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| David singing. J-J Tissot. Jewish Museum (NYC) |
[3] Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam; et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam.
[4] Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea, et a peccato meo munda me.
Now this Psalm is divided into two parts: for in the first, he implores mercy; in the second, he promises correction, see “I will teach the unjust.”[1] Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he seeks pardon for his fault; second, he seeks the restoration of grace and holiness; see: “ For (I know) my iniquity.”[2]
Dividitur autem iste Psalmus in duas partes: primo enim implorat misericordiam; secundo promittit emendam, ibi, Docebo iniquos. Circa primum duo facit. Primo petit culpae relaxationem; secundo petit sanctitatis, et gratiae restaurationem, ibi, Quoniam iniquitatem.
[1] Ps. L 15]
[2] For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me. Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco, et peccatum meum contra me est semper. [Ps. L 5]He therefore seeks first the mercy of God, when he says: “Have mercy on me, O God.” Wherein it must be known that, as is said in the Proverbs: “ sin maketh nations miserable.”[3] For just as he is not truly happy who abounds in riches, delights in pleasures and is rich in honours, but he who delights in God; so, he is not miserable who is poor, wretched, feeble and weak, but he who is a sinner; and so the one who is a sinner says: “ Have mercy on me, O God,” Thou, namely, who “hast mercy upon all,”[4] “For thou lovest all things that are and hatest none of the things which thou hast made.”[5] And according to the Apostle, you have mercy on whom you wish: “ and I will be merciful to whom it shall please me,[6] quoted in “ I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy;”[7] Therefore if to have mercy exists under Your will, “ Have mercy on me,” clearly, a sinner.
Petit ergo primo misericordiam Dei, cum dicit: Miserere mei, Deus. Ubi sciendum est, quod, sicut dicitur Prov. 14. "miseros facit populos peccatum." Sicut enim non est vere felix qui abundat divitiis, fruitur voluptatibus, pollet honoribus, sed qui fruitur Deo; ita non est miser qui est pauper, miser, et debilis, et infirmus, sed qui est peccator: et ideo iste qui est peccator, dicit: Miserere mei, Deus, tu scilicet qui "misereris omnium, et nihil odisti eorum quae fecisti:" Sap. 11. et secundum Apostolum misereris cui vis. Rom. 9. "Miserebor cui voluero." Ergo si voluntati tuae subest misereri, Miserere mei, scilicet peccatoris.
[3] Justice exalteth a nation: but sin maketh nations miserable. Justitia elevat gentem; miseros autem facit populos peccatum. [Prov. xiv. 34]
[4] But thou hast mercy upon all, because thou canst do all things, and overlookest the sins of men for the sake of repentance. Sed misereris omnium, quia omnia potes; et dissimulas peccata hominum, propter poenitentiam.[Sap. xi. 24]
[5] For thou lovest all things that are, and hatest none of the things which thou hast made: for thou didst not appoint, or make any thing hating it. Diligis enim omnia quae sunt, et nihil odisti eorum quae fecisti; nec enim odiens aliquid constituisti, aut fecisti. [Sap. xi. 25]
[6] He answered: I will shew thee all good, and I will proclaim in the name of the Lord before thee: and I will have mercy on whom I will, and I will be merciful to whom it shall please me. Respondit : Ego ostendam omne bonum tibi, et vocabo in nomine Domini coram te : et miserebor cui voluero, et clemens ero in quem mihi placuerit. [Exod. xxxiii. 19]
[7] For he saith to Moses: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy. Moysi enim dicit : Miserebor cujus misereor : et misericordiam praestabo cujus miserebor. [Rom. ix. 15]
He does not wish to enter into contention, he does not seek to argue, but he takes a short way: “Have mercy.” Likewise, he does not cite, as a cause for mercy, either the service he has done for God nor the dangers he has undergone for Him; but he simply implores the mercy of God; whence he says: “according to thy great mercy;” and “ It is not for our justifications that we present our prayers before thy face, but for the multitude of thy tender mercies.”[8]
Non vult contendere, non quaerit disputare, sed brevi utitur via, Miserere. Item non allegat misericordiae causam, non servitia quae fecit Deo, non periricula quae sustinuit pro eo; sed solum Dei misericordiam implorat: unde dicit: Secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. Dan. 9. "Non in iustificationibus nostris prosternimus preces ante faciem tuam; sed in miserationibus tuis multis."
