Bellarmine on Psalm XLIV: Verses 19-20

Verse 19

They shall remember thy name throughout all generations.

Memores erunt nominis tui in omni generatione et generationem.

He concludes the Psalm by saying that those spiritual nuptials of which he has chanted in the Psalm, and the fruit of the nuptials, that is, the most noble offspring that will be born of this holy marriage, will have no other end than the perpetual praise of God. For, he says, these sons who take the place of fathers and themselves become fathers of sons, “They shall remember thy name,” that is, they will sing of Thy power and grace “throughout all generations.” In the Hebrew and Greek codices, the first line is in the singular: memor ero nominis tui / I shall remember thy name, and this is how the Greek Fathers read it and it is also found in several Latin manuscript codices. But although Sts. Jerome and Augustine in their Commentaries read it as They shall remember thy name, and the Church on her Ecclesiastical office sings these words in the same way, the aim was not to make a correction, as in the recognised books of the time of Sixtus V and Clement VIII this text was changed, especially since there is no divergence in the sense. He who reads the words as memor ero nominis tui / I shall remember thy name, would maintain this is said by the Prophet, who is promising God that he will sing for all time the praises of God for the immense benefits granted to the human race, which are set forth in this Psalm. Others take a different interpretation because David would die and could not personally sing in praise of God through all generations, and they say that he wanted to sing through others, 

who, each succeeding each other, would sing these Psalms even to the consummation of the world; but this interpretation does not diverge from the other one; for it is to say: I shall remember thy name, and I will sing Thy praises through the memory and tongue of others, who shall succeed each other; and: Thy sons, who shall succeed each other, shall remember thy name, and they shall forever sing Thy praises written by me. St. John Chrysostom remarks that David the Prophet, as well as many other things which he foresaw and foretold, foresaw and foretold this of his songs in eternity, that there would not be a time in which their celebration would be interrupted; and we see this prophecy has been fulfilled and is fulfilled every day.

Verse 20

Therefore shall people praise thee for ever; yea, for ever and ever.

Propterea populi confitebuntur tibi in aeternum, et in saeculum saeculi.

From the fact that the Apostles, and their successors the bishops, will always remember the

Lord’s name, and sing and proclaim His praises, the Prophet rightly gathers that it will also come to pass that the faithful taught by the bishops, will make known to the Lord their praises of Him “for ever; yea, for ever and ever,” in this life and in the life to come; for although entreaties and tears will cease in the Father’s heavenly home, giving praise and glory (to God) will not cease.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.