Psalm 14
a. Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo? aut quis requiescet in monte sancto
tuo?
Lord, who shall dwell in your tabernacle? or rest on your holy mountain?
b. Qui ingreditur sine macula, et operatur iustitiam. Qui loquitur veritatem
in corde suo, qui non egit dolum in lingua sua.
He who enters without blemish, and does justice. He who speaks the truth in
his heart, and has not brought about deceit in his speech.
c. Nec fecit proximo suo malum, et opprobrium non accepit adversus proximos
suos.
He who has done no evil to his fellow man, and accepts no reproach against his
neighbours.
d. Ad nihilum deductus est in conspectu eius malignus: timentes autem Dominum
glorificat.
In his sight, the wicked are brought to nothing; but he glorifes those that
fear the Lord.
e. Qui iurat proximo suo et non decipit, qui pecuniam suam non dedit ad usuram,
et munera super innocentem non accepit. Qui facit haec, non commovebitur in
aeternum.
He who swears an oath to his neighbour, and does not break it; he who has not
given his money to usury, nor taken bribes against the innocent. He who does
these things, shall not be moved forever.
a. Supra Psalmista egit de malitia et
dolo adversariorum; hic agit de propria iustitia. Et primo ostendit qualis sit
iustitia quam Deus acceptat. Secundo, quasi gratias agens ostendit qualis sit
sua iustitia, ibi, Conserva me.
Previously, the psalmist treated of the malice and deceit of his enemies. Here,
he treats of proper justice. First, he shows what kind of justice God accepts,
and then, as one giving thanks, he shows the quality of His justice, at, Preserve
me (Psalm 15).
Titulus, Psalmus David. In Psalmo isto
duo facit: nam quasi sacerdos existens coram Deo consulit Deum. Primo ponitur
quaestio. Secundo expositio, ibi, Qui ingreditur
sine macula.
In this psalm (the title of which is A Psalm
of David), he does two things. Inasmuch as he consults with God, like
a priest standing in God's presence, he first poses a question, and then offers
an explanation, at, He who enters without blemish.
Praemittit ergo duplicem quaestionem, quia duplex est status praesentis ecclesiae,
et futurae. Primus est militantium: Apoc. 14.
Amodo iam dicit spiritus ut requiescant. Et hi duo status signati sunt
in veteri testamento. Quia primo habuerunt tabernaculum: Ex.
26. Quamdiu habuerunt et labores: 2. Reg. 7. Factum est cum dedisset Dominus
requiem David ab universis inimicis suis, dixit ad Nathan: Vides quod ego habitem
in domo cedrina, et i posita est in medio pellium? Postea fecit templum,
quando habuit pacem.
So, he puts forth two questions because of the two-fold status of the Church,
that is, in the here and now, and in the future. The first refers to the Church
as it struggles on this earth, the Church Militant - Apocalypse
14: From henceforth now, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours
- and both are indicated in the Old Testament. For at first they had
the tabernacle - ??: For a long time they had
wars and labours; 2 Kings 7: It came to pass that when the Lord had given David
rest from all of his enemies, he said to Nathan: Do you see that I dwell in
a house of cedar and that the ark of God is lodged within skins? Afterwards,
he made the temple, when there was peace.
Per tabernaculum designatur ecclesia militans, per templum in monte factum status
futurae vitae: et ideo dicit, Quis habitabit
in tabernaculo tuo, idest in praesenti ecclesia; quasi dicat, quis est
dignus habitare: peccatores enim habitant numero, non merito. Hieronymus habet,
Quis peregrinabitur: Ps. 67. Habitare facit
unamines in domo.
By the tabernacle is designated the Church as it struggles on this earth, and
by the temple on the mount, the state of its future life. Thus he says, Who
shall dwell in your tabernacle, that is, in the Church of the present,
as if he were saying, Who is worthy to dwell: for sinners dwell among the multitude,
and not among the deserving. Jerome's version has, Who
will be absent from - Psalm 67: (God) who makes men of one manner to dwell in
a house.
Secunda quaestio, Quis requiescet in monte
santo tuo? Et dicitur mons sanctus, quia nihil est ibi coinquinatum:
Hier. 31. Benedicat tibi Dominus, pulchritudo
iustitiae, mons sanctus: Isa. 35. Via sancta vocabitur: Ex. 15. Introduces eos,
et plantabis in monte haereditatis tuae, firmissimo habitaculo tuo quod operatus
es Domine.
