The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 83

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

I offer this annotated presentation of St Bonaventure’s Psalter as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for her many graces and favours, praying for her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Reminder: I began posting an annotated and illustrated version of St Bonaventure's Life of St Francis on the 4th October (his feast day) this year, the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. To read these posts, please click on our sister blog:

St Bonaventure’s Life of St Francis

Psalm 83

“For thy spirit is kind and gentle, thy grace fills the
whole world.” The Immaculate Conception, by
Murillo (1678). Museo del Prado, Madrid.
Publid domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

1. How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lady of hosts[1]: how delightful are the tents of thy redemption[2].

2. Honour her, O ye sinners: and she will obtain grace and salvation for you[3].

3. Her prayer is incense above frankincense and balsam[4]: her supplications will not return to her empty and unfulfilled.

4. Intercede for me, O Lady, with thy Christ[5]: neither do thou forsake me in death or in life.

5. For thy spirit is kind and gentle[6]: thy grace fills the whole world[7].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Quam dilecta tabernacula tua, Domina virtutum! quam amabilia tentoria redemptionis tuas!

2. Honorate illam, peccatores: et impetrabit vobis gratiam et salutem.

3. Super thus et balsamum oratio ejus incensum: preces ejus non revertuntur vacuas, nec inanes.

4. Intercede pro me, Domina, apud Christum tuum: neque derelinquas me in morte, neque in vita.

5. Benignus est enim spiritus tuus: gratia tua replet orbem terrarum.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!” Davidic Ps. LXXXIII, 2.

[2] Cf. “The voice of rejoicing and of salvation is in the tabernacles of the just.” Ps. CXVII, 15.

[3] Cf. “I have stretched out my branches as the turpentine tree, and my branches are of honour and grace”: Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv, 22.

[4] Cf. “I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon. and aromatical balm: I yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh: And I perfumed my dwelling as storax, and galbanum, and onyx, and aloes, and as the frankincense not cut, and my odour is as the purest balm.” Ibid. 20-21.

[5] The earliest reference to the Blessed Virgin as our “Advocate” is found in the writings of St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202 AD): see Against Heresies (Book V, 19, 1). The view of Mary as Intercessor or Advocate is also implicit in the earliest known prayer to Mary: the Sub tuum praesidium which has been found on a papyrus fragment dated to around 250 AD: “Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus / Despise not our petitions in our necessities.” 

[6] Cf. “Benignus est enim spiritus sapientiae / For the spirit of wisdom is benevolent”: Wisdom i, 6.

[7] Cf. “Quoniam spiritus Domini replevit orbem terrarum / For the spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole world”: Wisdom i, 7; See also: “O intemerata et in æternum benedicta, singularis atque incomparabilis Virgo Dei Genetrix Maria . . . per quam post Deum totus vivit orbis terrarum / O unspotted and forever blessed, unique and incomparable virgin Mary, Mother of God . . . by whom next unto God the whole world liveth”: The earliest known texts of this prayer are from the 12th century, though it may have been composed earlier.

Davidic Psalm LXXXIII

1 Unto the end, for the wine presses, a psalm for the sons of Core.

2 How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!  3 My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.  4 For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest for herself where she may lay her young ones: Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God.  5 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord: they shall praise thee for ever and ever.

6 Blessed is the man whose help is from thee: in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps,  7 In the vale of tears, in the place which he hath set.  8 For the lawgiver shall give a blessing, they shall go from virtue to virtue: the God of gods shall be seen in Sion.  9 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob.

10 Behold, O God our protector: and look on the face of thy Christ. 11 For better is one day in thy courts above thousands. I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners.  12 For God loveth mercy and truth: the Lord will give grace and glory.  13 He will not deprive of good things them that walk in innocence: O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Notes

A burning effusion of love the sacred precincts of God’s house. 

The title: 1: “for the wine presses”: Hebr. ‘al-hagggittit, on (meaning with) the lyre of Geth. See Ps. VIII, 1 and note. “for the sons of Core.”: see Ps. XLI and note.

