Psalm 123 verses 5-8

Psalm 123 continues in verses 5-7 with a third image, explanied by Pope Benedict XVI:

"The second part of our thanksgiving hymn shifts from the marine image to a hunting scene, typical of many Psalms of supplication (cf. Ps 124[123]: 6-8). Here, in fact, the Psalm evokes a wild beast clenching its prey between its teeth or the snare of fowlers that captures a bird. But the blessing this Psalm expresses enables us to understand that the destiny of the faithful, that was a destiny of death, has been radically changed by a saving intervention: "Blessed be the Lord who did not give us a prey to their teeth!"

5	V	Benedíctus Dóminus * qui non dedit nos, in captiónem déntibus eórum.
	NV	Benedictus Dominus, qui non dedit nos in direptionem dentibus eorum.
	JH	Benedictus Dominus, qui non dedit nos in praedam dentibus eorum.
		εὐλογητὸς κύριος ὃς οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἡμᾶς εἰς θήραν τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὐτῶν

benedico, dixi, dictum, ere 3, to bless

do, dedi, datum, are, to give,

captio, onis, /. prey, booty; a net, trap, snare.

DR	Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us to be a prey to their teeth.
Cover	But praised be the Lord, who hath not given us over for a prey unto their teeth.

St Athanasius comments: 

What then is our duty, my brothers, for the sake of these things, but to praise and give thanks to God, the king of all? And let us first exclaim in the words of the psalms, "Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us over as a prey to their teeth." Let us keep the feast in that way that he has dedicated for us unto salvation—the holy day Easter—so that we may celebrate the feast which is in heaven with the angels. Thus anciently, the people of the Jews, when they came out of affliction into a state of ease, kept the feast, singing a song of praise for their victory. So also the people in the time of Esther, because they were delivered from the edict of death, kept a feast to the Lord, considering it a feast, returning thanks to the Lord and praising him for having changed their condition. Therefore let us, per­forming our vows to the Lord and confessing our sins, keep the feast to the Lord, in conversation, moral conduct and manner of life; praising our Lord, who has chastened us a little but has not utterly failed or forsaken us or altogether kept silence from us. For if, having brought us out of the deceitful and famous Egypt of the opponents of Christ, he has caused us to pass through many trials and afflictions, as it were in the wilderness, to his holy church, so that from hence, according to custom, we can send to you, as well as receive letters from you; on this account especially I both give thanks to God myself and exhort you to thank him with me and on my behalf, this being the apostolic custom, which these opponents of Christ, and the schismatics, wished to put an end to and to break off. The Lord did not permit it but both renewed and preserved that which was ordained by him through the apostle, so that we may keep the feast together, and together keep holy day, according to the tradition and com­mandment of the fathers. Festal Letter 10.11

6	V/NV	Anima nostra sicut passer erépta est * de láqueo venántium.
	JH	Anima nostra quasi auis erepta est de laqueo uenantium :
		ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν ὡς στρουθίον ἐρρύσθη ἐκ τῆς παγίδος τῶν θηρευόντων

Text notes: ‘Passer’ means sparrow, which is often used with connotations of a bird that lives alone; the Diurnal however follows the Masoretic text, which just uses the generic ‘bird’.

sicut, adv., as, just as, like.

passer, eris, m., a sparrow; the Hebrew term means any kind of small bird, not necessarily a sparrow

eripio, ripui, reptum, ere 3 (ex and rapio, to snatch away, to rescue, deliver

laqueus, ei, m., a noose for capturing animals; a snare, trap

dens, dentis, a tooth; to escape the malice of enemies is to escape from their teeth. 123,6.

venor, atus sum, ari, to hunt.

DR	Our soul has been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers.
MD	Our soul hath escaped like a bird, out of the snare of the fowler.
RSV	We have escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
Cover	Our soul is escaped even as a bird out of the snare of the fowler;

Bellarmine comments:

"and he tells us how that was effected when he says, "Our soul hath been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers." No doubt, our soul fell into persecution and temp­tation, as would a sparrow or any other bird, when they are seduced into the snare set by the fowlers; but still it was loosed and delivered from the temptation before the tempter got hold of it to kill it; like a bird caught in a snare but enlarged before the fowler arrived to take it, kill it, and eat it."

