Psalm 148 verses 13-14

Psalm 148 concludes, St Bellarmine tells us, with a special call to those in the Church:

This is the conclusion of the Psalm, as it were to say: The hymn, then, to be sung to God should be specially sung by all his saints; that is, by all those dedicated and consecrated to him, the children of Israel especially, inasmuch as they come nearer to God than any other people, through true knowledge and faith, true worship and adora­tion, true filial confidence and love. 

13	V	Conféssio ejus super cælum et terram: * et exaltávit cornu pópuli sui.
	NV	Magnificentia eius super caelum et terram, et exaltavit cornu populi sui.
	JH	gloria eius in caelo et in terra. Et exaltabit cornu populi sui
		ἡ ἐξομολόγησις αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ὑψώσει κέρας λαοῦ αὐτοῦ

For the raising of the horn, see Ps 131:17; Eccli 51:12, 1 Sam 2:1

confessio, onis, the praise of God, the glory and majesty of God confessed by His creatures, and the giving of thanks to God

cornu, us, n.  the horn of animals, of the bull, ram, etc; symbols of strength, power, glory, pride, or dominion

DR	The praise of him is above heaven and earth: and he has exalted the horn of his people.
Brenton	his praise is above the earth and heaven,  and he shall exalt the horn of his people
Cover	and his praise above heaven and earth. He shall exalt the horn of his people

St Augustine gives the Christological interpretation of the verse:

And He shall exalt the horn of His people. Behold what Haggai and Zachariah prophesied. Now the horn of His people is humble in afflictions, in tribulations, in temptations, in beating of the breast; when will He exalt the horn of His people? When the Lord has come, and our Sun is risen, not the sun which is seen with the eye, and rises upon the good and the evil, Matthew 5:45 but That whereof is said, To you that hear God, the Sun of Righteousness shall rise, and healing in His wings; Malachi 4:2 and of whom the proud and wicked shall hereafter say, The light of righteousness has not shined unto us, and the sun of righteousness rose not upon us. Wisdom 5:6 This shall be our summer. 

Cassio: This passage too is proclaimed in virtue of His magnificence and uniqueness. In the words: For his name alone is exalted: the confession of him is above heaven and earth, His magnificence is undoubtedly being made known in the whole world. Up to this final statement higher creatures are kept in abeyance, so that the faithful people may praise the Lord when established, as they shall be, in that native land of the future, when we know that they are released from the bonds of sins. Next follows the most just reason why the Lord must be proclaimed: it is because his name alone is exalted. It is exalted because in Paul's words before Him: Every knee bows, of things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.11 The psalmist added: The confession of him is above heaven and earth. Here confession denotes the praise paid to Him by all rational creatures after the renewal of this world. He spoke of above heaven and earth, for neither heavenly nor earthly things can be found equal to those praises.

St Liguori sums it up as follows:

Let then the praises of the Lord resound through heaven and earth, since he has willed to exalt by his power his faithful people, in giving them Jesus Christ, who has made his servants victorious over the devils.

14	V	Hymnus ómnibus sanctis ejus: * fíliis Israël, pópulo appropinquánti sibi.
	NV	Hymnus omnibus sanctis eius, filiis Israel, populo, qui propinquus est ei.
	JH	laus omnibus sanctis eius, filiis Israhel, populo adpropinquanti sibi.
		ὕμνος πᾶσι τοῖς ὁσίοις αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ισραηλ λαῷ ἐγγίζοντι αὐτῷ

hymnus, i, m.  a hymn, a song of praise to God.

appropinquo, avi, atum, are , to draw near, approach

DR	A hymn to all his saints to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him.
Brenton	there is a hymn for all his saints, even of the children of Israel, a people who draw near to him.
Cover	all his saints shall praise him, even the children of Israel, even the people that serveth him.

Why a hymn 'of the saints'?  Cassiodorus' take is that it points us to heaven:

These words are a promise; they represent the highest perfection of total blessedness. What the saints will deserve is to praise the Lord, the song which they sing when they are crowned by His eternal gift. Once they have obtained this, they will lack nothing more; they will have there all that cannot be grasped here: the manna of heaven, satiety which knows no surfeit, a gift beyond understanding, the continual performance of this task, and a constant and burning zeal for it. The hymn, then, is the saints' song directed to the Lord's praise, in which soul and body harmonise with perfect purity. We may appear to utter such praise eagerly here and now, but we can complete it only defec­tively. 

