Psalm 118 (119) qof (v145-152): Keeping vigil

Pope John Paul II gave two General Audiences on this stanza of Psalm 118 in his series on the psalms of the Liturgy of the Hours (it is used at Lauds on Saturday of Week I), so today some extracts from his catechesis. But first the text of the stanza.

The text of the stanza

The Knox translation:

145 Thy audience, Lord, my whole heart claims, a heart true to thy trust.

146 To thee I cry, O grant deliverance; I will do all thy bidding.

147 Twilight comes, and I awake to plead with thee, hoping ever in thy promises.

148 Through the night my eyes keep watch, to ponder thy sayings.

149 Thine, Lord, to listen in thy mercy, and grant life according to thy will.

150 Treacherous foes draw near, that are strangers to thy covenant.

151 Thou, Lord, art close at hand; all thy awards are true.

152 Taught long since by thy decrees, I know well thou hast ordained them everlastingly.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
145  Clamávi in toto corde meo, exáudi me, Dómine: * justificatiónes tuas requíram.	I cried with my whole heart, hear me, O Lord: I will seek your justifications
146  Clamávi ad te, salvum me fac: * ut custódiam mandáta tua.	I cried unto you, save me: that I may keep your commandments.
147  Prævéni in maturitáte, et clamávi: * quia in verba tua supersperávi.	I prevented the dawning of the day, and cried: because in your words I very much hoped
148  Prævenérunt óculi mei ad te dilúculo: * ut meditárer elóquia tua.	My eyes to you have prevented the morning: that I might meditate on your words.
149  Vocem meam audi secúndum misericórdiam tuam, Dómine: * et secúndum judícium tuum vivífica me.	Hear my voice, O Lord, according to your mercy: and quicken me according to your judgment.
150  Appropinquavérunt persequéntes me iniquitáti: * a lege autem tua longe facti sunt.	They that persecute me have drawn near to iniquity; but they have gone far off from your law.
151  Prope es tu, Dómine: * et omnes viæ tuæ véritas.	You are near, O Lord: and all your ways are truth.
152  Inítio cognóvi de testimóniis tuis: * quia in ætérnum fundásti ea.	I have known from the beginning concerning your testimonies: that you have founded them for ever.

Pope Hohn Paul II

The first of his talks (Wednesday 14 November 2001) focuses on the ideal of keeping vigil that the psalm alludes to:

“In fact the scene at the centre of this set of 8 verses is nocturnal, but open to the new day. After a long night of waiting and of prayerful vigil in the Temple, when the dawn appears on the horizon and the liturgy begins, the believer is certain that the Lord will hear the one who spent the night in prayer, hoping and meditating on the divine Word. Fortified by this awareness and facing the day that unfolds before him, he will no longer fear dangers. He knows that he will not be overcome by his persecutors who besiege him with treachery (cf. v. 150) because the Lord is with him. The strophe expresses an intense prayer: "I call with all my heart, Lord; answer me.... I rise before the dawn and cry for help; I hope in your word ..." (vv.145.147). In the Book of Lamentations, we read this invitation: "Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands toward him" (Lam 2,19). St Ambrose repeated: "O man, know you not that every day you should offer God the first fruits of your heart and voice? Make haste at dawn to carry to the Church the first fruits of your devotion" (Exp. in ps. CXVIII; PL 15, 1476 A). At the same time our strophe is also the exaltation of a certainty: we are not alone because God listens and intervenes. The one who prays, says: "Lord, you are near" (v. 151). The other psalms confirm it: "Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies!" (Ps 68,19); "The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the crushed in spirit" (Ps 33,19)”

The second (January 2003) starts by looking at the stanza as an example of prayer as a dialogue:

“The stanza we have just heard is a strophe marked by the Hebrew letter qôf, that portrays the person at prayer who expresses his intense life of faith and prayer to God (cf. vv. 145-152).The invocation of the Lord is relentless because it is a continuing response to the permanent teaching of the Word of God. On the one hand, in fact, the verbs used in prayer are multiplied: "I cry to you", "I call upon you", "I cry for help", "hear my voice". On the other hand, the Psalmist exalts the word of the Lord that proposes decrees, teachings, the word, promises, judgment, the law, the precepts and testimonies of God. Together they form a constellation that is like the polar star of the Psalmist's faith and confidence. Prayer is revealed as a dialogue that begins when it is night before the first gleam of dawn (cf. v. 147), and continues through the day, particularly in the difficult trials of life. In fact, at times the horizon is dark and stormy: "In betrayal my persecutors turn on me, they are far from your law" (v. 150). But the person praying has a steadfast certainty: the closeness of God, with his word and his grace: "But you, O Lord, are close" (v. 151). God does not abandon the just in the hands of persecutors.”

