The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 7

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. Virignis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 7

“May the brightness of thy countenance shine upon us:”
The Assumption, by El Greco (1577-9).
Art Institute of Chicago. Public domain.

1. O my Lady, in thee have I hoped: from my enemies deliver me[1].

2. Shut thou the mouth of the lion and his teeth[2]: restrain the lips of those that persecute me[3].

3. For thy name’s sake delay not to accomplish thy mercy in us[4].

4. May the brightness of thy countenance shine upon us: so that our conscience may remain clear before the Most High.

5. If the enemy should persecute my soul, O Lady, may I be strengthened by thy help: lest his sword should strike me[5].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Domina mea in te speravi : de inimicis meis libera me Domina.

2. Conclude ora leonis et dentes eius : et labia persequentium constringe.

3. Non moreris propter nomen tuum : facere nobis misericordiam tuam.

4. Splendor vultus tui fulgeat super nos : ut servetur conscientia[6] nostra apud Altissimum.

5. Si persequatur inimicus animam meam, Domia adiutorio tuo confortet : ne vibret gladium suum contra me.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. O Lord my God, in thee have I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Psalm. VII. 2.

[2] Cf. Lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion: Psalm. VII. 3.

[3] Cf. save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me. Psalm. VII. 2.

[4] Cf. O Lord, hear: O Lord, be appeased: hearken and do: delay not for thy own sake, O my God: because thy name is invocated upon thy city, and upon thy people: Damiel ix. 19.

[5] Cf. Go not out into the fields, nor walk in the highway: for the sword of the enemy, and fear is on every side: Jerem. vi. 25.

[6] The 1679 text has “conscientiam” but the letter “m” seems to have been added in error by the copyist.

Davidic Psalm VII 

“Save me from all them that persecute me.” Saul attacking David, by Guercino
 (1646). Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica. Public domain.

1 The psalm of David which he sung to the Lord for the words of Chusi the son of Jemini. [2 Kings 16]  2 O Lord my God, in thee have I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.  3 Lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion, while there is no one to redeem me, nor to save.  4 O Lord my God, if I have done this thing, if there be iniquity in my hands:  5 If I have rendered to them that repaid me evils, let me deservedly fall empty before my enemies.  6 Let the enemy pursue my soul, and take it, and tread down my life on the earth, and bring down my glory to the dust.  7 Rise up, O Lord, in thy anger: and be thou exalted in the borders of my enemies. And arise, O Lord my God, in the precept which thou hast commanded:  8 And a congregation of people shall surround thee. And for their sakes return thou on high.  9 The Lord judgeth the people. Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice, and according to my innocence in me.  10 The wickedness of sinners shall be brought to nought: and thou shalt direct the just: the searcher of hearts and reins is God.  11 Just is my help from the Lord: who saveth the upright of heart.  12 God is a just judge, strong and patient: is he angry every day?  13 Except you will be converted, he will brandish his sword: he hath bent his bow and made it ready.  14 And in it he hath prepared the instruments of death, he hath made ready his arrows for them that burn.  15 Behold he hath been in labour with injustice; he hath conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity.  16 He hath opened a pit and dug it; and he is fallen into the hole he made.  17 His sorrow shall be turned on his own head: and his iniquity shall come down upon his crown.  18 I will give glory to the Lord according to his justice: and will sing to the name of the Lord the most high.

Notes

1: which he sung to the Lord for the words of Chusi the son of Jemini: The historical background. Chusi, or rather Kus, is not mentioned anywhere else. Some have identified this personnage with Semei (cf. II Reg. xvi. 5 et seq.), Kus being the Hebrew name for the Ethiopians. Others, notably St Jerome in his Hebrew Psalter view this word as denoting race and translate the phrase as “concerning the words of the Ethiopian.” These two explanations are unlikely. It is commonly accepted that Chusi was one of the courtiers of Saul who, sharing his hatred of David, uttered terrible calumnies against the young prince in the presence of their Lord. “the words” refer here to bitter words and perfidious insinuations. They portray him as a conspirator and make the jealous king desire to rid himself of a dangerous rival. Cf. I Reg. xxii. 8; xxiv 9; xxvi 19 etc.  Psalm VII dates therefore from the time when Saul was persecuting David and all its details are in perfect harmony with what the first book of Kings tells us of this time which was so difficult for David.

