Bellarmine on Psalm 1 : Verse 2

Verse 2

But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.

sed in lege Domini voluntas ejus, et in lege ejus meditabitur die ac nocte.

In this second verse, the just man is described in a positive manner and there are two parts, one of which is almost a repetition of the other. He is truly said to be just, or blessed, whose will is to obey the law of the Lord,  since a just life does not require that we offend in nothing, as is written in James iii; “For in many things we all offend;”[1] but it is enough if we are so drawn towards the law of the Lord that we desire to observe it in all things; and if we perchance should fall into sin, as we certainly and frequently do, then may it be against our good will, that is, against the love we have for God and His law, and not against charity; hence it is a venial sin and not a mortal sin. The same is found in another Psalm in different words: “The law of his God is in his heart.”[2] For the will, or the heart, of the just man is in the law of God and the law of God is in the will, or heart of the just man. The law is in the heart, as on a throne, and the 

heart is in the law, as in a thing beloved, which is always pondered[3]  and longed for. And this is what follows: “And on his law he shall meditate day and night.” For the law to be in his will, or for his will to be in the law, means his mind is continually thinking about it and loving it, so that whatever is to be done will be done according to it. Therefore the words day and night do not mean that the just man cannot be free for a single moment of time from the contemplation of the divine law, but rather that he should recall to mind most frequently the precepts of the law and always remember them when it comes to thinking, saying or doing anything in which there is a danger that justice may be violated. Indeed, not only the Latin word meditabitur / he shall meditate, but also the Greek μελετήσει, and the Hebrew ieghe, can be referred to the exercise of thought, speech and action, Psalm XXXIV : “And my tongue shall meditate thy justice, thy praise all the day long.”[4] And Psalm XXXVI : “The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom.”[5] The profane poet also says: “Now will I woo the rustic Muse on slender reed.”[6] Training exercises for soldiers are called military reflections.

[1] For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. He is able also with a bridle to lead about the whole body. In multis enim offendimus omnes. Si quis in verbo non offendit, hic perfectus est vir : potest etiam freno circumducere totum corpus. [James iii 2]

[2]  The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be supplanted. Lex Dei ejus in corde ipsius, et non supplantabuntur gressus ejus. [Psalm XXXVI 31]

[3] Cf. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. Maria autem conservabat omnia verba haec, conferens in corde suo. [Luke ii 19]

[4] And my tongue shall meditate thy justice, thy praise all the day long. Et lingua mea meditabitur justitiam tuam, tota die laudem tuam. [Psalm xxxiv 28]

[5] The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom: and his tongue shall speak judgment. Os justi meditabitur sapientiam, et lingua ejus loquetur judicium. [Psalm XXXVI 30]

[6] Virgil, Eclogue VI.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 1 : Verse 1

Verse 1

Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence.

Beatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum, et in via peccatorum non stetit, et in cathedra pestilentiae non sedit;

In the first and second verses, the Prophet teaches that happiness, insofar as it may be attained in this world, consists in nothing other than true justice. This is what the Apostle says in Romans XIV : “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”[1] For truly just men alone are God’s friends, nay His sons, and for this reason heirs of His kingdom, blessed in the hope of perfect happiness, and enjoying for the meantime solid peace and joy, which surpasseth all understanding.[2] In the first verse, he describes the just man in a negative manner and in the second positively, as though to say briefly that a man is just, and for this reason happy, when he turns away from evil and does 

good. At this point, it is to be noted carefully and remembered that it is the practice of David and other Prophets to repeat things, so that one verse repeats or explains another. By way of example, in the canticle of Moses:  “He is my God and I will glorify him: the God of my father, and I will exalt him;”[3] and Deuteronomy xxxii : “Let my doctrine gather as the rain, let my speech distil as the dew;”[4] and in Psalm xxxiii: “I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth.”[5] These repetitions are a most frequent occurrence, as if this repetition is a distinguishing adornment of true, holy Prophets. 

