Beginning

Footnotes

1. Psalm 1:1 These first two psalms are regarded as a preface to the entire Psalter. Collections of psalms that were originally different were gradually regrouped to comprise the Psalter as we have it; the psalms attributed to David (3–41 and 51–72), the songs of Ascents (120–134), and the chants of the Hallel (105–107, 111–118, 135–150) constitute the most remarkable of these primary collections. But as presently arranged in our Bible, the Book of Psalms is divided like the Pentateuch (the first five Books of the Bible that are called the Law) into five unequal parts, each of which ends with a formula of acclamation.
2. Psalm 1:1 At the entrance to the collection of the Psalms, we are immediately placed before a life-choice: God or nothingness. This option imposes itself on us throughout all the pages of the Bible. In the historical accounts, law codes, prophecies, prayers, and meditative texts, a line of division is set forth. It distinguishes between righteousness and impiety, self-reliance and faith, good and evil, wickedness and love. The words are varied and the experiences are numerous in order to bear witness to this rupture.
   They mark a division between peoples, between individuals, and between the acts and projects of our lives. Appearances may produce change and daily contradict the faithful’s overly naive dreams about prosperity; however, one fact remains: a life of righteousness and truth is a path of happiness, a path to God, whereas those who deaden their conscience for their own ends have no other future but ruin.
   Every time a reader prays a psalm, he or she is forced to choose between the “two ways” (see Deut 30:15; Prov 4:18f; Jer 21:8), the difference between which is underscored by Jesus (see Mt 7:13; 25). The righteous are blessed for they are separated from sin, Bible-centered, and prosperous. Unlike them are the wicked who are doomed to judgment.
3. Psalm 1:1 The Psalter begins by declaring the blessedness of the righteous (v. 1) and concludes by summoning all creation to praise God in heaven and on earth (Ps 150). Human beings are made for happiness, and the revealed moral law is oriented toward that happiness. Blessed: the happy state of life in fellowship with God, revering him and obeying his laws (see Pss 94:12; 112:1; 119:1f; 128:1; Prov 29:18). Scoffers: those who reject God and his law (see Prov 1:10-19).
4. Psalm 1:2 The law of the Lord: either the first five Books of the Bible, known as the Torah (law), or divine instruction. Meditates: literally, “murmurs,” i.e., assimilates the law of life that incarnates the presence of God and teaches the believer how to attain joyous intimacy with the Lord. Indeed, the law is a judgment of God and a happiness for human beings.
5. Psalm 1:3 Like a tree . . . never wither: the righteous are able to withstand the rigors of life. Like a tree planted on fertile ground, they are able to enhance their spiritual life.
6. Psalm 1:4 Like chaff . . . blows away: the wicked are completely powerless spiritually, for they are like chaff that is easily borne away, even by the slightest breeze.
7. Psalm 1:5 At the judgment—either God’s judgment of the wicked during life (see Pss 76:7f; 130:3; Ezr 9:15) or his judgment of them at the end of time (see Mal 3:2; Mt 25:31-46; Rev 6:17)—the wicked will bear the brunt of their misdeeds. Righteous: a name for the faithful People of God, i.e., those who reverence God and diligently strive to carry out his laws in every phase of their lives.
8. Psalm 1:6 Watches over: the Lord takes an avid interest in their conduct (see Pss 31:7f; 37:18; Gen 18:19; Am 3:2; Nah 1:7). The way of the wicked will perish: a similar fate is set forth for the wicked in Ps 112:10: “the desires of the wicked will be fruitless.” The theme of the two ways has already been found in Deut 30:15f and Jer 21:8; it will be taken up again in Prov 4:18f and Mt 7:13.
9. Psalm 2:1 Although the surrounding peoples are rising up, the People of God are enthroning a new king; empowered by God’s assistance, he shatters the coalition of their foes. This is the drama evoked in the present psalm, and it recurs more than once in the history of Israel. Thus, this poem found its place in a liturgy for royal consecration, for each king was a “messiah,” that is, a man anointed with the sacred unction in the name of God. But the Prophets and the New Testament enlarged these perspectives. Hence, this ancient text evokes the whole drama of the world. It proclaims the sovereignty of God in the midst of the tumult of peoples and our human rebellions.
