I will not fear what man can do to me - Psalm 120 (Gradual Psalm No 2)

Psalter of Lodewijk de Heilige, c1190

The second of the Gradual Psalms, Psalm 120, is also the second psalm of Terce during the week in the Benedictine Office.  It repeatedly stresses the strength of God's protection of us.

Psalm 120: Levávi óculos meos in montes

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1  Levávi óculos meos in montes, * unde véniet auxílium mihi.	I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me.
2  Auxílium meum a Dómino, * qui fecit cælum et terram.	2 My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3  Non det in commotiónem pedem tuum: * neque dormítet qui custódit te.	3 May he not suffer your foot to be moved: neither let him slumber that keeps you.
4  Ecce, non dormitábit neque dórmiet, * qui custódit Israël.	4 Behold he shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keeps Israel.
5  Dóminus custódit te, Dóminus protéctio tua, * super manum déxteram tuam.	5 The Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your protection upon your right hand.
6  Per diem sol non uret te: * neque luna per noctem.	6 The sun shall not burn you by day: nor the moon by night.
7  Dóminus custódit te ab omni malo: * custódiat ánimam tuam Dóminus.	7 The Lord keeps you from all evil: may the Lord keep your soul.
8  Dóminus custódiat intróitum tuum, et éxitum tuum: * ex hoc nunc, et usque in sæculum.	8 May the Lord keep your coming in and your going out; from henceforth now and for ever.

Liturgical uses

As for the previous Gradual Psalm, Psalm 120 features in many forms of the Office, including the Little Office of Our Lady and the Office of the Dead.  In the latter context, the key verse is, I think, the last one: our coming in (to this world) and goings out from it are under God’s loving watch, and he will help us not to stumble at the end.

NT references	Rev 7:16 (v6)
RB cursus	Terce during the week
Monastic feasts etc	Gradual Psalms; Vespers of the Dead LOOL Terce AN5269 (v1), 1536 (v2); 2402 (v7)
Roman pre 1911	Monday Vespers
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Monday Vespers
Mass propers (EF)	-

Ask for grace

In the previous psalm, the speaker had become restless with the realization that he is living in exile, far from God.

In this psalm, the speaker has decided to set out on the journey to Sion, and therefore asks for grace to accompany him on his journey, for as St Benedict instructs in the Prologue to his Rule, whatever good work you undertake, first pray to God asking him to perfect your efforts.

Cassiodorus comments on the pilgrim's progress so far:

Initially the prophet is afflicted, like the tax-collector who beat his breast and did not raise his eyes to heaven. He begs to be delivered from wicked lips and a deceitful tongue. But now he has recovered his breath and advanced to the second step. He has raised his eyes to the mountains, that is, to the holy intercessors by whose support he sought to win heavenly blessings.

Christological reading?

The most obvious way of reading this psalm is as a dialogue between the would be pilgrim and his supporters, or perhaps within the mind of the pilgrim, the person seeking to make the spiritual ascent.  He first asks where does my help come from, and gets the response, it comes from the creator, and so forth.

But we can also read it, I think, as a commentary on Christ's steadfast endurance as he faced his persecutors: fully knowing what was coming he didn't stumble or flinch; the God-man did not sleep, and though own perseverance, we are taught that we may confidently say: The Lord is my helper: I will not fear what man shall do to me'. (Hebrews 13:6)

Cultivate a longing for heaven

Verse 1 of Psalm 120 remind us that just as the traveller looks frequently in the direction he is travelling in, straining to catch a glimpse of his destination, so we should turn frequently, in our meditations, to the subject of heaven and the protection God affords those committed to him.

Verse 2 is a reminder that God will help us along the way, and help us to avoid the temptations that might tempt us to stop short of our true goal, and substitute other false gods, such as money, power and pleasure: the only true God is the creator of everything.

Strength of God's protection

The key theme of this psalm, though, is the protection God offers the pilgrim – the verb custodire, meaning to guard or protect, is used six times in the course of eight verses, and combines with other several other synonyms for God’s help.

The psalm emphasizes that this protection is always with us: day and night; in our our comings and our goings.

And it echoes in many ways, the petitions of the Lord’s prayer, asking that we not fall into temptation (our foot not be moved, v3), that we protected from all evil (v7), and that we not be led astray (v5&8).

Further reading

I have previously provided notes on this psalm in the context of the Office of the Dead and in a verse by verse series:

• Introduction to Psalm 120;
• Verses 1-4; and
• Verses 5-8.

Or you can go on to Psalm 121.

