Bellarmine on Psalm 96 : Verse 4

Verse 4

His lightnings have shone forth to the world: the earth saw and trembled.

Illuxerunt fulgura ejus orbi terrae; vidit, et commota est terra.

According to the first interpretation, David continues by explaining God’s power over the wicked. For God not only causes fear by the power of His fire, or that of His Angels, but also, when it pleases Him, by actual bolts of lightning; and He cuts enemies down with such great speed that they cannot in any way be guarded against or repulsed. On this, it says in Ps. XVII: “And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the highest gave his voice: hail and coals of fire. And he sent forth his arrows, and he scattered them: he multiplied lightnings, and troubled them;”[1]  and so he says: “His lightnings have shone forth to the world,” that is, when it pleased Him, He had His bolts (arrows) of lightning in readiness to hurl down, and where they have shone forth to the world, the earth itself, as if it had sense and could see the dreadful kind of celestial darts, trembled everywhere and was shaken with fear. This is a poetic description by which (God's) supreme power is demonstrated. According to the second interpretation, the manner is shown in which, before the (last) judgement, a most powerful fire will appear (from the east) and will consume all things; this will be effected by bolts of lightning, which will be truly great in number. Thus do we read in Wisdom v. : “Then shafts of lightning shall go directly from the clouds, as from a bow well bent, they shall be shot out, and shall fly to the mark.”[2]

[1] And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the highest gave his voice: hail and coals of fire. And he sent forth his arrows, and he scattered them: he multiplied lightnings, and troubled them. Et intonuit de caelo Dominus, et Altissimus dedit vocem suam : grando et carbones ignis. Et misit sagittas suas, et dissipavit eos; fulgura multiplicavit, et conturbavit eos. [Ps. XVII. 14-15]

[2] Then shafts of lightning shall go directly from the clouds, as from a bow well bent, they shall be shot out, and shall fly to the mark. Ibunt directe emissiones fulgurum, et tamquam a bene curvato arcu nubium exterminabuntur, et ad certum locum insilient. [Wisdom v. 22]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 96 : Verse 3

Verse 3

A fire shall go before him, and shall burn his enemies round about.

Ignis ante ipsum praecedet, et inflammabit in circuitu inimicos ejus.

According to the first meaning, here are signified the admirable power, efficacy and speed with which God  punishes the wicked when He wishes to do so in this world. “A fire shall go before him,” that is, whenever he wishes to judge and punish the wicked, he will send forth a fire from His throne, that is, a most speedy and efficacious power  which of a sudden “will burn” and consume “round about,” everywhere, so that no trace is left, “all His enemies.” By fire can also be understood (His) ministering Angels; for, as it says in Psalm CIII: “Who makest thy angels spirits: and thy ministers a burning fire.”[1] Of this fire, it is said in Ps. XVII: “A fire flamed from his face;”[2] and it says in Daniel vii: “A swift stream of fire issued forth from before him.”[3] According to a second interpretation, it refers to that fire which will precede the Judgement, and will consume everything on earth, men, homes, gardens, vineyards, animals and so on: of which the apostle Peter writes in the last chapter of his second Epistle: “As in the time of Noe the world was flooded with waters and perished, so at the coming of Christ at the (day of) Judgement, the earth and all the things in it will be burned,” and consumed.”[4] But the Psalm says only the enemies of God will be burned by that fire, because, it says, that fire will harm only those who have indeed their treasure and their heart in this world. It will bear upon them most grievously, being destroyed by that fire , along with all the earthly things they loved: but it will not hurt the just, who have already spurned the goods of this world, and who will see themselves taken up to better things after their death.

[1] Who makest thy angels spirits: and thy ministers a burning fire. qui facis angelos tuos spiritus, et ministros tuos ignem urentem. [Ps. CIII. 4]

[2] There went up a smoke in his wrath: and a fire flamed from his face: coals were kindled by it. Ascendit fumus in ira ejus, et ignis a facie ejus exarsit; carbones succensi sunt ab eo. [Ps. XVII. 9]

[3] A swift stream of fire issued forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before him: the judgment sat, and the books were opened. Fluvius igneus rapidusque egrediebatur a facie ejus. Millia millium ministrabant ei, et decies millies centena millia assistebant ei : judicium sedit, et libri aperti sunt. [Dan. vii. 10]

[4] For this they are wilfully ignorant of, that the heavens were before, and the earth out of water, and through water, consisting by the word of God. Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.  But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of the ungodly men. Latet enim eos hoc volentes, quod caeli erant prius, et terra de aqua, et per aquam consistens Dei verbo : per quae, ille tunc mundus aqua inundatus, periit. Caeli autem, qui nunc sunt, et terra eodem verbo repositi sunt, igni reservati in diem judicii, et perditionis impiorum hominum. [II Pet. 5-7]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 96 : Verse 2

Verse 2

Clouds and darkness are round about him: justice and judgment are the establishment of his throne.