Psalm 148: Laudate Dominum de caelis

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia
1 Laudáte Dóminum de cælis: * laudáte eum in excélsis.	Praise the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the high places.
2  Laudáte eum, omnes Angeli ejus: * laudáte eum, omnes virtútes ejus.	2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his hosts.
3  Laudáte eum, sol et luna: * laudáte eum, omnes stellæ et lumen.	3 Praise him, O sun and moon: praise him, all you stars and light
4  Laudáte eum, cæli cælórum: * et aquæ omnes, quæ super cælos sunt, laudent nomen Dómini.	4 Praise him, you heavens of heavens: and let all   the waters that are above the heavens 5 praise the name of the Lord.
5 Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt: * ipse mandávit, et creáta sunt.	For he spoke, and they were made: he commanded, and they were created
6  Státuit ea in ætérnum, et in sæculum sæculi: * præcéptum pósuit, et non præteríbit.	6 He has established them for ever, and for ages of ages: he has made a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7  Laudáte Dóminum de terra, * dracónes, et omnes abyssi.	7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons, and all you deeps:
8  Ignis, grando, nix, glácies, spíritus procellárum: * quæ fáciunt verbum ejus:	8 Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word:
9  Montes, et omnes colles: * ligna fructífera, et omnes cedri.	9 Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:
10  Béstiæ, et univérsa pécora: * serpéntes, et vólucres pennátæ:	10 Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:
11  Reges terræ, et omnes pópuli: * príncipes, et omnes júdices terræ.	11 Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth:
12  Júvenes, et vírgines : senes cum junióribus laudent nomen Dómini: * quia exaltátum est nomen ejus solíus.	12 Young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord: 13 For his name alone is exalted.
13  Conféssio ejus super cælum et terram: * et exaltávit cornu pópuli sui.	14 The praise of him is above heaven and earth: and he has exalted the horn of his people.
14  Hymnus ómnibus sanctis ejus: * fíliis Israël, pópulo appropinquánti sibi.	A hymn to all his saints to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him. Alleluia

The next psalm in this series on the repeated psalms of the Office is Psalm 149.

Psalm 148: verses 11-12

Verses 11 and 12 of Psalm 148 take us through the ranks of all mankind, mentioning them by power held over others, age and sex.  But the verses can be read allegorically as well.

11	V/NV	Reges terræ, et omnes pópuli: * príncipes, et omnes júdices terræ.
	JH	reges terrae et omnes populi. principes et uniuersi iudices terrae
		βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντες λαοί ἄρχοντες καὶ πάντες κριταὶ γῆς

rex, regis, m.  a king, ruler, lawgiver

terra, ae, f the earth;  orbis terrae, the world; a country, esp. the Land of Israel

populus, i, people;  the chosen people; a heathen nation

princeps, cipis, m.  prince, ruler, sovereign

judex, icis, m.  a judge; used both of God and men..

DR	Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth:
Brenton	kings of the earth, and all peoples; princes, and all judges of the earth:
Cover	kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the world;

Cassiodorus notes:

"We have often said that kings of the earth are holy men who govern their bodies, control their flesh and do not permit it to fulfil the enticements of its will. All people refers to the crowds which assemble together before the Lord with the eagerness shared by many."  

12	V	Júvenes, et vírgines : senes cum junióribus laudent nomen Dómini: * quia exaltátum est nomen ejus solíus.
	JH	iuuenes et uirgines, senes cum pueris : laudent nomen Domini quoniam sublime nomen eius solius :
		νεανίσκοι καὶ παρθένοι πρεσβῦται μετὰ νεωτέρων  αἰνεσάτωσαν τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου ὅτι ὑψώθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μόνου

juvenis, is, young, youthful; subst., a young man

junior, oris, comparative of young

virgo, inis, a virgin, maiden.

senex, senis, old, aged, advanced in years.  Subst., an old man; wise men, senators, elders, chief men, magistrates..

solus, a, um, alone, only

exalto, avi, atum, are  to exalt, i.e., to elevate in rank, power, dignity, or the like; to dignify

DR	Young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord: For his name alone is exalted.
Brenton	young men and virgins, old men with youths: let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name only is exalted
Cover	young men and maidens, old men and children, praise the Name of the Lord. For his Name only is excellent

Cassiodorus notes:

"...for the Lord is able to summon from both sexes and every age those whom He chooses."

