Psalm 147: verse 9 - All the nations shall come to see God

The final verse of Psalm 147 is essentially a continuation of the thought of the previous verse, on the privilege granted to us of Divine revelation, through which we can come to see God in peace.

Text notes

9	V	Non fecit taliter omni nationi: * et judicia sua non manifestavit eis.
		οὐκ ἐποίησεν οὕτως παντὶ ἔθνει καὶ τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐδήλωσεν αὐτοῖς

 Word by word

Non (not) fecit (he has made/done) táliter (thus/in this manner) omni (to all) natióni (nations):  et (and) judícia (justice/judgments) sua (his) non (not) manifestávit (he has made known) eis (his) = and his righteousness he has not manifested to them

Key vocabulary:

manifesto, avi, atum, are to make known, reveal, make manifest.

talliter, adv. , so, thus, in such wise or manner. 

 Selected translations:

DR	He has not done in like manner to every nation: and his judgments he has not made manifest to them.
Brenton	He has not done so to any other nation; and he has not shewn them his judgments.
MD	Not so hath He done to every nation, nor make known to them His judgments
RSV	He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!
Cover	He hath not dealt so with any nation; neither have the heathen knowledge of his laws.

 The paradox of the Jews

This verse completes the thought set out in the previous one on the distinction between the natural law, discernible through reason, and the privilege of Divine revelation.

St John Chrysostom pointed out that everyone can achieve virtue purely through reason:

all had the natural law within them sounding clear signals as to what is good and what is not. At the same time as he formed human beings, you see, God placed this incorruptible court within them, the verdict of conscience in each person.

To the Jewish people, though, he gave  more certain path to salvation: 

With the Jews, however, he took this special trouble, indi­cating prescription also in writing. Hence the psalmist did not ac­tually say, "He did not deal with every nation," but He did not deal in this way, that is, he did not send them tablets, or writings, or a Mosaic lawgiver, or the other things on Mount Sinai. Instead, the Jews alone enjoyed all these things from their privileged state, whereas the whole of humankind had a sufficient law in conscience. 

But now. as St Augustine explained, all nations have been joined to Israel, able to access Divine Revelation through the teaching of the apostles:

The wild olive is cut off from its stock, to be grafted into the olive: now they belong to the olive, no longer ought they to be called nations, but one nation in Christ, the nation of Jacob, the nation of Israel...

What then is Israel for us, he asks?  The answer is seeing God in peace, for we are bound together through our worship of God: 

What is Israel? Seeing God. Where shall he see God? In peace. What peace? The peace of Jerusalem; for, says he, He has set peace for your borders. There shall we praise: there shall we all be one, in One, unto One: for then, though many, we shall not be scattered. 

   

Psalm 147 – Lauda Jerusalem 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Lauda, Jerúsalem, Dóminum: * lauda Deum tuum, Sion.	Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise your God, O Sion.
2  Quóniam confortávit seras portárum tuárum: * benedíxit fíliis tuis in te.	Because he has strengthened the bolts of your gates, he has blessed your children within you
3  Qui pósuit fines tuos pacem: * et ádipe fruménti sátiat te.	Who has placed peace in your borders: and fills you with the fat of corn.
4  Qui emíttit elóquium suum terræ: * velóciter currit sermo ejus.	Who sends forth his speech to the earth: his word runs swiftly.
5  Qui dat nivem sicut lanam: * nébulam sicut cínerem spargit.	Who gives snow like wool: scatters mists like ashes.
6  Mittit crystállum suam sicut buccéllas: * ante fáciem frígoris ejus quis sustinébit?	He sends his crystal like morsels: who shall stand before the face of his cold?
7  Emíttet verbum suum, et liquefáciet ea: * flabit spíritus ejus, et fluent aquæ.	He shall send out his word, and shall melt them: his wind shall blow, and the waters shall run.
8  Qui annúntiat verbum suum Jacob: * justítias, et judícia sua Israël.	Who declares his word to Jacob: his justices and his judgments to Israel
9  Non fecit táliter omni natióni: * et judícia sua non manifestávit eis.	He has not done in like manner to every nation: and his judgments he has not made manifest to them. Alleluia.

And for the final set of notes on this psalm, continue on here.

