Psalm 45 - God our upholder and protector

Psalm 45: Tuesday Matins I, 1

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem, filiis Core, pro arcanis. Psalmus.	Unto the end, for the sons of Core, for the hidden.
1 Deus noster refúgium, et virtus: * adjútor in tribulatiónibus, quæ invenérunt nos nimis.	Our God is our refuge and strength: a helper in troubles, which have found us exceedingly.
2  Proptérea non timébimus dum turbábitur terra: * et transferéntur montes in cor maris.	3 Therefore we will not fear, when the earth shall be troubled; and the mountains shall be removed into the heart of the sea.
3  Sonuérunt, et turbátæ sunt aquæ eórum: * conturbáti sunt montes in fortitúdine ejus.	4 Their waters roared and were troubled: the mountains were troubled with his strength.
4  Flúminis ímpetus lætíficat civitátem Dei: * sanctificávit tabernáculum suum Altíssimus.	5 The stream of the river makes the city of God joyful: the most High has sanctified his own tabernacle
5  Deus in médio ejus, non commovébitur: * adjuvábit eam Deus mane dilúculo.	6 God is in the midst thereof, it shall not be moved: God will help it in the morning early.
6  Conturbátæ sunt Gentes, et inclináta sunt regna: * dedit vocem suam, mota est terra.	7 Nations were troubled, and kingdoms were bowed down: he uttered his voice, the earth trembled.
7  Dóminus virtútum nobíscum: * suscéptor noster Deus Jacob.	8 The Lord of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our protector.
8  Veníte, et vidéte ópera Dómini, quæ pósuit prodígia super terram: * áuferens bella usque ad finem terræ.	9 Come and behold the works of the Lord: what wonders he has done upon earth, 10 making wars to cease even to the end of the earth.
9  Arcum cónteret, et confrínget arma: * et scuta combúret igni.	He shall destroy the bow, and break the weapons: and the shield he shall burn in the fire.
10  Vacáte, et vidéte quóniam ego sum Deus: * exaltábor in Géntibus, et exaltábor in terra.	11 Be still and see that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.
11  Dóminus virtútum nobíscum: * suscéptor noster Deus Jacob.	12 The Lord of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our protector.

The songs of Sion

The first psalm of Tuesday Matins is one of the 'songs of Sion', praising the virtues of the heavenly kingdom, a strong theme of the day, given that many of the Matins psalms are also focused on the same topic, while at Terce through Vespers we sing the 'songs of Ascent'.

The psalm was, however, appropriated by Luther as the battle hymn for the Reformation in the form of the hymn 'A mighty fortress is our God', and in Germany had strong nationalistic overtones, with a line that can be interpreted very literally as referring to a very earthly kingdom, viz "The Kingdom must remain ours".

Unsurprisingly, the Fathers tend to take a different view, generally seeing it as referring to Christ and the Church triumphant.

God our susceptor

A particularly key part of this psalm from a Benedictine perspective is the reference to God as susceptor (at least in the Vulgate; the neo-Vulgate rather unfortunately substitutes refugium for susceptor), the key word which is related to suscipere, the verb of the verse used in the profession ceremony.

The Douay-Rheims translates the word as protector, but it has broader connotations then that, as St Augustine's exposition on the verse 7 makes clear:

The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our taker up: Not any man, not any power, not, in short, Angel, or any creature either earthly or heavenly, but the Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our taker up. 

He who sent Angels, came after Angels, came that Angels might serve Him, came that men He might make equal to Angels. Mighty Grace! If God be for us, who can be against us? The Lord of Hosts is with us. What Lord of Hosts is with us? If (I say) God be for us, who can be against us? 

He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all; how has He not with Him also freely given us all things.  Therefore be we secure, in tranquillity of heart nourish we a good conscience with the Bread of the Lord. 

The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our taker up. However great be your infirmity, see who takes you up. One is sick, a physician is called to him. His own taken-up, the Physician calls the sick man. Who has taken him up? Even He. A great hope of salvation; a great Physician has taken him up. What Physician? Every Physician save He is man: every Physician who comes to a sick man, another day can be made sick, beside Him. The God of Jacob is our taker up. 

