Psalm 30 v 6 - Into your hands, O Lord

The final verse of Psalm 30 is the rationale for its inclusion at Compline, providing us with a model of how to approach our own deaths:

In manus tuas comméndo spíritum meum: redemísti me, Dómine, Deus veritátis.

Into your hands I commend my spirit: you have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

Key vocabularly:

manus, us, f, the hand

commendo are avi atum to commit for protection, intrust, confide, deposit with

redimo ere emi emptum 3 to redeem, buy back, ransom, rescue, set free, save

veritas, atis, truth, grace, kindness ,goodness, fidelity to promises, faithfulness 

Christ the redeemer

Christ used the first phrase of this verse on the cross; the second half though, clearly pertains not to him, but to us, as St Alphonsus Liguori makes clear: 

Some think that these words, and indeed the whole psalm, are to be understood of Jesus Christ, because before expiring he said on the cross: Pater, in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum. Bellarmine, however, justly observes that our Lord, in dying, might well use these words, but not the following : Redemisti me, Domine, Deus veritatis &hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth ; for Jesus Christ was himself the Redeemer, and not the redeemed.

Yet there is a sense in which the whole verse can be applied to Christ, as St Augustine suggested:

To Your power I commend My Spirit, soon to receive It back. You have redeemed Me, O Lord God of truth. Let the people too, redeemed by the Passion of their Lord, and joyful in the glorifying of their Head, say, You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

May we too make this prayer our own as we celebrate the mystery of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ this Easter.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus David, pro extasi	Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy
1 In te, Dómine, sperávi non confúndar in ætérnum: * in justítia tua líbera me.	In you, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in your justice.
2  Inclína ad me aurem tuam, * accélera ut éruas me.	3 Bow down your ear to me: make haste to deliver me.
3  Esto mihi in Deum protectórem, et in domum   refúgii: * ut salvum me fácias.	Be unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
4  Quóniam fortitúdo mea, et refúgium meum es   tu: * et propter nomen tuum dedúces me, et enútries me.	4 For you are my strength and my refuge; and for your name's sake you will lead me, and nourish me.
5  Edúces me de láqueo hoc, quem abscondérunt mihi: * quóniam tu es protéctor meus.	5 You will bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for you are my protector.
6  In manus tuas comméndo spíritum meum: * redemísti me, Dómine, Deus veritátis.	6 Into your hands I commend my spirit: you have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

Psalm 30 v 5 - The enemy tries to entrap us

Verse 5 of Psalm 30 echoes Psalm 90's verse on the snares of the hunter.

Edúces me de láqueo hoc, quem abscondérunt mihi: quóniam tu es protéctor meus.

You will bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for you are my protector.

The key vocabulary for today's verse is:

educo, duxi, ductum, ere 3,  to lead out or forth.

laqueus, ei, m., a noose for capturing animals; a snare, trap

abscondo, condi, conditum, ere 3, to hide, conceal; to lay up, to treasure, guard jealously

protector, oris, m. a protector, defender; a shield, buckler; a stronghold, fortress; a refuge, deliverer, etc

The snare's laid for Christ

St Cassiodorus provided a Christological interpretation for this verse:

The snare was indeed hidden by the enemy, but it was not to be hidden from Christ, for He did not fall into death by deception but knowingly undertook it to free us. So the Jews hid the snare for Christ because they thought that He was only a man, and they plotted to destroy him by secret ambush. So He says that He is to be brought out of it, in other words, swiftly raised to the realms of heaven by the kindly gift of the resurrection. But He says that all the Jews' plans are to be foiled, for if the Lord offers protection, no opposition can prevail.

The image of the enemy laying traps for us though, and God's assistance to us in avoiding them, runs through many of the psalms, and so the verse serves as a salutary reminder that the ways of the world are not ours.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus David, pro extasi	Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy
1 In te, Dómine, sperávi non confúndar in ætérnum: * in justítia tua líbera me.	In you, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in your justice.
2  Inclína ad me aurem tuam, * accélera ut éruas me.	3 Bow down your ear to me: make haste to deliver me.
3  Esto mihi in Deum protectórem, et in domum   refúgii: * ut salvum me fácias.	Be unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
4  Quóniam fortitúdo mea, et refúgium meum es   tu: * et propter nomen tuum dedúces me, et enútries me.	4 For you are my strength and my refuge; and for your name's sake you will lead me, and nourish me.
5  Edúces me de láqueo hoc, quem abscondérunt mihi: * quóniam tu es protéctor meus.	5 You will bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for you are my protector.
6  In manus tuas comméndo spíritum meum: * redemísti me, Dómine, Deus veritátis.	6 Into your hands I commend my spirit: you have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

And you can find the last part in this series here.