   Behind the king of verse 6 can be glimpsed the Messiah (the Christ), a descendant of David and the Son of God, who will save his people (see Isa 9:5-6; Acts 4:25; 13:33; Heb 1:5). There is a premonition of the struggle that will take place at the end of time (see Ezek 38–39; Dan 12), a struggle already begun in the Passion of Jesus and in the persecutions of the Church (see Acts 4:25-28). But the psalm also expresses the hope of a final conversion of all the nations as they at last acknowledge the Lord (see Isa 45; Rev 19:15). God’s plan will be achieved in the glory of the Messianic Kingdom.
10. Psalm 2:2 Anointed One: in Hebrew, Mashiah (whence the word “Messiah”), which in the Greek translation is Christos; it referred originally to the Davidic King but ultimately to Jesus Christ. This phrase has given rise to two titles of Jesus: “Messiah” from the Hebrew and “Christ” from the Greek. In Israel the power of office was bestowed by anointing both on kings (see Jdg 9:8; 1 Sam 9:16; 16:12f) and on high priests (see Lev 8:12; Num 3:3).
11. Psalm 2:6 Holy mountain: reference to the site of the temple (see 2 Chr 3:4; 15:1; 33:15). Psalms 43:3; 46:5 have “holy mountain” and “holy place” respectively. Psalm 48:2 has “holy mountain” and Psalm 87:1 has “holy mountains.”
12. Psalm 2:7 Decree: this is nothing less than the prophecy of Nathan (see 2 Sam 7:14) applied to the Messiah by 1 Chr 17:13 (see Ps 89:27). Here the Messiah speaks after the rebels (v. 3) and after God who in an oracle (v. 6) has just enthroned him as King of Israel. He has also declared him his Son according to a formula familiar to the ancient Orient.
13. Psalm 2:8 The Messiah’s reign will be coextensive with that of God (see Isa 49:6; Dan 7:14). This verse is applied by Heb 1:5 (see Heb 5:5), then by tradition and the Liturgy, to the eternal generation of the Word.
14. Psalm 2:9 The Book of Revelation applies this verse to Christ’s triumphant reign (see Rev 12:5; 19:15).
15. Psalm 2:12 Bow down in homage: another possible translation is: “honor the Son.” Blessed: see note on Ps 1:1.
16. Psalm 3:1 At the beginning of the Book we find a collection of psalms attributed to David. His life, replete with difficulties and brimming with confidence, was presented as an example: it inspired poems that David did not himself compose. One theme dominates the diversity of psalms that make up this first part: the innocent find themselves in the grip of the wicked. Hope is ceaselessly renewed as is torment: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps 22:1). It is the trial of darkness; still one certitude remains: “You will fill me with joy in your presence” (Ps 16:11). Is not this the dialogue that takes place in the life of believers?
17. Psalm 3:1 In time of great danger and anguish, the psalmist finds refuge in God as his shield (protector) and the one who fills him with courage. God answers his prayer and bestows peace and deliverance.
18. Psalm 3:3 Selah: a word whose meaning is uncertain; possibly a musical term.
19. Psalm 3:4 God will preserve the psalmist from dishonor and humiliation by means of his grace (see Pss 18:3; 27:5; 62:8; 110:5; Deut 33:29; Sir 11:12f).
20. Psalm 3:5 Holy Mountain: see note on Ps 2:6.
21. Psalm 3:6 This passage (see Prov 3:24) is applied by the Fathers of the Church to the dead and risen Christ.
22. Psalm 3:8 God treats the wicked like ferocious beasts whose jaws are shattered (see Pss 22:14f; 35:16; 58:7; Job 29:17; Ezek 22:25). The initial appeal reminds one of Jer 2:27. See notes on Pss 5:10; 35.
23. Psalm 4:1 Those who are well established in life delude themselves by seeking happiness in riches and worldly vanities. The psalmist, rich in divine trust and joy, invites them to discover the price of God’s friendship: “the light of [God’s] face.” This is an evening prayer (see vv. 5, 9), filled with desire for God; Christians move beyond its earthly perspectives. Prayer brings openness of heart, assurance of God’s help, faith, divine approval, joy, and peace.
24. Psalm 4:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
25. Psalm 4:3 How long . . . ?: see note on Ps 6:4.
26. Psalm 4:4 Those who are faithful: one of several words (sometimes translated as “saints”) for the People of God, who should be faithful to him (see Pss 12:2; 31:24; 32:6; 34:10). See also notes on Pss 16:3; 34:10.