2: all them that persecute me: Saul and all his followers who share his jealous enmity towards David.

3: Lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion: Cf. His eyes are upon the poor man: He lieth in wait in secret like a lion in his den: Ps. IX (2nd part) 9; They have taken me, as a lion prepared for the prey; and as a young lion dwelling in secret places: Ps. XVI. 12; Save me from the lion's mouth: Ps. XXI. 22;

12: God is a just judge, strong and patient: is he angry every day? Even if seemingly patient on the outside, God feels perpetual indignation against sin because His holiness and His justice cannot abide in peace when faced with moral evil.  

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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 6

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. Virignis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 6

Mary with her protective mantle, c1480.
From the Church of Our Lady in  Ravensburg.
 Now  in Bode-Museum, Berlin. Public domain.

1. Lady, let me not be chastised in God’s indignation[1]: nor be judged by Him in His anger.

2. For the honour of thy name, O Lady: may the Fruit of thy glorious womb be propitious to us.

3. From the gate of hell and from the depths of the abyss: by thy holy prayers deliver us.

4. May the eternal gates be opened unto us: that we may declare forever thy wondrous works.

5. For it is not the dead, nor those in hell, who will praise thee, O Lady[2]: but those who by thy grace will obtain eternal life.

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Domina, ne in furore Dei sinas corripi me : neque in ira eius iudicari.

2. Propter honorem nominis tui Domina : propitietur nobis fructus gloriosi ventris tui.

3. De porta inferi et de ventre abyssi : tuis sanctis precibus libera nos.

4. Aperiantur nobis ianuæ sempiternæ : ut enarremus in æternum mirabilia tua.

5. Quia non mortui, neque qui in inferno sunt, laudabunt te Domina : sed qui tua gratia vitam æternam obtinebunt.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] See Psalm. VI. 2: O Lord, rebuke me not in thy indignation, nor chastise me in thy wrath.

[2] See Psalm. VI. 6: For there is no one in death, that is mindful of thee: and who shall confess to thee in hell?

Davidic Psalm VI 

Have mercy on me, O Lord. David in prayer, by 
Willem Vrelant (1460s). Getty Center, L.A.
Open Content Program.

1 Unto the end, in verses, a psalm for David, for the octave. 2 O Lord, rebuke me not in thy indignation, nor chastise me in thy wrath. 3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 4 And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but thou, O Lord, how long? 5 Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for thy mercy's sake. 6 For there is no one in death, that is mindful of thee: and who shall confess to thee in hell? 7 I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears.  8 My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies.  9 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity: for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. 10 The Lord hath heard my supplication: the Lord hath received my prayer. 11 Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.

Notes

1: for the octave : contrary to what certain commentators have believed, this does not refer to an instrument with eight strings but rather to what is known in music as the ottava bassa, instructing the singer to adopt a lower pitch of the voice. This sober and mournful tone is well suited to Psalms VI and XI where the subject is sorrowful.

First of the Penitential Psalms:This Psalm opens the series which are known as the Penitential Psalms: Ps. XXXI, XXXVII, L, CI & CXLII. This is quite appropriate because it shows us a sinner who, recognising his grievous fault and severely punished, experiences powerful contrition at having offended God;  broken in body and heart, he implores the Lord to have mercy on him and to forgive him. The language is that of a truly penitent man. It is highly likely that David composed this song at roughly the same time as the Miserere, (Psalm L), When hearing the words of the Prophet Nathan, he awoke from his moral lethargy and came to understand the full extent of his crime. See II Kings xii. 1 et seq. We see him surrounded by enemies (verse 8): this is doubtless an illusion to the beginning of Absalom’s revolt. 

Verses 2-4:  the poet begs for divine mercy and, the better to obtain it, he describes the extreme affliction he is suffering at the thought of having aroused against himself the wrath of the LORD. Acknowledging his guilt in no way refuses His punishment But he once got to punish him as a repentant Sinner whom he has pardoned and like an enemy on whom his is exercised without knowing any limits. Cf. Job xvii; Prov. iii. 11-12; & Jer. x. 24.

5-8:  God had turned aside and distanced himself from David because of his sin; may He deign to come back as soon as possible to the repentant monarch and make His graces available to him.

