Unity through Christ - Psalm 132 (Gradual Psalm no 14)

Psalm 132 is the fourteenth, or second last, of the gradual psalms (the last of the set concludes Compline each day in the Benedictine Office).  At three verses as it is arranged in most bibles, it is one of the three shortest in the psalter.

The psalm points us to the unity that can only come through Christ, and so it is perhaps significant that it it is the fourteenth psalm of the group, a number associated with the coming of Christ by virtue of the three groups of fourteen generations listed in Matthew 1.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum David.	A gradual canticle of David.
Ecce quam bonum, et quam jucúndum * habitáre fratres in unum.	Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity:
2  Sicut unguéntum in cápite, * quod descéndit in barbam, barbam Aaron.	Like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron,
3  Quod descéndit in oram vestiménti ejus: * sicut ros Hermon, qui descéndit in montem Sion.	which ran down to the skirt of his garment: As the dew of Hermon, which descends upon mount Sion.
4  Quóniam illic mandávit Dóminus benedictiónem, * et vitam usque in sæculum	For there the Lord has commanded blessing, and life for evermore.

A psalm for monks?

The psalm is frequently seen by the Fathers, as particularly addressed to religious.  Cassiodorus, however, asserts its universal relevance:

"After the most holy preaching of the previous psalm, the prophet is now perched on the fourteenth step, and pro­claims to the people blessed unity, urging those who bind themselves to the Christian religion to persevere in the one accord of charity. 

Though some have opined that this message is to be addressed to monks, my view is that it is relevant to the harmony of Christians at large, for it is proclaimed not only to monasteries but to the whole Church, gathering into unity by a spiritual trumpet-blast all Christ's soldiers throughout the world. I do not dispute that it is addressed to saintly monasteries, but I believe that it should not be withdrawn from the general body. 

So the place which embraced the gathering of the faithful people was worthy of honour; clearly that assembly was estab­lished before the Lord's incarnation gained it from the Gentiles by His precious blood."

The opening  and closing lines make the psalm's subject matter clear, namely spiritual unity as a prerequisite for eternal life.  

The two images in between, however, of oil flowing down the beard of a priest, and dew on Mt Hermon, require a little more work to explicate, and are dealt with in the verse by verse notes that start in the this post.

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	Heb 13:1 (v1);
RB cursus	Tues Vespers+AN 2537
Monastic feasts etc	Gradual Psalms AN 2988 (1), 5261 (1, 3)
Roman pre 1911	Thurs Vespers
Responsories	6284 (St Caecilia) Common of Several martyrs/OSB All saints (6804, 7440)
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Thurs Vespers  . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	PP23 GR (1-2)

And you can find the next part in this Lenten series here.

Psalm 132: verses 3b-4

Psalm 132

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum David.	A gradual canticle of David.
Ecce quam bonum, et quam jucúndum * habitáre fratres in unum.	Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity:
2  Sicut unguéntum in cápite, * quod descéndit in barbam, barbam Aaron.	Like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron,
3  Quod descéndit in oram vestiménti ejus: * sicut ros Hermon, qui descéndit in montem Sion.	which ran down to the skirt of his garment: As the dew of Hermon, which descends upon mount Sion.
4  Quóniam illic mandávit Dóminus benedictiónem, * et vitam usque in sæculum	For there the Lord has commanded blessing, and life for evermore.

Verse notes

3	Vulgate	sicut ros Hermon, qui descéndit in montem Sion.
	Neo-Vulgate	sicut ros Hermon, qui descendit in montes Sion,
	Jerome Hebrew	sicut ros Hermon qui descendit super montana Sion:
	Septuagint	ὡς δρόσος Αερμων ἡ καταβαίνουσα ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη Σιων

  

Sicut (like) ros (the dew) Hermon (of Hermon) qui (which) descendit (descends) in montem (on Mount) Sion

There is some debate amongst the commentators over whether the Mt Sion in verse 3 is actually meant to be a reference to Jerusalem, or to another mountaintop with a similar name in the same range as Mt Hermon.  But verse 4 surely only makes sense if it is an allusion to the heavenly Jerusalem. Either way, we can assume that this dew was, as many commentators have suggested, proverbially heavy.

mons, montis, m., a mountain

ros, roris, m.  dew 

DR	As the dew of Hermon, which descends upon mount Sion.
Brenton	As the dew of Aermon, that comes down on the mountains of Sion
Coverdale	like as the dew of Hermon, which fell upon the hill of Sion

The commentaries on this verse see dew as signifying variously calmness, visual delight, freshness and fertility.  Cassiodorus provides a mystical explanation of the verse:

"Dew is thin and light rain which does not fall as drops, but soaks the hard, dry earth with the tiniest particles. It is the means by which all seeds strike root, and thanks to the temperature grow into various plants. Herman is the Hebrew name for the mountain which lies beyond the river Jordan; the meaning of the name, as the Fathers recount it, is anath­ema. So the dew of this mountain, which nurtures the sinners who lay under a solemn curse, descended on mount Sion when those sin­ners through the Lord's generosity attained the remedy of conversion; for Sion denotes the Catholic Church, which welcomes the Gentiles exposed to the danger of anathema."

