Bellarmine on Psalm 94 : Title, theme and Verse 1

Title and subject matter

Titulum et argumentum

Praise in a canticle by David himself.

Laus cantici ipsi David.

↑Why is this Psalm sung at the beginning of the office of matins?

In the Hebrew codex there is no title : but either it was left out or the Septuagint translators added this title so as to show the theme of this Psalm is praise of God, by the voice and not sung with musical instruments. Theodoretus thinks the Psalm was composed by David in the person of the king Josias, who foresaw the cleansing of the temple and the altar, the idolatrous cults being removed, and the idolatrous priests themselves being killed; but it is not necessary to have recourse to Josias : for the Psalm can be applied to every age, every place and all the faithful, both Jews and Christians. For it contains an invitation to praise God in the heart, and with words and deeds. For this reason the catholic Church rightly chose this Psalm for the beginning of the nocturnal psalmody (the office of matins) which, as it is very long, was wanting in this preparation and exhortation.

Verse 1

Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.

Venite, exsultemus Domino; jubilemus Deo salutari nostro;

An invitation and exhortation to praise God. The word venite / come is an exhortation and encouragement to join hearts and voices in praising God, just as in Gen. xi.[1] there is an exhortation and encouragement to join determination with effort in building a city and a tower. “Come, let us make brick:”[2] and in the same place : “Come, let us make a city;”[3] and in the same place, the Lord says : “ Come ye, therefore, let us go down, and there confound their tongue.”[4] “ let us praise the

Lord;” He invites (them) first to exultation in the spirit, next to give voice to their jubilation : for we do not rightly give voice to jubilation unless our hearts and minds have first been raised up to God through interior joy and admiration. Hence it is written of the Lord in Luke x: “He rejoiced in the Holy Ghost, and said: I confess to thee, O Father;”[5] and the Lord’s mother said of herself: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced (in God my Saviour).[6] He therefore says : “Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us

joyfully sing to God our Saviour,” that is, all together as one, let us exult in the sight of the Lord, rejoicing on account of gladness, and let us sing joyfully to God, who is our salvation. St. Augustine understands jubilatio to refer to the voice of gladness, the meaning of which cannot be expressed. But the Hebrew word signifies rather a great shout, but a shout (which is) joyful; the shout is great because, in this context, it signifies a great love rather than a great noise.

[1] Chapter xi treats of : The tower of Babel. The confusion of tongues. The genealogy of Sem down to Abram.

[2] And each one said to his neighbour: Come, let us make brick, and bake them with fire. And they had brick instead of stones, and slime instead of mortar. Dixitque alter ad proximum suum : Venite, faciamus lateres, et coquamus eos igni. Habueruntque lateres pro saxis, et bitumen pro caemento : [Gen. xi. 3]

[3] And they said: Come, let us make a city and a tower, the top whereof may reach to heaven: and let us make our name famous before we be scattered abroad into all lands. et dixerunt : Venite, faciamus nobis civitatem et turrim, cujus culmen pertingat ad caelum : et celebremus nomen nostrum antequam dividamur in universas terras. [Gen. xi. 4]

[4] Come ye, therefore, let us go down, and there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one another's speech. Venite igitur, descendamus, et confundamus ibi linguam eorum, ut non audiat unusquisque vocem proximi sui. [Gen. xi. 7]

[5] In that same hour, he rejoiced in the Holy Ghost, and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea, Father, for so it hath seemed good in thy sight. In ipsa hora exsultavit Spiritu Sancto, et dixit : Confiteor tibi Pater, Domine caeli et terrae, quod abscondisti haec a sapientibus et prudentibus, et revelasti ea parvulis. Etiam Pater : quoniam sic placuit ante te. [Luc. x. 21]

[6] And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.  Et ait Maria : Magnificat anima mea Dominum :  et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo. [Luc. 1. 46-7]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.