9-11: Suddenly, without the least sign of transition, the poet’s hymn which had been so distressed up until this point, takes on a note of triumph and joy. The gloomy description of his anxieties gives place to a lively and proud address which he directs to his enemies, a sudden inspiration of faith revealing to him in reply to his prayer that they will soon be confounded. 

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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 5

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. Virignis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 5

Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531).[8]  
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City.

1. Give ear, O Lady, to my words[1]: and turn not away from me the beauty of thy face[2].

2. Turn our mourning into rejoicing[3]: and our tribulation into joy.

3. May our enemies fall down at our feet[4]: by thy power may their heads be crushed[5].

4. Let every tongue praise thee: and let all flesh bless thy holy name[6].

5. For thy spirit is sweet above honey: and thy inheritance above the honey and the honeycomb[7].

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Verba mea auribus percipe Domina : et ne avertas a me speciositatem vultus tui.

2. Converte luctum nostrum in gaudium : et tribulationem nostram in iubilationem.

3. Corruant ante pedes nostros inimici nostri : virtute tua eorum capita conterantur.

4. Benedicite te omnis lingua : et nomen sanctum tuum confitatur omnis caro.

5. Spiritus enim tuus super mel dulcis : et hereditas super mel et favum.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. Psalm. V. 1.

[2] See Psalm. XXVI. 9, LXVIII. 18 & Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xli. 26.

[3] See Esther xiii. 17, Jer. xxxi. 13 & Amos viii. 10.

[4] Cf. Psalm. XVII. 39 &  1. Cor. xv. 25.

[5] And the Lord God said to the serpent . . . I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel : Gen.iii. 14-15.

[6] Cf. Psalm. LXVI. 44. 

[7] For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. [Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 27.

[8] “Guadalupe” is said by some commentators to represent Coatlaxopeuh in an Aztec dialect meaning “the one who crushes the head of the serpent.” 

Davidic Psalm V 

King David kneeling in prayer, initial from a choir book
c1490-1500. The Fitzwilliam Museum. (CC BY-NC-ND).

1 Unto the end, for her that obtaineth the inheritance. A psalm of David. 2 Give ear, O Lord, to my words, understand my cry. 3 Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God. 4 For to thee will I pray: O Lord, in the morning thou shalt hear my voice.  5 In the morning I will stand before thee, and will see: because thou art not a God that willest iniquity.  6 Neither shall the wicked dwell near thee: nor shall the unjust abide before thy eyes. 7 Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity: Thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie. The bloody and the deceitful man the Lord will abhor.  8 But as for me in the multitude of thy mercy, I will come into thy house; I will worship towards thy holy temple, in thy fear.  9 Conduct me, O Lord, in thy justice: because of my enemies, direct my way in thy sight. 10 For there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is vain. 11 Their throat is an open sepulchre: they dealt deceitfully with their tongues: judge them, O God. Let them fall from their devices: according to the multitude of their wickedness cast them out: for they have provoked thee, O Lord. 12 But let all them be glad that hope in thee: they shall rejoice for ever, and thou shalt dwell in them. And all they that love thy name shall glory in thee: 13 For thou wilt bless the just. O Lord, thou hast crowned us, as with a shield of thy good will.

Notes

1: for her that obtaineth the inheritance : Fillion notes the obscurity of these words and points out that according to ancient commentaries they refer to the Synagogue and then to the Christian Church, insofar as they inherited special favours from Jehovah. He notes, however, that the Hebrew may actually be a reference to the sorts of wind instruments that were supposed to accompany this hymn. It is in fact interesting to read these words in the light of the verse from Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 11 which says, speaking of Wisdom: “and in all these I sought rest, and I shall abide in the inheritance of the Lord,” and which are in the Epistle on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Verses 5-7: The hatred provoked in God by the behaviour of sinners is portrayed in an altogether vivid manner through six consecutive turns of phrase, serving as expressive synonyms for sinners and their blameworthy actions:

iniquity (the Hebrew uses the concrete noun résah);

the wicked (Hebrew: ra’, bad, sinful);

the unjust (Hebrew: holelim, the senseless; for the Hebrews rightly considered wickedness as madness);

all the workers of iniquity, referring to the habitual practice of iniquity;

all that speak a lie; and, concluding this sad catalogue by one of the greatest crimes,

the bloody man,  committing cowardly murder. 

