Showing posts with label Ps 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ps 3. Show all posts

Friday, May 2, 2014

Psalm 3: Five reasons why St Benedict uses it as a daily invitatory



Psalm 3 is the first psalm said each day in the Benedictine Office, opening the hour of Matins (Vigils), said in the dark early hours of the morning.  In this post, I want to summarise some possible reasons why St Benedict made it one of the daily psalms of his Office.

Psalm 3: Domine, quid multiplicati sunt
Vulgate
Douay-Rheims
Psalmus David, cum fugeret a facie Absalom filii sui.
The psalm of David when he fled from the face of his son Absalom.
2 Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? many are they who rise up against me.
3  Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Many say to my soul: There is no salvation for him in his God.
4  Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
But thou, O Lord art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.
5  Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill.
6  Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me
7  Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.
I will not fear thousands of the people, surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.
8  Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: * dentes peccatórum contrivísti.
For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.
9  Dómini est salus: * et super pópulum tuum benedíctio tua.
Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.


Psalm 3 arguably encapsulates five key aspects of St Benedict's spirituality.

1. Remembering the physical world: St Benedict seems, in his Rule, to enjoy finding ways in which to carry out quite literally the injunctions of the psalms while pointing to the underlying spiritual meaning of doing so.  'Seven times a day have I given praise to you' is translated quite literally, for example into seven hours to be prayed during the day, while 'at midnight I rose to give praise to thee' justifies Matins (RB16). 

One of the key reasons for the selection of this psalm as the first for Matins then, must surely lie in the words of verse 3, for in the early hours of the morning, well before dawn, the monk or nun can truly say with the psalmist, 'I have slept and taken my rest, and I have risen up because the Lord has protected me'.

The verse though, also has a Christological interpretation, indeed, the oldest surviving Patristic reference to Psalm 3, from St Clement of Rome (c96) states that the verse alludes to Our Lord's death and Resurrection.  
Indeed, an early tradition is that the first three psalms of the psalter are about, respectively, the life (Psalm 1), death (Psalm 2) and Resurrection of Christ (Psalm 3).  And of course, the Fathers urge us to apply its message to ourselves as well: we must trust that God will protect us so we rise up, both each day now, and at the last, with him.    

2. The spiritual warfare: The idea that we must wage spiritual warfare against our enemies with the help of God resonates throughout the St Benedict's Rule.  Indeed, in the very opening lines of the Prologue he urges us to renounce our own will, in order  'to fight for the true King, Christ', and take up the 'strong and glorious weapons' of obedience.

The psalm, particularly in verses 1 and 7, makes it clear that we cannot expect the spiritual life to be easy: rather, it is a battle.  We must struggle daily with enemies ranged around us, such as discouragement and temptation. 

3.  Why does God often seem so slow to act?:  This psalm opens by asking why God allows us to be surrounded by our enemies (verse 1), and also asks why the good often seem so badly outnumbered (verse 7).  The challenge posed by a God who often seems to sit back, allowing sinners to flourish while oppressing the good (verse 2) is also a key theme of the psalms the saint places at Prime each day.  Why then does God seem to hold back?  

The issue seems to have been a particular preoccupation for St Benedict, reflected not least in his choice of the psalms set for Prime.  


This psalm doesn't directly answer the question, but in the Prologue to the Rule the saint does suggest one key reason, namely to give us - and those mired in evil - time to repent that we might yet be saved:


"And the days of our life are lengthened and a respite allowed us for this very reason, that we may amend our evil ways. For the Apostle saith: Knowest thou not that the patience of God inviteth thee to repentance? For the merciful Lord saith: I will not the death of a sinner, but that he should be converted and live."

4.  Ask God for help: Another reason for God's delay is suggested by Verse 7 of the psalm, which introduces some key motifs or memes in the Benedictine Office, often used in antiphons and elsewhere, in the words 'exsúrge, Dómine/salvum me fac, Deus meus' (or  'Arise Lord, save me my God). The point is that although God always calls to our hearts, he also gives us free will, and part of that gift is that we must actively ask for his help to ensure, and to perfect what we do.

St Benedict seems to have had some particular attachment to these sentiments for he deliberately splits psalms in two, even across days in order to arrange for these two phrases (or slight variants thereof) to be used as incipits twice on Wednesday: firstly at Matins (Psalm 67/68) and again at Prime (Psalm 9 pt 2/Psalm 11).

5.  Trust in God:  Finally, closely linked to the requirement that we actively ask for God's help is the deep sense of trust in God to make everything come out right, and help us win the race that we must cultivate.  Verse 4 of the Psalm alludes to God as the one who is our sustainer or protector (susceptor), who lifts us up.  In many respects the themes of the psalm, and this verse in particular, echo the stanza of Psalm 118 that surround the Suscipe verse that is used as part of the monastic profession ceremony.

Indeed, the idea of God as our 'susceptor' has an important theology behind it.  St Augustine's take on the word points to the analogy of the Roman paterfamilias, who 'received' (acknowledged) his child, thus saving it from the fate of exposure.  He also explains it as a word used to mean a powerful man who takes up the cause of someone, or a doctor or lawyer accepting a case.   When God becomes our susceptor, in other words, he acts as a Father or powerful protector of us, someone who has taken our cause on as his own, and will work to sustain, help and heal us.  The monastic commentator Cassian (c. 360 – 435) took the discussion of its meaning a step further, for in Chapter 17 of his Conference 13 he discusses God's intervention in various types of vocation:


"Hence it comes in our prayers we proclaim God as not only protector and Saviour, but actually as our Helper and Sponsor [adjuitorem et susceptorem] for whereas He first calls us to him, and while we are ignorant and unwilling, draws us towards salvation, he is our Protector and Saviour, but whereas when we are already striving, He is want to bring us help, and to receive and defend those who fly to Him for refuge, He is our Sponsor and Refuge.' "


St Benedict's contemporary Cassiodorus' commentary on the verse puts more emphasis on the idea of God as our ongoing sustainer, particularly in the ennoblement of the flesh through grace made possible through the Incarnation:


"Sustainer, that is, of the form of slave, since the taking up of human nature is the Word made flesh. So it is the flesh which speaks of its glory and the lifting up of its head, for the all-powerful Word assumed it so that the divine and human substance might be one Person without any admixture. This verse is relevant too to the confounding of the Pelagians, who believe that man can by his own efforts achieve something good; for who, pray, could be self-sufficient for performing good without abundance of divine grace? It is through grace by which it is united to God that human nature has taken its place at the Father's right hand."


