Psalm 35 - Mercy and truth

Gospel of Saint-Médard de Soissons

Monday - Lauds, Psalm 35 (36) - Dixit injústus ut delínquat in semetípso

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Servo Domini ipsi David.	Unto the end, for the servant of God, David himself.
1. Dixit injústus ut delínquat in semetípso: * non est timor Dei ante óculos ejus.	The unjust has said within himself, that he would sin: there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2  Quóniam dolóse egit in conspéctu ejus: * ut inveniátur iníquitas ejus ad ódium.	For in his sight he has done deceitfully, that his iniquity may be found unto hatred.
3  Verba oris ejus iníquitas, et dolus: * nóluit intellígere ut bene ágeret.	The words of his mouth are iniquity and guile: he would not understand that he might do well
4  Iniquitátem meditátus est in cubíli suo: * ástitit omni viæ non bonæ, malítiam autem non odívit.	He has devised iniquity on his bed, he has set himself on every way that is not good: but evil he has not hated.
5  Dómine, in cælo misericórdia tua: * et véritas tua usque ad nubes.	O Lord, your mercy is in heaven, and your truth reaches even to the clouds.
6  Justítia tua sicut montes Dei: * judícia tua abyssus multa.	Your justice is as the mountains of God, your judgments are a great deep.
7  Hómines, et juménta salvábis, Dómine: * quemádmodum multiplicásti misericórdiam tuam, Deus,	Men and beasts you will preserve, O Lord: O how have you multiplied your mercy, O God!
8  Fílii autem hóminum, * in tégmine alárum tuárum sperábunt.	But the children of men shall put their trust under the covert of your wings.
9  Inebriabúntur ab ubertáte domus tuæ: * et torrénte voluptátis tuæ potábis eos.	They shall be inebriated with the plenty of your house; and you shall make them drink of the torrent of your pleasure.
10  Quóniam apud te est fons vitæ: * et in lúmine tuo vidébimus lumen.	For with you is the fountain of life; and in your light we shall see light
11  Præténde misericórdiam tuam sciéntibus te, * et justítiam tuam his, qui recto sunt corde.	Extend your mercy to them that know you, and your justice to them that are right in heart.

In your light we shall see

At first glance, the claims of Psalm 35 to be placed at Lauds seem, on the face of it, to be somewhat strained: there are no real references in it to morning prayer, and only a general reference to God as light in verse 10.

St Bede, however, suggests that the fountain of life referred to here refers to the pool of Siloa, where Our Lord healed the blind man:

The pool of Siloa (which means 'sent'), where the man born blind was given light (John 9:7) stands for the Lord Saviour who was sent by God the Father for our illumination.  The spring of this pool can be very aptly understood as the same Father from whom he was born, about which the psalmist well says: For with you is the spring of life; in your light we shall see light...The walls of the Pool of Siloa are built too when the very firm and invincible testimonies of the Scriptures, in which the mystery of the Lord's incarnation is described, are rooted in the midst of the faithful. (trans DeGregorio,  pg 170-1)

The fountain can also be interpreted as a reference to baptism,  providing a thematic relationship to the canticle of the day through its reference to the fountain of life, fons vitae, (Isaiah 12 refers to the 'waters with joy out of the saviour's fountains',  a key theme in the Office on Mondays.

God's protection

Psalm 35 also shares some common themes with the other variable psalms of Lauds, given that the second variable psalms of the hour for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday all contain a reference to the shelter offered by God's wings, an image Jesus used when contemplating the coming destruction of Jerusalem, in Matthew 23:37:

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, quæ occidis prophetas, et lapidas eos, qui ad te missi sunt, quoties volui congregare filios tuos, quemadmodum gallina congregat pullos suos sub alas, et noluisti? 

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, still murdering the prophets, and stoning the messengers that are sent to thee, how often have I been ready to gather thy children together, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings; and thou didst refuse it!

Psalm 62

8  Et in velaménto alárum tuárum exsultábo, adhæsit ánima mea post te: * me suscépit déxtera tua.

And I will rejoice under the covert of your wings: 9 My soul has stuck close to you: your right hand has received me.

