Thursday, July 24, 2014

Psalm 138/2 verses 7-8

 Cassiodorus comments that in these verses: "The fourth and remaining section of the psalm is introduced, maintaining that the honour of the saints is the glory of the Father and of himself."


V
Mihi autem nimis honorificáti sunt amíci tui, Deus: * nimis confortátus est principátus eórum.
NV
Mihi autem nimis pretiosae cogitationes tuae, Deus; nimis gravis summa earum.
JH
Mihi autem quam honorabiles facti sunt amici tui, Deus ! quam fortes pauperes eorum !


ἐμοὶ δὲ λίαν ἐτιμήθησαν οἱ φίλοι σου ὁ θεός λίαν ἐκραταιώθησαν αἱ ἀρχαὶ αὐτῶν 

[Key: V=Vulgate; NV=Neo-vulgate; JH=St Jerome from the Hebrew; Sept=Septuagint]

Mihi (to me) autem (but) nimis (exceedingly) honorificati sunt (they have been honoured) amici (the friends) tui (your), Deus (God); nimis(exceedingly) confortatus est (he/she/it has been strengthened) principatus (the rule/sovereignty/power) eorum (of them). 

nimis, exceedingly, greatly, beyond measure
honorifico are avi atum to honour, glorify
amicus i m friend
conforto, avi, atum, are to strengthen, make strong; to prevail; , to be strengthened, to be powerful, great, mighty
principatus us m rule, sovereignty

DR
But to me thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable: their principality is exceedingly strengthened.
Brenton
But thy friends, O God, have been greatly honoured by me; their rule has been greatly strengthened. 
MD
How weighty are for me Thy thoughts, O God, how imposing is the sum of them
RSV
How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Cover
How dear are thy counsels unto me, O God; O how great is the sum of them!
Knox
A riddle, O my God, thy dealings with me, so vast their scope! 
Grail
To me, how mysterious your thoughts, the sum of them not to be numbered!

[Key: DR=Douay-Rheims Challonner; MD=Monastic Diurnal; RSV=Revised Standard Version; Cover=Coverdale]

Cassiodorus explains:

When he says To me, he denotes himself; when he speaks of Thy friends, he means the Father's.  As he himself says in the gospel All that is mine is the Father's and all that is the Father's is mine.   We read that the patriarchs Abraham and Moses were the first to be called the Lord's friends, and subsequently the Lord Saviour said to his Apostles: I will not now call you servants, but friends.  So these are the friends of the Father mentioned, whose honour redounds to the Lord Saviour, for no-one reveres His saints who does not show the devotion of a pure mind to Christ the Lord...

8/
17
V
Dinumerábo eos, et super arénam multiplicabúntur: * exsurréxi, et adhuc sum tecum.
NV
Si dinumerabo eas, super arenam multiplicabuntur; si ad finem pervenerim, adhuc sum tecum.
JH
Dinumerabo eos, et harena plures erunt: euigilaui, et adhuc sum tecum.


 ἐξαριθμήσομαι αὐτούς καὶ ὑπὲρ ἄμμον πληθυνθήσονται ἐξηγέρθην καὶ ἔτι εἰμὶ μετὰ σοῦ

Dinumerabo (I will count) eos (them), et (and) super (above) arenam (the sand) multiplicabuntur (they will be multiplied/increased). Exsurrexi (I rose up), et (and) adhuc (even now/still) sum (I am) tecum (with you). 

dinumero, avi, atum, are  to count, number.
super +acc=above, upon, over, in, on;+abl= about, concerning; with, on, upon, for, because of; as a comparative
arena ae f sand
multiplico, avi, atum, are  to multiply, increase; to grow, flourish
exsurgo, surrexi, surrectum, ere 3,  to rise up, arise, i.e., to come to the aid of
adhuc,   yet, as yet; even yet; even now

DR
I will number them, and they shall be multiplied above the sand: I rose up and am still with thee.
Brenton
I will number them, and they shall be multiplied beyond the sand; I awake, and am still with thee.
MD
Were I to count them, they are more in number than the sand, should I awake, I would still be with Thee
RSV
If I would count them, they are more than the sand. When I awake, I am still with thee.
Cover
If I tell them, they are more in number than the sand; when I wake up, I am present with thee.
Knox
As well count the sand, as try to fathom them; and, were that skill mine, thy own being still confronts me.
Grail
If I count them, they are more than the sand; to finish, I must be eternal, like you.

