Bellarmine on Psalm 2 : Verse 6

 Verse 6

But I am appointed king by him over Sion his holy mountain, preaching his commandment.

Ego autem constitutus sum rex ab eo super Sion, montem sanctum ejus, praedicans praeceptum ejus.

At this point, something must be said about the words used, before we come tot the sense. In Hebrew, it has: But I ordained my King over Sion, my holy mountain. Although it matters little from the point of view of meaning, whether he says God the Father says He ordained Christ as King or Son says that He was ordained by the Father, yet it is very probable that the Septuagint translators read this slightly differently than how we now read it. [Bellarmine analyses the Hebrew vocabulary and then continues:] 

…….

Let us now come to the meaning. The prophet had said theat Christ’s enemies would be in an uproar, and he uttered the following words: “Let us break their bonds asunder” etc. Now he introduces Christ himself speaking and responding to them, as though to say: the nations and peoples, indeed the kings and the princes say: “Let us break their bonds asunder; truly, God shall laugh at them and Christ Himself shall respond to them : I am ordained King not by men but by God, and therefore I do not fear the threats of men; I am ordained King over Sion, His holy mountain, that is, over the Church, which is a city built on a mountain, of which Jerusalem was a type, the chief part of which, and the most beloved and sanctified of God, was Sion, as Psalm LXXXVI says: The Lord loveth the gates of Sion above all the tabernacles of Jacob.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

 

Bellarmine on Psalm 2 : Verse 5

Verse 5

Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.

Tunc loquetur ad eos in ira sua, et in furore suo conturbabit eos.

He now explains the way in which Christ’s persecutors will be ridiculed, for He spoke to them not with words but with scourges, admonishing them with most grievous punishments, as when Herod was struck by the Angel,1] when Maximinus was eaten by worms and other cases. It is not strictly speaking (a case of of) anger or fury in God, because he always judges in tranquillity : but He is said to be angry and furious by way of metaphor, when He punishes severely, especially when the punishment does not advance them to eternal salvation; for thus are those wont to do who are angry and furious  and do not, like physicians, inflict pain in order to heal but who hurt for the sake of it. And so David says: “Rebuke me not, O Lord, in thy indignation; nor chastise me in thy wrath.”[1] He asks to be rebuked and chastised as a father would, not an enemy; for his salvation and not for his destruction.

[1] And upon a day appointed, Herod being arrayed in kingly apparel, sat in the judgment seat, and made an oration to them. And the people made acclamation, saying: It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And forthwith an angel of the Lord struck him, because he had not given the honour to God: and being eaten up by worms, he gave up the ghost. Statuto autem die Herodes vestitus veste regia, sedit pro tribunali, et concionabatur ad eos. Populus autem acclamabat : Dei voces, et non hominis. Confestim autem percussit eum angelus Domini, eo quod non dedisset honorem Deo : et consumptus a vermibus, expiravit. [Acts xii 21-23]

[2]  Rebuke me not, O Lord, in thy indignation; nor chastise me in thy wrath. Domine, ne in furore tuo arguas me, neque in ira tua corripias me; [Ps xxxii 2]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 2 : Verse 4

Verse 4

He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them: and the Lord shall deride them.

Qui habitat in caelis irridebit eos, et Dominus subsannabit eos.

Here the prophet demonstrates that the Princes and peoples worked in vain hen attacking the Religion of Christ, which he said at the beginning[of the Psalm]. For the religion of Christ is from God and no-one can resist God. Rightly he says: “He that dwelleth in heaven,” so that he may show God is above all and comprehends all things, meaning that He can without any trouble dissolve all their counsels and take down all their plans. When the prophet says that the Lord shall laugh at them and deride them, he means that by signs and miracles, through the suffering of the Martyrs, through the conversion of nations and peoples, and through other means known to God alone, they will be so confounded that will be for all an object of laughter and derision. This we see fulfilled. For the priesthood of the Jews and the idol-worshippers is ridiculed by all. For the Jews and Gentiles have neither temples nor sacrifices; and the kings of the Gentiles who persecuted the Church have all perished miserably.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

Bellarmine on Psalm 2 : Verse 3

Verse 3

Let us break their bonds asunder: and let us cast away their yoke from us.

Dirumpamus vincula eorum, et projiciamus a nobis jugum ipsorum.

