth of
dinis misericordiaj tuaj. Thy favours :

Et irritaverunt ascendentes in They provoked Thee as they passed

mare, Mare rubrum. through the Sea -

The Red Sea.

8. Et salvavit eos propter no- 8. Yet He saved them because of His name,
men suum : ut notam faceret That He might shew forth His strength.
potentiam suam.
9. Et increpuit Mare rubrum, 9. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up ;

et exsiccatum est et deduxit : He led them through the Deep as if it

eos in abyssis sicut in deserto. were the desert.
10. Et salvavit eos de manu 10. He saved them from the power of their
odientium et redemit eos de : bitter foes ;

manu inimici. From the power of the enemy He

rescued them.
11. Et operuit aqua tribulan- 11. The waters overwhelmed their op-
tes eos unus ex eis non re-
:
pressors :

mansit. Not one of them escaped.

12. Et crediderunt verbis 12. Then they put trust in His words.
ejus : et laudaverunt laudem And announced His praise.
ejus.

13. Cito fecerunt, obliti sunt 13. But soon they forgot what He had done.
operum ejus et non sustinue- : And waited not for His plan.
runt consilium ejus.
14. Et concupierunt concupi- 14. Grievously they lusted in the desert.
scentiam in deserto et tenta- : And put God to the test in the Wilder-
verunt Deum in inaquoso. ness.
15. Et dedit eis petitionem 15. He granted to them their desire ;

ipsorum et misit saturitatem

: He sated the longings of their souls.
in animas eorum.
16. Et irritaverunt Moysen in 16. They grew jealous of Moses
in the Camp.
castris Aaron sanctum Domini.
: And Holy One of God.
of Aaron, the
17. Aperta est terra, et de- 17. Earth opened and swallowed up Dathan
glutivit Dathan : et operuit And overwhelmed the clan of Abiron ;

super congregationem Abiron.

18. Et exarsit ignis in syna- 1 8. Fire on their assembly
fell :

goga eorum flamma combussit : Flame consumed the impious ones.

peccatores.

19. Et fecerunt vitulum in 19. They fashioned a calf in Horeb :

Horeb : et adoraverunt sculp- And worshipped a graven thing.

tile.
20. Et mutaverunt gloriam 20. They exchanged their Glory,
suam similitudinem vituli
in For the likeness of a grass-eating ox.
comedentis foenum.
21. Obliti sunt Deum, qui sal- 21. They forgot the God who had rescued
vavit eos, qui fecit magnalia in them.
^gypto. Who had wrought great deeds in
Egypt,
205] ISRAEL'S INGRATITUDE 199
22. Mirabilia in terra Cham : 22. Wondrous things in the Land of Cham,
terribilia in Marl rubro. Dread things by the Red Sea.
23. Et dixit ut disperderet 23. He planned to destroy them,
eos : sinon Moyses electus ejiis Had not Moses His chosen one.
stetisset in confractione in con- Stood forth before Him in the breach.
spectu ejus : To turn aside His wrath from destroy-
Ut averteret iram ejus ne ing them.
disperderet eos :

24. Et pro nihilo habuerunt 24. The Land of Desire they despised
terram desiderabilem :
They believed not His word.
Non crediderunt verbo ejus,
25. Et murmuraverunt in ta- D- They murmured in their tents :

bernaculis suis non exaudier- :

They hearkened not to the voice of
unt vocem Domini. the Lord.
26. Et elevavit manum suam 26. He lifted up His hand against them.
super eos ut prosterneret eos
: To cast them headlong in the desert,
in deserto :

27. Et ut
dejiceret semen eo- 27. To humble their seed among the peoples,
rum in nationibus et disper- : And scatter them in the lands.
geret eos in regionibus.

28. Et initiati sunt Beelphe- 28. To Baal of Peor they dedicated them-
gor comederunt sacrificia
: et selves,
mortuorum. And ate of offerings to the dead.
29. Et irritaverunt eum in ad- 29. They provoked Him by their deeds.
inventionibus suis et multipli- ; And evil sore befcl them.
cata est in eis ruina.
30. Et stetit Phinees, et placa- 30. But Phinees stood forth and made atone-
v'it : et cessavit quassatio. ment ;

Then was the plague made to cease ;

31. Et reputatum
est ei in ju- 31. That was reckoned to him unto justice,
stitiam, in generationem et gene- From age unto age for all time.
rationem usque in sempiternum.
32. Et irritaverunt eum ad 32. They provoked Him at the Waters of
Aquas contradictionis et vexa- :
Strife,
tns est Moyses propter eos : And on their account Moses was
punished ;

33. Quia exacerbaverunt spi- 33. For they had embittered his spirit.
ritum ejus. And he spake thoughtlessly with his
Et distinxit in labiis suis ;
lips.

34. Non
disperdiderunt Gen- 34. They destroyed not the gentiles,
tes, quas dixit Dominus illis. As the Lord had commanded them.
35. Et commisti sunt inter 35. They mingled with the gentiles,
Gentes, et didicerunt opera And learned their works :

eorum :

36. Et servierunt sculptilibus 36. They served their idols.

eorum : et factum est illis in And this became their undoing.
scandalum.
37. Et immolaverunt filios 37. They sacrificed their sons,
suos, et suas daemoniis.
filias And their daughters to demons.
38. Et effuderunt sanguinem 38. They poured out innocent blood,
innocentem :
sanguinem filio- The blood of their sons and daughters,
rum suorum et filiarum
suarum, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of
quas sacrificaverunt sculptilibus Canaan.
Chanaan.
Et infecta est terra in san-
guinibus,
39. Et contaminata est in 39. The land was polluted by blood.
operibus eorum et fornicati : And defiled by their deeds.
sunt in adinventionibus suis. Thev were adulterous in their doings.
200 THE PSALMS [105

40. Et iratus est furore Do- 40. Then the wrath of the Lx)rd burst forth
minus in populum suum et :
against liis people.
abominatus est hxreditatem su- And He abhorred His possession
am.
41. Et tradidit eos in manus 41. He deUvered them into the hands of the
Gentium et dominati sunt
: heathen.
eorum qui odcrunt eos. And their haters lorded it over them.
42. Et tribulaverunt eos ini- 42. Their enemies oppressed them.
mici eorum, et humiliati sunt And they were subjected to their power
sub manibus eorum :

43. Saepe liberavit eos. 43. Often He rescued them.

Ipsi autem exacerbaverunt But they embittered Him by their
eum in consilio suo et humili-
:
plannings,
ati sunt in iniquitatibus suis. And they were brought low by their
guilt.
44. Et vidit cum tribularen- 44. Then He looked upon their distress.
tur : et audivit orationem eo- And hearkened to their prayer.
rum.
45 Et menior fuit testamenti 45. He was mindful of His Covenant,
sui et poenituit cum secundum
: And relented in His great kindness
multitudinem misericordia? suie.
46. Et dedit eos in misericor- 46. He made them objects of favour
dias in conspectu omnium qui In the sight of all their captors.

ceperant eos.

47. Salvos nos fac Domine 47. Save us,O Lord, our God !

Deus noster : et congrega nos And gather us together from among

de nationibus : the heathens,
Ut confiteamur nomini sancto That we may praise Thy name.
tuo et gloriemur in laude tua.
: And boast of Thy praise.

48. Benedictus Dominus Deus 48, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
Israel a sseculo et usque in sajcu- From eternity unto eternity.
lum et dicet omnis populus
: : Let all the people say :

Fiat, fiat. Amen, Amen.

2. The beginning is a liturgical introduction, or Introit, similar

towhat we have in Ps. cvi. i cxvii. i cxxxv. i (c/. i Chron. xvi. 34):
; ;

For the second half of the verse as a sort of Litany-response see

Ps. cxxxv.
2. The potentiae are the great deeds which God wrought for Israel ;

these, considered as the themes of songs of praise, are the landes. No

human tongue can duly sing the praises of God's great deeds.
3. Though none can duly sing God's praises, yet men may do
God's will, and thus find true happiness. Verse 6, in strong contrast
with verse 3, sadly admits that Israel has not sought its happiness
in doing God's will. Judicium {mishpat) =wha.t is morally good in
general, what is right :
justitia {s^dhakah)=honest endeavour to
fulfil the known will of God. The man who keeps judicium and does
justitia is one who knows God's will and loyally seeks to fulfil it.
4. Nostri the Hebrew has me :the psalmist speaking for the
' '

whole people. In the second half of the verse the Massoretic text
has again the singular pronoun all the Greek versions have the ;

plural, as in the Vulgate.

105] ISRAEL'S INGRATITUDE 2ci
'

In bcneplacito pop'uli iui : because of Thy goodwill towards Thy

people.' Jerome has : In repropitiatione populi tut, as if the sense

were,
'
Now that Thou again showest Thyself gracious towards
Thy people.'
Visita nos in salutari tuo : God has visited them long enough with
defeat ;
let Him now come to them as a Saviour !

5. Videre in=' rejoice at the sight of.' If God comes again as a

Helper to Israel, each Israelite will rejoice at the happiness of every
other. Note here the three designations of Israel the Chosen Ones, :

God's people, God's ov/n permanent possession (Jiaereditas). The

special favour for which the psalmist hopes is expressed more clearly
below in verse 47.
6. Note the three verbs
the use of which may be due to a liturgical
confession-formula. The confession of sin here made by the com-
munity imphes that the gracious intervention of God which is besought
will be purely gratuitous. For the confession compare 3 Kings viii. 47.
The cum does not mean that the present generation have sinned in,
or along with, their fathers, but only that they have sinned in the
same fashion as their fathers. And, as their fathers did penance
from time to time and were restored to God's favour, so the psalmist
looks forward to pardon and rescue for his generation.
on intellexenmt
7. A' they did not give heed so as to realise the
:

fullmeaning of God's intervention in their favour.

A scendentes even at the very beginning of their march towards
:

Palestine they provoked the anger of the Lord. The Hebrew text
'

which runs They revolted on the Sea, by the Reed-Sea,' is not

:

'

very pecuUar. The Greeks

'

in order, for the repetition of sea is

had before them apparently a text like, 'olimyam b^yam-siiph, whereas

the Massoretic text reads, 'al-yam h^yam-stiph. may suppose We
that the first m
of the text read by the Septuagint translators was
an incorrect addition to the primitive text, and thus we can get rid
of ascendenies.But the Massoretic text needs also to be emended.
The simplest and most reasonable emendation is that proposed by
Baethgen and others instead of 'al-yam on the Sea ') we should
:
{'

read 'elyon,
'
the Most High,' the n having been corrupted into m
by indistinct recitation, through the influence of the b which follows.
Thus emended the Hebrew text would mean :

revolted against the Mcst at the Reed-Sea.'

'

They High

The Yam-Sttph (' Reed-Sea ')

of the Hebrew text appears in the
Greek and Latin as the Red Sea.

9. Cf. Exod. xiv. 15-31. Sicitt in deserio the bed of the Sea :

was made as dry as the 'wilderness' (= pasture-lands). Cf. the

passage in Is. Ixiii. 13 Who made them to traverse the Deep as

:
'

on horse-back : the wilderness without stumbling.'

10. Cf. Luke i.
71.
202 THE PSALMS [105

'

11. Notice the Hebrew

construction, tmus-non, not even one.'
12. The reference here is to the Song of Moses, Exod. xv.

13. Though the people reahsed something of God's greatness and

goodness at the crossing of the Sea, they quickly forgot all that had
happened. Cito fecerunt is a sort of adverbial determination of
obliti sunt (seeIntrod. p. xlv). Non sustinuenmt consilium ejus ;
they were not content to await patiently the working out of God's
designs in their regard. Cf. Num. xi. 4. For sustinere cf. Ps.
Ixviii. 21.

14. The cognate accusative is intended to intensify the idea

expressed by the verb. I naquostim= the desert. Cf. Ps. Ixxvii. 17.
15. Cf. Ps. Ixxvii. 26, 29.
Saturitas the Hebrew has here razon, which ought to mean
:

' ' '

wasting away,' or leanness it might be regarded as signifying

;

In Num. xi. 20 it is said that

'

in a general way, plague, disease.'

the surfeit of meat on the occasion in question produced nausea
{zara') in the Israelites. It has been suggested that the Greek
translators of our psalm, not knowing precisely the meaning of razon
sought for the explanation of it in the zara' of Numbers. Yet, on
' '

the other hand, some such word as satiety is perfectly in place

in the paralleUsm of the verse, and the Greeks may have had before
them a better text than the Massoretic.
In animus eorum {b^naphsham) = upon them.'
'

16. Irritaverunt they angered by their jealousy {cf. Num. xvi).

:

Aaron is called sanctus Domini, because as a priest he was set apart

from the people and dedicated to the service of the Lord.
17. Note the absence of all reference to Core (Korah). Patristic
and Jewish commentators explain the absence of Korah's name as
due to the psalmist's respect for the Korachites, the descendants of
Korah. The narrative in Num. xvi makes it clear that the revolt of
Dathan and Abiron (Abiram) was chiefly against the authority of
Moses, while that of Core (Korah) was rather against the priestly
power of Aaron. Though Korah is not named in verses 16, 17,
verse 18 describes the fate which befell him and his comrades. Hence
it is useless to speculate, as some critics do, on the possibihty of

proving from these verses that the psalmist knew the Pentateuch
narrative in a form which it had prior to the incorporation in it of
the alleged P source. The psalmist was evidently familiar with
the story of the double revolt as it appears in Numbers xvi.
16, 18. The congregatio of Abiram and the synagoga of Korah are
respective groups of adherents of those rebels. The terms may be
intended to suggest that the adherents of the rebels endeavoured to
set up rival organisations to the Synagogue or Assembly of Yahweh.
19. See Exod. xxxii Deut. ix. 8.
;

20. The gloria is Yahweh. of the God who had

The worship
revealed Himself so mightily and gloriously in their midst they
105] ISRAEL'S INGR.\TITUDE 203

exchanged for the worship of an idol, representing nothing more

glorious than an ordinary grass-eating ox. Cf. Jer. ii. 11.
'
'

decided {cf. Deut. ix. 20). The subject

'

23. Dixit planned,'

:

of the verb is God. God would have carried out His plan of ex-
terminating Israel were it not for Moses, who came and, as it were,

stood in the breach to defend the people. For the imagery of standing
in the breach cf. Ezech. xxii. 30 'I sought among them for one
:

that would build up the fence, or would stand in the breach

before me for the land, that I should not destroy it but I ;

found none.'
24. See Numbers xiii-xiv. When they heard the report of the
spies the people would have nothing to do with the Promised Land.
For the designation of Canaan as a terra desiderabilis cf. Jer. iii. 19 ;

Zach. vii. 14.

26. The raising of the hand was a gesture of swearing. Cf.

Deut. xxxii. 40.
28. The reference here is to the situation described in Num. xxv.
Beelphegor='Ba.a.\ of Mt. Peor, i.e., Kemosh, the chief god of Moab.
' '

Initiati sunt dedicated : themselves,' or, allowed themselves

to be dedicated.' The word
need not be taken as implying
initiari

necessarily rites of initiation into mysteries of Moabitic worship :

' '

the second half of the verse seems to show that the initiation in
question was simply participation in Moabitic worship. The Hebrew
verb rendered here initiari is the same as the Hebrew verb used in
Num. xxv. 3, where it is also rendered initiari in the Vulgate. In his
own translation of the Psalter Jerome renders here Et consecrati :

sunt Beelphegor.
'

Sacrificia nwrtiwrmn offerings to the dead.'

: The heathen gods
are here regarded as dead things, hfeless images [cf. Jer. x. 10/.;
Ps. cxiii, 12/. Wisd. xiii. io_^.). By eating of meats which had been
;

offered to Baal of Peor the Israehtes could be said to have united

themselves (as the Hebrew text has it) with that god.
'

29. Adinventio=' deed Cf. Ps. xxvii. 4.

30. For the narrative see Num. xxv. The quassatio of this verse
is the ruina (= plague) of the preceding.
'

Placavit :
Jerome's
dijudicavit, exercised judgment,' renders
more accurately the meaning of the Hebrew verb. The swift carry-
ing out of judgment by Pinehas appeased the anger of the Lord.
The action of Pinehason this occasion secured for him the promise
that the High Priesthood would be perpetual in his family. (Num.
xxv. 12-13).
31. Et repiitatnm est ei in justitiam this phrase is taken from :

Gen. XV. 6. Just as x\braham's readiness to sacrifice Isaac was an

act of the highest practical perfection, so the zealous performance
of Pinehas was an ideal fulfilment of duty
an observance
'

of all

justice.'
204 'I^tiE PSALMS [105

32. The reference is to the second miraculous production of

water, Num. xx. 2-13.
Contradictionis see Ps. Ixxx. : 8. The Waters of Strife = 3/<?
'

M'ribliah, the Waters of Meribah.'

'

Vexaius It went ill with Moses because of them.'

: Heb. Moses
had to suffer also, at least indirectly, for the sin of the people. He
was excluded from the Promised Land, apparently for his lack of
deliberation and want of due miracle-working faith on this occasion.
He spoke angrily to the people, and he smote the rock twice (Num. xx.
9-11). Cf. Deut. i.
37 ;
iii. 26.

33. The text of Num. xx. 12 seems to require that we should

regard Moses and Aaron as the subjects of exacerbavenmt, and Moses
as the subject of distinxit. Moses and Aaron had embittered the
spirit of Yahweh by their want of loyalty. Furthermore, Moses had
spoken thoughtlessly in his anger against the people. The Hebrew
'
verb corresponding to distinxit, y^hatte means, he spoke heedlessly,'
'

or, he spoke foolishly.' Distinxit, which gives no clear sense, follows

the Greek. It is possible that the Greek translators were unwilling
to ascribe anything like folly or thoughtlessness to Moses. Augustine
thinks that the word distinxit is here used, because Moses, by his
' '

halting faith, distinguished the miracle here referred to from the

other miracles which he had performed without a trace of lack of
faith or hesitation. It is possible also to take distinxit as having for
'

its subject God.' The meaning would then be that God on some
particular occasion had clearly and definitely pronounced judgment
against the Hebrews for their failure to carry out some command

which He had given to them possibly the command referred to in
the following verse. Bellarmine supports this interpretation.
34. The psalmist goes on to consider the sins committed by Israel
in the Promised Land
itself. The people failed to carry out God's
command exterminate the heathen Canaanite population, and
to
thus came to be subjected to the Baalism of the Canaanites. Canaanite
customs became a source of corruption and failure (a scandalum) for
Israel, and so far did the people of God forget themselves and their
faith that they actually offered their children in sacrifice to the
Baals.
' '
Here the psalmist speaks of the Baals as
(verse 37) demons
'

(shedhim), though he had above described the Baals of Moab as dead

'

things (verse 28). The designation shedhim implies, at all events,

that the Baals of Canaan are not genuinel}^ divine. The worship of
Moloch was associated, in particular, with the rite of human sacrifices.

39. The idolatry of the Israelites was a spiritual adultery. Israel,

the bride of Yahweh, abandoned her Spouse for the Baals (' baal =
'

' '

lord,' husband ') of Canaan. Cf. Exod. xxxiv. 15-16 Lev. xvii. 7 ; ;

XX. 5, 6 Ps. Ixxii. 27.

41-46.
;

A rapid review of the period of the Judges

with its
105] ISRAEL'S INGRATITUDE 205

pendulum-swing from guilt to punishment, from punishment to

reform, from reform to favour, from favour to relapse.
42. For dominari with genitive cf. Ps. ix. 26.
43. Even though God frequently saved them from their mis-
fortunes, they did not turn to Him with their hearts :
they continued
to provoke Him with their foolish and evil plannings, and for this
they had to be humbled again.
44-46. Yet, in spite of all their backslidings and sins, God never
forgot His Covenant with Israel and was always ready to display
towards His people His loving care and providence.
Dedit eos in misericordias. He made them objects of pity even to
their captors; they became popular among the Bab\'lonians.
47. The psalmist prays that God may bring back to Canaan the
Jews who are scattered among the heathens, that they may unite
to praise His name and thank Him for His wondrous deeds.
48. This verse marks the close of the Fourth Book of Psalms.
 PSALM CVI
THE THANKSGIVING OF THE RESCUED
psalm, though it begins a new Book, forms the natural
THIS conclusion to the two preceding psalms. Israel appears here
as reconciled with the Lord, and as safely returned from the
Exile. The prayer in Ps. cv. 47 is taken as granted. The
Israelites whomthe Lord has brought home are called on to thank
their Saviour, Yahweh, for His manifold favours, and in particular,
for the graces of redemption from captivity and safe home-bringing

(\erses 1-3).
In four strophes, which are clearly marked off by a peculiarly
constructed refrain, four perils, typical of the dangers of human life
generally, and typical, in particular, of the dangers and difficulties
of the Exile in Babylon and the Return from that Exile are vividly
described (a) 4-9, the perils of travellers
: lost in the desert {b) 10- ;

16, imprisonment (c) 17-22, grievous

;
illness 23-32, the terrors of
;

a storm at sea.
In a final strophe (33-43) the psalmist deals, in the manner of a
Sapiential Writer, with the methods of God's gracious providence

as seen in nature and history especially in the history of Israel. This
strophe differs so much in manner and form from the rest of the poem
that it has been often treated by critics (sometimes even by Catholic
critics) as a separate psalm. It can be shown, however, that in this
final section of Psalm cvi also, the redemption of Israel from the cap-

tivity of Babylon is kept in view hence this strophe, emphasising,

;

as it does, the might by which God bends all the powers of nature to
His piirposes and the loving care which He exercises towards His
people, forms a fitting conclusion to a poem on the pecuUar dangers
of the Exile and return from the Exile.
It would appear from a close study of the psalm that it was not

composed immediately after the return from the Babylonian Exile,

but considerably later. The psalmist has clearly in view, not merely
the difficulties of the home-coming from Babylon, but also the perils
of all the later home-comings of pious Jews, returning from the
Diaspora to join in the celebration of the great feasts in Jerusalem.

Alleluia. Alleluia.

" Praise the He is

I. Confitemini Domino quo- i. Lord, for good,
niam bonus quoniam: in soccu- For His favour endureth forever."
lum misericordia ejus.
206
io6] THANKSGIVING OF THE RESCUED 207
2. Dicant qui redempti sunt Thus let them speak who have been saved
a Domino, quos redemit de manu by the Lord,
inimici et de regionibus con- Whom He hath rescued from the power
gregavit eos ; of the foe,
Whom He hath gathered from the lands ,

3. A soils ortu, et occasu ab From sunrise and sunset,

aquilone, et mari. From the North and the Sea.

4. Erraverunt in solitudine in 4. They stra5^ed in the desert, the waterless

inaquoso viam civitatis habi-
: waste,
taculi non invenerunt. The path to the peopled city they
found not :

5. Esurientes, et
sitientes :
5. In hunger and thirst.
anima eorum in ipsis defecit. Their souls fainted within them.
6. Et clamaverunt ad Domi- 6. They cried to the Lord in their grief,
num cum tribularentur et de : And from their distress He delivered
necessitatibus eorum eripuit eos. them.
7. Et deduxit eos in viam 7. He led them on a straight path.
rectam ut irent in civitatem
: That they might go to an inhabited
habitationis. cit)'.
8. Confiteantur Domino mi- 8. Let them thank the Lord for His favours.
sericordicB ejus : et mirabilia And for His wondrous deeds towards
ejus filiis hominum. men.
9. Quia satiavit animam in- 9. The longing soul He hath sated ;

anem et animam esurientem

: The hungry soul He hath filled with
satiavit bonis. good things.

10. Sedentes in tenebns, et 10. Theysat in darkness and the shadow of

umbra mortis vinctos in men-
: death,
dicitate et ferro. In bonds of poverty and iron ;

11. Quia exacerbaverunt elo- 11. Because they despised the words of God
quia Dei et consilium Altissimi
: And spurned the Most High's design.
irritaverunt.
12. Et humiliatum est in la- 12. Hence their heart was bowed with
boribus cor eorum infirmati : trouble ;

sunt, nee fuit qui adjuvaret. They stumbled, with none to help.
13. Et clamaverunt ad Domi- 13. They cried to the Lord in their grief.
num cum tribularentur et de : And from their distress He delivered
necessitatibus eorum liberavit them.
eos.
14. Et eduxit eos de tenebris, 14. He them forth fi-om darkness and
led
et umibra mortis et vincula : the shadow of death.
eorum disrupit. And burst asunder their bonds.
15. Confiteantur Domino mi- 15. Let them thank the Lord for His favours,
sericordia3 ejus : et mirabiiia And for His wondrous deeds towards
ejus filiis hominum. men.
16. Quia contrivit portas ae- 16. For He hath broken gates of bronze.
reas : et vectes ferreos confregit. And iron bolts He hath shattered.

17. Suscepit eos de via iniqui- They were sick from their evil ways.
tatis eorum propter injustitias
:
They were humbled because of their
enim suas humiliati sunt. sins :

18. Omnem escam abominata Their soul loathed all manner of food,
est anima eorum et appropin- :
They were nigh to the gates of death.
quaverunt usque ad portas
mortis.
19. Et clamaverunt ad Domi- 19. They cried to God in their grief,
num cum tribularentur et de : And from their distress He delivered
necessitatibus eorum liberavit them.
eos.
 208 THE PSALMS [io5

20. Misit verbum suum, et 20. He sent forth His Word and healed them,
sanavit eos : et cripuit cos de He snatched them away from destruc-
interitionibus corum. tion.
21. Confiteantur Domino mi- 21. Let them thank the Lord for His favours.
sericordiae ejus et mirabilia : And for His wondrous deeds towards
ejus filiis hoininum. men.
22. Et sacriticent sacrificium Let them ofier thanksgiving sacrifices.
laudis et annuntient opera
: And proclaim His deeds with song.
ejus in cxsultatione.

23. Qui descendunt mare in 23. They who traverse the sea in ships,
navibus, facientes operationcm Who ply their trade on the high seas,
in aquis multis.
24. Ipsi viderunt opera Do- 24. Have seen the works of the Lord,
mini, et mirabilia ejus in pro- And His marvels in the Deep.
fundo.
25. Dixit, et stetit spiritus 25. He spake, and the storm-wind arose.
procella; et exaltatisuntlluctus
: And the waves thereof were raised
ejus. high.
26. Ascendunt usque ad cce- 26. They rose up to heaven ;

los, et descendunt usque ad abys- They sank down to the depths ;

sos :anima eorum in malis Their soul fainted with trouble.

tabescebat.
2 7. Turbati sunt, et moti sunt 27. They reeled and staggered like a
sicut ebrius et omnis sapientia : drunkard.
eorum devorata est. And all their art was confused.
28. Et clamaverunt ad Domi- 28. They cried to the Lord in their grief,
num cum tribularentur, et de And from their distress He delivered
necessitatibus eorum eduxit eos. them.
29. Et statuit procellam ejus 29. He changed the tempest to a zephyr.
in auram et siluerunt fluctus : And the billows of the sea were stiU,
ejus.
30. Et laetati sunt quia silue- 30. They rejoiced that (the waves) were still.
runt : et deduxit eos in portum And He led them to their longed-for
voluntatis eorum. haven.
31. Confiteantur Domino mi- 31. Let them thank the Lord for His favours.
sericordias ejus : et mirabilia And for His wondrous deeds towards
ejus filiis hominum, men.
32. Et exaltent eum in eccle- 32. Let them praise Him in the Assembly,
sia plebis et in cathedra senio- : Where the Elders sit, let them praise
runi laudent eum. Him.

33. Posuit flumina in deser- 33. Rivers He turned into wilderness,

tum : et exitus aquarum in And watersprings into thirst}' land ;

sitim.
34. Terram fructiferam in sal- 34. Fruitful land into a salt-waste,
suginem, a malitia inhabitanti- Because of the malice of their in-
um in ea. habitants.
35. Posuit desertum in stagna 35. He turned the v.dlderness into pools of
aquarum et terram sine aqua
: water,
in exitus aquarum. And waterless land into watersprings.
36. Et collocavit
esuri- illic 36. And there He housed the hungry,
entes et constituerunt civita-
: And they founded there a city for
teru liabitationis. dwelling.
37. Et seminaverunt agros, et 37. They sowed fields and planted vinej-ards
plantaverunt vineas et fece- : That furnished a fruitful yield.
runt fructum nativitatis.
38. Et benedixit eis, et multi- 38. He blessed them, and they greatly in-
plicatisunt nimis et jumenta : creased.
-eorum non minoravit. And their cattle He suffered not to
decrease.
io6J THANKSGIVING OF THE RESCUED 209

39. Et pauci facti sunt et :

39. But when they grew less, and were
vexati sunt a tribulatione malo- harassed
rum, et dolore. Through the oppression of the wicked,
and through grief,
"
40. Effusa est contemptio su- 40. Contempt was poured out on princes.
per principes et errare fecit eos
: And He made them wander in the
in invio, et non in via. trackless waste."
41. Et adjuvit pauperem de 41. But the poor He helped forth from misery.
inopia : et posuit sicut oves And made their families like flocks.
familias.
42. Videbunt recti, et laeta- 42. The justhave seen this and rejoice.
buntur et omnis iniquitas op-
: And every malice closeth its mouth.
pilabit OS suum.
43. Quis sapiens et custodiet 43. Who then is wise ? He will take this to
haec ? et intelliget misericordias heart,
Domini ? And mark well the favours of the
Lord.

1. These are the words which the redempti are to sing.

2.The redempti are, in the first instance, the returned Exiles.
'
For the title, The rescued of Yahweh,' see Is. Ixii. 12 :

the rescued of Yahweh

' ' '

They shall be called Holy people,' :

But thou '

shaft be called desired,' not forgotten," city.

'

While the psalm is usually interpreted as referring to the rescue of

the Exiles from the danger of Exile, and of the home-coming from
far-off Babylon, the various perils described in the strophes of this

poem might also be regarded as typical, serious perils of life generally ;

thus the summons in verses 1-3 might be regarded as addressed to

all who have been saved by God's mercy from great dangers, and the

psalm might serve as a song of thanks for all merciful interventions

of the Lord. It would serve with peculiar appropriateness for pilgrims

arriving in Jerusalem from distant heathen lands for the celebration

of the great festivals. In the Roman Breviary the three Confitemini-
Psalms, civ-cvi, form the psalms of Matins on Saturday as a song
of thanksgiving for the mercies received from the Lord throughout
the week.
' '

Dicant, let them speak,' 7.e., Thus (in these words) let them
* '

sing.' The regions are the lands of the heathens.

3. The returning Exiles
are pictured as coming to Jerusalem
' '

from various directions. In Hebrew texts the Sea is usually the

Mediterranean Sea, i.e., the West. Some commentators identify
the Sea with the Red Sea, so as to find in the verse the four points of
the compass. It is more likely, however, that From the North and '

'
the Sea is simply a literary reminiscence of Is. xlix. 12 :

"
Behold, some come from (the East) ;

And behold others come from the North and the Sea
And those from the land of the Syeneans."
For the psalmist all the home-comings of Israel, whether after the
Exodus through the Sea and the desert, or after the Exile, or later
14
210 THE PSALMS [io6

from the post-Exilic Diaspora, are all somehow included in the return
from the Babylonian Exile, and all the prophetic references to the
Exiles' return, and all the great texts descriptive of the Exodus are
present to his mind as he sings. The attempt of Peters in his work,
The Psalms as Liturgies (p. 405/.) to identify the groups of returning
Hebrews who come from east, west, north, and Sea, as those returning
from the Diaspora in Egypt, Babylon, Assj^ia, and the Aegean isles
and coast-lands respectively is too elaborate. The psalmist is not
speaking as expert geographer, or as a painstaking historian. The
return from the Babylonian Exile suggests home-coming from all
quarters where a Jewish Diaspora exists, and the psalmist, when he
thinks of the Exile, sees in spirit the exiled Jews streaming into Jerusa-
lem from every side.

4. In this strophe the perils which beset the caravan that loses
its way in the desert are described. The Syrian desert lay between
Babylon and Palestine, and the shortest, but most dangerous way
for those who would pass from Babylon to Jerusalem lay across this
desert. In Is. xl.3 this desert-way is spoken of as divinely prepared
for the march of the returning exiles :

A Voice speaketh :

Build ye a road in the desert, the way of Yahweh,

Make straight in the steppe a road for our God ;

Every mountain and hill will sink down, and every valley will rise ;

And the rugged shall be made level, and the rough places a plain,
And the glory of Yahweh shall be revealed.
And all flesh shall see it together.
For the mouth of Yahweh hath spoken it.

In soUtudine in inaquoso viam civitatis hahitactdi

; as the :

'

Massoretic text stands it ought to be rendered, In a desert of a way,'

i.e., on a path which is a desert. Jerome has :

Erravevunt in solitudine in deserta via ;

civitatem quae habitaretur non reppereriint.

The division in the Sept. (Vulgate) text is better. Civitas habitacnU

= a town where The reference immediately
they might find lodging.
is to the dangers of caravan journeys generally, not to any specific

incident of the return from Babylon. But from dangers like this
peril of the desert the Exiles were also saved.
5. The hopeless plight of the straying travellers is here well
suggested.
7. The Lord set them on the road which led to a town where
they might find lodging.
8. For their rescue they should praise and thank the Lord. The
Latin ought to be Confitcantur
: Domino propter misericordius ejus.
The redempti are the subject of confiteantur.
Fill is hominum Jerome renders more exactly
: :
Infilios hominum,
9. Anima inanis Jerome has, anima vacua.
:
io6] THANKSGIVING OF THE RESCUED 211

10. Sedentes we must understand this strophe as referring, hke

:

the others, to some group of the redempti a Domino. The participle

=' they who sat.'
Umbra mortis :
Cf. Ps. xxii. 4. Verse 10 is reminiscent of Is. xlii. 7,

'
I have set thee as a Ught to the heathen
To open bUnd eyes.
To lead forth captives from prison
From the prison-house those that sit in darkness
'

and of Job xxxvi. 8.

' '

Exacerbaverunt
11. challenged,' set at naught.' The eloquia
:

and the consilium are God's decrees of punishment for the disregard
of His commands.
16. Cf. Is. xlv. 2.

17. Suscipit : the various texts are here in disorder. The Mas-
'

soretic, "wilim midderekh pish' am, fools away from the path of their
guilt,' is not very intelligible. Hence it has been proposed to read
hoUm {aegrotantes) instead of "wilim (' fools '), and to render, They '

who were sick because of their misdeeds.' The Latin could, however,
as it stands, perhaps, be taken pregnantly as=' God received them
after they had turned aside from their path of guilt.' The Greek
translators seem to have read '^wilim as if it were from a Piel 'iwwel
with suffix 'iww^lam {cf. the title of Ps. xxi, In susceptione matutina).
18. Suggests the desperately dangerous nature of their illness :

their soul turned with loathing from every kind of food they had ;

arrived like Ezechias ad portas inferi, at the gates of Sheol.

20. The Word of Yahweh is His command it is here more or :

less hypostasised so as to appear as a sort of rescuing angel. Cf. Ps.

civ. ig.
Interitiones the Hebrew mishsh%ithotham rendered de interitioni-
:

hus ought, probably, to be emended into, mishshahat hayyatham, from

'

the pit their life.' Jerome has Et salvavit de inter itu by adding to :

this vitam eornm we get what was probably the original sense of the
verse. The Lord sent His healing Word commanding a cure of their
' '

deadly disease, and thus saved their lives from the pit (the grave).
For the activity of God's Word as a healing power cf. Wisd. xvi. 12.
For the personal character of the divine command see Ps. civ. 19 ;

Wisd. xii. 9 ix. i xviii. 15.

;
God's Word appears often as the
;

messenger that accomplishes divine judgments see Osee vi. 5 ; :

Jer. xxiii. 29 ;
Ps. cxlviii. 8 ;
cxlvii. 15 ; Is. Iv. 11. The activity of
the Word as power for curing suggests the thought of the Logos as
the Divine Physician.
23. Qui descendunt mare in navibus Jerome has Qiu dcscendunt
: :

in mare navibus :
cf. 10 for the phrase here rendered qui
Is. xlii.

In the Hebrew the sense seems to be, Who traverse

'
dcscendunt mare.
the sea in ships.' In aquis magnis would represent the original better
than in aquis multis.
212 THE PSALMS [io6

24. The opera and mirahilia arc not the wonders which exist in
the sea, but the deeds of rescue wrought by the Lord for those that
sail the high seas. One of the greatest wonders of the deep would be
such rescue from shipwreck as is here described. The greatest wonder
of seafaring is the mariner's safe return to land.
25. The Lord Himself commands the storm to rise.
Et exaltati sunt the Hebrew has : and it caused to mount up :
' '

the subject being the storm- wind, and the object the waves.
'
Its waves
'

the waves of the sea. Jerome renders=

Dixit, et surrexit venius tempestatis,

Et elevavit gurgites ejus.

26. Ascendnnt . . . descenduntthe ipsi of verse 24 are the sub-

:

ject. The sailors are swung up to heaven at one moment

in the :

next they sink down into the depths. From wave-crest to trough
they are swept along with cruel pitching and heaving of their craft.
The phrase anima eorum in malis tabescehat suggests vividly the
fear of impending destruction and the nausea due to the movement
of the storm-tossed vessel.
27. A further description of the effects of the tempest : the
mariners are dizzy and sick, and they stagger like drunken men. All
their seafaring skill [sapientia) forgotten or, as the text puts it,
is
'
is swallowed up.' For the comparison with the drunken man, see
Job xii. 25. Ovid's Tristia, i. 2 is often quoted as a striking parallel
to the psalmist's description of shipwreck :

Me miserum, qitanti ino)ites volvuntur aquavitm

Jamjam siimma putes.
tactiiros sidera
Quantae diducto subsidunt aequore valles !
Jamjam tacturas tartara nigra piites.
Rector in incerto est, nee quid jugiatve petatve
Invenit, ambiguis ars stiipet ipsa tnalis.
'

29,The Hebrew has He stilled the tempest to a whisper.'

:

'

Fluctus ejus the Hebrew has, gallehem, their waves.'

:
Probably
'

the correct reading is galle hayyam, the waves of the sea.'

30. Siluemnt the billows. Cf. Jonas i. 11 Mark iv. 39. ;

'

Partus voluntatis, the wished-for haven.' The Hebrew word,

'

mahoz, here rendered portus has the meaning harbour,' in late

Hebrew possibly the word ought to be rendered here market
;
' '

for the seafarers who have escaped shipwreck are obviously traders

(verse 23).
32. The cathedra seniorum is the place where the elders meet. Cf.
Ruth iv. 2.
' '

33. Posuit, made,' changed.' Cf. Ps. xi. 6.

'

Exitus aq'uarum=pla.ce whence waters go forth, water-springs.'

The corresponding Hebrew, mosa'e mayim, may, however, mean
* '

water-channels,' canals.' This sense would suit better in the

parallelism. This verse and the following emphasise the might of
io6] THANKSGIVING OF THE RESCUED 213

God over nature. The psalmist is probably thinking here of all the
great deeds of might wrought by Yahweh for Israel at the Exodus,
at the entry into Palestine, and at the return from the Exile. Cf.
Is. 1.
2/.
5/^is= parched, or thirsty, land. The passage of the Red Sea
and the crossing of the Jordan are here obviously in view.
3-^. A reference to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
{Gen. iq. 1-25).
35. The miraculous productions of water in the desert, Exod.
xvii. 1-7 ; Num. xx. 2-13. Cf. Is. xli. 18 :
Aperiam in supinis collihiis
fiumina et in medio camporum fontes ponam desertum in stagna aquarum ,

et terram inviam in rivos aguariim.

36. The illic refers to the land of Canaan, as can be seen from
verses 37-38 which speak of the life of the Israelites in the Land of
Promise. Civifas Jiabitat!onis=a. city where they might Uve see ;

verse 4 above.
37. Fecerunt. The subject oifecerunt=agri et vineae. The peculiar
expression fntctimi nativitatis is intended to be a literal translation of
the Hebrew p^ri tlfbhu'ah. The Latin would most naturally mean
'

offspring,' but the immediate reference is certainly to the fields and

vineyards and, therefore, the idea of yearly produce is more in place
here. Jerome has Facientfruges germina {or genimina). Nativitatis
:

=yei'n;/xaT09, and is to be taken here concretely as=' that which

grows,' i.e., the yearly produce of the fields and vineyards.
'

39. This can be taken in a concessive sense Even though they :

'

grew few, 3^et were fulfilled in their case the words of Job xii. 21, 24 :

Who poureth contempt upon princes,

And looseneth the belt of the strong.

Who taketh away the understanding of the chiefs of earth,

And causeth them t:> wander in a pathless waste.

' '
The princes arc the enemies of Israel the sources of her grief and
trouble. Though they might be permitted to harass Israel for a
season, in the end they would be made to feel the contempt of God.
The Vulgate effusa est ought to be changed into an active verb with
God as subject. Jerome renders Et effundet, which is closer to the
:

Massoretic text.
41. The pauper is Israel. The Lord made the families of Israel
to be as numerous as the offspring of the flocks.
42. The pious [recti) will praise the ways of God's providence :

the wicked {iniquitas) will be forced (at sight of the prosperity of the
just) to keep silence.
42. A quotation from Osee xiv. 10. The question is equivalent
to an exhortation.
 PSALM CVII
A CONFIDENT PRAYER FOR VICTORY
psalm a combination of verses 8-12 of Ps. Ivi with verses
is

THIS6C-14 of Ps. lix. That it is really a combination of portions

of Ps. Ivi with portions of Ps. lix, and that these latter psalms
are not due to a breaking up of Ps. cvii is obvious from the
difference in characterbetween the two parts of this poem, verses 2-6
and verses 7-14. It is obvious also from the fact that, while the
psalms which immediately precede and follow Ps. cvii, freely use the
divine name Yahweh, this psalm, like the psalms of the group to
which Ps. Ivi and lix belong is a so-called 'Elohim psalm.' ^ The '

textual difterences of Ps. cvii from the verses of Ps. Ivi and lix of
which it consists, are very slight, and are of no practical importance
for the understanding of the Vulgate text. Hence the reader is
referred for a commentary on this psalm to the notes on Psalms Ivi
and lix in Volume I.

I. Canticum Psalini ipsi I. A Psalm bv David.

David.

2. Paratum cor meum Deus, My heart is steadfast, O God !

paratum cor meum :

cantabo, et Mv heart is steadfast !

psallam in gloria mea. I will sing and praise.

With my heart.
all
3. Exsurge gloria mea, ex- Arise, O my glory !
''

surge psalterium, etcithara : ex- Arise, harp and zither !

sui-gam diluculo. With the dawn will I rise.

4. Confitebor tibi in populis I will praise Thee among the peoples, O

Domine et psallam tibi in
: Lord ;

nationibus. I will hymn Thee among the nations.

Quia magna est super coe-

5. For Thy Loving- kindness is great even
los misericordia tua et usque :
beyond the heavens,
ad nubes Veritas tua : And Thy Truth even unto the clouds !

6. Exaltare super coelos Deus, 6. Arise above the heavens, O God ;

et super omnem terram gloria And over all the earth be Thy glory !

tua :

*
Note, however, the Dominus of verse 4
' '
in the corresponding text of :

Ps. Ivi theHebrew has '"donai here, in Ps. cvii, the Massoretic text has Yaliweh.
;

This is an editorial change made, subsequently to the combination of the two

'Elohim psalms into Ps. cvii.
^
In gloria mea = '
with my soul,' i.e., from the depths of my soul. See note
on gloria, Ps. Ivi. 9.
214
107] CONFIDENT PRAYER FOR VICTORY 215

7.Ut liberentur dilecti tui. 7. That Thy loved ones may be rescued.
Salvum fac dextera tua, et Save with Thy right hand, and hear me !

exaudi me
8.
:

Deus locutus est in sancto S. God hath spoken

"
His sanctuary
in
suo : I will gladly divide Sichem,
Exsultabo, et dividam Sichi- And measure out the Valley of Tents.
mam, et convallem tabernaculo-
rum dimetiar.
9. Meus est Galaad, et meus 9. Mine is Gilead, and mine is Manasses ;

est Manasses et
:
Ephraim And Ephraim is my head's defence ;

susceptio capitis mei. Juda is ray king.

Juda rex meus :

10. Moab lebes spei meae. 10. Moab is the wash-basin which I desire ;

In Idumzeam extendam cal- On Edom I cast my shoe ;

ceamentum meum : naihi alieni- The Philistines have become my

yeniE amici facti sunt. friends."

11. Quis deducet me in civi- 11. Who will lead me to the fortress-city ?

tatem munitam ? quis deducet Who will lead me to Edom ?

me usque in Idumaiam ?
12. Nonne tu Deus, qui re- 12. Wilt Thou not, O God, Thou who hast
pulisti nos, et non exibis Deus rejected us.
in virtutibus nostris ? Wilt Thou not march forth once again
with our armies ?
13. Da nobis auxilium de tri- 13. Grant us rescue from peril.
bulatione ;
quia vana salus ho- For idle is the help of men.
minis.
14. In Deo faciemus virtu- 14. In God we shall do mightily ;

tem et ipse ad nihilum deducet

: And He will bring our enemies to
inimicos nostros. naught.
 PSALM CVIII
A PRA\^ER FOR HELP AGAINST
TREACHEROUS ENEMIES
psalmist puts himself before us as the victim of ingratitude,
THE treachery, and calumny, and as the object of violent impre-
cations on the part of enemies towards whom he had formerly
been kind and affectionate. In a long section (verses 6-19)
he gives us, in a manner otherwise unfamiliar in the Psalter, specimens
of the imprecations which his adversaries, in their blind prejudice
and hatred, had hurled against him. In verses 21-25 he describes
the wretched condition to which he has come through sickness or
other misfortune, and the effects of the fast which he has imposed
on himself to regain the divine favour. In the final section, verses
26-31, he prays that God may show him mercy so that his enemies
may realise that his misfortunes are not due to God's anger at his
misdeeds, but are only part of God's merciful providence in his regard.
Let the adversaries curse as they please, provided only that God
grants blessing ! Then the enemies will see that their curses are
futile, and the shame which they have invoked on the psalmist will
fall upon themselves and envelop them like a mantle. But the
psalmist will proclaim before all the people that the Lord has helped
him, and saved him from his foes. Instead of having to appear before
God with a malignant accuser at his right hand, as his enemies have
desired, the psalmist will live to feel the protecting presence of Yahweh
Himself at his right hand, and he will be made secure against those
that hate him.
The psalm is ascribed to David in the superscription, and there
is nothing in the text of the poem which directly refutes that ascrip-
tion. Modern critics, however, are not prepared to accept the Davidic
authorship of the poem.
The chief difficulty of the psalm is the interpretation of verses
6-19. The more common theory regards these verses as a series of
curses spoken by the psalmist against his foes, and Cathohc writers
have been at pains to show how such vehemence of imprecation as
we find in those verses could be directly ascribed to a sacred writer.
The general method of apology for these verses, understood as impre-
cations uttered by the psalmist, and for other similar psalm-passages
isindicated in the Introduction, p. 64. It has been pointed out in
connection with verses 6-19 of this psalm, in particular, that they
216
 io8] A PRAYER FOR HELP 217

embody in a striking way formulae of cursing which are famiUar

to students of the Babylonian Kudnrrir, or Boundary-stones, and it
has been suggested that the psalmist has simply made use of such
imprecation-formulae by a sort of literary borrowing, and without
actual bitterness of heart.
Simpler, however, than any other explanation of verses 6-19 is
that recommended above and adopted in the notes which follow the
translation below. The onl}^ substantial objection that might be
raised against it is the difficulty of taking verses 15-17 as applicable
in any sense to the psalmist. As pointed out, however, in the notes
below, the psalmist represents his enemies as so deeply blinded by
their hatred of himself that they have forgotten all his kindness
towards them, and refuse to be influenced even by the fact that he
still prays for them. It is no wonder, then, that they can misrepresent
him completely, and turn all his good deeds into vices.
In favour of the theory that verses 6-19 are a long quotation
it is to be noted that the
imprecations throughout the entire passage
are uttered against an individual, while, in the rest of the psalm a
group of enemies is spoken of. The chief argument for the quotation-
"
theory lies in verse 20. This verse certainly does not mean, This
'
be the reward of mine adversaries," etc., but, Such is the doing (or,
conduct) of my adversaries the
'
'

conduct being the utterance of

'

'
the imprecations contained in verses 6-19. Verse 28 Let them :

'

curse, but do Thou bless seems to imply the quotation-theory.

Finally, it may be noted that, if verses 6-ig contained the psalmist's
curses, he could scarcely make the boast in verse 4 that he still prays
for his adversaries.
If, then, verses 6-19 are but the words of the psalmist's foes, this

psalm presents no special problem to the apologist. The psalmist's

words in verse 28 are not equivalent to a curse they are simply a :

confident forecast of what will happen when the Lord shows once
more His favour towards His servant.

I. In finem, Psalmus David. I. For the choir-master, a Psahn of David.

2. Deus laudem meam ne Thou, O God whom I praise, keep not

tacueris :
quia os peccatoris, et silence :

OS dolosi super me apertum est. For the mouth of the sinner and the
treacherous one is opened against me;
3. Locuti sunt adversum me With false tongue they speak against me :

lingua dolosa, et sermonibus With words of hatred they beset me :

odii circumdederunt me :et ex- They contend against me without

pugnaverunt me gratis. cause.
4. Pro eo ut me dihgerent, 4- Instead of loving me they are my foes ;

detrahebant mihi :
ego autem While, all the time, 1 pray.
orabam.
5. Et posuerunt adversum me Evil for good they reward me,
mala pro bonis : et odium pro And hatred for my love.
dilectione mea.
2l8 THE PSALMS [to8

0. Constitue super eum pec- o. Set over him one who is godless,
catorem et diabolus stet a
: An accuser at his right hand.
dextris ejus.
7. Cum judicatur, exeat con- From the trial let him go forth guilty :
7.
demnatus et oratio ejus tiat in
; Let even his petition be reckoned as sin.
peccatum.
8. Fiant dies ejus pauci et : 8. Let his days be few :

episcopatum ejus accipiat alter. Let another take his office.

9. I'iant filii ejus orphan! et :
g. Let his children be orphans :

uxor ejus vidua. Let his wife be a widow.

10. Nutantes transferantur 10. May his children wander restlessly.
filii ejus.et mendicent etejici- :
begging :

antur de habitationibus suis. May they be driven from their homes.

11. Scrutetur f Generator cm- 11. May the usurer seize all his belongings.
nem substantiamejus : et And strangers plunder the fruits of
diripiant alieni labores ejus. his toil.
12. Non sit illi
adjutor : nee 12. Let none give him help ;

sit qui misereatur pupillis ejus. Let none pity his orphans.
13. Fiant nati ejus in interi- 13. Let his race be doomed to destruction :

turn in generatione una delea-

: Blotted out be his name in a single
tur nomcn ejus. generation.
14.In meraoriam redeat ini- 14. May his father's guilt be remembered
quitas patrum ejus in conspectu before the Lord,
Domini et peccatum matris
: And may his mother's sin not be
ejus non deleatur. blotted out :

15. Fiant contra Dominum 15. Let them be ever before the Lord,
semper, et dispereat de terra And let not their memory vanish from
memoria eorum : the earth ;

16. Pro eo quod non est 16. Because he remembered not to do kind-
recordatus facere misericordiam. ness.
17. Et persecutus est homi- But pursued the wretched and needy.
nem inopem, et mendicum, et
17.
And the downhearted to slay him.
compunctum corde mortificare.
18. Et dilexit maledictionem, 18. Let the curse which he looked for light
et veniet ei et noluit bene-
:
upon him :

be
dictionem, et elongabitur ab eo. He would not have blessing it
far from him
The curse he put on like a garment
!

19. Et induit maledictionem 19.

sicut vestimentum, et intravit Let it reach to his vitals like water
sicut aqua in interiora ejus, et Like oil unto his bones !

sicut oleum in ossibus ejus

Fiat ei sicut vestimentum, Let it be like the garment that clotheth
quo operitur et sicut zona, qua
: him.
semper praicingitur. Like the girdle wherewith he is girt."

20. Hoc opus eorum, qui de- 20. Such is the conduct before the Lord of my
trahunt mihi apud Doniinum : adversaries,
et qui loquuntur mala adversus And of those that speak evil against
animam meam. me !

21. Et tu Domine, Domine, 21. But Thou, O Lord Yahweh,

fac mecumpropter nomen tuum: For Thy name's sake deal with me !

quia suavis est misericordia tua. In Thy gracious kindness save me !

Libera me
22. Quia egenus, et pauper 22. For I am poor and wretched,
ego sum et cor meum contur-
: And my heart is crushed within me.
batum est intra me.
23. Sicut umbra cum declinat, 23. Like a lengthening shadow I vanish ;

ablatus sum et excussus sum

: Like locusts 1 am shaken off.
sicut locusta}.
loS^ A PRAYER FOR HELP :i9

."^4. Genua mea infirmata 5;unt i^. My knees totter from fasting ;

a jcjiinio et caro mea immu-

:
My flesh is shrivelled for lack of oil.
tata est propter oleum.
-;5. Et ego factus sum oppro- '.j. 1 have became ^.n object of mcckery to
brium illis viderunt me, et : them :

movernnt capita sua. When they see me they shake their

head.

2(). Adjuva me Domine Deus 26. EIclp me, O Lord, my God,

meus : salvum me fac secundum And save me in Thy kindness.
misericordiam tuam.
2~. Et sciant quia manus tua 27. Let them know that this thing is Thy
ha^c : et tu Domine fecisti earn. hand,
That Thou, O Lord, hast done it.
28. Maledicent illi, et tu bene- 28. Let them curse, but do Tiiou bless ;

diccs qui insurgunt in me, con-

: Let my adversaries be put to shame,
fundantur servus autem tuus
: But Thy servant shall rejoice.
tetabitur.
29. Induantur qui detrahunt '9- Let my detractors be clad with dishonour.
mihi, pudore et operiantur : And wrapped, as in a mantle, with
sicut diploide confusione sua. shame.
.30. Confitebor Domino nimis 10. But I will thank the Lord -with loud voice,
in ore meo et in medio multo-: I will praise Him in the midst of the
rum laudabo eum. throng.
3 1
Quia astitit a dextris pau-
. For He stands at the poor man's right
peris, ut salvam faceret a pcrse- hand,
queniibus anirnam meam. To save me from those that pursue me.

I. Laiidem meam :
according to the Hebrew we should expect
Detts laudis meae,
'
O God the theme of my praise-song.'
Os peccatoris : this renders Hterally the Massoretic text. In the
latter, however, we should probably read resha' {i?iiquitas) rather
than rasha' (peccaior) resha' is a suitable parallel to mirmah (' deceit ')
:

in the next clause os iniqiiifatis ct doll would then reproduce the

:

Hebrew. The psalmist is not speaking of an individual opponent,

but of the malice of a group of adversaries.
Apertum est represents a reading pa/iiah the Massoretic text has :

patahit = apernerunt.
4. The kindness and affection of the psalmist his enemies have
requited with hatred, and yet, all the while, the psalmist gives himself
to prayer {orabam)
including, of course, prayer for his enemies.
The Hebrew is here very vivid And I am prayer,' i.e., I am all :
' '

given to prayer.' This verse, and the whole description of the

psalmist's position can be understood typically of Christ.
6. From here to verse
19 we have a specimen of the imprecations
and calumnies with which his adversaries requited the friendship
and love of the psalmist. It would seem as if some illness or other
misfortune had overtaken the psalmist, and that his enemies rejoiced
thereat, and prayed for its continuance and intensification.
6. The peccator and diabolus are, apparently, the same individual.
The reference is not to Satan (though the Hebrew here has saian),
220 THE PSALMS [loS

but to an accuser in a trial. The prosecutor, or accuser, as we see

from Zach. iii. i, stood at the right hand of the accused. It is not
clear whether his enemies have here in view a trial of the
psalmist
before the Lord. This is probable, however, from the language of
the psalm generally. If we take the trial referred to as
being held
before God, the satan, or accuser, would be like the Satan who
puts
Job to the test, and the enemies of the psalmist could be taken as
wishing that his satan might be peculiarly hostile and malignant.
7. The very petition for mercy of the accused is to stand as a
further reason for condemnation.
' '
8. The in question is not defined.
office It is possible that in
the exercise of his episcopatus the psalmist had
especially roused the
anger of his foes. The appHcation of this verse to Judas by St. Peter
in Acts i. 20 has caused this psalm to be known sometimes as Psalmits
Ischarioticiis.
10. His children are to wander ceaselessly about (mUantes) without
fixed abode, and to depend on begging for their bread.
the Hebrew has
'
Habitationihns :
ruins,' i.e., ruined dwellings :

cf. Job XXX. 6.

'
11. Substantia renders the Hebrew all that he has.' Lahores=
the products of his toil.

13. The family is to die out in one generation. The Hebrew

' '
'aher (' next,'
following ought to be emended according to the
Greek (= Vulgate) into 'eliadh (' one ').
Nomen ejus : the Hebrew has '
their name,' referring it to the
nati.

