Psalm 53 v 1 - The vindication of Christ

Bibliotheca Bodmeriana C 74 -
St. Cecilia in Trast. f. 58v. Einsiedeln, Stiftbibliothek 121 f. 150

Verse 1 of Psalm 53 calls on God to save the speaker, and then to vindicate him:

Deus, in nómine tuo salvum me fac: et in virtúte tua júdica me

Save me, O God, by your name, and judge me in your strength

Looking at the Latin

The key vocabulary for the verse is:

nomen, mis, n. name; God himself; the perfections of God, His glory, majesty, wisdom, power, goodness,

in+abl = with, in, on among, by means of

salvus, a, um, safe, saved,  salvum facere, to save, keep safe, preserve from harm.. 

virtus, utis, f   strength, power, might; an army, host; the angels.; the heavenly bodies

judico, avi, atum, are to judge,  rule,  punish,  do justice to, to relieve from wrong

It is worth noting that although the neo-Vulgate follows the Vulgate in this case, St Jerome’s translation from the Hebrew (JH) and the Pian psalter offer quite different versions of the second phrase:

1	V/NV	Deus, in nómine tuo salvum me fac: * et in virtúte tua júdica me.
	Pian	Deus, in nomine tuo salvum me fac, Et virtute tua age causam meam.
	JH	Deus, in nomine tuo salua me, et in fortitudine tua ulciscere me.
	Sept	ὁ θεός ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου σῶσόν με καὶ ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου κρῖνόν με

  

The various English translations offer a variety of shades of meaning for ‘judica’:  .

DR	Save me, O God, by your name, and judge me in your strength.
Brenton	Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy might.
RSV	Save me, O God, by thy name, and vindicate me by thy might.
Cover	Save me, O God, for thy Name’s sake, and avenge me in thy strength.
Knox	Lord, by the virtue of thy name deliver me, let thy sovereign power grant me redress;
Collegeville	O God, by Your name save me, and judge me by Your might.
Grail	O God, save me by your name; by your power, uphold my cause.

The Christological interpretation

As noted in the introduction to the psalm, the Father’s generally took their cue from the title of this psalm, which put it in the context of David’s betrayal when he attempted to find refuge in the desert and woodlands of Ziph, and saw David as a type of Christ. St Hilary of Poitiers, for example, commented that:

The suffering of the Prophet David is, according to the account we have given of the title, a type of the Passion of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ is, in this verse, providing us with a model of how to pray, St Hilary argued:

This is why his prayer also corresponds in sense with the prayer of Him Who being the Word was made flesh: in such wise that He Who suffered all things after the manner of man, in everything He said, spoke after the manner of man; and He who bore the infirmities and took on Him the sins of men approached God in prayer with the humility proper to men.

The power of God’s name

But these are verses equally applicable to all Christians, hence its regular use in Prime in the older form of the Roman Office.  St Cassiodorus for example commented that:

Earlier he asked that he should experience healing in this world by the name of the Lord; now he begs that at the judgment to come he should be freed by His strength, for just as here the Lord came in the guise of weakness of body, so there He will appear with the power of His majesty. So in the one verse these two aims, which religious persons should seek before all else, are fulfilled. The words are rightly uttered by each and every believer; they are rightly spoken by the Christian people.

God’s justice

The second phrase’s call for judgment can be interpreted in a number of ways, but the most obvious interpretation is in the sense of reward, recompense or vindication for our actions.  In the case of Christ, St Hilary argued: 

For now as the reward for His humility in emptying Himself and assuming the form of a servant, in the same humility in which He had assumed it, He was asking to resume the form which He shared with God, having saved to bear the Name of God that humanity in which as God He had obediently condescended to be born…For a right award is the essential result of judgment, as the Scripture says: Becoming obedient unto death, yea, the death of the Cross.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem, in carminibus. Intellectus David, 2 cum venissent Ziphæi, et dixissent ad Saul : Nonne David absconditus est apud nos?	Unto the end, in verses, understanding for David. 2 When the men of Ziph had come and said to Saul: Is not David hidden with us?
1 Deus, in nómine tuo salvum me fac: * et in virtúte tua júdica me.	3 Save me, O God, by your name, and judge me in your strength.
2  Deus, exáudi oratiónem meam: * áuribus pércipe verba oris mei.	4 O God, hear my prayer: give ear to the words of my mouth.
3  Quóniam aliéni insurrexérunt advérsum me, et fortes quæsiérunt ánimam meam: * et non proposuérunt Deum ante conspéctum suum.	5 For strangers have risen up against me; and the mighty have sought after my soul: and they have not set God before their eyes.
4 Ecce enim Deus ádjuvat me: * et Dóminus suscéptor est ánimæ meæ.	6 For behold God is my helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
5  Avérte mala inimícis meis: * et in veritáte tua dispérde illos.	7 Turn back the evils upon my enemies; and cut them off in your truth.
6  Voluntárie sacrificábo tibi, * et confitébor nómini tuo, Dómine: quóniam bonum est :	8 I will freely sacrifice to you, and will give praise, O God, to your name: because it is good:
7  Quóniam ex omni tribulatióne eripuísti me: * et super inimícos meos despéxit óculus meus.	9 For you have delivered me out of all trouble: and my eye has looked down upon my enemies.