The second question is Who shall rest on your
holy mountain? The mountain is called holy because there is nothing defiled
there - Jeremias 31: The Lord bless you, the
beauty of justice, the holy mountain; Isaiah 35: It shall be called the holy
way; Exodus 15: You shall bring them in, and plant them on the mountain of your
inheritance, in your most firm habitation which you have made, O Lord.b.Qui.
Hic ponitur responsio: et circa hoc duo facit. Primo commemorat merita habitantium
in praedictis locis, scilicet in tabernaculo, et in monte sancto Dei. Secundo
praemium, ibi, Qui facit haec, non commovebitur
in aeternum.He who. At this point, he gives his
response in a two-fold manner. First, he mentions the merits of those living
in the previously mentioned places, namely in the tabernacle and on God's holy
mountain, and secondly, their reward, at, He
who does these things, shall not be moved forever.
Ponit autem decem effectus virtutum. Sed actio virtuosi consideratur dupliciter.
Primo per comparationem ad se. Secundo per comparationem ad alios.
While he describes ten effects of virtue, the action of the virtuous is considered
in a two fold way, first, through a comparison with their own action, and secondly,
with that of others.
Primo proponit ea, per quae homo bene operatur in se. Secundo ea per quae se
bene habet ad proximum, ibi, Nec fecit proximo
suo etc. In se, quantum ad exteriora, in opere, et in locutione. In opere,
quantum ad duo. Primo, quod fugiat malum; et ideo dicit, Qui
ingreditur sine macula. Vita ista quaedam via est ad vitam aeternam;
et ideo dicit, Ingreditur, idest in
via graditur: Ps. 41. Ingrediar in locum tabernaculi.
Item 118. Beati immaculati in via. Sine
macula, scilicet mortali, quia peccatum veniale non habet maculam proprie:
Eccl. 31. Beatus dives qui inventus est sine
macula. Sed in Christo, et in Virgine Maria nulla omnino macula fuit,
et istis appropriatur temperantia, quia contra temperantiam maculatur. Secundo,
ut faciat bona; et ideo sequitur, Et operatur
iustitiam, idest ea ad quae iustitia inclinat; et reducitur ad eam prout
est specialis virtus.
He first describes those things through which a man operates well as such, and
then those things through which he is well-related to his neighbour, at, He
who has done no evil to his fellow man etc. With respect to the former,
his activity and speech are described in relation to exterior things. His activity
is described in two ways. First, that he avoid evil. Thus, he says, He
who enters without blemish. His very life is a sort of road to eternal
life. Thus, he says, He who enters,
that is, he who walks in the way - Psalm 41:
I will go into the place of the tabernacle; Psalm 118: Blessed are the undefiled
in the way. Without blemish, namely mortal sin, since venial sin does
not blemish properly speaking - Ecclesiasticus
31: Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish. But no blemish
at all arose in Christ and the Virgin Mary; temperance is attributed to both,
since a person in opposition to temperance is blemished. Second, that he do
good works. Hence he continues, And does justice,
that is, those things to which justice inclines. And he is brought to
justice as it is a special virtue.
In sermone, primo, ut faciat bonum, Qui loquitur
veritatem, idest faciat bonum locutionis: Isa.
33. Quis poterit habitare ex vobis cum ardoribus sempiternis? Qui ambulat
in iustitiis, et loquitur veritatem. Et dicit, In
corde, contra illos qui loquuntur veritatem a casu, non ex proposito:
Prov. 12. Labium veritatis firmum erit: 1 Pet.
2. Deponentes omne mendacium, et omnem dolum, quasi modo geniti infantes. Secundo,
ut vitet malum, scilicet dolositatem: Hier.
9. Sagitta vulnerans lingua eorum, dolum locuta est.
His speech is described next, first, that he do good, He
who speaks the truth, namely, that he do good through his speech - Isaiah
33: Which of you shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He who walks
in just ways, and speaks the truth, In his
heart, against those who speak the truth by chance, and not by their
own effort - Proverbs 12: The lip of truth
shall be steadfast; 1 Peter 2: Laying aside every lie and deceit, as newborn
babes. Secondly, that (in his speech) he avoid evil , namely deceitfulness
- Jeremiah 9: Their tongue is a piercing arrow,
deceitful is their speech.Qui non egit dolum in lingua sua. Alia
litera, Qui non est facilis in lingua sua:
Prov. 25. Urbs patens et absque murorum ambitu, vir qui non potest in loquendo
coercere spiritum suum. Alia litera, Et
non est accusatio in lingua eius, quia scilicet non est detractor et
relator, vel quia verba sua non sunt accusabilia: Eph.
4. Omnis sermo malus de ore vestro non procedat.And has not brought about deceit
in his speech.
