Psalm 121 - verses 1-3

c6th mosaic, Jordan

1	V	Lætátus sum in his, quæ dicta sunt mihi: *  in domum Dómini íbimus.
	NV	Laetatus sum in eo, quod dixerunt mihi:“ In domum Domini ibimus ”.
	JH	Laetatus sum eo quod dixerint mihi,  In domum Domini ibimus.
	Septuagint	ᾠδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν εὐφράνθην ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρηκόσιν μοι εἰς οἶκον κυρίου πορευσόμεθα

Text notes:   The opening line suggests that the speaker is a pilgrim.  According to Ladouceur, the second phrase (in domum Domini ibimus) is a formulaic way of announcing a pilgrimage.

laetor, atus sum, ari, (laetus), to rejoice, be joyful, take delight in, be glad.

hic haec hoc – demon pronoun – this

dico, dixi, dictum, ere 3, to say, speak;  to sing; in the sense of to think, plan, desire; to command; to praise.

domus, us, /. a house, structure; a house, abode, dwelling place; Temple

eo, Ivi or li, itum, Ire, to go, in the widest sense of the word, to walk, proceed, etc.

DR	I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord
MD	I rejoiced when they said to me: Let us go into the house of the Lord!
Brenton	I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Cover	I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord.
Knox	Welcome sound, when I heard them saying, We will go into the Lord’s house!
Grail	I rejoiced when I heard them say: "Let us go to God's house."

The Fathers see this verse as expressing the joy we should have when invited 'to go in' both to worship God now, and to be with him forever.  Pope Benedict summarised these sentiments as follows:

"Beneath the vaults of this historic Cathedral, which witnesses to the ceaseless dialogue that God wishes to establish with all men and women...Providentially, the words of the Psalmist describe the emotion filling our souls with an exactness we could hardly have dared to imagine: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” (Ps 121,1). Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi: the Psalmist’s joy, brimming over in the very words of the Psalm, penetrates our hearts and resonates deeply within them. 

We truly rejoice to enter the house of the Lord, since, as the Fathers of the Church have taught us, this house is nothing other than a concrete symbol of Jerusalem on high, which comes down to us (cf. Rev Ap 21,2) to offer us the most beautiful of dwelling-places. “If we dwell therein”, writes Saint Hilary of Poitiers, “we are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God, for it is the house of God” (Tract. in Ps 121,2). And Saint Augustine adds: “This is a psalm of longing for the heavenly Jerusalem … It is a Song of Steps, not for going down but for going up … On our pilgrimage we sigh, in our homeland we will rejoice; but during this exile, we meet companions who have already seen the holy city and urge us to run towards it” (En. in Ps 121,2)...

Alas, St John Chrysostom notes in words only too true of our times as much as his, that while people flock to popular entertainments, there is rather less enthusiasm when it comes to the Mass:

"But these days many people even have difficulty with the spoken word. If you invite them to attend the races or lawless spectacles, they will come running in vast numbers, whereas if it is to the house of prayer, few there are who do not hang back..."

2	V	Stantes erant pedes nostri, * in átriis tuis, Jerúsalem.
	NV	Stantes iam sunt pedes nostril in portis tuis, Ierusalem.
	JH	Stantes erant pedes nostri in portis tuis, Hierusalem ;
	Septuagint	ἑστῶτες ἦσαν οἱ πόδες ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς σου Ιερουσαλημ

Text notes: The verb tense in the Hebrew (our feet were standing/our feet are standing; ie we were standing) is ambiguous, hence the different choices made here, with the Vulgate using imperfect past and the neo-Vulgate present tense; both in fact legitimate.  The Vulgate portrays the pilgrims as standing in the ‘courts’ or courtyard (atrium) outside the Temple; the neo-Vulgate puts them further back, just inside the gates, in line with the Masoretic Text.  Ladouceur suggests that the Septuagint choice may have been influenced by an Aramaic word which is open to both interpretations.  Certainly the word atrium was influential in the Christian tradition, becoming used for the area before a church.  It can also have spiritual interpretation, suggesting closeness to or union with God.