Nubes et caligo in circuitu ejus; justitia et judicium correctio sedis ejus.

According to the first sense, an explanation is given of the nature of God who, though invisible, governs and rules the visible world with perfect justice. “Clouds and darkness are round about him,” that is, the Lord our king is invisible, “(because he) inhabiteth light inaccessible;”[1] and He is like the sun which, when blocked off by cloud and darkness, cannot be seen and yet we can still feel its light and warmth. God is described thus in Psalm XVII: “And he made darkness his covert, his pavilion round about him: dark waters in the clouds of the air.”[2] Thus did He appear on mount Sinai, hidden in cloud and darkness, as it says in Exod. xx. “Justice and judgment are the establishment of his throne,” that is, although He may be invisible, He is truly present, and He judges peoples with a most just judgement. The word correctio / establishment can also be translated as firmamentum / foundation, as St. Jerome does; or even as stability, uprightness, or preparation, as it is translated elsewhere by the Septuagint translators: for the Hebrew word signifies all these, as we explained in the commentary on the previous Psalm. And so this word correctio signifies in this context uprightness, or righteousness, so that the sense is: the uprightness or righteousness of God’s seat consists in justice and judgement; for the judicial power of God, signified by his seat, is most righteous because God always judges justly and He cannot judge in any way unjustly, because He is Himself wisdom and justice: and this is proper to God; for the seats of other kings are not somewhat lacking in crookedness, since error insinuates itself easily into them, whether through ignorance or through false information, or through the passion of emotions. According to the second sense, it refers to the coming of Christ at the judgement: “For he will come in clouds of heaven,” surrounded by great splendour, as it says in Matth. xxv and xxvi, and as John writes in Apocal. xi.

[1] Who only hath immortality, and inhabiteth light inaccessible, whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and empire everlasting. Amen. qui solus habet immortalitatem, et lucem inhabitat inaccessibilem : quem nullus hominum vidit, sed nec videre potest : cui honor, et imperium sempiternum. Amen. [I Tim. vi. 16]

[2]And he made darkness his covert, his pavilion round about him: dark waters in the clouds of the air. Et posuit tenebras latibulum suum; in circuitu ejus tabernaculum ejus, tenebrosa aqua in nubibus aeris. [Ps. XVII. 12]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 96 : Verse 1

Verse 1

The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad.

Dominus regnavit; exsultet terra; laetentur insulae multae.

This Psalm has two possible literal interpretations: firstly, as referring to the kingdom of God absolutely; secondly, as referring to the kingdom of Christ after the resurrection, as is explained by Augustine, Theodoret and Euthymius. According to the first understanding, the sense here will be: “The Lord hath reigned,” that is, the Lord God is the true and supreme king, and all other kings are His servants: accordingly, “let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad,” that is, let all the inhabitants of the earth exult and rejoice, whether they dwell on the mainland or on the islands, which are so numerous : for if perchance they are oppressed by earthly kings, the Lord, who is the supreme king, will not abandon them and is able to restrain the kings without difficulty and keep them in order. According to the second interpretation, the meaning will be, Christ the Lord, who humbly stood before kings to be judged, hath already reigned, because “All power is given to him (me) in heaven and in earth,”[1] so that He is subject to no power, either legal or political; but He commands all, as “Prince of the kings of the earth, and King of kings, and Lord of lords;” and so, “let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad,” because the Lord, who has obtained the kingship of the world, has deigned to be our brother even though He is our God by virtue of creation and Lord by virtue of redemption.

[1] And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Et accedens Jesus locutus est eis, dicens : Data est mihi omnis potestas in caelo et in terra : [Matt. xxviii. 18]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 96 : Title and theme

Title and subject matter

Titulus et argumentum

For the same David, when his land was restored again to him.

Huic David, quando terra ejus restituta est. 

The Hebrew codices do not have this title, hence either it was left out through the carelessness of the scribes, or else it was added by the Septuagint translators: it is however in the Greek and Latin versions and is commented on by the ancient Fathers. In the Greek books, the word καθίστατο means constituted rather than restored, but the sense is the same; for when the land which his son Absalom had taken was restored to David, it was then that the land itself was constituted, that is, what previously had fluctuated was now established and confirmed; in this the land is called possession of the land, or earthly kingdom. But it seems that the Psalm is not to be interpreted as referring literally to the restoration or establishment of David’s kingdom: for we read nothing of this in the Psalm; but it seems that the holy prophet, moved by the Holy Spirit on the occasion of the restoration of his land, sang of the restoration and establishment of the Church in all its perfection, which will come to pass after the last judgement, when, all the persecutions having been taken away, and all Christ’s enemies having been placed under His feet, the Church will enjoy perfect peace and tranquillity, and Christ Himself will reign in peace over every creature.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verse 13

Verse 13

He shall judge the world with justice, and the people with his truth.