Psalm 148: Laudate Dominum de caelis

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia
1 Laudáte Dóminum de cælis: * laudáte eum in excélsis.	Praise the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the high places.
2  Laudáte eum, omnes Angeli ejus: * laudáte eum, omnes virtútes ejus.	2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his hosts.
3  Laudáte eum, sol et luna: * laudáte eum, omnes stellæ et lumen.	3 Praise him, O sun and moon: praise him, all you stars and light
4  Laudáte eum, cæli cælórum: * et aquæ omnes, quæ super cælos sunt, laudent nomen Dómini.	4 Praise him, you heavens of heavens: and let all   the waters that are above the heavens 5 praise the name of the Lord.
5 Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt: * ipse mandávit, et creáta sunt.	For he spoke, and they were made: he commanded, and they were created
6  Státuit ea in ætérnum, et in sæculum sæculi: * præcéptum pósuit, et non præteríbit.	6 He has established them for ever, and for ages of ages: he has made a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7  Laudáte Dóminum de terra, * dracónes, et omnes abyssi.	7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons, and all you deeps:
8  Ignis, grando, nix, glácies, spíritus procellárum: * quæ fáciunt verbum ejus:	8 Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word:
9  Montes, et omnes colles: * ligna fructífera, et omnes cedri.	9 Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:
10  Béstiæ, et univérsa pécora: * serpéntes, et vólucres pennátæ:	10 Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:
11  Reges terræ, et omnes pópuli: * príncipes, et omnes júdices terræ.	11 Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth:
12  Júvenes, et vírgines : senes cum junióribus laudent nomen Dómini: * quia exaltátum est nomen ejus solíus.	12 Young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord: 13 For his name alone is exalted.
13  Conféssio ejus super cælum et terram: * et exaltávit cornu pópuli sui.	14 The praise of him is above heaven and earth: and he has exalted the horn of his people.
14  Hymnus ómnibus sanctis ejus: * fíliis Israël, pópulo appropinquánti sibi.	A hymn to all his saints to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him. Alleluia

And for the final set of verse notes on Psalm 148, go here.

Psalm 148: verses 7-10

Having spoken of God as creator, the next set of verses of Psalm 148 call on the various parts of creation to praise him.  Each of these verses should be read both literally and allegorically.

7	V//NV/JH	Laudáte Dóminum de terra, * dracónes, et omnes abyssi.
		αἰνεῖτε τὸν κύριον ἐκ τῆς γῆς δράκοντες καὶ πᾶσαι ἄβυσσοι

Most of the modern translations take the view that dracones here probably means sea monsters given the second phrase (cf Gen 1:6, 21); Haydock suggests as an alternative whales, but the older commentaries take the word literally as dragons.

draco, onis, m., a dragon, by which is meant a great land or sea monster, a whale, crocodile, venomous serpent (Britt, Dictionary of the Psalter)

abyssus, i, the deep, i.e., the primitive chaos mentioned in Gen. 1,2; the depths of the sea

DR	Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons, and all you deeps:
Brenton	Praise the Lord from the earth, ye serpents, and all deeps.
RSV	Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
Cover	Praise the Lord upon the earth, ye dragons and all deeps
Knox	Give praise to the Lord on earth, monsters of the sea and all its depths;

St Augustine discusses the praises of dragons:

