Christmas Canticle 3: Isaiah 66:10-16

The Nursing Madonna by unknown master from Bruges, 16th century.
Museu de Aveiro, Portugal.

Over the last few Sundays I've taken a brief look at the Office canticles - the psalms not contained in the book of psalms - used at Sunday Matins in the Benedictine Office for the broader Christmas season, which ends tomorrow.  Accordingly, today the third and final of these Office canticles for Christmas and Epiphanytide, which comes from the final chapter of the prophet Isaiah.

Christmas Canticle 3: Isaiah 66: 10-16

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
1 Lætamini cum Jerusalem et exsultate in ea, omnes qui diligitis eam;	Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you that love her
2 gaudete cum ea gaudio, universi qui lugetis super eam:  ut sugatis et repleamini ab ubere consolationis ejus;	rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her. That you may suck, and be filled with the breasts of her consolations
3 ut mulgeatis et deliciis affluatis ab omnimoda gloria ejus.	that you may milk out, and flow with delights, from the abundance of her glory.
4 Quia hæc dicit Dominus: Ecce ego declinabo super eam quasi fluvium pacis, et quasi torrentem inundantem gloriam gentium,	For thus saith the Lord: Behold I will bring upon her as it were a river of peace, and as an overflowing torrent the glory of the Gentiles,
5 quam sugetis: ad ubera portabimini, et super genua blandientur vobis.	which you shall suck; you shall be carried at the breasts, and upon the knees they shall caress you.
6 Quomodo si cui mater blandiatur, ita ego consolabor vos, et in Jerusalem consolabimini.	As one whom the mother caresseth, so will I comfort you, and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
7 Videbitis, et gaudebit cor vestrum, et ossa vestra quasi herba germinabunt:	You shall see and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb,
8 et cognoscetur manus Domini servis ejus, et indignabitur inimicis suis.	and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall be angry with his enemies.
9 Quia ecce Dominus in igne veniet, et quasi turbo quadrigæ ejus reddere in indignatione furorem suum et increpationem suam in flamma ignis:	For behold the Lord will come with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind, to render his wrath in indignation, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
10 quia in igne Dominus dijudicabit, et in gladio suo ad omnem carnem; et multiplicabuntur interfecti a Domino,	For the Lord shall judge by fire, and by his sword unto all flesh, and the slain of the Lord shall be many.

The verses of Isaiah immediately before this canticle have long been interpreted as presenting Our Lady as the new Eve, and the opening verses of the canticle can obviously be seen as an allusion to her role as the Mother of God also.

These verses make it clear though, that the image of Mary breastfeeding the child Jesus is also an example of typology, teaching us about God's loving care for us.  The canticle opens with an invitation to feast, taking comfort from the food of the spirit, using the image of a mother sucking her child that can be interpreted as an image of God himself acting as our parent.  The Douay-Rheims translation is perhaps a little over literal here, so here is the Knox version of the opening verses to aid understanding:

"Lovers of Jerusalem, rejoice with her, be glad for her sake; make holiday with her, you that mourned for her till now. So shall you be her foster-children, suckled plentifully with her consolations, drinking in, to your hearts’ content, the abundant glory that is hers. Thus says the Lord, Peace shall flow through her like a river, the wealth of the nations shall pour into her like a torrent in flood; this shall be the milk you drain, like children carried at the breast, fondled on a mother’s lap. I will console you then, like a mother caressing her son, and all your consolation shall be in Jerusalem; your eyes feasted with it, your hearts content, vigorous as the fresh grass your whole frame..."

The river of peace of the fourth verse (as the canticle is arranged for liturgical use) is interpreted by St Ambrose to be the Holy Ghost, 'that flowed from within Jesus', echoing the imagery of Psalm 1.  And the flourishing bones of verse 7 are interpreted by St Augustine to be a reference to the resurrection of the body.

Indeed, the whole canticle (and chapter of Isaiah from which it comes) abounds with eschatological imagery, not least in the warning of the Second Coming and final judgment contained in the concluding verses (8-10).

Thank you...

Thank you to those who have left kind comments on the blog over the last few weeks, and/or have joined up as followers, I appreciate your support!

And please do let me know if there is particular content you are interested in, formats you prefer or questions you may have on the notes - I may or may not be able to accommodate you, but it certainly helps me to know what is working or not.  I'm also open to suggestions on which psalms I should look at next - again whether I can respond to your requests quickly will depend on the state of my notes on the particular psalm and my own program of study of them, but I'll see what I can do!