The Prophet gives a reason why the kings and the princes, along with the gentiles and the people, raged and met together against Christ. The reason is lest they be forced to keep Christ’s law against following the desires of the flesh and merely human wisdom. Accordingly, these words are spoken in the person of the wicked kings and princes, as though he were to say: “The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against his Christ,” saying to one another : “Let us break their bonds asunder,” that is, let us not allow ourselves to be subject to the rule and laws of the Messiah. For their yoke, St. Jerome has their snares; the Hebrew word signifies ropes; it seems the Prophet wanted to repeat the same word, as it was his wont to say things twice. Accordingly, the Septuagint translators and St. Jerome focused not so much on the word as on the sense. The words are all metaphorical, whether you call the law chains, or ropes, or snares or a yoke. These metaphors explain the nature of the law in terms of what it is in the judgement of the wicked. For the wicked, the law of the Lord is a most grievous yoke and seems to be a deadly snare, but for holy men this same law is sweeter than honey, and more desirable than gold and precious stones, as we see in Psalm XVIII.1

[1] More to be desired than gold and many precious stones: and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. Desiderabilia super aurum et lapidem pretiosum multum; et dulciora super mel et favum. [Psalm XVIII]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 2 : Verse 2

Verse 2

The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against his Christ.

Astiterunt reges terrae, et principes convenerunt in unum adversus Dominum, et adversus Christum ejus.

Having made the general ,statement that the gentiles and the people raged with indignation and devised vain things; he now explains the particulars of who these gentiles and people are, and against whom they feel indignation, and he says that the rage has not come from the people but from their leaders, that is, from the kings and princes. The first to rage was king Herod who, as we see in Matthew II,was born in a foreign land and could be reckoned as one of the Gentiles. The princes and people of the Jews followed him.  For Herod was troubled, “and all Jerusalem with him.”[1] Later, at the time of Our Lord’s passion, another Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Jewish princes and people, rose up against Christ. Finally, after the passion and resurrection of Christ, the persecutions continued still to be fomented, by kings or emperors, and by peoples following their leaders. Although the indignation and rage was strictly speaking against Christ, not against God, but rather under a banner proclaiming the glory of God and zeal for divine honour, in reality they who opposed Christ opposed the true God. For Christ, through His divine works, showed Himself to be the Son of the true God, and he who 

hates the Son, hates the Father. As for the words used, astiterunt / stood up, in Hebrew properly signifies se constituerunt / drew themselves up, that is, they stood up like a wall to resist the coming Messiah; convenerunt in unum / met together, in Hebrew properly signifies consultaverunt / consulted one another, or came together unto the taking of counsel : which is what we read in the Gospel that Herod and the leaders of the Jews did. So clear is this prophecy that not only did the Apostles, in Acts IV, understood this verse applied literally to Jesus Christ our Lord, but also the ancient Rabbis, as witnessed but Rabbi Salomon in his commentary on this Psalm, explained that it was a reference to the true Messiah, whom the blind and deluded Jews still await.

[1] Matthew II 3.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 2 : Theme and Verse 1

 Subject matter

This psalm has no title but is attributed to David in Acts IV. Several commentators consider this is not the second Psalm but actually forms part of the first, and indeed in Acts XIII and certain Codices the Psalm is cited under the name first Psalm; but the greater number and better of the Codices have: as in the second Psalm is written, and this harmonises with the Greek edition τὡι δευτερὡι. The whole of this Psalm is a most plain prophecy of the kingdom of Christ and is explained by the Apostles in Acts IV and XIII, and in Hebrews I and V, so that they err greatly who would try to prove this Psalm is to be explained in the literal sense as being about David.

Verse 1

Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?

Quare fremuerunt gentes, et populi meditati sunt inania?

David, with a spiritual foreknowledge of the coming of the Messiah, and of the many persecutions that would be waged against Him, and of the coming of His most happy reign, begins with a reproof of the persecutors; and the meaning is that in vain did the Gentiles and the Hebrews, whether the Princes or the people, rage with indignation against the Messiah, and seek to find a reason for obstructing His kingdom.  In Hebrew, the first verb is in the past tense, and the second in the future: but because the speech is about the same thing, the Septuagint Translators rendered each verb in the past tense, but Saint Jerome rendered each in the future tense.  And yet the sentence remains true, either way; for the thing itself was in the future, but for the Prophet it was as though past, since he discerned it as a past event.  Yet the Septuagint and Vulgate version is absolutely to be preferred, firstly, because we read the past tense in Acts IV, fremuerunt / did rage and meditati sunt / did meditate;[1] secondly, because reason requires that the meaning of the first verb should regulate the meaning of the second, and not contradict it. By the noun gentes (in Why have the Gentiles raged?) is to be understood the Gentiles. For thus did the Apostles in Acts IV understand it and the Hebrew word goym is in the Scriptures generally taken to 

