Ignorance is not bliss! Notes on Psalm 118, Aleph

Today I want to start, as I flagged last week, looking at Psalm 118 stanza by stanza, so today a look at the first eight verses of Psalm 118, which are headed by the Hebrew letter Aleph in the original text, of which the Knox translation usefully gives a flavour:

Ah, blessed they, who pass through life’s journey unstained, who follow the law of the Lord!
2 Ah, blessed they, who cherish his decrees, make him the whole quest of their hearts!
3 Afar from wrong-doing, thy sure paths they tread.
4 Above all else it binds us, the charge thou hast given us to keep.
5 Ah, how shall my steps be surely guided to keep faith with thy covenant?
6 Attentive to all thy commandments, I go my way undismayed.
7 A true heart’s worship thou shalt have, thy just awards prompting me.
8 All shall be done thy laws demand, so thou wilt not forsake me utterly.

On the sin of ignorance!

The first stanza of Psalm 118 draws attention, I think, to a very important, but rather neglected principle, namely that everyone has a duty to seek out the truth.

These verses stress that the path to happiness lies in following God’s law.

But it is not enough, they tell us, to simply think that we are doing the right thing; rather we are charged to actively seek out God's testimonies.

St Bede the Venerable puts it like this:

“One who neglects to keep his known commandments is not capable of being happy; one who neglects to find out the commandments is separated much further away.”

In the context of the New Evangelization, Pope Benedict XVI has repeatedly stressed the importance of encouraging the search for truth. This takes on a particular context for agnostics, believers in some other faith, other varieties of Christians, who we hope to direct to the fullness of revelation contained in the Church. But it applies equally to Catholics.

The starting point for our journey, then, I propose, needs to be a commitment to learning with the aid of grace: we need to read and study Scripture, for as St Jerome reminds us, ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ; and we need to study and understand the Church’s teachings.

If we have doubts or struggles with teachings, we cannot simply disregard them at will, but rather have a duty to accept the guidance the Church provides, to seek out and study good explanations of the reasons for them. In the modern environment, it is hard to see that many can genuinely claim to suffer from ‘invincible ignorance’, and certainly not those who claim to be a catholic and have access to the Catechism and more!

Psalm 118: Aleph

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia	Alleluia
Beati immaculati in via, qui ambulant in lege Domini.	Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
2 Beati qui scrutantur testimonia ejus; in toto corde exquirunt eum.	Blessed are they that search his testimonies: that seek him with their whole heart.
3 Non enim qui operantur iniquitatem in viis ejus ambulaverunt.	For they that work iniquity, have not walked in his ways.
4 Tu mandasti mandata tua custodiri nimis.	You have commanded your commandments to be kept most diligently.
5 Utinam dirigantur viæ meæ ad custodiendas justificationes tuas.	O! That my ways may be directed to keep your justifications.
6 Tunc non confundar, cum perspexero in omnibus mandatis tuis.	Then shall I not be confounded, when I shall look into all your commandments.
7 Confitebor tibi in directione cordis, in eo quod didici judicia justitiæ tuæ.	I will praise you with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned the judgments of your justice.
8 Justificationes tuas custodiam; non me derelinquas usquequaque.	I will keep your justifications: O! Do not utterly forsake me.

Verse by verse

1. Beati (nom pl of beatus) immaculati in via, qui (who) ambulant (they walk) in lege Domini.
Douay-Rheims: Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

Text notes: Both phrases here use a synonym for law, in the first via, or [right] path; in the second law. The psalm starts by reminding us that man’s proper end is eternal happiness, and happiness now to the extent possible in this world. To get to heaven however, we must be free of mortal sin. The MT Hebrew word used for law here is towrah; the Greek is νόμos. Ambulare, literally to walk, is meant to imply the manner in which one orders one's life; or, how one acts. Coverdale translates the verse as ‘Blessed are those that are undefiled in the way, and walk in the law of the Lord’. Other translators prefer ‘blameless’.

beatus, a, um to bless, make happy), happy, blessed, fortunate.
immaculatus, a, um undefiled, stainless, blameless, perfect

2 Beati qui scrutantur (scrutari, to search, examine: deponent) testimonia ejus; in toto corde exquirunt (exquirere to seek, seek after) eum.
Blessed are they that search his testimonies: that seek him with their whole heart.

