Beginning

Footnotes

1. Psalm 80:1 At the time of this psalmist, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah have disappeared in turn (721 and 587 B.C.). For the time being, Israel will be nothing but a scattered flock, a ruined vineyard. Whence can restoration come if not from God?
   This psalm is well adapted to our prayer during Advent: so deep is our wretchedness that we await the coming of God; he alone can turn us to himself by his presence and lead us to conversion.
2. Psalm 80:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. According to “Lilies.” Eduth: nothing is known about this phrase. Asaph: see notes on Pss 73–89.
3. Psalm 80:2 God is the Shepherd of Israel (see Isa 40:11; Jer 31:10; Ezek 34:31), and Jesus will call himself the Good Shepherd (see Jn 10). This image evokes profound links between Israel and God—affectionate solicitude on one side and confident belonging on the other. Hence, those who are in distress do not address an unknown and distant God.
4. Psalm 80:2 Shepherd of Israel: see Pss 74:1; 77:21; 78:52, 71f; 79:13. Joseph: see note on Ps 77:16. Cherubim: see note on Ps 18:11.
5. Psalm 80:3 Ephraim and Manasseh were the two principal tribes of the northern kingdom, with which Benjamin was at times associated (see Num 2:18f). It was also in front of these three tribes that the Ark of the Covenant advanced during the sojourn from Sinai to the Promised Land (see Num 10:21-24).
6. Psalm 80:4 Let your face shine: see notes on Pss 4:7; 13:2.
7. Psalm 80:5 Lord of hosts: see note on Ps 59:6. How long . . . ?: see note on Ps 6:4.
8. Psalm 80:9 Israel is God’s magnificent garden whose ideal limits extend as far as the Euphrates (“river” of v. 12). God is like the vinedresser who cherishes his vine/vineyard and takes pleasure in it. How could he not be saddened to see it devastated (see Isa 5:1-7; 27:2-5; Jer 2:21; 12:10)? This image will pass into the New Testament (see Mt 20:1; 21:33-41; Jn 15:1-5).
9. Psalm 80:9 Vine: a familiar allegory in the Prophets (see Isa 5:1; 27:2; Jer 2:21; 12:10; Ezek 17:6-8; 19:10-14; Hos 10:1; 14:7; Mic 7:1), as is that of the shepherd (see Ps 23:1; Gen 48:15; Ezek 34:11). See also Mt 20:1; Jn 15:1.
10. Psalm 80:11 Cedars of God: cedars that were so huge, they were regarded as being planted by God.
11. Psalm 80:12 Sea: i.e., Mediterranean; River: i.e., Euphrates.
12. Psalm 80:13 The psalmist begs God to attend once again to his wasted vine then, the people will once again praise their savior.
13. Psalm 80:13 Why . . . ?: see note on Ps 6:4.
14. Psalm 80:15 Lord of hosts: see note on Ps 59:6.
15. Psalm 80:16 Shoot: i.e., Israel. Son: i.e., Israel. The word may also be translated as “branch.” Some versions omit verse 16b.
16. Psalm 80:18 Man at your right: probably a reference to Israel, beloved son of the Lord (see Ex 4:22) or to the Davidic king who will lead the army in battle. Other suggestions put forth by scholars are Zerubbabel and Ezra, who presided over the restoration. Son of man: another word for “man” in the first half of this verse.
17. Psalm 80:19 A vow to offer praise to God (see note on Ps 7:18).
18. Psalm 81:1 The blasts of the trumpet call Israel to an assembly. The time is the full moon of September, the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (see Num 10:10; Lev 23:34, 39-43). The covenant is renewed. At such a time, it is also important to rediscover the demands of fidelity. The psalmist, who is completely pervaded by the spirit of Deuteronomy, makes everyone aware of them. Let the people be on guard not to close their hearts to God. Today (v. 14), as yesterday (vv. 8, 12-13), the fidelity of God is checkmated by the infidelity of human beings.