Make yourself altogether as a little child, such as are taken up by their parents. For those not taken up, are exposed; those taken up are nursed. Do you think God has so taken you up, as when an infant your mother took you up? Not so, but to eternity. For your voice is in that Psalm, My father and my mother forsake me, but the Lord has taken me up.

It is worth noting that the word recurs several times in today's psalms.

 The city of God

The introductions to the psalm provided by the Fathers generally emphasise the eschatological dimensions of the psalm.

Basil:

This psalm seems to me to contain the prophecy concerning the end of time. Paul, having knowledge of this end, says: 'Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father.   

Or, since our actions lead us to the end, each one to the end proper to itself, the good leading toward happiness, and the base toward eternal condemnation, and since the counsels delivered by the Spirit in this psalm lead those obeying them to the good end, therefore it has been entitled: 'Unto the end inasmuch as it is the record of the teachings for the happy end of human life. Tor the sons of Core'. 

This psalm is also said to be for the sons of Core, whom the Holy Spirit does not separate, since, as with one soul and one voice, with complete harmony toward each other, they utter the words of prophecy, while no one of them prophesies anything at all contrary to the others, but the gift of prophecy is given to them equally because of the equality of their mutual affection for the good. 

Moreover, the psalm is said to be 'for the hidden' that is to say, for secret things, and those buried in mystery. Having meditated on the expressions of the psalm in turn, you will learn the hidden meaning of the words, and that it is not the privilege of any chance person to gaze at the divine mysteries, but of him alone who is able to be a harmonious instrument of the promise, so that his soul is moved by the action of the Holy Spirit in it instead of by the psaltery. 

Cassiodorus:

We know how unto the end can be referred to the Lord Christ. We have said that the sons of Core signifies Christians, in whose persons this psalm is sung. For the hidden denotes the coming of the Lord Saviour, which he has ordered in a wondrously secret way for the salvation of men. 

The sons of Core, who are to be understood as faithful Christians, proclaim in the first section of the psalm that they do not fear the troubles of life, because God is known to be their refuge and strength. 

In the second part they state that Christ appears in the midst of His Church and has deigned to build it on Himself as on the firmest of rocks. 

In the third section the mass of believers is invited to gaze on the great things of God. They say that almighty God shatters the arms of wickedness, banishes wars, and transforms the sadness of the faithful into eternal joys.... 

How brightly this short and healing psalm has gleamed forth! If we take confidence from it by the Lord's kindness, we surmount with strength of spirit the thorns of this world, and in the proverbial phrase we obtain help from tribulation. For in it all hope lies in the coming of the Lord Christ, through whom on our behalf the Church was founded and great wonders became manifest. He who said: My peace I give to you, my peace I leave to you, removed the wars caused by superstitions.

Liguori:

....this psalm is to be understood of the Catholic Church with regard to the victories that she has gained over her persecutors, and her stability under the protection of God.

Our ascent through and to Christ

One final point by way of a footnote.  There is in fact a little puzzle in St Benedict's construction of the Tuesday Office around the gradual psalms and Songs of Sion.

On the face of it, his starting point was the Old Testament canticle at Lauds, the canticle of Hezekiah, which is about King Hezekiah's illness, and then God's gift of fifteen additional years of life, symbolised by the turning back of the sundial.  The connection is that there are fifteen gradual psalms, and Cassiodorus, for example noted that:

 Some commentators think that the fifteen additional years accorded to king Ezechias are related to this parallel, so that the number is shown to have signified also the course of his perfect life.

But if St Benedict subscribed to this view, why does he go to some trouble to have only fourteen of the gradual psalms said on Tuesday, shifting Psalm 128 out of numerical sequence to put it on Monday, rather than on this day when all the other gradual psalms are said?