mean Gentiles or Nations. On the other hand, in the sentence “And the people devised vain things,” “the people” are to be understood as the Hebrews, as appears in Acts IV. The words are correctly to be referred firstly to the Gentiles and to the Hebrew people. For the Gentiles are said to have raged, like beasts lacking reason, and the Hebrews devised vain things, because they took counsel with one another how they might do away with Jesus.

[1] Who, by the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of our father David, thy servant, hast said: Why did the Gentiles rage, and the people meditate vain things? qui Spiritu Sancto per os patris nostri David, pueri tui, dixisti : Quare fremuerunt gentes, et populi meditati sunt inania? [Acts IV, 25]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 1 : Verse 7 (conclusion)

Verse 7

For the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.

quoniam novit Dominus viam justorum; et iter impiorum peribit.

He offers a reason why the wicked will not receive the glory of the just at the judgement : namely, since the way of the just is approved by God, who cannot be deceived, and it leads to the city of God, but he way of the wicked is not approved by God, and those who walk it labour in vain, for they will never arrive (in  the city of God). That word knoweth is to be read as referring tot he knowledge of approval; and when it is said that “ the Lord knoweth the way of the just,” we are assured that they who follow this path have certainty of true happiness. The words “ the way of the wicked shall perish,” mean that their journey will be made in vain, because their path does not lead to the chosen place. Accordingly, in this text the word way is not to be read as 

referring to a physical route, on which we journey, but to the journey in itself, as we have said. By journey however is to be understood the whole course of a life, studies, works, struggles, all of which are of no avail to the wicked. This psalm can be applied to all the Saints, but most especially , by way of 

antonomasia,[1] to Christ, who (alone) among all men and Angels did not deviate from the law of God, but fulfilled the law perfectly,even unto death. Like a tree which is planted near the waters of a stream, having a soul conjoined hypostatically with the living fount, which is the Word of God, the fount of Wisdom in the heavens, He is crowned with glory and honour, and puts forth wondrous fruits, and leads them to ripeness, for He calls the elect, justifies them and magnifies them.

[1] The substitution of an epithet or title for a proper name. Also: the substituted epithet itself. The use of the proper name of a particular individual as a generic term to denote others who belong to an implied type; an instance of this. OED.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 1 : Verse 6

Verse 6

Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just.

Ideo non resurgent impii in judicio, neque peccatores in concilio justorum

The Prophet therefore says here that a difference will be made clear at the Last Judgement between the just and the wicked. For at this time it seems that all are mixed together. He therefore says: “Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in (the) judgment of the just.” For the “words of the just” apply to both clauses in the verse, both to in judicio and in concilio. This gives us : “The wicked shall not rise again in (the) judgment of the just” and “nor 

sinners in the council of the just.” This puts an end to the question raised by several commentators: why the Prophet should have said: “The wicked shall not rise again in judgment.” David, however, elegantly joins the last part of the Psalm to the first; just as he said at the beginning that the just did not walk in the counsel of the wicked and did not sit in their assembly : now he says the wicked will not rise again at the last day in judgement or in the council of the just.  The meaning here is therefore : “Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment of the just,” that is, the judgement of the just will be far distant from that of the wicked. This explains the words that follow : “nor sinners in the council of the just,” that is, when the wicked rise again, it will not be in the assembly and fellowship of the just, but they will be judged in hell along with the company of the damned. In the phrase in consilio justorum, the word consilium can be read as referring to the place of counsel and thus it will mean the same as the word concilio /council. Non resurgent / shall not rise again can also be translated from the Hebrew as non stabunt or non consistent / they will not stand, so the sense here will then be that when the just, in judgement and in the assembly of the just, will be seated as the Saints with Christ as judges of the world, then the sinners will not stand but will fall. “The just, however, shall stand with great constancy against those that have afflicted them.”[1]

[1] Then shall the just stand with great constancy against those that have afflicted them, and taken away their labours. Tunc stabunt justi in magna constantia adversus eos qui se angustiaverunt, et qui abstulerunt labores eorum. [Wisdom v 1]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 1 : Verse 5

Verse 5

Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.