Throughout the psalm there is a clear message: if we but put our trust in God and cry out to him with strength, he will destroy our enemies, be they of the world, the flesh and the devil.  

Verse by verse notes on the psalm

I've previously provided more detailed notes on Psalm 3 which you can find as follows:


Introduction to Psalm 3
Psalm 3:v1
Psalm 3:v2
Psalm 3:v3
Psalm 3:v4
Psalm 3:v5
Psalm 3:v6
Psalm 3:v7 
Psalm 3:v8

I also provided some crib notes on the Latin:
Notes on Psalm 3 grammar and vocab Pt 1
Notes on Latin of Psalm 3 Pt 2
Notes on the Latin of Psalm 3, Pt 3

Alternatively, you can jump straight to the introduction to the next psalm in this series, Psalm 94.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Psalm 3: Latin Study hints/Part C

Just to finish off on Psalm 3, a little look at the Latin in the light of Unit 2 of the Simplicissimus Latin course (for link see sidebar under Latin resources), together with a complete vocab list. 

Simplicissimus: an overview to the structure of Latin and key vocab

Simplicissimus is intended to give a quick overview of Latin, enough to allow you to follow the Mass and Office (though you will need to learn some additional vocabulary as well for that!).  A look through it would also serve as a good revision tool for those whose Latin is rusty, or who are doing a more thorough course. 

It is particularly useful because the vocabulary and examples it uses are focused on texts of the Mass and Office.

It is also a course that you could build on later if you wished, using a book such as Collins' Ecclesiastical Latin or Whittaker to learn more about the various grammatical constructions and gain fluency. 

Nouns

In any case, Unit 2 introduces the five declensions (groups of endings) of nouns, together with the concept of cases (nominative, vocative, accusative, genitive, dative, ablative), number (singular and plural) and gender (all words in Latin are either masculine, feminine or neuter).

So here are some examples of nouns with their case noted from Psalm 3.  Note that I haven't necessarily highlighted every noun of the relevant declension here, just the relatively high frequency ones that you will see over and over again.  I've also included some examples where the case of the noun is not necessarily dictated by its function in the sentence but by the meaning of the preposition (in, ad, sine, etc) that comes before it.

First declension nouns in Psalm 3: anima –ae, f (soul, life), gloria –ae, f (glory)

For this declension I've indicated the case and number of the noun.

3.Multi dicunt ánimæ (dative singular: to the soul) meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
4. Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória (nominative singluar) mea, et exáltans caput meum.
8. Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa (ablative singular, governed by sine, =without cause/reason): * dentes peccatórum contrivísti.

Some second declension nouns: Dominus –i, m (Lord), Deus -i m, (God), populus -i, m (people)

For the second and third declension, I've bolded the key words - have a go at identifying the cases (I've noted them in a couple of cases because they partly go to grammar points not yet covered by Simplicissimus)!  If you want a cross-check on your work, put your answers in the comments box or email them to me...

2. Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
3.Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo (ablative, governed by in) ejus.
4. Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
5. Voce mea ad Dóminum (accusative, note governed by ad+acc) clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
6. Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
7. Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus (hint: the vocative of this noun is an exception) meus.
8. Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: * dentes peccatórum contrivísti.
9. Dómini est salus: * et super pópulum (accusative, governed by super) tuum benedíctio tua.

Third declension: vox, vocis f voice; caput, capitis, n (head); salus, salutis f (salvation); mons, montis, montium, m (mountain, hill); benedictio – onis, f (blessing)

2. Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
3.Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
4. Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
5. Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte (ablative of mons, governed by de) sancto suo.
6. Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
7. Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.
8. Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: * dentes (acc pl of dens, tooth) peccatórum contrivísti.
9. Dómini est salus: * et super pópulum tuum benedíctio tua.

Vocabulary for Psalm 3

Here is an alphabetical listing of all of the vocabulary given for the psalm, mostly summarised from Britt's Dictionary of the Psalter:

adversor, atus sum, ari to oppose, resist, withstand
adversus -um, against, in the presence of, over against, before.
anima, ae, soul, life
benedictio, onis, f a blessing; a source of blessing for others
caput, itis, n. the head
causa, ae, f cause, reason,
circumdo, dedi, datum, are, to surround, beset, encompass with a hostile intent clamo, avi, atum, are to call, cry out; to call to or upon for aid.
contero, trivi, itum, ere 3, to break, crush, destroy.
dens, dentis, m. a tooth;
dico, dixi, dictum, ere 3, to say, speak; to sing; to think, plan, desire;
dormio, ivi or ii, itum, ire, to sleep, to lie down to rest.
exaudio, ivi, Itum, ire, to hear, listen to, give heed to; regard, answer.
exsulto, avi, atum, are, to spring, leap; to exult, to rejoice exceedingly
exsurgo, surrexi, surrectum, ere 3, to rise up, arise, i.e., to come to the aid of
gloria, ae, f glory, honor, majesty
insurgo, surrexi, surrectum, ere 3 to rise up against, revolt against;
maxilla, ae, f the jawbone, the jaw.
millia,, n., thousands; indefinitely large number, a host, multitude
mons, montis, m., a mountain
multiplico, avi, atum, are to multiply, increase; to grow, flourish.
multus, a, um, much; many, numerous; much, great
obdormio – fallen asleep
omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything
peccator, oris, m. a sinner, transgressor; the wicked, the godless.
percuto, cussi, cussum, ere 3 to smite,strike; to kill, slay.
populus, i, ., people. the chosen people; a heathen nation
quia, conj. for, because,that.
quis, quid, interrog, pron., who? which? what? why? wherefore?
quoniam, conj., for, because, since,seeing that, whereas.
salus, utis, f helping, saving; victory; help, deliverance, salvation.
salvus, a, um, safe, saved, salvum facere, to save, keep safe, preserve from harm
sanctus, a, um, holy.
soporor, atus sum, ari to go to sleep
super, with, on, upon, for, because of.
susceptor, oris, m. a protector, helper, defender; a stay, support.
suscipio, cepi, ceptum, ere 3 to guard, protect, uphold, support; receive, accept
timeo, ere 2, to fear, be afraid of.
tribulo, avi, atum, are to oppress, afflict, harass.
vox, vocis, f., the voice of a person, or, the sound of an instrument, thunder.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

The Psalms with Pope Benedict: Psalm 3 (v8) - Salvation is from the Lord



In this post we have reached the last verse of Psalm 3. The second last verse dealt with the fate of God and the psalmist’s enemies. This verse contrasts that fate with the blessing that will come on God’s people.

Psalm 3

Here is the full text of the psalm, with today's verse highlighted:

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? many are they who rise up against me.

Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Many say to my soul: There is no salvation for him in his God.

Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
But thou, O Lord art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.

Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill.

Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me

Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.
I will not fear thousands of the people, surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.

Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: * dentes peccatórum contrivísti.
For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.

Dómini est salus: * et super pópulum tuum benedíctio tua.
Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.

Verse 8: Domini est salus

First a look at the Latin:

Dómini (of the Lord) est (it is) salus (salvation/deliverance) = Salvation is of the Lord = It is the Lord who gives salvation/Salvation comes from the Lord

et (and) super (upon) pópulum (the people) tuum (your) benedíctio (blessing) tua (your) = ‘and your blessing [is] upon your people’, or perhaps, ‘let your blessings be upon your people’

The psalm concludes its prayer then, as Pope Benedict XVI points out ‘with a sentence with liturgical connotations that celebrates the God of life in gratitude and praise’. St Augustine comments:

“In one sentence the Psalmist has enjoined men what to believe, and has prayed for believers. For when it is said, Salvation is of the Lord, the words are addressed to men. Nor does it follow, And upon Your people be Your blessing, in such wise as that the whole is spoken to men, but there is a change into prayer addressed to God Himself, for the very people to whom it was said, Salvation is of the Lord. What else then does he say but this? Let no man presume on himself, seeing that it is of the Lord to save from the death of sin; for, Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. But bless, O Lord, Your people, who look for salvation from You.” (Enarrations on the Psalms)

The message of Psalm 3

And to conclude this look at the psalm, it is perhaps worth going back to Pope Benedict’s conclusion to his catechesis on it:

“Dear brothers and sisters, Psalm 3 has presented us with a supplication full of trust and consolation. In praying this Psalm, we can make our own the sentiments of the Psalmist, a figure of the righteous person persecuted, who finds his fulfilment in Jesus.

In sorrow, in danger, in the bitterness of misunderstanding and offence the words of the Psalm open our hearts to the comforting certainty of faith. God is always close — even in difficulties, in problems, in the darkness of life — he listens and saves in his own way.

However it is necessary to recognize his presence and accept his ways, as did David in his humiliating flight from his son, Absalom; as did the just man who is persecuted in the Book of Wisdom and, ultimately and completely, as did the Lord Jesus on Golgotha. And when, in the eyes of the wicked, God does not seem to intervene and the Son dies, it is then that the true glory and the definitive realization of salvation is manifest to all believers.

May the Lord give us faith, may he come to our aid in our weakness and make us capable of believing and praying in every anxiety, in the sorrowful nights of doubt and the long days of sorrow, abandoning ourselves with trust to him, who is our “shield” and our “glory”.”

Next psalm

Tomorrow I’ll provide some Latin learning hints on the psalm, linked to Unit 2 of the Simplicissimus reading Latin course (which looks at nouns).

If you have any feedback on the format or content of these posts, do let me know. For example, do you prefer the phrase by phrase translation approach, is the word by word format more helpful? Would you like more alternative translations to be provided? More commentary from the Fathers (or me)? More or less detailed vocab lists? Are the Latin learning hints of any use or not?

Vocabulary

salus, utis, the act of helping, delivering from danger; victory, temporal salvation; help, deliverance
super, with, on, upon, for, because of.
populus, i, ., people. the chosen people; a heathen nation
benedictio, onis, /. a blessing.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The psalms verse by verse: Psalm 3 (v7) - now for a bit of smiting!



We’ve reached verse 7, the second last verse, in this verse by verse study of Psalm 3 drawing on the catechesis of Pope Benedict XVI, and its one of those good old-fashioned smiting verses that give modern readers so much trouble. Accordingly, it is worth looking at how to interpret it properly.

Psalm 3 so far...

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

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.

Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: * dentes peccatórum contrivísti.
For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.

The first point to note is that Pope Benedict XVI, in his catechesis on the psalm, does not back away from the strong message this verse sends to those who oppose Christ and those who stand for him and do his work:

“The enemy’s visible, massive, impressive attack is countered by the invisible presence of God with all his invincible power. And it is to him that the Psalmist, after his trusting words, once again addresses the prayer: “Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God!”. His assailants “are rising” (cf. v. 2) against their victim; instead the One who will “arise” is the Lord and it will be to defeat them. God will deliver him, answering his cry. Thus the Psalm ends with the vision of liberation from the peril that kills, and from the temptation that can cause us to perish. After addressing his plea to the Lord to arise and deliver him, the praying person describes the divine victory: the enemies — who with their unjust and cruel oppression are the symbol of all that opposes God and his plan of salvation — are defeated. Struck on the mouth, they will no longer attack with their destructive violence and will be unable to instil evil and doubt in God’s presence and action. Their senseless and blasphemous talk is denied once and for all and is reduced to silence by the Lord's saving intervention.”

Let’s look at the text in more detail, then come back to its message.

Verse 7 phrase by phrase

Quóniam tu percussísti =for you have smitten/struck/slayed

omnes adversántes mihi = all opposing/resisting to me without cause = all who were resisting me/my enemies/adversaries

sine causa = without cause/reason (relates back to the adversantes)

dentes peccatórum = the teeth of sinners  Note that the neo-Vulgate changes the teeth to the jaw (maxilla), following the Hebrew Masoretic Text.

contrivísti = you have broken

God smites the enemy

Psalm 3 is one of those psalms that anthropomorphizes and uses vivid imagery that the modern ear may find uncomfortable. But there is a real message for us here that the stark language is meant to make us notice.   We can take it as read that this is poetry – it isn’t meant to be taken too literally. We can interpret images like ‘break the teeth’ as meaning ‘render harmless’, or as St Thomas Aquinas puts it, ‘you have rendered their lying words ineffectual’ for example.  And in fact, the Vulgate actually softens the Hebrew to some degree.

Still, in this verse God engages in a bit of smiting, striking down the psalmist’s enemies, and breaking their teeth, giving us a vivid imagery of a bar brawl or similar. This isn’t exactly how we tend to think of God acting these days, or encouraging us to act on his behalf! Yet the Fathers and Theologians consistently read this verse as a reminder that error – whether in the form of heresy, paganism or atheism – should not be tolerated, but taken head on. Yes, it will cause enemies to rise up against us and attack.  But just as Our Lord wasn’t backward about using strong words to correct the errors prevalent in his day, and those who propagated them, neither should we, for God will protect and sustain us.

