Introduction to Psalm 125 - (Gradual Psalm No 7/1)

Biserica Ortodoxă din Deal, Cluj-Napoca), Romania.

Psalm 125 is the second of the second block of the Gradual Psalms when said devotionally, but in the Benedictine Office it opens weekday None.

Psalm 125: In convertendo Domino 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1  In converténdo Dóminus captivitátem Sion: * facti sumus sicut consoláti:	When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted.
2  Tunc replétum est gáudio os nostrum: * et lingua nostra exsultatióne	2 Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy.
3  Tunc dicent inter Gentes: * Magnificávit Dóminus fácere cum eis.	Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord has done great things for them.
4  Magnificávit Dóminus fácere nobíscum: * facti sumus lætántes.	3 The Lord has done great things for us; we have become joyful.
5  Convérte, Dómine, captivitátem nostram, * sicut torrens in austro.	4 Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as a stream in the south.
6  Qui séminant in lácrimis, * in exsultatióne metent.	5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
7  Eúntes ibant et flebant, * mitténtes sémina sua.	6 Going they went and wept, casting their seeds.
8  Veniéntes autem vénient cum exsultatióne, * portántes manípulos suos.	7 But coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.	Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.	As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Scriptural context: foreshadowing the reopening of heaven

Joy and the cross?

In the context of None there is something of a paradox associated with this psalm, since this psalm is about joy and comfort, whereas None is traditionally associated with the hour when Christ died on the Cross, when the Temple veil was torn in two by a dramatic earthquake.

The paradox is readily resolved though, if one considers St Benedict's constant orientation towards the Resurrection: as Our Lord pointed out immediately before the events of holy week, and alluded in verse 5, the seed has to die in order to bring forth new life.  Accordingly this psalm focuses on the triumph of the Cross, presenting us with the image of God as our comforter, who turns sorrow into joy.

Pope Benedict XVI’s commentary on this psalm at a General Audience developed this theme, drawing on St Bede:

….St Bede the Venerable (672/3-735), commenting on the words by which Jesus announced to his disciples the sorrow that lay in store for them, and at the same time the joy that would spring from their affliction (cf. Jn 16: 20). Bede recalls that "Those who loved Christ were weeping and mourning when they saw him captured by his enemies, bound, carried away for judgment, condemned, scourged, mocked and lastly crucified, pierced by the spear and buried. Instead, those who loved the world rejoiced... when they condemned to a most ignominious death the One of whom the sight alone they could not tolerate. The disciples were overcome by grief at the death of the Lord, but once they had learned of his Resurrection, their sorrow changed to joy; then when they had seen the miracle of the Ascension, they praised and blessed the Lord, filled with even greater joy, as the Evangelist Luke testified (cf. Lk 24: 53).”

Convert us O Lord

A number of modern commentators start from the reference to captivity to suggest that this psalm originated as a response to the return of the Exiles to Jerusalem after being freed by the Persians.  While that is certainly plausible, this view is entirely conjectural, and the sentiments, as St John Chrysostom points out, fit any number of historical occasions.  The real captivity that Scripture is pointing us to, surely, is our captivity to our sins, and in particular the legacy of Adam's sin, which locked mankind out of heaven.

  

In salvation history, the deliverance of the chosen people from Egypt and the return after the Babylonian captivity both foreshadow the spiritual sense of the psalm: St Augustine explains that Sion here really means heaven; our captivity is that due to sin which makes all of us in this world pilgrims rather than immediate citizens of the heavenly realm.  But due to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we are freed from the captivity of sin, and can rightly rejoice. 

There is though, perhaps a two stage process suggested in this psalm: verses 1-4 point to the things God has previously done for us, in reopening the way to heaven; but verses 5-7 can perhaps be interpreted as about us individually in the here and now, who still need to have Christ's redemption applied to us.  We have to sow through faith and good works, so that we can reap our reward through Christ.

