Sunday Canticles: Isaiah 33:2-10

Over the last few Sundays I've been taking a  quick look at the Canticles used in the Benedictine Office at Matins, and today's is the first canticle used in time throughout the year, taken from Isaiah 33:2-10.

Sunday Canticles

Isaiah 33:2-10 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
1. Domine, miserere nostri, te enim exspectavimus; esto brachium nostrum in mane, et salus nostra in tempore tribulationis.	O Lord, have mercy on us: for we have waited for thee: be thou our arm in the morning, and our salvation in the time of trouble.
2. A voce angeli fugerunt populi, et ab exaltatione tua dispersæ sunt gentes.	At the voice of the angel the people fled, and at the lifting up thyself the nations are scattered.
3. Et congregabuntur spolia vestra sicut colligitur bruchus, velut cum fossæ plenæ fuerint de eo.	And your spoils shall be gathered together as the locusts are gathered, as when the ditches are full of them.
4. Magnificatus est Dominus, quoniam habitavit in excelso; implevit Sion judicio et justitia.	The Lord is magnified, for he hath dwelt on high: he hath filled Sion with judgment and justice.
5. Et erit fides in temporibus tuis: divitiæ salutis sapientia et scientia; timor Domini ipse est thesaurus ejus.	And there shall be faith in thy times: riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.
6. Ecce videntes clamabunt foris; angeli pacis amare flebunt.	Behold they that see shall cry without, the angels of peace shall weep bitterly.
7. Dissipatæ sunt viæ, cessavit transiens per semitam: irritum factum est pactum, projecit civitates, non reputavit homines.	The ways are made desolate, no one passeth by the road, the covenant is made void, he hath rejected the cities, he hath not regarded the men.
8. Luxit et elanguit terra; confusus est Libanus, et obsorduit	The land hath mourned, and languished: Libanus is confounded and become foul
9. et factus est Saron sicut desertum, et concussa est Basan, et Carmelus.	and Saron is become as a desert: and Basan and Carmel are shaken
10. Nunc consurgam, dicit Dominus; nunc exaltabor, nunc sublevabor.	Now will I rise up, saith the Lord: now will I be exalted, now will I lift up myself.

To set the canticle in its Biblical context, the lead in to the canticle is:

"Woe to you, destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed; you treacherous one,
with whom none has dealt treacherously! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have made an end of dealing treacherously, you will be dealt with treacherously. O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for thee...(RSV)

The Canticle itself opens with a prayer acknowledging God's power over all things, and asking for his protection from those who would attack us.  It asks for the gifts of the spirit - wisdom and knowledge and fear of the Lord  - to be bestowed on those who live in the Church (Sion).

Those outside the Church, it goes on, shall suffer divine punishment: the words on the destruction of Lebanon [here Saron], Basan and Carmel are echoed in Nahum 1:4 and Amos 1:2

Verses 13-18 of Isaiah 33 are the second Canticle of Sunday Matins in time throughout the year, so I'll aim to look at it next week.

Introduction to Psalm 41 (As the deer longs for cool water)

To complete, for the moment, my series on Office of the Dead, today a brief look at the last psalm of Matins, Psalm 41, a beautiful poem whose tone is set by the repeated phrase  'Why are you sad, my soul, why do you disquiet me' (verses 6&15).  The psalm is also said on Monday at Matins in the Benedictine Office.