The answer I think is a play on the three groups (Tuesday is day three of the week) of fourteen 'generations to Christ' set out in Matthew 1, keying off St Augustine's comments on the psalm.  In particular, St Augustine's introduction to Psalm 145 makes the point that we need go no further than Christ:

It is called, A Psalm, to the end, for the sons of Korah, for things secret. Secret is it then; but He Himself, who in the place of Calvary was crucified, you know, has rent the veil, that the secrets of the temple might be discovered. 

Furthermore since the Cross of our Lord was a key, whereby things closed might be opened; let us trust that He will be with us, that these secrets may be revealed. What is said, To the end, always ought to be understood of Christ. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes. But The End He is called, not because He consumes, but because He perfects. For ended call we the food which is eaten, and ended the coat which is woven, the former to consumption, the latter to perfection. 

Because then we have not where to go farther when we have come to Christ, Himself is called the end of our course. Nor ought we to think, that when we have come to Him, we ought to strive any further to come also to the Father. For this thought Philip also, when he said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us. When he said, It suffices us, he sought the end of satisfaction and perfection. Then said He, Have I been so long time with you, and have you not known Me, Philip: he that has seen Me, has seen the Father. In Him then have we the Father, because He is in the Father, and the Father in Him, and He and His Father are One.

On Tuesday's then, our ascent is in and through Christ who perfects us.  In this life, our aim is to become true temples of Christ.  But we have to wait until Sunday, the mysterious 'eighth day' (which St Augustine repeatedly informs us added to the seven days of creation makes 15, and thus takes us to the number of psalms to be said each week) that we are to step beyond, into heaven...

Liturgical and Scriptural uses of the Psalm

NT references	Lk 21:25 (3); Rev 22:1 (4)
RB cursus	Tuesday Matins I:1
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	Comon of female saints, Dedication of church, several martyrs, Epiphany, Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity, Transfiguration; Little Office of Our Lady, Matins N2
Roman pre 1911	Tuesday Matins
Ambrosian
Brigittine
Maurist
Thesauris schemas	A: ; B: ; C: ; D:
Roman post 1911	1911-62:Wednesday Matins  . 1970: Friday Vespers wk 1
Mass propers (EF)	-

Psalm 32 and the Incarnation

 Ms. Codex 1058, U Penn Books and Manuscripts

This week I plan to present to you some extracts from the Fathers and Theologians on the opening psalms of Matins each day, starting with Monday, which is Psalm 32.

