Psalm 147: verse 9 - All the nations shall come to see God

The final verse of Psalm 147 is essentially a continuation of the thought of the previous verse, on the privilege granted to us of Divine revelation, through which we can come to see God in peace.

Text notes

9	V	Non fecit taliter omni nationi: * et judicia sua non manifestavit eis.
		οὐκ ἐποίησεν οὕτως παντὶ ἔθνει καὶ τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐδήλωσεν αὐτοῖς

 Word by word

Non (not) fecit (he has made/done) táliter (thus/in this manner) omni (to all) natióni (nations):  et (and) judícia (justice/judgments) sua (his) non (not) manifestávit (he has made known) eis (his) = and his righteousness he has not manifested to them

Key vocabulary:

manifesto, avi, atum, are to make known, reveal, make manifest.

talliter, adv. , so, thus, in such wise or manner. 

 Selected translations:

DR	He has not done in like manner to every nation: and his judgments he has not made manifest to them.
Brenton	He has not done so to any other nation; and he has not shewn them his judgments.
MD	Not so hath He done to every nation, nor make known to them His judgments
RSV	He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!
Cover	He hath not dealt so with any nation; neither have the heathen knowledge of his laws.

 The paradox of the Jews

This verse completes the thought set out in the previous one on the distinction between the natural law, discernible through reason, and the privilege of Divine revelation.

St John Chrysostom pointed out that everyone can achieve virtue purely through reason:

all had the natural law within them sounding clear signals as to what is good and what is not. At the same time as he formed human beings, you see, God placed this incorruptible court within them, the verdict of conscience in each person.

To the Jewish people, though, he gave  more certain path to salvation: 

With the Jews, however, he took this special trouble, indi­cating prescription also in writing. Hence the psalmist did not ac­tually say, "He did not deal with every nation," but He did not deal in this way, that is, he did not send them tablets, or writings, or a Mosaic lawgiver, or the other things on Mount Sinai. Instead, the Jews alone enjoyed all these things from their privileged state, whereas the whole of humankind had a sufficient law in conscience. 

But now. as St Augustine explained, all nations have been joined to Israel, able to access Divine Revelation through the teaching of the apostles:

The wild olive is cut off from its stock, to be grafted into the olive: now they belong to the olive, no longer ought they to be called nations, but one nation in Christ, the nation of Jacob, the nation of Israel...

What then is Israel for us, he asks?  The answer is seeing God in peace, for we are bound together through our worship of God: 

What is Israel? Seeing God. Where shall he see God? In peace. What peace? The peace of Jerusalem; for, says he, He has set peace for your borders. There shall we praise: there shall we all be one, in One, unto One: for then, though many, we shall not be scattered. 

   

Psalm 147 – Lauda Jerusalem 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Lauda, Jerúsalem, Dóminum: * lauda Deum tuum, Sion.	Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise your God, O Sion.
2  Quóniam confortávit seras portárum tuárum: * benedíxit fíliis tuis in te.	Because he has strengthened the bolts of your gates, he has blessed your children within you
3  Qui pósuit fines tuos pacem: * et ádipe fruménti sátiat te.	Who has placed peace in your borders: and fills you with the fat of corn.
4  Qui emíttit elóquium suum terræ: * velóciter currit sermo ejus.	Who sends forth his speech to the earth: his word runs swiftly.
5  Qui dat nivem sicut lanam: * nébulam sicut cínerem spargit.	Who gives snow like wool: scatters mists like ashes.
6  Mittit crystállum suam sicut buccéllas: * ante fáciem frígoris ejus quis sustinébit?	He sends his crystal like morsels: who shall stand before the face of his cold?
7  Emíttet verbum suum, et liquefáciet ea: * flabit spíritus ejus, et fluent aquæ.	He shall send out his word, and shall melt them: his wind shall blow, and the waters shall run.
8  Qui annúntiat verbum suum Jacob: * justítias, et judícia sua Israël.	Who declares his word to Jacob: his justices and his judgments to Israel
9  Non fecit táliter omni natióni: * et judícia sua non manifestávit eis.	He has not done in like manner to every nation: and his judgments he has not made manifest to them. Alleluia.