Psalm 120 v 5-8

The previous post looked at the first half of Psalm 120; in this post, I'll take a look at the second half, verses 5-8.

5	V	Dóminus custódit te, Dóminus protéctio tua, * super manum déxteram tuam.
	NV	Dominus custodit te, Dominus umbraculum tuum ad manum dexteram tuam.
	JH	Dominus custodiet te : Dominus protectio tua super manum dexteram tuam.
		κύριος φυλάξει σε κύριος σκέπη σου ἐπὶ χεῖρα δεξιάν σου

Text notes: None of the standard translations are particularly literal here; instead they play the verse for poetic effect.  Literally, the Latin is ‘The Lord guards you (custodit te), the Lord [is] your protection (protectio): upon your right hand (manum dexteram tuam) ’. The change in the neo-Vulgate to ‘umbraculum’ in the first phrase more closely follows the Hebrew word ‘sel’ meaning shadow or shelter, and perhaps suggests shade from the hot sun of the desert during the day.  The point of the right hand reference is that warriors carried their shields in their left hand, so protection on their right side meant security, though some of the Fathers interpret the left hand as meaning material wealth, the right eternal happiness.

protectio, onis, f a covering, a protection.

manus, us,  hand

dexter, tera, terum; the right hand.

super on, upon, over

DR	The Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your protection upon your right hand.
MD	The Lord is thy protector and thy shelter, the Lord is at thy right hand.
Brenton	The Lord shall keep thee: the Lord is thy shelter upon thy right hand.
RSV	The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
Cover	The Lord himself is thy keeper; the Lord is thy defence upon thy right hand,
Knox	it is the Lord that guards thee, the Lord that stands at thy right hand to give thee shelter.
Grail	The Lord is your guard and your shade; at your right side he stands.

6	V	Per diem sol non uret te: * neque luna per noctem.
	NV/JH	Per diem sol non percutiet te, neque luna per noctem.
		ἡμέρας ὁ ἥλιος οὐ συγκαύσει σε οὐδὲ ἡ σελήνη τὴν νύκτα

Text notes: Per diem has the sense of all the long day.  The verb urere means to burn, cause sunstroke; the neo-Vulgate (and Diurnal) follows once again the Hebrew, which means to smite.  The inclusion of the moon as a danger is not just poetic license: the ancients believed that the moon’s rays had dangerous affects on mental (hence the term lunatic) and physical health, including causing eye diseases and epilepsy.

dies, ei, m&f  a day, the natural day

per diem, the livelong day

sol, solis, m., the sun.

uro, ussi, ustum, ere 3,  to burn;  to burn, scorch; to smite, i.e., to cause sun-stroke.

luna, ae, f, the moon.

nox, noctis, f night.

percuto, cussi, cussum, ere 3  to smite, strike; to kill, slay

DR	The sun shall not burn you by day: nor the moon by night.
MD	The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night
Brenton	The sun shall not burn thee by day, neither the moon by night.
RSV	The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
Cover	so that the sun shall not burn thee by day, neither the moon by night.
Knox	The sun’s rays by day, the moon’s by night, shall have no power to hurt thee.
Grail	By day the sun shall not smite you nor the moon in the night.

This verse can be interpreted literally as a reference to the idea that the pilgrim will be protected as he walks through the heat or the desert, or the cold of night.  But it can also be taken as another way of describing God's continuous protection of us against all that assails us.

7	V	Dóminus custódit te ab omni malo: * custódiat ánimam tuam Dóminus.
	NV	Dominus custodiet te ab omni malo; custodiet animam tuam Dominus.
	JH	Dominus custodiet te ab omni malo; custodiat animam tuam.
		κύριος φυλάξει σε ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ φυλάξει τὴν ψυχήν σου

Text notes: The main issue with this verse is verb tense.  The Vulgate makes the first phrase present active (The Lord is guarding/protecting/keeping you from all evil), the second subjunctive (May the Lord protect your soul).  The Neo-Vulgate makes both phrases future active; Jerome offers yet a third variant, namely future/subjunctive; and the Diurnal makes both verbs present tense.

omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything

malus, a, um, , bad, evil, wicked; evil, sin;  woe, harm, misfortune.

anima, ae,  soul

DR	The Lord keeps you from all evil: may the Lord keep your soul.
MD	The Lord keepeth thee from all evil, the Lord protecteth thy life.
Brenton	May the Lord preserve thee from all evil: the Lord shall keep thy soul.
Cover	The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul.
Grail	The Lord will guard you from evil, he will guard you soul.