Sto, steti, statum, are,  to stand, stand up, remain standing. Continue

pes, pedis, m.  the foot

atrium, li, n., a court,

DR	Our feet were standing in your courts, O Jerusalem
MD	Already our feet are standing at thy gates O Jerusalem.
Brenton	Our feet stood in thy courts, O Jerusalem.
Cover	Our feet shall stand in thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Knox	Within thy gates, Jerusalem, our feet stand at last;
Grail	And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Cassiodorus suggests that this verse should not be interpreted overly literally, as it foreshadows the future only:

"Since the prophet had said that he was promised that eternal home, he now foreshadows the future, and says that he is standing in the house which he desired to attain with the utmost longing. This is to enable us to realise that holy men known to abide in the Lord's precepts are already in mind lodging in the Jerusalem to come. He is rightly said to be standing in them, because no-one falls there. Finally, observe his words: Our feet -were standing; they were standing in the place where they are always implanted with firm purpose. This stance does not waver, is not exhausted by any toil, but perseveres in its strength and is wearied by no fatigue."

St Ambrose provides a slightly different take on the problem of how literally to interpret the verse, telling us that it speaks of the soul, not the body:

"These are the feet that David washes in spirit when he teaches you how to keep them unsoiled, saying, "Our feet have been standing in your courts, O Jerusalem." Certainly, here "feet" is to be understood not as of the body but as of the soul. For how could a person on earth have his physical feet in heaven? Since Jerusalem, as Paul tells you, is in heaven, he also shows you how to stand in heaven when he says, "But our abode is in heaven": the "abode" of your behav­ior, the "abode" of your deeds, the "abode" of your faith. On virginity 9-59.3

3	V	Jerúsalem, quæ ædificátur ut cívitas: * cujus participátio ejus in idípsum.
	NV	Ierusalem, quae aedificata est ut civitas, sibi compacta in idipsum.
	JH	Hierusalem, quae aedificaris ut ciuitas cuius participatio eius simul;
	Sept.	Ιερουσαλημ οἰκοδομουμένη ὡς πόλις ἧς ἡ μετοχὴ αὐτῆς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό

Text notes:  This is a difficult verse to translate, as can be seen in the wide variety of interpretations in the various English versions of it below.  

Quae aedificatur here means ‘you that are built’. Almost all of the translations give it as ‘as’ – ie Jerusalem which is built as a city.  Ladouceur suggests, however, that the phrase should be interpreted as, ‘Jerusalem is a truly city/is a real city’.  Participatio is something of an oddity: its usual meaning is, a sharing, participation, or partaking.  Hence, the phrase as a whole is literally, ‘of which (cujus) the compactness/being compact/sharing (participatio) [is] in itself (ejus in idipsum)’.  In this context it probably refers to the houses being built tightly together in a row, and structured to be defensible like a fortress.  But it might be interpreted metaphorically as well, as St Augustine’s commentary proposes, and the Coverdale translation most strongly suggests, of a city whose citizens are united spiritually.

aedifico, avi, atum, are to build

civitas, atis, . a city, state, commonwealth.

participatio, onis, a being compact.

DR	Jerusalem, which is built as a city, which is compact together.
Brenton	Jerusalem is built as a city whose fellowship is complete.
Cover	Jerusalem is built as a city that is at unity in itself.
NETS	Ierousalem – being built as a city that is shared in common
Knox	Jerusalem, built as a city should be built that is one in fellowship.
Grail	Jerusalem is built as a city strongly compact.

St Augustine cites the numerous texts of the New Testament that deal with the formation of the spiritual  city in order to explain this verse.  Here is an extract from his exposition:

"Brethren, when David was uttering these words, that city had been finished, it was not being built. It is some city he speaks of, therefore, which is now being built, unto which living stones run in faith, of whom Peter says, You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house; 1 Peter 2:5 that is, the holy temple of God. What means, you are built up as lively stones? You live, if you believe, but if you believe, you are made a temple of God; for the Apostle Paul says, The temple of God is holy, which temple are you. 1 Corinthians 3:17 This city is therefore now in building; stones are cut down from the hills by the hands of those who preach truth, they are squared that they may enter into an everlasting structure...This, then, is the Jerusalem that is being built as a city: Christ is its foundation."