Psalm 32: Monday Matins I, 1

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Psalmus David.	A psalm for David.
1 Exsultáte, justi in Dómino: * rectos decet collaudátio.	Rejoice in the Lord, O you just: praise becomes the upright.
2  Confitémini Dómino in cíthara: * in psaltério decem chordárum psállite illi.	2 Give praise to the Lord on the harp; sing to him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings
3  Cantáte ei cánticum novum: * bene psállite ei in vociferatióne.	3 Sing to him a new canticle, sing well unto him with a loud noise.
4  Quia rectum est verbum Dómini, * et ómnia ópera ejus in fide.	4 For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are done with faithfulness.
5  Díligit misericórdiam et judícium: * misericórdia Dómini plena est terra.	5 He loves mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
6 Verbo Dómini cæli firmáti sunt: * et spíritu oris ejus omnis virtus eórum.	6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were established; and all the power of them by the spirit of his mouth:
7  Cóngregans sicut in utre aquas maris: * ponens in thesáuris abyssos.	7 Gathering together the waters of the sea, as in a vessel; laying up the depths in storehouses.
8  Tímeat Dóminum omnis terra: * ab eo autem commoveántur omnes inhabitántes orbem.	8 Let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world be in awe of him.
9  Quóniam ipse dixit, et facta sunt: * ipse mandávit, et creáta sunt.	9 For he spoke and they were made: he commanded and they were created.
10  Dóminus díssipat consília Géntium: * réprobat autem cogitatiónes populórum et réprobat consília príncipum.	10 The Lord brings to nought the counsels of nations; and he rejects the devices of people, and casts away the counsels of princes.
11  Consílium autem Dómini in ætérnum manet: * cogitatiónes cordis ejus in generatióne et generatiónem.	11 But the counsel of the Lord stands for ever: the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Beáta gens, cujus est Dóminus, Deus ejus: * pópulus, quem elégit in hereditátem sibi.	12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: the people whom he has chosen for his inheritance.
13  De cælo respéxit Dóminus: * vidit omnes fílios hóminum.	13 The Lord has looked from heaven: he has beheld all the sons of men.
14  De præparáto habitáculo suo * respéxit super omnes, qui hábitant terram.	14 From his habitation which he has prepared, he has looked upon all that dwell on the earth.
15  Qui finxit sigillátim corda eórum: * qui intélligit ómnia ópera eórum.	15 He who has made the hearts of every one of them: who understands all their works.
16  Non salvátur rex per multam virtútem: * et gigas non salvábitur in multitúdine virtútis suæ.	16 The king is not saved by a great army: nor shall the giant be saved by his own great strength.
17  Fallax equus ad salútem: * in abundántia autem virtútis suæ non salvábitur.	17 Vain is the horse for safety: neither shall he be saved by the abundance of his strength.
18 Ecce óculi Dómini super metuéntes eum: * et in eis, qui sperant super misericórdia ejus :	18 Behold the eyes of the Lord are on them that fear him: and on them that hope in his mercy.
19  Ut éruat a morte ánimas eórum: * et alat eos in fame.	19 To deliver their souls from death; and feed them in famine.
20  Anima nostra sústinet Dóminum: * quóniam adjútor et protéctor noster est.	20 Our soul waits for the Lord: for he is our helper and protector.
21  Quia in eo lætábitur cor nostrum: * et in nómine sancto ejus sperávimus.	21 For in him our heart shall rejoice: and in his holy name we have trusted.
22  Fiat misericórdia tua, Dómine, super nos: * quemádmodum sperávimus in te.	22 Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in you.

St Augustine

St Augustine does not provide a general introduction to this psalm, but his interpretation of the opening verses perhaps explains why it might seem particularly suitable to start a day:

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous: rejoice, O you righteous, not in yourselves, for that is not safe; but in the Lord. For praise is comely to the upright: these praise the Lord, who submit themselves unto the Lord; for else they are distorted and perverse.

Praise the Lord with harp: praise the Lord, presenting unto Him your bodies a living sacrifice. 

Sing unto Him with the psaltery for ten strings: let your members be servants to the love of God, and of your neighbour, in which are kept both the three and the seven commandments.

 Sing unto Him a new song: sing unto Him a song of the grace of faith.

 Sing skilfully unto Him with jubilation: sing skillfully unto Him with rejoicing.

 For the Word of the Lord is right, to make you that which of yourselves ye cannot be. 

St Basil

St Basil provides a short meditation on the necessity of joy:

The voice of exultation is familiar in the Scripture, betokening a very bright and happy state of soul in those  deserving of happiness. 'Rejoice therefore, in the Lord,  O ye just not when the interests of your home are flourishing,  not when you are in good health of body, not when your fields are filled with all sorts of fruits, but, when you have the Lord such immeasurable Beauty, Goodness, Wisdom. 

Let the joy that is in Him suffice for you. He who exults with joy and happiness in anything that is much desired, seems thus to rejoice in Him. Therefore, Scripture urges the just to be aware of their dignity, because they have been considered worthy to be the servants of so great a Master, and to glory in His service with inexpressible joy and exultation, since the heart is, as it were, bounding with ecstasy of love of the good. If at any time a light, for example, falling upon your heart, produced a continuous thought of God and illumined your soul, so that you loved God and despised the world and all things corporeal, understand from that faint and brief resemblance the whole state of the just, who are enjoying God steadily and uninterruptedly. 

At some rare times by the dispensation of God that transport of joy seizes you in order that through a little taste He may remind you of what you have been deprived. But, for the just man the divine and heavenly joy is lasting, since the Holy Spirit dwells in him once for all. 'But the first fruit of the Spirit is: charity, joy, peace.'

