Beginning

Footnotes

1. Psalm 40:1 This psalm, one of the most engaging of the entire Psalter, is divided into two parts. The first (vv. 2-13) is a thanksgiving reminiscent of Jeremiah (Jer 7:22; 17:7; 31:33). The second (vv. 14-18) is a lament that appears also as Ps 70.
   Every Christian (and the whole Church) can naturally recite this beautiful psalm in his or her own right as one really (though not yet completely) saved.
2. Psalm 40:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
3. Psalm 40:2 The psalmist expresses a great hope in the Lord. No one knows God’s goodness better than one who has experienced abandonment. Purified by trial, the psalmist welcomes God into the depths of his being, his life becomes a kind of inner offering, the only true sacrifice, and he joyfully bears witness to the Lord’s righteousness, love, and truth. In reading this psalm, we get the impression of entering into the confidence of Christ himself, of divining his inner attitude toward the course of his action and above all toward his Passion. A few Greek translations have accentuated this resemblance even more; thus, the Letter to the Hebrews cites this psalm to make us understand the profound decision of Christ (Heb 10:5-10).
   The best praise of God and the best sacrifice are the gift of one’s heart and life. The Prophets often opposed ritual formalism and replaced it with the true religion that is internal (Isa 1:11; Jer 6:20; 31:33; Am 5:22; Hos 6:6). It is this experience to which the songs of the Suffering Servant bear witness (Isa 50:5; 53:10), which was also the experience of Christ.
4. Psalm 40:4 New song: see note on Ps 33:3. Many will look on: see note on Ps 9:2.
5. Psalm 40:5 Blessed: see note on Ps 1:1.
6. Psalm 40:7 These verses are applied to Christ by Heb 10:5-10.
7. Psalm 40:7 Obedience is better than sacrifice (see Pss 50:7-15; 51:18f; 69:32f; 1 Sam 15:22; Isa 1:10-20; Jer 7:22; Hos 6:6; Am 5:22-25; Mic 6:6-8; Acts 7:42f). But you have made my ears receptive: a variant reading from the Greek versions has: “but a body you have prepared for me,” which was interpreted in a Messianic sense and applied to Christ (see Heb 10:5ff).
8. Psalm 40:8 The psalmist presents himself to the Lord, submitting himself to whatever his Master may require (Heb 10:9). He presents himself as an offering to the Lord (see Rom 12:1f). It is written of me in the scroll: the scroll is the Torah or the Mosaic Law, transcribed on parchment scrolls. The alternative Greek reading is “with the scroll written for me,” which suggests a Messianic sense.
9. Psalm 40:9 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
10. Psalm 40:12 Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
11. Psalm 40:13 Hyperbolic statements expressing the intense nature of the sinner’s sufferings (see Pss 6:8; 38:4f, 11; 69:5), which serve as a transition to the second part of the psalm.
12. Psalm 40:14 Distress can remind a person of his attachment to sin. Is there any reason why people should vilify the person who acknowledges his faults? Realizing his attraction toward evil, the psalmist cries out to God, and the poor man rediscovers the joyous assurance that God thinks about him.
13. Psalm 40:15 See notes on Pss 5:11; 35.
14. Psalm 40:16 Aha, aha!: the mocking words of the psalmist’s adversaries.
15. Psalm 40:18 Poor and needy: see note on Ps 34:7. My help and my deliverer: the salvation promised to the faithful (see Isa 25:9), first conceived as natural with reference to the Exodus or the return from the Exile, was later conceived as spiritual without restriction of space or time (see, e.g., Pss 18:1; 19:15).
16. Psalm 41:1 The psalmist is well aware that mercy is rarely given by human beings. In his illness, he received no mercy from others; instead his enemies gleefully engaged in malicious gossip about him and his coming death and even his friend betrayed him. However, the psalmist does not retaliate in kind; he turns to God for mercy, asking for a rich life with all his powers restored so that he can stand once again in the presence of the Lord.
