Psalm 138-145

New Catholic Bible

Footnotes

1. Psalm 138:1 This psalm begins a collection of eight Davidic psalms (Pss 138–145). The believer, representing the people of Israel, knows from experience the God who saves the human race from its distress. He does not want to keep this conviction for himself but to share it with all peoples, all human beings. A deep faith in a universal plan of the Lord illumines this beautiful thanksgiving prayer.
   We can pray this psalm keeping in mind the various victories that God empowers his Church to achieve against her material and spiritual enemies. These enable us to bless our Savior and to indicate the praise offered to him by earthly powers who witness and suffer under these victories.
2. Psalm 138:1 The psalmist stresses that praise belongs to the Lord alone and not to the gods of the nations, whose kings will have to submit to the Lord. After the word “heart” the Greek adds another line: “for you have heard the words of my mouth,” which is not in the Hebrew; it seems to have been a variant of verse 4b accidently inserted here. Heart: see note on Ps 4:8. Gods: the Hebrew is elohim, which is the word for “God,” “gods,” and sometimes “godlike beings,” such as the angels. The Septuagint and Vulgate have “angels” (see Ps 8:6); other versions, “kings” or “judges.”
3. Psalm 138:2 Name: see note on Ps 5:12. Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5. Your word: i.e., God’s promise. By his faithfulness to his promise, God has made his name renowned.
4. Psalm 138:4 The psalmist prays that the nations, together with their gods and kings, will also pay homage to the Lord (see note on Ps 9:2). For the words and ways of the Lord reveal how great is his glory (see Ps 57:6; Isa 40:5; 60:1).
5. Psalm 138:6 The Lord lifts up the lowly (see note on Ps 113:7-9; Lk 1:48, 52) and puts down the proud (see notes on Pss 31:24; 131:1; see also Ps 101:5).
6. Psalm 138:7 The psalmist describes the Lord extending his hand to offer help while passing judgment on those who cause his adversity (see Ps 144:7; Ex 3:20; 9:15). Right hand: symbol of strength (see Pss 60:7; 139:10).
7. Psalm 138:8 The Lord has loving concern for his people and creation (see Pss 90:16; 92:6; 143:5; Isa 60:21; 64:8) and has a purpose for them (see note on Ps 57:3).
8. Psalm 139:1 This psalm is one of the pearls of the Psalter in its literary beauty and profound doctrine: the complete knowledge that God has about each person. The human heart is transparent to God’s look; he knows the most secret and most unknown movements of our souls. Feeling the hand of God on himself provoked sadness and anxiety in Job (see Job 23–24; Jer 15:6f), but in the psalmist, it instills serenity and abandonment. He no longer asks God to turn away his face but to lead him on the path of fidelity. The psalmist awakens to God; the one whom he thought he had to seek out is already there, present in him as his source of life, more present to him than he is to himself.
   We can pray this psalm to remind ourselves of the complete knowledge that Jesus has of us (see Jn 10:14f). For he is our Creator and Savior (see Col 1:16f; Heb 1:1f), who restores the supernatural world and re-creates each of his disciples, making new creatures of them to his own image (see Eph 2:10; Col 3:11).
9. Psalm 139:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
10. Psalm 139:1 God is all-seeing and all-knowing. His knowledge is not sterile but personal and active, discriminating in favor of those who are faithful to the Lord.
11. Psalm 139:2 You know when I sit and when I stand: a Hebrew idiom that, when combined with the parallel “go out and lie down” (or “go out and come in”: see Isa 37:28), signifies: “in all that I do.”
12. Psalm 139:5 Place your hand upon me: a gesture performed by the judge or the witness (see Job 9:33). It expresses God’s absolute mastery over human beings (see Ex 33:22; Rev 1:17).
13. Psalm 139:7 God is all-present; he is everywhere to protect his children. He perceives all things in all places and there is no escaping him. The same images and teaching are found in Am 9:2f. See also Job 11:8; 23:8f; Prov 15:11; Isa 7:11; Jer 23:24; Jon 1:3.
