Quam dilecta. The soul aspireth after heaven; rejoicing in the mean time, in being in the communion of God’s church upon earth.
Deuout persons feruently desire eternal glorie, 6. accounting it, in the meane time, a happie state to be in the militant Church, 12. where God first geuing grace, wil geue glorie in the triumphant.
1Unto the end, for the winepresses, a psalm for the sons of Core.Salmo a' figliuoli di Core.Vnto the end, for wine presses, t the children of Core, a Psalme.In finem, pro torcularibus filiis Core. Psalmus. 2How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!Quanto amabili sono i tuoi tabernacoli, o Signor degli eserciti!HOW beloued are thy tabernacles ô Lord of hoastes.Quam dilecta tabernacula tua, Domine virtutum ! 3my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.l'anima mia si consuma pel desiderio di tua magione. Il cuor mio, e la mia carne esultano in Dio vivo.my soule coueteth, and fainteth vnto the courtes of our Lord. My hart, and my flesh haue reioyced toward the liuing God.Concupiscit, et deficit anima mea in atria Domini; / cor meum et caro mea exsultaverunt in Deum vivum. 4For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest for herself where she may lay her young ones: Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God.Perocché la passera si trova una casa, e la tortorella un nido dove riporre i suoi parti. I tuoi altari, Signor degli eserciti, mio re, e mio Dio.For the sparow also hath found her an house: and the turtledoue a nest for her selfe, where she may lay her young ones. Thine altars ô Lord of hoastes: my King, and my God.Etenim passer invenit sibi domum, / et turtur nidum sibi, ubi ponat pullos suos: / altaria tua, Domine virtutum, / rex meus, et Deus meus. 5Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord: they shall praise thee for ever and ever.Beati coloro, che abitano nella tua casa, o Signore: ti loderanno in perpetuo.Blessed are they, that dwel in thy house ô Lord: for euer and euer they shal praise thee.Beati qui habitant in domo tua, Domine; / in sæcula sæculorum laudabunt te. 6Blessed is the man whose help is from thee: in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps,Beato l'uomo, la fortezza del quali è in te: egli nella valle di lagrime ha disposte in cuor suo le ascensioni fino al luogo,Blessed is the man, whose helpe is from thee: he hath disposed ascension in his hart,Beatus vir cujus est auxilium abs te: / ascensiones in corde suo disposuit, 7In the vale of tears, in the place which he hath set.cui egli si fece.in the vaile of teares, in the place, which he hath appointed.in valle lacrimarum, in loco quem posuit. 8For the lawgiver shall give a blessing, they shall go from virtue to virtue: the God of gods shall be seen in Sion.Perocché li benedirà il legislatore: andranno di virtù in virtù: (ad essi) si rivelerà il Dio degli dei in Sionne.For the lawgeuer shal geue blessing, they shal goe from vertue into vertue: the God of goddes shal be seene in Sion.Etenim benedictionem dabit legislator; / ibunt de virtute in virtutem: / videbitur Deus deorum in Sion.
9O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob.Signore Dio degli eserciti, esaudisci la mia orazione: porgi le tue orecchie, o Dio di Giacobbe.Lord God of hoastes heare my prayer: receiue with thine eare ô God of Iacob.Domine Deus virtutum, exaudi orationem meam; / auribus percipe, Deus Jacob. 10Behold, O God our protector: and look on the face of thy Christ.Volgi il tuo sguardo, o Dio protettor nostro, e mira la faccia del tuo Cristo.Behold ô God our protectour: and looke vpon the face of thy Christ.Protector noster, aspice, Deus, / et respice in faciem christi tui. 11For better is one day in thy courts above thousands. I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners.Imperocché vai più un sol giorno nella tua casa, che mille (altrove). Mi sono eletto di essere abbietto nella casa del mio Dio piuttosto, che abitare ne' padiglioni de' peccatori.Because better is one day in thy courtes, aboue thousands. I haue chosen to be an abiect in the house of my God: rather then to dwel t in the tabernacles of sinners.Quia melior est dies una in atriis tuis super millia; / elegi abjectus esse in domo Dei mei / magis quam habitare in tabernaculis peccatorum. 12For God loveth mercy and truth: the Lord will give grace and glory.Imperocché il Signore ama la misericordia, e la verità: il Signore darà la grazia, e la gloria.Because God loueth mercie and truth: our Lord wil geue grace, and glorie.Quia misericordiam et veritatem diligit Deus: / gratiam et gloriam dabit Dominus. 13He will not deprive of good things them that walk in innocence: O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.Ei non priverà dei beni coloro, che camminano nell'innocenza: Signore degli eserciti, beato l'uomo, che spera in te.He wil not depriue them of good thinges, that walke in innocencie: ô Lord of hoastes blessed is the man, that hopeth in thee.Non privabit bonis eos qui ambulant in innocentia: / Domine virtutum, beatus homo qui sperat in te.