14. Cf. Exod. XX. 5.

15. Contra represents neghedh=' before the face of.'

Dispereat Hebrew ha.s yakhreth, May He cause to be

: the '

cut off ':

the Greeks read the word yikkareth, Let it be cut off.' '

16. It is difficult to imagine the words contained in verses

16-19
as said, even in imprecation, of the psalmist. It must be remembered,
however, that the psalmist represents his foes as utterly bhnded by
their hatred of himself, and quite unable to see
anything good in his
conduct.
17. In the Vulgate compimgere=' to sadden, to
Compnnctum :

'
offend compimgi=' to be smitten with sorrow or regret, to bewail.'
:

The Hebrew as it stands seems to mean downhearted but if the

' '

Greeks read here n'khe' hallebhahh, instead of the Massoretic nikh'eh

'

lebhabh, the sense intended may be smitten to the heart,' i.e., already
wounded to death, half dead.
Mortificare is to be read with persecutus est, pursued ... in order
'

to murder.' For mortificare cf. Ps. xxxvi. 32 xhii. 22. ;

18. Indmt malediction em sicnt vestimentum curses were so :

customary with him that they could be compared to the garment

which he wore next his person.
io3] A PRAYER FOR HELP 221

Sicut aqua, the reference here is to the waters of cursing,

Num. V. 22.
Oil penetrates even through the finest pores, and might, therefore,
be thought of as reaching even to the bones.
' '
20.
(9^s=Hebrew Pe'ullah, the doing,' the conduct.' Tlie
utterance of the wordsin verses 6-19 against the psalmist is the optis,
the conduct, of the psalmist's foes.
'
Opus is not to be rendered, as
it is often rendered,reward.' The psalmist returns here to the
point which he had reached in verse 5.
22. Apparently illness or some other misfortune has befallen the

psalmist, and his enemies have taken this as a token of God's dis-
pleasure, as a curse which has been merited by the psalmist's supposed
misdeeds.
23. As the shadows lengthen out when the sunset is near, and
vanish when the sun is set, so is the psalmist like the lengthening
shadow, for his life is drawing to a close ;
the sun of his life is setting.
Ablatns sum : Hebrew neh'^lakhti ,
'
I am made to go.'
Excussiis stim siatt locitstae the psalmist is like the locust that
:

is driven hither and thither by the wind, or like the locust that is
shaken oft from a garment, or other object, on which it has alighted.
The comparison brings out the utter weakness and helplessness of
the psalmist.
24. Caro mea immittata oleum The Hebrew kahash, here
. . . :

'
rendered immutata est, means, in post-Biblical Hebrew, to grow
'

thin.' The sense of the word here seems to be to shrivel up.' Propter
'

oleum represents mishshamen, which really means away from (or,

without) oil.' The anointing with oil was omitted in seasons of
fasting, and the psalmist has, apparently, imposed on himself a period
of fasting so as to recover God's favour.
25. Cf. Ps. xxi. 8.
27. Let them see that my troubles are Thy work, the mere shadow
of Thy Hand, planned by Thee for my ultimate advantage.
28. Let them continue to curse (as in verses 6-19), but do Thou
give me Thy blessing.
29. Thisis the answer to verses 18-19. Diplois is a Greek word,
meaning a cloak wound twice round the body. Hence commentators
have seen in the word a suggestion of double confusion invoked on
the psalmist's foes. The Hebrew word, m^'il, means simply cloak
or mantle.
31. The psalmist prays that Yahweh may stand at his right hand
as his helper. He does not wish for an accuser at his right hand (as
his adversaries desire in verse 6 above) but he looks confidently for
the strong protection of the Lord, now and
always.
Aperseqiientibus animam meam the Massoretic text has, From
:
'

'

those who judge his soul : the Vulgate (Greek) text is to be preferred.
 PSALM CIX
THE MESSIAS AS KING AND PRIEST AND
JUDGE
psalmist has heard in the spirit an oracle spoken by Yahweh
THE '
to his Lord,' the Messias. In lyrical form he sets before us
the words of the oracle, and the enthusiastic words which he
himself addressed to Yahweh in reference to the divine oracle.
In verses 1-3 he tells how he has heard God summoning the
Messias to share His divine throne, and to exercise the divine power
which that sharing of God's throne implies. From Sion the Messias
will rule, and will keep in subjection the enemies of Yahweh round
about. By his birth the Messias is a king, and Yahweh has given
him the oil of royal consecration among the sacred hills of Sion (see
notes below). But the Messias is not merely to be a divine King

:

he is appointed also an eternal Priest and that not by the utterance

of any ordinary formula, but by an oath of God Himself (verse 4).
This oath, which the psalmist in his ecstasy as prophet has heard, is
irrevocable, for Yahweh repents not of it. By the oath the Messias
is appointed a Priest forever after the manner of Meichisedech. The
Kings of Israel, though they sometimes performed quasi-priestly
functions, were not, as most of the heathen kings of the ancient Near
East were wont to be, the chief priests, as well as the chief rulers of
their people. But the Messias will be, in the fullest sense, both
Priest and King. Hence his Priesthood cannot be that of the Aaron-
ites : it must become like that of themysterious King of Sion, Mei-
chisedech, who appears bearing unbloody gifts in Gen. xiv. 18. Here
(verse 4) the divine oracle ends, and the psalmist turns to Yahweh
to forecast in glowing words the might and vigour with which his
'
Lord
'
the
Messias who sits at the right hand of Yahweh^will
exercise judgment against the enemies of the Messianic Kingdom.
Like the Anointed of Ps. ii the Priest-King will break the power of
his royal foes he will defeat their armies over a wide extended
:

be strewn with the corpses

battlefield, which, after the struggle will
of the slain. To make complete
the defeat of his foes the victorious
Priest-King and Judge will strike off the heads of the slain, and cast
them into the way-side wady, with whose waters, as the psalmist
grimly says, they may quench their thirst (See Notes.)
! From the
battle the Messias will go forth proudly as conqueror, with head
raised aloft (verses 5-7).
222
log] MESSIAS KING, PRIEST AND JUDGE 223

The psalm is ascribed to David in the title. Our Lord speaks

directly of David as its author (Mark xii. 35^. Luke xx. 41^. Matt. ; ;

xxii. 41-46) and it is clear from His words that the Davidic origin
of Ps. cix. was generally accepted by the Jews of Our Lord's time.
It is clear also that Our Lord and His Jewish contemporaries looked
' '

on the Messias as the Lord of the psalm. That the psalm is Davidic
and Messianic was accepted without question in the Apostolic Age
(see Acts ii. 34 ;
vii. 55/;^. ; i Cor. xv. 24^7". ; Ephes. i.
18-23 :

Heb. i. 3, 13; V. 6; vi. 20; vii. 17, 21; viii. i; x. 12/".; i

Peter iii. 22).
The Messianic referenceof the psalm is demanded by the whole

thought of the poem. David, the great king of Israel, would not
'

have addressed any other than the Messias with the title, my Lord.'
Again, only the Messias could be invited to share the throne and
power of God. No ordinarj/ king of Israel, and, indeed, no one merely
mortal could receive an eternal priesthood. Neither could the abro-
gation of the Aaronite priesthood and the substitution for it of a
priesthood like that of Melchisedech be attributed to any King of
Sion except the Messias. Finally, to the Messias alone could God
entrust the carrying out of the world-judgment.
All attempts to identify the Priest-King of this psalm with ordinary
Israelite kings have failed. This is true particularly of the attempt
to identify the hero of the psalm with the Maccabean prince, Jonathan,
even though the latter was given a sort of priestly, as well as royal,
'
rank. Simon, according to i Mace. xiv. 41, was appointed prince
and high-priest for ever,' and some commentators have, therefore,
'

sought to make a case for Simon as the Lord of this psalm, and
'

have thought to find confirmation for this view by pointing out that
the initial consonants of verses 16-4 of the psalm spell the name
'
Simeon.' The acrostic, however, is an accident, and there is no
good reason for regarding the priestly kingship of Simon as in any

way like the power of the ancient Priest-King of Salem, Melchisedech.

Besides, since we cannot deny the Davidic origin of the psalm, we
Lord of whom David sings is the
' '

are compelled to hold that the

Messianic King.

I. Psalmus David. i. A Psalm of David.

Dixit Dominus Domino meo : Oracle of Yahweh to my Lord :

Sede a dextris meis :

(Messias as King.)
"
Donee ponam inimicos tuos, Sit thou at my right hand
scabellum pedum tuorum. Till I make thj^ foes the footstool of thy
feet.
Virgam virtutis tuae emit-
2. 2. Thy mighty sceptre Yahweh stretcheth
tet Dominus ex Sion dominare : forth ;

in medio inimicorum tuorum. From Sion rule in the midst of thy foes !

^. Tecum principium in die 3. With thee is princely power on the day of

virtutis tuae in splendoribus thy strength,
 224 THE PSALMS [109

sanctorum ex utero ante

: luci- In holy adornment ;

ferum genui te. From the womb before the day-star I

have begotten thee."

(Messias, as Priest.)

4. Juravit Dominus, et non 4. Yahweh hath sworn, and repenteth it not :

"
poenitebit eum Tu es sacerdos
: Thou art a priest forever,
in ajternum secundum ordinem After the manner of Mclchisedech."
Melchisedech.
(Messias as Judge of the world. The
psalmist addresses Yahweh.)

5. Dominus a dextris tuis, 5. My Lord, at Thy right hand,

confregit in die ira; sua; reges. Smiteth kings in the day of his wrath.
0. j'udicabit in nationibus, 6. He executeth judgment among the peoples,
implebit ruinas conquassabit : Making destruction complete :

capita in terra multorum. He smiteth heads in a wide battle-field ;

7. De torrente in via bibet :

7. Of the brook by the wayside they drink,
propterea exaltabit caput. Therefore doth he raise his head.

' '

I. Dixit : the Hebrew has, n"iim, Oracle of ;

this is a solemn
of introducing a divine utterance it practically characterises
way :

the psalm as a prophecy. In the technical language of the prophets

n^'iim usually follows the oracle of God in some instances in the ;

prophets, as here, precedes the words of the divine oracle. The

it

psalmist speaks as if he had heard the words of Yahweh addressed ' ' '

to the person whom he calls my Lord

'

{"^doni, my 'A don '). My

Lord is frequently used in Hebrew as a form of pohte address (as
'

in Gen, xxiii. 6 xxxiii. 8 xliv. 7) it is also used as a title of respect

; ;
:

given to those in high position (as in i Kings xxii. i ). As David is

the author of the psalm, then as Our Lord argues (Mark xii. 35/., and
parallels), the 'A don here spoken of must be higher in
rank than David
himself. A comparison of this psalm with Ps. ii will make it clear '
'

that the 'Adon of Ps. cix is the same as the Anointed of Ps. ii.
Sede a dextris meis the Messias is invited to take the place of
:

honour at the right hand of Yahweh, and is thus declared to be a

participator in the glory and power of Yahweh.
Donee ponani ttwrum the complete defeat and subjection
. . . :

of his foes is the token of the Messias' divine dignity and power.
Donee is not intended to imply that the Messias would hold his power
only until the defeat of the enemies should be accomplished it refers :

only to what will happen in the interval named, and gives no informa-
'

tion about any following period. It might almost be rendered while.'

In the ancient East when a monarch wished to record a complete
victory over his foes he was wont to have himself represented
as

treading on the prostrate bodies of his defeated enemies. Hence to

make the foes of the Messias
'
the footstool
'

of his feet is to make

them utterly subject to his power.
2. Virgam virtutis=' mighty sceptre.' The sceptre is the ruler's

sceptre, the symbol of his power.

 lorjj MESSIAS KING, PRIEST AND JUDGE 225

Emittet Donmms : the introduction of a statement about Yahweh

into an oracle spoken by Yahweh, though not unparalleled, isstrange.
It is strange, too, that Yahweh, and not the Messias, is to stretch
out the sceptre. The Messias has just been declared participant in
the divine power and rule, and one would expect, therefore, that the
Messias, not Yahweh, would stretch out the sceptre of royal power,
particularly as both in the immediately preceding and the immediately
following clauses the Messias invited by Yahweh to perform a
is

definite action. A command

from Yahweh to the Messias, like
' ' '

Stretch forth thy sceptre {i.e., exercise thy power ') would be
perfectly in place here. This sense can be got by emending the
Massoretic text, maUeh
'uzz^kha yishlah yahweh into niatteh 'uzz^kha
' '
shHah I'kha, Send
stretch ') forth thy sceptre.'
(or, Yahweh is ' '

here omitted, since Yahweh is the speaker, and I'kha is inserted on the
'
basis of the Septuagint. The imperative sh'^lah, send is uniform '

with sede and dominare. The Messias is commanded by God to

exercise actively his xoyol power.
Ex Sion it is better to connect this with dominare
: Sion is the :

centre of Messianic rule, and thence the Messias must exercise his
sway among the hostile peoples round about. Sion was the seat of
the ancient Priest-King, Melchisedech, and it was the centre of the
rule of David, the most important type of the Messias. The glories
of the Messianic kingdom were pictured by Israel mostly as a renewal
of the glories of David's empire and reign. Hence it was but natural
that the Messias should appear as a ruler on Sion, holding in subjection,
like David, the peoples who dwelt round about Palestine. The
rendering of verse 2 should then be as follows
'fc>
:

Sceptrum potentiae tuum extende ;

E Sion dominave in medio immicorum titorum.

3. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae there is a wide difference :

here between the Massoretic text and the Greek (= Vulgate) the ;

former has, 'amm^kha n^dhabhoth h^yom helekha, which might be

rendered,
'

Thy people come gladly on the day of thy muster

'

suggesting the gathering of his willing and loyal subjects to the
banners of the Messias when he sets out for war. Since, however,
the destruction of the enemies of the Messias in battle is dealt with
in detail in verses 6-7, it is not natural to find in verse 3 a reference
to the mustering of the Messianic army. Hence we should be more
inclined to follow here the text presupposed by the rendering of the
'

Greek. It would be 'i^nnfkha n^dhibhotli b^yom helckhi,

: With
thee is princely power on the day of thy strength.' Changing helekha
very slightly, and without interfering with the consonantal text, we
'

get hilakh, which means

thy birth.' Thus the text read by the
'

Greeks be pointed to give the sense,

may W^ith thee is princety
power on the day of thy birth.' This is obviously equivalent to the
15
226 THE PSALMS [109

assertion,
'

Thou art by birth of royal rank.' The Messias, as Son

of God, was not merely invited to be a divine King ;
he was so by
his birth. Cf. Ps. ii. 6, 7.
In splendor ibiis sanctorum . . .
genui te : this is the most difficult

passage in the psalm. The Massoretic text which reads, Vhadlfre-

l\.odhesh merehem mishhar fkha ial yalduthekha, is usually rendered,
'

In holy adornment from' the womb of the morning the dew of thy
youth is thine,' and this is usually explained as meaning that the

j'oung men, who gather to the banners of the Messias, come in their
enthusiasm out of the womb of the dawn, i.e., at earliest dawn, and
in their equipment for battle (holy adornment, for the coming warfare
'
is holv ') are as fresh and fair and numerous as are the dew-drops
when tlie morning breaks. But if 3a does not speak of a muster,
36 cannot be taken as a description of the muster, and we are forced,
therefore, to obandon the Massoretic reading of this difficult text.
' ' '

The Greeks took mishhar, morning a.s=mishshahar, before the

'

morning {ante luciferum), and where the Massoretes read l^kha tal
'

yalduthekha, thine is the dew of thy youth,' the Greeks read, y^lidh-
'

tikha, I have begotten thee.' Thus the Massoretic V'kha tal is

totally omitted in the Hebrew text read by the Greek translators.
It be safely admitted, then, that the Hebi-ew text here has some-
may
how become corrupted, and that the corruption took place before the
Greek version was made. The Greek version contains obviously a
reference to the birth or begetting of the Messias, but that is not
precisely what we expect here. If our em.cndation of 33 is correct
Yah well has just referred to the divine sonship and inherited royalty
of the Messias. We should expect, then, that Yahweh would go on
to speak of the installation of the Messias as King on Sion. Yahweh
' '
has already said to the Messias Sit at my right hand (= Share in
:

' '

my divine power), and Rule from Sion (= Exercise earthly king-

:

'

ship). Then, further, it has just been said Thou art a prince on :

'
the day of thy birth (^i.e.
Thou inheritest divine Kingship by birth),
and this ought to be completed by a declaration of the actual estab-
lishment of the Messias as King on Sion something like what we
have in Ps. ii. 6 {of. Osee ii). Looking closely at the consonants of
the Hebrew text we find that they suggest some useful and natural
emendations of the Massoretic reading, and of the text which the
Greeks must have had before them. In the first place Ifhadh'^re
kodJiesh {in splcndoribus sanctorum) readily becomes b'^har^re kodhesh,
' '

on the holy mountains (this reading is actually contained in existing

forms of the Hebrew text)."" Sion is famihar as the Holy Mountain,'
'

' '
and the plural, Holy Mountains can easily be regarded as=the hills
on which Jerusalem stands. This emendation disposes still further
' '
of the presence of a reference to a muster for a holy war in verse 3.
The remainder of the text is more difficult to emend. The mention
of Sion, however, reminds us of Ps. ii. 6 'I have established my :
109] MESSIAS KING, PRIEST AND JUDGE 227

king on Sion, my holy mountain,' and leads us to expect a reference

to the anointing of the Messias as King on the holy hills. The Hebrew
text, as we have seen, was already corrupted before the Greek trans-
lation was made, and the Greeks omitted altogether certain elements
found in our Massoretic text. The word reJiem (womb), which means
actually the womb of a woman, can scarcely have stood in the primitive
text. But it would be very intelligible as a marginal gloss to hilk^ha
{' thy birth ') of yi, when used with the preposition min, so that
incrchcm may have been brought in from the margin opposite hWkha :

'
on the day of thy birth,' would be just as well and, perhaps, more
'

clearly expressed by merchem, from the Vv-omb.' Discarding

merchem, we are left with mishhar I'kha tal yalduthekha the con-:

sonants of mishhar are the same as those of mashahii, with the ex-
ception of r which could be readily confused with t. Mashahti, means
'

I have anointed,' and since mashah is often followed

'
by l^melekh,
as king,' we are justified in reading the l^kha tal as l^mdekh. So far
we have now reached as the meaning of 3c, On the holy hills I have
'

' '
anointed as king we are still without an object to I have anointed,'
;

and the Hebrew yalduthekha, thy youth,' or, as the Greeks read it,
'

y^lidhtikha ('I have begotten thee '), has still to be accounted for.
The simplest explanation seems to be that the consonants /, d, th of
' '

yalduthekha are simply the infinitive ledheth, begetting,' or, birth,'

and that ledheth, like merehem, was originally a marginal gloss to
'

hWkha, thy birth.' The remaining consonants oi yalduthekha, viz.,

i and kh ought to be read with m, sh, h, t
{=^niasha1},ti) as the pro-
m^sliahtika = I have anointed thee.'
'
nominal suffix ikha : Thus the
Avhole clause would be b'ha/re kodhesh m^shahtikha l^melekh, On '

the holy hills I have anointed thee as king.' This would be an exact
parallel to Ps. ii. 6, and it would supply the declaration of the estab-
lishment of the Messias as King on Sion v/hich is naturally in place
here.
Verse 3 as emended would run in Latin :

Tecum principimn in die nativitatis tuae ;

In montibtis Sanctis unxi ie in regent.

It will be objected that all this is based on a great deal of rather

arbitrary emendation, and that the changes proposed exclude a

valuable Biblical testimony to the eternal generation of Christ. With
regard to the latter point it must be remembered that y, though it

constitutes in the Greek form of the text one of the clearest statements
of the divinity and the consubstantiaHty with the Father of Christ,
is never quoted in the New Testament. Even the author of
Hebrews does not quote it, being content with much less clear texts
in i. 5^. and v. 5. It is not improbable that the text of c was
still
very uncertain in the Apostolic age, but it is Hkely that if
that passage contained a clear reference to the generation of the
228 THE PSALMS [109

Messias it would have been quoted by one or other of the Apostolic

writers.
4. Verses 4 and 5 depict the Messias as a priest. In the ancient
East, royal and priestly power were usually united in a single
individual. The most ancient king of Jerusalem whom we know,
Melchisedech, was also a priest. The kings of Israel, though they
sometimes performed quasi-priestly functions, were not priests in the
proper sense the priestly power belonged to the Levite family of
:

Aaron. In this second strophe of the psalm the oracle declares that
the Messianic King of Sion will be something more and greater than
the kings of the Davidic House like Melchisedech he will be priest,
:

in the full sense, as well as King. Hence he will not be an Aaronite

priest offering bloody sacrifices, but, like Melchisedech, associated
with unbloody offerings. Yahweh has sworn that the Messias will
be a Priest-King like Melchisedech, and that his priesthood will be
forever the psalmist has heard the oath, and gives us the exact
:

words of the oracle in which Yahweh tells the Messias of the appoint-
ment by oath to the priestly dignity. The appointment is irrevocable,
for Yahweh never can repent of His decree. The use of this text in
the Epistle to the Hebrews is perfectly in harmony with its meaning
in the psalm.
Here begins the description of the Messias as Judge of the
5.
world. The words of the divine oracle ended in verse 4, and what
follows is addressed by the psalmist to Yahweh. The psalmist in
verses 5-7 gives a forecast of the manner in which the Messianic
Priest-King will triumphantly function as judge of the world.
Dominus a dextris tins this ought to be Dominus meus a dcxtris
:

tuis, i.e., the The Greeks, like the

Dominus {'Adon)
of verse i.
" '

Massoretes, mistakenly took '"doni, my Lord,' as if it were 'Adonai,"

' '

Lord the Lord of verse i was invited to sit at the right hand of
;

Yahweh. Now, while he is still at the right hand of Yahweh {a

dextris tuis),he proceeds to carry out God's judgments against God's
enemies and his own. The day of God's wrath, the Yom-Yahweh
'

(the Day of the Lord ') is the day of God's wrath against the peoples ;

but it is also the day of the great Messianic judgment the enemies :

of Yahweh are also the enemies of His Anointed. The royal enemies
of the Messias are like the kings and princes who are represented as
mustering their host against the Anointed in Ps. ii.
Confregit the same : Hebrew verb which is here rendered confringet
by conquassabit the Hebrew verb means to
'
is translated in verse 6 :

'

smite {percutere, as Jerome renders it), or, as referred to heads, possibly

'
to strike off.' To strike off the heads of one's foes was for the
Orientals to triumph over them completely.
6. Judicahit : will execute sentence. It is best to take judicabit
as=' when he carries out judgment.'
Implebit ruinas this is usually rendered
: :
'

He will make destruc-

109] MESSIAS-KING, PRIEST AND JUDGE 229

tion complete.' The Hebrew has male g^wiyyoth, which means, it '

' '
will be full of corpses,' everything will be filled with corpses,' there
will be abundance of corpses.' The Greeks read an active form of
the verb male ('
to be full '). In the Greek text we have Trrw/xttTa (or
TTTwim), which might=ruinae or cadavera, where the Latin has nnnas.
Jerome reading ge'ayoth has valles. Cf. Amos viii. 3
'
There shall :

be many corpses in every place,' and Ezech. xxxv. 8 (oracle against

'

Edom) I will fill thy mountains with the slain, and thy hills and
:

thy valleys and all thy channels those slain by the sword shall sink
:

down there.'

Coyiquassahit capita the Hebrew has the collective ro'sh, caput.

:

The Messias shall shatter, or better, perhaps, shall strike off the heads.
In terra multorimi ought to be rather in terra ampla (as van Sante
renders) : the enemy are defeated over a wide extended battle-field.
De torrente in via bibet : the subject of bibet is not certain ;
it is

usually taken to be the Messias and the verse often interpreted as is

meaning that the victorious Messias, weary from the battle against
his foes, Uke the soldiers of Gideon (Jud. vii. 5, 6) snatches a hasty
draught from a wayside brook and thus refreshed, with head raised
proudly aloft, continues the pursuit of his beaten foes (The incident
in the life of Samson, Jud. xv. i8-ig is also often quoted as a parallel).
Yet it might be said against this explanation that there is no need of
an untiring pursuit of an utterly beaten foe, and that, therefore, the
picture of the divine Messias snatching up the hasty draught from
the brook is out of place. The drinking from the brook has also
been explained as the draught of sorrow which Christ had to take to
win complete victory, and sometimes again commentators have seen
here in the brook a symbol of the ever-present fountain of the divinity
from which Our Lord constantly derived new strength. All such
explanations are imperfect, and if the Messias is not the subject of
bihet they are out of place. The Latin capita in verse 6 represents,
aswe have seen, a singular ro'sh, used collectively in the Hebrew.
Now, as far as the original text goes, caput could be the subject of
yishteh [bibet), and the drinking from the wayside wady (torrens)
could be regarded as grimly predicated of the stricken-off heads of
the foe. In the passage above quoted from Ezech. xxxv. 8 we see
that a special punishment threatened to the Edomites is that the
corpses of their dead shall fall in the hills and valleys and all the
channels of the land of Edom they shall lie there, the prophet implies,
;

unburied. So with the enemies of the Messias many a head of his :

fallen foes shall be cast into the wady by the way, and there shall
drink its water. The picture of the heads of the slain drinking the
water of the brook is drastic, but it is not unoriental.
Ei exultabit caput having completely defeated his foes, the Messias
:

triumphantly raises his head.

 PSALM CX
THE GREAT DEEDS OF THE LORD
this simplesong the psalmist sings the praise of the glory and
truth and faithfulness of Yahweh, as the God of
IN goodness, the
the Covenant with Israel. The great deeds wrought for His
people by the Lord in the distant past are recalled the deeds

which were the pledge of God's Covenant with Israel, the theme of
Israel's boast and song, and the ground of Israel's persistent confidence
in the loving care of Yahweh. As God was ever faithful to the
Covenant in the past, so will He ever be mindful thereof. To realise
with gratitude the goodness of Yahweh and to recognise with reveren-
tial awe that all His works are based on inflexible truth and fairness
'
istrue wisdom, for as the author of Proverbs puts it, the fear of the
Lord is the chiefcst wisdom.'
This psalm and the next following form a pair both in form and
content. They are both alphabetic psalms each consists of twenty- ;

two verses, and each of the twenty-two verses begins with a letter of
the Hebrew alphabet. Ps. ex celebrates the glory of Yahweh as it
has been shown in the history of His people Ps. cxi celebrates the :

good fortune of the pious in such a way that the predicates applied to
Yahweh in Ps. ex are transferred, with a certain modification of mean-
ing, to the just man. It would seem as if Ps. cxi were composed as a
sort of counterpoise to Ps. ex, and it is probable that both psalms
come from the same hand.

Alleluia. Alleluia

Confitebor tibi Domine in Thee, Lord, with my whole heart

'
1. 1 I praise
toto corde meo in consilio
: b In the circle of the just, in the Assembly.
justorum, et congregatione.
2. Magna opera Domini ex- :
2g Great are the works of the Lord
quisita in omnes voluntates ejus. d Well worthy of study to those that love
them.
3. Confessio et magnificentia 3/2 Splendid and glorious is His work,
opus ejus : et justitia ejus manet w And His justice abideth for ever.
in saeculum saeculi.
4. Memoriam fecit mirabilium ^z A memorialof His wonders He hath
suorum misericors et miserator provided :

Dominus : h Gracious and merciful is the Lord.

5. Escam dedit timentibus se. 5/ Food He hath given to them that fear
Memor erit in saeculum testa- Him ;

ment! sui :
y He remembereth ever His Covenant.
6. Virtutcm operum suorum 6A The power of His deeds He hath shown
annuntiabit populo suo : to His people.

230
 no] THE GREAT DEEDS OF THE LORD 231

7 det illis haereditatem

TJt 7/ In giving them the heritage of the
Gentium opera manuum ejus
: heathen.
Veritas, et judicium.

8. Fidelia omnia mandata m The works

of His hands are Truth and
ejus : confirmata in sa;culum Right ;

sseculi, facta in veritate et n Trustworthy are all His decrees.

aequitate. s Stable for ever and ever,
Being wrought in truth and fairness.
9. Redemptionem misit po- gp Deliverance He hath sent to His people.
pulo suo mandavit in astern um
:
s He hath enjoined His Covenant for ever
lestamentum suum. k Holy and awful is His name.
Sanctum, et tembile nomen
ejus ;

10. Initium sapientise timor I or The fear of the Lord is the chiefest
Domini. wisdom ;

Intellectus bonus omnibus 5 Sound insight belongs to all who practise

facientibus eum : laudatio ejus it.

manet in sajculum sa^culi. t Its praise endureth for all ages.

1. Consilium : Hebrew sodh, an intimate gathering of friends, an

intimate circle.
Congregafio in the paralleHsm ought to be equivalent in meaning
to consilium, but the Greek translators, apparently, intended to make
'

a distinction here between a private circle of the just and the Assem-
bly,' or Congregation, of the people. Some commentators see in the
' '
circle of the justan indication of the post-Exilic period, when, as it
is known, groups, or conventicles of pious men were frequently formed
among the people.
2.
Exquisita the Latin (reproducing literally the Greek) means
:

that the works of the Lord are specially chosen and wrought so as
to declare accurately His will. Whosoever, then, wishes to ascertain
God's will can discover it by studying His works particularly His
deeds on behalf of Israel. The Hebrew, D'rushim l^khol J/phsehem,
'
m.eans of study (Jerome, exqtiircnda) are they to all those
Worthy
who take pleasure therein.' The voUtniatcs of the Latin text is due
to the rendering of hephschem as if it were the plural of hephcs [voluntas,
'

good-pleasure ') with a suffix referring to Yahweh. Hephsehem is,

however, more hkely the plural of the participle liaphes (=one who
' ' '

delights in) with the plural suffix referring to works their pleasure- ;

takers = those who take pleasure in them. Those who delight in

'

God's works will be rewarded by seeking to study them. Since,

however, God's works can be understood only in so far as His purpose
is not far
(or will, voluntas) in them is known, the Latin rendering
from the sense of the Hebrew.
3- Confessio and magnificentia are used, after
the Hebrew idiom,
instead of adjectives. Everything which God does is a reason for
2 52 THE PSALMS [no
* - -

to mean here God's

praising and glorifying Him. Justitia seems
gracious providence towards His people.
4. Memoriam fecit, etc. by constantly performing new deeds of
:

graciousncss, Yahwch reminds Israel of

His mercies in the past, and
makes it clear that He is, indeed, a God of grace and mercy. Miseri-
cors et miserator, hannim w^rahiim, reminds one of the standing

epithets of Allah among the Muslims, Arrahman arrahim.

5. Escam dedit : this may be a reference to the manna ;
but
it may also be merely a general declaration of God's great goodness.
' '

The word tereph is here used in the unusual sense of bread,' food,'
because of the exigencies of the acrostic.
'

6. operiim suorum may=' His mighty works

Virtiitem the :

special reference here and in the next verse is to the conquest of

Palestine.
7. Illis, Veritas and judiciuin are used in the same
the Hebrews.
manner and magnificentia in verse 3. The establishment
as confessio
' ' '

of Israel in Canaan was in accordance with the truth,' or fidelity

'

of God it was also in accordance with

:
right,' because the Canaanites
had merited defeat and extinction by their godlessness.
8. The mandata are the decrees of God as Ruler of the world :

they are firmly established and above all change. In truth and
fairness these decrees are executed.
9. The redemptio is not merely the rescue from Egypt it includes
:

also the rescue from the Babylonian Exile. The Covenant of God
with Israel was not set up for the Exodus period merely.
' '

10. See Proverbs i. 7 ix. 10. The beginning of wisdom is

;

not=elementary wisdom, but the chief, or best, thing of wisdom, the

highest wisdom, or, perhaps, the basis of wisdom. AU who practise
the highest wisdom, which is the fear of the Lord, acquire a sound
understanding, or insight {intellectus bonus).
Laudatio ejus in the : Hebrew the pronominal sufhx {=ejus) pro-
bably refers to Yahweh.
 PSALM CXI
THE FEAR OF THE LORD AND ITS FRUITS
psalm, as has been said in the introduction to Ps. ex,
THIS applies to the just man and his works the things which are
said of Yahweh and His works in Ps. ex. As Ps. ex ends
with the praise of the fear of the Lord as life's highest wisdom,
so this psalm begins with a reference to the man who practises that
wisdom, and then goes on to describe the blessedness of his condition,
n the two psalms are read side by side
it will be realised how strikingly

the predicates applied to Yahweh and His works in Ps. ex are here
transferred to the just man (the man that fears the Lord) and his
doings. Ps. cxi may be taken, in a sense, as an elaborate way of
saying that the life of the just man is a sort of participation in the life
of God. This psalm, like Ps. ex, is alphabetically arranged, each of
the twenty-two hues of which it consists beginning with the twenty-two
letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Vulgate text the psalm is con-
nected with the time immediately following the return from the Baby-

lonian Exile the time of the prophets Aggaeus and Zachary. If the
two psalms, ex and cxi, are, as seems not unlikely, from the same
author, the title of Ps. cxi determines the date of Ps. ex also. It

would seem that in the original text of the Septuagint both psalms
were connected by their superscriptions with the time of Aggaeus
and Zachary.

Alleluia, Reversionis Aggaei, Alleluia : for the return of Aggaeus and

et Zachariae. Zachary.

1. Eeatus vir, qui timet Do- i' Happy is the man that feareth the Lord,
niinum in mandatis ejus volet
: b That dehghteth greatly in His com-
niniis. mands :

2. Potens in terra erit semen 2g Mighty in the land will be his seed ;

ejus generatio rectorum bene-

: d The generation of the upright will be
dicetur. blessed.
3. Gloria, et divitije in domo 3/i Splendour and wealth are in his house.
ejus : et justitia ejus manet in w And his justice abideth forever.
saeculum sfeculi.
4. Exortum est in tenebris lu- 45- He hath risen in the darkness, a light for
men rectis misericors, et mise-
: the upright,
rator, et Justus. h Merciful, gracious, and just.
5. Jucundus homo qui misere- 5J Fortunate is the man that is kind and
tur et commodat, disponet ser- lendeth,
mones suos in judicio :
y He will maintain his words aright.
6. Quia in seternum non com- bk For he shall never be moved.
movebitur.
233
23 + THE PSALMS III

7. In memoria aeterna erit 7/ The just man shall be an eternal

Justus ab auditione mala non
: memorial.
timebit.

Paratum cor ejus sperare m m Evil report he shall not fear,

Domino,
8. Confirmatum est cor ejus : 8h Fixed is his heart, firmly trusting in the
non commovcbitur donee despi- Lord,
ciat inimicos suos. Established is his heart, he is not moved.
Until he looketh on (the defeat of) his
foes.
Dispersit, dedit pauperi-
9. gp He giveth lavishly to the poor ;

bus justitia ejus manet in sae-

: s His justice abideth for ever.
-culum sicculi, cornu ejus exalta- k His horn is exalted in honour.
bitur in gloria.
10. Peccator vidcbit, et ira- I or The sinner seeth it, and is vexed ;

scetur, dentibus suis fremet et 5 He gnasheth his teeth, and pineth away :

tabescet : desiderium peccato- t The hope of the godless cometh to

rum peribit. naught.

1. Compare the beginning of Ps. i. In mandaiis ejus volet :

cf.
Ps. ex. 2, note.
2. Potens :
Hebrew, gibbor, a
'

hero,'
'
a man of renown.' Semen
used collectively^' Generatio, the whole
'

is descendants.'
offspring,'
race, or class.
3. Gloria : the Hebrew has
hon, wealth, substance. The Greeks
read hodh, glory, splendour. Note the expression here of the common
Hebrew belief that the just man is prosperous in wordly things.
Et justitia ejris, etc. cf. Ps. ex. 3, where exactly the same thing
:

' '

is said of the
justice of God cf. also verse 9
below. The justice:

of the just man is either his condition of justice (= grace) before God,
or, possibly, the reward of his justice.
4. Exortnm est as far as the Hebrew goes this might be exortus
:

est, referring to the man that feareth the Lord. Such a perfect man
might come to the upright who were in affliction (symbolised by the
^
darkness '), as a hght in darkness. Since the adjectives which
immediatcl}^ follow seem to be predicates of the just man, it is reason-
able to make the just man the light that shines in the darkness. In
Ps. ex. 4 misericors et niiserator are epithets applied directly to Yahweh.
For the idea of the light in darkness see Ps. xcvi. 11. Because Yahweh
' '
was a light in darkness to His servants, so must the just man, in
the pecuHar manner of this psalm, be likened also to a light in the
darkness. For the thought generally cf. Is. Iviii. 7-10.
' ' '

Jucundus=llehvew tobh,
5. good,' fortunate ;
it is practically
the same as beatiis of verse i.
Disponet sermones, etc. : sermones suos reproduces d"bkaraii, which
'

may mean, his words,' or

'

his affairs.' The verse means, therefore :

*
He
will order (or, maintain) his words aright,' or, He will base His '

affairs on justice.' Just as the works of the Lord are truth and fair-
II ij THE FEAR OF THE LORD 235

ness (Ps. ex. 7), so the just man is, in all things, fair he will never

:

be turned aside from the path of fairness non commovchitur.

7. the just man, like God, sets up by his deeds an
Cf. Ps. ex. 4 ;

everlasting memorial.
'

Sperare the Hebrew participle hakiah,

:
trusting,' was read by
thc Greeks apparently, as an infinitive. Cf. with the verse Is. xxvi. 3.
'

Non commovehitur the Hebrew has lo' yira

: he shall not fear.' ,

Donee does not imply that he shall afterwards fear.

Hebrew yir'eh 6^ = sees his pleasure in,' rejoices to
' '

Despiciat :

behold the defeat of.'

9. Dispersit dedit the two verbs together mean that he has

:

lavishly given.
'

Cornu ejus :
cf. 1 Kings ii. i :
M3' horn is exalted in the Lord.'
gloria=with glory. Cf. Ps. Ixxiv. 11.
/;.'

10. The concluding words of the psalm, like its beginning, seem
to be an echo of Ps. i.
 PSALM CXII
PRAISED BE THE NAME OF YAHWEH
this psalm begins the Hallel (Ps. cxii-cxvii) which was

WITH sung at the three great pilgrimage festivals, Pasch, Pente-

cost and Tabernacles, and at other times. At the Pasch,
Psalms cxii and cxiii, i-8 were sung before the Paschal
Supper, and Psalms cxiii. 9-26 cxiv, cxv, cxvi
;
after the Paschal
;

Supper (Matt. xxvi. 30 is possibly a reference to the Hallel).

Psalm cxii is a hymn in honour of the greatness and justice of
Yahweh. The Lord is Ruler of all peoples, and His glory surpasses
all the giorj^ of the heavens. There is none like Him among the
gods. Yet, transcendently glorious as He is, His kindness and His
justice are as illimitable as His glory. Though His throne is high.
He does not refuse to look with interest on the lowly. The poor and
despised He raises, in His impartial justice, to princely honour, and
the childless wife He transforms into the joyous mother of many
children.
The conclusion psalm reminds one strongly of the Song of
of the
Anna (i Kings and of the Magnificat. The thought and
ii. i-io)
imagery of the psalm recall also the wonderful chapters xl-lv of
Isaias. Sung at the Pasch, or one of the other great feasts, this
psalm became an enthusiastic proclamation of Israel's faith in the
ultimate triumph of justice in the world and of her hope that Yahweh
would at last be recognised by all men as their God and Lord.

Alleluia. Alleluia !

1. Laudate pueri Dominum : i. Praise,O ye servants, the Lord,

laudate nomen Domini. Praise ye the name of the Lord.
2. Sit nomen Domini bene- 2. May the Name of the Lord be blessed
dictum, ex hoc nunc, et usque From this time forth and for ever !

in saeculum.
3. A solis ortu usque ad oc- 3. From sunrise to sunset
casum, laudabile nomen Domini. Let the name of the Lord be praised.
4. Excelsus super omnes 4. Exalted above all the peoples is the Lord ;

(Jentes Dominus, et super ccelos Above the heavens is His glory.

gloria ejus.

5. Quis sicut Dominus Deus 5. Who is like the Ix)rd, our God,
noster, qui in altis habitat. Who dwelleth on high,
6. Et humilia respicit in coelo 6. Who looketh on the lowly,
et in terra ? In heaven and on earth ;

7. Suscitans a terra inopem, 7. Who raiseth from the dust the need}-,
et de stercore erigens paupcrcm : And from the mire the poor,
236
ii2j PRAISED BE THE NAME OF YAHVVEH 237
S. Ut collocet eum cum prin- 8. Toset him beside princes,
cipibus, cum principibus populi Beside the princes of his people ;

s\ii.

9. Qui habitare facit sterilem y. Who makcth the barren one to dwell in
in domo, matrem filiorum \x- the house,
tantcm. A glad mother of sons.

'
1. servants,' Hebrew 'abhde
Pueri :
cf. Ps. cxxxiv. i. ;

2. Ex
hoc nunc nunc is treated here as a substantive, and hoc
: is

a sort of article. Cf. Ps. xv. i.

'
Landabile
3. better, Let it be praised.' Cf. Mai. i. 11.
:

4. This verse impHes that Yahweh is accepted as God also of the

heathen, just as the preceding clause implies the universality of His
praise.
5. Qicis stent :
i.e., among the gods.
6. High as God's throne He does not disdain to take interest
is,

in the obscure and lowly. Hitmilia respicit renders the idiomatic

'

Hebrew, Making low to look,' i.e., who looketh low down, even to
the hidden and obscure.
In coelo et terra if this goes with hitmilia we must think of God
:

as looking on the humilia even in heaven. The Hebrew favours this

way of taking the text. Yet it is difficult to give a clear meaning
'

to humilia in coelo,' and hence some commentators have excised the

words, in coelo, and others have proposed to read in coelo et in terra
with Quis sicut Dominus Dens noster. On this last view. Qui in
altis habitat et humilia respicit would be a description of Yahweh
inserted in the question, Who is like unto Yahweh, etc' In the
'

following verses the psalmist gives instances of God's care for humilia
in terra.
7-S. A quotation from i Kings ii. 8 the Song of Anna. With
verse 8 cf. Job xxxvi. 7. Theodoret quotes as instances of verses 7-8,
David, Joseph and Moses.
'

9. Sterilem in domo : Hebrew '"kercih habbayiih, the unfruitful

'
one of the house,' i.e., she whose house
Barrenness was is barren.'
regarded in Israel as a disgrace hence the wife who has long been :

childless rejoices greatly when she bears children. She becomes then
' '

the glad mother of sons.' Cf. i Kings ii. 5 They that were barren :

'

give birth to seven.' Cf. also Is. liv. i Rejoice thou barren one, :

that hast not borne burst into shouts of joy thou that hast not
:

travailed for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the
;

married one, saith Yahweh.' Cf. Gal. i\. 27.

 PSALM CXIII

V
"^ 7" ERSES
as
1-8 of this psalm appear as Psalm cxiv, and verses 9-26
Psalm cxv in the Massoretic text.
(including some Catholic writers)
Most modern critics
follow the Massoretic
arrangement, and regard the first eight and the last eighteen
verses of the Vulgate Psalm cxiii as forming two independent psalms,
the first of which is a hymn in praise of the mighty deeds of Yahwch
at the Exodus, and the second an antiphonal liturgical song which
served, perhaps, as an accompaniment to the offering of sacrifice in the
Temple. This hturgical poem is, in the main, an emphatic assertion
of faith in Yahweh and of trust in His power to give help in time of
need.
In the older versions of the Psalter, and even in many Hebrew
MSS., the two parts appear as a single psalm. It is possible, more-
over, to see a certain hterary unity in the Vulgate Psalm cxiii. The
first eight verses could be taken as an Introduction supplying the
historical ground for the confident prayer in verses g-io. Then
verses 11-16 might be regarded as a telhng answer to the question in
'

verse 10 :Where is their God ? and verses 17-26 would naturally

'

follow as a declaration of deep confidence in, and gratitude towards,

the living and mighty God of Israel.
Here, while not undertaking to decide whether the Vulgate
Psalm cxiii made up of two originally unconnected and
is quite
disparate poems, we shall, for the sake of convenience, treat of the
two parts of the psalm, verses 1-8 and verses 9-26, separately.

CXIII 1-8

THE WONDERS OF THE EXODUS

This hymn to God's glory and power in the Exodus is poetically
one of the finest passages in the Psalter. It is peculiarly regular in
construction, swift in the movement of its thought, and striking^
vivid in imagery. It consists of four short strophes.
its

In the strophe (1-2), the poet shows how the Exodus made
first

the Hebrew people in an intimate way the possession of Yahweh.

Juda became His sanctuary, and Israel his special belonging the :

' '
Hebrews in general became Yahweh's holy people,' His royal
priesthood.' The psalmist has fully realised that the events of the
238
113] THE WONDERS OF THE EXODUS 239

Exodus were the beginnings of the national life of Israel. The de-
signation of Juda as the sanctuary of Yahweh is an implied reference
to the Temple it may indicate, perhaps, that the psalm was com-
:

posed after the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C.

In the second strophe (3-4), the poet in a few brief words makes
the chief incidents of the Exodus and of the desert-wanderings stand
out vividly he depicts the Red Sea fleeing in dread before the coming
;

of Israel, the Jordan rushing back headlong towards its source, and
Sinai so quaking at the presence of Yahweh that the poet likens its
motion to the frisking of lambs.
In the third strophe (5-6), the psalmist asks the Sea, and River,
and Mountain with a sort of ironical chiding why they have acted
with such strange want of dignity.
In the final strophe (7-8) he answers his own question. Before the
face of Yahweh, the mighty God, at whose command water leaped
from the rock, nature must tremble with reverent fear.

Alleluia. Alleluia.

1. In exitu Israel de jEgypto, When Israel went forth from Eg3'pt,

domus Jacob de populo barbaro. The House of Jacob from a people of
alien tongue,
2. Facta est Juda?a sancti- Juda became His sanctuary,
ficatio ejus, Israel potestas ejus. Israel the sphere of His rule

3. Mare vidit, et fugit :

Jor- 3. The sea beheld it and fled ;

danis conversus est retrorsum. The Jordan turned back on itself ;

4. Montes exsultaverunt ut 4. The mountains skipped like rams.

arietes, et coUes sicut agni ovi- And the hills like the ycung of the flock.
um.

5. Quid est tibi mare quod What aileth thee, Sea, that thou fleeest ?
fugisti : et tu Jordanis, quia Jordan, that backward thou turnest ?
conversus es retrorsum ?

6. Montes exsultastis sicut Mountains, that ram-like ye skip.

arietes, et colles sicut agni ovi- Hills, like the young of the flock ?

um.

7. Afacie Domini mota est 7. Before the Lord the earth trembleth.
Dei Jacob.
terra, a facie Before the God of Jacob,
8. Qui convertit petram in 8. Who turneth the rock into pools of water,
stagna aquarum, et rupem in And the flint into water-springs.
fontes aquarum.

' '

1. Barbara : Hebrew
speaking indistinctly,' stammering.'
lo'ez,
The Hebrews, like the Greeks, regarded foreign tongues as indistinct
and stammering. Cf. Ps. Ixxx. 6 (also, i Cor. xiv. 11).
2. Sarxiificaiio Hebrew, kodhesh, sanctuary. The reference is
:

to the Temple.
 240 THE PSALMS [113

Po/6S/rtS= object of rule, or sphere of authority Hebrew, mamslf-;

lothnu. Cf.Exod. xv. 17.

3. The Sea is, of course, the Red Sea, and its fleeing is the division
of its waters as described in Exod. xiv. What the Sea beheld is not
said, so as to heighten the dramatic intensity of the situation. In
verse 7 the psalmist explains the cause of the Red Sea's terror. Cf.
Ps. xlvii. 6.
The turning back of the Jordan is described in Jos. iii :
cf. Ps. xvii.
16. In the historical prose narrative the effects produced on the
Sea and the River are ascribed immediately to the efficacy of God's
power here they are explained poetically as due to the trembling
:

dread of natural forces before the presence of God.

4. Monies exsultaverunt the poet here again uses his poetic licence,
:

' ' '

and speaks of Sinai as mountains and hills.' For the events here
recalled, see Exod. xix. 16-25. The quaking of the mountain is
poetically exaggerated into a motion that might be likened to the
frisking of lambs {cf. Ps. Ixvii. 9 Judges v. 5). The same imagery of
;

hillsskipping or leaping is present in Ps. xxviii. 6.

5. The psalmist here questions the Red Sea, the Jordan, and Sinai
as if they had acted in unbecoming fashion. Quid est lihi=' what
'
ails thee ?

7. Instead of waiting for their answer the psalmist responds to his

own question approving of their conduct. Sea, River, and Mountain
had good reason to tremble before Yahweh, for He is the mighty God
at whose word streams of water sprang from the flinty rock. The two
miracles of the production of water from the rock (Exod. xvii. 6 ;

Num. XX. 8-11) are for the psalmist a peculiarly striking proof of
Yahweh's power over nature. Note the poetic exaggeration which

speaks of the turning of the rock the flinty rock into pools and

springs of water. Cf. Ps. cvi. 35 Is. xli. 18 Deut. viii. 15.
; ;

Instead of mota est the Massoretic text has the imperative

* '
tremble the psahnist, instead of apologising for the terror of
;

nature before Yahweh, bids earth to continue to show its reverential

awe in the presence of its God.

CXIII 9-26

YAHWEH AND THE IDOLS

In the translation below, this second part of Ps. cxiii has been
treated as an antiphonal, liturgical song, and a conjectural ar-
rangement of the parts assigned to the different singers, or groups
of singers, has been made.
The song begins vv-ith a prayer of the people assembled for worship
113] YAHWEH AND THE IDOLS 241

(verses 9-10). In this prayer Yahweh is entreated to be mindful of

His people, Israel, both for the sake of His customary graciousness
and fidelity, possibility of mockery on the part
and to prevent the
of the heathen. that Israel does not deserve any help from
It is true
the Lord, for she has sinned, but, for His own sake, Yahweh ought to
afford help.
In verses 11-16 a choir of special singers makes a contrast between
Yahweh and the gods of the heathen. Yahweh is a living and mighty
God, but the gods of the heathens are mere products of man's handi-
work helpless
things, without sense or life. If the heathens mock
Israel because she trusts in Yahweh, with infinitely more reason do
they deserve to be mocked who put their trust in idols that are deaf
and dumb and blind and altogether impotent.
In verses 17-19 the different sections of the w^orshippers present
the people generally (Israel) those of the priestly class (House of
Aaron), and the Proselytes (Those who fear the Lord) declare solemnly
their trust in Yahweh.
After verse 19 we may suppose a pause during which the sacrifice
was offered. Then in verses 20-21 the priest who is entrusted with
the giving of the blessing pronounces it over the three groups already
mentioned, and in verse 22 a choir repeats the blessing, applying it
to the entire people. The blessing invoked on the worshippers appears
here more or less explicitty as an increase in the number of the people.
In verses 22-26 the people join in a song, as at the beginning.
In the introductory prayer they had asked for Yahweh's help for
Israel, because the kindness and fidelity of Yahweh demanded that
such help should be given, and because if it were not given the heathens
might come to look on Yahweh as helpless. Now the Lord is besought
for help on the ground that if Israel is destroyed. He will have no real
worshippers on earth. Sheol is so far removed from the heaven which
Yahweh has chosen for dwelling-place that the Lord has no interest
in its dwellers, and receives thence no worship of praise. Let Him
then, keep Israel alive, and Israel will be mindful, on her part, of the
ever-binding duty of praising Yahweh.

(The people)
g. Non
nobis Domine, non no- 9. to us, O Lord, not to us,
Not
bis sed nomini tuo da gloriam.
:
But to Thy name give glory,
10. Super misericordia tua, et 10. For the sake of Thy kindness and truth,
veritate tua nequando dicant
: Lest the heathens should say :

Gentes : Ubi est Deus eorum ?

'

Where is their God ?

'

(Choir)
11. Deus autem noster in coe- 11. Our God is in heaven :

lo : omnia quiecumque voluit, All that He willeth, He doth :

fecit.
12. Simulacra Gentium ar- 12. The heathen idols are but silver and gold
gentum, et aurum, opera manu- The works of men's hands.
um hominum.
16
242 THE PSALMS 1. 113

13. Os habent, et non loquen- 13. They have a mouth and speak not ;
tur oculos habent, et non vide-
:
Eyes they have and see not ;

bunt.
14. Aures habent, et non au- 14. Ears they have and hear not ;

dient nares habent, et non

: Nostrils they have and smell nut ;

odorabunt.
15. Manus habent, et non 15. They have hands and feel not ;

palpabunt :
pedes habent, et They have feet and walk not ;

non ambulabiint non clama- :

They cry not aloud with their throat.
bunt in gutture suo.
10. Similes iUis liant qui faci- 16. Let those that make them become like
unt ea : et omnes qui confidunt to them.
in eis. And those also that trust in them.

(The Levites)
17. Domus Israel speravit in 17. The House of Israel trusteth in the Lord !

Domino :
adjutor eorum et pro-
tector eorum est.
(People)
He is their Help and their Shield !

(Levites)
18. Domus Aaron speravit in 1 8. The House of Aaron trusteth in the Lord t
Domino: adjutor eorum et pro-
tector eorum est,
(People)
He is their Help and their Shield !

(Levites)
19. Qui timent Dominum, 19. The fearers of the Lord trust in the Lord
speraverunt in Domino ad- :

jutor eorum et protector eorum (People)

est. He is their Help and their Shield !

who gives blessing)

(The priest
20. Dominus memor fuit no- 20. The Lord will be mindful of us.
stri et benedixit nobis
: : And will bless us.
Benedixit domui Israel bene- : He will bless the House of Israel ;

dixit doraui Aaron. He will bless the House of Aaron

21. Benedixit omnibus, qui 21. He will bless all who fear the Lord
;

timent Dominum, pusillis cum The little and the great.
majoribus.
(Choir)
22. Adjiciat Dominus super 22. May the Lord grant you increase
vos super vos, et super filios
: Unto you and your children !

vestros
1 T Benedict! vos a Domino, 23. Blessed be ye by the Lord
qui fecit coelum, et terram. Who hatiimade heaven and earth !

(People)
24. Coelum coeli Domino : ter- 24. The heavens belong to the Lord,
ram autem dedit filiis hominum. But the earth Pie hath given to men.
25. Non mortui laudabunt te 25. Not the dead will praise Thee, O Lord^
Domine neque omnes, qui
: Nor any who go down to the pit.
descendunt in infernum.
26. Sad nos qui vivimus, be- 26. But v/e who praise the Lord,
still live

nedicimus Domino, ex hoc nunc From this time forth and forever !

et usque in sa^culum.

9. Israel is humbled and prays for help, but help is less needful
113] YAHWEH AND THE IDOLS 243
for the rescue of Israel than it is for the honour of Yahweh's name.

If Israel becomes still weaker and more MTetched, the heathen may
come to ask :
'

Where
they boast ?
is the God
'Is Yahweh of whom '

;
'
unable to help His people ? Besides, the kindness which Yahweh
has shown in the past, and His fidelity to His promises must induce
Him to interfere once again on Israel's behalf.
10. Gives us a specimen of heathen mockery of Israel and of
Yahweh.
11. We
have here a proud answer to the heathen question our :

God could help if He chose. He is enthroned in heaven, while the

gods whom you worship are merely the products of man's handiwork
on earth. With the description of the powerlessness of the heathen
gods compare Deut. iv. 28 Is. .xliv. 9-20 Jer. x. 3 Wisd. xiii. 10
; ; ; ;

Ps. cxxxiv. 15-18.

'
12. Simulacra gentium Hebrew, their idols.' In the following
:

verses the lifelessness and helplessness of the heathen idols is vividly

expressed.
15.They can give no revelations to their worshippers nor can ;

they know the thoughts of men's hearts nor anything that happens ;

on earth. They are dumb and blind.

16. They have no power to hear the prayers of those that serve
them or to smell the sweet savour of the sacrifices offered to them.
Let those, then, that make them, and trust in them become blind,
and and dumb, and altogether helpless, like them.
deaf,
17-19. For the threefold division cf. also verses 20-21 below, and
Ps. cxvii. 2-4 and Ps. cxxxiv. 19-20. In verse 17 the Hebrew text
;

' ' '

has Israel sim.ply. Protector Hebrew, Shield.' :

Those who fear the Lord

' '

19. are often identified with the

Proselytes ; cf. Is. Ivi. 6 ;
Ps. cvi. ^^. Compare also Acts x. i, 22 ;

xiii, 7, 26.
20. The perfects in verses 20 and 21 are the perfects of prophetic
Hence we may translate, wiU surely bless,' etc.
'

certainty.
' '

21. The little and the great are, apparently, the proselytes of
lesser or greater importance.
' '

22. The increase prayed for is increase of population {cf. Gen,

XXX. 24) ; or possibly, increase in the number of the proselytes.
24. This verse develops the words in verse 23, God is Creator of
heaven and earth, and can, therefore, freely dispose of both. Heaven
He has chosen for Himself, and earth He has set apart for men. The
'
Latin rendering Coelimi coeli is not exact ; the Hebrew means : The
heavens are the heavens of Yahweh,' i.e., Coelum est coelum
Domino.
25, It would be of no profit to the Lord if Israel disappeared from
earth to join the dwellers in Sheol the dwellers of Sheol do not praise :

Him. Cf. Ps. vi. 6 xxix. 10 Ixxxvii. 11-13 ; xciii. 17,

; ;

'

Qui descendimt in infernum, who go down to Sheol

'

; Hebrew
244 THE PSALMS [113

has :Who go down to silence which strikingly suggests the

* '

absence of praising song in Sheol.

26. But while Israel still hves it will praise the Lord. The Hebrew
omits qui vivimns [cf. Is. xxxviii. 19). The HalHn-Yah at the end of
this psalm is transferred by the Septuagint (= Vulgate) to the beginning
of Ps. cxiv.
 PSALMS CXIV AND CXV (Hebrew cxvi)

A SONG OF THANKSGIVING
the Hebrew Psalms cxiv and cxv of the Vulgate Psalter appear
as a single psalm, and no strong reason can be alleged against
IN the Hebrew arrangement. The Alleluia at the beginning of
Ps. cxv (Vulg.) is altogether absent from the Hebrew text.
In verses 5 and 8 of Ps. cxv (Vulg.) we have references to vows and
'
to thanksgiving sacrifice in the Temple. The calix salutans, the
'

cup of rescue in cxv. 4 (Vulg.) also suggests the connection of the

Hebrew Ps. cxvi with a sacrificial offering. It is, probably reason-
able, then, to regard the Vulgate Psalms cxiv and cxv as a song
chanted during, or in connection with, the public offering of a sacrifice
of thanksgiving. The occasion of the offering is mentioned in verses
3 and 8. It was, apparently, the recovery of the psalmist from a
dangerous illness, or his rescue from a deadly peril. In the time of
illness or peril the psalmist had invoked the help of Yahweh, and had
promised to the Lord a thanksgiving-offering in the event of his
rescue. This psalm (cxiv-cxv) we may suppose to have been com-
posed for use at the sacrifice which the psahuist had vowed. The
psalm is at once a song of fervent thanks for favours received, and
an expression of triumphant faith in the Lord. The psalmist, in
deeply religious fashion, speaks of
' '
Yahweh as the rest of his soul,
and tells of his unshaken faith in Yahweh even at a time when he
was broken with grief and affliction (cxv. i). The deep piety and
proud confidence of the psalm remind us of Ps. Ixxii.
The structure of the psalm is fairly obvious.
It begins with a confession of indebtedness to Yahweh, and a

promise of ceaseless thanksgiving (1-2). Then, in verses 3-4, the

danger from which the psalmist had been rescued is described. The
influence of Ps. xvii is manifest here.
In verses 5-7 the kindness, goodness, and justice of the
Saviour, who heard the psalmist's cry for help and rescued him, are
celebrated. God is, above all things, just, and His justice is .seen
'
'

strikingly in His care for the simple [parvidi). The psalmist reckons
'

himself among the simple,' and, therefore, he exhorts his soul to

seek its rest only in the Lord.
In verses 8-9 the psalmist speaks again of the death from which
Yahweh has rescued him, and of the joy which he now experiences
at walking freely again in the brightness of life. In verses lo-ii
(Ps. cxv. 1-2) he glances back once more at the wretchedness from
-45
 246 THE PSALMS [114-115

which he has been delivered, and declares that, even when things were
at their worst, he had clung to his faith in Yahweh. Men had proved
unreliable and hostile. They were liars all, and God alone was faithful
and trustworthy. Thus his misfortunes had but purified and
strengthened his faith.
In verses 12-19 (cxv. 3-10) he deals immediately with the thanks-
giving sacrifice which he had vowed. Words he cannot find to express
his gratitude, and so, he will raise up the cup of offering with which
the ceremony of sacrifice begins, and will cry aloud the name of his
Saviour Yahweh Yahweh is wont to be well pleased with the
!

praise and offerings of His devoted servants (sancti), and therefore,

suffers not lightly the slaying of any one of them. For this reason,
among others. He has kept the psalmist alive. The psalmist is not
an ordinary servant or slave of Yahweh he is like the son of a slave- :

girl born in his Master's house, and belongs in a peculiarly intimate

way to the Lord. With deepest gratitude, then, for favours received,
and with intensely affectionate loyalty, he discharges his vow of
thanksgiving-sacrifice before all the people, in the House of Yahweh,
in the midst of Jerusalem.
The two Vulgate psalms cxiv and cxv are printed here separately
for the sake of convenience.