14. Psalm 139:9 Rise on the wings of the dawn: go to the most distant extremities of the east. Settle at the farthest limits of the sea: the uttermost bounds of the west.
15. Psalm 139:11 There is only light with God, and his light brightens up the darkness. For to you darkness and light are the same: some consider this line to be a gloss.
16. Psalm 139:13 God not only sees all and penetrates the inaccessible, but he is completely operative there, creating people and providing a purpose for all.
17. Psalm 139:15 God knows all human beings intimately.
18. Psalm 139:16 The text of these verses is obscure in several places.
19. Psalm 139:16 [They] were all recorded in your book: an image familiar to the Prophets (see Neh 13:14; Dan 7:10; Mal 3:16) as well as the psalmists (see Pss 69:29; 109:13), which was reprised in the Dies Irae (the Sequence formerly used at Masses for the Dead): Liber scriptus proferetur, in quo totum continetur: “Lo, the book exactly worded, in which all has been recorded.” See note on Ps 56:9.
20. Psalm 139:18 When I awake: in this context, these words may express a glimpse of the resurrection on the part of the psalmist, as in Ps 17:15 (see note there).
21. Psalm 139:19 God is all-holy and opposes the wicked, whom he punishes for their wrongdoing. He leads the psalmist and the righteous in the way of God (the way to eternity: see Pss 1:6; 5:9; 73:18; 143:10; and note on 16:9-11) and not in the way of idolaters (the evil way: see Ps 16:4; Isa 48:5).
22. Psalm 139:19 See notes on Pss 5:11; 35.
23. Psalm 139:20 And . . . against you: the Hebrew is uncertain here.
24. Psalm 139:23 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
25. Psalm 140:1 More than once already we have heard the voice of a suffering, righteous person; he is the persecuted victim of the wicked, thieves, and calumniators. He calls down the vengeance of God on his enemies, while retaining his trust in the Lord. The state of the righteous and the harshness of the wicked are expressed in images often used. The opposition that biblical prayer places between poverty and violence, humility and arrogance, simplicity and falsehood is inescapable. To recite this psalm is to bear human misfortune, to become poor.
    We can pray this psalm in the name of the Church who is continuously assailed by treacherous adversaries, both material and spiritual. Knowing the futility of earthly help, the Church takes her heavenly Spouse, Christ, as her sole refuge. He provides spiritual armor that is efficacious against the attacks of the enemy (see Eph 6:13-17; 1 Thes 5:8).
26. Psalm 140:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
27. Psalm 140:2 The psalmist prays for deliverance from evildoers who sow discord with their speech and devise evil schemes, leading to anarchy and continuous agitation. Instead of following God’s way, they have chosen the alternative way of the “father of lies” who was “a murderer from the beginning” (Jn 8:44).
28. Psalm 140:3 Hearts: see note on Ps 4:8.
29. Psalm 140:4 Tongues: see note on Ps 5:10.
30. Psalm 140:6 The wicked seek to entrap the righteous as a fowler catches animals with a snare, net, or trap (see Pss 31:5; 119:110; 141:10; 142:4; Mt 22:15; Lk 11:54). Arrogant: see note on Ps 31:24.
31. Psalm 140:7 The psalmist seeks protection from the Lord of the covenant, for he alone is God and the Master of the world.
32. Psalm 140:10 The psalmist’s plea now becomes an imprecatory prayer, which is an expression for God’s just rule. Using metaphors for the divine judgment (burning coals and miry depths), he asks for redress (see notes on Pss 5:11; 35).
33. Psalm 140:11 Allusion to Sodom (see Gen 19) and Dathan (see Num 16). See also Pss 11:6; 36:13; 55:24; 141:10.
34. Psalm 140:13 The psalmist is confident that the Lord, the just Judge (see Pss 7:9f; 9:5), will vindicate the righteous poor (see notes on Pss 22:27; 34:7), who will then praise his name (see note on Ps 7:18) and live in his presence (see notes on Pss 23:5-6; 27:4).
