Psalm 118 (119) Ayin (v121-128): Time for action

Today’s stanza of Psalm 118 focuses on a call for God to act: to protect those who seek to do good from their enemies; for God to send his salvation in the form of Christ; and above all to stop evil doers from continuing to break God’s laws.

The text of the stanza

the Knox translation of the stanza runs as follows:
121 Protect the justice of my cause; never leave me at the mercy of my oppressors.
122 Pledge thyself still to befriend me; save me from the oppression of my enemies.
123 Pining away, I look for thy saving help, the faithful keeping of thy promises.
124 Pity thy own servant, and teach him thy decrees.
125 Perfect in thy own servant’s heart the knowledge of thy will.
126 Put off the hour, Lord, no more; too long thy commandment stands defied.
127 Precious beyond gold or jewel I hold thy law.
128 Prized be every decree of thine; forsworn be every path of evil-doing.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
121  Feci judícium et justítiam: * non tradas me calumniántibus me.	I have done judgment and justice: give me not up to them that slander me.
122  Súscipe servum tuum in bonum: * non calumniéntur me supérbi.	122 Uphold your servant unto good: let not the proud calumniate me.
123  Oculi mei defecérunt in salutáre tuum: * et in elóquium justítiæ tuæ.	123 My eyes have fainted after your salvation: and for the word of your justice.
124  Fac cum servo tuo secúndum misericórdiam tuam: * et justificatiónes tuas doce me.	124 Deal with your servant according to your mercy: and teach me your justifications.
125  Servus tuus sum ego: * da mihi intelléctum, ut sciam testimónia tua.	125 I am your servant: give me understanding that I may know your testimonies.
126  Tempus faciéndi, Dómine: * díssipavérunt legem tuam.	126 It is time, O Lord, to do: they have dissipated your law.
127  Ideo diléxi mandáta tua, * super aurum et topázion.	127 Therefore have I loved your commandments above gold and the topaz.
128  Proptérea ad ómnia mandáta tua dirigébar: * omnem viam iníquam ódio hábui.	128 Therefore was I directed to all your commandments: I have hated all wicked ways.

How does God act?

The central verse is 126:‘It is time for the Lord to act for thy law has been broken’ (RSV).

Cassiodorus suggests that the answer is by sending us the Saviour:

“It is time to do, in other words, time to appear as Saviour to the world, to loosen sins, to conquer death, and to lay low the devil with his troop. This is what the Lord's doing is, to come at the prophesied time. In the words of the prophet: In an acceptable time I have heard thee, and in the day of salvation I have helped thee; and as Paul says: Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Whether you see this salvation primarily in terms of the Incarnation, Cross, Resurrection or Second Coming, I think, depends on your particular spirituality. In verse 123, the psalmist says that he faints after [the desire of] God’s salvation, which St Augustine sees as the Cross, prefigured by Moses’ holding aloft the image of a serpent on a pole. Cassiodorus, however, points to the Incarnation.

Acting through us

But there is an alternative interpretation to the Latin (albeit one corrected in the neo-Vulgate) as Haydock’s classic commentary points out: the Latin could be read as suggesting that it is time for us to act for the Lord, for example ‘by striving to repair the injuries done to his name and worship’.

Textual ambiguities aside it is a useful reminder that God acts in history through us: we cannot just sit back and wait for the Second Coming, we must do what we are called to do in the world now.

Of course action for Christ calls forth reaction, and the stanza reminds us of the ‘almost but not yet’ dimension of salvation: even though the Messiah has come, as we celebrate this coming Easter, we must still beg God daily, with the psalmist, for protection against those who slander us here and now (verses 121-122); for knowledge, understanding and the grace to do God’s will (verses 124-125); and above all for mercy rather than judgment on our sins when it comes to our end (verse 124).

Verse by verse

121 Feci judicium et justitiam : non tradas me calumniantibus me.
I have done judgment and justice: give me not up to them that slander me

judicium, i, n. judgment, decrees; law, commandment; the power, or faculty of judging wisely; justice.
justitia, ae, f. justice, righteousness, innocence, piety, moral integrity
trado, didi, ditum, ere 3, to give up, hand over, deliver up or over, abandon.
calumnior, atus sum, ari to oppress, to speak against unjustly.

Feci judícium et justítiam = I have done/made judgment and justice

The Greek here, dikaiosunen is often translated as righteousness, hence the Monastic Diurnal makes it ‘justice and righteousness’. The RSV translation perhaps best conveys the real sense here though: I have done what is just and right.

non tradas me calumniántibus me = do not hand me over/abandon me to [those] oppressing/slandering me

122 Suscipe servum tuum in bonum : non calumnientur me superbi.
Uphold your servant unto good: let not the proud calumniate me.

suscipio, cepi, ceptum, ere 3 to guard, protect, uphold, support; receive, accept; to seize.
superbus, a, um raising one's self above others, proud, haughty, arrogant, insolent.

Súscipe servum tuum in bonum = Uphold/receive your servant unto good/with favour

The Neo-Vulgate changes suscipe to sponde – give assurance, promise.

Non calumnientur me superbi= Let not the proud oppress/calumniate me.

123 Oculi mei defecerunt in salutare tuum, et in eloquium justitiæ tuæ.
My eyes have fainted after your salvation: and for the word of your justice

deficio, fed, fectum, ere 3 to fail, to be wasted, spent, consumed, cease to be, come to an end, vanish, long for, pine for,

eloquium, ii, n. a word, oracle, speech, utterance, promise.