Judicabit orbem terrae in aequitate, et populos in veritate sua.

He concludes by foretelling what the judgement will be: “He shall judge the world in equity,” that is, with justice; for this what is meant by the Hebrew and by the Greek word διχαιοσὑνη; hence, the word is not to be read as æquitas /equity but true justice. He repeats this very thing when he adds, after he had said “He shall judge the world,”: “and the people with his truth,”  so that it means “ He shall judge the people;” for he will not judge the earth itself but the people living there. When he said, “with justice,” he explains this in the words “ with his truth,” that is, in that truth and fidelity which He fulfills always, in accordance with His promises; He has promised to render unto everyone according to his works, to have no regard of persons, and finally to judge all in justice. In this way therefore will he judge, and not otherwise. This expression ought certainly to shake the sleep and inertia from men; nor are we to believe, because God defers His judgement and in the meantime deals patiently with us, that the judgement will not take place. For He who promised so many things before they came to pass and fulfilled each one of them, will not deceive us in a matter of such importance. Indeed, as St. Augustine says, has God delivered to us all the things He promised, only to deceive us regarding the day of judgement? See St. Augustine’s commentary on Psalm LXXIII, near the end, where he deals with this in some detail.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verse 10

Verses 11 & 12

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, let the sea be moved, and the fulness thereof: The fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful. Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice Before the face of the Lord, because he cometh: because he cometh to judge the earth.

Laetentur caeli, et exsultet terra : commoveatur mare et plenitudo ejus; gaudebunt campi, et omnia quae in eis sunt. Tunc exsultabunt omnia ligna silvarum a facie Domini, quia venit, quoniam venit judicare terram. 

He urges all created things unto joy, on account of the first as well as the second coming of the Lord. For the first coming consecrated all things and the second will glorify all things: “ For we know that every creature groaneth and travaileth in pain, even till now. Because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the children of God:”[1] “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad,” which are the principal parts of the world; “let the sea be moved” with a movement of exultation, “ and the fulness thereof,” that is, all the things contained therein, such as the fishes. “The fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful,” that is, this will it be, as I have chosen, for I have chosen that the earth shall rejoice; it will indeed rejoice greatly, for “The fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful,” whether cattle or plants: and even “ the (very) trees of the woods,” however barren and uncultivated, shall rejoice in the presence of the Lord,in the presence of (their) Creator; they will rejoice “because the Lord cometh,” to redeem the world in His mercy, 

and He cometh again to judge the world in justice. This is how St. Jerome, St. Augustine, Theodoret and Euthymius explain the text, referring the phrase “ because he cometh” to the first advent; and the phrase “because he cometh to judge the earth” to the second coming. But if it is more in keeping with hebrew usage to refer both phrases to the judgement, which is the  simpler and perhaps more literal reading, then it must be said that the last judgement will be at once terrible and most joyful; terrible for the wicked and most joyful for the just. For from this reason it is described in Scripture as mournful, filled with horror and fear, as in Luke XXI: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves; Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved;”[2] and it is truly described as something pleasant and delightful, on account of the glory of the elect, which will superabound in the heavens and the earth, and over the seas, (all of) which will be renovated and will be greatly improved; hence it says a little further on in the same Gospel: “But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand.”[3]

[1] Because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that every creature groaneth and travaileth in pain, even till now. quia et ipsa creatura liberabitur a servitute corruptionis in libertatem gloriae filiorum Dei. Scimus enim quod omnis creatura ingemiscit, et parturit usque adhuc. [Rom. viii. 21-22]

[2] And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves; Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved; Et erunt signa in sole, et luna, et stellis, et in terris pressura gentium prae confusione sonitus maris, et fluctuum : arescentibus hominibus prae timore, et exspectatione, quae supervenient universo orbi : nam virtutes caelorum movebuntur : [Luc. Xxi. 25-26]

[3] But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand. His autem fieri incipientibus, respicite, et levate capita vestra : quoniam appropinquat redemptio vestra. [Luc. Xxi. 28]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verse 10

Verse 10

For he hath corrected the world, which shall not be moved: he will judge the people with justice.

Etenim correxit orbem terrae, qui non commovebitur; judicabit populos in aequitate.