"Let him then turn himself to things on earth too, since he has already spoken the praises of things in heaven. Praise ye the Lord from the earth Psalm. For wherewith began he before? Praise ye the Lord from heaven: and he went through things in heaven: now hear of things on earth. Abysses are depths of water: all the seas, and this atmosphere of clouds, pertain to the abyss… Dragons live about the water, come out from caverns, fly through the air; the air is set in motion by them: dragons are a huge kind of living creatures, greater there are not upon the earth. Therefore with them he begins, Dragons and all abysses. There are caves of hidden waters, whence springs and streams come forth: some come forth to flow over the earth, some flow secretly beneath; and all this kind, all this damp nature of waters, together with the sea and this lower air, are called abyss, or abysses, where dragons live and praise God. What? Think we that the dragons form choirs, and praise God? Far from it. But do ye, when you consider the dragons, regard the Maker of the dragon, the Creator of the dragon: then, when you admire the dragons, and say, Great is the Lord who made these, then the dragons praise God by your voices."

Cassiodorus draws out the allegorical meaning of the text further:

"Observe the order of the expressions. The first substance mentioned is that of creatures with feeling, the second is that of objects bereft of it, so that the Lord is to be praised in virtue of all created things. However, as we have said on the authority of the Fathers that this psalm is a hymn of the blessed to be sung when this world is transformed, we must inter­pret dragons and abysses here as abrasive and strong-minded characters who are converted in this world, and honoured by offering praises to the Lord in the native land to come."

  

8	V	Ignis, grando, nix, glácies, spíritus procellárum: * quæ fáciunt verbum ejus:
	NV	ignis, grando, nix, fumus, spiritus procellarum, qui facit verbum eius,
	JH	ignis et grando, nix et glacies uentus, turbo, quae facitis sermonem eius :
		πῦρ χάλαζα χιών κρύσταλλος πνεῦμα καταιγίδος τὰ ποιοῦντα τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ

The NV’s funes (smoke) comes from the Hebrew MT – but given that it doesn’t really fit the list well, surely a corruption of the text?  Certainly St Jerome, trnalsating form the Hebrew text available in his day, made it glacies instead.

ignis, is, m. fire; lightning

grando, inis,, hail, a hailstorm

nix, nivis, snow.

spiritus, us, m.  breath;  wind;  breath of life, vital spirit; the soul; spirit, disposition; Divine assistance, grace

procella, ae,.a storm, tempest.

DR	Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word
Brenton	Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy wind; the things that perform his word
Cover	fire and hail, snow and vapours, wind and storm, fulfilling his word

This verse makes an important point, often rejected today, namely that God's providence includes 'natural' events (and the consequences of man's mismanagement of nature!), as Bellarmine comments:

"From the waters he passes to the air, where the fires exist; viz., lightning, thunderbolts, coruscations, as also hail, snow, ice, and the stormy winds, those furious winds that cause the storms and bring so much rain with them, all of which "fulfil his word;" that is, obey his commands, which last expression he adds with a view to let us see that all those accidents, that are looked upon by man as so many calamities, come from the hand of God, who makes use of them as so many instruments of his justice or of his mercy to punish the wicked or to deter the just from sin; and, therefore, that they do not come from chance, nor should they be called calamities but blessings, being the instruments of a good and gracious God."

Cassiordorus again also supplies an allegorical meaning for the verse:

"Fire, hail, snow and ice denote by the allegory previously mentioned men who in this world have passed from the wild conduct of extreme wickedness to the most tranquil enthusiasm of devotion. Note what finally fol­lows: Stormy winds which fulfil his word. Who are they who fulfil his word but those who have ceased to be storm-tossed and evil, and have deserved to attain the grace of confessing Him?"

9	V/NV	Montes, et omnes colles: * ligna fructífera, et omnes cedri.
	JH	montes et omnes colles, lignum fructiferum et uniuersae cedri:
		τὰ ὄρη καὶ πάντες οἱ βουνοί ξύλα καρποφόρα καὶ πᾶσαι κέδροι

mons, montis, m., a mountain (mons sanctus = Zion)

collis, is, a hill.

lignum, i, n., a tree; fructifer, a, um , fruitful, fruit-bearing. ligna fructifera, fruit-bearing trees

DR	Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:
Brenton	Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
Cover	mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars;

This verse points us to the inanimate world.  Cassiodorus on the allegorical meaning here:

"Mountains denotes men raised high with swollen power, hills, moderate men who handle affairs evenly, fruitful trees, those converted from the hardness of sins who have brought forth most sweet fruits of good manners. Cedars denotes totally arrogant and proud people; beasts, the cruel and unrestrained; all cattle, the common, boundless crowd; serpents, the poisonous and crafty; feathered fowls, the philosophers whose custom it is to speed with the swiftness of their thought through the natures of objects in the world. From all these kinds of men Christ prepares His chosen, so that they can be gathered at the resurrection by troops of angels."