Verse by verse

145 Clamávi in toto corde meo, exáudi me, Dómine: justificatiónes tuas requíram.
I cried with my whole heart, hear me, O Lord: I will seek/search out your justifications

Clamávi in toto corde meo, exáudi me, Dómine = I have cried out with my whole heart, hear me O Lord

Bellarmine comments that for our prayers to be effective, they must be heartfelt: “For, as we cannot hear one speaking in a subdued tone, and are sure to hear them when they shout, thus God seems to take no notice, as if he did not hear it at all, of a cold, distracted prayer, but is all attention to an ardent, earnest one, as if he could not avoid hearing it”

justificatiónes tuas requíram = your justifications I will seek out

Cassiodorus comments on the object of their intense prayer: “Observe too what they sought with their whole heart and strength; not worldly riches, not marriage with noble women, not momentary distinctions, but the Lord's justifications which the holy mind always desires and seeks above gold and the topaz.”

requiro, quisivi, quisitum, ere 3 seek, seek after, to care for, have regard for, take an interest in; to search out, observe

146 Clamávi ad te, salvum me fac: ut custódiam mandáta tua.
I cried unto you, save me: that I may keep your commandments

Clamávi ad te, salvum me fac = I have cried to you, save me

This is a plea for grace – we are saved by keeping the commandments which we need God’s help in order to do.

ut custódiam mandáta tua = that I may keep your commandments

146 Clamávi ad te, salvum me fac: ut custódiam mandáta tua.
I cried unto you, save me: that I may keep your commandments

Clamávi ad te, salvum me fac = I have cried to you, save me

This is a plea for grace – we are saved by keeping the commandments which we need God’s help in order to do. The neo-Vulgate changes mandata to testimonia, presumably to reflect the Septuagint Greek μαρτύριά which is usually translated in this psalm as testimonies.

ut custódiam mandáta tua = that I may keep your commandments

147 Prævéni in maturitáte, et clamávi: * quia in verba tua supersperávi.
I prevented the dawning of the day, and cried: because in your words I very much hoped

Prævéni in maturitáte, et clamávi = I have come before/anticipated/prevented dawn/maturity and I have called = I rose early

This verse is not easy to translate.

First, praeveni literally means prevent, but in the context, ‘anticipates’ might better convey what it is trying to convey, thus Augustine comments:

“If we refer this to each of the faithful, and to the literal character of the act; it oft happens that the love of God is awake in that hour of the night, and, the love of prayer strongly urging us, the time of prayer, which is wont to be after the crowing of the cock, is not awaited, but prevented. But if we understand night of the whole of this world's duration; we indeed cry unto God at midnight, and prevent the fullness of time in which He will restore us what He has promised, as is elsewhere read, Let us prevent His presence with confession.”

Secondly, there is some debate about just what time of night or morning is being referred to in this verse - St Jerome’s translation from the Hebrew makes this I rose in the darkness (tenebrae), and perhaps links it implicitly to verse 62 on rising at midnight.  Maturitas in the Vulgate literally means ripeness or maturity, the full or proper time for something, so 'I have prevented maturity'.  But the Hebrew and Greek seems more to be trying to convey the idea of rising before dawn in order to greet it in prayer (hence maturitas in the Vulgate is interpreted as meaning dawn; changed to diluculum in the neo-Vulgate to make this clearer).  The New English Translation of the Septuagint, for example, gives it as 'I got a head-start at an unseemly hour'. St Ambrose comments: "O man, know you not that every day you should offer God the first fruits of your heart and voice? Make haste at dawn to carry to the Church the first fruits of your devotion" (Exp. in ps. CXVIII; PL 15, 1476 A).

praevenio, veni, ventum, ire, come or go before, precede, be beforehand, anticipate, prevent, forestall.
maturitas, atis, f maturity, ripeness; early morning, dawn.
diluculum, i, n. the dawn, daybreak, the early morning, morning twilight,.

148 Prævenérunt óculi mei ad te dilúculo: * ut meditárer elóquia tua.
My eyes to you have prevented the morning: that I might meditate on your words.

Prævenérunt óculi mei ad te dilúculo = My eyes have prevented to you the dawn = My eyes seek you before dawn/anticipate you at dawn

The neo-Vulgate substitutes vigilias or night watches for diluculum (dawn) here.

diluculum, i, n. the dawn, daybreak, the early morning, morning twilight,.

ut meditárer elóquia tua =in order to meditate on your words

149 Vocem meam audi secúndum misericórdiam tuam, Dómine: et secúndum judícium tuum vivífica me.
Hear my voice, O Lord, according to your mercy: and quicken me according to your judgment.

Vocem meam audi secúndum misericórdiam tuam, Dómine = Hear my voice according to your mercy O Lord

et secúndum judícium tuum vivífica me = and according to your justice revive me

St Augustine comments: For first God according to His loving-mercy takes away punishment from sinners, and will give them life afterwards…

150 Appropinquavérunt persequéntes me iniquitáti: * a lege autem tua longe facti sunt.
They that persecute me have drawn near to iniquity; but they have gone far off from your law.

Appropinquavérunt persequéntes me iniquitáti = Those who are persecuting me have drawn near to /approached iniquity

appropinquo, avi, atum, are , to draw near,approach
persequor, seciitus sum, sequi, to pursue, follow perseveringly, follow after, persecute.
iniquitas, atis, f iniquity, injustice, sin.

a lege autem tua longe facti sunt = but from your law they have been made/have gone far off = but they are far removed from your law

longe, adv. far off, at a distance; as a substantive with a and de, afar off, from afar.
151 Prope es tu, Dómine: * et omnes viæ tuæ véritas.
You are near, O Lord: and all your ways are truth.

Prope es tu, Dómine = You are near O Lord

Ie in the midst of our persecution by evil-doers as mentioned in the previous verse.

prope, near, nigh.

et omnes viæ tuæ véritas = and all your ways are truth

151 Prope es tu, Dómine: * et omnes viæ tuæ véritas.
You are near, O Lord: and all your ways are truth.

Prope es tu, Dómine = You are near O Lord

Ie in the midst of our persecution by evil-doers as mentioned in the previous verse.

prope, near, nigh.

et omnes viæ tuæ véritas = and all your ways are truth

The neo-Vulgate changes viae to praececepta which reflects the Greek ἐντολαί used here.

