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| David singing. J-J Tissot. Jewish Museum (NYC) |
I am including the original Latin with my translation and notes.
The footnotes follow each section.
[8] For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.
Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti; incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi.
[9] Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
Asperges me hyssopo, et mundabor; lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
“The uncertain . . . things.” Here he asks (that he may make) total reparation. First, he sets forth the hope he has; second (he makes) a petition. And first he sets forth the benefit he has received, through which he is raised in hope; Second, he sets forth his trust, where he says: “ Thou shalt sprinkle me.”
Incerta. Hic petit totaliter reparationem: et primo ponit spem quem habet: secundo petitionem. Et primo ponit acceptum beneficium, per quod erigitur in spem; secundo ponit suam fiduciam, ibi, Asperges me.
He recalled the benefit of power when he said: “ the uncertain and hidden things:” for as King I had the benefit of prophecy. “ The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue.”[1] And he sets forth three things: namely, the matter of prophecy, the manner and the cause.
Commemoravit beneficium potentiae, cum dixit, Incerta, et occulta: qui scilicet Rex habui beneficium prophetiae. II Reg. 23. "Spiritus Domini locutus est per me; et sermo eius per linguam meam." Et ponit tria: scilicet materiam prophetiae, modum, et causam.
[1] The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue. Spiritus Domini locutus est per me, et sermo ejus per linguam meam. [II Reg, xxiii. 2]
He shows the matter of prophecy when he says: “The uncertain and hidden things…” Prophecy is about these things, namely, the uncertain and hidden things, that are comprehended through your wisdom. Something known to God may with us, however, be unknown in a twofold manner: it is unknown to us through a defect or through excess.
Materiam prophetiae ostendit cum dicit, Incerta, et occulta. De his est prophetia; scilicet, incerta, et occulta, quae per sapientiam tuam comprehenduntur. In nobis est aliquid ignotum dupliciter, quod tamen est Deo notum. Aut propter defectum est nobis aliquid ignotum, aut propter excessum.
Something is unknown to us through defect if it is contingent on the future, for it does not yet have the truth determined.
Propter defectum est nobis ignotum aliquid futurum contingens: quia nundum habet determinatam veritatem.
The divine substance is unknown to us through excess, as also those things which exceed our capacity. Each of these were however revealed to David through the spirit of prophecy: “ For the Lord God doth nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.”[2]
Propter excessum est nobis ignota divina substantia, et quae excedunt capacitatem nostram. Utraque autem fuerunt revelata David per spiritum prophetiae. Amos 3. "Non facit Dominus Deus verbum, nisi revelaverit secretum suum ad servos suos prophetas."
[2] For the Lord God doth nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. Quia non facit Dominus Deus verbum, nisi revelaverit secretum suum ad servos suos prophetas. [Amos iii. 7]
Therefore, the uncertain things Thou hast made manifest to me, that is, those things which of their nature have changeableness; and these were revealed to him, as is clear in the Psalm. Those things are called hidden which go beyond the eye of the natural mind: “ wisdom is drawn out of secret places;”[3] and “ I dwelt in the highest places, and my throne is in a pillar of a cloud.[4]
Incerta ergo manifestasti mihi, idest illa quae de sui natura habent variabilitatem; et haec fuerunt sibi revelata; ut patet in Psalmo. Occulta vocantur quae excedunt oculum mentis naturae. Iob 28. "Sapientia trahitur de occultis." Eccli. 24. "Ego in altissimis habitavi, et thronus meus in columna nubis."
[3] High and eminent things shall not be mentioned in comparison of it: but wisdom is drawn out of secret places. Excelsa et eminentia non memorabuntur comparatione ejus : trahitur autem sapientia de occultis. [Iob xxviii. 18]
[4] I dwelt in the highest places, and my throne is in a pillar of a cloud. Ego in altissimis habitavi, et thronus meus in columna nubis. [Eccli. Xxiv. 7]
And these things are (hidden) under the wisdom of God, as if he were saying: It is permitted that they should be hidden from us, yet they are comprehended by your wisdom; and among the things hidden he recounts the mystery of the incarnation, which Thou hast made manifest to me.
Et haec subsunt sapientiae Dei; quasi dicat: Licet nobis sint occulta, tamen a sapientia tua comprehenduntur; et inter occulta commemorat mysterium incarnationis, quod etiam manifestasti mihi.
Also the mercy of God is counted among these things because it remits sins. But it is better that it should be received all together. The manner of revelation is set forth when he says: “Thou hast made manifest to me.”
Item misericordia Dei inter ista annumeratur, quia remittit peccata. Sed melius est ut accipiatur universaliter. Modus revelationis ponitur cum dicit, Manifestasti mihi.
The manner of prophecy is threefold: One, in which is revealed supernatural truth understandable in corporeal and imaginative similitudes, and thus says Isaiah: “ I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and elevated:”[5] Another (manner of prophecy) is when a supernatural revelation and understandable truth is made without the cloud of fantastical imagination (wherein) it is indeed not revealed; thus was made the revelation to Moses in Numbers xii: “ plainly, and not by riddles and figures doth he see the Lord.”[6]
Triplex est modus prophetiae. Unus in quo revelatur supernaturalis, et intelligibilis veritas sub similitudinibus corporalibus, et imaginationibus, et sic dicitur Isa. 6. "Vidi Dominum sedentem super thronum excelsum et elevatum." Alius est in quo fit revelatio supernaturalis, et intelligibilis veritatis, absque nebula imagintionis phantasticae, immo nondum revelatur et sic facta est revelatio Moysi Num. 12. "Palam, et non per aenigmata, et figuras vidit Deum."
