Bellarmine on Psalm XLIV: Verse 11 (Part 1 of 2)

Verse 11

The queen stood on thy right hand, in gilded clothing; surrounded with variety.

Astitit regina a dextris tuis in vestitu deaurato, circumdata varietate.

Up to this point, David has prophesied about the bridegroom; now he begins to prophesy concerning the bride; the bride is understood by all the commentators to mean the Church, as the Apostle in Ephesians chapter v explicitly teaches that the Church is the bride of Christ. This, then, is the primary sense, that by bride is understood the Church; but these things that may be said of a bride may also be applied to anyone with a perfect soul, most especially to the Blessed Virgin Mary who, whilst mother of Christ according to the flesh, is also a bride according to the spirit, and occupies the first place among the members of the Church. Accordingly, not without reason is this Psalm sung on Feasts of the Blessed Virgin and also of other (Holy) virgins; for not without reason is it said of each: “Come, bride of Christ.” David addresses Christ, saying: “The queen stood on thy right hand,” that is, Thy bride, who is also the Queen, since she is Thy bride and Thou art king, stands “on thy right hand,” that is, near to Thee, and in the place of highest honour, beneath the royal throne: she stands “in gilded clothing; surrounded with variety,” that is, in rich robes befitting a Queen. Now each word bears consideration. Astitit / stood is written instead of assistet / stands, after the manner of Prophets who see the future as if it had already happened. Moreover, Chrysostom notes that it does not say was seated but stood, because sitting befits one equal. And so the Son sits at the right hand of the Father, as an equal; the Church, however, as inferior, stood with the heavenly 

powers, who are said to stand before God. The Hebrew word nitsbah properly signifies stood, and it denotes firmness, as though the Prophet were saying: Thy Bride cleaves firmly to Thee, and her firm stance is such that there is no danger of her being separated from Thee. Queen in Hebrew is shegal, which signifies a bride or a concubine,[1] from which arise various interpretations; for some have translated the words as the wife stood, others as the concubine stood; but the Septuagint translators, so as to explain this word should be understood as meaning a true wife and not a concubine, preferred to translate it as queen; but only legitimate wives were called queens, not the concubines of kings. “On thy right hand:” these words do not mean that the bride is on the right hand of the bridegroom and that the groom is to be understood as being on the left, but rather that the groom is in the middle  and (seated) higher up on a throne, with the Queen on His right and other princes on His left. Perhaps the Holy Spirit wanted through these words to reveal the incredible dignity of the Church who is not only admitted into the kingdom of heaven so as to stand with the angels before the throne of God, but who is given precedence over the angels, so that the Church, composed of men, may be on the right hand, and the hosts of angels on the left. For even if holy men were to be mingled with holy angels, so as to make up one city: yet many holy men would take precedence over many of the angels in the kingdom of heaven;

[1] A woman who cohabits with a man without being his wife; a kept mistress. In reference to polygamous peoples, as the ancient Hebrews and the Muslims: A ‘secondary wife’ whose position is recognized by law, but is inferior to that of a wife. Latin concubīnus, concubīna, < con- together + cubāre to lie.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.