Psalm 138 verses 6-7

Verses 6&7 of Psalm 138 points us to the Holy Ghost.

 

6	Vulgate/ NeoVulgate/ Jerome’s from the Hebrew	Quo ibo a spíritu tuo? * et quo a fácie tua fúgiam?
	Septuagint	ποῦ πορευθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός σου καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου ποῦ φύγω

 

Quo (so that) ibo (there) a spiritu (from the spirit) tuo (your)?  et (and) quo (in order that) a facie (from the face) tua (your) fugiam (I will flee)?

quo that, so that, in the end that, in order that

ibi, adv.  there, in that place. then

spiritus, us, m.  breath;  wind;  breath of life, vital spirit; the soul; spirit, disposition; Divine assistance, grace

facies, ei, f. face, countenance, appearance;  presence.

fugio, fugi, fugitum, ere 3  to flee, take to flight, run away; With  a facie,  from, from before, from the presence of.

DR	Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy face?
Brenton	Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? and whither shall I flee from my presence?
MD	Whither could I go before Thy spirit, or whither flee before Thy face?
Cover	Whither shall I go then from thy Spirit? or whither shall I go then from thy presence?
Knox	Where can I go, then, to take refuge from thy spirit, to hide from thy view?
Grail	O where can I go from your spirit, or where can I flee from your face?

Verses 6&7 take us back to the attributes of God, and particularly point to the person of the Holy Ghost.  They assert that he is infinite, present everywhere and in everything.  As Chrysostom puts it, they tell us that:

You fill everything, you are present to everyone - not in part, bit wholly to everyone.  By mentioning what is above and what below, length and breadth, height and depth, he indicates he is present everywhere...

The result, as Cassiodorus explains, is that we can never hope to evade God:

...in which He reveals in mystical sequence that no creature can escape God's presence.  Since He is most fully and entirely present everywhere, where can a person hide himself if he thinks he can evade Him?...But since we realise through such preaching that the Holy Spirit is everywhere, there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is seen to be coeternal and coequal with the Father and the Son; only the Trinity can be everywhere in its entirety....Let us return to that saving remedy; Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the almighty Creator, the one God beyond understanding. We speak of His face by metaphor for His presence, for just as our human face possesses mere vision, so the whole of the Lord's substance knows all things with an acuteness of vision beyond description, embracing, penetrating, observing everything.

That presence is necessary of course, for God is not only the creator but also the sustainer of the universe, as Bellarmine points out:

He now adduces another argument to prove that no one can escape God's ken, inasmuch as God is everywhere, penetrating everything...without God's help we cannot stir, nor can we go along but as he carries us, for "in him we live, move, and have our being."

7	V/NV	Si ascéndero in cælum, tu illic es: * si descéndero in inférnum, ades.
	JH	Si ascendero in caelum, ibi es tu ; si iacuero in inferno, ades.
		ἐὰν ἀναβῶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν σὺ εἶ ἐκεῖ ἐὰν καταβῶ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην πάρει

Si (if) ascendero (I will ascend/go up) in cælum (into heaven), tu (you) illic (there) es (you are) si (if) descendero (I will descend/go down) in infernum (into hell), ades (you are present)

ascendo, scendi, scensum, ere 3  to go up, ascend. to mount a horse, chariot, etc., to ride.

caelum, i, n., or caeli, orum, m.  heaven, the abode of God; the heavens as opposed to the earth; the air;

illic, adv.  Of place: there, in that place; Of time: then

descendo, scendi, scensum, ere 3  to descend, to come or go down.

infernus, i, m. Sheol; the nether world, the underworld, the grave, the kingdom of the dead, hell 

adsum adesse affui to be present

DR	If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I descend into hell, thou art present.
Brenton	If I should go up to heaven, thou art there: if I should go down to hell, thou art present.
MD	If I ascend into heaven Thou art there; if I descend into hell, Thou art present
Cover	If I climb up into heaven, thou art there; if I go down to hell, thou art there also.

Verse 7 takes us back to the Christological meaning of this psalm, for as Cassiodorus point out, it can be seen as pointing to the descent into hell and Christ's ascension into heaven:

...In his capacity as Man He says...that is, the place where He was to be set at the Father's right hand....(descent to hell) This was what happened by the law of His humanity, that when His body was crucified He descended to break the bonds of those in hell, and as the most devoted Redeemer to aid the human race in its toils.  He added: Thou art present, for He rose speedily on the third day.

