Psalm 4 - verse 5: On rash and righteous anger

Verse 5 of Psalm 4 is a call to repentance: night is a time to ponder our personal darkness, and make up our minds to change for the better.

Understanding the Latin

The Vulgate gives the verse as:

Irascímini, et nolíte peccáre: quæ dícitis in córdibus vestris, in cubílibus vestris compungímini

The key words for the verse are:

irascor, iratus sum, irasci , to be angry or wrathful.

nolo, nolui, nolle  to be unwilling, not to wish, to refuse. 

pecco, avi, atum, are, to sin; to sin against, with dat.

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

cor, cordis, n., the heart, regarded as the seat of the faculties, feelings, emotions, passions; the mind, the soul.

cubile, is, n. a bed, couch.

compungo, punxi, punctum, ere 3,  to prick; fig., to wound, hurt; in passive, to feel compunction, sorrow, regret, or remorse, to repent. 

A word by word translation might be:

Irascímini (be angry [at yourself]), et (and) nolíte (be unwilling) peccáre (to sin): * quæ (that which/ what) dícitis (you say) in córdibus (in the heart) vestris (your), in cubílibus (in the beds) vestris (your) compungímini (be sorry/repent)

The literal meaning

The selection of English translations below suggest that the literal meaning of the verse is ambiguous: is it saying, 'when angry don't translate your anger into sinful action', as the Monastic Diurnal's translation suggests; or is it a call to righteous anger, aimed at stirring up our consciences?

 

Douay Rheims	Be angry, and sin not: the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds.
Monastic Diurnal	When roused to anger, sin not: what you scheme in your hearts, deplore upon your beds.
RSV	Be angry, but sin not; commune with your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
Brenton	Be ye angry, and sin not; feel compunction upon your beds for what ye say in your hearts.
Coverdale	Stand in awe, and sin not; commune with your own heart, and in your chamber, and be still.
Knox	Tremble, and sin no more; take thought, as you lie awake, in the silence of your hearts.
Grail	Fear him; do not sin: ponder on your bed and be still.

 In fact the Fathers make clear that both meanings are possible.

Self-control

Anger can of course be a sin, but the point is not to avoid it altogether, but rather to control it appropriately, according to  St Cassiodorus:

The anger which does not effect its indignation is pardonable; in the words of Scripture: He that conquers his anger is better than he that taketh a city.  So the injunction to control it is appended, so that if we are already angry we do not sin through impulsive rashness. Because of human frailty we cannot govern our hot emotions, but with the help of God's grace we contain them with the discipline of reason.

This line of interpretation fits well with St Paul's use of the verse in Ephesians:

Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.  Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (4:25-27)

 Anger as a tool in the spiritual life

But in the context of the psalm, the more obvious interpretation goes to the positive uses of anger.  St John Chrysostom, for example, argues that righteous anger as a positive, a way of directing our minds to genuine repentance:

He does not dismiss anger, note, for it is useful, nor does he eliminate wrath, this too proving helpful, after all, in dealing with wrongdoers and the negligent…In other words, it is alright to be angry for good rea­son, as Paul too was angry with Elymas, and Peter with Sapphira...

St Augustine gave a vivid application of this line of interpretation of the verse in his Confessions:

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.

St Benedict instructs us to take a similar approach in the concluding section of the chapter of the Rule on humility:

[the monk] should always have his head bowed and his eyes downcast, pondering always the guilt of his sins, and considering that he is about to be brought before the dread judgement seat of God. 

St Cassiodorus adds:

What is repentance but being angry with oneself, so that one is aghast at one's deeds, and seeks self-torture so that the angry Judge may not afflict us instead?

In the silence of our bedrooms

The particular appropriateness of the night for the renewal of our commitment to continual repentance through anger at ourselves is set out by St Robert Bellarmine:

St. Basil tells us that anger was implanted in us by God, to be a source of merit. "The things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds;" that is to say, in the dead hour of night, when you shall be alone in your bedchamber, free from all cares; then turn over all your shortcomings, and in God's presence be sorry for them, imitat­ing the example of David himself, who in Psalm 6 says, "Every night I will wash my bed; I will water my couch with my tears," thus carrying out the advice he gave to others.