Alleluia. Alleluia.

1. Dilexi, quoniam exaudiet 1 love the Lord,

Dominus vocem orationis meae. Because He hath heard my praj^erful
voice ;

2. Quia inclinavit aurem suam Because He hath bent to me His ear ;

mihi : et in diebus meis invo- I will cry out (unto Him) all my life
cabo. lone.

3. Circumdederunt me do- The pains of death encompassed me.

lores mortis : et pericula inferni The anguish of Sheol seized upon me ;

invenerunt me. Grief and sorrow I found.

Tribulationem et dolorem in-
vent :

4. Et nomen Domini invo- 4. Then I called on the name of the Lord :

cavi.
'
O Lord, save, Thou, my life !
'

O Domine libera animam

meam :

5. Misericors Dominus, et Jus- 5. Gracious the Lord and kind

is ;

tus, et Deus noster miseretur. And pity is our God.

full of
6. Custodiens parvulos Domi- 6. The Lord protecteth the little ones :

ntLS : humiliatus sum, et libera- I was in sorrow, and He gave me help.

vit me.
7. Convertere anima niea in 7. Return, then, my soul to thy rest.
requiem tuam quia Dominus
: For the Lord hath dealt kindly with
benefecit tibi. thee.

8. Quia eripuit animam meam For He hath saved my soul from death,
de morte oculos meos a lacri-
:
My eyes from tears,
mis, pedes meos a lapsu. Mv feet from stumbling.
9. Placebo Domino in regione 9. I shall walk before the Lord
vivorum. In the land of the living.
II4-II5] A SONG OF THANKSGIVING 247

1. The Alleluia is from the end of the preceding psahn.

Dilexi : the Hebrew, 'aluibhti, is also without an object. The
Greek explained by
yiydTrrja-a is some of the Greek commentators
iis=vi)pdvd7]v, In the translation above the Domimis
'
I rejoice.'
has been transferred from the second half of the verse to the first.
This arrangement is suggested by the first verse of Ps. xvii. 2 Diligam :

tc Domineforiitudo mca and Ps. xvii as will be noticed, is frequently

;

echoed in this psalm.

'

Vocem prayerful voice.'

orationis, Cf. Ps. v. 3.
2. IncUnavit atirem is a development of exaitdict.
In meis=as long as I live.
diebiis
' '

Invocabo Hebrew, 'ekm', I will cry out

:
the words of the cry :

would, perhaps, be something like David's battle-cry MVmllal :

Yahweh, Laudandus Dominus (Ps. xvii. 4), or, possibly, 'Him' is

understood, and we should render as in the translation above. Another

'

possibility is that the Plebrew biniai, in my days,' may be due to a

Yahweh, on the name of
'

misreading of a contracted form of b^sheni

Yahweh.'
3. We have here clear echoes of
Ps. xvii. 5-7. Dolores mortis
ought to be, as Jerome renders, /z^Ht;s mortis, hebhle niaweth. See note ' ' ' '

on Ps. xvii. 5, 6. The expression cords or bonds of death sug-

gests the idea of death as a hunter seizing his quarry.
Pericula inferni : Hebrew, m^sare sh^'ol, the anguish of Sheol :

angiistiae inferni would be a better rendering. psalmist The means

here, as in Ps. xvii. 5-7, that his life was in imminent peril, that it

seemed to him as if he were already entering into the netherworld,

Sheol.
' '

Invenerunt, overtaken,' seized upon.'

4. This verse seems to be connected with
the preceding, thus :

When I was in the perilous situation described in verse 3, 1 invoked the

name of Yahweh saying
"
O Yahweh, save my life " : !

5. Misericors et Justus :
cf. Ps. ex. 4 ;
cxi. 4 ; James v. 11.

6. Ciistodiens who guards.' Tne parvuli are the p^tha'im-

'
one

:

{'
the simple of the Hebrew
')
text i.e., those who are unable to

protect themselves, and who must, therefore, rely entirely on the

protection of Yahweh. Cf. Matt. xi. 25.
Humiliatus sum :
'
when (or, whenever) I am lowly,' or,
'
if I am
lowly.'
7. This is a specimen of the soliloquies with
which the psalmist
' '

used to comfort himself in times of trouble. The rest is God, for

in God alone the psalmist can find true rest. Cf. Ps. xli. 6 John ;

xiv. 27.

8-9. A
quotation from Ps. Iv. 13.
Eripuit Hebrew has the second person, as in Ps. Iv. Eripnit
:

'

governs oculos and pedes, but as we cannot well say rescue eyes
*
from tears,' or rescue feet from stumbling,' a more suitable verb
248 THE PSALMS [114-115

should be sought for each of these two phrases. have here an We

instance of zeugma.
'

Placebo the Hebrew has 'ethhallekh,

:
I will walk.' Since hith-
'

hallckh,
'

to walk,' is used commonly in the phrase walk before the

Lord/ and since this phrase means to please the Lord, hithhalleklh
'

came to be understood by the Greek translators as meaning please,'

'
be pleasing to.' Cf. Heb. xi. 5, 6 ;
i Thess. iv. i ; Ephes. v. 8-10 ;

1 Cor. V. 7, 9 ;
Coloss. i. 10.
'

In regione vivorum, on earth.' Cf. Ps. xxvi. 13.

Alleluia.

1 (10). Crcdidi, propter quod i (lo I was confident, even when I said
locutus sum ego autcm humi-
:
'

I am humbled indeed.'
liatus sum nimis.
2 (11). Ego dixi in excessu 2 (ii I said in my depression :

Every man is a liar.'

'

meo : Omnis homo mendax.

3 (12). Quid retribuam Do- 3 (12 How shall I make return to Yahweh
mino, pro omnibus, quaj retri- For all His benefits to me ?
buit mihi ?
4 (13). Calicem salutaris acci- 4 {13 The cup of rescue I will raise.
piam : at nomen Domini invo- And the name of Yahweh I wili
cabo. cry forth.
Vota mea Domino red-
5 (14). 5 (14 .
My vows I will pay to the Lord,
dam coram omni populo ejus : Before all His people.

6 (15). Pretiosa in conspectu 6 (15 Grievous in the sight of the Lord

Domini mors sanctorum ejus : Is the slaying of His saints.
7 (16). O Domine quia ego 7 (16 Yea, Lord, I am indeed Thy servant ;

servus tuus :
ego servus tuus et I am Thy serv^ant,
filius ancillae tuae. The son of Thy handmaid.
Dirupisti vincula mea :
My bonds Thou hast loosed.
8(17). Tibi sacrificabo hosti- 8 (17 I will offer Thee a sacrifice of praise,
am laudis, et nomen Domini in- I will call upon the name of
vocabo. Yahweh ;

9(18). Vota mea Domino red- 9(18 My vows I will pay to the Lord,
dam in conspectu omnis populi Before all His people,
ejus :

10 (19). In atriis domus Do- 10 (19 In the courts of Yahweh's House,

mini, in medio tui Jerusalem. In thy midst, O Jerusalem !

I. The AUeln-ia is absent from the Hebrew text. As explained

above psalm there is no convincing reason
in the introduction to this
for regarding Ps. cxv of the Vulgate as independent of Ps. cxiv.
Credidi the psalmist wishes to say that his faith in Yahweh did
:

not fail even when he was in deepest wretchedness. Even though

he complained of his griefs, he still firmly retained his trust in the
Lord.
Propter quod is dlmosi^quando. St. Paul in 2 Cor. iv. 13, foUov/ing
II4-II5] A SONG OF THANKSGIVING 249

the immediate meaning of the Greek, uses the phrase Credidi, propter
'

quod locutus swn in the sense I believe therefore I speak.'

: In ;

the context of the Psalm, however, the sense of the phrase must be,
'

I believed when (or, even when) I said.'

Ego autem, etc. These are the words of complaint which he
spoke in his affliction. The affliction is the same, apparently as that
referred to in cxiv. 3, 8.
2 (11). In cxcessn meo this is a quotation from Ps. xxx. 23
: the :

'

Hebrew h%ophzi, and this must be taken in the context not as in

is
'

my glad surprise,' as some commentators render it, but as in my

dismay,' or, in my depression.' The excessus was the frame of mind
'

produced by his misfortunes.

Oninis Itomo mendax cf. Ps. Ixi. 10
:
Jer. xvii. 5. The psalmist
;

means that man essentially unreliable and deceitful when com-

is

pared with God. God alone, as the psalmist had fully realised in
his troubles, is faithful and true. Thus the afflictions of the psalmist
had taught him that he must trust in Yahweh alone. Cf. Rom. iii. 4/.
3 (12). The favours which he has received from the Lord (including
his sense of trust and confidence) are too great to be acknowledged in
words.
4 (13). The calix sahitaris is the cup which the psalmist offers to
the Lord as part of the thanksgiving-offering for rescue. While the
singer offers and empties the cup, he calls aloud the name of Yahweh,
so that all may know that it is to Yahweh he owes his rescue.

5 (14). This verse recurs below (verse 18), and is here probably
out of place.
' '
6 (15). Pretiosa the Hebrew yakar means
:
heavy,' grievous.'
This verse gives the ground of verse 13 the psalmist has thanked :

the Lord with fervour for the preservation of his life, and now he
suggests a special reason for Yahweh's intervention on his behalf.
The death of His devoted adherents is a grievous thing in the eyes
of Yahweh it is, therefore, not lightly suffered by the Lord.
:
The
' '
Hebrew has not death {tnors) of His devoted ones,' but slaying of
' '

His devoted ones.' The devoted ones are called here Tfsidhini,
but it is not necessary to identify them, as many modern writers do,
with the 'Ao-tSatot of the Maccabean period.
7 (16).^? Probably the second ego servus Urns is a case of dittography.
The psalmist is not an ordinary slave of Yahweh he is a slave born :

in his Master's house

the son of a -woman already a .'^lave in that
house. Hence he has a claim to a very special measure of his Master's
affection{cf. Ps. Ixxxv. 16).
The psalmist in this comparison desires
rather to emphasise his claim to Yahweh's interest than to give an
exact account of his own position he claims as much interest and
:

affection from Yahweh as a slave born in his master's house might

expect from his master. It has been suggested that the prayer con-
tained in Ps. cxiv. 5 Libera animam meam should be inserted after
:
250 THE PSALMS [114-115

O Dominc, the quia would then introduce a special reason for the
Lord's intervention. It is more likely, however, that the Hebrew
I am indeed Thy
'

ki iqjtia) is here used to strengthen the assertion :

servant.' The vincula are the perils from which the psahnist has
been released.
'

8 (17). It strange to speak of a sacrifice of praise,' but the

is

psalmist intends thus to refer at once to the actual sacrifice offered

and to his own song of thanks and praise which accompanies it.
 PSALM CXVI
PRAISE YAHWEH ALL YE GENTILES
we find frequently as an introduction in other psalms
WHAT a summons to the praise of Yahweh appears here as a
complete and independent psalm. The summons is here
addressed, not, as usual, to Israel, but to the heathen
peoples. If the psalm was used, as it seems to have been, in the

regular liturgy of the Temple, we can infer from it how familiar to

Israel was the thought of the universality of Yahweh 's kingdom.
The heathens are called upon to praise the Lord because of His good-
ness towards Israel [super nos). This implies that they recognise the
rule, and share in the worship, of Yahweh.
This outspoken universalism is obviously based on the Messianic
outlook. In Rom. xv. ii St. Paul takes the first verse of this psalm
as a prophecy of the call of the Gentiles, and Theodoret sees echoes
of this psalm in Tit. iii. 4-6 Ephes. ii. 8 Rom. v. 8 xv. 8, 9.
: ; ;

Most of the older commentators point out that the conversion of the
Gentiles was due chiefly to the misericordia of God, whereas the con-
version of the Jews, as something promised in the ancient oracles,
was primarily due to the divine Veritas. It is scarcely necessary,

however, to regard this psalm as expressing fine distinctions between

the results of God's loving kindness and of His truth. Besides, the
fact that the call of the Gentiles was foretold in the ancient pro-
is

phecies just as clearly as the caU of the Jews from which it should

follow that God in actually calling the heathens to His Kingdom

was moved thereto by His Veritas His loyalty to His promises.
The point of the psalm does not lie in any contrast between loving-
kindness and truth, but in the circumstance that the heathen are
called on to glorify Yahweh because the kindness and truth of God
have abounded towards the Hebrews.

Alleluia. Alleluia.

1. Laudate Dominum omnes i. Praise the Lord all ye Gentiles !

Gentes laudate eum omnes

: Praise Kim all ye nations !

populi :

2. Quoniam confirmata est 2. For His loving kindness hath abounded

super nos misericordia ejus : et upon us,
Veritas Domini manet in a;ter- And the truth of the Lord abideth ever-
num. more
251
252 THE PSALMS [ii6

1.
The second Laudate renders shabb%n a verb more familiar in
Aramaic than in Hebrew.
' '
2. Confirmata represents the Hebrew gahhar, to prevail,' to be
' '

strong ;
this verb is used in the narrative in Genesis of the pre-
'

vailing of the waters of the Deluge (Gen. vii. 10-18, 20, 24) ;
it is

used also in Ps. cii. 11 of the niisericordia of Yahweh. Perhaps the

thought suggested by the word is that God's kindness and truth
have swept over Israel like a mighty flood.
Super nos if it were possible to take the summons Laudate as
:

addressed by heathens to heathens (as some commentators take it)

the nos would, of course, refer to the heathen. But the Laudate is
naturally to be taken as spoken by God's own people. As said above
in the introduction to this psalm there is no need to suppose that the
misericordia ofGod is referred here especially to the Gentiles since

the os= Jews or that the Veritas of Yahweh is here mentioned as the
guiding influence in God's dealings with the Jews. God's dealings
with Jews and Gentiles alike were based both on His misericordia
and His Veritas.
 PSALM CXVII
A THANKSGIVING SONG AT TABERNACLES
verses 19, 27^, 24, 26, it is obvious that this song was com-

FROM posed for use as portion of a thanksgiving ritual on some

great occasion. The psalm was arranged, apparently, to be
sung antiphonally, or after the fashion of a litany, by distinct
groups of singers. Verse 19 shows that the first eighteen verses
were intended to be sung by a procession which, starting from a point
not definitely indicated in the poem, wound its way through Sion
up to the south gate of the Temple and entered into the Temple
Court. It is not possible to ascertain exactly how the parts of the

processional song were apportioned, but some attempt has been made
in the translation below to suggest how the various parts of the psalm
were assigned to the different singers. When the procession enters
the Templeat verse 19, the antiphonal singing is continued. At the
end, the whole multitude of worshippers joins in the repetition of the
theme with which the psalm begins.
In the psalm we can mark off the first four verses as an intro-
duction. Then we can distinguish two main sections in the poem,
5-18 and 19-29. The former of these consists of two parallel sub-
sections, 5-12 and 13-18, which give some idea of the historical situa-
tion from which the psalm has sprung. The central attitude of these
two sub-sections is proud gladness over the good fortune which Yah-
weh has recently granted to His people the Israelites feel themselves
:

strong enough to defy the hostile peoples who dwell round about
them But the present prosperity of Israel was preceded by a period
of bitter trial when the hatred and jealousy of her neighbours had
brought her so low that her political strength was broken, and nothing
remained to her but faith in Yahweh. The memory of her humilia-
tions only serves, however, to intensify the pride and joy of Israel
in her present success, and the heart of the people is moved to deep
thankfulness towards Yahweh.
In the second part of the psalm we have first a summons to the
guardian of the Temple-gate (verse 19) and then the answer of a
;

priest who guards the gate (20) ;

then follows (21-24) the song of
those who receive the procession as it enters. In these verses the
wondrous delivery of Israel from her troubles is sung, and the glory
of the Feast which is being celebrated is declared. A prayer for the
continuance 01 Yahweh's gracious help is sung in verse 25, which is
followed in verse 26 by a form of the High Priestly blessing then :

253
254 THE PSALMS [117

follows (in verse 276) a summons to the sacred dance of the festival.
In verse 28 we have a specimen of the song with which the worshippers
accompanied their dance, and in verse 29 we hear the whole multitude
joining in a repetition of the opening words of the psalm.
The Feast for which the psalm was composed cannot be determined
with certainty. Whatever the first occasion of the psalm may have
been, we know it was at an early period peculiarly associated
that
with the Feast of Tabernacles. It is possible that it was sung for
the first time at the great celebration of Tabernacles described in
Nehemias viii, and if that celebration of Nehemias coincided, as it
may have done, with the celebration of the completion of the city
walls in 444 B.C., we are justified in supposing that Psalm cxvii was
at once a song of victory over the reconstruction of the walls, and a
song for the Feast of Tabernacles. The cry Hoshi 'ah-nah of verse 25
' '

and the leafy branches of verse 27 were features of the Feast of

Tabernacles (which appear together also in the Gospel-narrative of
Our Lord's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday). From Jewish
tradition it is known that verse 25 :

'annah Yahweh, hoshi 'ah-na' ,

'annah Yahweh, haslihah-na'

was sung during the Feast of Tabernacles, while the worshippers,

bearing leafy branches, moved round the altar of holocausts once a

day on the first six days of the Feast, and six times on the seventh
day. This seventh day was known as Yom Hosha'na', the Day of
'

Hosanna,' and the branches carried by the people on the seventh

day were also called Hosha'na' {cf. the Tract Sukka iv. 14, 30&.).
As the last psalm of the Hallel, Ps. cxvii was, of course, sung at the
Pasch. The nearness of Pasch and the use of the leafy branches at
Our Lord's entry into Jerusalem, would both suggest to the multitude
the cry Hosanna {=hoshi'ah-na'). It is interesting to note that, in
the same chapter of the Gospel (Matt, xxi) which describes the solemn
entry of Christ into the Holy City, we find Our Lord quoting against
the Pharisees, verses 22-23 of Ps. cxvii.

Alleluia Alleluia.
(Introduction)
1. Confitemini Domino quo- 1. Thank the Lord, for He is good !

niam bonus quoniam : in seecu- Yea, His kindness abideth for ever.
lum misericordia ejus.
2. Dicat nunc Israel quoniam 2. Thus let Israel say :

bonus quoniam in saeculum

: Yea. for ever abideth His kindness !

misericordia ejus.
3. Dicat nunc domus Aaron :
3. Thus let the House of Aaron say :

quoniam in sseculum misericor- Yea, for ever abideth His kindness !

dia ejus.
4. Dicant nunc qui timent 4. Thus let them that fear the Lord say :

Dominum :
quoniam in saecu- Yea, forever abideth His kindness.
lum misericordia ejus.
1^7] A TPIANKSGIVING SONG '7 r -'

[During the procession]

(First choir)
5. De tribulatione invocavi 5. Out of sore need I called to the Lord ;

Dominum et exaudivit me in
:
The Lord heard me and rescued me.
latitudine Dominus.
6. Dominus mihi adjutor 6. The Lord is my Helper ! fear not :

non timebo quid faciat mihi What can man do against me ?

homo.
7. Dominus mihi adjutor
et :
7. The Lord is my Helper
ego despiciam inimicos meos. I see m\' desire on my foes.

(Second ciioir)
S. Bonum est confidere in Do- 8. It better to trust in the Lord
is

mino, quam confidere in liomine: Than to trust in men.

9. Bonum est sperare in Do- It is better to trust in the Lord
mino, quam sperare in principi- Than to trust in princes.
bus.
(First choir)
10. Omnes Gentes circuierunt 10. All the Gentiles encompassed me ;

me : et in nomine Domini quia In the name of Yahweh I destroyed

ultus sum in eos. them :

11. Circumdautes circumde- II. They encompassed and engirt me ;

derunt me et in nomine Domi-: In the name of Yahweh I destroyed

ni quia ultus sum in eos. them ;

12. Circumdederunt me sicut 12. They swarmed around me like bees.

apes, et exarserunt sicut ignis in And burned like fire among thorns ;

spinis et in nomine Domini

: In the name of Yahweh 1 destroyed
quia ultus sum in eos. them.

(Second choir)
13. Impulsus eversus sum ut I was thrust off that I should fall ;

caderem et Dominus suscepit

: But the Lord protected me.
me.
14. Fortitudo mea, et laus 14. My strength and my song is the Lord ;

mea Dominus : et {actus est mi- He hath become my deliverance.

hi in salutem.
15. Vox exsultationis, et sa- Voices of jubilee and victory
lutis in tabernaculis justorum. Are in the tents of the just.
10. Dextera Domini fecit vir- 10. The right hand of Yahweh hath exer-
tutem dextera Domini exalta-
: cised power ;
vit me, de.xtera Domini fecit right hand of Yahweh hath de-
The
virtutem. livered me ;

The right hand of Yahweh hath exer-

cised power.
17. Non moriar, sed vivam ;
17- I shall not die but live,
et narrabo opera Domini. And rehearse the deeds of the Lord ;
iS. Castigans castigavit me The Lord hath chastened me sorely ;

Dominus : et morti non tradidit But to death He hath not abandoned

me. me.

(Singer before the gate of the Temple)

19. Aperite mihi portas justi- 19. Open to me the gates of justice :

tise, ingressus in eas confitebor I will enter by them and give thanks to
Domino : Yahweh !

(Voice of a priest)
20. Hsec porta Domini, just) 20. This is the gate of Yahweh :

intrabunt in earn. The just alone enter thereat !

(Song at the entrance of procession)

21. Confitebor tibi quoniam 21. I give Thee thanks for Thou hast heard
exaudisti me : et factus es mihi me.
in salutem. And art become my deliverance.
256 THE PSALMS [ir;

22. Lapidcm, qiiem reproba- 22. The stone which the builders rejected,
verunt aediticantcs hie factus : Is become the corner-stone :

est in caput anguli.

23. A Domino factum est 23. This is the work of the Lord :

istud : et est mirabile in oculis It is marvellous in our eyes !

nostris.
24. Ha;c est dies, quam fecit 24. This is the Day which the Lord hath
Dominus exsultemus, et
: lacte- made !

mur in ea. Let us rejoice and be glad theiein !

(A prayer)
25. O Domine salvum me fac, 25. Save me, O Lord :

o Domine, bene prosperare : O Lord, grant me success !

(Blessing)
26.Benedictus qui venit in 26. Blessed in the name of Yahweh
nomine Domini. Is he that cometh.
Benediximus vobis de domo We give you blessing
Domini : We who belong to the House of Yah-
weh.
27. Deus Dominus, et illuxit 27. Yahweh is God and He givcth us light !

nobis.
(Summons to the sacred dance)
Constituite diem solemnem in Marshal the festive dance with leafy
condensis, usque ad cornu alta- branches,
ris. (That reach) even unto the altar-horns.

(Song of the dancers)

28. Deus meus es tu, et con- 28. Thou art my God, I give Thee thanks
fitebor tibi Deus meus es tu, : Thou art my God, I extol Thee !

et exaltabo te. I give Thee thanks because Thou hast

Confitebor tibi quoniam ex- heard me,
audisti me : et factus es mihi in And art become my deliverance.
salutem.
(The people)
29. Confitemini Domino quo- 29. Thank the Lord, for He is good !

niani bonus quoniam in saicu- : Yea, His kindness abideth for ever !

lum misericordia ejus.

1. Cf. Ps. cv. I cvi. I cxxxv. The threefold grouping of the

; ;

worshippers is the same as in Ps. cxiii. 17-19. We must regard these

introductory verses as sung after the fashion of a htany. There is
first the general declaration of the dutj^ of giving thanks to Yahweh

iDCcause of His kindness this is supposed to be repeated by each of

:

'
the three groups, and the people generally answer in each case, Yea,
'

His kindness abideth for aye The answer of the people is like the !

recurrence of the petition in a litany. The quoniam does not suitably

reproduce the sense of the Hebrew the Hebrew ki here means some- :

' '

thing like yea,' or verily.'

' ' '
2. House of Israel : the Massoretic text omits House.' The
quoniam bonus of verse 2 is not found in the Hebrew it is an addition :

based on verse i.
5. We can see that here and in the following verses there is not

question of an individual, but of the community. An individual

 ri7] A THANKSGIVING SONG 257

could not speak of himself as hemmed in by tlie nations round about.

Moreover, it is only a nation, and not an individual, that can be
said not to die. Besides, it is clear from the whole context that the
psalm was sung by a multitude, by the members of a procession. It
is, therefore, a communal psalm, and it is the joys and sorrows of
Israel as a people that it celebrates. The sorrow from which Israel
has been rescued is, in the first instance, the Babylonian Exile, and
secondarily, the perils that threatened her existence during the
century that immediately followed the Exile.
Exaudivit in latitudine Hebrew, With spaciousness He answered
'

me,' i.e., God rescued Israel from the straitness of the Exile and the
troubles which followed it, and led her out, as it v/ere, into the spacious-
' '

ness of freedom. Wideness,' spaciousness '^absence of restraint ;

cf. Ps. xvii. 20

Eduxit me in latitudinem, and Ps. cxviii. 45
: Amhu- :

laham in latitudine. Compare for the same idea Ps. xxx. 9 Con- :

clusisii me in manibus inimici : statuisti in loco spatioso pedes meos.

Exaudivit in latitudine is pregnant for Exaudivit me, et statuit me in :

loco spatioso. It is interesting to note that the Hebrew text of this

psalm uses frequently the form Yah for the divine name, instead of
Yahweh.
6. MiJii adjutor the Massoretic text has nothing corresponding
:

to adjutor. 66 recalls Ps. Iv. 5, 11.

'

7. Despiciam Hebrew, 'er'eh, 1 shall see my pleasure on,' i.e.,

:

I shall have the satisfaction of seeing their failure. Israel rejoices

at the defeat of her foes not merely from feelings of vindictiveness,
but also because their defeat is the overthrow of the enemies of Yahweh
Himself.
' '

8. 9. The princes may possibly be to King Artaxerxes

reference in
who had given permission for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.
In spite of that permission the Jewish people had been violently
opposed in their project of reconstruction by the surrounding peoples,
so that they might well say that trust in princes was futile.
10. Verses 10-12 seem to refer to the efforts made by the neigh-
bours of the Jews round about to prevent the restoration of Jerusalem.
'

The people who engirt Israel are probably to be identified with

'

those spoken of in Nehemias ii. 19 iv. if. Samaritans, Ammonites,

; :

Arabians, etc. In spite of all the hostility and mockery of their

neighbours the Judeans, relying on the help of Yahweh, had suc-
ceeded in rebuilding the walls of their city. Verses 10-12 contain a
thrice repeated cry of victory over their achievement.
11. Quia iiltus sum the quia (to which nothing corresponds
:

here in the Septuagint) is to be taken like the qiioniam of verses

1-4 : it is a literal translation of ki, which is an asseverative
particle. Ultics sum in eos renders the Hebrew '"niilam, the meaning
of which is uncertain. The Syriac renders it 'I extirpated them.' :

' '

Avenged myself upon them is scarcely strong enough in the con-

17
258 THE PSALMS [117

text. The Hebrew imperfect '"milam implies that the repression of

the enemy continues even in the present.
J ft nomine Domini :
trusting in Yahweh, and invoking His name.
12. For the imagery of the swarm of bees compare Deut. i. 44
and Is. vii. iS. As bees swarm round the honey-comb, and as fire
burns in well dried brambles
so eager and violent was the attack
of the foes. The Hebrew, do'''khu k^'esh kosim, ought to be rendered,
'

They were extinguished like a fire among thorns,' but as this is not
suitable in the context, we read with the Septuagint ba"^ru,
'

they '

burned, etc.,' instead of do"^khu they were extinguished.'

The Hebrew here has the second person
13. Thou didst thrust '

me away '
the hostile peoples being directly addressed. The

Septuagint translators read nidhethi, eversus sum instead of the

Massoretic dliithani,
'

thou didst cast me hence.' Impulsus repre-

sents the infinitive absolute dahoh : this combined with d%itltam
'

would be normally rendered Overthrowing thou didst over- ;

throw me.'
Ut caderem the aim of their foes was to bring about the absolute
:

ruin of the Jews. But the help of Yahweh frustrated the plans of
the enemies.
14. Cf. Exod. XV. 2 ;
Is. xii. 2. Lat{s mea=theme of my song of
praise.
15. The and victory are the songs which are being
cries of joy

actually sung by the members of the procession as they approach

' '

the Temple. The just are, of course, the Israelites.

16. Here are some of the actual voces exuUationis. Me is not in
the Hebrew. Here, as in verses 1-4, 8-9, 10-12, we must suppose a
chant carried on like a litanj^.
17. Israel is now confident that she will long survive to publish
the great deeds of Yahweh her survival itself will be a wonderful
:

token of Yahweh's power.

18. Israel now sees clearly that her recent troubles were intended
to instruct and discipline her, and not to bring about her destruction.
Castigans castigavit is the same construction as that referred to in
the note to verse 13. Cf. Jer. xxx. 11.
19. The procession has reached the gate of the Temple. The
' '

Temple-gates are gates of justice because by them one entered

into justice, i.e., salvation {of. Jer. xxxi. 23).
20. The wordsof a priest, or Levite, who guards the gate. Those
' '
who enter are reminded that only the just may enter in through
'
the gates of justice.' With verses 19-20 should be compared Ps. xxiii.
3-6, where a similar situation is presupposed.
21. The procession passes in through the gate and the voces exuUa-
tionis are still heard.
22. Cf. Jer. li. 26 :
speaking of the destruction of Babel the
From
'

prophet says : thee shaU none take a stone for a corner-stone

117] A THANKSGIVING SONG 259
or a foundation-stone a waste place thou shalt remain for ever.'
:

Israel, which, like her city and her Temple, had been cast into ruins,
is now raised up again and
given a decisive religious and political
importance she will be the corner-stone, so to speak, in the Kingdom

;

of God the Messianic Kingdom which is here thought of, as in

Matt. xvi. as a building. In that building Sion (=Israel) will be the
corner-stone (' head of the corner ')
the stone, therefore, which, as
completing the outermost edge of the wall, is a key-stone in the
structure. Our Lord applies the verse to Himself in Matt. x.xi. 42.
As has been frequently pointed out in this commentary the fortunes
of Israel are, for the most part, typical of the career of the Messias.
He should resume in Himself all that was great and good and tragic
and heroic in the history of Israel. Hence, as Israel was despised
and rejected by her heathen neighbours though she was destined to
play a chief part in the Kingdom of God, so was Jesus, the divinely
appointed corner-stone of the building of the Messianic Kingdom,
' '

rejected with contempt by the leaders of Israel. The builders in

the context of the psalm have no particular significance they are :

intended simply to complete the picture. In the verse as used by

' '

Jesus, the builders might be regarded as the would-be builders of

God's Kingdom the narrow-minded and misguided Jewish teachers
of Our Lord's time.
The raising up of
Israel out of ruin and impotence to power and
importance might well be called wonderful
'

just as the triumph

'

of Jesus over His apparently victorious adversaries was divinely
wonderful.
23. But it was God alone who wrought the wonder in both cases.
Compare Nehem. vi. 16.
24. Yahweh
has supplied the occasion of the Feast by His help.
25. The prayer here
refers primarily, it would seem, to the festival
that is being celebrated but it is probably also implied that Israel
;

will need for her future a steady continuance of the help she has
hitherto received. As has been said already, the cry Salvrmi fac
Hoshi 'ah-na', was peculiarly associated with the Feast of Tabernacles.
Benedictus qui venit, etc. the Hebrew accents indicate that the
;

'
Blessed in the name of Yahweh is he that cometh
'
sense is : the :

name of Yahweh was pronounced in the formula of blessing. Compare

the typical priestly blessing, Num. vi. 24-26 ;

xMay Yahweh bless thee and guard thee ;

May Yahweh make His face to shine on thee and be gracious to thee ;

May Yahweh hft up His face upon thee and give thee peace !
'

This was the usual formula of the High Priestly blessing, as prescribed
'

by the words (Num. vi. 27) So shall they put my name on the
:

Israelites, and I will bless them.' A blessing like this was invoked
on the worshippers, and it was spoken by a priest representing the
26o THE PSALMS [117

priests of the Temple. Qui venit=the procession at its arrival, and

vobis= the members of the procession.
' '

27. Dens Doniinus=' Yahweh is God here the rendering The;

'

Lord is God would be quite unsatisfactory.

Illiixit nobis is an echo of the words of blessing just quoted. Yah-
weh has been a light to the Israelites to lead them forth from their
troubles, just as He had been a pillar of fire to lead forth Israel from
Eg>'pt.
In 2yb, the people are summoned to join in the festival-dance as
an act of thanksgiving for the favours they have received from Yah-
weh. Dies solemnis renders the Hebrew hai^h a word which meant
primarily a sacred dance, or cult-dance {cf. Exod. xiii. 6). Corres-
ponding to consitinte we have in the Hebrew 'isrit-, which can mean
'
marshal,'
'
set in order
'
so that constituite is a sufficiently accurate
'

rendering. In
condensis, with thick (or, leafy) branches,' translates
correctly la"^bhothim. The whole phrase means then, probably :

'

Arrange begin) the cult-dance with waving of branches even up

(or,
'
to the altar-horn the immediate reference is probably to the
;

encircling of the altar of Holocausts by the branch-waving multitude

during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jerome's rendering,
Freqitentate sollemtiitatem in jrondosis
usque ad cormi altaris

reproduces with fair accuracy the meaning of the original. For

' ' '
thick (or leafy ') branches as the meaning of "^bhothim see Ezech.
xix. II. Lev. xxiii. 39^., speaking of the solemnising of Tabernacles
' '
refers definitely to the branches to be carried by the people. The
branches were reached towards the altar as the people moved round
in the sacred dance, and were made to touch the horns of the altar.
See the tract Sukka, iv. 5.
28. Here again, as in verse 14, we have echoes of the Song of
Moses, Exod. xv. 2.
29. The multitude joins in repeating the first verse of the psalm.
 PSALM CXVIII
THE PRAISE OF THE LAW
psalm consists of twenty-two stanzas, or strophes, of eight

THIS verses each. The stanzas are so constructed that

verses in each begin with the same letter of the Hebrew
all the

alphabet, and the letters follow in the psalm the order of that
alphabet. There are, thus, in all twenty-two strophes. That there
are eight verses in each strophe is due, probably, to the circumstance
that the Law was known familiarly under eight chief designations
(many, or according to David Miiller, all, of which are used in the
remarkable hymn on the Torah in Ps. xviii. 8ff.). These epithets, or
designations, were 'imrah (utterance), dabhar (word), hnkkim (pre-
cepts), miswoth (commands), mishpHim (judgments), 'edhoth, (testi-
monies), ^j/%y^?/<^/j:m (behests), Torah (Law, instruction). These eight
epithets all actually occur in several stanzas of the psalm, and it is
possible (and, according to some authorities, even probable) that in
the primitive text of our psalm all these eight names of the Law
occurred in every stanza.
Though the psalm is so long, its alphabetical arrangement and the
grouping of each strophe around standing epithets of the Law made
it suitable for learning by heart. Verse 9 has been taken as suggesting
that Ps. cxviii may have been used as a sort of Vade meciim for young
Israelites. There are few continuous passages in the psalm, and
there is no definite progress of thought either in the poem generally
or within the individual stanzas. Though the psalm may have been
intended as a sort of brief manual of Hebrew piety and philosophy
for young Israelites, it is composed from the point of view of the
nation, not from that of the individual. It is obviously not against

any private Israelite, but against the nation, that princes rise up in
hostility (23, 161) :
only the nation could be spoken of as almost
annihilated in the land (87) it is the nation Israel that is poor and
;

despised (141), that wanders in the world like a lost sheep (176). Of
Israel, rather than of any individual, was it true that the Law kept
it alive (73) for it was the Law that maintained the separate indi-

viduality of Israel during the Exile. In its Law the Hebrew people
generally had a deeper and truer philosophy, and theory of life than
any that was known to the Gentiles (98, 99) and it was the con-
ciousness of possessing the truth on fundamental matters that gave
the nation courage to speak without fear before the heathen kings
who oppressed it (46).

261
262 THE PSALMS [118

The psalm represents Israel as having endured much mockery

and many other trials (22, 25, 28, 39, 41, 49, 83-86, 92, 107, etc.).
While the foes of Israel appear mostly as heathens (95, 109, no, etc.),
there are among thom also renegade Jews (21, 53, 113. 115, 118, 126,
139, etc.). The Jew living in the midst of a Gentile community
was of necessity a marked individual. His beliefs and practices cut
him off largely from intercourse with his Gentile contemporaries, and
earned for him frequently their mockery and contempt. It is well
known that in the Hellenistic period, many Jews were induced, partly
by the desire to escape the mockery of the Gentiles, and partly by the
attractiveness of heathen philosophy, to abandon their national
beliefs, and join the Gentiles in mocking the strict followers of the
Law. Such backslidings among the Jews did not begin, we may be
sure, in the Hellenistic period they must have been as old as the
;

first extensive contact of Judaism with forms of Western thought.

The author of this psalm was fully alive to the dangerous attractive-
ness of heathen speculation for his Jewish brethren, but he himself
has nothing but contempt for heathen teachers (99). For him the
Torah of Yahweh is the highest thought in depth and beauty far
beyond all merely human philosophy and he proudly declares his
;

unwavering allegiance thereto. The vehement and well-informed

Hebrew thinker who composed this enthusiastic defence and glori-
fication of the Law was, in all probability, moved to write it by the
encroachments of heathen thought among the Jews and we can ;

well imagine how industriously the psalmist's associates and the

strongly nationalist Jews of later times must have used the words of
this poem to arm their young countrymen against the seductions of

foreign thought.

Alleluia. Alleluia.

'Aleph
1. Beati immaculati in via: i. Happy are the stainless in life's way.
qui ambulant in lege Domini. Who walk in the Law of Yahweh.
2. Beati, qui scrutantur testi- 2. Happy are they who keep His decrees.
naonia ejus in toto corde ex-
: Who seek Him with all their heart :

quirunt eum.
3. Non enim qui operantur 3. For they who sin
iniquitatem, in viis ejus ambu- Walk not on His p; ths.
laverunt.
4. Tu mandasti mandata tua 4. Thou hast enjoined Thy decrees,
custodiri nimis. That they may be zealously observed.
5. Utinam dirigantur viae 5. O that my ways were well guided.
meae, ad custodiendas justifica- To the keeping of Thy laws ;

tiones tuas !

6. Tunc non confundar, cum 6. Then I shall not be put to shame.

perspexero in oninibus mandatis When I look on all Thy command-
tuis. ments.
7. Conlitebor tibi in directione 7. I will thank Thee with a heart sincere.
cordis in eo quod didici judicia
: When I learn Thy just decrees.
justitiac tuae.
ii8] THE PRAISE OF THE LAW 263

8. Justiticationes tuas custo- Tiiy laws i will keep ;

diam : non me derelinquas us- Do not wholly forsake me !

quequaque.
Beth
Whereby doth a youth keep pure
'

9. In quo cori'igit adolescenti- his

'

or viam suam ? in custodiendo way ?

sermones tuos. By heeding Thy words !

10.In toto corde meo exqui- 10. With my whole heart I seek Thee ;

sivi te ne repellas
: me a man- Thrust me not off from Thy laws.
datis tuis.
11. In corde meo abscond! 11. In m}^ heart I treasure Thy oracles.
eloquia tua ut non pecceni tibi. :
That I may not sin against Thee.
12. Benedictus es Domine : 12. Praised be Thou, Lord !

doce me justiticationes tuas. Teach me Thy decrees.

13. In labiis meis, pronuntiavi 13. With my lips I recount
omnia judicia oris tui. All the judgments of Thy mouth.
14. In via testimoniorum tuo- 14. In the way of Thy precepts I rejoice.
rum delectatus sum, sicut in As in fulness of riches.
omnibus divitiis.
15. In mandatis tuis exerce- 15. On Thy decrees I will ponder ;

bor : et considerabo vias tuas. Thy paths I will regard.

16. In justificationibus tuis 16. In Thy laws I find pleasure,
meditabor : non obliviscar ser- I forget not Thy words.
mones tuos.

Gimel
17. Retribue servo tuo, vivi- 1 7. Deal kindly with Thy servant that I may-
fica me et custodiam sermones
: live.
tuos. And I keep Th}' words.
will
Revela oculos meos
18. et : 18. Unveil my eyes that I may behold
considerabo mirabilia de lege The wondrous things of Thy law.
tua.
19. Incola ego sum in terra :
19. I am a stranger on earth ;

non abscondas a me mandata Hide not from me Thy commands.

tua.
20. Concupivit anima mea de- 20. My soul pineth with longing
siderare justificationes tuas, in For Thy decrees evermore.
omni tempore.
21. Increpastisuperbos male- : 21. Thou threatenest the arrogant ;

dicti qui declinant a mandatis Accursed are they who desert Thy
tuis. commands.
22. Aufer a me opprobrium, 22. Take from me shame and contempt,
et contemptum quia testi- : Because I keep Thy decrees.
monia tua exquisivi.
23. Etenim sederunt princi- 23. Let princes sit together and speak
pes, et adversum me loqueban- against me :

tur servus autem tuus exerce-

:
Thy servant thinks only of Thy laws.
batur in justificationibus tuis.
24. Nam et testimonia tua 24. For Thy commands are my delight,
meditatio mea est et consilium : And Thy decrees are my counsellors.
meum justiticationes tuas.

Dalcth
25. Adhaesit pavimento ani- 25. My soul cleaveth to the dust :

ma mea vivifica me secundum

:
Quicken me according to Thy word.
verbum tuum.
26. Vias meas enuntiavi, et 26. My I rehearsed to Thee and Thou
ways
exaudisti me doce me justi- : heardest me ;

licationes tuas. Teach me Thy precepts !

27. Viam justificationum tua- 27. Instruct me in the way of Thy decrees.
rum instrue me et exercebor : And I will ponder on Thy wonders.
in mirabilibus tuis.
264 THE PSALMS riis

28. Dormitavit anima mca 28. My soul is weary from trouble ;

pr.-c tacdio confirma me in

: Strengthen me by Thy words I

verbis tuis.
29. Viam iniquitatis amove a 29. The wav of evil put far from me,
me : et de lege tua miserere mei. And with Thy Torah graciously favour
me!
30. Viam
veritatis elegi :
ju- 30. The way of truth I have chosen ;

dicia tua non sum oblitus. Iforget not Thy judgments.

31. Adhnssi testimoniis tuis, I cling to Thy testimonies, O Lord ;

Domine noli me confundere.

:
Let me not be brought to shame !

32. Viam mandatorum tuo- 32. I run the way of Thy commands ;

rum cucurri, cum dilatasti cor For Thou widenest my heart.

meum.

He
33. Legem pone mihi Domine Make my norm, O Lord, the way of Thy
viam justilicationum tuarum :
precepts,
et exquiram cam semper. And I will steadfastly keep it.
34. Da
mihi intellectum, et 34- Give me understanding that I may keep
scrutabor legem tuam et custo- :
Thy law.
diam illam in toto corde meo. And observe it with all my heart.
35. Deduc me in semitam 35- Lead me on the way of Thy commands.
mandatorum tuorum :
quia ip- For therein is my pleasure.
sam volui.
36. Inclina cor meum in testi- 36. Bend my heart to Thy testimonies,
monia tua : et non in avaritiam. And not unto avarice.
37. Averte oculos meos ne vi- 37. Turn away my eyes that they see not
deant vanitatem in via tua :
vanity :

vivifica me. B}^ Thy way give me life !

38. Statue servo tuo eloquium 38. Fulfil Thy word to Thy servant.
tuum, in timore tuo. Because of His fear of Thee.
Amputa opprobrium me-
39. 39. Take away my shame which I fear.
um quod suspicatus sum quia : For Thy judgments are good.
judicia tua jucunda.
40. Ex:ce concupivi mandata 40. Behold I long for Thy commands.
tua : in aequitate tua vivifica me. By Thy justice give me life !

Vau
Et veniat super me miseri-
41. 41. LetThy favour come upon me, O Lord I

cordia tua Domine salutare tu- : And Thy help, according to Thy word.
um secundum eloquium tuum.
42. Et respondebo exprobran- 42. So shall I have an answer for them that
tibusmihi verbum quiasperavi : mock me,
in sermonibus tuis. For I trust in Thy words.
43.Et ne auferas de ore meo 43. Take not ever the word of truth from my
verbum veritatis usquequaque : mouth,
quia in judiciis tuis supersperavi. For I greatly trust in Thy judgments.
44. Et custodian! legem tuam 44. I observe Thy law
semper in saeculum et in sajcu-
: For ever and ever !

lum saeculi.
45. Et ambulabam in latitu- 45. Thus shall I walk on a wide path.
dine :
quia mandata tua ex- For I seek Thy precepts.
quisivi.
46. Et loquebar in testimoniis 46. I willspeak of Thy testimonies before
tuis in conspectu regum et non ;
princes,
confundebar. And I shall not be ashamed.
47. Et meditabar in mandatis 47. I will ponder over Thy commands.
tuis, quae dilexi. Which I love.
48. Et levavi manus meas ad 48. I will raise up hands to Thy com-
my
mandata tua, quae dilexi et ex- : mands (which I love).
ercebar in justificationibus tuis. And I will ponder on Thy precepts.
ii8] THE PRAISE OF THE LAW 265

Zayin
49. Meinor esto verbi tui servo 49. Remember Thy word to Thy servant,
tuo, in quo mihi spem dedisti. Wherewith Thou hast given me hope.
50. Haec me
consolata est in 50. This is my comfort in my wretchedness.
humilitate mea
quia eloquium
: That Th}' utterance maketh me to live.
tuum vivificavit me.
51. Superbi inique agebant 51. The arrogant act always godlessly.
usquequaque a lege autem tua
: But I swerve not from Thy law.
Don declinavi.
52. Memor fui judiciorum tuo- 32. I remember Thy judgments of old, O
rum a saeculo Domine etconso- : Lord,
latus sum. And I am comforted.
53. Defectio tenuit me, pro 53. Indignation seizeth me because of the
peccatoribus derelinquentibus sinners.
legem tuam. Who abandon Thy Law
54. Cantabiles mihi erant ju- 54. Themes of song are to me Thy decrees.
stiiicationes tua;, in loco pere- Where'er I sojourn.
grinationis meJE.
55. Memor fui nocte nominis 55. I think in the night of Thy name, O
tui bomine : et custodivi legem Yahweh,
tuam. And Thy Torah I keep.
56. Haec facta est mihi :
quia 56. This is my lot

justificationes tuas exquisivi. That I keep Thy decrees.

Heth
57. Portio mea Domine, dixi 57. M\' portion, I say it, O Lord,
custodire legem tuam. Is to keep Thy Law.
58. Deprecatus suni faciem 58. I beg Thy favour with my whole heart ;

tuam in toto corde meo mise- : Be gracious to me according to Thy

rere mei secundum eloquium word,
tuum.
59. Cogitavi vias meas et :
59. I think over my wa^^s,
converti pedes meos in testi- And turn my feet towards Thy decrees.
monia tua.
60. Paratus sum, et non sum 60. I stand ready and undismayed.
turbatus ut custodiam man-
: To fulfil Thy commands.
data tua.
61. Funes peccatorum cir- 61. Cords of the wicked wrap me round,
cumplexi sunt me et legem : But I forget not Thy law.
tuam non sum oblitus.
62. Media nocte surgebam ad 62. At midnight I rise to praise Thee,
confitendum tibi, super judicia Because of Thy just judgments.
justificationis tuae.
63. Particeps ego sum omni- 63. I am a friend of all who fear Thee,
um timentium te et custodi-
: Of those who keep Thy commands.
entium mandata tua.
64. Misericordia tua Domine 64. The earth, O Lord, is full of Thy good-
plena est terra :
justificationes ness ;

tuas doce me. Teach me Thy precepts.

Teih
65. Eonitatem fecisti cum ser- 65. Thou hast shown kindness to Thy ser-
vo tuo Domine, secundum ver- vant, O Lord,
bum tuum. According to Thy word.
66. Eonitatem, et discipli- 66 Teach me goodness, restraint, and
nam, et scientiam doce me : wisdom,
quia mandatis tuis credidi. For I believe in Thy commands.
67. Priusquam humiliarer ego 67. Before I suffered I had sinned.
deliqui :
propterea eloquium tu- Therefore I now keep Thy law.
um custodivi.
68. Bonus es tu : et in boni- 68. Thou art good, and in Thy goodness
tate tua doce me justificationes Teach me Thv statutes.
tuas.
266 THE PSx\LMS [ii8

t>g. Multiplicata est super me O9. The malice of the godless hath increased
iniquitas superborum ego au- :
against me,
tem in toto corde meo scrutabor But I search Thy laws with my whole
mandata tua. heart.
70. Coagulatum est sicut lac 70. Curdled like milk is their heart ;

cor cnrum :
ego vero legem tuam But I delight in Thy law.
nieditatus sum.
71. Bonum mihi quia humi- 71. It was good for me that Thou humbledst
liasti me ut discam justifica-
: me,
tiones tuas. That I might learn Thy decrees.
72. Bonum mihi lex oris tui, 72. The law of Thv mouth is dearer to me
super millia auri et argenti. Than thousands of gold and silver.

Yod
73. Manus tua; fecerunt me, 73. Thy hands have made mc and fashioned
et plasmaverunt me : da mihi me ;

intellectum, et discam mandata Give me insight to learn Thy com-

tua. mands !

74. Qui timent te videbunt 74. Thy fearers will see me and rejoice,
me, et laitabuntur quia in ver- : For I have hoped firmly in Thy words.
ba tua supersperavi.
75. Cognovi Domine quia 75. I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are
sequitas judicia tua et in :
just,
veritate tua humiliasti me. And that Thou humblest me because
Thy truth
of :

76. Fiat misericordia tua ut 76. Let Thy favour comfort me.
consoletur me, secundum elo- According to Thy promise to Thy
quium tuum servo tuo. servant.
77. Veniant mihi miserationes 77. Let Thy pity come upon me, that I may
tua;, et vivam quia lex tua : live.
meditatio mea est. For Thy law is my delight.
78. Confundantur superbi, 78. Let the arrogant be put to shame.
quia in juste iniquitatem fecerunt For unjustly they do evil against me ;

in me :
ego autem exercebor in But I ponder over Thy precepts.
mandatis tuis.
79. Convertantur mihi timen- 79. Let those who fear Thee turn to me.
tes te et qui noverunt testi-
: And those who know Thy decrees.
monia tua.
80. Fiat cor meum immacula- 80. Let my heart be blameless in Thy pre-
tum in justificationibus tuis, ut cepts.
non confundar. That I may not be disgraced.

Kaph
81. Defecit in salutare tuum 8r. My soul pineth for Thy salvation,
anima mea : et in verbum tuum I put my Hope in Thy word.
supersperavi.
82. Defecerunt oculi mei in 82. My eyes long for Thy word :

eloquium tuum, dicentes Qu- :

They say :
'

When wilt Thou comfort

ando consolaberis me ? me ?
'

83. Quia factus sum sicut uter S3. I have become like a wine-skin in hoar-
in pruinajustificationes tuas
: frost :

non sum oblitus. But Thy decrees I forget not.

84. Quot sunt dies servi tui ? 84. How many are still the days of Thy
quando facies dc persequentibus servant ?

me judicium ? When wilt Thou hold trial on my

persecutors ?
85. Narraverunt mihi iniqui 85. The godless tell me idle tales.
fabulationes sed non ut lex tua.
: Which are not like Thy law.
86. Omnia mandata tua Veri- 86. All Thy commands are truth :

tas :
inique persecuti sunt me, Unjustly those pursue me help : me !

adjuva me.
1 1 81 THE PRAISE OF THE LAW 267

87. Paulo minus consumma- 87. They had well nigh made an end of me
verunt me in terra ego autem : in the land :

non dereliqui mandata tua. But 1 abandoned not Thy commands.

88. Secundum misericordiam 88. In Thy kindness make me live,
tuam vivitica me : et custodiam And I will keep the decrees of Thy
testimonia oris tui. mouth.

Lamed
8g. In ceternum Domine, ver- 89. For ever, O
Lord, is Thy word :

bum tuum permanet in cceIo. It abideth in heaven.

Qo. In geneiationcra et gene- 90. Frrna age unto age is Thy truth :

rationem Veritas tua fundasti : Thou hast estalslished the earth, and
terram, et permanet. it abideth.

91. Ordinatione tua perseve- 91. By Thy decree it abideth until now ;

rat dies :
quoniam omnia servi- For all things do Thee service.
unt tibi.
92. Nisi quod lex tua medita- 92. Were Thy law not my delight,
tio mea est tunc forte periissem : I had come to nought in my misery.
in humilitate nrea.
93. In aeternum non obliviscar 93. I will never forget Thy laws ;

justiticationes tuas quia in ip- :

B}' them Thou givest me life.
sis viviticasti me.
94. Tuus sum ego, salvum me 94. I am Thine help me
: !

fac :
quoniam justiticationes For I studj- Thy precepts.
tuas exquisivi.
95. Me exspectaverunt pecca- 95. The wicked lie in wait for me to destroy
tores ut perderent me testimo- : me.
nia tua intellexi. But to Thy decrees I give heed.
96. Omnis consummationis 9G. An end to all perfection I have seen ;

vidi iinem : latum mandatum But Thy Law is without end.

tuum nimis.
Mem
97. Quomodo dilexi legem tu- 97. How dearly I love Thy law, O Lord !

am Domine ? tota die meditatio All the day it is my thought.

mea est.
98. Super inimicos meos pru- 98. Thou makest me wiser than my foes by
dentem me fecisti mandato tuo :
Thy law :

quia in aeternum mihi est. For abideth with me for ever.

it

99. Super omnes docentes me 99. Insight have, more than my teachers.
I
intellexi quia testimonia tua
: For Thy testimonies are my thought.
meditatio mea est.
100. Super senes intellexi : 100. I am
wiser than the elders.
quia mandata tua quresivi. Because I keep Th)^ commands.
1 01. Ab omni via mala prohi- loi. From every evil wa^ I have kept my
bui pedes meos : ut custodiam feet.
verba tua. That I might heed only Thy words.
102. A judiciis tuis non decli- 102. From Thy ordinances I have swerved
navi :
quia tu legem posuisti not,
mihi . For Thou hast given me instruction.
103. Quam dulcia faucibus 103. How sweet are Thy words to my palate !

meis eloquia tua, super mel ori Sweeter than honey to my mouth !

meo !

104. A mandatis tuis intel- 104. Through Thy commands I grow wise ;

lexi :
propterea odivi omnem Therefore I hate every way of false-
viam iniquitatis. hood.

A^;( n
Lucerna pedibus meis
105. 105. Thv word is a lamp to my feet.
verbum tuum, et lumen semitis And a light on my path.
meis.
10(3. Juravi, et statui custo- 106. I have sworn and will keep it
dire judicia justitiaj tuae. To observe Thv commands.
268 THE PSALMS !:iis

107. Humiliatus sum usque- 107. I am greatly humbled;

quaque Domine vivitica me :
Quicken me, Lord, according to Thy
secundum verbum tuum. word !

108. Voluntaria oris mei bene- 108. Let the free-will offerings of my mouth
placita fac Domine : et judicia please Thee, Lord :

tua doce me. And teach me Thy decrees,

109. Anima mea in manibus log. My ever in my hands
life is ;

meis semper et:

legem tuam But I forget not Thy law.
non sum oblitus.
no. Posucrunt peccatores la- no. The wicked set snares for me ;

queum mihi : et de mandatis tuis But I swerve not from Thy precepts.
lion erravi.
111. Ha;reditate acquisivi te- 111. Thv decrees I hold as a heritage for ever ;

stimonia tua in aeternum quia :

They are truly the joy of my heart.
exsultatio cordis mei sunt.
112. Inclinavi cor meum ad 1 12. I turn my heart to do Thy commands ;

faciendas justificationes tuas in Everlasting is the reward.

ajternum, propter retributionem.

Samekh
113. Iniquos odio habui : et 113. Sinners I hate,
legem tuam dile.xi. But Thy law I love.

114. Adjutor et susceptor me- 114. Thou art my Helper and Protector,
us es tu : et in verbum tuum In Thy word I trust indeed.
supersperavi.
115. Declinate a me maligni :
115. Depart from me, ye evil-doers,
et scrutabor mandata Dei mei. 1 would observe the commandments
of my God.
116. Suscipe me secundum 116. Protect me according to Thy word, that
eloquium tuum, et vivam et : I may live ;

non confundas me ab exspecta- And let me not be confounded in my

tione mea. hope.
117. Adjuva me, et salvus 117. Help me and I shall be safe.
ero et meditabor in justilica-
: And I will ever regard Thy statutes.
tionibus tuis semper.
1 1 8. Sprevisti omnes disce- 118. Thou rejectest all who depart from Thy
dentes a judiciis tuis quia in- : laws,
justa cogitatio eorum. For unjust is their planning.
119. Praevaricantes reputav- 119. Lawbreakers I deem all the sinners of
omnes peccatores terras ideo : earth ;

dilexi testimonia tua. Hence I love

Thy decrees.
120. Confige timore tuo carnes 120. Penetrate flesh with Thy fear
my ;

meas a judiciis enim tuis timui.

: I am afraid of Thy judgments.

'

Ayin
121. Feci judicium et justi- 121. I practise right and justice :

tiam : non tradas me calumni- Abandon me not to my oppressors.

antibus me.
122. Suscipe servum tuum in 122. Receive Thy servant unto favour ;

bonum : non calumnientur me Let not the proud oppress me.

superbi.
123. Oculi mei defecerunt in 123. My eyes long for Thy salvation,
salutare tuum et in eloquium : And for Thy just promise.
justitise tuae.
Fac cum servo tuo secun-
124. 124. Deal with Thy servant according to
dum misericordiam tuam et :
Thy kindness.
justificationes tuas doce me. And teach me Thy decrees.
125. Servus tuus sum ego :
125. I am Thy servant, grant me insight.
da mihi intellectum, ut sciam That I may know Thy ordinances.
testimonia tua.
126. Tempus faciendi Domi- 126. It is time for action, O Lord,
ne :
dissipaverunt legem tuam. They have broken Thy law !
ii8] THE PRAISE OF THE LAW 269

127. Ideo dilexi niandata tua, 127. Therefore I love Thy commands,

super aurum et topazion. More than gold and precious stone.

