Bellarmine on Psalm 142: Verses 5-6

Today, we continue with St Robert Bellarmine's commentary on Psalm 142, the last of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

Where footnotes are included, the text follows each section.

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

Verse 5

I remembered the days of old, I meditated on all thy works: I meditated upon the works of thy hands.

Memor fui dierum antiquorum : meditatus sum in omnibus operibus tuis, in factis manuum tuarum meditabar.

He explains now how he was able to breathe again after such great anguish and shows us by his example the way to recovery after his fall. “I remembered,” he says, “the days of old,” that is, I started to reflect upon Thy mercy, which from the world’s beginning Thou didst show to our fathers, bearing their infirmities, healing illnesses and sparing their iniquities. I did not simply remember these in passing, but “I meditated on all thy works,” that is, I studied diligently all Thy works, whether of nature or of grace, and in all of them I saw Thy mercy predominated. And repeating this, he adds: “I meditated upon the works of thy hands,” that is, I applied myself to studying Thy works. These can be referred (following St. Gregory) to  ancient times, in which man in a state of innocence enjoyed the delights of paradise; thence may be better understood the misery of his servitude; but the previous explanation, in which we followed Chrysostom, seems to adhere more closely to the text.

Verse 6

I stretched forth my hands to thee: my soul is as earth without water unto thee.

Expandi manus meas ad te; anima mea sicut terra sine aqua tibi.

Having conceived hope from a consideration of God’s mercy, he begins to sigh and look up to God: “I stretched forth,” he says, “my hands” in prayer “to Thee,” since my soul thirsts for Thy grace as the arid earth craves rain. This is a most fitting comparison. For just as the earth without water does not hold together, is not clothed in plants, is not bedecked with flowers and does not produce fruit, but is empty and barren; so a soul without the grace of God does not resist temptations; but like dust it is carried before the face of 

the wind, it is not clothed with justice, it is not bedecked with wisdom and it does not produce the fruits of good works; the penitent understands all this from his own experience and he therefore thirsts all the more because he appreciates this more.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 142: Verses 3-4

Today, we continue with St Robert Bellarmine's commentary on Psalm 142, the last of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

Where footnotes are included, the text follows each section.

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

Verse 3

For the enemy hath persecuted my soul: he hath brought down my life to the earth. 

Quia persecutus est inimicus animam meam, humiliavit in terra vitam meam; 

This is the third reason he adduces in order to obtain pardon for his sins, which arises from the gravity of his temptation; for it was not through his free will, or without any temptation, that he sinned, as did the reprobate angels who consequently found no pardon for their sin; but as a result of the gravest persecution by our enemy the devil, who as “a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour,”[1] he was laid low, and cast down from the heights of innocence to the depths of deadly sin. And that causal particle, quia, is to be understood with these words: Hear me in thy justice; as if he might say, because Thou art just, fulfilling promises, “for in thy sight no man living shall be justified: For the enemy hath persecuted my soul,” inducing me to commit adultery and tempting me to commit murder, and “ he hath brought down,” cast down, made abject “my life” even down unto the earth, because he made me vile and contemptible in Thy sight, and before the holy angels; and again, he abased me, down to the earth, because he made me a lover of the base earth who previously had been wont to abide in heavenly things. This explanation is shared by the holy fathers Chrysostom, Augustine, Gregory and others.

[1] Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Sobrii estote, et vigilate : quia adversarius vester diabolus tamquam leo rugiens circuit, quaerens quem devoret : [I Pet. v. 8]

Verse 4

He hath made me to dwell in darkness as those that have been dead of old: And my spirit is in anguish within me: my heart within me is troubled.

collocavit me in obscuris, sicut mortuos saeculi; Et anxiatus est super me spiritus meus; in me turbatum est cor meum.

He presses forward with an explanation of the calamities which the diabolical persecution brought on through sin. For after he abased his soul down to the earth, that is, he became entangled in earthly desires, he makes him to dwell “in darkness,” namely in spiritual blindness, his interior eyes no longer seeing, so that he embraces false goods for true ones, so that he does not see abysses and precipices, so that he completely loses sight of the way that leads to life; finally, he makes him to dwell in that darkness in which those dead of old are buried, that is, those dead a short time ago, whether those dead of old, or, as St. Jerome reads it, those dead antiqui / long ago, in which no trace of sight remains. This is the enveloping spiritual blindness in which the lovers of the world do dwell. The Apostle speaks of this darkness in Ephesians iv: “ Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts;”[1] and in chapter vi: “Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness;”[2] although the increase of the spiritual blindness, as great as it is, is not so great that nothing can be added thereunto. For what can be a greater darkening of the mind than to reject eternal happiness for the sake of momentary pleasure of the flesh? He continues: “And my spirit is in anguish within me;” by these words he shows that he has, by a divine light, begun to see his darkness, and the abject condition of his soul so delighting in earthly