The Holy Ghost having severely reproved and admon­ished mankind, and advised them to repent, tells them now what they ought to do, and instructs them to have a holy hor­ror of sin, to resist their evil desires, and, by such means, to avoid sin; and, should they happen to fall, at once to be sorry and contrite; and not to stop at the doing no harm, but to go fur­ther, by offering the sacrifice of justice in doing good. "Be angry, and sin not;" that is to say, when your wicked and rebellious temper, the top and bottom of all our sins, stirs us up, let your anger vent itself on your own poor corrupt self; contend with it, so that you shall not fall into sin. 

The call to anger here is not to shouting or violent gestures, but rather to inner compunction.  St Cyprian, for example, points us to the example Hannah (Anna), the mother of Samuel:

And this Hannah in the first book of Kings, who was a type of the Church, maintains and observes, in that she prayed to God not with clamorous petition, but silently and modestly, within the very recesses of her heart. She spoke with hidden prayer, but with manifest faith. She spoke not with her voice, but with her heart, because she knew that thus God hears; and she effectually obtained what she sought, because she asked it with belief. Divine Scripture asserts this, when it says, “She spake in her heart, and her lips moved, and her voice was not heard; and God did hear her.” We read also in the Psalms, “Speak in your hearts, and in your beds, and be ye pierced.” The Holy Spirit, moreover, suggests these same things by Jeremiah, and teaches, saying, “But in the heart ought God to be adored by thee.” On the Lord’s Prayer, c242

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.

You can find the next part in the series here.

Psalm 4 - verse 4: Christ opens the way

Verse 4 of Psalm 4 arguably introduces a sharper Christological focus to the psalm, telling us that the way to God is through Christ.

Understanding the Latin

The Vulgate reads:

Et scitóte quóniam mirificávit Dóminus sanctum suum: Dóminus exáudiet me cum clamávero ad eum.

The key vocabulary for the verse are:

scio, ivi and ii, itum, ire, to know.

quoniam, conj.,for, because, since, seeing that, whereas.

mirifico, avi, atum, are  to exalt, to favor wonderfully; to fulfill or accomplish wondrously; to show forth wondrously.

And a literal, a word by word rendering runs as follows:

Et (and) scitóte (know you) quóniam (that) mirificávit (he has exalted) Dóminus (the Lord) sanctum (the only one) suum (his): Dóminus (the Lord) exáudiet (he will hear) me (me) cum (when) clamávero (I shall cry) ad (to) eum (him).

The English translations fall into two camps on this verse: those that view 'sanctum suum' as a reference to Christ (the view mostly taken by the Fathers and Theologians, see below), and those which interpret it as a reference to the saints more generally. 

 

Douay-Rheims	Know also that the Lord has made his holy one wonderful:  the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him.
Monastic Diurnal	…has dealt wondrously…
RSV	But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;  the LORD hears when I call to him.
Brenton	But know ye that the Lord has done wondrous things for his holy one:  the Lord will hear me when I cry to him.
Coverdale	Know this also, that the Lord hath chosen to himself the man that is godly;  when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.
Knox	To the souls he loves, be sure the Lord shews wondrous favour;  whenever I call on his name, the Lord will hear me.
Grail	It is the Lord who grants favors to those whom he loves;  the Lord hears me whenever I call him.

 God's holy one

Who is God's holy one?

The Fathers generally interpret this verse first and foremost as a reference to Christ.

St Augustine, for example, answers the question as follows:

Whom but Him, whom He raised up from below, and placed in heaven at His right hand?

In his Confessions, commenting on this verse he says:

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.  

 Similarly, St Robert Bellarmine points to the Gospel reference to Christ as the holy one, recognised by demons, and meant to be our example and guide:

Hence the demon, in Mark 1, exclaimed: "I know you are the Holy One of God." And this Holy One went his way, doing good, suffering perse­cutions, despising the things of this world, holding up those of the other, and by such a new route arrived at eternal happiness, corporally reigning in heaven, and spiritually happy forever. And as he is our guide, and went before us to prepare a place for us, undoubtedly, if we walk in his footsteps, we will come to true and everlasting happiness.