St Thomas Aquinas:

In the preceding Psalm, the Psalmist has treated his justification, in this he treats the dignity of the just, concerning which he does two things. First, he exhorts just persons to spiritual praise. Second, he states their worth: 'Blessed is the nation' (Psalm 32:12).

Regarding the exhortation, he first urges spiritual delight and praise, and then discusses their ground: 'Praise becometh the upright' (Psalm 32:1). Again regarding delight and praise, he first urges them, second he discusses the means: 'Give praise to the Lord on the harp,' etc. (Psalm 32:2). 

Again regarding the first [viz., urging to delight and praise] he does two things. He makes the exhortation, and then provides the reason: 'Praise becometh the upright' (Psalm 31:1); for he had said, 'I said I will confess...and thou hast forgiven... For this shall every one that is holy pray', etc. (Psalm 31:5-6). Wherefore, 'ye just', as you are justified, 'rejoice in the Lord' (Psalm 31:11), not the world. Otherwise you are not just, for he is not just who does not rejoice in justice. Again, God himself is just, and he himself is justice: 'The Lord is just' (Psalm 10:8). So 'be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye just,' (Psalm 31:11). -- 'But I will rejoice in the Lord: and I will joy in God my Jesus' (Habakkuk 3:18).

St Alphonsus Liguori:

The psalmist exhorts the just to praise the Lord, to fear his judgments, and to confide in his mercy.

Psalm 106 and 1962isms

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt van Rijn

As well as more general 'tidying up' (clearing out assorted added prayers etc), the 1962 reforms of the Office made a number of changes to the traditional division points in some of the psalms.

I haven't been able to find out what the ostensible rationale for these changes was, so have been taking a look at them to see what I can discover.  Some of them I think I have a pretty good idea what the motivation was, and it is not good news.  Some are less obvious though, and I would put the change to Psalm 106, which I want to look at today, in this category.

St Benedict's divisions of the psalms

In the case of the day hours, St Benedict specifies which psalms are to be divided, presumably because they are not always the longest ones.  In the case of the Night Office though, he just says:

Having arranged the order of the office, let all the rest of the psalms which remain over, be divided equally into seven night offices, by so dividing such of them as are of greater length that twelve fall to each night.

This makes it sound as if the psalms to be divided, and the division points in them, are random and unimportant.  In reality though, I'm not convinced this is the case.  For one thing, if it was entirely random, wouldn't the division point be more or less in the middle of each psalm, or perhaps at some obvious point that fits the structure of the psalm?  In fact that is not necessarily the case as we shall see in the case of Psalm 106.

The structure of Psalm 106

Psalm 106 is said as the third and fourth psalm in the second nocturn of Matins on Saturdays in the Benedictine Office.  Its three opening lines provide the context for the psalm:

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia
1 Confitémini Dómino quóniam bonus: * quóniam in sæculum misericórdia ejus.	Give glory to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.
2  Dicant qui redémpti sunt a Dómino, quos redémit de manu inimíci: * et de regiónibus congregávit eos:	2 Let them say so that have been redeemed by the Lord, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy: and gathered out of the countries.
3  A solis ortu, et occásu: * ab aquilóne, et mari.	3 From the rising and from the setting of the sun, from the north and from the sea.

In these verses the psalmist urges all those redeemed by God, believers gathered from the four corners of the world, and redeemed through baptism (symbolised by the sea), to praise God for his great mercy.

The psalm then divides into  four sections, dealing with a series of afflictions, each of which contains a version of two refrains:

6  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum erípuit eos.

6 And they cried to the Lord in their tribulation: and he delivered them out of their distresses.

8  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.

8 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.

Interpretations

There are two broad lines of interpretations of this psalm, one seeing it as being primarily about the crises of the individual soul, the other as dealing with the salvation of mankind (though of course both lines can be held simultaneously).

St Robert Bellarmine, for example, takes the first approach, and interprets it primarily as literally dealing with the physical afflictions of hunger and thirst, captivity, disease or sickness, and shipwreck; spiritually, they are 'ignorance, concupiscence, bad temper and malice'.