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Haydock
Core. See Psalm viii., xli., and lxxx. (Haydock)
Berthier
The Corites were musicians, as well as porters in the temple, 1 Paralipomenon xxvi. They here represent the faithful upon earth, (St. Augustine; Worthington) who sigh after the heavenly Sion. David was animated with these sentiments, more than with the desire of revisiting Jerusalem, during the revolt of his son. (Berthier)
Calmet
This psalm might have been written by him under the persecution of Saul, (Grotius) or it may refer to the captives. (Theodoret) (Calmet)
Berthier
Yet, at those times, the tabernacle was not subsisting on Sion, as it seem to have been when this beautiful piece was composed. (Berthier)
Calmet
The Jews are said to recite it every night, in hopes of seeing Jerusalem rebuilt, and it might very well be used by all Israelites, when they went to celebrate the three great festivals. (Calmet)
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Worthington
Fainteth. The eager desire of heaven sometimes deprives people of external satisfaction, and the body partakes of the inward joy. (Worthington)
Eusebius † AD 339
Living. The idols of Babylon have no life. (Eusebius)
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Bochart
Turtle. Moderns prefer to render "swallows," without reason. (Bochart)
Haydock
Thy altars. They can rest in the ruins of the temple; (Kimchi; Muis) but in that supposition, the altars were destroyed. (Haydock)
Worthington
It seems rather that this is an exclamation, (Berthier) which the enraptured psalmist is unable to conclude, giving us to understand that he desired his asylum and place of rest to be near God's altars, (Haydock) with the angels above, Isaias vi. (Worthington)
Worthington
The faithful soul seeks to dwell in heaven, and in the mean time keeps in the Catholic Church, laying up store of good works. For, out of it, whatever good pagans and heretics may seem to do, by feeding the hungry, etc., as these things are not laid in the nest, they will be trodden under foot, conculcabuntur. (St. Augustine) (Worthington)
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Challoner
In his heart, he hath disposed to ascend by steps, etc., ascensiones in corde suo disposuit. As by steps men ascended towards the eternal temple by certain steps of virtue disposed or ordered within the heart. And this whilst he lives as yet in the body, in this vale of tears, the place which man hath set: that is, which he hath brought himself to: being cast out of paradise for his sin. (Challoner)
Calmet
There is no standing still. "As the saint daily advances, so the sinner daily decreases." (St. Jerome) (Calmet)
Berthier
Hebrew of these three following verses is variously rendered. The Septuagint are the most ancient, and very exact. (Berthier)
St. Augustine
Heart. "The more you love, the higher will you ascend." (St. Augustine)
Haydock
Hebrew, "the paths are in his heart. Passing in the vale of tears, they shall place (or deem) it a fountain. The teacher shall be clothed with benediction. They shall go from strength to strength: they shall appear before God in Sion." (St. Jerome) (Haydock)
Three words occasion the difference: ábri, "passing," means also, "disposing." Septuagint have only used it as a singular, to agree with man, Máin, "a fountain," may have been read máun, "for the place."
Berthier
Al, means, "the God," and "to." (Berthier)
Haydock
Amama says the points are different. But we have often shewn the futility of that objection; which might regulate the versions of the Masorets, but could have no influence on those who lived many ages before their invention. They are neglected here by the authors of Prin. disc., "the God almighty shall appear in Sion." (Haydock)
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Haydock
Tears. Protestants, "Baca." Marginal note, "of mulberry-trees," near Jerusalem, Judges 2:5., and 1 Kings 5:23. (Haydock)
Calmet
It was perhaps used proverbially for any dry place. The Lord had promised to relieve the captives with water, Isaias 35:5., etc. (Calmet)
Calmet
Place. The temple or tabernacle, (Haydock) which the Lord hath appointed. (Calmet)
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Worthington
Blessing. Abundance of water, and other necessaries, (2 Corinthians 9:6.) as well as (Haydock) spiritual graces, which help those who continue in the true Church to arrive at the vision of God. (Worthington)
Calmet
Virtue, or "company," in which manner the Israelites went to the temple. (Calmet)
Menochius
God. And not merely the temple, etc., as here on earth. (Menochius)
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Worthington
Christ. Chaldean, "the Messias," (Berthier) through whom we address all our petitions. (Worthington)
Calmet
Protect thy people, (St. Jerome) and raise up the throne of David. (Calmet)
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Haydock
Thousands elsewhere, (Calmet) among sinners. He is so much affected, as to leave the sentence imperfect, ver. 4. But the meaning is clear. Temporal must yield to eternal happiness. Eternity is all as one point: it has no division of time, which has a thousand parts. (Haydock)
Haydock
Heaven is represented as a palace, (Berthier) in which the blessed enjoy perpetual felicity. (Haydock)
With respect to future rewards, one day in the Church is better than thousands out of it. (Worthington), ver. 4.