It is important to note that hell in this context means 'the limbo of the fathers', where the souls waited to be allowed to enter heaven before the coming of Christ.

Psalm 138/1 – Domine probasti me

Vulgate (Numbering follows psalmody)	Douay-Rheims (numbering follows DR)
In finem, psalmus David.	Unto the end, a psalm of David.
Dómine, probásti me, et cognovísti me: * tu cognovísti sessiónem meam, et resurrectiónem meam.	1 Lord, you have proved me, and known me: 2 You have known my sitting down, and my rising up.
2  Intellexísti cogitatiónes meas de longe: * sémitam meam, et funículum meum investigásti.	You have understood my thoughts afar off: my path and my line you have searched out.
3  Et omnes vias meas prævidísti: * quia non est sermo in lingua mea.	4 And you have foreseen all my ways: for there is no speech in my tongue.
4  Ecce, Dómine, tu cognovísti ómnia novíssima, et antíqua: * tu formásti me, et posuísti super me manum tuam.	5 Behold, O Lord, you have known all things, the last and those of old: you have formed me, and have laid your hand upon me.
5  Mirábilis facta est sciéntia tua ex me: * confortáta est, et non pótero ad eam.	6 Your knowledge has become wonderful to me: it is high, and I cannot reach to it
6  Quo ibo a spíritu tuo? * et quo a fácie tua fúgiam?	7 Whither shall I go from your spirit? Or whither shall I flee from your face?
7  Si ascéndero in cælum, tu illic es: * si descéndero in inférnum, ades.	8 If I ascend into heaven, you are there: if I descend into hell, you are present.
8  Si súmpsero pennas meas dilúculo, * et habitávero in extrémis maris.	9 If I take my wings early in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:
9  Etenim illuc manus tua dedúcet me: * et tenébit me déxtera tua.	10 Even there also shall your hand lead me: and your right hand shall hold me.

And you can find the next set of notes on this psalm here.

Psalm 150: verse 5b

Today's verse of Psalm 150 is the final line of the psalter, and reiterates the universal call to praise God.

5b	V	omnis spíritus laudet Dóminum
	NV	omne quod spirat, laudet Dominum.
	JH	Omne quod spirat laudet Dominum.
		πᾶσα πνοὴ αἰνεσάτω τὸν κύριον αλληλουια

spiritus, us, m.  the breath; the wind; the breath of life, vital spirit; the soul; disposition; Divine assistance, grace; anything that breathes, a living creature; as a symbol of swiftness.

DR	Let every spirit praise the Lord.
Brenton	Let every thing that has breath praise the Lord.
MD	let every living creature praise the Lord!
RSV	Let everything that breathes praise the LORD!
Cover	Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.

St John Chrysostom interprets the final verse of the psalter as a call to the worship of God with both mind and body:

"Let every living thing praise the Lord (another, "breathing thing"). He activates all the instruments, and urges music to be offered on them all, inflaming and stirring up their mind. So just as he urges the Jews to praise God with all the instru­ments, so he urges us to do so with all our bodily parts - eye, tongue, hearing, hand. As Paul likewise indicated as well in the words, "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, your reasonable worship." 

An eye praises, you see, when its gaze is under control; a tongue when it sings; hearing when it does not admit wicked tunes or slander of the neighbor; thinking when it does not hatch plots but abounds with love; feet when they run not after wickedness but to administration of good works; hands when they reach out not to robbery and greed and violence but to almsgiving and defence of the wronged. Then it is that a person becomes a tuneful lyre, offering to God a kind of harmonious and spiritual melody. 

Those instruments were entrusted to them at that time for that reason, on account of their frailty and to temper their spirits in line with love and harmony, and to stir up their minds to perform with satisfaction what contributed to their welfare, and were intended to lead them to great zeal through such persuasion. To cope with their sluggishness, indifference and despondency, God planned to awaken them by this device, injecting the sweetness of music into the stiffness of their resistance....

Let us, therefore, praise God unceasingly, not failing to give thanks for everything, in both word and deed. This, you see, is our sacrifice and offering, this the finest worship, resembling the life of angels. 

If we persevere in praising God in this way, we shall acquit ourselves of a life free of reproach and enjoy the future goods. May it be the good fortune of us all to attain this, thanks to the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power and honor, now and forever, and for ages of ages. Amen."