And for the next part in this series, continue on here.

Introduction to Psalm 53

Two Ziphites before Saul
Library of the Holy Monastery of Pantokrator

The next psalm I want to take a look at in this series is Psalm 53.

Psalm 53 has a particular appropriateness for the Lenten season, since it is used on both Good Friday and Holy Saturday at Tenebrae, as well as said daily at Prime during the Triduum.

My other reason for looking at it though, is that it was once one of the psalms recited daily in the Roman Office, thus contributing to the particular character of that Office.*

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem, in carminibus. Intellectus David, 2 cum venissent Ziphæi, et dixissent ad Saul : Nonne David absconditus est apud nos?	Unto the end, in verses, understanding for David. When the men of Ziph had come and said to Saul: Is not David hidden with us?
1 Deus, in nómine tuo salvum me fac: * et in virtúte tua júdica me.	Save me, O God, by your name, and judge me in your strength.
2  Deus, exáudi oratiónem meam: * áuribus pércipe verba oris mei.	O God, hear my prayer: give ear to the words of my mouth.
3  Quóniam aliéni insurrexérunt advérsum me, et fortes quæsiérunt ánimam meam: * et non proposuérunt Deum ante conspéctum suum.	For strangers have risen up against me; and the mighty have sought after my soul: and they have not set God before their eyes.
4 Ecce enim Deus ádjuvat me: * et Dóminus suscéptor est ánimæ meæ.	For behold God is my helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
5  Avérte mala inimícis meis: * et in veritáte tua dispérde illos.	Turn back the evils upon my enemies; and cut them off in your truth.
6  Voluntárie sacrificábo tibi, * et confitébor nómini tuo, Dómine: quóniam bonum est :	I will freely sacrifice to you, and will give praise, O God, to your name: because it is good:
7  Quóniam ex omni tribulatióne eripuísti me: * et super inimícos meos despéxit óculus meus.	For you have delivered me out of all trouble: and my eye has looked down upon my enemies.

A once prominent psalm

Psalm 53 doesn't feature much in the versions of the Office still in official use.

In the Benedictine psalm schema Psalm 53 is said normally said only once a week, as the second psalm of the second Nocturn of Matins on Tuesday.

Similarly, in the Roman Office, since 1911 it has been said said once a week only, at Sunday Prime.

The 1970 Liturgy of the Hours reduced its use further, cutting out one verse altogether, and consigning what is left to being said one every four weeks (to daytime prayer on Tuesday of week 2).

Prior to the twentieth century though, it had a much more prominent position, said daily at Prime in the Roman Office.

It was also said at Prime daily in the Little Office of Our Lady, a devotion that almost certainly originated at Monte Cassino and was said in addition to the Office for religious, as well as the main form of the Office for the laity for much of the Middle Ages, and was subsequently used by many religious sisters up until Vatican II.

The history of the liturgical use of this psalm then, raises a number of questions that I think are worth pondering, and which I hope to at least touch on as we go through its verses, such as:

• why does the psalm feature so heavily in the liturgy of Holy Week?
• why was the psalm considered so important as to be said daily in the Roman Office?
• why was it considered particularly appropriate for the hour of Prime?
• assuming that Psalm 53 already held its position at Prime in St Benedict's time, why didn't he follow the Roman model in this case (and if it was added after his time, why)? and
• why was it considered particularly apposite for the Little Office of Our Lady?

David, Christ and the Devil

The ancient title to Psalm 53, preserved in both the Hebrew Masoretic Text and Septuagint traditions, gives it a particular historical context, set out in 1 Samuel 23: David had taken refuge with the Ziphites, who, after feigning friendship betrayed him to King Saul; he was saved only because the Philistines invaded, preventing Saul from pursuing him.

