Psalm 120: I will up mine eyes unto the hills

The third psalm of Vespers of the Dead is Psalm 120 (121), in my view one of the most beautiful and most comforting of the entire psalter.

Psalm 120

Here’s the text:

Levavi oculos meos in montes, unde veniet auxilium mihi.
I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me.

Auxilium meum a Domino, qui fecit cælum et terram.
My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Non det in commotionem pedem tuum, neque dormitet qui custodit te.
May he not suffer your foot to be moved: neither let him slumber that keeps you.

Ecce non dormitabit neque dormiet qui custodit Israël.
Behold he shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keeps Israel.

Dominus custodit te; Dominus protectio tua super manum dexteram tuam.
The Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your protection upon your right hand

Per diem sol non uret te, neque luna per noctem.
The sun shall not burn you by day: nor the moon by night.

Dominus custodit te ab omni malo; custodiat animam tuam Dominus.
The Lord keeps you from all evil: may the Lord keep your soul.

Dominus custodiat introitum tuum et exitum tuum, ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.
May the Lord keep your coming in and your going out; from henceforth now and for ever.


God our protector

In the previous psalm of this hour, the speaker has become restless with the realization that he is far from God. Here he asks for grace to accompany him on his journey towards him. The key theme of this psalm is the protection God offers the pilgrim – the verb custodire, meaning to guard or protect, is used six times in the course of eight verses, and combines with other several other synonyms for God’s help. It emphasizes God’s constant protection: day and night; our comings and goings. And it echoes in many ways, the petitions of the Lord’s prayer, asking that we not fall into temptation (our foot not be moved, v3), that we protected from all evil (v7), and that we not be led astray (v5&8).

The key verse in the context of the Office of the Dead is, I think, the last one: our coming in (to this world) and goings out from it are under God’s loving watch, and he will help us not to stumble at the end.

A setting to listen to

And finally, in terms of listening to it, although this blog is generally devoted to promoting the use of the Latin, this is one of those psalm settings for which we should embrace the 'Anglican patrimony' in my view!

Psalm 119: To the Lord I cry

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I’ve devoted November to looking at Vespers of the Office of the Dead. So far we’ve looked at Psalm 114 in some detail.

Because I’ve looked in some detail elsewhere at the three middle psalms of Vespers of the Dead, Psalms 119, 120 and 129, I’m not going to give them the verse by verse treatment here, but instead just an overview.

Yesterday I posted on Psalm 129, the fourth psalm of this Office.

Today I want to take a quick look at Psalm 119, then tomorrow I’ll look at Psalm 120, before moving to a verse by verse look at the last Psalm of Vespers of the Dead, Psalm 137.

In the traditional Roman Office, Psalm 119 is said on Monday at Vespers; in the Benedictine Office at Terce from Tuesday to Saturday.

Psalm 119

First, here is the whole psalm, in the Vulgate and Douay-Rheims translations:

Ad Dominum cum tribularer clamavi, et exaudivit me.
In my trouble I cried to the Lord: and he heard me.

Domine, libera animam meam a labiis iniquis et a lingua dolosa.
O Lord, deliver my soul from wicked lips, and a deceitful tongue.

Quid detur tibi, aut quid apponatur tibi ad linguam dolosam?
What shall be given to you, or what shall be added to you, to a deceitful tongue?

Sagittæ potentis acutæ, cum carbonibus desolatoriis.
The sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals that lay waste.

Heu mihi, quia incolatus meus prolongatus est! habitavi cum habitantibus Cedar; multum incola fuit anima mea.
Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged! I have dwelt with the inhabitants of Cedar: My soul has been long a sojourner.

Cum his qui oderunt pacem eram pacificus; cum loquebar illis, impugnabant me gratis.
With them that hated peace I was peaceable: when I spoke to them they fought against me without cause.

Our earthly pilgrimage draws to a close…

Psalm 119 (120), like Psalm 120 and 129, is one of the gradual psalms or pilgrim songs.

In the daily Office, it serves as a reminder that we are all on a journey towards heaven.

In the context of the Office of the Dead, the realization that the exile has been living too long far from his true home takes on a more immediate application to the situation of the dying soul. In this context, it teaches us that a key step for our spiritual progress is to detach ourselves from earthly things and remember that our true hope is not the extension of this life, but to dwell in heaven.