He proves this kingdom rightly belongs to Christ for two reasons: firstly, because He is the one who, as God, made, confirmed and established the world, so that it cannot be moved; for it is just that He who made the world should Himself reign over the world. The Hebrew expression has a meaning of to establish, to confirm, to direct, and this same word is found in Psalm XCII where we read: “For he hath established the world which shall not be moved.”[1] And so this part of the verse can be referred to the creation of the world : the words hath corrected will mean the same, that He established the world so firmly that it cannot be moved; but the same word may also be interpreted as applying to the correction of morals through the best of laws and principles; and so the sense will then be that Christ in law and in justice ought to reign over the world because, through His Evangelical law which forbids all vices, He corrected the corrupt principles of the of the gentiles so that there can be no further disturbance if those laws are followed and observed. For one precept of the Lord, that of love, were it to be observed, would correct the whole of the earth and establish it in complete peace. A second reason is found in the words which follow: “he will judge the people with justice,” that is, not only has He corrected the world with His most holy laws, but He will also in His time judge the world most justly: for He will grant most ample rewards unto them who keep the law of the Gospel; and the most just of punishments unto them who refuse.

[1] The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with beauty: the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself. For he hath established the world which shall not be moved. Laus cantici ipsi David, in die ante sabbatum, quando fundata est terra. Dominus regnavit, decorem indutus est : indutus est Dominus fortitudinem, et praecinxit se. Etenim firmavit orbem terrae, qui non commovebitur. [Ps. XCII]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verse 9

Verse 9

Let all the earth be moved at his presence. Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned.

Commoveatur a facie ejus universa terra; dicite in gentibus, quia Dominus regnavit.

Hitherto he has seen, as from afar, the kingdom of the messiah, and he exhorted preachers to announce and people to acknowledge the new king; now he sees him closer at hand and watches him coming; his spirit rejoices, and he urges not only all the peoples but also the heavens and the earth, the seas and the very trees, to offer veneration in rejoicing: not because these are endowed with reason, but so that he might describe his own feelings and the universal joy there would be over the whole world at the coming of Christ. Now some will refer this to the second coming, when He will come to judge the living and the dead : others, to the first coming, when “He is come to seek and to save that which was lost,”[1] but the holy Fathers Jerome and Augustine, and the Greek writers Theodoret and Euthymius, apply it to both comings, and this seems to us to be the more probable interpretation. Accordingly, he says, “Let all the earth be moved at his presence,” that is, let all the inhabitants of the earth be moved by fear and reverence before comes. In Hebrew, it has, Let all the earth tremble in his presence, where a noun of multitude indicates that it is not the elements of the earth that are here to be understood but all its inhabitants. “Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned,” that is, as the earth has trembled, preach ye to all the peoples, that the Lord has brought in the coming of his kingdom. The reference to kingdom is to a spiritual kingdom, where he will reign through faith in men’s hearts : for God reigns always in heaven, and on earth in (His) kingdom of power and majesty; but with the advent of the Messiah, He begins to reign in the hearts of people, where previously the devil reigned through the errors of idolatry, hence the Lord says in John xii: “ Now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”[2] St. Augustine reads this as meaning: for the Lord reigns from the tree (the cross); and this reading was once that of the Septuagint translators, and was erased and removed by the Hebrews, according to St. Justin in Dialog. Cum Tryphone; and Fortunatus, in the hymn which is sung during Passiontide by the Church, from this reading writes thus:

That which the prophet-king of old

hath in mysterious verse foretold,

is now accomplished, whilst we see

God ruling the nations from a Tree.[3]

Although this reading may be the best sense, it is not however found today in the Greek books, nor did they have it in the time of St. Jerome, Theodoret and Euthymius, as is clear from their commentaries: nor is it found in the Hebrew codices nor in the Latin Vulgate.

[1] For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Venit enim Filius hominis quaerere, et salvum facere quod perierat. [Luc. xix. 10]

[2] Now is the judgment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. Nunc judicium est mundi : nunc princeps hujus mundi ejicietur foras. [Ioan.xii. 31]

[3] From the Vexilla Regis which was written by Venantius Fortunatus (530-609) and is considered one of the greatest hymns of the liturgy. Fortunatus wrote it in honour of the arrival of a large relic of the True Cross which had been sent to Queen Radegunda by the Emperor Justin II and his Empress Sophia.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verse 8

Verse 8

Bring up sacrifices, and come into his courts: Adore ye the Lord in his holy court.

Tollite hostias, et introite in atria ejus; adorate Dominum in atrio sancto ejus.

Here he alludes to the custom of the Jews who, when they used to go up to the temple, would offer victims (for sacrifice), and, having offered adoration to God, they would then return to their towns and cities. But because in this text the Gentiles are invited, so as to come to the Church of the Lord, the offering is to be understood of spiritual sacrifices, about which St. Peter speaks in chapter ii of his first Epistle: “Offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”[1] Spiritual sacrifices are, the sacrifice of a contrite heart, prayer, fasting, alms-giving and the like. This text may also be understood as (referring to) the sacrifice of the Mass, which took the place of all the sacrifices of the Hebrews, and which, according to the prophecy of Malachias : “is offered to God from the rising of the sun even to the going down”[2] by those converted to God, through the hands of the priests of the new Testament. It is not without mystery that the Hebrew text does not have the word zebach, which refers to a victim which is slain 

when it is offered, such as sheep and oxen; but minchah, which refers to a bloodless sacrifice, and especially to one confected from flour. It is of little import because the Hebrew has, in place of atrio sancto /  in his holy court, in decore sanctitatis / in the glory of his sanctity or sanctuary : the sense is however the same: for Scripture calls the sanctuary itself the glory of sanctity, because it is filled with glory and sanctity.