The psalm is one of those few (such as the Matins Invitatory, Psalm 94) that is probably better known in the Old Roman Latin version, which starts 'Sicut cervus', rather than the Vulgate, courtesy of Palestrina's beautiful evocation of the psalmist's melancholy borne of homesickness, which you can listen to below.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Intellectus filiis Core.	Unto the end, understanding for the sons of Core.
1 Quemádmodum desíderat cervus ad fontes aquárum: * ita desíderat ánima mea ad te, Deus.	As the hart pants after the fountains of water; so my soul pants after you, O God.
2  Sitívit ánima mea ad Deum fortem vivum: * quando véniam, et apparébo ante fáciem Dei?	3 My soul has thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?
3  Fuérunt mihi lácrimæ meæ panes die ac nocte: * dum dícitur mihi quotídie: Ubi est Deus tuus?	4 My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is your God?
4  Hæc recordátus sum, et effúdi in me ánimam meam: * quóniam transíbo in locum tabernáculi admirábilis, usque ad domum Dei.	5 These things I remembered, and poured out my soul in me: for I shall go over into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even to the house of God:
5  In voce exsultatiónis, et confessiónis: * sonus epulántis.	With the voice of joy and praise; the noise of one feasting.
6  Quare tristis es, ánima mea? * et quare contúrbas me?	6 Why are you sad, O my soul? And why do you trouble me?
7  Spera in Deo, quóniam adhuc confitébor illi: * salutáre vultus mei, et Deus meus.	Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, 7 and my God.
8  Ad meípsum ánima mea conturbáta est : * proptérea memor ero tui de terra Jordánis, et Hermóniim a monte módico.	My soul is troubled within my self: therefore will I remember you from the land of Jordan and Hermoniim, from the little hill.
9  Abyssus abyssum ínvocat, * in voce cataractárum tuárum.	8 Deep calls on deep, at the noise of your flood-gates.
10  Omnia excélsa tua, et fluctus tui * super me transiérunt.	All your heights and your billows have passed over me.
11  In die mandávit Dóminus misericórdiam suam : * et nocte cánticum ejus.	9 In the daytime the Lord has commanded his mercy; and a canticle to him in the night.
12  Apud me orátio Deo vitæ meæ, * dicam Deo : Suscéptor meus es.	With me is prayer to the God of my life. 10 I will say to God: You are my support.
13  Quare oblítus es mei? * et quare contristátus incédo, dum afflígit me inimícus?	Why have you forgotten me? And why go I mourning, whilst my enemy afflicts me?
14  Dum confringúntur ossa mea, * exprobravérunt mihi qui tríbulant me inimíci mei.	11 Whilst my bones are broken, my enemies who trouble me have reproached me;
15  Dum dicunt mihi per síngulos dies : Ubi est Deus tuus? * quare tristis es, ánima mea? et quare contúrbas me?	Whilst they say to me day be day: Where is your God? 12 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why do you disquiet me?
16  Spera in Deo, quóniam adhuc confitébor illi : * salutáre vultus mei, et Deus meus.	Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

As the deer longs for fountains of water...

The psalm opens with a poignant image that has been taken up in iconography (see for example the picture above). The idea of Our Lord as the font, or fountain is clear cut in meaning.  But why a deer (hart/stag)?  St Robert Bellarmine (following St Augustine) summarises the traditional take on this as follows:

"The stag is noted for four peculiarities. It is a deadly enemy to serpents, and constantly at war with them. When it is pursued by the hunters, it betakes itself to the highest mountains as quickly as possible. By some natural instinct, they singularly carry out the advice of the apostle, "Bear ye each other's burdens;" for, according to St. Augustine, when they move in a body, or swim across a lake, the weaker ones rest their heads on the stronger, and are thus helped along. Finally, when they are tired after a combat with serpents, or a flight to the mountain, or from helping each other along, they seek to refresh themselves by copious droughts of water, from which they cannot be tempted or deterred."

Bellarmine goes on to apply the imagery to our own spiritual life:

"Such is a most perfect idea of the true lover of God. He has to wage a continued war against the serpents of his evil desires. When he is nigh overcome by temptation, or by persecutions, he flies away to the mount of contemplation, bears his neighbor's infirmities with the greatest patience, and, above all, thirsts ardently for God, from whom he will not be held back by any earthly happiness or trouble. Such was David, though a soldier; so was Paul, Peter, and the other apostles and martyrs; such were all who felt they were, while here below, in exile, and, through good and evil days, never lost sight of that country, the supreme object of their wishes."

