Ecclesiasticus 38:17
And for fear of being ill spoken of weep bitterly for a, day, and then comfort thyself in thy sadness.
Open Ecclesiasticus 38:17 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Propter delaturam autem amare fer luctum illius uno die, et consolare propter tristitiam :
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Verse numbering differs here, so nothing is shown rather than the wrong verse.
Haydock's commentary
For. Greek, "and shed burning tears of mourning, (18.) and lament for," &c. (Haydock)
Sorrow would be unsuitable for the saints, and useless for the damned, who being rebellious to God do not deserve our lamentations. Yet nature dictates, and people expect we should allow something to the first emotions of sorrow, (Calmet) for a day or two; and we may receive the consolatory visits of our friends, during the seven days of mourning, chap. xxii. 13., and John xi. 19. (St. Paulin. ad Pam.)
To avoid the evil reports of men, we must shew ourselves to be really sorry; yet we must not suffer grief to hurt our health. (Worthington)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Augustine Letter CCLXIII
3. There is nothing in the sorrow of mortals over their dearly beloved dead which merits displeasure; but the sorrow of believers ought not to be prolonged. If, therefore, you have been grieved till now, let this grief suffice, and sorrow not as do the heathen, “who have no hope.” For when the Apostle Paul said this, he did not prohibit sorrow altogether, but only such sorrow as the heathen manifest who have no hope. For even Martha and Mary, pious sisters, and believers, wept for their brother Lazarus, of whom they knew that he would rise again, though they knew not that he was at that time to be restored to life; and the Lord Himself wept for that same Lazarus, whom He was going to bring back from death; wherein doubtless He by His example permitted, though He did not by any precept enjoin, the shedding of tears over the graves even of those regarding whom we believe that they shall ri …