Answers to our prayers

The link between the two parts of this verse, according to St Augustine, is that Christ's mission opened the way for us, and allows us to be heard:

Therefore does he chide mankind, that they would turn at length from the love of this world to Him…I believe that we are here warned, that with great earnestness of heart, that is, with an inward and incorporeal cry, we should implore help of God. For as we must give thanks for enlightenment in this life, so must we pray for rest after this life. Wherefore in the person, either of the faithful preacher of the Gospel, or of our Lord Himself, it may be taken, as if it were written, the Lord will hear you, when you cry unto Him.

There are, however, some conditions we need to meet in order to have our prayers answered.

First, St Cassiodorus points to the need to put our belief into action, to supplicate God with good works:

When I shall cry means "When I shall supplicate the Godhead with good works," for the cry is that which reaches God in silence, and ensures that those who constantly devote themselves to good works are heard. 

 Secondly, our intentions must align with God's will, as St John Chrysostom points out:

So why is it, you ask, that many people are not heard? On ac­count of the inappropriate requests they make…our God, who understands what giving is, when to give, and what to give. Because Paul too asked and did not re­ceive, since his request was inappropriate, as did Moses, and God did not accede even to him. So let us not desist when we are not heard, nor be distraught nor become numb, but persist with en­treaty and request. God, after all, does everything for the best.

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.

You cna find the next part in this series here.

Psalm 4: verse 3 - Restoring flesh to our hearts of stone

Verse 3 of Psalm 4 can be interpreted in two ways: firstly as a personal call to repentance for our sins of the day just past, and secondly as  general reproach to those who reject the way of Christ.

Understanding the Latin

The Vulgate of the third verse of Psalm 4 reads:

Fílii hóminum, úsquequo gravi corde? ut quid dilígitis vanitátem et quæritis mendácium?

Key vocabulary:

gravis, e,  heavy; said of the heart, dull, hard. 

ut quid, adv., why? wherefore? for what reason 

diligo, lexi, lectum, ere 3  to love

vanitas, atis, emptiness, nothingness, vanity, unreality, falsehood

quaero, sivi, sltum, ere 3, to seek, seek after; to will, desire, think upon. Of seeking God

mendacium, ii, n.  a lie, lying, falsehood

A word by word translation is:

Fílii (sons) hóminum (of men), úsquequo (how long) gravi (hard) corde (with heart)? * ut quid (why) dilígitis (you do love) vanitátem (vanity) et (and) quæritis (you do seek/desire) mendácium (falsehood)?

You can get a better sense of the literal meaning of the verse though, from the selection of English translations below:

 

Douay-Rheims	O you sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? Why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?
Monastic Diurnal	Ye sons of men, how long will you be hard of heart?  Why love vanities and have recourse to lying?
RSV	O men, how long shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies?
Brenton	O ye sons on men, how long will ye be slow of heart? Wherefore do ye love vanity, and seek falsehood?
Coverdale	O ye sons of men, how long will ye blaspheme mine honour, and have such pleasure in vanity, and seek after leasing?
Knox	Great ones of the world, will your hearts always be hardened. Will you never cease setting your heart on shadows, following a lie?
Grail	O men, how long will your hearts be closed, will you love what is futile and seek what is false?

 

A call to reflect on our sins of the day and repent of them

Each day, St Augustine reminds us, we invariably fall many times; the test of a true Christian is whether, having fallen, we repent and resolve once again to take the correct path.  This verse, particularly in the context of Compline, can be interpreted as a reminder of that reality, and a call to repentance.

St Gregory Nazianzen suggested that it is first and foremost a call to examine our consciences:

But now, laying aside lamentation, I will look at myself, and examine my feelings, that I may not unconsciously have in myself anything to be lamented. O ye sons of men, for the words apply to you, how long will ye be hard-hearted and gross in mind? Why do ye love vanity and seek after leasing, supposing life here to be a great thing and these few days many, and shrinking from this separation, welcome and pleasant as it is, as if it were really grievous and awful? Are we not to know ourselves? Are we not to cast away visible things? Are we not to look to the things unseen? Oration 7

Similarly, St Robert Bellarmine interprets the verse as asking us to reflect on why we have not yet amended our ways and rejected the lure of earthly riches and pleasures:

That is to say, how long will you have a heart of stone, a hard one, inclined to the earth, thinking of nothing but the goods of this world? For, according to the Lord, "The hearts are weighed down by excess, drunkenness, and the cares of this world;" and because hardened hearts are not susceptible of celestial thoughts, but only of terrestrial and transitory, they only love what is terrestrial and transitory; and as we take trou­ble only in seeking for the things we ardently love, the Prophet adds, "Why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?" The goods of this world are called vain and fallacious, because they are neither stable nor solid, though they may seem to be so; and are therefore, with justice, designated as false and fallacious, especially when compared to those of eternity.