Psalm 150: Laudate Dominum

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluja.	Alleluia
Laudáte Dóminum in sanctis ejus: * laudáte eum in firmaménto virtútis ejus.	Praise the Lord in his holy places: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2  Laudáte eum in virtútibus ejus: * laudáte eum secúndum multitúdinem magnitúdinis ejus.	2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to the multitude of his greatness.
3  Laudáte eum in sono tubæ: * laudáte eum in psaltério, et cíthara.	3 Praise him with the sound of trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp.
4  Laudáte eum in tympano, et choro: * laudáte eum in chordis, et órgano	4 Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs.
5  Laudáte eum in cymbalis benesonántibus: laudáte eum in cymbalis jubilatiónis: * omnis spíritus laudet Dóminum.	5 Praise him on high sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy: 6 Let every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia

Psalm 150 verses 1-2

The opening verses of Psalm 150 link together God and his people: he has worked on their behalf, and in them.

1	V	Laudáte Dóminum in sanctis ejus: * laudáte eum in firmaménto virtútis ejus
	NV	Laudate Dominum in sanctuario eius, laudate eum in firmamento virtutis eius.
	JH	Laudate Dominum in sancto eius : laudate eum in fortitudine potentiae eius.
		αἰνεῖτε τὸν θεὸν ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν στερεώματι δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ

In Latin sanctis ejus could mean either holy place or holy persons, but the Septuagint really suggests 'the saints'.  The Hebrew Masoretic Text and the psalms tendency to use parallelism (repetition of the same sentiment in two words across the two phrases of a verse), on the other hand, favours the places interpretation, and that is reflected in most of the modern translations.  Most of the Fathers, however, including both St John Chrysostom and St Augustine, take the first phrase as a reference to either the people of the Church, or to Christ (his sanctified one). 

laudo, avi, atum, are  to praise, glorify

sanctus, a, um, adj., holy; a holy place or pious person.

firmamentum, i, n. a support, prop, stay; the firmament, the heavens, the vault or arch of the sky

virtus, iitis, strength, power, might, an army, host; the angel;  the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and stars.

DR	Praise ye the Lord in his holy places: praise ye him in the firmament of his power.
Brenton	Praise God in his holy places: praise him in the firmament of his power.
MD	Praise the Lord in his holy place, praise him in the fortress of his power
Coverdale	O praise God in his holiness; praise him in the firmament of his power.

Chrysostom's interpretation points to the Septuagint version of the verse:

"Praise the Lord in his saints: Another version, "in his saint;" another, "in his sanctified one." Here there is a reference either to the people, or to a holy life and holy men. Now, observe how in turn he brought the book to a close with thanks­giving, teaching us how this ought be both beginning and end of our actions and words. Hence Paul also says, "Whatever you do in word and deed, always give thanks to the God and Father through him." This is the way the opening phrase of our prayer also be­gins: the phrase "Our Father" is said on the part of those giving thanks for favors done and showing them all to be due to this name. In saying "Father," after all, you confessed sonship; but in confess­ing sonship you proclaimed righteousness, sanctification, redemp­tion, forgiveness of sins, involvement of the Spirit. All these had to be present beforehand, you see, for us to enjoy sonship in this way and be deemed worthy to call him Father. Now, he seems to me to be hinting at something else in speak­ing this way: the phrase in his saints means through his saints." 

Cassiodorus provides a possible means of reconciling the two interpretations of the first phrase, as well as the link between this psalm and Psalm 1:

"We must carefully observe the pleasurable sweetness with which this book of psalms ends, and how it looks back to its begin­ning. The prophet says that now that the saints have been received in the heavenly Jerusalem, it is right to praise the Lord, that is, it is right for those to whom He has revealed the shape of right behaviour. Earlier it was said of Him: Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and the rest; for the saints are those who by His generosity have deserved to imitate Him. There is a fitting explanation of the kind of reverence owed to the saints; it is the Lord who is to be praised because they are justified, and not they themselves, for His glory should be hymned first since He permits the deeds which are to be acclaimed. Veneration is however to be accorded to the just, because they have received divine gifts. Next follows: Praise him in the firmament of his power. The strength of his power lies in the fact that He endured destruction for the salvation of all, and by virtue of His power overcame death itself, together with its most wicked founder; He sundered the bars of hell, and led strong believers to the kingdom of heaven."