152 Inítio cognóvi de testimóniis tuis: quia in ætérnum fundásti ea.
I have known from the beginning concerning your testimonies: that you have founded them for ever.

Inítio cognóvi de testimóniis tuis = I have known from the beginning/from of old about your testimonies

The Fathers see this as a reference back to the promises made to the Fathers, and events which foreshadow the coming of Our Lord.

initium, ii n beginning, commencement.
cognosco, gnovi, gnitum, ere 3, to know, see, learn, perceive, be come acquainted with.

quia in ætérnum fundásti ea = that you have established them forever

ie eternal truths are being referred to here

fundo, avi, atum, are to lay the foundation of, to found, establish

Liturgical and Scriptural uses of the psalm

NT references	-
RB cursus	Monday Sext (3);
Monastic feasts etc	-
Roman pre 1911	Daily None
Responsories	6293
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday None (X); 1970 Sat1 Lauds:
Mass propers (EF)	-

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

Righteous zeal or 'spiritual warmongering'?: Psalm 118 (119) Tzade (v137-144)

Resuming today our study of Psalm 118, we are now up to the eighteenth stanza of this longest of the psalms. And following the alphabetical progression of the Hebrew alphabet, it is headed up Tzade.

The text of the stanza

Knox trnalsation:

137 So just, Lord, thou art, thy awards so truly given!
138 Strict justice and utter faithfulness inspire all thy decrees.
139 Stung by love’s jealousy, I watch my enemies defy thy bidding.
140 Shall not I, thy servant, love thy promises, tested and found true?
141 Still despised and disinherited, I do not forget thy charge.
142 Stands thy faithfulness eternally, thy law for ever changeless.
143 Sorrow and distress have fallen on me; in thy commandments is all my comfort.
144 Sentence eternal is thy decree; teach me the wisdom that brings life.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
137  Justus es, Dómine: * et rectum judícium tuum.	You are just, O Lord: and your judgment is right.
138  Mandásti justítiam testimónia tua: * et veritátem tuam nimis.	You have commanded justice your testimonies: and your truth exceedingly.
139  Tabéscere me fecit zelus meus: * quia oblíti sunt verba tua inimíci mei.	My zeal has made me pine away: because my enemies forgot your words
140  Ignítum elóquium tuum veheménter: * et servus tuus diléxit illud.	Your word is exceedingly refined: and your servant has loved it.
141  Adolescéntulus sum ego et contémptus: * justificatiónes tuas non sum oblítus.	I am very young and despised; but I forget not your justifications.
142  Justítia tua, justítia in ætérnum: * et lex tua véritas.	Your justice is justice for ever: and your law is the truth.
143  Tribulátio, et angústia invenérunt me: * mandáta tua meditátio mea est.	Trouble and anguish have found me: your commandments are my meditation.
144  Æquitas testimónia tua in ætérnum: * intelléctum da mihi, et vivam.	Your testimonies are justice for ever: give me understanding, and I shall live.

Fighting for the faith

It is often suggested that the Church needs to be more inclusive and welcoming of sinners, rather than calling on them to repent from their sins.

Standing up and fighting for our faith is even labeled by some as ‘spiritual warmongering’!

Yet such attitudes aren’t easy to reconcile with the Gospel, for Christ calls us to turn away from sin, not to embrace it, and to fight for what is right.

Zeal consumes me

In the previous stanza, the psalmist ended up weeping for his own sins. Here however the psalmist is concerned over the actions and fate of others. The central verse is 139:

Tabéscere me fecit zelus meus: quia oblíti sunt verba tua inimíci mei.
My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget thy words

So today I want to look at the delicate balance between a healthy zeal, that embraces the spiritual works of mercy advocated in today’s stanza of Psalm 118, of instructing the ignorant and admonishing sinners; the sin of cowardice in failing to teach at all; and the evil zeal of bitterness.

Zeal for the law of the Lord is a virtue

Verse 139 echoes the verse of Psalm 68(69) applied to Our Lord in the New Testament in relation to his cleansing of the Temple:

In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." Jn 2

But zeal can be both good and bad, as Cassiodorus comments:

“Zeal is used in both the bad sense and the good sense; in the bad sense, as in: "Zeal and envy have devoured the house of Jacob"; and again, we read in the Acts of the Apostles: When they saw this, the Jews -were filled-with zeal, and they laid their hands on the apostles. This kind of zeal always leads to sins, lays ambushes, cuts off the path to salvation.”

Too often we see this evil zeal today in those who attack the bishops when they are actually defending the faith, and claim some superior knowledge to that of the Pope as to what Vatican II is meant to mean to us.

Yet good zeal can seem extremist at times, as Cassiodorus comments:

“The word is used in the good sense: The zeal of thy house has consumed me and Elias says: With zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant,." Then too Phineas the priest, on seeing the Israelite engaged in sexual intercourse with the Moabite woman, in zeal for the Lord's command ran them both through with the sword." His zeal was so effective that it alone diverted the Lord's anger. Indeed, this kind of zeal bestows salvation, keeps faith, maintains chastity and protects God's Church with splendid vigour.”

The marks of good zeal

The verses of this stanza point to some of the distinguishing marks of a healthy zeal for God, namely that it starts from the realization that we are all sinners (previous stanza), who need God’s truth and justice as a guide (v137-138, 142) and is fired up by love of God and meditation on his law (140-144).