    In praying this psalm, we can recall that the entire psalm is applicable to Christ personally, with the exception of verse 5, which he can assume only in place of and in the role of his sinful members. Since Christ assures us of God’s complete solicitude, we can recite this supplication on our account amid our earthly trials.
17. Psalm 41:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
18. Psalm 41:2 The psalmist voices his confidence that the Lord will restore him to fullness of health and life because of the psalmist’s regard for the weak. Blessed . . . weak: other psalms use the same designation (“Blessed”) for those whom God favors (see Pss 32:1f; 34:9; 40:5; 65:5; see also note on Ps 1:1).
19. Psalm 41:5 Sinned: the psalmist acknowledges his sin and asks for forgiveness and healing—in keeping with the idea that sickness was a divine punishment for sin (see Ps 107:17; Job 32:3). In the cure of the man born blind, Jesus was to indicate that such was not the case (see Jn 9:2f).
20. Psalm 41:7 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
21. Psalm 41:10 This passage repeats a theme frequently developed (see Pss 31:12; 38:12; 55:15f; 88:9; Job 19:13; Jer 20:10; 38:22). It is cited by Jesus with reference to Judas (Jn 13:18) according to the sense of the Septuagint. Risen up: literally, “raised his heel.”
22. Psalm 41:11 Make me well: the fact that God heals the psalmist is in itself a judgment in his favor and against his adversaries, but paying them back is not part of God’s judgment.
23. Psalm 41:14 This doxology is not part of the psalm; it concludes the first of the five Books of the Psalter (see Pss 72:18f; 89:53; 106:48; 150). Blessed: see note on Ps 18:47.
24. Psalm 42:1 The drama of the righteous confronted with the rise of evil terminated Book I of the Psalter. This conflict remains, but other themes come to the fore with greater insistence. Now the prayer often evinces a desire for God and to be far from human beings, oftentimes with a more mystical note added. At other times, crucial moments of history will appear to provoke alternatively both praise and supplication: the drama of the righteous remains—as that of the people. In short, in the psalms that follow, the collective aspect will be readily underlined.
25. Psalm 42:1 This psalm, which really forms one with the next psalm, has a fascinating literary beauty but also expresses feeling of a rare kind. It is the lament of the exiled Levite combining nostalgia, distress, and fervent desire. Living in a foreign land, far from the temple of Jerusalem, the sole place where it was believed one would encounter God, the sacred ministers feel the Exile more deeply; the sanctuary is the only place where they find their happiness. They are the first to suffer the mockings of the pagans, who do not recognize the God to whom they have dedicated their lives. Three times the lament is voiced, and three times the chant that gives hope is also uttered, as the psalm vibrantly expresses the fervor for the temple, where the people flocked to celebrate the love and presence of God.
    At the heart of this fervor we glimpse the deepest human yearning: the desire for God. It is this that here on earth inspires the candidates who seek to enter the Church, the “house of God,” and we also place it on the lips of the dead who are waiting to be admitted into the new Jerusalem, the heavenly city of God. Consecrated men and women also recognize herein the movement of their souls. Is not this the sublime desire at the root of all human restlessness? Down the centuries Augustine has proclaimed: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
26. Psalm 42:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Maskil: see note on Ps 32:1a. Sons of Korah: Levites (see 1 Chr 26:19). In Book II, seven psalms bear this inscription (Pss 42; 44–49) and four in Book III (Pss 84–85; 87–88).
27. Psalm 42:2 God: from Pss 42 to 89, the ineffable tetragrammaton (“Yahweh”) is generally replaced by “God” (“Elohim”), marking this as the “Elohist Psalter.”
28. Psalm 42:3 Soul: see note on Ps 6:4. Living God: see Deut 5:26. Behold the face of God: here the phrase is taken to mean God’s personal presence (see Gen 33:10; Ex 10:28f). In other places the expression “see God” (or “see the face of God”) indicates the presence of God in the temple (see Pss 11:7; 17:15; 63:3; Ex 24:10; 33:7-11; Job 33:26).
