The first four verses of Psalm 135 call on us to praise God in and of himself.
In the opening book of his Summa Theologica,
St Thomas Aquinas provides an analysis of the attributes of God. There are a number of different summaries around of them, but one common one is that God: is spiritual, not material; transcendent (wholly other
compared to us) and immanent (working within us and human affairs); good;
exists absolutely; is eternal; infinite; intelligent; one; omniscient and
omnipotent.
It is worth keeping this list in front of you as you go
through Psalm 135, because it, together with Psalms 113&134, provides
Scriptural citations for pretty much all of them.
The whole psalm, of course, is a paean to his immanence and transcendence, but do go back and reread all three of the psalms against that list.
The verses
Goodness: God's
goodness, reflected in his work of creation and redemption, is the overriding
theme of all three of these psalms, but Psalm 135 is the only one of three to
explicitly start from this point, saying:
1.Confitémini (give praise) Dómino (to the Lord), quóniam (because)
[est he is] bonus (good).
Existence: Psalm
113 and 134 both assert his existence
(eg 'our God is heaven', Psalm 113:11), and reject the claims of false idols. Psalm 135 similarly affirms his vast
superiority to all other claimants to the title of god:
2. Confitémini (give praise) Deo (to the God) deórum (of
gods)
...3. Dómino (to the Lord) dominórum (of Lords).
Omnipotent: Psalm 135 adds on to this insistence on his
unique existence his great power:
4. Qui (who) facit (he makes) mirabília (wonders) magna
(great) solus (alone).
Psalms 113 and
134 both add in, on this theme 'ómnia quæcúmque vóluit, fecit' (all that he
wishes, he does).
Translation comparisons
1
|
V/NV/JH
|
Confitémini dómino, quóniam bonus: * quóniam in
ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
|
ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ κυρίῳ ὅτι χρηστός ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ |
confiteor,
fessus sum, eri 2 to
praise, give thanks; to confess, acknowledge one's guilt.
bonus, a, um, good; pleasant; upright good things, possessions, prosperity.
quoniam, conj.,
for, because, since, seeing that, whereas
in aeternum forever
misericordia, ae, mercy, kindness, favor, compassion, loving-kindness.
Douay-Rheims (DR)
|
Praise the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy
endures for ever.
|
Brenton (from the Septuagint)
|
Give thanks to
the Lord: for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.
|
RSV
|
O give thanks to
the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever.
|
Coverdale
|
Give
thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious (and his mercy endureth for ever).
|
Knox
|
Give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, his mercy is
eternal;
|
2
|
V/NV/JH
|
Confitémini Deo deórum: * quóniam in ætérnum
misericórdia ejus.
|
ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ θεῷ τῶν θεῶν ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ |
DR
|
Praise the God of gods: for his
mercy endures for ever.
|
Brenton
|
Give thanks to
the God of gods; for his mercy endures forever.
|
Knox
|
give thanks to the God of gods, his mercy is eternal;
|
3
|
V/NV/JH
|
Confitémini dómino dominórum: * quóniam in ætérnum
misericórdia ejus.
|
ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ κυρίῳ τῶν κυρίων ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ |
DR
|
Praise the Lord of lords: for his
mercy endures for ever.
|
Brenton
|
Give thanks to
the Lord of lords: for his mercy endures for ever.
|
Cover
|
O thank the Lord of all lords (for his mercy
endureth forever),
|
4
|
V/NV/JH
|
Qui facit mirabília magna solus: * quóniam in
ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
|
τῷ ποιοῦντι θαυμάσια μεγάλα μόνῳ ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ |
mirabilis, e wonderful, marvelous; subst., mirabilia, mm, wonders, wonderful
works, marvellous things.
magnus, a, um, great, mighty; elders
solus, a, um, alone, only
DR
|
Who alone does
great wonders: for his mercy endures for ever.
|
Brenton
|
To him who along
has wrought great wonders: for his mercy endures for ever.
|
Cover
|
who
only doeth great wonders (for his mercy endureth for ever);
|
Knox
|
Eternal his mercy, who does great deeds as none else can;
|
Psalm 135
Vulgate
|
Douay-Rheims
|
Alleluja.
| |
1 Confitémini Dómino, quóniam bonus: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
|
Praise the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.
|
2 Confitémini Deo deórum: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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2 Praise the God of gods: for his mercy endures for ever.
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3 Confitémini Dómino dominórum: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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3 Praise the Lord of lords: for his mercy endures for ever.
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4 Qui facit mirabília magna solus: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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4 Who alone does great wonders: for his mercy endures for ever.
|
5 Qui fecit cælos in intelléctu: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
|
5 Who made the heavens in understanding: for his mercy endures for ever.
|
6 Qui firmávit terram super aquas: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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6 Who established the earth above the waters: for his mercy endures for ever.
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7 Qui fecit luminária magna: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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7 Who made the great lights: for his mercy endures for ever.
|
8 Solem in potestátem diéi : * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus
|
8 The sun to rule the day: for his mercy endures for ever.
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9 Lunam et stellas in potestátem noctis: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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9 The moon and the stars to rule the night: for his mercy endures for ever.
|
10 Qui percússit Ægyptum cum primogénitis eórum: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
|
10 Who smote Egypt with their firstborn: for his mercy endures for ever.
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11 Qui edúxit Israël de médio eórum: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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11 Who brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endures for ever.
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12 In manu poténti, et bráchio excélso : * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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12 With a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endures for ever.
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13 Qui divísit Mare Rubrum in divisiónes: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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13 Who divided the Red Sea into parts: for his mercy endures for ever.
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14 Et edúxit Israël per médium ejus: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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14 And brought out Israel through the midst thereof: for his mercy endures for ever.
|
15 Et excussit Pharaónem, et virtútem ejus in Mari Rubro: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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15 And overthrew Pharao and his host in the Red Sea: for his mercy endures for ever.
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16 Qui tradúxit pópulum suum per desértum: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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16 Who led his people through the desert: for his mercy endures for ever.
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17 Qui percússit reges magnos: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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17 Who smote great kings: for his mercy endures for ever.
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18 Et occídit reges fortes : * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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18 And slew strong kings: for his mercy endures for ever.
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19 Sehon, regem Amorrhæórum: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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19 Sehon king of the Amorrhites: for his mercy endures for ever.
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20 Et Og, regem Basan: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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20 And Og king of Basan: for his mercy endures for ever.
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21 Et dedit terram eórum hereditátem : * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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21 And he gave their land for an inheritance: for his mercy endures for ever.
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22 Hereditátem Israël, servo suo : * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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22 For an inheritance to his servant Israel: for his mercy endures for ever.
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23 Quia in humilitáte nostra memor fuit nostri: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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23 For he was mindful of us in our affliction: for his mercy endures for ever
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24 Et redémit nos ab inimícis nostris: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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24 And he redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endures for ever.
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25 Qui dat escam omni carni: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus
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25 Who gives food to all flesh: for his mercy endures for ever.
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26 Confitémini Deo cæli: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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26 Give glory to the God of heaven: for his mercy endures for ever.
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27 Confitémini Dómino dominórum: * quóniam in ætérnum misericórdia ejus.
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Give glory to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endures for ever
|
And for the next set of notes on the verses of Psalm 135, continue on here.
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