Psalm 121: Laetatus sum

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1  Lætátus sum in his, quæ dicta sunt mihi: *  In domum Dómini íbimus.	I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord.
2  Stantes erant pedes nostri, * in átriis tuis, Jerúsalem.	2 Our feet were standing in your courts, O Jerusalem.
3  Jerúsalem, quæ ædificátur ut cívitas: * cujus participátio ejus in idípsum.	3 Jerusalem, which is built as a city, which is compact together.
4  Illuc enim ascendérunt tribus, tribus Dómini: * testimónium Israël ad confiténdum nómini Dómini.	4 For thither did the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord: the testimony of Israel, to praise the name of the Lord.
5  Quia illic sedérunt sedes in judício, * sedes super domum David.	5 Because their seats have sat in judgment, seats upon the house of David.
6  Rogáte quæ ad pacem sunt Jerúsalem: * et abundántia diligéntibus te:	6 Pray for the things that are for the peace of Jerusalem: and abundance for them that love you.
7  Fiat pax in virtúte tua: * et abundántia in túrribus tuis.	7 Let peace be in your strength: and abundance in your towers
8  Propter fratres meos, et próximos meos, * loquébar pacem de te:	8 For the sake of my brethren, and of my neighbours, I spoke peace of you.
9  Propter domum Dómini, Dei nostri, * quæsívi bona tibi.	9 Because of the house of the Lord our God, I have sought good things for you.

Introduction to Psalm 121

The third of the Gradual Psalms, and the last of Terce through the week, is Psalm 121, in which the pilgrims have finally decided to set out on their journey, and so look forward to the glories of the heavenly city, the Church Triumphant, to which they are headed.  Yet the psalm also reflects that tension between the promise of heaven, and foretaste of it we experience now in the liturgy, since for the Christian, the Church Militant is our Jerusalem.

Psalm 121: Laetatus sum

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1  Lætátus sum in his, quæ dicta sunt mihi: *  In domum Dómini íbimus.	I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord.
2  Stantes erant pedes nostri, * in átriis tuis, Jerúsalem.	2 Our feet were standing in your courts, O Jerusalem.
3  Jerúsalem, quæ ædificátur ut cívitas: * cujus participátio ejus in idípsum.	3 Jerusalem, which is built as a city, which is compact together.
4  Illuc enim ascendérunt tribus, tribus Dómini: * testimónium Israël ad confiténdum nómini Dómini.	4 For thither did the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord: the testimony of Israel, to praise the name of the Lord.
5  Quia illic sedérunt sedes in judício, * sedes super domum David.	5 Because their seats have sat in judgment, seats upon the house of David.
6  Rogáte quæ ad pacem sunt Jerúsalem: * et abundántia diligéntibus te:	6 Pray for the things that are for the peace of Jerusalem: and abundance for them that love you.
7  Fiat pax in virtúte tua: * et abundántia in túrribus tuis.	7 Let peace be in your strength: and abundance in your towers
8  Propter fratres meos, et próximos meos, * loquébar pacem de te:	8 For the sake of my brethren, and of my neighbours, I spoke peace of you.
9  Propter domum Dómini, Dei nostri, * quæsívi bona tibi.	9 Because of the house of the Lord our God, I have sought good things for you.

Liturgical uses of Psalm 121

Psalm 121 is a Vespers psalm in the Roman Office, but in the Benedictine Rite, it closes Terce.

It also features in the 'Common' for all of the types of women saints, including feasts of Our Lady.

In the Mass, it is used in both the Gradual and Communio for the fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday), which focuses heavily on the theme of Jerusalem, as well as on the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

The pilgrimage sets off

Although some modern commentators seem to read this psalm very literally, suggesting that the pilgrims have now arrived at Jerusalem, the more traditional explanation of it is that the pilgrims are actually only just setting off on their journey, and are here contemplating where they are headed.  In the previous two psalms, we've been getting ready to go: in the first, realising that it is time; and in the second, considering the help we can hope for along the way.  In this psalm, the pilgrims are finally ready to set out, for the first verse of Psalm 121 is a formulaic way of announcing that one is going on a pilgrimage.

