Bellarmine on Psalm 37: Verses 20-23

Today, we conclude St Robert Bellarmine's commentary on Psalm 37, the third in the series of seven Penitential Psalms.

The Latin is reproduced courtesy of the Digital Collection site  - UANL and is accompanied by my fairly literal translation. The Scripture excerpts (Douay Rheims/Vulgate) are taken from the DRBO site but the verse numbering follows that of Bellarmine’s Latin text.

Where footnotes are included, the text follows each verse.

Verse 20

But my enemies live, and are stronger than I: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.

Inimici autem mei vivunt, et confirmati sunt super me : et multiplicati sunt qui oderunt me inique.

The prophet has explained the reasons why he remained deaf and mute before his enemies, so that he might through his patience he might be pleasing to God; he now contrasts his patience to the malice of his adversaries. When he did not return evil for evil, they on the contrary returned evil for good. And yet they lived their lives and exulted and

grew strong. These things are called to mind by David so that God may the more readily incline towards  mercy. “But my enemies live, and are stronger than I,” that is, I am indeed humiliated and afflicted but keep my patience as though I were deaf and mute; meanwhile, however, “ my enemies live,” that is, they are cheerful and exultant, “ and are stronger than I,” that is, they turn out to be more powerful and stronger, “ and they ... are multiplied,” that is, they have even increased in number, “ they that hate me wrongfully,” that is, they live and are strengthened, “and they that hate me  ... are multiplied,” with no just cause. In Hebrew, it says, who hate me falsely, that is, for a false and fabricated reason. These words seem to refer to the conspiracy of Absalom who, by his falsehood, persuaded the people that David had not appointed judges who would judge him justly. He, Absalom, would judge most justly if he were to be made king. From this it came to pass that the people rebelled and followed Absalom with all their hearts, as it says in II Kings. Chapter xv.

Verse 21

They that render evil for good, have detracted me, because I followed goodness.

Qui retribuunt mala pro bonis detrahebant mihi, quoniam sequebar bonitatem.

He proves what he said about his enemies hating him without just cause, saying: “They that render evil for good, have detracted me,” as though he might say: truly my enemies hate me unjustly; for they defame me, who return evil for good; which is what Absalom, his son, and Achitophel, his minister, did; for Absalom had received many good things from David, including, a little while previously, pardon for fratricide; and yet he denounced David his father as being neglectful and unjust, telling them who came for the king’s judgement: “ Thy words seem to me good and just. But there is no man appointed by the king to hear thee.”[1] Achitophel had accepted from David the great honour of being Prime Minister in the kingdom’ and yet, forgetful of this, he defected from David to Absalom and gave Absalom most iniquitous counsel against David. II Kings, xvi and xvii. Not only did they defame me, they who return evil for good, but also, and what is more serious, they “have detracted me, because I followed goodness,” that is, because I acted with a sincere heart and good will towards all, and in this way I am against their iniquitous desires and works.

[1] And Absalom answered him: Thy words seem to me good and just. But there is no man appointed by the king to hear thee. And Absalom said: Respondebatque ei Absalom : Videntur mihi sermones tui boni et justi. Sed non est qui te audiat constitutus a rege. Dicebatque Absalom : [II Reg. xv. 3]

Verse 22 & 23

Forsake me not, O Lord my God: do not thou depart from me.

Ne derelinquas me, Domine Deus meus; ne discesseris a me.

Attend unto my help, O Lord, the God of my salvation.

Intende in adjutorium meum, Domine, Deus salutis meae.

He concludes with those things which he has spoken and prays that God will be present with His protection. He almost repeats the same things which he said at the beginning of the Psalm: for God in His wrath and extreme fury punishes someone when He takes away His grace from him, and withdraws from him as from an enemy, and

leaves him in the midst of his foes, stripped of His assistance. 

Thus did he speak at the beginning of the Psalm: “Rebuke me not, O Lord, in thy indignation,” and now he says at the end: “Forsake me not, O Lord my God,” that is, let not Thy grace be taken from me, seeing that Thou art my Lord and didst create me, and my God, who didst make me for Thee for highest happiness. “ Do not thou depart from me,” as from an enemy, but rather, O Father, “Attend unto my help,” that is, lovingly incline unto my aid, Thou, “ O Lord, the God of my salvation,” that is, who art the author of my salvation, from whom alone do I look for salvation, and in whom alone do I place my trust. This, indeed, seems to me to be the literal sense of this Psalm. 

Since, however, the Holy Fathers Chrysostom, Augustine, Jerome and Gregory explain the Psalm, either in whole or in part, as being about Christ; it should be known that the entire Psalm can be explained in terms of David: firstly, as it treats properly of the person of David, but then David prefigures the person of Christ. For the Holy Spirit can mean several things at once in these words; evidently speaking of David’s tribulations and at the same time predicting the sufferings of Christ, who was to be David’s son, according to the flesh. Although we have explained the Psalm in terms of the person of David, let us set forth, albeit briefly, how the same Psalm may be applied to Christ. [To be concluded tomorrow, D.V.]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.