I'm also happy to have discussion or other points of view on the psalms presented in the comments, so long as they stay within the bounds of acceptable Catholic debate. 

Psalm 6/6: Verses 7-10

The final section of Psalm 6 deals with our relationship to our enemies: on the one hand, we must do battle with the world, the devil and the flesh; yet on the other, we must pray for the conversion of all souls, even those who have hurt us and led us astray.  

7.	V	Turbátus est a furóre óculus meus : *  inveterávi inter omnes inimícos meos.
	NV	Turbatus est a maerore oculus meus, inveteravi inter omnes inimicos meos.
	JH	Caligauit prae amaritudine oculus meus; consumtus sum ab uniuersis hostibus meis.
		ἐταράχθη ἀπὸ θυμοῦ ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἐπαλαιώθην ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου

turbo, avi, atum, are, to trouble, disturb, dismay, throw into disorder or confusion

furor, oris, m.  rage, wrath, fury, indignation; grief, anger, vexation

oculus, i, the eye.. It is often used in a fig. sense

invetero, avi, atum, are (in and vetus), (1) to grow old, become old  (2) to be enfeebled, fail in strength.

omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything

inimicus, i, m. (in and amicus), a foe, enemy

DR	My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies.
Brenton	Mine eye is troubled because of my wrath; I am worn out because of all my enemies.
Cover	My beauty is gone for very trouble, and worn away because of all mine enemies.
Knox	Grief has dimmed my eyes, faded their lustre now, so many are the adversaries that surround me.

St John Chrysostom suggested, in speaking on this verse, that when speaking of enemies, we should recall that it is not other people (the world) that we must do battle with, but powers and principalities (the devil).  It is a theme that is often alluded to in the Monday Benedictine Office in which this psalm appears at Prime, in the context of Our Lord's temptation in the desert.

St Alphonus Liguouri adds the third element to the mix, commenting that:

"I have conceived great indignation against myself when considering the deformity of my sins, and when seeing myself growing old in the midst of my enemies, which are my vices and my bad habits."

8.	V/NV	Discédite a me, omnes, qui operámini iniquitátem : *  quóniam exaudívit Dóminus vocem fletus mei.
	JH	Recedite a me, omnes qui operamini iniquitatem; quia audiuit Dominus uocem fletus mei.
		ἀπόστητε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν ὅτι εἰσήκουσεν κύριος τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ κλαυθμοῦ μου

discedo, cessi, cessum, ere 3,  to go away, depart;  to wander, deviate or swerve from

omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything

operor, atus sum, are (opus), to work, do.

lniquitas, atis, /. (iniquus), iniquity, injustice, sin.

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

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

vox, vocis,  the voice of a person, or, the sound of an instrument, etc  vox Domini, the voice of the Lord, i.e., thunder. 

fletus, us, m.  a weeping, bewailing

DR	Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity: for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
Brenton	Depart from me, all ye that work iniquity; for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
MD	Depart from me, all ye evil-doers, for the Lord hath heard my tearful cry.
Cover	Away from me, all ye that work vanity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.

There are two different ideas that can be taken out of this verse, reflected in the various traditional commentaries on it. Firstly, at the individual level the speaker attests to the operation of God's grace: his prayers have been heard, and the enemy will be repelled.  But secondly, Our Lord cites it to foreshadow the separation of the wheat from the chaff, the good from the evil when it comes to judgment.

In Matthew 7:21-23 he says: "Not every one who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'  And then will I declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers."  In Matthew 25:31-43, it points to the separation out of those who fail to do the corporal works of mercy.  And in St Luke (13:23-27) the citation is used int he context of the narrow gate to heaven.

9	V/NV	Exaudívit Dóminus deprecatiónem meam, *  Dóminus oratiónem meam suscépit.
	JH	Audiuit Dominus deprecationem meam; Dominus orationem meam suscipiet.
		εἰσήκουσεν κύριος τῆς δεήσεώς μου κύριος τὴν προσευχήν μου προσεδέξατο

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

deprecatio, onis,  prayer, supplication, entreaty.

suscipio, cepi, ceptum, ere 3 to guard, protect, uphold, support; to receive, accept ; to seize.

oratio, onis,  prayer, supplication.

