Psalm 141: 6 - When to flee and when to accept martyrdom

 

attributed to Girolamo Muziano,
The Met

St Jerome sees verse 6 of Psalm 141 as a reference to Christ's arrest, and the calls of the crowd for his death: 

I have lost all means of escape’: when he was apprehended by the Jews. ‘There is no one who cares for my life’, Indeed, they were all shouting: Crucify him, crucify him.

Text notes

6	V/NV	Periit fuga a me: * et non est qui requirat animam meam.
	R	periit fuga a me et non est qui requirat animam meam
	JH	Periit fuga a me; non est qui quaerat animam meam.
		ἀπώλετοφυγὴ ἀ{P'} ἐμοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὴν ψυχήν μου

 Word by word:

periit (it has perished/been lost) fuga (flight/refuge) a me (by me), et (and) non (not) est (there is) qui (who) requirat (cares for) animam (the soul) meam (mine) 

pereo, li, ltum, ire, to perish, come to naught, be lost; to stray, be lost

fuga, ae f flight, a means of escape, a place of refuge

requiro, qulsivi, quisitum, ere 3  to care for, have regard for, take an interest in.

pereo, li, itum, ire, to perish, come to naught, be lost; to stray, be lost

fuga, ae,

requiro, quisivi, quisitum, ere 3  to care for, have regard for, take an interest in.

DR	Flight has failed me: and there is no one that has regard to my soul.
Brenton	refuge failed me; and there was none that cared for my soul.
MD	A way of escape faileth me, and no one hath regard for my life
RSV	no refuge remains to me, no man cares for me.
Cover	I had no place to flee unto, and no man cared for my soul.
Knox	all hope of escape is cut off from me, none is concerned for my safety.
Grail	I have no means of escape, not one who cares for my soul.

When to flee and when to stand 

 

In the story of King David that the psalm title refers to, David had first attempted to escape from Saul, for, as St Augustine points out, it is generally perfectly legitimate to attempt to flee from danger:

For in body it is lawful to flee; it is allowed, it is permitted; for the Lord says, When they persecute you in one city, flee to another. 

Despite his efforts to hide, though, David found himself out of options, trapped in the cave, completely surrounded with no real choice but to face up to his enemy.

In the case of Christ, however, we know of course that he could have escaped his arrest and all that followed, but chose not to in order to save mankind.  The decision on whether to flee or stand firm, St Augustine explains, depends entirely on our motives:

But it makes a difference why he flees not; whether because he is hemmed in, because he is caught, or because he is brave. For both from him that is caught flight has perished, and from him that is brave flight has perished. What flight then is to be avoided? What flight shall we allow to perish from us? That whereof the Lord speaks in the Gospel, The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, when he sees the wolf coming, flees. When he sees the ravager, why flees he? Because he cares not for the sheep.

Psalm 141 (142): Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Intellectus David, cum esset in spelunca, oratio	Of understanding for David, A prayer when he was in the cave.
1 Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * voce mea ad dóminum deprecátus sum.	2 I cried to the Lord with my voice: with my voice I made supplication to the Lord.
2. Effúndo in conspéctu ejus oratiónem meam, * et tribulatiónem meam ante ipsum pronúntio	3 In his sight I pour out my prayer, and before him I declare my trouble:
3. In deficiéndo ex me spíritum meum: * et tu cognovísti sémitas meas.	4 When my spirit failed me, then you knew my paths.
4  In via hac, qua ambulábam, * abscondérunt láqueum mihi.	In this way wherein I walked, they have hidden a snare for me.
5 Considerábam ad déxteram, et vidébam: * et non erat qui cognósceret me.	5 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, and there was no one that would know me.
6. Périit fuga a me: * et non est qui requírat ánimam meam.	Flight has failed me: and there is no one that has regard to my soul.
7. Clamávi ad te, Dómine, * dixi: Tu es spes mea, pórtio mea in terra vivéntium.	6 I cried to you, O Lord: I said: You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living.
8.  Inténde ad deprecatiónem meam: * quia humiliátus sum nimis.	7 Attend to my supplication: for I am brought very low.
9.  Líbera me a persequéntibus me: * quia confortáti sunt super me.	Deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
10 Educ de custódia ánimam meam ad confiténdum nómini tuo: me exspéctant justi, donec retríbuas mihi.	8 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise your name: the just wait for me, until you reward me.