Here are some of the key verses:

But David abode in the desert in strong holds, and he remained in a mountain of the desert of Ziph, in a woody hill. And Saul sought him always: but the Lord delivered him not into his hands. And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life. And David was in the desert of Ziph, in a wood...And the Ziphites went up to Saul in Gabaa, saying: Lo, doth not David lie hid with us in the strong holds of the wood, in mount Hachila, which is on the right hand of the desert. Now therefore come down, as thy soul hath desired to come down: and it shall be our business to deliver him into the king’s hands. And Saul said: Blessed be ye of the Lord, for you have pitied my case. Go therefore, I pray you, and use all diligence, and curiously inquire, and consider the place where his foot is, and who hath seen him there: for he thinketh of me, that I lie craftily in wait for him. Consider and see all his lurking holes, wherein he is hid, and return to me with the certainty of the thing, that I may go with you. And if he should even go down into the earth to hide himself, I will search him out in all the thousands of Juda. And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: and David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the plain at the right hand of Jesimon. 

The Fathers almost invariably interpreted the psalm title's allusion to this story typologically: Saul stands for the devil; David for Christ, and the Ziphites for the Jewish authorities who harassed and ultimately handed him over to be crucified.

The first verse of the Psalm, then, which reads 'Save me, O God, by your name, and judge me in your strength', becomes a reference first to Christ's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemene, and then to his vindication through the Resurrection; other verses take us through the other events of the Triduum, most notably verse 6 as a reference to Christ's willing sacrifice of himself on the cross, hence its use at Tenebrae.

And the link to the Resurrection perhaps also helps to explain its position at Prime, since it thus provides a lead in to stanzas of Psalm 118, which, by dint of its reference to the blessed many in the opening verse, is often interpreted as relating to the way to heaven reopened by virtue of the Resurrection.

Psalm 53 in the Little Office of Our Lady

Typological interpretations of the psalm title also, I think, account for its use in the Little Office of Our Lady, as the seventh or eighth century (probably Irish) commentary on it by Pseudo-Jerome drew a parallel between David's hiding in the woods and caves of Zith, and his hidden time spent in the womb of Our Lady.

That commentary also points to his time in the flesh as one of hidden divinity, thus it is a prayer of his acceptance of the form of a servant, and offering of himself for our salvation.

The Benedictine Office

St Benedict's arrangement of the psalter does not particularly highlight Psalm 53, but rather places in the context of a set of psalms that tell first of God's power and glory (the 'Sons of Zion', starting with Psalm 45), and then of man's reaction to this revelation: rather than hearing God's message and converting from sin, Psalm 51 onwards tell us, the seek David - and thus Christ's life.

This interpretation, I think, helps explain why St Benedict saw the psalm as particularly appropriate to Tuesdays, since that day in the Benedictine Office particularly focuses on Christ's public mission: David's betrayal by the Zithites, after all, was not the end of his struggles with Saul.

Instead, particularly in the context of the Benedictine arrangement of the psalter which connects the psalms of Zion to the Gradual Psalms on Tuesdays, invites us to take a different path to the Zithities.

Instead of seeking to betray Christ, we must call upon him for help (verse 1 -3), relying on his justice and mercy.

Instead of striking back, we should pray for the conversion of our enemies (the proper interpretation of verse 5, excised in the Liturgy of the Hours!).

And in response to all the aid that God gives us, in recognition of his great goodness, we should in turn offer to him our sacrifice of praise in the Office and the Mass (verse 6-7).

A prayer for aid in the spiritual battle

Above all, Psalm 53 is a prayer for aid in the spiritual battle.

In the Benedictine Office, the very first psalm said each day, Psalm 3 (said at Matins), serves to call and aid us in the daily spiritual battle.

Psalm 53, though, arguably served the same function in the Roman Office, as St Robert Bellarmine, in continuity with a stream of commentaries from Amalarius of Metz onwards, noted:

This Psalm is daily recited in the canonical hour of Prime, in order that, in imitation of David, we may learn to strengthen ourselves with the arm of prayer against all our persecutors, at the beginning of each day, recollecting, “That all who wish to live piously in Jesus Christ shall suffer persecution.”

Though it is no longer said daily, it is a psalm that deserves our attention as we move closer to Holy Week, and in the next post I will starting at it verse by verse.