DR	The Lord has heard my supplication: the Lord has received my prayer.
Brenton	The Lord has hearkened to my petition; the Lord has accepted my prayer.
Cover	The Lord hath heard my petition; the Lord will receive my prayer.
Knox	Here was a prayer divinely heard, a boon divinely granted.

The psalmist repeats that his prayer has been heard three times, a repetition St Augustine suggests reflects his great joy:

"For they that rejoice are wont so to speak, as that it is not enough for them to declare once for all the object of their joy. This is the fruit of that groaning in which there is labour, and those tears with which the couch is washed, and bed drenched: for, he that sows in tears, shall reap in joy: and, blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."

But the repetition also serves to reinforce the idea that we must be persistent in prayer, for asking for things from God, provided they are proper things, is in itself an offering to him, as Cassiodorus explains:

"Supplication consists of frequent, devoted prayer; it is unique in its outstanding aptness, and it frequently appeases by its insistence.  By received he wishes to understand "taken up," as if something had been accepted by His hands.  Observe too the great and secret joy which makes him say that his prayer has both been heard by God's ears and received like some offering; for men who rejoice usually seek the same end in different ways, and this makes them exult with great vehemence..."

10	V/ NV	Erubéscant, et conturbéntur veheménter omnes inimíci mei : * convertántur et erubéscant valde velóciter.
	JH	Confundantur et conturbentur uehementer omnes inimici mei: reuertantur et confundantur subito.
		αἰσχυνθείησαν καὶ ταραχθείησαν σφόδρα πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί μου ἀποστραφείησαν καὶ καταισχυνθείησαν σφόδρα διὰ τάχους

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

conturbo, avi, atum, are, confuse, disturb, derange, disorder, confound  to trouble, disquiet, discomfit, dismay

vehementer, greatly, exceedingly, very much.

velociter,  swiftly, quickly, speedily, rapidly

inimicus, i, m. (in and amicus), a foe, enemy

converto, verti, versum, ere 3, in general, to turn, change, alter, bring back; L: Aug – conversion and repentance

DR	Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.
Brenton	Let all mine enemies be put to shame and sore troubled: let them be turned back and grievously put to shame speedily.
MD	Let my enemies be put to shame and sorely frightened: let them blush for shame and flee in haste.
RSV	All my enemies shall be ashamed and sorely troubled; they shall turn back, and be put to shame in a moment.
Cover	All mine enemies shall be confounded, and sore vexed; they shall be turned back, and put to shame suddenly.
Knox	All my enemies will be abashed and terrified; taken aback, all in a moment, and put to shame.

These phrases, calling for the defeat and conversion of our enemies, are a recurring motif in the Benedictine Office of Monday.  The psalms of Monday invite us, first and foremost, to consider our own need for conversion and renewal in Christ.  But the immediate impact of our own conversion must surely be concern for the fate of our souls, the impetus for mission.  As Cassiodorus puts it:

"Notice too that once the penitent is freed of his sins and obedient to the Church's rules, he then in holy awareness prays for the conversion of his enemies, that his enemies in the flesh  may return to God's grace as he himself has gained pardon.  When he says: Let them be ashamed, he wants them to be enlightened by such contrition as to be ashamed of their previous acts, and to realise that the deeds which they long considered beneficial are wicked...Let them be turned back, so that they are not allowed to go where they seek, but on retracing their steps may be delivered from the pit of hell..."

Psalm 6 (Prime Monday): Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Magistro chori. Fidibus. Super octavam. PSALMUS. David.	Unto the end, in verses, a psalm for David, for the octave.
Dómine, ne in furóre tuo árguas me, * neque in ira tua corrípias me.	O Lord, rebuke me not in your indignation, nor chastise me in your wrath.
2  Miserére mei, Dómine, quóniam infírmus sum : * sana me, Dómine, quóniam conturbáta sunt ossa mea.	Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3  Et ánima mea turbáta est valde : * sed tu, Dómine, úsquequo?	And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but you, O Lord, how long?
4  Convértere, Dómine, et éripe ánimam meam : * salvum me fac propter misericórdiam tuam.	Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for your mercy's sake.
5.  Quóniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui : * in inférno autem quis confitébitur tibi?	For there is no one in death that is mindful of you: and who shall confess to you in hell?
6  Laborávi in gémitu meo, lavábo per síngulas noctes lectum meum : * lácrimis meis stratum meum rigábo.	I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears
7  Turbátus est a furóre óculus meus : * inveterávi inter omnes inimícos meos.	My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies.
8  Discédite a me, omnes, qui operámini iniquitátem : *  quóniam exaudívit Dóminus vocem fletus mei.	Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity: for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
9  Exaudívit Dóminus deprecatiónem meam, *  Dóminus oratiónem meam suscépit.	The Lord has heard my supplication: the Lord has received my prayer.
10  Erubéscant, et conturbéntur veheménter omnes inimíci mei : * convertántur et erubéscant valde velóciter.	Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.