7	V/JH	Láqueus contrítus est, * et nos liberáti sumus.
	NV	laqueus contritus est, et nos erepti sumus.
		ἡ παγὶς συνετρίβη καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐρρύσθημεν

contero, trivi, Itum, ere 3, to break, crush, destroy.

libero, avi, atum, are  to free, set free, deliver

DR	The snare is broken, and we are delivered.

Bellarmine continues:

That was effected by "the snare being broken and thus we are delivered." God having by his grace, repressed the temptation before the soul either denied the faith or consented to sin in any other respect, just as the snare that held the bird would be broken, on which the bird flies off, and thus disappoints the fowler of his prey.

8	V/NV	Adjutórium nostrum in nómine Dómini, * qui fecit cælum et terram.
	JH	Auxilium nostrum in nomine Domini, qui fecit caelum et terram.
		ἡ βοήθεια ἡμῶν ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ποιήσαντος τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν

adjutorium, ii, n.  help, aid, assistance, strength,  shelter, protection,  support

facio, feci, factum, ere 3,  to make, do, cause, bring to pass

nomen, mis, n. name.

caelum, i, n., or caeli, orum, m.  heaven, the abode of God; the heavens as opposed to the earth; the air;

terra, ae, /. the earth

DR	Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth
Cover	Our help standeth in the Name of the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth.

St Augustine notes that: 

So this heaven and earth is called the world. In saying "Do not love the world," he is not disparaging that world; whoever disparages that world, after all, is disparaging the maker of the world. Listen to the world mentioned twice in one place in different senses: it was said of the Lord Christ, "He was in this world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him."9 The world was made through him: "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." The world was made through him: "I lifted up my eyes to the moun­tains; from where will help come to me? My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."10 This world was made by God, and the world did not know him. Which world did not know him? The lover of the world, the lover of the work, the scorner of the workman. Sermon 3I3A.2.

Psalm 123: Nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum
1  Nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis, dicat nunc Israël: * nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis,	If it had not been that the Lord was with us, let Israel now say: 2 If it had not been that the Lord was with us,
2  Cum exsúrgerent hómines in nos, * forte vivos deglutíssent nos:	When men rose up against us, 3 perhaps they had swallowed us up alive.
3  Cum irascerétur furor eórum in nos, * fórsitan aqua absorbuísset nos.	When their fury was enkindled against us, perhaps the waters had swallowed us up.
4  Torréntem pertransívit ánima nostra: * fórsitan pertransísset ánima nostra aquam intolerábilem.	5 Our soul has passed through a torrent: perhaps our soul had passed through a water insupportable.
5  Benedíctus Dóminus * qui non dedit nos, in captiónem déntibus eórum.	6 Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us to be a prey to their teeth.
6  Anima nostra sicut passer erépta est * de láqueo venántium.	7 Our soul has been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers.
7  Láqueus contrítus est, * et nos liberáti sumus.	The snare is broken, and we are delivered.
8  Adjutórium nostrum in nómine Dómini, * qui fecit cælum et terram.	8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth

Psalm 123: verses 3-4

 Verses 3-4 present the second major image of Psalm 123, of a torrent of waters seeking to drown us.