27. Psalm 4:5 One must fear to offend God but rather pray to him in the calm and silence of adoration. When you are angry be careful not to sin: these words are cited by Paul in Eph 4:26 with the sense that if anger takes hold of you, let it not lead you to act evilly—for there is such a thing as righteous anger (see Mk 3:5). Beds: can refer to the spot where one prostrated oneself to pray (see Ps 95:6; Sir 50:17), which is also suggested by the presence of the term Selah, or pause.
28. Psalm 4:7 Face shine on: this image of benevolence and contentment (see Num 6:25; Prov 16:15; Dan 9:17) occurs frequently in the Psalter (see Pss 31:17; 67:2; 119:135; and especially note on Ps 13:2). The reading in the Septuagint and Vulgate is: “The light of your countenance, O Lord, is signed [or: imprinted] on us.” It was interpreted as referring to the soul created in the image of God and regenerated by the baptismal character that makes a Christian a child of light (see Lk 16:8; Jn 12:36; 1 Thes 5:5; Eph 5:8).
29. Psalm 4:8 Heart: the biblical center of the human spirit, which harbors a person’s thoughts and emotions and gives rise to action.
30. Psalm 5:1 This is a morning prayer (see v. 4) in which the psalmist prays for the Lord to hear his prayer and grant a sense of God’s goodness and justice, bestow guidance, punish enemies, and bless the righteous. Broken by tribulation, the persecuted man appeals for the justice of God against his own enemies. Christians must spiritualize the call for vengeance, hating evil rather than those who do evil. To love God is to choose the cause of justice and bear the witness of a purified joy.
31. Psalm 5:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
32. Psalm 5:4 At daybreak: the morning is the privileged moment for divine favors (see Pss 17:14f; 30:6; 46:6; 59:17). I bring my petition: other possible translations are: “I offer my vows” and “I prepare my offering.”
33. Psalm 5:8 Kindness: Hebrew, hesed; this word denotes the sentiments that flow from a natural community, family, clan, or society (benevolence, favor). It is also the love of the covenant between the Lord and the community of Israel, regarded as his spouse and child. Finally, it includes the sentiments that are found in each of its members (grace and love on the part of the Lord, and piety on the part of the faithful). See also note on Ps 6:5.
34. Psalm 5:9 Make your path straight before me: the Greek reads: “Make straight my way before you.”
35. Psalm 5:10 With mouth, heart, throat, and tongue they spread harm around. Their throat is a wide open grave: their words bring death to their hearers (see Jer 5:16)—a theme cited in Rom 3:13. Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
36. Psalm 5:11 This verse reminds us that the so-called imprecatory (or cursing) psalms (see note on Ps 35) have been a problem for Christians from the beginning of the use of the Psalter. Christ instructed Christians to pray for enemies (see Mt 5:44) and gave an example of this on the cross (see Lk 23:34). Yet the psalmists at times call for punishment (even of the most drastic kind) on enemies. Christians may look upon these statements as appeals for strict redress of evil in accord with the divine justice or direct them toward the enemies of their souls, the devil and his minions who are implacable foes of God.
37. Psalm 5:12 Your name: a name usually designates the person, hence the Lord himself. See also note on Ps 8:2, 10.
38. Psalm 6:1 This is the first of the so-called Penitential Psalms (6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143), a designation for psalms suitable for expressing repentance that goes back to the sixth century A.D. In affliction, the psalmist invokes the divine mercy, begs to be saved from death, confesses his wretchedness, and expresses faith in his own deliverance and his enemies’ total abasement.
39. Psalm 6:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Upon the eighth: probably a musical term referring to an eight-stringed instrument.
40. Psalm 6:3 Body is in agony: literally, “bones are shaken.”
41. Psalm 6:4 Soul: the Hebrew word, nephesh, usually means a person’s life-giving breath, which disappears at death. It is thus applied to a person’s very self as a living, conscious being (“my soul” equals “myself”). How long?: elliptical formula used in psalms of lamentation both in Babylonia and in Israel (see Pss 74:10; 80:5; 90:13; 94:3) to express anxiety over the divine aid that is late in coming.
42. Psalm 6:5 Kindness: Hebrew, hesed, which may also be translated as “mercy” and refers to all that God promised to give to his people (see Deut 7:9, 12) through the Davidic dynasty (see Ps 89:25, 29, 34; 2 Sam 7:15; Isa 55:3). See also note on Ps 5:8.