Bellarmine comments that: 

"He now adds another consolation, a general one. Not only will the Lord guard you from falling and from fatigue, but he will protect you from every other evil that could possibly befall you on the journey, so that your soul or your life will be pre­served whole and intact through the whole journey."

God doesn't promise that we won't suffer from the slings and arrows of this life, Cassiodorus points out, but rather that he will protect us from the death of the soul:

"We must not understand this as the evil designated by mortal men such as the affliction of bereavements, the burden of very heavy losses, the oppression of poverty and the other tribulations which lovers of this world account as most crippling. He speaks of the evil which removes divine grace, destroys the soul, and renders void all the Lord's promises; and since he knew that in this world the saints have been tortured by great sufferings, and have attained the rewards of martyrdom at bodily cost, he added: May the Lord keep thy soul. He preserves the soul only in the case of the saints, who by loss of the body attain the rewards of eter­nal light."

8	V	Dóminus custódiat intróitum tuum, et éxitum tuum: * ex hoc nunc, et usque in sæculum.
	NV	Dominus custodiet introitum tuum et exitum tuum ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum
	JH	Dominus custodiat exitum tuum et introitum tuum a modo et usque in aeternum.
		κύριος φυλάξει τὴν εἴσοδόν σου καὶ τὴν ἔξοδόν σου ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος

Text notes: Britt translates the first phrase as ‘The Lord keepeth thy coming in and thy going out (from this day forth and forever)’.   He notes that “Coming in and going out signify all man's activities, all his doings, the whole course of his life. It is equivalent to: Thou shalt be protected always, everywhere, in all thy doings”. But it also conjures up the idea of a group of pilgrims travelling to and from Jerusalem.  Ex hoc et usque in saeculum means ‘from this time forth, and forevermore’.

introitus, us, m. a going in, entrance.

exitus –us m a going out, going forth, departure

ex hoc nunc ( = ex hoc tempore) et usque in saeculum, from this time forth, and forevermore.

usque, adv.,  to, up to, as far as

saeculum, i, n., a lifetime, generation, age; an indefinite period of time; forever, eternity

DR	May the Lord keep your coming in and your going out; from henceforth now and for ever.
MD	The Lord watches over thy coming and thy going, from henceforth now and forever.
Brenton	The Lord shall keep thy coming in, and thy going out, from henceforth and even for ever.
RSV	The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and for evermore.
Cover	The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in, from this time forth for evermore.
Knox	the Lord will protect thy journeying and thy home-coming, henceforth and for ever.
Grail	The Lord will guard your going and coming both now and for ever.

Bellarmine summarises this final promise as follows:

"The Prophet concludes by promising the last and most desirable consolation of all. Not only will the pilgrim, "who in his heart hath disposed to ascend by steps," be so protected in any particular part of his journey, but he will be always pro­tected throughout the journey. Every journey consists of an entrance and exit; for, as we go along, we enter on one road, and when that is finished we leave it; then we enter on anoth­er, from which we also depart; so also we come into a city or a house, and we go out of them; we enter another and out we go again, until we finish the journey by arriving at our country. Thus it is that we get along on the road of life, entering on and completing good works; for to begin corresponds with coming into; completing with going out; "from henceforth now and for­ever;" from this day and forever, may the Lord guard thy com­ing in and thy going out, and protect and save thee."

Psalm 120: Levávi óculos meos in montes

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1  Levávi óculos meos in montes, * unde véniet auxílium mihi.	I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me.
2  Auxílium meum a Dómino, * qui fecit cælum et terram.	2 My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3  Non det in commotiónem pedem tuum: * neque dormítet qui custódit te.	3 May he not suffer your foot to be moved: neither let him slumber that keeps you.
4  Ecce, non dormitábit neque dórmiet, * qui custódit Israël.	4 Behold he shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keeps Israel.
5  Dóminus custódit te, Dóminus protéctio tua, * super manum déxteram tuam.	5 The Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your protection upon your right hand.
6  Per diem sol non uret te: * neque luna per noctem.	6 The sun shall not burn you by day: nor the moon by night.
7  Dóminus custódit te ab omni malo: * custódiat ánimam tuam Dóminus.	7 The Lord keeps you from all evil: may the Lord keep your soul.
8  Dóminus custódiat intróitum tuum, et éxitum tuum: * ex hoc nunc, et usque in sæculum.	8 May the Lord keep your coming in and your going out; from henceforth now and for ever.

For the next post in this series, on Psalm 121, go here.

Psalm 120 v1-4

In the previous post I provided a general introduction to Psalm 120.  Today a look at verses 1-4 of the psalm in more detail.