[1] Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. et ipsi tamquam lapides vivi superaedificamini, domus spiritualis, sacerdotium sanctum, offerre spirituales hostias, acceptabiles Deo per Jesum Christum. [I Peter ii. 5]

[2] For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts. Ab ortu enim solis usque ad occasum, magnum est nomen meum in gentibus, et in omni loco sacrificatur : et offertur nomini meo oblatio munda, quia magnum est nomen meum in gentibus, dicit Dominus exercituum. [Malachi. I. 11]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verse 7

Verse 7

Bring ye to the Lord, O ye kindreds of the Gentiles, bring ye to the Lord glory and honour: Bring to the Lord glory unto his name.

Afferte Domino, patriae gentium; afferte Domino gloriam et honorem; afferte Domino gloriam nomini ejus

He had predicted that the knowledge of God would be preached to all nations through the advent of Christ : he now predicts that all the Gentiles will be converted and will glorify God. As he had predicted the former by means of an exhortation, saying : “Declare his glory among all men (the Gentiles),” so now he predicts by way of (another) exhortation, saying : “Bring ye to the Lord, O ye kindreds of the Gentiles,” that is, O ye families of the Gentiles, scattered over the whole world, when there shall have been declared to you the glory of the Lord, who came down from heaven to earth, and who, after having worked your redemption, ascended glorious into heaven: ye families, be not your hearts hardened against belief, nor slow to act, (but be like those) who went up in their families on the festival days to the temple of the Lord which was in Jerusalem. He is referring here to the Holy Spirit, so that what the Jewish families used to do in the body, should be done by all the Gentiles in the spirit, as, for example, everyone is to come to the Church and render unto God glory and honour for all His wondrous works, which were accomplished in the redemption of the human race;  for not by our own industry or merits did we attain unto the adoption and grace of children of God, but by the mercy of God, to whom is due all honour and glory. For the word gentium / of the gentiles, the Hebrew has populorum / of the peoples; but the Septuagint translators preferred gentium / of the gentiles, instead of populorum / of the peoples, lest the Jews should say the Prophet was speaking only of their people. Accordingly, they removed the word’s ambiguity and taught that the Holy Spirit was speaking of the peoples of the gentiles, of whom the Prophet had said a little earlier: “Declare his glory among the Gentiles;” and a little further on: “Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned;”  for in both cases the Hebrew word properly means gentiles / Gentiles.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verse 6

Verse 6

Praise and beauty are before him: holiness and majesty in his sanctuary.

Confessio et pulchritudo in conspectu ejus; sanctimonia et magnificentia in sanctificatione ejus.

He said that God is great and to be feared : now he adds that He is to be praised from every point of view, the most beautiful, the most glorious and the most holy; and this is chiefly to be seen in His heavenly sanctuary where He shows Himself to the Angels and the other blessed spirits. Verses 1 & 2 of Psalm CIII will shed light on this line which is somewhat obscure: “Thou hast put on praise and beauty: And art clothed with light as with a garment;”[1] for it is said that God has put on praise and beauty because from every point of view He is said to be praiseworthy, and therefore He is praiseworthy because He is totally beautiful and comely, whether considering His essence, His attributes, His judgements, His thoughts or His works, which St. John summarised in I Epist. chapter I: “ God is light, and in him there is no darkness.”[2] The Prophet therefore says of God : “Praise and beauty are before him,” that is, praise, or matter for praise, and beauty, or comeliness and glory, are all around God, because He has put on praise and beauty; and for this reason He sees His praise and beauty all around Him, and He is everywhere seen as beautiful and praiseworthy : just as the sun, if it had the sense of sight, would see everywhere the rays of its own light, as they are seen everywhere bright and dazzling. “Holiness and majesty in his sanctuary,” that is, holiness, or purity and magnificence, or majesty and glory, with which God is clothed as by vestments, is seen in His sanctity, that is, in His sanctuary, or in His holy temple, which God Himself has in the heavens. This verse can also be translated as “Praise and beauty are before him,” that is, let the confession of His praise and the beauty of His justice beauty be offered before Him; “holiness and majesty in his sanctuary,” that is, let the sanctity of His life and the magnificence of His good works be together offered in His holy temple. By confession, St. Augustine understood the confession of sins, by means of which a man deformed (by sin) could begin to grow beautiful, and to be made holy and pleasing to the celestial spouse, who is supremely beautiful and holy. Concerning the vocabulary, the Hebrew word translated as sanctimonia / holiness properly signifies solidity and strength; but it is also taken as meaning glory, honour, substance, riches (power). The Septuagint translators seem to have taken this word in the sense of glory and purity, which is proper to holiness: as in the following verse they took it in the sense of honour and conjoined it with glory. For the words in sanctificatione ejus, the Hebrew has in His sanctuary, and this is also how St. Jerome translates it. Nor is it unusual in the Scriptures that sanctificatio / sacredness is taken in the sense of sanctuary; for this is how it is read (for example) in I Machab. I : “ And he proudly entered into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar,” etc.[3]