Haydock
Abject. Protestants, "door-keeper." Marginal note, "on the threshold." (Haydock)
Haydock
This was the office of the Corites, (Calmet) and they prefer it before the finest occupations among sinners. Hebrew, "the tents of wickedness." (Haydock)
Worthington
The poorest condition in the Catholic Church, is better than the highest dignities which the wicked can bestow. (Worthington)
Haydock
Indeed poverty, and attention to God's service, is the most secure road to heaven, and gives even present content to those who are actuated by the divine spirit. (Haydock)
83:12
Haydock
Truth. He is merciful, and always performs what he has promised: (Menochius) whereas sinners are noted for cruelty and deceit. Hebrew, "the Lord God is a sun and shield." (Haydock)
Berthier
This sense is very good. But Theodotion agrees with the Septuagint, who have read differently, unless they have substituted the thing signified for the figure. (Berthier)
Calmet
Glory, in the next world, (Worthington) or even in this. He will restore us to happiness, and cause even our persecutors to esteem us. (Calmet)
St. Augustine
Donator est indulgentiae, debitor coronae....promittendo. (St. Augustine)
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Worthington
Innocence. After the remission of sin. (Worthington)
83:6
In his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps, etc.... Ascensiones in corde suo disposuit. As by steps men ascended to the temple of God situated on a hill; so the good Christian ascends towards the eternal temple by certain steps of virtue disposed or ordered within the heart: and this whilst he lives as yet in the body, in this vale of tears, the place which man hath set: that is, which he hath brought himself to: being cast out of paradise for his sin.
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For men afflicted in this vale of miserie.
By the children of Core not being musitians (but porters in the temple, 1. Par. 26.) S. Augustin here and in other titles of Psalmes, vnderstandeth the faithful children of Christ.
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The glorious mansions in heauen, which God hath prepared for the iust:
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Vehement desires do sometimes depriue vs of external sense.
The mind reioycing in hope, the bodie is also recreated, releeued, and reuiued, which before was dulle and heauie.
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As sparowes by natural instinct seeking habitations, finde houses to dwel in,
and turtles haue nestes, wherin to lay their young ones: so faithful soules seeke to dwel in heauen, and in the meane time to lay vp good workes within the Catholique Church; out of which (sayth S. Augustin in this place) how good soeuer workes do seme (as when paganes, and heretikes feede the hungrie, cloth the naked, receiue strangers into their houses, visite the sicke, comforte prisoners) being not laid in the nest, conculcabuntur, & conterentur: non seruabuntur, non custodientur: they shal be trodde vnder foote, they shal be bruised in peeces: they shal not be conserued, they shal not be kept: but (that such workes may be profitable and be conserued) they must be donne in true faith, in the Catholique faith, in societie of the vnitie of the Church.
VVorkes are good, and rightly laide vp when they are donne in vnitie, and participation of Gods Altares, the most proper places of Diuine Seruice, of external Sacrifice in this life, and spiritual sacrifice of perfect praises in eternal glorie; whereal Sainctes without ceasing sing: Holie, holie, holie, Lord God of hoastes. Isaiae 6. Apoc. 4.
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The Catholique Church.
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The iust by Gods grace and helpe, may resolue to ascend by steppes and degrees, from vertue to vertue (v. 8.) euen to heauen,
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though he be now in this vaile of teares, by reason of mans sinne, who otherwise was before sinne in paradise, a place of delight:
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Christ our lawgeuer;
geueth abundance of graces,
with continual increase.
but our only omnipotent God, is to be senne by this effect of his grace, in the Church and not elswhere.