Pope St John Paul II  also points to the two levels of interpretation possible here:

The "sanctuary" is the first place where the musical and the prayerful theme unfolds (cf. v. 1). The original Hebrew speaks of the pure, transcendent "sacred" area in which God dwells. It is then a reference to the horizon of heaven and paradise where, as the Book of the Apocalypse will explain, the eternal, perfect liturgy of the Lamb is celebrated (cf. for example, Apoc 5,6-14). The mystery of God, in which the saints are welcomed for full communion, is a place of light and joy, of revelation and love. We can understand why the Septuagint translation and the Latin Vulgate use the word "saints" instead of "sanctuary":  "Praise the Lord in his saints!" General Audience, Wednesday 9 January 2002

2	V	Laudáte eum in virtútibus ejus: *laudáte eum secúndum multitúdinem magnitúdinis ejus.
	NV	Laudate eum in magnalibus eius, laudate eum secundum multitudinem magnitudinis eius.
	JH	Laudate eum in fortitudinibus eius : laudate eum iuxta multitudinem magnificentiae suae.
		αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐπὶ ταῖς δυναστείαις αὐτοῦ αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ

In virtútibus ejus=his acts of power, because of his mighty deeds; secúndum multitúdinem magnitúdinis ejus=by reason of the multitude of his power, for the greatness of his power

magnitudo, mis, greatness, power, majesty.

multitudo inis f  a large number, multitude; abundance, greatness; great, mighty.

DR	Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to the multitude of his greatness.
Brenton	Praise him on account of his mighty acts: praise him according to his abundant greatness.
MD	Praise Him for His deeds of valor, praise him for the greatness of His might
Cover	Praise him in his noble acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness.

The point here is that God is not far away from us, even when in his highest heaven, as St Augustine explains:

Why should not they also be called the works of God's strength, which He has done in them: yea rather, they themselves are the works of His strength; just as it is said, We are the righteousness of God in Him. For what more powerful than that He should reign for ever, with all His enemies put under His feet? Why should not they also be the multitude of His greatness? Not that whereby He is great, but whereby He has made them great, many as they are, that is, thousands of thousands. Just as righteousness too is understood in two ways, that whereby He is righteous, and that which He works in us, so as to make us His righteousness. 

Pope St John Paul II sees the verse as making the link between God's acts in history to the liturgy which helps us ascend to heaven:

Yet he is close to us:  he is present in the "holy place" of Zion and acts in history through his "mighty deeds" that reveal and enable one to experience "his surpassing greatness" (cf. vv. 1-2). Thus between heaven and earth a channel of communication is established in which the action of the Lord meets the hymn of praise of the faithful. The liturgy unites the two holy places, the earthly temple and the infinite heavens, God and man, time and eternity. During the prayer, we accomplish an ascent towards the divine light and together experience a descent of God who adapts himself to our limitations in order to hear and speak to us, meet us and save us. 

Psalm 150: Laudate Dominum

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluja.	Alleluia
Laudáte Dóminum in sanctis ejus: * laudáte eum in firmaménto virtútis ejus.	Praise the Lord in his holy places: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2  Laudáte eum in virtútibus ejus: * laudáte eum secúndum multitúdinem magnitúdinis ejus.	2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to the multitude of his greatness.
3  Laudáte eum in sono tubæ: * laudáte eum in psaltério, et cíthara.	3 Praise him with the sound of trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp.
4  Laudáte eum in tympano, et choro: * laudáte eum in chordis, et órgano	4 Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs.
5  Laudáte eum in cymbalis benesonántibus: laudáte eum in cymbalis jubilatiónis: * omnis spíritus laudet Dóminum.	5 Praise him on high sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy: 6 Let every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia

And you can find the next set of notes on this psalm here.

Psalm 149: verses 1-3

The first verse of Psalm 149 picks up where the last verse of Psalm 148 ends, with the praise of the faithful, or the 'saints'.