Longing for our true home

The original context for the psalm is disputed: it could be about one of King David's many exiles, or a later poem of the Exiles longing for their homeland and the Temple.  In the context of the here and now, it expresses a deep longing for the joy of beautiful liturgy of a feast day, as verses 5-6 suggest:

"Memories come back to me yet, melting the heart; how once I would join with the throng, leading the way to God’s house, amid cries of joy and thanksgiving, and all the bustle of holiday." (Knox translation)

The imagery of the fountains of water, and the deep calling to the deep also calls to mind the font of baptism, linking it clearly to one of the key themes of Monday in the Benedictine Office, as to does the invocation of God as our sustainer or support (susceptor) in Verse  12 (cf Psalm 118 and the Suscipe verse at Terce on Monday).

The image of the exile also makes the psalm a prayer particularly suitable for those times when we have gone backwards in our spiritual life, or suffer from the withdrawal of the sense of God's presence, and can only look back with longing to the consolations we previously enjoyed.

Above all, though, this beautiful poem expresses the longing we should all have for heaven, as Fr Pius Pasch makes clear:

"Since the fall, earth has become a land of exile for us, and we look and long for our heavenly home.  The sinner also suffers this nostalgia for true joy, his home and union with God."

As such, we can think of it, in the Office of the Dead, either as the prayer of the person on their deathbed, looking forward to their earthly release.  But perhaps it is even more powerful thought of as the prayer of the person in purgatory that we are praying for, afflicted by punishment and unable anymore to help themselves, yet knowing that they will eventually enter heaven, when their purgation is complete.

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	Jn4:1 (1); Rev 22:4 (2); Mt 26:38, Mk 14:34 (6&15);
RB cursus	Monday Matins
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	Corpus Christi; All Souls/Office of Dead AN 3335 (5)
Responsories	-
Roman pre 1911	Tuesday matins
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Tuesday Sext   . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Easter Vigil, blessing of the font Easter Vigil TR (2-4) St Francis Caracciolo GR (2-3)

Introduction to Psalm 40

Psalm 40 is the second psalm of the third Nocturn in Matins of the Office of the Dead.  In the daily Benedictine Office it is the third psalm of the first Nocturn of Matins on Monday.

Psalm 40: Beatus qui intelligit

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus ipsi David.	Unto the end, a psalm for David himself.
Beátus qui intélligit super egénum, et páuperem: * in die mala liberábit eum Dóminus.	Blessed is he that understands concerning the needy and the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the evil day.
2  Dóminus consérvet eum, et vivíficet eum, et beátum fáciat eum in terra: * et non tradat eum in ánimam inimicórum ejus.	The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth: and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.
3  Dóminus opem ferat illi super lectum dolóris ejus: * univérsum stratum ejus versásti in infirmitáte ejus.	The Lord help him on his bed of sorrow: you have turned all his couch in his sickness.
4  Ego dixi : Dómine, miserére mei: * sana ánimam meam, quia peccávi tibi.	I said: O Lord, be merciful to me: heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
5  Inimíci mei dixérunt mala mihi: * Quando moriétur, et períbit nomen ejus?	My enemies have spoken evils against me: when shall he die and his name perish?
6  Et si ingrediebátur ut vidéret, vana loquebátur: * cor ejus congregávit iniquitátem sibi.	And if he came in to see me, he spoke vain things: his heart gathered together iniquity to itself.
7  Egrediebátur foras, * et loquebátur in idípsum.	He went out and spoke to the same purpose.
8  Advérsum me susurrábant omnes inimíci mei: * advérsum me cogitábant mala mihi.	All my enemies whispered together against me: they devised evils to me.
9  Verbum iníquum constituérunt advérsum me: * Numquid qui dormit non adjíciet ut resúrgat?	They determined against me an unjust word: shall he that sleeps rise again no more?
10  Etenim homo pacis meæ, in quo sperávi: * qui edébat panes meos, magnificávit super me supplantatiónem.	For even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has greatly supplanted me.
11  Tu autem, Dómine, miserére mei, et resúscita me: * et retríbuam eis.	But you, O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise my up again: and I will requite them.
12  In hoc cognóvi quóniam voluísti me: * quóniam non gaudébit inimícus meus super me.	By this I know, that you have had a good will for me: because my enemy shall not rejoice over me.
13  Me autem propter innocéntiam suscepísti: * et confirmásti me in conspéctu tuo in ætérnum.	But you have upheld me by reason of my innocence: and have established me in your sight for ever.
14  Benedíctus Dóminus, Deus Israël, a sæculo et usque in sæculum: * fiat, fiat.	Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel from eternity to eternity. So be it. So be it

