1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible
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| Psalms 54:1 | Unto the end, in verses, understanding for David. | David. It alludes to some of his persecutions, particularly to that of Absalom, as well as to that of the Church, and of Jesus Christ. Bede explains it of Onias: who, being excluded from the high priesthood, retired into Egypt, and built the temple of Onion, 2 Machabees xiii. (Calmet) |
| Psalms 54:2 | Hear, O God, my prayer, and despise not my supplication: | |
| Psalms 54:3 | be attentive to me, and hear me. I am grieved in my exercise; and am troubled, | Hear me. He repeats the same petition four times, (Haydock) to testify his fervour, and humility, Ecclesiasticus 35:21. --- Exercise, among the wicked, (St. Augustine) or while I consider the sufferings of Christ. (Eusebius) --- David was perplexed what course to take, when he first heard of his son's revolt. Our Saviour was sorrowful unto death, Matthew 26:37. (Calmet) --- This life is a warfare. (Worthington) --- Ldoleschia. Hebrew sichi, denotes serious (Haydock) meditation, Genesis 24:63. (Menochius) |
| Psalms 54:4 | at the voice of the enemy, and at the tribulation of the sinner. For they have cast iniquities upon me: and in wrath they were troublesome to me. | Upon me. When a person has fallen into distress, the world is ever ready to attribute it to some fault. Absalom accused his father of neglecting to judge, etc., 2 Kings 15:2. The Jews calumniated and sought the death of Christ, whose agony in the garden is well described, (ver. 5.) as well as the consternation of David, at the sight of such a general revolt, (Calmet) which almost overwhelmed him. (Worthington) |
| Psalms 54:5 | My heart is troubled within me: and the fear of death is fallen upon me. | Troubled, like a woman in labour, (Menochius) as yachil implies, (Calmet) in Hiphel. (Menochius) |
| Psalms 54:6 | Fear and trembling are come upon me: and darkness hath covered me. | |
| Psalms 54:7 | And I said: Who will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be at rest? | Dove, which flies swiftly. He now adored the judgments of God, which chastised him, as he had threatened; (2 Kings 12:11.) though, while innocent, he had rejected a similar proposal, Psalm 10:1. The event shewed, that he acted wisely in retiring beyond the Jordan. (Calmet) --- O that I could fly, and in the simplicity of the dove, be removed from these afflictions! (Worthington) --- As I could not go to heaven, I retired into the wilderness. (Menochius) |
| Psalms 54:8 | Lo, I have gone far off flying away; and I abode in the wilderness. | |
| Psalms 54:9 | I waited for him that hath saved me from pusillanimity of spirit, and a storm. | Storm. The first fury of the rebels, which is most dangerous, is thus specified. David was convinced, that his son's party would dwindle away, when he was informed that he did not pursue him, following the advice of Chusai. (Calmet) --- Hebrew, "I would hasten my escape from the impetuous wind and tempest." But the Septuagint may be equally correct. (Berthier) --- God protected his weak servant in the greatest dangers. (Worthington) |
| Psalms 54:10 | Cast down, O Lord, and divide their tongues; for I have seen iniquity and contradiction in the city. | Cast down. Hebrew, "swallow up," as the earth did Dathan. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "drown." (Haydock) --- Tongues, as at Babel, that they may not know how to proceed. (Calmet) --- Hebrew, "swallow up....the torrent of their tongue." (Bate.) --- Pallag, means also to "divide." Absalom was accordingly infatuated by David's friend, 2 Kings 15:31., and 17:7. (Menochius) --- City of Hebron, or even of Jerusalem, which caused the king to leave no garrison in it. The city was still more abandoned in our Saviour's regard. (Calmet) --- Contradiction. Their counsels agree not. They have their troubles, yet will not amend; but strive to oppress the poor. (Worthington) |
| Psalms 54:11 | Day and night shall iniquity surround it upon its walls: and in the midst thereof are labour, | |
| Psalms 54:12 | And injustice. And usury and deceit have not departed from its streets. | |
| Psalms 54:13 | For if my enemy had reviled me, I would verily have borne with it. And if he that hated me had spoken great things against me: I would perhaps have hidden myself from him. | From him. But how shall we guard against a traitor? (Calmet) --- The injury received from a friend is most cutting. (Worthington) |
| Psalms 54:14 | But thou, a man of one mind, my guide, and my familiar: | Guide, the prime minister, (Berthier) and chief of the council. (Menochius) --- Such was Achitophel, who had nevertheless been long (Calmet) secretly disaffected. See 2 Kings 15:12., and 16:23. He professed the same religion, and was trusted with the most important affairs, as Judas carried the purse. (Haydock) |
| Psalms 54:15 | Who didst take sweet meats together with me: in the house of God we walked with consent. | Consent, or with expedition, as the Rabbins order people to go to the temple, though they must return slowly. All this designates Judas. (Calmet) --- Dreadful lesson for all sacred ministers, who prove faithless! (Berthier) participating of the holy sacraments in the Catholic Church, (Worthington) and yet betraying themselves, and their master! Achitophel had probably to attend David in the temple, as Naaman did Benadad, 4 Kings 5:18. (Haydock) |
