Psalm 22: Latin Study Hints Part C

Over the last two weeks I’ve been looking at Psalm 22.

There are two ways of using these notes.

First you can just read them as a general introduction to the psalm, focus on the commentary material provided, and skip quickly past the material on the Latin of the psalm.

Secondly, you can use the notes to help you pray the Latin of the Office with greater understanding.

Learning the Latin through immersion

If you are using this series to understand the Latin better, my suggestion is that you make sure you can:

• Say it out loud, pronouncing it correctly – listen again to a recording, and try and imitate it until you can chant the psalm slowly on one note; and
• Remember the sense of each verse using key words in the Latin as prompts – write out flash cards with the Latin phrase on one side, the English of the Douay-Rheims or the literal translation given on the other, and keep practicing it.

Here is the psalm again as a cross-check:

Psalmus David.
Dominus regit me, et nihil mihi deerit: in loco pascuæ, ibi me collocavit.
Super aquam refectionis educavit me; animam meam convertit.
Deduxit me super semitas justitiæ propter nomen suum.
Nam etsi ambulavero in medio umbræ mortis, non timebo mala, quoniam tu mecum es.
Virga tua, et baculus tuus, ipsa me consolata sunt.
Parasti in conspectu meo mensam adversus eos qui tribulant me; impinguasti in oleo caput meum : et calix meus inebrians, quam præclarus est!
Et misericordia tua subsequetur me omnibus diebus vitæ meæ; et ut inhabitem in domo Domini in longitudinem dierum.

Going further

You might also learn the key vocabulary I’ve highlighted in previous posts, and at least read through the notes of the Simplicissimus reading Church Latin course to familiarize yourself with the key grammatical structures of Latin - it will make your absorption of the Latin faster and easier.

Ideally of course, you would learn all of the vocab we’ve come across so far, and, more importantly still, learn those grammatical paradigms off by heart. For those who are trying to do this, a complete vocabulary list for the psalm in alphabetical order is at the end of this post.

Feedback

I’d very much appreciate any feedback you have on the format and content of these posts - they take a fair amount of work to do, and if I continue with them, I'd like to be sure that what I am doing is as helpful to readers as possible.


Things you could comment on include:

Does the verse by verse format work, or would you prefer bigger chunks of the psalm at a time?
Is the best approach just giving a phrase by phrase "slavishly literal" translation most helpful, or are additional notes on grammatical structures, or a more word by word approach more helpful to you?

Are the Latin learning hints useful to you or not?

Would you prefer more or less general commentary material?

Any other suggestions?

Vocab list for Psalm 22

adversus or adversum, prep, with acc against; in the presence of, over against, before.
ambulo, avi, atum, are to walk; the manner in which one orders one's life;
baculus, i, m. a stick, staff, a shepherd's staff, a walking-stick.
calix, icis, m. cup, goblet, drinking-vessel.
caput, itis, n. the head,
colloco, avi, atum, are to set, place, put; to lie down, to rest.
consolor, atus sum, ari, Active, to comfort, console, encourage
conspectus, us, m. sight, presence;
converto, verti, versum, ere 3, to turn, change, alter, bring back; quicken, refresh; bring back; convert, turn from sin;
deduco, duxi ductum, ere 3, to lead or bring down; guide, lead, conduct
desum, fui esse, to be wanting, lack.
dies, ei, m. and /.; fem. a day, the natural day
dominus, i, m. a master, lord, ruler, owner, possessor
domus, us, /. a house, structure; a house, abode, dwelling place; Temple; ;a race, people, nation; the priesthood.
educo, duxi, ductum, ere 3, to lead out or forth.
eos – them (is ea id: he, she, it)
est – it is
et, conj. And; et = sed, adversative; et = vel; yea, even
ibi, adv. there, in that place. then
impinguo, avi, atum, are to anoint; fatten, grow thick
in+abl = with, in, on among, by means of
in+acc=into, onto, against, for (the purpose of)
inebrio, avi, atum, are, to inebriate, intoxicate; fill up, saturate with, refresh as with drink, to water, drench, moisten.
inhabito, avi, atum, are to dwell, abide; to inhabit, dwell in.
justitia, ae, /. justice, righteousness, innocence, piety, moral integrity
locus, i, m. a place.
longitudo, inis, /. lit., length, forever
malus, a, um, adj., bad, evil, wicked; grievous, sore, severe; subst., malum, i, n., evil, sin; woe, harm, misfortune.
me me
medius, a, um in the middle, midst
mensa, ae, /., a table.
meus –a -um – my, mine
misericordia, ae, mercy, kindness, favor, compassion, loving-kindness.
mors, mortis, /., death
nam for
nihil, n., , nothing
nomen, mis, n. name; God himself; the perfections of God, His glory, majesty, wisdom, power, goodness,
oleum, li, n. oil, esp., olive-oil
omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything
parare mensam, to furnish, lay, or prepare a table, to provide meat, sustenance.
paro, avi, atum, are, to prepare, make ready, furnish, equip, fit out, provide, make firm, establish
pascua, ae, /. (sc. terra, pasture land, from pasco), lit., a pasture, grass land for cattle to feed upon
praeclarus, a, um, splendid, glorious; goodly, pleasant.
propter, prep, with acc. on account of, by reason of, because of, from, for, for the sake of.
quam how, how much, as, than
qui who
quoniam, conj., for, because, since, seeing that, whereas.
refectio, onis, a restoring, repairing; refreshment.
rego, rexi, rectum, ere 3 (rex), to rule, govern, as a shepherd; to lead, guide; to rule..
semita, ae, /., a path, way; course of life, action, conduct, or procedure.
si, if, in case that; O that! would that! ; if, whether, if perchance; si; Si non, if not,
subsequor, seciitus sum, sequi 3, to follow close after; to follow.
super, with, on, upon, for, because of.
timeo, ere 2, to fear, be afraid of.
tribulo, avi, atum, are to oppress, afflict, harass.
tuus a um your (s)
umbra, ae, /., a shadow, a shelter, cover, protection
ut, adv. and conj., as, like. wherefore, so, so, why. that, in order that, to the end that.
virga, ae, /., a rod, staff, scepter, a shepherd's crook.
vita, ae, /. , life, esp. a happy life