[5] In the year that king Ozias died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and elevated: and his train filled the temple. In anno quo mortuus est rex Ozias, vidi Dominum sedentem super solium excelsum et elevatum; et ea quae sub ipso erant replebant templum. [Isai. vi. 1]
[6] For I speak to him mouth to mouth: and plainly, and not by riddles and figures doth he see the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak ill of my servant Moses? ore enim ad os loquor ei : et palam, et non per aenigmata et figuras Dominum videt. Quare ergo non timuistis detrahere servo meo Mosyi? [Num. Xii. 8]
And of such a kind was the revelation made to David: see II Kings: “ The God of Israel said to me;”[7] And below: “ As the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, shineth in the morning without clouds.”[8]
Et talis etiam fuit revelatio David II Reg. 23. "Deus Israel locutus est mihi." Et infra: "Sicut lux aurorae mane oriente sole absque nubibus rutilat."
[7] he God of Israel said to me, the strong one of Israel spoke, the ruler of men, the just ruler in the fear of God. Dixit Deus Israel mihi, locutus est fortis Israel, dominator hominum, justus dominator in timore Dei. [II Reg. xxiii. 3]
[8] As the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, shineth in the morning without clouds, and as the grass springeth out of the earth by rain. Sicut lux aurorae, oriente sole, mane absque nubibus rutilat, et sicut pluviis germinat herba de terra. [II Reg. xxiii. 4]
“Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop.” Above, the Psalmist recalled God’s surpassing kindness to him with respect to grace of prophecy, from which he rose up in hope. Here, however, he shows what he was hoping for from God. And there were two things: first, he hopes for the removal of the evils that he had incurred through sin; second, he hopes for the restitution of good things that he had lost. See (the words) where he begins with: “To my hearing...”
Asperges me hyssopo. Supra commemoravit Psalmista Dei beneficium sibi praestitum quantum ad gratiam prophetiae, ex quo consuregebat in spem; hic autem ostendit quid a Deo sperabat. Et fuerunt duo: primo enim sperat remotionem malorum quae incurrerat per peccatum; secundo sperat restitutionem bonorum, quae amiserat, ibi, Auditui.
Now it should be known that man, through sin, incurs firstly uncleanness. “ thou art stained in thy iniquity.”[9] Secondly, he incurs disgrace. Whence: “ Their face is now made blacker than coals.”[10] And he hopes that these two may be taken away from him, namely: uncleanness and spiritual disgrace.
Sciendum est autem, quod homo per peccatum primo incurrit immunditiam. Hier. 1. "Maculata es in iniquitate tua." Secundo incurrit turpitudinem. Unde Tre. 4. "Denigrata est super carbones facies eorum." Et haec duo sperat a se removeri; immunditiam, scilicet, et turpitudinem spiritualem.
[9] Cf. Though thou wash thyself with nitre, and multiply to thyself the herb borith, thou art stained in thy iniquity before me, saith the Lord God. Si laveris te nitro, et multiplicaveris tibi herbam borith, maculata es in iniquitate tua coram me, dicit Dominus Deus. [Ier. ii. 22]
[10] Heth. Their face is now made blacker than coals, and they are not known in the streets: their skin hath stuck to their bones, it is withered, and is become like wood. HETH. Denigrata est super carbones facies eorum et non sunt cogniti in plateis; adhaesit cutis eorum ossibus : aruit, et facta est quasi lignum. [Lam. iv. 8]
Uncleanness arises from this, for a man’s desire inheres in temporal things, to which it is made similar; whene, if it is added to baser things, as gold to lead, it is made base: “ and became abominable, as those things were, which they loved.”[11]
Immunditia contingit ex hoc quod affectus hominis inhaeret rebus temporalibus, quibus similis efficitur: unde si adiungatur vilioribus, ut aurum plumbo, vilis efficitur. Os. 9. "Facti sunt abominabiles sicut ea quae dilexerunt."
[11] I found Israel like grapes in the desert, I saw their fathers like the firstfruits of the fig tree in the top thereof: but they went in to Beelphegor, and alienated themselves to that confusion, and became abominable, as those things were, which they loved. Quasi uvas in deserto inveni Israel, quasi prima poma ficulneae in cacumine ejus vidi patres eorum : ipsi autem intraverunt ad Beelphegor, et abalienati sunt in confusionem, et facti sunt abominabiles sicut ea quae dilexerunt. [Os. ix. 10]
Disgrace arises out of this, that it inheres in earthly things, by which in it is obscured the light of reason, and it may (then) be compared to brute beasts: “ And man when he was in honour did not understand; he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them.”[12]
Sed turpitudo ex eo quod inhaeret rebus terrenis, quibus obscuratur in eo lux rationis, quia comparatur animalibus brutis. Ps. 48. Homo cum in honore esset non intellexit, comparatus est iumentis insipientibus, et similis factus est illis.
[12] And man when he was in honour did not understand; he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them. Et homo, cum in honore esset, non intellexit. Comparatus est jumentis insipientibus, et similis factus est illis. [Ps. Xlviii. 13]
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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