1	V/NV	Cantáte Dómino cánticum novum: * laus ejus in ecclésia sanctórum.
	JH	Cantate Domino canticum nouum; laus eius in congregatione sanctorum.
		ᾄσατε τῷ κυρίῳ ᾆσμα καινόν ἡ αἴνεσις αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ὁσίων

Cantate (sing) Domino (to the Lord) canticum (song) novum (new) laus (praise) ejus (his) in ecclésia (in the assembly/church/congregation) sanctórum (of the saints).

canto, avi, atum, are to sing, to praise in song

canticum, i, n. a song, canticle.

novus, a, um,  new.

laus, laudis,f, praise.

ecclesia, ae,  an assembly, congregation,Church  esp. a gathering of the people for religious worship

sanctus, a, um, adj., holy, a holy or pious person ,saints, faithful

DR	Sing to the Lord a new canticle: let his praise be in the church of the saints.
Brenton	Sing to the Lord a new song: his praise is in the assembly of the saints.
MD	Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of the just
Knox	Sing the Lord a new song; here, where the faithful gather, let his praise be heard.
Cover	O sing unto the lord a new song; let the congregation of saints praise him
Grail	Sing a new song to the Lord, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.

The phrase 'sing a new song' is invariably interpreted, whenever it occurs in the psalms, by the Fathers in the light of Revelation 14:2-3, to mean the new creation of the world through Christ's death and Resurrection.  Cassiodorus, for example, comments:

"The new canticle is the secret of the holy incarnation, the wondrous nativity, the saving teaching, the suffering which is the mistress of endurance, the resur­rection which is the most certain proof of our hope, the seat at the right hand of the Father which denotes strength and unique power."

Chrysostom makes the contrast between the Old and the New:

The old man has an old song, the new man a new song. The Old Testament is an old song, the New Testament a new song. In the Old Testament are temporal and earthly promises. Whoso loves earthly things sings an old song: let him that desires to sing a new song, love the things of eternity. Love itself is new and eternal; therefore is it ever new, because it never grows old...

But whereas the previous psalm invites the whole universe to join in with God's praises, this one restricts the call to those within the Church, as Cassiodorus explains:

Let his praise be in the church of the saints. You can say that this denotes the Catholic Church, which is indeed the Church of saints, or the heavenly Jerusalem which is also undoubtedly the abode of the saints; for church (ecclesia) means assembly, and there is no doubt that this can refer to one or the other.

Haydock's commentary makes an unfashionable point about 'acceptable worship': 

Though all creatures are bound to praise the Lord, he accepts only praises of those who live in the Church. (Worthington)

  

2	V	Lætétur Israël in eo, qui fecit eum: * et fílii Sion exsúltent in rege suo.
	JH	Laetetur Israhel in factore suo : filii Sion exultent in rege suo.
		εὐφρανθήτω Ισραηλ ἐπὶ τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτόν καὶ υἱοὶ Σιων ἀγαλλιάσθωσαν ἐπὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ αὐτῶν

laetor, atus sum, ari, to rejoice, be joyful, take delight in

filius, ii, m. a son, child

rex, regis, m.  a king, ruler, lawgiver

exsulto, avi, atum, are to spring, leap, or jump up; to exult, to rejoice exceedingly

DR	Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: and let the children of Sion be joyful in their king.
Brenton	Let Israel rejoice in him that made him; and let the children of Sion exult in their king.
Cover	Let Israel rejoice in him that made him, and let the children of Sion be joyful in their King.
Grail	Let Israel rejoice in its Maker, let Zion's sons exult in their king.

The reason for rejoicing here is not just that God created us, but also that he chose us to be members of his Church, as Chrysostom explains:

...Give thanks to God because he brought you into being when you did not exist, and breathed life into you. This, too, is no little part of beneficence, after all. Here, however, he shows something more important: he not simply men­tions creation but highlights relationship by expressing himself this way, and he bids them give thanks not because God made them but because he also made them his own people. 

The reference to being 'children of Sion' is important here, as St Augustine points out:

The sons of the Church are Israel. For Sion indeed was one city, which fell: amid its ruins certain saints dwelt after the flesh: but the true Sion, the true Jerusalem (for Sion and Jerusalem are one), is eternal in the heavens, 2 Corinthians 5:1 and is our mother. Galatians 4:26 She it is that has given us birth, she is the Church of the saints, she has nourished us, she, who is in part a pilgrim, in part abiding in the heavens. 

