Psalm 75 - The earth trembled

c9th Stuttgart Psalter

 Psalm 75 - Lauds Friday

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem, in laudibus. Psalmus Asaph, canticum ad Assyrios.	Unto the end, in praises, a psalm for Asaph: a canticle to the Assyrians.
Notus in Judæa Deus: * in Israël magnum nomen ejus.	2 In Judea God is known: his name is great in Israel.
2  Et factus est in pace locus ejus: * et habitátio ejus in Sion.	3 And his place is in peace: and his abode in Sion:
3  Ibi confrégit poténtias árcuum: * scutum, gládium, et bellum.	4 There has he broken the powers of bows, the shield, the sword, and the battle.
4  Illúminans tu mirabíliter a móntibus ætérnis: * turbáti sunt omnes insipiéntes corde.	5 You enlighten wonderfully from the everlasting hills. 6 All the foolish of heart were troubled.
5  Dormiérunt somnum suum: * et nihil invenérunt omnes viri divitiárum in mánibus suis.	They have slept their sleep; and all the men of riches have found nothing in their hands.
6  Ab increpatióne tua, Deus Jacob, * dormitavérunt qui ascendérunt equos.	7 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, they have all slumbered that mounted on horseback
7  Tu terríbilis es, et quis resístet tibi? * ex tunc ira tua.	8 You are terrible, and who shall resist you? From that time your wrath.
8  De cælo audítum fecísti judícium: * terra trémuit et quiévit.	9 You have caused judgment to be heard from heaven: the earth trembled and was still,
9  Cum exsúrgeret in judícium Deus, * ut salvos fáceret omnes mansuétos terræ.	10 when God arose in judgment, to save all the meek of the earth.
10  Quóniam cogitátio hóminis confitébitur tibi: * et relíquiæ cogitatiónis diem festum agent tibi.	11 For the thought of man shall give praise to you: and the remainders of the thought shall keep holiday to you.
11  Vovéte, et réddite Dómino Deo vestro: * omnes, qui in circúitu ejus affértis múnera.	12
12  Terríbili et ei qui aufert spíritum príncipum, * terríbili apud reges terræ.	To him that is terrible, 13 even to him who takes away the spirit of princes: to the terrible with the kings of the earth.

Friday has of course always had an association with the Crucifixion in Christian piety, and for this reason it was the second fast day of the week (and still is, at least in theory, a day of abstinence or other penance).

Psalm of the Passion

St Benedict’s Office can certainly be seen as reflecting this association: the day opens at Matins with Psalm 85, which the Fathers interpreted as the prayer of Christ poured out in his Passion.

At Lauds Psalm 75 depicts an earthquake, surely that which occurred at the moment of Our Lord’s death, rending the temple veil in two, with the verse 'De caelo auditum fecisti judicium: terra tremuit et quievit (From heaven you have pronounced your judgment: the earth trembled and was still).  Though we mostly associate this verse with the Resurrection by virtue of the Easter Sunday Offertory, the verse surely works equally well in the context of Good Friday.

Indeed,, the Fathers often associated the Crucifixion, and the ‘sixth day’ (of the week) with the description of the opening of the sixth seal in Revelation 6: 12-14:

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

The Old Testament historical context for the psalm (suggested by the title) is the victory over the king of the Assyrians, Sennacherib described in 2 Kings 19: 35; Isaiah 37:36 (and Psalm 74). The language of fear and awe is an appropriate reaction to the scene described there:

And it came to pass that night, that an angel of the Lord came, and slew in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand. And when he arose early in the morning, he saw all the bodies of the dead.

Festal Lauds and Psalms 75&91

That Benedictines have long understood that the two variable psalms of Friday are particularly appropriate to the day is indirectly attested to in the rubrics of Matins.

On most days of the week, if the variable psalms are displaced by the festal in the modern Office they are not said at all in that particular week.  On Fridays alone, however, they are slotted into the Matins sequence, replacing Psalms 92 and 99 there.

One possible explanation for this might be to avoid repetition of psalms on the same day.