The first part of the first verse contains this thought, that man is blessed who does not transgress the law of God. But David expresses this thought in a poetic manner through a metaphor of a way and walking : “Blessed is the man,” he says, “who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly,” that is, he is happy who is just : but he is just who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, that is, who in the way of his life has not followed the counsel, the laws or the opinion of the ungodly, which are quite contrary to God’s way, that is, to God’s law. The next part of the same verse explains the same thing using different words. For when he says : “nor stood in the way of sinners,” it does not mean He did not stand still in the way of sinners, but rather, He did 

not walk in the way of sinners. In this context, to stand in the way is not to stay still, nor (simply) to walk, but by walking not to go back to a way he has not started. And so the same thing is meant by Not to walk in the counsel of the wicked and Not to stand in the way of sinners : for both mean that the man is just who turns away from (such) a way, that is, from the law and counsel of sinners. Since the law of God may be broken not only by living in wickedness but also by teaching wickedness, as it says in Matthew v:  “He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven;”[6] the Prophet adds : “nor sat in the 

chair of pestilence;” that is, he is just, and for this reason blessed, who transgresses the law of the Lord neither in his works nor in his teaching. To sit in the chair of pestilence means to be in a group of men infested with sin, or to keep company with such, and with them to despise God’s law, as if nothing can lead to living well, that is, with joy and gladness, but finding it more useful to satisfy the desires of the flesh, and to indulge the senses in all things. The voice of those sitting in the chair of pestilence is described in Malach. iii, in these words: “He laboureth in vain that serveth God, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances?”[7] Concerning the language, the word beatus / blessed is in Hebrew ascre, which is plural in form. Many more modern translators render the words as blessed are the men, etc. But it is more probable that this is an indeclinable word that can mean blessed or blessedness. For it is not only the Septuagint translators who render the words as Μακάριος ἀνήρ, that is Blessed is the man; but St. Jerome also translates the Hebrew as Blessed is the man. For the chair of pestilence, the Hebrew has literally the chair of lezim, that is, of mockers, but the sense is just the same. For there is no greater pestilence than to mock God’s law and those who justly and piously try to live in accordance with it. Finally, St. Basil notes that the words Blessed the man do not exclude women from beatitude; they are included, since the man is the head of the woman, and in the head are also included the members.

[1] For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Non est enim regnum Dei esca et potus : sed justitia, et pax, et gaudium in Spiritu Sancto : [Rom. Xiv 17]

[2]  And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Et pax Dei, quae exuperat omnem sensum, custodiat corda vestra, et intelligentias vestras in Christo Jesu. [Philipp. Iv 7]

[3] The Lord is my strength and my praise, and he is become salvation to me: he is my God and I will glorify him: the God of my father, and I will exalt him. Fortitudo mea, et laus mea Dominus, et factus est mihi in salutem : iste Deus meus, et glorificabo eum : Deus patris mei, et exaltabo eum. [Exodux xv 2]

[4] Let my doctrine gather as the rain, let my speech distil as the dew, as a shower upon the herb, and as drops upon the grass. Concrescat ut pluvia doctrina mea, fluat ut ros eloquium meum, quasi imber super herbam, et quasi stillae super gramina. [Deut. xxxii 2]

[5] I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth. Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore; semper laus ejus in ore meo. [Psalm xxxiii 2]

[6] Hebrews IV 7.

[7] He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Qui ergo solverit unum de mandatis istis minimis, et docuerit sic homines, minimus vocabitur in regno caelorum : qui autem fecerit et docuerit, hic magnus vocabitur in regno caelorum. [Matth. V 19]

[8] And you have said: What have we spoken against thee? You have said: He laboureth in vain that serveth God, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances, and that we have walked sorrowful before the Lord of hosts? Et dixistis : Quid locuti sumus contra te? Dixistis : Vanus est qui servit Deo : et quod emolumentum quia custodivimus praecepta ejus, et quia ambulavimus tristes coram Domino exercituum? [Malach. iii 14]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 1 : Subject matter