This Psalm is a long and ardent sigh towards the house of God and, not without a tone of plaintive melancholy, it sings of the happiness of those who live near the Sanctuary. For a long time and quite rightly, it has been held to bear a striking resemblance to Psalm XLI. They both represent an intimate expression of a lively affection for the sacred precincts. Both were composed in the midst of harsh trials and far from the Tabernacle (vers. 7-8); they both contain a desire and a hope for a prompt return to Sion, with congratulations addressed to those privileged men who live continually in the presence of God. Finally, they both have a son of Core as their author. It is therefore probable that they were both composed  on the same occasion, namely at the time of Absalom’s revolt when David, along with a handful of faithful servants, was forced to seek shelter on the other side of the River Jordan. The psalmist was in the king's entourage and shared all his sufferings.

Structure: The Psalm is divided into three strophes. the first two of which are marked in Hebrew by a sélah.

1. fervent sighs in the direction of the sanctuary, the happiness of those who dwell nearby: verses 2-5;

2. how those who have trust in God prosper: verses 6-9;

3. a pressing prayer and more congratulations for those who hope in the Lord : verses 10-13.

This poem is in no way inferior to Psalm XLI from the point of view of its inner beauty and form. It also recalls Psalm XLII in the exquisite delicacy of the sentiments which it expresses.

4: “sparrow...turtle”: an enchanting comparison which admirably expresses the feelings of the psalmist in respect of the divine precincts. What a soft nest is for the simple sparrow, for the timid turtle dove (or, according to the Hebrew, for the swallow), and for their little ones, the Tabernacle isfor the psalmist.

10: “look on the face of thy Christ”: not of the Christ par excellence, but of David who was also the anointed of the Lord in a very real way. May God deign to look upon David’s countenance, humbled, saddened and suppliant.

11: “I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God”: a wonderful image in the Hebrew: “I prefer to find myself on the threshold of God’s house.” This is well rendered in the Septuagint text by παραρριπτεῖσθαι, meaning to be cast aside (as at the doorway or threshold). This is particularly appropriate since the sons of Core were porters in the Sanctuary. Cf. I Par. xxvi, 1 et seq.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.

The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 82

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

I offer this annotated presentation of St Bonaventure’s Psalter as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for her many graces and favours, praying for her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Reminder: I began posting an annotated and illustrated version of St Bonaventure's Life of St Francis on the 4th October (his feast day) this year, the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. To read these posts, please click on our sister blog:

St Bonaventure’s Life of St Francis

Psalm 82

“As the heavens are above the earth : so art thou high above

above all, and exceedingly exalted.” Madonna in Glory 

with  Saints, by Pietro Perugino (c. 1500).[5] National Art 

Gallery of Bologna. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

1. O my Lady, who shall be like unto thee ?[1] In grace and glory thou surpassest all.

2. As the heavens are above the earth: so art thou high above all, and exceedingly exalted[2].

3. Pierce my heart with thy charity[3]: make me worthy of thy grace and thy gifts.

4. May the cares of my heart melt out of reverence for thee: and may the desire of thee inflame my soul[4].

5. Make me desire thy honour and thy glory: that I may be received by thee into the peace of Jesus Christ.

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Domina mea, quis similis erit tibi: quæ gratia et gloria superemines universos?

2. Sicut exaltantur cœli a terra: sic tu præcelsior cunctis, et nimis exaltata.

3. Vulnera cor meum caritate tua: fac me dignum gratia et muneribus tuis.

4. Liqueat cura mea in timore tuo: et concupiscentia tua cor meum inflammetur.

5. Fac me desiderare honorificentiam et gloriam tuam: ut per te recipiar ad pacem Jesu Christi.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “O God, who shall be like to thee?”: Davidic Ps. LXXXII, 2.

[2] Cf. “For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.” Is. lv, 9.

[3] Cf. “Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, thou hast wounded my heart.” Cant.iv. 9.

[4] Cf. “Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. / Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.”

[5]  The standing figures in the painting are (from the viewer’s left to right): St Michael the Archangel; St Catherine of Alexandria (martyred c. 305) ) with her spiked wheel, on the rim of which are the words PETRUS PERUGINUS PINXIT (Pietro Peruginus painted this); St Apollonia holding a pair of pincers with a tooth, a reference to her martyrom (d. 249); and an elderly St John the Evangelist, together his symbol, the eagle.