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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 4

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. Virignis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 4

“From thy throne on high thou hast deigned to be mindful

 of me.” Madonna Enthroned, by Giotto (1300-06). 

Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Public domain.

1. When I called upon thee, thou didst hear me, O Lady[1]: and from thy throne[2] on high thou hast deigned to be mindful of me.

2. From the roaring of the wild beasts prepared to devour me[3]: and from the hands of them that sought me, thy grace will deliver me.

3. For thy mercy is kind and thy heart loving: towards all who invoke thy holy name.

4. Blessed art thou, O Lady, forever: and thy majesty for evermore[4].

5. Glorify her, all ye nations in your strength: and all ye peoples of the earth, extol her magnificence[5].

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

1. Cum invocarem exaudisti me Domina : et ex sublimi solio tuo, mei dignata es recordari.

2. A rugientibus præparatis ad escam : et de manibus quærentium me liberabit gratia tua.

3. Quoniam benigna est misericordia et pietas tua : in omnes qui invocat nomen sanctum tuum.

4. Benedicta sis Domina in æternum : et maiestas tua in sæculum.

5. Glorificate eam omnes gentes, in virtute vestra :et cuncti populi terræ extollite magnificentiam eius.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,

sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: Psalm. IV. 2.

[2] Then Bethsabee came to king Solomon . . . and the king arose to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat down upon his throne: and a throne was set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right hand. And she said to him: I desire one small petition of thee . . . And the king said to her: My mother, ask: for I must not turn away thy face. : 3rd Book of Kings (1 Kings) ii. 19-20. (prefiguring the Queenship of Mary and her power of intercession with Christ, the son of David). 

[3] Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour:1 Peter v. 8.

[4] Cf. Blessed art thou on the throne of thy kingdom, and exceedingly to be praised, and exalted above all for ever. Daniel iii. 54.

[5] Cf. O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people: Psalm. CXVI. 1.

Davidic Psalm IV 

King David with a harp. Master of Jean de
Mandeville (1360-1370). Getty Museum, L.A.
Open Content Program. 

Unto the end, in verses. A psalm for David.  2 When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress, thou hast enlarged me. Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer.  3 O ye sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?  4 Know ye also that the Lord hath made his holy one wonderful: the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him.  5 Be angry, and sin not: the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds.  6 Offer up the sacrifice of justice, and trust in the Lord: many say, Who sheweth us good things?  7 The light of thy countenance O Lord, is signed upon us: thou hast given gladness in my heart.  8 By the fruit of their corn, their wine and oil, they are multiplied.  9 In peace in the selfsame I will sleep, and I will rest: 10 For thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.

Notes

Unto the end: translating the Hebrew word lamnaṣṣéah, which is found at the head of fifty-five psalms and which means, most probably: “to the choirmaster.” The verses preceded by this word would therefore be entrusted to the conductor of sacred music so that he would have them sung by the Levites. The Septuagint translators read the Hebrew as lanéṣah, meaning “for ever,” giving εἰς τὸ τέλος, which was adopted by the Vulgate. The early Christian commentators interpreted this allegorically taking the expression unto the end  as signifying hymns which treat of the end of times, consequently having a prophetic and messianic dimension.

in verses: Hebr. bineginôt, “on string instruments.” This and the six other Psalms with this direction (Ps. VI, LIV, LV, LXVII and LXXVI in the Hebrew) were therefore to be sung accompanied by stringed instruments, perhaps to the exclusion of any other instrument. 

Psalm 4 is an evening prayer by a man unjustly persecuted but who places his hope in God despite everything and calmly relies upon Him. It is generally and with good reason believed that this Psalm was composed in the same context as the previous one, namely during Absalom’s revolt, but several days later, at a time when the greatest danger had passed.

Have mercy on me:  the Hebrew expression honnéni does not directly signify the idea of merciful pardon; rather it signifies: be favourable to me, (literally, gracious).

I will sleep, and I will rest: In the Hebrew it says “I lie down and I go to sleep.” This is a striking picture given by the poet to show his trust in God despite the anxieties which beset him : the peace reigning in his soul is such that scarcely does he lie down than he falls asleep, like a man with no worries. Cf. Ps. III. 6.