Oculi mei defecérunt = my eyes have failed/longed for

in salutáre tuum = in your salvation

St Augustine sees this as the Cross, prefigured by Moses’ holding aloft the image of a serpent on a pole; Cassiodorus points to the Incarnation. The Neo-Vulgate makes it ‘with the desire of your salvation’.

et in elóquium justítiæ tuæ = and in the promise of your justice

124 Fac cum servo tuo secundum misericordiam tuam, et justificationes tuas doce me.
Deal with your servant according to your mercy: and teach me your justifications.

Fac cum servo tuo =do/deal with your servant

secúndum misericórdiam tuam =according to your mercy

That is, not on our merits; not as we deserve because of our sins.

et justificatiónes tuas doce me = and teach me your justifications

Cassiodorus: They continue with their diligent entreaties, for there must be no weariness in petitioning, since the generosity of the Donor cannot be exhausted. They made unlimited requests, for they asked that blessings be granted them according to God's mercy, and just as that mercy is unending, so His gifts are known to be never-failing. They did well to add: With thy servant, for one who desires another as master at once gives way. According to their custom, they invariably beg for the justifications which in their piety they have already obtained. This incessant demand is likewise indicated by the Lord's prayer, where it says: Give us this day our daily breads. It is right to make continual entreaty of Him, for He is offended if He is not petitioned.

125 Servus tuus sum ego : da mihi intellectum, ut sciam testimonia tua.
I am your servant: give me understanding that I may know your testimonies.

intellectus, us, m. understanding, insight.
scio, ivi and li, Itum, Ire, to know.

Servus tuus sum ego = I am your servant

da mihi intelléctum = give me understanding

Cassiodorus: Though we must beg the Lord with continual prayers for everything helpful to us, we must regularly beseech Him most of all for an understanding of the divine Scriptures, for the more they are apprehended, the sweeter they are found by holy minds.

ut sciam testimónia tua = that I may know your testimonies

Augustine notes that: For it suffices not to have received understanding, and to have learned the testimonies of God, unless it be evermore received, and evermore in a manner quaffed from the fountain of eternal light. For the testimonies of God are the better and the better known, the more understanding a man attains to.

126 Tempus faciendi, Domine: dissipaverunt legem tuam.
It is time, O Lord, to do: they have dissipated your law.

tempus, oris, n. time,
dissipo, avi, atum, are scatter, disperse; frustrate, bring to naught; break, annul, make void

Tempus faciéndi, Dómine = Time of making/doing O Lord = It is time [for you] to do/make/act O Lord OR It is time O Lord for action

The Vulgate is ambiguous in Latin. Haydock points out that it could be interpreted as 'it is time for us to act for the Lord', for example, ‘by striving to repair the injuries done to his name and worship’.

Most, however, interpret the phrase as ‘it is time for the Lord to act’. This is certainly consistent with the most obvious translation of the Greek, which makes Lord dative (to/for) rather than vocative (O Lord) as in the Latin, and the change of case to Domino in the neo-Vulgate reflects this.

The reason for the ambiguity though is that the Greek verb form (ποιῆσαι) can have several meanings – it could be an infinitive (aorist infinitive active, to do/make/act), imperative (be done/made, aorist imperative middle) or third person aorist optative active (he/she/it-happens to do/make).

 díssipavérunt legem tuam = they have frustrated/broken/ your law

127 Ideo dilexi mandata tua super aurum et topazion.
Therefore have I loved your commandments above gold and the topaz.

ideo, adv., therefore, on that account.
aurum, i, n., gold
topazion, Ii, n. the topaz, a precious stone.

Ideo diléxi mandáta tua = therefore I have loved your commandments

Augustine: Grace has this object, that the commandments, which could not be fulfilled by fear, may be fulfilled by love...

super aurum et topázion = above gold and precious stone/topaz

The NV changes topaz to ‘obyryzum’ or fine gold, to align with the Hebrew MT. The argument is that topaz, regarded as the finest of precious stones, was a later discovery. In this view, the Greek topazios was probably in fact a yellow crystal now called chrysolite.  Hmm, maybe!

128 Propterea ad omnia mandata tua dirigebar; omnem viam iniquam odio habui.
Therefore was I directed to all your commandments: I have hated all wicked ways.

propterea, adv., therefore, on that account, for that cause; but now
dirigo, rexi, rectum, ere 3 to direct, guide, set aright; to prosper, to be established.
odio habere, to have hatred towards, to entertain hatred against, to hate

Proptérea = Therefore
ad ómnia mandáta tua = to all your commandments
dirigébar = I was guided by/directed by

omnem viam iníquam =all the ways of wickedness
ódio hábui = I have hated

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	-
RB cursus	Monday Terce
Monastic feasts etc	-
Roman pre 1911	Sext
Responsories	No 6072, 7645, Quinquagesima (6420) (cf 124)
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday Sext
Mass propers (EF)	Friday after Ash Wednesday, OF 125; Passion Friday OF 121-22 PP17 IN 124 Common of a virgin martyr CO 121,122, 128

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

On the limits to dialogue: Psalm 118 (119) Samech (v113-120) Pt 2

Yesterday I looked at verse 116 of this stanza of Psalm 118; today the stanza as a whole, plus the rest of the verse by verse notes.