35. Psalm 141:1 Surrounded by the wicked who persecute him in order to drag him with them into impiety, the psalmist offers up an evening prayer, matching the morning prayer referred to in Ps 5:4. The poet begs God to protect him against every defection, to help him refuse all connivance with the wicked, and to enable him ultimately to escape their plots against him.
    This psalm is a reminder to us that, impelled by the devil, our greatest enemy, the world hates us because we are not of the world (see Jn 15:19; 17:14). By every available means, it strives to snatch us away from Christ to serve the devil. Aware of our weakness, we should “pray that [we] may not enter into temptation” (Mk 14:38), reciting this psalm when necessary.
36. Psalm 141:1 The psalmist is in a precarious position, so he hopes his prayer for help will be like a pleasing offering before the Lord.
37. Psalm 141:2 Incense: literally, “smoke,” i.e., the fragrant fumes that wafted from the altar at the daily burning of sacrificial animals or aromatic spices. The lifting up of my hands: a symbol of dependence on and praise of the Lord (see Pss 28:2; 63:5; 1 Tim 2:8).
38. Psalm 141:3 The psalmist, like the sages, carefully watches over his heart so as not to give in to sins of speech or action, for he knows that the wicked use their tongues for destruction (see Ps 140:4) while the righteous express love and fidelity (see Ps 15:2f). He begs the Lord to keep his heart from sin and temptation so that he may do God’s will (see Ps 119:10, 36, 133). Let me not share in their corruption: literally, “let me not eat of their delicacies.”
39. Psalm 141:5 The psalmist delineates the fate of evil rulers at God’s hands, and hopes that the shock may bring their followers to their senses.
40. Psalm 141:5 Oil was poured on the head in a gesture of welcome and hospitality (see Lk 7:46).
41. Psalm 141:6 The text of these verses is obscure and their meaning uncertain. As it stands here, the meaning of verse 7 may be: “As a farmer breaks up the soil and brings up the rocks, so the bones of the wicked will be scattered without a decent burial” (see Ps 79:2-3).
42. Psalm 141:8 The psalmist prays for deliverance and for vindication, for he remains with eyes of faith fixed on the Lord (see Ps 25:15).
43. Psalm 141:10 God’s vindication comes in the form of retribution; the schemes of the wicked will recoil upon them (see notes on Pss 5:11; 35).
44. Psalm 142:1 The psalmist issues a prayer for deliverance from powerful enemies. Whether he is King David (see 1 Sam 22:10) or someone unknown, he has been trodden upon by everyone and is undergoing the agony and passion of so many others. He is also an image of Christ, isolated and suffering without protest.
    Often we too find ourselves exhausted on our journey through life, strewn as it is with many snares. For some, it is social or political oppression that prevents us from leading a fully human and Christian existence. For others, religious persecution itself intervenes to restrain or destroy our goods and freedom. Upon each one, our spiritual enemies (the world and the devil) impose a continuous struggle, both fierce and treacherous, that each must wage practically without human help. In these struggles, we can make use of this psalm to direct to God an ardent and confident appeal.
45. Psalm 142:1 Maskil: see note on Ps 32; When he was in the cave: see Ps 57:1; 1 Sam 22:10; 24:1f.
46. Psalm 142:2 The psalmist uses the formal third person (customary when addressing kings) to pour out his troubles to God.
47. Psalm 142:4 The psalmist is at the point of spiritual exhaustion (see Pss 76:13; 77:3; 143:4; Jon 2:8), and only God can help for he knows the faithful’s destiny, his present and future life (see Ps 139:24). Yet the Lord is not present to help him along this path of his enemies, which is filled with snares. My right: i.e., the place where one’s witness or legal counsel stood (see Pss 16:8; 109:31; 110:5; 121:5).
48. Psalm 142:4 Along the path on which I travel: the present path on which the psalmist is traveling, i.e., the path of his opponents, which is covered with such snares as to fill him with dread, in contrast to the path of the Lord, which leads to such salvation as to fill him with hope (vv. 7-8).
49. Psalm 142:5 No one cares whether I live or perish: the psalmist is like an outcast for whom no one cares and whom no one comes forward to protect. He is alone and extremely vulnerable.
