Psalm 1 verse 3 - Christ as the tree of life

Badische Landesbibliothek, Cod. St. Peter perg. 139, Blatt 8r
c1260

Continuing this series on Psalm 1, with a look at verse 3.

3.	V/NV/OR	Et erit tamquam lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum, quod fructum suum dabit in tempore suo.
	JH	Et erit tamquam lignum transplantatum iuxta riuulos aquarum, quod fructum suum dabit in tempore suo,
		καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ

Et (and) erit (he will be) tamquam (like/just as) lignum (a tree) quod (that) plantatum est (is established) secus (beside) decursus (the downward course/running) aquarum (of waters), quod (that) fructum (fruit) suum (his) dabit (it will give) in tempore (in time) suo (his).

tamquam adv. of comparison,  as, just as, like, as it were.

lignum, i, n., a tree; wood

planto, avi, atum, are, to plant; to establish 

secus, prep, with ace by, beside, along, near, on

decursus, us, m.  a running down. Of water, a downward course, descent

fructus, us, m. fruit, produce; the fruit of the soil, trees, etc;  reward;  the fruit of the womb, children, posterity.

tempus, oris, n.  time; in tempore suo, in due season. 

DR	And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season.
Brenton	And he shall be as a tree planted by the brooks of waters, which shall yield its fruit in its season
MD	And he shall be as a tree that is planted by running waters, that yieldeth its fruit in due season.
RSV	He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season,
Cover	And he shall be like a tree planted by the waterside, that will bring forth his fruit in due season.
Knox	He stands firm as a tree planted by running water, ready to yield its fruit when the season comes
Grail	He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season

The literal meaning

The literal meaning of the verse is, as St Jerome, explains, that "just as a tree, if planted near water, will take root and grow and not wither away because it has enough moisture, so in like manner one who meditates on the law of God will derive strength and life from his meditation."  Jerome goes on to explain though, that there is an important additional spiritual level of interpretation that needs to be extracted here.

Christ is the tree of life

The Fathers invariably interpret the tree as Christ.  They point to a number of key connections between the image of the tree of life in Paradise (Genesis 2:9) and in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22), and the wood of the cross.

St Hilary, for example, sees the tree as depicting the tree of life in Paradise, beside which flow out the four rivers (ie the Gospels): 

In the book of Genesis, where the lawgiver depicts the paradise planted by God, we are shown that every tree is fair to look upon and good for food; it is also stated that there stands in the midst of the garden a tree of Life and a tree of the knowledge of good and evil; next that the garden is watered by a stream that afterwards divides into four heads.

The Prophet Solomon teaches us what this tree of Life is in his exhortation concerning Wisdom: She is a tree of life to all them that lay hold upon her, and lean upon her.  This tree then is living; and not only living, but, furthermore, guided by reason; guided by reason, that is, in so far as to yield fruit, and that not casually nor unseasonably, but in its own season. 

And this tree is planted beside the rills of water in the domain of the Kingdom of God, that is, of course, in Paradise, and in the place where the stream as it issues forth is divided into four heads...

He goes own to note that Jesus compares himself to a tree in various places in Scripture and notes that:

 This tree is planted in that place whither the Lord, Who is Wisdom, leads the thief who confessed Him to be the Lord, saying: Verily I say unto you, today shall you be with Me in Paradise. And now that we have shown upon prophetic warrant that Wisdom, which is Christ, is called the tree of Life in accordance with the mystery of the coming Incarnation and Passion...

Running waters

St Augustine points to the running water as referring both to baptism, as well to Christ's teaching:

In another Psalm, "the river of God is full of water." Or by the Holy Ghost, of whom it is said, "He shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost;" and again, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink;" and again, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that asketh water of thee, thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water, of which whoso drinketh shall never thirst, but it shall be made in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

The fruit

Evagrius Ponticus suggests that the fruit refers to the fruits of the spirit, that is love,  joy and peace  and so on (Galatians 5:22 lists them as: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, forbearance, gentleness, faith, courtesy, temperateness, and purity), and St Thomas Aquinas takes the same view.  St Jerome suggests it refers to understanding Scripture.  Many of the other Fathers though, suggest that the fruits refer to Christ's establishment of churches.

Due season

The key point here is that fruit does not appear at all times, but at the proper time, when it is time to act.  St Augustine, for example, suggests, it means the establishment of churches "after He hath been glorified by His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven."  An alternative view is that it refers to the harvest that will be brought in on the day of judgment.