Psalm 35

8  Et in velaménto alárum tuárum exsultábo, adhæsit ánima mea post te: * me suscépit déxtera tua.

And I will rejoice under the covert of your wings: 9 My soul has stuck close to you: your right hand has received me.

Psalm 56

2  Et in umbra alárum tuárum sperábo: * donec tránseat iníquitas.

And in the shadow of your wings will I hope, until iniquity pass away.

All three also have references to evil/lying tongues of the wicked, providing a lead into what seems to be the unifying thread for this set of psalms, God's mercy and truth:

Psalm 62

10  Rex vero lætábitur in Deo, laudabúntur omnes qui jurant in eo: * quia obstrúctum est os loquéntium iníqua.

12 But the king shall rejoice in God, all they shall be praised that swear by him: because the mouth is stopped of them that speak wicked things.

Psalm 35

1. Dixit injústus ut delínquat in semetípso: * non est timor Dei ante óculos ejus.	The unjust has said within himself, that he would sin: there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2  Quóniam dolóse egit in conspéctu ejus: * ut inveniátur iníquitas ejus ad ódium.	For in his sight he has done deceitfully, that his iniquity may be found unto hatred.
3  Verba oris ejus iníquitas, et dolus: * nóluit intellígere ut bene ágeret.	The words of his mouth are iniquity and guile: he would not understand that he might do well

Psalm 56

6  Fílii hóminum dentes eórum arma et sagíttæ: * et lingua eórum gládius acútus.

The sons of men, whose teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

Mercy and truth

The second of the variable psalms for both Monday and Tuesday were both seen by the Fathers as referring to the events of David and Saul in the cave (I Samuel 24), when David spared Saul's life, though the reference is rather more explicit in the title of Psalm 56.

Both psalms also both contain references to God as a source of both mercy (misercordia) and truth (veritas), something of a theme for the second of the variable psalms at Lauds each day:

• For your mercy is better than lives: you my lips will praise... because the mouth is stopped of them that speak wicked things (Ps 62, Sunday)
• O Lord, your mercy is in heaven, and your truth reaches even to the clouds....Extend your mercy to them that know you, and your justice to them that are right in heart (Ps 35, Monday);
• God has sent his mercy and his truth, and he has delivered my soul...For your mercy is magnified even to the heavens: and your truth unto the clouds (Ps 56, Tuesday);
• We are filled in the morning with your mercy...(Ps 89, Thursday); and 
• To show forth your mercy in the morning, and your truth in the night (Ps 91, Friday).

Turn away from evil

The main focus of Psalm 35, though, is a discussion on the nature of evil.  St Athanasius comments: 

And when you see how zealous are the lawless in their evil-doing, think not the evil is innate in them, as some false teachers say, but read Psalm 35 and you will see they are themselves the authors of their sin.

The psalmist points out that the root of sin is a lack of fear of the Lord.  It is not just that the wicked man does evil; it is that he does it with malice aforethought.  He actively rejects the truth, and refuses to turn away from the horror of what he is doing. Others, the psalmist suggests, deceive themselves.

Cultivate humility

St Benedict, it is worth noting, uses these verses to contrast what the monk who seeks humility must do, namely keep the fear of God in front of his eyes, in RB 7.  

As St Ligouri notes, though, the psalm does not end there:

The psalmist here shows how great, on the one hand, is the malice of sinners, and, on the other hand, how great is the mercy of God set forth to convert them. It also at the same time makes known with what goodness our Lord treats the just

The psalm goes on to point out that even in the face of man’s tendency to evil, God offers truth, justice and mercy to all, reaching down from the heavens.  He offers help, refuge and the blessing of prosperity.

Humility

The psalm ends with a plea to keep us humble, and to protect us from being led astray, knowing that evil doers come to nothing in the end.

I've previously provided notes on this psalm in the context of the Office of Monday and Tenebrae of Maundy Thursday.