    In the last verse (v. 17) of this psalm, Christians cannot fail to be reminded of the blessings of the Eucharist in which we are filled with the “finest of wheat” (words found in the Mass texts of the Holy Thursday Evening Mass and the Easter Season), with bread that has become the Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Each Eucharist is a renewal of the New Covenant, enabling us to relive the saving events of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection. And in each Eucharist, we pledge ourselves to Christ by hearing and keeping his word proclaimed and by receiving his Body and Blood.
19. Psalm 81:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Upon the gittith: see note on Ps 8:1. Asaph: see notes on Pss 73–89.
20. Psalm 81:2 Jacob: i.e., Israel (see Gen 32:28-29). Concerning the ritual “shout,” see Ps 33:3.
21. Psalm 81:4 The first day of the lunar month (new moon) was for a long time celebrated as a feast (see 2 Ki 4:23; Isa 1:13; Hos 2:11; Am 8:5). Here it is a question of the beginning of the seventh month, long considered as the new year (see Lev 23:24; Num 29:1); on the following full moon (on the fifteenth of the month), the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated (see Lev 23:34; Num 29:12), five days after the Day of Atonement (see Lev 16:29). It concluded the cycle of feasts that began with the Passover and Unleavened Bread six months before (see Ex 23:14-17; Lev 23; Deut 16:13-15). Every seventh year the covenant law was to be read to all the people (see Deut 31:9-13; Neh 8:2-15).
    The purpose of the Feast of Tabernacles was to proclaim aloud the mighty deeds of the Lord in the history of salvation. During the feast, the assembly recalled God’s wondrous works in Egypt.
22. Psalm 81:6 Joseph: see note on Ps 77:16. I now hear an unfamiliar voice: the “voice” is the “thunder” of God’s judgment against Egypt (v. 8). Some translate: “We heard a language we did not understand,” and regard it as referring to the fact that the people were aliens in a foreign land (see Ps 114:1; Deut 28:49; 33:19). Some also regard this as a reference to inspiration.
23. Psalm 81:7 Burden . . . basket: allusion to the forced labor that the Israelites had to endure in Egypt (see Ex 1:11-14).
24. Psalm 81:8 When you cried out . . . I rescued you: see Ex 3:7-10; see also Ps 106:9; Ex 14:21, 24; 15:8, 10. From the thunderclouds: allusion to the theophany at Sinai (see Ex 19:16ff). I tested you . . . Meribah: see Ps 95:8; Ex 17:1-7.
25. Psalm 81:11 The Lord challenges Israel to obey the first commandment of fidelity to God after the proclamation of the Exodus (see Ps 78:23-29; Deut 11:13-15; 28:1-4). Open your mouth wide: i.e., trust in the Lord alone for every need. So that I may fill it: as he did in the wilderness (see v. 17; Ps 78:23-29; see also Ps 37:3-4; Deut 11:13-15; 28:1-4).
26. Psalm 81:12 Instead of remaining loyal to the Lord out of gratitude for their redemption and his promise of the future, the people continued to rebel against him—a characteristic typical of their history beginning with the generation in the wilderness (see Pss 78; 95; 106).
27. Psalm 81:13 God gives the people over to their sins (see Ps 78:29; Isa 6:9f; 29:10; 63:17; see also Rom 1:24, 26, 28) because of their stubborn hearts; but he always reserves the right to “circumcise” their hearts and bring them back to him (see Deut 30:6; 1 Ki 8:58; Jer 31:33; Ezek 11:19; 36:26). Hearts: see note on Ps 4:8.
28. Psalm 81:14 An allusion to the covenant blessings; the era of wars and persecutions will cease (see Lk 21:24), their enemies will be vanquished, and the people will enjoy the best of everything.
29. Psalm 81:14 The Lord cannot abandon his people completely. He calls them to return to him and follow his ways, i.e., his commandments (see Pss 27:11; 86:11; 128:1; 143:8). For if they listen to God’s word, they will respond by faith and repentance, and carry out his will rather than their own.
30. Psalm 81:15 If his people return to him, the Lord will quickly come to their aid with his hand pressing hard against their enemies.
31. Psalm 81:16 If his people return to him, the Lord will mete out to their enemies—those who hate the Lord—their just deserts, inflicting on them an everlasting punishment.