Psalm 40 interpreted from its liturgical context

Like many of the psalms, Psalm 40 can be read a number of different ways, and the Church uses it in a number of different contexts that suggest several possible layers of interpretation. Indeed, Patrick Reardon's commentary on this psalm, in his book Christ in the Psalms, suggests that we shouldn't be too rigid in separating out the earthly life and ministry of Christ from his suffering and death, for they are two aspects of the same mission of redemptive mercy, and many of the psalms, including this one, make the link between the Incarnation and the Crucifixion.

Nonetheless, the second verse will be familiar to many as part of the traditional prayer for the Pope.

As a Christological psalm, it is most often thought of as a psalm of dealing with Our Lord's Passion and death, not least because Our Lord explicitly cited verse 10 as a prophecy of Judas' betrayal (John 13:18).

In the context of St Benedict's Office of Monday at Matins, the references to concern for the poor and needy link it more clearly to the theme of that day, namely to the promises of the Incarnation, summarised for us in the Benedictus and Magnificat canticles.

But it is the references to the Lord's help in times of illness, which follow on closely from the previous psalm, Psalm 39, that surely explains its place in the Office of the Dead.  The psalm opens with what can surely be interpreted as a plea for mercy and deliverance from hell based on the works of mercy the person concerned has himself performed, and for mercy even though he has sinned.

God's help on our deathbed

On his deathbed (the day of trouble of verse 2, or bed of sorrow of verse 3), he finds himself surrounded by false friends who seek his death not his recovery (verse 6), and want only more material for malicious gossip and slander.  But he places his trust firmly in God.

The psalmist accepts that his illness is a punishment for his sins, an aid to growth in holiness: as St Augustine comments in relation to verse 6:

"What Christ suffered, that suffers also the Church; what the Head suffered, that suffer also the Members. For the disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord." (Matthew 10:24)

And the end of the psalm is a triumphant assertion of the destiny of the soul as heaven.

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

 

NT references	Mk 14:18, Jn 13:18, Acts 1:16 (10); Lk 1:68, Rom 9:5 (14)
RB cursus	Monday Matins+4696 (5) in Sept/Lent
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	Sacred Heart; All Souls/Office of the Dead AN 5194(11-12)
Responsories	7567 (5); Good Friday no 6 v(5, 6) – 6101 (8,9): Psalm Sunday no 5 alt verse– 6306 HW Tues – 6335 alt verse Maundy Thurs no 7 V-6660 Passion Sunday no 12 alt verse – 7346 Passion Sunday no 8 – 7475 Psalm Sunday no 3 alt v (10) – 6137 Immaculate Conception, short resp (AM762) - 12
Roman pre 1911	Tuesday Matins
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Tuesday Sext . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	PP1, GR (1, 4)

 

An introduction to Psalm 64

As it is a psalm set for Wednesday in the Benedictine Office, I thought I'd provide this introduction to the psalm set for Lauds in the Office of the Dead, Psalm 64, on this day and come back to the remaining psalms of Matins thereafter.  

Psalm 64 is a prayer filled with hope at the coming of Our Lord, and at the prospect of our return to our heavenly home.  