Freedom from attachment to the things of this world

St Robert Bellarmine gives the reference to captivity a slightly different spin that I think is also worth considering, seeing it as a reference to attachment to the things of this world:also picks up this theme, warning us not to be too attached to our captivity to the world:

Having asked God to bring back all the captives to their country, he now addresses the captives themselves, and exhorts them not to be deterred by the labor of the journey, or to be detained by regard for any property they may have acquired in a foreign land, as they were sure to have much more and more valuable property in their own; and most happily compares them to the sower and the reaper… 

This applies peculiarly to us, pilgrims as we are; for those who are content with their captiv­ity, and are so engaged by the love of this world as never to think on their country, heaven; they look upon the road adopt­ed by the just to be nothing better than a positive loss and an injury. While the true exiles make all the haste they can to their country above; they freely give to the poor, who will never return what is given; they labor, without fee or reward, in teaching their brethren, as did the apostles; they freely renounce all manner of pleasure; all which seems the height of folly to those who know not what is to come of it, while, in real­ity, it is "sowing in tears," that they may afterwards, in due time, "reap in joy." 

And if they who are still so attached to their captivity, would seriously reflect on this, they certainly would change their mind, would begin to go up, and, no matter what it may cost them, they would sow the seed, that they may soon after reap it in joy in the kingdom of heaven.”

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	Lk 1:49 (4);  Rev 21:4 (6); Jn 12:24: 16:20 (7)
RB cursus	None Tues to Sat
Monastic feasts etc	Gradual Psalms; LOOL None An 2839 (1); 2736, 5334 (6),
Responsories	Dedication of a church no 2 (Fundata), 6756 6402 (alt verse for St clement in H);
Roman pre 1911	Tuesday Vespers
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Tuesday Vespers . 1970: Evening Prayer - Wednesday of Wk 3
Mass propers (EF)	Common of several martyrs: TR (5-6)

And you can find verse by notes on the psalm either by continuing on here, or jumping to the relevant verse:

Psalm 125 verse 1
Psalm 125 verse 2
Psalm 125 verses 3-4
Psalm 125 verse 5
Psalm 125 verse 6
Psalm 125 verse 7
Psalm 125 verse 8

Peace upon Israel - Psalm 124 verse 5 (Gradual Psalm no 6/5)

Source: Fr Hugh OSB

The final verse of Psalm 124 contrasts the fate of the treacherous, who will be punished by God, with the just, who will enjoy the peace of Christ, a very Benedictine objective.

5	V	Declinántes autem in obligatiónes addúcet Dóminus cum operántibus iniquitátem: * pax super Israël.
	NV	Declinantes autem per vias pravas adducet Dominus cum operantibus iniquitatem. Pax super Israel!
	JH	Qui autem declinant ad prauitates suas, deducet eos Dominus cum his qui operantur iniquitatem. Pax super Israhel.
		τοὺς δὲ ἐκκλίνοντας εἰς τὰς στραγγαλιὰς ἀπάξει κύριος μετὰ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν εἰρήνη ἐπὶ τὸν Ισραηλ

Text notes: ‘Obligationes’ translates the Greek meaning a knot tied tight, or a twisted cord, symbolizing snares and treacheries, and in this context, Israelites who are dishonest.  The Diurnal follows the Hebrew Masoretic Text here instead of the Vulgate, which renders the verse as ‘they who turn aside their twisted paths’.  But the sense of the verse is the same in both versions.

declino, avi, atum, are,  to bend from the straight path, to turn aside or away, depart from, go astray

autem, adversative conj., but, on the contrary, however

obligatio, onis, /. (obligo), lit., a binding; fig., an entangling, ensnaring, bonds

adduco, duxi, ductum, ere 3, to bring, lead, or escort to

pax, pacis,  peace, blessings, prosperity, etc.