Psalm 30 v4 - Building our house on the rock

Quóniam fortitúdo mea, et refúgium meum es tu: et propter nomen tuum dedúces me, et enútries me.

For you are my strength and my refuge; and for your name's sake you will lead me, and nourish me.

Looking at the Latin

The key vocabulary for the Vulgate version of this verse is:

fortitudo, inis, f. strength, might, power. a defense

refugium, ii, n.  a refuge, a place of refuge; fortress, high tower, dwelling place, hiding place, etc.

nomen, mis, n. name; God himself; the perfections of God, His glory, majesty, wisdom, power, goodness,

deduco, duxi ductum, ere 3, to lead or bring down; guide, lead, conduct

enutrio ire ivi iteum to nourish, sustain

There are two key differences between the Septuagint/Vulgate and Hebrew Masoretic Text versions of this verse, as well as a number of minor variants:

Vulgate	Quóniam fortitúdo mea, et refúgium meum es tu: et propter nomen tuum dedúces me, et enútries me.
Vetus	Quia fortitudo mea, et refugium meum es tu: et propter nomen tuum dux mihi eris, et enutries me.
Romanum	quoniam firmamentum meum et refugium meum es tu et propter nomen tuum dux mihi eris et enutries me
Neo-Vulgate	Quoniam fortitudo mea et refugium meum es tu et propter nomen tuum deduces me et pasces me.
Pian	Nam tu es petra mea et arx mea, Et propter nomen tuum deduces me et diriges me.
JH	Quia petra mea et munitio mea tu es et propter nomen tuum dux meus eris et enutries me

The first text variant is that the Hebrew makes the first phrase ‘You are my rock’, which is arguably more consistent with some of the Gospel uses of the word than the Septuagint/Vulgate version.

The second is that rather than ‘nourish’, the Masoretic Text has 'preserve'.

The difference nuances are reflected in the range of English translations:

DR	For you are my strength and my refuge; and for your name's sake you will lead me, and nourish me.
Brenton	For thou art my strength and my refuge; and thou shalt guide me for thy name’s sake, and maintain me.
Collegeville	Be my protector, my God, and save me,  for you are my courage and my refuge, and for Your name’s sake You will lead me and nourish me.
RSV	Yea, thou art my rock and my fortress; for thy name's sake lead me and guide me,
Cover	For thou art my strong rock, and my castle be thou also my guide, and lead me for thy Name’s sake.
Knox	Thou dost strengthen and defend me; thou, for thy own honour, dost guide and escort me;
Grail	for you are my rock, my stronghold. For your name's sake, lead me and guide me.

Our rock, our strength?

Theodoret of Cyr pointed to the link between the Hebrew's use of the word rock, and the Gospel story of building a house on a rock (a story also alluded to in the Prologue to the Benedictine Rule):

Now, it is likely that the Old Testament term agreed with that in the Gospels, which gives a glimpse of the prudent person build­ing the house on the rock, which  the  force neither of winds nor of rain and floods ruined on account of its stability.

St Cassiodorus, on the other hand, used the Vulgate text version to link the verse to the Passion:

Strength refers to the endurance of what He suffered, refuge to the end of His ills, when He overcame the injustices of this world with the climax of a glorious death.

Lead and nourish

St Cassiodorus continued, on the second half of the verse:

For His name's sake the Lord led humanity, for through the diffusion of that most salutary preaching He made that name more widely acknowledged through all nations. Or this is to be understood as referring to His  members,  as has already been said. He is rightly called our Leader since we follow Him and do not avoid the tracks of His teaching. He also said He was nourished until the Catholic Church could attain perfection by His gift.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus David, pro extasi	Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy
1 In te, Dómine, sperávi non confúndar in ætérnum: * in justítia tua líbera me.	In you, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in your justice.
2  Inclína ad me aurem tuam, * accélera ut éruas me.	3 Bow down your ear to me: make haste to deliver me.
3  Esto mihi in Deum protectórem, et in domum   refúgii: * ut salvum me fácias.	Be unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
4  Quóniam fortitúdo mea, et refúgium meum es   tu: * et propter nomen tuum dedúces me, et enútries me.	4 For you are my strength and my refuge; and for your name's sake you will lead me, and nourish me.
5  Edúces me de láqueo hoc, quem abscondérunt mihi: * quóniam tu es protéctor meus.	5 You will bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for you are my protector.
6  In manus tuas comméndo spíritum meum: * redemísti me, Dómine, Deus veritátis.	6 Into your hands I commend my spirit: you have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

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

Psalm 30 v3: Where is our home of refuge?