Other Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	Rom 3:18 (v1); Mt 7:3-5 (v2); Jn 4:14, Rev 22:1 (v10)
RB cursus	Monday Lauds+AN 2348
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	Maundy Thurs Tenebrae Lauds, Sacred Heart
Responsories	-
Roman pre 1911	Monday Matins
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Thursday Lauds . 1970: Lauds on Wednesday of Week One
Mass propers (EF)	-

 

 The text arranged for liturgical use

Psalm 35

Dixit iniústus ut delínquat in semetípso: * non est timor Dei ante óculos eius.	The unjust has said within himself, that he would sin: there is no fear of God before his eyes.
Quóniam dolóse egit in conspéctu eius: * ut inveniátur iníquitas eius ad ódium.	For in his sight he has done deceitfully, that his iniquity may be found unto hatred.
Verba oris eius iníquitas, et dolus: * nóluit intellígere ut bene ágeret.	The words of his mouth are iniquity and guile: he would not understand that he might do well
Iniquitátem meditátus est in cubíli suo: † ástitit omni viæ non bonæ, * malítiam autem non odívit.	He has devised iniquity on his bed, he has set himself on every way that is not good: but evil he has not hated.
Dómine, in cælo misericórdia tua: * et véritas tua usque ad nubes.	O Lord, your mercy is in heaven, and your truth reaches even to the clouds.
Iustítia tua sicut montes Dei: * iudícia tua abyssus multa.	Your justice is as the mountains of God, your judgments are a great deep.
Hómines, et iuménta salvábis, Dómine: * quemádmodum multiplicásti misericórdiam tuam, Deus,	Men and beasts you will preserve, O Lord: O how have you multiplied your mercy, O God!
Fílii autem hóminum, * in tégmine alárum tuárum sperábunt.	But the children of men shall put their trust under the covert of your wings.
Inebriabúntur ab ubertáte domus tuæ: * et torrénte voluptátis tuæ potábis eos.	They shall be inebriated with the plenty of your house; and you shall make them drink of the torrent of your pleasure.
Quóniam apud te est fons vitæ: * et in lúmine tuo vidébimus lumen.	For with you is the fountain of life; and in your light we shall see light
Præténde misericórdiam tuam sciéntibus te, * et iustítiam tuam his, qui recto sunt corde.	Extend your mercy to them that know you, and your justice to them that are right in heart.
Non véniat mihi pes supérbiæ: * et manus peccatóris non móveat me.	Let not the foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the sinner move me.
Ibi cecidérunt qui operántur iniquitátem: * expúlsi sunt, nec potuérunt stare.	There the workers of iniquity are fallen, they are cast out, and could not stand

Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.	Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.	As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

And you can find the next set of notes in this series, on Psalm 56, here.

Tenebrae Psalms/12 - Psalm 35

The opening lines of today's psalm, Psalm 35 (36) are words those in the Church whose past misdeeds are still to come fully to light, should especially ponder:

"Deep in his heart the sinner hears the whispering of evil, and loses sight of the fear of God; flatters himself with the thought that his misdoings go undiscovered, earn no reproof." (Knox translation)

Yet though those guilty of the most vile crimes should especially heed this lesson of this psalm, St Paul points out that we are all, to some degree, evil men at times, standing in need of grace through Christ's redeeming action to save us and help us persevere in the Christian life.

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

The reason for the psalm's inclusion in the post 1911 version of the hour is presumably that the psalm's discussion on the nature of evil can be seen as alluding to the arrest and coming Passion of Our Lord, but it obviously has a broad applicability.

Too often today, modern 'theology' confuses God's love for us with his approval of our actions, regardless of their actual merit.  By contrast this psalm reminds us that true evil occurs when man acts with malice aforethought: when we actively reject the truth, and refuse to turn away from the horror of what we are doing. Self-deception, the psalmist suggests, is all too easy.

Yet for such men, for all those Judas' in the Church, great and small, a time of reckoning will come:

"See what a fall awaits the wrong-doers, how they are cast down to earth, and can keep their feet no more!