32. Psalm 81:17 Finest of wheat: a staple of life. For Christians, of course, wheat is associated with the Eucharist, and this phrase has given rise to one of the finest modern Eucharistic hymns, Gift of Finest Wheat, composed for the 1976 Eucharistic Congress that took place in the United States. Honey from the rock: the purest of honey, since it came from places usually not attainable (from a cleft of rock in which bees in Canaan sometimes built their hives). The phrase is reminiscent of God’s promise to Moses of a “land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex 3:8).
33. Psalm 82:1 The psalmist sets forth a word about just and unjust judges (somewhat similar to Ps 58). He reminds rulers and magistrates that they are earthly members of God’s tribunal, associated in the government of the world, and in this respect “gods” (v. 6). Why then does the cause of the poor find such little regard among them? By establishing injustice rather than justice, these powerful people disturb the very order of the world (v. 5). They themselves will therefore be judged by the great King (see Ps 47) and Judge of all the earth (see Ps 94:2; Gen 18:25; 1 Sam 2:10) who “loves justice” (Ps 99:4) and judges the nations in righteousness (see Pss 9:9; 96:13; 98:9). Furthermore, God’s justice turns human judgments topsy-turvy; the kingdom of God and his justice will overcome the evildoers and the powers of oppression (see Isa 24:21f).
    Even in nations that are not concerned with God or openly deny him, rulers and judges receive their powers from God and are bound to exercise them for justice in accord with his will: “[Civil authorities] are . . . God’s representatives for your welfare . . . [and] God’s servants to mete out punishment to wrongdoers” (Rom 13:4). This same truth is proclaimed by 1 Pet 2:13f. See also Ps 2:6-11; Isa 44:28; Jer 27:6; Dan 2:21; 4:14, 28f; 5:18; Jn 19:11; Rom 13:1.
34. Psalm 82:1 Asaph: see notes on Pss 73–89.
35. Psalm 82:1 Divine council: the psalmist pictures a kind of heavenly assembly (see Ps 89:6; 1 Ki 22:19; Job 1:6; 2:1; Isa 6:1-4) in the Hall of Justice, patterned after the Solomonic one (see 1 Ki 7:7), in which God is dispensing justice. Gods: a word applied to rulers and judges who are “godlike” in their function of establishing justice on the earth (see note on Ps 45:7).
36. Psalm 82:2 Like other authors of the Old Testament, the psalmist reproaches those in power with the sin of administering justice inequitably and showing partiality toward the wicked (see Ex 23:6; Lev 19:15; Deut 1:17; 2 Chr 19:7; Prov 18:5; Mic 3:1-12).
37. Psalm 82:3 Rulers and judges are exhorted to protect the powerless against exploiters and oppressors (see Ps 72:2, 4, 12-14; Job 29:11f; Prov 31:8f; Isa 11:4; Jer 22:3, 16; Ezek 22:27, 29; Zec 7:9f). Indeed, to see to it that the weak do not fall into the hands of unscrupulous exploiters is one of the most important functions of government. Poor: see note on Ps 34:7.
38. Psalm 82:5 When those in authority, instead of sharing in God’s wisdom (see 1 Ki 3:9; Prov 8:14-16; Isa 11:2), have no understanding of their most important duty or of the divine norm and standard and do not walk in the light of the revealed will of the eternal Judge (see Job 21:22), then all the supports upon which a well-ordered State rests will crumble (see Pss 11:3; 75:4). Foundations of the earth: a metaphor for God’s rule on earth (see Pss 11:3; 75:4; 96:10). The Lord has established some order, even in pagan nations, and he condemns the ungodly for undermining that order for their own ends.
39. Psalm 82:6 These verses can be interpreted to apply to judges or rulers but also to pagan gods. The Lord pronounces sentence and dethrones such gods. Indeed, his judgment is pronounced upon all manifestations of evil, both in the human world and in the angelic world (see Mt 25:41; Rev 20:10, 14f; 21:8). Gods: see note on verse 1b. This passage is applied by Christ, in an entirely different context, to Jews instructed by the word of God (see Jn 10:34; see also Acts 17:28; 2 Cor 6:18).