128. Propterea ad omnia 128. Therefore 1 turn me to all Thy laws
;

mandata tua dirigebar omncm : And ever}' evil waj'^ I hate.

V'iam iniquani odio habui.

Pe
129. Mirabilia testimonia tua :
129. Wondrous are Thy testimonies ;

ideo scrutata est ea anima niea. Therefore my soul searcheth into

them.
130. Declaratio sermonuni tu- 1 30. The unfolding of
Thy words giveth light.
orum illuminat : et intellectum And maketh the simple to understand.
dat parvulis.
131. Os meum aperui, et at- 131. I open m}- mouth and pant,
traxi spirituin :
quia mandata For I long for Thy commandments.
tua desiderabam.
132. Aspice in me, et mise- 132. Look on me and pity me.
rere mei, secundum judicium According to the right of them that
diligentium nomen tuum. love Thy name.
133. Gressus meos dirige se- 133. Make firm my steps in Thy word,
cundum eloquiuni tuum : et non And let not injustice rule over me.
dominetur mei omnis injustitia.
134. Redime me a calumniis 134. Save me from the oppression of men,
hominum ut custodiam man-
: Then shall I keep Thy commands.
data tua.
135. Faciem tuam illumina 135. LetThy face shine upon Thy servant.
super servum tuum et doce me : And teach me Thy laws.
justilicationes tuas.
136. Exitus aquarum deduxe- 136. My eyes run down in streams of water.
runt oculi mei quia non custo- : Because those keep not Thy law.
dienmt legem tuam.

Sade
137. Justus es Domine : et 137. Thou art just, O Lord,
rectum judicium tuum. And just is Thy Law.
138. Mandasti justitiam testi- 138. Thou hast enjoined Thy commands as
monia tua : et veritatem tuam justice.
nimis. And as truth from Thee indeed.
139. Tabescere me fecit zelus 139. My zeal devoureth me:
nieus :
quia obliti sunt verba For my foes remember not Thy words.
tua inimici mei,
140. Ignitum eloquium tuum 140. Purified is Thy word indeed.
vehementer : et servus tuus di- And Thy servant holdeth it dear.
lexit illud.
141. Adolescentulus ego sum 141. Little am I and despised ;

et contemptus iustificationes :
Thy precepts I forget not.
tuas non suni oblitus.
142. Justitia tua, justitia in 142. Thy justice is justice for ever,
seternum et lex tua Veritas.
: And Thy law is truth.
143. Tribulatio, et angustia 143. Sorrow and trial I have found ;

invenerunt me mandata tua : Yet Thy laws are my delight.

meditatio mea est.
144. ^Equitas testimonia tua 144. Fair are Thy ordinances for ever ;
in a>ternum intellectum da mi-
: ive me
Give r understanding that I may
hi, et vivam. live.

Koph
145. Clamavi in toto cordc 145. I cry out with my whole heart, hear me,
meo exaudi me Domine :
justi- O Lord !

licationes tuas requiram. I will keep Thy laws.

146. Clamavi ad te, salvum 146. I cry to Thee save me. ;

me fac ixt custodiam mandata

: That I may keep Thy commands.
tua.
270 THE PSALMS [118

147. Praeveni in maturtatei, 147. At the dawn I come and crj- out :

et clamavi quia in verba tua

: For I trust in Thy words, indeed.
supersperavi.
148. Praivenerunt oculi mei 148. My eyes seek Thee before the dawn.
ad te diluculo ut meditarer : That 1 may think on Thy words.

eloquia tua.
149. Vocem meam audi se- 149. Hear mv voice in Thy great kindness,
cundum misericordiain tuam O Lord!
Domine et secundum judicium
: And according to Thy justice, give
tuum vivilica me. me Ufe.
150. Appropinquaverunt per- 150. My pursuers make friendship witli
sequentes me iniquitati a lege : mahce.
autem tua longe facti sunt. They have set themselves far from
Thy law.
151. Prope es tu Domine : et 151. Thou art near, O Lord,
omnes viae tua; veritas. And all Thy ways are truth.
152. Initio cognovi de testi- 152. From of old 1 knew of Thy commands.
moniis tuis quia in oeternum
: That Thou hast established them for
fundasti ea. ever.

Resk
153. Vide humilitatem meam, 153. Look on my misery and rescue me.
et eripe me quia legem tuam : For I forget not Thy law.
non sum oblitus.
154. Judica judicium meum 154. Secure for me justice ;
set me free ;

et redime me propter eloquium, : Because of Thy word give me life.

tuum vivilica me.
155. Longe a peccatoribus sa- 155. Far from sinners is salvation.
lus :
quia justiticationes tuas Because they seek not Thy laws.
non exquisierunt.
156. Misericordiae tuee multas 156. Thy mercies are manifold, O Lord ;

Domine secundum judicium

: Give me life according to Thy justice,
tuum vivifica me.
157. Multi qui persequuntur 157. Many pursue and oppress me ;

me, et tribulant me a testimo- : Yet from Thy laws I turn not aside.
niis tuis non declinavi.
158. Vidi praevaricantes, et 158. When 1 look on sinners I pine away.

tabescebam :
quia eloquia tua Because they keep not Thy words.
non custodierunt.
159. Vide quoniam mandata 159. See, Lord, how I love Thy command-
tua dilexi Domine in miseri- : ments ;

cordia tua vivilica me. Because of Thy kindness quicken me.

160. Principium verborum tu- 160. The sum of Thy words is truth,
orum, Veritas in aeternum :
Thy righteous decrees are for ever.
omnia judicia justitiae tuae.

Sin
161. Principes persecuti sunt 161. Princes persecute me without cause,
me gratis et a verbis tuis for-
: Yet my heart feareth only Thy word.
midavit cor meum.
162. Lastabor ego super elo- 162. I rejoice over Thy words.
quia tua sicut qui invenit
: Like one that iindeth rich spoil.
spolia multa.
163. Iniquitatem odio habui, 163. Injustice I hate and abhor ;

et abominatus sum :
legem But I love Thy law.
autem tuam dilexi.
164. Septies in die laudem 164. Seven times a day I praise Thee,
dixi tibi, super judicia justitiae Because of Thy just decrees.
tuae.
165. Pax multa diligentibus 165. Great peace have they who love Thy
legem tuam : et non est illis law ;

scandalum. There is no stumbling blocl: for them.

ii8] THE PRAISE OF THE LAW 271

1 66. Exspectabam salutare 166. I look for Thy salvation, O Lord :

tuum Domine et mandata tua

: 1 love Thy commands.
dilexi.
167. Custodivit anima mea te- 167. My soul keepeth Thy decrees.
stimonia tua et dilexit ea : And loveth them dearly.
vehementer.
168. Servavi mandata tua, et 168. I keep Thy commands and laws.
testimonia tua quia omnes ; For all my ways are before Thee.
viaB mea5 in conspectu tuo.

Tau
169. Appropinquet deprecatio 169. Let my complaint come before Thee^
mea in conspectu tuo Domine : O Lord !

juxta eloquium tuum da mihi Give me understanding according to

intellectum. Thy word.
170. Intret postulatio mea in 1 70. Let my prayer come before Thee :

conspectu tuo : secundum elo- Deliver me according to Thj- word.

quium tuum eripe me.
171. Eructabunt labia mea 171. My lips shall pour forth praise.
hymnum, cum docueris me Because Thou teachest me Thy
justificationes tuas. statutes.
172. Pronuntiabit lingua mea 172. My tongue shall announce Thy word,
eloquium tuum quia omnia : For all Thy commands are just.
mandata tua a?quitas.
173. Fiat manus tua ut salvet 173. Let Thy hand save me.
me quoniam mandata tua
: For I have chosen Thy behests.
elegi.
174. Concupivi salutare tuum 174. I Thy salvation, O Lord,
long for
Domine et lex tua meditatio
: And Thy law is my delight.
mea est.
175. Viyet anima mea, et lau- 175. My soul shall live and praise Thee,
dabit te et judicia tua ad-
: And Thy judgments will help me.
juvabunt me.
176.Erravi, sicut ovis, quas 176. If I stray like a sheep that is lost.

periit quaere servum tuum,

: Seek Thou Thy servant,
quia mandata tua non sum ob- For I forget not Thy commands.
litus.

'
1. Immaculati in via : Hebr. blameless of way,' i.e., iniegri vitae.
2. Scniiari : the seeking implied is practical seeking not study,
but observance.
3. The Hebrew would, perhaps, be better rendered with van
Sante Sane non operanUtr iniqiiitatem qui in verbis ejus ambulant.
4.
;

Mandasti custodiri Thou hast enjoined that they be

. . .
'

kept.'
5. Dirigantur :
'

established,'
'

made firm.' Ad custodicndas^' so

that they may be kept.'
Perspexero in =keep them clearly before me.
6.

7. Directio

uprightness. In co quod=' when.'
9. This may be regarded as a question put by the youth of Israel.
All that follows teaches that the Hebrew youth can keep his path
pure and straight only by observing the Torah.
II. Abscondi the Hebrew word is that used for hiding a treasure
: :

the Torah is kept jealously guarded in his heart like a treasure.

 272 THE PSALMS [ii8

' ' '

13. Pronuntiavi, declare,' or, rehearse with praise.

14. The way of the commands is the path the commands pre-
scribe. The psalmist says that for him the observance of the Law is
better and more desirable than all riches.
15. Exercebor refers rather to mental than bodilj^ activity. The
'

Hebrew verb '"sihah means, I would ponder.'

16. Meditabor ought to be delector.

17. Retribnere here equivalent to tribuere. If life is granted to

is

the psalmist he promises to keep the Law.

iS. The wondrous wealth of the Law cannot be seen unless God

opens our eyes ;

the wealth in question is the depth of thought and
meaning in the Law.
is a guest on earth, and as a guest must be
19. The psalmist
instructed customs of the place where he sojourns, so
in the
God must instruct the psalmist (Lsrael) in the due manner of living
on earth.
'

20. Concupivit desiderare, wears itself out in longing.'

. . .

21. The psalmist will seek by observing the Law to avoid the
curse which is threatened against the godless.
22. Shame and disgrace are thought of as a hea\'y burden, which
the psalmist begs God to remove from his shoulders. The observance
of the Jewish Law involved the Jews who lived among heathens in
mockery and disgrace.
23. Even if princes conspire against him the psalmist cannot be
turned from the Law.
25. This verse seems to represent Israel as threatened with
word here = promise.
' '

destruction. The
26. The psalmist comes to Yahweh with all his cares. Hitherto
Yahweh has hearkened to his prayers :
surely He will hearken now
also.
' '

27. Justificationes=' precepts,' commands (the Law) : for the

* '

way of the precepts c/. verse 14.

Exercebor Hebrew, think on.'
'

'
28. Dormiiavit, grow weary.'
29. The via iniqiiitatis may mean the heathen philosophies against
which the psalmist would warn the young men of Israel. The Hebrew
'

speaks of the way of falsehood.'

'

30. On his part the psalmist has chosen the way of truth,' i.e.,

the path prescribed by the Torah.

' '

32. Dilatasti : to widen the heart is to fill it with comfort and

joy.
33. Legem pone this is a very literal rendering of the Greek.
:

The Hebrew has horeni, give me instruction.'

'

'

Semper the Hebrew has 'ekebh,

: reward,' and the sense of the
Hebrew may be 'I will keep the law, and find my reward in the
:

mere keeping thereof.'

ii8] THE PRAISE OF THE LAW 273

35. In semitam, for in semita.

36. Note how avarice is put in direct opposition to devotion of the
heart to God's law.
38. Eloquium, promise. In timore tuo, because of the fear which
he feels before Thee.
39. The shame obviously that which comes upon him because
is

of his observance of the law. In the nature of things the opposition

and contempt which the psalmist has to contend with are unreason-
able, for God's ordinances are altogether good {jucimda) and should
not bring disgrace.
42. If the Lord shows clearly His favour to the psalmist, then the
psalmist can silence his adversaries by pointing to the tokens of
God's good pleasure.
43. The word of truth is the divine truth with which he will
confute his foes.
45. Latitudine, wideness, freedom, gladness.
46. Even under heathen rulers Israel will boldly declare the
greatness ofGod's law.
48. Raising up the hands is a gesture of prayers : the verse makes
the Law, in a sense, the object of adoration.
'

Exercebar, mentally ponder over.'

50. Israel's trust in Yahweh's promises keeps her alive in the
midst of her humiliations.
52. In spite of the mockery of the godless Israel will adhere to
the Law. She remembers how her ancient foes were punished, and
is confident that similar punishments await her present enemies.

53. Defectio :the Hebrew word indicates rather deep anger than
despair.
Pyo peccatoribus=' on account of sinners.'
54. Caniabiles :
Jerome renders, carmina. This psalm is
itself an indication of the manner in which the Law became a theme
of song.
56. Haec facta est the feminine is for the neuter, as usual in
:

Hebrew. The psalmist means that it has been assigned to him as

his lot to keep the words (the Law) of Yahweh. This he regards, of
course, as a special privilege from the Lord.
57. This is practically a repetition of the thought in verse 56.
61. With this imagery of the hunter and his snare cf. Ps. xvii. 6.
66. The psalmist prays for sound judgment and knowledge.
67. The psalmist emphasises the disciphnary value of God's
chastening.
69. The godless heap up lies, i.e., calumnies against the psalmist.
'

Scruiabor represents a Hebrew verb which means I shall observe.'

70. Coagidatum the Hebrew means, that their heart had grown
:

fat and, therefore, has lost its sensitiveness. The Septuagint trans-
' '

lators read here Judabh, milk,' instead of helebh, fat.' Jerome

iS
274 THE PSALMS [ii8

renders I ncrassatum est velui adeps cor corum.

: The Hebrew verb
here rendered coagulatum est is a hapax legomenon. Some of the
Latin commentators explain the coagulatum as implying that the
heart of the godless has become hard (as cheese which is made from
coagulated milk is hardened) and is, therefore, insensible to the words
of God. Others take the coagulation of the milk as a token of its
corruption and find here a description of the corruption of the hearts
of the godless.
While the heart of the sinners has grown insensitive, the psalmist
finds his delight in the Law.
73- Cf. Job X. 8. God has moulded the body of the psalmist,
and, therefore, he prays that God would fashion his mind also by
giving him understanding.
74. When the servants of Yahweh see that the faith and piety of
the psalmist have been rewarded, they will recognise therein a token
of God's power and rejoice.
75. The trials of Israel were in reality proofs of Yahweh's fidelity
to His word.
'

83. Uter in pruina The Hebrew has, Like a bottle in smoke.'

:

The wine-filled skin (uter) was hung in smoke to mature the wine
more quickly. In the process the skin grew black and wrinkled so, :

too, has Israel grown wrinkled and hideous through affliction, and
the mourning which she wears is like the blackness of the skin-bottle.
But as the wine becomes mellow in the skin, so does Israel's knowledge
of the Law grow fuller and deeper through her suffering.
The rendering in pritina is a reproduction of the Greek kv Trdxvv '

it is possible that the original Greek rendering was iv KaTrvy (' in

smoke ') and that this became corrupted. If we retain pruina we

must think of a skin as shrivelling up in the frost. But then the
relation between the effects of the frost on the skin and on the con-
tents of the skin is lost
sight of.
'

87. Paulo minus, almost.' Cf. Ps. xciii. 17.

89. The word of God abides for ever like the heavens. The word
is the Law.
90. The permanence of earth is a sort of guarantee of that of the
Law.
91. It is in consequence
of the divine command that heaven and
earth stand so firm to-day. Dies represents the Hebrew hayyom,
'

to-day.' As heaven and earth abide, so also will the Law abide.
Later it would be said that heaven and earth would pass away, but
God's word would abide.
92. 93. It was,
in fact, the Law that prevented Israel from being
assimilated to foreign peoples in the Diaspora.
96. While every earthly perfection
comes to an end, there is no
limit to the perfection or the existence of the Law.
98. The Law makes the Israelites wiser than the heathens.
ii8] THE PRAISE OF THE LAW 275

because it gives them a deeper and truer philosophy than any which
the heathens possess.
99. The psalmist's teachers here are, probably, his would-be
teachers, i.e., those who would inoculate Israel with worldly specula-
tion.
100. The practice of the Law gives more wisdom than does length
of experience the fear of God is the highest wisdom.
:

102. Legem posuisti niiJii of. verse 33. The Hebrew has here,
:

'
Because Thou hast taught me.' The point which the psalmist
makes is that Israel has had as Teacher of God, and that she has not
learned from men.
' '

104. Every way of iniquity includes all the theories of the

heathen philosophers.
106. The psalmist has sworn to observe the Law, and he will
keep his oath.
108. Voluntaria oris the reference is to the solemn promise
:

which the psalmist has made to keep the Law or the voluntaria may :

be simply the petitions which he is here offering to God.

109. He bears his life in his hands, i.e., he is in constant peril.
Yet he does not forget the Law.
111. The Law is Israel's most precious inheritance. It is now no

longer the Land of Canaan that Israel holds as her inheritance, but
the Law of God. We have here a change in standpoint as compared
with earlier Hebrew literature.
'

112. The Hebrew seems to mean, Eternal is the reward.' Cf.

Ps. xviii. 12.
' '

113. Sinners : the Hebrew has, half ones,' or, two-minded

ones.'
118. It is useless for evil-doers to try to carry out their plans,
because Yahweh frustrates all their schemes.
120. Confige, etc. the Greek translators have here read an
:

Aramaic verb instead of a Hebrew one see Introduction, p. xl. :

'
The Hebrew means, My flesh shudders (creeps) before Thy terrors '

which is in complete parallelism with the second part of the verse.
126. It is time for Yahweh to take action.
127.The ideo is difficult here. Topazion is the topaz : the Hebrew
word paz means something like fine gold.
128.Viam iniquani. Cf. verse 104.
'

130. Declaratio the Hebrew has,: The door (or gate) of Thy
words enlighteneth,' as if God's words were a brightly shining gate
or door, through which one might enter in unto knowledge. The
'

Greeks took pethah, gate,' as a form of the verb pathah, and rendered
' '

the opening up,' the making plain.'

131. Attraxi spiritnm : the gesture expresses longing.
'

132. Secundum judicium diligcntium, according to the right of

those who love.'
2/6 THE PSALMS [ii8

' '

136. They is the indefinite subject.

138. The commands of Yahweh are an expression of truth and
justice.
'

148. Praevenernnt . . . dilucnlo : the Hebrew has, My eyes

anticipate the night watches to think of Thee.' There may be a
reference here to the night-services in the Temple, and this verse
would then imply that the psalmist was himself one of those whose
duty it was to help in the night-services in theTemple. But the
verse may mean simply that the psalmist's zeal and love for the
Law forced him to rise even in the night time to meditate upon it.
150. Appropinquaverunt . . .
iniquitati :
they have approached
evil (or treachery), so as to make an alliance with it.

151. The psalmist wishes for the nearness of God, not for the
friendship of godlessness.
'

152. Initio, from of old.'

154. Judica judicium meum
'

lead :
my cause,' i.e., the cause of
Israel against her heathen adversaries.
158. The praevaricanies are, apparently, renegades from Judaism.
' ' '

160. Principiiim, the sum,' or content,' rather than the founda-

tion.'
161. Even though the power of princes is employed against
Judaism, yet Israel will stand by the Law.
164. There is no necessary reference here to stated times of daily
prayer, but rather to the unbroken continuance of the psalmist's
prayer.
' '

165. The peace in question is joy of heart : the faithful wor-

shippers of Yahweh are confident that all will ultimately be well
with them, and that their foes will receive their deserts.
176. The wandering of Israel is not moral straying, but national
misfortune, like the Exile.
 PSALMS CXIX-CXXXIII
THE 'GRADUAL PSALMS'
cxix-cxxxiii form a distinctive group in the Psalter,
each of them bears, in the Vulgate the title Canticum
PSALMS
Gradiiiim, which renders the Hebrew Shir ham'ma"^loth
(except in Ps. cxx where it represents Shir lamma"^loth).
Various explanations of this title have been put forward by scholars.
The following are the more important among those suggested :

(i). In Esdras 9 the return of the Exiles from Babj^on is

vii.
called a ma'^lah. Hence it has been proposed to take Shir hamma'Hoth
as=' Song of the Exiles' Return.'
Against the possibility of taking all the Gradual Psalms as songs
of the returning exiles stands the fact that Ps. cxxi obviously supposes
that the City and Temple have been restored, and that in Ps. cxxxiii
the full liturgy of the Temple is represented as actually being carried
' ' ' '
on. Besides, while ma'^lah can mean an ascent or going-up
(and could, therefore, be used of the going-up from the plains of
Babylonia to the highlands of Judea) it cannot mean a group of
people going up, and still less can nia"'loih mean groups of people
' ' '

ascending or going up.' Shir ha'olim would be the Hebrew for

Cantiaim ascendentium.
(2). The verb 'alah, from which the noun ma"^lah (plural, ma"^loth)
is derived, is the term which would
naturally be used in reference to
the going-up of Jewish pilgrims to the great feasts at Jerusalem {cf.
Luke ii.
42 ;
Ps. cxxi. 4), and it is likely, therefore, that Shir hanima-
' '
'"'lotJi means Song of the Pilgrimages,' or Pilgrims' Song,' and that
the Gradual songs were the songs sung by pilgrims on their way to
the Holy City for the great feasts, or returning to their homes after
the celebration of those feasts in Jerusalem.
This theory of the meaning of the title of the Gradual Psalms has
always been popular, and there is no doubt that many features of
the Gradual Psalms fit in well with the view that they were written
for the Jewish Feast-pilgrims. Yet, on the other hand, we possess
no indications in Hebrew literature, outside these psalms, that there
existed a body of songs for the use of the Feast-pilgrims.
(3). Ma'^loth may mean steps of
'
a stairs {gradus,
'
avafiadixo^) ;

hence has been suggested that the Gradual Psalms were really
it
'

Songs of the stairs-steps,' being so called because they were sung

on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles by Levitical singers who
stood on the fifteen steps that led from the Court of the women into

277
2/8 THE PSALMS [119-1 00

the Court of the men. The Talmud passages Middoth ii. 5 and
Sukka quoted in favour of this explanation.
516, are The Talmud
' '
does not, however, assert that our fifteen Gradual Psalms were
sung on the occasion in question, and it is possible that the Talmud
passage dealing with the fifteen steps leading from one Court into
the other {Middoth ii. 5) is itself based on the existence of the fifteen
'Gradual Psalms.' The Talmud text which describes the musical
function that took place on the fifteen steps on the first day of Taber-
nacles (Sukka 516) merely compares the fifteen steps with the fifteen
Gradual Psalms, and does not say that these were sung on the fifteen
steps.
It would seem, therefore, that there is no real foundation for the
theory that our psalms were so called because they were sung on the
fifteen steps of the stairs which led from the women's Court into the
Court of the men.
(4). Taking ma^aloth again in the sense of steps of a stair or
' '

ladder, some writers have seen in the title Song of the Steps an
indication of the poetical form of the psalms in question. It has been

pointed out that, in some of the Gradual Psalms, at least, a ladder-like

arrangement can be seen, each succeeding phrase taking up and
carrying a little further the main thought or imagery of the preceding
phrase. Thus in Ps. cxx :

I raise my eyes to the hills :

Whence come to me ?
shall help
My help is from Yahweh,
The maker of heaven and earth.
Let Him not give thy foot unto stumbling !

Let not Thy Guardian slumber !

No Neither slumbereth nor sleepeth
!

The Guardian of Israel.

And note how, in the following verses of the same psalm, the word
Keeper (or Guardian) is repeated.
It is poss ble, indeed, to discover this ladder-like, or up-climbing
structure in one or two of the Gradual Psalms but there is no genuine ;

trace of it in most of the Gradual Psalms (c/. cxxiv, cxxviii, cxxx,

cxxxi, cxxxii, etc.). A theory that applies only in an insignificant
percentage of the cases tc be explained, need not be taken seriously.
(5). In his lectures in Berlin, Friedrich Delitzsch was accustomed
'
to maintain that ma"^loih must be taken as=' caravans (primarily
up-going caravans, and then, caravans generally), and that shir
'
hamma"^loth means Song of the Caravans.' Delitzsch used to seek
a support for his view in the title of Ps. cxx (Vulgate) Shir lamma"^loth
'

Song belonging to the Ma''^loth,' i.e., Song of the Caravans.'

'

' '

According to Delitzsch, then, the Gradual Psalms were a collection

' '
of Songs of the Road used by pious Hebrew traders to beguile
the dreary hours of long marches, and to comfort and encourage
II9-I33] THE GRADUAL PSALMS
' '

279

themselves when they were home-sick for the Holy City and the
Temple liturgy among heathen strangers in distant lands. This
theory does not differ greatly from the second above described, but
it sometimes seems to be more applicable to particular passages of
' ' ' '

the Gradual Psalms than the Feast-Pilgrim explanation.

Whatever may be the precise meaning of the title Canticum
Graduum, Christian writers of all times have seen in it the suggestion
of a mystical progress, of ascensiones cordis ad Deiim. As Jerome in
his Commentarioli puts it: Quindecim graduum psalmi per qiiosdam
ad snmma pcrdiicunt, ut in Domini atriis possimiis dicere :
profectus nos
Ecce ntmc hcnedicite Dominum, onmes send Domini, in atriis domus
'

Dei ejus.'
Cf. Bellarmine :Sed quidquid sit de his opinionibus (about the
meaning of the title in question), illud certum est ascensiones istas, sive
de Bahylone in Jerusalem, sive per gradus templi Salom.onis, figuras
fuisse ascensionis clecforum qui per gradus virtutum, ac praecipue
caritatis, ascendnnt de valle lacrymarum ad coelestem Jerusalem.
' '

In the commentary which follows the Caravan theory and the

* '

Feast-Pilgrimage theory will be chiefly considered.

 PSALM CXIX
AMOxNG GODLESS STRANGERS
psalm resembles Psalms Ixiii, cxxxix and cxli. The
THIS psalmist is surrounded by godless and treacherous foes.
One of these has sworn that he will destroy the psahnist,
and has used in his oath the familiar imprecation-formula :

"
This may God do to me and still more if, etc." The psalmist takes
"
up the words of the threat, and says That which thou threatenest

:

unto me arrows of the warrior and coals of the broom (see below)
will indeed come upon thyself, according to the words of thy impre-
cation." The carnage and destruction which his enemies are pre-
paring for the psalmist wiJl be used against his enemies themselves.
In verses 5-7 the psalmist reflects with sadness on the long days he
has been forced to spend among the barbarians of Kedar people
who answer friendly speech with savage attacks.
It would be easy to take this psalm as a prayer and complaint of
a caravan-group returning to Palestine through a country infested
with treacherous nomads. The picture drawn of the nomads repre-
sents them as wholly barbarous, enemies of peace and order, men
"
who answer the traveller's greeting, Peace be with you," by a sudden
onslaught on his caravan.

I. Canticum graduum. A song

,.j,
of the Pilgrimages (or, A song of
the Caravans).

Ad Dominum cum tribularer Unto the Lord I cry in my distress.

clamavi et exaudivit me.
: And He heareth me.
2. Domine libera animam me- O Lord rescue me from lying lips.
am a labiis iniquis, et a lingua From treacherous tongue !

dolosa.
"
3. Quid detur tibi, aut quid 3- What shall be done to thee and what
apponatur tibi ad linguam dolo- superadded to Thee,"
sam ? Thou treacherous tongue ?
"
4. Sagittae potentis acuta;, 4. Sharp arrows of the warrior,
cum carbonibus desolatoriis. And coals of the desert."

5. Heu quia incolatus

mihi, Woe is me that my sojourn is prolonged L

mens prolongatus est habitavi

: That I dwell with the tents of Kedar !

cum habitantibus Cedar :

6. Multum incola fuit anima Too long hath my soul sojourned

mea. With them that hate peace.
7. Cum his, qui oderunt pa- Peace-loving am I yet when I address
;

cem, eram pacificus cum loque-

: them.
bar illis, impugnabant me gratis. They assail me without reason.
280
iig] AMONG GODLESS STRANGERS 281

J. Ad Dominmn, etc. we have here an echo of Ps. xvii. 7 the

:
;

so confident of being heard that he says, He heareth me.'

'

psalmist is

2. Treachery and falsehood are the chief characteristics of those

among whom the psalmist finds himself. For Hebrews trading and
travelling in distant lands it would be peculiarly irksome to have to
deal with people essentially dishonest and unreliable.
3. Quid detiir, etc. Hebrew reads the verbs in the active
the :

but that does not make any great contrast with the Vulgate text.
The meaning of verses 3 and 4 is greatly disputed. The least ob-
jectionable explanation of these verses takes them as a sort of repeti-
tion of an imprecation and threat used against the psalmist by one
(or more) of the unpleasant people among whom he is sojourning.
The usual form of oath among the Hebrews was "So may God do :

unto me and more, if I do (or, do not), etc." Cf., for instance,

I Kings iii. 17 xx. 13 Ruth i. 17. The psalmist's enemy has just
; ;

sworn to give reins to his fury against the psalmist, and has invoked
on himself the same destruction (in a more intense form) which he
has threatened against the psalmist, if he fails to carry out his threat.
"
The psalmist answers the threat and imprecation by saying So :

swearest thou but I tell thee that God will hear thy curse and will
;

indeed send thee the doom thou invokest on thyself." That doom
isdescribed (no doubt, in the terms of the original imprecation)
' '
as sharp arrows of the warrior {i.e., such as would not miss their
' '

mark), and coals of the desert (or as the Heberw has it, coals of
'

broom '). The desert charcoal, or coals of broom '=either the

charcoal made from broom-wood which was used in the smithies
where the arrow heads were hardened and sharpened or glowing ;

coals of broom-wood used to bring the destruction of fire among

the homes of the nomads. The arrows and the coals symbolise,
then, either slaughter, or slaughter and burnings. Desolatoriis
'
renders the Greek ipyj/nKok, belonging to the desert.' Hence
carbones desolatorii ought to mean desert-charcoal, or glowing embers
' '
of desert-wood. The Hebrew has coals of broom rHhanim= :

broom {genista), not juniper, as Jerome renders it. Because the

broom is a desert-shrub, the Septuagint translators rendered rHhanim

epij/jLLKok. Cf. the name of the desert-station Rithmah in Num.

'

xxxiii. 18 it is obviovisly connected with rctheni,

: broom.'
Ad linguam dolosam the Hebrew has no preposition, but simply
:

' '
lashon r^niiyyah, deceitful tongue hence the vocative has been;

used in the translation above {cf. Ps. li. 4). The treacherous foe is
'

styled deceitful tongue,' and hence the masculine forms of the

promiminal sufiixes are used in the Hebrew, though lashon in the
' '

ordinary meaning, tongue is feminine. The ad in ad linguam has

arisen from a dittography, lashon being read as iHashon. The ascrip-
tion of the enemy's punishment by arrows and fire to the foolish
utterances of his own tongue should be compared with Ps. Ixiii. 5-6,
282 THE PSALMS [119

where evil speech is likened to arrows, and with Prov. xvi. 27, which

speaks of the burning fire that is on the lips of the ungodly (c/. Jer. ix. 3).
The arrow, shot by the tongue, returns against the speaker, and
forth
the fire, by the tongue, consumes the tongue itself whereby it
kindled
was kindled. One is reminded here of James iii. 6.
5. Prolongatus est this takes the place of the Hebrew Mcshekh
:

the name of a people that dwelt between the Black Sea and the Caspian
Sea (Gen. x. 2 i Chron. i. 5
;
Ezech. xxvii. 13). Meshekh is used by
;

Ezechiel as a general name for North-eastern Nomads associated with

Gog. (xxxviii. xxxix. i). Instead of Meshekh the Septuagint
2 ;

'
translators read mushshakh=' drawn out this gives a sufficiently
:

good sense in the context. However, the parallelism with Kedar

(=the nomads of Arabia Gen. xxv. 3 Is. xxi. 16 Ix. 7 Jer. ii. 10
; ; ; ; ;

Ezech, xxvii. 21) makes the reading Meshekh more probable. The
caravan trade of Solomon (and presumably, therefore, of later times)
extended to Egypt and to the far North and East. It is possible that,
in the districts inhabited by the tribes of Meshekh and Kedar, Hebrew
traders and travellers were accustomed to meet with a m.ore or less
intense hostility.
'

6. Multum : Hebrewalready too long.' The nomads

rabbath,
' '

are characteristically described by the psalmist as haters of peace ;

their wild and warlike ways are shocking to him.

'

7. Hebrew, shaloni, peace,'

Pacificus : the psalmist was peace ;

itself, but when he addresses thr wild tribesmen with the familiar,
"
friendly salute, Peace {shalom) unto You." For answer they
rush upon him with murderous intent. Cf. Ps. cviii. 4 for a some-
what similar situation.
 PSALM CXX
I LIFT MY EYES TO THE HILLS
psalm is best understood as chanted by at least two
THIS singers (or groups of singers) who take up each verse alter-
The singers are members of a caravan-group of
nately.
traders or pilgrims returning to Jerusalem. They have come
from and strain their eyes, as they march, for a
far-off plain-lands,

glimpse of the sacred hills on which the Holy City stands. And as
they move forward on their journey their longing for Jerusalem
becomes ever more intense, and their sense of the perils of the way
'

becomes more vivid. Hence one of the travellers cries out I :

strain my eyes for the hills of Jerusalem but whence am I to look

;

for help in the perils of the journey, while the House of my God is
so far away ? An answering voice reminds him that the God who
'

made heaven and earth can help His worshippers not only in the
Holy City, but all the world over. Then the first singer (or group of
singers) chants a brief prayer for the company, begging Yahweh
not
to permit the feet of the travellers to stumble, but to guard them both
on the march by day, and when they rest in the night-time. The
prayer is answered by the second group with the confident cry :

Neither slumbereth nor sleepeth the Guardian of Israel.' The spirit

'

of this cry is the same as that which finds expression in verse 2. The
first singer takes up the thought of his comrades and, with a confidence

not less than theirs, asserts that the Guardian of Israel is surely the
Guardian of the band of travelling Israelites. Yahweh is their shelter
from all perils of their journey He moves ever at their right hand.
:

'
The thought of Yahweh as shelter (or shade ') is developed in verse 6 :

'

(When Yahweh is at thy right hand) the sun-rays cannot smite

thee by day, nor the moon-rays do thee harm by night.' The first
Not merely from sun
'

singer, with ever increasing confidence, resumes :

and from moon, but from every peril of life, Yahweh is thy protector.'
Then the second group of singers in an enthusiastic outburst of faith
cries out
'
Yahweh guardeth thy coming and going every phase of
:

thy life
not merely in Sion and not merely on this journey but at
every moment for ever.'
We can see that the celebration of the loving providence of God,
which is the chief aim of this psalm, is a very suitable purpose for a
caravan-song, or a song of pilgrims. The longing for a glimpse of
the holy hills, with which the psalm begins, points to a home-coming
of the psalmist from distant lands. The perils from which the psalm
283
284 THE PSALMS [120

looks for rescue are obvioush' the myriad risks of journeying by un-
familiar and bandit-infested paths. To these risks belong especially
the danger of sun-stroke by day and the perils of the moon's baneful
influenceb}'' night.
In the long weary hours of slow travelling by
day, and in the watches of the night a song like this, so insistent on
Yahweh's care and love at all times and in all places for His own,
would bring peace and comfort to the hearts of pious wayfarers and
that all the more if the song were sung, as apparently it was intended
to be sung, by different groups of singers.
This simple beautiful song has, of course, meaning and application
for others as well as for the caravan-folk of Israel. The unlimited
trust in the Guardian who knows our goings forth and returnings,
and who slumbers not, nor sleeps, which cheered the home-faring
Hebrews, is needful for all who find the way of life's homeward caravan-
journey perilous and weary.
With this psalm should be read Ps. xc. striking echoes of which
occur here in verses 5-7.

Canticum graduum. A '

Caravan song.'

(a)
I. Levavi oculos meos iii I . I raise my eyes to the hills :

montes, unde veniet auxilium Whence shall help come to me ?

luihi.

2. Auxilium meum a Domino, 2. My help is from Yahvveh,

qui fecit coelum et terram. The Maker of heaven and earth !

(a)
3. Non det in commotionem 3. Mav He give not thy foot unto stumbling
pedem tuum :
neque dormitet May the Guardian not slumber !

qui custodit te.

(b)
4. Ecce non dormitabit neque 4. No ! Neither slumbereth, nor sleepeth
dormiet, qui custodit Israel. The Guardian of Israel.

(a)
5. Dominus custodit te, Do- 5. Yahweh guardeth thee ;

minus protectio tua, super ma- Yahweh is thy shelter.

num dexteram tuam. At thy right hand.

(b)
6. Per diem sol non uret te : 6. The sun shall not smite thee by day.
neque luna per noctem. Nor the moon in the night-time.

{a)
7. Dominus custodit te ab 7. Yahweh guardeth thee from every ill :

omni malo custodiat animam

: He guardeth th}' soul.
tuam Dominus.

8. Dominus custodiat intro- 8. Yahweh guardeth thy coming and goin^^.

itum timm, et exitum tuum ex : Henceforth and forever.
hoc nunc, et usque in sa;culum.
120] I LIFT MY EYES TO THE HILLS 285

1. This
psalm is entitled in the Hebrew, Sliir lamma'"loth,
which ought to mean, A song belonging to caravans if ' '

' '

ma"^loih means caravans we could not well translate the ;

Hebrew tit e,
'
A song belonging to the steps,' or,
'
A song
belonging to the ascents.'
In monies Sion, seated on the sacred hills, is still far away, and
:

the singer feels himself, for the time, cut off from the immediate pro-
tection of Yah well. Then in his sense of loneliness and helplessness
'
he asks Whence is mj^ help (help, i.e., from the
:
perils of the journey)
'
to come ? Unde denotes a direct question.
2. The faint-heartedness of the first singer is immediately con-
fronted with a reminder from another singer (or group of singers),
that distance from the Holy Hills is no ground for fear the Maker :

of heaven and earth does not limit His protection to Sion.

' '

3. The stumbling {commotio) suggests obviously the risks of

journeying [of. Ps. Ixv. 9). The first singer has fully accepted the
encouragement of the second. The Maker of heaven and earth v/ill
protect the caravan from the perils of the journey.
4. That the Guardian of Israel never slumbers passes beyond the
statement of verse 3 there it was said that Yahweh keeps the feet
:

of the wayfarers from stumbling while they march now it is said :

that Yahweh never relaxes His watchful care at any time not even
in the night. On
the day-marches and in the night-watches, the
caravan is equally secure in the loving care of God. The God of
Israel protects His own at all times.
5. Compare with this and the two following verses Ps. xc. 2, 4,
10-12. Compare also Ecclus. xxxiv. 19 :

The eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear Him,
A mighty shield and a strong stay,
A cover from scorching Sirocco, a shadow from noontide heat,
A guard from stumbhng and a succour from falhng.
' '

Protectio represents the Hebrew scl, shadow,' or shelter.' The

right side was the more unprotected in battle, for the shield was
carried in the left hand. To be protected on the right hand was,
'

therefore, to be perfectly secure. The idea of Yahweh f s scl, shelter,'

is developed into the thought of God as protector against sun-stroke
and moon-influence in the next verse. (/. Is. xxv. 4.
'

6. Uret : the Hebrew has smite.' The reference is to sun-stroke

an obvious risk of caravan-jouineys. Parallel with the smiting
of the sun is that of the moon. The belief in a baneful influence of
the moon's rays was, and is, widespread in the East. The Baby-
lonians ascribed to moon-rays the power of causing leprosy, and the
modern Arabs believe that the moon-rays cause blindness. Compare
our
'
lunatic
'
and
'
moon-struck.' The dangers from sun and moon
w^ould be peculiarly those of caravan-journeys.
286 THE PSALMS [120

7. Yahweh protects not only against sun-ray and moon-ray, but

against evil of every kind.
'
8. Comings-in and goings-forth '=all the actions of life {cf.
Deut. xxviii. 6 ;
xxxi. 2 ): it may be that the phrase in the present
context is intended to suggest the thought of going forth and re-
turning on caravan-journeys. Ex hoc nunc :
cf. Ps. cxii. 2.
 PSALM CXXI
THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM
preceding psalm spoke of longing for the House of Yahweh :

THE gates of
psalm the pilgrims, or travellers, have arrived at the
in this
Jerusalem. One of them"tells of the joy with which
he heard the longed-for tidings To-day we shall enter the
:

House of Yahweh." Standing in full view of the Holy City, the

psalmist sings of its beauty and strength, muses on its wondrous

past, and reflects on the amazing privilege which it enjoys, in being

the place of Yahweh's dwelling.
Fair and well-compacted, Jerusalem reveals herself to the psalmist
a beautiful fortress-city set proudly on the hills. The ravages of
Babylonian invaders have been repaired, and the new Jerusalem of
the post-Exilic period is strong again with walls and citadels, and is
proud with the glory of the Second Temple. And as the psalmist
surveys Jerusalem so stoutly re-built, his mind moves back over the
ancient history of Sion. He sees in spirit the tribes streaming thither
for the three great festivals, and, in reverence, he recalls the majesty
of old-time Law of priest and king, of which Jerusalem was the centre.
Then he turns to his companions and urges them to join in prayer
for the welfare of the City
for the peace which the name Jerusalem

implies for the prosperity of her friends, for the lasting strength of
the city's defences, and the security of her life. This prayer he
solicits in the name of the brethren and neighbours whom the travellers
are about to rejoin, but above all in the name of the House of God,
which crowns the city.
This psalm shows in a striking manner how closely connected for
the Hebrews were love of home and religion. To long for Jerusalem
was to long for God.

1. Canticum graduum. i. A caravan song.

Lcetatus sum in his, quae dicta I rejoiced

"
when 'twas said to me ;

sunt mihi : In domum Domini We go to Jerusalem."

ibimus.
2. Stantes erant pedes nostri, 2. Even now stand our feet,
in atriis tuis Jerusalem. In thy gates, O Jerusalem.

3. Jerusalem, quae
asdificatur 3. Jerusalem, thou city well built,
ut civitas cujus participatio
:
So firmly compacted !

ejus in idipsum.
2S7
288 THE PSALMS [121

lUuc cnim asccnderunt tri- Thither went up the tribes,

4.
bus, tribus Domini testimoni-
4.
The tribes of Yahweh
um Israel
:

ad confitenduin no- ('Twas a law unto Israel)

mini Domini. To praise Yahweh's name :

5. Quia illic sederunt sedes in 5. For there stood the thrones for judgment,
judicio, sedes super domum The thrones of David's house !

David.

6. Rogate quae ad pacem sunt 6. Pray ye for that which is unto Jerusalem's
Jerusalem et abundantia dili-
:
peace,
gentibus te : And for the prosperity of those that love
thee.
7. Fiat pax in virtute tua : et 7. In thy citadels be peace,
abundantia in turribus tuis. And abundance in thy towers.
8. Propter fratres meos, et 8. Because of my brethren and my neigh-
proximos meos, loquebar pacem bours,
de te : I would pray for thy peace ;

9. Propter domum Domini 9. Because of the House of Yahweh, our God,

Dei nostri, quajsivi bona tibi. I praj' for what is best for thee.

1. The Massoretic text ascribes this psahn to David. It is pro-

bable, however, that the psalm is from the post-Exilic period, and
that the ascription to David is due to verse 5.
In the Hebrew ought, probably, to be read
his quae dicta sunt :

' ' '

b"'oniram, when they said.' They is to be understood indefinitely.

In domum, etc., are the words of the message which the psalmist
had heard. Some one of his company has seen at last a glimpse of
the Holy Hills, and has hastened to tell his brethren that soon they
shall see the House of the Lord.
'
2. as far as the Hebrew goes, have taken
Stantes erant may mean,
their stand.' The company of pilgrims or travellers is now at the
'

gates {atria=sh^'arim, gates ') of Jerusalem. They can survey

clearly the outlines of the city and they stand for a while to chant a
song of its beauty, strength, and holiness.
3. Quae aedificatur represents a passive participle both in Hebrew
' ' '

and Greek ought to be rendered thou built-one or thou

: hence it
'

rebuilt-one.' The verse means in the Hebrew, Jerusalem, thou that

art built as a city completely compacted.' The reference in the
description is to the fortress-character of the city, with its well-
arranged buildings, and to the absence of that straggling aspect
which cities built in a plain would usually have. It may also be
implied that the city, reconstructed as it has been, is as closely knit
together and as strong as was the pre-Exilic Jerusalem.
Participalio, neroxV' means the connection of part with part in
the structure of the city. The Septuagint translators took the Hebrew
huhh^rah, which is a participle (=' shut up '), as if it were a noun
' '

(hebrah) meaning connection.' In idipsum=' all

comradeship,' or
'

at once,' or, together.' Jerome in his Commcniarioli says Cujtis :

participatio ejus in idipsum. Haec est sanctae aedificatio civitatis, si

 121] THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM 289

invicem pro se membra sollicita sint.

sihi in onini parte sit particeps et

Jerome's thought evidently based

is on Ephes. iv. 13-16. In his
translation Jerome renders the second half of the verse Ciijits :

participatio ejus simul. The cujus ejus is a literal reproduction . . .

(as in the Vulgate) of the Hebrew construction.

It is clear that verse 3 could not have been sung by the exiles
returning from Babylon, since it supposes Jerusalem as a city,
practically, at least, intact.
4. The reference is to the going up to Jerusalem for the celebration
of the three great feasts
Pasch, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Testi-
moni'um Israel is a parenthesis, This was a law for Israel.' The law
'

in questionis Exod. xxiii. 17 Ter in anno apparebit omne tnasculinum

:

timm coram Domino Deo tuo. The purpose of the threefold appearance
before the Lord is here stated to have been ad confitendnm nomini
Domini.
5. Probably the going up to Jerusalem for worship at the three
great feasts was associated also, to some extent, with the settlement
of difficult legal problems by the central legal authorities in the capital.
The thrones for judgment are put by metonymy for the judges.

Super Dominnm David

'

according to the Hebrew, belonging to

:

'
the house of David the Hebrew preposition
: has been incorrectly /''

rendered by super. Jerome has, sedes doniui David. The Davidic

dynast}^ was the source of all legal authority in old-time Jerusalem..
6. In the translation, Jerusalem has been taken as a dative. Some
forms of the Greek text make it an accusative, others a dative. The
'

Hebrew means Ask for the peace of Jerusalem.' This has been
:

followed above in the translation. Jerusalem is the centre of cult

and law, and the visitors to the city are urged to pray for its welfare
and the continuance of its life. The ordinary greeting to an indi-
' '
vidual would contain a prayer for shaloni, peace hence the greet- ;

ing of a traveller or pilgrim to the Holy City on his return would

embody, in some way, the formula of ordinary greeting between
friends. It may be assumed that the psalmist has here in view also,
"
in addition to the usual Hebrew greeting, Peace with thee," the
fact that the very name of the Holy City, Jerusalem (Hebrew,
Y^rushalem) was considered to include in itself an echo of shalom {cf.
,

Heb. vii. 2). Shalom is not merely pax it includes the ideas of ;

'

integritas, incolumitas, success.'

Et abundaniia diligentibus the Hebrew has, And may they
ie :
'

who love thee dwell in securit}^' Instead of yishlayu, may they '

'
dwell in security,' the Greeks read shalwah l\ let prosperity (or

security) be unto.'
7. In virt'iite tita from the parallelism in the Hebrew we should
:

'
have here, within thy walls.' Virtus {8vvafu^) is often used rather
inappropriately to render the Hebrew hayil a word of very varying

meaning.
19
290 THE PSALMS [121

In turrihus luis ;
the Hebrew suggests rather palaces than towers.
The reference to walls and palaces excludes the
possibility of regarding
this psalm as a song of the returning exiles. It is possible that v/e
" " " "
should take the walls and palaces as the city walls and the
towers for defence thereon. Cf. Ps. xlvii. 13, 14 3 Kings xvi. 18.
;

'
8. The Hebrew has For the sake of
: brethren and neigh-
my
bours, I would speak of peace in thee.' When he thinks of his
brethren and friends in the Holy City, he cannot refrain from wishing
' '
to Jerusalem, peace whenever he speaks of Jerusalem he has peace
:

on his lips.
9. But the Temple is, above all and beyond all, the ground of his
solicitude for Jerusalem. As the psalm had begun with a description
of the psalmist's joy at the tidings that he was about to see the House
of Yahweh, so it ends with the thought that the City of Peace must
ever remain secure, because the Lord has chosen it for His dwelling.
That which the psalmist chiefly longed to see in Jerusalem. the

Temple is also the object of his chief solicitude in prayer. As long
as the House of Yahweh stands in the midst of Jerusalem the Holy
City will remain secure.
 PSALM CXXII
OCULUS SPERANS
psalmist compares the attitude of Israel towards the Lord
THE with that of slaves towards their owners. When the master
of the house is angry, his slaves watch anxiously the threaten-

ing gestures of his hands, and when her mistress is angry,

the slave-girl keeps her eyes fixed, likewise, on the hands of her
mistress. When the anger passes, and master or mistress relents,
the slaves watch eagerly for the gesture of beckoning kindness. So,
now that Yahweh is angry, Israel watches with painful anxiety for
the movements of His threatening hand, and begs for a gesture of
favour. Long, all too long, has Israel suffered from the oppression
and contempt of arrogant and insolent strangers. Let Yahweh at
length forget His anger, and be gracious Then at last will Israel
!

have rest from the tension of long years of humiliation and uncertainty.
The psalm does not readily accommodate itself to any theory of
' '
the Gradual Psalms above described. Yet, as a humble, earnest
prayer for help against foreign contempt and oppression long endured,
it could well have been used on many different occasions, as a pil-

grimage song, as a caravan song, or as a prayer in the Temple

liturgy, etc.
probably, best understood as a product of the post-Exilic
It is,

(possibly the Persian) period.

Canticum graduuin. A Gradual Psalm

1. Ad te levavi oculos meos, Unto Thee I lift up my eyes

qui habitas in coelis. TKou that dwellest in heaven.
2. Ecce sicut oculi servorum, As the eyes of slaves,
in manibus dominorum suorum, On the hands of their master;

Sicut oculi ancillas in manibus As the eyes of a slave-girl

dominas suae : ita oculi nostri ad On the hands of her mistress;

Dominum Deum nostrum, donee So are our eyes on Yahweh, our God,
misereatur nostri. Until He showeth us mercv.

3. Miserere nostri Domine, 3. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy

miserere nostri quia multum
: on us.
repleti sumus despectione : For we are sated with shame !

Quia multum repleta est

4. 4. Yea, more than sated is our soul,
anima nostra opprobrium
: With the mockery of the rich,
abundantibus, et despectio And the contempt of the proud.
superbLs.
291
292 THE PSALMS [122

1. Cf. Ps. cxx. I.

' '

The to Thee is in the

emphatic position at the beginning to :

God alone the psalmist can look for help.

2. The suggestion here is obviously not of the tense eagerness with
which slaves watch their owners' hands for gifts, since the psalm
represents God as angry with His people. The hands which the
slaves watch so intently are the hands whose gesture threatens
chastisement. The
slaves, in dread lest the threatened blows should
fall, plead piteously for mercy. With the humility of verse 2 we
may compare Ps. cxxx.
From the circumstance that only one female slave is mentioned
itmight, perhaps, be inferred that it was customary in Hebrew homes
to have many male slaves, and only one female slave.
3. The repetition of the prayer indicates its earnestness. For the
multum, cf. Ps. cxix. 6.
4. opprobrium and despectio are, according to the Hebrew, the
things with which the soul of Israel is sated. Hence we ought to
have in the Latin something like van Sante's version :

Affatim satiirata sibi est am' ma nostra

Sitbsannatione securoriint, conteniptu elatorum.

The Greeks took the second part of the verse as a curse " Let there :

be contempt for the wealthy, and mockery for the proud." The
Hebrew word rendered ahundantes in the Vulgate means care-free,' '

'
they who have naught to complain of.' Some of the older com-
' '
mentators {e.g., Theodoret) identify the insolent with the Baby-
lonians, thus referring the psalm to the Exile. It is more likely,
however, that the psahn belongs to the post-Exihc period, and that
' ' '
'
the care-free and arrogant are the Persians. The possibility
cannot be excluded, however, that the mockers and oppressors of the
psalmist are themselves Hebrews. In that case the psalm would
be more naturally understood as an individual, not a communal,
psalm.
 PSALM CXXIII
A SONG OF THANKSGIVING
psalm is a song of thanksgiving. A great crisis in the Hfe
THIS of Israel has safely passed, and the nation gives thanks for
its rescue. The danger with which the nation has been
threatened is likened to the fierce onslaught of a raging
monster, to the fury of a swollen wady, and, to the might of an over-
whelming flood
in the second part of the psalm (5-7) the thanksgiving of the
people is chanted. Yahweh has not abandoned Israel to the fangs
of the monster that threatened it. Israel is now like a bird that has

escaped from the snare of the fov/ler, and the ecstasy of her new sense
"
of freedom finds expression in the joyous cry We are free." :

In the final verse the psalmist ascribes the blessing of rescue to

Yahweh alone. In its need the people had called on the name of
Yahweh, and the might of that name had wrought deliverance. For
what power can withstand the Creator of heaven and earth ?
The psalm is ascribed to David in the Massoretic text, but it is
likely that the poem is post-Exilic, and that the danger from which
Israel has been rescued was that of the Babylonian Exile.

1. Canticuni graduum. 1. A Gradual Psalm.

Nisi quia Dominus erat in If the Lord had not been with us
nobis, dicat nunc Israel : Thus let Israel say
2. Nisi quia Dominus erat in 2. If the Lord had not been with us.
nobis, When men rose against us,
Cum exsurgerent homines in
nos.
3. Forte vivos deglutissent 3. They would have swallowed us alive.
nos : When their anger raged against us.
Cum irasceretur furor eorum
in nos,
4. Forsitan aqua absorbuisset 4. The water would surely have overwhelmed
nos. us ;

5. Torrentem pertransivit ani- 5. Our soul would have had to traverse a

ma nostra : forsitan pertransis- torrent ;

set anima nostra aquam intolera- Our soul would have traversed a head-
bilera. long flood.

6. Benedictus Dominus qui Blessed be the Lord who gave us not up

non dedit nos, in captionem As prey to their teeth.
dentibus eorum.
7. Anima nostra sicut passer Our life was rescued
like a bird
erepta est de laqueo venantium : From
the snare of the fowler.
Laqueus contritus est, et nos Broken was the snare, and we are free.
liberati sumus.

293
294 THE PSALMS [123

8. Adjutoriura nostrum in no- 8. Our help is in the name of Yahweh,

mine Domini qui fecit coelum
: The Maker of heaven and earth !

et terram.

I. This psalm is not peculiarly suited to be either a caravan song

or a song for pilgrimages. Yet it might have been either. Every
visit to Jerusalem must have helped to remind travellers and pilgrims
of the wonderful deliverance of Israel from the Exile in Babylon.
Every one who arrived at Jerusalem in the post-Exilic period was
following, in a sense, in the footsteps of the
Exiles who had been so
wonderfully brought back to their home.
Nisi quia . . . erat=msi fuisset. Cf. Ps. xciii. 17. The on.

{quia) is pleonastic.
The psalm is probably to be regarded as arranged for antiphonal
singing. The first four verses were sung alternately by two choirs,
and verse 5 was then divided between the choirs. Verses 6 and 7
lend themselves to antiphonal rendering and verse 8 was probably
sung by the whole body of chanters.
3. The enemies are compared to
a furious monster possibly a
sea-monster (as in Jer. li. 34). The thought of a sea-monster leads
on, then, naturally to the idea of a raging torrent and a headlong
flood.

Misery and misfortune are frequently symbolised by over-

4.
whelming floods. Cf. Ps. xvii. 17 Ixviii. 3, 16. In Is. viii. 8 the
;

invasion of Assyria is represented as an overflow of the Euphrates

which inundates all the land of Juda. Some modern commentators
discover in this symbolism by which Babjdon is represented by a
flood, traces of the story of the struggle between Tiamat and Marduk
the enemy of Yahweh's people appearing naturally as Tiamat, the
Abyss. The sea-monster of verse 3, according to this type of ex-

planation, would be another form of Tiamat, or Chaos. It is, however,

very unlikely that the author of this poem derived any of his motifs
from the Babjdonian Epic of Marduk. The rescue of Israel from
peril has nothing corresponding to it in the Babylonian poem.
5. The Latin pertransivit anima nostra inverts the relation of

subject and object as it stands in the Hebrew. In the Massoretic

"
text we have A torrent {i.e., a wady which has become a raging
:

flood through the melting of the snows) would have swept over us."
The Greek translators evidently missed the preposition 'al {' over ')
before naphshcnu (' our soul '). In his own translation Jerome has :

Tory ens transisset super animam nostram.

Forsitan pertransisset anima nostra aquam intolcrabilem here :

again the Greeks changed subject into object and vice versa through
the omission of the Hebrew preposition 'al. Jerome renders cor-
rectly : Forsitan transissent super animam nostratn aquae superbae.
123] A SONG OF THANKSGIVING 295

Intolerabilem
represents the Greek avvTrwrTHToi', which could also
'

mean out of one's depth [cf. Ps. Ixviii. 3). In the Hebrew the
'

' '

waters are called proud {cf. Job xxxviii. 11), because the psalmist
is thinking rather of the enemies symbolised b}' the waters than of
the waters themselves.
' '

6. Captio, booty.'
prey,' The thought of the monster of
verse 3 here resumed.
is

7. Laquaus the snare, or trap {pah) used for catching birds con-
:

sisted of two frames of wood fastened together like the covers of a

book, and having attached to them a piece of netting. The frames
shot together when the bird trod on the bait, and the bird remained
enclosed in the net. By breaking the frames, or by rending the net,
the captive bird would be released. Here again the psalmist passes
"
from the symbol to the thing symbolised
easilj' The net is broken,
:

"
and we (not the bird) are free For the comparison of the soul
!

with a bird compare Ps. x. i.

9. 'When they were in straits the people had called loudly on the
name Yahweh. The name itself contained a guarantee of help
of
for was the Covenant-name of the God of Israel, and its use in
it

supplication might be supposed to remind God of His Covenant.