DR	But such as turn aside into bonds, the Lord shall lead out with the workers of iniquity: peace upon Israel.
Brenton	But them that turn aside to crooked ways the Lord will lead away with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.
MD	But strayers on crooked paths the Lord will snatch away like evil-doers.  Peace upon Israel.
RSV	But those who turn aside upon their crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers! Peace be in Israel!
Knox	Feet that stray into false paths the Lord will punish, as he punishes wrong-doers; but upon Israel there shall be peace.
Cover	As for such as turn back unto their own wickedness, the Lord shall lead them forth with the evil doers; but peace shall be upon Israel.
Grail	but the crooked and those who do evil, drive them away! On Israel, peace!

 The most important part of this verse is the last, the focus on peace.  Peace in this context means first and foremost peace of soul, as the various commentators point out.  St John Chrysostom for example notes that:

…the peace he speaks of here is not that only which is perceptible, but also the peace which is more exalted than that and from which it also comes, and he prays that the soul not rebel against itself by introducing the conflict of passions.

St Augustine contrasts this happy state with that of those who refuse to believe, and choose instead to follow their own paths:

What then shall they have, who are righteous in heart, and who turn not back? Let us now come to the heritage itself, brethren, for we are sons. What shall we possess? What is our heritage? What is our country: what is it called? Peace. In this we salute you, this we announce to you, this the mountains receive, and the little hills receive as righteousness. Peace is Christ: for He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us. Since we are sons, we shall have an inheritance. And what shall this inheritance be called, but peace? 

As for the wicked though, both within and outside of the Church:

And consider that they who love not peace are disinherited. Now they who divide unity, love not peace. Peace is the possession of the pious, the possession of heirs. And who are heirs? Sons....Since then Christ the Son of God is peace, He therefore came to gather together His own, and to separate them from the wicked. From what wicked men? From those who hate Jerusalem, who hate peace, who wish to tear unity asunder, who believe not peace, who preach a false peace to the people, and have it not. To whom answer is made, when they say, Peace be with you, And with your spirit: but they speak falsely, and they hear falsely. Unto whom do they say, Peace be with you? To those whom they separate from the peace of the whole earth. And unto whom is it said, And with your spirit? To those who embrace dissensions, and who hate peace. For if peace were in their spirit, would they not love unity, and leave dissensions? Speaking then false words, they hear false words.

He concludes with an injunction to us:

 Let us speak true words, and hear true words. Let us be Israel, and let us embrace peace; for Jerusalem is a vision of peace, and we are Israel, and peace is upon Israel.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1 Qui confídunt in Dómino, sicut mons Sion: * non commovébitur in ætérnum, qui hábitat in Jerúsalem.	They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion: he shall not be moved for ever that dwells 2 in Jerusalem.
2  Montes in circúitu ejus: * et Dóminus in circúitu pópuli sui, ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.	Mountains are round about it: so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth now and for ever.
3  Quia non relínquet Dóminus virgam peccatórum super sortem justórum: * ut non exténdant justi ad iniquitátem manus suas.	3 For the Lord will not leave the rod of sinners upon the lot of the just: that the just may not stretch forth their hands to iniquity.
4  Bénefac, Dómine, bonis, * et rectis corde.	4 Do good, O Lord, to those that are good, and to the upright of heart.
5  Declinántes autem in obligatiónes addúcet Dóminus cum operántibus iniquitátem: * pax super Israël.	5 But such as turn aside into bonds, the Lord shall lead out with the workers of iniquity: peace upon Israel.

You can find notes on the next Gradual Psalm, Psalm 125, here.

Virtue is uncomplicated - Psalm 124 verses 3&4 (Gradual Psalm No 6/4)

Rubens

Verses 3&4 of Psalm 124 provide words of encouragement to the pilgrim perhaps assaulted by evildoers along the way. 

