Introduction to Psalm 114: I have loved

Rheims c12th

I want to continue my series on the psalms of Monday Vespers in the Benedictine Office, so today a few notes on Psalm 114.

Psalm 114 has long had two levels of meaning, referring both to our life here and now, but also to our future in heaven.  I've previously posted verse by verse notes on this psalm in the context of the Office of the Dead, which you can find here.

Here I want to provide a few overview notes to place Psalm 114 in the context of Monday Vespers.

Scriptural and liturgical context

The table below summarises the Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm.

NT references	Acts 2:24 (v3); Rev 21:4(v8)
RB cursus	Monday Vespers+AN (3319)
Monastic feasts etc	Office of Dead+AN 4293/All souls Vespers
Roman pre 1911	Monday Vespers
Responsories	-
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Monday Vespers . 1970: Lauds Saturday Wk 1
Mass propers (EF)	-

In the more ancient Septuagint (and thus Vulgate) tradition, this is a separate psalm.  It is worth noting though, that in the Masoretic Text (and hence Protestant tradition) it is joined to Psalm 115.  There is no explicit historical context  given to it, although St Alphonsus Liguori suggested that it was a thanksgiving psalm following David’s deliverance from persecution by his son Absalom.

In the context of the Office of the Dead the psalm can be read as a deathbed prayer of a soul on the point of victory, asking for God to take it up into heaven, the land of the living. 

It is worth noting that in Jewish liturgy, Psalm 114 is one of the Hallel psalms, the psalms of thanksgiving sung after the Passover meal, and recited on other major feasts. 

Christological interpretation

As with all the psalms, though, this one also has a specific Christological interpretation.  I've previously suggested that Monday in the Benedictine Office can be interpreted as an extended meditation on the life of Christ from the Incarnation to his baptism and temptation in the desert, and of course, on how we can imitate his life in our own.

In this light, Psalm 114 opening references to prayer, the mention of the perils of hell surrounding the speaker, and reference to God rescuing 'his feet from falling' can, I think, all be read as allusions to the events in Christ's life that take place immediately after  his baptism, namely the forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert, and his temptation by Satan.

Psalm 113 - and as we shall soon see, the next psalm of the day, Psalm 115 - both focus on belief.  Psalm 114 though, interjects the other key thread to our salvation with its opening line, namely love.

Prayer and temptation in the desert

The psalm starts from the importance of love.  God is love and hence only he can truly say 'I have loved' (v1), and in this psalm foreshadow all he has suffered for us out of love.  Yet through grace, we too can purify our love of selfishness: we can love God, love ourselves and love others with the pure and perfect love made possible for us by Christ.

Out of love flows prayer, for those forty days in the desert should speak to us of the absolute priority of prayer (v2): as the psalm reminds us, out of love God hears and cares for us.

Purification through that extreme fasting and more particularly in that temptations that follow comes the danger of death, both physical and spiritual (v3-4).  And it is surely fitting that the week be framed with a reminder of inevitability of the death of the body at least, for in the Incarnation Christ chose this fate as well, in solidarity with us.

Yet Christ models for us the trust we must have in God, who will always deliver us from temptation if we but ask humbly (vv5-6).

The final verses of Psalm 114 can be interpreted as a thanksgiving for the rejection of Satan, something we must all face up to, and a prophecy of the fruitfulness of the three year mission on which Christ is about to embark. But it can also be read as a more general thanksgiving prayer for the many times God has rescued us from those who assault us, and has aided us in keeping us on the path of righteousness, so that we too can continue to please him.    

Psalm 114

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia	Alleluja
1 Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus * vocem oratiónis meæ.	1 I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.
2  Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: * et in diébus meis invocábo.	2 Because he has inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.
3  Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: * et perícula inférni invenérunt me.	3 The sorrows of death have compassed me: and the perils of hell have found me.
4  Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: * et nomen Dómini invocávi.	I met with trouble and sorrow: 4 And I called upon the name of the Lord.
5 O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: * miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.	O Lord, deliver my soul. 5 The Lord is merciful and just, and our God shows mercy.
6  Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: * humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.	6 The Lord is the keeper of little ones: I was humbled, and he delivered me.
7  Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: * quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.	7 Turn, O my soul, into your rest: for the Lord has been bountiful to you.
8  Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: * óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.	8 For he has delivered my soul from death: my eyes from tears, my feet from falling.
9  Placébo Dómino * in regióne vivórum.	9 I will please the Lord in the land of the living.

As noted above, you can find an overview of this psalm, together with verse by verse notes, in the context of the Office of the Dead here.  And you can find notes on the next psalm of Monday Vespers, Psalm 115, here.

Psalm 114: Latin Learning Hints Part B

Once again a post designed to aid those using this psalm series to learn or brush up their Latin - others can skip quickly past!

Grammar - the subjunctive mood

If you’ve been following the Simplicissimus introduction to Latin course (to download the materials see the link in the side bar on Latin resources) on a one unit a week basis since I started this psalm series (or have done some fast catching up), you should be up to Unit 6, which introduces the subjunctive mood.

There aren’t actually any examples of the present subjunctive in Psalm 114, but in the last post I gave the alternative formulation of the concluding verse from Psalm 55, which does use the subjunctive:

ut pláceam (second conjugation) coram Deo in lúmine vivéntium, or ‘so that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living’.