The loud crying of the name in the presence of the heathen would
also put pressure, as it were, on Yahweh to carry out all that His
name implied. The words of verse 8 occur with extraordinary
frequency in the Church's Liturgy. They precede the Confiteor in
the Mass and the Divine Ofhce, and they are the introduction to all
liturgical blessings, and forni part of the usual blessing given by a
Bishop. And it is usual to accompany these words with the sign
of the Cross, as if to imply that the help of God, which we ask for, is
guaranteed to us and procured for us by the death of Christ on Calvary.
Calvary and the ancient Covenant of Sinai are connected as the
substance and the shadow, and when we declare, while making the
sign of the Cross, that our help is in the name of the Lord, we wish,
in our way to put pressure, as it were, on God to grant us the fruits of

Calvary to fulfil towards us all that is implied in the new Covenant
in Christ's blood.
 PSALM CXXIV
TRUST IN THE LORD
man who trusts in the Lord is as firmly fixed and immovable
THE as Sion, the Mountain of God. Storms of oppression, and
tribulation may sweep over him, but they will leave him un-
changed. And as he who trusts in Yahweh is like Mount
Sion, so is Yahweh Himself like the hills which tower up round about
Jerusalem like a protecting wall. The stand round about the
hills

Holy City so does the protection of Yahweh encircle His servants,

;

making them secure against misfortune.

For the moment, indeed, it seems far otherwise in Jerusalem.
The rule of godless strangers is felt in the Holy City, and the people
of Yahweh are oppressed. But that cannot last. Canaan is the
allotted portion of Yahweh's worshippers it has been assigned to
:

them by Yahweh Himself. The strangers are godless, and God

cannot permit the rule of the godless to continue in the land of the
just. Besides, if Yahweh now refused help, His servants would be
tempted to lose faith, and to ally themselves with the godless. Let
Yahweh, therefore, intervene quickly, and overthrow the rule of the
strangers. And let Him make the hypocrites who claim to be
true Israelites and yet favour the heathen, share in the fate of
the godless.
The general situation here implied is like that described in Nehem.
xiii. 23 (^. The psalmist seeks to rouse the people to enthusiastic
confidence in God at a time when everything seems to foster despair,
when even pious Israelites are tempted to abandon belief in the value
of virtue. The style of the psalm, no less than the political situation
which it implies, points to the post-Exilic period as the date of its
composition.
It cannot well be said of this psalm that it was peculiarly suitable
to be simg by pilgrims or other wayfarers.

1. Canticum graduum. i. A Gradual Psalm.

Qui confidunt in Domino, They who trust in the Lord,

sicut mons
Sion non com-: Are like Mt. Sion, that is immovable,
movebitur in a^ternum. That abideth for ever.
2. Qui habitat in Jerusalem. 2. Round about Jerusalem are the hills :

Montes in circuitu eius et : And Yahweh is round about His people,

Dominus in circuitu populi sui. Henceforth and for ever !

ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum.

3. Quia non reUnquet Domi- 3. For the Lord will not permit the sceptre
nus virgam peccatorum super of the godless to rest

296
124] TRUST IN THE LORD 297
sorteni justorum : ut non ex- On the allotted portion of the just,
tendant justi ad iniquitatem Lest the just should put forth
manus suas. To iniquity their hands.

4. Benefac Domine bonis, et 4. Deal kindly, O Lord, with the good,

rectis corde. And with the upright of heart.
5. Declinantes autem in obli- 5. But those who turn aside to treachery,
gationes adducet Dominus cum The Lord will lead away with the evil-
operantibus iniquitatem pax : doers.
super Israel.
Peace be upon Israel !

1. Non commovehititr : this is, like in ccternuni qui habitat, an

epithet of Mt. Sion. The Mountain of God was the type of all that
was unchangeable and abiding as the Holy Mountain on which :

God's dwelling stood it was more immovable than other moimtains

{cf. Is. xiv. 32
xxviii. 16 ;
Ps. xiv. 6 Ixxxvi. 5). The man who
; ;

truly trusts in God is as firm and as permanent as Sion. Qtd hahitat=

qui manet.
2. In Jerusalem this is not to be read with the foregoing, as in
:

the usual Vulgate text. There is no reference in the original text

'
to him that dwells in Jerusalem.' It is not likely that the psalmist
would say that the man who trusts in God is as permanent as God
Himself. The preposition in should be omitted there is nothing :

corresponding to it in the Hebrew text. Apparently the Greeks '

read yoshebh, who dwelleth,' instead of yeshebh, will abide,' and

'

then connected yoshebh with Jerusalem so as to get the sense, who

'

dwelleth in Jerusalem.' The literal sense of the Hebrew here is :

"
Jerusalem round about it are the hills." Jerusalem is protected
by the hiUs which encircle it, In like fashion are the people of Israel
encircled and protected by Yahweh. Cf. Zach. ii. 9 ff.
Ex hoc nunc, etc. for the substantive use of 7i7mc {cf. Ps. cxii. 2
: ;

cxiii. 18 cxx. 8;
cxxx. 3). The Lord is the shield of His people
;

for ever.
3. foUows from the preceding verse that the present oppression
It
'

of Israel by foreigners cannot last for long. The Hebrew has The :

'

sceptre of iniquity shall not rest on the lot of the just the Greeks :

'

read lo' yaniah, he (that is, Yahweh) shall not allow to rest,' instead
yantiah, it (the sceptre) shall not rest.' Instead
'
of the Massoretic lo'
'

of the Massoretic haresha' iniquity, the Greeks read harasha'

,
the ,

'

godless.
The sors justonim^the land of Palestine. The rule of the heathen
over Palestine cannot be permitted to persist.^ Besides, if that rule
1
Cf. Ecclu. XXXV. 22 :

Yea, the Lord will not tarry

And the Mighty One will not refrain Himself,
Till He smite the loins of the merciless,
And requite vengeance to the arrogant.
Till He dispossess the sceptre of pride
And the staff of wickedness utterly cut down.
298 THE PSALMS [124

were allowed to continue for a much longer period, the just (the
Israelites) might begin to lose faith in Yahweh and His promises,
and might ultimately accept the point of view of the godless heathen.
Lest those who were zealous for virtue, seeing
'

As Theodoret puts it :

all things to be devoid of order and rule, should turn to that which is
evil and thence procure hurt for themselves.'
4. God is asked to show marked favour to the good who are up-
right of heart, i.e., those who are good out of conviction, the genuine
Israelites.

5. Over against the honestIsraelites are the declinantes in obli-

gationes. renders a-rpayyvXta, which can mean a tight

Obligationes
knot, and then a knotted or twisted cord, and then twisted things
generally, such as snares and treacheries. Bellarmine says Nihil :

duhito quin latinus interpres scripserit ohligctiones, non tarn respicicns

ad rem quae ligatur et stringitur per ohligationem quam ad ipsam obli-
qnitatem et tortuositatem quae cernitur in fune dum aliquid ligatur.
they who turn aside their twisted paths,' so that
'
The Hebrew has :

they who
'

both Latin and Hebrew agree in the concrete meaning,

give themselves unto crookedness.' The reference is obviously to
the dishonest Israelites who, while professing to be loyal to the Torah
of Yahweh, were friendly and helpful to the strangers. These the
psalmist prays God to deal with, as He will deal with the godless
heathen themselves.
Pax super Israel : this sounds like the priestly blessing with
which the psalm would have been brought to a close in the Liturgy.
 PSALM CXXV
SEED-TIME OF TEARS BRINGS HARVEST
OF GLADNESS
the Jewish Exiles in Babjdon were told tliat Cyrus had

WHEN set free, it seemed to them that the message of their

them
freedom was no more trustworthy than the visions of a
dream. When at length they saw that the tidings were
true,and that they were indeed free to return to the home-land, their
"
joy knew no bounds ;
their mouth was filled with their laughter
and their tongue with rejoicing." And even the Babylonians joined
with them in confessing the greatness of the deeds by which Yahweh
had fulfilled His promises to His people. Full of hope and enthusiasm
those of the Exiles who took advantage of the edict of Cyrus set forth
on their journey to Judea. But their idealistic enthusiasm did not
long survive their home-coming. It was with difficulty that the
people of Jerusalem were induced to complete the restoration of the
Temple, and for nearly half a century after the completion of the
Second Temple the walls of Jerusalem and, no doubt, many of the
buildings of the city also, were allowed to lie in ruins. The century
that followed the Return from Exile was full of bitterness and dis-
illusioiunent.
It is the purpose of Ps. cxxv to contrast the joy of the first days
of the Return with the gloom and hopelessness of half a century
later. The psalmist looks on the deliverance from Exile as still
incomplete. The Edict of Cyrus had marked a great turning-point
in the Hfe of Israel. God has not fulfilled the hopes which had
inevitably arisen when that turning-point was passed Israel is no
:

happier than she was, when in Exile. The promises which had seemed
to be fulfilled are now in fact no nearer to realisation than they were
before the Edict of Cyrus. Hence the psalmist prays "Do Thou,
:

O Lord, complete the work of the Deliverance from Babylon Change !

our present bitter lot As the rains of autumn and winter fill again
!

the wadys of the south, so do Thou change our ill fortune and as
:

the wadys are transformed from barren, silent trenches and arid
tracks among the rocks into rushing and teeming brooks and torrents
that dash noisily on, so let Israel be filled again with life and energy !

Things cannot remain for ever as they are. Seed-time of tears brings
harvest of joy, and the seed-time of Israel has lasted from the Exile
"
until now. Soon, then, must come the harvest of rejoicing ! Thus
the psalmist speaks, like another Aggaeus, or another Zachary.
299
300 THE PSALMS [12:

This psalm was probably chanted antiphonally, one choir singing

verses 1-3, and another verses 4-5. Sung thus antiphonally, it
would have been suitable for use on caravan journeys whether for
trade or pilgrimage.

1. Canticum graduum. 1. A Gradual Psalm.

In convertendo Dominus cap- When the Lord changed the bondage of

tivitatem. Sion facti sunius
: Sion,
sicut consolati : We were like those that dream :

2. Tunc repletum est gaudio 2. Then was our mouth full of joyous shout-
OS nostrum et lingua nostra
:
ing,
exsultatione. Andour tongue of rejoicing :

Tunc dicent inter Gentes : Then was it said among the heathen ;

"
Magnificavit Dominus facerc Great things hath Yahweh wrought
cum eis. for them."
3. Magnificavit Dominus fa- 3. Yea, .great things had Yahweh wrought for
cere nobiscum : lacti sumus us ;

lastantes. \\ e were glad indeed !

4. Converte Domine captivi- 4. Change, O Lord, our lot,

tatem nostram, sicut torrens in Like the wady in the south-land.
Austro.
5. Qui seminant in lacrimis, 5. They who sow amid tears reap with joy
in exsultatione metent.
6. Euntes ibant et flebant, 6. Weeping men go, strewing the seed :

mittentes semina sua. Rejoicing they return.

Venientes autem venient cum Bearing their sheaves.
exsultatione, portantes manipu-
los suos.

I. In convertendo Dominus captivitateni : for the extraordinary

grammar see Introd. p. xlv. It is disputed whether capitivitas is a

correct rendering of the Hebrew shibhath (or sh%hith). The Hebrew
word is used in many contexts where it cannot well be rendered
'

captivity.' Yet it must be admitted that, whether captivitas is, or

is not, an exact rendering of the word here, the immediate reference is
to the position of the exiles in Babylon. The word usually means
' ' ' ' '

lot or turning,' the lot here in question being the bondage of

Israel in Babylonia. In verse 4 below, where the same Hebrew word
refers to the condition of the Exiles who had returned to Judea, the
rendering captivitas is practically unjustifiable. It can be justified
only on the supposition which is advanced by several commentators,
that the p.salmist in the second part of this psalm is praying for the
return from Babylonia of the Exiles who had refused to return in
the three or four decades which followed the Edict of Cyrus. On this
view the mournful background of verses 4-6 would be due mainly to
the refusal of a number of exiled Judeans to rejoin their countrymen
in the home-land the psalmist's prayer would then be primarily
;
125] SEED-TIME OF TEARS 301

uttered to bring about such change in the mentality of his absentee

countrymen as would lead them to throw in their lot with those who
had returned to Jerusalem. This view of the meaning of the psalm
is not accepted in the introduction above. For captivitas compare
Ps. xiii. 7 Ixxxiv. 2.
;
'

Consolati the Hebrew, : hoVmim means, more probably. dreamers,'

'

somtiiantes (Jerome). The Hebrew verb him can mean either to be

possible that the Greeks were induced
'

healthy,' or to dream.' It is

by the first meanings to translate TrapaKeKk-qfikvoi [con-

of these
'

solati). The sense dreamers

'

suits the context better. The Exiles

could not believe that they were really free they were dazed, like :

men in a dream or they thought the tidings of their freedom to be

;

the product, as it were, of a dream. Kimchi says that the meaning

is, that when the Exiles realised that they were free, the sufferings

of the Exile began to appear to them as a sort of unpleasant

dream.
'

2. Gaudio the
laughter
: Hebrew has
cf. Job viii. 21. The '

Exiles could not refrain from shouts and songs of joy.

The Babylonians were deeply impressed by the change in the
fortunes of the Exiles and ascribed it Yahweh.
directly to
men were Magnificavit facer e is a Hebrew con-
'

Dicent, saying.'
struction : Introd. p. xlv/.
cf.

3. The Exiles applied to themselves the words of the heathen.

4. The sense is May the Lord help us now as He did at the end
:

of the Exile. change our lot {captivitas cannot mean

Let Him
of the wady is filled by the autumn
'

bondage' bed
here), as the
rains, after the drought of the summer. The comparison with the
winter-flowing wady is intended to bring out the greatness of the
change which is required in the condition of the people. The bed of
the wady becomes utterly dried up in summer a thing of silence
and death. But when the first rains of autumn come, the wady springs
to sparkling life as a wayward, tumbling, hurrying stream. So the
psalmist would have the sluggishness of Israel's present hopeless
existence transformed into the joyous energy of bustling and healthy
life. It m.ay be, as some commentators suggest, that the waters
which give life to the wady of the south-land are intended to symbolise
energising streams of grace from Yahweh but it is unwise to press ;

the comparison with the torrens in au-stro too far.

5. This verse may be taken as the statement of the general principle

(in what may have been proverbial form) that suffering is the necessary
prelude to happiness.
6. Euntes ibant ct flcbant, and vcnienles venient are constructions
based directly on the Hebrew. The tears of the seed-time were the
sorrows of the Exile. If the harvest of gladness has not yet appeared,
it is, nevertheless, sure to come. In the joy of harvest-time, the toil
of the spring-time and the anxious watching of the early summer are
302 THE PSALMS [125

both forgotten. It has been conjectured that verse 6 is in some way

dependent on Amos ix. 13-15 :

Behold, days are coming, so speaketh Yahweh

When the ploughman shall hustle the reaper.

And the grape-treader him that streweth the seed,
And the mountains shall trickle with sweet-wine,
And all the hills shall run melting.
And 1 will change the lot of my people Israel,
And they shall build the ruined cities, and dwell there.
And they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof,
And they shall lay out gardens and eat the fruit thereof.
And I will plant them in their land ;

And they shall not again be plucked out of their land

Which I have given them :

Yahweh thy God hath said it.

The phrase whichdescribes the strewing of the seed in this passage

of Amosappears also in verse 6 of this psalm, and in the Amos-text
and Ps. cxxv the changing of Israel's lot is a prominent motif. It
has been suggested also that the re-building of ruined cities in the
Amos-passage may have led to the grouping of Ps. cxxvi in close
connection with Ps. cxxv.
 PSALM CXXVI
ON THE BLESSING OF THE LORD ALL
SUCCESS DEPENDS
psalm obviously consists of two parts, verses 1-2 and verses
THIS These parts are so different in theme and outlook that
3-5.
many modern commentators regard them as distinct poems.
The first part deals after the fashion of Prov. x. 22 with the
absolute necessity of God's blessing for the success of men's work.
Toil, apart from the divine blessing, is futile. On the other hand
God grants favours at times to His friends, out of all relation to
toil even while they sleep. We have here the Old Testament
counterpart to Matt. vi. 25^.
iThe second part of the psalm is a meditation on one of the greatest

of God's free gifts a numerous progeny of sons. To the father who
has begotten many sons in his youth, the sons becomiC as arrows in
the soldier's quiver. The man who has his quiver well filled with
arrows of this kind is free from anxiety when he has to seek legal
redress, or enter into important contracts, at the city gate. His
enemies will not seek to cheat or outwit the man who comes attended
with a strong bodyguard of sturdy sons.
The ascription of the psalm to Solomon is due probably in the
first place to the reference to the building of the house, and then to
the phrase,
'

He giveth it to His beloved ones in sleep for Nathan,

'

according to 2 Kings xii. 25, gave to Solomon the name Yedidyah,
'
Beloved of Yahweh,' and in 3 Kings iii. 5-15 we are told that God
gave to Solomon the gift of wisdom in a dream, i.e., while he slept.

1. Canticuni graduiim Salo- I. A Gradual Psalm of Solomon.

monis.

Nisi Dominus aedificaverit do- If the Lord build not the house,
mum, in vanum laboraverunt 'Tis in vain that the builders toil :

qui aedificant eam. If the Lord guard not the cit)',

Nisi Dominus custodierit civi- 'Tis in vain that the guards keep watch :

tatem, frustra vigilat qui custo-

dit eam.
2. Vanum est vobis ante lu- It is futile for you to rise before the dawn

cem surgere surgite postquam
: Even if you rise when ye have scarcely
sederitis, qui manducatis panem rested,
doloris. Ye who eat the bread of sorrow !

Cum dederit dilectis suis For He giveth (it) to His loved ones even
somnum : while they sleep !

3- Ecce hjereditas Domini 3. Behold, a gift from the Lord are sons
filii merces, fructus ventris. A reward is the fruit of the womb.
 304 THE PSALMS [126

4. Sicut sagittae in manu po- 4. Like arrows in the strong man's hand
tentis ita tiHi excussorum.
: Are the sons of youth ;

5. Beatiis vir qui implevit de- 5. Happy is the man who hlleth his quiver
siderium suum ex ipsis non : therewith :

confundetur cum loquetur ini- He shall not be brought to shame,

micis suis in porta. When he speaketh with his adversaries
in the gate !

1. For ascription to Solomon see Introduction above.

2. Toilis useless without the help and blessing of the Lord.

Siirgite postquam sederitis taking the Vulgate as it stands we :

can understand it only in some fashion like that suggested in the

translation above. Surgilc is there taken concessively Even if ye '

'

rise but the Latin is here very imperfect. The Hebrew means
; :

'

'Tis futile for you to hasten your rising, and to make late your
resting ye eat the bread of weariness, but He giveth (bread) to
:

His loved ones in sleep.' The Greeks evidently took m^'alfre-

' '

making late resting as if it were me'ahar shehheth, after

'

shebheth,
the kum (' rising ') of the Hebrew text they must have
'

resting :

read twice. The sense of the verse is quite clear. It is perfectly

useless to toil, unless God's help is with us. Not merely is toil useless
as such for success, since it cannot win it alone it is also, at times, ;

altogether superfluous, for God gives the things for which men toil
to His special friends, even when they are resting in sleep. Somntmi
must be taken, after the Hebrew, as=' during sleep.' The gift of
' '
wisdom granted to Yedidyah, the Beloved of Yahweh while he
slept, has been mentioned above in the introduction to this psalm.
There is here, of course, no recommendation of idleness the psalmist :

wishes merely to reprove the folly of anxious toil from worldly

motives. We
must seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and all these
things will be added unto us.
3. Hcereditas Domini, something which belongs altogether to the
Lord, and which He gives, therefore, of His own good pleasure. Sons
are a gift received directly from God they are therefore God's

inheritance not something inherited from men.
;

Merces, a reward not, of course, in the sense of a salary for work

done for then we should have a sort of contradiction with the first
part of the verse. For the thought that children are a sakhar, or
merces, compare Gen. xxx. 18 Jer. xxxi. 15-17. ;

Potenlis,Hebrew, gibbor=^' warrior.'

'

Excussorum this word has been explained as meaning

: robust,'
'
able to shake enemies off.' The Hebrew n^'urim could per se mean
' '

either excussi or youth (see Introd. p. xli) obviously the latter

;

meaning ought to be accepted here. Sons begotten in youth are

fully grown up before their father is old. The comparison of sons,
or supporters, with arrows is familiar in the East. The Arabs call a
126] THE BLESSING OF THE LORD 305

trustworthy man '

the best arrow in nn' quiver,' and brave sons
'

the
lance-points of their fathers'.'
'

5. Implevit desiderinm this should

:
Lucky is he who has
mean,
sons that fulfil his expectations,' or, Lucky is he who has as many
'

Happy is the man

'

sons as he desires.' But the Hebrew is better

:

'

who has filled his quiver therewith i.e., with the arrows=sons.
'

The Greeks appear to have misread the Hebrew word 'ashpatho, his
quiver.'
The gate was the chief gathering-place of Oriental towns. At the
gate the law was administered and all important negotiations carried
through. Obviously a strong bodyguard of sturdy sons would help
to secure for their father fair play when he had to deal with rivals, at
the gate.
 PSALM CXXVII
THE BLESSINGS OF HOME
this little psalm we have A picture of the home-life which was
IN the ideal of the Hebrew people. home is a
The head of the

God-fearing toilsome man who, by

labour of his own hands on
his fa)!!!, is able to support in comfort liis wife and his many
His wife is the woman of valour of Proverbs
' '

sons. her heart is ;

fixed on her house she does not gad abroad but spends her life in
:

the inner parts of the house. She has borne so man^'' sons that she
is likened to a fruitful vine. When the family sits round the board,
the sons are like so many young olive trees that grow up around that
fruitful olive, their father.
Peaceful home and prosperous living are the blessings with which
those who fear the Lord are rewarded. But the peace and prosperity
of home-life are possible, only if there is order and the fear of God
in the land generally. Hence the psalmist prays that national peace
may be graciously granted by Yahweh, so that the honest Hebrew
paterfamilias may go on living in undisturbed tranquillity in his
home, until he sees the children of his children.
The psalm might well be understood as an elaborate greeting of

one caravan to another a sort of acknowledgment on the part of
each that the wealth of the other was a token of the friendship of the
Lord. The last words of the psalm Peace upon Israel '

would
'

be a very suitable form of greeting to one another of Hebrews meeting,
or parting, in foreign lands.

1. Canticum graduum. i. A Caravan Song.

Beati omnes, qui timent Do- Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
minum, qui ambulant in viis Who walk in His paths :

ejus.
2. Labores manuum tuarum z. The labour of thy hands thou shalt eat :
quia manducabis beatus es, et
:
Happy art thou it is well with thee,
:

bene tibi erit.

3. Uxor tua sicut vitis abun- 3. Thy wife is like a fruitful vine,
dans, in lateribus domus tuae. In the inmost parts of thy house :

Filii tui sicut novellae olivar- Thy sons are like shoots of the olive,
um, in circuitu mensai tuaj. itound about thy board.

4. Ecce sic benedicetur homo, 4. Yea, thus is he blessed,

qui timet Dominum. Who feareth the Lord.

5. Benedicat tibi Dominus ex 5. May the Lord bless thee from Sion :

Sion : bona Jerusalem

et videas Mayest thou see the weal of Jerusalem,
omnibus diebus vitse tuas. All the days of thy life.
6. Et videas filios filiorum 6. Mayest thou see thy children's children,
tuorum, pacem super Israel. Peace be on Israel !

306
127] THE BLESSINGS OF HOME 307

2. Qtria manducahis : the quia renders here the asseverative ki=

' '

truly,' or indeed.'
Manducare labores manmim=' to eat of the product of one's toil.'
For the Hebrew mind there was a peculiar satisfaction in feeling that
one was quite independent of others for one's maintenance. To eat
of the fruit of one's own toil was so m.uch an ideal of Hebrew life
that every Hebrew youth was expected to learn a trade even if he
were the child of wealthy parents, or were intended for a learned
career, so that he might always be able to support himself. Hence
we find St. Paul claiming that, even when he was spending himself in
preaching the Gospel in Ephesus, he was not dependent on any m.an
for his support, but on his own hands alone (Acts xx. 34). The good
fortune which the psalmist here extols is not the possession of
wealth as such, but the happiness and comfort which belong to a
life of honest effort for one's self and one's own. The psalmist
would no doubt gladly accept the formula of the prayer in
Prov. XXX. 8 :

"
Remove far from me falsehood and lies ;

Give me neither poverty nor riches;

Feed me with mine allotted bread."

3. The God-fearing man who supports himself by his own toil

will receive two great favours from the Lord, a diligent and prudent
wife, and a numerous progeny of sons.
Vitis
I ahundans the point of the comparison is the fruitful mother-
:

hood of the wife.

In lateribus this represents the Hebrew b^yark^the, which really
:

means in penetralibus in i\mos vi. 10 yark^the habbayith certainly

:

'

means the interior parts of the house.' The idea, which the Vulgate
text may suggest to many, of a vine trained on the walls of the house,
is not suitable in the context. The good and prudent wife holds
herself aloof from the outer world, and keeps to the women's apart-
ments she is interested only in the welfare of her family and
;

domestics. It is one of the chief charms of the Oriental woman

that she keep herself constantly in the privacy of her own house.
The contrary type of woman is strikingly depicted in chapters 7 and 9
"
of Proverbs she is :riotous and rebellious her feet abide not in ;

her own house."

NovellcB olivarum : the Hebrew means rather young olive trees
than shoots of olive.

4. The Hebrew
ki ('= verily ') is omitted in the Vulgate.

5. Sion, where He dwells, the Lord sends forth His blessing.

From
{cf. Ps. cxxxiii. 3). V ideas i/.-c is regarded by some com-
. . .

mentators as an interpolation, the marginal note of a reader. But a

prayer for the permanent welfare of the Holy City fits in well with
3o8 THE PSALMS [127

the general attitude of the psahii. The peace of home-life depends

largely on national peace.
' '
6. Pacem in the original, shalom,
:
peace is not dependent on
'
see.' The clause should run, as in Ps. cxxiv. 5 Pax super Israel.
:

This would be a natural greeting for Hebrews meeting each other in

foreign lands.
 PSALM CXXVIII
EVER OPPRESSED, BUT NEVER
O'ERTHROWN
psalm closely resembles Ps. cxxiii. It is a song of thanks-
THIS giving for the protection which Israel has always received
from the Lord, and a pra5^er for the destruction of all the
enemies of Sion. It consists of two parts, vv. 1-4 and 5-8 :

in the first part the psalmist looks back over the history of Israel
and finds it to be one long record of foreign oppression. Egyptians,
Canaanites, Philistines, Syrians, Assyrians, Babylonians have followed
each other in almost uninterrupted succession, and have ploughed,
as it were, great furrows on the back of Israel. But in the mighty
help of Yahweh Israel has survived all the oppression and malice of
her foes and as she has ever been succoured and protected in the
;

past, so will she be guarded and sustained in the future, for her help
and stay is the Just One in heaven.
The recollection of Israel's wrongs rouses the anger of the psalmist,
and in the second part of the psalm he prays for the destruction of all
the enemies of Sion. He does not ask for them, however, such a
dread punishment as Ps. cxxxvi invokes upon Babel he prays merely ;

that the enemies of Sion may become like the grass which grows on
the house-tops of Palestine or the corn-seeds which sprout there.
flat
When the grass, or the corn, on the house-tops first appears, it is
abundant and vigorous, but as the power of the sun increases and
the rains gradually cease, the grass and corn wither away. No reaper
ever fills his hand therewith, and no binder ever gathers together the
sheaves thereof, and never are the cheerful greetings of the harvesters
heard at their ingathering. So may it be with the enemies of Sion !

1. Canticum graduum. i. A Gradual Psalm.

expugnaverunt me a Greatly have they oppressed me from my

Saepe
juventute mea, dicat nunc Is- youth

rael : So may Israel say,
2. Saepe expugnaverunt me a 2. Greatly have they oppressed me from my
juventute mea ; eteniin non youth :

potuerunt mihi. Yet they have not prevailed against me.

3. Supra dorsum meiun fabri- 3. On my back have sinners wrought ;

caverunt peccatores prolonga-

:
Long have they worked their malice,
verunt iniquitatem suam.
4. Dominus Justus concidit 4. The Lord is just,
cervices peccatorum : He hath cleft the neck of sinners.

309
310 THE PSALMS [128

Confundantur et conver- May they be brought to shame and driven

tantur
5.
retrorsum omncs, qui
5.
backwards
oderunt Sion. All who hate Sion.
6. Fiant sicut foenum tecto- 6. May they become as grass on the house-
rum :
quod priusquam evella- tops,
tur, exaruit : Which before it is gathered withereth ;

7. De quo non implevit ma- 7. Wherewith the reaper filleth not his hand,
num suam qui mctit, et sinum Nor the binder his bosom ;

suum qui manipulos coUicjit.

S. Et non dixerunt qui prre- 8. And the passers-by speak not :

"
teribant Bcnedictio Domini
: Yahweh's blessing be on you ;

super vos benediximus vobis : We bless you in the name of Yahweh."

in nomine Domini.

' '

1. The the beginning of Israel's life as a nation at the

youth is

Exodus. The subjects

to expugnaverunt are the various national
enemies of Israel from the Exodus down to the Exile.
Dicat 7iunc Israel Israel is called on to acknowledge that its :

trials have not overcome her.

2. The
repetition intended to indicate the depth of feeling is

with which Israel recalls her troubled past.

Etenim this particle may be taken in an adversative sense
:

'

yet.'
]>!on potuerunt r.iihithis is a literal rendering of the Hebrew :

'
lo'yakJflu li, they have not prevailed against me.' Even though
the persecutions which oppressed Israel in Egypt have been continued
in some form throughout her history, yet they have not been able
to break her spirit, or destroy her.
3. The oppression of Israel's foes is likened in the Hebrew text
to the ploughing of long furrows on the back of Israel. The Hebrew-
text runs :

On my back the ploughers have ploughed ;

Long have they made their furrows.

Israel is compared to a tillage-field which the oppressors have ploughed

with their sharp plough-shares. The psalmist thinks of the land of
Palestine and its people as one, and the battle-torn land is for him
a slave. The stranger oppressors have
'
like the stripe-torn back of
made long their furrows,' for they have left practically no part of
the land untouched.
Fahricaventnt the Greek translators took the Hebrew verb
:

' '

har^shu, they have ploughed as if it meant (as in another context

' '
it might) they have wrought (in the sense of working in metal) :

'
but the sense they have ploughed,' is here certain.
'
Peccatores the Greeks read hor^shim, the ploughers,' as kar"-
:

'

sha'im, the godless,' or perhaps they identified ho/shim with the

'
ho/she ra'ah, the planners of evil,' of Prov. iii. 29.
Imquitatem suam
'
the Greeks took ma'^notham, : their furrows,'
'
as if it were '"iconoiham, their iniquity.'
 128] EVER OPPRESSED 311

Jerome renders verse 3 :

Super cervicem meant arabcmt arantes,

prolongaverunt sulcum suittn.

4. Cervices peccaiormn the Hebrew has,

: He sundereth the'

cords of the wicked.' The picture here suggested seems to repi-esent

Yahweh as cutting the ropes, or cords, by which Israel, regarded as
a ploughing ox, was harnessed to the plough. In the comparison in
verse 3, Israel a soil torn by the plough-share of foreign invasion
is

and oppression here Israel is the wearied ox that has been ploughing
:

for the stranger. It is possible, of course, too, that the reference is

to the enemies regarded as an ox that ploughs the back of Israel,
and can plough no longer when the cords of its yoke have been severed
by Yahweh. The rendering cervices is due to the circum.stance that
the Hebrew 'aboih was read by the Greeks as gabboth.
The Hebrew of verse 4 means that Israel's sufferings have ceased ;

the Latin implies that the enemies of Israel have been punished.
Augustine thinks that cervices peccatonim=cervicati (i.e., superbi)
peccatores.
5. As the enemies of Israel have failed in the past, so the psalmist

prays that they may be put to shame now and in the future.
6. The grass-seeds, or seeds of corn, that grow on the flat roofs
of Oriental houses, though they sprout quickty and seem at first to
promise abundance, are quickly burnt up, and wither because their
soil is shallow, and they have no shelter from the sun. Before they
fully develop they are destroyed they can never be reaped nor
;

harvested. Hence over them can never be spoken the greeting of

the passers-by to the harvesters such as we find it in Ruth ii. 4 :

"
And behold Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers :

'
The Lord be with you.' And they ansv/ered him
'

The Lord bless

:

"
thee.' It would have been sufficient for the psalmist's immediate

purpose to have said that the grass or corn on the roofs withers ere
it ripens unto harvest but the psalmist, wishing to develop his image,
;

goes on to say that the withered grass or corn will bring no harvest
joys.
Priusquam eveUatur the Hebrew word shalaph, to which evellatur
:

'

corresponds, means something like unsheath,' and refers, perhaps,

'

to the process by which grass or corn that is growing unsheathes

itself,' or bursts into ear.
'
Though shalaph might, possibly, mean in
' ' '

certain contexts pull up,' as well as pull off or unsheath,' evellatur

is quite unsuitable as a rendering here. The original rendering of
the Septuagint was Trpo rod e^avdria-ai.. Jcrome has, Qitod statim ut
'

viruerit a resect. The Targum renders Before it blooms, the east

:

wind blows upon it, and it dries up.' The Syriac version has :

'

Which, when a wind blows upon it, withers and dries up.'
Sinus the fold of the garment, in which objects, like sheaves,
:
312 EVER OPPRESSED [128

could be carried. Or perhaps the thought is that the binders will

never gather up against their breast a bundle of such corn to tie it
into a sheaf.
'

8. The harvesters hear no friendly greeting, May the blessing

will
of Yahwch be on your work,' nor will they answer, We bless you in
'

the name of Yahweh.' What the psalmist wishes to convey in

verses 6-8 is that the corn, or grass, that springs up on the house-tops
withers away quickly and does not ripen to harvest to convey this
;

he depicts the various familiar aspects of harvest, and then says that
none of these will ever be found in the case of the ephemeral crops
that grow on the house-tops. For the enemies of Sion he would
wish as swift and unlooked-for extinction as comes to the sun-withered
harvest-less crops of the roofs. For the comparison between the
grass that quickly withers and the life of men see 4 Kings xix. 26 ;
Ps. Ixxxix. 6 cii. 15, 16
;
xxxvi. 2.
;
 PSALM CXXIX
DE PROFUNDIS!
is the sixth of the Penitential Psalms. It is the prayer

THISwretchedness. of one who cries to the Lord from out of the depths of
Whether that wretchedness is primarily the
wretchedness of the nationmisery of an indi- Israel, or the
vidual, the psalmist is conscious that it is due to sin, and the psalm
is a humble acknowledgment of guilt. The psalmist does not ask
for help or vengeance against enemies, but only for forgiveness of
his sins. He knov/s that he does not deserve pardon, but if the Lord
were to remember men's sins, who could expect to escape destruc-
tion ? God is no strict creditor with Him dwells forgiveness ;

rather than justice. Moreover, God has proclaimed Himself in

His Law a God of mercy and forgiveness, and in that Law, therefore,
the psalmist puts his trust. Knowing that forgiveness must, then,
eventually be graciously granted, the psalmist will wait and watch
eagerly for the tokens of its coming more eagerly than the weary

night-watcher looks for the dawn. Let Israel, too, wait trustingly
for the pardon of its sins
for loving-kindness and plenteous re-
demption are with the Lord.
From 2 Chron. vi. 40 we can see that this psalm was known to
the author of Chronicles it must, therefore, have existed in the
:

fourth century, B.C.

I. Canticum graduum. I. A Gradual Psalm.

De profundis clamavi ad te Out of the depths I cry to Thee, Lord,

Domine :

2. Domine exaiidi vocem me- 2. O Lord, hearken to my voice !

am : Let Thine ears give heed to my plaintive

Fiant aures tua^ intendentes, cry !

in vocem deprecationis mere.

3. Si iniquitates observaveris 3. If Thou, Lord, shouldst retain sin.

Domine : Domine quis sustine- O Lord, who could stand ?
bit ?

4. Quia apud te propitiatio 4. But with Thee is Forgiveness,

est : et propter legem tuam And because of Thy Law I trust in
sustinui te Domine. Thee, Lord.
Sustiuuit anima mea in verbo My soul trusteth in His word ;

ejus :

5. Speravit anima mea in Do- 5. My soul waiteth for the Lord.

mino,
3^3
314 THE PSALMS [129

6. A custodia matutina usque 6. From the morning watch until night,

ad noctem sperct Israel in
:
Let Israel \vait for the Lord :

Domino.
7. Quia apud Dominum mise- 7. For with the Lord is loving-kindness,
ricordia et copiosa apud eum
:
And plenteous redemption is with Him.
redemptio.
8. Et ipse redimet Israel, ex 8. He will ransom Israel
omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. From all its sin.

It is not possible to regard this psalm definitely as a caravan-

1.

song, or as a pilgrimage song.

De Profundis great depths of water are a symbol of misery
:
:

' '

Cf. Ps. xxxix. 3 Ixviii. 3, 15. The depths are often explained
;

as depths of moral wretchedness, or sin, rather than national or

social misery. But whether the psalmist speaks as an individual,
or as representing the nation Israel, it is clear that he associates the
misery out of the of which he cries as either sin, or as due to
depths
sin hence, it is no misapplication of the psalm to use it in the
;

Liturgy as a cry for pardon springing from a poignant consciousness

of sin.
Clamavi the cry : is still going on, so that we are not to take
the perfect literally.
'

2. Vocem
deprecationis mea, tearful cry.' my
3. Observaveris if the Lord kept :
sins retained them, that
' '

is
and did not blot them out, who could possibly abide His anger ?
'

Observarc, to keep,' is used here as an antithesis to remitting.

Cf. John XX. 23 :

Quorum rciimieritis retenta sunt.

Quis sustinebil who should abide before the anger of God ?

:

'

some such clause as, But God does not keep our sins
'

4. Quia ;

is implied in this quia. God does not keep strict account of our
sins, because with Him is hassHihah,
'
the Forgiveness," 6 lAaor/xos,
The phrases, i John ii. 2, He is the propitiation
' '

the Propitiation.'
John iv. 10, He loved us and sent His Son, the
'

for our sins,' and i

probably echoes of this verse.

propitiation for our sins,' are
Propter legem tuam the Hebrew text is here quite different
:
:

'

with the preceding clause it runs With Thee is forgiveness that :

thou mayest be feared.' The text which the Massoretes read

I'ma'an tiwware the Greeks must have read (though the accepted
,

Greek text has departed from the Greek which lies behind the
Vulgate here) fmaan tora 'for the sake of the Torah ('Law').',

This the Greeks read with the following clause, so that we have in
'

the Vulgate, Et propter legem tuam sustinui te Domine. The Law

'

contains the divine promise of forgiveness of sin, and hence the

psalmist will wait confidently for the fulfilment of that promise. Cf.
Ps. cii. 8, 9.

Sustinuit anima mea : the Hebrew here, and in the following

 129] DE PROFUNDIS! 315

clause, is phrased differently from the Latin : the Massoretic text

has :

Iwait for Yahweh,

My soul waiteth :

And for His word I look eagerly.

There is nothing in the Hebrew to correspond to the te in siistinuit te,
and since it is out of harmony with the
ejus in in verho ejus, it ought
to be omitted. Arranging the words of the Vulgate so as to bring
them as near as possible to the sense of the Hebrew we should have :

Siistiniii Doiniiiuin :

Stistiniiit anima mea :

In verbo ejus speravi.
Anima mea ad Dominum
A custodibus ad mane.
Spevet Israel in Domino, etc.

Jerome renders 3&-5 much better than the Vulgate :

Siistiniii Dominum,
Sustinuit anima mea,
Et verbum ejus expectavi ;
Anima mea ad Dominum.
'
Siistinere means to wait for, to look for.'
5. Speravit anima mea in Domino there is nothing corresponding :

speravit in the Hebrew, but the Hebrew phrase,

'
to My soul unto
'

Yahweh,' clearly means, My soul waits for Yahweh,' so that speravit

makes the sense of the passage clear it may be based
ultimately ;

on a better form of the Hebrew text than that which the Massoretes
have retained.
6. A cnstodia matiitina in the Hebrew this phrase must be
:

read with the preceding, and then we get the sense :

My soul (hopeth) for the Lord

More than watchers for the morning.

As the watchers, weary from their long vigil, watch with eager
longing for the first tokens of the dawn, so the psalmist watches

but more eagerly for the breaking of the dawn of God's forgive-
ness and redemption. A cnstodia matutina should be phis quam
custodes expectant anroram ;
the a is=the Hebrew min, the particle
of comparison.
'
The Hebrew phrase, the watchers for the morn,' is repeated
in the Massoretic text to indicate the eagerness of the watchers'
longing (like the repetition in Ps. cxxviii. 2). The Greeks seem to
have misunderstood the Hebrew construction with 7nin and the
;

' '

repetition of watchers for the morn they transformed bj^ con-

jecture into /7,xpt j'VKTos. Jerome gives here the rendering :

Anima mea ad Dominum

A vigilia matutina usque ad vigiUam matutinam.

Speret Israel in Domino :

according to the Hebrew a new sentence
3i6 THE PSALMS [129

Wait, O Israel, for Yahweh

' '

begins here : ! This is obviously

better than the Vulgate arrangement, which, as has just been said,
is based on a misunderstanding of the comparative use of the pre-

position min in the Hebrew. The Latin translators evidently thought

that watching from the morning until night indicated great intensity
of interest in the watchers the watchers of the last night-watch
:

would naturally betake themselves to rest in the morning. If then

they continue their vigil until the following night, it can only be
because they are intensely eager to see that for which they had
watched until morning.
7. Israel Yahweh, because loving-kindness
is to put all her trust in

and plenteous redemption are with Him.

8. Hence He will at last rescue Israel from her miseries, and wipe

away all her guilt.

 PSALM CXXX
RESIGNATION
little psalm is a protest of humility and of complete

THIS resignation to the designs of God. It is often interpreted as

a communal psalm which declares that Israel has learned
through much suffering that there is no rest save in the
Lord. The concluding verse would support the communal inter-
pretation. Yet the poem seems to admit more naturally of an
individual interpretation. The psalmist once strove after great
and lofty things with insatiable ambition now he understands :

how futile all worldly ambitions are. He is now like the child that
isweaned, and that rests silently on the bosom of its mother, satisfied
with the mother's tender caresses. His soul is no longer clamorous
and restless ;
it is as silent within the psalmist as is the weaned
child with its mother. And as the weaned child nestles lovingly in
the mother's arms with no wish but that of enjoying its mother's
love, so the psalmist, putting aside all cares, abandons himself with
a sense of great security and comfort to the loving-kindness of the
Lord. The last verse may be a liturgical addition to the psalm.
The ascription of the psalm to David in the title is not above
suspicion from the standpoint of textual criticism (it is wanting in
the Septuagint) so that there is no need to take the probability of
Davidic authorship seriously into account.

I. Canticum graduum David. i. A Gradual Psalm of David.

Domine non est exaltatum Lord, my heartis not proud ;

cor meum :
neque elatisunt And my eyes are not lofty ;

oculi mei. 1 strive not after great things.

Neque ambulavi in magnis : Nor after things too high for me.
neque in mirabilibus super me.
2. Si non humiliter sentie- Indeed, I think humbly of myself,
bam : sed exaltavi animam Andexalt not my soul :

nieam : Like the weaned child (that resteth) on

Sicut ablactatus est super its mother.
matre sua, ita retributio in ani- Yea, like the weaned child (resteth) my
ma mea. soul in me !

3. Speret Israel in Domino, ex 3. Let Israel hope in the Lord,

hoc nunc et usque in sa;culum Henceforth and for ever !

'

I. Mirabilibus sv-pcr mc :
things too wonderful for mc.' Cf.

317
3i8 THE PSALMS [130

Eccli. iii. 22 : Altiora te ne quaesieris, etforiiora te ne scrutatiis fiteris ;

Jer. xlv. 5 ;
Et tu quacris tibi grandia. Cf. with the thought here
expressed Ps. c. 5 Snperho oculo et insatiahili corde, cum hoc non
:

edeham.
2. Si non Cf. Ps. Ixxxviii. 36.
: We have here an instance of
Hebrew asseveration accompanied with an imprecation {cf. Ps. cxix.
The sense is, If I am not lowly in my thoughts, etc., then may
'

3).
the Lord do so and so to me.' The psalmist desires by this method
of expression to state very emphatically that his thought of himself
is humble, and that he does not exalt himself.

Exaltavi the Greeks evidently read in their Hebrew text,

:

'
romamti the Massoretic text has domamti, I silenced.' The sense
:

of the Hebrew text is that the psalmist silenced the clamours of his
soul : the Latin text (when exaltavi is included in the imprecation
formula), means that the psalmist has not lifted up his thought to
great plans. The Massoretic text is better, because the chief point
in the comparison with the weaned child that follows is the silence
and absence of clamorous requests on the part of the child.
Sicut ablactatits sti,per matre sua as the weaned child no
. . . :

longer clamours to be fed by its mother, but rests quietly on her

bosom, so does the soul of the psalmist rest v/ithout longing or foolish
ambition in the Lord. The literal sense of the Massoretic text is :

Like a weaned child on (or, with) its mother,

Like a weaned child is with ine my soul.

The ahlactatus represents correctly the Hebrew gamnl {'

weaned ') ;

in the second part of the phrase gamul occurs again, but the Greeks,
instead of reading gamul a second time, read g'^mul {=retnhutio) :

with me they read as 'ale, v/ith,' and made it to govern

' ' '

'alai,

jtaphshi (my soul). In point of fact, hov/ever, naphshi is a nominative,

so that the correct translation, using the Vulgate turns of expression,
would be ;

Sicut ahlactatus super matre ma,

Sicut ahlactatus {est) anima sniper me.

to assign any very useful meaning to the retrihiitio

It is difficult
of the Vulgate. Hence the translation above has followed the Hebrew.
' ' '

Some commentators reading g^mul, reward,' requital in both

clauses of the Hebrew claim to get as the meaning of verse 2 :

"
humble not,
If I
But exalt my soul,
The honouring of one's mother
Is the honouring shown to me,"

'

which, paraphrased, means It is true that I do not show myself

:

humble in the honour that has been conferred upon me, but that is
only because the honour has been, in truth, conferred on my mother,
Israel.'
130] RESIGNATION 319

This rendering removes the imprecatory character of verse 2,

and interprets the psalm as the protest of an individual, to whom
honour has been shown, that the honour is really intended rather
for Israel mother) than for him. This type of quasi-official
(his
humility however, without parallel in the Psalter. Some of the
is,

Greek commentators have explained the comparison with the weaned

'

child as intended to convey the thought : If I have not made my

soul like unto the child that, though weaned, clings close to its mother,
but rather have exalted my soul, then let requital befall me.'
3. This verse is most naturally regarded as a liturgical addition.
If, however, the psalm primarily refers to the nation Israel, rather

than to an individual, the last verse would be perfectly in place for
to the lowly the Lord grants His favours.
 PSALM CXXXI
THE DWELLING-PLACE OF YAHWEH
to tradition (2 Chron. vi. 41/.) this psalm was
chanted by Solomon at the Dedication of the Temple. There
ACCORDING
is no good reason for doubting this tradition. The psalm con-
sists of two equal parts, balanced against each other, verses

1-9 and 10-18. Each of these parts begins with a reference to David,
in view of whose merits before the Lord a prayer is made on behalf
of the Israel of the psalmist's time and of its king. In the first part,
the psalmist deals with David's zeal for the erection of a dwelling
for the Lord in Sion he puts himself back in spirit into the days of
;

David's reign, and, speaking as a subject of David, he records an

oath (not elsewhere chronicled) by which David bound himself to
provide a due dwelling-place for Yahweh. In Bethlehem the people
heard of this oath, and in Kiryath-Yearim, where the Ark was resting,
they heard of it also, and the psalmist depicts the multitudes stream-
'

ing to Kiryath-Yearim and praying there, at the foot-stool of

Yahweh's feet,' that He might deign to go up to Sion, His chosen
dwelling-place. In Sion He would receive due worship as the mighty
God of Israel, and His presence in Jerusalem would be a source of joy
for the pious ones of His people.
In the second part of the psalm the psalmist begins by praying
' '
that Yahweh may be
as gracious towards His Anointed {i.e.,

Solomon) as His promise to David through Nathan (2 Kings vii. 4-16)

demanded. Through Nathan the Lord had promised that the Davidic
house would forever rule in Jerusalem, that He Himself would make
Jerusalem His dwelling-place for all time, and that Sion, through
the presence of the Lord, would be for ever a seat of peace and plenty,
of splendid worshipand holy gladness. He had promised, moreover,
that the descendants of David who would sit on the Davidic throne
would be worthy heirs of David's '

unto David, repro-

might horns
'

ducing the greatness of David undimmed, and handing it on as the

brightness of the never-extinguished lamp is perpetuated. Let
Yahweh, then, fulfil all this great promise in Solomon and in his
heirs !

The Solomon at the Dedication of the Temple

discourse of
(3 Kings viii.reads like a prose-version of this psalm.
i-[ff.)
2 Chron. vi

actually puts portions of this psalm in the mouth of Solomon at the

Dedication, and we are justified, therefore, in regarding the psalm
as being as ancient as the Temple of Solomon itself. That the psalm
320
 Ill I DWELLING-PLACE OF YAHWEH 321

was used in the Ternple-liturgy of the whole monarchical period is

most probable. The Messianic character of the psalm is obvious :

"
the Messianic King was to be a Son of David," and the Messianic
Kingdom was to be a re-establishment of the Kingdom of David.
The Messias was to be, as the Bcnedictus has it, cornu sa lulls nobis in
doiao David piieri sui.

1. Canticum graduum. 1. A Gradual Psalm.

Memento Domine David, et Be mindful, O

Lord, of David,
omnis mansuetudinis ejus : And
of all his piety,
2. Sicut juravit Domino, vo- 2. How he sw^are to the Lord,
tnm vovit Deo Jacob : And vov/ed to the God of Jacob ;

Si introicro in tabernacii-
3. 3. "I will not enter mx' tent of dwelling.
lum domus msre, si asceudero in Nor go up to couch my ;

lectum strati mei :

4. Si dedero somnum oculis 4. I will not give sleep to my eyes.

meis, et palpebris meis dorraita- Nor slumber to my eyelids,
tionem :

5. Et requiem temporibus 5. Nor rest to my tem.ples.

nieis donee inveniam locum
: Until Ihave found a place for the Lord,
Domino, tabernaculum Deo A dwelUng for the God of Jacob."
Jacob.

6. Ecce audivimus eam in 6. Behold we heard of it in Ephratha

;

Ephrata invenimus : eam in We learned it in the forest-wilds.

campis silvas.
7. Introibimns m tabernacu- 7. We entered into His tent ;

lum ejus adorabimus in loco, : We did homage to the foot-stool of

ubi steterunt pedes ejus. His feet
" ;

8. Surge Domine in requiem S. Ascend, O Lord, to Thy resting-place.

tuam, tu et area sanctificationis Thou and Thy holy Ark !

tUJB.
9. Sacerdotes tui induantur 9. Let Thy priests put on justice.
justitiam : et sancti tui exsul- And let Thy pious ones rejoice."
tent.

10. Propter David servum tu- 10. For the sake of David, Thy servant.
um, non avertas facicm Cliristi Turn not Thy Anointed away.
tui.
11. Juravit Dominus David II, The Lord sware truth unto David,
veritatem, et non frusfcrabitur And He will not frustrate it ;

"
eam de fructu ventris tui po-
: One from the fruit of thy body
nam super sedem tuam. I on thy throne
will place ;

12. Si custodiennt filii tui 12. If thy sons keep my law.

testamentum meum, et testi- And these my decrees which I teach
monia mea haec, qu?e docebo them.
eos : Their sons for time. all
Et filii eorum usque in saecu- Shall sit on thy tlirone."
lum, sedebunt super sedem
tuam.

13. Quoniam elegit Dominus 13. For the Lord hath chosen Sion
Sion elegit eam in habitatio- He hath desired it as His dwelling :

nem sibi
"
14. Haec requies mea in sascu- It. This is my resting-place for ever,
lum S33culi hie habitabo quo- : Here will I dwell, because I have
niam elegi eam. desired it.

21
322 THE PSALMS [131

15. Viduam ejus benedicens 15. Its widows I will richly bless.
benedicam ;
pauperes ejus satu- Its poor I will sate with bread ;

rabo panibus.
16. Sacerdotes ejus induam iG. Its priests I will clothe with salvation.
salutari et sancti ejus exsulta-
: And its pious ones shall greatl}'
tione exsultabunt. rejoice.
17. Illuc producam cornu 17. There I will cause a Horn to spring
David, paravi lucernam Christo forth to David ;

meo. There have prepared a Light for my

I
Anointed ;

1 Inimicos ejus induam con-

8. 18. His enemies I will clothe with shame ;

But over him my consecration

' '

fusione super ipsum autem

: shall
efflorebit sanctificatio mea. gleam brightly."

1. Mansuetudinis : the Greeks read in their Hebrew text 'anivaihu,

' ' '

his meekness,' instead of the Massoretic 'unnotho, his labour

(the infinitive Pual used as a noun, "his being plagued"). The

' '

labour,' or trouble,' ofDavid includes the troubles of his life generally

in so far as they were incurred in the service of Yahweh. In par-
ticular, the zeal of David for the Ark, and his efforts to secure for it
and for the Lord a becoming dwelling are thought of as a chief portion
'

of that trouble.'
2.historical books contain no such oath of David (c/. 2 Kings,
The
vi. but the poet may be drawing here on special traditional
vii),
sources. From 2 Kings vi and vii we can gather that David had
decided to build a dwelling for the Lord.
'

Deo Jacob the Massoretic text has, the Strong One of Jacob,'
:

'
the Hero of Jacob.'
3. We have here again the formula of swearing. A clause like,
' '

May Yahweh do so and so to me must be regarded as preceding

' '

the if.' Hence negative oaths are introduced by if,' and positive
'

oaths by if . . . not.'
' '

Tahernaculum domii,s mecs, the tent which is my dwelling :

lectum strati=' the bed which is my couch.' Cf. 2 Kings vii. 2.

4. Cf. Prov. vi. 4.
Et requiem temporihus meis
5. this clause is a doublet, for it is :

nothing more than a rendering of Theodotion's translation of the

Nor to my eyelids slumber.' We have here, therefore, a
'

clause,
setting together of two Greek versions of 46.
By the place is meant an abiding place of residence. David
' '

will not permit the Ark to be carried around from district to

district. v^

In verses 6-9 we have the words of the people of David's time

6.
who heard of his oath the psalmist feels himself as one of them. :

The earn refers, apparently, to the oath of David, or to the report of

it. The people of Ephratha would naturally hear of it, for Ephratha
is probably a name for David's own town, Bethlehem. The name
'

Ephratha means Fruit-land,' and would be a suitable designation

for the south-land, where Bethlehem lay. In Micheas v. 2, Bethlehem
131] DWELLING-PLACE OF YAHWEH 323

is actually called Ephratha (also in Gen. xxxv. 19 and Ruth iv. 11).
The Campi silvce may possibly be taken as a proper name one ;

reminded here of Kiryath-Yearim, the Town of the

'

naturally is

Forest,' where the Ark lay so long in neglect until it was transferred
to Sion {cf. I Kings vii. 2). In the translation above it is implied
that the people on hearing of David's oath went to visit the Ark at
Kiryath-Yearim. In the Massoretic text we have, however, not
' '

Kiryath-Yearim but S^dhe-Ya'ar, forest-fields,' or, forest-wilds.'

'
'
Some commentators regard Forest-Fields as a general designation
of northern Palestine, and take the reference to Ephratha and the

Ccivipi Silvce as implying that the report of David's oath ran through
the length and breadth of the land. Jerome renders, Invenimus illam
in regione saltus. It is reasonable, however, in view of the parallelism
with Ephratha, to take Campi silvce as a proper name and since ;

'

the Ark was for a long time at Kiryath-Yearim, the Forest-Town,' it

is not far-fetched to suppose that it was at Kiryath-Yearim the prayer
'

in verses 8-9 was uttered at the foot-stool of Yahweh's feet.' Instead

of m^sa'nuha, invenimns earn, it is probable that the original text
'
had hose'nuha, '

we published it ; they heard of David's oath in

his native town, and they spread the report of it even unto Kiryath-
Yearim.
7. The people entered the place where the Ark stood.
In loco ti-hi stetenmt pedes ejus We did
the Hebrew has : :
'

'

homage to the foot-stool of His the translators in rendering

feet ;

in loco uhi steteriint were thinking of the Temple, or of the Ark

on Sion.
8. An appeal to Yahweh to ascend to Sion to take the place pre-
pared for Him by David.
'

Instead of holy Ark the Hebrew has,

'

*
Thy mighty Ark.'
9. is to be donned as a robe by the priests of Sion
Justice the :

' '
due performance of the liturgy of worship would be an important
'
exercise of priestly justice.' The sancti are the loyal worshippers
of Yahweh who will rejoice in the presence of the Lord on Sion. With
verses 8-10 cf. 2 Chron. vi. 41/.
10. This is the beginning of the second part. In view of David
let not Yahweh send away, or reject, the Anointed, i.e., the reigning
'

king of Israel (Solomon). Avertere faciem. means to refuse a request.'

When this psalm was chanted in the liturgy of the post-Solomonic
' '

period, it is possible that the Anointed was primarily understood

of the Messias.
11. The oath of Yahweh is put in contrast with that of
David.
God has sworn truth i.e., that which He has sworn
must surely be fulfilled. The oath of Y'ahweh is the promise
through Nathan, 2 Kings vii. 26, 27. The permanence of the
Davidic Djmasty is connected with the permanent residence of
Yahweh on Sion.
324 THE PSALMS [131

'

De frnctu veyttris : one from the fruit of.'

12. Cf. 2 Kings vii. 12, 16.
13. Yahweh's love for Sion is given as the ground of the promise
of Davidic permanence : Yah wen, having chosen Sion as His residence,
will not allow it to lack an earthly king.
'

The second represents the Hebrew 'iwwali, desired.'

14. Note how verse
elegit
14 answers, as it were, to verse 8 just as

verse 16 answers the prayer of verse 9. Elegi earn translates 'iw-
'

withiha, I have desired it.'