Scrutantur here arguably implies not just study but also observance. Testimonia is the Vulgate translation of the Hebrew eduih, and really has a broader meaning than commandments or precepts – according to Britt it expresses the declarations of the divine will, to which man must conform. The Monastic Dirunal translates the verse as ‘Blessed are they that search his testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart’.

In order to walk ‘in the way’, then, we have to seek out God, seek out truth actively. St Bede the Venerable puts it like this: “One who neglects to keep his known commandments is not capable of being happy; one who neglects to find out the commandments is separated much further away.”

scrutor, atus sum, ari, to search, examine, scrutinize.With regard to the Law of God: with the additional idea of to keep, to obey
exquiro quaesivi itum ere – to seek, seek after; with mandata and similar words signifying the Law, it is rendered, to seek, search, ie to keep, oberve

3 Non (not) enim (for) qui (who) operantur (deponent: present indic active) iniquitatem in viis ejus ambulaverunt.
For they that work iniquity, have not walked in his ways.

This verse can be read two ways. The simplest is to take non as qualifying ambulaverunt, hence the Monastic Diurnal makes this: ‘For they that work iniquities do not walk in His ways’. But it can also be read as qualifying operantur, as Coverdale does: ‘for they who do no wickedness walk in his ways’, amounting to the same thing.

St Robert Bellarmine discussed how we can reconcile this verse with the statement in 1 John 1, "If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, and sin is iniquity." The answer he gives is that the verse refers to mortal sin: “Now, the saints who have the desire of walking in God's way, and do so habitually, may be said to walk therein; and if they occasionally get off the path, by doing something not directly opposed to God's law, they quickly get on it again through penance and confession.”

iniquitas, atis, f iniquity, injustice, sin.
operor, atus sum, are , to work, do, carry into effect, cause, administer

4 Tu (you) mandasti (mandare, to enjoin, order, command) mandata tua custodiri (passive infinitive of to keep, maintain) nimis (greatly, beyond measure)
You have commanded your commandments to be kept most diligently.

Commandments or precepts (mandata) here corresponds to the MT Hebrew piqqudim, and the Greek ἐντολάς. Brenton’s translation from the Septuagint is fairly literal: Thou hast commanded us diligently to keep thy precepts. The Monastic Diurnal makes it ‘Thou has give Thy commandments that they be well observed’. This verse is a call to obedience!

mando, avi, atum, are (perhaps for manui or in manum do), to enjoin, order, command.
mandatum, i, n. law, precept
nimis, adv., exceedingly, greatly, beyond measure.
custodio, ivi or ii, itum, ire to guard, watch, keep;to maintain, to hold steadfastly.

5 Utinam (oh that!/would that!/ I wish that!) dirigantur (subj passive of dirigere, to direct, guide set aright) viæ meæ ad custodiendas (to the keeping) justificationes tuas.
O! That my ways may be directed to keep your justifications.

The MT Hebrew word (Huqqim) for justifications here means literally something engraved or cut in (stone or a tablet). The MD translates the verses as ‘Oh that my ways be well directed unto the keeping of Thy statutes!’ The verse tells us that in order for us to be able to obey, we must ask for the help of grace.

utinam, adv., oh that! would that! I wish that!
dirigo, rexi, rectum, ere 3 to direct, guide, set aright; to prosper, to be established.

6 Tunc non confundar (fut passive, 1st person), cum (when) perspexero (future) in omnibus mandatis tuis.
Then shall I not be confounded, when I shall look into all your commandments.

The Douay Rheims translates this rather literally as ‘Then shall I not be confounded, when I shall look into all your commandments’. The MD conveys more of the sense of it, I think, with ‘Then shall I not be put to shame, when I pay heed to all Thy precepts’. The RSV makes it rather more colloquial: ‘Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all thy commandments’.

St Augustine suggested that this verse goes to one of the key purposes of lectio divina, namely, as an aid to knowing our own sins and faults, and thus correcting them: “We ought to look upon the commandments of God, whether when they are read, or when they are recalled to memory, as a looking-glass…”

tunc, adv. denoting a point of time which corresponds with another; then, at that time. as a subst.
confundo, fudi, fusum, ere 3, to put or bring to shame, to discomfit.
cum - when
perspicio, spexi, spectum, ere 3, to look into, look at attentively, examine.