Another version has, And is not free in his
speech - Proverbs 25: As a city that lies open and is not encircled with walls,
so is a man that cannot restrain his own spirit in speaking. Another
version has, And there is no accusation in
his speech, either because he is not a detractor and a gossip, or his
words are not reprehensible - Ephesians 4:
Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth.c. Nec
fecit. Supra egit Psalmista de virtuosa operatione quam Deus acceptat,
connumerando per quae homo bene operatur in se; hic autem connumerat ea, per
quae se bene habet ad proximum.
He who has done no evil. Previously,
the psalmist treated of virtuous activity which God accepts. He did this by
enumerating those activities by which a man operates well with respect to himself.
Here, however, he enumerates those activities through which he is well-related
to his neighbour.
Et hic quantum ad proximum petit tria. Primo, ut ei non noceat. Secundo, quod
non consentiat nocenti: Rom. 1. Qui talia agunt,
regnum Dei non consequentur; sed digni sunt morte non solum qui faciunt ea,
sed etiam qui consentiunt facientibus. Tertio, quod non decipiat ipsum.
He describes three things with respect to his neighbour. First, that he do him
no harm, second, that he not consent to harm - Romans
1: Those who do such things, do not obtain the kingdom of god; they are worthy
of death, not only those that do these acts, but they also that consent to those
that do them - and third, that he not ensnare him.
Dicit ergo quantum ad primum, Nec fecit proximo
suo malum, nec corporaliter, nec spiritualiter: Rom.
12. Nulli malum pro malo reddentes: Col. ult. Dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum.
Therefore, he says with respect to the first, He
who does no evil to his fellow man, neither corporally or spiritually:
Romans 12: To no man rendering evil for evil;
Galatians 6: While we have time, let us work good.
Quantum ad secundum dicit, Et opprobrium non
accepit adversus proximos suos. Aliquis dicit aliquid contra alius, sed
non est sustinendum; et ideo dicit, Opprobrium
non accepit, tunc scilicet, quando ille qui audit verba detractoria contra
eum, et ex his detestatur illum, de quo di ur, vel etiam ipse dicit aliis: Eccl.
19. Audisti verbum contra proximum tuum, commoriatur in te etc. Eccl.
28. Sepi aurem tuam spinis, et noli audire linguam nequam.
With respect to the second, he says, And has
accepted no reproach against his neighbours. People say things against
another, but such are not to be endured. For this reason he says, And
has accepted no reproach, that is, at that time, when he hears disparaging
words against another, on account of these words he destests that man, concerning
which they are said, or he even speaks to them (these words) - Eccl.
19: You have heard a word against your neighbour; let it die in you etc.;
??? (psalm 57:5-6, proverbs 17:4): Close your
ear to intricacies, and do not listen to vile speach.
Hieronymus: Si non est auditor, non est detractor.
Bernardus: Detrahere aut detrahentem
audire, quid horum damnabilius sit, non facile dixero: Prov. 25. Ventus aquilo
dissipat pluviam, et facies tristis linguam detrahentem, quia ad literam
detrahens cessat cum audiens contristatur.
Jerome says, If one is not a listener, one
is not a detractor. Bernardus states, I
cannot easily say which is more deserving of condemnation, to disparage, or
to listen to one disparaging. Proverbs 25: The north wind disperses the rain,
and a sad face the speech of one disparaging, since disparaging litterally
ceases when the one listening is saddened.
d.Ad
nihilum. Hic ostendit quod non despiciat. In homine sunt duo, scilicet
vitium et virtus. Vitium est despiciendum; et ideo dicit Malignus,
inquantum talis, Ad nihilum est deductus,
idest nihil reputatur; et hoc est bonum. Primo ad tollendum aemulationem: quandoque
enim aliquis malus exaltatur: Hier. 12. Via
impiorum prosperatur etc.
To nothing. At this point, he shows
what he will not despise. There are two things which pertain to man, namely
sin and virtue. Sin is to be despised; and thus he says The
wicked, insofar as that sort, are brought
to nothing, that is, are considered as nothing. And this is good, first
to eliminate the imitation (of their ways); for an evil is sometimes honoured
- Jeremias 12: The way of the wicked prospers
etc.
Sed propter hoc nullo modo debet eum reputare magnum, sed debet eum despicere:
Mala. 2. Gloria hominis peccatoris stercus
et vermis est: hodie extollitur et eras non invenitur, quia conversus est in
terram, et cogitatio eius periit.
However, according to this, one ought never to consider him great, but ought
to despise him - Malachi 2: The glory of man's
sin is dung and worm: today it is exalted and tomorrow it is not found,because
he has lived on the land, and his thought
has perished.