  

1	V/JH	Levávi óculos meos in montes, * unde véniet auxílium mihi.
	NV	Levabo oculos meos in montes: unde veniet auxilium mihi?
		ᾠδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου εἰς τὰ ὄρη πόθεν ἥξει ἡ βοήθειά μου

Text notes: Although it is isn't usually translated this way (the RSV aside), the unde of the second phrase suggests that this verse takes the form of a question, ie will help (auxilium) come to me (veniet ad me) from the mountains (in montes) that I lift up (levavi) my eyes (oculos meos) towards?  This reflects a certain ambiguity in the verse - modern commentators are divided over whether the speaker looking towards Mt Sion and hence help that comes from God, or is in fact looking at the forbidden pagan 'high places' and rejecting them in the next verse.

Perhaps reflecting this ambiguity, the Vulgate and Jerome’s from the Hebrew make the first phrase perfect (I have lifted up) and the second phrase future (it will come); the neo-Vulgate makes it future tense in both cases; while the Diurnal and RSV make it present tense for both phrases.  Presumably the neo-Vulgate is trying to suggest here the idea of the psalm as the song as being of a pilgrim travelling from afar, and straining their eyes to get that first glimpse of the hills of Jerusalem, and being concerned in the meantime for the dangers and temptations of the journey. Either way, the idea of help ‘coming’ is one of several images in the psalm that conjure up the notion of a journey.

levo, avi, atum, are, to rise, lift up, elevate.

oculus, i, , the eye.

mons, montis, m., a mountain; unde – denotes a direct question

venio, veni, ventum, ire,  to come.

auxilium, ii, n. help, aid, assistance

DR	I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me.
MD	I lift up mine eyes to the mountains : whence cometh help to me
Brenton	I lifted up mine eyes to the mountains, whence my help shall come.
RSV	I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come?
Coverdale	I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Knox	I lift up my eyes to the hills, to find deliverance;
Grail	I lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall come my help?

Whichever way your read the verse, the essential message is clear: trust in God and look to him only.  Chrysostom comments:

Observe a soul at a loss and bewildered from being in trouble, and wishing to attain comfort from God, who is not unaware. This again is a good effect and advantage of temptations, exciting and stirring up the soul, making it look for influence from on high and sever connections with everything of this life.

2	V/NV	Auxílium meum a Dómino, * qui fecit cælum et terram.
	JH	Auxilium meum a Domino, factore caeli et terrae.
		ἡ βοήθειά μου παρὰ κυρίου τοῦ ποιήσαντος τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν

This verse comes as an answer to the first, and can be interpreted either as a dialogue amongst the group of travelers, or the internal thought processes of the psalmist.  In any case the reply is of reassurance: My help (Auxilium meum) [is ] from the Lord (a domino), who made (qui fecit) heaven (caelum) and earth (terram). 

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

terra, ae, f the earth

DR	My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
MD	My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Brenton	My help shall come from the Lord, who made the heaven and the earth.
RSV	My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Cover	My help cometh even from the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth.
Knox	from the Lord deliverance comes to me, the Lord who made heaven and earth.
Grail	My help shall come from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

If one reads the previous verse as pointing to the idolatrous high places, then this verse affirsm, in line with other psalms such as 113 and 135, the contrast between lifeless impotence of false idols and God the creator of all things, as Chrysostom affirms:

"…all that came from the hands of human beings was missing, all gone, all failed. One way to salvation was now left them, he is saying, that from God... he means also, If he made heaven and earth, he is able also to bring help in foreign parts, raise his hand even in the land of savages, and save those driven from their own country. After all, if he produced these elements by word alone, much more will he be able to free us from the savages."

Similarly, Pope Benedict XVI sees this verse as a warning to reject the temptations put before us:

There are also similar things in our pilgrimage through life. We see the high places that spread out before us as a promise of life: wealth, power, prestige, the easy life. These high places are temptations, for they truly seem like the promise of life. But with our faith we realize that this is not true and that these high places are not life. True life, true help, comes from the Lord. And we turn our gaze, therefore, to the true high places, to the true mountain: Christ.  General Audience Wednesday, 4 May 2005 

3	V	Non det in commotiónem pedem tuum: * neque dormítet qui custódit te.
	NV	Non dabit in commotionem pedem tuum neque dormitabit, qui custodit te.
	JH	Non det in commotionem pedem tuum, nec dormitet qui custodit te.
		μὴ δῷς εἰς σάλον τὸν πόδα σου μηδὲ νυστάξῃ ὁ φυλάσσων σε