40. Psalm 82:7 These corrupt rulers will see death like all other human beings and be judged in the same way. Like any ruler you will fall: another possible translation is: “as one man, rulers, you will fall.” God will humble the great of the world as he annihilated the false gods likened to personages of the ancient mythology (see Isa 14:12; Ezek 28:11ff).
41. Psalm 82:8 The psalmist prays that God’s just judgment (see Pss 9:21; 10:12-15; 76:10) will come soon. Whenever we encounter injustice, we can fittingly say our Lord’s prayer: “Your kingdom come” (Mt 6:10). This verse can be fittingly applied to Christ, to whom all judgment has been entrusted by the Father (see Jn 5:22).
42. Psalm 83:1 After the deportation in 587 B.C., Israel ceased to exist as a political entity. The community that has been reestablished in Jerusalem after the return is subjected to the tutelage of great powers and the vexation of their neighbors. The communities that had been scattered among foreign peoples have already experienced more than one persecution. In their struggles with pagan religions and cultures, believers feel threatened in their faith. It seems that all forces have formed a coalition to destroy Israel because it wishes to remain faithful to its vocation as the People of God. As a result, the psalmist directs the following challenge to the Lord: May he let himself be known by crushing the pride of the nations; indeed, may the latter meet the cruel fate of the petty kings who wanted to destroy Israel at the time of the Judges (see notes on Pss 5:11; 35).
    Obviously, this is a prayer of vengeance, but even more of salvation. It wishes to provoke Heaven: how could a polytheistic and idolatrous world come to worship the one and all-powerful God if he abandons his people? The chosen people could never resign themselves to such a collapse; that would be tantamount to the defeat of the Lord himself.
    Although as Christians we are constantly under threat from the godless, we can ceaselessly implore God the Father (by this psalm) to grant his new People a complete victory over our enemies. We do not desire the eternal death of our foes but ask that God will bring them low and lead them to himself as God and Father.
43. Psalm 83:1 Asaph: see notes on Pss 73–89.
44. Psalm 83:2 Do not remain silent: i.e., spring into action (see Pss 35:22; 109:1).
45. Psalm 83:3 The words, Come, let us, are the very ones used by the leaders of the rebels at the tower of Babel when humanity attempted to usurp the power of the Lord (see Gen 11:3f). They obviously identify the enemies of God and of his people who cunningly plot to show their independence from the Lord and to exterminate Israel as a nation. Name: see note on Ps 5:12.
46. Psalm 83:3 Increase in arrogance: literally, “rear their heads.”
47. Psalm 83:6 Alliance: there is no record of such a vast alliance of nations ever arrayed against Israel at one time. It may be that only some of them were attacking at the moment while passively being supported by the others. Some point to the time when Moab, Ammon, and Edom were invading Judah during the reign of King Jehoshaphat (see 2 Chr 20). Against you: the invaders acknowledge openly that the war is intended not only against the people but also against their God.
48. Psalm 83:7 The members of the hostile alliance are all well-known foes of Israel. The psalmist alludes to the Edomites, descendants of Esau, the son of the patriarch Isaac (see Gen 36), and the Ishmaelites, who descended from Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar (see Gen 16:15f); he also mentions the Moabites (see 2 Chr 20:1) and Ammonites, descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham (see Gen 19:38); next, he includes the Hagrites, an Arabian Bedouin tribe that was encamped on the border of the Syro-Arabian Desert (see 1 Chr 5:10, 19f). Other members were the inhabitants of Gebal, in the territory of the Edomites south of the Dead Sea (see Jos 13:5), and the Amalekites (see Gen 14:7). The Philistines, Israel’s foes along the Mediterranean coast of Palestine (see Ex 15:14), were also part of the alliance, as were the inhabitants of Tyre (see Isa 23:3). Assyria (see Gen 10:11) is mentioned as rendering assistance to the alliance; hence, it must not have become a major power in that area.
49. Psalm 83:10 These verses are part of the so-called imprecatory (or cursing) psalms that call upon God to mete out justice to enemies (see notes on Pss 5:11; 35). In their thirst for justice, the authors of these psalms use hyperbole (or overstatement) in order to move others to oppose sin and evil.