4	V/NV	Quóniam illic mandávit Dóminus benedictiónem, * et vitam usque in sæculum
	Jerome Hebrew	quoniam ibi mandauit Dominus benedictionem, uitam usque in aeternum.
	Septuagint	ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἐνετείλατο κύριος τὴν εὐλογίαν καὶ ζωὴν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος

Quóniam (for) illic (in that place/there) mandávit (he has commanded) Dóminus (the Lord) benedictiónem (a blessing) et (and) vitam (life) usque (until) in sæculum (forever)

The most elegant translation of this verse is perhaps that by Knox: Here where the Lord grants benediction and life everlastingly.

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

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

mando, avi, atum, are to enjoin, order,

benedictio, onis, f a blessing; a source of blessing for others; the object of natural desire

usque, adv., to, up to, as far as; till, as far as; to express an extreme degree.

vita, ae, f life, esp. a happy life

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

DR	For there the Lord has commanded blessing, and life for evermore.
Brenton	for there, the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for ever.
Coverdale	For there the Lord promised his blessing, and life for evermore

The image of the heavenly Jerusalem, where we find eternal blessing and life, is mirrored for us and made visible through communities of Christians on earth.  Above all, of course, in monasticism, that mirror of the angelic life that proclaims heaven to the world, as Pope John Paul II explained in Vita Consecrata (32):

"The consecrated life proclaims and in a certain way anticipates the future age, when the fullness of the Kingdom of heaven, already present in its first fruits and in mystery, will be achieved, and when the children of the resurrection will take neither wife nor husband, but will be like the angels of God (cf. Mt 22:30)."

Yet that image of living together in unity for the sake of kingdom is mirrored also in all Christian communities to some degree, including the family and the parish, for as Cassiodorus points out, it is for this purpose that Christ came:

"There (that is, on mount Sion, which is the Church and which com­prises the unity of the brethren) he hath commanded blessing, in other words, has sent the Lord Saviour, who is the life and enduring bless­edness of all believers. We have repeatedly said that the name Sion denotes the heavenly Jerusalem, the image of which is embodied in the Jerusalem on earth."

And this completes our consideration of the psalms of Vespers on Tuesday in the Benedictine Office.  I hope you have found it of use.  

I'll be taking a short break from posting over Christmas, but will be back in the new year...may you have a happy and holy Christmas.

Psalm 132 verses 1-3a

Psalm 132

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum David.	A gradual canticle of David.
Ecce quam bonum, et quam jucúndum * habitáre fratres in unum.	Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity:
2  Sicut unguéntum in cápite, * quod descéndit in barbam, barbam Aaron.	Like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron,
3  Quod descéndit in oram vestiménti ejus: * sicut ros Hermon, qui descéndit in montem Sion.	which ran down to the skirt of his garment: As the dew of Hermon, which descends upon mount Sion.
4  Quóniam illic mandávit Dóminus benedictiónem, * et vitam usque in sæculum	For there the Lord has commanded blessing, and life for evermore.

Notes on the verses

1	Vulgate/NV	Ecce quam bonum, et quam jucúndum * habitáre fratres in unum.
	Jerome Heb.	Ecce quam bonum et quam decorum habitare fratres in unum !
	Septuagint	ἰδοὺ δὴ τί καλὸν ἢ τί τερπνὸν ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ κατοικεῖν ἀδελφοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό

Ecce (See/behold) quam (how) bonum (good) et (and) quam (how)  jucúndum (pleasing)

habitáre (to dwell) fratres (bothers) in unum (in one/in harmony/in unity)

Ladouceur notes that the Hebrew is rather more emphatic than ‘in unum’ suggests – all-together.

ecce, adv.  see! behold

quam, adv.  emphatic how, how much, how great; than.

bonus, a, um, good; morally good, upright

habito, avi, atum, are to dwell, abide, live.

frater, tris, m.  a brother;  a fellow-man, kinsman, one of the same tribe

unus, a, um, unius, uni, one. in unum = together, into a single group, in concert, unity

jucundus, a, um pleasing, acceptable; happy, fortunate; good;  sweet, pleasant. 

DR	Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity:
Brenton	See now! what is so good, or what so pleasant, as for brethren to dwell together?
Coverdale	Behold, how good and joyful a thing it is, brethren, to dwell together in unity!

This verse is frequently cited by the Fathers as a basis for cenobitic monasticism, but they also point to its obvious wider application to communities of Christians generally, and the importance of Christian unity.  The Fathers saw this verse, though, not as a plea for tolerance of error and dissent, but rather as teaching just how terrible the sins of heresy and schism are since they offend against this unity.