3	V	Quia non relínquet Dóminus virgam peccatórum super sortem justórum: * ut non exténdant justi ad iniquitátem manus suas.
	NV	Quia non requiescet virga iniquitatis super sortem iustorum, ut non extendant iusti ad iniquitatem manus suas.
	JH	Quia non requiescet uirga impietatis  super sortem iustorum,  ut non mittant iusti in iniquitatem manus suas.
		ὅτι οὐκ ἀφήσει τὴν ῥάβδον τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐπὶ τὸν κλῆρον τῶν δικαίων ὅπως ἂν μὴ ἐκτείνωσιν οἱ δίκαιοι ἐν ἀνομίᾳ χεῖρας αὐτῶν

Quia (for) non (not) relínquet (he will leave) Dóminus (the Lord) virgam (the rod) peccatórum (of sinners) super (over) sortem (the fate) justórum Of the just): ut (that) non (not) exténdant (they stretch out) justi (the just) ad (to) iniquitátem (inquity) manus (the hand) suas (his).

quia, conj. for, because, that. truly, surely, indeed

relinquo, liqui, lictum, ere 3,  to leave behind at death;  to allow, suffer, permit

virga, ae, ., a rod, staff, scepter, a shepherd's crook.

peccator, oris, m. a sinner, transgressor; the wicked, the godless.

super, prep, with ace. And abl  on, upon, over

sors, sortis, /.  lot, fate, destiny

extendo, tendi, tentum, ere 3,  to stretch out or forth; to extend, prolong, protract, continue;

justus, a, um  a just man, the just.

iniquitas, atis, / iniquity, injustice, sin.

manus, us, /.,  hand

DR	For the Lord will not leave the rod of sinners upon the lot of the just: that the just may not stretch forth their hands to iniquity.
Brenton	For the Lord will not allow the rod of sinners to be upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous should stretch forth their hands to iniquity.
MD	The Lord will not let the sinner’s rod weigh down on the lot of the just, lest the just extend their hands to evildoing.
RSV	For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands to do wrong.
Knox	Domain of the just! No longer shall godless men bear rule in it; else the just, too, might soil their hands with guilt.
Cover	For the rod of the ungodly cometh not into the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put their hand unto wickedness.
Grail	For the scepter of the wicked shall not rest over the land of the just for fear that the hands of the just should turn to evil.

Cassiodorus explains the rod thus: 

By rod is denoted the power of good and evil. In the good sense we have the words spoken of the Lord Saviour Himself: The Lord will send forth the rod of thy power out of Sion, and thou shalt rule in the midst of thy enemies. Moses too received a rod, with which he performed many miracles. In the bad sense it is given also to those who ever afflict the faithful with perverted zeal. Persecutors are a rod for martyrs; so too are masters angry with their households, as was Pharaoh, Nebuchad­nezzar and the others who ruled with the harshest tyranny.”

 For some periods of time, in other words, the psalmist suggests that God may allow the wicked to prosper, and oppress the good.  But he will never allow evil to continue unchecked forever, lest the good succumb to temptation. Thus, evil men may run the Church for a period and heresy may flourish, but eventually truth will be restored; unjust societies may seem to flourish for a period, but their time will end.

4	V/NV/JH	Bénefac, Dómine, bonis, * et rectis corde.
		ἀγάθυνον κύριε τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς καὶ τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ καρδίᾳ

Benefac (do good), Domine (O Lord), bonis (to the good) et (and) rectis upright) corde (of heart).

benefacio, feci, factum, ere 3, to do well; to do good to, to deal kindly with.

bonus, a, um, good; morally good, upright

rectus, a, um, part. adj.  just, right, righteous, upright. the just, just men, the good. steadfast, stable, steady.

cor, cordis, n., the heart, regarded as the seat of the faculties, feelings, emotions, passions; the mind, the soul.