Non sic impii, non sic; sed tamquam pulvis quem projicit ventus a facie terræ.

From a comparison with the misery of the wicked, the Prophet confirms the happiness of the just. Lest anyone might think those benefits are shared with others and come from purely natural causes, and are not chiefly from the providence of God, he adds : “Not so the wicked,”that is, they will not receive this lot but something very different. Indeed, the Prophet describes the misery of the wicked in a most elegant manner, and he contrasts it with the happiness of the just. From the abundance of divine grace, the just burst forth in greenery and bear fruit, and they never lose their verdant quality or the fruit of their labour. In contrast, the wicked, destitute of that grace, are like the lightest of dust, arid, sterile and  leaving no trace  when blown by the wind; and not only do they lose all glory, wealth and pleasure, but they also perish for all eternity.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 1 : Verses 3 & 4

Verses 3 & 4

And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.

Et erit tamquam lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum, quod fructum suum dabit in tempore suo : et folium ejus non defluet; et omnia quæcumque faciet prosperabuntur.

The Prophet has declared who is to be called truly just : now he declares that such a just person is blessed, with hope in this world or in what is to come. This is summed up in a similitude of a tree which, planted on the bank of a river, has everything needed to make a tree perfectly happy. For some trees produce only leaves, and do not retain them for long; others produce leaves and retain them for a long time but their fruit either comes too early or too late; finally, others produce fruit in their time and are always clothed in leaves, but do not bring all their fruit to maturity : therefore only hose trees are perfect in every way that produce fruit if they always retain their leaves and produce their fruit matured at all times. Such trees are the pines, the palms, the olive trees, to which the Scriptures are in various places wont to compare just men. He therefore says here that just men are to similar to these most fortunate of trees. For the just,“rooted and founded in charity,”as the Apostle says,[1] are through friendship close to the living fount, whence they 

always may draw a flow of grace; and they bring forth good works at an opportune time, and all things co-operate with them to good, and they always blossom in glory and honour. For although they may at times be despised by the carnal, yet by the angels, and what is more, by God Himself, they are honoured. This indeed is in this world; but they bring forth fruit in their time, because they produce fruits to be received in a fitting time, that is, after death; the wicked look for this before their time, they seek happiness in this life, and thus they lose it in this time and in eternity. And they always retain their leaves because they accept, according to the words of the Apostle Peter: “a never fading crown of glory;”[2] and “The just shall be in everlasting remembrance.”[3] Finally, “whatsoever he shall do shall prosper,” because all his works, even a cup of cold water given in the name of disciple, will receive a full and perfect reward.

[1] Ephesians iii 17.

[2]  And when the prince of pastors shall appear, you shall receive a never fading crown of glory. Et cum apparuerit princeps pastorum, percipietis immarcescibilem gloriae coronam. [I Pet. v 4]

[3] The just shall be in everlasting remembrance: he shall not fear the evil hearing. His heart is ready to hope in the Lord: In memoria aeterna erit justus; ab auditione mala non timebit. Paratum cor ejus sperare in Domino. [Psalm CXI 7]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 1 : Verse 2

Verse 2

But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.

sed in lege Domini voluntas ejus, et in lege ejus meditabitur die ac nocte.

In this second verse, the just man is described in a positive manner and there are two parts, one of which is almost a repetition of the other. He is truly said to be just, or blessed, whose will is to obey the law of the Lord,  since a just life does not require that we offend in nothing, as is written in James iii; “For in many things we all offend;”[1] but it is enough if we are so drawn towards the law of the Lord that we desire to observe it in all things; and if we perchance should fall into sin, as we certainly and frequently do, then may it be against our good will, that is, against the love we have for God and His law, and not against charity; hence it is a venial sin and not a mortal sin. The same is found in another Psalm in different words: “The law of his God is in his heart.”[2] For the will, or the heart, of the just man is in the law of God and the law of God is in the will, or heart of the just man. The law is in the heart, as on a throne, and the 

heart is in the law, as in a thing beloved, which is always pondered[3]  and longed for. And this is what follows: “And on his law he shall meditate day and night.” For the law to be in his will, or for his will to be in the law, means his mind is continually thinking about it and loving it, so that whatever is to be done will be done according to it. Therefore the words day and night do not mean that the just man cannot be free for a single moment of time from the contemplation of the divine law, but rather that he should recall to mind most frequently the precepts of the law and always remember them when it comes to thinking, saying or doing anything in which there is a danger that justice may be violated. Indeed, not only the Latin word meditabitur / he shall meditate, but also the Greek μελετήσει, and the Hebrew ieghe, can be referred to the exercise of thought, speech and action, Psalm XXXIV : “And my tongue shall meditate thy justice, thy praise all the day long.”[4] And Psalm XXXVI : “The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom.”[5] The profane poet also says: “Now will I woo the rustic Muse on slender reed.”[6] Training exercises for soldiers are called military reflections.