Davidic Psalm LXXXII

1 A canticle of a psalm for Asaph.

2 O God, who shall be like to thee? hold not thy peace, neither be thou still, O God.  3 For lo, thy enemies have made a noise: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.  4 They have taken a malicious counsel against thy people, and have consulted against thy saints.  5 They have said: Come and let us destroy them, so that they be not a nation: and let the name of Israel be remembered no more.  6 For they have contrived with one consent: they have made a covenant together against thee,  7 The tabernacles of the Edomites, and the Ismahelites: Moab, and the Agarens,  8 Gebal, and Ammon and Amalec: the Philistines, with the inhabitants of Tyre.  9 Yea, and the Assyrian also is joined with them: they are come to the aid of the sons of Lot.

10 Do to them as thou didst to Madian and to Sisara: as to Jabin at the brook of Cisson. 11 Who perished at Endor: and became as dung for the earth.  12 Make their princes like Oreb, and Zeb, and Zebee, and Salmana. All their princes,  13 Who have said: Let us possess the sanctuary of God for an inheritance.  14 O my God, make them like a wheel; and as stubble before the wind.  15 As fire which burneth the wood: and as a flame burning mountains:  16 So shalt thou pursue them with thy tempest: and shalt trouble them in thy wrath.  17 Fill their faces with shame; and they shall seek thy name, O Lord.  18 Let them be ashamed and troubled for ever and ever: and let them be confounded and perish.  19 And let them know that the Lord is thy name: thou alone art the most High over all the earth.

Notes

A prayer for God to deliver the Israelites from several Pagan nations I lied against them.

1: Asaph: This is the last of the twelve psalms attributed to this celebrated cantor or to his descendants.

The Psalm speaks of a formidable coalition against the theocratic kingdom by the peoples surrounding it, coordinated by the Assyrians, in order to bring about its total destruction. The danger is great and the prayer of the psalmist is proportionately urgent. The best commentaries have always held this coalition is no different from the league formed against the holy king Josaphat which was crushed by a spectacular miracle. Cf. II Par. xx, 1 et seq. If this is the case, then it is quite possible that the author of the canticle was Jahaziel, a “Levite of the sons of Asaph” (II Par. xx, 14-17), who on this memorable occasion prophesied to the king and to all the people a swift victory.

Structure: The psalm may be divided into two parts separated by a sélah:

‣ the lament, or a dramatic description of the danger: verses 2-9;

‣ the prayer, or anathemas against the enemies: verses 10-19.

First part:

2-5: A prayer for God to make haste and intervene in order to save his people who are gravely threatened.

6-9: the list of the pagan nations in the coalition against the Hebrews. This is longer then the one found in the second book of Paralipomenon (xx, 1, 22-23) because it is more complete.

Second part: the prayer, an impassioned appeal for help against the enemies of Israel. Verses 10-19.

10-13: The psalmist implores God to inflict on these people the same punishments as He did against other enemies of His people who were no less formidable.

10: Madian: The first example is the miraculous victory won by Gideon’s three hundred heroes. Cf. Judges vii, 1 et seq. 

Sisara...Jabin: the second example recalls the glorious names of Debbora and Barac (cf. Judges iv & v) but the poet refers only to the vanquished: Jabin was a powerful Chanaanite king and Sisara commanded his armies. 

at the brook of Cisson: this river crosses the plain of Jesrael which served as a battlefield for Debbora and flows into the Mediterranean Sea at the foot of Mount Carmel. Swollen by a sudden storm, it swallowed up thousands of enemy troops.

Endor: a small city in the plain of Jesrael rendered famous by the pythoness consulted by Saul. 

12:  Oreb, Zeb, Zebee and Salmana: kings and princes of Madian.

14-16: a continuation of the prayer and anathemas. 

14: “like a wheel”:  an admirable figure of speech suggesting the flight of an army prey to panic.

19: cf. II Par. xx, 6: “O Lord God of our fathers, thou art God in heaven, and rulest over all the kingdoms and nations, in thy hand is strength and power, and no one can resist thee.”

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.