Vocabulary

quoniam, conj., for, because, since, seeing that, whereas.
percuto, cussi, cussum, ere 3 to smite, strike; to kill, slay
omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything
adversor, atus sum, ari to oppose, resist, withstand, to be ill-disposed towards any one.
causa, ae,  cause, reason; sine causa, without cause, without good reason, unjustly; in vain, to no purpose.
dens, dentis, m. a tooth
peccator, oris, m. a sinner, transgressor; the wicked, the godless.
contero, trivi, Itum, ere 3, to break, crush, destroy

And now for the last part of this series on Psalm 3.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Psalm 3: Non timebo (v6)


David defeats the Philistines,
Morgan Bible c1240-50
Continuing on with Psalm 3, here are the verses we have looked at so far, together with today’s verse highlighted:

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.

Verse 6: Non timebo

The Douay-Rheims translates this verse as “I will not fear thousands of the people, surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.”

The previous verse told us that the psalmist was able to lie and down and sleep, confident of the Lord’s protection.  Here he has woken, refreshed and ready to do battle, even against seemingly hopeless odds. Pope Benedict XVI comments:

“And, on reawakening he finds God still beside him, as a custodian who does not fall asleep (cf. Ps 121[120]:3-4), who sustains him, who holds his hand, who never abandons him. The fear of death is vanquished by the presence of One who never dies. And even the night that is peopled by atavistic fears, the sorrowful night of solitude and anguished waiting is now transformed: what evoked death became the presence of the Eternal One.”

Phrase by phrase

Here’s a phrase by phrase literal translation:

Non timébo = I will not fear

míllia pópuli = thousands of people

Millia here is being used as a substantive, meaning a host or multitude.

circumdántis me = surrounding me

The verb circumdare has an implication of hostile intent; in short, the lynch mob is gathering.

exsúrge, Dómine = arise O Lord

Exsurge Domine is a frequently used phrase in the psalms – the Lord of course does not literally arise, as if he had been idle. Rather, this was the ancient battle cry of Israel, which we too can adopt as expressing our hope of the resurrection.

salvum me fac =save me

Salvum facere means to save, keep safe, preserve from harm

Deus meus = my God

Psalm 3 as an invitatory

I mentioned earlier in this series that Psalm 3 is said daily as a second invitatory at Matins in the traditional form of the Benedictine Office, and this verse I suspect particularly encapsulates some of the reasons St Benedict accorded it this privileged position. 

St Benedict in his own life was forced to flee friends and enemies on more than a few occasions: he fled to a religious community in the small town of Affile from the dissipation of the Rome of his time when he was a student; from the suffocating attention he received there after performing a miracle to the wilds of Subiaco; from the monks of the first abbey he led, who tried to poison him; and from the malice of a priest at Subiaco to Monte Cassino, to name but a few instances in his life.

Yet on each occasion, he rose again, strengthened to do God's will and thus bring good out of the bad, whether in the form of necessary solitude and meditation; learning from hard experience; or spreading the message of his spirituality from the mountaintop.

St Benedict's is a very resurrection-oriented, heaven focused spirituality, and this psalm is the quintessential resurrection psalm, as his contemporary Cassiodorus points out:

"Psalm 1 contains the Lord Christ's moral aspect; Psalm 2, His natural aspect, that is, His human and divine being; and Psalm 3, by speaking of His resurrection, His reflective aspect; the rationale of these runs through the whole of the divine Scriptures."

Key vocabulary

timeo, ere 2, to fear, be afraid of.
millia, n., thousands; used generally in the sense of an indefinitely large number, a host, multitude.
populus, i, ., people; the chosen people; a heathen nation
circumdo, dedi, datum, are, to surround, beset, encompass with a hostile intent; to gather round
exsurgo, surrexi, surrectum, ere 3, to rise up, arise, i.e., to come to the aid of
salvus, a, um, safe, saved, salvum facere, to save, keep safe, preserve from harm.

The next of this series can be found here.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Psalm 3: Ego dormivi (v5)


Gustave Dore: Death of Absalom

This post continues my verse a day look at Psalm 3, drawing on the catechesis on prayer around this psalm given by Pope Benedict XVI, as well as the commentaries of the Fathers and Theologians.

Psalm 3: Domine quid multiplicati sunt

First a short reminder of what the psalm is about from St Benedict’s contemporary Cassiodorus, who puts it in a Christological perspective:

"When Absalom was cruelly attacking his father David, the speed of his mule caused him to collide with a thick oak-tree, and the branches wound round his neck so that he was suspended high in the air. This was a prefiguration of the Lord's betrayer...The deliver­ance of David fittingly signifies the Lord's resurrection, so that the minds of Christians may be strengthened and encouraged in con­stancy at times of adversity. The whole of this psalm is aptly attributed to the person of Christ the Lord. His person is the strength of the almighty Godhead and the humility of the humanity which he embraced; but the two do not mix through intermingling, but exist in indivisible unity. To begin with, He addresses the Father with chiding of His persecutors who were uttering impious words against Him. Secondly, the faithful people were instructed not to fear death, when He consoles them with the hope of most certain resurrection following the precedent of their Maker.”

And here is the whole of the psalm (with the translation of the verses we’ve already looked at by way of a reminder), with today’s verse highlighted:

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? many are they who rise up against me.

Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Many say to my soul: There is no salvation for him in his God.

Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
But thou, O Lord art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.

Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill.

Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me

Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.
Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: * dentes peccatórum contrivísti.
Dómini est salus: * et super pópulum tuum benedíctio tua.

Verse : Ego dormivi

Here is a phrase by phrase literal translation:

Ego dormívi  =I, I have slept/laid down to rest

Note that the neo-Vulgate changes the verb here to 'obdormivi' (I have fallen asleep).

et soporátus sum = and gone to sleep/slept

et exsurréxi = and I have risen

quia Dóminus suscépit me = because the Lord protected me

‘I laid me down to rest, and slept’ – something hard to do when being hunted as David was, or when we are worrying about things! Pope Benedict XVI comments that:

“The divine response that hears his prayer totally reassures the Psalmist; even his fear is no more and his cry is soothed in peace, in deep inner tranquility. “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about” (vv. 6-7). The praying person, even in peril, in the midst of battle, can sleep serenely in an unequivocal attitude of trusting abandonment. His foes have pitched camp around him, they are numerous, they besiege him, they rise up against him, taunting and trying to make him fall; instead he lies down and sleeps, calm and serene, sure of God's presence.”

It is worth noting though that sleep is also frequently used in the psalms as a figure for death, and thus the Fathers frequently also interpret this verse (as suggested by the quote from Cassiodorus above) as a reference to Our Lord’s death, descent into hell, and resurrection.