7 Confitebor (deponent: future indicative active) tibi in (in + abl= with, in, on among, by means of) directione cordis (gen), in eo (from is ea id) quod didici (pf indicative active of disco to learn) judicia justitiæ tuæ.
I will praise you with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned the judgments of your justice.

Confiteri is an ambiguous verb, meaning both to praise and to confess (sins). The Fathers and Theologians play on this double-meaning in their commentaries, suggesting that more than not being ashamed, through grace we will come to see the glory of God’s truth and praise him for it. The Douay-Rheims therefore makes the verse ‘I will praise you with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned the judgments of your justice’. The MD: ‘I will praise Thee with an upright heart, for I have learned Thy righteous judgments’. And Coverdale: I will thank thee with an unfeigned heart, when I shall have learned the judgments of thy righteousness

confiteor, fessus sum, eri 2 (1) to praise, give thanks (2) to confess, acknowledge one's guilt.
directio, onis, f uprightness, righteousness; that which is right, just, or proper.
cor, cordis, n., the heart,
is, ea, id, he, she, it.
qui, quae, quod, pron. rel., who, which, what, that,
disco, didici, ere 3, to learn.

8 Justificationes tuas custodiam (present subj.); non me derelinquas usquequaque.
I will keep your justifications: O! Do not utterly forsake me.

The Douay-Rheims makes it: I will keep your justifications: O! Do not utterly forsake me. The RSV prefers to use the word statutes in this case: ‘I will observe thy statutes; O forsake me not utterly!’.

St Robert Bellarmine commented:

“This is the conclusion of the first octave, if we may so call the eight verses composing the divisions of the Psalm, and indicated by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, for which division no satisfactory reason can be assigned. The meaning is: Whereas the observance of your law tends to the happiness of those who keep it, and whereas it has been proposed by you, the supreme legislator, and its observance most strictly ordered, "I will keep thy justifications;" I determined and resolved with all my strength to keep them; but do you, on your part, withhold not your grace and your assistance, without which I can do nothing; and if, perchance, in your justice, you shall have to desert me for a while, so that I may feel my own weakness, and learn to fly to thee, and to confide in thee, do not, at all events, "utterly forsake me," that is, altogether and forever.”

derelinquo, liqui, lictum, ere 3, to abandon, forsake. Used frequently of God, of men, and of things.
usquequaque, adv., utterly, altogether, exceedingly

Liturgical and Scriptural uses of the stanza

NT references	Mt 5:3 (v2)
RB cursus	Sunday Prime
Monastic feasts etc	-
Roman pre 1911	Prime daily
Responsories	-
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday Prime . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Quinquagesima Sunday OF v, (1-2) Passion Sunday OF (7) v, (1, 2) PP17 IN (1); PP21 IN (1), CO (4-5); PP 20&21 IN (1); Lent 3 Thurs CO (4-5) Common of a virgin martyr, IN, IN (1) Holy woman not a martyr IN (1) St Stephen IN (1)

Do let me know if you find these notes helpful, and particularly if you have any suggestions for different content, format etc.  And questions are also welcome!

And do go on to the notes on the next stanza of the psalm.

Receptive listening: Introduction to Psalm 118/4

The last section of Pope Benedict XVI’s catechesis on Psalm 118 that I want to share with you by way of introduction to the psalm deals with the idea of the ‘receptive listening’ that leads to obedience.

It’s a very Benedictine sentiment, reflecting not just the current Pope’s spirituality, but that of his namesake St Benedict, who starts his rule with the word 'listen':

“The Law of the Lord, the object of the passionate love of the Psalmist as well as of every believer, is a source of life. The desire to understand it, to observe it and to direct the whole of one’s being by it is the characteristic of every righteous person who is faithful to the Lord, and who “on his law... meditates day and night”, as Psalm 1 recites (v. 2). The law of God is a way to be kept “in the heart”, as the well known text of the Shema in Deuteronomy says: “Hear, O Israel: And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (6:4, 6-7).