29. Psalm 42:6 Why . . . my God: this refrain appears three times in this double psalm (vv. 6, 12; 43:5) and indicates that the two parts were originally one psalm (see note on v. 12).
30. Psalm 42:7 Mount Mizar: not identified. The translation from the land . . . supposes a Levite exiled to the springs of the Jordan, at the foot of Mount Hermon. If we think of him as exiled in Babylon, the translation would be: “I will remember you / more than the land of the Jordan and Hermon, / than the lowly mountain [Zion].”
31. Psalm 42:8 The depths of the sea resound . . . your waterfalls: the psalmist alludes to the “waterfalls” that carry God’s waters from the “depths” above to the “depths” below (see note on Ps 36:9), bringing God’s breakers sweeping over him (see Pss 69:2f; 88:8; Jon 2:3, 5). And God is involved in this danger of water toward the psalmist (see note on Ps 32:6)—he lets it happen.
32. Psalm 42:9 Nonetheless, the psalmist is confident of God’s kindness, and this sustains him (see note on Ps 6:5). The living God: some propose the translation: “the God of my life” and understand it as the “God who gives me life.”
33. Psalm 42:10 Rock: see note on Ps 18:3. Why . . . ? Why . . . ?: see note on Ps 6:4.
34. Psalm 42:11 The psalmist has been abandoned by God to his godless enemies, who taunt him with the words “Where is your God?” He resembles a dying man, and his whole being (bones; see note on Ps 34:20-21) is distressed by his foes and by God’s silence.
35. Psalm 42:12 The refrain is voiced for the second time in this double-psalm (see v. 6, above) and will be repeated once more in Ps 43:5. This threefold refrain reflects the attitude of many of God’s people during the Exile or any crisis situation. In such loneliness and alienation, faith is tried and leads to salvation. For hope is mindful of the Lord’s glorious works of salvation and victory recounted in the sacred writings. See Mt 26:38 for the application of these words to Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
36. Psalm 43:1 The psalmist asks God for vindication so that he may be able to return to the temple and render him praise once again.
    We can pray this psalm to augment our tranquil hope. We place our cause in God, who has sworn that he will obtain redress for us from our enemies (see Rom 12:19; Heb 10:30). He will enable us to journey toward the heavenly Jerusalem in the vast mobile column of his Church, the true liturgical procession and uninterrupted processional march that takes the elect to him (see Heb 10:19-22).
37. Psalm 43:3 Your light and your truth: the psalmist personifies the divine attributes of light (see note on Ps 27:1) and truth (see Pss 25:5; 26:3; 40:11) and asks that they bring him safely to the temple. Holy mountain: see note on Ps 2:6.
38. Psalm 43:4 Altar of God . . . I will praise you: see notes on Pss 7:18; 26:6.
39. Psalm 43:5 See note on Ps 42:12.
40. Psalm 44:1 In the history of Israel, times of joy and defeat alternate with one another. This hymn transmits the strong feeling of the people about the triumphs of bygone days and the defeat at hand. But they do not believe God can forget forever the people that he loves.
    As the true “remnant” and the elite of God’s servants, the Church very naturally uses this psalm of the remnant of Israel to beseech the Lord and Master to take pity on her in the severe trials that assail her. This national lamentation is a prayer for times when we feel overwhelmed by failure, uncertainty, and confusion.
41. Psalm 44:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Maskil: see note on Ps 32:1a. Sons of Korah: see note on Ps 42:1.
42. Psalm 44:2 The liturgy of the Old Testament transmits with gratitude the memory of the great hours of the conquest. Isn’t God the one who at that time was responsible for this people’s victory? A hymn recalls these wondrous deeds.