15. Yahweh on Sion will bring with it many

The dwelling of
external blessings for the people of Jerusalem the poor shall not ;

suffer there, nor the widows be in want.

symbolises the internal blessings which the
' '

16. The salvation

'

Dwelling-place of Yahweh shall bring to those of Sion. The salva-

'
tion with which the priests shall be clothed will be imparted also
to the people, and, therefore, they will all rejoice.
'

I will cause a horn to spring forth there

17. The Hebrew has
'
for David the immediate reference is, of course, to each individual
:

King Jerusalem as a strong son of the Davidic house, but, in the

in
later periods at least, there would be found here a hint of the horn

par excellence that was to be made to spring forth (the Hebrew verb
saniah here employed recalls the technical designation of the Messias
' '

Sprout or Shoot ') for David. This is the Horn

' ' '

Seniah, the
which the Author of the Bencdiclus celebrated, Erexii cofmt sahdis
nobis in domo David pueri siii. Compare Ezech. xxix. 21 'In that :

day I willcause a Horn to shoot forth {'asniiah) unto the House of

'

Israel.' For the use of the Messianic epithet Semah, Shoot,' sec
Jer. xxiii. 5 ; xxxiii. 15 Zach. iii. 8). The psalm in the Hebrew text
;
'

of Eccli. (li. 12 xv) refers also to the raising up of a Horn for

;

Israel.' Cf. Ps. cxlviii. 13.

Lucernam : the light is here symbolic of posterity cf. 2 Kings :

' '

xxi. 17 ; 3 Kings xi. 36 ;

xv. 4 4 Kings
;
viii. 19. Light is also a
symbol of prosperity and renown.
The
Christus (the Anointed, Mashiah) is David. Yahweh pro-
mises perpetuity of rule and fame to the House of David.
19. The enemies of the Davidic House and of Sion
will be clad
with shame as with a garment.
the Hebrew has On him shall gleam
'
mea
Efflorebit sanctificatio
:

' '

brightly his crown.' The Greeks read nizri, my crown instead of '
'

nizro, his crown', and they took nezcr in the sense of consecration.'
It is possible, however, that they conceived of the crown in question
as being itself a symbol of holiness, some kind of head-covering, that
is, which would mark ofi its wearer as a man of holiness. The Hebrew
means that the crown of the Davidic king shall be like a bright and
beautiful flower blooming, '
as fresh and bright as starting flowers
'
in spring (Keble). The commentators generally understand the
131] DWELLING-PLACE OF YAHWEH 325

Christies here to be the Messias ;

but the text clearly jmrallels the
' ' ' '

Anointed with David. The Horn and the Light may be re-
garded, in a sense, as designating the Messias since each Davidic

King was somehow a type of the Messias but neither the
' ' '
'

Horn nor the' Light is here identified with the Anointed or

with David.
 PSALM CXXXII
THE BLESSINGS OF BROTHERLY UNITY
little is obvious!}^ inspired by the sight of such a
poem
THIS gathering of IsraeHtes as might be seen assembled to cele-
brate one of the great feasts at Jerusalem. As the psalmist
gazes on the festive gathering, which so clearly emphasises
the unity of Israel in spite of political divisions, he is reminded of
the rite of priestly consecration, and, in particular, of the oil used in
that rite, with its clinging perfume and its overflowing abundance.
As the oil of consecration dedicated the priest unto the service of
the Lord, so the gathering together of all the people for the feast
is a sort of consecration of them all to the service of Yahweh. The
scene of festive worship, with all its peacefulness and brotherly
kindliness reminds the psalmist, further, of the protecting care of
Yahweh which it implies it suggests the thought of the Hill of
:
'

as enveloped in a rich dew-mist a of divine

' ' '
Sion Hermon dew
grace and favour. It is as the religious centre of the nation that
Jerusalem has been made by the Lord the source of life and blessing.
This psalm was not composed for use on caravan-journeys. Yet
we could well imagine it as sung by wanderers who have returned
from distant lands to join in the celebration of the same great feast.
And if it had been thus sung at a festive gathering in Jerusalem, it
might well be used by the wanderers when they had gone forth again
on a journey, to remind them of the joys and peace of home.

1. Canticum graduum. 1. A Gradual Psalm.

Ecce quam bonum, et quam See how good and how pleasant it is,

jucundum habitare fratres in When brethren dwell together !

unum :

2. Sicut unguentum in capite, 2. Like oil poured out on the head,

quod descendit in barbam, bar- That runneth down to the beard,
bam Aaron. The beard of Aaron,
Quod descendit in cram vesti- That runneth down to the edge of his
menti ejus : robe :

3. Sicut ros Hermon, qui 3. As Hermon-dew

descendit in montem Sion. That descendeth on Mount Sion :

Quoniam mandavit Do-

illic For there the Lord sendeth forth blessing.
minus benedictionem, et vitam Even life for ever.
usque in sa^culum.

I. Hahitarc fratres in nnum the psalmist speaks of that dwelling

:

together in peace which characterised the gatherings of the people

32 G
132] BLESSINGS OF BROTHERLY UNITY 327

for worship at the three great feasts in Jerusalem. His words apply,
of course, also to friendly gatherings of good men generally. Here,
however, as we see from the reference to the dew that falls on Sion,
and to the going forth of blessing from Jerusalem, the immediate
object of the psalmist is to celebrate the festive union of the people
in Jerusalem.
2. The psalmist compares the brotherly union of the people to

the oil of priestly consecration. It is not easy to understand the

exact point of the comparison, but the psalmist may mean that, as
the oil of consecration dedicates the priest to the service of Yahweh,
so the friendly foregathering of the tribes at the sacred festivals is a
.sort of consecration of the whole people to the service of the Lord.

It is to be noted also that for the Oriental oil is a symbol of gladness

and prosperity, and that anointing with oil was a feature of festive
occasions {cf. Ps. xliv. 8). For the oil of priestly consecration see
'
Exod. XXX. 23-25, 30. It is called here in the Hebrew text good
oil
'
v/hich may mean specially mixed oil, such as that described in
'

Exod. xxx, or most excellent oil.' The psalmist thinks of the oil
as running down from the head of the priest on to his beard. In
the versions the oil is depicted, further, as trickling from the
priest's beard down to the border of his
' '

garment (the border

in the case being the edge of the aperture through which the head
of the priest passed the neck-piece). In the Hebrew it is the beard,
not the which flows down to the edge of the garment. Aaron
oil,
is mentioned because in Exod. xxx. where the oil of consecration is

described it is spoken of as intended for the anointing of Aaron and

his sons (Exod. xxx. 30).
3. Sicut ros Hermon qui descendit inmonlcm Sion the dew of :

Mount Hermon, the mountain that dominates Palestine, was pro-

verbially abundant. Hence we may take ros Hermon here rather
' '
as a Hermon-dew,' than as the dew of Hermon.' It would be
difficult to explain how the dew of Hermon could reach even unto
' '
the hills (as the Massoretic text has it) of Sion. Perhaps the
meaning that, as the festive gathering of the brethren at the feasts
is

in Jerusalem recalls to the psalmist the consecration of the Aaronite

priests, so the blessed peace and harmony of the united Israelites
seems to him a token of the loving-kindness and grace of Yahweh
'
which descend, like a Hermon-dew,' on Sion. In an interesting
' '

article in Biblica (vol. iii. part 3, pp. 338-340) the Rev. P. Power,
S.J., has advanced a number of arguments to show that there is here
no reference to Sion, the Holy Hill of Yahweh, and that we ought
to read in the Hebrew not ^iyyon, but Si' on. This Mount Si' on is,
he thinks, the Si'on of Deut. iv. 48. Si'on is a peak in the range of
hills in which Hermon is the highest elevation. In this view, then,
the gathered multitude of brethren would call to the psalmist's mind
the mists and dews which came down from Hermon on the lower
328 THE PSALMS [132

peaks of the range to which Mt. Hermon belongs. This view (whicli
is practically that of Agellius) is possible: it may be questioned,

however, whether it does not make verse 3 somewhat prosaic. Further,

while the corruption of Si'on into Siyyon is possible, it ought not to
be admitted unless the text does not otherwise allow of a reasonable
explanation.
So far we ha\e taken it for granted that in verses 2 and 3 the
psalmist compares the gathering of the people at the festival to the
oil of priestly consecration and to the descent of Hermon-dew on

Siyyon, or Si'on. Another view of the Hebrew text is possible,

and, perhaps, more suggestive. The Hebrew permits us to regard
verses 2 and 3 as a comparison of the down-flowing oil of consecration
with the descending dew of Hermon, rather than as a comparison
of these two things with the peaceful unity of the festive throng.
The Hebrew, that is, might be rendered thus :

Like fragrantoil on the head.

Running down to the beard,

The beard of Aaron,
Which floweth down to the edge of his garment.
Is thedew of Hermon,
Which cometh down on the hills of Sion.
' '

In this rendering the dew of Hermon might be taken by metonymy

for the products of Northern Palestine, and the coming dowTi of the
dew of Hermon on Sion might then mean the bringing of rich offer-
ings by the Jews of the North to Jerusalem. This explanation of
verses 2 and 3 would compel us to regard the whole psalm as a song
of rejoicing over the religious unity of North and South. Even the
political divisions of the country have not succeeded in preventing
the union of the whole people in worship. Jerusalem is still the
centre of the land. This interpretation is borne out by the concluding
words of the psalm, which declare that Yahweh has made Jersualem
the fountain-head of blessing and life for the people. As the dew
'

'
of Hermon comes abundanth^ to Sion in the shape of the rich offerings
brought by the Jews of the North to the Holy City, so Sion sends
back to Hermon, in return, the fulness of Yahweh's blessings. Illic

obviously=' in Sion.'
 PSALM CXXXIII
A SUMMONS TO THE NIGHT-WORSHIPPERS
' '

to stand in the House of the Lord is equivalent, as it pro-

' '

IF bably is, customary phrase to stand before the Lord

to the
[cf. Deut. X. 8), it means to perform liturgical functions in the
Temple, and we must, then, regard the psalm as an address
to those who are officially engaged in the Temple worship. Since,
further, those addressed are exhorted to offer their worship in the
night, v/e must assume that the psalm is addressed to those who are
about to take part in night-service in the Temple. The speakers
in verses i and 2 may be, either the Priests and Levites who are
leaving the Temple after the evening service, or, the multitude of
general worshippers who have been taking part in the evening service ;

or, on the other hand, we might regard the summons to worship

as spoken by the night-worshippers to each other. Thus the psalm
is either a farewell greeting from departing worshippers to those

who are about to spend the night in the Temple, or it is a summons

to prayer addressed by the latter to one another. The picture sug-
gested by the first two verses is that of the night-worshippers stand-
ing in the inner court of the Temple with hands upraised in the
attitude of prayer, and with faces directed towards the Most Lloly
Place. As they stand thus, a priestly voice comiCS from within the
Temple blessing the worshippers with the blessing of Yahweh, the
Creator of heaven and earth. Cf. the High Priest's blessing in
Num. vi. 22^.
was held in the old days
Isaias xxx. 29 implies that night -service
in the Temple. We
m.ay assume that the Vigils of the great feast-
days were thus celebrated. (See the Mishna tract Sukka v. iff.;
I Chron. ix. 33 xxiii. 30;
Is. xxx. 29). It is clear that the psalm
;

was not composed originally for the use of pilgrims or of caravan-

wayfarers on the march yet it is easy to imagine a group of travellers
;

who have departed from the Holy City after one of the great feasts
repeating for their own comfort and encouragement this song which
they had heard sung to the night-watchers in the Temple.
1. Canticum graduum. i. A Gradual Psalm.

Ecce nunc benedicite Domi- Praise ye the name of the Lord,

num. omnes servi Domini : All ye servants of the Lord,
Qui statis in domo Domini, Ye who stand in the House of the Lord,
in atriis domus Dei nostri, In the courts of the House of our God !

2. In noctibus extollite ma- 2. In the night raise your hands towards

nus vestras in sancta, et bene- the Sanctuary,
dicite Dominum. And praise ye the Lord.
329
330 THE PSALMS --

[i^^
-^

" (A priestlv blessing)

3. Benedicat te Dominus ex 3. May the Lord bless thee from Sion,"
Sion, qui fecit coelum et terram. He who made heaven and earth !

1. Ecce : the Hebrew hinneh is used here to arouse the attention

of those addressed. The servi Domini are the servants of the Temple,
the Priests and Levites officially employed in the
Temple-worship.
The same Hebrew word which is here rendered servi appears in the
Vulgate text of Ps. cxii. i as pueri. Note the similarity of the first
words of this psalm with the first words of Ps. cxxxiv.
Qui stalls in domo Domini this is the same as
'
:
standing before
the Lord,' which is a quasi-technical phrase used
normally in the
sense of taking part in the public cult of Yahweh in the Temple.
In atriis domus Dei nostri
wanting in the Hebrew, but
: this is
it occurs in the Massoretic text of the next
following psalm, and has
probably been introduced from that psalm into the text of verse i.
'
2. In noctibus in the night-time.'
: As stated above in the
introduction to this psalm, the practice of holding
night-service in
the Temple on certain occasions is sufficiently established.
Extollite manus vestras in sancta the raising of the hands was the
:

familiar gesture of prayer. The prayer was to be directed towards

the Most Holy Place {sancta).
3. These are obviously the words of a priest v/ho pronounces a

blessing on the night-watchers. Compare the priestly blessing in

Num. vi. 24. The reference to the creative work of the Lord in the
formula of blessing is intended to convey the thought that the Maker
of heaven and earth cannot be without the
power to grant the blessings
promised in His name.
 PSALM CXXXIV
THE PRAISE OF YAHWEH AS THE MIGHTY
GOD OF THE COVENANT
the priests, the Levites and the Proselytes are
people,
THE to join in praising and thanking the Lord for
summoned
favours which He has conferred on Israel. In
the many
nature and history Yahweh has shown Himself to be the
almighty Helper of His people. The impotence of the heathen
divinities brings out in clearer light the omnipotence of the Lord.
Let all Israel, then, join in the praise of its God !

This psalm contains numerous echoes of other psalms. It is

generally agreed that it is of post-Exilic origin.

1. Alleluia. I. Alleluia.

Laudate nomen Domini, Ian- Praise ve the name of the Lord :

date servi Doniinnm. Praise, O

ye servants, the Lord ;

2. Qui statis in domo Domini, Ye who stand in the House of the Lord,
in atriis domus Dei nostri. In the courts of the House of our God !

3. Laudate Dominum, quia Praise ye the Lord,

bonus Dominus psallite nomi- : For the Lord is good.
ni ejus, quoniam suave. Hymn ye to His name.
For it is sweet.
4. Quoniam Jacob elegit sibi For the Lord hath chosen Jacob for
Dominus, Israel in possessionem Himself,
sibi. And Israel for His own possession.

5. Quia cognovi quod

ego 5. I know that the Lord is great.
magnus Dominus, et Deus
est And that our God is above all the gods.
noster prse omnibus diis.
6. Omnia quaecumque voluit, 6. All that the Lord pleased He hath done
Dominus fecit in ccelo, et in In heaven and on earth.
terra, in mari, et in omnibus In the sea and in all the deeps ;

abyssis.
7. Educens nubes ab extreme 7. He bringeth forth the clouds from the
terrse f ulgura in pluviam fecit.
:
end of the earth,
Qui producit ventos de the- He maketh lightnings into rain ;

sauris suis : He bringeth forth the wind from His

treasuries.

8. Qui percussit primogenita 8. He smote the first-born of Egypt,

.Egypti ab homine usque ad Both of man and of beast ;

pecus.
Et misit signa, et prodigia
g. 9. He sent signs and wonders into thy
in medio tui /Egypte in Pha- : midst, O Egypt,
raonem, et in omnes servos ejus. Against Pharaoh and all his servants.

331
332 THE PSALMS [134

10. Qui percussit gentes mul- 10. He smote many peoples,

tas : et occidit reges fortes : And slew mighty kings,
11.Sehon regem Amorrhaco- 11. Sihon the king of the Amorites,
rum, Og regem Basan, et
et And Og the king of Bashan ;

omnia regna Chanaan. (He smote) all the kingdoms of Canaan

12. Et dedit terram eoriim 12. And gave their land as a possession.
hccreditatem, haereditatem Is- As a possession to Israel His people.
rael populo suo.
13. Domine nomen tuum in 13. O Lord, Thy name endureth for ever ;

aeternum Domine memorialu : O Lord, the memory of Thee is from

tuum in generationem et genera- age to age ;
tionem.
14. Quia judicabit Dominus 14. l"or the Lord procureth justice for His
populum suum : et in servis people,
suis deprecabitur. He suifereth Himself to be entreated
for His servants.

15. .Simulacra Gentium ar- 15. The idols of the heathens are silver and
gentum, et aurum, opera manu- gold.
um hominum. The work of men's hands ;

16. Os habent, et non lo- 16. They have a mouth and speak not,
quentur : oculos habent, et non They have eyes and see not,
videbunt.
17. Aures habent, et non au- 17. They have ears and hear not.
dient neque enim est spiritus
: There is no breath in their mouth.
in ore ipsorum.
iS. Similes illis liant qui faci- 18. May thev that fashion them become like
unt ea : et omnes, qui conhdunt to them.
in eis. And they, too, who trust in them.

ig. Domus Israel benedicite 19. House of Israel, praise the Lord,
Domino : domus Aaron benedi- House of Aaron, praise the Lord,
cite Domino.
20. Domus Levi benedicite 20. House of Levi, praise the Lord,
Domino :
qui timetis Dominum, Ye fearers of the Lord, praise the Lord.
benedicite Domino.
21. Benedictus Dominus ex 21. Blessed be the Lord from Sion,
Sion, qui habitat in Jerusalem. Who dwelleth in Jerusalem !

I. This is one of the Psalmi allehtjatici.

The summons the same as in Ps. cxii. i, except that
to praise is

the servi of this psalm corresponds to the piteri of cxii. It has been
said that the four clauses of i and 2 are addressed respectively to
the four groups named in verses 19-20 the House of Israel (=the
community Aaron (=the priests), the House
generally), the House of
' '
of Levi (=the Levites), the Fearers of the Lord {=the Pro.sley tes) .

Thus Laudate Dominimi would be the address to the people generally ;

Lai'.daie scrvi would be a summons to the Priests Qui statis in domo ;

Domini would designate the Levites, and In atriis domus Dei Nostri
would apply to the Proselytes. On this interpretation we should
supply Laudate before each of the two last clauses, and we should
insert Qui statis (or something equivalent) before in atriis domus.
The In atriis damns Dei nostri of Psalm cxxxiii. i, is probably, as has
been said, derived from cxxxiv. 2. Cf. Ps. cxv. 9.
134] YAHWEH AS GOD OF THE COVENANT 333
'

3. Qiioniam suave : this is probably to be referred to the name.'

The name
'
Yahweh
'
recalls the Covenant of Suiai. Some com-
mentators refer suave to the act of praising For it is pleasant to '

praise Him
'
but this is less probable. Cf. however, Ps. cxlvi. i
: :

Laudato DomiKum quoniam bonus est psalmus.

4. Qiioniam Jacob, etc. the choosing out of Israel is a special
:

reason the people should praise the Lord. The quia in verse 5
why
prefaces another reason for ])raising tlie Lord the greatness
of
Yahv/eh.
here is spoken in the name of Israel. The words
' '

5. The I

here are apparently a quotation of the saying of Jethro in Exod. xviii.

"
II : Now I know tiiat Yahweh is greater than all the gods."
6. The Lord's power over nature shows Him to be greater than
all the other gods. For the general thought here compare Ps. cxiii.
7. Yahweh's power over
nature is here described. Here, as often
elsewhere, the main features of a great storm are vividly suggested :

'

the Lord brings up the dark storm-clouds from the ends of the
'
earth (either the horizon, or the sea), the flashing lightnings pierce
through the clouds, and the rain comes in streaming torrents, while
the winds, released from the divine store-houses where they have
been shut up, rage forth across the world. Compare the storm-
scene depicted in Ps. xvii. 9-16. Jer. x. 13 presents a close parallel
wath verse 7 :

"
When He uttereth Jiis voice (of thunder), there is tumult of waters in
heaven, and He maketh clouds to go up from the end of the earth :

I-ie maketh lightnings into rain.

He bringeth forth the vrind from His store-chambers."

Tliesame words recur in Jer. li. lO. The changing of lightning into
waters refers to the streaming rains which accompany lightning-
storms it was a source of wonder to the Orientals that the rains
:

which went with lightning could not extinguish the flames of the
lightning.
For the store-chambers [thesauri) of the winds compare Job
xxxviii. 22 where we hear of the store-chambers of snow and of hail.
8. Verses 8^. show the might of Yahweh in history in the guidance
of t'ne fates of men. With verses 8 and 9 compare Ps. Ixxvii. 51, 43.
9. In lucdio tui Aegvpic is regarded by some commentators as an
interpolation.
11. Cf. Deut. xxix. 7, 8.
Haerediiatem
12. a permanent possession. :

13. The great deeds of Yahweh are His imperishable memorial.

This verse is taken from Exod. iii. 15. The nomcfi and memoriale
'

are the same {cf. Ps. ci. 13). The name Yahweh is a reminder of
'

the Covenant and of all the great things done in the name of the
Covenant.
14. This verse is taken from Deut. xxxii. 36.
334 THE PSALMS [134
"
Deprecahitiir He allows Himself to be moved by entreaty."
:

In the Vulgate of Deut. xxxii. 36 we have, Et in servis suis miserebitur,

Cf. deprecahilis in Ps. Ixxxix. 13.
15. Here the thought of verse 5 is taken up again
that Yahweh
is greater than all Verses 15-20 are an almost verbatim
the gods.
reproduction of Ps. cxiii. 12-19. See the notes on that passage.
20. Notice that the Levites are addressed as a special group.
' '

The fearers of Yahweh are here also usually understood to be the

Proselytes.
21. Ex Sion the song of praise is to ring forth from Sion, because
:

it is in Sion that the people are assembled to chant the praises of the
Lord.
 PSALM CXXXV
A THANKSGIVING LITANY
psalm is a song of thanksgiving consisting largely of quota-
THIScxxxivfrom other passages
tions of
Scripture especially Psalm
and Genesis The i.
psalm, as it stands, was obviously
employed for liturgical purposes. A temple-choir, or a
single chanter, commemorates the mercies of Yahweh towards
Israel, and, as each divine favour is recited, the people respond, in
"
litany-fashion, with the refrain His goodness endureth for ever."
:

It would appear from the narrative in 2 Chron. vii. 3, and from the
recurrence of this refrain in other psalms, that the participation of
the people in the Temple-liturgy frequently took the form of inter-
" "
polating the words, His goodness endureth for ever betM'een the
verses of the songs of praise chanted by the Temple-singers. We
have seen extensive use of this refrain in Psalm cxvii, and we have
found it used also in Ps. cv. i ;
cvi. i. The Hebrew song of thanks-

giving in Ecclesiasticus 1 shows the same use of the refrain which

we have here in Psalm cxxxv. It is possible to suppose that the
refrain was not originally a part of Psalm cxxxv, for the verses of
this psalm which remain after the removal of the refrain form a self-
contained poem. It is now well known that antiphonal chanting,
similar to the liturgical use of litanies with us, was extensively em-
ployed in Babylonian and Sumerian liturgy, and probably in the
liturgies of all the ancient peoples of the Near East.
'

Psalm cxxxv was called the Great Hallel,' and it was prescribed,
according to the Talmud, for the 7th day of the feast of the Pasch.
The theme of Ps. cxxxv is practically the same as that of Ps. cxxxiv
the might and mercy of Yahweh as shown in the wonders of nature
and the providential guidance of history. Here, however, the great
deeds of the Lord are regarded less as tokens of His might than of
His mercy, or loving-kindness.

1. Alleluia. i. Alleluia.

Confitemini Domino quoniam Praise the Lord, for He is good,

bonus :
quoniam in aeternum For His goodness endureth for ever,
misericordia ejus.
2. Confitemini Deo deorum : 2. Praise ye the God of Gods,
quoniam in aeternum miseri- For His goodness endureth for ever,
cordia ejus.
3. Confitemini Domino do- 3. Praise ye the Lord of Lords,
minorum :
quoniam in a;ternum For His goodness endureth for ever,
misericordia ejus.
335
 THE PSALMS 1^55

4. Qui facit mirabilia magna 4. He alone doth mighty v\^onders ;

solus :
quonicm in seternum For His goodness endureth for ever,
misericordia ejus.
5. Qui fecit coelos in intel- 5. Pie hathmade the heavens in wisdom ;

lectu :
quoniam in seternum For His goodness endureth for ever,
misericordia ejus.
6. Qui lirmavit terram super 6. He hath established the earth on the
aquas :
quoniam in seternum waters ;

misericordia ejus. For His goodness endureth for ever,

7. Qui fecit iumitiaria magna :
7. He hath made the great lights.
quoniam in aeternum misericor- For His goodness endureth for ever,
dia ejus.
8. Soleni in potcstatem diei : S. The sun as ruler of the day.
quoniam in aeternum miseri- For His goodness endureth for ever,
cordia ejus.
g. Lunam, et stellas in pote- g. The moon and the stars as rulers of night.
statem noctis quoniam : in For His goodness endureth for ever.
seternum misericordia ejus.

10. Qui percussit .Eg3-ptum 10. He hath smitten Egypt through its lirst
cum primogenitis eorum quo- : born,
niam in a^temum misericordia For His goodness endureth for ever,
ejus.
11. Qui eduxit Israel de medio 11. He hath led forth Israel from their midst.
eorum :
quoniam in seternum For His goodness endureth for ever,
miseiicordia ejus.
12. In manu potenti, et bra- 12. With mighty hand and upraised arm.
chio excelso quoniam in seter- : For His goodness endureth for ever,
num misericordia ejus.
13. Qui divisit Ware rubrum 13. He hath divided into parts the Ked Sea,
in divisiones :
quoniam in ajter- For His goodness endureth for ever,
num misericordia ejus.
14. Et eduxit Israel per medi- 14. And led forth Israel through the midst
um ejus :
quoniam in aeternum thereof,
misericordia ejus. For goodness endureth for ever,
Flis
15. Et excussit Pharaonem, 15. He hath driven Pharaoh and his army
et virtutem ejus in Mari rubro : into the Red Sea,
quoniam in seternum miseri- For His goodness endureth for ever,
cordia ejus.
16. Qui traduxit populum su- 16. He hath led His people through the
um per desertum quoniam in : desert,
ietcrnum misericordia ejus. For His goodness endureth for ever.

17. Qui percussit reges ma- 17. He hath smitten great kings,
gnos :
quoniam in sternum I'^or His goodness endureth for ever,
misericordia ejus.
18. Et occidit reges fortes : 1 8. He hath slain mighty kings,
quoniam in seternum miseri- For His goodness endureth for ever.
cordia ejus.
19. Sehon regem Amorrhrco- 19. Sihon, king of the Amorites,
rum :
quoniam in aeternum For His goodness endureth for ever,
misericordia ejus.
20. Et Og regem Basan quo- : 20. And Og, king of Bashan,
niam in ccternum misericordia For His goodne.-;s endureth for ever,
ejus.
21. Et dedit terram eorum 21. And hath given their land ais a possession.

luereditatem quoniam in seter- : For Flis goodness endureth for ever,

num misericordia ejus.
22. Hsereditatem Israel servo 22. As a possession to Israel, His Servant,
suo quoniam in aeternum mise-
: For His goodness endureth for ever.
ricordia ejus.
 "

135] A THANKSGIVING LITANY 357

23. Quia in humilitate nostra 23. In our lowliness He hath remembered us,
memor fuit nostri quoniam in
: For His goodness endureth for ever,
aeternum misericordia ejus.
24. Etredemit nos ab inimicis 24. And hath rescued us from our foes,
nostris :
quoniam in aeternam For His goodness endureth for ever,
misericordiae ejus.
25. Quidatescam omnicarni: 25. He giveth food to everv creature,
quoniam in aeternum misericor- For His goodness endureth for ever,
dia ejus.

26. Confitemini Deo coeli : 26. Praise ye the God of heaven,

quoniam in aeternum miseri- For His goodness endureth for ever,
cordia ejus. Praise ye the Lord of Lords,
Confitemini Domino domino- For His goodness endureth for ever,
rum .
quoniam in aeternum
misericordia ejus.

I. Cf. Ps. cv. I ;

cvi. I ;
cxvii. i.
"
2-3. Taken from Deut. x. 17 : For Yahweh, your God, is a
God of Gods and a Lord of Lords," i.e., the greatest of all who are, or
are called,
'
Gods or Lords
' ' '
supreme God and Lord {cf. i Tim.
vi. 15). The psalmist does not, of course, imply the reality of heathen
gods.
Verses 5-9 deal with the wonders of creation.
5.
The world, in Hebrew thought, is established on the waters
6.
of the great Deep. Cf. Is. xlii. 15 xliv. 24 Ps. xxiii. 2. ; ;

7. Verses 7-9 are based immediately on Gen. i. 14-16. The

' '

Hebrew text here speaks of lights {'orim) rather than of

'
luminaries.'
' '

8. Potestas is put here by metonymy for ruler,' or holder of

power.'
9. Et Stellas : this is regarded by some commentators as an inter-
polation.
10. Verses 10-22 are practically a repetition from the preceding
psalm.
Cum '

primogenitis, by means of their first-born.'

11. Eorum, of the Egyptians.
12. Cf. the narrative of Exod. T2ff., and Deut. iv.

13. The divisioncs are the divided sections of the Red Sea. Cf.
Ps. ixxvii. 13 Exod. xiv. 16, 21.
;

15. Exoussit Agellius explains

:
Impekt- quodam projecit, cic si :

eniissae ex arci!, sagittae ejectae essent,tU se rctinere et redire non possent .

Jerome renders convolvit. The Hebrew verb here used means to

'
drive forward.'
19. Cf. Ps. cxxxiv. II. See Num. xxi. 2iff.

23. The humilitas includes not merely the troubles in Egypt, but
aU the afflictions of Israel in later periods.

22
338 THE PSALMS [135

' '

25. All flesh includes animals generally. For the thought

compare Ps. '
ciii. 27 ; cxliv. 15.
'
26. God of heaven is an epithet familiar among the
Phoenicians : it is often regarded as an indication of the late date
of this psahn.
' ' ' '

27. For God of Gods and Lord of Lords see verses 2 and 3
above.
 PSALM CXXXVI
BY THE WATERS OF BABYLON
author of this poem, speaking as one of those who have
THE returned from the Babylonian Exile, depicts for us with
great poetic skill and power a typical scene of the Captivity.
Suggesting with the subtle brevity of the true poet the
setting of his tale, he puts before us the land of Exile with its net-
work of poplar-bordered streams and channels, and tells us of a day
when he and his comrades, gathered together according to their
wont (c/. Acts xvi. 13) by one of the Babylonian streams for prayer,
sat weeping as they thought of the glories of Sion's worship in which
they had at one time shared. Their prayer-gathering by the stream-
side was brightened by no song or burst of sacred music, for in
Babylon, amid strangers and outside Yahweh's land, the music of
the Temple-songs could not be heard, and the harps that in Jerusalem
might have swelled the volume of the Temple-orchestra, hung sadly
silent on the poplars that lined the stream. As the Exiles prayed
and wept, people of Babylon passed that way, and seeing the weeping
worshippers and the silent harps, asked mockingly for one of the old
' ' '

glad songs of Sion.' But how,' said the Exiles, can we sing the
'

songs of Yahweh on a soil that is not His ?

The strangers pass on, but the sting of their insolence rouses the
psalmist and his comrades to anger. How could a true Israelite
"
ever be disloyal to the Temple and to Yahweh? If ever I forget
"
thee, Jerusalem," the psalmist cries, or make thee not the crown of
my joy, may my right hand wither, and my tongue cleave to my
"
palate !

Then the note of passion deepens, and the psalmist cries out for

vengeance against the Edomites who had joined in the work of

destruction on
'

Jerusalem's Day
'

the day of her fall. But more
bitter than against Edom is the anger of the Exiles against Babylon,
the chief agent of Jerusalem's disaster and their own jailor. Taking
up the burden of ancient prophecies against Babel, the "
Exiles fore-
cast the doom that awaits the Destroyer of Sion Blessed is he :

who repayeth thee thy deeds against us. Blessed is he who shall
"
seize and shall dash against the rock thy little ones !

The Vulgate superscription of the psalm, Psalmns David, Hieremiae,

must be regarded as meaning either, A psalm of Jeremias after the
'

manner of a Davidic Psalm,' or, A Psalm after the manner of David

'

and of Jeremias.' The Hebrew text contains no ascription to an

author.
339
 340 THE PSALMS [136

Psalraus David, Hieremiae, A Psalm after the manner of David and

of Jeremias.

Super flumina Babylonis,

1. By the rivers of Babylon
illicsedimus et llevimus cum : We sat, yea and wept,
recordaremur Sion : When we thought of Sion.
2. In salicibus in medio ejus, On the willows therein
suspendimus organa nostia. We hung up our harps.

3. Quia illic interrogaverunt 3. For our captors there

nos, qui captivos duxcrunt nos, Asked of us songs,
verba cantionum :
They who led us away,
"
Et qui abduxcrunt nos :
Sing us some song of Sion."
Hymnuni cantate nobis de can-
ticis Sion.
4. Quomodo cantabimus can- 4. How could we sing a song of Yahwch,
ticum Domini in terra aliena ? In the land of the stranger ?

5. Si oblitus fuero tui Jeru- 5. If I forget thee, Jerusalem,

salem, oblivioni detur dextera Be my right hand forgotten ;

mea.
Adhsrcat lingua mea fau-
6. 6. Cleave my tongue to my palate.
cibus meis, si non meminero tui : If I remember thee not.
Si non proposuero Jerusalem, If I make not Jerusalem,
in principio lastitiai mea3. The crown of my joy !

7. Memor esto Domine filio- 7. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom,

rum Edom, in die Jerusalem : On Jerusalem's day :

"
Qui dicunt : Exinanite, exin- Who cried out :
Destroy ye, "destroy
anite usque ad fundamentum in To her deepest foundation !

ea.
8. Filia Babylonis misera : 8. Wretched daughter of Babel,
beatus, qui retribuet tibi retri- Blessed is he who repayeth thee
butionem tuani, quam retribuisti Thy deeds against us !

nobis.
9. Beatus, qui tenebit, et alli- 9. Blessed is he who shall seize, and shall
det parvulos tuos ad petram. shatter
Thy babes 'gainst the rock !

I. Psahmcs David, Hieremiae it is obvious that neither David :

nor Jeremias could have been the author of a psalm composed by a

poet who had been one of the Babylonian Exiles. The title suggests
that the psalm resembles both the typical Davidic psalms and the
Lamentations of Jeremias. The psalmist speaks, apparently, from
personal experience, so that we must date the psalm, at latest, in
the beginning of the post-Exilic period.
Flti-fjiina Babylonis Babel (Babylon) means here rather the
:

' '

country, Babylonia, than the capital, Babel. The rivers are,

probably, the canals which ran across Babylonia in all directions.
In the introduction above it is suggested that, as in Acts xvi. 13, the
praying-places, or meeting-places (' synagogues ') of the Exiles were
136] BY THE WATERS OF BABYLON 341
'

by This would explain the sitting by the

the banks of streams.
rivers.' The Exiles wept when they thought of the vanished glories
of Jerusalem, and of the ruined worship of the Temple. Cf. Ps.
xli. 42.
In salicibus
2. the Hebrew 'arahh means rather the Euphrates-
:

poplar than the willow. The harps (or zithers) were hung up because
it was not meet that their music should be heard in Exile. As Eccli.
says (xxii. 6) :

As music in time of mourning, so is unseasonable talk.

The harps hung silent, first, because of the insolent mockery and
arrogance of the strangers, and secondly, because the songs of Yahweh
might not be sung on a foreign soil.
'

3. Interrogaverunt ; they demanded.'

'
Verba cantionum, songs.'
Qin ahduxenmt nos this rendering seems to be based largely
:

on a conjecture of the Greek translators. The Hebrew tolalenu is

obscure, and has been variously emended. Possibly we should read
'

sholHemi-, our plunderers.'

Hymnum : the Hebrew simhah={' joy,' or
'

gladness
'
i.e., song
of gladness) must be regarded as an object to sh^'elenu {' demanded
of us '), and as parallel with dihhre shir {verba cantionum). Thus the
' '

words spoken by the plunderers {qiii abduxcvu.nt nos) are Cantate :

'

nobis de canticis Sion, Sing us some of the Sion-songs.' Jerome has

not caught the sense quite accurately, as we see from his version :

Oiioniam ibi interrogaverunt nos qui captivos d-uxenint nos verba carminis,
Et qui adfiigeba)it nos laeti,
Canite 7iobis de canticis Sion.

A ' '

Song of Sion means, probably, a song such as was wont to

' '
be sung on Sion. In the answer of the Exiles the song of Sion is
taken as=' Song of Yahweh,' i.e., a song in praise of Yahweh. In
' ' ' '

this sense Song of Sion would be practically equivalent to Psalm

{cf. I Chron. xxv. yif.). As a parallel to the demand of the Baby-

lonians, commentators usually point to the story of Samson playing
before the Philistines (Jud. xvi. 25).
'
To sing the songs of Yahweh '

for the mocking Babylonians

would be to cast pearls before swine and holy things before the dogs.
Hence the harps remained silent. But further, how could songs of
Yahweh be sung on a foreign soil ? This difficulty the heathens
would understand, for it was a view widely accepted among Orientals
that a deity could be duly worshipped only in his own city or land.
Cf. I Kings xxvi. 19^. 4 Kings v. 17. ;

5. The mocking of the Babylonians serves only to intensify the

Exiles' love of home and of homeland-worship. To yield to the
342 THE PSALMS [136

request of the strangers would be to desecrate sacred music and song,

and to be disloyal to Yahweh and His worship. Hence the psalmist
prays that, if he should ever be so faithless towards his traditions
as to make concessions to the heathens, his right hand may forget
its skill in music, and his tongue cleave, as if paralysed, to his
palate.
Oblivioni deiiir the Greek translators read here in their Hebrew
:

text, tishshakhah the Massoretic text has tishkah (' may it forget ')
to which we
:

' '

might supply as object its cunning,' or its skill with

the harp.' It has been proposed to read iikhhash,
'

may it wither
'

but the emendation is not necessary.
6. The psalmist and his comrades will make no concession to
foreign thought or custom ;
theirwhole heart will be fixed on Sion
and Yahweh.
'
In principio lactitiae meae. The Hebrew has, on the head of
my joy,' i.e., the crown of my joj^ my chief joy, or, my chief source
of joy.
Edom may be mentioned because the Edomites at the time
7.
this psalm was written were again showing their traditional hostility
to Israel. For Edomite antagonism to the sons of Israel see Ezech.
xxxv. 5, 10-12, 15 for their share in the destruction of Jerusalem
;

see Abdias 10-16 for a vivid prophecy of Edom's overthrow see

:

Jer. xlix. 7-22 cf. Lamentations iv. 21.

;

' '
The day of Jerusalem means the day of its overthrow the ;

Edomites, though kinsmen of Israel, had shown an unnatural hostility

in the evil days which preceded and followed the fall of the Holy City.
' ' '

With the day of Jerusalem compare the

'

woeful day of Jer.

xvii. 16.
Exinaniie, exinanife : Evertite, evertite, as Van Sante renders,
would more exactly reproduce the sense. The repetition of the cry
suggests the intensity of Edomite hatred.
'

Usque ad fundamentum in ea :
(Destroy) even its very foundation.'
Cf. Lam. iv. 21, 22.
In this prayer of vengeance against Edom the psalmist regards
the Edomites rather as enemies of Yahweh and of the worship of
Yahweh, than as the political rivals of the Jewish people. Thus his
anger against both Edom and Babel is largely due to his loyalty to
Yahweh and to his zeal for the worship of the Lord.
9. Filia Bahylonis the dwellers of Babel. :

Misera the Hebrew word here used might be rendered vastanda,

:

'

Thou doomed to destruction

that art it has been proposed, how-
'

ever, to emend the Massoretic hashsh'dhudhah {vastanda) into hash-

'

shadhodhah, Thou Destroyer.'

Retribuet . . . retribidionem quani rctribnisti : the sense
'

is, pay thee back to the full that which thou hast wrought
against us.'
136] BY THE WATERS OF BABYLON 343

9. This terrible doom is foreshadowed for Babel by Isaias also

(xiii. 16) :

Their little ones shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes;

Their houses shall be plundered and their wives ravished ;

I shall stir
up against them the Modes from the end of heaven,
Who heed not silver, and in gold take no pleasure.
Who have no pity for the fruit of the womb,
And look not with compassion on children.

For a similar doom pronounced against Nineveh see Nahum iii. 10.
C/. Os. X. 14 4 Kings viii. 12. The destruction of the males of a
;

conquered people was a comparatively familiar feature of ancient

warfare. The psalmist looks forward to a complete overthrow of
Babel at the hands of a greater power. The overthrow had in fact
taken place before this psalm was written. The psalmist represents
himself and his fellow-Exiles as praying during the Exile that the
doom already spoken by prophecy against Babel might be fully
accomplished. The presence of the prophetic element diminishes
the difficulty which an imprecation so bitter as this against Babel
in the mouth of the Psalmist might raise we must, nevertheless,
:

admit that the standpoint of the Hebrew poet is very different from
that of the Sermon on the Mount. See Introd. p. 64. It has been
' '

customary since Augustine's time to explain the rock mystically

' '
as Christ, and the little ones as the passions of man's heart which
'

ought to be taken and shattered against the Rock.'

 PSALM CXXXVII
A HYMN OF DELIVERAiNCE
is a song of
thanksgiving for the goodness of Yahweh to-
THIS wards His people in general, and in particular for some gracious
intervention of the Lord on behalf of Israel that has just
occurred.
Yahweh has His name and His word by granting success
glorified
to His people, For this public thanksgiving is due. The
Israel.
heathen gods will be compelled to look on while thanksgiving is being
made to Yahweh for the gracious deeds by which He has broken the
power of Israel's heathen foes. Even the kings of the heathens,
themselves, when they realise all the greatness of Yahweh's truth
and kindness and power will join with Israel in honouring Him and
giving Him thanks. The help which the Lord has recently given will
not be refused again in time of need, for the loving-kindness of Yahweli
endures for ever, and He cannot forget the work of His hands.' '

The psalm is ascribed to David in the Massoretic text, and to

David, Aggaeus and Zachary by the Septuagint. This shows un-
certainty of tradition as to authorship. The idea that foreign kings
are to join in honouring the God of Israel
belongs to the reahn of
Messianic hope. It has been suggested that the best
setting for this
psakn would be the period of Nehemias when Israel was able to face
the heathen world boldly, in the consciousness of her
proud newly
established power.
It will be noted that this psalm is closely allied in many respects
with Ps. cxvii.

1. Tpsi David. 1. By David.

Confitebor tibi Domine in I thank Thee, Lord, with my whole heart.

toto corde meo quoniam audi-
:
For Thou hast heard the words of my
sti verba oris mei. mouth ;

In conspectu Angelorum psal- Before the

' '
I will praise Thee.
gods
1am tibi :

2. Adorabo ad san-
templum 2. worship towards Thy sacred Temple,
I will
ctum tuum, et coniitebor no- thank Thy name,
I will
mini tuo. Because of Th}' goodness and truth ;

Super misericordia tua, et For great above all things,

veritate tua quoniam magni-
:
Hast Thou made Thy holy name.
ficasti super omne, nomen san-
ctum tuum.

3. In quacumque die invo- 3. When I call unto Thee, Thou hearest me.
cavero te, exaudime multi-:
And increasest strength in mj'- soul.
plicabis in anima mea virtutem.

344
 137] A HYMN OF DELIVERANCE 345

4. Confiteantur tibi Domine 4. Let all kings of the earth thank Thee,
omnes reges terrae quia audie- : When they hear all the words of Thy
runt omnia verba oris tui : mouth ;

5. Et cantent in viis Domini :

5. And let them sing of the ways of the Lord ;

quoniam magna est gloria Do- For great is the glory of the Lord,
mini.
6. Quoniam excelsus Domi- 6. For exalted is the Lord ;

nus, et humilia respicit : et alta Yet He looketh on the lowly ;

a longe cognoscit. But the proud He regardeth from afar.

7. Si ambulavero in medio 7. When I walk

in the midst of sorrow,
tribulationis, vivificabis me : et Thou
sustainest my life,
super iram inimicorum nieorum And against the anger of my foes
extendisti manum tuam, et sal- Thou stretchest forth Thy hand,
vum me dextera tua.
fecit And Thy right hand guardeth me.
8. Dominus retribuet pro me : 8. The Lord maketh requital for me :

Domine misericordia tua in ss- O loving kindness is for ever

Lord, Thy ;

culum opera manuum tuarum

: Thou wilt not despise the work of Thy
ne despicias. hands.

I. Ipsi David : in the Septuagint we find as superscription of

this psalm iPaXfihs -y AavlS, i<al Zaxn.pfov, with which should be
compared the superscription in Ps. cxi. The Greek tradition is
thus uncertain about the Davidic origin of the psalm. Its strongly
universalistic tone has led most modern non-Catholic commentators
to ascribe Ps. cxxxvii to the post-Exilic period.
Quoniam aiidisii verba oris mei this phrase is not in the Hebrew : :

it is wanting also in some MSS. of the Septuagint. Jerome omits it

in his version.
In conspectu angelontni Before the gods: the Hebrew text has,
' '

referring apparently to the gods of the heathens, whose worshippers
'
Yahweh has defeated. The angels of the Vulgate are taken by '

some commentators to be the Cherubim of the Ark. This inter-

' '

pretation exceedingly unlikely. The substitution of angels for

is
' '

gods in the Greek version is, as we have seen, comparatively

frequent cf. Ps. viii. 6
: xcvi. 7. The heathen gods will be compelled
;

to witness the honour which is given to Yahweh.

3. Ad templum sarxtitm tiium the prescribed attitude in prayer. :

Super omne above all things

: the construction is not siiper omnc ;

nomen.
'

Nomen tMim the Hebrev/ has, Thy name, Thy word

sanction :
'

' '

this is awkward and it has been proposed to take Thy word as an

interpolation in the Hebrew, due to a copyist's error in repeating
''^niittekha (' Thy truth ')
of the preceding verse as 'imralhckka (' Thy
word ')
here. perhaps, be conjectured that the original
It might also,
text of the Septuagint had to Aoyioi' crov, instead of to aytoi' a-ov.
Perhaps, however, the best conjecture is to omit Th3' name,' and
'

'

explain the sense as, Thou hast done greater things than those which
Thou hadst promised.'
 34^ THE PSALMS [137

ShinVkha (' Thy name ') could be accounted for as due to a

' '

copyist's error in repeating Thy name from the first half of the
verse. St. Jerome thought that the sanctum here=Our Lord, and
' '
that the word of the Hebrew text is the Logos. This view leaves
the meaning of nometi in the context quite obscure.
3. In quacu7nque die
' '

whenever.' Whenever I call unto Thee

:

Thou hearkenest to me, and fillest me with the proud consciousness

of strength.' The Hebrew corresponding to nwAliplicabis in anima
virtiUem means literally, Thou makest me proud in
'

consciousness my
of strength.'
4. Omnes reges the foreign kings will praise Yahweh for Israel's
:

deliverance and success. The verba oris tui are Yahweh's promises
to Israel. The knowledge that all the promises of the God of Israel
have been fulfilled will lead the heathen rulers to put their trust in
Him also. Cf. Ps. Ixxi. 11 where the worship of heathen rulers
appears also as a feature of the Messianic age.
5. In viis in Hebrew the verb shir (to sing) takes the dative
:
:

cantare in viis ought to be cantare vias. The viae are the dealings
of Yahweh with Israel.
6. The viae of the Lord might be learned from His character.
He is raised above all petty human things, and does not judge by
human standards. The lowly things which He regards are the
' '

Israelites and their affairs the alia which He will not look on with
;

interest, but merely gazes at from afar, are here the proud foes of
Israel.
Knowing the alia the enemies of His people, from afar, He
knows their plans against His people in time to frustrate them. The
text, Humilia respicii, et alta a longe cognoscit, bears, of course, a much
wider application than any reference to the affairs of Israel merely.
It is a law of Yahweh's dealings with the world
generally. Cf.
Ps. cxii. 5, 6.
7. The gracious help which the Lord has given to Israel in the
past will be continued in the future.
' '

Vivificahis keep alive,' not bring to life.'

:

'
8. Retribuct :
Hebrew, yighmor (Yahweh) will bring it to
;

completion,' i.e., He will complete the work of rescue that He has

begun. The Latin suggests the idea of making requital to the enemies
of Israel for their hostility.
In His loving-kindness the Lord will be ever gracious to His
people. He will not forget the work of His hands 'that is, Israel,
'

which He has raised up and chosen for Himself. It is likely that we

' '
should read in the Hebrew the singular work {opus), ma'^seh rather
than ma'"se (opera).
 PSALM CXXXVIII
THE OMNIPOTENCE AND OMNISCIENCE
OF GOD
psalm is a meditation on the wonderful ways of Divine

THIS Providence.
niscience
The psahnist dwells particularly on the om-
and omnipresence of God. No thought of man's
heart hidden from God, and there is no place in creation
is

where a man can hide himself from the face of God. A man's thoughts
are known before they are uttered : the creature contains no riddle
The thought of God's knowledge leaves men helpless
for its Creator. :

no human mind can comprehend its reach. And just as no thought

can be hidden from the Creator, so there is no place in the world
however unknown and remote, were it accessible only to the dawn-

bird where a mortal can pass beyond the grasp of God's hand. In
heaven above, in Sheol below, God is equally present. Were a man
to enwrap himself in the darkness of night to hide him from his Maker,
he would find that for God the very darkness is light (verses 1-12).
And all this is but natural, for God has fashioned the whole being
of man and defined for him his goal. God had looked on him while
he was still in embryo and before the dawn of even one of his days
;

God had determined his whole career (13-16).

While God then knows utterly man's being and planning, how
little man can learn of God's secrets, and how imperfectly he under-
stands God's rule Far too great and too high for the psalmist are
!

the thoughts of God if he would reckon the sum thereof, he would

:

lind them to be more numerous than the sands on the seashore. Were
he to spend a whole night in rellecting thereon, he would be still
occupied therewith at his waking in the morning (17-18).
One of the chief problems of God's ways for the psalmist is this :

Why does God suffer to live those who flout Him ? Why does He
not destroy His foes ? The psalmist declares that he, at all events,
whether he understands God's ways or not, will hold himself aloof
from the godless. Yet he begs of the Lord to search his heart, so
as to discover whether he speaks the truth, and to guide him further
on the right path (19-24).
In some MSS. of the Septuagint this psalm has the superscription
T^) AavlS i/'aA//09 Zaxaplov Iv ry ?,Lau-7rop^. SO that w^e may regard
the tradition as to authorship uncertain. The poem is closely allied
to the book of Job in content and style. Its chief problem, as has

just been said, is the same as that of Job

'

Why do the wicked

-47
 348 THE PSALMS [138

'

prosper and the good suffer ? The book of Job takes this problem
as ultimately insoluble, and recommends men to avoid reflection
thereon, and to submit humbly and without question to the guidance
of God. The i)salmist is satisfied that he cannot solve the problem,
but he determines to hate God's enemies, however God Himself may,
in His unsearchable wisdom, deal with them. Verses 13-16 stand
in the closest relation to Job x. 9-11 but not so as to depend on it
immediately. The personification of the dawn in verse 9 can be
paralleled in Job iii. 9 and xlii. 10. The peculiar thought of pre-
existent days (verse 16) we find also in Job iii. There are several
other points of contact with Job in this psalm both linguistic and
but the two documents differ so much in their treatment
literar}',
of the problem of Providence that there can be no question of the
dependence of either on the other. If we were to take linguistic
phenomena as a criterion for determining the date of the psalm, we
should have to assign it to a comparatively late period, for it is full
of Aramaisms.
The psalmist's vivid consciousness of the ineluctable presence of
God, as expressed in this poem, might be compared, to a certain extent
to the sense of relentless, though loving, pursuit on the part of God
w'hich is expressed in the Hound of Heaven.' '
The attitude of the
Hebrew poet, however, is not that of one who would wish to escape
from the sight and grasp of the Lord the psalmist is occupied chiefly :

with the thought of all that is wondrous and mysterious in the limit-
less knowledge and power of God he is overwhelmed before the :

' '

depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God were he to brood :

indefinitely thereon he would find himself but at the commencement

of his meditation. While he knows so little of God's ways and being
generally, he is particularly helpless before the problem of God's
forbearance towards the wicked. For the godless the psalmist feels
not the least interest or sympathy they are the enemies of God, and,
:

therefore, they are his enemies, and he prays for their destruction.
Thus the Hebrew poet, intimately conscious though he is of God's
knowledge of, and care for, the individual, is not concerned, like the
'
Hound of Heaven with the experiences of the soul that feels the
'

nearness of the Lord and would fly from the task that its closely
observing Master puts upon it the theme of the psalmist is much
:

more general and abstract.

1. In finem, Psalmus David. i. For the choir-master : a Psalm of David.

Dominc probasti me, ct O Lord, Thou searchest me and knowest

cognovisti me : me ;

2. Tu cognovisti sessionem 2. Thou knowest whether I sit or stand ;

meam, et resurrectionem mearn. Thou understandest my thoughts from

afar.
3. Intellexisti cogitationes 3. JMy road and my
'

resting-place
'
Thou
meas de longe : semitam meam, provest,
et funiculum meum investigasti.
 138] THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD 349
4. Et omnes vias meas pra;- 4- .\.!1
my ways Thou foreknowcst ;

vidisti quia non est sermo in

: No word cometh to my tongue (un-
lingua mea. noticed).
5. Ecce Domine tu cognovisti D- Behold,O Lord, Thou knowest all things.
omnia noviisinia, et antiqua : The new and the old ;

tu formasti me, et posuisti super Thou hast fashioned mc,

me manum tuam. And hast laid Thy hand upon me.
Mirabilis facta est scientia wonderful me
6.
tua ex me confortata est, et
:
Tliy knowledge
It is too loftv toocannot
is
I reach thereto.
for :

non potero ad eam.

7. Quo ibo a spiritu tuo ? et 7. Whither shall I go from Thv spirit ?

quo a facie tua fugiam ? Whither shall I fly frcm Thy face ?

8. Si ascendero in caelum, tu 8. If I ascend to heaven. Thou art there !

illic es si descendero in in-

: If I go down to Sheol, Thou art there !

fernum, ades.
9. Si sumpsero pennas meas 9. W'ere I to take the wings of the dawn,
dilucido, et habitavero in ex- And dwell in the utterm.ost parts of
tremis maris : the sea,
10. Etenim illuc manus tua 10 Even there Thy right hand would lead me,
deducet me : et tenebit me And Thy right hand would grasp me.
dextera tua.
"
11. Et dixi Forsitan tenebras : 11. Were I to say : Perchance darkness
conculcabunt me et nox illu- : would hide me ;

minatio mea in deliciis meis. Let the night be the sole light around
me "
,

12.Quia tenebrae non obscu- 12. But the darkness is not dark before Thee,
rabuntur a te, et nox sicut dies The night is bright (for Thee) like the
illuminabitur : sicut tenebrae day ;

ejus, ita et lumen ejus. Its darkness (to Thee) is but light.

15 Quia tu possedisti renes 13. J\ly reins are in Thy power :

meos suscepisti
: me de utero From the womb of my mother Thou
matris mese. hast protected me.
14. Confitebor tibi quia terri- 14. I praiseThee for Thou art mightily great,
biliter magnilicatus es mira- : Wonderful arc Thy works ;

bilia opera tua, et anima mea My soul knoweth it indeed !

cognoscit nimis.
15. Non est occultatum os 15. Aly bones were not hidden from Thee,
meum a te, quod fecisti in oc- Which Thou formed'st in secret.
culto et substantia
: mea in in- Nor my being
ferioribus terrae. (Which Thou fashioned'st) in the depths
of the earth.
16. Impcrfectum meum vide- It) While I was yet unformed Thine eyes
runt oculi et in libro tuo
tui, saw me.
omnes scribentur dies forma- : And in Thy book all are inscribed, -

buntur, et nemo in eis. Days are fashioned while yet not one
of them is.
17. Mihi autem nimis honori- 17. But to me, O God, too difficult are Thy
ficatisunt amici tui Deus nimis :
thoughts :

confortatus est principatus eo- The sum thereof is too mighty for me ;

rum.
18. Dinumerabo eos, et super 18. Would 1 reckon them
arenam multiplicabuntur ex- : More in number are they than the sand
surrexi, et adhuc sum tecum. of the sea :

Were I to waken I should still be vvith

Thee:

19. Si occideris Deus pecca 19. If Tiiou, O Lord, wovdd'st only slay
tores viri sanguinum dccliuate sinners !

a mc Begone from me, ye blood- stained

ones !
 350 THE PSALMS [13S

20. Quia dicitis in cogitatio- 20. Ye who devise (against mc) treachery !

ne :
accipicnt in vanitate civi- And take Thy name in vain.
tates tuas.
21. Nonne qui oderunt te Do- 21. Shall I not hate those that hate Thee, O
mine, oderam ? et super inimicos Lord ?

tuos tabescebam ? Shall

not be vvearv of Thy enemies
1 ?
22. Perfecto odio oderam illos: 22. With full hatred 1 hate them";
et inimici facti sunt mihi. To me they are deadlv foes.
23. Proba me Dcus et scito 23 Test me, O Lord, and know my heart :

cor meum interroga me, et

:
Try me and know my paths,
cognosce scmitas meas.
24. Et vide, si via iniquitatis 24. And see if there be a way of sin in me
in me est
;
et deduc me in via
: And lead me on an eternal v/av !

astern a.

1. Infinem, Psalmiis David : we return here to the famihar super-

scriptions of the psalms of Book I. In the introduction to the psalm
above we have indicated the uncertainty of tradition as to its author.
Prohasti me et cognovisti me : it is a feature of Hebrew poetry to
substitute concrete facts or individual experiences for
general state-
ments. Instead of saying here that God knows the lives and
thoughts
of men the psalmist says that God knows his own life and
thought.
Cf. Eccli. xlii. 18-21 for another striking statement of God's omniscience
Cf. Eccli. xvii. 19-20.
2. Tu : the
'
Thou '

is
emphatic Thou alone. Resurrectio=
'

rising up.'
'

Sitting and rising

= the whole life of the psalmist.
'

De
from afar off.
longe,
3. Funiculum
'
the Massoretic text has ribh'i, my lying down ,*
:

the Greek 7; <rxoivo<; can mean a woven mat, or couch which would
represent ribh'i sufficiently well. Sxou-os primarily means a rush,
and thus it has come to mean things woven of rushes, such as cords
or beds. Funiculum is explained here by Bellarmine and others
' ' ' '
as end (the end of a way or path being then a resting-
or limit
place, so that funiculum in this sense would also fairly well reproduce
the Hebrew). The commonest explanation of
funiculum here is
'

way
'
but there
is really no basis for such an
explanation. As the '

psalmist has spoken of his sitting down and rising up in verse 2^

'

so now he speaks of his moving on (this better reproduces the Hebrew

'

than semita) and resting,'

Invesligasii Hebrew verb zeritha means, Thou hast win-
: the '

'

nowed,' or, Thou

hast put through a sieve.' Jerome has eventilasti :

Yahweh removes, as it were, all the husks and scales which might
in any way conceal the thoughts of the
psalmist.
4. PrcBvidisti the Hebrew does not suggest the tliought of
:

foreknowledge here, but rather that of intimate knowledge. Yahweh

is intimately familiar with all the
thoughts, words and actions of the
psalmist.
Quia 7ion est sermo in lingua mea : we must complete this phrase
138] THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD 351

tongue which Thou knowest

'

in the Latin : There is no word on my

not
'
No word cometh to my tongue unnoticed by Thee.' The
;
or
'

Hebrew is much clearer it reads verses 4 and 5 together, so that we ;

ought to have here in the Latin Non est scrmo in Imgua, et ecce iu :

cognovisti eum Mum. Even before the psalmist speaks Yahweh

knows what he would say the Lord knows every word even before :

it comes to the lips, in its full content and motives.