Verse by verse

137 Justus es, Dómine: * et rectum judícium tuum.
You are just, O Lord: and your judgment is right.

Justus es, Dómine = you are just o Lord

et rectum judícium tuum = and your justice is righteous

The starting point for our assessment of our own and others state is God’s justice, which is broader than his meeting of punishments and rewards.

justus, a, um just as a subst., a just man, the just.
judicium, i, n. judgment, decrees; law, commandment; the power, or faculty of judging wisely; justice
rectus, a, um, part. adj. just, right, righteous, upright; the just, just men, the good; steadfast, stable, steady.

138 Mandásti justítiam testimónia tua: * et veritátem tuam nimis.
You have commanded justice your testimonies: and your truth exceedingly.

Mandásti justítiam testimónia tua = you have commanded justice [in] your testimonies

et veritátem tuam nimis = and your truth exceedingly

=You have ordained your testimonies [to be] justice and truth beyond measure.

mando, avi, atum, are to enjoin, order, command.
testimonium, ii, n. testimonies, commands, decrees; commandments, ordinances, statutes, judgments, testimonies
nimis, adv., exceedingly, greatly, beyond measure.

139 Tabéscere me fecit zelus meus: * quia oblíti sunt verba tua inimíci mei.
My zeal has made me pine away: because my enemies forgot your words.

Tabéscere me fecit zelus meus = My zeal makes me [to] pine away [consumed me]

The Neo-Vulgate changes the verb here to ‘consumpsit’, or it consumed’ which reflects both the Hebrew and the New Testament citation of this verse.

quia oblíti sunt verba tua inimíci mei = for my enemies have forgotten your words

tabesco, tabui, ere 3 to pine away, waste away, melt away, faint.
zelus, i, m. zeal; jealousy,indignation, displeasure.
obliviscor, oblitus sum, oblivisci to forget
inimicus, i, m., a foe, enemy

140 Ignítum elóquium tuum veheménter: et servus tuus diléxit illud.
Your word is exceedingly refined: and your servant has loved it.

Ignítum elóquium tuum veheménter = Your word [is] exceedingly pure/refined/fire-tried

Cassiodorus: “The Lord's word is ablaze, for it cleanses men's hearts when they are befouled with worldly grime. Just as the blazing heat of the furnace melts down metals and burns out their faults by necessary purification, so the Lord's word cleanses the thoughts of the humble by wiping away the stains of sins. The heart of Cleophas burned with this fire when she said: Was not our heart burning within us when he opened to us the scriptures?”

et servus tuus diléxit illud = and your servant has loved it

ignitus, a, um fire-tried, purified from dross, very pure
eloquium, ii, n. a word, oracle, speech, utterance, promise.
vehementer, adv. greatly, exceedingly, very much.
diligo, lexi, lectum, ere 3 to love; to flatter, make pretence of loving.
ille, ilia, illud, demon, pron., that; also he, she, it In the Vulgate ille is frequently used for is or ipse

141 Adolescéntulus sum ego et contémptus: * justificatiónes tuas non sum oblítus.
I am very young and despised; but I forget not your justifications

Adolescéntulus sum ego et contémptus = I am young and despised

St Augustine comments that: The younger seems to grieve for those older than himself who had forgotten the righteousnesses of God, while he himself had not forgotten. For what means, I am young, yet do I not forget? save this, Those older than me have forgotten. For the Greek word is νεώτερος, the same as that used in the words above, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? This is a comparative, and is therefore well understood in its relation to some one older.

Can also be seen as a reference back to verses 99-100 I have more understanding more than my teachers and elders.

justificatiónes tuas non sum oblítus = I have not forgotten your justifications

adolescentulus, i, m. youth, young man from 13 to 20 years of age, or even more
contemptus, a, um, part, adj: despised.

142 Justítia tua, justítia in ætérnum: * et lex tua véritas.
Your justice is justice for ever: and your law is the truth.

Justítia tua = your justice

justítia in ætérnum = [is] justice forever

et lex tua véritas = and your law [is the] truth

143 Tribulátio, et angústia invenérunt me: * mandáta tua meditátio mea est.
Trouble and anguish have found me: your commandments are my meditation.

Tribulátio, et angústia invenérunt me = trouble and hardship have found me

mandáta tua meditátio mea est = your commandments are my meditation

angustia, ae, f prop, narrowness of circumstances, scarcity, want, poverty, hardship; anguish, afflictions, difficulties
invenio, veni, ventum, ire, to find

144 Æquitas testimónia tua in ætérnum: * intelléctum da mihi, et vivam.
Your testimonies are justice for ever: give me understanding, and I shall live.

Æquitas testimónia tua in ætérnum = Your testimonies are justice forever

intelléctum da mihi, et vivam = give to me understanding and I will live

aequitas, atis, f justice, fairness, uprightness, goodness
vivo, vixi, victum, ere 3 to live, to have life, be alive,

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the stanza

NT references	Rev 16:5, 7 (137); Jn 2:17(139); John 17:17 (142)
RB cursus	Monday Sext
Monastic feasts etc	-
Roman pre 1911	None (x);
Responsories	-
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday None (x)
Mass propers (EF)	PP17 In 137

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

Psalm 118 (119) Phe (129-136): Joy and the law

Today’s stanza of Psalm 118 (Phe, verses 129-136) is the first ‘psalm’ of Monday Sext in the Benedictine Office; Sunday None in the Roman.

