Psalm 147: verses 8 - The gift of Christ's coming

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In the previous verse, the psalm announce that God will send out his Word to melt the hardened pellets of ice' this verse explains that the word is precepts and judgments, revealed to his people.

Text notes

Latin and Greek text: 

8	V	Qui annuntiat verbum suum jacob: * justitias, et judicia sua israël.
		ἀπαγγέλλων τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ τῷ Ιακωβ δικαιώματα καὶ κρίματα αὐτοῦ τῷ Ισραηλ

Word by word:

Qui (who) annúntiat (announces/declares) verbum (the word) suum (his) [to] Jacob: justítias (precepts/statutes/laws/commands), et (and) judícia (judgments) sua (his) Israël.

Key vocabulary: 

annuntio, avi, atum, are  to announce, proclaim, publish, make known

justitia, ae, f justice, righteousness, innocence, piety, moral integrity; plur., judgments, precepts, ordinances:

judicium, i, n.  judgment, decrees; law, commandment; the power, or faculty of judging wisely; justice.

Selected translations: 

DR	Who declares his word to Jacob: his justices and his judgments to Israel.
Brenton	He sends his word to Jacob, his ordinances and judgments to Israel.
MD	He declareth his word to Jacob, His precepts and judgments to Israel
RSV	He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
Cover	He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and ordinances unto Israel.

The mission of the Church

In the previous verses, the image of the changing seasons was used to remind us that our knowledge of God and what he wishes for us does not depend on revelation through the church, can be learnt through reason, for the natural law is engraved on our hearts.

This verse, though, reminds us of the special privilege we have been granted in receiving direct knowledge of God's requirements of us.

Cassiodorus explains that 'Jacob and Israel' stand for the Church:

for these two survived as the names of one person, just as from two peoples one has been formed, which on the one hand is well called Israel, and on the other is correctly termed Jacob. For now any faithful individual is an Israelite, and earlier anyone who pleased the Lord by pure devotion was a Jacob; we know that the Lord declared His word and His justices to him.

 St Robert Bellarmine commented: 

He concludes by showing how differently God, in his providence, deals with his own people, and with other nations, because he instructed other nations, merely by natural causes and effects, so as to know their Creator through the things created by him; but he taught his own people through the prophets.

And this special privilege is given not just for ourselves, but so that we can carry out God's mission of converting the world; it is a call to action, as Pope John Paul II noted:

In this way, the election of Israel and her sole mission among the peoples is celebrated: to proclaim to the world the Word of God. It is a prophetic and priestly mission, because "what great nation is there that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?" (Dt 4: 8). It is through Israel and, therefore, also through the Christian community, namely the Church, that the Word of God resounds in the world and becomes instruction and light for all peoples.

More after the feast of St Benedict!

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.