A note on rhythm: In the original Hebrew text, there is a wonderful cadence in the rhythm of this Psalm : at first it is varied and fast like the powerful feelings which it expresses ; it then slows down, becomes calmer and falls asleep, so to speak, towards the end; but there are very few traces of this in the translation. Dante was correct when he wrote in The Banquet (Il Convito) that “the verses of the Psalms are without sweetness of music and harmony; for they were translated from Hebrew into Greek, and from Greek into Latin, and in the first translation all that sweetness vanished.”

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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 3

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. Virignis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 3

“Have mercy on me, O Lady, and heal my sickness...”
Santa Maria dei Fossi Altarpiece, by Pinturicchio
(1490s). Galleria Nazionale, Umbria. Public domain.

1. O Lady, why are they multiplied who afflict me?[1] By thy might thou shalt follow them and scatter them[2].

2. Loose the bands of our impiety : take away the burden of our sins[3]. 

3. Have mercy on me, O Lady, and heal my sickness[4]: take away the grief and anguish of my heart.

4. Deliver me not into the hands of my enemies[5] : and in the day of my death strengthen thou my soul.

5. Lead me into the harbour of salvation: and give up for me my spirit to my Maker and Creator.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

1. Domina, quid multiplicati sunt qui tribulant me? In tempestate tua persequeris, et dissipabis eos.

2. Dissolve colligationes impietatis nostræ : tolle fasciculos peccatorum nostrorum.

3. Miserere mei Domina, et sana infirmitatem meam : tolle dolorem, et angustiam cordis mei.

4. Ne tradas me manibius inimicorum meorum : et in die mortis meæ conforta animam meam.

5. Deduc me ad portum salutis : et spiritum meum redde factori et creatori meo.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,

sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? Psalm. III. 2.

[2] Cf. Psalms LVIII. 12, LXVII. 2, CV. 27 & CXL. 6.

[3] Cf. Loose the bands of wickedness, undo the bundles that oppress: Psalm. LVIII. 6.

[4] Cf. O Lord, be thou merciful to me: heal my soul: Psalm. XL. 5.

[5] Cf. Deliver me not over to the will of them that trouble me; Psalm. XXVI. 12.

Davidic Psalm III 

1 Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?  2 The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against his Christ.[1]  3 Let us break their bonds asunder: and let us cast away their yoke from us.  4 He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them: and the Lord shall deride them.  5 Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.  6 But I am appointed king by him over Sion his holy mountain, preaching his commandment. 7 The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.[2]  8 Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession.  9 Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron,[3] and shalt break them in pieces like a potter's vessel.  10 And now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth.  11 Serve ye the Lord with fear: and rejoice unto him with trembling.  12 Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way.  13 When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.

Notes

“A morning prayer for a man weighed down with oppression but who finds consolation in God” – this sums up Psalm III. For the story of Absalom’s revolt and its denouement, Fillion recommends a reading in full of II Kings xv-xviii, describing the scriptural account as being the best commentary on this Psalm. The faith of David is shown forth wondrously in the way that the king, despite being abandoned, pursued, humiliated and facing great danger, is nevertheless confident that no human designs will ever succeed in frustrating and overturning God’s plans.

The psalm is comprised of four quite distinct strophes: the first speaks of David’s desperate straits; the second, reasons for hope; the third, the hope itself; and the fourth a prayer.

  

Verses 2-3: His enemies, and even his few friends perhaps, could all the more easily believe him abandoned by God since, having attained the apogee of his glory in triumphing over the Ammonites (II Kings x. 1 et seq.), he then drew upon himself from the Lord all manner of punishments for his double crime in relation to Urias and Bethsabee.

 

Verse 4: But thou, O Lord art my protector : this is a beautiful image in the Hebrew text : thou art my shield protecting my back. God protects him like a shield, as he protected Abraham (Ge. xv. 1) and Israel (Deut. xxxiii. 29). Normally a shield protects the body from the front ; but David was at this point fugitive being pursued. This is why God was a shield protecting his back.      

Verse 7: arise, O Lord : an urgent entreaty, magnificent in its boldness.    these are the first words of the hymn of triumph sung by Moses every time that the was lifted up, Leading Israel The Conquest of the Promised Land. See Num. x. 35 and Psalm. LXVII. 2.