50. Psalm 142:6 The psalmist reiterates his distress and his plea for deliverance, confessing that the Lord is his refuge (see Ps 91:2; Jer 17:17) and his hope (my portion in the land of the living: see Pss 16:5; 73:26; 119:57; Lam 3:24). In turn, he will give thanks for his deliverance (see note on Ps 7:18), and the righteous will rejoice in the Lord with him (see Pss 22:25; 34:3; 64:10; 107:42).
51. Psalm 142:6 Hence, the psalmist cries out to the Lord for help. The Lord is his Covenant God; he most of all should be solicitous for his servant. In the land of the living: i.e., here below, during his earthly life (see Ps 27:13).
52. Psalm 142:7 The enemies of the psalmist are too strong for him. Unless the Lord comes to his aid, the afflicted man is lost. There is no one else who can save him.
53. Psalm 142:8 Prison: a word that may denote actual imprisonment or may be a metaphor for the psalmist’s desperate plight characterized by adversity and isolation (see Ps 107:10; Isa 42:7). Assemble around me: the Greek and Syriac translate this phrase as “hope [or wait] around me” (see Job 36:2). All the friends of God are united in praise and joy (see Pss 22:26; 34:4; 64:11; 107:42).
54. Psalm 143:1 This is the seventh and last of the Penitential Psalms (Pss 6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143), probably because of verse 2, with its admission of universal guilt, the only reference to sin and forgiveness in it. Throughout the Psalter, amid praise and joy, there is the lament of the poor person who is dependent on God for everything. Here is the last pressing supplication of the sufferer who cannot despair of God, of his love and his righteousness. The true Israel, the community of the poor of the Lord, understood it even unto suffering. As Paul indicates (Rom 3:20ff), no one merits to be delivered from evil, not even the person who observes the law; one can only rely on the Lord’s unfailing love for human beings. Those who truly pray will experience the Lord’s deliverance.
    There are many occasions on which we, too, can pray this simple and ardent psalm to implore divine aid. The demons and all those whom they incite never cease to threaten us, either in our material sustenance or in our physical and spiritual life.
55. Psalm 143:1 The psalmist cries out to God to have mercy because of his faithfulness and righteousness, for he knows that God’s judgment could find him guilty of sin and condemn him to remain afflicted (see 130:3).
56. Psalm 143:2 For no one living is righteous before you: this text is used in Rom 3:20 (see Pss 51:7; 130:3; Job 9:2; 14:3f; 15:14; Eccl 7:20).
57. Psalm 143:3 The psalmist sketches the distress he suffers and is encouraged by the memory of God’s past acts of deliverance.
58. Psalm 143:3 The same images are found in Ps 7:6; Lam 3:6; Mic 7:8. Darkness: see note on Ps 27:1.
59. Psalm 143:4 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
60. Psalm 143:5 See Pss 42:5; 77:6, 12f.
61. Psalm 143:6 Stretch out my hands: in supplication (see Pss 44:21; 88:10; Ex 9:29). Soul: see note on Ps 6:4. Thirsts for you: see Ps 63:2.
62. Psalm 143:7 The psalmist here appends a mosaic of prayers for deliverance, guidance, and commitment to the Lord.
63. Psalm 143:7 See similar phrases in Pss 10:1; 28:1; 69:18; 84:3; 88:5; 102:3; 141:1.
64. Psalm 143:8 At dawn: see notes on Pss 57; 57:9; see also Pss 17:15; 90:14; 101:8; 108:3. Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5. I lift up my soul: see Pss 25:1; 27:8; 32:6; 33:22; 86:4.
65. Psalm 143:10 Teach me . . . my God: see Pss 25:4f; 118:28. Spirit: the divine Spirit was regarded as a force and not yet as a person (see Ps 51:13; Neh 9:20; Ezek 36:27). Lead . . . path: see note on Ps 26:12 (see also Pss 27:11; 139:24).