3	V/NV	Cum irascerétur furor eórum in nos, * fórsitan aqua absorbuísset nos.
	JH	cum irasceretur furor eorum super nos : forsitan aquae circumdedissent nos,
		ἐν τῷ ὀργισθῆναι τὸν θυμὸν αὐτῶν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἄρα τὸ ὕδωρ κατεπόντισεν ἡμᾶς

Text notes:  The Monastic Diurnal omits to translate the ‘forte’ here, but Ladouceur suggests that is appropriate, as the word is added to translate an untranslatable Greek particle of contingency (in a contrary to the fact condition).  Boylan suggests that the overall image conjured up here is that of a sea monster, which fits with the flooding waters that follow, and is picked up again in verse 5.

irascor, iratus sum, irasci  to be angry or wrathful. (1) Of God. (2) Of men

furor, oris, m.  rage, wrath, fury, indignation

aqua, ae, water

forsitan, adv.  perhaps, perchance, peradventure; surely.

absorbeo, ui, ere 2, to swallow up, gulp down

DR	When their fury was enkindled against us, perhaps the waters had swallowed us up.
Brenton	when their wrath was kindled against us: verily the water would have drowned us,
MD	When their fury was inflamed against us, the waters might have rushed over us.
RSV	when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away,
Cover	Yea, the waters had drowned us, and the stream had gone over our soul.

Cassiodorus parses out the text as follows:

"The first half of the verse goes with what precedes. This is how the sense is to be combined: If it had not been that the Lord was with us when men rose up against us, perhaps they would have swallowed us alive. We must place a fullstop here, so that we may take the remainder of the verse with the connection between the words sundered. 

With regard to his phrase, they would have swal­lowed us alive, it is not a human practice for opponents to swallow people alive; but we are swallowed alive when plunged into the evils of heresy or into the steep depths of sins with sacrilegious wicked­ness. This could have befallen the holy men if heavenly power had not rescued them. 

Next follows the other half of this verse, which must clearly be joined to the statement coming next. He says: When their anger was roused against us. The sense of their roused anger is that they did not have most righteous motives, for anger and envy are lacking in judgment, pursuing as they do their desires with headlong purpose. As Solomon puts it: Anger killeth the foolish, and envy slayeth the little one.What just motive could they have against God's servants when they had the audacity to despise the Creator of all when He was with them? Animus (anger) is a Greek word formed from anemos (wind), because its movement is comparable to the swiftest breezes, or from anaima (bloodlessness) because it is bloodless, since it is not physical, as was stated in the book which with the Lord's help we wrote on the soul.

4	V	Torréntem pertransívit ánima nostra: * fórsitan pertransísset ánima nostra aquam intolerábilem.
	NV	torrens pertransisset animam nostram; forsitan pertransissent animam nostrum aquae intumescentes.
	JH	torrens transisset super animam nostram : forsitan transissent super animam nostram aquae superbae.
		χείμαρρον διῆλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν ἄρα διῆλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ἀνυπόστατον

Text notes: The Vulgate (and Septuagint) reverse the subject and object (soul and torrent) in each of the phrases here compared to the Masoretic Text, and the Diurnal follows the MT.  The Septuagint/Vulgate version however makes just as much if not more sense however, making the movement of the soul more active (ie ‘Our soul has passed through the torrent’, rather than ‘the torrent passed over our soul’).  Either way, floods and overwhelming waters often symbolize misfortune.

torrens, entis, m.  a brook, stream, torrent

pertranseo, ii or ivi, ire  to pass through,traverse; to go about, wander, roam; to pass, flow

anima, ae, (1) Equivalent to a personal pronoun:   (2) Untranslated:. (3) Life, soul, and heart

intolerabilis, e, overwhelming, unbearable

DR	Our soul has passed through a torrent: perhaps our soul had passed through a water insupportable.
Brenton	our soul would have gone under the torrent. Yea, our soul would have gone under the overwhelming water.
MD	The torrent might have overwhelmed us, the raging flood might have swept us along.
RSV	the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters.
Cover	The deep waters of the proud had gone even over our soul.