43. Psalm 6:6 The psalmist offers a motive for God to save him from death: it is the living who praise him. The netherworld was viewed as the place where the souls of the dead had a kind of shadowy existence, with no activity or lofty emotion. Just what that existence entailed at any given Old Testament period is difficult to gauge until the second century B.C. It is then that the sacred Books begin to speak more clearly about life after death (see Wis 3; Dan 12:1-3).
44. Psalm 6:8 Eyes grow dim . . . worn out: a sign of failing strength (see Ps 38:11; 1 Sam 14:27, 29; Jer 14:6) or sorrow in affliction (see Pss 31:10; 88:10; Job 17:7; Lam 2:11) or dashed hopes (see Pss 69:4; 119:82, 123; Deut 28:32; Isa 38:14).
45. Psalm 6:9 This apostrophe (taken up in Mt 7:23) has been prepared for by the end of verse 8. The enemies of the sick person, like the friends of Job, see in his trials a heavenly chastisement for hidden faults; they insult him and accuse him unjustly—a theme that is more developed elsewhere (see Pss 31; 35; 38; 69).
46. Psalm 6:11 See notes on Pss 5:11; 35.
47. Psalm 7:1 Falsely accused, the psalmist implores the divine assistance, affirms his innocence, invokes God’s just judgment, and expresses limitless confidence in the punishment of his enemy as well as his own salvation, concluding with praise for God’s righteousness.
48. Psalm 7:1 Cush is not otherwise known, but as a Benjaminite he was probably a supporter of Saul. Hence, the psalm is associated with Saul’s determined attempts on David’s life.
49. Psalm 7:5 I who . . . enemies: an alternative translation is: “and without cause have despoiled an enemy.”
50. Psalm 7:10 Minds and hearts: literally, “hearts and kidneys.” These words were used as virtual synonyms (but “heart” most often) to refer to the innermost center of human life. To “search mind and heart” was a conventional expression for God’s examination of a person’s hidden character and motives (see Jer 11:20; 17:10; 20:12).
51. Psalm 7:15 See notes on Pss 5:11; 35.
52. Psalm 7:18 I will offer thanks . . . and I will sing hymns of praise: a vow to praise the Lord in keeping with the Israelite belief that praise must follow deliverance. The praise involved thank offerings and celebrating God’s saving deed in the presence of others in the temple (see Ps 50:14f, 23). See also note on Ps 9:2. Name: see notes on Pss 5:12; 8:2.
53. Psalm 8:1 In the midst of disconsolate supplications, here is a hymn that chants the splendor of God. But is not the best reflection of the divine majesty the grandeur of the human being? For the Lord has made this tiny being lost in the immensity of the world the crown of all creation. In the man “crowned with glory” Paul and the author of the Letter to the Hebrews see the glorified and risen Christ, who, while on earth, was for a time made lower than the heavenly creatures, the angels (see 1 Cor 15:25-27; Eph 1:22; Heb 2:5-9).
54. Psalm 8:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Gittith: possibly a musical instrument from the Philistine city of Gath, or else a song for the harvest and the winepress.
55. Psalm 8:2 Name: according to Semitic usage, this word designates the person with all its essential qualities. See also note on Ps 5:12.
56. Psalm 8:3 Out of the mouths of newborn babes and infants: Jesus cites this passage with reference to the children who acclaim him on the day of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (see Mt 21:16).
57. Psalm 8:5 Son of man: a phrase used here and elsewhere as a synonym for human (see Ps 80:18; Ezek 2) and a sign of humility. Later it became a Messianic title in Daniel (7:13f) and Jewish apocryphal tradition (see 1 Enoch, 2 Esdras, and 2 Baruch). Eventually, Jesus made use of it to express his twofold destiny of suffering (see Mk 8:31; 9:13, 31; 10:33; 14:21) and of glory (see Mk 8:38; 12:36; 14:62).
58. Psalm 8:6 A little less than the angels: that is, a little lower than the beings who comprise the heavenly court. The text for heavenly beings is elohim, that is, “God”; in effect, God created human beings in his own image and likeness. Some translate: “a little less than godlike”; and in Heb 2:9 this passage is said to be eminently fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the God-man. See also 1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:22, where Paul applies to Christ the words “you have . . . placed everything under his feet” (v. 7).