DR	Do good, O Lord, to those that are good, and to the upright of heart.
Brenton	Do good, O Lord, to them that are good, and to them that are upright in heart.
MD	Show Thy goodness Lord, to the good, and to the upright of heart.
RSV	Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts!
Knox	Deal kindly, Lord, with the kindly, with the true-hearted.
Cover	Do well, O Lord, unto those that are good and true of heart.
Grail	Do good, Lord, to those who are good, to the upright of heart;

This verse is a reminder to us that our God is a just God.  It is often suggested these days that God will forgive all, even those unrepentant in sin.  Yet this is not what Scripture and Tradition teaches.  St Basil the Great commented: 

God is good, but he is also just, and it is the nature of the just to reward in proportion to merit, as it is writ­ten: "Do good, O Lord, to those that are good and to the upright of heart. But such as turn aside to their own crooked ways, the Lord shall lead out with the workers of iniquity." He is merciful, but he is also a judge, for "the Lord loves mercy and judgment," says the psalmist.

 St John Chrysostom takes the argument a step further, suggesting that virtue is straightforward, while vice is much more varied: 

Now, here he names as upright the sincere, the unaffected, those with nothing hidden or festering below the surface. Uprightness is like that, you see, and it most of all God looks for everywhere. Virtue is like that, something uncom­plicated and simple, as in consequence vice is complicated, varied, devious - as you can see in reality itself. At any rate, people intent on deceiving and hatching plots - consider how many schemes they put their hands to, the number of different wiles they have need of, how many falsified stories, how much shrewdness. Those who speak the truth, on the other hand, have need of no effort, no difficulty, no hypocrisy, no scheming, nothing of that sort, as truth shines through of its own accord. In other words, just as bodies that are deformed require artifice on the outside and cover­ings to conceal the disfigurement of nature, whereas natural beauty is conspicuous of its own making, so too is it possible to discover falsehood and truth, vice and virtue. 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1 Qui confídunt in Dómino, sicut mons Sion: * non commovébitur in ætérnum, qui hábitat in Jerúsalem.	They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion: he shall not be moved for ever that dwells 2 in Jerusalem.
2  Montes in circúitu ejus: * et Dóminus in circúitu pópuli sui, ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.	Mountains are round about it: so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth now and for ever.
3  Quia non relínquet Dóminus virgam peccatórum super sortem justórum: * ut non exténdant justi ad iniquitátem manus suas.	3 For the Lord will not leave the rod of sinners upon the lot of the just: that the just may not stretch forth their hands to iniquity.
4  Bénefac, Dómine, bonis, * et rectis corde.	4 Do good, O Lord, to those that are good, and to the upright of heart.
5  Declinántes autem in obligatiónes addúcet Dóminus cum operántibus iniquitátem: * pax super Israël.	5 But such as turn aside into bonds, the Lord shall lead out with the workers of iniquity: peace upon Israel.

And you can find notes on the last verse of this psalm here.

Introduction to Psalm 124: Gradual Psalms 6/1

Psalm 124 is the sixth of the Gradual psalms, and the first of the second block of five when the psalms are said as a devotion.  

The text of the psalm

Psalm 124 - Gradual Psalm No 6, Tuesday to Saturday Sext

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1 Qui confídunt in Dómino, sicut mons Sion: * non commovébitur in ætérnum, qui hábitat in Jerúsalem.	They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion: he shall not be moved for ever that dwells 2 in Jerusalem.
2  Montes in circúitu ejus: * et Dóminus in circúitu pópuli sui, ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.	Mountains are round about it: so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth now and for ever.
3  Quia non relínquet Dóminus virgam peccatórum super sortem justórum: * ut non exténdant justi ad iniquitátem manus suas.	3 For the Lord will not leave the rod of sinners upon the lot of the just: that the just may not stretch forth their hands to iniquity.
4  Bénefac, Dómine, bonis, * et rectis corde.	4 Do good, O Lord, to those that are good, and to the upright of heart.
5  Declinántes autem in obligatiónes addúcet Dóminus cum operántibus iniquitátem: * pax super Israël.	5 But such as turn aside into bonds, the Lord shall lead out with the workers of iniquity: peace upon Israel.