3	V	Laudent nomen ejus in choro: * in tympano, et psaltério psallant ei.
	NV	Laudent nomen eius in choro, in tympano et cithara psallant ei,
	JH	Laudent nomen eius in choro : in tympano et cithara cantent ei.
		αἰνεσάτωσαν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐν χορῷ ἐν τυμπάνῳ καὶ ψαλτηρίῳ ψαλάτωσαν αὐτῷ

laudo, avi, atum, are   to praise, glorify

nomen, mis, n. name; God himself; the perfections of God, His glory, majesty, wisdom, power, goodness,

chorus, i, m.   a choral dance; a dancing and singing troop or band, a chorus, a choir.

tympanum, i, n. timbrel, tabret, small hand drum or tambourine.

psalterium, ii, n. a stringed instrument, a psaltery, harp, zither.

psallo, ere 3 to sing to the accompaniment of a stringed instrument,; to sing the praises of God.

DR	Let them praise his name in choir: let them sing to him with the timbrel and the psaltery.
Brenton	Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sings praises to him with timbrel and psaltery.
MD	Let them praise His Name with a dance, with timbrel and harp let them play before him
RSV	Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with timbrel and lyre!
Knox	let there be dancing in honour of his name, music of tambour and of harp, to praise him.
Cover	Let them praise his Name in the dance; let them sing praises unto him with tabret and harp.
Grail	Let them praise his name with dancing and make music with timbrel and harp.

Is this verse a justification for the use of  'liturgical dancing' (also mentioned in Ex 15:20; Judith 11:34; Jer 31:4; &Ps 117:27).  St John Chrysostom doesn't seem to think so, seeing the use of the dancing and instruments mentioned as a concession particular to the Old Testament:

Some com­mentators also take the mention of these instruments in a spiritual sense and say that the drum implies the mortification of our flesh, while the harp has reference to heaven, this instrument being played on high, not here below, like the lyre. I would say this, on the other hand, that in ancient times they were led by these instru­ments owing to the dullness of their thinking and their recent con­version from idols. So, just as he permitted them sacrifices, in like manner he also let them have these things, out of consideration for their limitations. Accordingly, here he requires singing with pleasure: this is the meaning of Let them praise his name in choir, in harmony, with a pure life.

St Augustine on the other hand, does interpret the choir, instruments and dancing spiritually:

...A chorus is the union of singers. If we sing in chorus, let us sing in concord. If any one's voice is out of harmony in a chorus of singers, it offends the ear, and throwes the chorus into confusion. If the voice of one echoing discordantly troubles the harmony of them who sing, how does the discord of heresy throw into confusion the harmony of them who praise...When timbrel and psaltery are taken, the hands harmonize with the voice. So too do thou, whenever you sing, Halleluia, deal forth your bread to the hungry, clothe the naked, take in the stranger: then does not only your voice sound, but your hand sounds in harmony with it, for your deeds agree with your words...On the timbrel leather is stretched, on the psaltery gut is stretched; on either instrument the flesh is crucified. How well did he sing a psalm on timbrel and psaltery, who said, the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world? Galatians 6:14
This psaltery or timbrel He wishes you to take up, who loves a new song, who teaches you, saying to you, Whosoever wills to be My disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluja.
Cantáte Dómino cánticum novum: * laus ejus in ecclésia sanctórum.	Sing to the Lord a new canticle: let his praise be in the church of the saints.
2  Lætétur Israël in eo, qui fecit eum: * et fílii Sion exsúltent in rege suo.	2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: and let the children of Sion be joyful in their king.
3  Laudent nomen ejus in choro: * in tympano, et psaltério psallant ei.	3 Let them praise his name in choir: let them sing to him with the timbrel and the psaltery.
4  Quia beneplácitum est Dómino in pópulo suo: * et exaltábit mansuétos in salútem.	4 For the Lord is well pleased with his people: and he will exalt the meek unto salvation.
5  Exsultábunt sancti in glória: * lætabúntur in cubílibus suis.	5 The saints shall rejoice in glory: they shall be joyful in their beds.
6  Exaltatiónes Dei in gútture eórum: * et gládii ancípites in mánibus eórum.	6 The high praises of God shall be in their mouth: and two-edged swords in their hands:
7  Ad faciéndam vindíctam in natiónibus: * increpatiónes in pópulis	7 To execute vengeance upon the nations, chastisements among the people:
8  Ad alligándos reges eórum in compédibus: * et nóbiles eórum in mánicis férreis.	To bind their kings with fetters, and their nobles with manacles of iron.
9  Ut fáciant in eis judícium conscríptum: * glória hæc est ómnibus sanctis ejus.	9 To execute upon them the judgment that is written: this glory is to all his saints. Alleluia.

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