5. As we have phrased
the Latin, the saying about the s.ermo,
which is known before it is uttered, ends at omnia novissima et ;

antiqna should, therefore, be read with the following. Instead, how-

ever, which follows, mrtani,
of the Massoretic verb in the clause
'
'

Thou Greek translators read y'sartani, Thou

straitenest me,' the
hast fashioned me.' The context seems to demand rather the idea
of close watching than of creation, for we have a reference to creation
below (verses 14/.). Following the Massoretic text, then, we should
have here Retro et ante {^novissima et antiqna) conclusisti me. With
:

this the following clause, Et posuisti super me mannm tuam, fits in

well. Setting the hand upon a person can meanguarding him closely
as a prisoner. Yahweh holds men encompassed on every side, so
that they cannot withdraw themselves or hide. Cf. Job xiii. 21 :

Manum tucim longe fac a mc,

et formido tiia non me terreat.

Cf. also Job xiii. 27 :

Posuisti in nervo pedcni vreuni,

et observasti omnes semitas meas,
et vestigia pedum meorum. considerasti.

Job here describes the irksomeness of the close observation of

Yahweh. The psalm is concerned with the same thing, but in a
different way. Verses 4 and 5 express the thought that man can
escape neither from God's eye nor from His hand.
6. Ex me ought to be a me (according to the customary usage of
the Vulgate) the knowledge of God's ways is beyond the powers of
:

the psalmist it fills him with amazement and with a deep sense of
:

helplessness. '

Scieniia iua knowledge,' simply,

: the Hebrew has
Non potero
not equal to it.'
ad earn :
'

I am
7. Verses 7-12
deal with the omnipresence of Yahweh.
' '

A spiritn tuo the spirit here is the presence of God in the

:

world as shown by action. God's face is His glance men cannot ;

escape from God's presence though, guilt-laden, they might wish to

do so.
8. Ascendero the verb in the Massoretic text is here quite
:

Aramaic.
'

Descendero The Hebrew means, If I should make Sheol my

:

bed.' The heaven and Sheol are the highest and lowest points of
creation in neither is the psalmist beyond the reach of God.
:
 352 THE PSALMS [138

9. Dilundo the Hebrew means

: If I should take the wings of :

the dawn and ahght on the uttermost sea. The dawn is thought of
as a bird which rises up from the Deep in the East and speeds, with
great outstretched wings, across the skies to the uttermost sea
in
the West. Not even if the psahnist were to fly to the uttermost
west with the wings of the dawn-bird might he hope to elude the
presence of the Lord. The dawn rises swiftly in the Orient, and the
swiftness with which the light of morning spreads must have sug-
gested the imagery of a soaring bird. As the psalmist could not hide
from the Lord in the heights or depths of the world, so neither can
he escape from Him in the extremest East or West.
10. Even in the extreme West God would lead the psalmist where-
ver He pleased. Etenim is to be taken as an intensive particle here.
'

here is not the gentle guidance of Providence the

'

The leading ;

sense is rather that even in the extreme limits of the world God's
grasp would still be firm on the fleeing psalmist. '

Et dixi
11. the sense here is conditional, If I should say
:
Let :

the darkness cover me,' etc.

Conailcahiint we have here the same verb in the Hebrew that
:

occurs in Gen. iii. 15, and its meaning is obscure here also (c/. Ps. Iv. 3).
' '

Jerome renders. Forte tenebrae operient me the meaning cover suits :

the context well, but it cannot be attached with certainty to the

Hebrew verb shuph. Hence some commentators maintain that the
Hebrew text was corrupt here prior to the date of the Septuagint
version, and that we should read some form like y'sukkeni {' Let it
cover me ') instead of the Massoretic y'shiipheni.
Et nox illuminatio mea in deliciis meis the Hebrew here is clear : :

Let the light which is round me be night

'

it is a repetition of the
'
:

thought in the part of the verse. Jerome's rendering, Nox

first
shows that he understood the Hebrew in the
qtioque lux erit circa me,
obvious sense intended by the Massoretes. How are we to explain
' ' '

the origin of the Vulgate my light and in deliciis meis ? My

seems to be intended to make the sense clearer. It is not
'

light
represented in the Septuagint. In deliciis meis is due to the mistake
'

of reading b"cdhni, in my pleasures,' instead of the Massoretic

'

ba"^dheni, around me.'

12. Even if the psalmist were enveloped in black night he would

not, for that reason, be hidden from God's sight darkness is never :

too dark for God, i.e., it is never impenetrable to His eyes. For God
the night is as bright as the day. Cf. Eccli. xxiii. 18-20.
Sictit tencbrcB ejus, ita et lumen ejus for Yahweh light and darkness
:

are alike. The ejus is here due to a misunderstanding of the Hebrew

'

nominal ending. The words, Darkness is like light,' may possibly

be a gloss on the preceding clause.
13. Possedisti : the Hebrew is kanitha which would be better
rendered here, parasti, or formasti : Yahweh sees us through and
 138] THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD 353

through because He has formed us. The Creator must know His
creatures. The reins were regarded as the seat of the innermost
feelings and desires.
the Hebrew means, Thou hast woven me together,'
'

Susccpisti :

and the reference is to the wonderful process of formation in the

mother's womb. The Greek translators read tiss'bheni (or, perhaps,

tism'khejii) instead of the Massoretic tesukkeni. Cf. Job x. 11 for a

' '

description of the weaving in question :

"
With skin and with flesh Thou didst clothe me,
With bones and with sinews didst enclose me."
14. A burst of thanks for the wondrous formation
in the womb

interrupts the description. The psalmist's wonder at the mystery

of birth is combined with fear of the God who has made that mystery
possible.
Quia terrihiliter magnificatiis cs : the Massoretic text has here
fashioned,' but the Greek, which
'

the first person, I was wonderfully

implies the second person {niphletha), is better. The works of God
are wonderful, and the psalmist knows this full w^ell.
'

15. Os meum the structure, the bones.' In occiiJto=\n the

:

mother's womb.
was made
'

Substantia : the Hebrew has here a verb, nikkamti, I

(or woven).' Substantia in the Latin obviously parallel to os.

is

The Hebrew nikkamti may have been read by the Greeks w'komathi,
'
and my stature (or substance).'
Inferiora terrcs this must be taken : as parallel to occultum, and
must, therefore, be explained as the mother's womb. The place
where the psalmist's being began was as dark as the netherworld :

the darkness amid which a man's life begins is like that in which it
ends. There is no reference here to a sort of divine laboratory, or
' '

factory in the depths of the earth. Nor is there, as some recent

' '

writers fancy, a suggestion here of the idea of Mother Earth :

'

the hidden place of the first half of the verse is paralleled by the
'

'

depths of the earth as another hidden place, and the reference in

'

both is to the mother's womb as the dark place of origin of men.

16. Imperfecium : the Hebrew golem means the unformed mass of
the foetus. While the psalmist's being was still embryonic the Lord
beheld it. Cf. Eccii. xxiii. 20.
Et in nemo in cis
libro .the general sense of this passage
. . :

seems to be Dies formantitr, et in libro tito omnes scribuntur, etsi

:

nullus adhuc existat corum. While the foetus was still imperfect in
the womb the dies which the psalmist should live were determined
and registered in God's book. The same thought is suggested in
'

Job iii. 6, where Job wishes that his Day,' i.e., the day set apart
for his birth, might be expunged from the calendar. When, then,
God fashions a man in the womb He forms also the days that that

man shall live even though not one of those days yet is.
354 THE PSALMS [13S

'

17. The Hebrew text contains no reference here to friends

'

the Greeks took re'ekha as if it were from tea a friend, or neighbour , ;

it is really from the same substantive which is rendered

cogitationes
in verse 2 above. The Hebrew text speaks not of honouring friends,
but of the difficulty of understanding God's thoughts How diffi- :
'

cult for me are Thy thoughts.' Jerome renders, after the inaccurate
manner of the old Psalteries, Mihi aittem quam honorabiles facti sunt
amid tui Dens. We need a rendering like that of van Sante ;

A'liki autem, quam graves sensus tui, Deus.

The second part of the verse bears out this rendering " How mighty
" '
is the sum thereof ?
Principatus represents ro'sh, head,' sum,'
'

etc. Jerome rendering Quam fortes pauperes eorum, seems to have

' '

read in his Hebrew codex the word rash, poor instead of the
Massoretic ro'sh.
18. Dinitmerabo eos : the eos^the thoughts of God. H the
psalmist tried to sum up the thoughts of God, he would find that
all

they were more difficult to reckon than the sands on the sea-shore.
Exsurrexi ei adhuc sum tecum the psalmist thinks of himself as
:

falling asleep through weariness while trying to reckon up the thoughts

of God, and as finding himself still fully occupied with his task when
he awakes. He cannot make real progress in the work of endeavouring
to realise something of the plans and the greatness of God. Cf. for
the sleeping and waking Jer. xxxi. 26. Exsurrexi renders the Hebrew
'

h'kisolhi, I awake.'

19. The most mysterious thing for the psalmist in the Providence
of God
is the existence and apparent success of the godless. Si=
'

if
only.' The psalmist would solve his own problems by the destruc-
'
tion of the sinners.' In the second half of the verse, according to
the Vulgate, he directly addresses the godless ones whose destruction
he desires. He calls them men of blood,' i.e., murderers
'

he will ;

have no dealings with them.

20. There is considerable difference here between the Greek and
Hebrew texts the Greeks apparently took the Hebrew yom^rukha
: ,

'

they rise up against Thee,' as if it were some form of 'amar, to speak ;

'
and 'arekha, which may mean, Thy enemies,' the Greeks read as
'

if it were the plural of 'ir, city,' with the suffix of the second person.
It must be confessed that the Hebrew is almost as hopelessly obscure
as the Vulgate. One can scarcely hope to improve here on the version
of Jerome :

Qui contradicunt tibi scelerate ;

Elati sunt frustra adversarii tui.
'

Accipient takes the place of the Massoretic nasu lifted up.' ,

'

It is impossible to attach any meanmg in the context to taking (or

'

seizing) the cities of God.

21. Though the psalmist does not understand the policy of God
138] THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD 355

towards the wicked, he will hate them, and will feel disgust [tabes-
cebam) with them.
22. He will regard them as his deadly foes, because they are the
enemies of God.
23. The psalmist begs God, the All-seeing, to test whether his
thoughts as expressed throughout the psalm are true and sincere.
He wishes now to be subjected to the closest scrutiny by God. At
the beginning of the psalm he had spoken of himself as constrained
by the watchful care of God now he realises that the pious have
:

naught to fear from the divine scrutiny, and prays therefore that
God may look deeply into his heart and keep him on the path of
truth.
'

24. Via iniqititatis : the Hebrew has a way of tribulation,' i.e.,

a way leading to tribulation or pain. The way of eternity {via
ceierna) is a way that leads to eternal life.
 PSALM CXXXIX
A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION AGAINST
TREACHEROUS ENEMIES
psalm, like Psalms Ixiii and cxix, depicts the psalmist as
THIS constantly harassed by the calumny of unscrupulous ad-
versaries. The psalmist speaks of himself and his associates
as poor, lowly, just and upright his adversaries he describes
:

as wicked, men of violence, godless, men of blood. Though the '

foes of the psalmist are called men of violence and men of blood,'
' '

their chief crime appears to be ruthless slandering of the psalmist :

their tongues bite as dangerously as the fang of a snake they keep ;

a store of poison, as it were, under their lips. They are ever devising
schemes to bring the psalmist to disaster (verses 2-6). In verses
7-12 the psalmist prays that the judgment of God may come down
on his foes as it came down on the Cities of the Plain. The psalmist
is confident that men of evil speech {viri linguosi) cannot enjoy con-

tinued prosperity in the land they will soon be hurled away to

;

destruction.
In verses 13-14 the psalmist expresses his firm confidence that
the Lord will procure justice for himself and his associates. The
just and upright will then give thanks to Yah well, and will dwell
in the light of the Lord's favour. According to the majority of
modern non-Catholic critics this psalm echoes the religious con-
troversies of post-Exilic Judaism. Yet it must be said that the
attribution of the psalm to David, which is made in the title, is not
directly excluded by anything in the poem itself. Commentators
who favour the Davidic origin of the psalm find in it a picture of the
treacherous machinations of the supporters of Saul (such as Doeg)
against David.

1. In finem, Psalmus David. i. For the choir-master : a Psalm of David.

2. Eripe me Domine ab ho- 2. Rescue me, Lord, from evil men,

mine malo : a viro iniquo eripe Save me from men of violence,
me.
3. Qui cogitaverunt iniqui- 3. Who devise evil things in their heart,
tates in cordc tota die consti-
: And evermore instigate strife,
tuebant praelia.
4. Acuerunt linguas suas sicut 4. They whet their tongues like a serpent's
serpcntis : venenum aspidum Poison of adders is beneath their lips ;

sub labiis corum.

356
I39J A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION 357

5. Custodi me Domiiic de 5. Save me, O Lord, from tuc hand of tlic

manu peccatoris et ab homini- :
godless.
bus iniquis eripe nie. From violent men
preserve me,
Qui cogitaverunt supplantare Who plan to trip up iny steps ;

gressus meos :

6. Abscondei'unt supci'bi la- 6. The proud hide a snare and cords for me :

queum mihi :
They stretch out a net by the roadside
Et funes extenderunt in la- Traps they set for me.
queuni juxta : iter scandalum
posuerunt mihi.

7. Dixi Domino Deus mens :

7. I say to the Lord Thou art my God
:
;

es tu : exaudi Domine vocem Hear, O Lord, my plaintive cry,

deprecationis mea?.
8. Domine, Domine virtus 8. O Lord, Adonai, Thou, my strong help !

salutis meae : obumbrasti super Thou shieldest my head in the day of

caput meum in die belli : battle.
9. Ne tradas me Domine a g. Abandon me not. Lord, to the desires of
desiderio meo peccatori cogi- : the godless ;

taverunt contra me, ne derelin- They plan evil against me ;

quas me, ne forte exaltentur. Abandon me not, that they may not
conquer.

ID. Caput circuitus eorum : 10. The heads of those who encompass me ' '

labor labiorum ipsorum operiet round

eos. The mischief of their own lips shall
o'erwhelm ;

1 1 Cadent super eos carbones

. 11. Glowing coals shall descend upon them.
inignem dejicies eos in miseriis : Into hre Thou shalt cast them ;

non subsistent. In wretchedness they shall come to

naught.
12. Vir linguosus non dirigen- 12. The man of evil tongue shall not stand
tur in terra virum injustum : firm in the land ;

mala capient in interitu. Misfortune shall sweep off the godless

to destruction.

13. Cognovi quia faciet Do- 13. I know that God the Lord procureth
minus judicium inopis et vin- :
justice for the weak,
dictam pauperum. And vengeance for the poor.
14. Verumtamen justi confi- 14. Therefore the just will praise Th}^ name.
tebuntur nomini tuo et habi- : And the pious shall dwell before Thee.
tabunt recti cum vultu tuo.

2. Homo and vir are to be understood in the collective sense as

can be seen from the plural verbs in verses 3-4.
3. Tola die the godless foes of the psalmist are ceaselessly engaged
:

in plotting trouble for the psalmist and his friends.

the Hebrew would be better rendered by concifant.
Consiitit.ehani :

Pralia means here contentions and disputes, rather than actual

fighting
like
'

war
'

in verse 8 below.

4. The is confined chiefly to slanderous

activity of the godless
and treacherous speech. Their tongues are as deadly as the fangs
of a snake. Like the snake, too, they keep a store of poison beneath
their lips. It will be remembered that this description of sinners
358 THE PSALMS [139

of Psalm-texts in Rom. iii.

appears in the celebrated Pauline mosaic
10-18, whence it has found its way into the Vulgate of Ps. xiii. 3.
CJ. Ps. ix. 28 liv. 22 Ivii. 5.
; ;

5. Supplantare a good rendering of the Hebrew. The enemies

:

avoid open hostility, and trust altogether to treachery.

6. Cf. Ps. ix. 16 XXX. 5 hi. 7 Ixiii. 6. Verses 5 and 6 should
; ; ;

be thus arranged :

Qui cogitant supplantare gressus meos,

Qui abscoyidunt niihi laqueum ei funes,
Et extenduut laqueum juxta iter ;
Scandalum ponuvt mihi.

Sit.perbi ought, probably, to be omitted, as a gloss. The setting

of snares and traps is imagery taken from the methods of capturing

big game {cf.

Ps. cxli. 4).

7. In his tribulation the psalmist invokes the help of the Lord.

8. The virtus salutis mece reminds one of Is. lix. 17 :

Indutus est justitia ut lorica,

Et galea salutis in capite ejus

{cf. Ephes. vi. 17). Yahweh is the psalmist's helmet of safety.

Ohumbrasti the use of the perfect here implies, either that the
:

psalmist bases his hope of delivery in the future on Yahweh's pro-

tection in the past, or that he is as certain of receiving protection as
if it had already been given (the prophetic perfect).

In die belli : the The psalmist

Hebrew
has, in the day of arming.'
'

is not thinking of preparation for actual battle, but of defence against

the machinations of his foes.

'

9. Ne tradas me, Domine, etc. the : Hebrew here means, Grant

not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked.'
'
The Greeks took ma"waye
{'
desires of were me^wayai,
')
as if it from my desires.' The only
possible meaning that could be given to the
Latin a desiderio meo in
'

the present context, is against my wish.' Jerome renders here

correctly : Ne des Domine desideria impii.

Cogitaverunt the Greeks read : here zam'mu, instead of the

Massoretic z'mamo, his treachery
' '

: contra me has nothing corre-

sponding to it in the Hebrew.

Ne derelinquas me : the me is not represented in the Massoretic
text an inaccurate rendering of the Hebrew 'al
ne derelinquas is
;

taphek for this means, Permit not to succeed
'
the object being
'

It would seem as if the Greeks vocalised the verb
'
his treachery.'
as though it were a form of the Aramaic verb n^phak (to go out, to
go away) and read it tippok. Jerome renders, Scelera ejus ne effundan-
tur.
Ne forte exaltentiir the Hebrew would be better rendered by an
:

active verb. The Greeks made the verb here to depend on the 'al,
{ne) ofthe first clause {ne des). It is possible that the end of verse 9

ought to be connected immediately with the beginning of verse 10

I39J A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION 359

and that caput in verse 10 ought to be regarded as the object of

exaltant (taking the verb as active) in verse g. The serious objection
to this collocation is the presence in the Hebrew text of the directive
and dividing word Selah after yaruniu {exaltant). It has been pro-

posed to shift Selah to a position immediately in front of yarurmi,

' ' '
and thus to remove the difficulty i^ connecting head with exalt.'
If we shift Selah as proposed, and connect yarunm with the be-

ginning of verse 9 we get the sense :

They who are round about them lift the head,

and as circuitus eorum is based probably on a misreading of a Hebrew

v.'ord which ought to have been rendered circuitus met, we get the sense,

They who are round about me raise the head,

the reference being to the proud attitudes of the psalmist's foes.

Circuitus mei represents the Massoretic m'sibbai=' those who are
round about me the Greeks apparently read m^sibbam, those who
' '

are round about them.' Taken in the way proposed the first part
of verse 10 would be a sort of contrast to the second :

"
Those who are round about me keep their head high :

Yet the mischief begotten by their own lips will overthrow them."

The psalmist accuses them, that is, of keeping up a hypocritical

appearance of respectability, and announces to them that the evil
they devise for him will result in their own destruction.
In this explanation of the difficult words in verse 10a, the Hebrew
ro'sh has been taken in the sense given to it by the Vulgate caput
:

but ro'sh can also mean poison,' and Jerome understood it in the
'

sense of poison, or bitter speech, for he translates 10a Amarititdo

'

convivarum eorum, the poison of their feasts.' Jerome makes no

attempt, however, in his version to connect 10a with the preceding
verse, and though the reference to poison in verse 4 makes the render-
ing of ro'sh as poison not altogether improbable, it seems to me
' '

better to adhere to the Vulgate rendering, caput, and to explain the

verse in close connection with the end of verse 9, as proposed.
Labor labiorum the mischief produced by their lips. The traps
:

they have laid will, in the end, prove to be their own destruction.
II. Cadent a slight change in the Hebrew consonantal text
:

'
admits of the rendering May he rain down the Lord is besought
'
:

to send on the sinners a destruction like that of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Let Him cast down {dejiciat).
' '

Dejicies in the Hebrew,

:

In miseriis this ought to be read with dejiciat.

: The Hebrew
word here rendered miserice is obscure Jerome translates it with :

fovece.
Non subsistent : this ought to be taken as a separate clause=/i^
no?i subsistant (or better, as Jerome has it, consiirgant). The psalmist
36o THE PSALMS [i
fC

prays that his adversaries may never recover from the disaster
which the Lord will send upon them.
Vir lingHOSus: the Hebrew has, Man of tongue.' The psalmist's
'

adversaries do all their mischief by means of speech. Cf. Ps. c. 5.

Non dirigetur :
'

shall not be established

'
the detractor shall
' '

not have prosperity. The land is probably Palestine.

the man of violence.' In
'

Virum injnstum the Hebrew has.

:

interitH ought to be in interitum misfortune wall overtake, and will

:

sweep away to destruction the man of violence.

13. This is the ground of the psalmist's confident endurance of
evil : the Lord will in the end procure justice for the pious, and the
wicked will receive due requital.
14. Dwelling before the Lord implies at once security and happi-
ness. Cf. Ps. X. 8 ;
XV. II ; Ix. 8.
 PSALM CXL
BETTER TO BE CHASTISED BY GOD THAN
TO BE HONOURED BY SINNERS!
psalmist prays that his tongue may be guarded and his
THE
heart restrained from evil things so that he miay have no
dealings with the wicked. It would seem as if the psalmist
and his associates were being tempted towards worldliness
and sin. Perhaps there is question of temptations to abandon some
of the stricter tenets of Judaism, and the tempters are, possibly,
Jews of high rank and great wealth who have made approaches
towards heathenism. But the psalmist declares that it is better
to be rebuked by the Just One than to be flattered by sinners. He
will take no part in the luxuries of sinners, but the gentle words of

chiding and warning which come from the Lord he will receive as
one receives an anointing on the head with precious ointment. Lest
in a moment of weakness he might yield to the seductions of the

worldly and wicked, the psalmist prays that their leaders may be
cast headlong down the rocks, so that the simpler ones among them
may learn that the words which the psalmist speaks are words of
power. The psalmist and his comrades are in urgent need of help
from the Lord. Like clods scattered over the surface of the ground
their bodies are scattered, as it were, close to the greedy mouth of
Sheol. If they are not quickly rescued they will be swallowed up.
Hence the psalmist declares that his eyes are fixed on the Lord,
looking eagerly for a token of coming rescue. Let not Yahweh
fail him lest in spite of his faith and protestations, he become a
laughing-stock among the wicked. Let the wicked be entrapped in
the snares and nets Vvhich thej^ have set for him and his associates.
The speedy discomfiture of his foes will have the twofold effect of
removing the temptations which are assailing him, and of setting
him right before the world as a loyal servant of the Lord.
The psalm is attributed to David in the superscription, but modern
critics are not prepared to accept for it a Davidic origin, it has
been inferred (quite wrongly we think) from verse 2 that the daily
sacrifices in the Temple were no longer being regularly conducted
when the psalm was composed. The psalmist does not, as some
writers seem to fancj^ hope that his prayer may serve as a substitute
for sacrificial offerings that are no longer taking place he prays ;

that his words of prayer may ascend before the Lord as pleasingly
as the odour of the sacrificial incense and the Minhah arises to the
361
362 THE PSALMS [140

throne of Yahweh. The Massoretic text of this psalm is in a very

unsatisfactory condition, and it would seem, too, that the Greek
translators were here less successful in their rendering than in most
of the other psahns. Thus, while the general meaning of the poem
is clear enough, the sense of somiC of the verses is almost hopelessly
obscure.

I. Psalmus David. I. A Psalm of David.

Domine clamavi ad te, ex- I cry to Thee, O Lord, hearken to me !

audi me intende voci meae,

: Give heed to my voice when I cry to
cum clamavero ad te. Thee
2. Diri'.,'atur oratio mea sicut 2. Let my prayer arise hke incense unto
incensuin in conspectu tuo ele- : Thee
vatio manuum mearum sacri- Let the raising of my hands be like the
ficium vespertinum. evening sacrifice !

3. Pone Domine custodiam 3. Set a watch, O Lord, on my mouth,

ori meo et ostium
: circum- Guard well the gate of my lips.
stantije labiis meis.
4. Non declines cor meum in 4. Let not my heart tend to things evil,
verba malitiae, ad excusandas Nor seek excuses for sinning
excusationes in peccatis. With men who do wickedness :

Cum hominibus operantibus Nay, I will have no part in their choice

iniquitatcm : et non communi- bits !

cabo cum electis eorum.

5. Corripiet me Justus in 5. Let the Just One chide me in kindness.

misericordia, et increpabit me : And rebuke me :

oleum autem peccatoris non im- But let not the oil of sinners anoint my
pinguet caput meum. head.
Quoniam adhuc et oratio mea For even until now iny prayer is op-
in beneplacitis eorum :
posed to their desire.
Absorpti sunt juncti petrae
6. 6. Their judges shall be dashed down rocks ;

judices eorum. Men will learn that my words are

Audient verba mea quoniam powerful
potuerunt :

7. Sicut crassitudo terrse eru- 7. Like clods strewn over the earth,
pta est super terram. Our bones are strewn at the mouth of
Dissipata sunt ossa nostra Sheol ;

secus infernum :

Quia ad te Domine, Do-

8. 8. But to Thee, 0,Lord, my eyes are turned ;
mine oculi mei in te speravi, : In Thee I trust snatch not away my
:

non aufcras animam meam. life !

9. Custodi me a laqueo, quern Save me from the snare they have laid
statuorunt mihi et a scandalis : for me,
operantium iniquitatem. And from the traps of evil-doers.
10. Cadent in retiaculo ejus 10. Into their own net sinners shall fall.
peccatores :
singulariter sum But I shall pass (safely) on.
e.go donee transeam.

' '

2. The incense is the incense offered morning and evening

on the golden altar of incense (Exod. xxx. 7). The sacrificmm vesper-
i4oJ BETTER TO BE CHASTISED BY GOD 363
'

iinum is the Alinhah of evening the minhah being the offering of

'

meal and oil and incense which served as an accompaniment to the
holocaust offered each morning and evening (Lev. ii. 1,2). The even-
ing Minhah may be mentioned here because (as Theodoret thinks) the
psalmist is seriously troul^led, and night (= evening) is the symbol
of trouble. The psalmist prays in verse 2 that his prayers may be
as pleasing to God as the ceremonial of the Temple worship. The
verse does not imply that the ordinary liturgy of the Temple is no
longer being performed.
' '

Raising of hands was one of the chief gestures of prayer.

3. Custodiam the psalmist prays that he may be restrained
:

from uttering things undue or unbecoming such as words of friend-

ship or sympathy for his adversaries.
Ostium circiimstanticE the Hebrew (slightly emended) means
: :

'
Guard the door of my lips.' The Greeks took nisrah (which is the
guard ') as a substantive = gate {cf.
' '

imperative of nasar, keep,'

' ' '

Mich. vii. 5). Watch the gate thus became with the Greeks, a
gate of watchfulness.'
4. As in verse 3 tlie psalmist prayed to Ije saved from the

iittera.nce of evil words, so here he begs to be protected from the

doing of evil deeds.
Verba maliticB evil things generally
:
here, in particular, evil
deeds.
'

Ad excusandas excusationes in peccatis the Hebrew has So : :

as to do deeds in godlessness.' The Greeks understood the phrase

'
as meaning to seek excuses for sinning.' Jerome, following S^onma-
chus, as frequently his wont, renders, Volvere cogiiationes impias.
is

The meaning of the Hebrew is not really obscure, and it is probable

that the Greek translators simply mistranslated. The Syriac version
renders quite correctly.
Cum hominibiis, etc. the psalmist is fearful of being induced to
:

associate with the impious in their evil doings.

Cum electis eorum : the electa are the choice things in general of ' '

the wicked not merely food and drink, but all sense-enjoxonents,
luxury of life, etc.

5. The connection of this verse with the preceding can be gathered

from Prov. ix. yff. :

"
Rebuke not the scoffer, for else he will hate thee :

Rebuke the wise man and he will love thee.

Instruct the wise man, and he will grow in wisdom ;

Instruct the pious man, and he will grow in insight."

Blows from a friend are better than caresses from a foe. The
psalmist will gladly receive the rebuke of the Justus, but he will have
nothing to do with the delectibilia of the wicked. It may be that
the Justus here is the Lord Himself. The psalmist willingly accepts
his present chastisements because the Lord has ordained them.
 1
64 THE PSALMS [140

Oleum autem
pcccatoris, etc. in this phrase the Vulgate seems to
:

include the ddcctabilia which the psalmist rejects the oleum

among
peccatoris. The psalmist will not accept any token of respect or
kindness at the hands of sinners. The pouring of ointment on the
heads of honoured guests was a feature of Oriental hospitalit3^ I^^t
the psalmist will have no share in the hospitality^ of the wicked. If
the Vulgate is considered solely in itself this explanation of the passage
in question is reasonable enough. In the Massoretic text, however,
a very different thought is suggested Oil of the head {i.e., precious :
'

ointment) my head will not reject.' The correction of the Just One
is compared which the psalmist receives with
to precious ointment
delight. Thus understood the passage would be a suitable parallel
to 5^. The oleum capitis^ oleum optimum, as can be seen from Cantic.
of Canticles iv. 14 Ezech. xxvii. 22, etc.
;

The Greek translators apparently read shemcn raska', oil of a '

' '

sinner,' instead of the Massoretic shemen ro'sh, oil of the head (or,
'

possibly, they read ro'sh, and took it to mean poison,' and, there-
fore, 'sinner'). Jerome has: Oleum amaritudinis non inpinguet
caput meum evidently imderstanding ro'sh as
'

poison,' or
'
bitterness.'

Impinguet the Hebrev/ verb yani is usually explained as con-

:

'
tracted from yani' the hiphil of mt', to refuse,' to restrain,'
'

'

to frustrate.' The Greeks probably did not know the exact meaning
of the word, and connected it with the Arabic fat.' In the
'

'
nayyun,
Hebrew my head
'

is the subject of the verb : in the Latin it is the

object.
Quoniam adhuc eorum the Hebrew here is only slightly
. . . :

less obscure than the Latin. In the translation above beneplacita

' '

has been rendered desire in the Hebrew the corresponding word

:

'

is ra'oth, iniquities,' and the clause in Hebrew runs But my

'

' ' '

prayer is against their iniquities the their being quite obscure.

The sense seems to be that the psalmist perseveres, in spite of all
approaches and blandishments on the part of the wicked, to oppose
them steadily by his prayers. Beneplacita has arisen through the
Greek rendering of ra'oth as if it were from the Aramaic r^'ah (to
which would correspond in Hebrew rasah), to take pleasure.' '

6. Ahsorpti stmt juncti petrce indices eorum the text in verse 6 :

is exceptionally obscure. The Hebrew text is here usually rendered :

Their judges are hurled down along the rocks,

And men listen to my words because the}' are pleasant.

The Greek translators seem to have had before them a Hebrew text
practically the same as the Massoretic. Potuerunt is probably due to
a corruption of yoi'vOrja-av into ySvi'-i'iOrjcrav.
Absorpti sunt ought to
be something like prcBcipitantiir. Juncti petrce, which
corresponds
to the Greek exoVi' -n-eTfia?, seems to
imply a reading exoVvot Trerpas ;
 -140] BETTER TO BE CHASTISED BY GOD 365

it is sufficiently close to the Hebrew hidhc sela' on (or, along) the '

rock
'

in touch with the face of the rock as they fall.
The chief difficulty of the Hebrew text is to explain how the
enemies of the psalmist could come to look on the news of the destruc-
tion of their leaders (' judges ') as something pleasant {quoniavi
placiicritnt) The reading potucrmit can be more easily explained
.
;

the enemy would learn from the destruction of their leaders that
the words of the psalmist were indeed words of power. There is
no way, however, of deriving potiternnt from the Massoretic text,
and we have said above that it is due to a corruption of the primitive
vSeptuagint text.
If we abide by
the Vulgate text of verse 6 we can regard it as
describing the destruction of the chief enemies of the psalmist, and
as declaring that the fate of the judices will convince their followers
that the standpoint of the psalmist is right, and that the power of
the Lord is behind his words. With the casting down along the
rock compare the narrative of the death of Jezebel, 4 Kings ix. 32/.
7. Sicut crassitndo terrce, etc. The Hebrew means : :

As one ploughs and harrows the earth,

So are our bones scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

The psalmist wishes to say that the condition of himself and his
associates is sorely perilous. Their bodies are, as it were, like clods
lying thickly strewn over a ploughed field, and the place where they
the jaws of Sheol. If they are not quickly rescued they
lie is close to
will be swallowed up by Sheol.
Crassitndo takes the place of the Hebrew poleah, which means
'

one who ploughs,' a husbandman (the same root is present in Fellah,

a peasant).
Erupta est the Greeks must have read y%ukka' where the
:

'

Massoretic text has hokea' one that cleaves, or harrows.' The

,

'

Hebrew has the word earth only once but the Greeks must have
'

' ' '

read it with the two verbs plough and cleave.'

Van Sante renders verse 7 thus :

Sicut qiium arator proscindit tervam,

disperguntur ossa nostra ad portam oici.

8. Quia=' yet.' V/ith verse 8a compare Ps. xxiv. 15.

Non
auferas the Hebrew 'al far means, probably,
: Do not '

'

pour out the psalmist prays that God may not destroy his life
:

by pouring it out with his blood.

9. 5cawia/a= snares :
Jerome has here, Et dc offendiculis operantium
iniquitatem.
10. The psalmist prays that his foes may be caught in the traps
and snares they have set for him.
'

Singularitcr sum cfi^o donee transcam : the Hebrew means :

May
the impious fall into their own net all at once, while I pass on.' The
366 THE PSALMS [14a

Greeks grouped the words of the Hebrew text incorrectly yahadk

:

'

(all at once, or all together '), which is here rendered singulariter,

ought to be read with yipp'ln {^cadant). Jerome gives the sense

correctly :

Incident in rete ejus impii simul ;

ego auiem transibo.

When his foes have all stumbled into the snares which they had
set for him, the psalmist can proceed safely on his wa}'.
 PSALM CXLI
A PRAYER OF ONE WHO IS PERSECUTED
AND FRIENDLESS
psalmist is in bitter need of help. He is shut up, as it
THE were, in prison :his path is beset with snares enemies are
:

around him on every side he has no friend who would give

:

him a thought :his heart, overwhelmed with sadness, is

fainting within him. Yet, in the midst of his grief and desolation,
he turns to the Lord and pours out his soul before Him. The Lord
knows well the paths on which the psalmist walks, and cannot refuse
to give heed to his cries and tears. The more the world abandons the
psalmist the more eagerly and trustingly he turns to the Lord :

Yahweh is indeed his sole refuge and his sole portion on earth. Let
Yahweh therefore hear his prayer for help, and lead him forth from
the prison of his wretchedness ! When the psalmist is rescued he
will praise and thank the Lord and the just will gather round him to
join with him in his gladness and his thanksgiving.
It has been suggested that Psalm cxli is a fusion of two originally

independent poems (a) verses 1-5, and {b) verses 6-8 which were
'

put together because they were both Lamentations,' similar in

content (though somewhat different in metrical structure). It is
simpler, however, and more natural, to regard the obvious difference
of the two sections in question as due to the dramatic style of the
psalmist : in the first section (1-5) he describes the hostility with
which he is pursued by his foes and the utter abandonment in which
he is left by all who might have been expected to help him : in the
second part (6-8) the poet contrasts with the hostility and neglect
of men the protection and care of the Lord. Men may persecute
or abandon him, but Yahweh, who knows all his ways, is his refuge
and portion. If Yahweh will deign to intervene on his behalf, and
lead him forth from prison, just men will rejoice thereat and the
psalmist will praise the name of Yahweh. Thus explained the two
parts of the psalm clearly form a literary unity.
Jewish tradition, as shown in the superscription, found the occasion
of this psalm in the circumstances described in i Kings xxii, and there
is nothing in the contents of the psalm which is directlj' incompatible

with that tradition. Modern non-Catholic commentators, however,

refuse, for the most part, to accept the Davidic origin of the psalm,
and see in the psalmist and his enemies the contending parties of
367
368 THE PSALMS [141

religious disputes in later Jvidaism. The psalm resembles in many

points Ps. Ixiii, cxix and cxxxix, and should be studied in close con-
nection with those psalms. The possibility of regarding verses 2-5
as applying typically to Our Lord is immediately obvious.

1. Intellcctus David, cum es- A Maskil of David when he was in the

set in spelunca, oratio. cave a prayer.
:

2. Voce mea ad Dominum With my voice I cry to the Lord,

clamavi voce mea ad Domin-: With my voice I make plaint to the
um deprecatus sum : Lord ;

3. Elfundo in conspectu ejus I pour out before Him my prayer,

orationem meam, et tribulatio- My distress I declare before Him.
ncm meam ante ipsum pro-
nuntio.
4. In deficiendo ex me spiri- 4. Though my spirit faileth within me
tum mcum, et tu cognovisti Yet Thou knowest my paths.
semitas meas.

Tn via hac, qua ambulabam, On this way which I traverse

absconderunt laqueuni mihi. They hid for me a snare
5. Considerabam ad dexte- I look to the right, and spy out.
ram et videbam : et non erat But there is none that heedeth me :

qui cognosceret me. Means of escape hath failed me.

Periit fuga a me, et non est There is none that careth for me.
qui requirat animam meam.

6. Clamavi ad te Domine, 6. I cry to "the Lord,

dixi : Tu es spes mea, portio I say : Thou art my hope,
"
mea viventium.
in terra My portion in the land of the living !

7. Intende ad deprecationem 7. Give heed to my complaint.

meam quia humiliatus sum
: For I am lowly indeed.
nimis. Rescue me from my persecutors,
Libera me
a persequentibus For They are too strong for me
me :
quia confortati sunt super
me.
8. Educ de custodia animam Lead me forth from prison
meam ad confitendum nomini That I may praise Thy name :

tuo : me exspectant justi, donee The just wait for me.

retribuas naihi. When Thou dealest kindly with me.

' '
1. a Maskil cf. Ps. xli. i.
Intellcctus The psalm is a Praj^er
: ;

as well as a Maskil. Cf. Ps. xvi, Ixxxv, Ixxxix, ci.

' '

The cave is usually taken to be the Cave of Adullam (rather

than the Cave of Engaddi, i Kings xxiv. 4) the superscription is :

based on i Kings xxii. Modem commentators regard the placing

' ' '

of the scene of the Prayer in the cave as due to the words, Lead
me forth from prison
'
in verse 8.
2. Voce 7nea : the Hebrew has, literally :

My voice I cry to Yahweh,

My voice I plead with Yahweh.
' ' '

Voice and I are subjects of the verbs. The addition of voce to

141] PERSECUTED AND FRIENDLESS 369

clamavi and deprecatus sum means that the psalmist cries aloud and
pleads aloud, that is, with great intensity.
3. Ejfimdo orationem meam cf. the superscription of Ps. ci.
:

4. In deficicndo ex me spiriium meum the construction is natural :

in Hebrew and Greek, but quite out of place in Latin. Jerome has,
Ciim anxms fuerit in me spirilus mens. For the construction see
Introd;, p. xlv. For the thought of the verse cf. Ps. Ixxvi. 4. It is
better to connect verse 4 closely with verse 3. The psalmist makes
his prayer while his heart is sinking with despondency because of
the difficulty of his position. He turns to the Lord because the Lord
' ' '

knows his ways (the Massoretic text has the singular way ').
'
His ways '=his whole career, and particularl}/, his actual condition
at the moment. Since the Lord knows all the circumstances of
the psalmist's life, it is but natural that the psalmist should turn to
Him for help. The via qua ambidaham is the way of conduct which
the psalmist has pursued. For the hiding of snares on the way
compare Ps. cxxxix. 6. Compare also Eccli. ix. 13 :

Know that thou marchest amid snares,

And walkest upon nets.

CJ. Job xviii. 8, g.

5. et vidcham
Considerabam ad dexteram the Greek translators :

read here in their Hebrew text two absolute infinitives habbef and
ra'oh, rightly rendering them by finite verbs. The psalmist looks
to the right because at the right he would expect to see his supporter
or protector. Cf. Ps. cix. 1,5; cxx. 5 xv. 8 cviii. 6. ; ;

'

Videbam must mean I look closely,' 1 spy out.' The text

'

would be smoother if we could supply here ad sinisiram.

Qui cognosceret who recognises me as a friend, and is, therefore,
:

ready to stand by me.

Periitfuga a me cf. Amos ii. 14 Jer. xxv. 35.
:
Fnga =mea.ns of ;

escape, or place to fly to. ' '

Non qui requirat animam

est meam the seeking implied here

:

is not hostile (as in Ps. xxxix. 15 ;

Ixii. 10 ;
Matt. ii. 20) but friendly
an inquiring after, a taking an interest in.
6. The psalmist turns from men to God.
'

Spes mea Hebrew, my refuge.'

:

Portio mea in terra viventium cf. Ps. xv. 5 xxix. 6 cxviii. 57. : ; ;

'

The psalmist has no friend on earth but the Lord. Land of the
'

living means primarily Palestine, and then the world of mortals

generally. The psalmist has no hope in this life but Yahweh he :

wishes and hopes onl}^ for the friendship and protection of the Lord.
7. Deprecationem Hebrew, my loud cry
: rinnathi.
' '

Confortati sunt super me they have become too powerful for me.
:

8. Ctistodia the Hebrew word corresponding, masger, occurs

:

' '

only here in the Psalter. The prison has been most commonly
24
370 THE PSALMS [141

explained as the Cave of Adullam (i Kings xxii) which David made

his headquarters for a while during the persecution directed against
him by Saul. Many commentators, regarding the psalm as a com-
plaint of the Exiles in Babylon, have interpreted the masger as tlie
Babylonian captivity. The word masger need not be necessarily
taken as implying an actual imprisonment of the psalmist it could
:

refer, just as well, to the constraint of misery and wretchedness.

Ad confiiendiim so that I may praise. If the psalmist is de-
:

livered from his tribulations he will praise and thank the Lord.
Mc expectant pcsii the Hebrew seems to mean
: :

The just will gather round me

When Thou dealest kindly with me.

The just will flock round the rescued psalmist to offer him their con-
gratulations, and to share in his rejoicing. Some commentators see
here a reference to the gathering of the just from among the Gentiles
around the Messianic Israel.
Donee retribuas niihi whenever Thou dealest kindly with me.
:
 PSALM CXLII
A PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE AND
GUIDANCE
is the seventh of the Penitential Psahns. It is rightly

THIS classed as a penitential Psalm, for it is full of the consciousness

of the psalmist's sinfubiess. The poet speaks, as many com-
mentators believe, in the name of Israel. The nation is in
desperate straits its enemies have trampled it under foot
: its spirit :

is weU nigh broken it is at the brink of the grave.

;
All this Israel
has deserved through her sins. The nation would be hopeless were
it not for the
memorj^ of the ancient days when Yahweh was its
Leader and Protector. To her leader of the old heroic days Israel
turns again, and spreads out her hands to Him in prayer. As a
parched soil thirsts for the rain, so thirsts the soul of Israel for Yahweh.

She has forfeited His favour but surely He will not exact from her

the fuU penalty of disloyalty for what mortal is just before the
Lord ? Humbly, then, as one begging for a favour, Israel begs from
"
Yahweh deliverance from her sorrows. Hear me quickly, O Lord,"
"
she praj's, lest I utterly perish. Show quickly Thy favour lest I
go down to Sheol. I have sinned against Thee, but do Thou teach
me to walk according to Thy will. Rescue me, and let Thy Spirit
guide me henceforth. For Thy name's sake save me from my misery,
for I am wholly Thine I am Thy slave Destroy my foes, therefore,
!

and show favour to Thy slave " !

The title of this psalm, Psalmns David, may be explained as

'

meaning a Davidic Psalm,' i.e., a psalm which enshrines Davidic

thoughts and is constructed after the manner of genuinely Davidic
compositions. Many of the older commentators looked on this
psalm as a product of the Exile. More recent writers are inclined
to seek for the occasion of this poem, considered as a sort of national
Lamentation, in the sorrows and disappointments of the first post-
Exilic century.

I. Psalmus David, Quando i. A prayer of David, when his son Absalom

persequebatur eum Absalom pursued him.
lilius eius.

Domine exaudi orationem me- Hear, O Lord, my prayer !

am auribus percipe obsecra-

: . Hearken to my entreaty in Thv truth ;

tionem meam in veritate tua : Hear me in Thy justice !

exaudi me in tua justitia.

371
372 THE PSALMS [14?

2. Et non intrcs in judicium 2. Enter not into judgment with Thy

cum quia non
sei-vo tuo : servant.
justificabitur in conspectu tuo For no mortal is just before Thee.
omnis vivens.

3. Quia persecutus est inimi- 3. For the enemy opprcsseth my soul ;

cus animam meam humiUavit : He casteth down my life to the ground

in terra vitam meam. He thrusteth me into darkness.
Collocavit me in obscuris sicut Like those wlio died long ago.
mortuos sajculi :

4. Et anxiatus est super me 4. jNIy spirit is troubled within me.

spiritus mens, in me turbatum
est cor meum.

5. .Mcmor fui dicrum anti- 5. T recall the days of old ;

quorum, mcditatus sum in omni- I reflect on all Thy deeds ;

bus operibus tuis : in factis I ponder on the works of Thy hands.

manuum tuarum meditabar.
Expandi manus meas ad
6. I spread out my hands to Thee ;

te anima moa sicut terra sine

:
My soul
turneth, like soil that is

aqua tibi. parched, to Thee.

Velociter exaudi me Do-

7. 7. Hear me quickly, O Lord !

mine defecit spiritus meus.

:
i\Iy spirit faileth.
Non avertas faciem tuam a Turn not from me Thy face.
me et similis ero descendenti-
: Lest I become like to those that go
bus in lacum. down to the grave !

8. mihi mane
Auditam fac 8 Let me learn in the morning of Thy
misericordiam tuam quia in te :
favour.
speravi. For in Thee I trust.
Notam fac mihi viam, in qua Show me the path I must traverse,
ambulem quia ad te levavi
: I''or to Thee 1 lift up my soul.
animam meam.
9. Eripe me de inimicis meis 9. Rescue me from my foes, O Lord !

Domine, ad te confugi : 1 fly unto Thee.

10. Doce me facere volunta- 10. Teach me to do Thy will.

tem tuam, quia Deus meus es tu. For Thou art my God !

Spiritus tuus bonus deducet Let Thy good Spirit guide me

me terram rcctam
in : On the right path.
Propter nomen tuum Do-
11. II. For Thy Name's sake, O Lord, sustain
mine vivilicabis me, in ajquitate me ;

tua. In Thy justice, save my soul from

Educes de tribulatione ani- sorrow !

mam meam :

12. Et
misericordia tua
in In Thy graciousness destroy my foes.
disperdes inimicos meos. And bring to naught all those that
Kt perdes omnes, qui tribu- vex me.
lant animam meam et quoni- : For I am Thy servant !

am ego servus tuus sum.

I. Quando persequehalur eum Absalom these words

filins ejus :

are not represented in the Hebrew title they are wanting also in :

some Codices of the Septuagint, and were not known, apparently, to

the older Greek commentators. The situation implied in the Vulgate
142] A PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE 373

superscription is that described in 2 Kings xvii. The psahn is more

easily understood of the Israelite people at a time of national humilia-
tion, than of David flying from the rebel army of Absalom. The
memory of Israel's greatness in the olden days would scarcely serve
as an inspiration to David v'hen he was abandoning his capital to
Absalom, whereas it was just such a memory as that which alone
could give Israel comfort in the sorrows of the Exile. The frequent
echoes of other psalms, and of other Scriptures of the Old Testament,
which occur in Psalm cxlii are difiicult to reconcile with the theory of
its Davidic origin.
' '

I7i veritate tiia the Lord's truth is His loyalty to His promises
: :

'
His justice in this context must mean practically the same thing.
'

As Bellarmine says Juslilia ilia qua Detis promissam indulgentiam

:

Poentitentibus cxhibct, nihil aliud est rAsi fidelitas prcsstandcs benignitatis

eximicB.
2. to be heard by God for any merits
The psalmist does not expect
of hisown. He (speaking as Israel) has sinned, and has forfeited the
favour of the Lord, but if God were to exact strict retribution, no
mortal could escape destruction. The second part of verse 2 is
thus to be taken as the consequent of a conditional statem^ent If :

God should enter into judgment with any mortal, that mortal would
fail in the trial would fail to establish his justice before the Lord.

Thus we have here practically the same thought as in the Dc Pro-

fundis : Si iniqnitates observavcris Doniine, quis mstinebit ? The
thought here is slightly different from that in Job ix. 2 :

Vere scio quod ita sit,

et quod non justificetuv homo comparalus Deo,

and in Job xxv. 4/. :

Nuynquid justificari potest homo comparatus Deo,

Aut apparere mundus natus de muliere.
Ecce luna etiam non splendet,
Et stellae non sunt mundae in conspectu ejus ;
Quanta magis homo putredo, et filiits hominis vermis !

(cj. also Job

XV. 15). The point of the psalmist is that no mortal
can free himself from all the charges which God might bring against

him rather than that, as compared with God, every mortal must
be declared unjust. Verse 2 is. used by St. Paul in Rom. iii. 10 and
Gal. ii. 16.

3. This states the ground of the psalmist's prayer. Compare

Ps. vii. 6.
according to the Hebrew the sense is, He
'
Hiimiliavit in terra :

has dashed me to earth and trampled on me.' 3c and -^d are borrowed
from Lamentations iii. 6 In tenebrosis coUocavit me, quasi mortuos
:

' '

scmpiiernos [cf. Ps. Ixxxvii. 7). The darkness is the darkness of

misfortune and suffering.
Mortuos sceculi men long dead. Jerome renders, mortuos
:
374 THE PSALMS [1^2

' '

antiquos. The long ago implies that they are forgotten. Cf.
Ps. Ixxxvii. 6.
4. 4a is a borrowing from Ps. Ixxvi. 4. Cf. Ps. cxli. 4.
5. The psalmist finds ground for hope in the wondrous deeds
which Yahweh wrought for Israel in the ancient days.
6. The
stretching out of the hands is the gesture of prayer. The
soul of the psalmist longs for Yahweh as a parched soil thirsts for
rain. Cf. Ps. Ixii. 2 ;
xli. 3.

7. This verse is a fusion of Ps. xxvi. 9 xxvii. i and xciii. 3. ;

The lacHs is the grave.

'

9. Mane quickly,' at the earliest possible opportunity.

:
Cf.
Ps. Ixxxix. 14.
In verse 9 the psalmist prays not for rescue from enemies but
for moral guidance. His miseries admittedly are due to his sins,
and he prays, therefore, for light and help to avoid sin in future by
walking on the path of virtue.
10. It was the Spirit of God, according to Nehemias ix. 20, that
showed the Israelites their here the psalmist
way in the desert :

begs that the same Spirit may show him the true ethical path.
In terram rectam Jerome renders, in terra recta
: the meaning :

is, on a smooth or level path, a path, that is, free from the stumbling-

blocks over which the psalmist has hitherto fallen.

12. It is because Israel is Yahweh's peculiar possession. His
slave, that the nation has any claim on His protection. For the
thought of Israel as the slave of the Lord compare Ps. Ixxxv. 16 ;

cxv. 7. The good name of Yahweh is at stake, the psalmist implies,

in the failure of Israel. Hence the destruction of the psalmist's
enemies is demanded in the interest of Y'ahweh Himself.
 PSALM CXLIII
A PRAYER FOR VICTORY AND PROSPERITY
psalm consists of two parts verses i-ii, and verses 12-15.

THIS The first part is largely an imitation of the great Davidic
Psalm xvii, with an admixture of extracts from Psalms viii,
xxxii, xxxviii, ciii. The second part is a prayer for the fulness
of Messianic blessing. The first part is a song of war and victory the ;

second contains a picture of the idyllic peace which Israel is to enjoy,

under the rule of her Messianic King. It is possible, perhaps, to
take the psalm, as a whole, as a liturgical prayer for the deliverance
of Israelfrom foreign oppression and for the speedy coming of her
Messianic greatness.
The dependence of this psalm on Ps. xvii gives it a claim to be
'

styled a Davidic Psalm.' The title, Adversus Goliath (to which

nothing corresponds in the Hebrew), suggests the possibility that the
particular Jewish community which introduced this psalm into its
liturgy, felt itself to be overshadowed by its opponents, as David was
by Goliath, but hoped, nevertheless, for a victory over its adversaries
no less complete than David's over Goliath. Such a victory would
be, as it were, the inauguration of the Messianic age.

I. Psalmus David Adversus I. A prayer of David against Goliath.

Goliath.

Benedictus Dominus Deus Blessed be the Lord, my God,

nieus, qui docet manus meas ad Who traineth mj^ hands for battle,
praelium, et digitos meos ad bel- And my fingers for war !

lum.
2. Misericordia mea, et re- My Gracious One and my Refuge,
fugium meum :
susceptor meus, My protector and Saviour,
et liberator meus :
My Guardian in whom I trust.
Protector meus, et in ipso Who subjectest to me the peoples !

speravi :
qui subdit populum
meum sub me.
3. Domine quid est homo, 3- Lord, what is man.

quia innotuisti ei ? aut filius That Thou makest Thyself known to

hominis, quia reputas eum ? Him,
Or the child of man,
That Thou heedest Him ?
4. Homo
vanitati similis fa- 4- Man is like unto a vapour ;

ctus est dies ejus sicut umbra

: His days, like a shadow, fleet b3^
prajtereunt.

5. Domine inclina ccelos tuos, 5. Lord, bend down Thy heavens, and
et descende :
tange montes, et descend !

iumigabunt. Touch the mountains, that they smoke.

.375
37^ THE PSALMS [143

6. Fulgura coruscationem, et Flash forth the lightning, and scatter

dissipabis eos emitte sagittas
: them !

tuas, et conturbabis eos : Shoot forth Thy arrows and terrify

them.
Emitte manum tuam de
7. Stretch down Thy hand from on high.
alto, eripeme, et libera me de Snatch me forth and deliver me,
aquis multis de manu filiorum
: l'"rom the deep waters.
alienorum. From the hand of strangers,
8. Quorum locutum est
os Whose mouth speaketh falsehood.
vanitatem : et dextera eorum, Whose right hand is a right hand of
dcxtera iniquitatis. deceit !

9. Deus canticum novum can- g. I sing to Thee, O God, a new song ;

tabo tibi in psalterio, deca-

: I chant unto Thee v,-ith ten-stringed
chordo psallam tibi. zither ;

10. Qui das salutem regibus : 10. (To Thee) who givest victory to kings.
qui redemisti David servum Whodidst save David Thj' servant,
tuum de gladio maligno : Fron\ the murderous sword ;

11. Eripe me. 11. Rescue me save me from the hand of

:

Et erue me de manu filiorum strangers,

alienorum, quorum os locutum Whose mouth speaketh falsehood,
est vanitatem : et dextera eor- Whose right hand is a right hand of
um, dextera iniquitatis : deceit !

12. Quorum filii, sicut no- 12. That our sons may be like saplings
velise plantationes in juventute In their youth.
sua. Our daughters comely.
Filiae eorum composita; : cir- Adorned like a palace :

cumornataj ut similitudo templi.

13. Promptuaria eorum plena, 13. That our garners may be full,
eructantia e.x hoc in illud. Overflovi^ing with all manner of store ;

Oves eorum foetosse, abun- That our sheep may be fruitful.

dantes in egressibus suis :
Thronging their pastures ;

14. Boves eorum crassas. 14. That our oxen may be fat.
Non est ruina macerias, neque That there may be no breach in our wall.
transitus neque clamor in
: No going forth of captives.
plateis eorum. No turmoil in our streets.

15. Beatum dixerunt popu- PIapp3' the people with whom it is thus !

lum, cui haec sunt beatus popu- :

Happy the people whose God is
lus, cujus Dominus Deus ejus. Yahweh !

I. Psalmus David adversus Goliath The Targum agi'ees with the :

Septuagint in regarding this p.sakn as composed by David in reference

to Goliath. The Hebrew title is simply, By David.' '

Benedidus, etc. the first two verses are taken almost entirely
:

from Ps. xvii. Cf. xvii. 3 ; xlvii. 35.

'
Misericordia mea : here we must supply either, Yahv/eli is,' or
'
Thou The expression misericordia mea is peculiar
art.' it is :

regarded by some commentators as equivalent to Deus miscricordiae

'
ineae. In the original, Ps. xvii. 3, we have (in the Hebrew), my
Rock.'
Qui suhdit populuni meiini the Hebrew verb here rendered subdit :

denotes subjection through violence. Hence we should probably

143] FOR VICTORY AND PROSPERITY 377
' ' ' '

emend my people into tlic peoples {'animim) cf. Ps. xvii. 48 : :

' '

Ei subdis populos sub vie. The peoples are, of course, the heathen
enemies of Israel.

3, 4. Here we have qiiotations from Ps. viii. 5 and xxxviii. 6, 7.

The Psalmist expresses his admiration at the
goodness which the
Lord shows in being gracious towards weak and lowly humanity.
'

Vamtas Hebrew, hebhel, a mere breath.' Cf. Job viii. 9 xiv. 2.

:
;

5. The psalmist now begins prays that the

his petition. He
mercies which, according to Ps. xvii. 10, were granted to David may
be shown now towards Israel. Let Yahweh reveal Himself again as
a Saviour, as He did of old when His servant David was in distress !

The second half of verse 5 is from Ps. ciii. 32.