Vel aliquis magnus intendit nocere, sed ex quo est malignus contemnas eum: quia
talium derogatio est nostrae vitae adprobatio: Ps.
26. Si consistant adversum me castra, non timebit cor meum, idest peccatores.
Or a great person intends to do harm, but because he is wicked, you despise
him: for that sort of disparagement is an approving of our life - Psalm
26: If an army, that is, sinners, persists
against me, my heart will not fear.
Sed virtuosum hominem reputa magnum; ideo dicit, Timentes
autem Dominum glorificat: Eccl. 25. Quam magnus est qui invenit sapientiam et
scientiam, sed non est super timentem Dominum.
But the virtuous man is consider to be great; thus he says, But
he glorifies those that fear the Lord - Eccl. 25: How great is he who finds
wisdom and knowledge, but there is none above him who fears the Lord.
Glossa aliter exponit, Ad nihilum deductus
est in conspectu eius malignus, idest diabolus vinctus est ab eo: Io.
2. Vicistis malignum etc. Dominus glorificat timentes Dominum, scilicet
se. Sed prima expositio est magis literalis.
The gloss explains this differently: In his
sight, the wicked are brought to nothing, that is, the devil is conquered
by him - John 2: You have conquered the wicked
etc. The Lord glorifies those who fear the Lord, namely himself. However, the
first explanation is the more literal one.
e. Hic prohibet ne decipiat proximum.
In tribus autem proximus decipitur, videlicet in promissis, et hoc per iuramentum;
et ideo dicit, Qui iurat etc., idest
firmat ad decipiendum, quia non servat: Zach.
8. Iuramentum mendax non diligas: Levi. 14. Non periurabis in nomine Dei tui,
et non pollues illud. Iurare non pertinet ad virtutem, sed iuramentum
servare.
Here, he holds back so that he does not deceive his neighbour. One's neighbour
is deceived in three ways. First, in promisses, and this, through an oath; thus
he says, He who swears an oath etc.,
that is, assents so as to deceive, because he does not comply - Zachariah
8: You do not love the deceitful oath; Leviticus 14: You will not swear falsely
in the name of the your God, nor will you defile it. Swearing does not
pertain to virtue, but rather to the keeping of an oath.
Item in contractibus. Unde Qui pecuniam suam
non dedit ad usuram: Luc. 6. Mutuum date, nihil inde sperantes: et munera super
innocentem non accepit: Prov. 17. Munera de sinu, idest ecclesiae, impius
accepit, ut pervertat semitas iudicii: Deut. 23. prohibetur quod non
detur fratri ad usuram, quia vendit quod non est, cum non habeat usumfructum.
Secondly, in agreements. So, He who has not
given his money to ursury - Luke 6: Give a loan, hoping nothing in return: and
do not accepts bribes against the innocent; Proverbs 17: The wicked accept gifts
from the bosom, that is, from the Church, to
corrupt the path of the judge;Deuteronomy
23 forbids that it be given to a brother in usury, because he sells what
does not exist, although he does not have usufruct (the right of enjoying the
use and advantages of another's property short of the destruction or waste of
its substance).
Item in iudiciis, quando dat sententiam contra innocentes; et ideo dicit, Et
munera: Isa. 5. Vae qui iustificatis impios propter munera: Iob 19. Ignis devorabit
tabernacula eorum, qui munera libenter accipiunt.
Thirdly, in judgments, when he gives a statement against the innocent; and thus
he says, And bribes - Isaiah 5: Woe to those
who justify wicked deeds on account of bribes; Job 19: Fire will devour the
dwellings of those who readily accept bribes.
Consequenter ponitur praemium, Qui fecit, idest
servat: Haec, omnia praedicta: Iac.
1. Estote factores verbi: Rom. 2. Non auditores legis iusti sunt apud Deum,
sed factores.
Consequently, he sets down a reward (for the one)
who doesthese things, that is
who observes all of the aforesaid - Jacob 1:
Be doers of the word; Romans 2: The hearers of the law are not justifed before
God, but rather the doers.Non commovebitur in aeternum, idest
hic habitabit in monte sancto meo: Infra 124.
Qui confidunt in Domino sicut mons Syon etc. Ps.
54. Non dabis in aeternum fluctuationem iusto.Shall not be moved forever, that
is,
this person will dwell on my holy mountain - Psalm
124: He who trusts in the Lord is like Mount Syon etc.; Psalm
54: You will not deliver the just into eternal unrest.
© Stephen Loughlin (sjl1@desales.edu)
The Aquinas Translation Project (http://www4.desales.edu/~philtheo/loughlin/ATP/index.html)
