Let death, etc… This, and such like imprecations which occur in the psalms, are delivered prophetically; that is, by way of foretelling the punishments which shall fall upon the wicked from divine justice, and approving the righteous ways of God: but not by way of ill will, or uncharitable curses, which the law of God disallows.
54:17. But I have cried to God: and the Lord will save me.
54:18. Evening and morning, and at noon I will speak and declare: and he shall hear my voice.
54:19. He shall redeem my soul in peace from them that draw near to me: for among many they were with me.
Among many, etc… That is, they that drew near to attack me were many in company all combined to fight against me.
54:20. God shall hear, and the Eternal shall humble them. For there is no change with them, and they have not feared God:
54:21. He hath stretched forth his hand to repay. They have defiled his covenant,
54:22. They are divided by the wrath of his countenance, and his heart hath drawn near. His words are smoother tha oil, and the same are darts.
They are divided, etc… Dispersed, scattered, and brought to nothing, by the wrath of God; who looks with indignation on their wicked and deceitful ways.
54:23. Cast thy care upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall not suffer the just to waver for ever.
54:24. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee, O Lord.
Psalms Chapter 55
Miserere mei, Deus.
A prayer of David in danger and distress.
55:1. Unto the end, for a people that is removed at a distance form the sanctuary: for David, for an inscription of a title (or pillar) when the Philistines held him in Geth.
55:2. Have mercy on me, O God, for man hath trodden me under foot; all the day long he hath afflicted me fighting against me.
55:3. My enemies have trodden on me all the day long; for they are many that make war against me.
55:4. From the height of the day I shall fear: but I will trust in thee.
The height of the day… That is, even at noonday, when the sun is the highest, I am still in danger.
55:5. In God I will praise my words, in God I have put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do against me.
My words… The words or promises God has made in my favour.
55:6. All the day long they detested my words: all their thoughts were against me unto evil.
55:7. They will dwell and hide themselves: they will watch my heel. As they have waited for my soul,
55:8. For nothing shalt thou save them: in thy anger thou shalt break the people in pieces. O God,
For nothing shalt thou save them… That is, since they lie in wait to ruin my soul, thou shalt for no consideration favour or assist them, but execute thy justice upon them.
55:9. I have declared to thee my life: thou hast set me tears in thy sight, As also in thy promise.
55:10. Then shall my enemies be turned back. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, behold I know thou art my God.
55:11. In God will I praise the word, in the Lord will I praise his speech. In God have I hoped, I will not fear what man can do to me.
55:12. In me, O God, are vows to thee, which I will lpay, praises to thee:
55:13. Because thou hast delivered my soul from death, my feet from falling: that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.
Psalms Chapter 56
Miserere mei, Deus. The prophet prays in his affliction, and praises God for his delivery.
56:1. Unto the end, destroy not, for David, for an inscription of a title, when he fled from Saul into the cave. [1 Kings 24.]
Destroy not… Suffer me not to be destroyed.
56:2. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me: for my soul trusteth in thee. And in the shadow of thy wings will I hope, until iniquity pass away.
56:3. I will cry to God the most high; to God who hath done good to me.
56:4. He hath sent from heaven and delivered me: he hath made them a reproach that trod upon me. God hath sent his mercy and his truth,
56:5. And he hath delivered my soul from the midst of the young lions. I slept troubled. The sons ofmen, whose teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
56:6. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, and thy glory above all the earth.
56:7. They prepared a snare for my feet; and they bowed down my soul. They dug a pit before my face, and they are fallen into it.
56:8. My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready: I will sing, and rehearse a psalm.
56:9. Arise, O my glory, arise psaltery and harp: I will arise early.
56:10. I will give praise to thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing a psalm to thee among the nations.
56:11. For thy mercy is magnified even to the heavens: and thy truth unto the clouds.
56:12. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth.
Psalms Chapter 57
Si vere utique.
David reproveth the wicked, and foretelleth their punishment.
57:1. Unto the end, destroy not, for David, for an inscription of a title.
57:2. If in very deed ye speak justice: judge right things, ye sons of men.
57:3. For in your heart you work iniquity: your hands forge injustice in the earth.
57:4. The wicked are alienated from the womb; they have gone astray from the womb: they have spoken false things.
57:5. Their madness is according to the likeness of a serpent: like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ears:
57:6. Which will not hear the voice of the charmers; nor of the wizard that charmeth wisely.
57:7. God shall break in pieces their teeth in their mouth: the Lord shall break the grinders of the lions.
57:8. They shall come to nothing, like water running down; he hath bent his bow till they be weakened.
57:9. Like wax that melteth they shall be taken away: fire hath fallen on them, and they shall not see the sun.
57:10. Before your thorns could know the brier; he swalloweth them up, as alive, in his wrath.
Before your thorns, etc… That is, before your thorns grow up, so as to become strong briers, they shall be overtaken and consumed by divine justice, swallowing them up, as it were, alive in his wrath.
57:11. The just shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.
Shall wash his hands, etc… Shall applaud the justice of God, and take occasion from the consideration of the punishment of the wicked to wash and cleanse his hands from sin.
57:12. And man shall say: If indeed there be fruit to the just: there is indeed a God that judgeth them on the earth.
Psalms Chapter 58
Eripe me.
A prayer to be delivered from the wicked, with confidence in God's help and protection. It agrees to Christ and his enemies the Jews.
58:1. Unto the end, destroy not, for David for an inscription of a title, when Saul sent and watched his house to kill him. [1 Kings 19.]
58:2. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; and defend me from them that rise up against me.