Where are they headed?  The courts of Jerusalem (or gates in the Hebrew Masoretic Text) of verse 2 can be seen as a looking forward to our final destination of heaven, with the towers and abundance of verses 6&7 referring to the promise of safe haven and eternal happiness that is enjoyed by the Church Triumphant.

Yet there is a sense in which we are already standing in the courts of heaven, at least when we worship, for the Jerusalem of the psalm can also be read as a reference to the Church in the here and now, the Church Militant.

From this perspective, the compactness of the city that makes it easily defensible is a reminder that the culture we must embrace is not the secularist one that surrounds us, but rather that which comes from Christ.  Dom Gueranger’s commentary, in his Liturgical Year, on this psalm on the context of its use as an Introit explains this dual meaning:

"...celebrate once more the joy felt by the Christian people at hearing the glad tidings, that they are soon to go into the house of the Lord. That house is heaven, into which we are to enter on the last day, our Lord Jesus Christ leading the way. But the house is also the temple in which we are now assembled, and into which we are introduced by the representatives of that same Lord of ours, that is, by His priests."

The peace of Christ

The second half of the psalm is intended to excite our desire for heaven, for it speaks of that very Benedictine virtue, the pursuit of a truly Christian peace.

In a General Audience on this psalm, Pope Benedict XVI drew on Pope St Gregory the Great to explains what this should mean for us:

"Pope St Gregory the Great tells us what the Psalm means for our lives in practice. He tells us that we must be a true Jerusalem in the Church today, that is, a place of peace, "supporting one another" as we are; "supporting one another together" in the joyful certainty that the Lord "supports us all". In this way the Church will grow like a true Jerusalem, a place of peace."

Mass propers: Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Ps 121)

This Sunday's propers in the Extraordinary Form are somewhat unusual in featuring not just one but two verses not from the psalter - the Introit is from Ecclesiasticus and the Offertory from Exodus. 

But the verse to the Introit, the first verse of Psalm 121, was considered so important to the overall theme of the Mass, namely that if we but ask, God will forgive our sins and grant us the privilege of heaven (the Gospel is the healing of the paralytic, and accusations of blasphemy against Our Lord for forgiving his sins), that it is repeated as the Gradual with the addition of verse 7, and so it is worth a quick look.

Psalm 121 (122 in the Hebrew Masoretic Text version) is of course the third of the Gradual psalms, or 'Songs of Ascent’ the pilgrim songs sung on the way to Jerusalem for the major Jewish feasts, sung as the people climbed the steps to the Temple, and early taken into the Christian repertoire as symbolically representing our progress towards heaven.

The text

Here is the text of the Gradual for the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost with a translation from the Douay-Rheims:

Lætátus sum in his, quæ dicta sunt mihi: in domum Dómini íbimus. Fiat pax in virtúte tua: et abundántia in túrribus tuis.

I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord.
Let peace be in your strength: and abundance in your towers.

And here is an ‘interlinear’, fairly literal translation:

Lætátus sum (I rejoice) in his (in this), quæ (that) dicta sunt (they said) mihi (to me): in domum (into the house) Dómini (of the Lord) íbimus (we will go). Fiat (let there be made) pax (peace) in virtúte (in strength) tua (yours): et (and) abundántia (abundance) in túrribus (in the towers) tuis (yours).

A pilgrim Church

The first verse is a formulaic way of announcing that one is going on a pilgrimage; symbolically it refers to the pilgrimage towards heaven that all Christians are on throughout their lives. The towers and abundance refer to the promise of safe haven and happiness in heaven. Dom Gueranger’s commentary from, the Liturgical year for the day comments:

"In the Gradual, the Church repeats the Introit-verse, to celebrate once more the joy felt by the Christian people at hearing the glad tidings, that they are soon to go into the house of the Lord. That house is heaven, into which we are to enter on the last day, our Lord Jesus Christ leading the way. But the house is also the temple in which we are now assembled, and into which we are introduced by the representatives of that same Lord of ours, that is, by His priests."

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