66. Psalm 143:11 For your name’s sake: see Ps 25:11. Deliver me from distress: see Pss 31:5; 119:25, 88; 142:8.
67. Psalm 143:12 The psalmist calls upon the Lord to deal righteously with his adversaries, reflecting a hope that is expressed in the imprecatory psalms (see notes on Pss 5:11; 35; see also Ps 54:5). Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
68. Psalm 144:1 This psalm combines two compositions that are quite different in rhythm and tone. The first is suited to a royal liturgy and is drawn largely from Ps 18, a canticle of the king’s victories. The second part was originally a kind of fine painting to illustrate a time of prosperity. By the time of the final redaction of the psalm, the monarchy had disappeared, and the two compositions were combined into a hymn of the Messianic Hope.
    A new David will come, the true Messiah upon whom will rest the blessing of God for the benefit of the whole community. He will inaugurate an era of happiness and peace. The ancient images are nothing more than starting points, giving color and life to this prayer of expectation. The essential point is to preserve the hope of a humanity finally filled with the joy of God. It is in this vein that we can pray it with Christ in mind.
69. Psalm 144:1 In jubilant language the psalmist praises God as the Redeemer-King who cares for him and watches over him, because he has the inherent weakness of all humans and is in need of help.
70. Psalm 144:1 Blessed be the Lord: the psalm begins with the prayer of David in 1 Chr 29:10 and the prayers in Tob 3:11; 8:5, 15; 13:1 (see Dan 3:26; Lk 1:68; Eph 1:3). My Rock . . . for battle: see Ps 18:35, 47.
71. Psalm 144:2 This verse reflects Ps 18:3, 48. My safeguard: literally, “my unfailing kindness” (see note on Ps 6:5).
72. Psalm 144:3 This verse reflects Ps 8:5.
73. Psalm 144:4 This verse is close to Ps 39:6-7 (see also Job 14:2).
74. Psalm 144:5 The psalmist calls upon God to become involved and deliver him, to come as the Divine Warrior as he did at Sinai. There he came accompanied by volcanic eruption, thunder, and lightning to save his people (see Ex 19:11, 18f).
75. Psalm 144:5 This verse takes up Pss 18:10; 104:32. It also reveals the anxious expectation of Israel, the prey of persecutors, and the hope of a divine intervention.
76. Psalm 144:6 See Ps 18:15. Arrows: i.e., the Lord’s lightning that serves to rout the enemies and take away their power.
77. Psalm 144:7 See Ps 18:17, 46. Hand: symbolic of the Lord’s power (see Ps 18:17), which is capable of rescuing the psalmist out of the mighty waters into which he is sinking, i.e., out of the clutches of foreigners. For the Lord, who has subdued the stormy seas (see Ps 65:8; Gen 1:2), can certainly overpower stormy foreign foes (see Isa 56:6; 61:5).
78. Psalm 144:8 The enemies are completely opposed to the law of God and filled with lies, deceit, and wickedness. Mouths utter lies: see note on Ps 5:10. Right hands are raised to swear to untruths: see Ezr 10:19; see also Ps 106:26; Ex 6:8; Deut 32:40.
79. Psalm 144:9 The psalmist makes a vow to praise the Lord for the expected victory.
80. Psalm 144:9 This verse is close to Ps 33:2f (see Pss 40:4; 98:1; 149:1).
81. Psalm 144:10 This verse takes up the conclusion of Ps 18. “My servant David” became a Messianic title (see Jer 33:21; Ezek 34:23ff; 37:24); it is found again in Pss 78:70; 89:4, 21.
82. Psalm 144:11 The psalmist repeats the prayer in verses 7-8, probably as an introduction to verses 12-15.
83. Psalm 144:12 The psalmist prays for the people, asking the Lord to bless their children, their lives, and their livelihoods. When the enemies are defeated, the rule of the Lord will reach its height and the Messianic blessings will pour in upon his people and upon the land. The blessings are described in terms that are understandable to a people whose main occupation was agriculture and cattle raising. Even the fortified cities will receive a Messianic blessing, that of invincibility.
84. Psalm 144:12 The Hebrew text of this verse is obscure and its meaning uncertain. It may refer to the great strength of the sons and the physical beauty of the daughters.