58:3. Deliver me from them that work iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
58:4. For behold they have caught my soul: the mighty have rushed in upon me:
58:5. Neither is it my iniquity, nor my sin, O Lord: without iniquity have I ren, and directed my steps.
58:6. Rise up thou to meet me, and behold: even thou, O Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel. Attend to visit all the nations: have no mercy on all them that work iniquity.
58:7. They shall return at everning, and shall suffer hunger like dogs: and shall go round about the city.
58:8. Behold they shall speak with their mouth, and a sword is in their lips: for who, say they, hath heard us?
58:9. But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them: thou shalt bring all the nations to nothing.
58:10. I will keep my strength to thee: for thou art my protector:
58:11. My God, his mercy shall prevent me.
58:12. God shall let me see over my enemies: slay them not, lest at any time my people forget. Scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord, my protector:
58:13. For the sin of their mouth, and the word of their lips: and let them be taken in their pride. And for their cursing and lying they shall be talked of,
58:14. When they are consumed: when they are consumed by thy wrath, and they shall be no more. And they shall know that God will rule Jacob, and all the ends of the earth.
58:15. They shall return at evening and shall suffer hunger like dogs: and shall go round about the city.
58:16. They shall be scattered abroad to eat, and shall murmur if they be not filled.
58:17. But I will sing thy strength: and will extol thy mercy in the morning. For thou art become my support, and my refuge, in the day of my trouble.
58:18. Unto thee, O my helper, will I sing, for thou art God my defence: my God my mercy.
Psalms Chapter 59
Deus, repulisti nos.
After many afflictions, the church of Christ shall prevail.
59:1. Unto the end, for them that shall be changed, for the inscription of a title, to David himself, for doctrine,
59:2. When he set fire to Mesopotamia of Syria and Sobal: and Joab returned and slew of Edom, in the vale of the saltpits, twelve thousand men.
59:3. O God, thou hast cast us off, and hast destroyed us; thou hast been angry, and hast had mercy on us.
59:4. Thou hast moved the earth, and hast troubled it: heal thou the breaches thereof, for it has been moved.
59:5. Thou hast shewn thy people hard things; thou hast made us drink the wine of sorrow.
59:6. Thou hast given a warning to them that fear thee: that they may flee from before the bow: That thy beloved may be delivered.
59:7. Save me with thy right hand, and hear me.
59:8. God hath spoken in his holy place: I will rejoice, and I will divide Sichem; and will mete out the vale of tabernacles.
59:9. Galaad is mine, and Manasses is mine: and Ephraim is the strength of my head. Juda is my king:
59:10. Moab is the pot of my hope. Into Edom will I stretch out my shoe: to me the foreigners are made subject.
The pot of my hope… Or my watering pot. That is, a vessel for meaner uses, by being reduced to serve me, even in the meanest employments. Ibid. Foreigners… So the Philistines are called, who had no kindred with the Israelites; whereas the Edomites, Moabites, etc., were originally of the same family.
59:11. Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
59:12. Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go out with our armies?
59:13. Give us help from trouble: for vain is the salvation of man.
59:14. Through God we shall do mightily: and he shall bring to nothing them that afflict us.
Psalms Chapter 60
Exaudi, Deus.
A prayer for the coming of the kingdom of Christ, which shall have no end.
60:1. Unto the end, in hymns, for David.
60:2. Hear, O God, my supplication: be attentive to my prayer.
60:3. To thee have I cried from the ends of the earth: when my heart was in anguish, thou hast exalted me on a rock. Thou hast conducted me;
60:4. For thou hast been my hope; a tower of strength against the face of the enemy.
60:5. In thy tabernacle I shall dwell for ever: I shall be protected under the covert of thy wings.
60:6. For thou, my God, hast heard my prayer: thou hast given an inheritance to them that fear thy name.
60:7. Thou wilt add days to the days of the king: his years even to generation and generation.
60:8. He abideth for ever in the sight of God: his mercy and truth who shall search?
60:9. So will I sing a psalm to thy name for ever and ever: that I may pay my vows from day to day.
Psalms Chapter 61
Nonne Deo.
The prophet encourageth himself and all others to trust in God, and serve him.
61:1. Unto the end, for Idithun, a psalm of David.
61:2. Shall not my soul be subject to God? for from him is my salvation.
61:3. For he is my God and my saviour: he is my protector, I shall be moved no more.
61:4. How long do you rush in upon a man? you all kill, as if you were thrusting down a leaning wall, and a tottering fence.
61:5. But they have thought to cast away my price; I ran in thirst: they blessed with their mouth, but cursed with their heart.
61:6. But be thou, O my soul, subject to God: for from him is my patience.
61:7. For he is my God and my saviour: he is my helper, I shall not be moved.
61:8. In God is my salvation and my glory: he is the God of my help, and my hope is in God.
61:9. Trust in him, all ye congregation of people: pour out your hearts before him. God is our helper for ever.
61:10. But vain are the sons of men, the sons of men are liars in the balances: that by vanity they may together deceive.
Are liars in the balances, etc… They are so vain and light, that if they are put into the scales, they will be found to be of no weight; and to be mere lies, deceit, and vanity. Or, They are liars in their balances, by weighing things by false weights, and preferring the temporal before the eternal.
61:11. Trust not in iniquity, and cover not robberies: if riches abound, set not your heart upon them.
61:12. God hath spoken once, these two things have I heard, that power belongeth to God,
61:13. And mercy to thee, O Lord; for thou wilt render to every man according to his works.
Psalms Chapter 62
Deus Deus meus, ad te.
The prophet aspireth after God.
62:1. A psalm of David while he was in the desert of Edom.