St Alphonsus Liguori adopts the second approach:

In the literal sense this psalm sets forth the sufferings that the Jews endured in their captivity and in the desert, and it exhorts them to return thanks to God for having delivered them therefrom. In the figurative sense it represents the miseries from which Jesus Christ has delivered Christians. In it, moreover, the prophet clearly announces the ruin of the Synagogue, the vocation of the Gentiles, and the establishment of the Church.

The psalmist begins by an invitation to praise the goodness and the mercy of God. He then describes four examples of recourse to the Lord in affliction, and at the end of each repeats his invitation: verses 6-8, 13-15, 19-21, and 28-31. He concludes by an eulogium and a prophecy of the all-powerful and ever-merciful Providence of the Most High towards his servants, or his Church.

Psalms 104 to 106 in the Benedictine Office

St Benedict's contemporary Cassiodorus follows the second approach, seeing the psalm as linked to the two that immediately precede it, not least because they all start with the same title (Alleluia) opening words, viz  Confitémini Dómino (Give glory to the Lord).  That linkage arguably provides the clue to the traditional division point in the psalm.

Psalms 104 and 105 are both long psalms that are also divided in the Office, and chronicle salvation history.  

Psalm 104 starts from Abraham and the promises made to him and takes us through Joseph; the second half in the Office starts 'And Israel went into Egypt' and describes the exit from Egypt under Moses.  

Psalm 105 focuses on the sins of the Israelites under Moses, and associates the reader with them, but ends with their repentance and a plea for God to save his people:

45  Salvos nos fac, Dómine, Deus noster: * et cóngrega nos de natiónibus:	47 Save us, O Lord, our God: and gather us from among the nations:
46  Ut confiteámur nómini sancto tuo: * et gloriémur in laude tua.	That we may give thanks to your holy name, and may glory in your praise.

The division point

Looked at in this context, Psalm 106 can be seen as recapitulating the events of the previous two psalms, but also attesting to God's answer to this prayer.

The traditional division point, at verse 25/43, highlights God's action, and in fact can be seen as relating to the harrowing of hell, a particularly appropriate subject for meditation on a Saturday:

25  Dixit, et stetit spíritus procéllæ: * et exaltáti sunt fluctus ejus.	25 He said the word, and there arose a storm of wind: and the waves thereof were lifted up.
26  Ascéndunt usque ad cælos, et descéndunt usque ad abyssos: * ánima eórum in malis tabescébat	26 They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths: their soul pined away with evils.

It is worth noting that Romans 10:6-7 makes this allusion explicit, albeit in a slightly different context (it contrasts the justification from the Old law, with the justification by faith of the new):

But the justice which is of faith, speaketh thus: Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? that is, to bring Christ down; Or who shall descend into the deep? that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead....

The 1962 change

The 1962 breviary, however, changes the division point to two verses earlier.

15  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	15 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.
16  Quia contrívit portas æreas: * et vectes férreos  confrégit.	16 Because he has broken gates of brass, and burst iron bars.
17  Suscépit eos de via iniquitátis eórum: * propter injustítias enim suas humiliáti sunt.	17 He took them out of the way of their iniquity: for they were brought low for their injustices.
18  Omnem escam abomináta est ánima eórum: * et appropinquavérunt usque ad portas mortis.	18 Their soul abhorred all manner of meat: and they drew near even to the gates of death.
19  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum liberávit eos.	19 And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he delivered them out of their distresses
20  Misit verbum suum, et sanávit eos: * et erípuit eos de interitiónibus eórum.	20 He sent his word, and healed them: and delivered them from their destructions.
21  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	21 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.
22  Et sacríficent sacrifícium laudis: * et annúntient ópera ejus in exsultatióne.	22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifice of praise: and declare his works with joy.

new divisio

23  Qui descéndunt mare in návibus, * faciéntes operatiónem in aquis multis	23 They that go down to the sea in ships, doing business in the great waters:
24  Ipsi vidérunt ópera Dómini, * et mirabília ejus in profúndo.	24 These have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

old divisio

25  Dixit, et stetit spíritus procéllæ: * et exaltáti sunt fluctus ejus.	25 He said the word, and there arose a storm of wind: and the waves thereof were lifted up.
26  Ascéndunt usque ad cælos, et descéndunt usque ad abyssos....	26 They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths...
....et dedúxit eos in portum voluntátis eórum	....and he brought them to the haven which they wished for.
31  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	31 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.
32  Et exáltent eum in ecclésia plebis: * et in cáthedra seniórum laudent eum...	And let them exalt him in the church of the people: and praise him in the chair of the ancients....