Verse 8: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners :  treating them like wild beasts whose teeth would be broken to prevent them from causing harm. Cf. God shall break in pieces their teeth in their mouth: the Lord shall break the grinders of the lions (Psalm. LVII. 7). 

Verse 9: Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people. Nothing could be more touching than this final supplication. The good and saintly king, instead of cursing his rebellious subjects, begs for heaven’s blessings upon them, and pardoning these men who had gone astray, even as the second David will more perfectly when He is lifted up on the Cross (Luke xxiii. 34). 

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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 2

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. Virignis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and ocasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).
.

Psalm 2

The Virgen del Sol, 15th century (artist unknown).
Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción,
Córdoba. See Apoc. xii. 1.

1. Why have our enemies raged and our adversaries devised vain things?[1]

2. May thy right hand protect us, O Mother of God : as a line of battle terrible in aspect[2], confounding and destroying them.

3. Come ye to her, all who labour and are in trouble : and she will give refreshment to your souls.[3]

4. Draw nigh to her in your temptations : and the serenity of her countenance will bring you peace and confidence.

5. Bless her with your whole heart : for the earth is full of her mercy.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

1. Quare fremuerunt inimici nostri : et adversum nos meditati sunt inania?

2. Protegat nos dextera tua Mater Dei : ut acies terribilis confundens, et destruens eos.

3. Venite ad eum, qui laboratis et tribulati estis : et dabit refigerium animabus vestris.

4. Accedite ad eam : et stabiliet vos serenitatis vultus eius.

5. Benedicite illam in toto corde vestro : misericordia enim illius plena est terra.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,

sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.

Footnotes

[1] See verse 1 of the Davidic Psalm II.

[2] Cf. terrible as an army set in array : Cant. vi. 6.

[3] Cf. Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you: Matt. xi. 28.

Davidic Psalm II 

1 Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?  2 The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against his Christ.[1]  3 Let us break their bonds asunder: and let us cast away their yoke from us.  4 He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them: and the Lord shall deride them.  5 Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.  6 But I am appointed king by him over Sion his holy mountain, preaching his commandment. 7 The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.[2]  8 Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession.  9 Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron,[3] and shalt break them in pieces like a potter's vessel.  10 And now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth.  11 Serve ye the Lord with fear: and rejoice unto him with trembling.  12 Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way.  13 When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.

Notes

[1] against the Lord and against his Christ – the object of the revolt. It is against God and against Him whom He Himself anointed as His representative on earth that the whole world rebels.

Christ: in Hebrew this is the celebrated word Mashiah, meaning “the anointed one,” from which we have made the word Messiah. The application of verses 1-2 is clear enough. In the time of our Lord Jesus Christ: Herod, Pilate, the chief priests and the great majority of the Jews: (see Acts iv. 25-27: “Who, by the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of our father David, thy servant, hast said: Why did the Gentiles rage, and the people meditate vain things?  The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes assembled together against the Lord and his Christ.  For of a truth there assembled together in this city against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel.”) The list is long, grows every day and will come to an end only with the tyrants prophesied by St John (see Apoc. xx.7-9).

[2] Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. “my son” is to be understood in a strict sense as by nature and not by adoption, as may be seen in the following words :  ego, a solemn pronoun meaning “I myself ” have begotten thee. These have rightly been described as astonishing words, but there is nothing more expressive  than this juxtaposition of the preterite, “I have begotten thee,” with the present, “This day.” The preterite tense indicates that the process of begetting has been accomplished and “this day ” signifies that it is permanent.  An eternal act which has neither past nor present, no yesterday and no tomorrow. Compare this with the words from Psalm 109 verse 3: “From the womb before the day star I begot thee.” Such is the direct and immediate sense of the words “this day have I begotten thee,”  but they also include all the manifestations of this eternal generation in time: the birth of Jesus Christ, His baptism, but especially His resurrection.

[3] Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron: this verse calls to mind the words of St John in Chapter xii verse 5 of the Apocalypse when he speaks of a man child who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. Note too the reference to the woman clothed with the sun and her role in this final battle:

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars:  2 And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered.  3 And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns: and on his heads seven diadems:  4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son.  5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne . . . And the dragon was angry against the woman: and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” [Apoc. xii. 1-5 & 17].

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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.