The Law of God, at the centre of life, demands that the heart listen. It is a listening that does not consist of servile but rather of filial, trusting and aware obedience. Listening to the word is a personal encounter with the Lord of life, an encounter that must be expressed in concrete decisions and become a journey and a “sequela”. When Jesus is asked what one should do to inherit eternal life he points to the way of observance of the Law but indicates what should be done to bring it to completion: “but you lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me! (Mk 10: 21ff.). Fulfilment of the Law is the following of Jesus, travelling on the road that Jesus took, in the company of Jesus.

Psalm 119 thus brings us to the encounter with the Lord and orients us to the Gospel.”

Preparing the Latin

By way of vocabulary preparation for tackling the psalm, a few words the psalmist frequently uses to talk about meditation/contemplation:

abscondo, condi, conditum, ere 3, to hide, conceal; to lay up, to treasure, guard jealously

considero, avi, atum, are, (1) to look at closely, to observe with the eyes or mind, to regard, contemplate (2) to lie in wait for, to watch for with hostile intent.

exerceo, cui, citum, ere 2 to exercise, work at, employ one's self about a thing; in the Psalter it is used only in the passive with in, signifying to meditate on, be occupied or employed

exquiro –ere –sivi –situm 3, to seek, inquire diligently, seek after

meditatio, onis, f thought, reflection, musing, meditation.

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

obliviscor, oblitus sum, oblivisci to forget; frequent with both the gen. and acc; non obliviscor, I will not forget, I will not be unmindful of Thy law, precepts, etc. I will strictly observe.

perspicio, spexi, spectum, ere 3, to look into, look at attentively, examine.

scrutor, atus sum, ari, (1) to search, examine, scrutinize. (b) With regard to the Law of God: to search out, examine carefully, with the additional idea of to keep, to obey.



And now, onto the psalm itself! 

Pierce my flesh with your fear: Introduction to Psalm 118/3

Folio 67v
Belles Heures of Jean de France,
duc de Berry, 1405–1408/9.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The sections of Pope Benedict’s catechesis that I’ve pointed to so far in this series introducing Psalm 118 (119) have focused on the law as a path to happiness, and on the importance of meditation on God’s law. The next part of his talk, however, touches on the darker emotions of grief, lament and supplication.

These days compliance with God’s law is often interpreted very broadly indeed, to mean anything I personally want to do. Not so for the psalmist, who repeatedly asks to be instructed, and to be enlightened. It also alludes to the currently highly unpopular idea that God sometimes allows bad things to happen to us so that we can be called to repentance, learn and grow. And above all, it accepts ‘fear of the Lord’ as an appropriate motivator.

“The entire alphabet unfolds through the 22 stanzas of this Psalm and also the whole of the vocabulary of the believer’s trusting relationship with God; we find in it praise, thanksgiving and trust, but also supplication and lamentation. However they are always imbued with the certainty of divine grace and of the power of the word of God. Even the verses more heavily marked by grief and by a sense of darkness remain open to hope and are permeated by faith.

“My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to your word” (v. 25), the Psalmist trustingly prays. “I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes” (v. 83), is his cry as a believer. His fidelity, even when it is put to the test, finds strength in the Lord’s word: “then shall I have an answer for those who taunt me, for I trust in your word” (v. 42), he says firmly; and even when he faces the anguishing prospect of death, the Lord’s commandments are his reference point and his hope of victory: “they have almost made an end of me on earth; but I have not forsaken your precepts” (v. 87).”

The Offertory set for today’s Mass uses verses 107 and 125 from the psalm:



Latin study preparation

Today by way of preparation for studying the Latin of the psalm in more detail, I’d like to give you the last five synonyms the law used in the psalm:

consilium, ii, n. (1) in an active sense a taking counsel, a deliberation, consultation in either a good or bad sense. (2) In a passive sense, the result of the deliberation, a plan, plot, resolution, conclusion in either a good or bad sense. (3) Used also of God, His plan, counsel, design (4) Phrases: consilium facere, ponere, or inire, to consult, take counsel.

praeceptum, i, n. a law, commandment, precept, ordinance.

verbum, i, n., words., the expression of God's will; a command, edict, also a promise.a word, saying, speech. (2) God's promise. (3) the Law. See lex. (4) God's command. (5) In the sense of res, a thing, matter, a something. (6) the Word, the Eternal Son

veritas, atis, f truth. the Law as a record of God's promise and fidelity (1) Of God: His grace, kindness,goodness, fidelity to promises. (2) Of men: goodness, fidelity, piety towards God, and candor, sincerity and charity towards one's neighbor. Faithfulness, the steadfast, those constant in their loyalty. In the psalms this word scarcely ever means truth in the ordinary acceptation of the term. (3) Of things: esp. of the Law as a source of grace and blessings.

ordinatio, onis, f ordinance, decree.