 Subject matter

The first Psalm lacks a title in the Hebrew texts; there are not a few who think it was composed by Esdras, who arranged the Psalms in order; but it is commonly attributed to David by writers such as Ambrose, Hilary, Basil, Augustine and others. Even St. Jerome, who posits multiple authors of the Psalms, says in his Letter to Paulinus on the Study of the Scriptures that this first Psalm was by David. Finally, a title was added in the Greek text, whether by the Septuagint translators or by others, A Song of David, Prophet and King. This Psalm is most fittingly placed first because it treats of beatitude : for beatitude is the foundation and beginning of moral doctrine. The Psalm’s central point is to show that beatitude, whether in hope or in realisation, may be attained only by the just; hence work must be performed for justice, so that we may attain beatitude.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine's Preface : Part 3 (Authorship)

Authorship of the Psalms

There remains the question of the Author of the Psalms. There are two opinions among the ancient Fathers; for St. Athanasius in his Synopsis, St. Hilary in his Prologue to the Psalms, and St. Jerome in his Letter To Sophronius, and in his Letter To Cyprian on the explication of Psalm LXXXIX, think there were various authors of the Psalms, to wit, all those who are named in the titles, namely, David, Moses, Solomon, Asaph, Idithun and others. On the other hand, St. John Chrysostom, Theodoret, Euthymius and Cassiodorus in the Preface to his Commentaries on the Psalms, and St. Augustine in book XVII, chapter xiv of The City of God, recognise David as the sole author of the Psalms. To us, three things are certain. Firstly, the primary author of all the Psalms is the Holy Spirit : those who testify to this include the apostle Peter in Acts I and the apostle Paul in Hebrews iii; while David himself in II Kings XXIII says: “The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue;”[1] and in Psalm XLIV : “My tongue is the pen[2] of a scrivener that writeth swiftly.”[3] Whether David, or Moses, or some other person authored the Psalms, they themselves were like a reed-pen; but it was the Holy Spirit who wrote, through them : indeed, what need is there to labour the question of penmanship when the actual authorship is settled?  Secondly, it seems certain to me that the greater number of the Psalms are by David; for at

the end of Psalm LXXI we read : “The praises of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.” Again, in chapter XXIII of II Kings, it says : “David ...the excellent psalmist of Israel;”[4] finally, in chapter v of II Paralip., it says : “Singers had been appointed to sing the Psalms which David made.” Thirdly, it seems clear to me that those Psalms which have no title, as well as those that have David in the title, whether in the form Of David or For David, were composed by David; for Psalm II lacks a title but in Acts IV[5] it is stated that this Psalm was composed by David; and Psalm XCIV lacks a title in the Hebrew version yet the Apostle in Hebrews IV[6] attributes it to David.  Then again, the Psalms which in Hebrew are missing a title are ascribed in the Greek text to David; hence it is possible that these titles in the Hebrew text were removed when the Septuagint translators rendered the Hebrew text into Greek. Finally, the Hebrew rules, which state that a Psalm lacking a title is to be ascribed to the author of the preceding Psalm, have proven to be false; for according to this rule, Psalms I and II are by nobody, since they are both lacking a title. Moreover, Psalm LXXXIX is ascribed to Moses, and the ten following Psalms, which are lacking a title, should be ascribed to Moses too. But this cannot be so, because in Psalm XCVIII there is mention of Samuel, who was born a sufficiently long time after Moses died. See more about this in the explication of the title of Psalm LXXXIX. That not only

those psalms are by David which have in their title Of David, but also those which have : For David, is is proved by St. Augustine from Psalm CIX, which has the words : τὡ Δαυἱδ, Of David; and the Lord says in Matth. xxiv : “How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord?”[7] And so these things regarding the authorship of the Psalms seem to me to be certain. Concerning the remaining Psalms, which have in their title Moses, or Solomon, or Asaph, or Idithun, or Ethan, or the sons of Core, I think the opinion of Sts. Athanasius, Hilary and Jerome is possible, but the opinion of those who followed them, Chrysostom, Augustine, Theodoret and others, is more probable. Why prefer the later opinion to the earlier? The reason is that it is more commonly held and was even more common a thousand years ago. This is testified by St. Augustine in chapter XIV of book XVII in his City of God, and by St. Theodoret in his Preface to the Psalms. Similarly, because it is sufficiently established that Asaph, Idithun, Ethan and the sons of Core were Singers rather than Prophets, and that the Psalms were attributed to them in the title  because they were given to them to sing, not because they had composed them; from this it may be understood  because in the same title appear the names of David and Idithun, or some other name, as can be seen in the titles of Psalms XXXVIII, LXI, LXIV, CXXXVI, CXXXVII and CXXXVIII. Lastly, it may be added that in Luke XX the Lord says : “David dicit in libro Psalmorum,”[8] He is seen to attribute the whole book of psalms to David.