pleasures; and so follows the anguish of his spirit from the dread of the divine judgement, and from the wretched state into which he has fallen on account of his sin. And so this is the beginning of repentance. “My spirit is in anguish within me;” in Hebrew is found the same word as in the Psalm above: When my spirit failed me.[3] It signifies great anguish, which almost leads to death, if hope did not bring the consolation of mercy. Super me / within me, means: my spirit is in anguish in my miserable state, in my greatest grief. Then he repeats the idea in different words: “My heart within me is troubled;” now in me / in me is not the same as super me / within (over) me but means in this context: in my heart or within me. And so the sense is: My Spirit, considering this miserable state, is in extreme anguish, and my heart is troubled deep within me, not slightly or superficially but really seriously, and I have begun to be deeply troubled and upset in the depth of my heart. They should follow this penitent’s example who wish to be delivered and should reflect seriously and deeply upon the damage wrought by their sin.

[1] Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts. tenebris obscuratum habentes intellectum, alienati a vita Dei per ignorantiam, quae est in illis, propter caecitatem cordis ipsorum, [Ephes. iv. 18]
[2] For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. quoniam non est nobis colluctatio adversus carnem et sanguinem, sed adversus principes, et potestates, adversus mundi rectores tenebrarum harum, contra spiritualia nequitiae, in caelestibus. [Ephes. vi. 12]
[3] When my spirit failed me, then thou knewest my paths. In this way wherein I walked, they have hidden a snare for me. In deficiendo ex me spiritum meum, et tu cognovisti semitas meas; in via hac qua ambulabam absconderunt laqueum mihi. [Ps. Cxli. 4]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 142: Verse 2

Today, we continue with St Robert Bellarmine's commentary on Psalm 142, the last of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

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

Where footnotes are included, the text follows each section.

Verse 2

And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight no man living shall be justified.

Et non intres in judicium cum servo tuo, quia non justificabitur in conspectu tuo omnis vivens.

He has been seeking pardon for his sin based on the promise of God’s faithfulness; he adds now another reason based on the condition and weakness of the human race. “And enter not into judgment with thy servant,” that is, do not strive against me in judgement; for I shall not attempt to resist, neither shall I call myself just, but rather I shall confess my sin. “For in thy sight no man living shall be justified,” that is, not I alone but every person living shall fail in his cause if he chooses to contend with Thee in judgement. For every living person is either a sinner, or a just person still on earth or a just person in heaven. Those who are sinners , such as murderers, adulterers and the like, could be justified in the yes of men, from whom the crimes of others are often hidden, or which are incapable of juridical proof; but in the eyes of God they will not justified, because God sees inside their hearts and consciences, and He convicts them by the testimony of their own conscience. Those just persons who arestill on earth will not be justified in the sigh of God because they will not dare to justify themselves; but they will say with the Apostle: “ For I am not conscious to myself of any thing, yet am I not hereby justified; but he that judgeth me, is the Lord:”[1] for perhaps He sees  

in me that which I do not see; and along with Job I ought to say: “ Although I should have any just thing, would not answer, but would make supplication to my judge.”[2]  Again, they will not be justified “in the sight of God” since they understand their justice was not acquired as a result of their own efforts but was given to them by God, and so they will not justify themselves in God’s presence, as if they were of themselves just, but they will give thanks to the one who executes judgement. Finally, they will not be justified “in God’s sight” because, even though they might be just, for they are free from grave sin, they nevertheless consider themselves to be sinners because they are not free from daily sins, and they say together with the Saints: “Forgive us our debts;”[3] and “ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, (we deceive ourselves).”[4]

[1] For I am not conscious to myself of any thing, yet am I not hereby justified; but he that judgeth me, is the Lord. Nihil enim mihi conscius sum, sed non in hoc justificatus sum : qui autem judicat me, Dominus est. [I Cor. iv. 4]
[2] I, who although I should have any just thing, would not answer, but would make supplication to my judge. Qui, etiam si habuero quippiam justum, non respondebo : sed meum judicem deprecabor. [Job ix. 15]
[3] And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. [Matt. vi. 12] 
[4] If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Si dixerimus quoniam non peccavimus, mendacem facimus eum, et verbum ejus non est in nobis. [I Ioan. i.10]

