Psalm 130 verses 3-5

The second half of Psalm 130 moves to the image of mother and child.

Psalm 130 Domine non est exaltatum

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum David.	A gradual canticle of David.
1 Dómine, non est exaltátum cor meum: * neque eláti sunt óculi mei.	1 Lord, my heart is not exalted: nor are my eyes lofty
2  Neque ambulávi in magnis: * neque in mirabílibus super me.	Neither have I walked in great matters, nor in wonderful things above me.
3  Si non humíliter sentiébam: * sed exaltávi ánimam meam.	2 If I was not humbly minded, but exalted my soul:
4  Sicut ablactátus est super matre sua: * ita retribútio in ánima mea.	As a child that is weaned is towards his mother, so reward in my soul
5  Speret Israël in Dómino: * ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.	3 Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.

Notes on the verses

3	V	Si non humíliter sentiébam: * sed exaltávi ánimam meam.
	NV	Vere pacatam et quietam feci animam meam;
	JH	Si non proposui, et silere feci animam meam;
		εἰ μὴ ἐταπεινοφρόνουν ἀλλὰ ὕψωσα τὴν ψυχήν μου

Si (if) non (not)  humíliter (lowly/humbly) sentiébam (I was feeling) Sed (but) exaltávi (I have exalted) ánimam (soul) meam (my)

The si construction here has generally been interpreted as a Hebrew expression indicating a self-imposed curse – ie, ‘if I have not done such and such then may the Lord do to me’ (cf Judith 16:21). David Ladouceur, however, argues that in Hebrew si non should be translated as ‘surely’, a view reflected in the RSV and reflected in St Hilary’s interpretation of the verse (and canvassed but not preferred by St Augustine). 

si,  if, in case that.  

humiliter, adv.  lowly, humbly

sentio, sensi, sensum, Ire, to feel, think, judge.

exalto, avi, atum, are to exalt,  elevate in rank, power, dignity, or the like; to dignify, glorify;  to praise, extol

4	V	Sicut ablactátus est super matre sua: * ita retribútio in ánima mea.
	NV	sicut ablactatus in sinu matris suae, sicut ablactatus, ita in me est anima mea.
	JH	sicut ablactatus ad matrem suam, ita ablactata ad me anima mea.
		εἰ μὴ ἐταπεινοφρόνουν ἀλλὰ ὕψωσα τὴν ψυχήν μου

Sicut (As/like) ablactátus est (he/she is weaned) is. Super (towards) matre (mother) sua (his/her)  Ita (so) retribútio (reward/recompense) in ánima (in the soul) mea (my)

Taken with the previous verse, the sense is ‘if I have been proud, let me be like a child weaned away from its mother’ (ie and still desiring but denied her milk).  The Masoretic Text however provides an alternative reading of the Hebrew, used by the Diurnal translators, viz “Rather I have been of humble mind, and quieted my soul. As a weaned child on his mother’s breast, so am I weaned of my desire.”  Because of the very different takes on this verse, an expanded set of translations are included below for comparison purposes. 

sicut, adv., as, just as, like.

ablacto, avi, atum, are  to wean.

super+abl on, upon, over

mater, tris, /. , mother.

ita – so, thus, even, in this manner

retributio, onis, f.  reward, recompense, requital, either as a reward or punishment

DR	As a child that is weaned is towards his mother, so reward in my soul.
Brenton	according to the relation of a weaned child to his mother, so wilt thou recompense my soul.
MD	As a weaned child on his mother’s breast, so am I weaned of my desire.
RSV	like a child quieted at its mother's breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul.
Cover	like as a child that is weaned from his mother; yea, my soul is even as a weaned child.
Knox	The thoughts of a child on its mother’s breast, a child’s thoughts were all my soul knew.

These two verses need, I think, to be read together, for as St John Chrysostom suggests:

The statement is hyperbolic in this sense, "If I were not humble like the weaned child with its mother, and instead lifted up my heart, there would have been repayment of this kind for my soul." What he means is something like this: was not only innocent of this vice - I mean, haughtiness - nor only at a distance from those with it, but I adopted the virtue opposite to it to an extraordinary degree, humility, moderation, contrition. This was exactly the command Christ gave the disciples in the words, "Unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." 

5	V	Speret Israël in Dómino: * ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.
	NV	Speret Israel in Domino ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum.
	JH	Expecta Israhel Dominum, a modo et usque in aeternum.
		ἐλπισάτω Ισραηλ ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος

Speret (Let it hope) Israël in Dómino (in the Lord) Ex (from) hoc (this) nunc (now) et (and) usque until) in sæculum  (forever).

spero, avi, atum, are  to hope or trust in

ex hoc nunc  from this time forth, and forevermore.

usque, adv., to, up to, as far as; till, as far as; to express an extreme degree.

DR	Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.
Brenton	Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.
Cover	O Israel, trust in the Lord, from this time forth for evermore.

The key to humility of course lies in our trust in God, grounded in our filial relationship to God that allows us to pray to him as Our Father.  Pope Benedict XVI draws some of the links with other psalms:

At this point, the praying person's profession of trust is extended to the entire community: "O Israel, hope in the Lord both now and for ever" (Ps 131[130]: 3). In the entire people which receives security, life and peace from God, hope now blossoms and extends from the present to the future, "now and for ever". It is easy to continue the prayer by making other voices in the Psalms ring out, inspired by this same trust in God: "To you I was committed at birth, from my mother's womb you are my God" (Ps 22[21]: 11). "Though my father and mother forsake me, yet will the Lord receive me" (Ps 27[26]: 10). "For you are my hope, O Lord; my trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend from birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength" (Ps 71[70]: 5-6).

That completes this mini-series on Psalm 130.  You can find an introduction to the next psalm of Tuesday Vespers, Psalm 131, here.