The imitation of Christ 

Patrick Reardon, in Christ in the Psalms nicely draws out a key application of the text to us:

The habit of prayer, this incessant meditation on God’s law, is not supposed to be something immediately useful. Trees do not bear fruit right away. They first must eat amply of the earth and drink deeply of its water. Such nourishment must serve first to build up the tree. The fruit will come later on, when it is supposed to. The life of Christian prayer and meditation knows nothing of instant holiness; it is all a matter of perseverance and patience. Some trees do not even begin to bear fruit for many years….(pg 2)

Vulgate	Douay Rheims translation
Beátus vir, qui non ábiit in consílio impiórum, et in via peccatórum non stetit, * et in cáthedra pestiléntiæ non sedit	Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence:
2  Sed in lege Dómini volúntas ejus, * et in lege ejus meditábitur die ac nocte.	But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.
3  Et erit tamquam lignum, quod plantátum est secus decúrsus aquárum, * quod fructum suum dabit in témpore suo:	And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season.
4  Et fólium ejus non défluet: * et ómnia quæcúmque fáciet, prosperabúntur.	And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.
5  Non sic ímpii, non sic: * sed tamquam pulvis, quem prójicit ventus a fácie terræ.	Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind drives from the face of the earth.
6  Ideo non resúrgent ímpii in judício: * neque peccatóres in concílio justórum.	Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just.
7  Quóniam novit Dóminus viam justórum: * et iter impiórum períbit.	For the Lord knows the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.

The next part in this series can be found here.

Psalm 1 verse 2 - Pray without ceasing

Verse 2 of Psalm 1 introduces us to two essential concepts: our proper engagement with the law of God; and prayer without ceasing.

Tackling the Latin

2.	Vulgate /NV/JH	Sed in lege Domini voluntas eius, et in lege eius meditabitur die ac nocte.
	Old Roman (OR)	sed in lege Domini fuit voluntas eius et in lege eius meditabitur die ac nocte
		ἀλ{L'} ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός

Sed (but) in lege (on the law) Domini (of the Lord) voluntas (will)  eius (his), et (and) in lege (on the law) eius (his) meditabitur (he will meditate) die (day) ac (and) nocte (night).

  

lex, legis,  a law; the Law of God, the will of God

voluntas, atis, will, wish, desire

meditor, atus sum, ari, to think, plan, devise, meditate

dies, ei, a day, the natural

nox, noctis, nigh

DR	But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.
Brenton	But his pleasure is in the law of the Lord; and in his law will he meditate day and night.
MD	But hath his delight in the law of the Lord and on his law doth meditate day and night.
RSV	but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Cover	But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law will he exercise himself day and night.
Knox	the man whose heart is set on the law of the Lord, on that law, day and night, his thoughts still dwell.
Grail	but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night.

Delighting in the law

In the previous verse we were invited to turn away from evil, following the example of Our Lord; here we turn to the positive, 'do good'.  What is needed, according to Theodoret of Cyrus is not merely to abhor sin, but "to choose what the divine law dictates and to guide one’s life according to its direction." 

St Robert Bellarmine explains it this way:

 …He is truly said to be just or happy, who wishes to do the will of the Lord; because to be in just in this life we are not required to be free from all manner of offense, for, St James says, in chapter 3, “We all offend in many things;” but it suffices for us to be so disposed towards the law of God, that we desire, above all things, to carry it out; and if we happen to fall into any sin, as undoubtedly we often do, that it is against our will we so fall, that is to say, against the love we entertain towards God and his law, thus making the matter a sin, not a crime, a venial one instead of a deadly one…

Pray without ceasing

The phrase meditating on the law day and night poses a problem, as St Jerome points out:

Someone else may object: This is too much for human nature to endure, for one must walk, and drink, and eat, and sleep, and perform all the other necessities of life.  How, then, meditate on the law of God day and night, and especially since the Apostle says: Pray without ceasing?  How can I be praying during the time that I am sleeping?  

The response, most of the Western Fathers agree, is that the injunction to pray without ceasing shouldn't be taken to literally.  Instead, it requires us to ensure that our orientation to God directs all our actions, so that we make our whole lives a prayer.  St Hilary of Poitiers puts it like this:

Meditation in the Law, therefore, does not lie in reading its words, but in pious performance of its injunctions; not in a mere perusal of the books and writings, but in a practical meditation and exercise in their respective contents, and in a fulfilment of the Law by the works we do by night and day, as the Apostle says: Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 

The way to secure uninterrupted prayer is for every devout man to make his life one long prayer by works acceptable to God and always done to His glory: thus a life lived according to the Law by night and day will in itself become a nightly and daily meditation in the Law.

Psalm 1

Vulgate	Douay Rheims translation
Beátus vir, qui non ábiit in consílio impiórum, et in via peccatórum non stetit, * et in cáthedra pestiléntiæ non sedit	Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence:
2  Sed in lege Dómini volúntas ejus, * et in lege ejus meditábitur die ac nocte.	But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.
3  Et erit tamquam lignum, quod plantátum est secus decúrsus aquárum, * quod fructum suum dabit in témpore suo:	And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season.
4  Et fólium ejus non défluet: * et ómnia quæcúmque fáciet, prosperabúntur.	And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.
5  Non sic ímpii, non sic: * sed tamquam pulvis, quem prójicit ventus a fácie terræ.	Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind drives from the face of the earth.
6  Ideo non resúrgent ímpii in judício: * neque peccatóres in concílio justórum.	Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just.
7  Quóniam novit Dóminus viam justórum: * et iter impiórum períbit.	For the Lord knows the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.

The next part of this series can be found here.