And please do continue on to the final part of this introduction to Psalm 118.

Christ the perfect man; Our Lady as the model for believers: Introduction to Psalm 118/2

Yesterday I provided some extracts from Pope Benedict XVI’s General Audience on Psalm 118 by way of introduction to the psalm.  Today I'd like to continue this series on Psalm 118 (119) with some further material from that Catechesis.

Christ the perfect man and Our Lady, model for believers

Pope Benedict’s comments on the psalm today focus first on the idea of meditation on God’s word, pondering it in our hearts, following the model of Mary.

The opening verses of Psalm 118 really just recapitulates the ideas of verses 1-2 of Psalm 1.

Psalm 1 says:

Beátus vir, qui non ábiit in consílio impiórum, et in via peccatórum non stetit,et in cáthedra pestiléntiæ non sedit. Sed in lege Dómini volúntas ejus, et in lege ejus meditábitur die ac nocte.

“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: But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night”

Psalm 118 says:

Beati immaculati in via, qui ambulant in lege Domini. Beati qui scrutantur testimonia ejus; in toto corde exquirunt eum.

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that search his testimonies: that seek him with their whole heart.”

The main difference between the two is that Psalm 1 talks of one man, which many of the Fathers interpret as Christ, whereas Psalm 118 talks about the happiness of the blessed in the plural, perhaps expanding out the field to believers more generally, implicitly opened up to us through the psalms read thus far! In the Benedictine Office, St Benedict stresses the importance of these two sets of verses by having them open Sunday and Monday Prime respectively.

Pondering the law in our hearts

Pope Benedict XVI places Our Lady before us as the model for lectio divina:

“The Psalmist’s faithfulness stems from listening to the word, from pondering on it in his inmost self, meditating on it and cherishing it, just as did Mary, who “kept all these things, pondering them in her heart”, the words that had been addressed to her and the marvellous events in which God revealed himself, asking her for the assent of her faith (cf. Lk 2:19, 51).

And if the first verses of our Psalm begin by proclaiming “blessed” those “who walk in the law of the Lord” (v. 1b), and “who keep his testimonies” (v. 2a). It is once again the Virgin Mary who brings to completion the perfect figure of the believer, described by the Psalmist. It is she, in fact, who is the true “blessed”, proclaimed such by Elizabeth because “she... believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Lk 1:45). Moreover it was to her and to her faith that Jesus himself bore witness when he answered the woman who had cried: “Blessed is the womb that bore you”, with “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Lk 11:27-28). Of course, Mary is blessed because she carried the Saviour in her womb, but especially because she accepted God’s announcement and because she was an attentive and loving custodian of his Word.

Psalm 119 is thus woven around this Word of life and blessedness. If its central theme is the “word” and “Law” of the Lord, next to these terms in almost all the verses such synonyms recur as “precepts”, “statutes”, “commandments”, “ordinances”, “promises”, “judgement”; and then so many verbs relating to them such as observe, keep, understand, learn, love, meditate and live.”

Vocab preparation

Yesterday I highlighted five words used in the text used for the law (lex, testimonium, via, eloquium and judicium). Let me add five more to the list:

mandatum, i, n. law, precept, command, commandment (of God); commandments, precepts, decrees; the Law as a command—as enjoined upon man prescribing his duties towards God, and his obligations towards his fellow men.

justificatio, onis, f, precepts, decrees, statutes, ordinances

sermo, onis, m. words; a command, edict; the expression of God's will. (1) word, speech, saying, discourse.. (2) scheme, plan, proposal

semita, ae, f., a path, way; used almost entirely in a fig. sense ; the "way" is the path which God's commandments prescribe. (2) course of life, action, conduct, or procedure.

justitia, ae, f the Law as an expression of God's justice. (1) justice, righteousness, innocence, piety, moral integrity (2) It is found in phrases: (a) In an adjectival sense (b) In an adverbial sense

And please do continue on to the next part in this series.

