Super Psalmo 5 Psalm 5 Verba mea auribus percipe Give ear, O Lord, to my words ^5:1 In finem, pro ea quae haereditatem consequitur. Psalmus David. ^5:2 Verba mea auribus percipe, Domine; intellige clamorem meum. ^5:3 Intende voci orationis meae, rex meus et Deus meus. ^5:4a Quoniam ad te orabo, Domine: ^5:1 Unto the end, for her who obtains the inheritance. A psalm of David. ^5:2 Give ear, O Lord, to my words; understand my cry. ^5:3 Incline to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God. ^5:4a For to you will I pray. ^5:4b mane exaudies vocem meam. ^5:5 Mane astabo tibi, et videbo quoniam non Deus volens iniquitatem tu es. ^5:6 Neque habitabit juxta te malignus, neque permanebunt injusti ante oculos tuos. ^5:4b O Lord, in the morning you shall hear my voice. ^5:5 In the morning I will stand before you, and will see, because you are not a God who wills iniquity. ^5:6 Neither shall the wicked dwell near you nor shall the unjust abide before your eyes. ^5:7 Odisti omnes qui operantur iniquitatem; perdes omnes qui loquuntur mendacium. Virum sanguinum et dolosum abominabitur Dominus. ^5:7 You hate all the workers of iniquity. You will destroy all who speak a lie. The bloody and the deceitful man the Lord will abhor. ^5:8 Ego autem in multitudine misericordiae tuae introibo in domum tuam; adorabo ad templum sanctum tuum in timore tuo. ^5:8 But as for me, in the multitude of your mercy, I will come into your house; I will worship towards your holy temple, in your fear. ^5:9 Domine, deduc me in justitia tua, propter inimicos meos: dirige in conspectu tuo viam meam. ^5:9 Conduct me, O Lord, in your justice, because of my enemies, direct my way in your sight. ^5:10 Quoniam non est in ore eorum veritas: cor eorum vanum est. ^5:11a Sepulchrum patens est guttur eorum, linguis suis dolose agebant. ^5:10 For there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is vain. ^5:11a Their throat is an open sepulcher. They dealt deceitfully with their tongues. ^5:11b Judica illos, Deus. Decidant a cogitationibus suis, secundum multitudinem impietatum eorum expelle eos; quoniam irritaverunt te, Domine. ^5:12b Judge them, O God. Let them fall from their devices. According to the multitude of their wickedness cast them out, for they have provoked you, O Lord. ^5:12 Et laetentur omnes qui sperant in te: in aeternum exsultabunt, et habitabis in eis. Et gloriabuntur in te omnes qui diligunt nomen tuum. ^5:12 But let all be glad who hope in you. They shall rejoice forever, and you shall dwell in them. And all those who love your name shall glory in you. ^5:13 Quoniam tu benedixisti justo. Domine, ut scuto bonae voluntatis tuae coronasti nos. ^5:13 For you have blessed the just. O Lord, you have crowned us as with a shield of your good will. 26. Supra psalmista orationem proposuit contra persequentes manifeste; hic contra dolosos orat, ne decipiatur. 26. Above, the psalmist openly made a prayer against persecutors; here he prays against the deceitful, that he may not be misled. Et circa hoc duo facit. Concerning this, he discusses two things; Primo ponit petitionem contra dolosos, ne decipiatur. first, he makes a prayer against the deceitful, that he may not be deceived; Secundo, ut lapsus reparetur, ibi, domine ne in furore et cetera. and second, asks that, having fallen, he may be renewed: Lord, rebuke me not in your indignation (Ps 6:1). Hic psalmus habet titulum in quo est aliquid novi, qui talis est; in finem pro ea quae consequitur hereditatem. Ubi tangitur figura et mysterium. This psalm has a title in which there is something new, which is unto the end, for her who obtains the inheritance. Here, a figure and a mystery are touched upon. Figura quidem intelligi potest dupliciter. The figure can be understood in two ways. Primo, secundum quod glossa exponit, et habetur in historia Genesis 21, quod Sara videns ludentem Ismaelem cum Isaac filio suo, turbata est, et dixit ad Abraham: ejice ancillam hanc et filium ejus: non enim erit haeres filius ancillae cum filio meo Isaac. Intellexit quidem Sara ludum illum persecutionem esse contra Isaac; Abraham autem dure accepit quod dixerat Sara de filio suo Ismaele; sed dixit ei Deus: non tibi videatur asperum super puero et ancilla tua: omnia quae dixerit tibi Sara, audi vocem ejus, quia in Isaac vocabitur tibi semen, et cetera: quasi dicat: Isaac tibi haeres erit tuus, non Ismael. Unde infra 25, dicitur: dedit Abraham cuncta quae possederat filio suo Isaac, filiis autem concubinarum largitus est munera et cetera. First, according to the explanation of the gloss, and this is found in the history of Genesis: that, when Sarah had seen the son of Hagar the Egyptian playing with Isaac her son, she was disturbed, and said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman, and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac” (Gen 21:9–10). Sarah