Psalm 7 (Prime, Tuesday) - Short summaries

Psalm 7: Dómine, Deus meus, in te sperávi 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Psalmus David, quem cantavit Domino pro verbis Chusi, filii Jemini.	The psalm of David, which he sung to the Lord, for the words of Chusi, the son of Jemini.
Dómine, Deus meus, in te sperávi : * salvum me fac ex ómnibus persequéntibus me, et líbera me.	Lord, my God, in you have I put my trust; save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.
2.  Nequándo rápiat ut leo ánimam meam, * dum non est qui rédimat, neque qui salvum fáciat.	Lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion, while there is no one to redeem me, nor to save.
3  Dómine, Deus meus, si feci istud. * si est iníquitas in mánibus meis :	O Lord, my God, if I have done this thing, if there be iniquity in my hands
4  Si réddidi retribuéntibus mihi mala, * décidam mérito ab inimícis meis inánis.	If I have rendered to them that repaid me evils, let me deservedly fall empty before my enemies.
5  Persequátur inimícus ánimam meam, et comprehéndat, et concúlcet in terra vitam meam, * et glóriam meam in púlverem dedúcat.	Let the enemy pursue my soul, and take it, and tread down my life, on the earth, and bring down my glory to the dust.
6  Exsúrge, Dómine, in ira tua : * et exaltáre in fínibus inimicórum meórum.	Rise up, O Lord, in your anger: and be exalted in the borders of my enemies.
7  Et exsúrge, Dómine Deus meus, in præcépto quod mandásti : * et synagóga populórum circúmdabit te.	And arise, O Lord, my God, in the precept which you have commanded: And a congregation of people shall surround you.
8  Et propter hanc in altum regrédere : * Dóminus júdicat pópulos.	And for their sakes return on high. The Lord judges the people.
9  Júdica me, Dómine, secúndum justítiam meam, * et secúndum innocéntiam meam super me.	Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice, and according to my innocence in me.
10  Consumétur nequítia peccatórum, et díriges justum, *  scrutans corda et renes Deus.	The wickedness of sinners shall be brought to nought; and you shall direct the just: the searcher of hearts and reins is God.
11 Justum adjutórium meum a Dómino, * qui salvos facit rectos corde.	Just is my help from the Lord; who saves the upright of heart
12  Deus judex justus, fortis, et pátiens : * numquid iráscitur per síngulos dies?	God is a just judge, strong and patient: is he angry every day?
13  Nisi convérsi fuéritis, gládium suum vibrábit : * arcum suum teténdit, et parávit illum.	Except you will be converted, he will brandish his sword; he has bent his bow, and made it ready.
14  Et in eo parávit vasa mortis : * sagíttas suas ardéntibus effécit.	And in it he has prepared to instruments of death, he has made ready his arrows for them that burn.
15  Ecce partúriit injustítiam : * concépit dolórem, et péperit iniquitátem.	Behold he has been in labour with injustice: he has conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity.
16  Lacum apéruit, et effódit eum : * et íncidit in fóveam quam fecit.	He has opened a pit and dug it: and he is fallen into the hole he made.
17  Convertétur dolor ejus in caput ejus : * et in vérticem ipsíus iníquitas ejus descéndet.	His sorrow shall be turned on his own head: and his iniquity shall come down upon his crown.
18  Confitébor Dómino secúndum justítiam ejus : * et psallam nómini Dómini altíssimi.	I will give glory to the Lord according to his justice: and will sing to the name of the Lord the most high.

You can listen to Psalm 7 being read aloud at Boston Catholic. and then listen to this version which alternates chant tones with a harmonised version (note antiphon first).

The overall theme of Tuesday in the Benedictine Office is Christ's public ministry, the preaching of the kingdom, and particularly of Our Lord as the true Temple.  

In this context, the psalms St Benedict set for Prime form a triptych that looks at our response to God’s call: in particular, they focus on God’s gift to us of free will, and the consequences thereof, both positive and negative.

This psalm, Psalm 7, is the plea of a man falsely accused and persecuted by a friend, asking for God to help him and to set things right.  In the psalm King David, asks the Lord to attest to his innocence of the charges made against him, while speaking of his anguish at the attacks on his integrity. The Fathers typically saw it as a prophesy of the rejection of Christ’s teaching by those who should have most welcomed his coming.

The second half of the psalm sets out God’s role in rendering judgment: God knows what is in our hearts and minds; based on that, he saves the righteous and punishes the sinner. St Benedict actually quotes verse 10 of Psalm 7, on God searching our hearts and minds, in his discussion of the first degree of humility (ch 7, line 14), urging us to be always consciously aware of the presence of God, who is watching us to see if we turning away from evil and doing good.

Because of the psalm's pleas for God’s redeeming power to be manifested, and emphasis on salvation through repentance, it is also said in the Office of the Dead at Matins.

St Augustine:

Now the story which gave occasion to this prophecy may be easily recognised in the second book of Kings (2 Samuel 15:34-37) For there Chusi, the friend of king David, went over to the side of Abessalon, his son, who was carrying on war against his father, for the purpose of discovering and reporting the designs which he was taking against his father, at the instigation of Achitophel, who had revolted from David's friendship, and was instructing by his counsel, to the best of his power, the son against the father. 

But since it is not the story itself which is to be the subject of consideration in this Psalm, from which the prophet has taken a veil of mysteries, if we have passed over to Christ, let the veil be taken away...The ruin then of that disciple, who betrayed Him, is rightly understood to be a brother's ruin, which we said is the interpretation of Achitophel. Now as to Chusi, from the interpretation of silence, it is rightly understood that our Lord contended against that guile in silence, that is, in that most deep secret, whereby blindness happened in part to Israel, when they were persecuting the Lord, that the fullness of the Gentiles might enter in, and so all Israel might be saved...Thus that great silence he does not so much discover by explanation, as he sets forth its greatness in admiration. In this silence the Lord, hiding the sacrament of His adorable passion, turns the brother's voluntary ruin, that is, His betrayer's impious wickedness, into the order of His mercy and providence: that what he with perverse mind wrought for one Man's destruction, He might by providential overruling dispose for all men's salvation.

...This Psalm can also be taken in the person of the Lord Man: if only that which is there spoken in humiliation be referred to our weakness, which He bore. 

Cassiodorus:

So the prophet hymned this psalm about the future mystery of the Lord, taking Chusi as a model, for just as David endured unjust persecution from his son Absalom whom he had begotten and raised, so the Lord bore the madness of the abominable arrogance shown by the people whom He had freed and nurtured....In the first section the psalmist speaks in his own person, begging the Lord to be set free from his persecutors through His strength....In the second section, the prophet also asks that the glory of His Resurrection should be made manifest and come to his aid.  The third section ushers in the Lord as Spokesman, asking in the lowly role he has assumed to be judged according to his justice and truth....In the fourth part the prophet again speaks, warning the Jews to abandon their intended wickedness from fear of future judgment...

St Thomas Aquinas:

The account in 2 Kings 17 tells that David fled from the presence of his son...Therefore, when David heard that message of Chusi, he sang this song to the Lord. In a mystical sense, this Psalm can be about the Church and against its persecutors…this psalm has three sections. First, a prayer is set forth. Second, there is a hearkening to the prayer at May the Lord judge, and third, an act of thanksgiving at I will praise the Lord." …First he prays that he would be set free from his enemies…he asks for mercy. Second, that his enemies would be weighed down, Second, he recounts his own innocence…

St Alphonsus Liguori:

Addressing himself to God, David represents to him his innocence and at the same time the anguish of his heart; this was at the time of the persecution that he had to endure from Saul or from Absalom more probably from Saul. The holy king exhorts at the same time his enemies to be converted, and predicts to them the chastisement of heaven if they are not converted. 

In the prophetical sense, says Bellarmine, David represents the person of Jesus Christ, and that of all the just who are calumniated and persecuted.

And a setting of the psalm to meditate to:

Psalm 1 (Monday Prime) - Short summaries

Mainz, 1457

Psalm 1 is an introduction to and summary of the entire book of psalms.  It puts before us the two paths we take: the path of good, or the way of evil, and tells us the fate of those on each of these roads.  

Above all, though, it puts before us the example of the perfect ‘just’ man, that is, Christ.

The central theme of the psalm is that the just man finds happiness by meditating on the law of the Lord and desiring to do God’s will.

Vulgate	Douay Rheims translation
Beátus vir, qui non ábiit in consílio impiórum, et in via peccatórum non stetit, * et in cáthedra pestiléntiæ non sedit	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:
2  Sed in lege Dómini volúntas ejus, * et in lege ejus meditábitur die ac nocte.	But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.
3  Et erit tamquam lignum, quod plantátum est secus decúrsus aquárum, * quod fructum suum dabit in témpore suo:	And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season.
4  Et fólium ejus non défluet: * et ómnia quæcúmque fáciet, prosperabúntur.	And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.
5  Non sic ímpii, non sic: * sed tamquam pulvis, quem prójicit ventus a fácie terræ.	Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind drives from the face of the earth.
6  Ideo non resúrgent ímpii in judício: * neque peccatóres in concílio justórum.	Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just.
7  Quóniam novit Dóminus viam justórum: * et iter impiórum períbit.	For the Lord knows the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.

To learn the pronunciation, I suggest listening first to Psalm 1 read aloud slowly in Latin.

Then go listen to it being sung recto tono by the monks of Le Barroux at Prime on Monday (any Monday will do, but here is a link to one of their archived files).

Psalm 1 is an introduction to and summary of the entire book of psalms.  

It puts before us the two paths we take: the path of good, or the way of evil, and tells us the fate of those on each of these roads.  Above all, though, it puts before us the example of the perfect ‘just’ man, that is, Christ.  The central theme of the psalm is that the just man finds happiness by meditating on the law of the Lord and desiring to do God’s will.

In the Benedictine Office, Monday has a strong focus on the life of Christ from the Incarnation to Christ’s baptism and temptation, and St Augustine points to the image of the tree by the running water as symbolising baptism and the grace wrought by Christ.

St Jerome draws attention to the similarity of the imagery in Revelation 22:

“And he showed me a river of water of life [grace], clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street thereof, and on both sides of the river, was the tree of life [Our Lord], bearing twelve fruits [the apostles], yielding its fruits every month [meaning of Scripture understood with the help of the Holy Ghost]: the leaves of the tree [that do not wither, the words of Scripture] for the healing of the nations.”

Short summaries

St Augustine:

This is to be understood of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Man....

St Cassiodorus:

The reason why this psalm has no heading is because nothing was to be put before our Head the Lord Saviour, of whom the psalmist intended wholly to speak, for undoubtedly He is the Beginning of all things; as He says in the gospel, I am the beginning, and this is why I speak to you.' 

Though other psalms also say much about Him, none of them speaks in this way about His behaviour on earth. Since all that is to be said refers to Him, He is rightly set at the head of the sacred work, since He is known to be Prince of all things. Whatever instruction is given concerning the past, whatever advice about the present, whatever makes us more careful about the future, all that the book has to offer refers to the instruction offered by the blessed Man. 

...So it is to the Lord Christ that are rightly applied the words: Who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence, and so on. What a marvellous sequence, a truly heavenly arrangement, since in our interest the beginning of the psalms has sprouted from Him who is clearly the moving Gate to heaven! So let us hasten to enter with the utmost joy where we observe our Advocate himself as the open Gate...

St Thomas Aquinas:

...this first psalm expresses the feeling of a man who is lifting his eyes to the entire state of the world and considering how some do well, while others fail. And Christ is the first among the blessed ones; Adam the first among the evil ones. They agree in happiness, which all seek; they differ in the way to happiness, and in the outcome, because some reach it, and others do not. In the first part is described the way of all to happiness. In the second part is described the outcome, where it says, And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters etc. In the way of evil men, three things are to be considered. First, deliberation about sin, and this is in cogitation. Second, there is consent and execution. Third, inducing others to something similar, and this is the worst...

St Alphonsus Liguori:

The object that David proposes to himself in this psalm is to convince us that God bestows happiness only upon the just in order to be happy; we must, therefore, begin to be just.

Masterpost: The Psalms of Compline - Into Great Silence

Compline is the only hour in the Benedictine (and Carthusian!) Office that remains the same every day (the Marian antiphon aside).  

In the darkness

Said last thing in the evening, it is often said literally in the dark in monasteries, from memory, and thus teaches us how to deal with the darkness that inevitably surrounds us in this world, as well as the darkness and dangers of the literal night itself.

The structure of Compline is described in St Benedict’s Rule in Chapters 17 and 18, however it has evolved over time, with the addition at the beginning of a new ‘opening section’ that includes a short reading warning of the dangers of the night and an examination of conscience and confession of sins; at the end with a Marian antiphon and prayer.   

The psalms of the hour

The three psalms set for it are Psalms 4, 90 and 133.  

Psalm 4

Like Psalm 3 that opens the day, Psalm 4 contains verses that makes it particularly appropriate to the hour, indeed one that is in effect response to the verse on rising from sleep in Psalm 3:

9 In pace in idípsum * dórmiam et requiéscam;	In peace in the self same I will sleep, and I will rest
10 Quóniam tu, dómine, singuláriter in spe * constituísti me.	For you, O Lord, singularly have settled me in hope.

The psalm calls upon us to repent of the sins of the day; asks God to grant us forgiveness and the grace to do better in future; and asks for God’s blessing on our sleep.  

Psalm 90

Psalm 90 is most commonly associated with Our Lord's temptation in the desert in the Gospels, and provides reassurance of God’s protection of the just against all the dangers that can arise.  The first section of the psalm sets out the promise of divine protection that God grants to the faithful.  It closes with words put in the mouth of God.  

One particular reason its use may have appealed to St Benedict is the allusion to God as our 'susceptor' or sustainer, upholder, a word (which also appears in Psalm 3) that was particularly important in the monastic tradition, not least for its associations with the Suscipe verse (Psalm 118:116) used in the monastic profession ceremony.

He may also have liked the symmetry involved in the seventh verses of Psalm 3 (first thing in the day) and Psalm 90, both of which refer to standing firm even though surrounded by thousands:

Psalm 3:7  Non timébo míllia pópuli circumdántis me: * exsúrge, Dómine, salvum me fac, Deus meus.

I will not fear thousands of the people, surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.

Psalm 90:7  Cadent a látere tuo mille, et decem míllia a dextris tuis: * ad te autem non appropinquábit.

A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand: but it shall not come near you.

Psalm 133

The last psalm of the each day, Psalm 133 is also the last of the Gradual psalms, said in ancient times liturgically when the priests stood on the highest of the steps on the Temple, symbolising the entrant to heaven.

At the literal level, this psalm is a summons to worship at night, to give God thanks for the blessings of the day.  Spiritually though, it points to our ultimate destination in heaven, where the worship of God never ends.   It concludes by requesting a blessing from God on us. 

In a monastery, the hour is traditionally followed by the abbot or abbess sprinkling the monks or nuns with holy water, usually while verses of Psalm 50 (from ‘Asperges me…’) are chanted.  

And then the Great Silence falls, lasting until the first words of Matins, which ask God to open our lips that we might sing his praise.

Posts on the psalms of Compline

1.  Verse by verse notes

Introduction to Psalm 133
Psalm 133 verse1
Psalm 133 verse 2
Psalm 133 verse 3

Psalm 133 verse 4


2.  Short summaries from the Fathers and other commentators

Psalm 4
Psalm 90
Psalm 133

3. The psalms of Compline in other contexts

Psalm 4 in Tenebrae of holy Saturday

Psalms of Compline (Short summaries)/3 - Psalm 133

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum	A gradual canticle
1 Ecce nunc benedícite Dóminum, * omnes servi Dómini	Behold now bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
2 Qui statis in domo Dómini, * in átriis domus   Dei nostri.	Who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God
3 In nóctibus extóllite manus vestras in sancta, * et benedícite Dóminum.	In the nights lift up your hands to the holy places, and bless the Lord.
4 Benedícat te Dóminus ex sion, * qui fecit cælum et terram.	May the Lord out of Sion bless you, he that made heaven and earth.

Pronouncing the words

You can heard the psalm read aloud slowly in Latin over at the Boston Catholic Journal.

Once you are confident of the pronunciation, try singing it with the monks - the videos below are one option, alternatively, listen to one of the archived audio files of Compline sung by the monks of Le Barroux.

Summaries of the Psalm


Pick the summary of your choice and learn it, or copy it to create a cheat sheet to have handy for when you say the Office.   Psalm 133 is the last of the 'Songs of the Ascent, or fifteen Gradual Psalms', which were sung on major feasts as the priests walked up the fifteen steps in the Temple.

St Alphonsus summarises it as follows:

The prophet here exhorts the priests and levites to praise the Lord and to pray for the people.

An alternative version summary by Fr Pius Pasch:

Night watch - This psalm is a sort of liturgical formula for changing the night watch of the temple guard.  As children of God, we are really temple watchmen; Holy Mother Church is sending us to keep the vigil. 

St Benedict's contemporary Cassiodorus provides a slightly longer summary:

A canticle of steps. Let us observe closely with the heart's eye how the prophet has topped the steps, and mounted to the highest traces of the virtues; for he addresses he addresses the rest of his wholesome persuasion to the blessed brotherhood which he had bidden to gather in unity, urging that their blessed harmony be roused to praises of the Lord with the most burning eagerness of love, so that they may attain the crown of their activity, and may in this life imitate the sweetness which we believe will abide in holy minds in that native land of the future. It is right that a blessing be bestowed on Him to whom they have undoubtedly ascended with the greatest zeal.

My own summary:

At the literal level, this psalm is a summons to worship at night, to  give God thanks for the blessings of the day.  It concludes by requesting a blessing from God on us.  Spiritually, it reminds us each night of our proper objective in life, set out most fully in Chapter 7 of the Benedictine Rule: we must climb the ladder of humility to heaven, in order to rest forever in perfect union with God.

Psalms of Compline (Short summaries)/2 - Psalm 90, Qui habitat

Temptation of Christ, St Alban's Psalter

 Psalm 90: Qui habitat

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Laus cantici David.	The praise of a canticle for David
Qui hábitat in adjutório Altíssimi, * in protectióne Dei cæli commorábitur.	He that dwells in the aid of the most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of Jacob.
2  Dicet Dómino : Suscéptor meus es tu, et refúgium meum: * Deus meus sperábo in eum.	He shall say to the Lord: You are my protector, and my refuge: my God, in him will I trust.
3 Quóniam ipse liberávit me de láqueo venántium, * et a verbo áspero.	For he has delivered me from the snare of the hunters: and from the sharp word.
4  Scápulis suis obumbrábit tibi: * et sub pennis ejus sperábis.	He will overshadow you with his shoulders: and under his wings you shall trust.
5  Scuto circúmdabit te véritas ejus: * non timébis a timóre noctúrno.	His truth shall compass you with a shield: you shall not be afraid of the terror of the night.
6  A sagítta volánte in die, a negótio perambulánte in ténebris: * ab incúrsu et dæmónio meridiáno.	Of the arrow that flies in the day, of the business that walks about in the dark: of invasion, or of the noonday devil.
7  Cadent a látere tuo mille, et decem míllia a dextris tuis: * ad te autem non appropinquábit.	A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand: but it shall not come near you.
8  Verúmtamen óculis tuis considerábis: * et retributiónem peccatórum vidébis.	But you shall consider with your eyes: and shall see the reward of the wicked.
9  Quóniam tu es, Dómine, spes mea: * Altíssimum posuísti refúgium tuum.	Because you, O Lord, are my hope: you have made the most High your refuge.
10  Non accédet ad te malum: * et flagéllum non appropinquábit tabernáculo tuo.	There shall no evil come to you: nor shall the scourge come near your dwelling.
11  Quóniam Angelis suis mandávit de te: * ut custódiant te in ómnibus viis tuis.	For he has given his angels charge over you; to keep you in all your ways.
12  In mánibus portábunt te: * ne forte offéndas ad lápidem pedem tuum.	In their hands they shall bear you up: lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13  Super áspidem et basilíscum ambulábis: * et conculcábis leónem et dracónem.	You shall walk upon the asp and the basilisk: and you shall trample under foot the lion and the dragon.
14  Quóniam in me sperávit, liberábo eum: * prótegam eum quóniam cognóvit nomen meum.	Because he hoped in me I will deliver him: I will protect him because he has known my name.
15  Clamábit ad me, et ego exáudiam eum : * cum ipso sum in tribulatióne : erípiam eum et glorificábo eum.	He shall cry to me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him.
16  Longitúdine diérum replébo eum: * et osténdam illi salutáre meum.	I will fill him with length of days; and I will show him my salvation.

Pronouncing the words

You can heard the psalm read aloud slowly in Latin over at the Boston Catholic Journal.

Once you are confident of the pronunciation, try singing it with the monks - the videos below are one option, alternatively, listen to one of the archived audio files of Compline sung by the monks of Le Barroux, since Psalm 90 is used in the Benedictine Office at Compline each night.



But it also features in the (traditional) mass as the longest of the Tracts, sung on the first Sunday of Lent, so I've included a wonderful old Roman Chant version of the Tract below so you can get a taster.

Short summaries of Psalm 90

Pick the summary of your choice and learn it, or copy it to create a cheat sheet to have handy for when you say the Office.

St Augustine:

This Psalm is that from which the Devil dared to tempt our Lord Jesus Christ: let us therefore attend to it, that thus armed, we may be enabled to resist the tempter, not presuming in ourselves, but in Him who before us was tempted, that we might not be overcome when tempted... 

Cassiodorus:

Verses 11 and 12 are directed at the Lord Saviour Himself by the devil after he has tempted Him. We always confront demons with this psalm in devoted trust, so that they may be overcome by us by the same means by which they sought craftily to make observations against their Creator.  In the first part David claims that every person of high fidelity is enclosed by divine protection. The second part hymns praise to the Lord Saviour. The third consists of words spoken by the Father to all faithful individuals, who as He knows hope in Him with the greatest devotion. He promises them protection in this world and rewards in the next… 

This psalm has marvellous power, and routs impure spirits. The devil retires vanquished from us through the very means by which he sought to tempt us, for that wicked spirit is mindful of his own presumption and of God's victory. Christ by His own power overcame the devil in His own regard, and likewise conquers him in ours. So this psalm should be recited by us when night sets in after all the actions of the day; the devil must realise that we belong to Him to whom he remembers that he himself yielded. 

St Alphonsus Liguori:

The psalmist here exhorts those that have put all their hope in God to fear no danger. This psalm is somewhat in the form of a dialogue; for the psalmist, the just man, and God himself speak successively. The prophet, v. i, announces his proposition, and says, v. 2, part first, how one enters this asylum of divine protection. The just man, v. 2, 3, declares that he is in this disposition. Then, v. 4 to 13, the prophet describes to him the favors that he will enjoy. Finally, God confirms and completes this picture by magnificent promises.

Fr Pius Pasch:

Safely sheltered - This psalm breathes a spirit of perfect confidence in God through the perils of life.  The image is of a battlefield where the soul of the just man is facing his enemies.

My summary in the context of the Benedictine office:

A psalm speaking of God’s protection of the just against all the dangers that can arise.  The first section of the psalm sets out the promise of divine protection that God grants to the faithful.  It closes with words put in the mouth of God.  In the Benedictine Office it can be seen as a prayer for and assurance of God’s protection of us against the power of the dark forces symbolized by the darkness of the night.  Verse 7 has a particular poignancy in the context of the Office as it echoes and responds to the other psalm of the spiritual warfare said each day in the Office, the first psalm of the day at Matins, Psalm 3, which says, also in (the sacred number of) verse 7: I will not fear thousands of the people, surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.

Psalms of Compline (Short summaries)/1 - Psalm 4

 Psalm 4 - Cum invocarem

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem, in carminibus. Psalmus David.	Unto the end, in verses. A psalm for David.
1 Cum invocárem exaudívit me deus justítiæ meæ: *  in tribulatióne dilatásti mihi.	When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress, you have enlarged me.
2 Miserére mei, * et exáudi oratiónem meam.	Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer.
3 Filii hóminum, úsquequo gravi corde? *  ut quid dilígitis vanitátem et quæritis mendácium?	O you sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? Why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?
4 Et scitóte quóniam mirificávit dóminus sanctum suum: * dóminus exáudiet me cum clamávero ad eum.	Know also that the Lord has made his holy one wonderful: the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him.
5 Irascímini, et nolíte peccáre: * quæ dícitis in córdibus vestris, in cubílibus vestris compungímini.	Be angry, and sin not: the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds.
6 Sacrificáte sacrifícium justítiæ, et speráte in dómino, * multi dicunt quis osténdit nobis bona?	Offer up the sacrifice of justice, and trust in the Lord: many say, Who shows us good things?
7 Signátum est super nos lumen vultus tui, dómine: *  dedísti lætítiam in corde meo.	The light of your countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us: you have given gladness in my heart.
8 A fructu fruménti, vini et ólei sui * multiplicáti sunt.	By the fruit of their corn, their wine, and oil, they rest
9 In pace in idípsum * dórmiam et requiéscam;	In peace in the self same I will sleep, and I will rest
10 Quóniam tu, dómine, singuláriter in spe * constituísti me.	For you, O Lord, singularly have settled me in hope.

Pronouncing the words

You can heard the psalm read aloud slowly in Latin over at the Boston Catholic Journal.

Once you are confident of the pronunciation, try singing it with the monks - the videos below are one option, alternatively, listen to one of the archived audio files of Compline sung by the monks of Le Barroux..

(and for those who can't access this video, see below)

The sense of the psalm

Pick the summary of your choice and learn it, or copy it to create a cheat sheet to have handy for when you say the Office:

St Alphonsus Liguori:

According to interpreters this psalm was composed by David, happy to see himself delivered from the hands of Saul, or of Absalom. In a mystical sense it is applied to Jesus Christ inasmuch as he is the end of the law and of the prophets. Jesus Christ, of whom David was a figure, is properly the Saint of God, the Saint by eminence, he whom God has glorified above everyone else in a wonderful manner, v. 4; our Master and our Model, he reminds us at first of the efficacy of prayer: then he exhorts us to detach ourselves from the goods of this world, to flee from sin, to practise virtue, and to seek only justice, sanctity, by putting our whole confidence in God.

Fr Pius Pasch:

Trustful evening prayer. To oppose the allurements of the world, this psalm makes us aware of the good fortune of union with God.  It was a favorite with St. Augustine.  We ought to pray it, he observes, "trembling with fear, and yet all aglow with hope and exultation at God's mercy."

 Cassiodorus:

End does not mean here the decline of some object but the perfection of rungs of the spirit; as Paul says: The end of the law is Christ, unto justice to everyone that believeth? Christ is the glorious perfection of all good things. So the words, Unto the end, remind us that they are to be related to the Lord Christ, or as some prefer, we are to believe that they refer to us...Throughout the psalm the words are spoken by holy mother Church...  In the first section she asks that her prayer be heard, and rebukes the faithless for worshipping false gods and ne­glecting worship of the true God. In the second part she warns the world at large that it must abandon deceitful superstition, and offer the sacrifice of justice. Then in her attempt to win over the minds of pagans by the promise she has made, she relates that the Lord has bestowed great gifts on Christians…

My summary (in the context of the Benedictine Office): 

Psalm 4 recapitulates some of the key themes of the Benedictine Office (and Rule): the Benedictine day starts with an allusion to the call to praise God, to offer up the sacrifice of justice in verse 16 of Psalm 50 at Matins; here again in this psalm the Office recalls this sacrificial dimension of our prayer (v6).   In Psalm 94 at Matins we are called not to harden our hearts lest we be lost; so here again, God asks how long we will fail to heed his call to conversion (v3).  Just as Lauds we celebrate the rising sun, and the light of Christ, so here we are reminded that his is the light that shines in the darkness (v7), the grace that enlarges our hearts through grace (v1, 4) so that we can run 'with the unspeakable sweetness of love' (RB Prologue).  Above all the psalms calls on us to repent and asks God to grant us forgiveness and the grace to do better in future; and asks for God’s blessing on our sleep (v5), so that we can rise up again with him on the morrow (Ps 3).  

Short psalm summaries

Over the next few weeks I plan on posting a series of short summaries of the psalms by various authors, starting with the psalms of Compline and Prime.

These aren't meant to be substitutes for the in depth study of the psalms.

Rather they are meant to provide a 'first look' view to help people learn what the psalms are about in a general sense (particularly focusing on the spiritual and Christological meanings of the psalms) as they start praying the Office.

I'll try and provide a couple fo different summaries - pick the one's that most appeal to you!