62:2. O God, my God, to thee do I watch at break of day. For thee my soul hath thirsted; for thee my flesh, O how many ways!
62:3. In a desert land, and where there is no way, and no water: so in the sanctuary have I come before thee, to see thy power and thy glory.
62:4. For thy mercy is better than lives: thee my lips will praise.
62:5. Thus will I bless thee all my life long: and in thy name I will lift up my hands.
62:6. Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness: and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.
62:7. If I have remembered thee upon my bed, I will meditate on thee in the morning:
62:8. Because thou hast been my helper. And I will rejoice under the covert of thy wings:
62:9. My soul hath stuck close to thee: thy right hand hath received me.
62:10. But they have fought my soul in vain, they shall go into the lower parts of the earth:
62:11. They shall be delivered into the hands of the sword, they shall be the portions of foxes.
62:12. But the king shall rejoice in God, all they shall be praised that swear by him: because the mouth is stopped of them that speak wicked things.
Psalms Chapter 63
Exaudi Deus orationem.
A prayer in affliction, with confidence in God that he will bring to nought the machinations of persecutors.
63:1. Unto the end, a psalm for David.
63:2. Hear O God, my prayer, when I make supplication to thee: deliver my soul from the fear of the enemy.
63:3. Thou hast protected me from the assembly of the malignant; from the multitude of the workers of iniquity.
63:4. For they have whetted their tongues like a sword; they have bent their bow a bitter thing,
63:5. To shoot in secret the undefiled.
63:6. They will shoot at him on a sudden, and will not fear: they are resolute in wickedness. They have talked of hiding snares; they have said: Who shall see them?
63:7. They have searched after iniquities: they have failed in their search. Man shall come to a deep heart:
A deep heart… That is, crafty, subtle, deep projects and designs; which nevertheless shall not succeed; for God shall be exalted in bringing them to nought by his wisdom and power.
63:8. And God shall be exalted. The arrows of children are their wounds:
The arrows of children are their wounds… That is, the wounds, stripes, or blows, they seek to inflict upon the just, are but like the weak efforts of children's arrows, which can do no execution: and their tongues, that is, their speeches against them come to nothing.
63:9. And their tongues against them are made weak. All that saw them were troubled;
63:10. And every man was afraid. And they declared the works of God, and understood his doings.
63:11. The just shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall hope in him: and all the upright in heart shall be praised.
Psalms Chapter 64
Te decet.
God is to be praised in his church, to which all nations shall be called.
64:1. To the end, a psalm of David. The canticle of Jeremias and Ezechiel to the people of the captivity, when they began to go out.
Of the captivity… That is, the people of the captivity of Babylon. This is not in the Hebrew, but is found in the ancient translation of the Septuagint.
64:2. A hymn, O God, becometh thee in Sion: and a vow shall be paid to thee in Jerusalem.
64:3. O hear my prayer: all flesh shall come to thee.
64:4. The words of the wicked have prevailed over us: and thou wilt pardon our transgressions.
64:5. Blessed is he whom thou hast chosen and taken to thee: he shall dwell in thy courts. We shall be filled with the good things of thy house; holy is thy temple,
64:6. Wonderful in justice. Hear us, O God our saviour, who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and in the sea afar off.
64:7. Thou who preparest the mountains by thy strength, being girded with power:
64:8. Who troublest the depth of the sea, the noise of its waves. The Gentiles shall be troubled,
64:9. And they that dwell in the uttermost borders shall be afraid at thy signs: thou shalt make the outgoings of the morning and of the evening to be joyful.
64:10. Thou hast visited the earth, and hast plentifully watered it; thou hast many ways enriched it. The river of God is filled with water, thou hast prepared their food: for so is its preparation.
64:11. Fill up plentifully the streams thereof, multiply its fruits; it shall spring up and rejoice in its showers.
64:12. Thou shalt bless the crown of the year of thy goodness: and thy fields shall be filled with plenty.
64:13. The beautiful places of the wilderness shall grow fat: and the hills shall be girded about with joy,
64:14. The rams of the flock are clothed, and the vales shall abound with corn: they shall shout, yea they shall sing a hymn.
Psalms Chapter 65
Jubilate Deo.
An invitation to praise God.
65:1. Unto the end, a canticle of a psalm of the resurrection. Shout with joy to God, all the earth,
65:2. Sing ye a psalm to his name; give glory to his praise.
65:3. Say unto God, How terrible are thy works, O Lord! in the multitude of thy strength thy enemies shall lie to thee.
65:4. Let all the earth adore thee, and sing to thee: let it sing a psalm to thy name.
65:5. Come and see the works of God; who is terrible in his counsels over the sons of men.
65:6. Who turneth the sea into dry land, in the river they shall pass on foot: there shall we rejoice in him.
65:7. Who by his power ruleth for ever: his eyes behold the nations; let not them that provoke him be exalted in themselves.
65:8. O bless our God, ye Gentiles: and make the voice of his praise to be heard.
65:9. Who hath set my soul to live: and hath not suffered my feet to be moved:
65:10. For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us by fire, as silver is tried.
65:11. Thou hast brought us into a net, thou hast laid afflictions on our back:
65:12. Thou hast set men over our heads. We have passed through fire and water, and thou hast brought us out into a refreshment.
65:13. I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
65:14. Which my lips have uttered, And my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
65:15. I will offer up to thee holocausts full of marrow, with burnt offerings of rams: I will offer to thee bullocks with goats.
65:16. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what great things he hath done for my soul.
65:17. I cried to him with my mouth: and I extolled him with my tongue.
65:18. If I have looked at iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.