[1] The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue. Spiritus Domini locutus est per me, et sermo ejus per linguam meam. [II Kings xxiii 2]

[2] calamus : from, κάλᾰμος: apart from reed pen, the meanings include: reed-pipe, flute, fishing-rod, limed twig used by fowlers, shaft of an arrow, measuring-rod, Medic., tube for insufflation. Each of these suggests analogies concerning the action of the Holy Spirit.

[3] My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my works to the king; My tongue is the pen of a scrivener that writeth swiftly. Eructavit cor meum verbum bonum; dico ego opera mea regi. Lingua mea calamus scribae velociter scribentis. [Psalm XLIV 2]

[4] Now these are David's last words. David the son of Isai said: The man to whom it was appointed concerning the Christ of the God of Jacob, the excellent psalmist of Israel said: Haec autem sunt verba David novissima. Dixit David filius Isai : Dixit vir, cui constitutum est de christo Dei Jacob, egregius psaltes Israel : [II Kings XXIII 1]

[5] Acts IV 25.

[6] Hebrews IV 7.

[7] He saith to them: How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? Ait illis : Quomodo ergo David in spiritu vocat eum Dominum, dicens : Dixit Dominus Domino meo : Sede a dextris meis, donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum? Si ergo David vocat eum Dominum, quomodo filius ejus est? [Matth. Xxii 43]

[8] And David himself saith in the book of Psalms: The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand; et ipse David dicit in libro Psalmorum : Dixit Dominus Domino meo : sede a dextris meis. [Luke XX 42]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine's Preface : Part 3 (Division & Order)

Now, concerning the division and order of the Psalter, the Psalms are divided by the Hebrews into five books, as St. Jerome testifies firstly, in his Prologo Galeato and again in his letter To Sophronius, cited above; wherever at the end of a Psalm is written ; “Amen, Amen,” there they reckon is the end of a book; Now “Amen, Amen” is written at the end of Psalms XL, LXXI, LXXXVIII and CV, and they add to these four books a fifth incorporating Psalms CVI to CL. But this tradition of the Hebrews is not in conformity with the sacred Scriptures, and so it is refuted by St. Jerome in his letter To Sophronius which we noted above, and by St. Hilary in his Prologue to the Psalms. The title of the Psalter both in the Hebrew Bible and in the Septuagint edition is The Book of Hymns. In Luke xx, the Lord Himself speaks, saying : “And David himself saith in the book of Psalms: The Lord said to my Lord;”[1] and in Acts I St. Peter speaks, saying : “For it is written in the book of Psalms: Let their habitation become desolate,”[2] etc. The order of the Psalms does not follow the time at which they were written.

Suffice it to say that Psalm III was written when David was fleeing persecution by his son, Absalon; yet Psalm L had been written much earlier, to wit, when David was rebuked by Nathan for his crime of adultery and murder; and Psalm CXLI had been written earlier still, at a time when it is certain that David was hiding in a cave on account of his fear of king Saul; and Psalm CXLIII had been written far earlier, to wit, when David fought with the giant Goliath; finally, it is probable, almost certain, that Psalm LXXI is the last of all in the order of time, since it was written at the beginning of the reign of king Solomon, and after this psalm is added : “The praises of David, the son of Jesse, are ended;”[3] and yet we see this Psalm set not at the end but almost in the middle. Why the Psalms are arranged in the order we now have is not easy to understand. The opinion, however, is not to be rejected of those who say the first fifty psalms, ending with the Miserere mei, Deus,[4] pertain to penitents or neophytes; the next fifty, which finish with the Psalm Misericordiam et judicium cantabo tibi, Domine,[5] pertain to the just who are proficient; and the last fifty, brought to a conclusion by the Psalm Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius,[6] pertain to the men of the highest accomplishment and perfection : it was either Esdras who arranged the Psalms thus, as St. Athanasius in his Synopsis seems to think; or the Septuagint translators, as St. Hilary teaches in his Prologue to the Psalms.

