Verse 1
O Lord our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth!
Domine, Dominus noster, quam admirabile est nomen tuum in universa terra!
From considering the greatness of God, the prophet is carried away in admiration that so great a God could do so much for man, who is of dust and ashes, that he deigned to visit him and shower him with so many great gifts.
Domine / O Lord in Hebrew means proper to God, being written with four letters and deriving from
esse / to be, as in “ I am who am,” and this is expressed by the moderns as
Iehova; but the Septuagint translators and St. Jerome, and even Christ and the Apostles, were not wont to utter this word, but said in its stead,
Domine / O Lord. Dominus noster / our Lord is given by a different expression in Hebrew,
Adonai, which properly means
Dominum / Lord. And so the sense is: God, who art the fountainhead of being, whence all things are derived that have being, and
our Lord, that is, Thou art the Lord of all things, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! That is, Thy glory, or the good fame of Thy name, is diffused across the whole of the earth, to the immense admiration of all people who take the time to consider it, as Isaias says in different words: “All the earth is full of his glory.”
[1] He says the name of God is admirable even though few are they who wonder at it because few are they who consider the works of God. But His name is most worthy of admiration because all created things constantly give praise to the Creator, as all beautiful works are said to give praise to the skill (of their creator). In this manner, the whole earth is full of the glory of God because whatever is on earth, even if if it seems to be the very least thing, shows forth the infinite power and wisdom of the Creator.
Verse 2
He gives a reason why God’s name is so admirable in the whole earth, because God’s magnificence is higher than the heavens, it is not contained by the heavens; it is so great that the whole world cannot contain it. “ His glory covered the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise.”, says Habacuc in his Canticle.1 The extent of the magnificence of great princes is measured by their great expenditure, or the enormous palaces or cities that they build, or by the great size of their retinues, or by the complete armies they raise, or by the superabundant gifts they make to others. God, however, has built for His palace the whole earth and its roof is the sky. He has raised for His followers all the inhabitants thereof, who are without numberl; and finally, He has given to the holy Angels, who are countless, and He will give to the righteous among men His boundless kingdom, not a temporal but an eternal one. Truly therefore is His
magnificence of the greatest.
Verse 3
Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise, because of thy enemies, that thou mayst destroy the enemy and the avenger.
Ex ore infantium et lactentium perfecisti laudem propter inimicos tuos, ut destruas inimicum et ultorem.
He replies to a possible objection: if God’s glory fills the whole earth and His magnificence is above the heavens, why does everyone not know Him and praise Him? He replies that this may be because God does not deign to be known and praised by the proud, who presume upon their own strength; but by the humble and little ones, as it says in Matthew: “ I confess to thee, O Father, ... because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones.”
[1] From this, God’s glory and magnificence are greatly increased since He is not known save by those whom he chooses to know Him. But this verse may be understood in two ways. Firstly, by infants and sucklings are to be understood men, who in comparison with Angels really are like infants and sucklings, especially in their understanding of things divine
: therefore, he says, out of the mouths of mortal men Thou hast perfected praise, revealing to them Thy glory, “because of thy enemies,” that is, unto the confounding of the prideful Angels; “that thou mayst destroy the enemy and the avenger,” that is, that Thou mayst confound the wisdom of Thy primary enemy, the devil, and of his defending or avenging army, the host of reprobate Angels who followed him. Secondly, by infants and sucklings may be understood men who are humble and little in their own eyes, unlearned in the worldly sciences, such as were many of the Prophets and the Apostles, and a great number of monks and holy virgins, and not a small number of children who in their tender years knew perfectly the glory of God and His admirable name, to the extent that they did not hesitate to go to their deaths for Him. The Lord cites this Psalm Himself in the Gospel: “Have you never read: Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise?”
[2] The word enemies refer to those wise men of this world, and their defenders, who though they know God do not glorify Him as God, so foolish have they become, so that the Apostle says in Rom. I.
[3] What is written as ut destruas / that thou mayst destroy, is written in Hebrew as ut quiescere facias / that thou mayst render quiet: but the sense is the same. For the Psalm does not spek of the destruction of a person but of wisdom, as in the words of Isaias, chapter xxix, cited by D. Paulus: “ I will confound the wisdom of the wise;”
[4] see too the Apostle’s words: “Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?”
[5]
[1] At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones. In illo tempore respondens Jesus dixit : Confiteor tibi, Pater, Domine caeli et terrae, quia abscondisti haec a sapientibus, et prudentibus, et revelasti ea parvulis. [Matt. xi. 25]
[2] And said to him: Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus said to them: Yea, have you never read: Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise? et dixerunt ei : Audis quid isti dicunt? Jesus autem dixit eis : Utique. Numquam legistis : Quia ex ore infantium et lactentium perfecisti laudem?[Matt. xxi. 16]
[3] Vide, e.g., Because that, when they knew God, they have not glorified him as God, or given thanks; but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. Quia cum cognovissent Deum, non sicut Deum glorificaverunt, aut gratias egerunt : sed evanuerunt in cogitationibus suis, et obscuratum est insipiens cor eorum : For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. dicentes enim se esse sapientes, stulti facti sunt. [Rom. I. 21,22]
[4] Vide, e.g., Therefore behold I will proceed to cause an admiration in this people, by a great and wonderful miracle: for wisdom shall perish from their wise men, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. ideo ecce ego addam ut admirationem faciam populo huic miraculo grandi et stupendo; peribit enim sapientia a sapientibus ejus, et intellectus prudentium ejus abscondetur. [Isai. Xxix. 14]glory. Et clamabant alter ad alterum, et dicebant : Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dominus, Deus exercituum; plena est omnis terra gloria ejus. [Isai. vi.3]
[5] Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? Ubi sapiens? ubi scriba? ubi conquisitor hujus saeculi? Nonne stultam fecit Deus sapientiam hujus mundi? [I Cor. i. 20]
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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