[1] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. He is able also with a bridle to lead about the whole body. In multis enim offendimus omnes. Si quis in verbo non offendit, hic perfectus est vir : potest etiam freno circumducere totum corpus. [James iii 2]

[2]  The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be supplanted. Lex Dei ejus in corde ipsius, et non supplantabuntur gressus ejus. [Psalm XXXVI 31]

[3] Cf. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. Maria autem conservabat omnia verba haec, conferens in corde suo. [Luke ii 19]

[4] And my tongue shall meditate thy justice, thy praise all the day long. Et lingua mea meditabitur justitiam tuam, tota die laudem tuam. [Psalm xxxiv 28]

[5] The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom: and his tongue shall speak judgment. Os justi meditabitur sapientiam, et lingua ejus loquetur judicium. [Psalm XXXVI 30]

[6] Virgil, Eclogue VI.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 1 : Verse 1

Verse 1

Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence.

Beatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum, et in via peccatorum non stetit, et in cathedra pestilentiae non sedit;

In the first and second verses, the Prophet teaches that happiness, insofar as it may be attained in this world, consists in nothing other than true justice. This is what the Apostle says in Romans XIV : “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”[1] For truly just men alone are God’s friends, nay His sons, and for this reason heirs of His kingdom, blessed in the hope of perfect happiness, and enjoying for the meantime solid peace and joy, which surpasseth all understanding.[2] In the first verse, he describes the just man in a negative manner and in the second positively, as though to say briefly that a man is just, and for this reason happy, when he turns away from evil and does 

good. At this point, it is to be noted carefully and remembered that it is the practice of David and other Prophets to repeat things, so that one verse repeats or explains another. By way of example, in the canticle of Moses:  “He is my God and I will glorify him: the God of my father, and I will exalt him;”[3] and Deuteronomy xxxii : “Let my doctrine gather as the rain, let my speech distil as the dew;”[4] and in Psalm xxxiii: “I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth.”[5] These repetitions are a most frequent occurrence, as if this repetition is a distinguishing adornment of true, holy Prophets. 

The first part of the first verse contains this thought, that man is blessed who does not transgress the law of God. But David expresses this thought in a poetic manner through a metaphor of a way and walking : “Blessed is the man,” he says, “who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly,” that is, he is happy who is just : but he is just who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, that is, who in the way of his life has not followed the counsel, the laws or the opinion of the ungodly, which are quite contrary to God’s way, that is, to God’s law. The next part of the same verse explains the same thing using different words. For when he says : “nor stood in the way of sinners,” it does not mean He did not stand still in the way of sinners, but rather, He did 

not walk in the way of sinners. In this context, to stand in the way is not to stay still, nor (simply) to walk, but by walking not to go back to a way he has not started. And so the same thing is meant by Not to walk in the counsel of the wicked and Not to stand in the way of sinners : for both mean that the man is just who turns away from (such) a way, that is, from the law and counsel of sinners. Since the law of God may be broken not only by living in wickedness but also by teaching wickedness, as it says in Matthew v:  “He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven;”[6] the Prophet adds : “nor sat in the 

chair of pestilence;” that is, he is just, and for this reason blessed, who transgresses the law of the Lord neither in his works nor in his teaching. To sit in the chair of pestilence means to be in a group of men infested with sin, or to keep company with such, and with them to despise God’s law, as if nothing can lead to living well, that is, with joy and gladness, but finding it more useful to satisfy the desires of the flesh, and to indulge the senses in all things. The voice of those sitting in the chair of pestilence is described in Malach. iii, in these words: “He laboureth in vain that serveth God, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances?”[7] Concerning the language, the word beatus / blessed is in Hebrew ascre, which is plural in form. Many more modern translators render the words as blessed are the men, etc. But it is more probable that this is an indeclinable word that can mean blessed or blessedness. For it is not only the Septuagint translators who render the words as Μακάριος ἀνήρ, that is Blessed is the man; but St. Jerome also translates the Hebrew as Blessed is the man. For the chair of pestilence, the Hebrew has literally the chair of lezim, that is, of mockers, but the sense is just the same. For there is no greater pestilence than to mock God’s law and those who justly and piously try to live in accordance with it. Finally, St. Basil notes that the words Blessed the man do not exclude women from beatitude; they are included, since the man is the head of the woman, and in the head are also included the members.