*The repeated psalms of the pre-1911 Roman and the Benedictine Offices are set out in the table below for reference purposes.  Psalms that are repeated over the week in one form of the Office but not the other are bolded.

Hour	Roman pre 1911	Benedictine
Matins	94	3, 94
Lauds	62, 66, [50], 148, 149, 150	66, 50, 148, 149, 150
Prime	53, Ps 118 (1-32)	nil
Terce-None	Ps 118 (33-176)	Ps 119-127 (Tues - Sat)
Vespers	nil	nil
Compline	4 , 30 (1-6), 90, 133	4, 90, 133

Other scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	-
RB cursus	Tuesday Matins
Monastic feasts etc	Triduum Prime; Tenebrae Good Friday II, 3; Holy Sat III, 1; LOOL Prime AN 1321, 2165 (5)
Responsories	6421 (3) – tues in summer? 7368 (3) - All Souls/Office of the Dead no 7 7773 (5) - Good Friday no 7
Roman pre 1911	Prime daily
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Wednesday Terce. 1970: Tuesday DP omitting v5 (averte mala)
Mass propers (EF)	Lent 4 Monday, IN (3-5); Passion Monday, GR (1-2);  PP9, IN (1, 4-5)

 

Psalm 90 v16 pt 2: St Benedict's take - Extend our lives O Lord?

Hezekiah's sundial

Longitúdine diérum replébo eum: et osténdam illi salutáre meum.

I will fill him with length of days; and I will show him my salvation.

In the last post I discussed the interpretations of the last verse of Psalm 90 offered by the Fathers and Theologians that centre around the Christological interpretation of the verse, as well as its promise of eternal life to us.  

In this post I want to continue with some speculation on St Benedict's particular take on the verse.

A long temporal life?

Not all interpreters of this verse see it as referring only to eternal life; instead, some see if as a  promise of a long life here and now.  

St Alphonsus Liguori, for example, argued that of the eight promises set out in these last three verses of the psalm, four of them relate to this work, and four to the next:

I will give him a long life, and will make him enjoy the health and salvation that I shall bestow upon him in this life, and eternal salvation which I reserve for him in the next… that is: I will draw him from this world of tribulation, and I will raise him to the abode of glory; there his life will have no longer an end, and he will enjoy a happiness that I enjoy myself.

How long though, is long enough in this world?

Extend our lives so that we can amend our evil ways

St Benedict's commentary in the Prologue to the Rule suggests that we must hope and pray that God 

'lengthens the days of our life' to give us enough time ‘to amend our evil ways’ and ‘to make our life correspond with God’s holy admonitions’.

There is an interesting possible connection to this theme in the psalm made by Theodore of Cyrus.

King Hezekiah, who, when told he was dying, begged for his life to be extended, and was granted an additional fifteen years of life.

Theodore's commentary on the psalm notes that:

Blessed Hezekiah also enjoyed these benefits, asking for an extended life, he received a span of fifteen years…

The Gradual psalms and the canticle of Hezekiah

Fifteen is of course, a significant number, associated with both the number of steps between the inner and outer courtyards of the Temple, symbolizing the ascent to heaven, and with the Gradual Psalms that were recited as the pilgrims ascended them on great feasts.  

In order to remind us of the need to make our own ascent through humility, St Benedict assigned the first nine of the Gradual psalms to be said at Terce to None most days.  

But it is particularly symbolic that St Benedict assigns all of the Gradual Psalms (bar one) to Tuesdays, the day on which the Canticle of Hezekiah (in which Hezekiah begs for God to save him from death) is traditionally said at Lauds.

We too, it seems to me, are being invited, as the canticle pleads, to ask God to correct us, and thus enable us to live (corrípies me et vivificábis me).

In the Rule, St Benedict makes repeated references to the need for us to continually strive to do good works, to grow in humility and virtue, so that our hearts are enlarged with charity and we can deserve to be partakers in his kingdom.

And our entry into that kingdom is foreshadowed in the fifteenth and last Gradual Psalm (Ps 133) which is recited immediately after this final verse of Psalm 90 each day at Compline in the Benedictine Office.

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.
Hezekiah's sundial 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.

And that brings to an end this series on Psalm 90 - please do pass on any reactions, comments or suggestions in the comm box or by emailing me.

Next week, I plan to take a look at one of the repeated psalms of the (pre-1911) Roman Office, Psalm 53, which also features heavily in Tenebrae of Holy Week.