You might also recall the last verse of another psalm we have looked at in this series, Psalm 22:

Et ut inhábitem (first conjugation) in domo Dómini, in longitúdinem diérum = And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.

Vocabulary – the body

Psalm 114, like many of the psalms, makes reference to a number of body parts, so it might be helpful to bring together a number of the key words used in the psalms to refer (anthropomorphically) to God, to enemies, or to the speaker:

corpus –oris n body (doesn't actually occur in the pslams, but used in the Mass and NT in many places)
caro, carnis, f flesh; man, mankind; the body; every living being

caput, itis, n. the head,

Ps 3: et exáltans caput meum = and the lifter up of my head.
Ps 22: Impinguásti in óleo caput meum – You have anointed my head with oil

facies, ei, f. face, countenance, appearance; presence.
vultus, us, m., the face, countenance;

erubesco, riibui, ere 3, to redden or blush with shame, to feel ashamed

tempus, oris, n. the temples of the head

oculus, i, m the eye.
lacryma, ae, f, a tear

Ps 114: óculos meos a lácrimis – my eyes from tears

palpebra, ae, f. the eyelid..
(video, videre - to see)
auris, is, f the ear.

guttur, is, n., the throat
vox, vocis, f., the voice of a person, or, the sound of an instrument, thunder.
(audio, audire, to hear)

Ps 3: Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi – I have cried to the Lord with my voice
Ps 114: vocem oratiónis meæ = the voice of my prayer

labium, ii, n., a lip.

lingua, ae, f., the tongue;

dens, dentis, m. a tooth

Ps 3: dentes peccatórum contrivísti = You have broken the teeth of sinners

maxilla, ae, f. the jawbone, the jaw.

barba, ae, f, the beard

cor, cordis, n., the heart, regarded as the seat of the faculties, feelings, emotions, passions; the mind, the soul.

dexter, tera, terum; the right hand.

manus, us, f., hand

pes, pedis, m. the foot

Ps 114: pedes meos a lapsu = my feet from falling

lumbus, i, m.t the loin; pi. the loins, the reins

Vocabulary listing for Psalm 114

And here is the full vocabulary list for Psalm 114 in alphabetical order, based mainly on Britt’s Dictionary of the Psalter:

a, ab, from, by
anima ae f soul
auris, is, f. the ear.
benefacio, feci, factum, ere 3, to do well; to do good to, to deal kindly with, to deal bountifully
circumdo, dedi, datum, are, to surround, beset, encompass with a hostile intent; to gather round
converto, verti, versum, ere 3, to turn, change, alter; refresh; bring back; convert, turn from sin;
custodio, ivi or ii, itum, ire to guard, watch, keep;to maintain, to hold steadfastly.
de about, concerning, down from
deprecatio, ois, f prayer, supplication, entreaty
dies, ei, m. and fem. a day, the natural day
diligo, lexi, lectum, ere 3 to love;to flatter, make pretence of loving.
dolor, oris, m. , pain whether of body or of mind, grief, sorrow, affliction.
dominus i m, lord
ego, mei, I, me
eripio, ripui, reptum, ere 3 to snatch away, to rescue, deliver
et, and
exaudio, ivi, Itum, ire, to hear, hearken to, listen to, give heed to; to regard, answer.
humilio, avi, atum, are to humble, bring low.
in+ablative, in, on
inclino, avi, atum, are, to bend, incline
infernus, i, m. Sheol; the nether world, the underworld, the grave, the kingdom of the dead,
invenio, veni, ventum, ire, to find
invoco, avi, atum, are, to invoke, call upon (God); to put trust in
justus, a, um Of God: just; Of men: as a subst., a just man, the just.
lacryma, ae, f, a tear.
lapsus, us, m. slipping, a fall; a moral fall.
libero, avi, atum, are to free, set free, deliver
meus, a, um my, mine
misereor, sertus sum, eri 2 to pity, have mercy on.
misericors, cordis merciful, abounding in mercy.
mors, mortis, f., death
nomen, nominis, n name
noster, nostra, nostrum, our, ours
oculus, i, the eye..
oratio, onis, f. prayer, supplication
parvulus, a, um , small, little; children, little ones, the simple, the guileless,
periculum, i, n., peril, danger.
pes, pedis, m. the foot
placeo, ui, itum, ere 2, to please, be well pleasing to
quia, conj. for, because, that. truly, surely, indeed;
quoniam, conj., for, because, since, seeing that, whereas.
regio, onis, f, land, country.
requies, ei, f., rest; a resting-place.
tribulatio, onis, f. , trouble, distress, anguish, affliction, tribulation
tu, tui, you
vivus, a, um alive, living.
vox, vocis, f., the voice of a person, or, the sound of an instrument, thunder

Psalm 114/9: The land of the living

Today I want to conclude this verse by verse look at Psalm 114 verse with a quick look at the last two verses:

Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
For he has delivered my soul from death: my eyes from tears, my feet from falling.

Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.
I will please the Lord in the land of the living.

In fact these two verses are almost identical in sentiment to Psalm 55:13, which says:

Quóniam eripuísti ánimam meam de morte, et pedes meos de lapsu: ut pláceam coram Deo in lúmine vivéntium
Because you have delivered my soul from death, my feet from falling: that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.