[1] For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Non est enim regnum Dei esca et potus : sed justitia, et pax, et gaudium in Spiritu Sancto : [Rom. Xiv 17]

[2]  And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Et pax Dei, quae exuperat omnem sensum, custodiat corda vestra, et intelligentias vestras in Christo Jesu. [Philipp. Iv 7]

[3] The Lord is my strength and my praise, and he is become salvation to me: he is my God and I will glorify him: the God of my father, and I will exalt him. Fortitudo mea, et laus mea Dominus, et factus est mihi in salutem : iste Deus meus, et glorificabo eum : Deus patris mei, et exaltabo eum. [Exodux xv 2]

[4] Let my doctrine gather as the rain, let my speech distil as the dew, as a shower upon the herb, and as drops upon the grass. Concrescat ut pluvia doctrina mea, fluat ut ros eloquium meum, quasi imber super herbam, et quasi stillae super gramina. [Deut. xxxii 2]

[5] I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth. Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore; semper laus ejus in ore meo. [Psalm xxxiii 2]

[6] Hebrews IV 7.

[7] He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Qui ergo solverit unum de mandatis istis minimis, et docuerit sic homines, minimus vocabitur in regno caelorum : qui autem fecerit et docuerit, hic magnus vocabitur in regno caelorum. [Matth. V 19]

[8] And you have said: What have we spoken against thee? You have said: He laboureth in vain that serveth God, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances, and that we have walked sorrowful before the Lord of hosts? Et dixistis : Quid locuti sumus contra te? Dixistis : Vanus est qui servit Deo : et quod emolumentum quia custodivimus praecepta ejus, et quia ambulavimus tristes coram Domino exercituum? [Malach. iii 14]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 1 : Subject matter

 Subject matter

The first Psalm lacks a title in the Hebrew texts; there are not a few who think it was composed by Esdras, who arranged the Psalms in order; but it is commonly attributed to David by writers such as Ambrose, Hilary, Basil, Augustine and others. Even St. Jerome, who posits multiple authors of the Psalms, says in his Letter to Paulinus on the Study of the Scriptures that this first Psalm was by David. Finally, a title was added in the Greek text, whether by the Septuagint translators or by others, A Song of David, Prophet and King. This Psalm is most fittingly placed first because it treats of beatitude : for beatitude is the foundation and beginning of moral doctrine. The Psalm’s central point is to show that beatitude, whether in hope or in realisation, may be attained only by the just; hence work must be performed for justice, so that we may attain beatitude.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine's Preface : Part 3 (Authorship)

Authorship of the Psalms

There remains the question of the Author of the Psalms. There are two opinions among the ancient Fathers; for St. Athanasius in his Synopsis, St. Hilary in his Prologue to the Psalms, and St. Jerome in his Letter To Sophronius, and in his Letter To Cyprian on the explication of Psalm LXXXIX, think there were various authors of the Psalms, to wit, all those who are named in the titles, namely, David, Moses, Solomon, Asaph, Idithun and others. On the other hand, St. John Chrysostom, Theodoret, Euthymius and Cassiodorus in the Preface to his Commentaries on the Psalms, and St. Augustine in book XVII, chapter xiv of The City of God, recognise David as the sole author of the Psalms. To us, three things are certain. Firstly, the primary author of all the Psalms is the Holy Spirit : those who testify to this include the apostle Peter in Acts I and the apostle Paul in Hebrews iii; while David himself in II Kings XXIII says: “The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue;”[1] and in Psalm XLIV : “My tongue is the pen[2] of a scrivener that writeth swiftly.”[3] Whether David, or Moses, or some other person authored the Psalms, they themselves were like a reed-pen; but it was the Holy Spirit who wrote, through them : indeed, what need is there to labour the question of penmanship when the actual authorship is settled?  Secondly, it seems certain to me that the greater number of the Psalms are by David; for at