Today's verse is a plea applicable to any Christian:

Esto mihi in Deum protectórem, et in domum refúgii: ut salvum me fácias.

Be unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.

Looking at the Latin

The key vocabulary for the Vulgate version of the Verse is:

protector, oris, m. a protector, defender; a shield, buckler; a stronghold, fortress; a refuge, deliverer, etc

domus, us,. a house, structure; a house, abode, dwelling place; Temple; ;a race, people, nation; the priesthood.

refugium, ii, n.  a refuge, a place of refuge; fortress, high tower, dwelling place, hiding place, etc.

salvus, a, um, safe, saved,  salvum facere, to save, keep safe, preserve from harm..  

This verse has, though, a number of different text traditions, reflected in the various Latin versions:

Vulgate	Esto mihi in Deum protectórem, et in domum refúgii: ut salvum me fácias.
Romanum	Esto mihi in Deum protectorem et in locum refugii ut salvum me facias
Neo-Vulgate	Esto mihi in rupem praesidii et in domum munitam, ut salvum me facias.
Pian	Esto mihi petra refugii, Arx munita, ut salves me.
Jerome from the Hebrew	Esto mihi in lapidem fortissimum et in domum munitam ut salves me

As well as in the English:

DR	Be unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
Brenton	Be thou to me for a protecting God, and for a house of refuge to save me.
Collegeville	Be my protection my God, my house of refuge, and save me,
RSV	Be thou a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!
Coverdale	And be thou my strong rock, and house of defence that thou mayest save me.
Knox	Ny hill-fastness, my stronghold of defence, to save me from peril.
Grail	Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to save me,

Our spiritual home

The key phrase in this verse is a house of refuge.

St Cassiodorus interpreted this phrase firstly as a reference to heaven, opened to us by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross:

The house of refuge is the glorious resurrection, once debilitated by no weakness, but enjoying majesty uncorrupted, for He was safe when death could not prevail further against Him. So His fear springs from concern for us; His confidence is the mark of His divinity. 

Cassiodorus also noted, however, that the phrase can be taken as a reference to the Church:

Some say that the house of refuge refers to the Catholic Church in which He seeks safety for His members, because every Christian truly achieves safety in it, just as when the flood rose only they were saved who happily deserved to enter Noah's ark.

One could also, though, I think, interpret it as the Rule and our own monasteries or hermitages, or whatever the particular source of our spiritual nourishment is.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus David, pro extasi	Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy
1 In te, Dómine, sperávi non confúndar in ætérnum: * in justítia tua líbera me.	In you, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in your justice.
2  Inclína ad me aurem tuam, * accélera ut éruas me.	3 Bow down your ear to me: make haste to deliver me.
3  Esto mihi in Deum protectórem, et in domum   refúgii: * ut salvum me fácias.	Be unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
4  Quóniam fortitúdo mea, et refúgium meum es   tu: * et propter nomen tuum dedúces me, et enútries me.	4 For you are my strength and my refuge; and for your name's sake you will lead me, and nourish me.
5  Edúces me de láqueo hoc, quem abscondérunt mihi: * quóniam tu es protéctor meus.	5 You will bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for you are my protector.
6  In manus tuas comméndo spíritum meum: * redemísti me, Dómine, Deus veritátis.	6 Into your hands I commend my spirit: you have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

And to continue on to the next part in this series, go here.

Psalm 30 v2 - Perseverance in prayer

Inclína ad me aurem tuam, accélera ut éruas me

Bow down your ear to me: make haste to deliver me.

Looking at the Latin

Key vocab:

inclino, avi, atum, are, to bend, incline

auris, is, f the ear.

accelero, avi, atum, are  to make haste.

eruo, rui, rutum, ere 3, to deliver, rescue, save

Most translations adopt a fairly literal approach to the first phrase of this verse, saving bow down, or incline your ear to us.  The key exception is Knox, who rendered it, 'Grant me audience':

DR	Bow down your ear to me: make haste to deliver me.
Brenton	Incline thine ear to me; make haste to rescue me:
MD	Incline your ear to me, make haste to deliver me!
RSV	Incline thy ear to me, rescue me speedily!
Cover	Bow down thine ear to me make haste to deliver me.
Knox	Grant me audience, and make haste to rescue me;
Grail	hear me and speedily rescue me.

Hasten to deliver me from peril

The older commentaries on it, though, interpret the verse primarily as the plea from the cross, making 'grant me audience' perhaps overly formal.  

St Augustine for example, commented:

Hear Me in My humiliation, near at hand unto Me. Make haste to deliver Me. Defer not to the end of the world, as with all who believe in Me, My separation from sinners.