Psalm 147: verses 8 - The gift of Christ's coming

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In the previous verse, the psalm announce that God will send out his Word to melt the hardened pellets of ice' this verse explains that the word is precepts and judgments, revealed to his people.

Text notes

Latin and Greek text: 

8	V	Qui annuntiat verbum suum jacob: * justitias, et judicia sua israël.
		ἀπαγγέλλων τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ τῷ Ιακωβ δικαιώματα καὶ κρίματα αὐτοῦ τῷ Ισραηλ

Word by word:

Qui (who) annúntiat (announces/declares) verbum (the word) suum (his) [to] Jacob: justítias (precepts/statutes/laws/commands), et (and) judícia (judgments) sua (his) Israël.

Key vocabulary: 

annuntio, avi, atum, are  to announce, proclaim, publish, make known

justitia, ae, f justice, righteousness, innocence, piety, moral integrity; plur., judgments, precepts, ordinances:

judicium, i, n.  judgment, decrees; law, commandment; the power, or faculty of judging wisely; justice.

Selected translations: 

DR	Who declares his word to Jacob: his justices and his judgments to Israel.
Brenton	He sends his word to Jacob, his ordinances and judgments to Israel.
MD	He declareth his word to Jacob, His precepts and judgments to Israel
RSV	He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
Cover	He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and ordinances unto Israel.

The mission of the Church

In the previous verses, the image of the changing seasons was used to remind us that our knowledge of God and what he wishes for us does not depend on revelation through the church, can be learnt through reason, for the natural law is engraved on our hearts.

This verse, though, reminds us of the special privilege we have been granted in receiving direct knowledge of God's requirements of us.

Cassiodorus explains that 'Jacob and Israel' stand for the Church:

for these two survived as the names of one person, just as from two peoples one has been formed, which on the one hand is well called Israel, and on the other is correctly termed Jacob. For now any faithful individual is an Israelite, and earlier anyone who pleased the Lord by pure devotion was a Jacob; we know that the Lord declared His word and His justices to him.

 St Robert Bellarmine commented: 

He concludes by showing how differently God, in his providence, deals with his own people, and with other nations, because he instructed other nations, merely by natural causes and effects, so as to know their Creator through the things created by him; but he taught his own people through the prophets.

And this special privilege is given not just for ourselves, but so that we can carry out God's mission of converting the world; it is a call to action, as Pope John Paul II noted:

In this way, the election of Israel and her sole mission among the peoples is celebrated: to proclaim to the world the Word of God. It is a prophetic and priestly mission, because "what great nation is there that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?" (Dt 4: 8). It is through Israel and, therefore, also through the Christian community, namely the Church, that the Word of God resounds in the world and becomes instruction and light for all peoples.

More after the feast of St Benedict!

Psalm 147 – Lauda Jerusalem 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Lauda, Jerúsalem, Dóminum: * lauda Deum tuum, Sion.	Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise your God, O Sion.
2  Quóniam confortávit seras portárum tuárum: * benedíxit fíliis tuis in te.	Because he has strengthened the bolts of your gates, he has blessed your children within you
3  Qui pósuit fines tuos pacem: * et ádipe fruménti sátiat te.	Who has placed peace in your borders: and fills you with the fat of corn.
4  Qui emíttit elóquium suum terræ: * velóciter currit sermo ejus.	Who sends forth his speech to the earth: his word runs swiftly.
5  Qui dat nivem sicut lanam: * nébulam sicut cínerem spargit.	Who gives snow like wool: scatters mists like ashes.
6  Mittit crystállum suam sicut buccéllas: * ante fáciem frígoris ejus quis sustinébit?	He sends his crystal like morsels: who shall stand before the face of his cold?
7  Emíttet verbum suum, et liquefáciet ea: * flabit spíritus ejus, et fluent aquæ.	He shall send out his word, and shall melt them: his wind shall blow, and the waters shall run.
8  Qui annúntiat verbum suum Jacob: * justítias, et judícia sua Israël.	Who declares his word to Jacob: his justices and his judgments to Israel
9  Non fecit táliter omni natióni: * et judícia sua non manifestávit eis.	He has not done in like manner to every nation: and his judgments he has not made manifest to them. Alleluia.

 And for the next set of notes on this psalm, continue on here.