On Holy Wednesday, Our Lord said that first the seed must die before it can spring up anew: this psalm takes up that thought and tells us that Christ’s suffering is necessary for an abundant harvest.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus David, canticum Jeremiæ et Ezechielis populo transmigrationis, cum inciperent exire.	To the end, a psalm of David. The canticle of Jeremiah and Ezechiel to the people of the captivity, when they began to go out.
1 Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion: * et tibi reddétur votum in Jerúsalem.	A hymn, O God, becomes you in Sion: and a vow shall be paid to you in Jerusalem
2  Exáudi oratiónem meam: * ad te omnis caro véniet.	3 O hear my prayer: all flesh shall come to you.
3  Verba iniquórum prævaluérunt super nos: * et impietátibus nostris tu propitiáberis.	4 The words of the wicked have prevailed over us: and you will pardon our transgressions.
4  Beátus quem elegísti et assumpsísti: * inhabitábit in átriis tuis.	5 Blessed is he whom you have chosen and taken to you: he shall dwell in your courts.
5  Replébimur in bonis domus tuæ, sanctum est templum tuum: *  mirábile in æquitáte.	We shall be filled with the good things of your house; holy is your temple, 6 wonderful in justice.
6  Exáudi nos, Deus salutáris noster: * spes ómnium fínium terræ et in mari longe.	Hear us, O God our saviour, who is the hope of all the ends of the earth, and in the sea afar off
7  Præparans montes in virtúte tua, accínctus poténtia: * qui contúrbas profúndum maris sonum flúctuum ejus.	7 You who prepares the mountains by your strength, being girded with power: 8 Who troubles the depth of the sea, the noise of its waves.
8  Turbabúntur Gentes, et timébunt qui inhábitant términos a signis tuis: * éxitus matutíni, et véspere delectábis.	The Gentiles shall be troubled, 9 and they that dwell in the uttermost borders shall be afraid at your signs: you shall make the outgoings of the morning and of the evening to be joyful.
9  Visitásti terram, et inebriásti eam: * multiplicásti locupletáre eam.	10 You have visited the earth, and have plentifully watered it; you have many ways enriched it.
10  Flumen Dei replétum est aquis; parásti cibum illórum: * quóniam ita est præparátio ejus.	The river of God is filled with water, you have prepared their food: for so is its preparation.
11  Rivos ejus inébria multíplica genímina ejus: * in stillicídiis ejus lætábitur gérminans.	11 Fill up plentifully the streams thereof, multiply its fruits; it shall spring up and rejoice in its showers.
12  Benedíces corónæ anni benignitátis tuæ: * et campi tui replebúntur ubertáte.	12 You shall bless the crown of the year of your goodness: and your fields shall be filled with plenty.
13  Pinguéscent speciósa desérti: * et exsultatióne colles accingéntur.	13 The beautiful places of the wilderness shall grow fat: and the hills shall be girded about with joy,
14  Indúti sunt aríetes óvium et valles abundábunt fruménto: * clamábunt, étenim hymnum dicent.	14 the rams of the flock are clothed, and the vales shall abound with corn: they shall shout, yea they shall sing a hymn.

The theme of Wednesday in the Benedictine Office, I would suggest, is man's malice and betrayal of God, most importantly typified by Judas' betrayal on 'Spy Wednesday' of Holy Week.

The first of the variable psalms of Lauds on Wednesday, Psalm 63, dwells directly on the theme of betrayal, and serves to remind us that we are all Judas's at heart, and must repent wholeheartedly for as St Peter did. Psalm 64 however takes a rather more upbeat approach, focusing on the necessity of Christ's death in order for his people to come home, as indeed must we!

One of the features of St Benedict’s construction of Lauds is that he always gives it an upbeat note, consistent with the association of the hour itself with the resurrection/rising sun.  Where the first variable psalm of Lauds is darker, as for Wednesday to Friday, the second psalm is invariably more upbeat in its take on the events of Holy Week.  In this he perhaps takes his cue from this psalm, for amidst the warnings of coming disturbances and signs, the psalmist points firmly to the promise of good things to come, and notes that God ‘shall make the outgoings of the morning and of the evening to be joyful’.

The seed must die...