50. Psalm 83:10 The psalmist takes heart by recalling two great victories won with God’s help against superior forces during the time of the Judges: the victory of Gideon over the Midianites (see Jdg 7) and the defeat of King Jabin (see Jdg 4). He knows that in order for God’s kingdom of righteousness and peace to come, his foes must be defeated (see note on Ps 5:11).
51. Psalm 83:10 Midian: it was at Midian (see Ex 2:15) that Gideon defeated the Midianites and slew the leaders named in verse 12 (see Jdg 7:24-25; 8:5). Sisera and Jabin: commander and king, respectively, of the army defeated by Deborah and Barak in the Plain of Esdraelon near Endor at the foot of Mount Tabor (see Jdg 4–5).
52. Psalm 83:12 The Midianites had despoiled the croplands (v. 13: Let us seize for ourselves the pastures of God) and driven fear into the hearts of the Israelites. In their defeat at the hands of the Lord through Gideon, their leaders Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah, and Zalmunna were captured and put to death (see Jdg 7:25; 8:21).
53. Psalm 83:14 The psalmist likens the fate of the enemies to that of tumbleweed and chaff carried away by the wind and a forest or mountains destroyed by fire (common figures of destruction at the hand of the Lord: see Pss 1:4; 35:5; Isa 5:24; 10:17; 17:13; 29:5; Jer 13:24).
54. Psalm 83:16 Tempests . . . stormwinds: for God in the thunderstorm, see Pss 18:8-16; 68:34; 77:18f; Ex 15:7-10; Jos 10:11; Jdg 5:4, 20f; 1 Sam 2:10; 7:10; Isa 29:5f; 33:3. See also note on Ps 68:5.
55. Psalm 83:17 They will seek your name: the psalmist prays that God will humiliate the enemies and lead men to seek his name, i.e., realize and accept that the Lord alone is God (see v. 19).
56. Psalm 83:18 The Chronicler (2 Chr 20:22-29) records the defeat of the alliance and mentions that all the nations were terrified when they learned that the Lord fought on the side of the Israelites. This is precisely what the psalmist asks so that his people will be saved and the Lord will be praised by the whole world.
57. Psalm 84:1 During one of the pilgrimages prescribed by the Mosaic Law (see Ex 23:17; 1 Sam 1:3; Lk 2:42), perhaps the one for the harvest, a pilgrim expresses his joy at finding himself near God in the temple. At the last stage, the Lord has already manifested his favor to the faithful pilgrims (vv. 6-7). He reserves even more happiness for those who follow his law. Another opinion holds that this psalm recalls Ps 42 and reflects its circumstances. The psalmist is a Levite who has no access to God’s house, possibly at the time when Sennacherib was overrunning Judah (see 2 Ki 18:13-16), and expresses his longing for the closeness in the temple that he experienced in the past.
    This pilgrim song, overflowing with the desire for and joy of God, becomes the song of hope and confidence for all Christians en route to the house of the Father where they will sing an Alleluia (or Hallelujah) without end. It also translates the sentiments of all who love Christ’s Eucharistic Presence in the tabernacle.
58. Psalm 84:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. “Upon the gittith”: see note on Ps 8:1. Sons of Korah: see note on Ps 42:1.
59. Psalm 84:2 Lord of hosts: see note on Ps 24:10. Soul: see note on Ps 6:4. Heart . . . flesh: i.e., entire being (see Ps 73:26).
60. Psalm 84:4 God sees to it that even the “birds of the air have nests” (Mt 8:20); hence, he will welcome his faithful to the shelter of his altars.
61. Psalm 84:5 Blessed: see note on Ps 1:1.
62. Psalm 84:6 Who set their hearts upon your ways: literally, “in whose hearts are the open roads.”
63. Psalm 84:7 Through God’s care, even the most fearsome path becomes a path of blessings and praise (see 2 Chr 20:26). Valley of Baca: valley of “weeping” or “balsam trees”; in the Vulgate, it is called “the Valley of Tears,” which gave rise, in the ascetical and preaching tradition, to the familiar expression, “vale of tears,” for our earthly pilgrimage. Pools: or “blessings.”