43. Psalm 44:4 The light of your face: see notes on Pss 4:7; 13:2.
44. Psalm 44:5 My: this psalm is sung in the name of all Israel.
45. Psalm 44:6 Name: see note on Ps 5:12.
46. Psalm 44:10 Only a lament can evoke the situation of that moment; we are doubtless at the time of the Exile, after 587 B.C. This prayer could have been utilized and adapted at other times of national calamity; thus, verses 18-23 make us think of the Maccabean period when Israel is conscious of being the faithful community that did not deserve persecution (167–164 B.C.); the people suffer for their faith rather than for punishment of sin. For Paul, this lament (v. 23) reflects the condition of Christians (Rom 8:36).
47. Psalm 44:10 You no longer accompany our armies: as commander-in-chief (see Pss 60:12; 68:8; Ex 15:3; Jdg 5:4).
48. Psalm 44:11 You have forced us to retreat: God is responsible for the defeats as well as the victories (v. 5) of Israel.
49. Psalm 44:15 Since the People of God have been allowed by God to be conquered, plundered, scattered like sheep, and enslaved by their enemies, their name has been disgraced among the nations (see Deut 28:37; 1 Ki 9:7; Jer 24:10). Shake their heads: a gesture of scorn (see Ps 64:9).
50. Psalm 44:18 Israel’s present state is not the result of infidelity to God’s Covenant (see Ex 19–24).
51. Psalm 44:19 Hearts: see note on Ps 4:8. Your path: the path or way shown them by the Lord (see Ps 18:31).
52. Psalm 44:20 You have crushed us [and] forced us to live among the jackals: i.e., relegated Israel to a place unfit for human beings (see Isa 13:22; Jer 9:11; 10:22). Another translation proposed is: “you crushed us as you did the sea monster.” Darkness: they have been left without “light,” which symbolizes the fruits of God’s loving kindness (see note on Ps 36:10).
53. Psalm 44:21 Name: see note on Ps 5:12. Lifted up our hands: the usual posture for prayer (see Ex 9:29), with palms turned upward.
54. Psalm 44:23 In truth, Israel has suffered the hostility of the peoples because she has been the nation faithful to the Lord. Applying this verse to the Christian community (Rom 8:36), Paul is able to give it a positive slant because of Christ’s victory through his Passion and Resurrection (Rom 8:37-39).
55. Psalm 44:24 Why . . . ?: see note on Ps 6:4.
56. Psalm 44:25 Hide your face: see note on Ps 13:2.
57. Psalm 44:26 Our bodies cling to the ground: posture of those who are defeated, those at prayer, or those in affliction (see Pss 7:6; 119:25; Num 24:4; Deut 9:18).
58. Psalm 44:27 Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
59. Psalm 45:1 This unique psalm, probably composed for a royal wedding, opens with the dedication to the king, then lets the ceremony unfold before our eyes. First, it celebrates the monarchy, depicting it under the characteristics of a new David, the Anointed One already acclaimed by Isaiah (see Isa 9:5f; 11:3-5). He is a splendid war chief, a lieutenant of God who comes forth with a dazzling cortege; upon him rests the promise made to the House of David (see 2 Sam 7). Next it addresses and celebrates the queen—a foreigner (Ps 45:11-18)—placed at the right hand of her royal spouse, richly adorned and heaped with gifts. She is ushered into the palace followed by her bridesmaids and offered an array of good wishes.
    The psalm also reminds us of a different kind of marriage. The Prophets had spoken of God as espoused to his people (see Isa 62:5; Ezek 16:8f; Hos 2:16), a rich, though bold image. As Jews reread this beautiful lyric text, they had a presentiment of the covenant that the future Messiah was to establish and extend to include the pagan peoples. The Christian tradition finds in it a prediction of the marriage of Christ and the Church (Mt 9:15; 22:9; Jn 3:29; 2 Cor 11:5; Eph 5:22; Rev 19:9; 21:2), the new and definitive covenant that is extended to all peoples.
    The Liturgy draws upon this psalm in celebrating the most impressive fulfillment of these mystical espousals: the Virgin Mary, Queen and Bride of the King, and those who, following her, have chosen Christ for their Bridegroom.