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Agreably to this the Church maketh al her petitions, concluding al prayers, By Christ our Lord.
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In respect of the future retribution, which euerie one shal receiue according to their desertes, one day in Gods Church is better then thousands out of it.
And better to be in the poorest state of Catholique Christians, t then in greatest palaces or hieghest dignities amongst sinners.
83:12
The Diuine wisdom so vseth mercie, and veritie, that neither may preiudice the other:
and so geueth grace in this life,
and glorie in the •ext.
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Besides innocencie conserued without sinne, there is also innocencie after remission of sinne, of which the prophet here speaketh.
83:1
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 On the Mortality 23
… For his soul was pleasing to God; wherefore hasted He to take him away from the midst of wickedness.” So also in the Psalms, the soul that is devoted to its God in spiritual faith hastens to the Lord, saying, “How amiable are thy dwellings, O God of hosts! My soul longeth, and hasteth unto the courts of God.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.59
… and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken, and will do it, saith the Lord.” Also in the Wisdom of Solomon: “He was taken away, lest wickedness should change his understanding; for his soul was pleasing to God.” Also in the eighty-third Psalm: “How beloved are thy dwellings, Thou Lord of hosts? My soul desires and hastes to the courts of God.”
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 108.29
… Yet, as though she were leaving strangers to go home to her own people, she whispered the verses of the psalmist: “Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth,” and “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.5
“How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts” (
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Commentary on Galatians 5
… if he did, what would be the sense of the clause immediately following, “for it lusteth,” he says, “against the Spirit?” yet the body moves not, but is moved, is not an agent, but is acted upon. How then does it lust, for lust belongs to the soul not to the body, for in another place it is said, “My soul longeth,” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 10.25
… “My heart and my flesh,” he says, “fail, O God of my heart.” Happy failure, from things below to things above! And hence in another psalm He says, “My soul longeth, yea, even faileth, for the courts of the Lord.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Of Holy Virginity 39
… that I may dwell in the house of the Lord through all the days of my life, that I may consider the delight of the Lord, that I be protected in His temple:” and, “Turn not away Thy face from me:” and, “My soul longeth and fainteth unto the courts of the Lord.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.6
6. And what follows? “My soul longeth and faileth for the courts of the Lord” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.14
14. “For one day in Thy courts is better than a thousand” ( ver. 10 ). Those courts they were for which he sighed, for which he fainted. “My soul longeth and faileth for the courts of the Lord:”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 119.11
81. “My soul hath failed for Thy salvation: and I have hoped because of Thy word” ( ver. 81 ). It is not every failing that should be supposed to be blameable or deserving punishment: there is also a failing that is laudable or desirable.…For it is said of a good failing: “My soul hath a desire and failing to enter into the courts of the Lord.”
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St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On the Making of Man 22.7
… Even the prophet’s soul fainted with desire, and in his psalm he confesses this passionate love, saying that his “soul hath a desire and longing to be in the courts of the Lord
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 11.1
… Or if through pride you say that you are mountains, I had indeed need to be a sparrow winged with the powers and commandments of God: but these very things hinder my flying to these mountains, and placing my trust in proud men. I have a house where I may rest, in that I trust in the Lord. For even “the sparrow hath found her a house,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.7
… Whence cometh rejoicing, but of hope? Wherefore have they rejoiced? “In the living God.” What has rejoiced in thee? “My heart and my flesh.” Why have they rejoiced? “For,” saith he, “the sparrow hath found her a house, and the turtle-dove a nest, where she may lay her young” (
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 22.30
… For I know not what other employment there can be where no lassitude shall slacken activity, nor any want stimulate to labor. I am admonished also by the sacred song, in which I read or hear the words, “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, O Lord; they will be still praising Thee.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Against Lying 33
… for ever and ever they will praise thee?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 15.11
… What could be more unlikely than that all nations should be blessed in Abraham’s seed, as it was promised? And yet how plainly is this promise now fulfilled! The last promise is made in the following short prophecy: "Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they shall ever praise Thee."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 7.51
… and a publican." Of this house it is said, "Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honor dwelleth;" and, "He maketh men to be of one mind in an house;" and, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord;" and, "Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, O Lord; they will be still praising Thee;"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 9.6
… not requiring words of circuitous discourse; but drinking in the Only Word, filled with whom they burst forth and never fail in praise. For, “Blessed,” saith the Psalm, “are they who dwell in Thy house; they will be always praising Thee.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 67.3
… but He says, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” Is not that the house where we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens? Is not that the house whereof we sing to the Lord, “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house; they shall praise Thee for ever and ever”?