The text of the stanza

This is a stanza that I think brings us back to the opening verses of the psalm: Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord:

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
129  Mirabília testimónia tua: * ídeo scrutáta est ea ánima mea.	Your testimonies are wonderful: therefore my soul has sought them.
130  Declarátio sermónum tuórum illúminat: * et intelléctum dat párvulis.	130 The declaration of your words gives light: and gives understanding to little ones.
131  Os meum apérui, et attráxi spíritum: * quia mandáta tua desiderábam.	131 I opened my mouth, and panted: because I longed for your commandments.
132  Aspice in me, et miserére mei: * secúndum judícium diligéntium nomen tuum.	132 Look upon me, and have mercy on me according to the judgment of them that love your name.
133  Gressus meos dírige secúndum elóquium tuum: * et non dominétur mei omnis injustítia.	133 Direct my steps according to your word: and let no iniquity have dominion over me.
134  Rédime me a calúmniis hóminum: * ut custódiam mandáta tua.	134 Redeem me from the calumnies of men: that I may keep your commandments.
135  Fáciem tuam illúmina super servum tuum: * et doce me justificatiónes tuas.	135 Make your face to shine upon your servant: and teach me your justifications.
136  Exitus aquárum deduxérunt óculi mei: * quia non custodiérunt legem tuam.	136 My eyes have sent forth springs of water: because they have not kept your law.

(Knox translation):

129 Right wonderful thy decrees are, hard to read, and well my heart heeds them.
130 Revelation and light thy words disclose to the simple.
131 Rises ever a sigh from my lips as I long after thy covenant.
132 Regard and pity me, as thou hast pity for all that love thy name.
133 Rule thou my path as thou hast promised; never be wrong-doing my master.
134 Rescue me from man’s oppression, to wait henceforth on thy bidding.
135 Restore to thy servant the smile of thy living favour, and teach him to know thy will.
136 Rivers of tears flow from my eyes, to see thy law forgotten.

Joy and the law

It is often suggested these days that focusing on God’s law, whether in the broadest use of that term, or in the form of moral, judicial and ceremonial codes of either the Old Law or the Church, somehow stands in opposition to joy and thus evangelization.

This psalm repeatedly asserts that the very opposite is the case.

The first verse of this stanza is a restatement of this key theme:

Mirabilia testimonia tua : ideo scrutata est ea anima mea.
Your testimonies are wonderful: therefore my soul has sought them.

St Augustine sees testimonies here as above all a reference to the wonder of creation, through which alone we can reason our way to God. But it can equally be interpreted (and has been) as including the detailed code of the old Law contained in the Torah, to the working out of God’s providential plan in history, and above all to the coming of Christ and the institution of his Church.

Consider for example the Old Testament laws, most of which Christians do not follow. St Robert Bellarmine comments that on the face of it they are not wonderful, but rather articulated so no one can claim ignorance of what was required. Yet they are wonderful, he argues, especially the Decalogue, in that they contain and foreshadow all the (proper) laws of the world:

“But as regards the mystic meaning, especially of the ceremonial laws, they are wonderful and most obscure, foreshadowing, as they do, all the mysteries of the Christian religion, to which the Prophet alludes here. With that, the Decalogue that principally contains God's law, is wonderful for being written in such plain and intelligible language, though it contains, in the smallest possible space, all the principles of justice on which all the laws that ever have been, or will be made, are based. All other laws are innumerable, have filled, and are still filling, many large volumes, and yet they are all conclusions or inferences from the laws of the Decalogue. Thus, as small seeds are wonderful by reason of their having within them the germs of large trees, so the Decalogue is wonderful by reason of its essentially comprising all the laws of the world.”

Truth is the true freedom

This stanza goes on to explain just why seeking and studying the law should be so freeing, so joyful.

First, they shed light on our path, so that we do not have to walk in darkness:

Declaratio sermonum tuorum illuminat, The declaration of your words gives light (v129)

They allow God to direct us in our way (v133), and bring his blessings on us (v135, Make you face shine upon me).

Secondly, they give understanding to those who are prepared to become like little children as the Gospel enjoins us, rather than insisting on our own path in the name of an ‘adult faith’:

et intellectum dat parvulis : and gives understanding to little ones.

Thirdly, following them allows us to call for God’s justice (whether realized now or in the next life) in the face of attacks by evildoers (v134).

Joy mixed with pain

Yet the psalmist also reminds us that in this life, the joy of God’s law can never be entirely pure, never be entirely unmixed with pain, for we are all sinners who are yet to be fully purified. Attempting to follow God’s law gives us the right to ask, as Verse 132 suggests, to ask for his mercy, and to ask for him to prevent us falling to the forces of evil (v133).

Thus the stanza reminds us that the wonder of the law should call forth not just longing for it, and for the grace that we need (v131), but also repentance (v136):

Exitus aquarum deduxerunt oculi mei, quia non custodierunt legem tuam.
My eyes have sent forth springs of water: because they have not kept your law.

In this stanza, the repentance is for our own sins. In the next stanza (verses 137-144), as we shall see next week, the psalmist speaks of the zeal called forth by the lapses of others.

