Psa 67 | CPDV | STEP | Unto the end. A Canticle Psalm of David himself.

Psalms 67

Exurgat Deus.

The glorious establishment of the church of the New Testament, prefigured by the benefits bestowed on the people of Israel.

1 Unto the end. A Canticle Psalm of David himself.

2 May God rise up, and may his enemies be scattered,
and may those who hate him flee from before his face.
3 Just as smoke vanishes, so may they vanish.
Just as wax flows away before the face of fire,
so may sinners pass away before the face of God.
4 And so, let the just feast, and let them exult in the sight of God and be delighted in gladness.
5 Sing to God, sing a psalm to his name.
Make a path for him, who ascends over the west.
The Lord is his name. Exult in his sight;
they will be stirred up before his face, ^{▼▼67:5 Who ascends upon the west: Super occasum. St. Gregory understands it of Christ, who after his going down, like the sun, in the west, by his passion and death, ascended more glorious, and carried all before him. St. Jerome renders it, who ascends, or comes up, through the deserts.(Challoner)}
6 the father of orphans and the judge of widows. God is in his holy place.
7 It is God who makes men dwell in a house under one custom.
He leads out those who are strongly bound, and similarly,
those who exasperate, who dwell in sepulchers. ^{▼▼67:7This verse refers to men who dwell together under one set of rules (as in a religious order), or under an agreed upon set of behaviors or morals. It indicates harmony, as opposed to conflict.(Conte)
,} ^{▼▼67:7 Of one manner: That is, agreeing in faith, unanimous in love, and following the same manner of discipline. It is verified in the servants of God, living together in his house, which is the church. 1 Tim. 3.15.(Challoner)
,} ^{▼▼67:7 Them that were bound, etc: The power and mercy of God appears in his bringing out of their captivity those that were strongly bound in their sins: and in restoring to his grace those whose behaviour had been most provoking; and who by their evil habits were not only dead, but buried in their sepulchres.(Challoner)}
8 O God, when you departed in the sight of your people,
when you passed through the desert, 9 the earth was moved,
for the heavens rained down before the face of the God of Sinai,
before the face of the God of Israel. ^{▼▼67:9This verse is not saying merely that it rained, but rather that the heaven rained down blessing upon the earth.(Conte)}
10 You will set aside for your inheritance, O God, a willing rain.
And though it was weak, truly, you have made it perfect. ^{▼▼67:10 A free rain: the manna, which rained plentifully from heaven, in favour of God’s inheritance, that is, of his people Israel: which was weakened indeed under a variety of afflictions, but was made perfect by God; that is, was still supported by divine providence, and brought on to the promised land. It agrees particularly to the church of Christ his true inheritance, which is plentifully watered with the free rain of heavenly grace; and through many infirmities, that is, crosses and tribulations, is made perfect, and fitted for eternal glory.(Challoner)}
11 Your animals will dwell in it. O God, in your sweetness,
you have provided for the poor. ^{▼▼67:11 In it, etc: That is, in this church, which is thy fold and thy inheritance, shall thy animals, thy sheep, dwell: where you have plentifully provided for them.(Challoner)}
12 The Lord will give the word to evangelizers, along with great virtue. ^{▼▼67:12 To them that preach good tidings: Evangelizantibus. That is, to the preachers of the gospel; who receiving the word from the Lord, shall with great power and efficacy preach throughout the world the glad tidings of a Saviour, and of eternal salvation through him.(Challoner)}
13 The King of virtue is beloved among the beloved.
And the beauty of the house will divide spoils. ^{▼▼67:13Or, ‘the beloved of the beloved.’(Conte)
,} ^{▼▼67:13 The king of powers: That is, the mighty King, the Lord of hosts, is of the beloved, of the beloved; that is, is on the side of Christ, his most beloved son: and his beautiful house, viz., the church, in which God dwells forever, shall by her spiritual conquests divide the spoils of many nations. The Hebrew (as it now stands pointed) is thus rendered, The kings of armies have fled, they have fled, and she that dwells at home (or the beauty of the house) shall divide the spoils.(Challoner)}
14 If you take your rest in the midst of the clergy,
you will be like a dove whose wings are covered with fine silver and edged with pale gold. ^{▼▼67:14 If you sleep among the midst of lots (intermedios cleros, etc.): Viz., in such dangers and persecutions, as if your enemies were casting lots for your goods and persons: or in the midst of the lots, (intermedios terminos, as St. Jerome renders it,) that is, upon the very bounds or borders of the dominions of your enemies: you shall be secure nevertheless under the divine protection; and shall be enabled to fly away, like a dove, with glittering wings and feathers shining like the palest and most precious gold; that is, with great increase of virtue, and glowing with the fervour of charity.(Challoner)}
15 When heaven discerns kings to be over her,
they will be whitened with the snows of Zalmon. ^{▼▼67:15 Kings over her: That is, pastors and rulers over his church, viz., the apostles and their successors. Then by their ministry shall men be made whiter than the snow which lies on the top of the high mountain Selmon.(Challoner)}
16 The mountain of God is a fat mountain,
a dense mountain, a thick mountain. ^{▼▼67:16 The mountain of God: The church, which, Isa. 2.2, is called The mountain of the house of the Lord upon the top of mountains. It is here called a fat and a curdled mountain; that is to say, most fruitful, and enriched by the spiritual gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost.(Challoner)}
17 So then, why are you distrustful of dense mountains?
The mountain on which God is well pleased to dwell,