If you would like to read about the next psalm of Prime (Psalm 7 for Tuesday), continue on here.

Alternatively, for the next of the Seven Penitential Psalms, continue on here for an Introduction to Psalm 31.

Psalm 6/5: Verse 6 - A baptism of tears

 

In the first section of Psalm 6,  King David (picture above from the Paris psalter) implored God to take pity on him and heal him from his illness: from his aching bones, and troubled soul.  He then goes on to give some reasons for God to have mercy on him.  Verse 6 provides another reason for God to have mercy on him, namely his tears of contrition.  Tears are out of fashion these days, yet in truth there is nothing wrong with acknowledging our emotions. And indeed seeking to stir up the proper ones within us as the occasion requires.

The meaning of the text

 

6	Vul	Laborávi in gémitu meo lavábo per síngulas noctes lectum meum: * lácrimis meis stratum meum rigábo.
	NV	Laboravi in gemitu meo, lavabam per singulas noctes lectum meum; lacrimis meis stratum meum rigabam.
	JH	Laboraui in gemitu meo ; natare faciam tota nocte lectulum meum; lacrimis meis stratum meum rigabo.
		ἐκοπίασα ἐν τῷ στεναγμῷ μου λούσω καθ' ἑκάστην νύκτα τὴν κλίνην μου ἐν δάκρυσίν μου τὴν στρωμνήν μου βρέξω

 The washing of the hands was a declaration of innocence. Washings, ablutions, or purifications were common among the Jews. In the Hebrew, the verse becomes progressively more intense, so ‘flood and drench…’

laboro, avi, atum, are  to toil, labor; to be tired, weaned, worn out, or exhausted, worn out

gemitus, us, m. a sigh, sighing, groaning.

lavo, lavi, lautum or lotum, are,  to wash.

singuli, ae, a, a distributive numeral adj., each, each one, every, several, each separately

nox, noctis,  night.

lectus, i, m. (from lego, a gathering or collecting together), a couch, bed.

lacryma, ae, a tear.

stratum, i, n.  bed, couch.

rigo, avi, atum, are, to wet, water, moisten, bedew

DR	I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears
Brenton	I am wearied with my groaning; I shall wash my bed every night; I shall water my couch with tears.
MD	Wary with my groans, every night I bathe my bed, with tears I drench my couch
Cover	I am weary of my groaning; every night wash I my bed, and water my couch with my tears.
Knox	I am spent with sighing; every night I lie weeping on my bed, till the tears drench my pillow.

The key words in this verse all point to the idea that letting lose tears (lacryma) of contrition constitutes hard work, a work of penance. Laborare means to work, toil, be tired out or exhausted; while gemitus means sighs or groanings. So the Douay-Rheims gives the first phrase as ‘I have laboured in my groanings’.

The verse is a classic example of the parallelism often used in the psalms, so that both halves of the verse essentially mean the same thing: lavare means to wash, while rigare means to wet, water or moisten; lectus and stratus both mean bed or couch.

There is some dispute over tense here: the Vulgate translates as ‘I have laboured...I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears. The neo-Vulgate changes the text to the imperfect, reflecting the more forceful Hebrew: the couch is positively swimming with the flood of tears the psalmist lets loose. Thus the Revised Standard Version translates the verse as “I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.”

God does not punish those who punish themselves…

The importance of David’s outpouring of tears, finally accepted in verse 9, is the allusion to a positive aspect of the doctrines around sin and penance, namely that if our sorrow for sin, and thus detachment from it, is sufficiently intense, we can be purified of even the remaining temporal punishment due to us.

Serious sin has two main effects: it cuts us off from God, thus meriting eternal punishment, and it causes harm which we must repair (‘temporal punishment’). The sacrament of penance heals our breach with God, cancelling out eternal punishment, but it does not necessarily wipe out all of the temporal punishment due to our sins, which must be worked off either in this life (through good works such as prayer, almsgiving and fasting), or in purgatory.