The text of the stanza

In the Knox translation:

113 Out upon the men that play traitor to the law I love!
114 Other defence, other shield have I none; in thy law I trust.
115 Out of my path, lovers of wrong; I will keep my God’s commandments.
116 Only let thy promised aid preserve me; do not disappoint me of the hope I cherish.
117 Only do thou sustain me in safety, looking ever to thy will.
118 Obey thee who will not, shall earn thy disdain; idle is all their scheming.
119 Outcasts they are that profane the land with wrong; for me, thy law is enough.
120 Overcome is my whole being with the fear of thee; I am adread of thy judgements.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
113  Iníquos ódio hábui: * et legem tuam diléxi.	I have hated the unjust: and have loved your law.
114  Adjútor et suscéptor meus es tu: * et in verbum tuum supersperávi.	114 You are my helper and my protector: and in your word I have greatly hoped.
115  Declináte a me, malígni: * et scrutábor mandáta Dei mei.	115 Depart from me, you malignant: and I will search the commandments of my God.
**116  Súscipe me secúndum elóquium tuum, et vivam: * et non confúndas me ab exspectatióne mea.	116 Uphold me according to your word, and I shall live: and let me not be confounded in my expectation.
117  Adjuva me, et salvus ero: * et meditábor in justificatiónibus tuis semper.	117 Help me, and I shall be saved: and I will meditate always on your justifications.
118  Sprevísti omnes discedéntes a judíciis tuis: * quia injústa cogitátio eórum.	118 You have despised all them that fall off from your judgments; for their thought is unjust.
119  Prævaricántes reputávi omnes peccatóres terræ: * ídeo diléxi testimónia tua.	119 I have accounted all the sinners of the earth prevaricators: therefore have I loved your testimonies.
120  Confíge timóre tuo carnes meas: * a judíciis enim tuis tímui.	120 Pierce my flesh with your fear: for I am afraid of your judgments.

Those who break the law

This is the fifteenth (of the 22) stanzas of this psalm, and its main focus is those who break the law of God, as Cassiodorus explains:

“The swarm of Catholics passes to the fifteenth letter, under which they say that the unjust, in other words, the opponents of the law, have been an object of hatred to them. They state that they have loved the Lord's law, and ask that they should be taken up by His devotion and thus be enabled to escape the evils of the world. They further ask that their flesh be subjected by fear of the Lord, so that it cannot be condemned at the divine judgment for transgression of the law.”

Accordingly, these verses raise the question of what our proper attitude should be to those in a state of sin, and how much effort we should devote to their conversion, as opposed to worrying about our own souls!

Love the sinner, hate the sin?

The opening of this stanza sounds at first like a fairly harsh:

Iníquos ódio hábui, I have hated the unjust

St Augustine, however makes it clear that the second half of the verse ‘I have loved your law’ is intended to make clear that we are being invited here to hate the sin, not the sinner:

“He says not, I hate the wicked, and love the righteous; or, I hate iniquity, and love Your law; but, after saying, I have hated the unrighteous, he explains why, by adding, and Your law have I loved; to show, that he did not hate human nature in unrighteous men, but their unrighteousness whereby they are foes to the law, which he loves.”

Nonetheless, the verse goes on to point to God’s disdain for sinners:

Sprevísti omnes discedéntes a judíciis tuis: quia injústa cogitátio eórum.
You have despised all them that fall off from your judgments; for their thought is unjust.

It is true of course that God doesn't literally have emotions.  But this is one of those areas where modern soft-soaping of the truth that Scripture is trying to convey hides a hard reality we need to confront, as St Robert Bellarmine’s comments illustrate:

“He now shows, that if he does hate the wicked and wishes they should keep away from him, he is only following God's example therein, who has a most thorough and most just execration of the wicked. "Thou hast despised," as you would a thing of no value, "all them that fall off from thy judgments;" all the wicked who have abandoned the path of God's law; "for their thought is unjust;" because they think they ought not be subject to the law of God, and that they should set no value on it, one of the most impious ideas they could possibly entertain, since every creature is strictly bound to obey its Creator. Such were the notions of Lucifer, who instead of being subject to, sought to put himself on an equality with, his Creator. Such was the idea of our first parents, who desired to be like God. Such are the ideas of all proud people, who say in their hearts, "Who is our Lord?" It is such as those that God despises…”

Repentance is still possible!

Of course in this life, repentance is always possible, and so we are urged to pray for our enemies, instruct those who need it, engage in fraternal correction, and so forth.

But there is a bottom line here, namely that we have to save our own souls first. ‘Dialoguing with the world’ is fine for those whose faith is firm and secure, but even for those able to do it, there is a limit and a danger. There is a point at which we must say, like the psalmist:

Declináte a me, malígni: et scrutábor mandáta Dei mei.
Depart from me, you malignant: and I will search the commandments of my God.

Cassiodorus puts this in the context of the martyrs, resisting the urging of families to submit, but it is equally applicable to the commitment to religious life that I spoke of in the last post, or indeed perseverance in any state of life or cause:

“When Christ instructs us to love our enemies, the fire of opposition and the heat of injustice are tempered, so that we are far from appearing to render evil for evil…But when the time for martyrdom confronts us, we are bidden to hate those who wickedly suborn us, for we must spurn our very sons and parents if they oppose us, by making our intentions foreign to theirs. It often happens that persons who are not frightened by fire or subdued by the sword are seduced by the coaxing of relatives. This is why Scripture says: If any man come to me, and hate not his father and his mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and even his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. The fact is that no person should be preferred to God; but if His love is put first, it is right that we love our relatives when no opposition to the faith militates against them.”

No wonder then, that the stanza ends with a plea to help us stay on the right track, to be crucified with Christ: Confíge timóre tuo carnes meas: a judíciis enim tuis tímui (Pierce my flesh with your fear: for I am afraid of your judgments).