And it is surely a plea for protection from all the temptations as we make this final journey that might prevent us from final perseverance.

De Profundis in the Office and the Mass

Over the last few weeks I've been looking at Psalm 114, the first psalm of Vespers of the Dead. 

One of the other psalms from this Office features heavily in today's propers in the Extraordinary Form, namely Psalm 129 (130), Out of the Deep.  The first verse of Psalm 129, actually gets two guenseys in the Propers of the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, as the Alleluia and the Offertory.

Psalm 129

First the full text of the psalm:

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine; Domine, exaudi vocem meam.
Fiant aures tuæ intendentes in vocem deprecationis meæ.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus: speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israël in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israël ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.

Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If you, O Lord, will mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
For with you there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of your law, I have waited for you, O Lord. My soul has relied on his word: My soul has hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities

In the context of the Mass, the psalm clearly looks forward to the dark days of the end of the world (Out of the deep) but also suggests the promise of redemption in the Second Coming.

The medieval exegetes, Dom Gueranger points out in Liturgical Year, saw it as particularly referring to the promised conversion of the Jews in the last days. It is therefore not altogether surprising therefore that this is one of those psalms where the (pre-Christian) Septuagint Greek (and thus Vulgate) and the (medieval) Hebrew Masoretic Text are in places very different, in ways impossible to reconcile by looking for alternative readings of the Hebrew. In particular, from verse 4 onwards, the Hebrew puts much more emphasis on fear of God, and omits two references to the hope of the Christ’s redemption.

Psalm 129 is one of the most heavily used psalms liturgically and quasi-liturgically, showing its applicability not only as a collective hymn, but also as an individual prayer. As well as featuring in Vespers of the dead, it is one of the Gradual psalms and one of the seven penitential psalms. In this context, Cassiodorus suggests that in this psalm, “as penitent he cries from the depths to the Lord, asking that the great power of the Godhead be experienced by the deliverance of mankind.”

You can find some notes I've previously written on this psalm in the context of the penitential psalms, starting here.  And you can find notes on it in the context of Tuesday Vespers here.

Here is the Alleluia:



And to listen to the Offertory:

Psalm 114: Latin Learning Hints Part B

Once again a post designed to aid those using this psalm series to learn or brush up their Latin - others can skip quickly past!

Grammar - the subjunctive mood

If you’ve been following the Simplicissimus introduction to Latin course (to download the materials see the link in the side bar on Latin resources) on a one unit a week basis since I started this psalm series (or have done some fast catching up), you should be up to Unit 6, which introduces the subjunctive mood.

There aren’t actually any examples of the present subjunctive in Psalm 114, but in the last post I gave the alternative formulation of the concluding verse from Psalm 55, which does use the subjunctive:

ut pláceam (second conjugation) coram Deo in lúmine vivéntium, or ‘so that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living’.

You might also recall the last verse of another psalm we have looked at in this series, Psalm 22:

Et ut inhábitem (first conjugation) in domo Dómini, in longitúdinem diérum = And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.

Vocabulary – the body

Psalm 114, like many of the psalms, makes reference to a number of body parts, so it might be helpful to bring together a number of the key words used in the psalms to refer (anthropomorphically) to God, to enemies, or to the speaker:

corpus –oris n body (doesn't actually occur in the pslams, but used in the Mass and NT in many places)
caro, carnis, f flesh; man, mankind; the body; every living being

caput, itis, n. the head,

Ps 3: et exáltans caput meum = and the lifter up of my head.
Ps 22: Impinguásti in óleo caput meum – You have anointed my head with oil

facies, ei, f. face, countenance, appearance; presence.
vultus, us, m., the face, countenance;

erubesco, riibui, ere 3, to redden or blush with shame, to feel ashamed

tempus, oris, n. the temples of the head

oculus, i, m the eye.
lacryma, ae, f, a tear

Ps 114: óculos meos a lácrimis – my eyes from tears

palpebra, ae, f. the eyelid..
(video, videre - to see)
auris, is, f the ear.

guttur, is, n., the throat
vox, vocis, f., the voice of a person, or, the sound of an instrument, thunder.
(audio, audire, to hear)

