Bellarmine on Psalm 120 : Verses 7 & 8 (conclusion)

Verse 7

The Lord keepeth thee from all evil: may the Lord keep thy soul.

Dominus custodit te ab omni malo; custodiat animam tuam Dominus.

The Prophet adds another consolation, a general one, as though he were to say: The Lord protects you not only lest you fall or grow weary, but He will also protect you and keep you safe from any other evil that may befall you on the journey, which will mean your soul and your life will be preserved safely for the whole of the journey. In Hebrew and Greek the tense used is the future: The Lord shall keep thee, but there is no difference in the sense: for the Lord provides protection now and in the time to come, and the Hebrew signifies this continuation by means of the future tense.

Verse 8

May the Lord keep thy coming in and thy going out; from henceforth now and for ever.

Dominus custodiat introitum tuum et exitum tuum, ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum.

The Prophet concludes by adding the final and greatest consolation, as though saying: God’s pilgrim, who in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps,[1] is not only kept safe in any part of his journey; but he is kept safe continually throughout the whole journey; for every journey consists in entering and exiting, for when we journey, we enter on one path, and we leave it when it is finished; then we enter on another one, and afterwards we leave it; in the same way we enter one province, one city, one house, and then we leave;  and we enter another and then we leave, until we have finished our journey and we arrive at our home country. In this way we journey along life’s road, while we begin and complete good works: for to begin is to enter; to complete is to leave. From henceforth now and for ever, is the same as now and forever, as though to say: From henceforth, that is, starting from the present time, the Lord begins to keep safe thy coming in and thy going out. St. Augustine understands coming in and going out as entering into temptation and leaving temptation. Other commentators understand more generally the start and finish of work, or of all our actions, or of all human usage, as in Acts I: “the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us,”[2] that is, the Lord Jesus begins to dwell with us. It matters little that the Hebrew uses the future tense, shall keep; for the meanings of tenses vary. Hence St. Jerome himself translates the Hebrew as may (he) keep, as we read in the Vulgate.

[1] Blessed is the man whose help is from thee: in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps; Beatus vir cujus est auxilium abs te, ascensiones in corde suo disposuit. [Ps. lxxxiii 6]

[2] Wherefore of these men who have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us; Oportet ergo ex his viris qui nobiscum sunt congregati in omni tempore, quo intravit et exivit inter nos Dominus Jesus. [Acts I 21]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.