But that explanation doesn't seem to hold up, as the table below illustrates.  In reality many of the sets of special psalms used on particular feasts, as well as the 'Commons' as they now stand can potentially or invariably involve repetition of a psalm on the same day: pretty much all of Matins Commons include psalms said at Prime, and several also include Psalm 4, said every day at Compline.  Most of them also Lauds psalms, though the repetition will generally be avoided by use of the festal psalms.

Psalm repetitions on the same day in the Office

Psalms said at Matins in the Common of…	Potentially repeated at Lauds	Potentially repeated at Prime	Repeated as Compline
Apostles	63,	18
Martyrs (during Eastertide)	5, 63, 64, [91*]	1, 2, 8, 10, 14	4
Martyrs (outside Eastertide)	63	1,2, 10, 14, 15,
Confessor bishops	5	1,2,8,10, 14	4
Virgins and holy women**		8,18
Dedication of a church	5, 87	10,
BVM**		8, 18

*Not repeated due to special provision in the rubrics

**These two Offices also include potential repetitions between Vespers and Terce and None, through the use of Psalms 121 and 126

 Judgment and our entry to heaven

Yesterday I pointed out that the first group of Lauds variable psalms talk about our entry to heaven, following Christ, with a pause on Thursday for a reflection on the necessity of the suffering of Christ and the harrowing of hell.

This psalm arguably returns to the other side of the theme of the sequences, since both Isaiah and this psalm imply that the attack of Sennacherib foreshadows the dawning of the Messianic era, reminding us of God’s stupendous power: Tu terríbilis es, et quis resístet tibi? ex tunc ira tua’, or You are terrible, and who shall resist you? From that time your wrath (verse 8).

Heaven, we are reminded here, in this ‘Song of Sion’, is the place where God dwells in peace, and evil has no domain.

The path to peace, though, lies through the spiritual warfare.

The Lord as a warrior

The image of God as a mighty warrior, an all-conquering figure whose anger is to be feared exceedingly, features in the canticles set both for Thursday and Friday at Lauds.  On Thursday, he have the story of the Pharaoh's army being thrown into the seas; in the canticle set for today, as in this psalm, it is the earth itself that trembles in fear.

But this image also takes in again the destruction of earthly forces, symbolised by the bow (arcus, us, m), arrows (sagitta, ae, f., an arrow; sagitto, avi, atum, are, to shoot with arrows), shield (scutum, i, n. a shield, buckler; defense, protection), sword (gladius, ii, m., a sword) and other warlike appurtenances (bellum, i, n. war, battle; war-equipment of every sort):

3  Ibi confrégit poténtias árcuum: * scutum, gládium, et bellum.

4 There has he broken the powers of bows, the shield, the sword, and the battle.

Consider also some of the other such references in the Lauds psalms and canticles:

Psalm 56 (Tuesday)

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.

Psalm 63 (Wednesday)

3  Quia exacuérunt ut gládium linguas suas: * intendérunt arcum rem amáram, ut sagíttent in occúltis immaculátum.	For they have whetted their tongues like a sword; they have bent their bow a bitter thing, to shoot in secret the undefiled.
4  Súbito sagittábunt eum, et non timébunt: * firmavérunt sibi sermónem nequam.	They will shoot at him on a sudden, and will not fear: they are resolute in wickedness.

8  Sagíttæ parvulórum factæ sunt plagæ eórum: * et infirmátæ sunt contra eos linguæ eórum.

The arrows of children are their wounds: And their tongues against them are made weak

Canticle of Anna (Wednesday)

6  Arcus fórtium superátus est, * et infírmi accíncti sunt róbore.

4 The bow of the mighty is overcome, and the weak are girt with strength.

The most important treatment of this theme though comes in today's Canticle:

4  Deus ab Austro véniet: * et sanctus de monte Pharan.	3 God will come from the south, and the holy one from mount Pharan:
9   Aspéxit, et dissólvit Gentes : * et contríti sunt montes sæculi.	He beheld, and melted the nations: and the ancient mountains were crushed to pieces.
10   Incurváti sunt colles mundi, * ab itinéribus æternitátis ejus.	The hills of the world were bowed down by the journeys of his eternity.
12  Numquid in flumínibus irátus es, Dómine? * aut in flumínibus furor tuus? vel in mari indignátio tua?	8 Were you angry, O Lord, with the rivers? Or was your wrath upon the rivers? Or your indignation in the sea?
14  Súscitans suscitábis arcum tuum: * juraménta tríbubus quæ locútus es.	9 You will surely take up your bow: according to the oaths which you have spoken to the tribes.
15  Flúvios scindes terræ : vidérunt te, et doluérunt montes: * gurges aquárum tránsiit.	You will divide the rivers of the earth. 10 The mountains saw you, and were grieved: the great body of waters passed away.
16  Dedit abyssus vocem suam: * altitúdo manus suas levávit.	The deep put forth its voice: the deep lifted up its hands.
17  Sol, et luna stetérunt in habitáculo suo, * in luce sagittárum tuárum, íbunt in splendóre fulgurántis hastæ tuæ.	11 The sun and the moon stood still in their habitation, in the light of your arrows, they shall go in the brightness of your glittering spear.
32  Et super excélsa mea dedúcet me victor * in psalmis canéntem.	and he the conqueror will lead me upon my high places singing psalms.

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

 

NT references	Rev 6:13; Lk 17: 20-24 (8)
RB cursus	Lauds Friday+AN 3246 (2)
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	Maundy Thurs Tenebrae, III, 2; Holy Sat Tenebrae, III, 2; Easter, Transfiguration AN 3264 (3);
Responsories	6605, 7661 (Holy Sat, 3)
Roman pre 1911	Thurs Matins
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Thurs None . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Easter Day OF 8-9, 2-4 (Terra tremuit) PP17 CO (11-12),

You can find my previous notes on the psalm here and here (in the context of Tenebrae).

And the next part of this series is on Psalm 142.

Tenebrae/9 - Psalm 75

Today's psalm, Psalm 75 (76), continues the of God's intervention in history, and the coming warfare of the Cross.

The Old Testament historical context it suggested its title is the victory over the king of the Assyrians, Sennacherib described in 2 Kings 19: 35 and Isaiah 37:36. The language of fear and awe is an appropriate reaction to the scene described there:

“And it came to pass that night, that an angel of the Lord came, and slew in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand. And when he arose early in the morning, he saw all the bodies of the dead.”

Both Isaiah and this psalm imply that the attack of Sennacherib foreshadows the dawning of the Messianic era, reminding us of God’s stupendous power: Tu terríbilis es, et quis resístet tibi? ex tunc ira tua’, or You are terrible, and who shall resist you? From that time your wrath (verse 8).

In the context of Triduum, the accompanying antiphon encourages us to particularly think of the earthquake that at the moment of Our Lord’s death, rending the temple veil in two, with the verse 'De caelo auditum fecisti judicium: terra tremuit et quievit (From heaven you have pronounced your judgment: the earth trembled and was still).

Despite God's 'anger' as exprssed in the psalm, we are reminded that Christ died on the cross for a reason, namely ‘to save all the meek of the earth’ (v9).  And in the light of this, the opening references to God being known in Judaea, and in the Temple in (Jeru)salem, in verses 1-2, have, the Fathers point out, a layer of irony attached to them: when the people denied God the Son, the veil of the Temple was pierced, the earth trembled, and the true Judaea, where God is really known, became the Church.

Jerusalem too is transfigured into the heavenly Jerusalem, from which judgment comes, causing the earth to fear and stand still.

This psalm is a fierce reminder of God’s justice, power and might before which we should tremble.

No wonder then that it ends in a call to persevere in our vows and offerings.