[8] Incline, O my God, thy ear, and hear: open thy eyes, and see our desolation, and the city upon which thy name is called: for it is not for our justifications that we present our prayers before thy face, but for the multitude of thy tender mercies. Inclina, Deus meus, aurem tuam, et audi : aperi oculos tuos, et vide desolationem nostram, et civitatem super quam invocatum est nomen tuum : neque enim in justificationibus nostris prosternimus preces ante faciem tuam, sed in miserationibus tuis multis. [Dan. ix. 18]
And it is to be noted that anyone can have hope for divine mercy, with a twofold reason. One reason is from reflection, and according to the multitude of his accomplishments.
Et notandum, quod aliquis potest sperare de misericofria divina, duplici ratione. Una ratio est ex consideratione, et secundum multitudinem effectuum eius.
First, therefore, he shows that he has hope in God’s mercy from a reflection on the divine nature; for it is proper to the divine nature that it should be goodness itself. Whence Dionysius [a] says that God is the very substance of goodness; and likewise Boethius [b] in “On the Trinity.” Whence this mercy of God is nothing other than (His) goodness as it relates to the driving away of misery. Therefore when I reflect that it is proper to goodness to drive away misery, and yet ii itself goodness, confidently I have recourse to mercy.
Primo ergo ostendit quod sperat de misericordia Dei, ex consideratione naturae divinae, quia naturae divinae proprium est quod sit ipsa bonitas. Unde Dionysius dicit, quod Deus est ipsa substantia bonitatis. Et Boethius de Trin. similiter. Unde nihil aliud est haec Dei misericordia, nisi bonitas relata ad depellandam miseriam. Ergo cum considero quod bonitatis miseriam repellere est proprium, et tamen est ipsa bonitas, confidenter ad misericordiam recurro.
[a] Dionysius: flourished in the earlier part of the sixth century, dying before the year 544. Though by birth a Scythian, he was in character a true Roman and thorough Catholic, most learned in both tongues—i.e., Greek and Latin — and an accomplished Scripturist.
[b] Boethius: Roman statesman and philosopher, often styled "the last of the Romans", regarded by tradition as a Christian martyr, born at Rome in 480; died at Pavia in 524 or 525. He was cast into prison, condemned unheard, and executed by order of Theodoric. During his imprisonment, he reflected on the instability of the favour of princes and the inconstancy of the devotion of his friends. These reflections suggested to him the theme of his best-known philosophical work, the "De Consolatione Philosophiae". It is a dialogue between Philosophy and Boethius, in which the Queen of Sciences strives to console the fallen statesman. It was translated into Anglo-Saxon by King Alfred the Great, and into Old German by Notker Teutonicus; its influence may be traced in Beowulf and in Chaucer, in Anglo-Norman and Provençal popular poetry, in the first specimens of Italian verse, as well as in the "Divina Commedia".And it is called “great” in its own incomprehensibility, by which it fills all things: “ The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.”[9]
Et dicitur magna, sua incomprehensibilitate, qua implet omnia. Ps. 32. Misericordia Domini plena est terra.
[9] He loveth mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. Diligit misericordiam et judicium; misericordia Domini plena est terra. [Ps. xxxii. 5]
And it has a place in all things. For the righteous have preserved their innocence on account of God’s mercy. St Augustine: “I impute to Thy grace the evils that I have not done.”
Et in omnibus habet locum, Nam iusti innocentiam servaverunt propter misericordiam Dei. Augustines: "Domine, gratiae tuae deputo mala quae non feci."
Also, sinners have been converted to righteousness on account of God’s mercy: “ I obtained mercy.”[10]
Item peccatores sunt conversi ad iustitiam propter Dei misericordiam. 1. Tim. 1. "Misericordiam consecutus sum."