Verse by verse notes

113 Iníquos ódio hábui: et legem tuam diléxi.
I have hated the unjust: and have loved your law.

iniquus, a, um, unjust, godless, wicked; As a subst. the wicked, the godless, the unjust (man or men); evil-doers.
odium – hate, hatred
diligo, lexi, lectum, ere 3 to love; to flatter, make pretence of loving

iníquos ódio hábui = the wicked I have hatred for

The Hebrew MT suggests duplicitous rather than just wicked. St Augustine suggests that the second phrase makes it clear that it is the sin not the sinner that is being hated here: “he did not hate human nature in unrighteous men, but their unrighteousness whereby they are foes to the law, which he loves”

et legem tuam diléxi = and your law I have loved

ie they are unjust in so far as they do not love the law.

114 Adjútor et suscéptor meus es tu: et in verbum tuum supersperávi.
You are my helper and my protector: and in your word I have greatly hoped.

adjutor, oris, m. a helper.
susceptor, oris, m. a protector, helper, defender, guardian; a stay, support.
tegmen – covert, shelter, protection, refuge
scutum, i, n. a shield, buckler; defense, protection.
superspero, avi, atum, are, with prep, in with the ace. or abl., to hope or trust in greatly.

Adjútor et suscéptor meus = my help and sustainer/protector/supporter/upholder

The MT Hebrew and Greek differ here, and the Neo-Vulgate reflects the Hebrew, changing ‘help and sustainer’ to ‘protection and shield’ (tegmen et scrutum).

Susceptor and its derivatives is an important word in this stanza, and ambiguous. Lewis and Short offers four meanings for it:

1. One who undertakes any thing, an undertaker, contractor
2. A receiver, collector of taxes, etc.,
3. One who takes into his house or harbors thieves, gamesters, etc., a receiver, gaming-house keeper,
4. a guardian, protector

It is the last meaning that is most often used in the Vulgate.

Cassiodorus comments: “Helper has reference to the fulfilment of the commandments, for without His help we cannot inaugurate or succeed in completing any good action. He became our Upholder by the mystery of the holy incarnation, through the agency of which He upheld man to prevent his utter destruction by the law of sin.”

es tu = you, you are

et in verbum tuum = and in your word

supersperávi =I have hoped greatly

We are invited once more to put our trust in God.

115 Declináte a me, malígni: et scrutábor mandáta Dei mei.
Depart from me, you malignant: and I will search the commandments of my God

declino, avi, atum, are, to turn aside; go astray.
malignus, a, um adj.,evil, malicious, malignant; subst., malignus, i, m., an evil-doer, a malicious or wicked person
scrutor, atus sum, ari, to search, examine, scrutinize; to search out, examine carefully

Declináte a me = Turn aside/depart from me

malígni=evil-doers

Augustine: For the wicked exercise us in the fulfilment of the commandments, but lead us away from searching into them; not only when they persecute, or wish to litigate with us; but even when they court us, and honour us, and yet expect us to occupy ourselves in aiding their own vicious and busy desire, and to bestow our time upon them; or at least harass the weak, and compel them to bring their causes before us: to whom we dare not say, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

et scrutábor = and I will examine/search out

mandáta Dei mei = the commandments of my God

Cassiodorus: When you see that a person is unwilling to be converted, the proper course is to succeed in avoiding him, for if such men are present and continually join battle with contentious malice, devising lies with sophisticated foolishness, we cannot be found adequate to search out the Lord's commandments, since we are preoccupied to the full extent of our souls' power.

[for v116 see the previous post]

117 Adjuva me, et salvus ero: et meditábor in justificatiónibus tuis semper.
Help me, and I shall be saved: and I will meditate always on your justifications.

adjuvo, juvi, utum, are, to help, assist, support.
salvus, a, um, safe, saved, salvum esse, to be saved.
meditor, atus sum, ari, to think, plan, devise, meditate

Adjuva me = help me

et salvus ero = and I will be saved

Cassiodorus comments: Though these words are found often repeated, there are great mysteries being announced to us in such frequent occurrence. We must apply them to our minds' longing, and they cannot be divorced from them for any period, for though we receive blessings from the Lord, we must always beg Him to impart them constantly, so that the kindnesses bestowed may not forsake us through a crisis of faith. We should not regard the repetition as without point, so that we may not appear to have negligently disregarded what it is important for us to know.

et meditábor= and I will meditate

in justificatiónibus tuis semper = on your justifications always

Cassiodorus: They give the reason for their obeisance, so that after receiving salvation they may not appear ungrateful for the gift which has been bestowed. But when they promise to meditate always on His justifications, they are continually longing for their salvation to be maintained, for by such a course the devil wholly loses his opportunity.

118 Sprevísti omnes discedéntes a judíciis tuis: quia injústa cogitátio eórum.
You have despised all them that fall off from your judgments; for their thought is unjust.

sperno, sprevi, spretum, ere 3, to despise, reject, spurn.
discedo, cessi, cessum, ere 3, (1) to go away, depart. (2) to wander, deviate or swerve from
injustus a um – unjust, godless, wicked
cogitatio, onis, f. thoughts, plans, designs; evil plans or devices; the deep plans or thoughts of God.

Sprevísti omnes = you have rejected/despised all

discedéntes = departing/swerving

a judíciis tuis == from your judgments

Liguori: “…the more they esteem themselves, the more the Lord despises them; and he lets them fall into the abyss that they dig for themselves by their pride.”

quia injústa = for unjust [are]

cogitátio eórum = the thought[s] of them

119 Prævaricántes reputávi omnes peccatóres terræ: * ídeo diléxi testimónia tua.
I have accounted all the sinners of the earth prevaricators: therefore have I loved your testimonies.

praevaricor, atus sum, ari to walk crookedly in a lit. or fig. sense, not to act uprightly; to transgress, to break the law
reputo, avi, atum, are, to account, repute, reckon; to consider, heed, make account of
peccator, oris, m. a sinner, transgressor; the wicked, the godless.
ideo, adv., therefore, on that account.
diligo, lexi, lectum, ere 3 to love; to flatter, make pretence of loving.