The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 81

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

I offer this annotated presentation of St Bonaventure’s Psalter as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for her many graces and favours, praying for her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Reminder: I began posting an annotated and illustrated version of St Bonaventure's Life of St Francis on the 4th October (his feast day) this year, the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. To read these posts, please click on our sister blog:

St Bonaventure’s Life of St Francis

Psalm 81

“As a rose from thorns...thou who art ever resplendent in purity.”
Madonna in the Rose Garden, by Bernardino Luini (early 16th century).
Brera Art Gallery, Milan. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

1. God is in the congregation of the Jews[1]: from whom, as a rose[2] from thorns[3], has come forth the Mother of God.

2. Wipe away my stains[4], O Lady: thou who art ever resplendent in purity.

3. Make the fountain of life flow into my mouth: whence the living waters take their rise and flow forth[5].

4. All ye who thirst, come to her[6]: she will willingly give you to drink from her fountain.

5. He who drinketh from her, will spring forth unto life everlasting: and he will never thirst[7].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Deus in synagoga Judæorum: de qua, ut rosa de sentibus, progressa est Mater Dei.

2. Terge fœditatem meam Domina: quæ semper rutilas puritate.

3. Fontem vitæ influe in os meum: ex quo viventes aquæ profluunt et emanant.

4. Omnes sitientes, venite ad illam: et de fonte suo gratanter vos potabit.

5. Qui hauriet ex eo, saliet in vitam æternam: et qui bibet ex eo, non sitiet unquam.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “God hath stood in the congregation of gods”: Davidic Ps. LXXXI, 1.

[2] Cf. Mary’s title of “Rosa mystica / Mystical Rose” in the Litany of |Loreto (Paris 1150-1200).

[3] Cf. “As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters”: Cant. ii, 2.

[4] Cf. “Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin”: Ps. l, 4.

[5] Cf. “If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.  He that believeth in me, as the scripture saith, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water”: John vii, 37-8. Cf. “For I will pour out waters upon the thirsty ground, and streams upon the dry land: I will pour out my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thy stock”: Is. xliv, 3.

[6] Cf. “All you that thirst, come to the waters”: Is. lv, 1

[7] Cf. Christ’s words to the Samaritan woman by the well: “Whosoever drinketh of this water, shall thirst again; but he that shall drink of the water that I will give him, shall not thirst for ever”: John iv, 13.

Davidic Psalm LXXXI

1 A psalm for Asaph. God hath stood in the congregation of gods: and being in the midst of them he judgeth gods.

2 How long will you judge unjustly: and accept the persons of the wicked?  3 Judge for the needy and fatherless: do justice to the humble and the poor.  4 Rescue the poor; and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sinner.  5 They have not known nor understood: they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth shall be moved. 6 I have said: You are gods and all of you the sons of the most High.  7 But you like men shall die: and shall fall like one of the princes.

8 Arise, O God, judge thou the earth: for thou shalt inherit among all the nations.

Notes

The Judgement of God against iniquitous Judges.

Title: 1: The author is Asaph, or at least one of his descendants if (as many interpreters believe) this dates from the reign of Josaphat. This is a beautiful poem with language which is sober, energetic and at the same time solemn where we hear God Himself, in His capacity as sovereign Judge, address severe rebukes to the iniquitous judges of Israel, reminding them of the sacred duties which they are shamelessly violating and threatening them with terrible reprisals. Jesus Christ cited verse 6 to demonstrate to the Jews that he had the right to call himself the Son of God (cf. John x, 34-36). 

Structure: the psalm may be divided into three parts:

1. a prelude which sets the scene : verse 1;

2. the words of the Lord: verses 2-7; and

3. a conclusion. 

The Divine words are framed by two reflections of the Psalmist.  

2-4: reprimands and exhortation. God is forceful in his condemnation of the iniquitous decrees of these judges and their disgusting partiality: paying attention to the status and power of people and to the presence they offer, rather than law and justice so that the poor and the weak are always condemned, even when innocent. Cf. Ex. xxiii, 2; Lev. xix, 15 etc.

5-7: the threat of punishment.

5: “in darkness”: moral and spiritual. Cf. Prov. ii, 13 etc.

“all the foundations of the earth shall be moved”: justice is the foundation of order amongst men ; once it disappears, everything collapses and Israel was therefore under threat of just such a cataclysm on account of the magistrates’ iniquity.

6: “I have said: You are gods . . .”: our Lord Jesus Christ made this verse famous by using it to demonstrate to the unbelieving Jews his right to call himself the Son of God. Cf. John x, 32-38: Jesus answered them: “Many good works I have shewed you from my Father; for which of these works do you stone me?” The Jews answered him: “For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, maketh thyself God.”Jesus answered them: “Is it not written in your law: ‘I said you are gods?’  If he called them gods, to whom the word of God was spoken, and the scripture cannot be broken; Do you say of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though you will not believe me, believe the works: that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

8: “Arise, O God . . .”: the Psalmist calls ardently upon the Lord to exercise His powers of sovereign Judge in order to put an end to the iniquity of the magistrates. He prays that the Lord will come to dispense justice since the judges on earth are doing it so badly. The reference is to the whole world and not just to Israel ; God has the right, adds the poet, since all peoples belong to Him as His inheritance. 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.

