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Psalm 144:4-6
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 144:4-6
New Catholic Bible
4 Man is nothing more than a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow.[a]
5 [b]Part the heavens, O Lord, and descend;
touch the mountains so that they smoke.[c]
6 Flash forth lightning bolts and scatter my foes;
rout them with your arrows.[d]
Footnotes
- Psalm 144:4 This verse is close to Ps 39:6-7 (see also Job 14:2).
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
