Psalm 53 v4 - The God who protects and sustains us

Verse 4 of Psalm 53 is a strong assertion of trust in God's help and protection.

Ecce enim Deus ádjuvat me: et Dóminus suscéptor est ánimæ meæ.

For behold God is my helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul.

Looking at the Latin

The key vocabulary for verse 4 of Psalm 53 is:

adjuvo, juvi, jutum, are, to help, assist, support, give aid, animate

susceptor, oris, m.  a protector, helper, defender, guardian; a stay, support.

The most difficult of these words to translate is susceptor, since the word means not only protector, but also upholder and sustainer.  The verb related to it (suscipio) is a key part of the Benedictine profession ceremony.

A word by word crib for the verse runs:

Ecce (behold) enim (for) Deus (God) ádjuvat (helps) me: * et (and) Dóminus (the Lord) suscéptor (protector/sustainer) est (he is) ánimæ (of the soul) meæ (of me).

Confidence in God's help

At this point in the psalm, the tone suddenly changes, from that of humble petition, to a bold statement of confidence in God's protection, perfectly appropriate if the psalm is read as the voice of Christ.

In fact St Robert Bellarmine suggested that the change in tone goes back to the story of David’s escape from the betrayal of the Ziphites:

And, in fact, God’s interference was most sudden and unexpected; for, when Saul had so surrounded David with his army, that his escape seemed impossible, a messenger suddenly came to Saul, bringing news of the Philistines having come in a great body to ravage his kingdom; on hearing which he was obliged to give up the pursuit of David; who, in spirit, foresaw all this, and was, possibly, at the very moment pronouncing the words, “For behold, God is my helper; and the Lord is the protector of my soul.”

Similarly the Gospels set out numerous occasions when Christ eluded his persecutors, until that time when he chose to give himself up in order to fulfill his mission.

St Hilary of Poitier suggested it teaches us that we can be sure that God will indeed help us, even in the face of death:

Let pure religion, therefore, have this confidence, and doubt not that amid the persecutions at the hand of man and the dangers to the soul, it still has God for its helper, knowing that, if at length it comes to a violent and unjust death, the soul on leaving the tabernacle of the body finds rest with God its upholder.

The concept of God as our protector and upholder

The concept of God as not just our creator, but also our sustainer, both physically and spiritually is a key one, particularly for Benedictines, whose profession ceremony includes a plea for God to accept and uphold them.

The verse also has strong echoes, as St Thomas Aquinas pointed out, of a verse of Psalm 3, said daily at Matins in the Benedictine (but not Roman Office), namely ‘Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, glória mea, et exáltans caput meum’ (But thou, O Lord art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head).

For this reason it is perhaps a little surprising that St Benedict excluded this psalm from Prime and tempting perhaps to think that it was not part of the hour then, but rather added later by St Gregory the Great by way of a summary of St Benedict’s version of the hour…).

In what does God’s help consist?

Either way, what does this protection include?

St Benedict’s sixth century contemporary pointed to forgiveness of sins, and hence the preservation of our souls, as the key help:

When the Lord supports a person, He does not merely help him in his coils, but also pities and frees him from all sins. Note that he says: Of my soul, so that even if his body is exposed to hazards, the safety of his soul is preserved unharmed. He realised that the Lord protects it in a special way among His saints, for it is through the soul that at the Judgment He is believed to crown a person with abundant love.

St Augustine’s take on the verse, though, which emphasizes the spiritual joys we can enjoy in this life, seems to me more appealing, and a strong reason for inclusion in the Office each day:

For all holy men are helped by God, but within, where no one sees. For in like manner as the conscience of ungodly men is a great punishment, so a great joy is the very conscience of godly men. For our glory this is, says the Apostle, the testimony of our conscience. In this within, not in the flower of the Ziphites without, does glory that man that now says, For behold God helps me. Surely though afar off are to be those things which He promises, this day have I a sweet and present help; today in my heart's joy I find that without cause certain say, Who does show to us good things? For there is signed upon us the light of Your countenance, O Lord, You have put pleasantness into my heart. Not into my vineyard, not into my flock, not into my cask, not into my table, but into my heart. For behold God helps me. How does He help you? And the Lord is the lifter up of my soul.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem, in carminibus. Intellectus David, 2 cum venissent Ziphæi, et dixissent ad Saul : Nonne David absconditus est apud nos?	Unto the end, in verses, understanding for David. 2 When the men of Ziph had come and said to Saul: Is not David hidden with us?
1 Deus, in nómine tuo salvum me fac: * et in virtúte tua júdica me.	3 Save me, O God, by your name, and judge me in your strength.
2  Deus, exáudi oratiónem meam: * áuribus pércipe verba oris mei.	4 O God, hear my prayer: give ear to the words of my mouth.
3  Quóniam aliéni insurrexérunt advérsum me, et fortes quæsiérunt ánimam meam: * et non proposuérunt Deum ante conspéctum suum.	5 For strangers have risen up against me; and the mighty have sought after my soul: and they have not set God before their eyes.
4 Ecce enim Deus ádjuvat me: * et Dóminus suscéptor est ánimæ meæ.	6 For behold God is my helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
5  Avérte mala inimícis meis: * et in veritáte tua dispérde illos.	7 Turn back the evils upon my enemies; and cut them off in your truth.
6  Voluntárie sacrificábo tibi, * et confitébor nómini tuo, Dómine: quóniam bonum est :	8 I will freely sacrifice to you, and will give praise, O God, to your name: because it is good:
7  Quóniam ex omni tribulatióne eripuísti me: * et super inimícos meos despéxit óculus meus.	9 For you have delivered me out of all trouble: and my eye has looked down upon my enemies.

The next part in this series can be found here.