60. Psalm 45:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. According to “Lilies”: nothing is known about these words. Maskil: see note on Ps 32:1a. Sons of Korah: see note on Ps 42:1.
61. Psalm 45:2 The poet addresses the King-Messiah and applies to him attributes of Yahweh (see Ps 145:4-7, 12f, etc.) and of Immanuel (see Isa 9:5f; 11:3-5). He is urged to conduct himself in such a way that his reign will be adorned even more splendidly than the wedding vestments he has on (Ps 45:4-6). The best way he can do so is to make the glory of his kingdom consist in justice and righteousness (vv. 7-10).
62. Psalm 45:2 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
63. Psalm 45:3 Most handsome of men: so far above all other men was a king of that era regarded (see 1 Sam 9:2; 16:18) that he is akin to a god (see note on Ps 45:7). Older versions translated this phrase as “fairest among the sons of men.” Grace has anointed your lips: see Prov 22:11; Eccl 10:12; see also Isa 50:4; Lk 4:22.
64. Psalm 45:6 Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
65. Psalm 45:7 O God: a title of honor applied in the Bible to the Messiah (see Isa 9:6), as well as to the leaders and judges (see Ps 82:6), to Moses (see Ex 4:16; 7:1), to the spirit of Samuel (see 1 Sam 28:13), and to the House of David (see Zec 12:8). The fullest meaning of this description of the Davidic king is attained when it is applied to Christ (see Heb 1:8f).
66. Psalm 45:9 The psalmist’s descriptions and references of the preparations for the wedding ceremony—robes, spices, music, the royal daughters, and the royal bride—all emphasize the rightness of the moment and the anointing of this king, who is a son of David. God’s blessing on him ensures the continuity of David’s house in accord with God’s promise (see 2 Sam 7:16). Myrrh and aloes and cassia: Oriental perfumes (see Gen 37:25; Ex 25:6; Song 1:13; 4:14). From palaces of ivory: see 1 Ki 22:39; Am 3:15; 6:4. Heart: see note on Ps 4:8.
67. Psalm 45:10 Daughters of kings: in the allegorical sense, these are the pagan nations converted to the true God (see Song 1:3; 6:8; Isa 60:3f; 61:5) and admitted to his service (Ps 45:16). Gold of Ophir: the most prized kind of gold (see 1 Ki 9:28; 10:11; Job 22:24). The location of Ophir is not known; it is sometimes identified with the southern coast of Arabia or eastern Africa.
68. Psalm 45:11 Forget your people and your father’s house: all her concern should be with what follows, not with what went before; she is the queen and should be concerned with her husband the king.
69. Psalm 45:13 The reward for joining God’s people and for following the new way of life is exaltation among the nations. The people of Tyre—as well as other wealthy nations—will bring tribute to Jerusalem. Indeed, during Solomon’s rule, precious gifts were brought to Jerusalem because of his great renown. Daughter of Tyre: the city of Tyre, famous for its wealth, which was the first foreign city to recognize the Davidic dynasty (see 2 Sam 5:11) and remained close to Solomon (see 1 Ki 5; 9:10-14, 26-28). See also note on Ps 9:15.
70. Psalm 45:15 To you: i.e., to the king.
71. Psalm 45:17 Your: i.e., the king’s. Earth: or “land.”
72. Psalm 45:18 The psalmist sees the nations praising the Israelite king, i.e., especially the Messianic King. The Prophets had foretold that in the restoration the nations would bring him gifts to celebrate the dignity of the People of God among the nations. The Book of Revelation also mentions this aspect of the everlasting state: “The kings of the earth will bring their treasures. . . . The nations will come into it bringing their treasures and wealth” (Rev 21:24, 26). Filled with blessings (see Gen 17:6; 35:11), the new Zion will be glorious and sovereign (see Isa 60:15, 21; 61:9; 62:2, 7), especially in Messianic times.