Pope Benedict XVI commented on these verses as follows:

In the first, the raging waters, a biblical symbol of devastating chaos, evil and death, predominate: "Then would the waters have engulfed us, the torrent gone over us; over our head would have swept the raging waters" (vv. 4-5). The person of prayer now has the feeling that he lies on a beach, miraculously saved from the pounding fury of the waves. Human life is surrounded by the snares of evil lying in wait that not only attack the person's life but also aim at destroying all human values. We see how these dangers exist even now. However, the Lord rises - and we can be sure of this also today - to preserve the just and save him, as the Psalmist sings in Psalm 18[17]: "From on high he reached down and seized me; he drew me forth from the mighty waters. He snatched me from my powerful foe, from my enemies... the Lord was my support. He brought me forth into freedom, he saved me because he loved me" (vv. 17-20)

Psalm 123: Nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum
1  Nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis, dicat nunc Israël: * nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis,	If it had not been that the Lord was with us, let Israel now say: 2 If it had not been that the Lord was with us,
2  Cum exsúrgerent hómines in nos, * forte vivos deglutíssent nos:	When men rose up against us, 3 perhaps they had swallowed us up alive.
3  Cum irascerétur furor eórum in nos, * fórsitan aqua absorbuísset nos.	When their fury was enkindled against us, perhaps the waters had swallowed us up.
4  Torréntem pertransívit ánima nostra: * fórsitan pertransísset ánima nostra aquam intolerábilem.	5 Our soul has passed through a torrent: perhaps our soul had passed through a water insupportable.
5  Benedíctus Dóminus * qui non dedit nos, in captiónem déntibus eórum.	6 Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us to be a prey to their teeth.
6  Anima nostra sicut passer erépta est * de láqueo venántium.	7 Our soul has been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers.
7  Láqueus contrítus est, * et nos liberáti sumus.	The snare is broken, and we are delivered.
8  Adjutórium nostrum in nómine Dómini, * qui fecit cælum et terram.	8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth

Psalm 123: verses 1-2

The opening verses of Psalm 123 set the scene:

1	V/NV	Nisi quia dóminus erat in nobis, dicat nunc Israël: * nisi quia dóminus erat in nobis,
	JH	Nisi Dominus fuisset in nobis, dicat nunc Israhel ; nisi Dominus fuisset in nobis,
		εἰ μὴ ὅτι κύριος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν εἰπάτω δὴ Ισραηλ εἰ μὴ ὅτι κύριος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν

Text notes:‘Nisi quia’ means unless, or ‘if not’; Ladouceur suggests that this reflects an overly literal rendering of the Hebrew (which is literally ‘except that’) in the Septuagint.  In any case, the Diurnal translation ‘If the Lord had not been with us’ conveys the sense of the line well, not withstanding the fact that it plays fast and loose with the verb tense, following St Jerome’s rendering of it as imperfect subjunctive rather than imperfect as in the Vulgate and Neo-Vulgate. ‘Dicat nunc’ is a common way of exhorting the people to prayer.

nisi quia, unless, if not.

dico, dixi, dictum, ere 3, to say, speak;  to sing; in the sense of to think, plan, desire; to command; to praise.

nunc, adv. at present, at this moment

DR	If it had not been that the Lord was with us, let Israel now say: If it had not been that the Lord was with us,
Brenton	If it had not been that the Lord was among us, let Israel now say; if it had not been that the Lord was among us,
MD	If the Lord had not been with us, let Israel now say, if the Lord had not been with us
RSV	If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, let Israel now say if it had not been the LORD who was on our side
Coverdale	If the Lord himself had not been on our side (now may Israel say), if the Lord himself had not been on our side,

Cassiodorus comments: 

When sudden joy comes over us at the recollection of past dangers, it often makes us fail to observe the natural order of words. These confessors express astonishment at how they escaped their pursuers, at how tortures did not prevail over human frailty, at how, when their bodies yielded, their minds were reinforced by faith and did not cave in. They put at the beginning of the sentence a tiny version of these words, a relic of their sublime thought, but then they explain them, so that astonishment at the great dangers would not be withheld and the full import of the words would be rendered a little later. It would have been the normal statement to say: "We could not have overcome the dangers imposed on us if it had not been that the Lord was with us." 