The just who are in heaven are not only free from serious and venial sins but are also unable to be defiled by sin any more; they will not be justified “ in thy sight” firstly, because they do not attribute their justice to themselves but to God, from whom they receive it; secondly, because God’s purity is so great that all other justice seems in comparison to be an injustice. “And the stars are not pure in his sight.”[1] Now, because the Lutheran and Calvinist heretics seek to prove from this text that there is no true justice in a justified man, but only imputed justice, and all the works of the just are mortal sins and deserving of eternal punishment, if they were imputed thus by God, it should be noted that David did not say there was no truly just man, but on the contrary he said in Psalm xvii: “And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and will repay me according to the cleanness of my hands: Because I have kept the ways of the Lord; and have not done wickedly against my God.  … And I shall be spotless with him:” etc;[2] and see Psalm cxviii: “ Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.”[3] And the same David did not say in this text: no man will truly be justified, but, will not be justified in Thy

sight;  which the Fathers understand either as meaning that the justice of these same just is indeed true justice but it is not from them, as though acquired through their own powers, but given freely by God; as St Augustine understands this text; or,  the justice of these same just is true but it is not pure, as it is tainted by venial sins: this is the reading of St. Gregory and of St. Jerome in his epistle to Ctesiphontes, and of St. Augustine in his book De Perfectione justitiae; or, finally, even if their justice is absolutely true and pure, compared to the uncreated and infinite justice of God, it does not appear to be justice, in the same way that the light from a lamp does not shine in the presence of the sun. This is the reading of St. Hilary, St. Jerome and others on this text, as well as St. Bernard in his serm. 5 De Verbis Isaiæ. And this is what we read in Job iv: “Shall man be justified in comparison of God?”[4] and in chapter ix: “Indeed I know it is so, and that man cannot be justified compared with God.”[5] On this text see St. Augustine in his book ad Orosium against the Priscillianists and the Origenists, chapter x.

[1] Behold even the moon doth not shine, and the stars are not pure in his sight. Ecce luna etiam non splendet, et stellae non sunt mundae in conspectu ejus : [Job. Xxv. 5]
[2] And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and will repay me according to the cleanness of my hands: Because I have kept the ways of the Lord; and have not done wickedly against my God. For till his judgments are in my sight: and his justices I have not put away from me. And I shall be spotless with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity. And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes. et retribuet mihi Dominus secundum justitiam meam, et secundum puritatem manuum mearum retribuet mihi; quia custodivi vias Domini, nec impie gessi a Deo meo; quoniam omnia judicia ejus in conspectu meo, et justitias ejus non repuli a me. Et ero immaculatus cum eo; et observabo me ab iniquitate mea. Et retribuet mihi Dominus secundum justitiam meam, et secundum puritatem manuum mearum in conspectu oculorum ejus.  [Ps. Xvii 21-25]
[3] Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Beati immaculati in via, qui ambulant in lege Domini. [Ps. Cxviii. 1]
[4] Shall man be justified in comparison of God, or shall a man be more pure than his maker? Numquid homo, Dei comparatione, justificabitur? aut factore suo purior erit vir? [Job iv. 17]

[5] Indeed I know it is so, and that man cannot be justified compared with God. Vere scio quod ita sit, et quod non justificetur homo compositus Deo. [Job. ix. 2] 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 142: Verse 1

Today, we continue with St Robert Bellarmine's commentary on Psalm 142, the last of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

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

Where footnotes are included, the text follows each section.

Verse 1

Hear, O Lord, my prayer: give ear to my supplication in thy truth: hear me in thy justice.

Domine, exaudi orationem meam; auribus percipe obsecrationem meam in veritate tua; exaudi me in tua justitia.

