The Lord has done great things for us - Psalm 125 v 3-4 (Gradual Psalm No 7/4)

The previous spoke of our proper Easter joy; this one builds on it by emphasising that  God's great work of redemption was visible not just to the Jews of the time, but to the Gentiles as well, many of whom converted.  And truth has a greater impact when outsiders can witness to it.

3	V/NV	Tunc dicent inter gentes: * magnificávit Dóminus fácere cum eis.
	JH	tunc dicent in gentibus,  Magnificauit Dominus facere cum istis.
		τότε ἐροῦσιν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐμεγάλυνεν κύριος τοῦ ποιῆσαι μετ' αὐτῶν

Text notes:  A number of the commentators suggest that ‘dicent’ should be translated here as ‘men were saying’ or ‘it is said’.  ‘Magnificare facere’ is a particular construction taken over from the Hebrew meaning ‘has done great things’.

gens, gentis, sing., people, nation, the chosen people, the Israelites; pl the heathen, the gentiles,

magnifico, avi, atum, are to praise, glorify, extol, magnify

DR	Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord has done great things for them.
Brenton	then would they say among the Gentiles The Lord has done great things among them.
Grail	The heathens themselves said: "What marvels the Lord worked for them!"
MD	Then was it said among the heathens, The Lord hath done great things for them
RSV	then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
Coverdale	Then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.
Knox	Among the heathen themselves it was said, What favour the Lord has shewn them!

Cassiodorus explains the reasons for emphasising the attention of the Gentiles:

The praise proclaimed by enemies is unambiguous; there is great weight of truth when a person known to have opposing senti­ments gives favourable testimony. Note quite carefully that he does not say: "The Gentiles," but among the Gentiles. At the coming of the Lord not all Gentiles believed, but among them were some who could have uttered such words when pricked at heart. So when they saw religion flourishing among the Christian people, they attained good understanding, and they proclaimed that the Lord was truly with such people, for they showed zeal for an upright conscience, and did not desire to besmirch themselves with any superstition. 

Since they saw that the Christians were also exercising virtues, they said: "The Lord has decided to do great things with them," for they saw that the Christians through their prayers were having their requests fulfilled.

The second half of the verse is echoed in the Magnificat, and goes to the wonder of what has happened, as St John Chrysostom explains:

And observe: they did not say, "He saved us," nor "He freed us," but He excelled himself, wanting to bring out through the term "excelling" the baffling character of the marvel...  word of them circulated everywhere, making clear to every­one God's lovingkindness: the wonders worked for them were marvellous and larger than life. 

As St Augustine tells us, we have received reward well beyond any possible merit or expectation:

It is the fact that the Lord dealt nobly with us, beyond our merits and our expectations, when he brought us from a miser­able captivity to this our sweetest native land; and thus "we are become joyful;" we who had hitherto been groaning in sorrow, captives as we were.

4	V/NV/JH	Magnificávit Dóminus fácere nobíscum: * facti sumus lætántes.
		ἐμεγάλυνεν κύριος τοῦ ποιῆσαι μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐγενήθημεν εὐφραινόμενοι

laetor, atus sum, ari, (laetus), to rejoice, be joyful, take delight in

DR	The Lord has done great things for us; we have become joyful.
Brenton	The Lord has done great things for us, we became joyful.
Grail	What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
MD	Yes the Lord hath done great things for us, and we were filled with joy.
RSV	The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.
Coverdale	Yea, the Lord hath done great things for us already, whereof we rejoice.
Knox	Favour indeed the Lord has shewn us, and our hearts are rejoiced.

St Augustine comments: 

In the whole world our redemption is received; Amen is answered. The dwellers in Jerusalem, therefore, captive, destined to return, pilgrims, sighing for their country, speak thus among the heathen. What do they say? The Lord has done great things for us, whereof we rejoice. Have they done anything for themselves? They have done ill with themselves, for they have sold themselves under sin. The Redeemer came, and did the good things for them.

Psalm 125 (126)

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1  In converténdo Dóminus captivitátem Sion: * facti sumus sicut consoláti:	When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted.
2  Tunc replétum est gáudio os nostrum: * et lingua nostra exsultatióne	2 Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy.
3  Tunc dicent inter Gentes: * Magnificávit Dóminus fácere cum eis.	Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord has done great things for them.
4  Magnificávit Dóminus fácere nobíscum: * facti sumus lætántes.	3 The Lord has done great things for us; we have become joyful.
5  Convérte, Dómine, captivitátem nostram, * sicut torrens in austro.	4 Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as a stream in the south.
6  Qui séminant in lácrimis, * in exsultatióne metent.	5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
7  Eúntes ibant et flebant, * mitténtes sémina sua.	6 Going they went and wept, casting their seeds.
8  Veniéntes autem vénient cum exsultatióne, * portántes manípulos suos.	7 But coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.	Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.	As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

And the next part in this series is on Psalm 125 verse 5.

Show your joy - Psalm 125 v2 (Gradual Psalm No 7/3)

El Greco

2	V/NV	Tunc replétum est gáudio os nostrum: * et lingua nostra exsultatióne.
	JH	Tunc implebitur risu os nostrum, et lingua nostra laude :
		τότε ἐπλήσθη χαρᾶς τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα ἡμῶν ἀγαλλιάσεως

tunc, adv. denoting a point of time which corresponds with another; then, at that time. as a subst.

repleo, plevi, pletum, ere 2, to fill, sate, satisfy

gaudium, ii,, joy, gladness, delight

os, oris, n., the mouth. 

lingua, ae, , the tongue; language, speech, tongue; plan, council. .

exsultatio, onis, joy, rejoicing, exultation

DR	Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy.
Brenton	Then was our mouth filled with joy, and our tongue with exultation:
Grail	Then was our mouth filled with laughter, on our lips there were songs.
MD	Then our mouth was filled with gladness, and our tongue with jubilation.
RSV	Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy;
Coverdale	Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with joy.
Knox	in every mouth was laughter, joy was on every tongue.

Verse 2 of Psalm 125 takes us to the people's rejoicing at their liberation, and this is proper, as it reflects our proper attitude of gratitude towards God.

Cassiodorus tells us that the when referred to here (tunc) means the coming of Christ; but it can equally be applied, I think to his sacrifice that redeemed us:

Then means when the coming of the Lord Saviour, as has now been said, transformed our captivity into joy, our vices into virtues, our ignorance into knowledge of things divine, our death into eternal life, so that our mouth was rightly filled with gladness, and our tongue with joy, for such blessings were bestowed on us by the Lord's gift. Here mouth describes the hidden depth of the heart, where joys are first sown and sprout, and through the office of the tongue burst out into a harvest of words. It is the mouth which is referred to in: Taste, and see that the Lord is good!1 Even though his lips are closed, he cries out to the Lord, and the utterance of his remorseful heart is effectively heard, though his mouth is inactive.

 St Robert Bellarmine urges us always to show our joy:

this selfsame unspeakable consolation is always felt by those who are seri­ously converted to God, and, despising the hopes of this world, and abandoning all desire for the goods of this world, "direct their steps in the path of peace." 

They know the value of being rescued from the captivity of the devil, from the depths of the pit, and the being prepared for the enjoyment of true liberty and everlasting peace, through the call and the guidance of the Almighty. Interior joy will not fail to show itself externally, which it does by the expression of joy on the countenance and gladness on the tongue.

Rejoicing, he argues, is the proper reaction to God's action:

Rejoicing at liberation from captivity is no slight contribution to a change for the better. And who, he asks, does not rejoice at it? Their forebears, when liberated from Egypt and transferred from that awful slavery to freedom, under the influence of extreme ingratitude murmured in the midst of the very benefits, were dis­gruntled, indignant, and maintained their grief. This is not true of us, they claim: we rejoice and exult.

Psalm 125 (126)

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1  In converténdo Dóminus captivitátem Sion: * facti sumus sicut consoláti:	When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted.
2  Tunc replétum est gáudio os nostrum: * et lingua nostra exsultatióne	2 Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy.
3  Tunc dicent inter Gentes: * Magnificávit Dóminus fácere cum eis.	Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord has done great things for them.
4  Magnificávit Dóminus fácere nobíscum: * facti sumus lætántes.	3 The Lord has done great things for us; we have become joyful.
5  Convérte, Dómine, captivitátem nostram, * sicut torrens in austro.	4 Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as a stream in the south.
6  Qui séminant in lácrimis, * in exsultatióne metent.	5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
7  Eúntes ibant et flebant, * mitténtes sémina sua.	6 Going they went and wept, casting their seeds.
8  Veniéntes autem vénient cum exsultatióne, * portántes manípulos suos.	7 But coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.	Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.	As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

And the next part in this series covers verses 3&4 of Psalm 125.

When Christ freed his people - Psalm 125 v1 (Gradual Psalm No 7/2)

c586, Syriac rabbula Gospels

The first verse of Psalm 125 announces that when God freed his people from captivity the captivity of sins, he also comforted them in their distress.  We can perhaps best view this as epitomised by Christ's action in entrusting his mother to St John's care while on the cross.

1	V	In converténdo Dóminus captivitátem Sion: * facti sumus sicut consoláti:
	NV	In convertendo Dominus captivitatem Sion, facti sumus quasi somniantes.
	JH	Cum conuerteret Dominus captiuitatem Sion, facti sumus quasi somniantes.
		ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Σιων ἐγενήθημεν ὡς παρακεκλημένοι

Text notes: St Jerome’s use of a cum clause here is perhaps easier for English speakers to translate than the gerund of the Vulgate, but most translations use ‘When’ in any case.  

There is some debate about the appropriateness of the word ‘captivitatem’ here – the Hebrew Massoretic Text implies more ‘lot’ or ‘fortunes’, and the RSV translates it accordingly as ‘When the Lord restored the fortunes of Sion’.  Others, however, see the word as a direct reference to the Babylonian captivity, thus, ‘When the Lord ended the captivity of Sion’.  

In the second phrase, the Masoretic text (followed by the Diurnal) is ‘like people dreaming’ – in the first half of the psalm, the people are perhaps waking from a joyous dream, or seeing a vision of what it will be like.  The Septuagint-Vulgate version though presents us with the idea of God as comforter, an image of the Holy Spirit and on the face of it reflects an alternative, and arguably better, manuscript tradition.

converto, verti, versum, ere 3,  to turn, change, alter, bring back, quicken, refresh, restore,  convert, turn from sin

captivitas, atis,   captivity,  captives;[ lot, fortunes]

consolor, atus sum, ari, to comfort, console, encourage

DR	When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted.
B	When the Lord turned the captivity of Sion, we became as comforted ones.
G	When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage, it seemed like a dream.
MD	When the Lord ended the captivity of Sion, were then as in a dream.
RS	When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
C	When the Lord turned again the captivity of Sion, then were we like unto them that dream.
K	When the Lord gave back Sion her banished sons, we walked like men in a dream;

Sion here is best interpreted as the Church, the people of God, held captive to sin.  Cassiodorus, for example, summarises St Augustine's take on the verse as follows:

It is clearly the captivity of the devil, under which the world was kept subject... But it gained the transformation of freedom when at the Lord's coming the bars of hell were burst asunder. 

That captivity, though, is always a threat to us, for in this life there is always the danger of falling into sin.  St John Chrysostom draws out the warning contained in the verse:

The one taken captive by sin, on the other hand, is in thrall to a pitiless and savage mistress, who im­poses the most menial of tasks; this form of tyranny is not accus­tomed to spare or to show mercy. Listen, for example, to how it took captive the wretched and miserable Judas without sparing him, turning him instead into a sacrilegious traitor; after he com­mitted his sin, it made a public display of him before the Jews and revealed his fault, not allowing him to reap the benefit of repen­tance, but snatching him from repentance to lead him to the noose. It is, you see, a harsh tyrant, imposing wicked commands, and shaming its subjects.

Hence, I beseech you, let us avoid its sway with great earnest­ness, fight against it without ever being reconciled to it, and once liberated from it remain at liberty. After all, if these people on being freed from savages were consoled, much more should we rejoice and exult on being liberated from sin, and maintain this undying joy instead of impairing and distorting it by becoming involved in the same vices,

We, though, have the promise of freedom from that captivity by virtue of Christ's sacrifice, the hope of salvation.  For that reason we can be filled with joy and relief even now.  As St Augustine puts it: 

Walk therefore in Christ, and sing rejoicing, sing as one that is comforted; because He went before you who has commanded you to follow Him.

Psalm 125 (126)

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1  In converténdo Dóminus captivitátem Sion: * facti sumus sicut consoláti:	When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted.
2  Tunc replétum est gáudio os nostrum: * et lingua nostra exsultatióne	2 Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy.
3  Tunc dicent inter Gentes: * Magnificávit Dóminus fácere cum eis.	Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord has done great things for them.
4  Magnificávit Dóminus fácere nobíscum: * facti sumus lætántes.	3 The Lord has done great things for us; we have become joyful.
5  Convérte, Dómine, captivitátem nostram, * sicut torrens in austro.	4 Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as a stream in the south.
6  Qui séminant in lácrimis, * in exsultatióne metent.	5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
7  Eúntes ibant et flebant, * mitténtes sémina sua.	6 Going they went and wept, casting their seeds.
8  Veniéntes autem vénient cum exsultatióne, * portántes manípulos suos.	7 But coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.	Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.	As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

And continue on for notes on verse 2.

Introduction to Psalm 125 - (Gradual Psalm No 7/1)

Biserica Ortodoxă din Deal, Cluj-Napoca), Romania.

Psalm 125 is the second of the second block of the Gradual Psalms when said devotionally, but in the Benedictine Office it opens weekday None.

Psalm 125: In convertendo Domino 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum.
1  In converténdo Dóminus captivitátem Sion: * facti sumus sicut consoláti:	When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted.
2  Tunc replétum est gáudio os nostrum: * et lingua nostra exsultatióne	2 Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy.
3  Tunc dicent inter Gentes: * Magnificávit Dóminus fácere cum eis.	Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord has done great things for them.
4  Magnificávit Dóminus fácere nobíscum: * facti sumus lætántes.	3 The Lord has done great things for us; we have become joyful.
5  Convérte, Dómine, captivitátem nostram, * sicut torrens in austro.	4 Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as a stream in the south.
6  Qui séminant in lácrimis, * in exsultatióne metent.	5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
7  Eúntes ibant et flebant, * mitténtes sémina sua.	6 Going they went and wept, casting their seeds.
8  Veniéntes autem vénient cum exsultatióne, * portántes manípulos suos.	7 But coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.	Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.	As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Scriptural context: foreshadowing the reopening of heaven

Joy and the cross?

In the context of None there is something of a paradox associated with this psalm, since this psalm is about joy and comfort, whereas None is traditionally associated with the hour when Christ died on the Cross, when the Temple veil was torn in two by a dramatic earthquake.

The paradox is readily resolved though, if one considers St Benedict's constant orientation towards the Resurrection: as Our Lord pointed out immediately before the events of holy week, and alluded in verse 5, the seed has to die in order to bring forth new life.  Accordingly this psalm focuses on the triumph of the Cross, presenting us with the image of God as our comforter, who turns sorrow into joy.

Pope Benedict XVI’s commentary on this psalm at a General Audience developed this theme, drawing on St Bede:

….St Bede the Venerable (672/3-735), commenting on the words by which Jesus announced to his disciples the sorrow that lay in store for them, and at the same time the joy that would spring from their affliction (cf. Jn 16: 20). Bede recalls that "Those who loved Christ were weeping and mourning when they saw him captured by his enemies, bound, carried away for judgment, condemned, scourged, mocked and lastly crucified, pierced by the spear and buried. Instead, those who loved the world rejoiced... when they condemned to a most ignominious death the One of whom the sight alone they could not tolerate. The disciples were overcome by grief at the death of the Lord, but once they had learned of his Resurrection, their sorrow changed to joy; then when they had seen the miracle of the Ascension, they praised and blessed the Lord, filled with even greater joy, as the Evangelist Luke testified (cf. Lk 24: 53).”

Convert us O Lord

A number of modern commentators start from the reference to captivity to suggest that this psalm originated as a response to the return of the Exiles to Jerusalem after being freed by the Persians.  While that is certainly plausible, this view is entirely conjectural, and the sentiments, as St John Chrysostom points out, fit any number of historical occasions.  The real captivity that Scripture is pointing us to, surely, is our captivity to our sins, and in particular the legacy of Adam's sin, which locked mankind out of heaven.

  

In salvation history, the deliverance of the chosen people from Egypt and the return after the Babylonian captivity both foreshadow the spiritual sense of the psalm: St Augustine explains that Sion here really means heaven; our captivity is that due to sin which makes all of us in this world pilgrims rather than immediate citizens of the heavenly realm.  But due to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we are freed from the captivity of sin, and can rightly rejoice. 

There is though, perhaps a two stage process suggested in this psalm: verses 1-4 point to the things God has previously done for us, in reopening the way to heaven; but verses 5-7 can perhaps be interpreted as about us individually in the here and now, who still need to have Christ's redemption applied to us.  We have to sow through faith and good works, so that we can reap our reward through Christ.

Freedom from attachment to the things of this world

St Robert Bellarmine gives the reference to captivity a slightly different spin that I think is also worth considering, seeing it as a reference to attachment to the things of this world:also picks up this theme, warning us not to be too attached to our captivity to the world:

Having asked God to bring back all the captives to their country, he now addresses the captives themselves, and exhorts them not to be deterred by the labor of the journey, or to be detained by regard for any property they may have acquired in a foreign land, as they were sure to have much more and more valuable property in their own; and most happily compares them to the sower and the reaper… 

This applies peculiarly to us, pilgrims as we are; for those who are content with their captiv­ity, and are so engaged by the love of this world as never to think on their country, heaven; they look upon the road adopt­ed by the just to be nothing better than a positive loss and an injury. While the true exiles make all the haste they can to their country above; they freely give to the poor, who will never return what is given; they labor, without fee or reward, in teaching their brethren, as did the apostles; they freely renounce all manner of pleasure; all which seems the height of folly to those who know not what is to come of it, while, in real­ity, it is "sowing in tears," that they may afterwards, in due time, "reap in joy." 

And if they who are still so attached to their captivity, would seriously reflect on this, they certainly would change their mind, would begin to go up, and, no matter what it may cost them, they would sow the seed, that they may soon after reap it in joy in the kingdom of heaven.”

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	Lk 1:49 (4);  Rev 21:4 (6); Jn 12:24: 16:20 (7)
RB cursus	None Tues to Sat
Monastic feasts etc	Gradual Psalms; LOOL None An 2839 (1); 2736, 5334 (6),
Responsories	Dedication of a church no 2 (Fundata), 6756 6402 (alt verse for St clement in H);
Roman pre 1911	Tuesday Vespers
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Tuesday Vespers . 1970: Evening Prayer - Wednesday of Wk 3
Mass propers (EF)	Common of several martyrs: TR (5-6)

And you can find verse by notes on the psalm either by continuing on here, or jumping to the relevant verse:

Psalm 125 verse 1
Psalm 125 verse 2
Psalm 125 verses 3-4
Psalm 125 verse 5
Psalm 125 verse 6
Psalm 125 verse 7
Psalm 125 verse 8