Looking at the Latin

Quia erípuit =for he has freed/rescued

In Psalm 114 the verb is in the third person; in Psalm 55, the second - Quóniam eripuísti = For you have freed

ánimam meam de morte = my soul from death

óculos meos a lácrimis = my eyes from tears [omitted in Ps 55]

One can perhaps see an allusion to this phrase in Revelation 21:4, where the description of heaven includes “ he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."

pedes meos a lapsu = my feet from falling

Psalm 55 changes the preposition to de, but not meaning

Placébo Dómino = I will be pleasing to the Lord

The Masoretic Hebrew Text , followed by the neo-Vulgate here has ‘I will walk in the presence of the Lord’ – but the two expressions are equivalent. The idea of walking in God’s ways is used fairly frequently this way (see Psalm 1 for example). In Psalm 55, a third structure is used, a purpose clause (ut +subjunctive), to suggest that God freed him in order that he can please him: ut pláceam coram Deo, or ‘that I may please in the sight/presence of God’

in regióne vivórum=in the land of the living

The land of the living stands in contrast to Sheol/hell, the kingdom of the dead. In this context it can mean either earth or heaven. Psalm 55 changes this to ‘in the light of the living’.

Key words:

eripio, ripui, reptum, ere 3 to snatch away, to rescue, deliver
mors, mortis, f, death
oculus, i, the eye..
lacryma, ae, f, a tear.
pes, pedis, m. the foot
lapsus, us, m. slipping, a fall; a moral fall.
placeo, ui, itum, ere 2, to please, be well pleasing to
regio, onis, f, land, country.
vivus, a, um alive, living.

Death of the body and death of the soul

St Robert Bellarmine’s commentary on Psalm 55 provides a nice summation of the multiple levels of meaning of these verses: ‘you have delivered my soul from death’, he explains, refers firstly to God saving the psalmist from the death of the body in this world on many occasions; ‘my feet from falling’, he sees as preserving him from falling into sin in the face of temptations, that is from death of the soul.

He concludes:

"That I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living;" in the light of this life, which those who are dead enjoy not; and in the light of grace, which infidels and sinners have not; that I may, at length, come to the light of eternal glory enjoyed by those who alone, and properly speaking, can be classed among the living. These words are applicable to Christ, who, by his Resurrection, was delivered from the death of the body, without any possibility of his ever again being subject to it, or to any suffering, and lives and reigns on the right hand of the Father, "in the light of the living." Amen.

In this light, we can understand St John Chrysostom’s explanation that the verse means that death is something to be welcomed if we are in a state of grace, not feared:

“…What to others seems deserving of tears merits prayer in his view, and what to others is deserving of joy and satisfaction merits groaning in his view. Is it not deserving of groaning to be in a foreign country and dispatched far from our homeland? Is it not deserving of joy to put in at a tranquil haven and be admitted to the city on high whence pain, distress and groaning have fled? And how does this affect me, a sinner, you say? Do you see that it is not death that is the cause of grief, but a bad conscience? So stop being a sinner, and death will be something desirable for you.”

Psalm 114

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.

2 Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
3 Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis:  et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
4 Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
5O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam:  miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
6 Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
7 Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
8 Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
9 Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

Psalm 114/8 - Accept your eternal reward

Today’s verse of Psalm 114 points to the end of the struggle to live this earthly life, and tells the dying soul that it is now alright to look for deliverance and relief in heaven. It is:

Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Turn, O my soul, into your rest: for the Lord has been bountiful to you.

St John Chrysostom tells us that:

“The literal meaning has to do with an awesome liberation, some kind of relief and deliverance. If you were to take it in an anagogical sense, however, you would be able to speak of departure from this life as redemption, and call it rest. It is, in fact, release from all unexpected troubles, and he is subject no longer to uncertainty, a victim of insecurity, having now taken his departure with solid hope.”

Looking at the Latin

Convértere = turn/return/turn again (imperative)

converto, verti, versum, ere 3, to turn, change, alter, bring back; quicken, refresh; bring back; convert, turn from sin;

ánima mea = my soul

in réquiem tuam = to your rest

requies, ei, f., rest; a resting-place.

Turning the soul to its rest can be taken as meaning either literally, acceptance that the end of this life has come, or more generally turning away from the death of the soul that comes from sin. Cassiodorus, for example, suggests that

“The soul which is alienated from the Lord should sing this in company with the prophet; the sheep which had wandered and had merited a return to the pens, borne on the shoulders of the Protector, should also sing it. So should the son who was dead and has come to life again, who had been lost and was found. So should the devoted people who have been redeemed by His precious blood, and have through the Lord's generosity gained the attainment of the rest for which they longed. So the prophet urges his soul to turn to the Lord, from whom come to him both peaceful rest and the removal of sins.”

quia Dóminus benefécit tibi = for the Lord has dealt kindly with/dealt bountifully with/rewarded with you

benefacio, feci, factum, ere 3, to do well; to do good to, to deal kindly with, to deal bountifully

The reward spoken of can take two forms: God’s delivering him from heath through healing of his illnesses; or the reward of heaven.