65:19. Therefore hath God heard me, and hath attended to the voice of my supplication.
65:20. Blessed be God, who hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
Psalms Chapter 66
Deus misereatur.
A prayer for the propagation of the church.
66:1. Unto the end, in hymns, a psalm of a canticle for David.
66:2. May God have mercy on us, and bless us: may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us.
66:3. That we may know thy way upon earth: thy salvation in all nations.
66:4. Let people confess to thee, O God: let all people give praise to thee.
66:5. Let the nations be glad and rejoice: for thou judgest the people with justice, and directest the nations upon earth.
66:6. Let the people, O God, confess to thee: let all the people give praise to thee:
66:7. The earth hath yielded her fruit. May God, our God bless us,
66:8. May God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear him.
Psalms Chapter 67
Exurgat Deus.
The glorious establishment of the church of the New Testament, prefigured by the benefits bestowed on the people of Israel.
67:1. Unto the end, a psalm of a canticle for David himself.
67:2. Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered: and let them that hate him flee from before his face.
67:3. As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
67:4. And let the just feast, and rejoice before God: and be delighted with gladness.
67:5. Sing ye to God, sing a psalm to his name, make a way for him who ascendeth upon the west: the Lord is his name. Rejoice ye before him: but the wicked shall be troubled at his presence,
Who ascendeth upon the west… Super occasum. St. Gregory understands it of Christ, who after his going down, like the sun, in the west, by his passion and death, ascended more glorious, and carried all before him. St. Jerome renders it, who ascendeth, or cometh up, through the deserts.
67:6. Who is the father of orphans, and the judge of widows. God in his holy place:
67:7. God who maketh men of one manner to dwell in a house: Who bringeth out them that were bound in strength; in like manner them that provoke, that dwell in sepulchres.
Of one manner… That is, agreeing in faith, unanimous in love, and following the same manner of discipline. It is verified in the servants of God, living together in his house, which is the church. 1 Tim. 3.15. Ibid. Them that were bound, etc… The power and mercy of God appears in his bringing out of their captivity those that were strongly bound in their sins: and in restoring to his grace those whose behaviour had been most provoking; and who by their evil habits were not only dead, but buried in their sepulchres.
67:8. O God, when thou didst go forth in the sight of thy people, when thou didst pass through the desert:
67:9. The earth was moved, and the heavens dropped at the presence of the God of Sina, at the presence of the God of Israel.
67:10. Thou shalt set aside for thy inheritance a free rain, O God: and it was weakened, but thou hast made it perfect.
A free rain… the manna, which rained plentifully from heaven, in favour of God's inheritance, that is, of his people Israel: which was weakened indeed under a variety of afflictions, but was made perfect by God; that is, was still supported by divine providence, and brought on to the promised land. It agrees particularly to the church of Christ his true inheritance, which is plentifully watered with the free rain of heavenly grace; and through many infirmities, that is, crosses and tribulations, is made perfect, and fitted for eternal glory.
67:11. In it shall thy animals dwell; in thy sweetness, O God, thou hast provided for the poor.
In it, etc… That is, in this church, which is thy fold and thy inheritance, shall thy animals, thy sheep, dwell: where thou hast plentifully provided for them.
67:12. The Lord shall give the word to them that preach good tidings with great power.
To them that preach good tidings… Evangelizantibus. That is, to the preachers of the gospel; who receiving the word from the Lord, shall with great power and efficacy preach throughout the world the glad tidings of a Saviour, and of eternal salvation through him.
67:13. The king of powers is of the beloved, of the beloved; and the beauty of the house shall divide spoils.
The king of powers… That is, the mighty King, the Lord of hosts, is of the beloved, of the beloved; that is, is on the side of Christ, his most beloved son: and his beautiful house, viz., the church, in which God dwells forever, shall by her spiritual conquests divide the spoils of many nations. The Hebrew (as it now stands pointed) is thus rendered, The kings of armies have fled, they have fled, and she that dwells at home (or the beauty of the house) shall divide the spoils.
67:14. If you sleep among the midst of lots, you shall be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and the hinder parts of her back with the paleness of gold.
If you sleep among the midst of lots (intermedios cleros, etc.)… Viz., in such dangers and persecutions, as if your enemies were casting lots for your goods and persons: or in the midst of the lots, (intermedios terminos, as St. Jerome renders it,) that is, upon the very bounds or borders of the dominions of your enemies: you shall be secure nevertheless under the divine protection; and shall be enabled to fly away, like a dove, with glittering wings and feathers shining like the palest and most precious gold; that is, with great increase of virtue, and glowing with the fervour of charity.
67:15. When he that is in heaven appointeth kings over her, they shall be whited with snow in Selmon.
Kings over her… That is, pastors and rulers over his church, viz., the apostles and their successors. Then by their ministry shall men be made whiter than the snow which lies on the top of the high mountain Selmon.
67:16. The mountain of God is a fat mountain. A curdled mountain, a fat mountain.
The mountain of God… The church, which, Isa. 2.2, is called The mountain of the house of the Lord upon the top of mountains. It is here called a fat and a curdled mountain; that is to say, most fruitful, and enriched by the spiritual gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost.
67:17. Why suspect, ye curdled mountains? A mountain in which God is well pleased to dwell: for there the Lord shall dwell unto the end.
Why suspect, ye curdled mountains?… Why do you suppose or imagine there may be any other such curdled mountains? You are mistaken: the mountain thus favoured by God is but one; and this same he has chosen for his dwelling for ever.
67:18. The chariot of God is attended by ten thousands; thousands of them that rejoice: the Lord is among them in Sina, in the holy place.
