Psalm 129: Verse 7- 8

Michelangelo: Last Judgment

The closing verses of Psalm 129 deal with the promise of redemption, but remind us also of the need to fight the good fight until the end.

Verse notes

7	V/NV	Quia apud Dóminum misericórdia: * et copiósa apud eum redémptio.
	JH	quia apud Dominum misericordia, et multa apud eum redemptio.
		ὅτι παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ τὸ ἔλεος καὶ πολλὴ παρ' αὐτῷ λύτρωσις

Quia (for/because) apud (with) Dóminum (the Lord) misericórdia (mercy) et (and) copiósa (plentiful) apud (with) eum (him) redemptio (redemption)

misericordia, ae, f. (misericors), mercy, kindness, favor, compassion, loving-kindness.

copiosus, a, um (copia), plentiful, plenteous.

redemptio onis  buying back, ransoming, deliverance, redemption

DR	Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
Brenton	for with the Lord is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption
Cover	for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
KJV	Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD [there is] mercy, and with him [is] plenteous redemption.

The psalm ends on a high note, with the promise of God's mercy in sending us his only Son to redeeem us, as St Alphonse Liguori comments:

"The prophet points out here the foundation of all our hopes, namely, the blood of Jesus Christ by which he was to redeem the human race. He says: For mercy with God is infinite; and he is well able to redeem us by abundant help from our evils."

8	V/NV/JH	Et ipse rédimet Israël: * ex ómnibus iniquitátibus ejus.
		καὶ αὐτὸς λυτρώσεται τὸν Ισραηλ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν ἀνομιῶν αὐτοῦ

Et (and) ipse (he himself) rédimet (he will redeem) Israël ex (from) omnibus (all) iniquitátibus (sins/iniquities) ejus (its)

redimo emi emptum ere 3 to redeem, buy back, ransom, rescue, set free, save

omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything.

DR	And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities
Brenton	And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities
Cover	And he shall redeem IsraeI from all his sins.
KJV	And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

The collective nature of our redemption is important here, for though the Church is holy, and offers the sacraments as a source of transforming grace for us, she is made up of sinners in constant need of reform and conversion, as the abuse scandals attest to all too well.  St Robert Bellarmine remind us that the struggle will not be over until our death as individuals, and the last day of the world in the case of the Church:

"This redemption has begun, and is going on, and will be completely accomplished on the last day, when we shall be delivered not only from our sins, but even from the punishment due to them, and from any danger of relapse..." 

Psalm 129: De Profundis

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.	Canticum graduum.
De profúndis clamávi ad te, Dómine: * Dómine, exáudi vocem meam :	Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord:
2  Fiant aures tuæ intendéntes: * in vocem deprecatiónis meæ.	2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
3  Si iniquitátes observáveris, Dómine: * Dómine, quis sustinébit?	3 If you, O Lord, will mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
4  Quia apud te propitiátio est: * et propter legem tuam sustínui te, Dómine.	4 For with you there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of your law, I have waited for you, O Lord.
5  Sustinuit ánima mea in verbo ejus: * sperávit ánima mea in Dómino.	My soul has relied on his word: 5 My soul has hoped in the Lord.
6  A custódia matutína usque ad noctem: * speret Israël in Dómino.	6 From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
7  Quia apud Dóminum misericórdia: * et copiósa apud eum redémptio.	7 Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
8  Et ipse rédimet Israël: * ex ómnibus iniquitátibus ejus.	8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities

And that completes this mini-series on Psalm 129.

For an introduction to the second psalm of Tuesday Vespers in the Benedictine Office, Psalm 130, continue on to here.

For a look at the next (and last) of the Seven Penitential Psalms, continue on to Psalm 142.

Psalm 129: verses 5b-6

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Today's verses of Psalm 129 focus on that most Christian of virtues, hope.

Notes on the verses

5b	V/NV	sperávit ánima mea in Dómino.
	JH	Anima mea ad Dominum
		ἤλπισεν ἡ ψυχή μου ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον

sperávit (it has hoped) ánima (soul) mea (my) in Dómino (in the Lord) 

The Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) and Septuagint readings of this phrase are quite different.  In particular, the MT omits all reference to that particularly Christian virtue of hope (speravit). But without the verb, the verse makes little sense, hence its inclusion even in translations that normally follow the Hebrew, such as the Revised Standard Version.  

spero, avi, atum, are (spes), to hope or trust in

DR	My soul has hoped in the Lord.
Brenton	My soul has hoped in the Lord;
Cover	In his word is my trust.
KJV	and in his word do I hope.

St Robert Bellarmine's commentary on this verse points to the great Old Testament model of repentance and endurance under persecution, namely King David himself, as the model for our encouragement:

"David's example ought to be of great value to us; for he was in the depth of misery, whether we regard his sins or what he suffered for them. His sins were most grievous; he had been guilty of adultery, took the life of a most faithful soldier; offended that God who had bestowed a kingdom on him, the gift of prophecy, strength, beauty, prudence, riches on him. He was also in the depths of misery when he was constantly persecuted by Saul, and in daily danger of his life; and yet, as he did not despair; but rather clung to hope, he was delivered."