6. This is a quotation from Ps. xvii. 15.
' '

7. Cf. Ps. xvii. 17. The many waters symbolise the foreign
enemies who threaten to over-run Israel.
8. The heathen enemies are described as deceitful and perjured.
The right hand was raised in swearing, and therefore when raised
for a false oath, it becam.e a right hand of treachery, or deceit

{iniquitas). In verse 11 the prayer of 7-8 is repeated.

9. The psalmist confidently expects the granting of his prayer.
When it is granted he will sing to the Lord a new song of thanks- ' '

' '

giving. For the ten-stringed zither and the new song compare
Ps. xxxii. 2-3.
10. An echo of Ps. xvii. 51.
11. What the Lord did for David, He will now do for Israel.
12. Modern commentators are inclined to see in verses 12-15 3-
fragment of an older poem on the Messianic Age which the psalmist
has incorporated into his text.
Quorum : qv^orum here and the eorum of the following verses
change completely the sense of the Hebrew, which has, all through,

the possessive of the first person our sons, our daughters, cur garners,
our sheep, our cattle. The Greek translators evidently took verses
12-15^ as a description of the prosperity of Israel's foes, and assumed,
apparently, that verse 156 was intended to emphasise the spiritual
blessings of Israel as against the material advantages of her foes.
It is far more natural to follow the Massoretes in reading the first

person plural. Thus the verses 12-15 become a prayer for the speedy
ushering in of the Messianic days. In those days all the glories of
David's reign will be renewed. Note how the psalmist prays for

three chief blessings^ numerous and comely children, wealth in corn
and kine, and peace. Cf. Ps. cxxvi and cxxvii.
NovellcB plantationes in juvcniute sua Jeromes : renders here
(reproducing correctly the Hebrew possessive) :

Ut sint filii iiostri

quasi planiatlo
Crcscens in adulefcevfia sua.

The psalmist prays that the sons of his people may be like a thriving
378 THE PSALMS [143

plantation in their youth. Cf. Ps. cxxvii. 3 : Filii Uii sicut novellce
oli varum.

Composite Jerome has here, Filics nosirae quasi anguli ornaii

:

ad siniilitndinem templi. The Massoretic text seems to mean :

'
Our daughters are like corner-pillars.
Fitly carved as for a palace.'

The Greeks translated zawiyyoth (' pillars ') as if it were from the
Aramaic ziw, brightness,' so that compositce ought to mean something
'

'

like brightly robed.'

'

may mean
'

Similitudo templi the : Hebrew heklial either temple

'
or palace.' The daughters are to be as graceful and beautiful as
the finely carved pillars in a temple or palace.
' ' '

13. Promptiiaria store-rooms,' garners read nostra, instead : :

of coruni.
'

Entctantia ex hoc in ilhidHebrew the sense is, Producing : in the

'

kind upon kind the familiar Aramaic word zan (=kind, species)
:

which occurs here was read apparently by the Greeks as if it were zu,
'
this.' The phrase means that everj'- kind of corn is stored in the
garners.
Oves eorum fcetosce : eorum should be nostra. Fcetoscs means
' ' '

fruitful : in the Hebrew we have ma''liphoth, bearing a thousand,'

'

multiplying by thousands.'
Abundantes in egressibus suis : egressus must be rendered 'pas-
'
tures (Heb. husoth). Corresponding to abundantes the Hebrew has
'

m^rubbabhoth=' bearing myriads,' multiplying by tens of thousands.'

Thus the Hebrew means literally :

-Vlay our sheep multiply by thousands,

Yea, by myriads in their pastures !

Cf. Deut. xxviii. 4 xxx. 9. ;

Boves eorum crassce

14. read here also nostrce. Crassce may be :

the Hebrew word seems, however, rather to mean

' '
rendered fat :

' ' '

heavily laden possiblj^ the true meaning is heavy with

;

young.'
Non nana, etc. this is a difficult passage. The Hebrew means
est :

'

literally There is no breach, and there are no goings-forth, and

:

' '

there is no outcry in our broad places (or streets).' The breach

might be interpreted as a breach made by enemies in the city-walls :

' '

the goings-forth could, then, be understood of companies of captives

' '

led away by the enemy, and the outcry would be that raised by the
people when attacked by the enemy {cf. Jer. xiv. 2). Ruina macerice
' '

represents peres, breach : transitus renders yose' oth (' goings-forth '),

and clamor corresponds to s^wahah (outcry). Peters in his com-

mentary {The Psalms as Liturgies, p. 484), published in 1922, renders
"
'
the phrase, No breakage, no leakage, no turmoil,' and says The :

meaning of this is very clear, as I write in Jerusalem, where we

143] FOR VICTORY AND PROSPERITY 379

have just lived through a period of looting and breakage and

turmoil."
15. Dixcrunt, this is not represented in the Hebrew. The psalmist
means that a people which enjoys the blessings just enumerated
deserves to be called fortunate. Yahweh the only source of those
is

blessings and of every blessing which Israel has received or can expect,
so that truly indeed that people is fortunate whose God is Yahweh !
 PSALM CXLIV
THE GLORY OF YAHWEH'S KINGDOM
' '

psalm, which is called a T^hillah, or Praise-song of

THIS David, is a simple alphabetic acrostic the first line of

each verse commencing with a letter of the alphabet next
in order to that with which the preceding verse began.
The nun-line is wanting in the Massoretic text, but it can be
supplied from the Greek, and is represented in the Vulgate.
In the first eight verses the psalmist celebrates the goodness and
greatness of God as manifested throughout creation. In verses 9-12
the purpose of this manifestation is explained that the Kingdom of
Yahweh may be glorified. This Kingdom is to last for ever hence, ;

in verses 13-21, the psalmist voices his confident expectation that the
Lord W'iU protect with special kindness those of His loyal worshippers
who are, for the moment, in suffering or distress. If God's faithful
worshippers were to be for ever forgotten and abandoned, hov/ could
God's Kingdom be perpetual ?
Verse 13 of this psalm is cited in Aramaic translation in Dan. iii.
100 ; iv. 31, so that the psalm must be regarded as older, at least,
than the Book of Daniel. The attribution of the psalm to David
may be due, perhaps, to the extensive use of other psalms which it
shows.

1. Laudatio ipsi David. 1. David's psalm of praise.

E.xaltabo te Deiis meus rex : I will extol Thee, my God, Thou king,
et benedicam nomini tuo in sas- I will praise Thy name for ever and
culum, et in saeculum saeculi. ever ;

2. Per singulos dies benedic- 2. Daily I will glorify Thee,

am tibi et laudabo nomen
: And Thy name I will praise evermore.
tuum in sajculum, et in sasculum
sajculi.
3. Magnus Dominuset lauda- 3. Mighty is the Lord and greatly to be
bilis nimiset magnitudinis
:
praised.
ejus non est finis. And there isno limit to His greatness.
4. Generatio et generatio lau- 4. Age upon age shall praise Thy worlis.
dabit opera tua et potentiam
: And Thy power they shall proclaim.
tuam pronuntiabunt.
5. Magnificentiam glorize san- 5. The glorious splendour of Thy holiness
ctitatis tua; loquentur : et mira- they shall tell.
bilia tua narrabunt. And Thy wonders they shall recount ;

6. Et virtutem terribilium 6. The power of Thy dread deeds they shall

tuorum dicent et magnitudi-
:
relate,
ncm tuain narrabunt. And Thy greatness they shall describe.
380
144] GLORY OF YAHWEH'S KINGDOIM 381

7. Memoriam abundanti^c 7. The story of Thy overflowing sweetness

suavitatis tuce eructabunt : et they shall publish.
justitia tua exsultabunt. They shall rejoice over Thy just rule.
8. Miserator et misericors Do- 8. Merciful and gracious is the Lord,
minus patiens,
: et multum Long-suffering and gracious indeed ;

misericors.
9. Suavis Dominus universis : g. Mild is the Lord unto all,
et miserationes ejus super omnia And iiis pity is poured out on all His
opera ejus. works.

10. Confiteantur tibi Domine ID. Let all Tliy works praise Thee, O Lord,
omnia opera tua : et sancti tui And let Thy faithful ones bless Thee !

benedicant tibi.
11. Gloriam regni tui dicent : 1 1 . The glory of Thy kingdom they shall tell ;

et potentiam tuarn loquentur :

They shall speak of Thy might,
12. Ut notam faciant filiis ho- 12. To make known Thy power unto men.
minum potentiam tuam : et glo- And
the glorious splendour of Thy
riam magnificentia; regni tui. Kingdom :

13. Regnuni tuum regnum I J. Thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom ;

omnium sjeculorum et domi- : And Thy rule endureth for ever.

natio tua in omni generatione
et generationem.

Fidelis Dominus in omnibus The Lord is faithful in all His words.

verbis suis : et sanctus in omni- And holy in all His deeds.
bus operibus suis.
14.AUevat Dominus omnes 14. The Lord lifteth up all who fall.
qui corruunt et erigit omnes : And raiseth up all who are bowed
elisos. down.
15. Oculi omnium in te spe- 15. The eyes of all look for Thee, Lord,
rant Domine et tu das escam: And Thou givest them food in due
illorum in tempore opportuno. season :

16. Aperis tu manum tuam : lb. Thou openest Thy hand,

et iinples omne animal bene- And lillest every bein^ with blessing.
dictione.

17. Justus Dominus in omni- 17. The Lord is just in all His ways ;

bus viis suis : et sanctus in And holy in all His deeds :

omnibus operibus suis.

18. Prope est Dominus omni- 18. The Lord is nigh to those that cr\' to
bus invocantibus eum omnibus : Him,
invocantibus eum in veritate. To those that cry to Him in truth,
19. Voluntatem timentium se 19. fie fulfilleth the desire of them that fear
faciet :et deprecationem eorum Him,
exaudiet : et salvos faciet eos. And to their prayer He hearkeneth,
And He saveth them.
20. Custodit Dominus omnes 20. The Lord guardeth all who love Him :

diligentes se et : omnes pecca- But all the wicked He destroveth.

tores disperdet.

21. Laudationem Domini lo- 21. My mouth shall proclaim the praise of
quetur os meum : et benedicat the Lord,
omnis caro nomini sancto ejus in And all fiesh shall bless His holy name
sa>culum, et in sjeculum sa;culi. For ever and for ever.

I. The description of this psahn as a T'liilluh (oratio) is probably

My mouth shall speak a f^hillali

'

due to the words in verse 21 below :

{loiudaiio) of Yahweh.'
382 THE PSALMS [144

Dens mens rex this is an unusual form of invocation. The :

' ' '

psalmist does not say my King,' but King simply, for Yahweh is
universal King. As long as the psalmist (who speaks here for Israel)
lives, he will praise the universal King.
3. Cf. Ps. xlvii. 2.
4. An imitation, apparently, of Ps. xviii. 3. Each generation will
hand on to the next the story of God's might and goodness.
5. Mugnificentiam gloria' sanditatis tuce the Hebrew means : :

' ' ' ' '

the glorious splendour of Th}' Majesty splendour,' glory and :

' '

majesty belong peculiarly to Yahweh.

Loquentur the Vulgate rendering implies here a better Hebrew
:

text than that handed down by the Massoretes.

Narrahiint this ought to be, according to the Hebrew, meditahor.
:

6. The tenihilia are the deeds which Yahweh has wrought against
His adversaries.
'
Dicent . . . narrahunt Hebrew, They will tell
: I will re- . . .

count.' The change of person reminds us that the psalmist regards

himself as one in a long succession of singers that praise the Lord.
'

7. Suavitas goodness.' :

Eructahunt :
cf. Ps. xviii. 3 ; xliv. 2 ;
cxviii. 171 cxliii. 13.
;

The psalmist means that each future generation in turn will burst
forth into songs of praise to the goodness of God.
8. Cf. Exod. xxxiv. 6 Ps. Ixxxv. 15 cii. 8. ; ;

9. Universis : not only to Israel, but to all the world.

in verse 5 we had
'
Et gloriam magnificent ice
12. the splendour :

' '
of the glory here we have the glory of the splendour.' Instead
;
' ' '
of Thy Kingdom the Hebrew has His Kingdom.'
13. This verse appears in Aramaic in Dan. iii. 100 iv. 31. ;

With Fidelis begins the nun-verse which is wanting in the Massoretic

text. Jerome in his version gives the 7Tun-vevse in the same form in
which it appears in the Vulgate.
Qui corruunt those who are on the point of falling. :
Jerome
renders here :

Sustentat Dominus omnes corruentes,

et erigit omnes jacentes.

A
borrowing from Ps. ciii. 28-29.
16, 17.
' '
The of the Lord are the methods of His rule.
ways Sanctus
represents here the Hebrew hasidh one who shows hesedh, loving-
'
'

kindness (in the Vulgate, usually, misericordia).

18. Those who invoke the Lord
' '

in truth are they whose senti-

ments are in conformity with their prayers.
'

19. Voluntas, the desire.'

'
Laudationem Domini
21. :
Hebrew, the song-of-praise {fhillah)
of Yahweh.'
 PSALM CXLV
IN THE LORD ALONE WE MUST TRUST!
Yahweh alone can Israel trust This is the theme of the psalm.
!

IN In the first part of the poem (verses i-6) the psalmist contrasts
the might of Yahweh with the weakness and helplessness of
men. It is useless to trust in even the most powerful of men,
for their lives are uncertain and brief, and on the day of their
death their plans come to nought. Israel should, therefore, put no
trust in alliances with foreign princes in Yahweh alone, the God of
:

Jacob, the God of the Covenant, the Creator of heaven and earth,
should the hopes of Israel be set.
The second part of the psalm (verses 7-9) celebrates the faithfulness
of the Lord to His promises. He has ever acted as the God who made
the Covenant with Israel. He has protected and guided His people
in all their history. He has defended tiiem against oppression He ;

has delivered them from bondage He has given them food when
;

they were hungry, and instruction when they were in need thereof :

He has ever uplifted the weak and lowly and has guarded the Israelite
Exiles, and provided for the widows and orphans of His people. Not
only has God the power, then, to protect His people, but He has at
all times used that power and thus fultilled His Covenant with Israel.
In Him, therefore, and not in foreign princes, should Israel trust.
In the concluding verse the psalmist declares that Yahweh, in
contrast with human rulers, is a King for ever. He is Israel's God,
the God of Sion, who reigns throughout the ages. In her God, then,
let Israel trust !

' '
This psalm is the first psalm of the so-called Little Hallel (which
includes the last six psalms of the Vulgate Psalter). It is not possible
to determine precisely the date or occasion of this psalm. The
presence of many echoes of other psalms suggests a post-Exilic date,
and the peculiar insistence of the psalmist on the futility of reliance
on human help seems to imply some recent political event as the
occasion of the psalm. The reference in the Greek (= Vulgate) title
to the prophets x^ggaeus and Zachary implies a tradition that the
psalm was composed in the early post-Exilic period.

1. Alleluia, Aggaei, et Zacha- i. Alleluia: bj^ Aggaeus and Zacharj-.

liae.

2. Lauda anima mea Domi- 2. Praise thou the Lord, O my soul !

num laudabo Dominum in

:
I will praise the Lord my life long,
vita mea psallam Deo meo
: I will
hymn to my God while I live,
quamdiu fuero.

.383
3S| THE PSALMS [145

Nolite confiderc in principi Trust ye not in princes.

bus :

3. In filiis hominum, in quibus In men with whom there is no help ;

non est salus.

4. Exibit spiritus ejus, at re- When his life-breath goes forth,
vertctur in terrain suam in ilia : lie sinks back to his clay ;

die peribunt onines cogitationes On that day all his plans come to
eorum. nought.

5. Beatus, cujus Deus Jacob 5. Happy is he whose Helper is the God of

adjutor ejus, spes ejus in Do- Jacob,
mino Deo ipsius : Wliose hope is in Yahweh, his God,

6. Qui fecit coelum et terram, 6. Who hath made heaven and earth and
mare, et omnia, quae in eis sunt. the sea,
And
all that is therein,

7. Qui custodit veritatem

in 7. Who keepeth forever His truth.
sasculum, facit judicium injuri- Who procureth justice for the op-
am patientibus dat escam :
pressed.
esurientibus. And giveth food to the hungry.

Dominus solvit compeditos: The Lord releaseth captives ;

8. Dominus illuminat cameos. The Lord giveth sight to the blind :

Dominus erigit elisos, Domi- The Lord raiseth up those that are bowed
nus diligit justos. down ;

The Lord loveth the righteous ;

9. Dominus custodit advenas, The Lord protecteth strangers ;

pupillum et viduam suscipiet : He guardeth the orphan and widow ;

et vias peccatorum disperdet. But the paths of sinners He bringeth to

nought.

10. Regnabit Dominus in sse- 10. The Lord reigneth as King for ever.
cula : Deus tuus Sion, in gene- Thy God, O Sion, from age to age !

rationem et generationem.

AlleliUa appears in the Hebrew as a title.

I.

et Zacharice
Aggai this psalm and the following are connected
:

in the Septuagint with the names of Aggaeus and Zachary. There is

no intrinsic improbability in such a connection, for the psalm contains

nothing which would exclude a very early post-Exilic origin.

The address to the psalmist's o^\^l soul reminds us of Ps. cii. i and
iii. I, 33.

Nolite confidere in principibus : this is the negative side of the

psalmist's theme. The warning against trust in princes is, perhaps,

an echo of Ps. cxvii. 8, 9. There may be a reference here to some
alliance or co-operation with a heathen power which has turned out
disastrously for Israel.
In filiis hominum in mere men. Mere men are helpless allies,
3. :

'

because there is no i^shu'ah (' help,' rescue,' sains) to be had from

them Domini est sains as Ps. iii. 9 expresses it.
:

4. The ejus refers to man in general when his breath of life
' '

:
 145] IN THE LORD ALONE WE MUST TRUST !
385

(spiritus) goes forth he returns to his clay {in tcrram suam) to

' '

the clay from which he was formed cf. Ps. ciii. 29 Gen. iii. ig. :
;

When the spirit goes forth, and a man returns to his clay, all his
plannings come to nought. Note the use of this verse in i Mac. ii. 63.
The change of pronominal endings which gives us ejus and eomm is
due to the fact that the psalmist is concerned with humanity in
general.
5, 6. If it is foolish to trust in men, it is, on the contrary, most
wise and prudent to trust in the Lord. Fortunate, therefore, is he
who puts his trust in the God of Jacob, the omnipotent Creator of
heaven and earth Cf. Ps. xxxii. 12 ! cxliii. 15. The redundant ;

construction cv.jus ejus is a Hebraism.. . .

7. The Lord He is powerful, and it is, therefore,

is as faithful as
right to trust Him
unreservedlj^. The faithfulness of Yahweh to
His promises appears in His watchful protection of His people, par-
ticularly at times when their political strength was insignificant.
Human alliesare most loyal when least needed but the Lord ; is
above all a Protector of the oppressed and the needy.
Dominus solvit compcditos : note how in this and the following four
' '
clauses the name Yahweh
put at the beginning the psalmist is :

wishes thus to emphasise the contrast between Yahv/eh and the

'

princes.' The connection of the compediti with the caeci is based on

Is. xlii. 7 {cf. Is. XXXV. 5 xxix. iS xhi. 16, 18, 19 xliii. 8).
; The ; ;

making of the blind to see is probably to be understood of the illumina-

tion of their mind by the The Lord
Lav/. The Septuagint renders :
'

maketh wise the blind.' With erigit elisos, cf. Ps. cxliv. 14. It will
be remembered that Is. xlii. yff. is a forecast of the activity of the
Senms Domini, and that the work which is there assigned to the
Servus Domini is claimed by Our Lord to have been accomplished by
Himself. See Our Lord's answer to the emissaries of the Baptist,
Matt. xi. 2-6.
g. this renders the Hebrew gcrim, which is often in-
Advenae :

'

correctly explained here as=' proselytes ^6'nw= primarily, strangers :

living among the Jews. It is possible that when the psalmist speaks
of Yahweh's care for gerim, he is thinking not merely of the Lord's
care for the unprotected heathen who sojourned among the Israelites,
but also of the protection which the Lord so lavishly bestowed on the
Jewish Exiles in Babylon, the Exiles were gerim in Babylon.
the Hebrew verb corresponding means
'

Disperdet : to confuse,'
'
to lead astray.' The Lord will turn aside the godless from the path
of worldly success which they have chosen, and set them on a path
which leads to confusion.
10. Unlike the princes of earth Yahweh is an eternal King His :

life-breath does not go forth His projects abide. Surely Sion will
:

trust in her own eternal King !

*3
 PSALM CXLVI
A SONG OF THANKSGIVING

A SONG
Jerusalem and
is due to tiie Lord, for He is building up
of praise

bringing home its exiled children. He is

giving courage again to those whose hearts had been well-
nigh broken in the Exile, and He is healing all the wounds of
their sorrows. The might and wisdom of Yahweh know no
limits, and He can, therefore, raise up His people once more unto
power, and overthrow their foes (verses i-6). Let Israel, therefore,
sing songs of praise and thanks to her mighty God, to the God who
commands the rain and the clouds, and provides food for all creatures
(7-9)-
The Lord has no delight in those who rely on their own strength,
as the steed relies on its might, or the warrior on his fleetness {cf.
Ps. xix. 8 ; xxxii. i6^.). The pleasrure of Yahweh is in those that

depend upon Him, and trust Him unreservedly. Humbled, then,

and lowly though Israel for the moment is, she may confidently hope,
through unwavering trust in Yahweh, to be re-established in her
ancient greatness.
In the Hebrew text this psalm and the next following Vulgate
Psalm go together to form a single poem, so that the Hebrew Psalm
cxlviii is the same as Ps. cxlviii of the Vulgate. The separation of
the text into
two psalms as in the Greek and Vulgate is quite
justifiable, for the Vulgate Psalm cxlvii presents a sufficiently rounded-
off completeness of thought to stand by itself as a distinct poem. It
would be possible, indeed, perhaps, to regard Ps. cxlvi (Vulgate) as
itself consisting of two Psalms, verses i-6 and verses 7-1 1, so that we

might, if we wished, regard the Vulgate Psalms cxlvi-cxlvii as con-

sisting of three songs of praise of Yahweh with the same theme the
might of God, as shown in nature and history, and His great mercies
towards Israel. In a commentary on the Vulgate Psalter, however,
it is most natural to take the Vulgate text as it stands, and to treat
the Vulgate Psalm cxlvi by itself as a independent whole.

1. Alleluia. i. Alleluia.

Laudate Dominum quoniam Praise ye the Lord, for the praise-song is

bonus est psalmus Deo nostro
:
good ;

sit jucunda, decoraque laudatio. Praise sweet and beautiful beseemeth

our God.
2. yEdificans Jerusalem Do- 2. 'Tis the Lord that rebuildeth Jerusalem,
minus dispersioncs
: Israelis con- And gathereth home the exiles of
Kregabit.
o Israel ;

386
i46j A SONG OF THANKSGIVING 387

3. Qui sanat contritos

corde :
3. 'Tis He that curcth the heart-broken,
et alligat contritiones eorum. And bindeth up their wounds ;

4.Qui numerat multitudinem 4- 'Tis He that fixeth the number of the

stellarum et omnibus eis nomi-
: stars,
na vocat. And calleth them all by name.
5. Magnus Dominus noster, et Great the Lord and mighty is His
is

magna virtus ejus : et sapien- strength.

tiae ejus non est numerus. To His wisdom there is no limit.
Do-
6. Suscipiens mansuetos The Lord raiseth up the lowly ;

minus humilians autem pecca-

: But sinners He humbleth to the dust.
tores usque ad terram.

7. Prascinite Domino
in con- 7. Sing to the Lord a thanksgiving-song :

fessione psallite Deo nostro in

: Sing to our God with the zither !

cithara.
8. Qui operit ccelum nubibus : 8. He covereth the heavens with clouds,
et parat terrae pluviam. And prepareth rain for the earth.
Qui producit in montibus foe- He maketh the grass to sprout on the
num : et herbam servituti ho- hills.
minum. And herbage for the servants of men.
9.Qui dat jumentis escam 9. He giveth to the cattle their food.
ipsorum et pullis corvorum in-
: And to the young ravens that cry to
vocantibus eum. Him.

10. Non in fortitudine equi 10. in the strength of the steed hath
Not
voluntatem habebit nee in : He
joy.
tibiis viri beneplacitum erit ei. Nor pleasure in the warrior's fieetness :
11. Beneplacitum est Domi- II. The pleasure of the Lord is in them that
no super timentes eum et in : fear Him,
eis, qui sperant super miseri- And in them that trust in His kindness.
cordia ejus.

1. Alleluia the corresponding halHu-Yah of the Massoretic text

:

belongs to the end of the preceding Psalm. In the Septuagint we

have here again in the title the names of Aggseus and Zachary.
Laudate this renders the Hebrew halHu-Yah, which is here not
:

a rubric, but a part of the text.

Bonus est psalmus it is a pleasing duty to praise the Lord. The
:

Vulgate differs here somewhat from the Hebrew. The latter has :

'
For it is good to hymn our God,
Yea, it is pleasant :

A song of praise is becoming.'

Psalmus implies original zimrah, whereas the Massoretic
a Hebrew
'

Arranging the words

'
text has zamm'rah, singing (infinitive Piel).
of the Vulgate after the Hebrew, we should get, approximately :

Laudate Dominum,
qiioniam bonum est, et jucundum, psallere Deo nostro :

Laudatio decet.
2. The
rebuilding of Jerusalem is here (as in Ps. cxlvii) the first
favour for which Yahweh is to be praised and thanked. Aedificans
suggests correctly the meaning of the Hebrew the sense is not that ;

Yahweh has built or will build, but that He is now rebuilding the :
388 THE PSALMS [146

restoration of Jerusalem is in progress. Dispersiones Israelis congre-

gabit : Yahweh gathering together in Jerusalem the Israelites
is still

that had been scattered among the Gentiles. Compare, for the
phrase. Is. Ivi. 8.

3. This is a borrowing from Is. Ixi. i. During the Babylonian

Exile the Exiles were heart-broken from grief and home-siclcness.
4. It is because Yahweh is the mighty God who has created and
completely controls the universe, that he can bind up broken hearts.
This verse is an echo of Is. xl. 26 :

Levate in excelsum oculos vestros,

Et videte qiiis creavit haec,
Qui ediicit in numero militiam eoriim,
Et onines ex nomine vocat.
'

The Hebrew nioneh, here rendered qui numeral probably means, who
'

determines the number,' rather than who reckons.' The Lord fixes
'

the number of the stars which make up the host of heaven,' and
when He calls out the name of a star in His great roll-call, the star
so summoned comes forward, or appears. It is implied here that
each of the stars has its name, which is known to God.
5. Compare Is. xl. 26, 28. Nttmenis=' limit.' The wisdom of
God is infinite.

6. The wisdom of the Lord appears particularly in His methods

of dealing with the oppressed. The psalmist probably means by
the mansiieti, Israel, and
'

by the sinners,' the foreign oppressors of

Israel.

7. Here begins a new summons to the praise of Yahweh praise :

is due to the Lord for His mercy in sending rain in due time, and
plentiful seasons.
8. Compare Ps. ciii. 13-14. The phrase Et herbani servihiti
homintim is from Ps. ciii. 14, but it is absent here from the Massoretic
text. See the note on servitus in Ps. ciii. 14 the reference is to the
:

dumb men, the domestic animals.

servitors of
9. Compare Job xxxviii. 41 :

Who provideth the raven his fare,

And who bringeth him prey ;

When his young ones cry to 'El,

And scream for want of food ? (Ball's Commentary).

Compare Luke 24 Considerate corvos quia non seminant, neque

xii. :

metunt, quibus non est cellarium, neque horreum, et Deus pascit illos.
The young ravens are left at a very early age to fend for them-
selves, and require, therefore, special protection from the Lord.
10. It has just been said (verse 9) that Yahweh graciously protects
even the weakest beings when they turn to Him for help here, on :

the other hand, it is asserted that those beings that trust for security
to their own strength, receive no help from the Lord. As specimens
of such foolishly self-confident creatures the psalmist mentions the
146] A SONG OF THANKSGIVING 389

steed that trusts in his strength, and the warrior that trusts in his
fleetness. The fleetness (hence the tihice) of the warrior was an asset
of the highest vahie in ancient warfare. For the thought of this
verse compare Ps. xix. 8 xxxii. 16, 17.
;

12. The pleasure of Yahweh is not in the physical beauty or

prowess of men, but in the humble confidence with which they turn
to Him. We can feel from this verse how immense is the contrast
between the religious outlook of Israel and that of the ancient pagan
world.
 PSALM CXLVII
WINTER IS PAST!
psalm begins, like the preceding, with a reference to the
THIS re-establishment of Jerusalem. The gates of the city have
been restored, and peace has been established on the borders
of Israel. There is abundance of bread in the land. This has
been brought about by Yahweh, and to Yahweh, therefore, is due
the heartfelt thanks of the people (verses 1-3). The psalm goes on
to describe the might of Yahweh's Word over nature. The power of
that Word to evoke the rigours of a fearful winter, and to dissolve
the winter into a genial spring, is particularly considered. It sends
down the fleecy snow-flakes, and covers all the earth with hoar-frost :

over the lakes and rivers great masses of ice, as if they were
it flings

but tiny fragments it overwhelms the most powerful waters, binding

:

them in fetters of frost. But, just as Yahweh with His word can call
forth the snows and frosts and ice of winter, so can He also with a
Word make the winter to vanish. At His word the breezes of spring

begin to blow making the ice to melt, and the waters to trickle
(verses 4-7). All this may refer to an iinusually severe winter which

Jerusalem has just experienced, or the psalmist may be thinking

chiefly of the might of that command of Yahweh which has changed
the winter of Israel's discontent of Exile into a spring of hope and
promise in the now re-established Jerusalem.
In the two last verses the psalmist proudly recalls the privilege
which Israel enjoys in contrast with the heathen peoples to her :

alone have been given the Law and the promises. For this, then, let
Israel give thanks !

Alleluia. Alleluia.

1. Lauda Jerusalem Domi- i. Praise thou the Lord, O Jerusalem !

num : lauda Deum tuum Sion. Praise thou thy God, O Sion !

2. Quoniam confortavit seras 2. For He hath made firm the bolts of thy
portarum tuarum : benedixit doors :

filiis tuis in te. He hath blessed thy children within

thee.
3. Qui posuit fines tuos pa- 3. He hath established peace on thy borders :

cem : et adipe frumcnti satiat te. With the marrow of wheat. He hath sated
thee.

4. Qui emittit eloquium suum 4. Earthwards He sendeth His Word ;

terrae velociter currit sermo

: His command swiftly hasteneth.
ejus.

390
147] WINTER IS PAST !
391

5. Qui datnivem sicut lanam : Snow-flakes He giveth like wool ;

nebulam sicut cinerem spargit. Hoar-frost He streweth like ashes.

6. Mittit crystallum suam si- 6. He sendeth down His ice as fragments
cut buccellas ante facieni fri-
: Who can endure His frost ?
goris ejus quis sustinebit ?

7. Emittet verbum suum, et 7. He sendeth forth His word and it

liquefaciet ea flabit thaweth them
ejus, et fluent aquae.
:
spiritus :

His wind bloweth, and the waters

flow :

8. Qui annuntiat verbum su- 8. He hath given His word unto Jacob,
um Jacob justitias, et judicia
: His Law and His Judgments to Israel.
sua Israel.
9. Non fecit taliter omni na- 9. He hath not done thus to ever\'^ people,
tion! :et judicia sua non mani- Nor hath He proclaimed to them His Law.
festavit eis. Alleluia !

Alleluia.

1. AUehna : as this psalm appears in the Hebrew as a continua-

tion of the preceding psalm, there is nothing in the Hebrew corre-
sponding to this Alleluia.
2. In the strengthening of the bolts commentators have seen a
reference to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem by Nehemias :

see Nehem. iii. 12, 2yff.

thy inhabitants.
Filiis tuis :

to make the borders peace '=

'

Qui posuit fines

3. pacem . . . :

to establish peace on the borders, -i.e., to remove all threat of war from
outside against Israel. The psalmist may have here in view the
thoughts of Is. Ix. 17/. :

I will make thy officers peace,

And thy rulers righteousness,
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land.
Nor destruction in thy borders ;
Thou Shalt call thy walls salvation.
And thy gates Praise.' '

' '

Adipe frumenti means the choicest wheat.

: the fat of the wheat
Cf. Ps. Ixxx. 17 Dent, xxxii. 14. ;

4. God's Word is described here (as frequently elsewhere) as

creatively active. God sends it as a swift messenger to the earth,
and speedily it accomplishes His behest {cf. Is. ix. 8). In the verses
that follow the psalmist gives examples of the effects which the Word
can produce. Theodoret suggests that in verses 5-7 the psalmist's
purpose is to show what various forms the one element water can

be made to assume by the energising Word of Yahweh. Many com-
mentators think that the winter-picture which follows was inspired
by a phenomenally severe winter which Jerusalem has just ex-
experienced a much talked of winter and its sudden disappearance
:

would serve as a striking instance of Yahweh's power over nature.

Since, however, the psalm begins with a reference to the restoration
of Jerusalem it may be that the psalmist has in view in his description
of a bitter winter, summoned forth and dismissed by the Word of the
392 THE PSALMS [147

Lord, the change of Israel's winter of sorrow in the Exile into the
spring of hope which the Return from Exile and the re-building of the
Temple and the city have begun. As verse 3 is probably in some way
an echo of Is. Ix. 17/., so, possibly, we should see in this verse the
inlluence of Is. Iv. lo-ii
where the creative power of God's word is
also described in connection with the phenomena of snow and rain.
5. Sicut lanam the whiteness and the flakes supply the point of
:

comparison. Commentators have generally noticed here the parallel

in Martial, Epigrams iv. 3 :

Aspice quam densum tacitarum vellus aquarum

'
Dcfluat.
See what ;i thick fleece of silent waters falls.'

Nebulam: the Hebrew, 'hoar-frost,' not 'fog/

k^phor, means
'V\'hen roofs and trees and
covered with hoar-frost, they
fields are

appear sometimes as if strewn with ashes. Jerome has here, Pruinas

quasi cinerem spargit. Bellarmine has the following note on the
Vulgate rendering Siquidem quando densa pnnna dectdit, nehnlosimi
:

sivc caliginosum aerem reddit, et ipsa prnina ex caliginoso vapore con-

crescit. Porro comparatio pruinae cum cinere ad densitatem pruinae
pcrtinet.liaque sensus est : tanta densitate pruinam caliginosam sive
nebulam ex pruina diffundii ut cinerem spargere videatur.
Compare the passage Eccli. 16&-20 (according to the Oxford
Apocrypha) :

The terror of Him stirreth up the south wind,

The whirlwind of the north, hurricane and tempest ;
Like flocks of birds He sheddeth abroad His snow.
And like settling locusts is the fall thereof.
The beauty of the whiteness dazzleth the eyes. I
And
the heart marvelleth at the raining thereof.
The hoar-frost also He poureth out like salt,
And maketh the crystals sparkle like sapphire.
The icy blast of the north He causcth to blow.
And hardeneth the pond like a bottle.
On every basin of water He spreadeth a crust.
And the pond putteth on, as it were, a breastplate. I
6. Crystallnm . . . huccellas : this is frequently explained as
meaning that God sends from heaven as if it were ice {crystallnm)
hail
broken into fragments {buccellas=' mouthfuls '). It is more likely^
however, that the sense is Yahweh (or His Word) flings into their
:

place the great masses of ice which cover the lakes and rivers, when
'
Like stone the waters stiJiEen,
And the face of the Deep groweth solid
'

(Job xxxviii. according to

30, Ball's rendering).

with the same ease as if those mighty masses were but tiny frag-
ments. The second half of this verse and the next verse seem to
imply that the reference is in 6a not to hail, but to the ice-covering
of lakes and rivers.
147] WINTER IS PAST !
393

Ante frigorem ejus qnis siisfinebit the thought is not that the
:

winter is more severe than men can endure, but that even the

apparently irresistible might of great rivers is compelled by the

tremendous force of Yahweh's frost to lapse into immobility and
silence.

7. Yahweh's Word has, without effort, called the forces of winter

into being with equal ease the same Word can make the winter to
:

vanish. Ea includes the snow, hoar-frost, and ice. The spiriiits is

the wind which begins the thaw.
8. The Word that works so mightily in nature has also been active
for Israel in revelation. Verses 8 and 9 are largely a reproduction
of Deut. iv. 7-8.
g. The Law of Israel is no human product it has been given
:

directly by God to Israel. Tlierein lies the ground of Israel's

superiority to the heathens. For this great privilege of a directly
communicated Word of Yahweh let Israel praise the Lord !
 PSALM CXLVIII
PRAISE YE THE LORD!
psalmist summons all creation to praise the Lord of heaven.
THE In the first part (verses i-6) the heavenly beings and bodies,
the Angels, the hosts of heaven, the sun, moon, stars, the
heavens themselves and the waters above the heavens, are
called on to join in a chorus of praise in honour of Yahweh, their
Creator, who has given them the law of their being.
In the second part (verses 7-12) the creatures of earth and the

Deep the monsters of the Deep, the great Deep itself, fire, hail,
snow, ice, storm-wind, the hills and mountains, the fruit-trees and
cedars, beasts wild and tame, creeping and winged beings, kings of
the heathen and rulers of every kind, youths and maidens, old and

3'oung are summoned to join with the chorus of heaven in singing
the Creator's praise.
In verses 136 and 14 the chief reason for the praising-song of
' '
Creation is announced it is the
:
raising up of a horn for Israel
which Yahweh has graciously accomplished. The safety and the
glory of Israel are presented, therefore, as a matter of interest for
the whole universe.
' '

The raising up of a horn has been interpreted by some as the

bringing home of the Exiles from Babylon: by others it has been
understood prophetically of the inauguration of the Messianic glories.

The bold universalism of the psalm its summons to all nature and
all men to rejoice over the glory of Israel
shows a distinctly Messianic
tendency. A striking proof, however, of God's mercy towards Israel,
like the deliverance from the Exile, would be naturally regarded by
the psalmist either as a token of the near approach of, or as, in some
sense, the actual inauguration of, the Messianic period. Thus this
psalm, while essentially Messianic in imagery and outlook, may have
been immediately occasioned by the return from the Exile, or some
other concrete event in the history of Israel.
The Benedicite is obviously modelled on Ps. cxlviii. The 14th
verse of this psalm is quoted in the Hebrew Psalm in Eccles. li. 12,
xv-xvi.

I. Alleluia. i. Alleluia.

Laudate Dominum de coolis : Praise the Lord from heaven !

laudate eum in excelsis. Praise Him on high

I !

394
148] PRAISE YE THE LORD !
395
2. Laudate eum omnes Angeli 2. Praise Him all ye flis angels ;

ejus laudate
: eum omnes vir- Praise Him all ye His hosts !

tutes ejus.
3. Laudate eum sol et luna :
3. Praise Him O sun and moon ;

laudate eum omnes stellag, et Praise Him every star and light ;

lumen.
Laudate eum coeli ccelo-
4. 4. Praise Him ye highest heavens !

rum et aquse omnes, quai super

: And ye waters all above the heavens !

coelos sunt,
5. Laudent nomen Domini. 5. Let them praise the Lord ;

Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt : For He spake and they became ;

ipse mandavit, et creata sunt. He commanded and they were created.

6. Statuit ea in ajternum, et 6. He gave them fixed order for ever ;

in sajculum sseculi praeceptum : He set up a law which passeth not

posuit, et non praeteribit. awa}^

7. Laudate Dominum de ter- 7. Praise the Lord from the earth.

ra, dracones, et abyssi. omnes Ye monsters and all the deeps,
8. Ignis, grando, nix, glacies, 8. Fire, hail, snow, ice.
spiritus procellarum quae faci- : Storm-winds that execute His word !

unt verbum ejus :

9. Montes, et omnes colles :

9. Mountains and all ye hills,
ligna fructifera, et omnes cedri. Fruit-trees and cedars all !

10. Bestial, et universa pe- 10. Wild beasts and all cattle,
cora serpentes, et volucres
:
Creeping things and winged birds,
pennata; :

11. Reges terrae, et omnes po- II. Kings of earth and all ye peoples,

puli :
principes, et omnes judices Princes and all ye judges of the earth.
terrae.
12. Juvenes, et virgines se- : 12 Youths and maidens,
nes cum junioribus laudent no- Old men and children.
n:ien Domini : Let them praise the name of the Lord,
13. Quia exaltatum est no- 13. For His name alone is exalted ;

men ejus solius.

14. Confessio ejus super coe- 14. His praise is over heaven and earth.
lum, et terram : et exaltavit He hath raised up a horn for His people,
cornu populi sui.
Hymnus omnibus Sanctis ejus: 'Tis a theme of praise for all His saints,
filiis Israel, populo appropin- For the children of Israel,
quanti sibi. The people that draweth nigh to Him.
Alleluia !

1. the Septuagint adds here as title 'Ayycu'Du K-at

Alleluia :

Zaxaplov. This impHes an old tradition that the return from Exile
was the immediate occasion of the psalm.
De ccelis as in the de terra of verse 7, the source of the chorus
:

is here indicated. Verses 2-4 name the members of the heavenly

choir.
' '

2. Virtutesthe battle-hosts
: the psalmist regards
Hebrew, :

the Angels (not the stars, which are mentioned in verse 3) as the
' '
battle-hosts of Yahweh. Cf. Jos. v. 14, 15 ; 3 Kings xxii. 19.
We have here echoes of Ps. cii. 21.
'

3. Stellce et lumen the Hebrew has : stars of light', i.e., stars

which consist of light.
396 THE PSALMS [148

4.Cceli ccelonim the highest heaven

:
cf. Deut. x. 14 3 Kings :
;

viii.27 2 Chron. ii. 5, 6.

;
The waters above the heavens are the
waters above the firmament of Gen. i. 7.
5.The immediate ground of their duty to praise is the fact of
their creation by God the further ground (mentioned below in
:

verses 13-14) is the safety of Israel. The words Ipse dixit et facta
sunt, which are not represented in the Massoretic text, are taken
from Ps. xxxii. 9.
6. PrcBceptuni posuit et non prcBterihit He established an im- :

mutable law. It is suggested that the Massoretic text should be

slightly emended so as to give the sense He gave a law which they '

'

may not transgress i.e., the heavens and the dwellers thereof may

not transgress the laws which Yahweh has imposed upon them the
laws, that is, probably, of their movements. The psalmist may
intend to make a contrast here between the heavenly powers and
bodies, with their immutable laws, and the caprice and freedom of
the earthly beings who are about to be addressed.
7. For de terra see above on verse i.
Dracones et omnes ahyssi the dracones are the tanninim,
:

' '
the sea-monsters of Gen. i. 21, and the deeps are the t^hom of
Gen. i. 6.
'
8. The Hebrew has here, fire, hail, snow, smoke, and storm-
' '

wind.' The smoke {kitor see Ps. cxviii. 83 where the same Hebrew
:

word rendered pruina) has become glacies (as also in Jerome's own
is
' '

version). For the storm-wind see Ps. ciii. 4.

9. The poet here addresses the dry land as contrasted with the
Deep (verse 7) and with the air (verse 8).
10. The hestice are the wild beasts the pecora the domestic ;

animals. With the list of creatures here given compare Gen. i. 24/.
11. 12. The psalmist distinguishes mortals according to occupa-
tion, sex, and age.
13. The first motive
alleged for the praising of Yahweh is the
glorious manifestation of Himself which Yahweh has given in nature :

His majesty covers heaven and earth {cf. Ps. cxii. 4 viii. i). Thus ;

the two worlds of heaven and earth, which have hitherto been held
apart in the psalm, are now brought together. This indicates the
studied art of the poet.
14. The chief motive for the praise-song of the universal chorus is
the exaltation of Israel : Yahweh has
up or (taking the text
raised
prophetically) will raise up a horn for Israel. The people of Israel
were grievously oppressed and humbled now they are raised up :

again by Yahweh. This restoration of Israel is. the psalmist declares,

a hymniis {tViillah), a theme of thanksgiving, for all servants of the
Lord.
Filiis Israel, populo appropinqtuinti sibi : the fdii Israel=^the
sancti. Instead of popnlo appropinqv.anti sibi we can get, by a veiy
148] PRAISE YE THE LORD !
397

slight emendation of the Hebrew (reading Ifrobhait instead of k'robho)

the better sense, popnlo appropinqiiardium ei :
Cf. Deut. iv. 7 ;

ii.
Ephes. 17.
'
'
For the raising up of a horn compare Ps. cxxxi. 17 ;
Ecch.
li. 12 ;
I Kings ii. i.
 PSALM CXLIX
ISRAEL'S VICTORY OVER THE HEATHENS
psalmist summons the people, who are assembled at a thanks-
THE giving festival, to sing a new song of praise and thanks to
Let the people honour the
the Creator and King of Israel.
name of Yahweh with
and music, and sacred dance
song,
(verses 1-3). Thanksgiving and praise are due because the Lord has
granted to His worshippers victory and glory. Long had they
patiently endured humiliation and suffering, but now at last, the
Lord has given them victory over their foes. Therefore let the loyaJ
subjects of Yahweh rejoice ;
but while they sing their songs of praise
and gladness, let them not forget to keep close at hand the sword
which Yahweh has graced with victory (4-6). That sword they will
need further to execute vengeance on the heathen, who have so
still

long oppressed the people of God. The kings and nobles who oppose
the Kingdom of Yahweh will be overthrowTi, and their overthrow
will be a theme of Israel's proudest songs.
In this psalm, then, as in so many others, the victories of Israel
over its heathen adversaries are regarded either as foreshadowing
the triumphs of the Messias over his foes, or as themselves con-
stituting a stage in the actual ushering in of the Messianic Kingdom.
In the preceding psalm the heathen princes were invited to join with
all creation in a song of thanksgiving for Israel's exaltation here, :

on the other hand, the heathen rulers are depicted as defeated by the
sword of Israel's vengeance. They are no longer invited to join in
the general chorus of thanksgiving for Israel's success, but rather, as
defeated and befettered foes they are compelled to serve as mute
tokens of the might of Israel's God.
This psalm is assigned by some recent critics to the Maccabean
period, but the arguments advanced for this view are not convincing.
A more likely theory assigns the psalm to the period of restoration
under Nehemias. Cf. Nehem. iv. lojf. with verse 6 of the psalm ;

but see also 2 Mace. xv. 17.

1. Alleluia. i. Alleluia.

Cantate Domino canticum no- Sing to the Lord a new song ;

vum : laus ejus in ecclesia san- Let His praise resound where the faith-
ctorum. ful are gathered
!

2. Lajtetur Israel in eo, qui 2. Let Israel rejoice in Him who made her,
fecit eum et filii Sion exsultent
: Let the children of Sion exult in their
in rege suo. King !

39S
149] ISRAEL'S VICTORY OVER HEATHENS 399

3. Laudent nomen ejus in 3. Let tlicm praise His name in the dance :

choro in tympano, et
:
psaltcrio Let them sing to Him with timbrel and
psallant ei : zither !

4. Quia beneplacitum est Do- 4. For the Lord deUghteth in His people :

mino in populo suo

etexaltabit : He raiseth up the lowly to victor}',
mansuetos in salutem.
5. Exsultabunt sancti in glo- 5. The pious rejoice with praising song :

ria : laetabuntur in cubilibus They exult on their couches.

suis.
6. Exaltationes Dei in gutture 6. The praise of God is in their mouth :

eorum et gladii :
ancipites in And two-edged swords are in their
manibus eorum : hands.

7. Ad faciendam vindictam in 7. To take vengeance on the heathens,

nationibus :
increpationes in To execute chastisement on the peoples,
populis.
8. Ad alligandos reges eorum 8. To bind their kings with chains,
in compedibus et nobiles eo-
: And their nobles with iron fetters ;

rum in manicis ferreis.

9. Ut faciant in eis judicium 9. To execute on them the doom that is

conscriptum gloria haec est

: written ;

omnibus Sanctis ejus. That is a glory for all His saints.

Alleluia. Alleluia !

' '

1. For the new song compare Ps. xcv. i xcvii. i cxliii. g ; ; ;

xxxii. 3. The song must be new, for no existing song is grand enough
for the occasion.
In the Vulgate we must supply a verb with lans ejus Let the '

' '

song of His praise resound in the Hebrew fhillatho, His praise- :

' '

song may be regarded as second accusative governed by sing.'

The ecclesia sanctorum is the sacred assembly of Israel i.e., the people
gathered together for public worship.
2. In eo qui fecit euni the Hebrew has b^'osan^'m. those who made
:

him the plural, however, is nothing more than a reflection of the

:

plural word 'Elohim. Note that Yahweh is spoken of as the Creator

of Israel and the King of Sion. Cf. i Kings xii. 12 Zach. ix. 9 ; ;

Ps. xcii. I.

3. In choro : with sacred dance :

cf. Exod. xv. 20 ; Jud. xi. 34 ;

Jer. xxxi. 4 ;
Ps. cxvii. 27. The timbrel {toph) is mentioned in
Exod. XV in connection with Miryam's Song of Victory.
4. The proof of the Lord's favour and good pleasure is that He
has given His people victory.
Et exaltahit mansuetos the Hebrew means He adorns the : :
'

'

patient ones with victory the Massoretic "^nawim (here rendered :

mansucti) are the Israelites who have so long endured humiliation

'

and suffering. The phrase, adorn with victory,' seems to suggest

the thought that Yahweh has taken away their garments of mourning,
and replaced them by the splendid robes of victory.
5. Gloria this does not mean here the honour which the Lord
:
400 THE PSALMS [149

has granted to the utncti it is rather the

;
praise-song which the
sancfi (who are identical with the mansueti) will sing because of the
favours of Yahweh.
In cubilibus snis the reference to couches implies the rest which
:

is due to the Israehte warriors of the Lord after their victory. Or,
it may be, as some commentators think, that the cuhilia are mentioned

to recall the contrast between the time when the Israehtes spent
sleepless nights in thinking of their misery, and the joyful present
when all their waking hours are full of gladness, and their nights are
spent in peaceful repose.
6. This verse recalls both Neh. iv. 10 and 2 Mace. xv.
27.
7. Increpationes the Hebrew tokhehoth means here more than
:

' '

chidings it may be taken as equivalent to its

:
parallel n'kamah,
mndicta.
8.The fettering of heathen kings and the chastisement of heathen
peoples are familiar features of the Messianic outlook. Cf. Is. xlv. 14.
9. Jndiciiim conscriphim the doom, or judgment decreed is
:

variously interpreted as Yahweh 's decree of extermination pro-

nounced against the Canaanites (Deut. vii. 2), here transferred to the
present enemies of Israel, or as the judgment in the Song of Moses,
Deut. xxxii. 41^., or as the final judgment of Yahweh against the
foes of the Messias. Whatever the doom in question may be, the
execution thereof will be an honour to Israel. Jerome renders the
last phrase, Decor est omnium sanctorum ejus.
 PSALM CL
THE GREAT ALLELUIA!
a sort of complement to Ps. cxlviii. As in Ps.
psalm is

THIS heaven and earth and the Deep are

cxiviii all creatures of
invited to join in a great song of praise to their Maker, the
God and Saviour of Israel, so here the imiverse is summoned
to accompany its praising song with every kind of music, and with
sacred dance. A psalm which represents creation joining in such a
mighty symphony of praise is a fitting conclusion to the Sepher Tillim,
'

The Book of Praising -songs.' Ps. cl may be regarded as the Doxology

to tlie entire Psalter.

1. Alleluia. 1. Alleluia.

Laudate Dominum in Sanctis Praise the Lord in His sanctuary :

ejus : laudate eum in firma- Praise Him in His strong firmament :

mento virtutis ejus.

2. Laudate eum in virtutibus 2. Praise Him for His deeds of power ;

ejus : laudate eum secundum Praise Him for His e.xalted greatness.
multitudinem magnitudinis ejus.
3. Laudate eum in sono tubaj :
3. Praise Him with trumpet clang.
laudate eum in psalterio, et Praise Him with harp and zither !

cithara.
4. Laudate eum in tympano, 4. Praise Him with tabrct and dance ;

et choro laudate : eum in chor- Praise Him with strings and reeds !

dis, et organo.
5. Laudate eum in cymbalis 5. Praise Him with sweet-sounding cymbals ;

benesonantibus laudate eum : Praise Him with crashing cymbals !

in cymbalis jubilationis ;

6. Omnis spiritus laudet Do- 6. Let all that hath breath of life praise the
minum. Alleluia. Lord !

Alleluia !

'

1. In Hebrew, in His Sanctuary.' The Sanctuary

Sanctis ejus :

is either God's sanctuary on earth the Temple in Jerusalem, or His

dwelling in heaven. Since the psalmist speaks in this verse of the
firmament it is more likely that the Sanctuary is the sanctuary of
heaven.
'

Firmamento virtutis His strong firmament.' The firmament,

:

above which God has His dwelling, is Yahweh's unassailable fortress.

2. The virtutes are not the Angelic hosts, but the
great deeds of
the Lord. In virtutibus ejus=' because of His mighty deeds.'
In the Temple-service the priests blew the trumpets
3. the :

Levites played the harp and zither the women beat the timbrels ; :

the sacred dance, the reeds, strings and cymbals belonged to the
401
402 THE PSALMS [150

worship of the people generally. Thus the summons in verses 3-5

is
addressed to all the worshippers the Priests, Levites, and the
multitude of the laity.
Choro : this is the sacred dance. Cf. Ps. cxlix. 3.
Chordis et organo with stringed instruments and with pipes.
:

5. There is no general agreement among commentators as to the

exact meaning of the two kinds of cymbals. The Hebrew seems to
mean :
'

with full-toned cymbals with crashing cymbals.'

. . .

There is no sufficient reason for identifying the former (with some

commentators) as castanets used by the women, and the latter as
metal cymbals, such as are often used in modern military orchestras.
Jerome renders In cymbalis sonantibus
: in cymhalis tinnientihus.
. . .

'
'
6. Omnis spiriius everything which has the breath of life

:

{n^shamah). This is an appeal to every living thing to heathen,

therefore, as well as to Jew
to unite in praise of Yahweh. The
universalism of the last psalm is thus, absolute. Here there is no
hint of defeated foes of the Messias paying unwilling homage to their
conqueror. There is here no suggestion of discord in the symphony
of the universe. The Book of Psalms thus fitly ends with the Alleluia
of all Creation.
 APPENDIX %

DE AUCTORIBUS ET DE TEMPORE
COMPOSITIONIS PSALMORUM
Responsa Commiss. de Re Biblica, i Mail 1910
Duhium I Utrum appellationes Psalmi David, Hynmi David,
. :

Liber Psalmorum David, Psalterium Davidiaim, in antiquis col-

lectionibus et in Conciliis ipsis usurpatae ad designandum Veteris
Testamenti Librum CL psalmorum sicut etiam plurium Patrum ;

et Doctorum sententia, qui tenuerunt omnes prorsus Psalterii psalmos

uni David esse adscribendos, tantam vim habeant, ut Psalterii totius
unicus auctor David haberi debeat ?

Resp. :
Negative.

Dubiuni II : Utrum ex concordantia textus hebraici cum graeco

textu alexandrine aliisque vetustis versionibus argui iure possit
titulos psalmorum habraico textui praefixos antiquiores esse versione
sic dicta LXX virorum ac proinde si non directe ab auctoribus
;

ipsis psalmorum, a vetusta saltern judaica

traditione derivasse ?

Resp. Affirmative.
:

Duhium III Utrum praedicti psalmorum tituli, indaicae tra-

:

quando nulla ratio gravis est contra eonrni genuini-

ditionis testes,
tatem, prudenter possint in dubium revocari ?
Resp. :
Negative.

Dubium IV Utrum si considerentur Sacrae Scripturae baud

:

infrequentia testimonia circa natm^alem Davidis peritiam, Spiritus

Sancti charismate illustratam in componendis carminibus religiosis,
institutiones ab ipso conditae de cantu psalmorum liturgico, attri-
butiones psalmorum ipsi factae tum in Veteri Testamento, tum in
Novo, tum in quae psalmis ab antiquo praefixae
ipsis inscriptionibus,
sunt insuper
;
consensus ludaeorum, Patrum et Doctorum Ecclesiae,
prudenter denegari possit praecipuum Psalterii carminum Davidem
esse auctorem, vel contra affirmari pauca dumtaxat eidem regio
Psalti carmina esse tribuenda ?
Resp. :
Negative ad utramque partem.

Dubium V : Utrum in specie denegari possit Davidica origo

eorum Psalmorum, qui in Veteri vel Novo Testamento diserte sub
Davidis nomine citantur, inter quos prae ceteris recensendi veniunt
403
 404 APPENDIX
" "
psalmus Quare fremnerunt gcntes
ii
psalmus xv Conserva i;
;

Domine psalmus xvii Diligayn te, Domine, fortiludo mea

;
psalmus ;

xxxi Beati quornyn remissae sunt iniquitates psalmus Ixviii Sakntm

;

me Jac, Deiis psalmus cix Dixit Dominus Domino tnco ?

;

Resp. :
Negative.

Dubium VI. : Utrum

sententia eorum admitti possit qui tenent,
inter psalterii psalmos nonnuUos esse sive Davidis sive aliorum
auctorum, qui propter rationes liturgicas et musicales, oscitantiam
amanuensium aliasve incompertas causas in plures fuerint divisi vel
in unum coniuncti itemque alios esse psalmos, uti Miserere mei.
;

Dens, qui ut melius aptarentur circumstantiis historicis vel sollemni-

tatibus populi iudaici, leviter fuerint retractati vel modificati, sub-
tractione aut additione unius alteriusve versiculi, salva tamen totius
textus sacri inspiratione ?
Resp. Affirmative ad utramque partem.
:

Dubium VII Utrum sententia eorum inter recentiones scriptorum,

:

qui indiciis dimitaxat intemis innixi vel minus recta sacri textus
interpretatione demonstrare conati sunt, non paucos esse psalmos
post tempora Esdrae et Nehemiae, quinimo aevo Machabaeorum,
compositos, probabiliter sustineri possit ?

Resp. Negative.
:

Dubium VIII Utrum ex multiplici sacrorum librorum Novi

:

Testamenti testimonio et unanimi Patrum consensu, fatentibus

etiam iudaicae gentis scriptoribus, plures agnoscendi sint psalmi
prophetici et messianici, qui futuri Liberatoris adventum, regnum,
sacerdotium, passionem, mortem et resurrectionem vaticinati sunt ;

ac proinde reiicienda prorsus eorum sententia sit, qui indolem psalmo-

rum propheticam ac messianicam pervertentes, eadem de Christo
oracula ad futuram tantum sortem populi electi praenimtiandam
coarctant ?

Resp. : Affirmative ad utramque partem.

o n> <^

^^
LI.
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