I have fought the good fight…

St Basil comments:

“The brave contestant applies to himself the consoling words, very much like to Paul, when he says: 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice. These things the prophet also says to himself: Since you have fulfilled sufficiently the course of this life, turn henceforth into thy rest, 'for the Lord has been bountiful to thee.' For, eternal rest lies before those who have struggled through the present life observant of the laws, a rest not given in payment for a debt owed for their works, but provided as a grace of the munificent God for those who have hoped in Him. Then, before he describes the good things there, telling in detail the escape from the troubles of the world, he gives thanks for them to the Liberator of souls, who has delivered him from the varied and inexorable slavery of the passions.”

Psalm 114

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

And please do continue on to the final part of this mini-series.

Psalm 114/7 - Towards a truly adult faith!

Today’s verse of Psalm 114 (116) calls to mind the Gospel injunction that ‘unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Mt 18:3).  Here it is:

Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
The Lord is the keeper of little ones: I was humbled, and he delivered me.

Looking at the Latin

Custódiens párvulos Dóminus = the Lord keeping/protecting/guarding the little ones/children/the guileless/simple = the Lord is the keeper of little ones = The Lord protects/keeps little ones

Brenton’s translation from the Septuagint makes this “The Lord preserves the simple”; the Collegeville translation is “The Lord protecteth little ones”.

humiliátus sum = I was humbled/brought low

et liberávit me = and he has freed/delivered me

Note that the neo-Vulgate changes this last phrase to use ‘salvum facere’ – to save, or preserve from harm. I’m not entirely sure that I see what this adds but…

Key words:

custodio, ivi or li, itum, ire to guard, watch, keep; to maintain, to hold steadfastly.
parvulus, a, um , small, little. Of age: little, youthful, young. children, little ones, the simple, the guileless,
humilio, avi, atum, are to humble, bring low.
libero, avi, atum, are to free, set free, deliver

An adult faith and becoming like little children

All too often these days we hear of the need for Catholics to develop an “adult faith”, which seems to be code for a supposed right of dissent from the Church’s teachings. Yet in reality, a truly adult faith is the exact reverse of this: a truly adult faith is sufficiently robust to accept the ‘hard sayings’ of the faith with docility; it is one that is fed on the meat of orthodoxy, not the sour milk of modernist-liberalism.

And this verse stands as a reminder of the path to such an adult faith: we must be humble, so that we realize our total dependence on God, and shed the illusion that we can control our lives and our world. St John Chrysostom comments:

“…'It is good for me that you brought me low so that I might learn your right judgements’. The grounds for thanks here are twofold: he allowed him to fall into danger, and he did not abandon him once fallen. Each is in some fashion a kind of favor, and the former not less than the latter but even greater, strange to say: while one rescued him from danger, the other imbued his soul with sounder values.”

Similarly, St Augustine gives the image of the father correcting a son, and the surgeon:

“For how should not The Lord, who keeps little ones, scourge those whom, when of mature age, He seeks to be heirs; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? Hebrews 12:6-7 : I was in misery, and He helped me. He helped me, because I was in misery; for the pain which the physician causes by his knife is not penal, but salutary.”

Only once we have been through this process of purification through hardship can we accept the means God uses to free us from the delusions, false doctrines, and temptations that surround us. As St Basil the Great comments:

“When I was turned and became as a little child and received the kingdom of heaven as a child and through innocence brought myself down to the humility of children, the Lord, the keeper of little ones, since I was humbled, he delivered me.”

Psalm 114

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Because he has inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
The sorrows of death have compassed me: and the perils of hell have found me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
I met with trouble and sorrow: And I called upon the name of the Lord.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
O Lord, deliver my soul. The Lord is merciful and just, and our God shows mercy.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
The Lord is the keeper of little ones: I was humbled, and he delivered me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

You can find the next part in this series on Psalm 114 here.

Psalm 114/6: On God's mercy

Continuing our look at Psalm 114 (116), here is today’s verse:

O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
O Lord, deliver my soul. The Lord is merciful and just, and our God shows mercy.

Today’s verse, St Robert Bellarmine suggests, is a call to repentance:

To show what good hope he had in God, he assigns a reason for having had such hope, because "The Lord is merciful and just, and our God showeth mercy;" the Lord is merciful, because he goes before sinners, and inspires them with the idea of penance and prayer, "For he first loved us," as the apostle says. He is also just, for he lets no one go unchastised, as St. Paul says, "He scourgeth every son whom he receiveth," and he pardons those who do not pardon themselves, and not only forgives their sins, but makes them his heirs.

Phrase by phrase:

O Dómine = O Lord

líbera ánimam meam = free/deliver (imperative) my soul

miséricors Dóminus et justus =the Lord is merciful and just

et Deus noster miserétur = and our God has pity (note the deponent)

The Revised Standard Version translates the verse as "O LORD, I beseech thee, save my life!" Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.

Key vocab:

libero, avi, atum, are to free, set free, deliver
misericors, cordis merciful, abounding in mercy.
justus, a, um just
misereor, sertus sum, eri 2 to pity, have mercy on.

