Bellarmine on Psalm 6: Verses 7-9

We continue our series posting a commentary on the first of the Penitential Psalms, Psalm 6, written by St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1641). Where footnotes are included, the text follows each verse.

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.

Verse 7

My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies.

Turbatus est a furore oculus meus; inveteravi inter omnes inimicos meos.

These words pertain to the effect wrought by his great effusion of tears. Now in the Hebrew text, instead of turbatus est / is troubled, it has caligavit / grew very dark, or my eye(sight) has been worn away, so that he sense might be: through my anger 

and indignation against the turpitude of my sin, myeye is troubled and, worn away by weeping, has grown dark. What follows next, inveteravi / I have grown old, in Hebrew is referred to the eye and is in the third person, invetaravit / has grown old. However, not only the Septuagint translators but also St Jerome, choose the first person, inveteravi / I have grown old,  I have been wasted away. [His detailed analysis of the Hebrew is here omitted] The sense therefore is: “My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies;” that is, because I have grown old amongst all my enemies; and more clearly, my eye has grown dark through weeping in the indignation which I have conceived therefrom, (from the thought) that I should have persisted for so long in sin that I have grown old amongst all my enemies; as though he might say: I cannot be other than vehemently indignant with myself  because I have still not completely overcome any vice, neither have I conquered any enemy of my soul; but I have actually grown old among my enemies. Now he calls his enemies all those who have pushed him towards sin, be they demons or men, whether into his vices or into bad habits.

Verse 8 & 9

Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity: for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.

Discedite a me omnes qui operamini iniquitatem, quoniam exaudivit Dominus vocem fletus mei.

The Lord hath heard my supplication: the Lord hath received my prayer.

Exaudivit Dominus deprecationem meam; Dominus orationem meam suscepit.

Because he has so seriously accused himself of having grown old amongst his enemies, he accordingly bursts out in these words: “Depart from me,” that is, I no longer want to have anything to do with you, I shall not yield to your temptations, relying on divine assistance. “for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping,” that is, for the Lord, moved by mercy on account of my tears, has not only forgiven my sins but has also increased my power of resisting you.

He explains what he has said, that he has been heard, and he repeats the same twice or thrice, to show the certainty of his having been heard, and of resisting temptations (so as to add his mind to this).

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.