6	V	A custódia matutína usque ad noctem: * speret Israël in Dómino.
	NV	magis quam custodes auroram. Magis quam custodes auroram speret Israel in Domino
	JH	a uigilia matutina usque ad uigiliam matutinam. Expectet Israhel Dominum;
		ἀπὸ φυλακῆς πρωίας μέχρι νυκτός ἀπὸ φυλακῆς πρωίας ἐλπισάτω Ισραηλ ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον

A (from) custódia (watch) matutína (morning) usque (until) ad (to) noctem (the night) speret (let it hope) Israël (Israel) in Dómino (in the Lord). 

Again here the two text traditions differ.  The Vulgate (following LXX) makes it 'from the morning watch unto the night'; the MT makes it a comparative (more than watchmen watch for the morning).  The neo-Vulgate reflects the MT rather than the more evocative Septuagint.

custodia ae f a guard, watch; watch; custody, prison

matutinus, a, um,  pertaining to the morning, early in the morning.

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

nox, noctis, f  night.

DR	From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
Brenton	from the morning watch till night. Let Israel hope in the Lord
Cover	My soul fleeth unto the Lord before the morning watch, I say, before the morning watch. O Israel, trust in the Lord;
KJV	My soul [waiteth] for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: [I say, more than] they that watch for the morning.

The psalm now moves from the individual to the Church as a whole, attesting to the duty of the Church to watch and pray, to hope, until the world's end, as Cassiodorus explains:

"He is now untroubled as regards his sins, and proclaims to the people that they must hope in the Lord Christ throughout their lives, for He can transform the most troublesome sufferings of His Church into eternal joys."

Importantly, Cassiodorus interprets the morning to night references allegorically:

 The morning watch refers to that appearance of the Lord Saviour, when before the Jews who guarded the tomb He rose in the true nature of the body which He had resumed. Night denotes the close of this world; so the universal Church must continue to hope in the Lord until the world's end."

Psalm 129: De Profundis

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.	Canticum graduum.
De profúndis clamávi ad te, Dómine: * Dómine, exáudi vocem meam :	Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord:
2  Fiant aures tuæ intendéntes: * in vocem deprecatiónis meæ.	2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
3  Si iniquitátes observáveris, Dómine: * Dómine, quis sustinébit?	3 If you, O Lord, will mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
4  Quia apud te propitiátio est: * et propter legem tuam sustínui te, Dómine.	4 For with you there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of your law, I have waited for you, O Lord.
5  Sustinuit ánima mea in verbo ejus: * sperávit ánima mea in Dómino.	My soul has relied on his word: 5 My soul has hoped in the Lord.
6  A custódia matutína usque ad noctem: * speret Israël in Dómino.	6 From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
7  Quia apud Dóminum misericórdia: * et copiósa apud eum redémptio.	7 Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
8  Et ipse rédimet Israël: * ex ómnibus iniquitátibus ejus.	8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities

And for the next set of notes on this psalm continue on here.

Psalm 129: verses 3-5a

Image: Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry, folio 71v*

www.metmuseum.org 

The middle verses of Psalm 129 focus on God's saving mercy: no sin is too great to be forgiven, for through Christ the law of God is the law of love.

Notes on the verses

3	V/NV/JH	Si iniquitátes observáveris, Dómine: * Dómine, quis sustinébit?
		ἐὰν ἀνομίας παρατηρήσῃ κύριε κύριε τίς ὑποστήσεται

Si (if) iniquitátes (iniquities) observáveris (you will observe/take note) Dómine (O Lord) Dómine (O Lord), quis (who/what) sustinébit  (he/she/it will endure/stand)?

The sense of observaveris here is not just passive watching, but critically observing and clocking up our sins for punishment.

iniquitas, atis, f (iniquus), iniquity, injustice, sin.

observo, avi, atum, are, to watch, observe, regard

sustineo, tinui, tentum, ere 2  to bear, bear with, endure, stand

DR	If you, O Lord, will mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
Brenton	If thou, O Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
Coverdale	If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, O Lord, who may abide it?
KJV	If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

The psalm now turns to a plea for mercy and forgiveness over justice.  The point is that no human deserves heaven, for we are all tainted by original sin, that evil compounded by our own thoughts and actions: we are all of us sinners. 

Yet this verse also, as Chrysostom points out, a demolition of the excuse offered by many, that there sins are too great to approach God:

"In other words, in case anyone were to say, "I am a sinner, I am full of sins beyond counting, I cannot approach and pray and call on God," he strips away this pretext by saying, If you were to take note of crimes, Lord, Lord, who would stand? Who here means "no one," you see. It is impossible, after all, it is impossible for anyone to under a meticulous account of one's affairs and ever attain mercy and loving kindness. We say this, not to drive souls to indifference, but to comfort those who have fallen into despair." 

Indeed, Pope St Leo the Great used this psalm to instruct a bishop that absolution should not be withheld from those who express penitence, no matter what the circumstance, or what doubts there may be around the case.