God’s mercy

The concept of God’s mercy dealt with by this verse is a rich one. St Basil the Great comments:

“Everywhere Scripture joins justice with the mercy of God, teaching us, that neither the mercy of God is without judgment nor His judgment without mercy. Even while He pities, He measures out His mercies judiciously to the worthy; and while judging, He brings forth the judgment, having regard to our weakness, repaying us with kindness rather than with equal reciprocal measurement…Mercy is an emotion experienced toward those who have been reduced beyond their desert, and which arises in those sympathetically disposed. We pity the man who has fallen from great riches into the uttermost poverty, him who has been overthrown from the peak of vigor of body to extreme weakness, him who gloried in the beauty and grace of body and who has been destroyed by most shameful passions. Though we at one time were held in glory, living in paradise, yet, we have become inglorious and humble because of our banishment; 'our God showeth mercy’ seeing what sort of men we have become from what we were. For this reason He summoned Adam with a voice of mercy, saying: 'Adam, where are you?' He who knows all things was not seeking to be informed, but He wished to perceive what sort he had become from what he had been. 'Where are you?' instead of 'to what sort of a ruin have you descended from so great a height?'

Psalm 114

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

You can find notes on the next verse here.

Psalm 114/5: When shipwrecked, call for help...

Joseph Vernet 1763

Continuing on with this study of Psalm 114 (116), the first psalm of Vespers in the Office of the Dead (and otherwise said at Monday Vespers), here is the complete psalm again with today’s verse highlighted:

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.

Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Because he has inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.

Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
The sorrows of death have compassed me: and the perils of hell have found me.

Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

Looking at the Latin

The Douay-Rheims translates ‘Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi’ as 'I met with trouble and sorrow: And I called upon the name of the Lord'.

Breaking down the Latin:

Tribulatiónem =anguish/trouble/distress (accusative)

et dolórem =and sorrow

invéni = I have found

et nomen Dómini = and the name of the Lord

invocávi = I have invoked

A slightly looser translation from the Revised Standard Version makes it ‘I suffered distress and anguish: then I called upon the name of the Lord’.

Here is the key vocab:

tribulatio, onis, /. , trouble, distress, anguish, affliction, tribulation
dolor, oris, m. , pain whether of body or of mind, grief, sorrow, affliction, sin
invenio, veni, ventum, ire, to find
invoco, avi, atum, are, to invoke, call upon (God); to put trust in
nomen, mis, n. name

In suffering and trouble we should flee to God

St John Chrysostom uses this verse to offer a brief sermon on why God allows us to be subject to distress at times in order to encourage us to look for him, and on the right dispositions needs to have our prayers heard:

“Now, what he means is this: For me it sufficed for freedom from the encircling evils to call on God. Why, then, does it often occur that we call and are not freed from problems? Because we do not call as we ought call. I mean, for proof that he is always ready to provide, listen to what he says in the Gospels: "Surely there is no one of you who, if their son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

Now, if you, wicked as you are, know how to give good gifts to those who ask you, much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those asking him." Do you see how great is his goodness, when our wickedness is brought to light in comparison with it? Since, then, our Lord is like that, let us have recourse to him and call upon him alone as our helper, and we shall find him ready to save.

After all, if those who fall victim to shipwreck and cling to a plank immediately call upon people at a distance and persuade them to treat them with humanity, though admittedly having nothing in common with them but simply apprised of their calamity, much more will the loving God, whose goodness is natural to him, rescue those in trouble if only they are prepared to have recourse to him and call upon him with a sincere intention, forsaking human hopes.

Accordingly, whenever you fall into some unexpected trouble, do not despair, but at once lift your spirits, and direct your journey to that storm-free haven, that unassailable tower, help from God. This was the reason, you see, that he allowed you to fall victim, that you might call upon him. But that is particularly the time for most people to become despondent and lose their customary reverence, when they should do the opposite: it is because he loves us deeply that he allows us to suffer distress, so that we may be united to him more diligently. For mothers, too, induce their recalcitrant children to fly to their arms by frightening them with various masks, not wanting to cause them pain, but devising these means of encouraging their approach. God, too, in like manner, always anxious to unite us with himself, like some ardent lover - or, rather, being more ardent than any lover - allows you to be brought to such states of need so as to be exercised constantly in prayer, constantly call on him and be concerned with his affairs by letting go of the others.” (St John Chrysostom Commentary on the Psalms Volume 2,  trans Robert Charles Hill, Holy Cross Orthodox Press, MA 1998, pp94).

You can find notes on the next verse here

Psalms verse by verse - Psalm 114/4 - The pains of death

Today at look at verse 3 of Psalm 114 (116), which tells us that the speaker is in peril of his life, suffering from the pain of dying.

Here are the verses we have looked at so far, plus today’s:

1. Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet Dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.

2. Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Because he has inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.

3. Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
The sorrows of death have compassed me: and the perils of hell have found me

The sentiments are very similar to those of Psalm 17:5-7, which says:

The sorrows of death surrounded me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.
The sorrows of hell encompassed me: and the snares of death prevented me
In my affliction I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my God

Phrase by phrase

First a look at the Latin:

circumdedérunt me = They have surround/compass me

dolóres mortis = the pains/sorrows of death

The neo-Vulgate changes this to 'the cords of death’ (funes mortis), giving the image of someone being pulled down to hell.

et perícula inférni = the perils/dangers of hell

Again the neo-Vulgate makes a change here, from pericula (dangers or perils) to angustia (want, scarcity or distress).

invenérunt me = they have found me/seized upon me/overtaken me

In other words, ‘The sorrows of death have surrounded me: and the dangers of hell have found me’. Perhaps the most vivid translation of this verse remains that of Coverdale:

“The snares of death compassed me round about, and the pains of hell got hold upon me.”