Ps 3: Voce mea ad Dóminum clamávi – I have cried to the Lord with my voice
Ps 114: vocem oratiónis meæ = the voice of my prayer

labium, ii, n., a lip.

lingua, ae, f., the tongue;

dens, dentis, m. a tooth

Ps 3: dentes peccatórum contrivísti = You have broken the teeth of sinners

maxilla, ae, f. the jawbone, the jaw.

barba, ae, f, the beard

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

dexter, tera, terum; the right hand.

manus, us, f., hand

pes, pedis, m. the foot

Ps 114: pedes meos a lapsu = my feet from falling

lumbus, i, m.t the loin; pi. the loins, the reins

Vocabulary listing for Psalm 114

And here is the full vocabulary list for Psalm 114 in alphabetical order, based mainly on Britt’s Dictionary of the Psalter:

a, ab, from, by
anima ae f soul
auris, is, f. the ear.
benefacio, feci, factum, ere 3, to do well; to do good to, to deal kindly with, to deal bountifully
circumdo, dedi, datum, are, to surround, beset, encompass with a hostile intent; to gather round
converto, verti, versum, ere 3, to turn, change, alter; refresh; bring back; convert, turn from sin;
custodio, ivi or ii, itum, ire to guard, watch, keep;to maintain, to hold steadfastly.
de about, concerning, down from
deprecatio, ois, f prayer, supplication, entreaty
dies, ei, m. and fem. a day, the natural day
diligo, lexi, lectum, ere 3 to love;to flatter, make pretence of loving.
dolor, oris, m. , pain whether of body or of mind, grief, sorrow, affliction.
dominus i m, lord
ego, mei, I, me
eripio, ripui, reptum, ere 3 to snatch away, to rescue, deliver
et, and
exaudio, ivi, Itum, ire, to hear, hearken to, listen to, give heed to; to regard, answer.
humilio, avi, atum, are to humble, bring low.
in+ablative, in, on
inclino, avi, atum, are, to bend, incline
infernus, i, m. Sheol; the nether world, the underworld, the grave, the kingdom of the dead,
invenio, veni, ventum, ire, to find
invoco, avi, atum, are, to invoke, call upon (God); to put trust in
justus, a, um Of God: just; Of men: as a subst., a just man, the just.
lacryma, ae, f, a tear.
lapsus, us, m. slipping, a fall; a moral fall.
libero, avi, atum, are to free, set free, deliver
meus, a, um my, mine
misereor, sertus sum, eri 2 to pity, have mercy on.
misericors, cordis merciful, abounding in mercy.
mors, mortis, f., death
nomen, nominis, n name
noster, nostra, nostrum, our, ours
oculus, i, the eye..
oratio, onis, f. prayer, supplication
parvulus, a, um , small, little; children, little ones, the simple, the guileless,
periculum, i, n., peril, danger.
pes, pedis, m. the foot
placeo, ui, itum, ere 2, to please, be well pleasing to
quia, conj. for, because, that. truly, surely, indeed;
quoniam, conj., for, because, since, seeing that, whereas.
regio, onis, f, land, country.
requies, ei, f., rest; a resting-place.
tribulatio, onis, f. , trouble, distress, anguish, affliction, tribulation
tu, tui, you
vivus, a, um alive, living.
vox, vocis, f., the voice of a person, or, the sound of an instrument, thunder

Psalm 114/9: The land of the living

Today I want to conclude this verse by verse look at Psalm 114 verse with a quick look at the last two verses:

Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
For he has delivered my soul from death: my eyes from tears, my feet from falling.

Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.
I will please the Lord in the land of the living.

In fact these two verses are almost identical in sentiment to Psalm 55:13, which says:

Quóniam eripuísti ánimam meam de morte, et pedes meos de lapsu: ut pláceam coram Deo in lúmine vivéntium
Because you have delivered my soul from death, my feet from falling: that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.