[1] For David himself. Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art exceedingly great. Thou hast put on praise and beauty: And art clothed with light as with a garment. Who stretchest out the heaven like a pavilion: Ipsi David. Benedic, anima mea, Domino : Domine Deus meus, magnificatus es vehementer. Confessionem et decorem induisti,  amictus lumine sicut vestimento. Extendens caelum sicut pellem. [Ps. CIII 1-2]

[2] And this is the declaration which we have heard from him, and declare unto you: That God is light, and in him there is no darkness. Et haec est annuntiatio, quam audivimus ab eo, et annuntiamus vobis : quoniam Deus lux est, et tenebrae in eo non sunt ullae. [I John i. 5]

[3] And he proudly entered into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof, and the table of proposition, and the pouring vessels, and the vials, and the little mortars of gold, and the veil, and the crowns, and the golden ornament that was before the temple: and he broke them all in pieces. Et intravit in sanctificationem cum superbia, et accepit altare aureum, et candelabrum luminis, et universa vasa ejus, et mensam propositionis, et libatoria, et phialas, et mortariola aurea, et velum, et coronas, et ornamentum aureum, quod in facie templi erat : et comminuit omnia. [I Macchab. i. 23]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verses 4 & 5

Verses 4 & 5

For the Lord is great, and exceedingly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

Quoniam magnus Dominus, et laudabilis nimis; terribilis est super omnes deos;

For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils: but the Lord made the heavens.

quoniam omnes dii gentium daemonia; Dominus autem caelos fecit.

He declares the glory of the lord and His wondrous works which a little earlier he said were to be praised always and everywhere : “For the Lord is great, and exceedingly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.” This is the glory of the Lord, that he is supremely great, whether you consider His power, His wisdom, His goodness, His authority, His riches, or any other attribute; and because of this greatness He is greatly to be praised and by virtue of the same thing He is to praised by all men : and hence the heavens and the earth are full of His glory; and finally, He is to be feared above all gods, that is, to such a degree does He rise above all who in any way might be called gods, that not only do they not dare to compare themselves to Him, but, like servants, or rather like slaves, they tremble before His majesty; for the Church sings of the good angels, who are gods through participation : “The Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe.”[1]  Of the wicked angels,who are (called) gods in error by (some) people, Bl. James says in chapter ii of his Epistle: “The devils also believe and tremble.”[2] Now, because David is chiefly speaking here of false gods, he provides a reason why our God is to be feared above all gods, saying: “For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils: but the Lord made the heavens,” that is, God is accordingly to be feared above all gods, namely the gods that are false and adored in error by people, because the gods of the gentiles are not true gods, but demons, that is, wicked spirits who through their pride deserted God their creator and have been condemned by Him to eternal torments: “But the Lord” is not a created Spirit but a creator Spirit who “made the heavens,” the greatest and most beautiful forms of all things, and everything which is contained under the heavens, that is, all created things. St. Jerome translated the Hebrew as all the Gods of the peoples are graven things. But it is known that the Hebrew word elilim properly signifies neither demons nor graven images. For demon is written with a word translated as graven image; the word elilim seems to mean a little god or godling, because it is a diminutive formed from el, which means God, so that the meaning is: The gods of the gentiles are not gods but godlings, fallen stars that are vain and empty; but the Lord is the true and mighty God who made the heavens. Accordingly, the Septuagint translators referred this word to demons rather than to graven images, and these were what were chiefly adored by the gentiles, as the Apostle says in I Corinth. x: “The things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God.”[3]

[1] From the Common Preface of the Mass.

[2] Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble. Tu credis quoniam unus est Deus : bene facis : et daemones credunt, et contremiscunt. [James ii. 19]

[3] But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God. And I would not that you should be made partakers with devils. Sed quae immolant gentes, daemoniis immolant, et non Deo. Nolo autem vos socios fieri daemoniorum : [I Cor. x. 20]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verse 3

Verse 3

Declare his glory among the Gentiles: his wonders among all people.

Annuntiate inter gentes gloriam ejus, in omnibus populis mirabilia ejus.