Psalm 75

Notus in Judæa Deus; in Israël magnum nomen ejus.
Et factus est in pace locus ejus, et habitatio ejus in Sion.
Ibi confregit potentias arcuum, scutum, gladium, et bellum.
Illuminans tu mirabiliter a montibus æternis;  turbati sunt omnes insipientes corde.
Dormierunt somnum suum, et nihil invenerunt omnes viri divitiarum in manibus suis.
Ab increpatione tua, Deus Jacob, dormitaverunt qui ascenderunt equos.
Tu terribilis es; et quis resistet tibi? ex tunc ira tua.
De cælo auditum fecisti judicium : terra tremuit et quievit cum exsurgeret in judicium Deus, ut salvos faceret omnes mansuetos terræ.
Quoniam cogitatio hominis confitebitur tibi, et reliquiæ cogitationis diem festum agent tibi.
Vovete et reddite Domino Deo vestro, omnes qui in circuitu ejus affertis munera:
terribili, et ei qui aufert spiritum principum : terribili apud reges terræ.

In Judea God is known: his name is great in Israel.
And his place is in peace: and his abode in Sion:
There has he broken the powers of bows, the shield, the sword, and the battle.
You enlighten wonderfully from the everlasting hills. All the foolish of heart were troubled.
They have slept their sleep; and all the men of riches have found nothing in their hands.
At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, they have all slumbered that mounted on horseback.
You are terrible, and who shall resist you? From that time your wrath.
You have caused judgment to be heard from heaven: the earth trembled and was still,
when God arose in judgment, to save all the meek of the earth.
For the thought of man shall give praise to you: and the remainders of the thought shall keep holiday to you.
Vow and pay to the Lord your God: all you that are round about him bring presents.
To him that is terrible, even to him who takes away the spirit of princes: to the terrible with the kings of the earth.

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

Tenebrae of Holy Saturday

Nocturn I: Psalms 4, 14, 15

Nocturn II: Psalms 23, 26, 29

Nocturn III: Psalms 53*, 75*, 87*

Lauds: 50*, 91, 63, [Is 38], 150

And for the next part in this series, on Psalm 76, go here.  Alternatively, if you are looking at this psalm in the context of Holy Saturday, you can skip straight to Psalm 87.

The sixth seal and Psalm 75 (76)

Simon Vouet 1622

Friday has of course always had an association with the Crucifixion in Christian piety, and for this reason it was the second fast day of the week (and still is, at least in theory, a day of abstinence or other penance).

St Benedict’s Office can certainly be seen as reflecting this association: the day opens at Matins with Psalm 85, which the Fathers interpreted as the prayer of Christ poured out in his Passion. Similarly, the psalms of Prime all have reasonably obvious connections with the Passion of Our Lord.

The sixth seal?

St Benedict’s choice of psalms for Friday Lauds though, has, puzzled some commentators because he shifted the more obvious choice of Psalm 142 from the Old Roman Office to Saturday, and added in Psalms 75 and 91 instead.

I will look at the possible reasons the saint had for moving Psalm 142 to Saturday tomorrow, but I want to suggest that the choice of Psalm 75 (and 91) for Friday does in fact make perfect sense in the context of a mini-Triduum celebrated each week in the Benedictine Office.

The Fathers often associated the Crucifixion, and the ‘sixth day’ with the description of the opening of the sixth seal in Revelation 6: 12-14:

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.”

This imagery is particularly echoed in the (ferial) canticle that St Benedict imported from the old Roman Office (Habacuc 3:2-19), and aspects of it are picked up in many of the psalms of the day.

The earth trembled - and so should we

In particular, Psalm 75 includes the earthquake, surely that which occurred at the moment of Our Lord’s death, rending the temple veil in two, with the verse 'De caelo auditum fecisti judicium: terra tremuit et quievit (From heaven you have pronounced your judgment: the earth trembled and was still).  Though we mostly associate this verse with the Resurrection by virtue of the Easter Sunday Offertory, the verse surely works equally well in the context of Good Friday?

The key focus of the meditation St Benedict places before us in today's psalms seems to me to be on the terribleness of these events and their consequences: the God-man has been put to death by his own people; as a result, the old covenant has been closed, and the inheritance of Israel given to the gentiles.