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 105.3
… Glory is the widely-spread fame of any one accompanied with praise. But if a man is praised when the fame regarding him is believed, how will God be praised when He Himself shall be seen? Hence it is said in Scripture, “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house; they will be praising Thee for ever and ever.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 42.10
… waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body.” When that “health” (that salvation) is perfected in us, then shall we be living in the house of God for ever, and praising for ever Him to whom it was said, “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, they will be praising Thee world without end.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 43.4
… the house, for those dwelling in one community. The tabernacle is also for those who are both from home, and also in a state of warfare. When thou hearest of a tabernacle, form a notion of a war; guard against an enemy. But what shall the house be? “Blessed are they that dwell in Thine house: they will be alway praising Thee.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 44.7
… “In God will we boast all day long; and in Thy name will we confess for ever.” What is, “We shall boast”? What, “We shall confess”? That Thou hast “saved us from our enemies;” that Thou art to give us an everlasting kingdom: that in us are to be fulfilled the words, “Blessed are they that dwell in Thine house: they will be always praising Thee.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 51.23
23. “Then Thou shalt accept the sacrifice of righteousness” ( ver. 19 ). But now sacrifice for iniquity, to wit, a spirit troubled, and a heart humbled; then the sacrifice of righteousness, praises alone. For, “Blessed they that dwell in Thy house, for ever and ever they shall praise Thee:”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.8
8. …“Blessed are those who dwell in Thy house” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 86.23
… He for whom while as yet we see Him not, we so sigh, how will He enlighten us, when we shall have come to Him? How will He change us? What will He make of us? What then shall we do, brethren? Let the Psalm tell us: “Blessed are they who dwell in Thy house.” Why? “They shall praise Thee for ever and ever.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 87.8
… We shall dwell and be dwelt in; and shall be subject to Him, that God may be all in all. “Blessed,” then, “are they that dwell in Thy house.” How blessed? Blessed in their gold, and silver, their numerous slaves, and multiplied offspring? “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: for ever and ever they will be praising Thee.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 106.33
… 47 ). Then he hath briefly added this very praise, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and world without end” ( ver. 48 ): by which we understand from everlasting to everlasting; because He shall be praised without end by those of whom it is said, “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be alway praising Thee.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 111.7
… here is the very heritage of the New Covenant commanded for ever. “One thing,” he saith, “I have desired of the Lord, which I will require: even that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” For, “blessed are they that dwell in the house” of the Lord: “they will be alway praising”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 118.13
… “That I may,” he saith, “go into them, and give thanks unto the Lord.” This is the confession of praise full of wonder, “even unto the house of God, in the voice of joy and confession of praise, among such as keep holiday:” this is the everlasting bliss of the righteous, whereby they are blessed who dwell in the Lord’s house, praising Him for evermore.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 122.3
… 2 )…Consider what thou wilt be there; and although thou art as yet on the road, place this before thine eyes, as if thou wert already standing, as if thou wert already rejoicing without ceasing among the Angels; as if that which is written were realized in thee: “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house; they will be alway praising Thee.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 145.4
… Let then the excellence of Thy terrible things be told. Unlimited as it is, though “of Thy greatness there is no end,” they shall not be silent about it. How shall they recount it, if there is no end of it? They shall recount it when they praise it; and because there is no end of it, so of His praise also there shall be no end.
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Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 3.2.4
… “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowl edge of Christ.” That it is an effect due to God, nevertheless, is declared by David, when he says in the Psalms, “Blessed is the man whose help is in Thee, O Lord, Thy ascents (are) in his heart.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 10.30
… For if any one gives place to the devil, Satan enters into him; thus did Judas give place, and thus did the devil put it in his heart to betray Jesus, and “after the sop,” therefore, “the devil entered into him.” But if any one gives place to God, he becomes blessed; for blessed is the man whose help is from God, and the ascent is in his heart from God.