It is a logical division point in some respects.  It arguably follows the structure of the psalm more closely, particularly if you follow the more literal line of interpretation.  It also has the advantage, perhaps, of highlighting the verse on the sacrifice of praise (although given that in choir everyone will be scrambling to stand up, maybe it actually obscures it?!), as well as the section of the psalm popularised by the nineteenth century Anglican hymn Eternal Father Strong to Save (aka For those in peril on the sea).

None of those reasons seem all that compelling though.  Accordingly, you really have to wonder why they felt it so important to make this change in emphasis.

Was it just change for change's sake, a general anti-tradition gesture in the absence of awareness of the Christological interpretation of the psalm?

Was it perhaps that they wanted to downplay the emphasis on the action of Christ?

Or was it, perhaps, that the reformers wanted to downplay the idea that the Benedictine Office contains a mini-Triduum each week and expunge all references to it, in the interest of  reordering the psalms according to their own whims?

But maybe I'm missing something...


The text of the psalm in full

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia
1 Confitémini Dómino quóniam bonus: * quóniam in sæculum misericórdia ejus.	Give glory to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.
2  Dicant qui redémpti sunt a Dómino, quos redémit de manu inimíci: * et de regiónibus congregávit eos:	2 Let them say so that have been redeemed by the Lord, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy: and gathered out of the countries.
3  A solis ortu, et occásu: * ab aquilóne, et mari.	3 From the rising and from the setting of the sun, from the north and from the sea.
4  Erravérunt in solitúdine in inaquóso: * viam civitátis habitáculi non invenérunt.	4 They wandered in a wilderness, in a place without water: they found not the way of a city for their habitation.
5  Esuriéntes, et sitiéntes: * ánima eórum in ipsis defécit.	5 They were hungry and thirsty: their soul fainted in them
6  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum erípuit eos.	6 And they cried to the Lord in their tribulation: and he delivered them out of their distresses.
7  Et dedúxit eos in viam rectam: * ut irent in civitátem habitatiónis.	7 And he led them into the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
8  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	8 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.
9  Quia satiávit ánimam inánem: * et ánimam esuriéntem satiávit bonis.	9 For he has satisfied the empty soul, and has filled the hungry soul with good things.
10  Sedéntes in ténebris, et umbra mortis: * vinctos in mendicitáte et ferro.	10 Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death: bound in want and in iron.
11  Quia exacerbavérunt elóquia Dei: * et consílium Altíssimi irritavérunt.	11 Because they had exasperated the words of God: and provoked the counsel of the most High:
12  Et humiliátum est in labóribus cor eórum: * infirmáti sunt, nec fuit qui adjuváret.	12 And their heart was humbled with labours: they were weakened, and there was none to help them.
13  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum liberávit eos.	13 Then they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he delivered them out of their distresses.
14  Et edúxit eos de ténebris, et umbra mortis: * et víncula eórum disrúpit.	14 And he brought them out of darkness, and the shadow of death; and broke their bonds in sunder.
15  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	15 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.
16  Quia contrívit portas æreas: * et vectes férreos confrégit.	16 Because he has broken gates of brass, and burst iron bars.
17  Suscépit eos de via iniquitátis eórum: * propter injustítias enim suas humiliáti sunt.	17 He took them out of the way of their iniquity: for they were brought low for their injustices.
18  Omnem escam abomináta est ánima eórum: * et appropinquavérunt usque ad portas mortis.	18 Their soul abhorred all manner of meat: and they drew near even to the gates of death.
19  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum liberávit eos.	19 And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he delivered them out of their distresses
20  Misit verbum suum, et sanávit eos: * et erípuit eos de interitiónibus eórum.	20 He sent his word, and healed them: and delivered them from their destructions.
21  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	21 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.
22  Et sacríficent sacrifícium laudis: * et annúntient ópera ejus in exsultatióne.	22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifice of praise: and declare his works with joy.