The chariot of God… Descending to give his law on mount Sina: as also of Jesus Christ his Son, ascending into heaven, to send from thence the Holy Ghost, to publish his new law, is attended with ten thousands, that is, with an innumerable multitude of joyful angels.
67:19. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received gifts in men. Yea for those also that do not believe, the dwelling of the Lord God.
Led captivity captive… Carrying away with thee to heaven those who before had been the captives of Satan; and receiving from God the Father gifts to be distributed to men; even to those who were before unbelievers.
67:20. Blessed be the Lord day by day: the God of our salvation will make our journey prosperous to us.
67:21. Our God is the God of salvation: and of the Lord, of the Lord are the issues from death.
The issues from death… The Lord alone is master of the issues, by which we may escape from death.
67:22. But God shall break the heads of his enemies: the hairy crown of them that walk on in their sins.
67:23. The Lord said: I will turn them from Basan, I will turn them into the depth of the sea:
I will turn them from Basan, etc… I will cast out my enemies from their rich possessions, signified by Basan, a fruitful country; and I will drive them into the depth of the sea: and make such a slaughter of them, that the feet of my servants may be dyed in their blood, etc.
67:24. That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thy enemies; the tongue of thy dogs be red with the same.
67:25. They have seen thy goings, O God, the goings of my God: of my king who is in his sanctuary.
Thy goings… Thy ways, thy proceedings, by which thou didst formerly take possession of the promised land in favour of thy people; and shalt afterwards of the whole world, which thou shalt subdue to thy Son.
67:26. Princes went before joined with singers, in the midst of young damsels playing on timbrels.
Princes… The apostles, the first converters of nations; attended by numbers of perfect souls, singing the divine praises, and virgins consecrated to God.
67:27. In the churches bless ye God the Lord, from the fountains of Israel.
From the fountains of Israel… From whom both Christ and his apostles sprung. By Benjamin, the holy fathers on this place understand St. Paul, who was of that tribe, named here a youth, because he was the last called to the apostleship. By the princes of Juda, Zabulon, and Nephthali, we may understand the other apostles, who were of the tribe of Juda; or of the tribes of Zabulon, and Nephthali, where our Lord began to preach, Matt. 4.13, etc.
67:28. There is Benjamin a youth, in ecstasy of mind. The princes of Juda are their leaders: the princes of Zabulon, the princes of Nephthali.
67:29. Command thy strength, O God confirm, O God, what thou hast wrought in us.
Command thy strength.. Give orders that thy strength may be always with us.
67:30. From thy temple in Jerusalem, kings shall offer presents to thee.
67:31. Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds, the congregation of bulls with the kine of the people; who seek to exclude them who are tried with silver. Scatter thou the nations that delight in wars:
Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds… or the wild beasts, which lie hid in the reeds. That is, the devils, who hide themselves in order to surprise their prey. Or by wild beasts, are here understood persecutors, who, for all their attempts against the Church, are but as weak reeds, which cannot prevail against them who are supported by the strength of the Almighty. The same are also called the congregation of bulls (from their rage against the Church) who assemble together all their kine, that is, the people their subjects, to exclude if they can, from Christ and his inheritance, his constant confessors, who are like silver tried by fire.
67:32. Ambassadors shall come out of Egypt: Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to God.
Ambassadors shall come, etc… It is a prophecy of the conversion of theGentiles, and by name of the Egyptians and Ethiopians.
67:33. Sing to God, ye kingdoms of the earth: sing ye to the Lord: Sing ye to God,
67:34. Who mounteth above the heaven of heavens, to the east. Behold he will give to his voice the voice of power:
To the east… From mount Olivet, which is on the east side of Jerusalem.-Ibid. The voice of power… That is, he will make his voice to be a powerful voice: by calling from death to life, such as were dead in mortal sin: as at the last day he will by the power of his voice call all the dead from their graves.
67:35. Give ye glory to God for Israel, his magnificence, and his power is in the clouds.
67:36. God is wonderful in his saints: the God of Israel is he who will give power and strength to his people. Blessed be God.
Psalms Chapter 68
Salvum me fac, Deus.
Christ in his passion declareth the greatness of his sufferings, and the malice of his persecutors the Jews; and foretelleth their reprobation.
68:1. Unto the end, for them that shall be changed; for David.
For them that shall be changed… A psalm for Christian converts, to remember the passion of Christ.
68:2. Save me, O God: for the waters are come in even unto my soul.
The waters… Of afflictions and sorrows. My soul is sorrowful even unto death. Matt. 26.38.
68:3. I stick fast in the mire of the deep and there is no sure standing. I am come into the depth of the sea, and a tempest hath overwhelmed me.
68:4. I have laboured with crying; my jaws are become hoarse, my eyes have failed, whilst I hope in my God.
68:5. They are multiplied above the hairs of my head, who hate me without cause. My enemies are grown strong who have wrongfully persecuted me: then did I pay that which I took not away.
I pay that which I took not away… Christ in his passion made restitution of what he had not taken away, by suffering the punishment due to our sins, and so repairing the injury we had done to God.
68:6. O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my offences are not hidden from thee:
My foolishness and my offences… which my enemies impute to me: or the follies and sins of men, which I have taken upon myself.
68:7. Let not them be ashamed for me, who look for thee, O Lord, the Lord of hosts. Let them not be confounded on my account, who seek thee, O God of Israel.
68:8. Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
68:9. I am become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien to the sons of my mother.
68:10. For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up: and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
68:11. And I covered my soul in fasting: and it was made a reproach to me.
68:12. And I made haircloth my garment: and I became a byword to them.