  

10	V/NV	Béstiæ, et univérsa pécora: * serpéntes, et vólucres pennátæ:
	JH	bestiae et omnia iumenta, reptilia et aues uolantes:
		τὰ θηρία καὶ πάντα τὰ κτήνη ἑρπετὰ καὶ πετεινὰ πτερωτά

bestia, ae, a beast, wild beast.

universus, a, um,  all, whole, entire;

pecus, oris, n.,, cattle, beasts

serpens, entis,  a creeping thing, a reptile; a snake, serpent

volucris, is,  bird.

pennatus, a, um feathered, winged.  

DR	Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:
Brenton	wild beasts, and all cattle; reptiles, and winged birds:
Cover	beasts and all cattle; worms and feathered fowls

Bellarmine sees this verse as a reminder that all of nature has value to us:

"He then touches on the ani­mals that are to be found on the earth, briefly enumerating the principal ones, the wild, the domestic, and the beasts of bur­den; and finally, the serpents that crawl along the ground, and the birds that fly aloft in the air. He calls upon and challenges them all to praise God, not that they are capable of any such thing, but that man, by reflecting on their use and benefit to him, may praise God, and return him due thanks for them. But what benefit do the wild beasts, the lions, serpents, even the gnats and the wasps confer on man? A great deal, for, whether they inspire us with terror, or annoy and torment us, they are calculated to remind us of our weakness and infirmity, and to what we have come through the disobedience of our first par­ents, by which we lost a great part of the dominion we previ­ously had over all animals."

Psalm 148: Laudate Dominum de caelis

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia
1 Laudáte Dóminum de cælis: * laudáte eum in excélsis.	Praise the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the high places.
2  Laudáte eum, omnes Angeli ejus: * laudáte eum, omnes virtútes ejus.	2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his hosts.
3  Laudáte eum, sol et luna: * laudáte eum, omnes stellæ et lumen.	3 Praise him, O sun and moon: praise him, all you stars and light
4  Laudáte eum, cæli cælórum: * et aquæ omnes, quæ super cælos sunt, laudent nomen Dómini.	4 Praise him, you heavens of heavens: and let all   the waters that are above the heavens 5 praise the name of the Lord.
5 Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt: * ipse mandávit, et creáta sunt.	For he spoke, and they were made: he commanded, and they were created
6  Státuit ea in ætérnum, et in sæculum sæculi: * præcéptum pósuit, et non præteríbit.	6 He has established them for ever, and for ages of ages: he has made a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7  Laudáte Dóminum de terra, * dracónes, et omnes abyssi.	7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons, and all you deeps:
8  Ignis, grando, nix, glácies, spíritus procellárum: * quæ fáciunt verbum ejus:	8 Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word:
9  Montes, et omnes colles: * ligna fructífera, et omnes cedri.	9 Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:
10  Béstiæ, et univérsa pécora: * serpéntes, et vólucres pennátæ:	10 Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:
11  Reges terræ, et omnes pópuli: * príncipes, et omnes júdices terræ.	11 Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth:
12  Júvenes, et vírgines : senes cum junióribus laudent nomen Dómini: * quia exaltátum est nomen ejus solíus.	12 Young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord: 13 For his name alone is exalted.
13  Conféssio ejus super cælum et terram: * et exaltávit cornu pópuli sui.	14 The praise of him is above heaven and earth: and he has exalted the horn of his people.
14  Hymnus ómnibus sanctis ejus: * fíliis Israël, pópulo appropinquánti sibi.	A hymn to all his saints to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him. Alleluia

For the next set of verse by verse notes, continue on here.