Some have suggested that today’s psalm was originally a hymn used for the harvest festival.  In Christian usage, however, that harvest has become the heavenly one, for verses 1 and 2 are used in the Introit of the Requiem Mass.

The harvest theme is appropriate though, for it is on Holy Wednesday that Our Lord is traditionally said to have prophesied his death to his disciples, reminding them that the seed has to die in order for new life to grow (Jn 12: 24). 

Similarly this psalm tells us that the Lord has ‘visited the earth, and have plentifully watered it; you have many ways enriched it’, such that the streams are full, and everything is set for a ripe harvest.  St John Chrysostom interprets the rain provided here as Christ’s teaching, and Cassiodorus’ interpretation of verse 7 complements this, suggesting that the ‘prepared mountains’ here refers to the apostles,

“So we fittingly interpret allegorically the prepared mountains as the apostles who were chosen to proclaim the word. They had strength of faith and height of sanctity; they were lowly in style of life, but deservedly ranked higher. The Lord prepared them by His strength because He performed great miracles through them, so that by the greatness of the Word they could convert unbelievers, and admiration at their deeds could soften the hardest hearts."

The title of the psalm in the Septuagint however that perhaps points us most clearly to the interpretation of the psalm St Benedict had in mind, for it recalls the ending of the Babylonian captivity: ‘To the end, a psalm of David. The canticle of Jeremiah and Ezechiel to the people of the captivity, when they began to go out’.   Cassiodorus, following St Augustine, notes that “when the Jewish people because of their disobe­dience were led captive by the Chaldean nation, the prophets Jeremiah and Ezechiel said that they would return to their native land seventy years later, and that they would restore Jerusalem to a better state after it had been overturned by the enemy.”  

Today we contemplate the end of those years of captivity, and our coming freedom, for despite the fact that ‘The words of the wicked have prevailed over us’, God ‘will pardon our transgressions’, for ‘Blessed is he whom you have chosen and taken to you’.  For his sake, ‘We shall be filled with the good things of your house’, for ‘holy is your temple’.

This is indeed the ‘crown of the year’ in our salvation.

Introduction to Psalm 7

c1360
Speculum Humanae Salvationis,
Westfalen oder Köln,
ULB Darmstadt, Hs 2505, fol. 27r

I want to finish up, for the moment, this gap filling exercize on the Office of the Dead with introductory notes for the couple of psalms of that Office that I haven't previously posted on here at all, viz Psalms 7, 40, 41 and 64.  I'll come back with verse by verse notes on these later.  

Today, Psalm 7, which is also said on Tuesday at Prime in the Benedictine Office.

In the context of the Office of the Dead, Psalm 7 can, perhaps, be read above all as a prayer for final perseverance in the face of attack from the devil.

In the context of Tuesday Prime the three psalms set for the hour arguably form a triptych that looks at our response to God’s call: in particular, they focus on God’s gift to us of intellect and free will, and the consequences thereof, both positive and negative.