Key words

dormio, ivi or li, Itum, ire, to sleep, to lie down to rest.
soporor, atus sum, ari to go to sleep.
exsurgo, surrexi, surrectum, ere 3, to rise up, arise, i.e., to come to the aid of
quia, conj. for, because, truly, surely, indeed.
suscipio, cepi, ceptum, ere 3 to guard, protect, uphold, support; receive, accept; to seize.

And on to the next part in this series.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Psalm 3 - Latin Study Hints Part B - Present indicative verbs

Now that we are half way through Psalm 3, I thought I would pause for a moment to allow you to take stock, and as promised provide some links between the psalm and the grammar covered in the excellent Simplicissimus course (see the sidebar) either by way of a refresher or for those actually sittng down and learning Latin for the first time.  Others should skip on quickly past this post...

Unit One of this quick introduction to reading Latin course focuses primarily on verbs in the four conjugation in the present indicative active tense, and the present tense of the verb to be.  So let me point out examples of these in the psalm...

Present tense verbs...

Here is the first part of the psalm with the present tense verbs in the four basic paradigms (conjugations) highlighted:

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant (tribulare = first conjugation, third person plural = they harass) me? * multi insúrgunt (insurgere = third conjugation, third person plural = they rise up)advérsum me.
Multi dicunt (dicere = third conjugation, third person plural = they say) ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.

Present of 'to be'

And here is the whole psalm with the uses of the present tense of the verb to be (sum, esse) highlighted.
But note that there is a bit of a trick here - there are two uses in this psalm of words that look like the present tense of to be, but in fact sum and sunt are being used to form the passive tense of another verb, viz multiplicati sunt and soporatus sum.

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est (there/he/she/it is no) salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es (you s. are), * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.
Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: * dentes peccatórum contrivísti.
Dómini est (he is) salus: * et super pópulum tuum benedíctio tua.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Psalm 3: Voce mea ad Dominum (v4)



Continuing the verse a day approach to looking at Psalm 3, we have reached the half-way mark with verse 4.

The Fathers and Theologians generally treat this verse as something of a mini-treatise on prayer, encouraging us to engage in prayer that engages the whole body in intense, internal and vocal prayer of the heart. No doubt this is part of the reason Pope Benedict XVI chose this psalm for his own series on the psalms and prayer!

Psalm 3

The psalm so far, with today's verse highlighted:

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, glória mea, et exáltans caput meum
Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.

The Douay-Rheims translates verse 4 as: "I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill."

Phrase by phrase

Voce mea=with my voice

The word voce perhaps implies that vocal prayer is meant here, but the verb clamavi (I have cried out) below suggests something intense, engaging the whole body.

ad Dóminum clamávi= to the Lord I have cried out

We must cry out with our voice: here it means inner voice, the true voice of our heart, coming from that inner room of our body. Secondly it must be devout, intent.

et exaudívit me=and he heard me

We need also to remember that prayer is a dialogue, and leave room for God to reply to us. The Pope adds that:

"Man is no longer alone, his foes are not invincible as they had seemed, for the Lord hears the cry of the oppressed and answers from the place of his presence, from his holy hill. The human being cries out in anguish, in danger, in pain; the human being calls for help and God answers. In this interweaving of the human cry and the divine response we find the dialectic of prayer and the key to reading the entire history of salvation. The cry expresses the need for help and appeals to the other’s faithfulness; crying out means making an act of faith in God’s closeness and in his willingness to listen."

de monte sancto suo = from his holy mountain(ie Mt Sion, Jerusalem, or heaven).

The Pope comments that:

"Thus the Psalmist, who feels besieged by death, professes his faith in the God of life who, as a shield, surrounds him with an invulnerable protection; the one who believed he was as good as lost can raise his head because the Lord saves him; the praying person, threatened and mocked, is in glory, because God is his glory."

Vocab list

vox, vocis, /., the voice of a person, or, the sound of an instrument, thunder.
clamo, avi, atum, are to call, cry out; to call to or upon for aid.
exaudio, ivi, Itum, ire, to hear, hearken to, listen to, give heed to; to regard, answer.
mons, montis, m., a mountain (mons sanctus = Zion)
sanctus, a, um, holy.

This series continues here.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Psalm 3: Tu autem Domine (v3)



Continuing on with this series on Psalm 3, we are now up to verse 3:

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.

The Douay-Rheims translates the verse as: "But thou, O Lord art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.

The one God repels many enemies...

This verse is an emphatic contradiction of the previous verse (many say to me, God will not help him), as Pope Benedict XVI's commentary makes clear

"Thus in our Psalm the person praying is called to respond with faith to the attacks of the wicked: his foes — as I said — deny that God can help him; yet he invokes God, he calls him by name, “Lord”, and then turns to him with an emphatic “thou/you” that expresses a solid, sturdy relationship and implies the certainty of the divine response: “But you, O Lord are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill” (vv. 4-5). The vision of the enemies then disappears, they have not triumphed because the one who believes in God is sure that God is his friend. Only the “thou/you” of God is left. Now only One opposes the “many”, but this One is far greater, far more powerful, than many adversaries. The Lord is help, defence and salvation; as a shield he protects the person who entrusts himself to him and enables him to lift his head in the gesture of triumph and victory."

Phrase by phrase

Now let's take a look at the Latin phrase by phrase:

Tu (you) autem (but) Domine (O Lord) = But you O Lord

suscéptor (protector/defender/helper) meus (my) es (you are) = you are my protector

It is worth noting that the Masoretic Hebrew Text here, which the Neo-Vulgate uses as its basis (and the English version of Pope Benedict's talk quotes using the RSV translation), is rather more vivid and anthropomorphic than the Vulgate, suggesting that 'God is a shield about me'.

glória (the glory) mea (my)= my glory

This could perhaps be expanded out as ‘the one I glory in’.

et (and) exáltans (lifting up) =and lifting up

caput (head) meum (my) =my head

‘exaltare caput’, while literally meaning lifting up my head really means to give confidence.

Reflection on the verse

St Augustine comments on this verse in the City of God (Bk I, ch 28), putting it in the context of the choice we must all make for or against God:

"Accordingly, two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord. For the one seeks glory from men; but the greatest glory of the other is God, the witness of conscience. The one lifts up its head in its own glory; the other says to its God, “Thou art my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” In the one, the princes and the nations it subdues are ruled by the love of ruling; in the other, the princes and the subjects serve one another in love, the latter obeying, while the former take thought for all. The one delights in its own strength, represented in the persons of its rulers; the other says to its God, “I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength.”