[1] And David himself saith in the book of Psalms: The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand; et ipse David dicit in libro Psalmorum : Dixit Dominus Domino meo : sede a dextris meis. {Luke XX 42]

[2] For it is written in the book of Psalms: Let their habitation become desolate, and let there be none to dwell therein. And his bishopric let another take. Scriptum est enim in libro Psalmorum : Fiat commoratio eorum deserta, et non sit qui inhabitet in ea : et episcopatum ejus accipiat alter. [Acts I 20]

[3] The praises of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. Defecerunt laudes David, filii Jesse. [Psalm LXXI 20] 

[4] Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity. Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam; et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam. [Psalm L]

[5] A psalm for David himself. Mercy and judgment I will sing to thee, O Lord: I will sing. Psalmus ipsi David. Misericordiam et judicium cantabo tibi, Domine; psallam. [Psalm C 1]

[6] Praise ye the Lord in his holy places: praise ye him in the firmament of his power. Alleluja. Laudate Dominum in sanctis ejus; laudate eum in firmamento virtutis ejus. {Psalm CL 1]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine's Preface : Part 2 ("Psalm" & "Psalterium")

I now come to the words Psalmus and Psalterium. Psalterium / Psalter for us means the book of Psalms : St. Augustine uses it in this way in his letter 140 ad Audacem, when he says : “I do not have the Psalter translated by St. Jerome from the Hebrew.” St. Jerome also uses it thus in his letter ad Sophronium on the order and titles of the Psalms : “I know,” he says, “people who think the Psalter is divided into five books.” But in the sacred Scriptures, Psalterium is a musical instrument constructed with ten strings, which in Hebrew is nebel. St. Basil, in his commentary on Psalm I, and St.Augustine in his commentary on Psalm XXXII, state that it differs from the cithara / harp and the lyra /lyre because they produce sound from their lower part but the psalterium[1] produces sound from the upper part. S. Hilary adds, in his Prologue to the Psalms, that the psalterium was a straight instrument, with no curving. Mention of this instrument is very frequent in the sacred Scriptures, and in Psalm XXXII it says of it : “I shall sing to thee on the psalterium of ten strings.”[2] The word Psalm, in Hebrew mizmor, means something sung or a sound : it is derived from the word zamar, which means to sing and to pluck a harp or a psalterium, in the same way indeed as the word ψἁλλω[3] among the Greeks. On the meaning of plucking with the hands, that is, plucking an instrument, we have I Kings xvi : “(thy servants) ... will seek out a man skillful in playing on the harp, that when the evil spirit from the Lord is upon thee, he may play with his hand.”[4]

The same is found in chapter xvii, xviii and elsewhere. On the meaning of psallendi voce, that is, singing, we have Psalm XXXII : “Sing well unto him with a loud noise;”[5] and with the Apostle in I Corinth. xiv : “I will sing with the spirit, I will sing also with the understanding,”[6] that is, I will sing with the spirit of the mouth, singing with my bodily voice the praises of God, and I will sing with the spirit of the heart, desiring and loving God’s glory. The following is of interest in the writings of St. Hilary and St. John Chrysostom, both authors of a Prologue to the Psalms, namely the difference between a Psalm and a Canticle, and between a Psalm of a Canticle and a Canticle of a Psalm : a Psalm is the sound of the instrument alone, without any human voice singing; a Canticle is the voice of a man singing without the music of the instrument; a Psalm of a Canticle is when the Psalm follows on from a prior Canticle; a Canticle of a Psalm is when a voice singing imitates the previous sound. Now the Psalms of David do not refer to just any song or music, but to that which offers harmonious praises to God, or prayers to God, or an exhortation to virtue; not empty fables, lustful love-stories or flatteries of princes. Hence, the book of Psalms is written in Hebrew as sepher thehillim, that is, the book of hymns, or of divine praises; and at the end of Psalm LXXI, which is the last of all the Psalms that David sang, we read : the praises (that is, the prayers) of David have run out.  For the majority of the Psalms contain either praises of God, or prayers to God, or both at the same time : although there are a few which are wholly taken up with exhorting men to virtue, such as the first Psalm and a few others.