Psalm 7: Dómine, Deus meus, in te sperávi

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Psalmus David, quem cantavit Domino pro verbis Chusi, filii Jemini.	The psalm of David, which he sung to the Lord, for the words of Chusi, the son of Jemini.
Dómine, Deus meus, in te sperávi : * salvum me fac ex ómnibus persequéntibus me, et líbera me.	Lord, my God, in you have I put my trust; save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.
2.  Nequándo rápiat ut leo ánimam meam, * dum non est qui rédimat, neque qui salvum fáciat.	Lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion, while there is no one to redeem me, nor to save.
3  Dómine, Deus meus, si feci istud. * si est iníquitas in mánibus meis :	O Lord, my God, if I have done this thing, if there be iniquity in my hands
4  Si réddidi retribuéntibus mihi mala, * décidam mérito ab inimícis meis inánis.	If I have rendered to them that repaid me evils, let me deservedly fall empty before my enemies.
5  Persequátur inimícus ánimam meam, et comprehéndat, et concúlcet in terra vitam meam, * et glóriam meam in púlverem dedúcat.	Let the enemy pursue my soul, and take it, and tread down my life, on the earth, and bring down my glory to the dust.
6  Exsúrge, Dómine, in ira tua : * et exaltáre in fínibus inimicórum meórum.	Rise up, O Lord, in your anger: and be exalted in the borders of my enemies.
7  Et exsúrge, Dómine Deus meus, in præcépto quod mandásti : * et synagóga populórum circúmdabit te.	And arise, O Lord, my God, in the precept which you have commanded: And a congregation of people shall surround you.
8  Et propter hanc in altum regrédere : * Dóminus júdicat pópulos.	And for their sakes return on high. The Lord judges the people.
9  Júdica me, Dómine, secúndum justítiam meam, * et secúndum innocéntiam meam super me.	Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice, and according to my innocence in me.
10  Consumétur nequítia peccatórum, et díriges justum, *  scrutans corda et renes Deus.	The wickedness of sinners shall be brought to nought; and you shall direct the just: the searcher of hearts and reins is God.
11 Justum adjutórium meum a Dómino, * qui salvos facit rectos corde.	Just is my help from the Lord; who saves the upright of heart
12  Deus judex justus, fortis, et pátiens : * numquid iráscitur per síngulos dies?	God is a just judge, strong and patient: is he angry every day?
13  Nisi convérsi fuéritis, gládium suum vibrábit : * arcum suum teténdit, et parávit illum.	Except you will be converted, he will brandish his sword; he has bent his bow, and made it ready.
14  Et in eo parávit vasa mortis : * sagíttas suas ardéntibus effécit.	And in it he has prepared to instruments of death, he has made ready his arrows for them that burn.
15  Ecce partúriit injustítiam : * concépit dolórem, et péperit iniquitátem.	Behold he has been in labour with injustice: he has conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity.
16  Lacum apéruit, et effódit eum : * et íncidit in fóveam quam fecit.	He has opened a pit and dug it: and he is fallen into the hole he made.
17  Convertétur dolor ejus in caput ejus : * et in vérticem ipsíus iníquitas ejus descéndet.	His sorrow shall be turned on his own head: and his iniquity shall come down upon his crown.
18  Confitébor Dómino secúndum justítiam ejus : * et psallam nómini Dómini altíssimi.	I will give glory to the Lord according to his justice: and will sing to the name of the Lord the most high.

Scriptural context

Because the titles of the psalm given in the Septuagint ('The psalm of David, which he sung to the Lord, for the words of Chusi, the son of Jemini') and Hebrew Masoretic ('A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush the Benjaminite') texts differ, and are both in any case obscure, there are competing views as to which particular incident in King David’s life is referred to in this psalm.  The most likely reference seems to be to the rebellion of David’s son Absalom, aided by David’s trusted adviser Achitophel (Chusi .  Others however see it as a reference to Saul’s persecution of David much earlier in his career.

Either way, the psalm can be interpreted as presenting David as a ‘type’ of Our Lord, representing all who are calumniated and persecuted, including the Church itself.  The psalm is the plea of a man falsely accused and persecuted by a friend, and asks God to help him and to set things right.

The psalmist asks the Lord to attest to his innocence of the charges made against him, while speaking of his anguish at the attacks on his integrity.

The second half of the psalm sets out God’s role in rendering judgment: God knows what is in our hearts and minds; based on that, he saves the righteous and punishes the sinner.

In the Office of the Dead

The psalm's place in the Office of the Dead is surely due to its pleas for God’s redeeming power to be manifested, and emphasis on salvation through repentance.

The persecutors of the psalm can be read not just as people opposed to the psalmist, but also as referring to purely spiritual enemies, the temptations that we all face.  In particular, the image of the lion, who threatens to seize his soul (verse 2) is one that frequently is frequently used to refer to the devil (cf for example 1 Peter, used at Compline).

Similarly, the sword of justice (verse 13) symbolises the punishment at our deaths and at the final judgment, but which the psalmist points out can yet be avoided by repentance.