Vocabulary list

Here's the word list for the verse:

tu- you
autem – but
dominus i m – Lord
susceptor, oris, m. a protector, helper, defender, guardian; a stay, support
meus mea meum – my, mine
gloria, ae, glory, honor, majesty
et - and
exsulto, avi, atum, are to spring, leap, or jump up; to exult, to rejoice exceedingly
caput, itis, n. the head, caput exaltare, to lift up the head of another is to honor or exalt him

For the next part in this series, go here.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Psalm 3 - Multi dicunt (v2)



Yesterday I looked briefly at verse 1 of Psalm 3:

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.

I want to continue today the examination of Psalm 3, with a look at verse 2:

Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.

Psalm 3: David as a type of Christ

First a reminder of the overall focus of the psalm, from St Alphonsus Liguori:

"This psalm has for its title: David flying before his son Absalom. It was therefore to David fleeing from the persecutions of the unfortunate Absalom that is commonly applied the literal sense of this psalm. But in the mystical sense, according to St. Jerome, St. Augustine, Bede, Theodoret, and others, David here represents Jesus Christ considered in his Passion and in his resurrection. We would here once more remark on the subject of the enemies from whom the royal prophet endured persecution, that all the psalms when they speak literally are to be understood mystically of all the internal and external enemies, especially of our most powerful and most dangerous enemies, I mean the devils who are plotting against our eternal salvation."

Verse 2

The Vulgate is: “Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus."

The Douay-Rheims translates this as ‘Many say (multi dicunt) to/in reference to my soul (animae meae): There is no (non est) salvation (salus) for him (ipsi) in his God (in Deo ejus)’.  

The Coverdale translation (from the Hebrew Masoretic Text) makes it: "Many one there be that say of my soul, There is no help for him in his God."

In sum, the psalmist’s friends and enemies are all saying that God has abandoned him. 

Perseverance in faith

Pope Benedict comments on the verse:

"The Psalm opens with an invocation to the Lord: A multitude threatens him and rises against him, generating fear that magnifies the threat, making it appear greater and even more terrifying; but the praying person does not let this vision of death prevail, he keeps intact his relationship with the God of life and turns to him first in search of help.  However his enemies attempt to break this bond with God and to injure their victim's faith. They insinuate that the Lord cannot intervene, they say that not even God can save him. Hence the attack is not only physical but involves the spiritual dimension too: “there is no help for him in God”, they say, targeting the central principle of the Psalmist's mind.  This is the extreme temptation to which the believer is subjected, the temptation to lose faith, to lose trust in God’s closeness. The righteous pass the final test, remain steadfast in faith, in the certainty of the truth and in full trust in God; in this way they find life and truth. It seems to me that here the Psalm touches us very personally: beset by many problems we are tempted to think that perhaps God does not save me, that he does not know me, perhaps he is not able to; the temptation to lose faith is our enemy's ultimate attack and if we are to find God, if we are to find life, we must resist it."

Vocab list

multus, a, um, much; many, numerous; much, great.
dico, dixi, dictum, ere 3, to say, speak; to sing; in the sense of to think, plan, desire; to praise.
anima, ae,  Equivalent to a personal pronoun: Untranslated:. Life, soul, and heart
meus a um – my mine
non – not
est – he/she/it/there is
salus, utis, /. help, deliverance, safety, salvation.
ipse ipsa ipsum – him, her -self,
in+abl=in, on,by means of, with
deus god
ejus – from is ea id, he, she ,it, that

And now, on to the next verse...

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Psalm 3: Domine quid multiplicati sunt (verse 1)


King David in prayer
Pieter Fransz. de Grebber (1600–1652)
I am looking in this series, at how to gain a greater understanding of Psalm 3, including the Latin of it, following the Holy Father's catechesis on the psalms as the prayerbook of the Church  For a general introduction to Psalm 3, see the previous post.

Psalm 3 overview

Here is the whole text and translation of Psalm 3 again, with the verse we will look at in more detail in this post highlighted:

1.  Psalmus David, cum fugeret a facie Absalom filii sui.
The psalm of David when he fled from the face of his son Absalom.
2. Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? many are they who rise up against me.
3. Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Many say to my soul: There is no salvation for him in his God.
4. Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
But thou, O Lord art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.
5. Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill.
6. Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me
7. Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.
I will not fear thousands of the people, surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.
8. Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: * dentes peccatórum contrivísti.
For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.
9. Dómini est salus: * et super pópulum tuum benedíctio tua.
Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.

By way of a refresher on the general thrust of the psalm, St Athanasius says of this psalm:

"If you are persecuted by your own family and opposed by many, say Psalm 3… hearing how God helps those who hope and trust in Him, the listener too rejoices and begins to render thanks, as though that gracious help already were his own. Psalm 3, to take another instance, a man will sing, bearing his own afflictions in his mind (Letter on psalms)"

Verse 1

The first verse of the psalm as it is said in the Office (ie skipping the title) is:

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? multi insúrgunt advérsum me.

If you are using this series to learn to say the Office in Latin, the first thing to do is listen to the recording of this verse several times (see the links in the previous post), or use the crib notes on how to pronounce ecclesiastical Latin, until you can say it reasonably fluently.  Then trying singing it (as slowly as you like) on one note.

The translation that appears in many breviaries, from Coverdale, of this verse is: "Lord how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise against me."  The rather more literal version of the Latin from the Douay-Rheims is: "Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? many are they who rise up against me."

Phrase by phrase

Let's take a look at it phrase by phrase:

Dómine= O Lord

quid (why) multiplicáti sunt (they are multiplied/they have been multiplied) = why are they multiplied. 

This is an attempt to render a Hebrew idiom.  The sense, then, is of someone hard pressed by an ever increasing number of enemies, reflected in the Revised Standard Version translation as: ‘O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me’.  An even more idiomatic modern translation might be something like, Lord, why do I do so many enemies keep appearing? 

multi (many) insúrgunt (they rise) advérsum me (against me) =many rise up against/attack me

Pope Benedict comments on this verse and the next that:

"The idea of “multitude” is conveyed with the triple use of “many” — three words that in the original text are different terms with the same Hebrew root so as to give further emphasis to the enormity of the danger — in a repetitive manner, as it were, hammering it in. This insistence on the large number of his enemies serves to express the Psalmist’s perception of the absolute disproportion between him and his persecutors, which justifies and establishes the urgency of his plea for help; his oppressors are numerous, they get the upper hand, whereas the man praying is alone and defenceless, at the mercy of his assailants. Yet the first word the Psalmist says is “Lord”; his cry opens with a call to God."