The wicked tendency of our human presumption is at the same time removed from consideration, for it is not our wealth or planning or virtue which is said to have helped us, but only the Lord's pity which is known to have delivered us. Next follows: Let Israel now say. They recognise that it is a most healthy thing to decree that it is by the Lord's authority that such important events occur, for the rest of the blessed were rightly urged to give thanks for the source of their salvation. This is the power of charity and unity, that when an individual is granted some success, all should rejoice that it has befallen them, and likewise if some reverse is sustained, all should grieve that it has affected them. So he appended below what Israel should now say; and so anyone wishing to be identified with Israel should not refuse to say such things with a pure heart.

2	V/NV	Cum exsúrgerent hómines in nos, * forte vivos deglutíssent nos:
	JH	cum exsurgerent super nos homines : forsitan uiuos obsorbuissent nos,
		ἐν τῷ ἐπαναστῆναι ἀνθρώπους ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἄρα ζῶντας ἂν κατέπιον ἡμᾶς

Text notes: Ladouceur sees homines as indicating ‘mere man’ in contrast to God, especially with the reference God as creator in the last verse.

cum, with, together with, in company with .before, in the presence of. to be with as a helper,when, as soon as, as often as.

exsurgo, surrexi, surrectum, ere 3,  to rise up, arise, i.e., to come to the aid of

homo, inis, m  man, a human being; mortal man as compared with God;man, person, individual

forte, adv.  perhaps, perchance.

vivus, a, um alive

deglutio, ivi, ire, to swallow down or up.

DR	When men rose up against us, perhaps they had swallowed us up alive.
Brenton	when men rose up against us; verily they would have swallowed us up alive,
Cover	When men rose up against us, they had swallowed us up alive, when they were so wrathfully displeased at us.

St John Chrysostom: 

"Let us also now say this, If the Lord had not been among us, surely they would have swallowed us alive. I mean, what would our enemy the devil have not done if the Lord had not been among us? Listen to what Christ says to Simon: "Simon, Simon, how many times has Satan asked to sift you like wheat, and I prayed for you that your faith might not fail?" 

The wild beast, after all, is evil and insa­tiable, and unless reined in constantly, would have overturned and demolished everything. If in the case of Job, for example, it was only slight licence he was given, and yet he rooted up and over­threw his household, mutilated his body, worked such an awful tragedy, destroyed his substance, buried his children, had worms crawling out of his flesh, alienated his wife, his friends, his foes, his servants and caused them to say such terrible things, how would he not have been the ruin of everything had he not been held in check by countless restraints? 

Hence this author also says, If the Lord had not been among us: they were very few and insignificant, and on their return many people attacked them. Even in this, however, God's wisdom is demonstrated, in not providing them with security all at once, but slowly and gradu­ally.... "

Psalm 123: Nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum
1  Nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis, dicat nunc Israël: * nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis,	If it had not been that the Lord was with us, let Israel now say: 2 If it had not been that the Lord was with us,
2  Cum exsúrgerent hómines in nos, * forte vivos deglutíssent nos:	When men rose up against us, 3 perhaps they had swallowed us up alive.
3  Cum irascerétur furor eórum in nos, * fórsitan aqua absorbuísset nos.	When their fury was enkindled against us, perhaps the waters had swallowed us up.
4  Torréntem pertransívit ánima nostra: * fórsitan pertransísset ánima nostra aquam intolerábilem.	5 Our soul has passed through a torrent: perhaps our soul had passed through a water insupportable.
5  Benedíctus Dóminus * qui non dedit nos, in captiónem déntibus eórum.	6 Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us to be a prey to their teeth.
6  Anima nostra sicut passer erépta est * de láqueo venántium.	7 Our soul has been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers.
7  Láqueus contrítus est, * et nos liberáti sumus.	The snare is broken, and we are delivered.
8  Adjutórium nostrum in nómine Dómini, * qui fecit cælum et terram.	8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth

Gradual Psalms - Introduction to Psalm 123

The second psalm of weekday Sext in the Benedictine office, Psalm 123, makes clear our total dependence on God.

In the previous psalm, the speaker has had enough, is sick of being treated with being an object of derision.  Here the psalmist rejoices because God has heard his plea and intervened to strengthen the souls of the people with faith and patience, and bring them safely through the raging waters and the hunter’s trap.

The psalm contrasts the helplessness of man in the face of his enemies, with God, the Creator of all and saviour of the people under attack.

Psalm 123: Nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum
1  Nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis, dicat nunc Israël: * nisi quia Dóminus erat in nobis,	If it had not been that the Lord was with us, let Israel now say: 2 If it had not been that the Lord was with us,
2  Cum exsúrgerent hómines in nos, * forte vivos deglutíssent nos:	When men rose up against us, 3 perhaps they had swallowed us up alive.
3  Cum irascerétur furor eórum in nos, * fórsitan aqua absorbuísset nos.	When their fury was enkindled against us, perhaps the waters had swallowed us up.
4  Torréntem pertransívit ánima nostra: * fórsitan pertransísset ánima nostra aquam intolerábilem.	5 Our soul has passed through a torrent: perhaps our soul had passed through a water insupportable.
5  Benedíctus Dóminus * qui non dedit nos, in captiónem déntibus eórum.	6 Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us to be a prey to their teeth.
6  Anima nostra sicut passer erépta est * de láqueo venántium.	7 Our soul has been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers.
7  Láqueus contrítus est, * et nos liberáti sumus.	The snare is broken, and we are delivered.
8  Adjutórium nostrum in nómine Dómini, * qui fecit cælum et terram.	8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth

In the Hebrew Masoretic Text version (but not the Septuagint) this psalm, the fourth of the gradual psalms, is attributed to David.

There are also a number of minor differences in this psalm between the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint.

How to face trials

The psalm opens with a a formula that is an exhortation to prayer: ‘dicat nunc Israël’,  or 'let Israel say'.   It then provides two images of the dire straits the pilgrims finds themselves in: first a sea monster intent on swallowing them alive as they struggle, caught up in a raging flood (verses 2-5); and secondly of birds caught in a trap set by hunters (verses 6-7).

It seems to me to conjure up the image of a people facing certain death, a challenge faced by all too many Christians in our time.  And in this situation, it argues, what counts is not our own virtues, planning or resources, but God’s mercy and aid.

As in the previous psalm, the emphasis here is on cultivating patience and self-abandonment to God.

St John Chrysostom adds another key dimension to this message, stressing the importance of trials in building our character and virtue, and thus helping us progress towards perfection: great troubles bring forth great good for us and from us.

Song of the martyrs

Above all, the psalm reminds us that, in facing our noonday demons, it is the fate of the soul, not the body that counts: St Augustine portrays this psalm as the song of the martyrs, rejoicing that they have passed through the torrents and traps that afflict the body only, their souls resting safe with the Lord in heaven.  Pope Benedict XVI summarises his view thus:

‘St Augustine comments clearly on this Psalm. He first observes that it is fittingly sung by the "members of Christ who have reached blessedness". In particular, "it has been sung by the holy martyrs who, upon leaving this world are with Christ in joy, ready to take up incorrupt again those same bodies that were previously corruptible. In life they suffered torments in the body, but in eternity these torments will be transformed into ornaments of justice". However, in a second instance the Bishop of Hippo tells us that we too, not only the blessed in Heaven, can sing this Psalm with hope. He declares: "We too are enlivened by unfailing hope and will sing in exaltation. Indeed, the singers of this Psalm are not strangers to us.... Therefore, let us all sing with one heart: both the saints who already possess the crown as well as ourselves, who with affection and hope unite ourselves to their crown. Together we desire the life that we do not have here below, but that we will never obtain if we have not first desired it".’

The psalm contains a threefold profession of faith: faith that the Lord is with us in our trials (verse 1); that he will not abandon us to temptations (verse 6); and above all in that final triumphant statement, that the God who is creator of all things will save us (verse 8).