[1] psalterium :A small ancient or medieval stringed instrument, trapezoidal or rectangular in shape and played like a harp or lyre. Later also: a similar instrument with a sounding board or box; = psaltery n. 1. historical in later use. OED. 

[2] Give praise to the Lord on the harp; sing to him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings. Confitemini Domino in cithara; in psalterio decem chordarum psallite illi.[Psalm XXXII 2]

[3]  ψάλλω, to touch sharply, to pluck, pull, twitch

[4] Let our lord give orders, and thy servants who are before thee will seek out a man skillful in playing on the harp, that when the evil spirit from the Lord is upon thee, he may play with his hand, and thou mayest bear it more easily. Jubeat dominus noster, et servi tui, qui coram te sunt, quaerent hominem scientem psallere cithara, ut quando arripuerit te spiritus Domini malus, psallat manu sua, et levius feras. [ I Kings xvi 16]

[5] Sing to him a new canticle, sing well unto him with a loud noise. Cantate ei canticum novum; bene psallite ei in vociferatione. [Psalm XXXII 3]

[6] What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the understanding; I will sing with the spirit, I will sing also with the understanding. Quid ergo est? Orabo spiritu, orabo et mente : psallam spiritu, psallam et mente. [I Corinth. xiv 15]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine's Preface : Part 1 Their Excellence

 Preface

Before we come to the commentaries on each of the Psalms, a few words of explanation would seem to be in order. Firstly, on the excellence of the Psalms; secondly on the words Psalm and Psaltery; thirdly, on the division and ordering of the Psalms; and fourthly, on the Author. 

Their excellence may be understood both from the subject matter and from the form and kind of the writing used. The book of Psalms is like a compendium and summation of the entire Old Testament : for whatever Moses handed on about history, or gave as a commandment of the law, and whatever the other Prophets wrote, either exhorting men to virtue or prophesying future things, all this is contained in a very summary form in the Psalms of David. 

In Psalms VIII, LXXVII, CIII, CIV, CXXXIV and others, he  sets forth very clearly the creation of the world, the doings of the Patriarchs, the Egyptian captivity, the plagues in Egypt, the wanderings of the people in the wilderness, the entry into the Promised Land, and such like. In Psalm CXVIII he sets out with wondrous praises the divinely inspired law handed down by God and fervently urges all to keep it. 

In Psalms II, XV, XXI, XLIV, LXVIII, LXXI and others, he openly prophesies the kingdom of Christ, His origins, preaching, miracles, His passion, Resurrection, Ascension, and the growth of the Church, in such a way that David seems to have been an Evangelist rather than a Prophet. 

Finally, in Psalm I and practically all those that follow, he exhorts to virtues, restrains from vices, invites, attracts, warns, frightens; and all these things are not simply presented in a simple narrative but in various kinds of song, with poetic phrasing, and with most numerous and admirable metaphors, so that in the end, by a new kind of speech, he so enraptures souls with love and praise for God, that nothing sweeter or more salutary could be sung or heard. St. Basil rightly says in his commentary on the first Psalm that David’s Psalms could elicit tears from a heart of stone; St. John Chrysostom too, in his commentary of Psalm CXXXVII, affirms that those who sing the Psalms fittingly lead choirs with the Angels and rival them, as it were, in their praises and love.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 148 : Verse 14 (conclusion)

Verse 14

A hymn to all his saints: to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him. Alleluia.

Hymnus omnibus sanctis ejus; filiis Israel, populo appropinquanti sibi. Alleluja.