St Cassiodorus built on that idea, suggesting:

Since His human condition by its nature could not attain divinity, he asked that the Godhead should bow down and descend to it, all this occurred through the incarnation of the almighty Word. So what was known never to have happened previously was rightly requested. Next comes: Make haste to deliver me, in other words, "Hasten to grant Me a most speedy resurrection," not the lugubrious one which the mass of mankind is hitherto known to endure.

Perseverance in prayer

The sentiments of the verse can obviously be used by anyone in times of trouble, though its relevance to Compline is perhaps less obvious.

St Cassiodorus also, though, saw the verse as instructing us to persist in prayer:

The numerous occasions on which this prayer is made teach us chat we ought not to interrupt our praying even when we think that something can be granted to us.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus David, pro extasi	Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy
1 In te, Dómine, sperávi non confúndar in ætérnum: * in justítia tua líbera me.	In you, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in your justice.
2  Inclína ad me aurem tuam, * accélera ut éruas me.	3 Bow down your ear to me: make haste to deliver me.
3  Esto mihi in Deum protectórem, et in domum   refúgii: * ut salvum me fácias.	Be unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
4  Quóniam fortitúdo mea, et refúgium meum es   tu: * et propter nomen tuum dedúces me, et enútries me.	4 For you are my strength and my refuge; and for your name's sake you will lead me, and nourish me.
5  Edúces me de láqueo hoc, quem abscondérunt mihi: * quóniam tu es protéctor meus.	5 You will bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for you are my protector.
6  In manus tuas comméndo spíritum meum: * redemísti me, Dómine, Deus veritátis.	6 Into your hands I commend my spirit: you have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

And for the next part in this series click here.

Psalm 30 v1: Free us from our sin

In te, Dómine, sperávi non confúndar in ætérnum: in justítia tua líbera me.

In you, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in your justice.

Aids to understanding the Latin

The key vocabulary for the verse is: 

spero, avi, atum, are, to hope or trust in

confundo, fudi, fusum, ere 3, to put or bring to shame, to discomfit, confounded

aeternus, a, um eternal. forever

iustitia, ae, f justice, righteousness, innocence, piety, moral integrity

libero, avi, atum, are  to free, set free, deliver

A selection of translations follows:

DR	In you, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in your justice.
Brenton	O Lord, I have hoped in thee; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness and rescue me.
Collegeville	In you Lord I have hoped; never shall I be put to shame: in your justice set me free.
RSV	In thee, O LORD, do I seek refuge; let me never be put to shame; in thy righteousness deliver me!
Cover	In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust let me never be put to confusion, deliver me in thy righteousness.
Knox	To thee, O Lord, I look for refuge, never let me be ashamed of my trust; in thy faithful care, deliver me.
Grail	In you, O Lord, I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame. In your justice, set me free,

David, Christ and us

St Robert Bellarmine puts the opening verse of Psalm 30 in its original historical context:

King David, in his flight from Absalom, destitute of all earthly assistance, appeals to God, and says, “In thee have I hoped,” and I am therefore confident, as you are all powerful, and most true to me, that you will not disappoint me in my hope.

St Cassiodorus, however, saw David as a type of Christ:

Christ begs the Father, in accordance with the human nature which He as­sumed, that He may not be disappointed in His hope, and suffer the revilings of men's scorn.

It can obviously be applied to our own situation though, as Theodore of Cyr pointed out:

…sin covered me in deep shame, he is saying, but I pray this may not long remain with me owing to my confidence placed in you. In your righteousness rescue me and snatch me away. Do not fix your eyes on my sin, he is saying, but on the lawlessness of my pursuers: by applying this righteous verdict you will free me from the calamities besetting me.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus David, pro extasi	Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy
1 In te, Dómine, sperávi non confúndar in ætérnum: * in justítia tua líbera me.	In you, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in your justice.
2  Inclína ad me aurem tuam, * accélera ut éruas me.	3 Bow down your ear to me: make haste to deliver me.
3  Esto mihi in Deum protectórem, et in domum   refúgii: * ut salvum me fácias.	Be unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
4  Quóniam fortitúdo mea, et refúgium meum es   tu: * et propter nomen tuum dedúces me, et enútries me.	4 For you are my strength and my refuge; and for your name's sake you will lead me, and nourish me.
5  Edúces me de láqueo hoc, quem abscondérunt mihi: * quóniam tu es protéctor meus.	5 You will bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for you are my protector.
6  In manus tuas comméndo spíritum meum: * redemísti me, Dómine, Deus veritátis.	6 Into your hands I commend my spirit: you have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

And the next post in this series can be found here.