St Robert Bellarmine therefore comments on this verse that: “For, as the apostle has it, 1 Cor. 11, "If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged;" that is to say, if we would condemn and punish ourselves, God would not condemn nor punish us. For he spares those who do not spare themselves.”

In Scripture, St John the Baptist offered a (non-sacramental) baptism of water to show repentance for sins.  This verse of the psalm echoes that idea, which is continued in the Church for us through sacramentals such as the use of holy water and the Asperges before Mass.

A continuing work

I mentioned above that the Neo-Vulgate makes the psalmists work of tears each night ongoing - and this might be one of those cases where even a traditionalist could prefer the neo-Vulgate, at least from a theological point of view! There is a tendency today, even amongst the most conservative and traditionalists of us, to underestimate, at least compared to the perspective of earlier ages, just how serious our sins are, and therefore just how much time in purgatory we might yet face! So to avoid this, we should take St Benedict’s advice, and ‘daily in our prayer, with tears and sighs, confess our past sins to God’ (RB4).

Psalm 6 (Prime Monday): Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Magistro chori. Fidibus. Super octavam. PSALMUS. David.	Unto the end, in verses, a psalm for David, for the octave.
Dómine, ne in furóre tuo árguas me, * neque in ira tua corrípias me.	O Lord, rebuke me not in your indignation, nor chastise me in your wrath.
2  Miserére mei, Dómine, quóniam infírmus sum : * sana me, Dómine, quóniam conturbáta sunt ossa mea.	Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3  Et ánima mea turbáta est valde : * sed tu, Dómine, úsquequo?	And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but you, O Lord, how long?
4  Convértere, Dómine, et éripe ánimam meam : * salvum me fac propter misericórdiam tuam.	Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for your mercy's sake.
5.  Quóniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui : * in inférno autem quis confitébitur tibi?	For there is no one in death that is mindful of you: and who shall confess to you in hell?
6  Laborávi in gémitu meo, lavábo per síngulas noctes lectum meum : * lácrimis meis stratum meum rigábo.	I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears
7  Turbátus est a furóre óculus meus : * inveterávi inter omnes inimícos meos.	My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies.
8  Discédite a me, omnes, qui operámini iniquitátem : *  quóniam exaudívit Dóminus vocem fletus mei.	Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity: for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
9  Exaudívit Dóminus deprecatiónem meam, *  Dóminus oratiónem meam suscépit.	The Lord has heard my supplication: the Lord has received my prayer.
10  Erubéscant, et conturbéntur veheménter omnes inimíci mei : * convertántur et erubéscant valde velóciter.	Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.

And the next set of notes can be found here.

**Reposted from Australia Incognita blog

Psalm 6/4: In death no man remembers thee (Verses 3-5)

Verse 5 of Psalm 6 is presumably the verse that particularly justifies its inclusion in the Office of the Dead, for it is a plea to God to allow the psalmist to praise God forever in heaven, rather being excluded from him in hell.  But the verses leading up to it are about the prerequisites for salvation, so are important to the inclusion of the psalm both in the Office of the Dead and amongst the penitential psalms, as well as the Monday Benedictine Office of conversion in the light of the Incarnation.

3	V/NV/JH	Et ánima mea turbáta est valde : * sed tu, Dómine, úsquequo?
		καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐταράχθη σφόδρα καὶ σύ κύριε ἕως πότε

anima, ae, (1) Equivalent to a personal pronoun:   (2) Untranslated:. (3) Life, soul, and heart

turbo, avi, atum, are, to trouble, disturb, dismay, throw into disorder or confusion

valde, adv. (contr. from valide, strongly, vehemently), very, very much, exceedingly

usquequo, adv., how long, until when

  

DR	And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but you, O Lord, how long?
Brenton	My soul also is grievously vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long?
MD	My soul is utterly dismayed, but Thou O Lord how long?
Cover	My soul also is sore troubled; but, Lord, how long wilt thou punish me?
Knox	my spirits are altogether broken; Lord, wilt thou never be content?

Verse 2 of the psalm speaks of physical illness.  But the Fathers make the point that the spiritual malaise spoken of here is much more important.  This verse is surely a key source for St Augustine's famous statement that our hearts are restless until they rest in God.