The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 80

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

I offer this annotated presentation of St Bonaventure’s Psalter as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for her many graces and favours, praying for her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Reminder: I began posting an annotated and illustrated version of St Bonaventure's Life of St Francis on the 4th October (his feast day) this year, the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. To read these posts, please click on our sister blog:

St Bonaventure’s Life of St Francis

Psalm 80

“Let us imitate her humility: her obedience and her meekness.”
The Madonna of Humility, by Fra Angelico (c. 1430).
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

1. Rejoice to the Lady, our helper: sing aloud in the joy of your heart[1].

2. Let your affections be enkindled in her: and she will overwhelm your enemies with confusion[2].

3. Let us imitate her humility: her obedience and her meekness[3].

4. All graces shine forth in her: for her capacity was immense[4].

5. Run ye to her with holy devotion[5]: and she will share her good things with you.

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Exultate Dominæ adjutrici nostræ: jubilate in lætitia cordis vestri.

2. Accendantur affectus vestri in illam: et inimicos vestros induet confusione.

3. Imitemur humilitatem ejus: obedientiam et mansuetudinem illius.

4. Omnes gratiæ radiant in illa: capacissima enim fuit capacitas illius.

5. Currite ad illam cum devotione sancta: et de bonis suis participabit vobis.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “Rejoice to God our helper: sing aloud to the God of Jacob”: Davidic Ps. LXXX, 2.

[2] Cf. “Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered: and let them that hate him flee from before his face. As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God”: Ps. LCVII, 2-3.

[3] Cf. “The prayer of the humble and the meek hath always pleased thee”: Jud. Ix, 16. 

[4] Cf. “She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown”: Prov. iv, 9.

[5] Cf. “Therefore, let us run; let us run, for we shall go into the house of the Lord. Let us run, and let us not grow weary; for we shall arrive at a place where we shall never be tired.” In Psalmum CXXI Enarratio, from the Enarrationes in Psalmos of St Augustine.

Davidic Psalm LXXX

1 Unto the end, for the wine presses, a psalm for Asaph himself.

2 Rejoice to God our helper: sing aloud to the God of Jacob.  3 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel: the pleasant psaltery with the harp.  4 Blow up the trumpet on the new moon, on the noted day of your solemnity.  5 For it is a commandment in Israel, and a judgment to the God of Jacob.  6 He ordained it for a testimony in Joseph, when he came out of the land of Egypt: he heard a tongue which he knew not.

7 He removed his back from the burdens: his hands had served in baskets.  8 Thou calledst upon me in affliction, and I delivered thee: I heard thee in the secret place of tempest: I proved thee at the waters of contradiction.  9 Hear, O my people, and I will testify to thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken to me,  10 There shall be no new god in thee: neither shalt thou adore a strange god.  11 For I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.  12 But my people heard not my voice: and Israel hearkened not to me.  13 So I let them go according to the desires of their heart: they shall walk in their own inventions.  14 If my people had heard me: if Israel had walked in my ways:  15 I should soon have humbled their enemies, and laid my hand on them that troubled them.  16 The enemies of the Lord have lied to him: and their time shall be for ever.  17 And he fed them with the fat of wheat, and filled them with honey out of the rock.

Notes

The Israelites are invited to celebrate with fervour a great religious solemnity, and to demonstrate their fidelity to the unique worship of the Most High.

The title: 1: “for the wine presses”: Hebr.’al-haggittit: to the accompaniment of the lyre/guitar of Geth. See Ps. VIII, 1. & note. 