Prævaricántes = prevaricating = transgressors/prevaricators

reputávi =I have accounted/reckoned

omnes peccatóres terræ = all the sinners of the earth

The law is written on the hearts of all men, only confirmed by Revelation, hence all are bound to the natural law.

ídeo diléxi = therefore I have loved

testimónia tua = your testimonies

St Augustine explains: As if he should say: Since the law, whether given in paradise, or implanted by nature, or promulgated in writing, has made all the sinners of the earth transgressors; Therefore I loved Your testimonies, which are in Your laws of Your grace; so that not my but Your righteousness is in me. For the law profits unto this end, that it send us forward unto grace. For not only because it testifies towards the manifestation of the righteousness of God, which is without the law; but also in this very point that it renders men transgressors, so that the letter even slays, it drives us to fly unto the quickening Spirit, through whom the whole of our sins may be blotted out, and the love of righteous deeds be inspired.

120 Confíge timóre tuo carnes meas: * a judíciis enim tuis tímui.
Pierce my flesh with your fear: for I am afraid of your judgments.

configo, fixi, fixum, ere 3, to fasten or fix in, pierce, penetrate
timor, oris, m. fear; an object of fear.
caro, carnis, f flesh as food, the -flesh of beasts; man, mankind; the body; every living being
judicium, i, n. judgment, decrees; law, commandment; the power, or faculty of judging wisely; justice
enim for
timeo, ere 2, to fear, be afraid of.

Confíge =pierce

The Greek is more intense here, suggesting ‘pierce my flesh with nails’ or crucify me, and the neo-Vulgate changes confige to ‘horruit’ a more intense word perhaps than timeo (the verb means to stand on end, stand erect, bristle, be rough, not far from the RSV’s ‘my flesh trembles for fear of thee’).

timóre tuo = your fear

carnes meas =[in] my flesh

a judíciis enim tuis tímui = for from your judgments I have feared = for I have feared your judgments

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	Romans 5:5, Phil 1:20 (116)
RB cursus	Monday Terce (2);
Monastic feasts etc	Profession (116)
Roman pre 1911	Daily Sext
Responsories	Passiontide Tues (113-114)
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday Sext
Mass propers (EF)	Common of Holy Women, IN (120)

And for notes on the rest of this stanza of the psalm, continue on here.

Feast of St Benedict: Psalm 118 Samech Pt 1

Today being the Feast of St Benedict (it’s a memorial only in Roman EF calendar, but a Solemnity in the Benedictine), I want to focus in on just one verse of today's stanza of Psalm 118, namely verse 116, which is the centerpiece of the Benedictine profession ceremony:

Súscipe me secúndum elóquium tuum, et vivam: et non confúndas me ab exspectatióne mea.

The Douay-Rheims translates the verse as ‘Uphold me according to your word, and I shall live, and let me not be confounded in my expectation’. Most Benedictine translations of the Rule, however, make it ‘Receive me O Lord and I shall live’, and that reflects a long exegetical tradition.

In the context of the Benedictine monastic profession ceremony, the verse is generally interpreted as a plea for God to accept the monk or nuns sacrifice, in the form of the renunciation of the world, and to give them the grace to persevere.

But it is applicable to all of us, for though only religious offer themselves as a total holocaust to the Lord, we are all, as Christians, called to offer ourselves to him, and all need his grace to persevere in our own proper vocation.

Monastic Profession ceremony

In the Rule of St Benedict, the profession ceremony involves the monk making his vows of ‘stability, fidelity to monastic life and obedience’. He then places a document setting out this promise on the altar.

The Rule continues:

“…and when he has placed it there, let the novice at once intone this verse: "Receive me, O Lord, according to Your word, and I shall live: and let me not be confounded in my hope" (Ps. 118[119]:116). Let the whole community answer this verse three times and add the "Glory be to the Father." Then let the novice prostrate himself at each one's feet, that they may pray for him. And from that day forward let him be counted as one of the community.”

The Monastic Profession ceremony is often regarded as a kind of second baptism, so one can perhaps see this verse as referring back to the reference to the oath sworn in the previous stanza, that firm commitment to do God’s will that we are all bound to by our baptism.

Doing anything under formal vow, however, elevates it to a more perfect offering (with consequent more serious consequences for breaking it), and thus makes it a referent point for us all in our daily struggles to stay on the path.

Accept and protect me

The Latin ‘Súscipe me’ is in fact rather ambiguous – it can mean either to receive/accept me or uphold/protect me

So is this a prayer for divine support or for divine acceptance?

In fact it can be interpreted as both, and we should take both meanings to heart.

St Alphonsus Liguori paraphrases the verse as “O Lord, take me under Thy protection, as Thou hast promised, that I may live to Thee; do not, I beseech Thee, permit me to fall into the confusion of being deprived of the help that I expect from Thee”.

But it can also mean on one side, to voluntarily take up or accept an obligation as a favour; and, on the other, to receive or accept: to take up a newborn child was to acknowledge them; or to adopt them as one’s own. Dom Delatte’s classic Commentary on the Benedictine Rule captures this double meaning in the context of the monastic profession ceremony saying: "Grant that I may be really 'given' and really 'received,' truly received because truly given, and that both of us may be able to keep our word.”