the end of Psalm LXXI we read : “The praises of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.” Again, in chapter XXIII of II Kings, it says : “David ...the excellent psalmist of Israel;”[4] finally, in chapter v of II Paralip., it says : “Singers had been appointed to sing the Psalms which David made.” Thirdly, it seems clear to me that those Psalms which have no title, as well as those that have David in the title, whether in the form Of David or For David, were composed by David; for Psalm II lacks a title but in Acts IV[5] it is stated that this Psalm was composed by David; and Psalm XCIV lacks a title in the Hebrew version yet the Apostle in Hebrews IV[6] attributes it to David.  Then again, the Psalms which in Hebrew are missing a title are ascribed in the Greek text to David; hence it is possible that these titles in the Hebrew text were removed when the Septuagint translators rendered the Hebrew text into Greek. Finally, the Hebrew rules, which state that a Psalm lacking a title is to be ascribed to the author of the preceding Psalm, have proven to be false; for according to this rule, Psalms I and II are by nobody, since they are both lacking a title. Moreover, Psalm LXXXIX is ascribed to Moses, and the ten following Psalms, which are lacking a title, should be ascribed to Moses too. But this cannot be so, because in Psalm XCVIII there is mention of Samuel, who was born a sufficiently long time after Moses died. See more about this in the explication of the title of Psalm LXXXIX. That not only

those psalms are by David which have in their title Of David, but also those which have : For David, is is proved by St. Augustine from Psalm CIX, which has the words : τὡ Δαυἱδ, Of David; and the Lord says in Matth. xxiv : “How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord?”[7] And so these things regarding the authorship of the Psalms seem to me to be certain. Concerning the remaining Psalms, which have in their title Moses, or Solomon, or Asaph, or Idithun, or Ethan, or the sons of Core, I think the opinion of Sts. Athanasius, Hilary and Jerome is possible, but the opinion of those who followed them, Chrysostom, Augustine, Theodoret and others, is more probable. Why prefer the later opinion to the earlier? The reason is that it is more commonly held and was even more common a thousand years ago. This is testified by St. Augustine in chapter XIV of book XVII in his City of God, and by St. Theodoret in his Preface to the Psalms. Similarly, because it is sufficiently established that Asaph, Idithun, Ethan and the sons of Core were Singers rather than Prophets, and that the Psalms were attributed to them in the title  because they were given to them to sing, not because they had composed them; from this it may be understood  because in the same title appear the names of David and Idithun, or some other name, as can be seen in the titles of Psalms XXXVIII, LXI, LXIV, CXXXVI, CXXXVII and CXXXVIII. Lastly, it may be added that in Luke XX the Lord says : “David dicit in libro Psalmorum,”[8] He is seen to attribute the whole book of psalms to David.

[1] The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue. Spiritus Domini locutus est per me, et sermo ejus per linguam meam. [II Kings xxiii 2]

[2] calamus : from, κάλᾰμος: apart from reed pen, the meanings include: reed-pipe, flute, fishing-rod, limed twig used by fowlers, shaft of an arrow, measuring-rod, Medic., tube for insufflation. Each of these suggests analogies concerning the action of the Holy Spirit.

[3] My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my works to the king; My tongue is the pen of a scrivener that writeth swiftly. Eructavit cor meum verbum bonum; dico ego opera mea regi. Lingua mea calamus scribae velociter scribentis. [Psalm XLIV 2]

[4] Now these are David's last words. David the son of Isai said: The man to whom it was appointed concerning the Christ of the God of Jacob, the excellent psalmist of Israel said: Haec autem sunt verba David novissima. Dixit David filius Isai : Dixit vir, cui constitutum est de christo Dei Jacob, egregius psaltes Israel : [II Kings XXIII 1]

[5] Acts IV 25.

[6] Hebrews IV 7.

[7] He saith to them: How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? Ait illis : Quomodo ergo David in spiritu vocat eum Dominum, dicens : Dixit Dominus Domino meo : Sede a dextris meis, donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum? Si ergo David vocat eum Dominum, quomodo filius ejus est? [Matth. Xxii 43]

[8] And David himself saith in the book of Psalms: The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand; et ipse David dicit in libro Psalmorum : Dixit Dominus Domino meo : sede a dextris meis. [Luke XX 42]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.