Psalm 6/4: In death no man remembers thee (Verses 3-5)

Verse 5 of Psalm 6 is presumably the verse that particularly justifies its inclusion in the Office of the Dead, for it is a plea to God to allow the psalmist to praise God forever in heaven, rather being excluded from him in hell.  But the verses leading up to it are about the prerequisites for salvation, so are important to the inclusion of the psalm both in the Office of the Dead and amongst the penitential psalms, as well as the Monday Benedictine Office of conversion in the light of the Incarnation.

3	V/NV/JH	Et ánima mea turbáta est valde : * sed tu, Dómine, úsquequo?
		καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐταράχθη σφόδρα καὶ σύ κύριε ἕως πότε

anima, ae, (1) Equivalent to a personal pronoun:   (2) Untranslated:. (3) Life, soul, and heart

turbo, avi, atum, are, to trouble, disturb, dismay, throw into disorder or confusion

valde, adv. (contr. from valide, strongly, vehemently), very, very much, exceedingly

usquequo, adv., how long, until when

  

DR	And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but you, O Lord, how long?
Brenton	My soul also is grievously vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long?
MD	My soul is utterly dismayed, but Thou O Lord how long?
Cover	My soul also is sore troubled; but, Lord, how long wilt thou punish me?
Knox	my spirits are altogether broken; Lord, wilt thou never be content?

Verse 2 of the psalm speaks of physical illness.  But the Fathers make the point that the spiritual malaise spoken of here is much more important.  This verse is surely a key source for St Augustine's famous statement that our hearts are restless until they rest in God.

4	V/NV	Convértere, Dómine, et éripe ánimam meam : * salvum me fac propter misericórdiam tuam.
	JH	Reuertere, Domine, erue animam meam: salua me propter misericordiam tuam.
		ἐπίστρεψον κύριε ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου σῶσόν με ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἐλέους σου

Note: Convertere is a present imperative passive

converto, verti, versum, ere 3,  to turn, change, alter, bring back; to quicken, refresh ; to bring back; to restore, i.e., to re-establish, set up again in strength;  to convert, turn from sin;  to change, turn. 

eripio, ripui, reptum, ere 3  to rescue, deliver.

anima, ae, Equivalent to a personal pronoun;  Life, soul, and heart L – heb my life

facio, feci, factum, ere 3, to make, do, cause, bring to pass; salvum facere, to save;

salvus, a, um, safe, saved;  salvum facere, to save, keep safe, preserve from harm

propter, on account of, by reason of, because of, from, for, for the sake of. therefore, on that account.

misericordia, ae, /, mercy, kindness, favor, compassion, loving-kindness.

DR	Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for your mercy's sake.
Brenton	Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: save me for thy mercy’s sake.
MD	Once more, O Lord, preserve my life save me for Thy mercy’s sake.
Cover	Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul; O save me for thy mercy’s sake.
Knox	Lord, turn back, and grant a wretched soul relief; as thou art ever merciful, save me.

St Augustine makes the point that although from our perspective it seems as if God turn

s towards or away from us, in reality the movement comes from our own actions, for God is always and everywhere:

"Since it was not His absence who is everywhere present, but our turning away that made us lose Him…But while we are turning ourselves, that is, by changing our old life are fashioning our spirit; we feel it hard and toilsome to be wrested back from the darkness of earthly lusts, to the serene and quiet and tranquility of the divine light." 

 

5	V/ NV	Quóniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui: * in inférno autem quis confitébitur tibi?
	JH	Quoniam non est in morte recordatio tui : in inferno quis confitebitur tibi ?
		ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ ὁ μνημονεύων σου ἐν δὲ τῷ ᾅδῃ τίς ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι

 

quoniam,  for, because, since,seeing that, whereas.

mors, mortis,  death.

memor, oris (memini),  mindful of, thoughtful of;  to remember, call to mind, think of, take thought for, recall, recount, etc;  to think of.;  i.e., worships Thee, praises Thee.

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

confiteor, fessus sum, eri 2 (1) to praise, give thanks (2) to confess, acknowledge one's guilt.

DR	For there is no one in death, that is mindful of you: and who shall confess to you in hell?
Brenton	For in death no man remembers thee: and who will give thee thanks in Hades?
Cover	For in death no man remembereth thee; and who will give thee thanks in the pit?
Knox	When death comes, there is no more remembering thee; none can praise thee in the tomb.

Some commentaries and translations of this verse perhaps confuse things by getting caught up over whether the psalmist is speaking here of eternal hell, or only of Sheol, that temporary hell that awaited Christ's coming.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church helpfully clarifies the issue:

"Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, "hell" - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek - because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God. Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the Redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into "Abraham's bosom" "It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell." Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him."  (CCC 633)

Psalm 6 (Prime Monday): Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Magistro chori. Fidibus. Super octavam. PSALMUS. David.	Unto the end, in verses, a psalm for David, for the octave.
Dómine, ne in furóre tuo árguas me, * neque in ira tua corrípias me.	O Lord, rebuke me not in your indignation, nor chastise me in your wrath.
2  Miserére mei, Dómine, quóniam infírmus sum : * sana me, Dómine, quóniam conturbáta sunt ossa mea.	Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3  Et ánima mea turbáta est valde : * sed tu, Dómine, úsquequo?	And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but you, O Lord, how long?
4  Convértere, Dómine, et éripe ánimam meam : * salvum me fac propter misericórdiam tuam.	Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for your mercy's sake.
5.  Quóniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui : * in inférno autem quis confitébitur tibi?	For there is no one in death that is mindful of you: and who shall confess to you in hell?
6  Laborávi in gémitu meo, lavábo per síngulas noctes lectum meum : * lácrimis meis stratum meum rigábo.	I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears
7  Turbátus est a furóre óculus meus : * inveterávi inter omnes inimícos meos.	My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies.
8  Discédite a me, omnes, qui operámini iniquitátem : *  quóniam exaudívit Dóminus vocem fletus mei.	Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity: for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
9  Exaudívit Dóminus deprecatiónem meam, *  Dóminus oratiónem meam suscépit.	The Lord has heard my supplication: the Lord has received my prayer.
10  Erubéscant, et conturbéntur veheménter omnes inimíci mei : * convertántur et erubéscant valde velóciter.	Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.

The next set of notes on this psalm can be found here.