For reflection

St Robert Bellarmine comments...

"David, addressing himself in prayer to God, complains of and wonders at the number of his enemies…Such was the case with Christ, especially in his passion, for then his son, that is his people, rebelled against him, crying out: “we have no king but Caesar,” and he, like a sick man and a fugitive, was obliged to fly from them through his death; but speedily returned through his Resurrection…"

Word by word

For those wanting to get down and learn some or all of the Latin vocabulary used in this psalm, here is a word list for the verse:

dominus, i, m. a master, lord, ruler
quis, quid, interrog, pron., who? which? what? why? wherefore?
multiplico, avi, atum, are to multiply, increase.
qui, quae, quod, pron. rel., who, which, what, that,
tribulo, avi, atum, are to press, oppress, afflict, harass.
multus, a, um, much; many, numerous; much, great.
insurgo, surrexi, surrectum, ere 3 (in and surgo), to rise up against, revolt against;
adversus prep, with acc against, in the presence of, over against, before.
me me (personal pronoun)

You can find the notes on verse 2 here.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Psalm 3: Latin study hints/ Part A - vocab

As well as verse by verse notes on the psalm itself, I thought I’d try providing some pointers to help speed up your learning of the Latin through each psalm, mainly covering vocabulary and grammar.

You don't need to read these 'Latin study hints' posts to make sense of the verse by verse notes that will follow, so skip quickly past if you wish...

And you certainly don’t need to remember all of this.  You can just read through, and use it as a reference point.  But if you do want to make flashcards, and really learn this material, this is hopefully a starting point.

Grammar and vocab notes

In the case of the grammar, at the end of each week, I will try putting up some notes linking the psalm to one chapter at a time of the excellent Simplicissimus course (see the link in sidebar), pointing out examples of the particular things taught. Even if you aren’t working through that course thoroughly, a quick read of it is a great way of revising your Latin if you already have some, or speeding up your absorption of the Latin from immersion if not.

In the case of the vocabulary, what I propose to do is offer a couple of word lists to help you focus as you work through the psalm. As we do each verse, I'll provide a list of each word used.  After we've finished each psalm, I’ll then provide an alphabetical list of all the vocabulary used in it.   Before we start each psalm though, I’ll try providing a short list of very high frequency words for absolute beginners to learn, and some more focused lists that may make learning more of the key words easier for more advanced students.

Learn all the words or just some?

There are two possible strategies for learning vocabulary: learn every word you come across, and don’t move on until you have; or learn the most important words, the words that are used all the time, then go back later and fill in the ones you don’t know. I’d strongly recommend the second course!

First, if you focus on the really important words, you will quickly understand an awful lot of the text anyway, so you can make guesses as to what the rest means. You will also pick up a lot of others just by repetition. Secondly, being prepared to look up a few words in an online dictionary or go back and refresh your memory from the notes is far more efficient. There are around 2,800 different base words used in the psalms. So even if you learnt around 30 a week (which is the level of a fairly challenging language course) it would still take you around two years to learn it all. But if you learn the words that make up the overwhelming majority of the text and just fill in the gaps as you need to, you will understand most of it much faster.

How many you try and learn is up to you.  I'll provide some starting points here, and add to them once we go on a few verses.

Seven frequently used words to get started with

The first thing to do is to look in the psalm as a whole for the words that occur several times.  And focus particularly on ones frequently used in general - you can find a frequency count for words in the Latin Vulgate here, though I'll try and point out key ones as they occur.

Look through it for frequently used words – there are a few that are really worth learning first. So for example in this psalm:

Dominus – Lord

Here is the psalm with the occurrences bolded:

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.
Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: dentes peccatórum contrivísti.
Dómini est salus: et super pópulum tuum benedíctio tua.

Note that it appears here with a number of different endings that change the meaning of the sentence – domine (O Lord), dominum (object), domini (of the Lord).

Deus – God

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus....
Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.

et - and

Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me....
Dómini est salus: et super pópulum tuum benedíctio tua.

Now find all the occurrences of these couple of words -

meus (mea, meum) – my, mine (adjective)

me – me (pronoun)

tuus (tuum, tua) – your, yours, referring to one person

tu (pronoun) - you

Other high frequency words to look out for

anima, ae, soul
gloria, ae,. glory, honor, majesty
vox, vocis, the voice of a person, or, the sound of an instrument
populus -i m people

dico dixi, dictum, ere 3, to say, speak; to sing; in the sense of to think, plan, desire; to praise.
clamo, avi, atum, are to call, cry out; to call to or upon for aid.
timeo, ere 2, to fear, be afraid of.
dormio, ivi or ii, itum, ire, to sleep, to lie down to rest.

quoniam, conj., for, because, since, seeing that, whereas.
super, with, on, upon, for, because of.

sanctus, a, um, holy.
multus, a, um, much; many, numerous; much, great
omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything

For those who want to learn more words...

This listing doesn't cover all the words in the psalm, just a few that might be worth having in mind as you work throught it, grouped here in ways that might make remembering them easier.

caput, itis, n. the head
dens, dentis, m. a tooth
maxilla, ae, the jawbone, the jaw.
benedictio, ionis f. blessing
mons montis montium m. mountain, hill

adversor, atus sum, ari to oppose, resist, withstand, to be ill-disposed towards any one.
adversus or adversum, prep, with acc. against, in the presence of, over against, before.
tribulo, avi, atum, are to oppress, afflict, harass.
peccator, oris, m. a sinner, transgressor; the wicked, the godless.

contero, trivi, Itum, ere 3, to break, crush, destroy.
percuto, cussi, cussum, ere 3 to smite ,strike; to kill, slay.
dormio, ivi or li, Itum, ire, to sleep, to lie down to rest.
soporor, atus sum, ari to go to sleep

insurgo, surrexi, surrectum, ere 3 to rise up against, revolt against;
circumdo, dedi, datum, are, to surround, beset, encompass with a hostile intent; to gather round

exaudio, ivi, Itum, ire, to hear, hearken to, listen to, give heed to; to regard, answer.
exsurgo, surrexi, surrectum, ere 3, to rise up, arise, i.e., to come to the aid of
exsulto, avi, atum, are to spring, leap, or jump up; to exult, to rejoice exceedingly

susceptor, oris, m. a protector, helper, defender, a stay, support.
salus, utis, /. the act of helping, saving; victory, temporal salvation; help, deliverance, safety, salvation.

