Super Psalmo 2 Psalm 2 Quare fremuerunt gentes Why have the gentiles raged? ^2:1 Quare fremuerunt gentes, et populi meditati sunt inania? ^2:2 Astiterunt reges terrae, et principes convenerunt in unum adversus dominum, et adversus Christum ejus. ^2:1 Why have the gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things? ^2:2 The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against his Christ. ^2:3 Dirumpamus vincula eorum, et projiciamus a nobis jugum ipsorum. ^2:3 Let us break their bonds apart, and let us cast away their yoke from us. ^2:4 Qui habitat in caelis irridebit eos, et dominus subsannabit eos. ^2:5 Tunc loquetur ad eos in ira sua, et in furore suo conturbabit eos. ^2:4 He who dwells in heaven shall laugh at them and the Lord shall deride them. ^2:5 Then he shall speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage. ^2:6 Ego autem constitutus sum rex ab eo super Sion, montem sanctum ejus, praedicans praeceptum ejus. ^2:6 Now, I am appointed king by him over Zion his holy mountain, preaching his commandment. ^2:7 Dominus dixit ad me: Filius meus es tu; ego hodie genui te. ^2:7 The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; this day I have begotten you. ^2:8 Postula a me, et dabo tibi gentes haereditatem tuam, et possessionem tuam terminos terrae. ^2:8 Ask of me, and I will give you the gentiles for your inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for your possession. ^2:9 Reges eos in virga ferrea, et tamquam vas figuli confringes eos. ^2:9 You shall rule them with a rod of iron, and shall break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” ^2:10 Et nunc, reges, intelligite: erudimini, qui judicatis terram. ^2:10 And now, O kings, understand; receive instruction, you who judge the earth. ^2:11 Servite domino in timore, et exsultate ei cum tremore. ^2:12 Apprehendite disciplinam, ne quando irascatur dominus, et pereatis de via justa. ^2:11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice in him with trembling. ^2:12 Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way. ^2:13 Cum exarserit in brevi ira ejus, beati omnes qui confidunt in eo. ^2:13 When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all those who trust in him. 4. Praemisso psalmo, in quo quasi universaliter descripsit statum et processum humani generis, in hoc procedit ad materiam propriam, scilicet tribulationes suas signantes tribulationes Christi: 4. Having finished the psalm in which he described the state and progress of the human race generally, here he moves on to a specific matter, that is, its tribulations, which signify the tribulations of Christ. et circa hoc tria facit. And he makes three points concerning this. Primo implorat divinum auxilium contra tribulationes imminentes orando. First, by praying, he begs for divine help against impending tribulations. Secundo gratias agit exauditus, et hoc in octavo psalmo: domine dominus noster, quam admirabile est nomen tuum in universa terra? Second, having been heard, he gives thanks; this is in the eighth psalm: O Lord our Lord, how admirable is your name in the whole earth! (Ps 8:2). Tertio ostendit fiduciam inde conceptam, et hoc in decimo psalmo: in domino confido: quomodo dicitis animae meae, transmigra in montem sicut passer. Third, he describes the trust inspired by this help, and he does this in the tenth psalm: in the Lord I trust; how then do you say to my soul, “Fly to the mountain like a sparrow?” (Ps 10:2). In tribulationibus autem potest homo duo petere. Now a man can ask for two things in tribulation: Primo petit ut liberetur. first, to be delivered; Secundo, ut hostes deprimantur; et hoc facit in septimo psalmo: domine Deus meus in te et cetera. second, that his enemies be put down, and he does this in the seventh psalm: O Lord my God, in you have I put my trust: save me from all those who persecute me (Ps 7:2). Circa primum duo facit. Primo implorat auxilium contra tribulantes. In asking to be delivered, he begs for help first against those troubling him; Secundo contra decipere molientes, et hoc in quinto psalmo: verba mea. second, against those planning to mislead him, and he does this in the fifth psalm: give ear, O Lord, to my words . . . cast them out (Ps 5:2, 11). Circa primum tria facit. About those troubling him, he makes three points. Primo commemorat machinationes insurgentium contra ipsum. First, he recalls the machinations of those who rose up against him in the past. Secundo implorat auxilium contra jam insurgentes, et hoc in tertio psalmo: domine quid multiplicati. Second, he implores help against those rising up now, and he does this in the third psalm: why, O Lord, are those multiplied who afflict me? (Ps 3:1). Tertio confidens se exauditum, invitat alios ad confidendum de Deo; et hoc in quarto psalmo: cum invocarem. Third, trusting that he has been heard, he invites others to trust in God, and he does this in the fourth psalm: when I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me (Ps 4:2). Sed attendendum est, quod totus iste psalmus nihil continet de oratione, sed de malitia insurgentium. Now it should be noted that this entire psalm contains nothing about prayer, but only about the malice of those rising up. Circa quem psalmum in generali sciendum est, quod de eo fuit duplex opinio. It should be known about this psalm generally that there were two opinions about it. Quidam enim dixerunt, quod idem est cum primo psalmo: et haec fuit Gamalielis. Et propter hoc dicebant, quod sicut ille psalmus: beatus vir qui et cetera; ita iste quasi pars ipsius finit: beati omnes qui confidunt in eo, ut sit quasi circularis. For some have said that it is all part of the first psalm, and this was the opinion of Gamaliel. And they said that just as that psalm begins, blessed is the man, so this one ends like a part of it, blessed are all those who trust in him, so it is as though coming full circle. Sed contra hoc sunt duo. But there are two arguments against this opinion. Primo quia sic non essent centum quinquaginta psalmi. Sed ad hoc respondetur, quia addunt unum qui invenitur in pluribus Psalteriis: et incipit, pusillus eram et cetera. The first is that then there would not be one hundred and fifty psalms. The response to this is that they add one which is found in many psalters, and it begins, I was small. Et secundo, quia in hebraeo psalmi secundum ordinem literarum ordinantur, ut quotus sit psalmus statim occurrat: nam in primo est Aleph, ad designandum quod sit primus; in secundo est Beth, ut designetur quod sit secundus; in tertio est Gimel, et sic est in aliis. Quia ergo Beth, quae littera est secunda in ordine alphabeti, ponitur in principio hujus psalmi, patet quod est secundus psalmus, et hoc tenet Augustinus. Dicendum est ergo, quod psalmus iste in ordine Psalmorum est secundus, sed primus in titulo: et hic est titulus ejus. But the second argument is that, in the Hebrew, the psalms are organized according to the order of the letters, so that the order is marked immediately where a psalm begins. For at the beginning of the first psalm is an aleph, to signify that it is first; in the second is a bet, to signify that it is second; in the third is a gimel; and so on with the others. Therefore, since bet, which is the second letter in the alphabet, is placed at the beginning of this psalm, it is clear that it is the second psalm, and Augustine holds this opinion. Therefore, it must be said that this psalm is second in the order of the Psalms, but the first to have a title: and this is its title. Psalmus proprie dicitur a psalterio, quod est quoddam instrumentum decachordum, quod manu tangitur: unde dicitur a psallere, quod est manu tangere, et habet tactum a superiori: unde psalmus proprie dicitur canticum, quod David cantabat, vel cantari faciebat ad psalterium. Mystice autem per decachordum psalterium signatur lex Dei, quae in decem praeceptis consistit, et oportet quod tangatur manu, id est bona operatione, et a superiori, quia praecepta sunt implenda propter spem aeternorum, alias tangeretur ex inferiori. Est ergo psalmus David, quia ab eo compositus, et de regno ejus in figura regni Christi agit. Per David enim Christus convenienter significatur, quia David dicitur manu fortis, et Christus Dei virtus, 1 Cor. 1. Dicitur etiam David aspectu desiderabilis, et Christus splendor gloriae, Heb. 1: ipse est in quem desiderant angeli prospicere, 1 Pet. 1. Now the word “psalm” comes from “psaltery,” which is a type of ten-stringed instrument played upon by the hand, so it is named from psallere, which means to play upon with the hand; it is touched from above. Thus a “psalm” means a song that David sang, or asked to be sung, to the “psaltery.” Now, mystically, the ten strings of the psaltery signify the law of God, which consists of ten precepts and should be played by hand (that is, with good works), and from above, since the precepts should be fulfilled because of hope of things eternal—otherwise it would be played from below. And so the psalm is David’s since it was composed by him and treats of his kingdom as a figure of Christ’s. For Christ is fittingly signified through David, since David is said to be strong of hand and Christ the power of God (1 Cor 1:18). For David was attractive in appearance and Christ the brightness of glory (Heb 1:3), on whom the angels desire to look (1 Pet 1:12). Quare fremuerunt gentes, et populi meditati sunt inania? Psalmus iste dividitur in duas partes. Why have the gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things? This psalm is divided into two parts. In prima narratur machinatio molientium contra regnum David et Christi. In the first part, he narrates the machinations of those exerting themselves against the kingdom of David and of Christ. In secunda ponitur eorum repressio, ibi, qui habitat in caelis irridebit eos. In the second, he describes their suppression: he who dwells in heaven shall laugh at them.