Psalm 141: 8 - Obedience even unto death

Colmar - Unterlinden Museum -
Altarpiece  Martin Schongauer & Atelier, ca 1480

Verse 8 of Psalm 141 paints a picture of someone at the end of their tether, alone, and totally humiliated.  But that very humiliation, and resultant humility, becomes the basis for his plea for help.

 Text notes

8	V/NV	Inténde ad deprecatiónem meam: * quia humiliátus sum nimis.
	R	Intende in orationem meam quia humiliatus sum nimis
	JH	Ausculta deprecationem meam, quoniam infirmatus sum nimis:
		πρόσχεςπρὸς τὴν δέησίν μου ὅτι ἐταπεινώθην σφόδρα

 Word by word:

Intende (give heed/attend) ad (to) deprecationem (entreaty/supplication/prayer) meam (my), quia (because) humiliatus sum (I have been humbled.brought low) nimis (exceedingly/very)

intendo, tendi, tentum, ere 3 to give heed to, pay attention to; to regard, look upon

deprecatio -onis f prayer, supplication, entreaty.

humilio, avi, atum, are  to humble, bring low.

nimis, adv., exceedingly, greatly, beyond measure. 

DR	Attend to my supplication: for I am brought very low.
Brenton	Attend to my supplication, for I am brought very low
MD	Give heed to my entreaty, for I am exceedingly humbled
RSV	Give heed to my cry; for I am brought very low!
Cover	Consider my complaint; for I am brought very low
Knox	Listen, then, to my plea; thou seest me all defenceless.
Grail	Listen, then, to my cry for I am in the depths of distress.

Humility and humiliation

The commentators are divided on this verse, as to whether being brought very low means being at the end of our tether, exhausted, depressed and afflicted; or a mind humbled by the realisation of his sins.

The two are connected of course: when circumstances, such as persecution bring us down, we can accept this and take the opportunity to reflect, realise our faults, and repent them.

St Augustine puts it this way:

Humbled by persecutors, humbled in confession. He humbles himself out of the sight of man: he is humbled by enemies in their sight. Therefore is he lifted up by Him both visibly and invisibly

But it is not automatic that humiliation leads to a humbled mind, as St Jerome points out:

Unless a man has been humbled, the Lord does not grant him gracious hearing. What avail for salvation are words of prayer when the man who utters them is stiff-necked with pride – if we really understand that the Lord says: Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.

Christ's humility

Our model here is of course Christ, as St Cassiodorus explains:

He did well to say: I am bought very low, for as Paul puts it, He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found at a man. In addition, he was certainly humbled further when he became obedient unto death even to death on the cross.  If the wondrous height of his divinity had not bent low in the true body which he assumed, how could he have been crucified for the salvation of all, when he orders heaven and earth with astounding power?

Psalm 141 (142): Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Intellectus David, cum esset in spelunca, oratio	Of understanding for David, A prayer when he was in the cave.
1 Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * voce mea ad dóminum deprecátus sum.	2 I cried to the Lord with my voice: with my voice I made supplication to the Lord.
2. Effúndo in conspéctu ejus oratiónem meam, * et tribulatiónem meam ante ipsum pronúntio	3 In his sight I pour out my prayer, and before him I declare my trouble:
3. In deficiéndo ex me spíritum meum: * et tu cognovísti sémitas meas.	4 When my spirit failed me, then you knew my paths.
4  In via hac, qua ambulábam, * abscondérunt láqueum mihi.	In this way wherein I walked, they have hidden a snare for me.
5 Considerábam ad déxteram, et vidébam: * et non erat qui cognósceret me.	5 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, and there was no one that would know me.
6. Périit fuga a me: * et non est qui requírat ánimam meam.	Flight has failed me: and there is no one that has regard to my soul.
7. Clamávi ad te, Dómine, * dixi: Tu es spes mea, pórtio mea in terra vivéntium.	6 I cried to you, O Lord: I said: You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living.
8.  Inténde ad deprecatiónem meam: * quia humiliátus sum nimis.	7 Attend to my supplication: for I am brought very low.
9.  Líbera me a persequéntibus me: * quia confortáti sunt super me.	Deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
10 Educ de custódia ánimam meam ad confiténdum nómini tuo: me exspéctant justi, donec retríbuas mihi.	8 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise your name: the just wait for me, until you reward me.

And you can find the next part in this series here.