4	V/NV	Convértere, Dómine, et éripe ánimam meam : * salvum me fac propter misericórdiam tuam.
	JH	Reuertere, Domine, erue animam meam: salua me propter misericordiam tuam.
		ἐπίστρεψον κύριε ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου σῶσόν με ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἐλέους σου

Note: Convertere is a present imperative passive

converto, verti, versum, ere 3,  to turn, change, alter, bring back; to quicken, refresh ; to bring back; to restore, i.e., to re-establish, set up again in strength;  to convert, turn from sin;  to change, turn. 

eripio, ripui, reptum, ere 3  to rescue, deliver.

anima, ae, Equivalent to a personal pronoun;  Life, soul, and heart L – heb my life

facio, feci, factum, ere 3, to make, do, cause, bring to pass; salvum facere, to save;

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

propter, on account of, by reason of, because of, from, for, for the sake of. therefore, on that account.

misericordia, ae, /, mercy, kindness, favor, compassion, loving-kindness.

DR	Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for your mercy's sake.
Brenton	Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: save me for thy mercy’s sake.
MD	Once more, O Lord, preserve my life save me for Thy mercy’s sake.
Cover	Turn thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul; O save me for thy mercy’s sake.
Knox	Lord, turn back, and grant a wretched soul relief; as thou art ever merciful, save me.

St Augustine makes the point that although from our perspective it seems as if God turn

s towards or away from us, in reality the movement comes from our own actions, for God is always and everywhere:

"Since it was not His absence who is everywhere present, but our turning away that made us lose Him…But while we are turning ourselves, that is, by changing our old life are fashioning our spirit; we feel it hard and toilsome to be wrested back from the darkness of earthly lusts, to the serene and quiet and tranquility of the divine light." 

 

5	V/ NV	Quóniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui: * in inférno autem quis confitébitur tibi?
	JH	Quoniam non est in morte recordatio tui : in inferno quis confitebitur tibi ?
		ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ ὁ μνημονεύων σου ἐν δὲ τῷ ᾅδῃ τίς ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι

 

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

mors, mortis,  death.

memor, oris (memini),  mindful of, thoughtful of;  to remember, call to mind, think of, take thought for, recall, recount, etc;  to think of.;  i.e., worships Thee, praises Thee.

infernus, i, m.  the nether world, the underworld, the grave, the kingdom of the dead,

confiteor, fessus sum, eri 2 (1) to praise, give thanks (2) to confess, acknowledge one's guilt.

DR	For there is no one in death, that is mindful of you: and who shall confess to you in hell?
Brenton	For in death no man remembers thee: and who will give thee thanks in Hades?
Cover	For in death no man remembereth thee; and who will give thee thanks in the pit?
Knox	When death comes, there is no more remembering thee; none can praise thee in the tomb.

Some commentaries and translations of this verse perhaps confuse things by getting caught up over whether the psalmist is speaking here of eternal hell, or only of Sheol, that temporary hell that awaited Christ's coming.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church helpfully clarifies the issue:

"Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, "hell" - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek - because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God. Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the Redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into "Abraham's bosom" "It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell." Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him."  (CCC 633)

Psalm 6 (Prime Monday): Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Magistro chori. Fidibus. Super octavam. PSALMUS. David.	Unto the end, in verses, a psalm for David, for the octave.
Dómine, ne in furóre tuo árguas me, * neque in ira tua corrípias me.	O Lord, rebuke me not in your indignation, nor chastise me in your wrath.
2  Miserére mei, Dómine, quóniam infírmus sum : * sana me, Dómine, quóniam conturbáta sunt ossa mea.	Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3  Et ánima mea turbáta est valde : * sed tu, Dómine, úsquequo?	And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but you, O Lord, how long?
4  Convértere, Dómine, et éripe ánimam meam : * salvum me fac propter misericórdiam tuam.	Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for your mercy's sake.
5.  Quóniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui : * in inférno autem quis confitébitur tibi?	For there is no one in death that is mindful of you: and who shall confess to you in hell?
6  Laborávi in gémitu meo, lavábo per síngulas noctes lectum meum : * lácrimis meis stratum meum rigábo.	I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears
7  Turbátus est a furóre óculus meus : * inveterávi inter omnes inimícos meos.	My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies.
8  Discédite a me, omnes, qui operámini iniquitátem : *  quóniam exaudívit Dóminus vocem fletus mei.	Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity: for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
9  Exaudívit Dóminus deprecatiónem meam, *  Dóminus oratiónem meam suscépit.	The Lord has heard my supplication: the Lord has received my prayer.
10  Erubéscant, et conturbéntur veheménter omnes inimíci mei : * convertántur et erubéscant valde velóciter.	Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.

The next set of notes on this psalm can be found here.