2	V	Sicut unguéntum in cápite, * quod descéndit in barbam, barbam Aaron.
	NV	sicut unguentum optimum in capite, quod descendit in barbam, barbam Aaron,
	JH	Sicut ungentum optimum in capite quod descendit in barbam, barbam Aaron,
		ὡς μύρον ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς τὸ καταβαῖνον ἐπὶ πώγωνα τὸν πώγωνα τὸν Ααρων

3A	Vulgate	Quod descéndit in oram vestiménti ejus:
	Neo-Vulgate	quod descendit in oram vestimenti eius
	Jerome Hebrew	quod descendit super oram uestimentorum eius
	Septuagint	τὸ καταβαῖνον ἐπὶ τὴν ᾤαν τοῦ ἐνδύματος αὐτοῦ

Sicut (Like) unguentum (ointment) in capite (on the head) quod (that) descendit (it descends/pours down) in barbam (onto the beard) barbam (the beard) Aaron (of Aaron) quod (which) descendit (descended/flowed down) in oram (to the edge/hem) vestimenti (of the garment/robe) ejus (his)

Britt notes that: “Among the Jews and other oriental peoples much importance was attached to the possession of a beard. It was an attribute of manly dignity. The allusion is to the oil of priestly consecration which was poured in such abundance upon the head of the high priest that it ran down upon his beard (and upon the border of his vesture). Cf. Exod. 30,22-30; Lev. 8,12.” 

sicut, adv., as, just as, like.

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

unguentum, i, n. ointment, fragrant oil.

caput, itis, n. the head,

barba, ae, f., the beard.

ora, ae, f., the extremity of a thing; the edge, rim, border.

vestimentum, i, n.  a garment, vesture, raiment

DR	Like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron,
Brenton	It is as ointment on the head, that ran down to the beard, even the beard of Aaron
Coverdale	It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down unto the beard, even unto Aaron’s beard

DR	which ran down to the skirt of his garment:
Brenton	that ran down to the fringe of his clothing.
Cover	and went down to the skirts of his clothing

The Fathers generally provide a Christological explanation of this verse, seeing the ointment as the sweet odour of salvation that flows from Christ as head of the Church, and down to us through the witness of the apostles and their successors.  Here is St Augustine's take on the subject:

"What was Aaron? A priest. Who is a priest, except that one Priest, who entered into the Holy of Holies? Who is that priest, save Him, who was at once Victim and Priest? save Him who when he found nothing clean in the world to offer, offered Himself? The ointment is on his head, because Christ is one whole with the Church, but the ointment comes from the head. Our Head is Christ crucified and buried; He rose again, and ascended into heaven; and the Holy Spirit came from the head. Whither? To the beard. The beard signifies the courageous; the beard distinguishes the grown men, the earnest, the active, the vigorous. So that when we describe such, we say, he is a bearded man. Thus that ointment descended first upon the Apostles, descended upon those who bore the first assaults of the world, and therefore the Holy Spirit descended on them. For they who first began to dwell together in unity, suffered persecution, but because the ointment descended to the beard, they suffered, but were not conquered...."

And you can find notes on the remaining verses of this psalm here.

Introduction to Psalm 132

Psalm 132 is the fourteenth, or second last, of the gradual psalms (the last of the set concludes Compline each day in the Benedictine Office).  At three verses as it is arranged in most bibles, it is one of the three shortest in the psalter.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum David.	A gradual canticle of David.
Ecce quam bonum, et quam jucúndum * habitáre fratres in unum.	Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity:
2  Sicut unguéntum in cápite, * quod descéndit in barbam, barbam Aaron.	Like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron,
3  Quod descéndit in oram vestiménti ejus: * sicut ros Hermon, qui descéndit in montem Sion.	which ran down to the skirt of his garment: As the dew of Hermon, which descends upon mount Sion.
4  Quóniam illic mandávit Dóminus benedictiónem, * et vitam usque in sæculum	For there the Lord has commanded blessing, and life for evermore.

The psalm is frequently seen by the Fathers, as particularly addressed to religious.  Cassiodorus, however, asserts its universal relevance:

"After the most holy preaching of the previous psalm, the prophet is now perched on the fourteenth step, and pro­claims to the people blessed unity, urging those who bind themselves to the Christian religion to persevere in the one accord of charity. Though some have opined that this message is to be addressed to monks, my view is that it is relevant to the harmony of Christians at large, for it is proclaimed not only to monasteries but to the whole Church, gathering into unity by a spiritual trumpet-blast all Christ's soldiers throughout the world. I do not dispute that it is addressed to saintly monasteries, but I believe that it should not be withdrawn from the general body. So the place which embraced the gathering of the faithful people was worthy of honour; clearly that assembly was estab­lished before the Lord's incarnation gained it from the Gentiles by His precious blood."

The opening  and closing lines make the psalm's subject matter clear, namely spiritual unity as a prerequisite for eternal life.  

The two images in between, however, of oil flowing down the beard of a priest, and dew on Mt Hermon, require a little more work to explicate, and are dealt with in the verse by verse notes that start in the next post.