This Psalm has for its theme and objective :

1. exhorting the Hebrews to celebrate with reverence and lively enthusiasm one of the most solemn feasts of the theocratic liturgy; 

2. stirring them to remain ever faithful to the Lord who has showered them with so many graces unto it is filled with desire to bless them forever. The commentators have not managed to agree on the subject of the feast in question, and there is here in fact an exegetical problem which is morally insoluble. The Jewish tradition, and this argument carries weight in such a case, has always been in favour of the so-called Feast of the Trumpets, which was celebrated on the first day of the 7th month (cf. Lev. xxiii, 24; Num. xxix, 1-6). Certain interpreters have opted for the Feast of Tabernacles which took place fifteen  days later (Lev. xxiii, 33 et seq.). Numerous contemporary exegetes favour the Passover. There are difficulties with each of these but we are inclined to favour the first.  

Structure 

The poem may be divided into:

‣ a lyrical prelude, in which the poet addresses to his brethren his pressing invitation concerning the feast (verses 2-6);

‣ the body of the Psalm, in epic strain, Where God himself rouses the Hebrews to have no other gods before him (verses 7-17). There are five strophes: verses 2-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-13 & 14-17.

3: “the timbrel: the pleasant psaltery with the harp”: the tambourine, the small harp and the lyre: Three instruments which the orientals  love to use in concert.

4: “Blow up the trumpet on the new moon”: the Hebrews made use of two types of trumpet: the hasos’rot, a straight trumpet made of metal (cf. Num. x, 10); and the sofar, a curved trumpet comprising norm a ram or goat horn. 

6: “he heard a tongue which he knew not”: according to a number of interpreters, the language of the Egyptians, so different from Hebrew (cf. Ps. CXIII, 1). The common interpretation is probably better, that this is the voice of God Himself, whom the Israelites had never heard directly and which sounded so frequently in their ears, to reveal great things to them. The original text uses the first person and says : I heard a language which I knew not, but the sense is the same.

7: an allusion here to the  heavy loads which the Egyptians forced the Hebrews to carry in baskets over several years. Cf. Ex. i, 11-14; v, 4 etc.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.

The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 79

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

I offer this annotated presentation of St Bonaventure’s Psalter as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for her many graces and favours, praying for her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Reminder: I began posting an annotated and illustrated version of St Bonaventure's Life of St Francis on the 4th October (his feast day) this year, the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. To read these posts, please click on our sister blog:

St Bonaventure’s Life of St Francis

Psalm 79

“All salvation springs out of her heart.” The Immaculate
Heart of Mary, by Leopold Kupelwieser (1840-50). St Peter's
Church, Vienna. Diana Ringo (CC BY-SA 4.0).

1. Give ear to me, thou who rulest Israel[1]: praise thy Mother with me.

2. Arise and shake thyself from the dust, O my soul[2]: go forth to meet the Queen of Heaven.

3. Loose the bands of thy neck, O poor little soul of mine[3]: and welcome her with glorious praises.

4. The odour of life comes forth from her[4]: and all salvation springs out of her heart.

5. By the sweet fragrance of her spiritual gifts[5]: dead souls are raised to life.

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Qui regis Isræl, intende ad me: Matrem tuam collaudare.

2. Expergiscere de pulvere, anima mea: perge in occursum Reginæ cœli.

3. Solve vincula colli tui, paupercula anima mea: et gloriosis laudibus accipe illam.

4. Odor vitæ de illa progreditur: et omnis salus de corde illius scaturizat.

5. Charismatum suorum fragrantia suavi: anime mortuæ suscitantur.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “Give ear, O thou that rulest Israel”: Davidic Ps. LXXIX, 2.

[2] Cf. “Shake thyself from the dust, arise, sit up, O Jerusalem”: Is. lii, 2. The Prophet portrays the Jewish capital as a woman who, struck by the divine anger and overwhelmed with grief, lies prostrate as though lifeless amidst the dust of the highway; he encourages her to arise, in order to begin a life much more glorious and happy than the first. (Fillion Commentary)

[3] Cf. “loose the bonds from off thy neck, O captive daughter of Sion”: Is. lii, 2.

[4] Cf. “For we are the good odour of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. To the one indeed the odour of death unto death: but to the others the odour of life unto life”: 2 Cor. ii, 15-16.

[5] Cf. “How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! thy breasts are more beautiful than wine, and the sweet smell of thy ointments above all aromatical spices . . . and the smell of thy garments, as the smell of frankincense”: Cant. iv, 10-11.

Davidic Psalm LXXIX

1 Unto the end, for them that shall be changed, a testimony for Asaph, a psalm.

2 Give ear, O thou that rulest Israel: thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. Thou that sittest upon the cherubims, shine forth  3 Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses. Stir up thy might, and come to save us.  4 Convert us, O God: and shew us thy face, and we shall be saved.  