Verse by verse

129 Mirabilia testimonia tua: ideo scrutata est ea anima mea.
Your testimonies are wonderful: therefore my soul has sought them.

mirabilis, e wonderful, marvelous; subst., mirabilia, mm, wonders, wonderful works, marvellous things.
ideo, adv., therefore, on that account
scrutor, atus sum, ari, to search, examine, scrutinize; to search out, examine carefully

Mirabilia testimonia tua =your testimonies [are] wonderful

Testimonia here corresponds to the Greek marturia, from which the word martyrdom is derived; Hebrew eduwth (a precept of God). The Fathers and Theologians offer varying interpretations of the testimonies being referred to: St Augustine points to the wonder of creation; St Bellarmine to the moral, judicial and ceremonial law (of the Torah).

ideo scrutata est ea anima mea = therefore my soul has sought/searched/examined them

The power of God’s law naturally attracts the soul to it, by virtues of its marvelous nature inclines us to try understand and keep it.

130 Declaratio sermonum tuorum illuminat, et intellectum dat parvulis.
The declaration of your words gives light: and gives understanding to little ones.

Declaratio sermonum tuorum illuminat = the declaration/statement of your words/commands/edicts enlightens/gives light

The ‘sermonum’ translates the Greek logos, Hebrew dabar.

declaratio, onis, f a declaration, an open and clear statement
sermo, onis, m. words; a command, edict word, speech, saying, discourse; scheme, plan, proposal
illumino, avi, atum, are , to make or cause to shine, to enlighten, illuminate. to shine forth, to shine.

et intellectum dat parvulis = it gives understanding to little ones

intellectus, us, m. understanding, insight.
parvulus, a, um , small, little. Of age: little, youthful, young. children, little ones, the simple, the guileless,

This verse provides some context and continuity to two key NT concepts, namely the Word as the light of the world (cf Jn 1), and the importance of becoming humble and receptive, as little children, if we truly wish to understand God’s teaching. The ‘manifestation/declaration of your words’ can clearly be interpreted, as Cassiodorus points out, as a reference to the Incarnation of Our Lord.

131 Os meum aperui, et attraxi spiritum: quia mandata tua desiderabam.
I opened my mouth, and panted: because I longed for your commandments

Os meum aperui, et attraxi spiritum = I have opened my mouth and drew breath/panted

This phrase has both a literal explanation and a spiritual one: literally he took a deep breath, or panted; or spiritually, as St Augustine suggests, he reached out for grace and drew in the Holy Spirit. The underlying idea is that though we ourselves can cultivate our desire for God, we cannot do it alone, nor can we actually follow his ways, without his breath or grace from the Holy Spirit.

os, oris, n., the mouth.
aperio, perui, pertum, ire, to open
attraho, traxi, tractum, ere 3 to draw to; of persons, to drag; to draw breath
spiritus, us, m. breath; wind; breath of life, vital spirit; the soul; spirit, disposition; Divine assistance, grace

quia mandata tua desiderabam = for I was longing for your commandments

desidero, avi, atum, are, to long for, desire, earnestly wish for

132 Aspice in me, et miserere mei, secundum judicium diligentium nomen tuum.
Look upon me, and have mercy on me according to the judgment of them that love your name.

Aspice in me = Look upon me

aspicio, spexi, spectum, ere 3 to look at, behold, see.

et miserere mei = and have mercy/pity on me

secundum judicium = according to the judgment

diligentium nomen tuum = loving your name = of them that love your name

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

ie, Bellarmine says, the same mercy on me that you have on those friends of yours that truly love you.

133 Gressus meos dirige secundum eloquium tuum, et non dominetur mei omnis injustitia.
Direct my steps according to your word: and let no iniquity have dominion over me.

Gressus meos dirige = direct my steps

gressus, us, m. , steps, stride, goings, the whole course of one's life
dirigo, rexi, rectum, ere 3 to direct, guide, set aright; to prosper, to be established.

secundum eloquium tuum = according to your promise

et non dominetur mei omnis injustitia =and do not let any sin have dominion of me

dominor, atus sum, ari to rule over, have dominion over, lord it over; to rule, reign
injustitia, ae, f. injustice, iniquity, sin..

Ligurori summarises the verse aptly: “Make me conduct myself according to Thy law, and permit not that any unjust passion should have dominion over me”.

134 Redime me a calumniis hominum ut custodiam mandata tua.
Redeem me from the calumnies of men: that I may keep your commandments.

Redime me a calumniis hominum = save me from the false accusations/oppression of men

redimo emi emptum ere 3 to redeem, buy back, ransom, rescue, set free, save
calumnia, ae, f. oppression, false accusation.

ut custodiam mandata tua=in order that I may keep your commandments

The good often attract false accusations; this verse asks for the grace to get through such trials unscathed. Bellarmine says: “Direct my steps, then especially, when, confused by calumnies, there may be danger of straying from the right way, for "Calumny troubleth the wise, and shall destroy the strength of his heart." "Redeem me from the calumnies of men." Deliver me from their calumnies, that my mind being at rest, "I may keep thy commandments."

135 Faciem tuam illumina super servum tuum, et doce me justificationes tuas.
Make your face to shine upon your servant: and teach me your justifications.

Faciem tuam illumina = Your face shining =let/cause your face to shine

facies, ei, f. face, countenance, appearance; presence.
illumino, avi, atum, are , to make or cause to shine, to enlighten, illuminate. to shine forth, to shine.

super servum tuum = on your servant

super +acc=above, upon, over, in, on;+abl= about, concerning; with, on, upon, for, because of.

et doce me justificationes tuas = teach me your justifications

136 Exitus aquarum deduxerunt oculi mei, quia non custodierunt legem tuam.
My eyes have sent forth springs of water: because they have not kept your law.