Do let me know if this is helpful or not, and alert me to any errors you detect!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Psalm 3: Introduction


The banquet of Absalom,
Niccolo di Simone, c1650

Today I want to start my series on penetrating the meaning of the psalms, particularly in the context of the Divine Office with a mini-series on Psalm 3, the first of the Psalms treated in Pope Benedict XVI's current series of General Audiences on the psalms and prayer.

This post will provide a general introduction to the psalm.  Tomorrow I'll put up some pointers for those who might use this series to learn a bit of Latin.  After that, I'll start working through it verse by verse.

An overview

Psalm 3 is a prayer asking for protection in times of difficulty, and it is said daily at Matins in the traditional form of the Benedictine Office.  

Pope Benedict describes it as:

"a Psalm of lamentation and supplication, imbued with deep trust, in which the certainty of God’s presence forms the basis of the prayer that springs from the condition of extreme peril in which the person praying finds himself."

St Benedict perhaps placed it as a daily first invitatory perhaps because it speaks to us about our daily spiritual warfare: our daily struggles with discouragement and temptation. 

The essential message of the psalm is, I think, that if we but put our trust in God and cry out to him with strength, he will destroy our enemies, be they of the world, the flesh and the devil (and indeed, this psalm is used in the rite of exorcism).

Read through the complete psalm

Here is the complete text, with the Vulgate and Douay-Rheims compared verse by verse:

Psalmus David, cum fugeret a facie Absalom filii sui.
The psalm of David when he fled from the face of his son Absalom.

Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? many are they who rise up against me.

Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Many say to my soul: There is no salvation for him in his God.

Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
But thou, O Lord art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.

Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill.

Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me

Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.
I will not fear thousands of the people, surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.

Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: * dentes peccatórum contrivísti.
For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.

Dómini est salus: * et super pópulum tuum benedíctio tua.
Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.

You can hear it read aloud in Latin here. If you are new to Latin, just listen to it through a few times, until you can follow the text.  Then come back to it and actually try and say it yourself when we start on the verse by verse analysis.

For those in the process of or wanting to learn Latin, I'll highlight some of the very common words (such as et=and, Dominus=Lord, and Deus=God) and some of the grammatical structures that occur in this psalm that you could focus on learning first, in the next post.  But first a few general points on the psalm itself.
 
Historical context
 
The historical context for this psalm is the tragic rebellion of David's son Absalom, aided by David's most trusted counselor, Achitophel (2 Sam 15-18). When David learns of the strength of the conspiracy against his rule, he was forced to flee:

"But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered; and all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went." He is pelted with stones by previous allies, while the conspirators plot to attack him at his weakest moment: "Moreover Ahith'ophel said to Ab'salom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged, and throw him into a panic; and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down the king only, and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace." And the advice pleased Ab'salom and all the elders of Israel."

The psalm tells us however that despite the advice of fainthearted friends, David never lost faith, and slept despite the risk of night attack, waking refreshed and ready to face the impending tragedy of his son's undesired death.

Pope Benedict XVI comments:

"Psalm 3, which Jewish tradition ascribes to David at the moment when he fled from his son Absalom (cf. v. 1): this was one of the most dramatic and anguishing episodes in the King’s life, when his son usurped his royal throne and forced him to flee from Jerusalem for his life (cf. 2 Sam 15ff).

Thus David’s plight and anxiety serve as a background to this prayer and, helping us to understand it by presenting a typical situation in which such a Psalm may be recited. Every man and woman can recognize in the Psalmist’s cry those feelings of sorrow, bitter regret and yet at the same time trust in God, who, as the Bible tells us, had accompanied David on the flight from his city."

Typological interpretation
 
The tradition of the Church, however, suggests two other levels of interpretation for the psalm.  In addition to the original historical context, St Augustine, for example, sees David as a type of Our Lord.  Thus, St Augustine sees the psalm as a prophesy of Our Lord's Passion, Cross and Resurrection: the persecutors are so many they include even one of his own disciples; they mock him even on the Cross in effect saying God won't save you; and the sleeping and rising up refers to his death and Resurrection.   He also interprets it as a reference to the Church, which too is persecuted, but which can always trust in God to preserve it.  And of course we can apply its key messages to ourselves.

Pope Benedict XVI puts it as follows:

"Dear brothers and sisters, Psalm 3 has presented us with a supplication full of trust and consolation. In praying this Psalm, we can make our own the sentiments of the Psalmist, a figure of the righteous person persecuted, who finds his fulfilment in Jesus.

In sorrow, in danger, in the bitterness of misunderstanding and offence the words of the Psalm open our hearts to the comforting certainty of faith. God is always close — even in difficulties, in problems, in the darkness of life — he listens and saves in his own way.

However it is necessary to recognize his presence and accept his ways, as did David in his humiliating flight from his son, Absalom; as did the just man who is persecuted in the Book of Wisdom and, ultimately and completely, as did the Lord Jesus on Golgotha. And when, in the eyes of the wicked, God does not seem to intervene and the Son dies, it is then that the true glory and the definitive realization of salvation is manifest to all believers.

The psalm as a whole


Vulgate
Douay-Rheims
Psalmus David, cum fugeret a facie Absalom filii sui.
The psalm of David when he fled from the face of his son Absalom.
2 Dómine quid multiplicáti sunt qui tríbulant me? * multi insúrgunt advérsum me.
Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? many are they who rise up against me.
3  Multi dicunt ánimæ meæ: * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Many say to my soul: There is no salvation for him in his God.
4  Tu autem, Dómine, suscéptor meus es, * glória mea, et exáltans caput meum.
But thou, O Lord art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.
5  Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * et exaudívit me de monte sancto suo.
I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill.
6  Ego dormívi, et soporátus sum: * et exsurréxi, quia Dóminus suscépit me.
I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me
7  Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.
I will not fear thousands of the people, surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.
8  Quóniam tu percussísti omnes adversántes mihi sine causa: * dentes peccatórum contrivísti.
For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.
9  Dómini est salus: * et super pópulum tuum benedíctio tua.
Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.



Liturgical uses of Psalm 3

RB:
Monastic:
Matins invitatory
Maurist
Matins daily
Thesauris schemas
A: Sunday Matins; B: Sunday Lauds; C: Sunday Matins wk 1; D: Friday Matins wk 1
Brigittine
Sunday Matins
Ambrosian
Monday Matins wk 1
Roman
Pre-1911: Sunday Matins Post-1911: Sunday Matins. 1970: Monday Lauds wk 1
other (EF)
Rite of exorcism



Links to the notes

And now, on to Verse 1 (verse 1 is the psalm title).

For those interested in learning a little Latin as you go through the psalm, take a look at these posts: