Psalm 90 - Introduction to Psalm 90

Christ Ministered to by Angels

French (St. Omer), c. 1190-1200

The Hague, Koninlijk Bibliotheek

MS KB 76 F 5, fol. 12v 

I noted in the first post to this series that Psalm 90 features heavily in the Lenten liturgy, urging us forward in the spiritual warfare.

But it is also the second psalm of Compline in the Benedictine Office each night, and its allusions to God's promises of protection, refuge and safety make it a particularly apt psalm for night prayer.

Psalm 90 and the temptation of Christ

As I noted in the previous post, this psalm is particularly important because Devil quotes it to Our Lord during his temptation in the desert, and thus it garners multiple references in Scripture (see esp Mt 23:37, Lk 13:3; Mt 18:10, 26:53, Mk 1:13, Lk 4:10-11; Lk 10:19; Jn 12:26) in that context.

Indeed, for that reason, the psalm is used extensively in the Mass propers for the first (EF) Sunday of Lent, particularly in what is surely by far the longest of all the Tracts.

St Augustine commented that as the devil used it, it should in turn help arm us against him:

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. Temptation to Him was not necessary: the temptation of Christ is our learning, but if we listen to His answers to the devil, in order that, when ourselves are tempted, we may answer in like manner, we are then entering through the gate, as you have heard it read in the Gospel...

 St Augustine argues that the psalm is an invitation to imitate Christ:

...Christ, who Himself said, I am the door: and to enter through Christ, is to imitate His ways....He urges us to imitate Him in those works which He could not have done had He not been made Man; for how could He endure sufferings, unless He had become a Man? How could He otherwise have died, been crucified, been humbled? Thus then do thou, when you suffer the troubles of this world, which the devil, openly by men, or secretly, as in Job's case, inflicts; be courageous, be of long suffering; you shall dwell under the defence of the Most High, as this Psalm expresses it: for if you depart from the help of the Most High, without strength to aid yourself, you will fall. 

Psalm 90 in the Office

For this reason Psalm 90 is a key psalm in the context of the Office, for, from the mists of antiquity until the wreckovations of the twentieth century (in this case St Pius X's revision of the Roman Breviary), it was near universally recited daily, either at midday (in the Eastern tradition) and/or before bed (in the Western tradition).

Like Psalm 4, Psalm 90's daily use as part of the prayers before bed is attested to by ancient tradition, including references to its use in this context by St Basil, as well as by St Benedict's contemporary, St Cassiodorus.

The ninth century commentator Amalarius of Metz suggests that its importance goes to the idea that sleep is like death:

Through this Psalm, the author of the Office advises us, in accordance with its words, that our mind should be intent on beseeching God amid all our dangers and difficulties;  and thus, because our sleep has some likeness to the sleep of those who have left this world under the Lord's protection, the same psalm also recalls the intention of those who are in difficulty and nevertheless pass from this difficulty to peace. (On the Liturgy, trans Eric Knibbs, vol 2, pg 379)

Psalm 90 and the Rule

St Benedict's decision to entrench it in his version of Compline though, surely also reflects the fact that it contains several key themes that run through the Rule.

First, it reflects the commitment to waging spiritual warfare, to enrolling in Christ's army, that opens the Rule.  In particular, verse 7, on standing firm in battle parallels the same numbered verse in the first psalm of the day in the Benedictine Office, Psalm 3

Secondly, the reference to God as our sustainer and upholder (susceptor) in verse 2 echoes the use of this key concept in the Suscipe verse of Psalm 118 used in the Benedictine profession ceremony.

And thirdly, it concludes with the hope that God will lengthen our days (verse 16).  While this can of course be interpreted as a reference to eternal life, it also reflects, it seems to me, a key theme of the Prologue to the Rule, namely the hope that God will give us enough time to repent and do good so that we can enter heaven with him.

I will try and draw out these themes further as we go through the psalm verse by verse.

The structure of the psalm

Before we do that though, it is worth getting a bit of an overview of the psalm, for it falls, St Cassiodorus tells us, into three parts:

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.

Verses 1-7 all focus on the protection God provides to those who trust in him, and uses a variety of images to convey this: God as our protector and sustainer; the person who saves us from the snares of hunters; like a hen or eagle sheltering its young under its wings; and like a shield, protecting us from the arrows of the enemy.

From verse 9, the focus is more explicitly Christological, with allusions to Christ's temptation, conquest of death, and the  coming judgment.

The final three verses are put in the mouth of God.

St Robert Bellarmine comments that:

...this Psalm is, to a certain extent, dramatic, in the form of a dialogue, though the characters are not named, however; that the Prophet speaks at one time, the just man at another, and God at another time. The Prophet, then, having said to the just man, "God will overshadow thee with his shoulders," as the hen does her young; "will compass thee with a shield," as a general would his soldiers; "you shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the day;" and hence many will fall on your right and left, but the danger will not come near you, but you will rather see your enemies conquered before your face—the just man, on hearing all this, turns to God, and says, "Because thou, O Lord, art my hope," I believe every word of it; it's all true, and that because you, O Lord, art my hope; I trust not in my own strength or arm, nor in the strength nor in the arms of my friends; but in thee alone, who art my whole and sole hope, and in whom alone I confide. 

The text and its uses


Psalm 90

Qui hábitat in adiutório 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.
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.
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.
Scápulis suis obumbrábit tibi: * et sub pennis eius sperábis.	He will overshadow you with his shoulders: and under his wings you shall trust.
Scuto circúmdabit te véritas eius: * non timébis a timóre noctúrno.	His truth shall compass you with a shield: you shall not be afraid of the terror of the night.
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.
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.
Verúmtamen óculis tuis considerábis: * et retributiónem peccatórum vidébis.	But you shall consider with your eyes: and shall see the reward of the wicked.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Longitúdine diérum replébo eum: * et osténdam illi salutáre meum.	I will fill him with length of days; and I will show him my salvation.

Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.	Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.	As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

NT references	Mt 23:37, Lk 13:34 (4-5); Mt 18:10, 26:53, Mk 1:13, Lk 4:10-11 (vs11); Lk 10:19 (13); Jn 12:26 (15)
RB cursus	Compline
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	Dedication of a church
Roman pre 1911	Compline
Roman post 1911	1911-62:Sunday Compline  . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Lent I: IN (1, 15, 16); GR (11-12); TR (1-7;11-16); OF (4-5); CO (4-5)

You can find the next part in this series here.

Lenten series: Part 1 - Psalm 90 and the spiritual warfare

Each year I try and provide a Lenten series for reflection.

This year I thought I would use the opportunity to complete the set of notes on the repeated psalms of the Benedictine Office by taking a look at Psalm 90, which features heavily in the liturgy during Lent, most notably in the long Tract sung on the First Sunday of Lent.

If I have time, I will then look at some of the repeated psalms in other forms of the Office, but no guarantees!




Tomorrow I will provide a general introduction to Psalm 90, including in the context of its use at Compline in the Benedictine (and pre-1911 Roman) Office, where it is said daily.

Psalm 90 and the spiritual warfare of Lent

Today though, I thought I would get things started by providing a reflection on its relevance to Lent from Dom Gueranger:

...the Church views her children ...as an immense army, fighting day and night against their spiritual enemies.  We remember how, on Ash Wednesday, she calls Lent a Christian warfare.  In order that we may have that newness of life, which will make us worthy to sing once more our Alleluia, we must conquer our three enemies: the devil, the flesh and the world.  We are fellow combatants with our Jesus, for He, too, submits to the triple temptation, suggested to Him by Satan in person.

And whereas it is of the utmost importance that our hearts be spirited and brave, the Church gives us a war-song of heaven's own making, which can fire even cowards with hope of victory and confidence in God's help: it is the ninetieth Psalm.  She inserts the whole of it in the Mass of the first Sunday of Lent, and every day introduces several of its verses into the ferial Office. 

She there tells us to rely on the protection, wherewith our heavenly Father covers us, as with a shield; to hope under the shelter of His wings; to have confidence in Him; for that He will deliver us from the snare of the hunter, who had robbed us of the holy liberty of the children of God; to rely upon the succour of the holy angels, who are our brothers, to whom the Lord has given charge that they keep us in all our ways, and who, when Jesus permitted Satan to tempt Him, were the adoring witnesses of His combat, and approached Him, after His victory, proffering to Him their service and homage.  

Let us well absorb these sentiments wherewith the Church would have us to be inspired; and during our six weeks' campaign, let us often repeat this admirable canticle, which so fully describes what the soldiers of Christ should be and feel in this season of the great spiritual warfare. (The Liturgical Year, vol 5, pp 21-2)

Scriptural interpretation and the devil

There is, though, it has to be said an implicit warning behind the reasons the psalm features at this time, for in the account of the temptations of Christ in Scripture, it is devil who quotes Psalm 90, not Christ:

Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry. And the tempter coming said to him: If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Who answered and said: It is written, Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.  Then the devil took him up into the holy city, and set him upon the pinnacle of the temple, And said to him: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written: That he hath given his angels charge over thee, and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said to him: It is written again: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil took him up into a very high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, And said to him: All these will I give thee, if falling down thou wilt adore me. Then Jesus saith to him: Begone, Satan: for it is written, The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil left him; and behold angels came and ministered to him. (Mt 4)

We must take care, then, to seek out orthodox interpretations of the text, and be guided by the Fathers and Theologians!

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.

You can find the next part in this series here.

Ordo for the Benedictine Office

Just to let you know that the Ordo for the Benedictine Office according to the 1962 rubrics is now available on Lulu for purchase, for those who would like a printed version.

It is also available in PDF form - just follow the link to Ordo for 2019.

You can also find the month by month Ordos on the Saints Will Arise blog, which also provides weekly versions.

Final reflections on Psalm 4 - Offer the sacrifice of justice

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.

Psalm 4 in the Office

Psalm 4 is said every day in the Benedictine Office, so its messages are important, particularly in its call to repentance for the sins of the day.

I've only touched on a few of the possible levels of meaning of this psalm here - as you say it day after day, you will no doubt have your own insights as to what it is saying to you in particular.

St Augustine's Confessions

Still, I thought it might be nice to complete this series with some more from St Augustine's comments on it in the context of his conversion from Manichaeism:

With what vehement and bitter sorrow was I indignant at the Manichæans; whom yet again I pitied, for that they were ignorant of those sacraments, those medicaments, and were mad against the antidote which might have made them sane! I wished that they had been somewhere near me then, and, without my being aware of their presence, could have beheld my face, and heard my words, when I read the fourth Psalm in that time of my leisure — how that Psalm wrought upon me. 

When I called upon You, Thou heard me, O God of my righteousness; You have enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. Oh that they might have heard what I uttered on these words, without my knowing whether they heard or no, lest they should think that I spoke it because of them! For, of a truth, neither should I have said the same things, nor in the way I said them, if I had perceived that I was heard and seen by them; and had I spoken them, they would not so have received them as when I spoke by and for myself before You, out of the private feelings of my soul.

I alternately quaked with fear, and warmed with hope, and with rejoicing in Your mercy, O Father. And all these passed forth, both by my eyes and voice, when Your good Spirit, turning unto us, said, O you sons of men, how long will you be slow of heart? How long will you love vanity, and seek after leasing? For I had loved vanity, and sought after leasing. And You, O Lord, had already magnified Your Holy One, raising Him from the dead, and setting Him at Your right hand, whence from on high He should send His promise, the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth.  And He had already sent Him, but I knew it not; He had sent Him, because He was now magnified, rising again from the dead, and ascending into heaven. For till then the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. 

And the prophet cries out, How long will you be slow of heart? How long will you love vanity, and seek after leasing? Know this, that the Lord has magnified His Holy One. He cries out, How long? He cries out, Know this, and I, so long ignorant, loved vanity, and sought after leasing. And therefore I heard and trembled, because these words were spoken unto such as I remembered that I myself had been. For in those phantasms which I once held for truths was there vanity and leasing. And I spoke many things loudly and earnestly, in the sorrow of my remembrance, which, would that they who yet love vanity and seek after leasing had heard! They would perchance have been troubled, and have vomited it forth, and You would hear them when they cried unto You; for by a true death in the flesh He died for us, who now makes intercession for us with You. 

I read further, Be angry, and sin not.  And how was I moved, O my God, who had now learned to be angry with myself for the things past, so that in the future I might not sin! Yea, to be justly angry; for that it was not another nature of the race of darkness which sinned for me, as they affirm it to be who are not angry with themselves, and who treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath, and of the revelation of Your righteous judgment.  Nor were my good things now without, nor were they sought after with eyes of flesh in that sun; for they that would have joy from without easily sink into oblivion, and are wasted upon those things which are seen and temporal, and in their starving thoughts do lick their very shadows. Oh, if only they were wearied out with their fasting, and said, Who will show us any good? And we would answer, and they hear, O Lord. The light of Your countenance is lifted up upon us. For we are not that Light, which lights every man, but we are enlightened by You, that we, who were sometimes darkness, may be light in You. Oh that they could behold the internal Eternal, which having tasted I gnashed my teeth that I could not show It to them, while they brought me their heart in their eyes, roaming abroad from You, and said, Who will show us any good? But there, where I was angry with myself in my chamber, where I was inwardly pricked, where I had offered my sacrifice, slaying my old man, and beginning the resolution of a new life, putting my trust in You, — there had Thou begun to grow sweet unto me, and to put gladness in my heart. And I cried out as I read this outwardly, and felt it inwardly. Nor would I be increased with worldly goods, wasting time and being wasted by time; whereas I possessed in Your eternal simplicity other grain, and wine, and oil.

And with a loud cry from my heart, I called out in the following verse, Oh, in peace! and the self-same! Oh, what said he, I will lay me down and sleep! For who shall hinder us, when shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory? And You are in the highest degree the self-same, who changest not; and in You is the rest which forgets all labour, for there is no other beside You, nor ought we to seek after those many other things which are not what You are; but Thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell in hope. These things I read, and was inflamed; but discovered not what to do with those deaf and dead, of whom I had been a pestilent member — a bitter and a blind declaimer against the writings behonied with the honey of heaven and luminous with Your own light; and I was consumed on account of the enemies of this Scripture.

When shall I call to mind all that took place in those holidays? Yet neither have I forgotten, nor will I be silent about the severity of Your scourge, and the amazing quickness of Your mercy. Thou at that time tortured me with toothache; and when it had become so exceeding great that I was not able to speak, it came into my heart to urge all my friends who were present to pray for me to You, the God of all manner of health. And I wrote it down on wax, and gave it to them to read. Presently, as with submissive desire we bowed our knees, that pain departed. But what pain? Or how did it depart? I confess to being much afraid, my Lord my God, seeing that from my earliest years I had not experienced such pain. And Your purposes were profoundly impressed upon me; and, rejoicing in faith, I praised Your name. And that faith suffered me not to be at rest in regard to my past sins, which were not yet forgiven me by Your baptism.

Comments and feedback

Please do let me know how you found the format and content of these notes, and pass on any suggestions for making them more useful to you.

And please do share your own reflections on this important psalm.

I plan to be back with notes on Psalm 90 in the new year.

Psalm 4 verse 10 - Set apart by God and united in Christ

The final verse of Psalm 4 focuses on our hope of heaven.

Looking at the Latin

The Vulgate reads:

Quóniam tu, Dómine, singuláriter in spe constituísti me.

The key words are:

singulariter, adv.  alone, only, separately, apart. 

constituo, stitiii, stltutum, ere 3  to set, place, put, appoint; o make, create; build, found; devise, design; fix, mark out.

spes, spei,  hope; the object of hope; the thing hoped for; one who or that which furnishes ground for trust, confidence, safety, or security.

Accordingly a word by word translations rendering is:

Quóniam (For) tu (you), Dómine (O Lord), singuláriter (alone or separately/apart) in spe (hope) constituísti (you have set me) me.

The key ambiguity in the text is who is being referred to in 'singulariter'.

One interpretation is that it refers to God, enjoining us to put our trust in him alone, so that the RSV gives it as 'for thou alone, O LORD, makest me dwell in safety'.

The alternative reading though, is that it refers to the speaker, and points to the idea that separation from, or protection from the ills of  the world is the path for salvation.

Hope and safety

This verse builds on the previous one, pointing us to our hope.

Hope of what?

The Fathers generally answer, inner peace and tranquility, either in this world or the next.

Theodoret of Cyr, for example commented:

In other words, since I have dismissed all panic and disturbance of mind and have gained relief from them, and have instructed others in reading your wonderful providence in these things, I await death in the hope of resurrection. 

He called death sleep in this verse, note. Now, it was quite appropriate for him to relate hope to the thought of death after treating of Providence. You see, many people who in this present life fall on hard times and suffer injustice at the hands of their associates come to an end of their days without gaining any relief; so mighty David teaches them not to be annoyed, for the reason that death brings with it hope, and after death the recompense will be made.  

We can achieve this peace by putting our trust in God alone, rather than in man.  St Robert Bellarmine, for example, links the verse to the idea of sleep as a reminder of death:

Thus the just man, the friend of God, dwells in divine hope alone, as he would in a fortified house, doing what in him lies for this world as well as for the next, not confiding in his own strength nor in any­thing created, but in God alone, and, therefore, is not confounded, but securely sleeps, and will sleep with equal securi­ty in the world to come.

Set apart for God

Yet many of the older commentaries adopt a different interpretation, also focusing on the building of strong communities of virtue in this world, epitomised by the monastery.  This line of interpretation of the verse sees 'singulariter' as referring to the psalmist, not God: the speaker is 'set apart' from the 'many' who pursue only the pleasures of the flesh in the earlier verses.

St John Chrysostom, for example, pointed to numerous Scriptural injunctions to avoid the company of those who might lead us astray, and urges us instead to seek out the company of the virtuous, uniting ourselves with them in Christ:

There is no problem so great, you see, which is not ren­dered easy through hope in the esteem to be enjoyed from God....Separated from the wicked. In other words, to maintain this peace with you, he says, I live secure, keeping my distance from corrupt people.

 St Augustine takes a similar line, linking this separation from the world to the remnant that constitutes the Church will attain heaven:

And well does he say, in singleness. For this may refer in opposition to those many, who being multiplied from the time of His grain, of wine, and oil, say, Who shows us good things? For this multiplicity perishes, and singleness is observed among the saints: of whom it is said in the Acts of the Apostles, and of the multitude of them that believed, there was one soul, and one heart.  In singleness, then, and simplicity, removed, that is, from the multitude and crowd of things, that are born and die, we ought to be lovers of eternity, and unity, if we desire to cleave to the one God and our Lord.

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.

And for some concluding reflections on this psalm, go here.

Psalm 4 - verse 9 - Seek after peace and pursue it

The concluding verses of Psalm 4 take us to that state of peace that allows us to go to sleep - and to face death - in the tranquility of a clear conscience supported by the grace of the sacraments.

Understanding the Latin

The Vulgate for verse 9 of Psalm 4 runs:

In pace in idípsum dórmiam et requiéscam

The key words are:

pax, pacis,  peace

dormio, ivi or ii, itum, ire, to sleep, to lie down to rest.

requiesco, quievi, quietum, ere 3, to rest, be at rest; to sleep.

idipsum, at once, forthwith; together, at the same time.

A word by word translation gives a rough sense of it:

In (in) pace (peace/peacefully) in idípsum (at once/the self-same) dórmiam (I will sleep) et (and) requiéscam (I will rest).

The English translations broadly separate into two camps.  The first camp treats sleep and rest as two separate things, providing a hint that the verse is perhaps intended to suggest both the peace we hope for now in sleep, and our hope of the peace of eternal rest.  The Monastic Diurnal perhaps captures this approach best, translating the verse as 'In peace then, shall I sleep and rest'.

The second camp treats requiescam as related to the sleep.  The Grail translation, for example renders it as 'I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once', while Knox makes it 'Even as I lie down, sleep comes, and with sleep tranquility'.  The problem with this approach is that it downplays the use of the words peace and requiescam, the first of which has some obvious resonances for Benedictines in particular, and the second with obvious links to the Office for the Dead.

True and false peace

To take the importance of the concept of peace first, the Benedictine motto is, of course, ‘pax’ or peace, and derives from St Benedict's instruction in the Prologue to the rule to 'seek after peace and pursue it'.  But the concept is often misapplied, for the peace alluded to here is not freedom conflict with the outside world, for as Our Lord said, ‘I came not to bring peace but a sword’ (Mt 10:34).

St Thomas Aquinas, for example comments on the verse that:

 For the kingdom of God does not mean food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans: 14: 17).

The peace sought and offered here, then, consists in inner tranquility and joy, not freedom from external conflict. St John Chrysostom, for example, notes that:

Lo, another manifestation of providence of great value: enjoyment of peace by those devoted to God. "Peace comes to those who love your Law," Scripture says, remember, "nothing can ensnare them." Nothing, you see, is so calculated to bring peace as knowledge of God and possession of virtue, banishing afar conflict of the passions and not allowing one to be at odds with oneself…If you have the fear of God, however, you will assiduously allay this conflict and calm your passions, suffocating those varied beasts that are your unruly thoughts instead of encouraging them to lurk in your den. Thus you will enjoy the purest and deepest peace.

 Sleep and death

The second key concept embedded in the verse is that while we must seek after this inner peace, we cannot wholly achieve it in this world.  Rather, St Augustine for example argues, sleep serves to remind us of our ultimate end:

For such men justly hope for all manner of estrangement of mind from things mortal, and forgetfulness of this world's miseries; which is beautifully and prophetically signified under the name of sleep and rest, where the most perfect peace cannot be interrupted by any tumult. But this is not had now in this life, but is to be hoped for after this life. This even the words themselves, which are in the future tense, show us. For it is not said, either, I have slept, and taken rest; or, I do sleep, and take rest; but, I will sleep, and take rest.

In union with Christ

There is also meaning, some commentators argue, in the words  'ín idpsum', which the Douay-Rheims translates as 'in the self-same', for St Robert Bellarmine sees it as pointing to our hope of union with God:

David's conclusion then is, whatever the conduct of those whom I have been exhorting may be, my desire is to confide entirely in God, and rest altogether in him. "In peace," that is, in the most perfect tranquility; "in the selfsame" that is, in union, along with "I will sleep and rest," that is, I will secure­ly lie down, and profoundly sleep. Observe the word "selfsame," a word of frequent use in the Psalms, and signifies with, or in union with.

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.

For the final part of this series, click here.