The psalm goes on to point out that even in the face of man’s tendency to evil, God offers truth, justice and mercy to all, reaching down from the heavens.  Through Christ's sacrifice on the Cross we are offered the fountain of life, and access to the light.  The psalm ends with a plea to keep us humble, and to protect us from being led astray, knowing that evil doers come to nothing in the end.

Psalm 35

Dixit injustus ut delinquat in semetipso: non est timor Dei ante oculos ejus.  Quoniam dolose egit in conspectu ejus, ut inveniatur iniquitas ejus ad odium. Verba oris ejus iniquitas, et dolus; noluit intelligere ut bene ageret.
Iniquitatem meditatus est in cubili suo; astitit omni viæ non bonæ : malitiam autem non odivit.
Domine, in cælo misericordia tua, et veritas tua usque ad nubes.
Justitia tua sicut montes Dei; judicia tua abyssus multa.
Homines et jumenta salvabis, Domine, quemadmodum multiplicasti misericordiam tuam, Deus.
Filii autem hominum in tegmine alarum tuarum sperabunt.
Inebriabuntur ab ubertate domus tuæ, et torrente voluptatis tuæ potabis eos:  quoniam apud te est fons vitæ, et in lumine tuo videbimus lumen.
Prætende misericordiam tuam scientibus te, et justitiam tuam his qui recto sunt corde.
Non veniat mihi pes superbiæ, et manus peccatoris non moveat me.
Ibi ceciderunt qui operantur iniquitatem; expulsi sunt, nec potuerunt stare.

The unjust has said within himself, that he would sin: there is no fear of God before his eyes.
For in his sight he has done deceitfully, that his iniquity may be found unto hatred.
The words of his mouth are iniquity and guile: he would not understand that he might do well.
He has devised iniquity on his bed, he has set himself on every way that is not good: but evil he has not hated.
O Lord, your mercy is in heaven, and your truth reaches even to the clouds.  Your justice is as the mountains of God, your judgments are a great deep.
Men and beasts you will preserve, O Lord: O how have you multiplied your mercy, O God!
But the children of men shall put their trust under the covert of your wings.
They shall be inebriated with the plenty of your house; and you shall make them drink of the torrent of your pleasure.
For with you is the fountain of life; and in your light we shall see light.
Extend your mercy to them that know you, and your justice to them that are right in heart.
Let not the foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the sinner move me. There the workers of iniquity are fallen, they are cast out, and could not stand.

Tenebrae of Holy Thursday

Nocturn I: Psalms 68, 69, 70

Nocturn II: Psalms 71, 72, 73

Nocturn III: Psalms 74, 75, 76

Lauds: 50, 89, [35,] [Ex 15], 146

And for the next part in this series go here.

Psalm 35: Extend your mercy to them that know you!

Mercy and truth,
Peterborough Psalter
c1220-25

Today I want to resume my series proposing that St Benedict had a thematic scheme in mind in his organization of the Office with a look at the second variable psalm of Monday Lauds, Psalm 35.

Monday in the Benedictine Office

Monday in the Benedictine Office, I suggested previously, takes as its starting point, I think, in the Incarnation, and considers Our Lord’s life from the Incarnation to his baptism.

But there is, I think, always a dual path in the Office: first Our Lord’s life, and secondly how we can apply those events to ourselves, how we can pursue the imitation of Christ.

On Mondays, I think the application to us comes above all from the renewal of monastic vows, with the saying of the Suscipe verse at Terce. There is a particular logic to this: first monastic vows or oblation represent a new start in the life of the monk or oblate, a deepening of our their baptismal promises. But secondly, monastic theology often sees a particular identification between the monk’s life with the hidden years of Our Lord, which is the period of his earthly life I think we are particularly invited to meditate on today.

Psalm 5, I suggested a couple of weeks back, is the start of a meditation on the vows. Psalm 35 continues this.

Why move Psalm 35 to Lauds

First some context on the design of the Office. Psalm 35 was a Matins psalm in the older form of the Roman Office. So why did St Benedict move it to Lauds?