Text notes:  Dare in commotionem said of the feet (pes, pedis) means to be moved, stumble or fall, conjuring up again the imagery of a journey.  Note the interesting set of tense choices: the Vulgate and Jerome make it subjunctive (May he not let/suffer); while the Neo-Vulgate changes it from a request to a definite promise in the future tense, ‘he will not…’  Overall, the Vulgate maintains more of the feel of a dialogue between two speakers. In the second phrase dormitare is a derivative of dormire, meaning to be sleepy; thus ‘he that guards you (qui custodit te) does not slumber (neque dormitet).  Custodire is the key verb in this psalm, used six times in the course of eight verses!

do, dedi, datum, are, to give,

commotio, onis, f said of the feet, to be moved, i.e., to stumble, slip, fall.

pes, pedis, m.  the foot

dormito, avi, atum, are  to be sleepy, to slumber.

custodio, ivi or li, itum, ire to guard, watch, keep; to maintain, to hold steadfastly.

DR	May he not suffer your foot to be moved: neither let him slumber that keeps you.
MD	He will not suffer thy foot to stumble, He slumbereth not Who keepeth thee.
Brenton	Let not thy foot be moved; and let not thy keeper slumber.
Cover	He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; and he that keepeth thee will not sleep.
Knox	Never will he who guards thee allow thy foot to stumble; never fall asleep at his post!
Grail	May he never allow you to stumble! Let him sleep not, your guard.

The image of a person stumbling because they are tired is all too apt for most of us - but the psalmist assures us that our God our protector never sleeps: as the Knox translation puts it, he never falls asleep at his post!

4	V/NV/JH	Ecce, non dormitábit neque dórmiet, * qui custódit Israël.
		ἰδοὺ οὐ νυστάξει οὐδὲ ὑπνώσει ὁ φυλάσσων τὸν Ισραηλ

Text notes: Literally, ‘For/behold (Ecce) he will not slumber (non dormitabit) nor sleep (neque dormiet), who guards Israel (qui custodit Israel)’.

ecce, see! behold

dormio, ivi or li, Itum, ire, to sleep, to lie down to rest.

DR	Behold he shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keeps Israel.
MD	No, He slumbereth not, nor sleepeth, Who watcheth over Israel.
Brenton	Behold, he that keeps Israel shall not slumber nor sleep.
RSV	Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Cover	Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
Knox	Such a guardian has Israel, one who is never weary, never sleeps;
Grail	No, he sleeps not nor slumbers, Israel's guard.

The reference to Israel here can be taken two ways.  Firstly, it means the Church: the protection God affords us is not just as individuals, but rather as members of his chosen people.  Secondly, though, membership of the Church requires an active commitment on our part.  St Augustine, for example comments that Israel means 'Seeing God', which we do in this life by faith. 

Cassiodorus builds on this thought, suggesting that we must cultivate this sight through meditation on Christ's humanity and divinity:  

...the Lord is said not to slumber over those who see God, for the truth is that His gaze is focused on us to the degree that our attention is riveted on Him. But God is seen most truly by those who contem­plate not only His humanity but also the power of His divinity with­out uncertainty. On the one hand there is His incarnation as expressed in the gospel-words: The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us; on the other, His divinity attested by the same evangelist: In the begin­ning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' The person who believes these statements will be in very truth an Israel, and the Lord shall neither slumber nor sleep in watching over him.

Psalm 120: Levávi óculos meos in montes

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1  Levávi óculos meos in montes, * unde véniet auxílium mihi.	I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me.
2  Auxílium meum a Dómino, * qui fecit cælum et terram.	2 My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3  Non det in commotiónem pedem tuum: * neque dormítet qui custódit te.	3 May he not suffer your foot to be moved: neither let him slumber that keeps you.
4  Ecce, non dormitábit neque dórmiet, * qui custódit Israël.	4 Behold he shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keeps Israel.
5  Dóminus custódit te, Dóminus protéctio tua, * super manum déxteram tuam.	5 The Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your protection upon your right hand.
6  Per diem sol non uret te: * neque luna per noctem.	6 The sun shall not burn you by day: nor the moon by night.
7  Dóminus custódit te ab omni malo: * custódiat ánimam tuam Dóminus.	7 The Lord keeps you from all evil: may the Lord keep your soul.
8  Dóminus custódiat intróitum tuum, et éxitum tuum: * ex hoc nunc, et usque in sæculum.	8 May the Lord keep your coming in and your going out; from henceforth now and for ever.