Here are the key words used in the verse:

circumdo, dedi, datum, are, to surround, beset, encompass with a hostile intent; to gather round
dolor, oris, m. , pain whether of body or of mind, grief, sorrow, affliction. Sin
mors, mortis, f., death
periculum, i, n., peril, danger.
infernus, i, m. hell, the nether world, the underworld, the grave, the kingdom of the dead,
invenio, veni, ventum, ire, to find

Death is not easy!

These days, many people feel that the best kind of death happens suddenly, quietly in our sleep. Indeed, we do our best to avoid pain of any kind, if necessary drugging someone to death to avoid the realities of death. This verse, though, does not shirk from seeing some nobility in suffering, as St Basil the Great points out:

“…the name of these pains to those which besiege the animal in the division of soul and body at death. He says that he has suffered nothing moderately, but that he has been tried even to the sorrows of death and has arrived at the peril of the descent into hell. Now, did he endure only these things for which he is exalted, or did he endure these things frequently and unwillingly? Nothing that is forced is praiseworthy. But, look at the nobility of nature of the athlete. When 'the sorrows of death compassed me, and the perils of hell found me’ I was so far from succumbing to these trials that I willingly proposed to myself even much greater trials than these.”

The dangers of death though, are not just physical but even more importantly, spiritual as St Robert Bellarmine argues:

“He now tells us on what his prayers turned; on the dangers and temptations in regard of his eternal salvation, the only subject worth the notice of a soul that truly loves God…When he says, then "The sorrows of death have compassed me," he means, I am tormented with such dreadful temptations that I am compelled to cry out with the apostle, "Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" He explains it more fully, when he adds, "The perils of hell have found me," for it is through fear of that peril the greatest of all perils, that those near death conceive the greatest fear and alarm. In the Hebrew the expression is, "The narrow ways of hell," giving us the idea of one walking on the edge of a precipice, in danger every moment of falling, and of being dashed to pieces, unless they tread with the greatest care and caution; and such is the way of salvation, difficult and narrow, so that they who walk without extreme caution run every risk of being precipitated into hell.”

Psalm 114

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

This mini-series on Psalm 114 continues here.

Psalm 114/3: God hears our prayers

Folio 66v, Belles Heures of Jean de France
Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org)

Today’s verse of Psalm 114 (116) features one of those delightful anthropomorphisms, with the psalmist giving us an image of God as an old man, bending towards us in order to hear what we are saying:

Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Because he has inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.

St Basil the Great points out that this is an image for our benefit, not to be taken too literally:

“He inclined, he said, not that you might take some corporeal notion about God having ears and inclining them to a gentle voice, as we do, putting our ear close to those who speak low, so that by the nearness we may perceive what is said, but he said, 'He inclined’ in order that he might point out to us his own weakness. Because through kindness He came down to me while I was lying on the ground, as if, when some sick man is not able to speak clearly because of his great weakness, a kind physician, bringing his ear close, should learn through the nearness what was necessary for the sick man. Therefore, 'He hath inclined his ear unto me’. The divine ear, indeed, does not need a voice for perception; it knows how to recognize in the movements of the heart what is sought.”

Phrase by phrase

Quia inclinávit =for he has inclined/bent

quia, conj. for, because, that. truly, surely, indeed;
inclino, avi, atum, are, to bend, incline

aurem suam mihi = his ear to me

auris, is, /. the ear.
suus a um his
me, me, myself

That is to say, ‘For he listened to/heard me’.

et in diébus meis =and in my days [= while I live, or as long as I live]

dies, ei, m. and /.; fem. a day, the natural day

invocábo = I will call [upon him]

invoco, avi, atum, are, to invoke, call upon (God);to put trust in

Keep praying…

The key message of this verse, St Basil argues, is that we must keep praying, every day of our lives:

“If we have prayed on one day, or if in one hour for a brief time we were saddened by our sins, we are carefree as if we had already made some compensation for our wickedness. However, the holy man says that he is disclosing his confession which is measured by the whole time of his life, for he says: 'In all my days I will call upon him.' Then, in order that you may not think that he called upon God because he was fortunate in this life and because all his affairs were successful, he describes in detail the magnitude and difficulty of the circumstances in which, when he was involved, he did not forget the name of God. “

It is St Augustine, though, who perhaps puts this instruction into the context of praying for the dead, reminding us that this life is only an intermediate stage, and we must keep our eyes fastened on the ultimate reality:

“…And what are your days, since you have said, In my days I have called upon Him? Are they those perchance, in which the fullness of time came, and God sent His Son, Galatians 4:4 who had already said, In an acceptable time have I heard you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you? Isaiah 49:8 ...I may rather call my days the days of my misery, the days of my mortality, the days according to Adam, full of toil and sweat, the days according to the ancient corruption….

Psalm 114

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Because he has inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum

Notes on the next verse of the the psalm can be found here.

Psalm 114/2 - I have loved

Jean Fouquet, 1452-60

Today, a look at the first verse of Psalm 114. The literal translation of this verse is very straightforward. Penetrating its true meaning, however, takes a little more work.