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 39.5
… But when, having guarded our soul with every care, and having appointed goings up in our heart,
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 Answer to Eunomius' Second Book 1
… without beginning, or His infinity, or whatever else is conceivable in respect to the divine nature, using them all as supplies and appliances for his onward journey, ever making one discovery a stepping-stone to another, ever reaching forth unto those things which were before, and setting in his heart, as saith the Prophet, each fair stage of his advance
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Confessions 13.9
… They are propelled by their own weights, they seek their own places. Out of order, they are restless; restored to order, they are at rest. My weight is my love; by it am I borne whithersoever I am borne. By Thy Gift we are inflamed, and are borne upwards; we wax hot inwardly, and go forwards. We ascend Thy ways that be in our heart,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 55.28
… Hence, also, every Lord’s day during the fifty days, this usage is observed at the altar, and the Alleluia is sung, which signifies that our future exercise shall consist wholly in praising God, as it is written: “Blessed are they who dwell in Thy house, O Lord: they will be still ( i.e. eternally) praising Thee.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians 4.30
… and who is so happy as always to rise upwards in his heart? And how can this be done without the divine help? Absolutely in no manner. Finally, of old Scripture says the same thing, ‘Blessed is the man whose help is of Thee, O Lord; in his heart is going up.’”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints 2.33
… For “our heart and our thoughts are not in our own power;” whence the same Ambrose who says this says also: “But who is so blessed as in his heart always to rise upwards? And how can this be done without divine help? Assuredly, by no means. Finally,” he says, “the same Scripture affirms above, ‘Blessed is the man whose help is of Thee; O Lord,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.9
9. But how shall we come thither? “Happy is the man whose strength is in Thee” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 120.7
… Speaking of the time of his wandering, he said that he wandered in the tents of Kedar. Wherefore? Because “my soul hath wandered much.” He wandereth there where he ascendeth. He wandereth not in the body, he riseth not in the body. But wherein doth he ascend? “The ascent,” he saith, “is in the heart.”
83:6
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 40
… Only take care that as by your cleansing you have become an object of enmity to the Evil One, you do not again make yourself an object of pity by sin. Only be careful lest, while rejoicing and lifted up above measure by the blessing, you fall again through pride. Only be diligent as to your cleansing, “setting ascensions in your heart,”
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 22.10
… But as fasting is not my present theme and an adequate discussion of it would require a treatise to itself, these few observations must suffice of the many which the subject suggests. By them you will understand why the first man, obeying his belly and not God, was cast down from paradise into this vale of tears;
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 130.16
… them?” Now if God’s judgments, they say, are “true and righteous altogether,” and if “there is no unrighteousness in Him,” we are compelled by reason to believe that our souls have pre-existed in heaven, that they are condemned to and, if I may so say, buried in human bodies because of some ancient sins, and that we are punished in this valley of weeping
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Confessions 4.12
… O ye sons of men, how long so slow of heart? Even now, after the Life is descended to you, will ye not ascend and live? But whither ascend ye, when ye are on high, and set your mouth against the heavens? Descend that ye may ascend, and ascend to God. For ye have fallen by “ascending against Him.” Tell them this, that they may weep in the valley of tears,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Confessions 9.2
… and I determined to endure them, in order to leave in the usual way, and, being redeemed by Thee, no more to return for sale. Our intention then was known to Thee; but to men—excepting our own friends—was it not known. For we had determined among ourselves not to let it get abroad to any; although Thou hadst given to us, ascending from the valley of tears,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on Grace and Free Will 37
… When it is said, “Let us love one another,” it is law; when it is said, “For love is of God,” it is grace. For God’s “wisdom carries law and mercy upon her tongue.” Accordingly, it is written in the Psalm, “For He who gave the law will give blessings.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints 2.12
… For nothing comes to pass except what either He Himself does, or Himself allows to be done. Therefore He is powerful both to turn wills from evil to good, and to convert those that are inclined to fall, or to direct them into a way pleasing to Himself. For to Him it is not said in vain, “O God, Thou shalt turn again and quicken us;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 15.25
… Didst thou seek a mountain, then? Come down, that thou mayest come near Him. But wouldest thou ascend? Ascend, but do not seek a mountain. “The ascents,” it saith, “are in his heart, in the valley of weeping.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 68.10
… Why then “the Heavens dropped from the face of God,” from the face of this God, but because thus was fulfilled that which had been foretold, “Blessing He shall give that hath given the Law”?
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.10
10. What then does God supply by His grace to him whom He taketh hold of to lead him on? He goes on to say: “He hath placed steps in his heart.”…Where does it place steps? “In his heart, in the valley of weeping” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 119.2
… not as they who merely remember them, that they may have somewhat to speak of. Why then doth he say, “Teach me Thy righteousnesses,” save because he wisheth to learn them by deeds, not by speaking or retaining them in his memory? Since then, as it is read in another Psalm, “He shall give blessing, who gave the law;”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 7.4
… And with this meaning the Psalmist also is in agreement, when he says: “Blessed is the man whose help is from Thee: in his heart he hath disposed his ascents.”