Exitus aquarum =water going out

exitus –us m a going out, going forth, departure

deduxerunt =they have lead

deduco, duxi ductum, ere 3, to lead or bring down; to guide, lead, conduct

oculi mei = my eyes

=tears have run down from my eyes

quia non custodierunt legem tuam = because they have not kept your law

Liturgical and scriptural uses of the psalm

NT references	-
RB cursus	Monday Sext (1)
Monastic feasts etc
Roman pre 1911	Sext daily
Responsories	7353, 6074
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday None
Mass propers (EF)	Lent Sat 3, OF 133

And this series continues on here.

Psalm 118 (119) Ayin (v121-128): Time for action

Today’s stanza of Psalm 118 focuses on a call for God to act: to protect those who seek to do good from their enemies; for God to send his salvation in the form of Christ; and above all to stop evil doers from continuing to break God’s laws.

The text of the stanza

the Knox translation of the stanza runs as follows:
121 Protect the justice of my cause; never leave me at the mercy of my oppressors.
122 Pledge thyself still to befriend me; save me from the oppression of my enemies.
123 Pining away, I look for thy saving help, the faithful keeping of thy promises.
124 Pity thy own servant, and teach him thy decrees.
125 Perfect in thy own servant’s heart the knowledge of thy will.
126 Put off the hour, Lord, no more; too long thy commandment stands defied.
127 Precious beyond gold or jewel I hold thy law.
128 Prized be every decree of thine; forsworn be every path of evil-doing.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
121  Feci judícium et justítiam: * non tradas me calumniántibus me.	I have done judgment and justice: give me not up to them that slander me.
122  Súscipe servum tuum in bonum: * non calumniéntur me supérbi.	122 Uphold your servant unto good: let not the proud calumniate me.
123  Oculi mei defecérunt in salutáre tuum: * et in elóquium justítiæ tuæ.	123 My eyes have fainted after your salvation: and for the word of your justice.
124  Fac cum servo tuo secúndum misericórdiam tuam: * et justificatiónes tuas doce me.	124 Deal with your servant according to your mercy: and teach me your justifications.
125  Servus tuus sum ego: * da mihi intelléctum, ut sciam testimónia tua.	125 I am your servant: give me understanding that I may know your testimonies.
126  Tempus faciéndi, Dómine: * díssipavérunt legem tuam.	126 It is time, O Lord, to do: they have dissipated your law.
127  Ideo diléxi mandáta tua, * super aurum et topázion.	127 Therefore have I loved your commandments above gold and the topaz.
128  Proptérea ad ómnia mandáta tua dirigébar: * omnem viam iníquam ódio hábui.	128 Therefore was I directed to all your commandments: I have hated all wicked ways.

How does God act?

The central verse is 126:‘It is time for the Lord to act for thy law has been broken’ (RSV).

Cassiodorus suggests that the answer is by sending us the Saviour:

“It is time to do, in other words, time to appear as Saviour to the world, to loosen sins, to conquer death, and to lay low the devil with his troop. This is what the Lord's doing is, to come at the prophesied time. In the words of the prophet: In an acceptable time I have heard thee, and in the day of salvation I have helped thee; and as Paul says: Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Whether you see this salvation primarily in terms of the Incarnation, Cross, Resurrection or Second Coming, I think, depends on your particular spirituality. In verse 123, the psalmist says that he faints after [the desire of] God’s salvation, which St Augustine sees as the Cross, prefigured by Moses’ holding aloft the image of a serpent on a pole. Cassiodorus, however, points to the Incarnation.

Acting through us

But there is an alternative interpretation to the Latin (albeit one corrected in the neo-Vulgate) as Haydock’s classic commentary points out: the Latin could be read as suggesting that it is time for us to act for the Lord, for example ‘by striving to repair the injuries done to his name and worship’.

Textual ambiguities aside it is a useful reminder that God acts in history through us: we cannot just sit back and wait for the Second Coming, we must do what we are called to do in the world now.

Of course action for Christ calls forth reaction, and the stanza reminds us of the ‘almost but not yet’ dimension of salvation: even though the Messiah has come, as we celebrate this coming Easter, we must still beg God daily, with the psalmist, for protection against those who slander us here and now (verses 121-122); for knowledge, understanding and the grace to do God’s will (verses 124-125); and above all for mercy rather than judgment on our sins when it comes to our end (verse 124).

Verse by verse

121 Feci judicium et justitiam : non tradas me calumniantibus me.
I have done judgment and justice: give me not up to them that slander me

judicium, i, n. judgment, decrees; law, commandment; the power, or faculty of judging wisely; justice.
justitia, ae, f. justice, righteousness, innocence, piety, moral integrity
trado, didi, ditum, ere 3, to give up, hand over, deliver up or over, abandon.
calumnior, atus sum, ari to oppress, to speak against unjustly.

Feci judícium et justítiam = I have done/made judgment and justice

The Greek here, dikaiosunen is often translated as righteousness, hence the Monastic Diurnal makes it ‘justice and righteousness’. The RSV translation perhaps best conveys the real sense here though: I have done what is just and right.

non tradas me calumniántibus me = do not hand me over/abandon me to [those] oppressing/slandering me

122 Suscipe servum tuum in bonum : non calumnientur me superbi.
Uphold your servant unto good: let not the proud calumniate me.

suscipio, cepi, ceptum, ere 3 to guard, protect, uphold, support; receive, accept; to seize.
superbus, a, um raising one's self above others, proud, haughty, arrogant, insolent.

Súscipe servum tuum in bonum = Uphold/receive your servant unto good/with favour

The Neo-Vulgate changes suscipe to sponde – give assurance, promise.