In the context of Tuesday Prime

Tuesday in the Benedictine Office is, I have argued elsewhere, is focused on the public ministry of Jesus, and particularly how his instruction and example can aid us in making progress in the pursuit of perfection, symbolised most obviously by the use of the Gradual psalms on this day.

This psalm sets out several important points to meditate on as we contemplate this ascent to the temple of heaven.

First, the psalm stresses his absolute trust and sense of dependence on God alone as the source of redemption and salvation.  The key takeout message is that instead of looking first to our own efforts to defeat attacks on us (whether from actual people, or in the form of temptations), we should rather ask God for help.

Secondly, St Benedict quotes verse 10 in his chapter on humility as a reminder that nothing can be hidden from God: God searches the ‘hearts and reins’ of a person, our hearts and minds; he knows all our inner thoughts.

Thirdly, the psalm reminds us that the struggle for perfection is not an easy one.  In this world, as we all know all too well, injustice frequently prevails, due to the effects of original sin and free will.  Those who do nothing wrong, nothing but stand up for the good, often face lies spread about them and other forms of persecution, as the lives of the saints.  Why does God allow this, allowing even his Son to be persecuted and die on the Cross?  The Church teaches that such events are the result of God allowing us to make our own decisions - to exercise our free will - about whether to do what is good, or to choose evil.  But we are also taught that even when we choose to do evil, God arranges events so as to bring good out of it.  Consider for example, St Benedict, who was forced to leave Subiaco due to the envy of a local priest.  Yet his move to Monte Cassino marked the start of a new missionary endeavour that was to have lasting consequences for Western civilization; and of course the Cross is the means of our redemption.

Fourthly we should be motivated by the fact that justice will ultimately prevail.  Those who suffer now from unfair attacks are able to bear it now secure in the knowledge that they will be rewarded in the next life; and because we know that in the end, God’s justice will catch up with the Hitler’s, Bin Laden’s and their petty imitators on a much smaller scale.  The psalmist makes the point that sin rebounds on the sinner one way or another (verse 16).

Finally we are enjoined to remember that mercy is always possible, at least as long as we live.  As in many psalms, the speaker asks God for vengeance on enemies.  This should not, however, be read too literally: what the psalmist actually wants, as he makes clear in the second half of the psalm, is for his persecutors to repent of their actions and be converted.  David says of himself in verse 4 that he actually tried to repay the evil done to him with good, as the Sermon the Mount urges Christians to do.  He also notes that God is patient (verse 12), and that although his punishments are prepared, they are conditional, applying only if the sinner rejects the chances God offers for conversion (verses 13-14).

St Alphonsus Liguori goes a step further, suggesting that the punishments David asks for in this context, are not eternal punishments but temporal ones, designed to persuade the sinner to change course before it is too late.  Some of the greatest sinners, after all, as St John Chrysostom points out in relation to the verse 12’s praise of God’s patience, strength and justness, have gone on to become the greatest saints.  And though David plead his innocence in this particular instance, he was certainly guilty of serious sins later on in his life!  All of us sin, all of us need to heed this call to conversion.

And it is to this call to strive to do better that the Psalm enjoins us.

Liturgical and Scriptural uses of the psalm

NT refs	Rev 2:23 (v10); Lk 13:3 (v13); James 1:15 (v15)
RB cursus	Tuesday Prime+2172 (12)
Monastic feasts etc	All Souls, Matins of Dead AN 2334 (2), 3875 (3), 2173 (9, 12), 4494 (11) 3530, 4831, 2172 (12)
Responsories	6490 (2) Holy Week Tues no 3-7747 (4, 8, 10)
Roman pre 1911	Sunday matins
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday Compline. 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Ember Sat Lent CO (2), Post Pentecost 2 (AL, 2), (CO,18) Post Pent. 3 (AL, 12) ? OF: (2-3), OF Triplex pg 185 Im Heart of Mary GR (18)