23  Qui descéndunt mare in návibus, * faciéntes operatiónem in aquis multis	23 They that go down to the sea in ships, doing business in the great waters:
24  Ipsi vidérunt ópera Dómini, * et mirabília ejus in profúndo.	24 These have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
25  Dixit, et stetit spíritus procéllæ: * et exaltáti sunt fluctus ejus.	25 He said the word, and there arose a storm of wind: and the waves thereof were lifted up.
26  Ascéndunt usque ad cælos, et descéndunt usque ad abyssos: * ánima eórum in malis tabescébat	26 They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths: their soul pined away with evils.
27  Turbáti sunt, et moti sunt sicut ébrius: * et omnis sapiéntia eórum devoráta est.	27 They were troubled, and reeled like a drunken man; and all their wisdom was swallowed up.
28  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum edúxit eos.	28 And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he brought them out of their distresses.
29  Et státuit procéllam ejus in auram: * et siluérunt fluctus ejus.	29 And he turned the storm into a breeze: and its waves were still.
30  Et lætáti sunt quia siluérunt: * et dedúxit eos in portum voluntátis eórum	30 And they rejoiced because they were still: and he brought them to the haven which they wished for.
31  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	31 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.
32  Et exáltent eum in ecclésia plebis: * et in cáthedra seniórum laudent eum.	32 And let them exalt him in the church of the people: and praise him in the chair of the ancients.
33  Pósuit flúmina in desértum: * et éxitus aquárum in sitim.	33 He has turned rivers into a wilderness: and the sources of waters into dry ground:
34  Terram fructíferam in salsúginem: * a malítia inhabitántium in ea.	34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
35  Pósuit desértum in stagna aquárum: * et terram sine aqua in éxitus aquárum.	35 He has turned a wilderness into pools of waters, and a dry land into water springs.
36  Et collocávit illic esuriéntes: * et constituérunt civitátem habitatiónis.	36 And has placed there the hungry; and they made a city for their habitation.
37  Et seminavérunt agros, et plantavérunt víneas: * et fecérunt fructum nativitátis.	37 And they sowed fields, and planted vineyards: and they yielded fruit of birth.
38  Et benedíxit eis, et multiplicáti sunt nimis: * et juménta eórum non minorávit.	38 And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly: and their cattle he suffered not to decrease.
39  Et pauci facti sunt: * et vexáti sunt a tribulatióne malórum, et dolóre.	39 Then they were brought to be few: and they were afflicted through the trouble of evils and sorrow.
40  Effúsa est contémptio super príncipes: * et erráre fecit eos in ínvio, et non in via.	40 Contempt was poured forth upon their princes: and he caused them to wander where there was no passing, and out of the way.
41  Et adjúvit páuperem de inópia: * et pósuit sicut oves famílias.	41 And he helped the poor out of poverty: and made him families like a flock of sheep.
42  Vidébunt recti, et lætabúntur: * et omnis iníquitas oppilábit os suum.	42 The just shall see, and shall rejoice, and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
43  Quis sápiens et custódiet hæc? * et intélliget misericórdias Domini.	43 Who is wise, and will keep these things; and will understand the mercies of the Lord?

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	Mt 8:11; Lk 13:29 (3); Lk 1:53 (9); Lk 1:79 (14); Mt 8:8 (20); Acts 10: 34-36; Acts 13:25-26 (21)
RB cursus	Saturday Matins II, -3-4;
Monastic feasts etc	-
Responsories	Easter 4&5: v3
Roman pre 1911	Saturday Matins
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Saturday Matins . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Epiphany 2, GR (20-21); Easter Tuesday, GR (2)