68:13. They that sat in the gate spoke against me: and they that drank wine made me their song.
68:14. But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O Lord; for the time of thy good pleasure, O God. In the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
68:15. Draw me out of the mire, that I may not stick fast: deliver me from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
68:16. Let not the tempest of water drown me, nor the deep water swallow me up: and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
68:17. Hear me, O Lord, for thy mercy is kind; look upon me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
68:18. And turn not away thy face from thy servant: for I am in trouble, hear me speedily.
68:19. Attend to my soul, and deliver it: save me because of my enemies.
68:20. Thou knowest my reproach, and my confusion, and my shame.
68:21. In thy sight are all they that afflict me; my heart hath expected reproach and misery. And I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none.
68:22. And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
68:23. Let their table become as a snare before them, and a recompense, and a stumblingblock.
Let their table, etc… What here follows in the style of an imprecation, is a prophecy of the wretched state to which the Jews should be reduced in punishment of their wilful obstinacy.
68:24. Let their eyes be darkened that they see not; and their back bend thou down always.
68:25. Pour out thy indignation upon them: and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.
68:26. Let their habitation be made desolate: and let there be none to dwell in their tabernacles.
68:27. Because they have persecuted him whom thou hast smitten; and they have added to the grief of my wounds.
68:28. Add thou iniquity upon their iniquity: and let them not come into thy justice.
68:29. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; and with the just let them not be written.
68:30. But I am poor and sorrowful: thy salvation, O God, hath set me up.
68:31. I will praise the name of God with a canticle: and I will magnify him with praise.
68:32. And it shall please God better than a young calf, that bringeth forth horns and hoofs.
68:33. Let the poor see and rejoice: seek ye God, and your soul shall live.
68:34. For the Lord hath heard the poor: and hath not despised his prisoners.
68:35. Let the heavens and the earth praise him; the sea, and every thing that creepeth therein.
68:36. For God will save Sion, and the cities of Juda shall be built up. And they shall dwell there, and acquire it by inheritance.
Sion… The catholic church. The cities of Juda, etc., her places of worship, which shall be established throughout the world. And there, viz., in this church of Christ, shall his servants dwell, etc.
68:37. And the seed of his servants shall possess it; and they that love his name shall dwell therein.
Psalms Chapter 69
Deus in adjutorium.
A prayer in persecution.
69:1. Unto the end, a psalm for David, to bring to remembrance that the Lord saved him.
69:2. O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.
69:3. Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul:
69:4. Let them be turned backward, and blush for shame that desire evils to me: Let them be presently turned away blushing for shame that say to me: 'Tis well, 'tis well.
'T is well, 't is well… Euge, euge. St. Jerome renders it, vah, vah! which is the voice of one insulting and deriding. Some understand it as a detestation of deceitful flatterers.
69:5. Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; and let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified.
69:6. But I am needy and poor; O God, help me. Thou art my helper and my deliverer: O lord, make no delay.
Psalms Chapter 70
In te, Domine.
A prayer for perseverance.
70:1. A psalm for David. Of the sons of Jonadab, and the former captives. In thee, O Lord, I have hoped, let me never be put to confusion:
Of the sons of Jonadab… The Rechabites, of whom see Jer. 35. By this addition of the seventy-two interpreters, we gather that this psalm was usually sung in the synagogue, in the person of the Rechabites, and of those who were first carried away into captivity.
70:2. Deliver me in thy justice, and rescue me. Incline thy ear unto me, and save me.
70:3. Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a place of strength: that thou mayst make me safe. For thou art my firmament and my refuge.
70:4. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the sinner, and out of the hand of the transgressor of the law and of the unjust.
70:5. For thou art my patience, O Lord: my hope, O Lord, from my youth.
70:6. By thee have I been confirmed from the womb: from my mother's womb thou art my protector. Of thee I shall continually sing:
70:7. I am become unto many as a wonder, but thou art a strong helper.
70:8. Let my mouth be filled with praise, that I may sing thy glory; thy greatness all the day long.
70:9. Cast me not off in the time of old age: when my strength shall fail, do not thou forsake me.
70:10. For my enemies have spoken against me; and they that watched my soul have consulted together,
70:11. Saying: God hath forsaken him: pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.
70:12. O God, be not thou far from me: O my God, make haste to my help.
70:13. Let them be confounded and come to nothing that detract my soul; let them be covered with confusion and blame that seek my hurt.
70:14. But I will always hope; and will add to all thy praise.
70:15. My mouth shall shew forth thy justice; thy salvation all the day long. Because I have not known learning,
Learning… As much as to say, I build not upon human learning, but only on the power and justice of God.
70:16. I will enter into the powers of the Lord: O Lord, I will be mindful of thy justice alone.
70:17. Thou hast taught me, O God, from my youth: and till now I will declare thy wonderful works.
70:18. And unto old age and grey hairs: O God, forsake me not, Until I shew forth thy arm to all the generation that is to come: Thy power,
70:19. And thy justice, O God, even to the highest great things thou hast done: O God, who is like to thee?
70:20. How great troubles hast thou shewn me, many and grievous: and turning thou hast brought me to life, and hast brought me back again from the depths of the earth:
70:21. Thou hast multiplied thy magnificence; and turning to me thou hast comforted me.
70:22. For I will also confess to thee thy truth with the instruments of psaltery: O God, I will sing to thee with the harp, thou holy one of Israel.
70:23. My lips shall greatly rejoice, when I shall sing to thee; and my soul which thou hast redeemed.
70:24. Yea and my tongue shall meditate on thy justice all the day; when they shall be confounded and put to shame that seek evils to me.