The reviving power of God's law: Introduction to Psalm 118/1

As I foreshadowed in my last post,, I want to start today a new series on Psalm 118.  In fact this is a return to the original concept of the series for this blog, of looking at those psalms covered by Pope Benedict XVI in his series of General Audiences on praying with the psalms.

The first four posts in this series will be an introduction to Psalm 118 drawing mainly on the Pope's catechesis; I'll then provides more detailed notes on each stanza and verse.

Today's Latin notes include some key vocabulary to learn in preparation for Psalm 118, namely some of the terms it uses to speak about the Law.

Pope Benedict XVI on Psalm 118

"In today’s Catechesis I would like to reflect on Psalm 119, according to the Hebrew tradition, Psalm 118 according to the Greco-Latin one.

It is a very special Psalm, unique of its kind. This is first of all because of its length. Indeed, it is composed of 176 verses divided into 22 stanzas of eight verses each. Moreover, its special feature is that it is an “acrostic in alphabetical order”, in other words it is structured in accordance with the Hebrew alphabet that consists of 22 letters. Each stanza begins with a letter of this alphabet and the first letter of the first word of each of the eight verses in the stanza begins with this letter. This is both original and indeed a demanding literary genre in which the author of the Psalm must have had to summon up all his skill.

However, what is most important for us is this Psalm’s central theme. In fact, it is an impressive, solemn canticle on the Torah of the Lord, that is, on his Law, a term which in its broadest and most comprehensive meaning should be understood as a teaching, an instruction, a rule of life. The Torah is a revelation, it is a word of God that challenges the human being and elicits his response of trusting obedience and generous love.

This Psalm is steeped in love for the word of God whose beauty, saving power and capacity for giving joy and life it celebrates; because the divine Law is not the heavy yoke of slavery but a liberating gift of grace that brings happiness. “I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word”, the Psalmist declares (v. 16), and then: “Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it” (v. 35). And further: “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (v. 97).

The Law of the Lord, his word, is the centre of the praying person’s life; he finds comfort in it, he makes it the subject of meditation, he treasures it in his heart: “I have laid up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (v. 11), and this is the secret of the Psalmist’s happiness; and then, again, “the godless besmear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts” (v. 69)."

Learning the Latin of Psalm 118

Psalm 118 has 176 verses, and they mostly go to very similar themes, so you would think that the vocabulary demands of the psalm would not be great.  But that is far from being the case! 

To help you get in front of the learning curve then, over the next few days I'll provide some short vocab lists of key words worth learning in advance.  Today, five of the fifteen terms the Vulgate translation uses as synonyms for the law.  The definitions come mainly from Britt's Dictionary of the Psalter.

lex, legis, f a law; the Law of God. the will of God as manifested in His commandments or ordinances; authoritative teaching, the instruction of the Mosaic code.

via, ae, f the Law of God indicates to man the way he must walk to attain his final goal. A man's way is his moral conduct; God's way is the moral order He has established. (1) a way, road, path, street. God's way, God's policy or attitude towards men, or dealings with them, God's truths and precepts according to which He requires men to live. (3) Man's way of life in a moral sense; his regular course or habitual method of life, action, or conduct; how he walks before God. (4) viam facere. (5) case, cares (7) the way of life, i.e., the way of salvation, the way to eternal life.

testimonium, ii, n. testimonies, commands, decrees; the perceptive part of the Law, esp. the Decalogue. witness, testimony; in the psalms, precepts, commandments, ordinances, statutes, judgments, testimonies. The word, strictly, expresses the declarations of the divine will, to which man must conform.

eloquium, ii, n. , a word, oracle, speech, utterance, promise. It has special reference to divine revelation; but it frequently implies a promise.

judicium, i, n. the Law which makes manifest the will of God and inflicts punishment on those who disobey it. (1) judgment, decrees. (2) law, commandment. (3) the power, or faculty of judging wisely (4) justice. Judicium is here the law of God, or God's wisdom shown in particular cases—God's verdict as it were (B). (5) cause.  