A prayer we can all make our own, and ask St Benedict to aid us with on this his feast day.

Text notes

116 Súscipe me secúndum elóquium tuum, et vivam: * et non confúndas me ab exspectatióne mea.
Uphold me according to your word, and I shall live: and let me not be confounded in my expectation.

suscipio, cepi, ceptum, ere 3 to guard, protect, uphold, support; receive, accept; to seize.
confundo, fiidi, fiisum, ere 3, to put or bring to shame, to discomfit, confound, disappoint
exspectatio – ionis f – hope, expectation

Súscipe me = Receive/accept me or Uphold/protect me

Suscipe can mean to support, sustain or defend, hence Cassiodorus explains it as: Now that they have routed the faithless and are cleansed of intimacy with wicked men, they ask to be supported by the Lord so that they can be saved by the promise of His word.

But it can also mean on one side, to voluntarily take up or accept an obligation as a favour; and, on the other, to receive or accept: to take up a newborn child was to acknowledge them; or to adopt them as one’s own.

Accordingly as the Swiss-American commentary on the ceremony points out, “the act of monastic profession is understood at least implicitly, as an oblation or sacrifice. In the suscipe the newly professed beg God to accept the offering which they make of themselves in response to his promise of eternal life (Mk. 10:28-30).”

secúndum elóquium tuum = according to your word

et vivam = and I will live (fut) or make me live (subj)

Opinions on the tense are split here – the RSV and Coverdale go with subjunctive; Douay-Rheims with future. The Greek is, on the face of it, a subjunctive, but both Brenton and NETS treat it as future tense. Cassiodorus continues: But when they say: I shall live, they speak of the time to come, for we do not truly live in this world where we sin in the frailty of the flesh. Their expectation was that in their great devotion they would encounter Christ's mercy. They ask that they realise this hope at the Judgment to come, so that they cannot be robbed of their expectation through misleading themselves and being confounded.

et non confúndas me = and [you may not (subj)] put me to shame/discomfort me = let me not be confounded/disappointed

ab exspectatióne mea = from my expectation/my hope

Psalm 118(119) Nun (v105-112): The Christian life

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Today we pick up this Lenten series again with a look at the fourteenth stanza of Psalm 118, Nun, which in the traditional Benedictine Office marks the start of Monday Terce.

Here is the text of the stanza in the knox Vulgate and Douay-Rheims translations:

05 No lamp like thy word to guide my feet, to shew light on my path.
106 Never will I retract my oath to give thy just commands observance.
107 Nothing, Lord, but affliction, never the saving help thou didst promise me?
108 Nay, Lord, accept these vows of mine; teach me to do thy bidding.
109 Needs must I carry my life in my hands, yet am I ever mindful of thy law.
110 Nearly the snares of the wicked caught my feet, yet would I not swerve from thy obedience.
111 Now and ever thy covenant is my prize, is my heart’s comfort.
112 Now and ever to do thy will perfectly is my heart’s aim.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
105  Lucérna pédibus meis verbum tuum, * et lumen sémitis meis.	Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths.
106  Jurávi, et státui * custodíre judícia justítiæ tuæ.	106 I have sworn and am determined to keep the judgments of your justice.
107  Humiliátus sum usquequáque, Dómine: * vivífica me secúndum verbum tuum.	107 I have been humbled, O Lord, exceedingly: quicken me according to your word.
108  Voluntária oris mei beneplácita fac, Dómine: * et judícia tua doce me.	108 The free offerings of my mouth make acceptable, O Lord: and teach me your judgments.
109  Anima mea in mánibus meis semper: * et legem tuam non sum oblítus.	109 My soul is continually in my hands: and I have not forgotten your law.
110  Posuérunt peccatóres láqueum mihi: * et de mandátis tuis non errávi.	110 Sinners have laid a snare for me: but I have not erred from your precepts.
111  Hereditáte acquisívi testimónia tua in ætérnum: * quia exsultátio cordis mei sunt.	I have purchased your testimonies for an inheritance for ever: because they are the joy of my heart.
112  Inclinávi cor meum ad faciéndas justificatiónes tuas in ætérnum, * propter retributiónem.	I have inclined my heart to do your justifications for ever, for the reward.

Christ our light

Today’s section of the psalm starts with an image that was a favourite of the Fathers, and can be seen both as a reference to the Decalogue and the Incarnation alike:

Lucerna pedibus meis verbum tuum, et lumen semitis meis.
Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths.

Pope John Paul II commented on this verse that:

Man ventures on life's often dark journey, but all of a sudden the darkness is dispelled by the splendour of the Word of God. Psalm 19[18] compares the Law of God to the sun, when it says that "the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes" (19[18]: 9). Then in the Book of Proverbs it is reasserted that "the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light" (6: 23). Christ was also to present himself as a definitive revelation with exactly the same image: "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (Jn 8: 12).

On being a lamp to the world

The verse is one we can apply to ourselves too, as Caesarius of Arles pointed out:

If we notice carefully, we will realize that what our Lord said to the blessed apostles also refers to us:
"You are the light of the world," he says, "and no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel but on the lampstand, so as to give light to all in the house."

He goes on to suggest that we all, but most especially priests, have a duty to speak out:

"Now, if the head's bodily eyes refuse to show the way to the rest of the members, the whole body walks in darkness. Similarly, if priests, who seem to have the function of eyes in the body of Christ the head, have been put on a lampstand in the church but are unwilling to shine in God's house and have ceased to show the light of doctrine to the whole church, it is to be feared that some of the people may become involved in the darkness of error and fall into some abyss of sin."