Psalms Chapter 71
Deus, judicium tuum.
A prophecy of the coming of Christ, and of his kingdom: prefigured bySolomon and his happy reign.
71:1. A psalm on Solomon.
71:2. Give to the king thy judgment, O God, and to the king's son thy justice: To judge thy people with justice, and thy poor with judgment.
71:3. Let the mountains receive peace for the people: and the hills justice.
71:4. He shall judge the poor of the people, and he shall save the children of the poor: and he shall humble the oppressor.
71:5. And he shall continue with the sun and before the moon, throughout all generations.
71:6. He shall come down like rain upon the fleece; and as showers falling gently upon the earth.
71:7. In his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken away.
71:8. And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
71:9. Before him the Ethiopians shall fall down: and his enemies shall lick the ground.
71:10. The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents: the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts:
71:11. And all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him.
71:12. For he shall deliver the poor from the mighty: and the needy that had no helper.
71:13. He shall spare the poor and needy: and he shall save the souls of the poor.
71:14. He shall redeem their souls from usuries and iniquity: and their names shall be honourable in his sight.
71:15. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, for him they shall always adore: they shall bless him all the day.
71:16. And there shall be a firmament on the earth on the tops of mountains, above Libanus shall the fruit thereof be exalted: and they of the city shall flourish like the grass of the earth.
A firmament on the earth, etc… This may be understood of the church of Christ, ever firm and visible: and of the flourishing condition of its congregation.
71:17. Let his name be blessed for evermore: his name continueth before the sun. And in him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed: all nations shall magnify him.
71:18. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone doth wonderful things.
71:19. And blessed be the name of his majesty for ever: and the whole earth shall be filled with his majesty. So be it. So be it.
71:20. The praises of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.
Are ended… By this it appears that this psalm, though placed here, was in order of time the last of those which David composed.
Psalms Chapter 72
Quam bonus Israel Deus.
The temptation of the weak, upon seeing the prosperity of the wicked, is overcome by the consideration of the justice of God, who will quickly render to every one according to his works.
72:1. A psalm for Asaph. How good is God to Israel, to them that are of a right heart!
72:2. But my feet were almost moved; my steps had well nigh slipped.
72:3. Because I had a zeal on occasion of the wicked, seeing the prosperity of sinners.
72:4. For there is no regard to their death, nor is there strength in their stripes.
72:5. They are not in the labour of men: neither shall they be scourged like other men.
72:6. Therefore pride hath held them fast: they are covered with their iniquity and their wickedness.
72:7. Their iniquity hath come forth, as it were from fatness: they have passed into the affection of the heart.
Fatness… Abundance and temporal prosperity, which hath encouraged them in their iniquity: and made them give themselves up to their irregular affections.
72:8. They have thought and spoken wickedness: they have spoken iniquity on high.
72:9. They have set their mouth against heaven: and their tongue hath passed through the earth.
72:10. Therefore will my people return here and full days shall be found in them.
Return here… or hither. The weak among the servants of God, will be apt often to return to this thought, and will be shocked when they consider the full days, that is, the long and prosperous life of the wicked; and will be tempted to make the reflections against providence which are set down in the following verses.
72:11. And they said: How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
72:12. Behold these are sinners; and yet, abounding in the world they have obtained riches.
72:13. And I said: Then have I in vain justified my heart, and washed my hands among the innocent.
72:14. And I have been scourged all the day; and my chastisement hath been in the mornings.
72:15. If I said: I will speak thus; behold I should condemn the generation of thy children.
If I said, etc… That is, if I should indulge such thoughts as these.
72:16. I studied that I might know this thing, it is a labour in my sight:
72:17. Until I go into the sanctuary of God, and understand concerning their last ends.
72:18. But indeed for deceits thou hast put it to them: when they were lifted up thou hast cast them down.
Thou hast put it to them… In punishment of their deceits, or for deceiving them, thou hast brought evils upon them in their last end, which, in their prosperity they never apprehended.
72:19. How are they brought to desolation? they have suddenly ceased to be: they have perished by reason of their iniquity.
72:20. As the dream of them that awake, O Lord; so in thy city thou shalt bring their image to nothing.
72:21. For my heart hath been inflamed, and my reins have been changed:
72:22. And I am brought to nothing, and I knew not.
72:23. I am become as a beast before thee: and I am always with thee.
72:24. Thou hast held me by my right hand; and by thy will thou hast conducted me, and with thy glory thou hast received me.
72:25. For what have I in heaven? and besides thee what do I desire upon earth?
72:26. For thee my flesh and my heart hath fainted away: thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion for ever.
72:27. For behold they that go far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that are disloyal to thee.
72:28. But it is good for me to adhere to my God, to put my hope in the Lord God: That I may declare all thy praises, in the gates of the daughter of Sion.
Psalms Chapter 73
Ut quid, Deus.
A prayer of the church under grievous persecutions.
73:1. Understanding for Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast us off unto the end: why is thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of thy pasture?
73:2. Remember thy congregation, which thou hast possessed from the beginning. The sceptre of thy inheritance which thou hast redeemed: mount Sion in which thou hast dwelt.
73:3. Lift up thy hands against their pride unto the end; see what things the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
73:4. And they that hate thee have made their boasts, in the midst of thy solemnity. They have set up their ensigns for signs,
Their ensigns, etc… They have fixed their colours for signs and trophies, both on the gates, and on the highest top of the temple: and they knew not, that is, they regarded not the sanctity of the place. This psalm manifestly foretells the time of the Machabees, and the profanation of the temple by Antiochus.