The verse is, in the Vulgate:

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet Dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.

The Douay-Rheims translates it as ‘I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer’.

So just who is it that the speaker has loved – does he mean God or someone or something else? And does the verse really mean to suggest that this love really dependent on God hearing - and favourably answering - his prayer?

Phrase by phrase

Diléxi = I have loved

Dilexi comes from the verb third conjugation verb, diligo, dilexi, dilectum, diligere 3 to love, to be pleased.

quóniam exáudiet Dóminus = because the Lord will hear

The key words here are:

quoniam, for, because, since, seeing that, whereas.
exaudio, ivi, itum, ire, to hear, hearken to, listen to, give heed to; to regard, answer.

The neo-Vulgate actually changes the tense of the verb here, to ‘you have heard’ (exaudit).

vocem oratiónis meæ = the voice of my prayer

vox, vocis, f., the voice of a person, or, the sound of an instrument, thunder
oratio, onis, f prayer, supplication

I have loved the Lord?

From the breakdown above it can be seen that the Douay-Rheims translates the Latin fairly literally, and in this case that reflects both the Greek and the Latin. The Coverdale translation for example (from the Hebrew) makes it: ‘I am well pleased that the Lord hath heard the voice of my prayer’, while Brenton’s translation from the Greek renders the verse: ‘I am well pleased, because the Lord will hearken to the voice of my supplication’.

A number of other translations, however, give the verse a rather different emphasis, for example :

I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications (RSV); and
I love the Lord because He hath heard the voice of my prayer (Collegeville, Monastic Diurnal).

In fact St Basil the Great’s sermon on the psalm suggests that in fact these are legitimate (if less than attentive to the actual text) interpretations.  He says:

“It is not in the power of everyone to say: 'I have loved,' but of him who is already perfect and beyond the fear of slavery, and who has been formed in the spirit of adoption as sons. He does not add to ‘have loved’ the word 'someone’ but we supply in thought 'the God of the universe’. For, that which is properly beloved is God, since they define 'beloved' as that at which all things aim. Now, God is a good, and the first and most perfect of good things. Therefore, I have loved God Himself who is the highest of objects to be desired, and I have received with joy sufferings for His sake.”

Similarly, St Robert Bellarmine comments that:

“His soul burning with desire for the Lord, absolutely says, "I have loved," and does not say whom, taking it for granted that all others are equally in love with one so deserving of love, and, therefore, that they know whom he means. In like manner, when Mary Magdalen, at the sepulchre, was asked, "Whom seekest thou?" she answered, "Sir, if thou hast taken him away, tell me," without saying for whom she was looking, or for whom she was weeping, supposing that everyone shared in her love as well as in her sorrow, and knew the object of both. And, in fact, when we all seek for happiness, which, without any sprinkling of evil, we can find in God alone, as St. John intimates, when he says, "God is light, and in him there is no darkness;" man should absolutely love God alone, and when they hear the expression, "I have loved," they ought to understand it as applying to the love of the supreme good alone.”

Because he heard my prayer?

The second part of the verse serves as a reminder of the basic dynamic of the Christian life: God’s love for us calls us to him, encouraging us to respond with our prayers; and in turn, he listens.

It is, first of all, a call for those who are far from God at the moment to return to him, as St Augustine argues:

“Let the soul that is sojourning in absence from the Lord sing thus, let that sheep which had strayed sing thus, let that son who had "died and returned to life," who had "been lost and was found;" let our soul sing thus, brethren, and most beloved sons. Let us be taught, and let us abide, and let us sing thus with the Saints: "I have loved: since the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer."

But it is the assurance that God is with us, is listening, and acting in our best interests (even if those interests might not be apparent to us at the moment) the Fathers argue, that can get us through the trials and tribulations of life. Cassiodorus, for example, comments:

“We know that the Lord's love comes to men under two heads. The first is when He is loved and praised even by the unfaithful for the benefits He has bestowed; as we read of the sinner in another psalm: He will praise thee when thou shall do well to him. The other is the most certain and perfect, when the mind of one devoted to Him is cast down by no adversity caused by the ills befalling him, but in his love of the Lord is ever fired in the course of his miseries by hope of what is to come. As Paul says: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? Or distress? Or persecution? Or famine? Or nakedness? and the rest. So the prophet later explains the attitude of showing love in the midst of afflictions and hardships, because the tribulations and pains bestowed on him the merit of calling on the Lord. So David joyfully exults not in the breadth of his kingdom, and not in worldly happiness, which he knew would fade; but he rejoices that his prayer uttered in hardship has been heard by the most merciful Lord, and he realised that this was of enduring benefit to him….”

Psalm 114

Here is the complete psalm, with today’s verse highlighted:

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino * in regióne vivórum.

Notes on the next verse continue here.

Psalm 114: Latin Study Hints Part A

Yesterday, I provided a short introduction to Psalm 114.  Today, before we start the verse by verse look at it, some notes on it to assist those wishing to learn or refresh their Latin.

First some revision...

Before we start looking at the psalm properly, pick out what you already know.

First, vocabulary.  Don't worry about what the whole thing means, just start by findingt those very frequent words that are important to know, and any others you can work out, and see how much of the psalm you already know. 