A prayer for the conversion of the world

The verse though can equally be seen as a reproach to all those who neglect to put Christ first.

St John Chrysostom, for example contrasts the phrase sons of men, referring to those who reject God or lack the gift of grace, with sons of God: 

Whom does he call "children of men?" Those living in sin, those inclined to evil. Why on earth? I mean, are not we children of men? While we are chil­dren of men by nature, yet no longer so by grace - rather, children of God. At least, if we maintain his image in virtue, the gift in our possession will be unsullied; those, after all, who have become children of God through grace must manifest this image also in their way of life.  Commentary on the Psalms.

And St Cassiodorus views it as a prayer for the conversion of sinners:

Whereas in the previous verse she prayed for us, here she vehemently bids the human race not to continue with the most grievous sin of worshipping demons, so that the prayer which she has poured out for us may be heard. 

St Thomas Aquinas similarly adopted this interpretation saying:

Here Psalm 4 addresses itself to an exhortation towards others. So, around this idea two points are made. First, there is the accusation of sinners that is replied to. Second, this Psalm 4 exhorts to reform.... 

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.

You can find the next post in this series here.

Psalm 4 Verse 2 - Approaching God

Continuing on in this series on Psalm 4, today a look at verse 2 of the psalm.

The first verse of Psalm 4 asserted confidence that God would hear and help the psalmist.  The second though, is a plea for him to do so, a call to God for help and mercy.

One possible interpretation of this is that Christ is the speaker of the first verse, but the Church, still seeking to be perfected, is the speaker in the second.

But equally it can be seen as the alternating moods of the psalmist.  In his Confessions St Augustine, for example, commented on the by-play as follows: 'I alternately quaked with fear, and warmed with hope, and with rejoicing in Your mercy, O Father'.

The Latin

The second verse of Psalm 4 in the Vulgate reads:

Miserére mei, * et exáudi oratiónem meam.

misereor, sertus sum, eri 2  to pity, have mercy on

exaudio, ivi, Itum, ire, to hear, hearken to, listen to, give heed to; to regard, answer.

oratio, onis, prayer, supplication

Word for word:

Miserere (Have mercy/pity) mei (of me) et (and) exaudi (hear) orationem (the prayer) meam (my).

A selection of English translations for the verse can be found below:

 

DR/MD	Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer.
RSV	Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
Brenton	pity me, and hearken to my prayer.
Cover	have mercy upon me, and hearken unto my prayer.
Knox	have pity on me now, and hear my prayer.
Grail	have mercy and hear me!

Asking God for what we need

These days there is a view around that while it is acceptable to ask things for others in prayer, asking for things for ourselves is somehow selfish.

This is nonsense!

The psalms repeatedly remind us that we must pray and ask God for the things we need.

Asking God for things expresses our sense of dependence on him, our acknowledgement that everything we have, including life itself, comes from him.

 God freely bestows many things on us, but others he reserves, makes conditional on our asking for them, and it is to this category of graces that the psalmist points us here.

Not unrelated to this though, St Benedict's Rule reminds us that when we ask for things from God, we should dos so reverently, conscious of the immense chasm between us and him (see especially chapters 19 and 20).  His comments echo St John Chrysostom’s commentary on this verse:

Typically, when we con­verse with people of a class above us, we make sure that our appearance and gait and attire are as they should be and dialogue with them ac­cordingly. When we approach God, by contrast we yawn, scratch ourselves, look this way and that, pay little attention...If on the contrary we were to approach him with due reverence and prepare ourselves to converse with him as God, then we would know even before receiving what we asked how much benefit we gain…

The point is not the formality, but that our outer demeanour reflects and expresses our inner conviction, as St John Chrysostom goes on to say:

God, after all, looks not for beauty of utterance or turn of phrase but for freshness of spirit; even if we say what just comes into our mind, we go away with our entreaties successful. . . . he is not the one to say, now is not a good time to make your approach, come back later." …there is no obstacle to his heeding to your entreaty as long as you call on him as you should . . . being of sober mind and contrite spirit, approaching him in a flood of tears, seeking nothing of this life, longing for things to come, making petition for spiritual goods...