73:5. And they knew not both in the going out and on the highest top. As with axes in a wood of trees,
73:6. They have cut down at once the gates thereof, with axe and hatchet they have brought it down.
73:7. They have set fire to thy sanctuary: they have defiled the dwelling place of thy name on the earth.
73:8. They said in their heart, the whole kindred of them together: Let us abolish all the festival days of God from the land.
73:9. Our signs we have not seen, there is now no prophet: and he will know us no more.
73:10. How long, O God, shall the enemy reproach: is the adversary to provoke thy name for ever?
73:11. Why dost thou turn away thy hand: and thy right hand out of the midst of thy bosom for ever?
73:12. But God is our king before ages: he hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.
73:13. Thou by thy strength didst make the sea firm: thou didst crush the heads of the dragons in the waters.
The sea firm… By making the waters of the Red Sea stand like firm walls, whilst Israel passed through: and destroying the Egyptians called here dragons from their cruelty, in the same waters, with their king: casting up their bodies on the shore to be stripped by the Ethiopians inhabiting in those days the coast of Arabia.
73:14. Thou hast broken the heads of the dragon: thou hast given him to be meat for the people of the Ethiopians.
73:15. Thou hast broken up the fountains and the torrents: thou hast dried up the Ethan rivers.
Ethan rivers… That is, rivers which run with strong streams. This was verified in Jordan, Jos. 3, and in Arnon, Num. 21.14.
73:16. Thine is the day, and thine is the night: thou hast made the morning light and the sun.
73:17. Thou hast made all the borders of the earth: the summer and the spring were formed by thee.
73:18. Remember this, the enemy hath reproached the Lord: and a foolish people hath provoked thy name.
73:19. Deliver not up to beasts the souls that confess to thee: and forget not to the end the souls of thy poor.
73:20. Have regard to thy covenant: for they that are the obscure of the earth have been filled with dwellings of iniquity.
The obscure of the earth… Mean and ignoble wretches have been filled, that is, enriched, with houses of iniquity, that is, with our estates and possessions, which they have unjustly acquired.
73:21. Let not the humble be turned away with confusion: the poor and needy shall praise thy name.
73:22. Arise, O God, judge thy own cause: remember thy reproaches with which the foolish man hath reproached thee all the day.
73:23. Forget not the voices of thy enemies: the pride of them that hate thee ascendeth continually.
Psalms Chapter 74
Confitebimur tibi.
There is a just judgment to come: therefore let the wicked take care.
74:1. Unto the end, corrupt not, a psalm of a canticle for Asaph.
Corrupt not… It is believed to have been the beginning of some ode or hymn, to the tune of which this psalm was to be sung. St. Augustine and other fathers take it to be an admonition of the spirit of God, not to faint or fail in our hope: but to persevere with constancy in good: because God will not fail in his due time to render to every man according to his works.
74:2. We will praise thee, O God: we will praise, and we will call upon thy name. We will relate thy wondrous works:
74:3. When I shall take a time, I will judge justices.
When I shall take a time… In proper times: particularly at the last day, when the earth shall melt away at the presence of the great Judge: the same who originally laid the foundations of it, and as it were established its pillars.
74:4. The earth is melted, and all that dwell therein: I have established the pillars thereof.
74:5. I said to the wicked: Do not act wickedly: and to the sinners: Lift not up the horn.
74:6. Lift not up your horn on high: speak not iniquity against God.
74:7. For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert hills:
74:8. For God is the judge. One he putteth down, and another he lifteth up:
74:9. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup of strong wine full of mixture. And he hath poured it out from this to that: but the dregs thereof are not emptied: all the sinners of the earth shall drink.
74:10. But I will declare for ever: I will sing to the God of Jacob.
74:11. And I will break all the horns of sinners: but the horns of the just shall be exalted.
Psalms Chapter 75
Notus in Judaea.
God is known in his church: and exerts his power in protecting it. It alludes to the slaughter of the Assyrians, in the days of king Ezechias.
75:1. Unto the end, in praises, a psalm for Asaph: a canticle to the Assyrians.
75:2. In Judea God is known: his name is great in Israel.
75:3. And his place is in peace: and his abode in Sion:
75:4. There hath he broken the powers of bows, the shield, the sword, and the battle.
75:5. Thou enlightenest wonderfully from the everlasting hills.
75:6. All the foolish of heart were troubled. They have slept their sleep; and all the men of riches have found nothing in their hands.
75:7. At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, they have all slumbered that mounted on horseback.
75:8. Thou art terrible, and who shall resist thee? from that time thy wrath.
From that time, etc… From the time that thy wrath shall break out.
75:9. Thou hast caused judgment to be heard from heaven: the earth trembled and was still,
75:10. When God arose in judgment, to save all the meek of the earth.
75:11. For the thought of man shall give praise to thee: and the remainders of the thought shall keep holiday to thee.
75:12. Vow ye, and pay to the Lord your God: all you that are round about him bring presents. To him that is terrible,
75:13. Even to him who taketh away the spirit of princes: to the terrible with the kings of the earth.
Psalms Chapter 76
Voce mea.
The faithful have recourse to God in trouble of mind, with confidence in his mercy and power.
76:1. Unto the end, for Idithun, a psalm of Asaph.
76:2. I cried to the Lord with my voice; to God with my voice, and he gave ear to me.
76:3. In the days of my trouble I sought God, with my hands lifted up to him in the night, and I was not deceived. My soul refused to be comforted:
76:4. I remembered God, and was delighted, and was exercised, and my spirit swooned away.
76:5. My eyes prevented the watches: I was troubled, and I spoke not.
76:6. I thought upon the days of old: and I had in my mind the eternal years.