even there, the Lord will dwell until the end. ^{▼▼67:17 Why suspect, ye curdled mountains?: Why do you suppose or imagine there may be any other such curdled mountains? You are mistaken: the mountain thus favoured by God is but one; and this same he has chosen for his dwelling for ever.(Challoner)}
18 The chariot of God is ten thousand fold: thousands rejoice.
The Lord is with them in Sinai, in the holy place. ^{▼▼67:18 The chariot of God: Descending to give his law on mount Sina: as also of Jesus Christ his Son, ascending into heaven, to send from thence the Holy Ghost, to publish his new law, is attended with ten thousands, that is, with an innumerable multitude of joyful angels.(Challoner)}
19 You have ascended on high; you have taken captivity captive.
You have accepted gifts among men.
For even those who do not believe dwell with the Lord God. ^{▼▼67:19 Led captivity captive: Carrying away with you to heaven those who before had been the captives of Satan; and receiving from God the Father gifts to be distributed to men; even to those who were before unbelievers.(Challoner)}
20 Blessed is the Lord, day after day.
The God of our salvation will make our journey prosper for us.
21 Our God is the God who will bring about our salvation,
and our Lord is the Lord who has brought an end to death. ^{▼▼67:21This sentence is fairly eloquent in Latin, but a strict translation into English would be inelegant and barely comprehensible. Thus a looser translation is used for this verse than is generally used for other verses.(Conte)
,} ^{▼▼67:21 The issues from death: The Lord alone is master of the issues, by which we may escape from death.(Challoner)}
22 So then, truly, God will break the heads of his enemies,
the hairy skull of those who wander around in their offenses.
23 The Lord said: I will turn them away from Bashan,
I will turn them into the depths of the sea, ^{▼▼67:23 I will turn them from Basan, etc: I will cast out my enemies from their rich possessions, signified by Basan, a fruitful country; and I will drive them into the depth of the sea: and make such a slaughter of them, that the feet of my servants may be dyed in their blood, etc.(Challoner)}
24 so that your feet may be soaked in the blood of your enemies,
so that the tongue of your dogs may be soaked with the same. ^{▼▼67:24Here is an example of a slight departure of the Challoner version from the Clementine Vulgate. The latter contains no reference to the color red, but the former does use the word ‘red.’(Conte)
,} ^{▼▼67:24Note that ‘pes’ in Latin is singular, but the same type of expression in English uses the plural, so the translation uses the plural: ‘feet.’(Conte)}
25 O God, they have seen your arrival, the arrival of my God,
of my king who is in a holy place. ^{▼▼67:25 Thy goings: Thy ways, thy proceedings, by which you formerly took possession of the promised land in favour of thy people; and shalt afterwards of the whole world, which you shall subdue to thy Son.(Challoner)}
26 The leaders went ahead, united with the singers of psalms,
in the midst of girls playing on timbrels. ^{▼▼67:26 Princes: The apostles, the first converters of nations; attended by numbers of perfect souls, singing the divine praises, and virgins consecrated to God.(Challoner)}
27 In the churches, bless the Lord God from the fountains of Israel. ^{▼▼67:27 From the fountains of Israel: From whom both Christ and his apostles sprung. By Benjamin, the holy fathers on this place understand St. Paul, who was of that tribe, named here a youth, because he was the last called to the apostleship. By the princes of Juda, Zabulon, and Nephthali, we may understand the other apostles, who were of the tribe of Juda; or of the tribes of Zabulon, and Nephthali, where our Lord began to preach, Matt. 4.13, etc.(Challoner)}
28 In that place, Benjamin is a youth in ecstasy of mind.
The leaders of Judah are their governors:
the leaders of Zebulun, the leaders of Naphtali.
29 Command by your virtue, O God. Confirm in this place,
O God, what you have wrought in us. ^{▼▼67:29 Command thy strength: Give orders that thy strength may be always with us.(Challoner)}
30 Before your temple in Jerusalem, kings will offer gifts to you.
31 Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds,
a congregation of bulls with the cows of the people,
for they seek to exclude those who have been tested like silver.
Scatter the nations that are pleased by wars. ^{▼▼67:31 Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds: or the wild beasts, which lie hid in the reeds. That is, the devils, who hide themselves in order to surprise their prey. Or by wild beasts, are here understood persecutors, who, for all their attempts against the Church, are but as weak reeds, which cannot prevail against them who are supported by the strength of the Almighty. The same are also called the congregation of bulls (from their rage against the Church) who assemble together all their kine, that is, the people their subjects, to exclude if they can, from Christ and his inheritance, his constant confessors, who are like silver tried by fire.(Challoner)}
32 Ambassadors will come out of Egypt.
Ethiopia will offer in advance her hands to God. ^{▼▼67:32 Ambassadors shall come, etc: It is a prophecy of the conversion of the Gentiles, and by name of the Egyptians and Ethiopians.(Challoner)}
33 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
Sing psalms to the Lord. Sing psalms to God.
34 He ascends, up to the heaven of the heavens, toward the east.
Behold, he will utter his voice, the voice of virtue. ^{▼▼67:34 To the east: From mount Olivet, which is on the east side of Jerusalem.(Challoner)
,} ^{▼▼67:34 The voice of power: That is, he will make his voice to be a powerful voice: by calling from death to life, such as were dead in mortal sin: as at the last day he will by the power of his voice call all the dead from their graves.(Challoner)}
35 Give glory to God beyond Israel. His magnificence and his virtue is in the clouds.
36 God is wonderful in his saints. The God of Israel himself will give virtue and strength to his people. Blessed is God.