Looking at the Latin

Quia erípuit =for he has freed/rescued

In Psalm 114 the verb is in the third person; in Psalm 55, the second - Quóniam eripuísti = For you have freed

ánimam meam de morte = my soul from death

óculos meos a lácrimis = my eyes from tears [omitted in Ps 55]

One can perhaps see an allusion to this phrase in Revelation 21:4, where the description of heaven includes “ he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."

pedes meos a lapsu = my feet from falling

Psalm 55 changes the preposition to de, but not meaning

Placébo Dómino = I will be pleasing to the Lord

The Masoretic Hebrew Text , followed by the neo-Vulgate here has ‘I will walk in the presence of the Lord’ – but the two expressions are equivalent. The idea of walking in God’s ways is used fairly frequently this way (see Psalm 1 for example). In Psalm 55, a third structure is used, a purpose clause (ut +subjunctive), to suggest that God freed him in order that he can please him: ut pláceam coram Deo, or ‘that I may please in the sight/presence of God’

in regióne vivórum=in the land of the living

The land of the living stands in contrast to Sheol/hell, the kingdom of the dead. In this context it can mean either earth or heaven. Psalm 55 changes this to ‘in the light of the living’.

Key words:

eripio, ripui, reptum, ere 3 to snatch away, to rescue, deliver
mors, mortis, f, death
oculus, i, the eye..
lacryma, ae, f, a tear.
pes, pedis, m. the foot
lapsus, us, m. slipping, a fall; a moral fall.
placeo, ui, itum, ere 2, to please, be well pleasing to
regio, onis, f, land, country.
vivus, a, um alive, living.

Death of the body and death of the soul

St Robert Bellarmine’s commentary on Psalm 55 provides a nice summation of the multiple levels of meaning of these verses: ‘you have delivered my soul from death’, he explains, refers firstly to God saving the psalmist from the death of the body in this world on many occasions; ‘my feet from falling’, he sees as preserving him from falling into sin in the face of temptations, that is from death of the soul.

He concludes:

"That I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living;" in the light of this life, which those who are dead enjoy not; and in the light of grace, which infidels and sinners have not; that I may, at length, come to the light of eternal glory enjoyed by those who alone, and properly speaking, can be classed among the living. These words are applicable to Christ, who, by his Resurrection, was delivered from the death of the body, without any possibility of his ever again being subject to it, or to any suffering, and lives and reigns on the right hand of the Father, "in the light of the living." Amen.

In this light, we can understand St John Chrysostom’s explanation that the verse means that death is something to be welcomed if we are in a state of grace, not feared:

“…What to others seems deserving of tears merits prayer in his view, and what to others is deserving of joy and satisfaction merits groaning in his view. Is it not deserving of groaning to be in a foreign country and dispatched far from our homeland? Is it not deserving of joy to put in at a tranquil haven and be admitted to the city on high whence pain, distress and groaning have fled? And how does this affect me, a sinner, you say? Do you see that it is not death that is the cause of grief, but a bad conscience? So stop being a sinner, and death will be something desirable for you.”

Psalm 114

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.

2 Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
3 Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis:  et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
4 Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
5O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam:  miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
6 Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
7 Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
8 Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
9 Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

Psalm 114/8 - Accept your eternal reward

Today’s verse of Psalm 114 points to the end of the struggle to live this earthly life, and tells the dying soul that it is now alright to look for deliverance and relief in heaven. It is:

Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Turn, O my soul, into your rest: for the Lord has been bountiful to you.

St John Chrysostom tells us that:

“The literal meaning has to do with an awesome liberation, some kind of relief and deliverance. If you were to take it in an anagogical sense, however, you would be able to speak of departure from this life as redemption, and call it rest. It is, in fact, release from all unexpected troubles, and he is subject no longer to uncertainty, a victim of insecurity, having now taken his departure with solid hope.”

Looking at the Latin

Convértere = turn/return/turn again (imperative)

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

ánima mea = my soul

in réquiem tuam = to your rest

requies, ei, f., rest; a resting-place.

Turning the soul to its rest can be taken as meaning either literally, acceptance that the end of this life has come, or more generally turning away from the death of the soul that comes from sin. Cassiodorus, for example, suggests that

“The soul which is alienated from the Lord should sing this in company with the prophet; the sheep which had wandered and had merited a return to the pens, borne on the shoulders of the Protector, should also sing it. So should the son who was dead and has come to life again, who had been lost and was found. So should the devoted people who have been redeemed by His precious blood, and have through the Lord's generosity gained the attainment of the rest for which they longed. So the prophet urges his soul to turn to the Lord, from whom come to him both peaceful rest and the removal of sins.”

quia Dóminus benefécit tibi = for the Lord has dealt kindly with/dealt bountifully with/rewarded with you

benefacio, feci, factum, ere 3, to do well; to do good to, to deal kindly with, to deal bountifully

The reward spoken of can take two forms: God’s delivering him from heath through healing of his illnesses; or the reward of heaven.