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

Coming soon: a psalm for Lent, Psalm 118 (119)

For Lent I'm going to put aside my current series on the Sunday Vespers psalms, and turn instead to Psalm 118 (119 in Protestant and modern catholic Bibles), and invite you to join me in praying and meditating on some verses of it each day for Lent.

Why Psalm 118?

I've explained why I think it is a particularly appropriate Lenten penance over at my Australia Incognita blog. 

In short, it is a psalm above all about the path to happiness, about the Law of God in its broadest meaning.  In both Scripture and the Benedictine Office, it is placed so as to provide a preparation for the spiritual ascent into the Temple represented by the Gradual psalms, so fits neatly with the idea of preparing for the joy of Easter.

This psalm used to be said daily in the Roman Office at the minor hours.  In the Roman 1962 Office it is said on Sundays, and in the Benedictine Office, is spread over Sunday and Monday.

Looking at Psalm 118

At 176 verses, Psalm 118 (119) is the longest psalm in the psalter (and in fact the longest chapter in the Bible).   

But it is neatly divided into stanzas of eight verses, and so I plan to arrange it so as work through it stanza by stanza over the course of Lent up to Holy Week, with a few extra posts at the beginning by way of introduction, and lingering over a few verses here and there!

What to expect...

My plan is to post something relatively short each day over at my Australia Incognita blog, and provide a more extended set of notes, including looking at the Latin of the psalm, over here.

For this week, I'll start by providing an overview and introduction to the psalm, but also provide a couple of verses each day that you could use for prayer purposes that relate to the more general comments.

You can find the first part in the series on Psalm 118 here.

Psalm 109/9: Prophesying Christ’s humility and the Ascension

Garofalo, 1510-20

Today’s verse is somewhat enigmatic, and needs some help to interpret properly, as Pope Benedict XVI points out:

“The evocative image that concludes our Psalm fits in here; it is also an enigmatic word: “He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head”. The king’s figure stands out in the middle of the description of the battle. At a moment of respite and rest, he quenches his thirst at a stream, finding in it refreshment and fresh strength to continue on his triumphant way, holding his head high as a sign of definitive victory. It is clear that these deeply enigmatic words were a challenge for the Fathers of the Church because of the different interpretations they could be given…”

The final verse of Psalm 109 is:

De torrénte in via bibet: * proptérea exaltábit caput
ἐκ χειμάρρου ἐν ὁδῷ πίεται διὰ τοῦτο ὑψώσει κεφαλήν
He shall drink of the torrent in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

Looking at the Latin

De (de, from govern s ablative case) torrénte (abl of torrens, torrentis, a stream, brook or torrent)

in via (in +ablative governing via, way, road, path) bibet (3rd person indicative future of bibo, to drink) = on the way he will drink

The Diurnal translates in via as ‘on the march’, to give the flavour that this is a stop on a journey.

Still, the phrase is open to several different interpretations in the context of this psalm, on which see below.

De torrénte in via bibet = he will drink from a stream on the way

proptérea (therefore) exaltábit (3rd person indicative future of exalto, to exalt, dignify, elevate) caput (nom of caput, head)

To lift one's head up is a sign of triumph or success, and in this context, is often seen as a reference to Christ's Ascension.

proptérea exaltábit caput = therefore he will lift the head

Translations

The Monastic Diurnal gives this verse as “On his march He drinketh at the brook: therefore he lifteth high his head”. Coverdale make it ‘He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall he lift up his head’.

Vocab

torrens, entis, m. a brook, stream, torrent
bibo, bibi, bibitum, ere 3, to drink.
propterea, adv., therefore, on that account, for that cause; but now
exalto, avi, atum, are to exalt, i.e., to elevate in rank, power, dignity, or the like; to dignify

Drinking from the stream: three possible interpretations

Pope Benedict’s comments on this psalm, that I quoted above, suggest that this verse can be given several different translations.