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.

You can find the next part in the series here.

Psalm 4: verse 1: The God who expands our hearts

In my last post, I provided a bit of an  overview of Psalm 4.  I now want to provide verse by verse notes, starting with crib notes for those who want to say the Office in Latin, but haven't studied the language much or at all (or who have forgotten what they did know!).

The first verse of Psalm 4 is a reminder to place our trust in God, and pray to him without ceasing.

The Latin

The Vulgate translates the first verse of Psalm 4 as follows:

Cum invocárem exaudívit me Deus justítiæ meæ: * in tribulatióne dilatásti mihi.

Key vocab

invoco, avi, atum, are, (1) to invoke, call upon (God). (2) to put trust in

exaudio, ivi, Itum, ire, to hear, hearken to, listen to, give heed to; to regard, answer.

justitia, ae, justice, righteousness, innocence, piety, moral integrity

tribulatio, onis,  trouble, distress, anguish, affliction, tribulation

dilato, avi, atum, are to enlarge, set at large, set at liberty, be open wide, grow thick or fat.

In English

A very literal word by word translation goes as follows:

Cum (when = cum+subj) invocárem (I called) exaudívit (he heard) me (me) Deus (the God) justítiæ (of justice) meæ (of me): in (in+abl=in) tribulatióne (distress/anguish) dilatásti (you have enlarged) mihi (to me).

A selection of translations of the verse from various sources is provided below to help give a better flavour of it.

 

Douay Rheims	When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress, you have enlarged me.
Monastic Diurnal	When I cried for help, the God of my justice heard me; when I was straightened Thou didst set me at large.
Revised Standard Version	Answer me when I call, O God of my right! Thou hast given me room when I was in distress.
New Jerusalem	When I call answer me God, upholder of my right
Brenton (from the Septuagint)	When I called upon him, the God of my righteousness heard me: thou hast made room for me in tribulation;
Coverdale	Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness. Thou hast set me at liberty when I was in trouble;
Knox	When I call on thy name, listen to me, O God, and grant redress; still, in time of trouble, thou hast brought me relief;
Grail	When I call, answer me, O God of justice; from anguish you released me,

 A call to pray without ceasing

St Robert Bellarmine places this verse in the context of the history of King David:

David, in the person of the Church, or any faithful soul advising sinners to follow its example, exhorts them to be con­verted, to put their confidence in God, to abandon evil, and do good, giving himself as an example—for when he was in trou­ble, he invoked the Almighty, and was heard.  

The verse is therefore, first and foremost, a call to constant prayer, for when do we not need God's help?

The sixth century commentator St Cassiodorus similarly saw it as an injunction to keep asking God for what we need:

Mother Church in the one verse says that she has been heard, yet begs to be heard again. She shows that this is the way of perfect prayer; though the requests we sought are granted, we should continually ask to be heard, for our solicitation is always commendable. As Paul says: Pray without ceasing; in all things give thanks.' 

Why is then that it doesn't always seem that God answers our prayers?

The first problem, St John Chrysostom explained, is that we don't always apply ourselves properly to the task:

Prayer is no small bond of love for God, developing in us the habit of converse with him and encouraging the pursuit of wisdom. ... We are, however, not as aware as we should be of the benefit of prayer, for the reason that we neither apply ourselves to it with assiduity nor have recourse to it in accord with God's laws. 

Typically, when we con­verse with people of a class above us, we make sure that our appearance and gait and attire are as they should be and dialogue with them ac­cordingly. When we approach God, by contrast we yawn, scratch ourselves, look this way and that, pay little attention...If on the contrary we were to approach him with due reverence and prepare ourselves to converse with him as God, then we would know even before receiving what we asked how much benefit we gain…

If we do this, he argues, we will be successful, for God is always ready to help:

God, after all, looks not for beauty of utterance or turn of phrase but for freshness of spirit; even if we say what just comes into our mind, we go away with our entreaties successful...he is not the one to say, now is not a good time to make your approach, come back later." …there is no obstacle to his heeding to your entreaty as long as you call on him as you should . . . being of sober mind and contrite spirit, approaching him in a flood of tears, seeking nothing of this life, longing for things to come, making petition for spiritual goods…

God of justice

The next phrase of the verse, ‘Deus justitiae meae’ literally means ‘the God of my justice’, but reflects a Hebrew construction that could mean either ‘my just God’ or ‘the God who vindicates my (just) cause’.