[10] But for this cause have I obtained mercy: that in me first Christ Jesus might shew forth all patience, for the information of them that shall believe in him unto life everlasting. Sed ideo misericordiam consecutus sum : ut in me primo ostenderet Christus Jesus omnem patientiam ad informationem eorum, qui credituri sunt illi, in vitam aeternam. [I Tim. i 16]
Also, those living in sin have experienced mercy: “ The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed.”[11]
Item in peccato existentes misericordiam Dei experti sunt. Tren. 3. "Misericordiae Domini multae quod non sumus consumpti."
[11] Heth. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed: because his commiserations have not failed. HETH. Misericordiae Domini, quia non sumus consumpti; quia non defecerunt miserationes ejus. [Lam. iii. 22]
Also, it is said with great sublimity, because “ His tender mercies are over all his works.[12]
Item dicitur magna sublimitate, quia miserationes eius super omnia opera eius.
[12] The Lord is sweet to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. Suavis Dominus universis; et miserationes ejus super omnia opera ejus. [Ps. cxxxxiv. 9]
For mercy does not signify in God a passion of the mind, but goodness unto the driving away of misery. Also (it is) great in duration: “ with everlasting kindness have I had mercy on thee,[13]
Nam misericordia non signat in Deo passionem animi, sed bonitatem ad repellendam miseriam. Item magna, duratione. Is. 34. "In misericordia sempiterna misertus sum tui."
[13] In a moment of indignation have I hid my face a little while from thee, but with everlasting kindness have I had mercy on thee, said the Lord thy Redeemer. In momento indignationis abscondi faciem meam parumper a te; et in misericordia sempiterna misertus sum tui, dixit redemptor tuus, Dominus. [Isai. liv. 8]
(It is) great in power, for it made God man, it brought God down from heaven to earth and made the immortal to die: “ But God, Who is rich in mercy.”[14]
Item magna, virtute, quia Deum hominem fecit, de caelo Deum ad terram deposuit, et immortalem mori fecit. Eph. 2. "Deus autem, qui dives est in misericordia."
[14] But God, (who is rich in mercy,) for his exceeding charity wherewith he loved us. Deus autem, qui dives est in misericordia, propter nimiam caritatem suam, qua dilexit nos, [Eph. ii. 4]
Likewise, great through accomplishment, because through mercy man can be lifted out of every misfortune: “ For thy mercy is great towards me;”[15] and “ and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.”[16] And so I ask confidently: “ Have mercy on me, O God.”
Item magna per effectum, quia ex omni miseria potest homo per misericordiam elevari. Ps. 85. Misericordia tua magna est super me, et remisisti impietatem peccati mei (Ps. 31). Et ideo confidenter peto: Miserere mei Deus.
[15] For thy mercy is great towards me: and thou hast delivered my soul out of the lower hell. quia misericordia tua magna est super me, et eruisti animam meam ex inferno inferiori. [Ps. Lxxxv. 13]
[16] I have acknowledged my sin to thee, and my injustice I have not concealed. I said I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord: and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin. Delictum meum cognitum tibi feci, et injustitiam meam non abscondi. Dixi : Confitebor adversum me injustitiam meam Domino; et tu remisisti impietatem peccati mei. [Ps. Xxxi. 5]Also, another reason is that from the beginning of the world I have found in all things the effects of your mercy; and so he says: “And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.” Whence is said in Isaiah: “ I will remember the tender mercies of the Lord;”[17] and “ Remember, O Lord, thy bowels of compassion . . . that are from the beginning of the world.”[18]
Item alia ratio est, quia in omnibus a principio mundi inveni effectus misericordiae tuae; et ideo dicit: Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum dele iniquitatem meam; quasi dicat: Miserere mei secundum quod multipliciter, et in diversis misertus es omnibus hominibus. Unde dicitur Isa. 63. "Miserationum Domini recordabor." Ps. 24. "Reminiscere miserationum tuarum quae a saeculo sunt."