85. Psalm 144:13 Material abundance is a gift of God (see Lev 26:5; Deut 7:13).
86. Psalm 144:14 May our cattle be well fed: other possible translations are: “may our oxen be heavy with flesh,” or “may our oxen be heavy with young,” or “may our chieftains be firmly established.”
87. Psalm 144:15 Blessed are the people who experience the Lord’s ability to save, protect, and bless. Blessed: see note on Ps 1:1.
88. Psalm 145:1 This psalm is a hymn to God, the Great King. It is not original, for the psalmist strings together his verses in the order of the alphabet and takes the passages from several other psalms. The cantors of Israel were not reluctant to dip into the common treasury of sacred chant to celebrate God’s praise with the same words and phrases. But the repetition of certain terms also enables one to express the ardor of a conviction. By means of the words kingdom, power, majesty, name, works, mighty deeds, righteousness, faithfulness, compassion, love, and truth, the psalm exalts above all the God of the covenant. It then proclaims his benevolence that is manifested in the help, subsistence, and salvation accorded in some manner to all who invoke him. Thus, the cantor acknowledges God’s presence in the world, in history, and in life.
    We can pray this psalm to bless, praise, and extol the heavenly Father in his perfections and prodigious works. But we can also recite it in honor of Christ, who shares fully in the perfections (see Col 1:15, 19; Heb 1:3) and works of his Father (see Jn 5:19).
89. Psalm 145:1 The psalmist calls for praise of God, the Great King. This praise is to be given unceasingly and forever.
90. Psalm 145:1 See Pss 30:2; 44:5; 71:14. Bless your name: see note on Ps 5:12.
91. Psalm 145:2 See Pss 34:2; 68:20; 71:14; 146:2. This verse has been incorporated into the Te Deum, the great prayer of Christian praise to the Trinity.
92. Psalm 145:3 The psalmist specifies the reason for praising God: his mighty deeds, which reveal his greatness and goodness. The same two themes are combined in Pss 86:10, 17; 135:3, 5.
93. Psalm 145:3 See Pss 48:2; 96:3f; Job 36:26.
94. Psalm 145:4 See Pss 71:17; 78:4; Isa 38:19. Salvation history is transmitted from generation to generation by the proclamation of God’s mighty deeds and wonderful works (see Ps 22:31f). Your works: of creation, providence, and redemption.
95. Psalm 145:8 Now the psalmist moves to praise God because of his divine attributes, e.g., compassion and love. These attributes lead all his works, including the saints, to give him thanks for the expressions of his glory, power, and kingdom.
96. Psalm 145:8 See Pss 86:15; 103:8, 13; Ex 34:6f; Num 14:18; Wis 1:13f; Isa 63:7.
97. Psalm 145:10 All your creatures praise you: see note on Ps 65:14. Saints: see notes on Pss 4:4; 34:10.
98. Psalm 145:11 See 93:1; 1 Chr 29:11.
99. Psalm 145:13 Text cited in Dan 3:100; 4:31, and applied to Christ the King. See Ps 102:13; Tob 13:6ff; Dan 7:14; 1 Tim 1:17; Rev 11:15.
100. Psalm 145:13 The psalmist calls for praise of God because of the Lord’s faithfulness to the covenant. The first two lines (v. 13c) are not in the Hebrew; they are in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint.
101. Psalm 145:13 Kind: see note on Ps 6:5.
102. Psalm 145:14 See Pss 94:18; 146:8.
103. Psalm 145:16 See Ps 104:27f; Mt 6:25-34.
104. Psalm 145:17 The psalmist calls upon all creatures to praise God for his righteous acts—acts of restoration, redemption, and vindication.
105. Psalm 145:17 See Deut 32:4.
106. Psalm 145:18 See Deut 4:7; Isa 55:6; 58:9; Jer 29:13.
107. Psalm 145:19 See Pss 20:4; 34:18; 85:10.
108. Psalm 145:20 See Pss 34:18; 91:14; 104:35; 139:19; Jdg 5:31.
109. Psalm 145:21 Every creature: literally, “all flesh.”