4	V	Quia apud te propitiátio est: * et propter legem tuam sustínui te, Dómine.
	NV	Quia apud te propitiatio est, ut timeamus te. Sustinui te, Domine
	JH	Quia tecum est propitiatio, cum terribilis sis. Sustinui Dominum
		ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ ὁ ἱλασμός ἐστιν  ἕνεκεν τοῦ νόμου σου ὑπέμεινά σε κύριε

5A	V/NV	Sustinuit ánima mea in verbo ejus:
	JH	sustinuit anima mea, et uerbum eius expectaui.
		ὑπέμεινεν ἡ ψυχή μου εἰς τὸν λόγον σου

Quia (for) apud (with) te (you) propitiátio (forgiveness/atonement) est (there is) et (and) propter (by reason of) legem (the law) tuam (your) sustínui (I have endured/waited for) te (you), Dómine (O Lord) Sustinuit (it has waited/endured) ánima (soul) mea (my) in verbo (on the word) ejus (his) 

This is one of those verses that differs substantially in the two main surviving text traditions, namely the Septuagint/Vulgate and the (medieval) Hebrew Masoretic Text.  Because the official Vatican Neo-Vulgate text was prepared before contemporary scholarship had fully assimilated the Dead Seas Scrolls, and thus come to a full appreciation of the integrity of Septuagint tradition, it deletes the reference to the law, and 'that thou mayest be feared' (ut timeamus te).  

More recent scholarship suggests that this may well be a first century Jewish revision to the text made in direct reaction to Christian uses of the verse, for the propitiation referred to here is clearly Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, the true fulfillment of the law.

It is worth noting too that the Knox translation (echoed by the NAB) renders this verse as: 'Ah, but with thee there is forgiveness; be thy name ever revered'.

quia, for, because, that. truly, surely, indeed;  nisi quia, unless, if not. 

apud +acc: at, near , by, with, in the presence of

propitiatio forgiveness, atonement, ie Christ’s sacrifice

propter,  with ace. In stating a cause: on account of, by reason of, because of, from, for, for the sake of.

lex, legis,  a law; the Law of God. the will of Go
anima, ae, soul
verbum, i, n.,word, command, edict, also a promise; saying, speech; Law, the Eternal Son. 

DR	For with you there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of your law, I have waited for you, O Lord.
Brenton	For with thee is forgiveness: for thy name’s sake have I waited for thee
Cover	For there is mercy with thee; therefore shalt thou be feared
KJV	But [there is] forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

DR	My soul has relied on his word
Brenton	O Lord, my soul has waited for thy word.
MD	My soul trusteth in His word, my soul hopeth in the Lord.
Cover	I look for the Lord; my soul doth wait for him.
KJV	I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait,

St Augustine's commentary on the verse points to St Paul's analysis of the law given to the Jews not as a source of salvation, but rather of condemnation since none could live up to it without the help of grace.  The point of the law, he argues was not to give life but to 'show his sins to the sinner'.   Christ changes this, for he teaches us the law of love that blots out fear:

"There is therefore a law of the mercy of God, a law of the propitiation of God. The one was a law of fear, the other is a law of love. The law of love gives forgiveness to sins, blots out the past, warns concerning the future; forsakes not its companion by the way, becomes a companion to him whom it leads on the way...Therefore, For the sake of Your law I have waited for You, O Lord, because you have condescended to bring in a law of mercy, to forgive me all my sins, to give me for the future warnings that I may not offend."

God's should in turn invoke in us a sense of reverent awe, as Pope Benedict XVI has pointed out:

“It is significant that reverent awe, a sentiment in which respect and love are mingled, is not born from punishment but from forgiveness. Rather than sparking his anger, God's generous and disarming magnanimity must kindle in us a holy reverence. Indeed, God is not an inexorable sovereign who condemns the guilty but a loving father whom we must love, not for fear of punishment, but for his kindness, quick to forgive.”

Note

*For a key to the abbreviations and links to full texts see the Notes on the psalm notes post.  Those used here are: V=Vulgate; NV=Neo-Vulgate; JH=St Jerome's translation from the Hebrew; Sept=Septuagint; DR=Douay-Rheims; Brenton=Brenton's translation from the Septuagint; Cover=Coverdale; KJV=King James Bible

Psalm 129: De Profundis

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.	Canticum graduum.
De profúndis clamávi ad te, Dómine: * Dómine, exáudi vocem meam :	Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord:
2  Fiant aures tuæ intendéntes: * in vocem deprecatiónis meæ.	2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
3  Si iniquitátes observáveris, Dómine: * Dómine, quis sustinébit?	3 If you, O Lord, will mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
4  Quia apud te propitiátio est: * et propter legem tuam sustínui te, Dómine.	4 For with you there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of your law, I have waited for you, O Lord.
5  Sustinuit ánima mea in verbo ejus: * sperávit ánima mea in Dómino.	My soul has relied on his word: 5 My soul has hoped in the Lord.
6  A custódia matutína usque ad noctem: * speret Israël in Dómino.	6 From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
7  Quia apud Dóminum misericórdia: * et copiósa apud eum redémptio.	7 Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
8  Et ipse rédimet Israël: * ex ómnibus iniquitátibus ejus.	8 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities

And for the next set of notes on this psalm, go here.