Non calumnientur me superbi= Let not the proud oppress/calumniate me.

123 Oculi mei defecerunt in salutare tuum, et in eloquium justitiæ tuæ.
My eyes have fainted after your salvation: and for the word of your justice

deficio, fed, fectum, ere 3 to fail, to be wasted, spent, consumed, cease to be, come to an end, vanish, long for, pine for,

eloquium, ii, n. a word, oracle, speech, utterance, promise.

Oculi mei defecérunt = my eyes have failed/longed for

in salutáre tuum = in your salvation

St Augustine sees this as the Cross, prefigured by Moses’ holding aloft the image of a serpent on a pole; Cassiodorus points to the Incarnation. The Neo-Vulgate makes it ‘with the desire of your salvation’.

et in elóquium justítiæ tuæ = and in the promise of your justice

124 Fac cum servo tuo secundum misericordiam tuam, et justificationes tuas doce me.
Deal with your servant according to your mercy: and teach me your justifications.

Fac cum servo tuo =do/deal with your servant

secúndum misericórdiam tuam =according to your mercy

That is, not on our merits; not as we deserve because of our sins.

et justificatiónes tuas doce me = and teach me your justifications

Cassiodorus: They continue with their diligent entreaties, for there must be no weariness in petitioning, since the generosity of the Donor cannot be exhausted. They made unlimited requests, for they asked that blessings be granted them according to God's mercy, and just as that mercy is unending, so His gifts are known to be never-failing. They did well to add: With thy servant, for one who desires another as master at once gives way. According to their custom, they invariably beg for the justifications which in their piety they have already obtained. This incessant demand is likewise indicated by the Lord's prayer, where it says: Give us this day our daily breads. It is right to make continual entreaty of Him, for He is offended if He is not petitioned.

125 Servus tuus sum ego : da mihi intellectum, ut sciam testimonia tua.
I am your servant: give me understanding that I may know your testimonies.

intellectus, us, m. understanding, insight.
scio, ivi and li, Itum, Ire, to know.

Servus tuus sum ego = I am your servant

da mihi intelléctum = give me understanding

Cassiodorus: Though we must beg the Lord with continual prayers for everything helpful to us, we must regularly beseech Him most of all for an understanding of the divine Scriptures, for the more they are apprehended, the sweeter they are found by holy minds.

ut sciam testimónia tua = that I may know your testimonies

Augustine notes that: For it suffices not to have received understanding, and to have learned the testimonies of God, unless it be evermore received, and evermore in a manner quaffed from the fountain of eternal light. For the testimonies of God are the better and the better known, the more understanding a man attains to.

126 Tempus faciendi, Domine: dissipaverunt legem tuam.
It is time, O Lord, to do: they have dissipated your law.

tempus, oris, n. time,
dissipo, avi, atum, are scatter, disperse; frustrate, bring to naught; break, annul, make void

Tempus faciéndi, Dómine = Time of making/doing O Lord = It is time [for you] to do/make/act O Lord OR It is time O Lord for action

The Vulgate is ambiguous in Latin. Haydock points out that it could be interpreted as 'it is time for us to act for the Lord', for example, ‘by striving to repair the injuries done to his name and worship’.

Most, however, interpret the phrase as ‘it is time for the Lord to act’. This is certainly consistent with the most obvious translation of the Greek, which makes Lord dative (to/for) rather than vocative (O Lord) as in the Latin, and the change of case to Domino in the neo-Vulgate reflects this.

The reason for the ambiguity though is that the Greek verb form (ποιῆσαι) can have several meanings – it could be an infinitive (aorist infinitive active, to do/make/act), imperative (be done/made, aorist imperative middle) or third person aorist optative active (he/she/it-happens to do/make).

 díssipavérunt legem tuam = they have frustrated/broken/ your law

127 Ideo dilexi mandata tua super aurum et topazion.
Therefore have I loved your commandments above gold and the topaz.

ideo, adv., therefore, on that account.
aurum, i, n., gold
topazion, Ii, n. the topaz, a precious stone.

Ideo diléxi mandáta tua = therefore I have loved your commandments

Augustine: Grace has this object, that the commandments, which could not be fulfilled by fear, may be fulfilled by love...

super aurum et topázion = above gold and precious stone/topaz

The NV changes topaz to ‘obyryzum’ or fine gold, to align with the Hebrew MT. The argument is that topaz, regarded as the finest of precious stones, was a later discovery. In this view, the Greek topazios was probably in fact a yellow crystal now called chrysolite.  Hmm, maybe!

128 Propterea ad omnia mandata tua dirigebar; omnem viam iniquam odio habui.
Therefore was I directed to all your commandments: I have hated all wicked ways.

propterea, adv., therefore, on that account, for that cause; but now
dirigo, rexi, rectum, ere 3 to direct, guide, set aright; to prosper, to be established.
odio habere, to have hatred towards, to entertain hatred against, to hate

Proptérea = Therefore
ad ómnia mandáta tua = to all your commandments
dirigébar = I was guided by/directed by

omnem viam iníquam =all the ways of wickedness
ódio hábui = I have hated

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	-
RB cursus	Monday Terce
Monastic feasts etc	-
Roman pre 1911	Sext
Responsories	No 6072, 7645, Quinquagesima (6420) (cf 124)
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday Sext
Mass propers (EF)	Friday after Ash Wednesday, OF 125; Passion Friday OF 121-22 PP17 IN 124 Common of a virgin martyr CO 121,122, 128

And you can find the next part in this series here.