[17] I will remember the tender mercies of the Lord, the praise of the Lord for all the things that the Lord hath bestowed upon us, and for the multitude of his good things to the house of Israel, which he hath given them according to his kindness, and according to the multitude of his mercies. Miserationum Domini recordabor, laudem Domini super omnibus quae reddidit nobis Dominus, et super multitudinem bonorum domui Israel, quae largitus est eis secundum indulgentiam suam, et secundum multitudinem misericordiarum suarum. [isai. Liii. 7]
[18] Remember, O Lord, thy bowels of compassion; and thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world. Reminiscere miserationum tuarum, Domine, et misericordiarum tuarum quae a saeculo sunt. [Ps. Xxiv. 6]“Blot out my iniquity.” Here he sets down the effect of having mercy. Nathan said: “ The Lord also hath taken away thy sin: thou shalt not die.”[19] And thus he was secure through pardon; but he wanted his sin to be eradicated totally. Now, sin has a twofold effect: namely, the charge (deserving) of punishment and the stain on the soul.
Dele iniquitatem meam. Hic ponit effectum miserendi. Nathan dixit (II Reg. 12) "Dominus transtulit peccatum tuum: non morieris." Et sic erat securus de venia; sed volebat totaliter peccatum extirpari. Remanet autem duplex effectus peccati: scilicet reatus poenae, et macula in anima.
[19] And David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David: The Lord also hath taken away thy sin: thou shalt not die. Et dixit David ad Nathan : Peccavi Domino. Dixitque Nathan ad David : Dominus quoque transtulit peccatum tuum : non morieris. [II Reg. xii. 13]
First, therefore, he asks for the charge (deserving) of punishment to be removed. And so he says: “Wash me yet more from my iniquity.” It should be known that in Jeremias it is said that : “ The sin of Juda is written with a pen of iron, with the point of a diamond,”[20] in the similitude of a judge who writes down a (crime’s) penalty, which for as long as it is preserved written, for so long does it (he?) have the spirit of punishing. But if he puts aside this spirit, he does not preserve what is written. And so, a thing is said to be written with a steel-hard pen when sin is not blotted out. And this is why he says: “Blot out my iniquity.” That is, do not impute iniquity to me for punishment. In Isaiah it says: “ I am he that blot out thy iniquities.”[21] and “ I have blotted out thy iniquities as a cloud, and thy sins as a mist.”[22]
Primo ergo petit removeri reatum poenae; et ideo dicit: Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea. Sciendum est quod Hier. 17 dicitur quod "peccatum Iuda scriptum fuit stylo ferreo in ungue adamantino:" ad similitudinem iudicis qui scribit culpam, quae tamdiu servatur script quamdiu habet animum puniendi. Sed si deponit hunc animum, non servat scripturam. Et sic scriptum stylo adamantino dicitur quando peccatum non deletur. Et hoc est quod dicit: Dele iniquitatem meam; idest, non imputes mihi iniquitatem ad poenam. Is. 43. "Ego sum qui deleo iniquitates vestras." Item Ibid 44. "Delevi ut nubes iniquitates tuas, et quasi nebulam peccata tua."
[20] The sin of Juda is written with a pen of iron, with the point of a diamond, it is graven upon the table of their heart, upon the horns of their altars. Peccatum Juda scriptum est stylo ferreo in ungue adamantino, exaratum super latitudinem cordis eorum, et in cornibus ararum eorum. [Ier. Xvii. 1]
[21] I am, I am he that blot out thy iniquities for my own sake, and I will not remember thy sins. Ego sum, ego sum ipse qui deleo iniquitates tuas propter me, et peccatorum tuorum non recordabor. [Is. xliii. 25]
[22] I have blotted out thy iniquities as a cloud, and thy sins as a mist: return to me, for I have redeemed thee. Delevi ut nubem iniquitates tuas, et quasi nebulam peccata tua; revertere ad me, quoniam redemi te. [Is. xliv. 22]“Yet more.” Here asks for the uncleanness of guilt to be removed. A man who has a well-disposed mind (conscience) abhors the uncleanness of the fault more than the harshness of the punishment, and so he says: “Wash me yet more,” as though he might say: I ask that you blot out the punishment, but I ask yet more that you cleanse away the stain.
Amplius. Hic petit removeri immunditiam culpae. Homo qui habet mentem bene dispositam plus abhorret immunditiam culpae, quam austeritatem posenae, et ideo dicat: Amplius lava me, quasi dicat: Peto ut deleas poenam; sed amplius peto quod mundes maculam.