Through our baptism we are sworn

The second verse is also a crucial one to keep in mind:

Juravi et statui custodire judicia justitiæ tuæ.
I have sworn and am determined to keep the judgments of your justice.

The oath sworn here is often interpreted as our baptismal promises which, if made on our behalf as infants, we must take upon ourselves as adults and keep with the help of grace in order not to be foresworn. To do so, Cassiodorus tells us is to walk the path of saints:

"Their sacred devotion had enjoined upon themselves the decision to keep the Lord's judgments in each and every danger. The very word denotes its purpose, for iurare (swear) is iure orare, in other words, to plead what is right, so that one may not go astray and seek to renege on one's promise. This is how the saints swear, in other words, make firm decisions, for they have already been strengthened by the Lord's gift."

In fact this whole stanza then becomes a summary of the Christian life.

Drawn by the light of Christ (v105) we are bound to him by the promises of our baptism (v106) and our free commitment to the heritage he has gained for us and offered to us (v111).

We fall into sin, but through confession of our fault are revived (v107).

We struggle constantly with ourselves (v109) and the traps set by the devil (v 110).

We offer our sacrifices of praise (v108), and carry out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy (v110).

And in doing all this, we hope always for the joy of heaven at the end (v 112).

Verse by verse

105 Lucerna pedibus meis verbum tuum, et lumen semitis meis.
Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths.

lucerna, ae, f. a light, lamp.
pes, pedis, m. the foot
verbum, i, n., words
lumen, inis, n. light; in the hymns, brightness, splendor
semita, ae, f a path, way; course of life, action, conduct, or procedure.

Lucérna pédibus meis= a lamp to my feet

What is the lamp? It has variously been as the Decalogue, the law more broadly, and the guiding word that comes to us from the Word who is Christ.

verbum tuum =your word

Cf John 1

et lumen =and a light

This is familiar imagery: as Pope Benedict XVI has explained, “In the Biblical message, light is the most immediate image of God: He is total Radiance, Life, Truth, Light. During the Easter Vigil, the Church reads the account of creation as a prophecy. In the resurrection, we see the most sublime fulfilment of what this text describes as the beginning of all things. God says once again: “Let there be light!” The resurrection of Jesus is an eruption of light. Death is conquered, the tomb is thrown open. The Risen One himself is Light, the Light of the world. With the resurrection, the Lord’s day enters the nights of history. Beginning with the resurrection, God’s light spreads throughout the world and throughout history. Day dawns. This Light alone – Jesus Christ – is the true light, something more than the physical phenomenon of light. He is pure Light: God himself, who causes a new creation to be born in the midst of the old, transforming chaos into cosmos.”

sémitis meis= to my ways

What is the purpose of this light? The Pope continues: “In the Old Testament, the Torah was considered to be like the light coming from God for the world and for humanity. The Torah separates light from darkness within creation, that is to say, good from evil. It points out to humanity the right path to true life. It points out the good, it demonstrates the truth and it leads us towards love, which is the deepest meaning contained in the Torah. It is a “lamp” for our steps and a “light” for our path…Christ is the great Light from which all life originates. He enables us to recognize the glory of God from one end of the earth to the other. He points out our path. He is the Lord’s day which, as it grows, is gradually spreading throughout the earth. Now, living with him and for him, we can live in the light.” Easter Vigil 2009

106 Juravi et statui custodire judicia justitiæ tuæ.
I have sworn and am determined to keep the judgments of your justice.

juro, avi, atum, are, to swear, take an oath
statuo, ui, utum, ere 3 to set, place, establish. to change, still, calm;
custodio, ivi or li, itum, ire to guard, watch, keep; to maintain, to hold steadfastly.
judicium, i, n. judgment, decrees; law, commandment; the power, or faculty of judging wisely; justice.
justitia, ae, f justice, righteousness, innocence, piety, moral integrity

Jurávi et státui =I have sworn and I have established/determined/resolved

The commentaries suggest that this does not literally mean swearing an oath, but rather, as the second half of the phrase suggests, the firm resolution to follow the way lit for us by the Word. Haydock suggests that it can be seen as the promises binding us by virtue of our baptism.

custodíre judícia justítiæ tuæ = to guard the judgments of your justice/righteousness, or righteous judgments

Cassiodorus suggests that, in the light of the next verse, the judgments of his justice lie in “His exalting the humble, bringing low the proud, and relieving by the gift of His mercy those prostrated in humble satisfaction.”

107 Humiliatus sum usquequaque, Domine; vivifica me secundum verbum tuum.
I have been humbled, O Lord, exceedingly: quicken me according to your word.

humilio, avi, atum, are to humble, bring low.
usquequaque, adv., utterly, altogether, exceedingly.
vivifico, avi, atum, are (vivus and facio), to quicken, give life to, vivify.