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 7.32
… For therein, while honour is paid thee by men outwardly, thy mind is sunk into depths, because burdened by distracting cares. But to thee Almighty God has done as it is written; He hath laid down ascents in the heart, in the valley of tears (
83:7
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 32
… lest perhaps people might, like men loaded with food beyond their strength, and presenting eyes as yet too weak to bear it to the sun’s light, risk the loss even of that which was within the reach of their powers; but that by gradual additions, and, as David says, Goings up, and advances and progress from glory to glory,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Second Corinthians 7
… and yet the Jews were not even vouchsafed this glory. (Or, the glory of this.) This table is of the flesh, and spirit, and righteousness, and remaineth; and unto all of us is it vouchsafed, not to one only, as to Moses of the lesser then. ( ver. 18 .) “For,” saith he, “we all with unveiled face reflecting
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 71.2
… “I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.” He is called “a Hebrew,” in Greek περάτής , a passer-over, for not content with present excellence but forgetting those things which are behind he reaches forth to that which is before. He makes his own the words of the psalmist: “they shall go from strength to strength.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 16.7
… in which He deigned to appear most humble. “My mother is Sion,” saith a man; and this man, who says, “My mother is Sion,” was made in her, became man in her. For He was God before her, and became man in her. He who was made man in her, “Himself did found her; the Most High
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 12.9
… Hence “the corruptible body weigheth down the soul, and the earthy tabernacle presseth down the mind that museth upon many things.” But the righteous are multiplied “after the height of God,” when “they shall go from strength to strength.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 56.18
… because in Him were vows which he might render of praise to God. How entirely the enemy had forborne to invade that patrimony! How whole was that which he was possessing, and that because of which yet more to be possessed he hoped for, being to go on “from virtues unto virtue.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.10
… Rise by loving. Hence the Psalm “of degrees” is called.…“He hath placed steps of ascent to the place which He hath appointed” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 104.12
… but yet not by letters, not by sounds, not by books, not by a reader, not by an expositor. How then? As, “In the beginning was the Word,” etc. For He did not so come to us as to depart from thence; because He was in this world, and the world was made by Him. Such a Word are we to contemplate. For “the God of gods shall appear in Zion.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 145.1
… 2 ). Praise then and bless the Lord thy God every day, that when single days have passed, and there has come one day without end, thou mayest go from praise to praise, as “from strength to strength.”
83:8
St Methodius † AD 311 Oration on the Palms 1
I. Blessed be God; let us proceed, brethren, from wonders to the miracles of the Lord, and as it were, from strength to strength.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.12
12. And again, from the thought of those joys he returns to his own sighs. He sees what has come before in hope, and where he is in reality.…Therefore returning to the groans proper to this place, he saith, “O Lord God of virtues, hear my prayer: hearken, O God of Jacob” (
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 11.12
… “Ye are My friends, if ye do whatever I command you.” You see then that there are different stages of perfection, and that we are called by the Lord from high things to still higher in such a way that he who has become blessed and perfect in the fear of God; going as it is written “from strength to strength,”
83:9
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On 'Not Three Gods.' 1
… For Scripture attributes the act of seeing equally to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. David says, “See, O God our defender
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.13
13. “Behold, O God our defender. And look on the face of Thy Christ” (
83:10
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 1.13
… And of this we have proof from divine Scripture; David, for instance, saying in the Psalm, ‘One day in Thy courts is better than a thousand
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On the Making of Man 22.7
… nevertheless he was patient of the delay, deeming, indeed, the life there blessed, and accounting a brief participation in it more desirable than “thousands” of time—for he says, “one day in Thy courts is better than thousands
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 4
… “For I had rather,” it is said, “be an outcast in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of sinners.” And “one day in thy courts is better than thousands.”
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 108.29
… “Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth,” and “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord,” and “I had rather be an outcast in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 17.5
What then does he say who comes to worship the priest of God, even the Priest who is God? “Put me into one part of Thy priesthood, to eat bread.” I do not wish to be set in the honor of my fathers, which is none; put me in a part of Thy priesthood. For “I have chosen to be mean in Thine house;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Answer to the Letters of Petilian, the Donatist 3.1
… I will exalt the house of my God, whose honor I have loved, with the tribute of a faithful servant’s voice, but myself I will humiliate and hold of no account. "I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of heretics."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 86.2
… For what were we so long as Christ had not yet chosen us, and we were therefore still destitute of love? For he who hath chosen Him, how can he love Him? Were we, think you, in that condition which is sung of in the psalm: “I had rather be an abject in the house of the Lord, than dwell in the tents of wickedness”?