thought this play involved tormenting Isaac. Now Abraham took grievously what Sarah had said about his son Ishmael (Gen 21:11), but God said to him, “Let it not seem grievous to you for the boy, and for your bondwoman. In all that Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice for in Isaac shall your seed be called (Gen 21:12), as if to say, “Isaac will be your heir, not Ishmael.” So it is said, Abraham gave all his possessions to Isaac, but to the children of the concubines he gave gifts (Gen 25:5–6). Potest ergo hic psalmus referri ad hoc: quod populus Judaeorum secundum figuram consequebatur hereditatem promissam Abrahae, cujus erat caput David, et rex. Secundum mysterium vero populus Christianus: Gal. 4: nos autem, fratres, secundum Isaac promissionis filii sumus. Ergo psalmus iste tendit in finem, id est in Christum quem laudat pro ea, scilicet pro Ecclesia, quae consequitur hereditatem, reprobata synagoga. This psalm can be taken to refer to the fact that the Jewish people, of whom David was the head and king, received the hereditary promise to Abraham, which was symbolically significant. According to the mystery, it is the Christian people: now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise (Gal 4:28). Therefore, this psalm extends to the end, that is, to Christ, whom it praises for her, namely for the Church, which obtains the inheritance, since the synagogue has been cast out. Alio modo, secundum litteram Hieronymi, titulus est, victori pro heredibus canticum David: et sic potest intelligi, quod iste psalmus factus est pro victoria quam David habuit ad litteram. Et sciendum, quod David fugiens haereditatem amisit per Absalonem, sicut habetur 2 Reg. 16. Unde sicut praecedens psalmus fuit pro liberatione et victoria contra Absalonem, ita hunc fecit pro recuperatione hereditatis: quia David reverso in Hierusalem, adhuc malitiose insurrexerant sibi et quidam alii contra eum. Unde 2 Reg. 20, mandavit David Amasae, quod usque in diem tertium convocaret omnes viros Juda, ut persequeretur Siba filium Bochri: quia magis afflicturus est nos filius Bochri quam Absalon. Pertransiverat enim omnes tribus Israel usque Abelam, omnesque electi congregati erant ad eum: quo decapitato regnavit David super omnem Israelem. Taking it in another way, the title according to Jerome’s text is a song of David for the victory for the heirs, and so it can be understood that, in the literal sense, the psalm was made to celebrate a victory of David. And it should be known that, when fleeing, David lost his inheritance through Absalom, as is recounted in 2 Samuel 16. Hence, just as the preceding psalm was on the occasion of his deliverance and victory against Absalom, so he created this one on the occasion of the recovery of his inheritance: when David returned to Jerusalem, some had already maliciously risen up against him and some others were also against him. So David commanded Amasa to gather all the men of Judah by the third day, so he could go after Sheba the son of Bikri, because Sheba the son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did (2 Sam 20:4, 6). Now he had passed through all the tribes until Abel of Bethmaacah, and all the chosen men were gathered together unto him (2 Sam 20:14). When Absalom was decapitated, David reigned over all Israel. In hoc ergo psalmo secundum litteram tria considerantur. Therefore, three things should be considered in regard to the literal sense of this psalm. Primo petit exaudiri. First, he asks to be heard. Secundo ostendit fiduciam suae exauditionis, ibi, mane exaudies. Second, he shows his confidence in being heard, at in the morning you shall hear my voice. Tertio proponit petitionem, ibi, domine deduc me. Third, he makes a petition, at conduct me, O Lord. Circa primum duo facit. Regarding the first, he makes two points. Primo petit exaudiri. First, he asks to be heard. Secundo signat rationem exauditionis, ibi, rex meus. Second, he gives the reason why he will be heard, at O my King. Notandum, quod qui vult petere aliquid ab aliquo, sic procedit. It should be noted that someone who wants to ask something from someone else proceeds in this way: Primo desiderat quod vult petere. first, he desires that for which he wants to ask; Secundo meditatur verba proponenda. second, he considers the words to use; Tertio proponit ea apud exaudientem. third, he proposes them to the one listening. Et e converso auditor. And it is the opposite for the listener: Primo percipit verba auditu. first, through hearing, he perceives the words; Secundo intellectu capit sensum verborum. second, through his mind, he grasps the words; Tertio inclinatur ad implendum desiderium petentis. third, he is moved to fulfill the petitioner’s desire. Loquitur ergo David ad Deum, secundum similitudinem hanc. Therefore, David proceeds this way in speaking to God.