Humiliátus sum usquequáque, Dómine = I have been humbled utterly O Lord

This is a recapitulation of the important message of the earlier picked up by St Benedict in his degrees of humility, and that echoes through so many of Monday’s psalms in the Benedictine Office: God humbles us that he might raise us up in new life, for pride is death. Bellarmine says: "I have been humbled;" persecuted and harassed by reason of my observance of the law; for "all who live piously in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution;"

vivífica me secúndum verbum tuum = revive me according to your word

Bellarmine continues: but do you, O Lord, "quicken me;" grant me, at last, that true life that will be free from all evils; "according to thy word;" according to the promise you made when you said, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

108 Voluntaria oris mei beneplacita fac, Domine, et judicia tua doce me.
The free offerings of my mouth make acceptable, O Lord: and teach me your judgments.

voluntarium  a free-will offering.
os, oris, n., the mouth.
beneplacitus, a, um well-pleasing, agreeable, acceptable

Voluntária oris mei =the freewill/voluntary offerings of my mouth

This can be interpreted either as a reference back to his promise to keep the Law, or, as St Augustine and others do, as referring to the sacrifices of praise that we offer through our prayers.

beneplácita fac, Dómine= make pleasing/acceptable O Lord

et judícia tua doce me =and your justice teach me

109 Anima mea in manibus meis semper, et legem tuam non sum oblitus.
My soul is continually in my hands: and I have not forgotten your law.

anima, ae,f soul
manus, us, f, the hand
semper, adv., ever, always, at all times.
obliviscor, oblitus sum, obllvisci to forget;

Anima mea=my soul

in mánibus meis semper=in my hands always

There is some debate over whether this should read instead ‘your hands’, but the neo-Vulgate sticks with my hands, that is it means my fate is in my hands – I can choose to ‘forget’ your law or remember it, to sin ro stay the course

et legem tuam =and your law

non sum oblítus = I have not forgotten

110 Posuerunt peccatores laqueum mihi, et de mandatis tuis non erravi.
Sinners have laid a snare for me: but I have not erred from your precepts.

pono, posui, itum, ere 3, to put, place, lay, set.
peccator, oris, m. a sinner, transgressor; the wicked, the godless.
laqueus, ei, m., a noose for capturing animals; a snare, trap
erro, avi, atum, are, to wander, stray, rove,

posuérunt peccatóres =sinners have set/laid

láqueum mihi=a snare/trap for me

Cassiodorus comments on the nature of the traps set for us:

"They have laid means they have stretched out and sprung; they could not have been merely laid idly. A snare without bait does not catch a bird; the more effective deceit is that which beguiles with something pleasant. The devil's snare was armed with thirty pieces of silver when it trapped Judas and choked him to death. It caught Saul by proud jealousy; it drew the noose tight on Cain through envy of his brother;and there are other examples of the devil's rage continually attacking the continuing life of this world, for in the forest of the world you find as many snares as you observe vices."

et de mandátis tuis= but your commandments

non errávi = I have not strayed (from)

111 Hæreditate acquisivi testimonia tua in æternum, quia exsultatio cordis mei sunt.
I have purchased your testimonies for an inheritance for ever: because they are the joy of my heart.

hereditas, atis, f. an inheritance, possession; the chosen people, the Israelites, the Church,
acquiro, quisivi, qulsitum, ere 3, to acquire, obtain
exsultatio, onis, f. joy, rejoicing, exultation
cor, cordis, n., the heart

Hereditáte acquisívi = I have acquired/obtained/purchased by/as an inheritance

The Greek verb is translated by two Latin ones to convey the nuances of its meaning: he didn’t just inherit it automatically, but purchased or acquired it deliberately.

testimónia tua in ætérnum = your testimonies forever

quia exsultátio =for the joy

cordis mei sunt =of my heart they are

=for/because they are the joy of my heart

Bellarmine paraphrases the verse as: "I have chosen your law as an everlasting inheritance, because it is most sweet and most agreeable to me, and the source of supreme joy and delight."

112 Inclinavi cor meum ad faciendas justificationes tuas in æternum, propter retributionem.
I have inclined my heart to do your justifications for ever, for the reward.

inclino, avi, atum, are, to bend, incline
propter, prep, with ace. In stating a cause: on account of, by reason of, because of, from, for, for the sake of.
retributio, onis, f. reward, recompense, requital, either as a reward or punishment

Inclinávi cor meum = I have inclined my heart

ad faciéndas justificatiónes tuas = to the doing/to do [of] your justifications

That is, the works of corporal and spiritual mercy according to Cassiodorus:

“Doing justifications means performing the Lord's commands with feelings of humility; breaking bread for the hungry, clothing the naked, sympathising with others' calamities, and the other activities which the Creator's devotion has deigned to recommend to the human race.”

in ætérnum =forever

Does the forever refer to the doing of your justifications or the reward? The text is ambiguous: St Jerome’s from the Hebrew version attaches it to the reward (which kind of makes sense); but the neo-Vulgate to the first phrase. But the choice to incline our hearts now to doing God’s will means that when we die that inclination is fixed forever, so it does make sense as the Douay-Rheims and others interpret it.

propter retributiónem = for the sake of the reward/requital/judgment

The neo-Vulgate changes this to ‘in finem’ or until the end. Either way, all it is saying is that our hope is the joy of heaven.

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the stanza

In the Roman Office it is said at Sunday Sext, and in the Liturgy of the Hours at Vespers.

NT references	Heb 13:15 (108);
RB cursus	Monday None (1)
Monastic feasts etc	-
Roman pre 1911	Sext throughout the week
Responsories	-
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday Sext (7);
Mass propers (EF)

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

Silence means...

Dear Readers,

Given I'm pausing in the series on Psalm 118 (119) for a few days given the various feasts we are enjoying, please consider taking this opportunity to provide any feedback on the series you might have so far!

Is it worth my while continuing to post the verse by verse notes in particular?  The lack of comment suggests not.

As formatting them does take a bit of time and effort, please do let me know if you are actually reading them and finding them helpful.

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I'm particularly interested in feedback on the verse by verse notes since they take time to compile that I could spend doing other things - so do let me know if the vocab lists for example too detailed, not inclusive enough, or useful?

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Any and all feedback on or offline is appreciated!