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.14
14. “For one day in Thy courts is better than a thousand” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 147.15
… But what saith he? “I have chosen to be cast away in the house of God, rather than to dwell in the tents of sinners.”
83:11
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On the Making of Man 22.7
… Even the prophet’s soul fainted with desire, and in his psalm he confesses this passionate love, saying that his “soul hath a desire and longing to be in the courts of the Lord ,” even if he must needs be rejected
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants 2.31
… But if we received, why do we glory as if we had not received? Therefore, as “he that glorieth must glory in the Lord,” it comes from His mercy, not their merit, that God wills to impart this to some, but from His truth that He wills not to impart it to others. For to sinners punishment is justly due, because “the Lord God loveth mercy and truth,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.15
15. “I have chosen to be cast away in the house of the Lord, rather than to dwell in the tents of sinners” (
83:12
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On the Making of Man 22.7
… wherefore he says at the end of the Psalm, “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that hopeth in Thee
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.16
16. Wherefore did he choose?…“Because God loveth mercy and truth” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 84.17
17. Therefore “the Lord will not withhold good from those who walk in innocence” (
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Sermons 24
… “The Word became flesh” by exaltation of the flesh, not by failure of the Godhead: which so tempered its power and goodness as to exalt our nature by taking it, and not to lose His own by imparting it. In this nativity of Christ, according to the prophecy of David, “truth sprang out of the earth, and righteousness looked down from heaven
83:2
The exercise of the presence of God is necessary for prayer, and for this reason the "house of prayer" is also a temple of God, that is, the place where one finds oneself apud Dominum, welcomed by the Lord (Ps. 83:2-5). In the economy of grace "the true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and truth": the building of the Temple becomes a spiritual exercise, man a living temple of God (II Cor. …
83:9
Cison (Heb. Qîšōn, "Tortuous")
… Qîšōn, "Tortuous"). - Biblical name of the torrent that rolled in its murky whirlpools the corpses of the army of Sisera defeated by the troops of Deborah (Judg. 4:7, 13; Ps. 83:9) and those of the priests of Baal killed by order of the prophet Elijah in the vicinity of the torrent (1 Kings 18:40).
… Subsequently, not feeling safe in Zoar, L. took refuge with his two daughters on a mountain, and there dwelt in a cave (ibid. 19:30); from the twofold incest the Moabites and Ammonites (v.) took their origin, who are therefore also called in Sacred Scripture «children of L.» (Deut. 2:19; Ps. 83:9); the ignominious act cannot, strictly speaking, be imputed to L., who at that moment was under the effects of wine; the truly guilty ones were the daughters (Gen. 19:31-38). Nevertheless, …
83:10
Debbora (Heb. Dēbhōrāh «bee»; LXX Δεββόρζ; Vulg. Debora)
… Another explanation lies in the contribution of independent data of tradition (cf. Ps. 83:10), foreign to the lyrical scope of the poem.
ENDOR. - A city in the territory of the tribe of Issachar, but given to the tribe of Manasseh (Josh. 17:11). Sisera and Jabin "were defeated at the torrent Kishon near E." (Ps. 83:10): indeed E. closes the eastern plain traversed by the Kishon, into whose waters the corpses of the slain were thrown (Judg. 4:7; 5:21). It was the seat of the pythoness or necromancer, …
83:11
… captured and killed them, probably after having led them to Ophrah, his city (Judg. 8:4-21). Gideon, besides exercising a right of war, intended thereby to avenge the blood of his brothers (cf. Ex. 21:12; Num. 35:16-18). The episode is also recalled in Ps. 83:11. Angelo Penna
83:12
OREB AND ZEB. - Totemic names ('ôrêbh "raven"; zê'êbh "wolf") of two Midianite chiefs, captured by the Israelites of Gideon's time (v.) west of the Jordan (Judg. 7:25; 8:3; cf. Ps. 83:12), killed along with many of their men at a place near the river (probably in the territory of Ephraim), afterward named in memory of the event, respectively "rock of O." (Judg. 7:25 …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.