St Thomas Aquinas interprets this as a requirement that our cause be just:

A second idea is that a person is required to be just. Because, if the Lord God does not hear sinners, this is so through divine mercy, and not through his divine justice. Hence is said: "O God of my right." (Verse 1). The "Gloss" states: "A bestower of justice," or of my justification. For: "The eyes of the Lord are towards the righteous and his ears towards their cry." (Psalm 34) 

It is not that we have to be perfect ourselves to invoke God's justice, St Cassiodorus noted, but rather that 'there are certain actions in which the faithful appear clearly innocent'. 

Indeed, the key point, as St Robert Bellarmine pointed out in his commentary on the psalm, is that we become just through grace, and the consequent 'enlargement of heart':

The God of my justice heard me, that is to say, the God from whom all my jus­tice proceeds, whose grace makes me just.

You have enlarged me

The verb 'dilatare' (to enlarge) is a key concept, but hard to translate into modern English in a meaningful way.  The psalms often use the concept of narrowness of space restricting movement to symbolize pain and sorrow, and enlargement to suggest strength and gladness.

This concept is particularly important for Benedictines, since St Benedict uses the idea of ‘enlargement of heart’ (quoting Psalm 118) in his Rule to explain the process by which we grow in virtue, so that doing good becomes easy, done out of love rather than fear, and presents enlargement of heart as the goal of the monastic life, a metaphor for reaching that state where out of perfect love of God, practicing virtue becomes automatic and easy.

In this, St Benedict was surely building on St Augustine's several expositions of the topic in his commentaries on the psalms.  St Augustine, in common with St John Chrysostom and others, started from the proposition that trials and tribulations are designed to provide occasion for us to be infused with the gift of patience:

You have enlarged me. You have led me from the straits of sadness into the broad ways of joy. For, tribulation and straitness is on every soul of man that does evil. But he who says, We rejoice in tribulations, knowing that tribulation works patience; up to that where he says, Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us; he has no straits of heart, they be heaped on him outwardly by them that persecute him.

As St Robert Bellarmine noted, when God answers us by enlarging our hearts, he can employ several different mechanisms:

God sometimes hears us by removing the tribulation; some­times by giving patience to bear it, which is a greater favor; sometimes by not only giving the patience to bear it, but even to be glad of it, which is the greatest favor of all, and it is that of which the Prophet speaks here. Tribulation hems us in; joy enlarges our hearts; but when one glories in tribulation, his sad­ness is changed into joy, and tribulations bring to such persons not hemming in, but enlargement.

This purpose of all this, St Augustine argues, is to enhance our interior conversation with God:

Now the change of person, for that from the third person, where he says, He heard, he passes at once to the second, where he says, You have enlarged me; if it be not done for the sake of variety and grace...in this very enlargement of heart he preferred to speak with God; that he might even in this way show what it is to be enlarged in heart, that is, to have God already shed abroad in the heart, with whom he might hold converse interiorly. Which is rightly understood as spoken in the person of him who, believing on Christ, has been enlightened... 

And enlargement of heart is shown also in our ability to carry out good works:

But as His very prayer against trouble is a sign rather of our infirmity, so also of that sudden enlargement of heart the same Lord may speak for His faithful ones, whom He has personated also when He said, I was an hungered, and you gave Me no meat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink, and so forth. Wherefore here also He can say, You have enlarged me, for one of the least of His, holding converse with God, whose love he has shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.

Trials and persecutions occur, of course, not just at the individual level, but to the Church as a whole, and lead to its growth, for the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church, as Cassiodorus reminds us:

Distress al­ways enlarges the Church, since simultaneously confessors emerge and martyrs are crowned. The whole crowd of the just is ever in­creased by tribulations.

 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 continue on to the next part in the series.