He has said that, on account of the immensity of God's gifts, He is to be praised at all times : now he adds that He is to be praised in all places. “Declare,” he says, "his glory among the Gentiles,” that is, make known His glory not only to the Jews, as did the ancient Prophets, but also to the gentiles ; and, explaining this more clearly, he says: “Declare … his wonders among all people,” that is, God’s works are to be admired, from which His glory is manifested. Although this exhortation applies to all who have known the wonders of God, yet it pertains chiefly to the Lord’s Apostles : for they are the ones who made known the glory of God to all peoples, and the wonderful works not only of the Creator, but also of the Redeemer and the Sanctifier, that is, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verse 2

Verse 2

Sing ye to the Lord and bless his name: shew forth his salvation from day to day.

Cantate Domino, et benedicite nomini ejus; annuntiate de die in diem salutare ejus.

Having put forward this general exhortation, he begins to explain the subject matter of the canticle and his praise, which is the coming of the Saviour. “ Sing ye to the Lord and bless his name,” that is, by singing, praise ye His power, which is signified by (the word) name, lest perhaps  name is taken to mean the name of the Saviour, of whom he speaks more clearly in the following verses. “Shew forth his salvation from day to day,” that is, proclaim with song and praise the salvation of the Lord, and do that “from day to day,” that is, every day : just as day follows day without ceasing, so should praise follow upon praise, without ceasing. The Hebrew word basheru signifies bring ye the good news, which the Septuagint and our translator correctly translate as evangelizate / proclaim the good news or bene nuntiate / give a good report, as St. Augustine reads the text. And so, from the Hebrew and Greek, the Latin word should be annuntiate, that is, bring ye the good news.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Verse 1

Verse 1

Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Cantate Domino canticum novum, cantate Domino omnis terra.

He starts from an exhortation that all the people of the earth should together give thanks for the benefits they have received in common; he repeats three times the words “Sing ye,” as he also repeats further on the words “Bring ye to the Lord,” introducing a latent reference to the most holy Trinity, which was to be preached openly in the new Testament. “Sing ye,” he says, “to the Lord a new canticle,” that is, give praise and thanks with singing and gladness. He calls it a “new canticle,” a beautiful canticle, wisely composed : also, a canticle for a new favour, and a canticle to be sung by men who have been regenerated, in whom greed and lust no longer hold sway, but charity; finally, as Chrysostom explains, a canticle not like that of Moses or Deborah, or any of the other ancient canticles, which could not be sung outside the promised land, according to Psalm CXXXVI : “How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?”[1] but a new canticle, which can be celebrated throughout the whole earth. Accordingly, he adds: “Sing to the Lord, all the earth,” that is, not only Judea, but the whole world.

[1] How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land? Quomodo cantabimus canticum Domini in terra aliena? [Ps. CXXXVI. 4]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 95 : Title and theme

Title and subject matter

Titulum et argumentum

A canticle for David himself, when the house was built after the captivity.

Canticum ipsi David, quando domus aedificabatur post captivitatem.

This Psalm does not have a title among the Hebrews and this is not surprising because it seems to be a part of Psalm CIV, as is evident from book I Paralip. Chapter xvi, where the Psalm is sung on the return of the Ark, and where the first part is the beginning of Psalm CIV and the second is Psalm XCV; for it seems that Esdras, or whoever it was who collected and arranged the book of Psalms, with the aim of having 150 Psalms, made this Psalm XCV from part of Psalm CIV, in the same way that, from Psalms LVI and LVIII he made Psalm CVII which begins : My heart is ready, and from the end of Psalm XXXIX he made Psalm LXIX, which begins : O God, come to my assistance. The title, therefore, which we have in the Greek and Latin codices, was added either by the Septuagint translators, or more likely, by Esdras himself; and he ordered it to be sung when the temple was being rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity. Now although it is the case that David composed this Psalm on the return of the Ark and Esdras ordered this same Psalm to be sung on the rebuilding of the Temple, it is however certain that the primary aim of David, and of the Holy Spirit Himself, was to foretell the coming of Christ and His kingdom, when “(God) hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.”1 For, as St. Augustine correctly observes, in the whole of the Psalm there is no mention of the rebuilding of the Temple nor of the return of the Ark, and for this reason, either the Psalm does not match with the title, or it is to be explained, in accordance with its wording, as being about the propagation of Christ’s kingdom throughout the earth, that is, about the building of the Church among all the nations. In this all the ancient writers agree, the Latin writers Jerome, Augustine and Ambrose; and  the Greek writers Chrysostom, Theodoret and Euthymius. 

[1] Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, qui eripuit nos de potestate tenebrarum, et transtulit in regnum filii dilectionis suae; [Coloss. i. 13]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 94: Verse 11 (conclusion)

Verse 11

And these men have not known my ways: so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.