| Psalms 54:16 | Let death come upon them, and let them go down alive into hell. For there is wickedness in their dwellings: in the midst of them. | Let death, etc. This, and such like imprecations, which occur in the psalms, are delivered prophetically; that is, by way of foretelling the punishments which shall fall upon the wicked from divine justice, and approving the righteous ways of God: but not by way of ill-will, or uncharitable curses, which the law of God disallows. (Challoner) --- David shewed even too much tenderness towards the rebels, in the opinion of Joab, etc. He would not hurt Saul. His predictions were verified; as Achitophel became a suicide, Absalom perished miserably, suspended between heaven and earth, as an object of horror to both, while many of his accomplices were either slain, or fell into precipices, 2 Kings 17:23., and 18:8. (Haydock) --- Hell, by a sudden death, like Antiochus, Core, etc., Numbers 16:30. The just are already dead to this world. (Berthier) --- Those who sin on purpose, descend, as it were, alive into hell. (Worthington) |
| Psalms 54:17 | But I have cried to God: and the Lord will save me. | |
| Psalms 54:18 | Evening and morning, and at noon, I will speak and declare: and he shall hear my voice. | Evening. The Hebrew then began the day. (Calmet) (Genesis 1:5.) (Haydock) --- They had three times allotted for prayer, (Daniel 6:10.) as the Church had afterwards. (Const. Ap.[Apostolic Constitutions?] 7:25.) (Calmet) --- Evening song, matins, and the sacrifice of the mass, are the principal times for divine service. (Worthington) --- David comprises all times, because his prayer was continual. (Berthier) (Calmet) |
| Psalms 54:19 | He shall redeem my soul in peace from them that draw near to me: for among many they were with me. | Among many, etc. That is, they that drew near to attack me, were many in company, all combining to fight against me. (Challoner) --- Or, many also joined themselves to me with Joab, and the holy angels, (4 Kings 6:16.) though almost all Israel followed Absalom, 2 Kings 15:13. (Calmet) --- In many things, schismatics agree with the Church; but their crime is the breaking of unity. (St. Augustine) |
| Psalms 54:20 | God shall hear, and the Eternal shall humble them. For there is no change with them, and they have not feared God: | Change, or redemption for them, (Psalm 43:13.; Eusebius) or they will not amend, (Worthington) nor cease to blaspheme God, and to calumniate me. (Calmet) --- Eternal. Literally, "He who is before ages." (Haydock) |
| Psalms 54:21 | he hath stretched forth his hand to repay. They have defiled his covenant, | Repay. Hebrew bishlomaiv, "in his retributions," or "against his peaceable ones." Houbigant too arbitrarily translates, "they have sent forth their hand against, " etc. (Berthier) |
| Psalms 54:22 | They are divided by the wrath of his countenance, and his heart hath drawn near. His words are smoother than oil, and the same are darts. | They are divided, etc. Dispersed, scattered, and brought to nothing, by the wrath of God, who looks with indignation on their wicked and deceitful ways. (Challoner) --- They are separated from the good, (St. Jerome) slain by a look, 2 Thessalonians 2:8. --- Near, or fought, ver. 19. (Calmet) --- Some translate, "they have divided the butter, like words of his mouth." But this is less accurate, and the same idea is conveyed in the next words. (Berthier) --- Protestants, "The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords." (Haydock) --- My enemy has violated every law, under the appearance of friendship. (Calmet) --- Darts. Absalom kissed the men of Israel to delude them, (2 Kings 15:2.) and the traitor gave this sign to those who came to seize our Saviour, Matthew 26:48. (Calmet) --- The words of God are most excellent in themselves, but they seem hard to the incredulous. Thus the Capharnaites gave rise to the first heresy against the words of Christ, which St. Peter piously believed, though, as yet, he did not comprehend their meaning, John vi. (St. Augustine) (Worthington) --- His heart and words may thus be understood of God: but they more probably relate to any one of David's numerous enemies, who is thus singled out. (Haydock) |
| Psalms 54:23 | *Cast thy care upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall not suffer the just to waver for ever. Matthew 6:25.; Luke 12:22.; 1 Peter 5:7. | Cast. The prophet had experienced the happy effect of this conduct. (Calmet) --- In all troubles and doubts, we must have recourse to God. (Worthington) (1 Peter 5:7.) |
| Psalms 54:24 | But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days: but I will trust in thee, O Lord. | Destruction; "into gehenna," (Chaldean) or "hell," (St. Jerome) to which the judge sentences the reprobate, without promoting their crimes. (St. Augustine) (Calmet) --- Days. It is rare that murderers and notorious malefactors escape punishment in this world; but in the next, they will surely be requited. Absalom perished in the flower of his age. (Berthier) --- Achitophel, and many others, have been suddenly cut off. God sometimes permits such to reign for a time, to exercise his servants, or that they may repent. (St. Augustine) --- The Scripture often threatens sinners in this manner, Job 21:21., and Isaias 65:20. (Calmet) --- Their days are indeed spent, when they die. But if they had altered their conduct, they might have prolonged their life, (Haydock) according to the usual course of nature. (Worthington) (Menochius) |