At the beginning of the Psalm, David asks to be heard in truth and in justice. He explains the request in which he wishes to be heard because he presupposes that God understands this to be remission from the sin he has committed and for which he is being punished. Now God understood that he was requesting this from Him and that he wanted to be heard in this matter, not only because He could see the desire of his heart but also perhaps from the groaning and sighing of sincere contrition. Thus it is read of St. Mary Magdalen that she did not seek forgiveness of her sins by uttering words, but with her tears she bathed the feet of the Lord; and the Lord understood what she sought and said to her: “ Thy sins are forgiven thee.”[1] And so David, with a contrite heart and groaning inwardly, says, as he seeks forgiveness of his sin: “Hear, O Lord, my prayer,” which you understand as to what it is; and repeating it, he adds: “Give ear to my supplication in thy truth,” that is, in accordance with Thy faithfulness, by which Thou keepest Thy promise of giving forgiveness to penitents. He repeats this when he adds: “Hear me in thy justice,” where by justice he understands faithfulness, which is part of justice, which a little earlier he called truth. St. John Chrysostom understands by justice kindness, which God displays towards true penitents; for he notes that the Prophet does not say “Hear me in justice,” but “Hear me in thy justice,” which Thou art wont to show towards penitents, being not so much justice as ineffable kindness. For God certainly, when he sees penitence or when he hears a confession, immediately pardons the offences. “Tell if thou hast any thing to justify thyself.[2] Judges seek from men confession of crime so that they may be condemned; God seeks so that He may absolve. Finally, the father of the prodigal son, by whom we understand God, as soon as he saw  his son return

and heard the words: “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,”[3] he fell upon his neck, and kissed him, and ordered for the first robe to be brought for him, and a ring and shoes for his feet, and for the fatted calf to be killed etc. This explanation is almost one with that which we gave above; for that justice, by which God delivers His promised forgiveness to penitents, is nothing else than the faithfulness of His surpassing, exceptional kindness. St. Augustine understands by the justice of God that justice which we have, not from our merits, but by the grace of God; this sentence is true but the previous one is better suited to the words.

[1] And he said to her: Thy sins are forgiven thee. Dixit autem ad illam : Remittuntur tibi peccata. [Luc. Vii. 48]
[2] Cf. Put me in remembrance, and let us plead together: tell if thou hast any thing to justify thyself. Reduc me in memoriam, et judicemur simul : narra si quid habes ut justificeris. [Isai. Xliii, 26]
[3] And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son. Dixitque ei filius : Pater, peccavi in caelum, et coram te : jam non sum dignus vocari filius tuus. [Luc. xv. 21]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 142: Title and subject matter

Today, we begin a new series of posts featuring St Robert Bellarmine's commentary on Psalm 142, the last of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

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

Where footnotes are included, the text follows each section.

Title and subject matter

The Hebrew text has only, A Psalm of David; the Septuagint translators added the other words for the sake of explaining the subject matter, as St. Hilary confirms. The Latin fathers explain this Psalm as being about the passion of Christ, a second David whom Judas followed as an avenger, like a second Absalom,  according to Augustine; or like the Jewish people, according to Gregory. But it ought not to be doubted that the Psalm can be explained as being literally about David himself who, acknowledging Absalom’s persecution as being a punishment for his own sin, lamented his sins and begged for mercy from God. For this reason, the Catholic Church numbers this Psalm among the seven Penitential Psalms, for David will provide by his example a form of praying for true penitents; this is the sense which was chosen by St John Chrysostom.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 129: Verses 7-8 (Conclusion)

Today we conclude St Robert Bellarmine's commentary on Psalm 129, the sixth of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

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

Where footnotes are included, the text follows each section.

Verse 7

Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.

quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.

He puts forward a reason why we should always trust in God and at the same time foretells the redemption of the human race which will take place through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. We can justly hope in the Lord all day and all night long, for with Him “there is mercy.” There are indeed works of mercy outside of God, whence it is said: “The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord,”[1] and elsewhere, “Thy mercy ... even ... unto the clouds;”[2] for there is in pious men a certain participation in mercy; but this mercy is really found in God, and it reposes in His heart alone, for mercy bears away misery; and who can take away misery except Him who cannot be miserable? Who is able to cure all deficiencies except Him who has no deficiencies and is omnipotent? This pertains properly to God alone, and the Prophet says the same thing: “Thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild: and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee.”[3]  And so quite rightly holy mother Church is accustomed in her prayers to address God as: “Almighty and merciful God;” and we should not only hope in God because with Him “there is mercy,” but also because there is “with him plentiful redemption;” for God’s mercy had determined to be merciful to the human race and, so that he might satisfy justice, he offered a great price, namely the blood of His only begotten Son, which would be sufficient to redeem all those in captivity. For a man could sell himself into sin, and by divine justice be subjected to being tortured by the devil, to whom the man had given consent unto sin; but he could not in any way redeem himself, nor free himself from the power of the devil. What man, however, was unable to do, the divine mercy effected, so that it might be accomplished through the blood of the