5 O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy servant? 6 How long wilt thou feed us with the bread of tears: and give us for our drink tears in measure?  

7 Thou hast made us to be a contradiction to our neighbours: and our enemies have scoffed at us.  8 O God of hosts, convert us: and shew thy face, and we shall be saved.  9 Thou hast brought a vineyard out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the Gentiles and planted it.  10 Thou wast the guide of its journey in its sight: thou plantedst the roots thereof, and it filled the land.  11 The shadow of it covered the hills: and the branches thereof the cedars of God.  12 It stretched forth its branches unto the sea, and its boughs unto the river.  

13 Why hast thou broken down the hedge thereof, so that all they who pass by the way do pluck it?  14 The boar out of the wood hath laid it waste: and a singular wild beast hath devoured it.  15 Turn again, O God of hosts, look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vineyard: 16 And perfect the same which thy right hand hath planted: and upon the son of man whom thou hast confirmed for thyself.  

17 Things set on fire and dug down shall perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.  18 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand: and upon the son of man whom thou hast confirmed for thyself.  19 And we depart not from thee, thou shalt quicken us: and we will call upon thy name.  20 O Lord God of hosts, convert us: and shew thy face, and we shall be saved.

Notes

A prayer for the mystical vineyard of the Lord, ravaged and laid waste.

The title: 1: “for them that shall be changed, a testimony for Asaph”: Hebr.’al-sôsannim édût: “sung to the melody The Lilies of Witness.” Cf. Ps. XLIV, 1.

This is another remarkable elegy which has rightly given rise to admiration on account of the perfect beauty of its images, its grace and the dignity of its style. The tone is gentle and calm but also sad and moving. It is a prayer which is pressing but at the same time delicate, addressed to the Lord at a time of great anxiety on behalf of the theocratic state which was in danger of collapsing beneath the blows of a terrible enemy. The people of God is represented under the image of a vine which the Lord Himself had planted in Palestine and which developed magnificently on this fertile ground but which was now being attacked by wild beasts and was on the point of perishing entirely. The poet calls upon God to restore it to its state of luxuriant vigour.   

Several tribes are referred to in the first verses but uniquely only those tribes descended from the patriarch Joseph and which belonged entirely or in part to the schismatic Northern Kingdom. As the majority of commentators agree, Psalm LXXIX must have been composed with this kingdom in mind. The historical background seems to be revealed in the words  “a Psalm concerning the Assyrian” which are found added to the title in the Septuagint text. This would be a reference to the Assyrian incursions onto the territory of the ten tribes in the north, some time before the complete destruction of the Kingdom of Israel. Cf. IV Kings xv, 19-20, 29. 

Structure: the division of the poem reveals a very real art. There are five equal strophes (verses 2-4, 5-6, 7-12, 13-16 and 17-20), which incorporate a refrain which each time becomes greater, by means of an epithet added to God’s name: “O God,” verse 4; “O God of hosts,” verse 8; and “O Lord God of hosts,” verse 20.

2: From the first lines of the psalm, God is invoked under one of his most beautiful titles, that of the Good Shepherd of Israel. Cf. Gen. xlviii, 15; xlix, 24; Ps. XXII, etc. “Israel,” “Joseph”: representing the whole people, with Joseph who seems to represent here more particularly the Kingdom of the ten tribes.

9-12: This is where the main part of the psalm begins (verses 9-20). The prayer and the lament, outlined briefly up to this point, are now developed.

10: “its journey”: The wanderings over forty years across the Arabian Desert. 

20: “O Lord God of hosts”: the refrain under its most complete form. 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.

The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 78

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

I offer this annotated presentation of St Bonaventure’s Psalter as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for her many graces and favours, praying for her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Reminder: I began posting an annotated and illustrated version of St Bonaventure's Life of St Francis on the 4th October (his feast day) this year, the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. To read these posts, please click on our sister blog:

St Bonaventure’s Life of St Francis

Psalm 78

“Drop down on me the sweetness of thy graces.”

The Immaculate Conception, by Murillo (1652).

Museo de Bellas Artes, Sevilla. Public domain via

Wikimedia Commons.