Let’s consider first that offered by St John Chrysostom, who sees it as a reference to Christ’s humility in his time on earth:

“Here he shows the lowliness of his lifestyle, the meanness of his existence, no swagger about him, no bodyguards in attendance, no visible display when he performs this; instead, his way of life was simple to the extent of his drinking from a torrent. His drink matched his food in this: his food was barley loaves, his drink water from the torrent. He came, you see, to teach this reasonable way of life, to keep the appetite in check, trample on pomp and circumstance, shun conceit. Then, to show the advantage of this lifestyle, he added, Hence I shall lift up his head: this is the fruit of his humility and difficult life. These words refer not to divinity, however, but to humanity - drinking from a torrent, being raised up. You see, far from this insignificance doing him any harm, it even lifted him to an ineffable height.”

The moral, then according to St John, is that we too should “scorn a flashy and meretricious lifestyle, and aim instead for one that is lowly and unpretentious”.

St Augustine too sees the verse as a reference to Christ’s humble obedience, an obedience even unto death that results in God also exalting him. St Augustine though, interprets the stream as the sea of human life which Christ joins by his Incarnation:

“…what is the brook? The onward flow of human mortality: for as a brook is gathered together by the rain, overflows, roars, runs, and by running runs down, that is, finishes its course; so is all this course of mortality. Men are born, they live, they die, and when some die others are born, and when they die others are born, they succeed, they flock together, they depart and will not remain. What is held fast here? What does not run? What is not on its way to the abyss as if it was gathered together from rain? For as a river suddenly drawn together from rain from the drops of showers runs into the sea, and is seen no more, nor was it seen before it was collected from the rain; so this hidden rain is collected together from hidden sources, and flows on; at death again it travels where it is hidden: this intermediate state sounds and passes away.”

Drinking at the brook then, means becoming human:

“Of this brook He drinks, He has not disdained to drink of this brook; for to drink of this brook was to Him to be born and to die. What this brook has, is birth and death; Christ assumed this, He was born, He died.”

But Cassiodorus offers a third possible interpretation of the idea of drinking from the torrent, namely Our Lord’s persecution:

“This torrent was disordered persecution by the Jews, of which the Lord Christ drank on the way, that is, in this life, when He endured it in the flesh. The phrase, in the way, indicates the onset of violence and the great speed of the journey made by travellers as they drive to another lodging.”

Our Lord's humility: the Incarnation and Ascension

St Robert Bellarmine provides a commentary on this verse that I think synthesizes these competing ideas neatly, and has the psalm concluding with a reference to Christ’s Ascension. The purpose of the verse, he says, is to explain why the psalm has talked about his power to judge nations:

“He now assigns a reason for Christ being endowed with such power as to be able to break kings, to judge nations, to fill ruins, and to crush heads, and says, "He shall drink of the torrent in the way, therefore shall he lift up the head;" as if he said with the apostle, "He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; wherefore God also hath exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name."

The stream or torrent, he argues, is the transitory noise of humanity:

“The torrent means the course of human affairs; for, as a torrent flows with great noise and force, full of mud and confusion, and soon after subsides without leaving even a trace of itself, so it is with the affairs of this mortal life—they all pass away, having, generally speaking, been much troubled and confused. Great battles and revolutions, such as those in the time of Caesar and Alexander, and others, have been heard of, but they and their posterity have passed away without leaving a trace of their power.”

Through his Incarnation, Our Lord joins this torrent:

“The Son of God, through his Incarnation, came down this torrent, and "in the way," that is, during his mortal transitory life, drank the muddy water of this torrent in undergoing the calamities consequent on his mortality; nay, even he descended into the very depth of the torrent through his passion, the waters of which, instead of contributing to his ease and refreshment, only increased his pains and sufferings, as he complains in Psalm 68. "The waters are come in even unto my soul. I stick fast in the mire of the deep, and there is no sure standing. I am come into the depth of the sea, and a tempest hath overwhelmed me."

But the conclusion of the story lies in his Ascension, Resurrection and Second Coming:

"In consideration, then, of such humiliation, freely undertaken for the glory of the Father and the salvation of mankind, he afterwards "lifted up his head," ascended into heaven, and, sitting at the right hand of the Father, was made Judge of the living and the dead.”

And that brings us to the end of this mini-series on Psalm 109.  If you have found it useful, or have any comments, questions or suggestions, please do leave a  comment.

For an introduction to the next psalm of Sunday Vespers, Psalm 110, follow the link here.



And you can find notes on the second psalm of Sunday Vespers, Psalm 110, starting here.