Or, (for the meaning of) “Wash yet more,” (consider) that which I understand (from) Romans viii: “for we know not what we should pray for as we ought;[23] (see also): “ Now to him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand.”[24]
Vel amplius lava, quam eog intelligo. Ro. 8. "Nam quid oremus sicut oportet nescimus." Eph. 3. "Et qui potens est omnia facere superabundanter quam petimus, aut intelligimus."
[23] Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings. Similiter autem et Spiritus adjuvat infirmitatem nostram : nam quid oremus, sicut oportet, nescimus : sed ipse Spiritus postulat pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus. [Rom. Viii. 26]
[24] Now to him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand, according to the power that worketh in us; Ei autem, qui potens est omnia facere superabundanter quam petimus aut intelligimus, secundum virtutem, quae operatur in nobis : [Eph. iii. 20]
Two things are necessary for removing a stain, namely, a preceding washing and a following (continuing) cleanliness. In bodies, washing is done through water; and so, according to the Gloss,through water the Psalm prefigures the power of baptism, by which God would forgive sin. See Ezechiel xxxvi: “ And I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness;”[25] and Zacharias xiii: “ there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: for the washing of the sinner, and of the unclean woman.”[26] And albeit that baptism had not yet been instituted, yet the power of God was washing in baptism. Therefore, “Wash me . . . from my iniquity.” See Jeremias iv: “ Wash thy heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayst be saved.”[27]
Duo sunt necessaria ad removendum maculam; scilicet ablutio praecedens, et munditia sequens. In corporibus ablutio fit per aquam; et sic secundum Glossam Psalmus per aquam praefigurat virtutem baptismi, qua Deus dimissurus erat peccatum. Ezec. 36. "Effundam super vos aquam mundam, et mundabimini ab omnibus inquinamentis vestris." Zach. 13. "Erit fons patens domui David in ablutionem peccatorum, et menstruatae." Et licet baptismus nondum institutus esset, tamen virtus Dei lavans erat in baptismo. Ergo Lava me ab iniquitate mea. Hierem. 4. "Lava a malitia cor tuum, Hierusalem, ut salva fias."
[25] And I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols. Et effundam super vos aquam mundam, et mundabimini ab omnibus inquinamentis vestris, et ab universis idolis vestris mundabo vos. [Ezech. Xxxvi. 25]
[26] In that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: for the washing of the sinner, and of the unclean woman. In die illa erit fons patens domui David et habitantibus Jerusalem, in ablutionem peccatoris et menstruatae. [Zach, xiii. 1]
[27] Wash thy heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayst be saved: how long shall hurtful thoughts abide in thee? Lava a malitia cor tuum, Jerusalem, ut salva fias : usquequo morabuntur in te cogitationes noxiae? [Ier. iv. 14]Also, I ask that you cleanse me from sin, for no-one is cleansed except by you. See Job xiv: “ Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed?”[28] and see Eccli. Xxxiv: “ What can be made clean by the unclean?”[29] And he says two things,, namely iniquity and sin. Iniquity is contrary to justice; and assuredly sin is contrary to cleanliness; and adultery is this. And thus it was iniquity insofar as he harmed another through murder; but it is sin through adultery in which he made himself unclean.
Item peto ut mundes me a peccato, quia nullus mundatur nisi a te. Iob. 14. "Quis potest facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine?" Eccli. 34. "Ab immundo quis nundabitur?" Et dicit duo, scilicet iniquitatem, et peccatum. Iniquitas est contraria iustitiae; peccatum vero munditiae, et hoc est adulterium. Et sic iniquitas fuit inquantum laesit alium per homicidium; sed peccatum est per adulterium in quo se polluit.
[28] Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed? is it not thou who only art? Quis potest facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine? nonne tu qui solus es? [Iob xiv. 4]
[29] What can be made clean by the unclean? and what truth can come from that which is false? Ab immundo, quid mundabitur? et a mendace, quid verum dicetur? [Eccli. Xxxiv. 4]
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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