Psalm 139 v 7: Inner conviction must drive our prayer and actions

Verse 7 is an expression of absolute trust in God, the mark of a true saint.

Looking at the Latin

The key Latin (and the Septuagint) translations of verse 7 of the psalm are set out below:

7	V	Dixi Dómino: Deus meus es tu:  exáudi, Dómine, vocem deprecatiónis meæ.
	OR	dixi Domino Deus meus es tu exaudi Domine vocem orationis meae
	NV	Dixi Domino: “Deus meus es tu; auribus percipe, Domine, vocem deprecationis meae ”.
	Pian	Dico Domino: Deus meus es tu; Ausculta, Domine, vocem obsecrationis meae..
	JH	Dixi Domino, Deus meus es tu ; audi, Domine, uocem deprecationis meae.
	Sept	εἶπα τῷ κυρίῳ θεός μου εἶ σύ ἐνώτισαι κύριε τὴν φωνὴν τῆς δεήσεώς μου

The key vocabulary is:

exaudio, ivi, itum, ire, to hear, hearken to, listen to, give heed to; to regard, answer.

vox, vocis, f., the voice of a person, or, the sound of an instrument, thunder. 

deprecatio, onis, f  prayer, supplication, entreaty

Pharse by phrase:

Dixi Dómino: Deus meus es tu: exáudi, Dómine, vocem deprecatiónis meæ.

I said to the Lord: Thou art my God: hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication.

And word by word:

Dixi (I said) Dómino (to the Lord): Deus (God) meus (my) es (you are) tu (you): exáudi (hear), Dómine (O Lord), vocem (the voice) deprecatiónis (of the supplication) meæ (of me).

Selected English translations are provided below:

DR	I said to the Lord: Thou art my God: hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication.
Brenton	I said to the Lord, Thou art my God; hearken, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication.
MD	I said to the Lord, Thou art my God, hear, O LOrd, the voice of my supplication
RSV	I say to the LORD, Thou art my God; give ear to the voice of my supplications, O LORD!
Cover	I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God; hear the voice of my prayers, O Lord.
Knox	To the Lord I make my appeal, Thou art my God, listen, Lord, to the voice that pleads with thee.
Grail	I have said to the Lord: "You are my God." Lord, hear the cry of my appeal!

Our claim on God

St John Chrysogonus pointed out in his commentary on this verse that our claim on God arises not from any good works that we can adduce, but rather from our recognition of God as our creator, sustainer and ruler:

...he did not say, I performed this or that act of virtue, or such righteousness; instead, what, 'You are my God', citing the greatest claim on assistance his recourse to the Lord, creator and king.

The verse then points to the conviction of the person of faith that God, not man, is the only one capable of helping us when we are beset on all sides. St John pointed out:

After mentioning war and plots, and showing the unspeakable calamities, he then takes refuge in the irresistible assistance, calling on help from heaven that is capable of removing them.  This is proof of noble spirit, this is sound thinking, not to take refuge in human help when these troubles beset one on all sides, but to look to heaven and call on God present everywhere, and not lose heart or fall victim to panic or alarm….

St Augustine argued that although God is the God of all, he is especially the God of those who serve him:

 Is He not the God of the others? Of whom is not He God, who is the true God? Yet is He specially theirs, who enjoy Him, who serve Him, who willingly submit to Him. For the wicked too, though unwillingly, are subject to Him..

Indeed, St Jerome goes a step further, arguing that ony a saint - or indeed Christ himself - truly has this degree of faith:

These are words that only a saint may claim, a man who is not dominated by sin, a man who bears witness that 'my portion is the Lord.'

It is the faith that enabled David to defeat Goliath, for example, Theodore of Cyrus suggested.

God hears our inner being

The second half of the verse, St Augustine argued, goes to the real source of prayer, which is not the words, but rather that inner conviction that gives the impetus to our words: 

He did not say, Hear with Your ears my prayer; but, as though expressing more plainly the affection of his heart, the voice of my prayer, the life of my prayer, the soul of my prayer, not that which sounds in my words, but that which gives life to my words. For all other noises without life may be called sounds, but not words. Words belong to those that have souls, to the living. 

But how many pray to God, yet have neither perception of God, nor right thoughts concerning God! These may have the sound of prayer, the voice they cannot, for there is no life in them. 

This was the voice of the prayer of one who was alive, forasmuch as he understood that God was his God, saw by Whom he was freed, perceived from whom he was freed.

  

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus David.	Unto the end, a psalm of David.
1 Eripe me, Dómine, ab hómine malo: * a viro iníquo éripe me.	Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: rescue me from the unjust man.
2 Qui cogitavérunt iniquitátes in corde: * tota die constituébant prælia.	3 Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: all the day long they designed battles.
3 Acuérunt linguas suas sicut serpéntis: * venénum áspidum sub lábiis eórum.	4 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: the venom of asps is under their lips.
4 Custódi me, Dómine, de manu peccatóris: * et ab homínibus iníquis éripe me.	5 Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the wicked: and from unjust men deliver me.
5 Qui cogitavérunt supplantáre gressus meos: * abscondérunt supérbi láqueum mihi:	Who have proposed to supplant my steps: 6 The proud have hidden a net for me.
6 Et funes extendérunt in láqueum: * juxta iter scándalum posuérunt mihi.	And they have stretched out cords for a snare: they have laid for me a stumbling block by the wayside.
7. Dixi Dómino : Deus meus es tu: * exáudi, Dómine, vocem deprecatiónis meæ.	7 I said to the Lord: You are my God: hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication.
8 Dómine, Dómine, virtus salútis meæ: * obumbrásti super caput meum in die belli.	8 O Lord, Lord, the strength of my salvation: you have overshadowed my head in the day of battle.
9 Ne tradas me, Dómine, a desidério meo peccatóri: * cogitavérunt contra me, ne derelínquas me, ne forte exalténtur.	9 Give me not up, O Lord, from my desire to the wicked: they have plotted against me; do not forsake me, lest they should triumph.
10 Caput circúitus eórum: * labor labiórum ipsórum opériet eos.	10 The head of them compassing me about: the labour of their lips shall overwhelm them.
11 Cadent super eos carbónes, in ignem dejícies eos: * in misériis non subsístent.	11 Burning coals shall fall upon them; you will cast them down into the fire: in miseries they shall not be able to stand.
12 Vir linguósus non dirigétur in terra: * virum injústum mala cápient in intéritu.	12 A man full of tongue shall not be established in the earth: evil shall catch the unjust man unto destruction.
13 Cognóvi quia fáciet Dóminus judícium ínopis: * et vindíctam páuperum.	13 I know that the Lord will do justice to the needy, and will revenge the poor.
14 Verúmtamen justi confitebúntur nómini tuo: * et habitábunt recti cum vultu tuo.	14 But as for the just, they shall give glory to your name: and the upright shall dwell with your countenance.

And for notes on verse 8 of Psalm 139, please continue on here.