This is the conclusion of the Psalm, as though he were to say : Therefore the hymn to be sung to God is chiefly for all his saints, that is, all those dedicated and consecrated to God, namely, the children of Israel, who are the people coming closer than all others to God through true knowledge, faith, , and true worship and adoration, through true filial trust and love. But, as St. Augustine teaches, these words are spoken not of the children of Israel according of the flesh but to the children of Israel according to the spirit, for in fact the children of Israel according to the flesh were stiff-necked and did not come close to God. For thus speaks St. Stephen the Protomartyr in Acts vii: “You always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you also. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them who foretold of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers;”[1] the Apostle in Romans ix shows who are the true children of Israel approaching the Lord when he says ; “For all are not Isrælites that are of Israel: Neither are all they that are the seed of Abraham, children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called,”[2] that is, not those who are children of the flesh are the children of God, but those who are children of the promise are reckoned to be of the seed (of Abraham); and in Romans iv, he writes that they belong to the children of Abraham who seek after and follow in the steps of the faith of Abraham our father, be they circumcised or uncircumcised. For we should not exclude all those who Isrælites according to the flesh ; otherwise we should exclude the Prophets and the Apostles; but we exclude those who are only children of Israel according to the flesh , and not according to the spirit; such were those to whom St. Stephen was speaking in the text cited above, and to whom the Lord’s Precursor said ; “Ye offspring of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come?”[3] and “Do not begin to say, We have Abraham for our father;”[4] and to whom the Lord Himself said : “If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham;”[5] and : “You are of your father the devil.”[6] Finally, such are they who, having denied the Lord, were scattered amongst the nations and live in this world with no king, with no priesthood and with no God.

[1] You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you also. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them who foretold of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers: Dura cervice, et incircumcisis cordibus, et auribus, vos semper Spiritui Sancto resistitis; sicut patres vestri, ita et vos.  Quem prophetarum non sunt persecuti patres vestri? Et occiderunt eos qui praenuntiabant de adventu Justi, cujus vos nunc proditores et homicidæ fuistis :  [Acts vii 51-2]

[2] Not as though the word of God hath miscarried. For all are not Israelites that are of Israel: Neither are all they that are the seed of Abraham, children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called:  Non autem quod exciderit verbum Dei. Non enim omnes qui ex Israel sunt, ii sunt Israelitæ : neque qui semen sunt Abrahae, omnes filii : sed in Isaac vocabitur tibi semen : 

[3] He said therefore to the multitudes that went forth to be baptized by him: Ye offspring of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come? Dicebat ergo ad turbas quæ exibant ut baptizarentur ab ipso : Genimina viperarum, quis ostendit vobis fugere a ventura ira? [Luke iii 7]

[4] Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of penance; and do not begin to say, We have Abraham for our father. For I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Facite ergo fructus dignos poenitentiae, et ne coeperitis dicere : Patrem habemus Abraham. Dico enim vobis quia potens est Deus de lapidibus istis suscitare filios Abrahæ. [Luke iii 8]

[5] They answered, and said to him: Abraham is our father. Jesus saith to them: If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham. Responderunt, et dixerunt ei : Pater noster Abraham est. Dicit eis Jesus : Si filii Abrahæ estis, opera Abrahæ facite. [John xxxix 39]

[6] You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. Vos ex patre diabolo estis : et desideria patris vestri vultis facere. Ille homicida erat ab initio, et in veritate non stetit : quia non est veritas in eo : cum loquitur mendacium, ex propriis loquitur, quia mendax est, et pater ejus. [John xxxix 44]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 148 : Verses 11-13

 Verses 11 & 12

Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth: Young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord: For his name alone is exalted.

reges terrae et omnes populi, principes et omnes judices terrae; juvenes et virgines, senes cum junioribus laudent nomen Domini, quia exaltatum est nomen ejus solius.