The psalm is certainly particularly appropriate to Lauds given its references to light, in verse 10, which also serves to link the psalm firmly to the Incarnation theme of the day, for in the phrase ‘in your light we shall see light’ was interpreted by the Fathers as a reference to the coming of Christ, who through his light shows us the Father.

Similarly, the reference to the rushing torrent and the fountain of life (verses 9-10) are echoed in many places in the Gospels, and are often taken as allusions to the waters of baptism.

I suspect the main reason for moving it to Lauds though, is that St Paul, in Romans 3:10-13, directly connects these two Lauds psalms as part of his argument as to why being Jewish provided no particular advantage when it comes to salvation:

“What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all; for I have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one." "Their throat is an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips.""Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. "Their feet are swift to shed blood, in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they do not know.""There is no fear of God before their eyes."

The evil man is us

Psalm 35 opens with a description of an evil man, and then contrasts his state with those who experience the mercy of God. The point, according to St Paul is that we are all evil men, standing in need of grace to save us and help us persevere in the Christian life.

The Suscipe (Ps 118:116) asks for that grace to be given:

Ps 118: 116 Súscipe me secúndum elóquium tuum, et vivam: et non confúndas me ab exspectatióne mea, or Uphold me according to your word, and I shall live: and let me not be confounded in my expectation.

Psalm 35 provides a meditation on just what that upholding and confounding of the evil in ourselves involves: God will preserve us (v7); protect us under his wings (v8); fill us with grace (9); show us his truth and enlighten us (vv5&10); grant us mercy (vv5-6, 11); and keep us humble (v12). Above all, he will help us overcome the temptations of the devil (v13).

Even if we are not monks, nuns or oblates, we can surely use this psalm to beg for God's grace, remembering that it is not through our own merits that the workers of iniquity will be cast out, but through the merits of Christ, and through our acceptance of God's mercy and truth.

Psalm 35

Unto the end, for the servant of God, David himself.

The unjust has said within himself, that he would sin: there is no fear of God before his eyes.
3 For in his sight he has done deceitfully, that his iniquity may be found unto hatred.
4 The words of his mouth are iniquity and guile: he would not understand that he might do well.
5 He has devised iniquity on his bed, he has set himself on every way that is not good: but evil he has not hated.
6 O Lord, your mercy is in heaven, and your truth reaches even to the clouds.
7 Your justice is as the mountains of God, your judgments are a great deep. Men and beasts you will preserve, O Lord:
8 O how have you multiplied your mercy, O God! But the children of men shall put their trust under the covert of your wings.
9 They shall be inebriated with the plenty of your house; and you shall make them drink of the torrent of your pleasure.
10 For with you is the fountain of life; and in your light we shall see light.
11 Extend your mercy to them that know you, and your justice to them that are right in heart.
12 Let not the foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the sinner move me.
13 There the workers of iniquity are fallen, they are cast out, and could not stand.

In finem. Servo Domini ipsi David
2 Dixit injustus ut delinquat in semetipso: non est timor Dei ante oculos ejus.
3 Quoniam dolose egit in conspectu ejus, ut inveniatur iniquitas ejus ad odium.
4 Verba oris ejus iniquitas, et dolus; noluit intelligere ut bene ageret.
5 Iniquitatem meditatus est in cubili suo; astitit omni viæ non bonæ : malitiam autem non odivit.
6 Domine, in cælo misericordia tua, et veritas tua usque ad nubes.
7 Justitia tua sicut montes Dei; judicia tua abyssus multa. Homines et jumenta salvabis, Domine,
8 quemadmodum multiplicasti misericordiam tuam, Deus. Filii autem hominum in tegmine alarum tuarum sperabunt.
9 Inebriabuntur ab ubertate domus tuæ, et torrente voluptatis tuæ potabis eos:
10 quoniam apud te est fons vitæ, et in lumine tuo videbimus lumen.
11 Prætende misericordiam tuam scientibus te, et justitiam tuam his qui recto sunt corde.
12 Non veniat mihi pes superbiæ, et manus peccatoris non moveat me.
13 Ibi ceciderunt qui operantur iniquitatem; expulsi sunt, nec potuerunt stare.