Liturgical uses of the psalm

In its devotional use, this block of psalms is traditionally offered for the forgiveness of our own sins.  

In the Benedictine Office, it is the last psalm of Sext on Tuesday to Saturday.

NT references	Mt 28:20 (v2); Gal 6:16 (5)
RB cursus	Sext weekday
Monastic feasts etc	Gradual Psalms; LOOL Sext AN 3904(1); 3904 (1-2); 1735 (4)
Responsories	-
Roman pre 1911	Tuesday Vespers
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Tuesday Vespers 1970: Evening Prayer - Tuesday of Wk3
Mass propers (EF)	Lent 4, TR (1-2)

The hour of the crucifixion

The image the Psalm opens with is of the mountains surrounding Jerusalem, suggesting perhaps that the pilgrims are now nearing the holy city.  

The psalm is above all, though, a reminder of the message of Christ's crucifixion on the cross at this hour: it enjoins us to trust in God, as Pope Benedict XVI noted:

... the Psalm instils deep trust in the soul. This is a powerful help in facing difficult situations when the external crisis of loneliness, irony and contempt of believers is associated with the interior crisis that consists of discouragement, mediocrity and weariness. We know this situation, but the Psalm tells us that if we have trust, we are stronger than these evils…

The need for grace

One of the key messages of this psalm is the need for grace: we cannot reach heaven through our own efforts; rather we need to entrust our efforts and very selves to God.  Cassiodorus, for example commented:

The Lord was aware of the unstable progress of human weakness, so He fashioned this path by the steps, so to say, of the virtues, so that our longing should strive more securely for the heights, since our feet were placed on level terrain. This is how we set foot on the ridges afforded by the steps, so that we do not confront a sloping ascent. But though this saving flight of steps is seen to be constructed with suitable assistance, we do not stand firmly upright unless we are kept there by the Lord's control. 

Cassiodorus also makes a nice contribution, in his commentary on this psalm, to resolving the seeming contradiction between the Christian life as pilgrimage, and the virtue of monastic stability:

The ascent, however, is mental and not physical. We mount these steps more successfully by remaining seated in the one place, withdrawn in the location of our tiny cell, than if we flit before the faces of men. The prophet cries that we must trust in the Lord so that we may not toil in vain....

Focus on eternity

The central theme of this psalm is the need to entrust ourselves to the eternal God's mercy and justice.
It makes a key contrast between God who is eternal and unchangeable; and the sinners who make our life difficult in the short term.

St Augustine, for example, sees it as encouraging us to turn away from the false promises of this world, and focus instead on eternity:

This Psalm, belonging to the number of the Songs of Degrees, teaches us, while we ascend and raise our minds unto the Lord our God in loving charity and piety, not to fix our gaze upon men who are prosperous in this world, with a happiness that is false and unstable, and altogether seductive; where they cherish nothing save pride, and their heart freezes up against God, and is made hard against the shower of His grace, so that it bears not fruit....

The psalm reminds us not to look for prosperity and power in the world now, but to seek to do God, so that God will reward us in kind.

Dealing with difficulties

The psalm tells us that all those who trust in God will be protected by him from falling; all we need to do is place our trust in God, as Pope Benedict XVI commented in a General Audience on the psalm:

Thus, the Psalm instils deep trust in the soul. This is a powerful help in facing difficult situations when the external crisis of loneliness, irony and contempt of believers is associated with the interior crisis that consists of discouragement, mediocrity and weariness. We know this situation, but the Psalm tells us that if we have trust, we are stronger than these evils…

Verse by verse notes

And for verse by verse notes on the psalm, follow the links below:

Psalm 124 v1
Psalm 124 verse 2
Psalm 124 verses 3-4
Psalm 124 verse 5