Finally, he calls upon humankind to praise God, and so that he includes all people, he enumerates three different categories of people, according to their power, their sex and their age. “Kings of the earth,” he says,  “and all people,” that is, they who rule and they who obey; and since those who rule are not all of the same rank, but some are over others, he adds : “ Princes,” namely the supreme rulers, “ and all judges,” who have their authority from the princes, and here there is a difference in power. “Young men and maidens,” that is, men and women who belong to the two sexes; “the old with the younger,” which refers to a difference in age. All people, therefore, whether princes or private individuals, men or women, old people or young people, are to praise the name of the Lord, since “his name alone is exalted,”  that is, since there is no name truly sublime and worthy of all praise, except the name of the Lord. For created things, even if they are great, are nothing when compared to the greatness of the Lord; and whatever greatness and excellence they possess, they get it from Him who alone is rightly named and is the Most High.

Verse 13

The praise of him is above heaven and earth: and he hath exalted the horn of his people.

Confessio ejus super caelum et terram; et exaltavit cornu populi sui.

He gives for having said : “His name alone is exalted,” for,he says, “The praise of him is above heaven and earth,” that is, because all things which are in heaven and on earth declare His praises : and so heaven and earth are full of His glory; or, as Habacuc says : “His glory covered the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise;”[1] and so “his name alone is exalted… and he hath exalted the horn of his people,” that is, He, through Himself alone, sublime and exalted, has exalted the power and glory of His people Israel, because he chose them to be His particular people, and he gave them divine laws written with His own finger, and took care of them with a special providence. 

[1] Habacuc iii 3.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bellarmine on Psalm 148 : Verses 8-10

Verse 8

Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds which fulfill his word:

ignis, grando, nix, glacies, spiritus procellarum, quae faciunt verbum ejus;

From the depths of the waters he passes to the air, where fires are found, that is, thunderbolts and lightning flashes; also, hail, snow and ice; also storm winds, that is, violent blasts which produce storms and carry massive rainstorms with them, all of which “fulfill his word,” that is, obey His command; the Holy Spirit wished this last to be added [i.e., that they obey God’s commands] in case he might be suspected of being a manichæan [1] or atheist, viewing these as evils which might bring great calamities on men; or that someone by chance should be struck down by lightning, or that hailstones should destroy the vines, or that vessels should be lost through the force of the winds. Accordingly, God uses these things as instruments of His justice or of His mercy, for punishing the wicked or instructing the good, and for this reason these things do not occur by chance, no should they be said to be evil things, but rather good since they serve the good God.

Verses 9 & 10

Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars: Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:

montes, et omnes colles; ligna fructifera, et omnes cedri; bestiae, et universa pecora; serpentes, et volucres pennatae;

From the air he now returns to the earth and he lists first of all the parts of the earth that stand out, the mountains and hills, with which should be included the open fields and valleys : for there can be no mountains and hills without fields and valleys. Next, he moves on to those things that spring up from the earth, and he mentions firstly the trees that produce fruit, then those that do not, such as the cedar, which are however necessary for building houses and ships. Next, his speech turns to animals that inhabit the earth, and he mentions briefly the kinds of animals, the wild animals, beasts of burden and domestic cattle, the serpents that crawl on the ground, and the birds that fly through the air. And he calls upon all these to praise God, not because they know how to think and pray, but so that men, considering the use they can make of them, may praise God and offer thanks due to Him. But, you may ask, what benefit is derived from the wild beasts, the serpents, the lions, the flies and gnats? A very great benefit is derived from these animals, for they may inspire terror in us, as do the lions and serpents; or they may be a nuisance to us, as in the case of the flies and the gnats. For they teach us humility, for in our memory we recall the disobedience and pride of our first parents , transmitted through generation, on account of which we have lost in great part man’s dominion over animals. 

[1] Manichæism is a religion founded by the Persian Mani in the latter half of the third century. It purported to be the true synthesis of all the religious systems then known, and actually consisted of Zoroastrian Dualism, Babylonian folklore, Buddhist ethics, and some small and superficial, additions of Christian elements. As the theory of two eternal principles, good and evil, is predominant in this fusion of ideas and gives color to the whole, Manichæism is classified as a form of religious Dualism. Catholic Encyclopedia. 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.