I've highlighted some key ones:

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem (vox, voice) oratiónis meæ.
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus (days) meis invocábo.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis (death): et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen (name) Dómini invocávi.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

Look out too, for a few of the less common words that you may remember from Psalms 3 and 22 such as circumdare, to surround:

Ps 3: Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me (I will not fear thousands of the people, surrounding me)
Ps 114: Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.

Secondly, grammar.  My suggestion is that you use each new psalm to revise the grammar paradigms you have already learnt. If you are following the Simplicisimus course (see the link to the course materials in the sidebar):

• Unit 1 covered nouns in the five declensions – work out which case all the occurrences of anima (first declension), Dominus (second declension), vocem (third declension) and dies (fifth declension) are in;
• Unit 2 looked at present tense verbs. There is one that looks like a present tense verb here (sum) but is actually part of another verb, humilio;
• Unit 3 looked at the present indicative passive – there are no examples of this in the psalm;
• Unit 4 looked at adjectives – three useful ones to look out for are justus, a, um, just; parvulus, a, um, small, little; and vivus, a, um alive, living.

New vocab to learn

And here are some more frequently used words that you might want to add to your learning list for this week:

quoniam, conj., for, because, since, seeing that, whereas.
quia, conj. for, because, that. truly, surely, indeed;
oratio, onis, f. prayer, supplication
auris, is, f. the ear.
mors, mortis, f., death
dolor, oris, m. pain, whether of body or of mind, grief, sorrow, affliction;sin

Look out too, for words with common roots to one's you already know - Psalms 3 and 22 both used the verb tribulare, to oppress, afflict or harass.  This week's psalm uses tribulatio, ionis, distress, affliction, or tribulation.

Grammar

Unit 5 of Simplicissimus covers adverbs and prepositions. Examples of the prepositions used in the psalm are highlighted below:

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

Say it out loud!

Finally, don't forget to work with one or more of the recordings until you can say each verse fluently yourself, and ideally, sing it.:

Introduction to Psalm 114 in the context of Vespers of the Office of the Dead

c15th Maitre de Rohan

I want to focus, over the next few weeks, on the traditional form of the Vespers of the Office of the Dead by way of an offering for the souls in purgatory, and in the hope that I can encourage others to say the Office of the Dead to that end.

Like all of the hours of this Office, Vespers starts without any introductory prayers, with the antiphon for the first psalm, Placebo Dominum (I will please the Lord), which is in fact the last verse of that first psalm, Psalm 114 (116).

Vespers of the Dead consists of five psalms:

• Psalm 114, Dilexi quoniam exaudiet Dominus (I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice);
• Psalm 119, Ad Dominum cum tribularer clamavi (To the Lord I cry in my distress);
• Psalm 120, Levavi oculos meos in montes (I will lift up my eyes to the hills);
• Psalm 129, De Profundis (Out of the Deep);and
• Psalm 137, Confitebor tibi Domine (I thank thee Lord)

The middle three are all Gradual psalms, while Psalm 129 is also one of the penitential psalms.

So, to start with Psalm 114...

Psalm 114: the text

In the Septuagint (and thus Vulgate), this is a separate psalm. But in the Hebrew Masoretic Text it is joined to Vulgate Psalm 115, and actually constitutes the first nine verses of Psalm 116.

Here it is, first in English (Douay-Rheims), arranged as it is used liturgically:

I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.
Because he has inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.
The sorrows of death have compassed me: and the perils of hell have found me.
I met with trouble and sorrow: And I called upon the name of the Lord.
O Lord, deliver my soul. The Lord is merciful and just, and our God shows mercy.
The Lord is the keeper of little ones: I was humbled, and he delivered me.
Turn, O my soul, into your rest: for the Lord has been bountiful to you.
For he has delivered my soul from death: my eyes from tears, my feet from falling.
I will please the Lord in the land of the living.

And in the Latin Vulgate:

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

To aid your learning, don't forget to listen to it being recited aloud, and work with the recording until you can say and sing (on one note) each verse yourself.

Psalm 114: an overview

Psalm 114 has long had two levels of meaning, referring both to our life here and now, and to our future in heaven.

In the context of the Office of the Dead, this first psalm of Vespers in the Office of the Dead is best read as a deathbed prayer of a soul on the point of victory, asking for God to take it up into heaven, the land of the living.

But it can also be read as a more general thanksgiving prayer (and is used as such in Jewish liturgy, sung after the Passover meal and on other major feasts as one of the ‘Hallel’ psalms) for the many times God has rescued us from those who assault us, and has aided us in keeping us on the path of righteousness, so that we can continue to please him. In this context, ‘the land of the living’ is here on earth, where we can still undertake good works to aid those in the land of the dead who can no longer aid themselves.

There is no explicit historical context that can obviously be attributed to the psalm, though St Alphonsus Liguori suggests that it was a thanksgiving psalm following David’s deliverance from persecution by his son Absalom.  The saint continues:

“The royal prophet is here the figure of the Christian soul, which, after suffering many dangerous temptations, finds itself at the approach of death victorious over its enemies and on the point of going to heaven to enjoy its God.”

For verse by verse translation notes and commentary, start here. 

For some suggestions on using the psalm to brush up your Latin,  have a look here.