Cassiodorus interprets this verse as speaking of the Church:

Among the promises made by the Lord to Abraham in Genesis we read that his seed would be multiplied like the sand of the sea and the stars of heaven, but here he says Above the sand of the sea, so that whereas in Genesis the comparison equates Abraham's seed with the sand, here the grains of sand are exceeded.  The sand of the sea denotes the Jews, indicating their earthly understanding and the barrenness of their faith - arena (sand) derives from ariditas (barrenness) - whereas the stars of heaven refer to the Christian people, because of the brightness of their religion and the splendour of their faith.  So the Lord Jesus Christ promises that He will number the faithful people, who are found greatly to exceed the tally of the Jews, for it was inevitable that the combined numbers of the nations should exceed those of one race.  He added...Here in quite cryptic and brief words He points to His second coming, when he will judge the world.  I rose up denotes the time of His resurrection.; I am still with thee the time when He sits at the right of the Father, in hiding, so to say for a period during which men cannot see Me, until the time when My kingdom becomes the most abundantly clear to men.  For still points to future time; not that he is at any time to be separated from the Father, but whereas He is now out of our sight, he will subsequently be visible to all nations.

St Augustine reads the second phrase Christologically:

I have risen, and yet am I with You. Already have I suffered, says He, already have I been buried; lo! I have risen, and not yet do they understand that I am with them. Yet am I with You, that is, not yet with them, for not yet do they recognise Me. For thus do we read in the Gospel, that after the resurrection of oar Lord Jesus Christ, when He appeared to them, they did not at once know Him. There is another meaning also: I have risen, and yet am I with You, as though He would signify this present time, wherein He is as yet hidden at the right hand of the Father, before He is revealed in the brightness, wherein He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

Bellarmine applies it to us:

...I waked up to this new light, and rose up through love and desire of you, and am still, to the present moment, with thee, adhering to you, depending on you, with an earnest desire of final perseverance.

Psalm 138/2 (139) – Et dixi: forsitan 
Vulgate
Douay-Rheims
1  Et dixi: Fórsitan ténebræ conculcábunt me: * et nox illuminátio mea in delíciis meis.
11 And I said: Perhaps darkness shall cover me: and night shall be my light in my pleasures.
2  Quia ténebræ non obscurabúntur a te, et nox sicut dies illuminábitur: * sicut ténebræ ejus, ita et lumen ejus.
12 But darkness shall not be dark to you, and night shall be light all the day: the darkness thereof, and the light thereof are alike to you.
3  Quia tu possedísti renes meos: * suscepísti me de útero matris meæ.
13 For you have possessed my reins: you have protected me from my mother's womb.
4  Confitébor tibi quia terribíliter magnificátus es: * mirabília ópera tua, et ánima mea cognóscit nimis.
14 I will praise you, for you are fearfully magnified: wonderful are your works, and my soul knows right well.
5  Non est occultátum os meum a te, quod fecísti in occúlto: * et substántia mea in inferióribus terræ.
15 My bone is not hidden from you, which you have made in secret: and my substance in the lower parts of the earth.
6  Imperféctum meum vidérunt óculi tui, et in libro tuo omnes scribéntur: * dies formabúntur, et nemo in eis.
16 Your eyes did see my imperfect being, and in your book all shall be written: days shall be formed, and no one in them.
7  Mihi autem nimis honorificáti sunt amíci tui, Deus: * nimis confortátus est principátus eórum.
17 But to me your friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable: their principality is exceedingly strengthened.
8  Dinumerábo eos, et super arénam multiplicabúntur: * exsurréxi, et adhuc sum tecum.
18 I will number them, and they shall be multiplied above the sand, I rose up and am still with you.
9  Si occíderis, Deus, peccatóres: * viri sánguinum, declináte a me.
19 If you will kill the wicked, O God: you men of blood, depart from me:
10  Quia dícitis in cogitatióne: * Accípient in vanitáte civitátes tuas.
20 Because you say in thought: They shall receive your cities in vain.
11  Nonne qui odérunt te, Dómine, óderam? * et super inimícos tuos tabescébam?
21 Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hated you: and pined away because of your enemies?
12  Perfécto ódio óderam illos: * et inimíci facti sunt mihi.
22 I have hated them with a perfect hatred: and they have become enemies to me.
13  Proba me, Deus, et scito cor meum: * intérroga me, et cognósce sémitas meas.
23 Prove me, O God, and know my heart: examine me, and know my paths.
14  Et vide, si via iniquitátis in me est: * et deduc me in via æterna.
24 And see if there be in me the way of iniquity: and lead me in the eternal way

You can find the next part in this series here.

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