Practice obedience - Psalm 2 - v12

Hans Holbein the Elder - The Yorck Project

Continuing this series for the twelve days of Christmas on Psalm 2, today a look at the penultimate verse.

12	V	Apprehéndite disciplínam, nequándo irascátur Dóminus, * et pereátis de via justa.
	Rom/OR	adprehendite disciplinam  nequando irascatur Dominus et pereatis de via iusta
	NV	Apprehendite disciplinam, ne quando irascatur, et pereatis de via,
	JH	adorate pure ne forte irascatur et pereatis de via
	Sept	δράξασθε παιδείας μήποτε ὀργισθῇ κύριος καὶ ἀπολεῖσθε ἐξ ὁδοῦ δικαίας

Apprehéndite (Accept) disciplínam (correction), nequándo (lest) irascátur (he may be angry) Dóminus (the Lord) et (and) pereátis (you may be lost, subj) de (from) via (the way) justa (just) 

apprehendo, prehendi, prehensum, ere 3 to seize, take, lay hold of, embrace, understand, comprehend

disciplina, ae,  instruction, correction (2) discipline, chastening visitation (3) discernment, good judgment.

nequando, conj., (ne quando, for ne aliquando), lest, that not, lest at any time.

irascor, iratus sum, irasci (ira), to be angry or wrathful. (1) Of God. (2) Of men

pereo, ii, itum, ire, (1) to perish, come to naught, be lost. (2) to stray, be lost.

de +abl  from, away from, down from, out of 

via, ae,  a way, road, path, street. God's way, way of life,

justus, a, um  (1) Of God: just. (2) Of men: as a subst., a just man, the just.

DR	Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way.
Brenton	Accept correction, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and ye should perish from the righteous way:
MD	Learn ye discipline…
RSV	kiss his feet, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way;
Cover	Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and so ye perish from the right way,
Knox	Kiss the rod, do not brave his anger, and go astray from the sure path.
Grail	pay him your homage lest he be angry and you perish;

In the previous verses, the 'kings of the world' have been confronted with the knowledge of Christ.  In this verse, they are instructed to put virtue into practice, for, Thedoret of Cyrus notes:

Perfection, you see, requires not only the acquisition of knowledge of God; rather it is necessary as well to pursue the practice of virtue, and then with that to your credit you will travel by the sure path. 

St Augustine suggests that the first phrase of the verse means to understand and be instructed:

For to understand and be instructed, this is to lay hold of discipline. Still in that it is said, 'lay hold of', it is plainly enough intimated that there is some protection and defence against all things which might do hurt unless with so great carefulness it be laid hold of.

But it can also mean, accept the chastisements that come our way, for we can grow spiritually through them, as St Cyprian explains:

 And from Solomon we have received the mandates of wisdom, warning us: “My son, despise not thou the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth He correcteth.” But if God rebukes whom He loves, and rebukes him for the very purpose of amending him, brethren also, and especially priests, do not hate, but love those whom they rebuke, that they may mend them; since God also before predicted by Jeremiah, and pointed to our times, when he said, “And I will give you shepherds according to my heart: and they shall feed you with the food of discipline.”

We should, of course live rightly not out of fear of punishment, but out of love.  Nonetheless, servile fear can be a necessary motivator, as St Augustine notes:

This is a great punishment, and dreaded by those who have had any perception of the sweetness of righteousness; for he who perishes from the way of righteousness, in much misery will wander through the ways of unrighteousness.

 Even kings, St Robert Bellarmine notes, should 'embrace obedience and be instructed with great fervour'.

Psalm 2: Quare fremuérunt Gentes

Vulgate	Douay Rheims
Quare fremuérunt Gentes: * et pópuli meditáti sunt inánia?	Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?
2  Astitérunt reges terræ, et príncipes convenérunt in unum * advérsus Dóminum, et advérsus Christum ejus.	The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord, and against his Christ.
3  Dirumpámus víncula eórum: * et projiciámus a nobis jugum ipsórum.	Let us break their bonds asunder: and let us cast away their yoke from us.
4. Qui hábitat in cælis, irridébit eos: * et Dóminus subsannábit eos.	He that dwells in heaven shall laugh at them: and the Lord shall deride them.
5  Tunc loquétur ad eos in ira sua, * et in furóre suo conturbábit eos.	Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.
6  Ego autem constitútus sum Rex ab eo super Sion montem sanctum ejus, * prædicans præcéptum ejus.	But I am appointed king by him over Sion, his holy mountain, preaching his commandment.
7  Dóminus dixit ad me: * Fílius meus es tu, ego hódie génui te.	The Lord has said to me: You are my son, this day have I begotten you.
8  Póstula a me, et dábo tibi Gentes hereditátem tuam, * et possessiónem tuam términos terræ.	Ask of me, and I will give you the Gentiles for your inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for your possession
9  Reges eos in virga férrea, * et tamquam vas fíguli confrínges eos.	You shall rule them with a rod of iron, and shall break them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10  Et nunc, reges, intellígite: * erudímini, qui judicátis terram.	And now, O you kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth.
11  Servíte Dómino in timóre: * et exsultáte ei cum   tremóre.	Serve the Lord with fear: and rejoice unto him with trembling.
12  Apprehéndite disciplínam, nequándo irascátur Dóminus, * et pereátis de via justa.	Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way.
13  Cum exárserit in brevi ira ejus: * beáti omnes qui confídunt in eo.	When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.

And for notes on the final verse of Psalm 2, continue on here.