The Old Testament historical context for the psalm (suggested by the title) is the victory over the king of the Assyrians, Sennacherib described in 2 Kings 19: 35; Isaiah 37:36 (as indeed is Psalm 74). The language of fear and awe is an appropriate reaction to the scene described there:

“And it came to pass that night, that an angel of the Lord came, and slew in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand. And when he arose early in the morning, he saw all the bodies of the dead.”

Both Isaiah and this psalm imply that the attack of Sennacherib foreshadows the dawning of the Messianic era, reminding us of God’s stupendous power: Tu terríbilis es, et quis resístet tibi? ex tunc ira tua’, or You are terrible, and who shall resist you? From that time your wrath (verse 8).

God came to save...

This emphasis seems to me entirely consistent with the spirituality St Benedict articulates in his Rule, which is almost devoid of references to the humanity of Christ and the Cross. Instead, the saint emphasizes God’s awesome Majesty, his all-seeing, overwhelming power that redeems us and should lead us to cultivate a holy fear of Him.

The design of Friday Lauds surely reflects this: rather than placing a lot of emphasis on the sufferings of Christ, we are invited to meditate on the terrible and wondrous nature of his saving works, of just what it means that Christ, the man-God, died for us.

In particular, the psalm reminds us that despite God's 'anger', Christ died on the cross for a reason, namely ‘to save all the meek of the earth’ (v9).  And in the light of this, the opening references to God being known in Judaea, and in the Temple in (Jeru)salem, in verses 1-2, have, the Fathers point out, a layer of irony attached to them: when the people denied God the Son, the veil of the Temple was pierced, the earth trembled, and the true Judaea, where God is really known, became the Church.

Jerusalem too is transfigured into the heavenly Jerusalem, from which judgment comes, causing the earth to fear and stand still.

This psalm is a fierce reminder of God’s justice, power and might before which we should tremble.

No wonder then that it ends in a call to persevere in our vows and offerings.

Psalm 75

Unto the end, in praises, a psalm for Asaph: a canticle to the Assyrians.
In Judea God is known: his name is great in Israel.
3 And his place is in peace: and his abode in Sion:
4 There has he broken the powers of bows, the shield, the sword, and the battle.
5 You enlighten wonderfully from the everlasting hills.
6 All the foolish of heart were troubled. They have slept their sleep; and all the men of riches have found nothing in their hands.
7 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, they have all slumbered that mounted on horseback.
8 You are terrible, and who shall resist you? From that time your wrath.
9 You have caused judgment to be heard from heaven: the earth trembled and was still,
10 when God arose in judgment, to save all the meek of the earth.
11 For the thought of man shall give praise to you: and the remainders of the thought shall keep holiday to you.
12 Vow and pay to the Lord your God: all you that are round about him bring presents. To him that is terrible,
13 even to him who takes away the spirit of princes: to the terrible with the kings of the earth.


In finem, in laudibus. Psalmus Asaph, canticum ad Assyrios.
Notus in Judæa Deus; in Israël magnum nomen ejus.
3 Et factus est in pace locus ejus, et habitatio ejus in Sion.
4 Ibi confregit potentias arcuum, scutum, gladium, et bellum.
5 Illuminans tu mirabiliter a montibus æternis;
6 turbati sunt omnes insipientes corde. Dormierunt somnum suum, et nihil invenerunt omnes viri divitiarum in manibus suis.
7 Ab increpatione tua, Deus Jacob, dormitaverunt qui ascenderunt equos.
8 Tu terribilis es; et quis resistet tibi? ex tunc ira tua.
9 De cælo auditum fecisti judicium : terra tremuit et quievit
10 cum exsurgeret in judicium Deus, ut salvos faceret omnes mansuetos terræ.
11 Quoniam cogitatio hominis confitebitur tibi, et reliquiæ cogitationis diem festum agent tibi.
12 Vovete et reddite Domino Deo vestro, omnes qui in circuitu ejus affertis munera : terribili,
13 et ei qui aufert spiritum principum : terribili apud reges terræ.