1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible
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| Psalms 81:1 | A psalm for Asaph. God hath stood in the congregation of gods; and being in the midst of them he judgeth gods. | Asaph. Josaphat gave the like instructions to his judges, 2 Paralipomenon 19:6. (Kimchi) (Calmet) --- God rejected the Jews in the preceding psalm, and here the reason is assigned. (Theodoret) --- Congregation, or church of the Jews, who were gathered together like cattle, and sought after temporal advantages (St. Augustine, in Psalm 72:23.) alone. (Catec. Trid. Symb.[The Catechism of Trent: The Creed: Article ix.?]) --- This is not exactly true of all, (Hebrews 11:14.) though it might be of the people in general, who seldom raised their thoughts to spiritual delights. (Haydock) --- Of gods. Hebrew, "of God," who presides in his own council, and gives authority to others. (Amama) --- Yet Syriac has, "the angels;" Chaldean, "the just;" Protestants, "the mighty;" and Aquila, "the powerful ones." (Haydock) --- Gods here are put for judges, who act in God's name, Deuteronomy 1:17., and Exodus 22:28. To decide affairs of consequence, the priests and other judges met in the temple; and the Romans did the like, each senator offering incense and wine to the god who was honoured in that place. (Suetonius in Aug. xxxv.) (Calmet) --- All magistrates ought to be equally careful in what they determine, as if they heard God present giving them the following instructions. (Worthington) --- Judgeth gods, or "God, our Saviour, is judged." (Houbigant) --- This bringeth on the reprobation of the Jews, ver. 5, etc. (Berthier) |
| Psalms 81:2 | How long will you judge unjustly: and accept the persons of the wicked? | Wicked. Contrary to the law, Deuteronomy 1:17., and Leviticus 19:15. |
| Psalms 81:3 | Judge for the needy and fatherless: do justice to the humble and the poor. | Do justice. This is the sense of justificate, "justify," as the poor must not be screened from justice, any more than the rich. (Haydock) --- They are in greater danger of being neglected, Isaias 1:23., and Jeremias 5:28. (Haydock) |
| Psalms 81:4 | *Rescue the poor; and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sinner. Proverbs 24:11. | |
| Psalms 81:5 | They have not known nor understood; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth shall be moved. | Moved. The ignorance, inapplication, and injustice of those in power overturn the state, which is supported by justice, Proverbs 14:34. They draw down God's curse upon the land, (St. Jerome; Calmet) and expose it to all the miseries of anarchy. This regards pastors also. (Berthier) --- By gross ignorance judges walk in darkness, and throw all into confusion. |
| Psalms 81:6 | *I have said: You are gods, and all of you the sons of the most High. John 10:34. | Gods. The people look upon you as such, and treat you with respect. But entertain not sentiments of pride on that account. (Calmet) --- If judges, even those whom God condemns, may be styled gods without blasphemy, how much more might Jesus Christ, who was holy and did the works of God? He uses this argument to make the fury of the people abate: but then he continues to prove that he was God in a very different and proper sense, insomuch that the Jews, clearly perceiving his meaning, which Socinians would now mistake, took up stones to throw at him, John 10:34. (Haydock) --- If he had not been God, He would surely have told them plainly, as St. Paul did when people would have offered sacrifice to him, and as St. John the Baptist confessed that he was not the Christ. The sons of Seth, priests, the just, and all the Israelites, were styled sons of God, as well as the angels and judges, Genesis 6:2., Psalm 28:1., Wisdom 5:5., and Job 1:6. But no individual is called the Son, except Jesus Christ the true God. (Berthier) --- This passage may be understood of all the faithful, (St. Augustine) particularly of bishops: and Constantine the Great was hence deterred from judging them (St. Gregory 1:dec. Grat. p. 2. C. 11. q. 1.) or the clergy; (St. Melchiades C. 12. q. 1.) though this name seems inaccurate, as he died before (Glossa) the council of Nice. Amama restrains the text to men in power. (Haydock) --- Their elevated station makes their ignorance and misconduct less excusable. (Menochius) |
| Psalms 81:7 | But you like men shall die: and shall fall like one of the princes. | Men. Hebrew Adam, or "like a man" (Montanus; Haydock) of the meanest rank. --- Princes. Among men, (Calmet) or like Lucifer, the first of the rebel angels. (Eusebius) (St. Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho) --- Most tyrants come to a miserable end. (Menochius) --- At death, judges themselves are brought to the bar, and their case is then more terrible, as the mighty in guilt shall suffer more, Wisdom vi. (Worthington) --- They are forced to taste of death; while Jesus Christ was master of it, John 10:17, 28. This comparison evinces Christ's divinity. But Socinians blind themselves by looking at the sun, and attempting to fathom all by the weak light of reason. (Berthier) |
| Psalms 81:8 | Arise, O God, judge thou the earth: for thou shalt inherit among all the nations. | Nations. Those whom thou hast appointed judges, prevaricate, Genesis 18:25. (Calmet) --- Come, therefore, thyself, Lord Jesus, (Apocalypse 22:20.) to whom all nations were promised for an inheritance. (Berthier) (Psalm 2:7.) --- His appearance at the last day is described in the 49th psalm; and most of the Fathers here discover a clear prediction of the conversion of the Gentiles. (Calmet) |