64. Psalm 84:8 Zion: see note on Ps 9:12. Lord of hosts: see note on Ps 24:10. Jacob: i.e., Israel (see Gen 32:28-29).
65. Psalm 84:10 Our shield: the king (see Ps 89:19). Anointed one: either the king (who was God’s earthly regent over his people) or the high priest (who led the community of Israel after the disappearance of the royalty).
66. Psalm 84:11 Doorkeeper: some of the sons of Korah (see v. 1) were doorkeepers or gatekeepers in the temple (see 1 Chr 26:1).
67. Psalm 84:12 There is no joy that can outweigh and replace supernatural joys that have their source in God alone, for he denies no grace to his faithful ones. Sun: see note on Ps 27:1 on God as “light.”
68. Psalm 85:1 This psalm is a national lament recalling God’s goodwill in bringing his people back from the Exile to their homeland (538 B.C.) but also indicates that the repatriates are having difficulty in reestablishing themselves in Judea. The psalmist as much as says: “You have enabled us to come back to our land; now let us come back to our lives.” The lament becomes a prayer of hope, for the Prophets had announced a better future (see Isa 58:8; Zec 8:12). The temple of Jerusalem is being rebuilt (520–515 B.C.) and will be a visible sign of the presence of God, of his “glory” (v. 10; see Ezek 43:2). Happiness is promised to those who remain faithful. All these thoughts are similar to those expressed by the post-Exilic Prophets (see Hag 1:5-11; 2:6-9; Mal 3:13-21).
    In praying this psalm, we can keep in mind that in Jesus, the Son of God, the promise becomes reality (see Jn 14:27; Col 1:20). When love and truth, justice and peace dwell on the earth, a new world is being born, and God is there.
69. Psalm 85:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Sons of Korah: see note on Ps 42:1.
70. Psalm 85:2 Restored the good fortune of Jacob: another translation possible is: “brought Jacob back from exile.” Jacob: i.e., Israel (see Gen 32:28-29).
71. Psalm 85:5 The psalmist begs God to favor his penitent people with pardon and peace.
72. Psalm 85:8 Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.
73. Psalm 85:9 God answers the prayer through a reassuring word of a priest or Levite.
74. Psalm 85:9 Saints: see notes on Pss 4:4; 16:3; 34:10. To those . . . heart: other translations possible are: “and to those who turn from folly” and “but let them not return to folly” (the Hebrew word for “folly” includes the connotation of moral deficiency).
75. Psalm 85:10 Only those who fear God in the spirit of wisdom (in contrast to the spirit of folly, v. 9) will inherit his benefits, which will be their glory. They will experience a renewed spirit since they are the heirs of the new age of restoration, which is described by various terms: salvation and glory (v. 10), kindness, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace (vv. 11-12), good and harvest (v. 13). Glory: the Lord’s glory—a visible manifestation of his power and divinity—had left the temple and the holy city (see Ezek 11:23); it would return there once the temple was restored (see Ezek 43:2; Hag 2:9). See also Jn 1:14.
76. Psalm 85:11 People will regulate their lives by the divine norms. The divine attributes, as well as the moral virtues that correspond to them, are here personified (see Pss 89:15; 97:2) as courtiers of the returning king.
77. Psalm 85:11 Kindness and faithfulness: often found together to express God’s loyalty (see Pss 25:10; 40:12f; 57:11; 61:8; Ex 34:6).
78. Psalm 85:12 Righteousness: personification of God’s attribute, which expresses his kingship in and over his people (see Pss 4:2; 22:31, alternative translation).
79. Psalm 85:13 The goodness and blessings that the psalmist sees in a vision of the future are, for Christians, fulfilled in Christ. Yet the completion of salvation is also for Christians an object of promise and of longing expectation.
80. Psalm 85:13 Prosperity: the benefits of God’s kingdom enjoyed by those who fear him: forgiveness (v. 3), reconciliation, renewal of covenant status (vv. 9-10), and fullness of restoration (vv. 10-14). Thus, faith in God leads to hope in a new age of righteousness (see Gal 5:5; 2 Pet 3:13).