1. O Lady, the heathen have come into the inheritance of God: which thou hast established in Christ by thy merits[1].

2. Let thy speech be sweet before Him: and unite me to Him who hath redeemed me[2].

3. Stretch forth thine arm against the cruel enemy[3]: and lay bare his cunning to me.

4. Thy voice is sweet above every melody[4]: Angelic harmony cannot be compared with it.

5. Drop down on me the sweetness of thy graces[5]: and the fragrance of thy heavenly gifts.

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Domina, venerunt gentes in hæreditatem Dei: quas tu meritis tuis Christo confœderasti.

2. Sit eloquium tuum dulce coram ipso: et conjunge me illi, qui me redemit.

3. Extende brachium tuum contra hostem crudelem: et denuda mihi versutiam illius.

4. Vox tua dulcis super omnem melodiam: harmonia angelica ei non valet comparari.

5. Distilla mihi suavitatem gratiarum tuarum: et tuorum charismatum fragrantiam et odorem.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “O God, the heathens are come into thy inheritance, they have defiled thy holy temple”: Davidic Ps. LXXVIII, 1.

[2] Cf. “But he who is joined to the Lord, is one spirit”: 1 Cor. vi, 17.

[3] Cf. “thou hast stretched forth thy hand against the wrath of my enemies: and thy right hand hath saved me”: Ps. CXXXVII, 7.

[4] Cf. “My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall, shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely.” Cant. ii, 14.

[5] Cf. “Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just”: Is. xlv, 8.

Davidic Psalm LXXVIII

1 A psalm for Asaph.

O God, the heathens are come into thy inheritance, they have defiled thy holy temple: they have made Jerusalem as a place to keep fruit.  2 They have given the dead bodies of thy servants to be meat for the fowls of the air: the flesh of thy saints for the beasts of the earth.  3 They have poured out their blood as water, round about Jerusalem and there was none to bury them.  4 We are become a reproach to our neighbours: a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.

5 How long, O Lord, wilt thou be angry for ever: shall thy zeal be kindled like a fire?  6 Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that have not known thee: and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.  7 Because they have devoured Jacob; and have laid waste his place.  8 Remember not our former iniquities: let thy mercies speedily prevent us, for we are become exceeding poor.  9 Help us, O God, our saviour: and for the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us: and forgive us our sins for thy name’s sake:  10 Lest they should say among the Gentiles: Where is their God? And let him be made known among the nations before our eyes, By the revenging the blood of thy servants, which hath been shed:  11 Let the sighing of the prisoners come in before thee. According to the greatness of thy arm, take possession of the children of them that have been put to death.  12 And render to our neighbours sevenfold in their bosom: the reproach wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.  13 But we thy people, and the sheep of thy pasture, will give thanks to thee for ever. We will shew forth thy praise, unto generation and generation.

Notes

A lament and a prayer on the subject of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. 

1: The author is shown as Asaph, not the celebrated contemporary of David but one of his descendants, since this psalm dates from after the destruction of Jerusalem by Nabuchodonosor.  

The greatest misfortunes have come upon the theocratic nation : the Temple has been profaned, the holy city has been seized and sacked, numerous Israelites have been put to death, and those amongst the people of God who remain have been humiliated and rendered powerless (verse 1b et seq.). After describing these terrible calamities, the poet moves on to prayer, and implores God to have pity upon his servants, to forgive them their sins and to restore them, not without at the same punishing time their cruel enemies (verses 4 et seq.). It is not difficult to see how these various details point to the seizure of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; the majority of commentators think that this was in fact the historic occasion of this beautiful elegy. Other commentators place its composition, as with Psalm LXXIII (to which it bears a striking resemblance), in the era of the Machabees and the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes. The heart of the poem, however, contradicts this view for here Jerusalem is completely ruined, which did not take place under the Syrian tyrant. Furthermore, the author of the first Book of Machabees (vii, 16-17) cites verses 2-3 of our psalm as a prophecy realised by Antiochus,which supposes they were written at a more ancient time. Finally, Jeremias x, 25 seems to reproduce verse 6 which therefore was already in existence at that time.

Structure:

‣ the Psalm may be divided into two unequal parts:

‣ the lament: verses 1-4; and

‣ the prayer : verses 5-13.

There are four strophes: verses 1-4; 5-7, 8-10 and 11-13.

 +       +        +

The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.