Only-begotten. But this redemption was with God when this Psalm was written. That is, in the counsel and decree of God; now, however, “the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord,” when every day the price is being expended in the redemption of captives, whence the Apostle says: “ You are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body;”[4] and even more clearly  Blessed Peter says: “ Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver … :But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled.”[5] This redemption is called plentiful, not only because “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world;”[6] but because not only by this price are we redeemed from captivity but also we are led forth to share in the inheritance and kingdom. So that we may be “ heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with Christ.”[7]

[1] He loveth mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. Diligit misericordiam et judicium; misericordia Domini plena est terra. [Ps. Xxxii. 5]
[2] Vide, e.g., For thy mercy is magnified even to the heavens: and thy truth unto the clouds. quoniam magnificata est usque ad caelos misericordia tua, et usque ad nubes veritas tua. [Ps. Lvi. 11]
[3] For thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild: and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee. Quoniam tu, Domine, suavis et mitis, et multae misericordiae omnibus invocantibus te. [ps. Lxxxv. 5]
[4] For you are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body. Empti enim estis pretio magno. Glorificate, et portate Deum in corpore vestro. [I Cor. vi. 20]

[5] Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver, from your vain conversation of the tradition of your fathers: Scientes quod non corruptibilibus, auro vel argento, redempti estis de vana vestra conversatione paternae traditionis :But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled, sed pretioso sanguine quasi agni immaculati Christi, et incontaminati : [I Pet. I. 18-19]

[6] And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. et ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris : non pro nostris autem tantum, sed etiam pro totius mundi. [I Ioan. ii. 2]

[7] And if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. Si autem filii, et haeredes : haeredes, quidem Dei, cohaeredes autem Christi : si tamen compatimur ut et conglorificemur. [Rom. Viii. 17]

Verse 8

And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.

The redemption that was with God will be plainly manifested by the redemption of Israel, that is the people of God, not from the power of temporal kings, as the carnal Jews expect, but from all his (Israel’s) iniquities. This is what the angel said of Jesus Christ when he said: “thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins.”[1] This redemption has already begun but it will be fully accomplished in the last day, when we shall be delivered not only from our sins but also from all punishment for sins, and from the danger of sinning thereafter, which David refers to in Ps. cii when he says: “ As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our iniquities from us;”[2] and from the beginning of that Psalm: “ Who forgiveth all thy iniquities: who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction: … Who satisfieth thy desire with good things,”[3] etc.; and see what Daniel says clearly: “ that transgression may be finished, and sin may have an end, and iniquity may be abolished; and everlasting justice may be brought.”[4]

[1] And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins. Pariet autem filium : et vocabis nomen ejus Jesum : ipse enim salvum faciet populum suum a peccatis eorum. [Matt. i. 21]
[2] As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our iniquities from us. quantum distat ortus ab occidente, longe fecit a nobis iniquitates nostras. [Ps. Cii. 12]
[3]  Who forgiveth all thy iniquities: who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction: who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion. Who satisfieth thy desire with good things: thy youth shall be renewed like the eagle's. qui propitiatur omnibus iniquitatibus tuis, qui sanat omnes infirmitates tuas; qui redimit de interitu vitam tuam, qui coronat te in misericordia et miserationibus; qui replet in bonis desiderium tuum : renovabitur ut aquilae juventus tua.  [Ps. Cii. 3-5]

[4] Seventy weeks are shortened upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, that transgression may be finished, and sin may have an end, and iniquity may be abolished; and everlasting justice may be brought; and vision and prophecy may be fulfilled; and the saint of saints may be anointed. Septuaginta hebdomades abbreviatae sunt super populum tuum et super urbem sanctam tuam, ut consummetur praevaricatio, et finem accipiat peccatum, et deleatur iniquitas, et adducatur justitia sempiterna, et impleatur visio et prophetia, et ungatur Sanctus sanctorum. [Dan. ix. 24]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 129: Verses 5-6

We continue with St Robert Bellarmine's commentary on Psalm 129, the sixth of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

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

Where footnotes are included, the text follows each section.

Verse 5

My soul hath relied on his word: My soul hath hoped in the Lord.

Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus; speravit anima mea in Domino.