Psalm 141: 7 - Our treasure is in heaven

 

Frescos by Fra Angelico in San Marco, Florence 

 Text notes

7	V	Clamavi ad te, domine, * dixi: tu es spes mea, portio mea in terra viventium.
	NV	Clamavi ad te, Domine; dixi: “ Tu es refugium meum, portio mea in terra viventium.
	R	Clamavi ad te Domine dixi tu es spes mea portio mea in terra viventium
	JH	Clamavi ad te, Domine; dixi, Tu es spes mea, pars mea in terra viventium.
		ἐκέκραξα πρὸς σέ κύριε εἶπα σὺ εἶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου μερίς μου ἐν γῇ ζώντων

Word by word 

Clamavi (I have cried out) ad te (to you), Domine (O Lord); dixi (I said): Tu (you) es (you are) spes (hope) mea (my), portio (inheritance/the portion/lot) mea (my) in terra (in the land) viventium (of the living) 

Portio, or portion means inheritance

clamo, avi, atum, are to call, cry out; to call to or upon for aid.

spes, spei, f.,  hope; the object of hope; the thing hoped for;  one who or that which furnishes ground for trust, confidence

portio, onis, f, portion, lot.

vivo, vixi, victum, ere 3  to live, to have life, be alive

DR	I cried to you, O Lord: I said: You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living.
Brenton	I cried unto thee, O Lord, and said, Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living.
MD	I cry to Thee O Lord, and say Thou art my refuge, my portion in the land of the living
RSV	I cry to thee, O LORD; I say, Thou art my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
Cover	I cried unto thee, O Lord, and said, Thou art my hope, and my portion in the land of the living.
Knox	To thee, Lord, I cry, claiming thee for my only refuge, all that is left me in this world of living men.
Grail	I cry to you, O Lord. I have said: "You are my refuge all I have in the land of the living."

Nothing is impossible to God

The first part of the psalm provides a model for us in terms of total trust in God, as St John Chrysostom urges:

Do you note alertness of spirit? Far from the problems overwhelming him, they instead gave him wings, and being in difficulties he knew the invincible hand and all-powerful force, and the easy exit from impossible situations...all humans means have proved futile, he is saying and the storm so far exceeds all assistance as to be beyond all measures for surviving shipwreck.  Yet even if this is beyond hope in human estimation, and we are sinking, nevertheless everything is easy for you; hence let us continue to hope and not grow faint…

The promise of paradise

The hope we should have, St Cassiodorus, instructs is of heaven, which is the land of the living:

He comes to the second section, in which he begs to escape from the ambush of his enemies so that the hearts of the faithful may rejoice at the gift of his resurrection.  He cried, setting his hope in the Lord, when he said, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit….The particular proof of this is the passage in which he said to the thief as he hung on the cross, Amen I say to you, this day though wilt be with me in Paradise., for Paradise is the land of the living which only the blessed will happily enter to live there for untroubled eternity. 

And there our inheritance is Christ himself.

Psalm 141 (142): Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Intellectus David, cum esset in spelunca, oratio	Of understanding for David, A prayer when he was in the cave.
1 Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi: * voce mea ad dóminum deprecátus sum.	2 I cried to the Lord with my voice: with my voice I made supplication to the Lord.
2. Effúndo in conspéctu ejus oratiónem meam, * et tribulatiónem meam ante ipsum pronúntio	3 In his sight I pour out my prayer, and before him I declare my trouble:
3. In deficiéndo ex me spíritum meum: * et tu cognovísti sémitas meas.	4 When my spirit failed me, then you knew my paths.
4  In via hac, qua ambulábam, * abscondérunt láqueum mihi.	In this way wherein I walked, they have hidden a snare for me.
5 Considerábam ad déxteram, et vidébam: * et non erat qui cognósceret me.	5 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, and there was no one that would know me.
6. Périit fuga a me: * et non est qui requírat ánimam meam.	Flight has failed me: and there is no one that has regard to my soul.
7. Clamávi ad te, Dómine, * dixi: Tu es spes mea, pórtio mea in terra vivéntium.	6 I cried to you, O Lord: I said: You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living.
8.  Inténde ad deprecatiónem meam: * quia humiliátus sum nimis.	7 Attend to my supplication: for I am brought very low.
9.  Líbera me a persequéntibus me: * quia confortáti sunt super me.	Deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
10 Educ de custódia ánimam meam ad confiténdum nómini tuo: me exspéctant justi, donec retríbuas mihi.	8 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise your name: the just wait for me, until you reward me.

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