Et isti non cognoverunt vias meas : ut juravi in ira mea : Si introibunt in requiem meam.

He explains why they should have so erred, because they “have not known my ways,” that is, my laws, which are straight pathways, and those who follow them cannot go astray : He is speaking about not simply knowing of them but knowing and following them. “So I swore in my wrath,” meaning they have not arrived at rest, and so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest. The sense is : These men, who are always going astray in their hearts, have not known my ways, which lead to rest; and for this reason, they have not arrived at rest, “so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into it,” that is, they shall not enter into my rest. By “rest” is understood, in the historical sense, the land of promise, in which only a tiny number entered of those who left Egypt, as the Lord swore to them in Numbers xiv : “As I live, saith the Lord: According as you have spoken in my hearing, so will I do to you. In the wilderness shall your carcasses lie.”[1] In an anagogical[2] sense, according to the witness of the Apostle in Hebrews iv, it refers to the heavenly homeland, where perfect peace will be found. God’s oath signifies that the thing is most certain and immutable. The Hebrew has a word which can correctly be translated as ut / so that, as, rather than quibus / unto whom. In Greek it has ώ;, as in the Greek version of the St. Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews : but in the Latin version of the same chapter iii, it has quibus juravi / unto whom I swore; but in chapter iv it has sicut juravi / as I swore. In the Roman Psaltery and in St. Augustine it has, quibus juravi / unto whom I swore. The sense is still the same; but the more common reading is the one found in the Vulgate, and this is the Apostle’s reading when he correctly cites the words of the Psalm, saying : “As he said: As I have sworn,”[3] etc.

[1] Say therefore to them: As I live, saith the Lord: According as you have spoken in my hearing, so will I do to you. In the wilderness shall your carcasses lie. All you that were numbered from twenty years old and upward, and have murmured against me, Dic ergo eis : Vivo ego, ait Dominus : sicut locuti estis audiente me, sic faciam vobis. In solitudine hac jacebunt cadavera vestra. Omnes qui numerati estis a viginti annis et supra, et murmurastis contra me. [Numbersxiv. 28-29]

[1] Mystical or spiritual interpretation; an Old Testament typification of something in the New. Etymology: < Latin anagōgē, < Greek ἀναγωγή elevation, religious or ecstatic elevation, mystical sense; < ἀνάγειν to lead up, lift up, elevate. OED. 

[1] For we, who have believed, shall enter into rest; as he said: As I have sworn in my wrath; If they shall enter into my rest; and this indeed when the works from the foundation of the world were finished. Ingrediemur enim in requiem, qui credidimus : quemadmodum dixit : Sicut juravi in ira mea : Si introibunt in requiem meam : et quidem operibus ab institutione mundi perfectis. [Hebr. iv. 3]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 94: Verse 10

Verse 10

Forty years long was I offended with that generation, and I said: These always err in heart.

Quadraginta annis offensus fui generationi illi; et dixi : Semper hi errant corde.

He explains more clearly the time of provocation and temptation in the desert. “Forty years long,” he says, “was I offended with that generation,” for the whole time in which I guided them through the desert, so as to lead them into the promised land, “I was offended with that generation,” that is, I was offended by them, or rather I was angry with them, as the Apostle explains in Hebr. iii. The Hebrew wording signifies I quarrelled with them, or I deprecated them: but it all amounts to the same thing, and in this sense is the reading in the Roman psaltery to be explained: “Forty years long was I close to that generation,” that is, I drew near to them so that I might hear their complaints close up, and that I might scourge them with various afflictions; and because from close by I saw and heard what they were doing and saying, “I said: These always err in heart,” that is, they are led by various desires and so 

 they err and stray from the right way of salvation. The Apostle in Hebrews iii puts it differently: “They proved,” he says, “and saw my works, forty years: for which cause I was offended with this generation.”[1] But because neither the Hebrews, nor the Greeks, nor the Latins make this distinction, the Apostle may be said to have wanted to declare the words (purpose) of this Psalm and therefore to have added the words “for which cause,” so that the meaning is: They saw my works, for forty years, for which cause I was offended with this generation.

[1] Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation; in the day of temptation in the desert, Where your fathers tempted me, proved and saw my works, Forty years: for which cause I was offended with this generation, and I said: They always err in heart. And they have not known my ways, As I have sworn in my wrath: If they shall enter into my rest. nolite obdurare corda vestra, sicut in exacerbatione secundum diem tentationis in deserto, ubi tentaverunt me patres vestri : probaverunt, et viderunt opera mea, quadraginta annis : propter quod infensus fui generationi huic, et dixi : Semper errant corde. Ipsi autem non cognoverunt vias meas, sicut juravi in ira mea : Si introibunt in requiem meam. [Hebr. iii. 8-11]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.