Here he begins an exhortation to others whom he urges by his example to place their hope in God. I, he says, was in the depths of misery; but I did not lose hope in God’s mercy, for my soul, suffering from the wounds of sin “hath relied ”, that is, looked for a remedy; “on his word,” that is, on His promise. For God frequently through Moses in Deuteronomy promised forgiveness to the penitent. “And when thou shalt seek there the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him: yet so, if thou seek him with all thy heart, and all the affliction of thy soul.”[1] David himself said in Ps. Cxviii: “ Be thou mindful of thy word to thy servant, in which thou hast given me hope.”[2] What he had said somewhat obscurely he now repeats using the clearest words: “My soul hath hoped in the Lord,” without doubting that he will receive the forgiveness he asked for. David’s example ought to be of great value to us all: he was himself in the depths of misery, whether you consider his guilt or his punishment; his guilt was most grave, for he committed adultery when he had an abundance of wives; he killed an innocent soldier who served him most faithfully; he offended God, from whom he had received his kingdom and the gift of prophecy, together with strength, good looks, wisdom, riches etc. But he was also in the depths of misery, when king Saul was persecuting him, so that he was often in danger of death; and yet, because he did not despair but rather did not give up hope, he was delivered.

[1] And when thou shalt seek there the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him: yet so, if thou seek him with all thy heart, and all the affliction of thy soul. Cumque quaesieris ibi Dominum Deum tuum, invenies eum : si tamen toto corde quaesieris, et tota tribulatione animae tuae. [Deut. iv. 29]
[2] Be thou mindful of thy word to thy servant, in which thou hast given me hope. Memor esto verbi tui servo tuo, in quo mihi spem dedisti. [Ps. Cxviii. 49]

Verse 6

From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.

A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israel in Domino;

What I do, he says, let all Israel, that is, the whole of God’s people, let them do the same; namely, may they[1] hope in the Lord, whatsoever the depths they may have fallen into; whether they are oppressed by their sins or by pains of sins, may they trust in God’s help. “From the morning watch even

until night,” that is, for the whole day, from the break of day in the morning until nightfall, so that at no time may they cease to hope in the Lord. He says morning watch, or morning vigil, referring to the hour of dawn; for the ancients divided the night into four parts, each one of which lasted three hours; and they were called watches or vigils, because guards or watchmen of the city or camp were on duty for three hours keeping watch over the city or camp, then others would take over the watching and guarding. The morning watch is therefore the time between the ninth hour of the night and sunrise. In the Greek and Hebrew codices, morning watch is repeated, and the Hebrew does not have even until night. From which it seems that the Latin in the Vulgate is partly altered and partly redundant since it does not have From the morning watch twice, as the Hebrew does; and it has even until night, which the Hebrew does not have.

But he who considers all things diligently will see that the reading in the Latin Vulgate is plainly consonant with the Hebrew. For St. Jerome renders the Hebrew thus: From morning watch even until morning watch, and the translator of the Latin for the Vulgate indicated this when he said: “From the morning watch even until night,” for he did not say:  From the morning watch even until eventide, as though saying we ought to hope in God only during the day and not through the night; he said rather even until night, namely the whole night which ends with the morning watch, or dawn, which in the Gospels is called the fourth watch of the night. It is the same as if he were to have said: from daybreak at morning to the end of the night, or, from the beginning of the day until the end of the night; and in this sense did Chrysostom and Euthymius understand this sentence, who wrote on this text for the admonishment of the faithful , that they should hope in the

Lord throughout the day and through the whole night. The reason for hoping for the whole of day and night is twofold: firstly, because we are always liable to encounter dangers, there is no moment in which do not need God’s assistance. Secondly, because it is always fitting to hope in the Lord, and conversion of heart and penitence is always accepted, whether in the morning, that is in a man’s youth, or at midday, that is in the fullness of manhood, or in the evening, that is, in old age; and whether by day, that is in time of prosperity, or by night, that is, in time of adversity. I know the Hebrew text is slightly different from the Greek or Latin; but since this comes about from points recently added by the Rabbis, it is not difficult, these points being removed, to find the  same 

distinction in all the codices. The Greek codices have: From the morning watch even until night, from the morning watch let Israel hope in the Lord.  I admit that they certainly do not accord with the Hebrew codex and the Latin Vulgate; but it is possible that there is something redundant in the Greek codex which is perhaps left over from the addition of some other version to the Septuagint. Perhaps there were also different readings in the Greek edition, for Chrysostom seems to have read the Greek codex as we read in the Latin. 

[1] The singular verbs here seem to refer to the populus in line 2; I have translated them in the plural as they, referring to the people.

[1] The 12 hours of the night began at 18h 00. The ninth hour after this time would therefore be 03h 00.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.