I have fought the good fight…

St Basil comments:

“The brave contestant applies to himself the consoling words, very much like to Paul, when he says: 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice. These things the prophet also says to himself: Since you have fulfilled sufficiently the course of this life, turn henceforth into thy rest, 'for the Lord has been bountiful to thee.' For, eternal rest lies before those who have struggled through the present life observant of the laws, a rest not given in payment for a debt owed for their works, but provided as a grace of the munificent God for those who have hoped in Him. Then, before he describes the good things there, telling in detail the escape from the troubles of the world, he gives thanks for them to the Liberator of souls, who has delivered him from the varied and inexorable slavery of the passions.”

Psalm 114

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

And please do continue on to the final part of this mini-series.

Psalm 114/7 - Towards a truly adult faith!

Today’s verse of Psalm 114 (116) calls to mind the Gospel injunction that ‘unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Mt 18:3).  Here it is:

Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
The Lord is the keeper of little ones: I was humbled, and he delivered me.

Looking at the Latin

Custódiens párvulos Dóminus = the Lord keeping/protecting/guarding the little ones/children/the guileless/simple = the Lord is the keeper of little ones = The Lord protects/keeps little ones

Brenton’s translation from the Septuagint makes this “The Lord preserves the simple”; the Collegeville translation is “The Lord protecteth little ones”.

humiliátus sum = I was humbled/brought low

et liberávit me = and he has freed/delivered me

Note that the neo-Vulgate changes this last phrase to use ‘salvum facere’ – to save, or preserve from harm. I’m not entirely sure that I see what this adds but…

Key words:

custodio, ivi or li, itum, ire to guard, watch, keep; to maintain, to hold steadfastly.
parvulus, a, um , small, little. Of age: little, youthful, young. children, little ones, the simple, the guileless,
humilio, avi, atum, are to humble, bring low.
libero, avi, atum, are to free, set free, deliver

An adult faith and becoming like little children

All too often these days we hear of the need for Catholics to develop an “adult faith”, which seems to be code for a supposed right of dissent from the Church’s teachings. Yet in reality, a truly adult faith is the exact reverse of this: a truly adult faith is sufficiently robust to accept the ‘hard sayings’ of the faith with docility; it is one that is fed on the meat of orthodoxy, not the sour milk of modernist-liberalism.

And this verse stands as a reminder of the path to such an adult faith: we must be humble, so that we realize our total dependence on God, and shed the illusion that we can control our lives and our world. St John Chrysostom comments:

“…'It is good for me that you brought me low so that I might learn your right judgements’. The grounds for thanks here are twofold: he allowed him to fall into danger, and he did not abandon him once fallen. Each is in some fashion a kind of favor, and the former not less than the latter but even greater, strange to say: while one rescued him from danger, the other imbued his soul with sounder values.”

Similarly, St Augustine gives the image of the father correcting a son, and the surgeon:

“For how should not The Lord, who keeps little ones, scourge those whom, when of mature age, He seeks to be heirs; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? Hebrews 12:6-7 : I was in misery, and He helped me. He helped me, because I was in misery; for the pain which the physician causes by his knife is not penal, but salutary.”

Only once we have been through this process of purification through hardship can we accept the means God uses to free us from the delusions, false doctrines, and temptations that surround us. As St Basil the Great comments:

“When I was turned and became as a little child and received the kingdom of heaven as a child and through innocence brought myself down to the humility of children, the Lord, the keeper of little ones, since I was humbled, he delivered me.”

Psalm 114

Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus vocem oratiónis meæ.
I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.
Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: et in diébus meis invocábo.
Because he has inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.
Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: et perícula inférni invenérunt me.
The sorrows of death have compassed me: and the perils of hell have found me.
Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: et nomen Dómini invocávi.
I met with trouble and sorrow: And I called upon the name of the Lord.
O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.
O Lord, deliver my soul. The Lord is merciful and just, and our God shows mercy.
Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.
The Lord is the keeper of little ones: I was humbled, and he delivered me.
Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.
Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.
Placébo Dómino in regióne vivórum.

You can find the next part in this series on Psalm 114 here.