Psalms 102:11
For according to the height of the heaven above the earth: he hath strengthened his mercy towards them that fear him.
Open Psalms 102:11 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Quoniam secundum altitudinem cæli a terra, corroboravit misericordiam suam super timentes se ;
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ὅτι κατὰ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐκραταίωσεν Κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 103:11
- כִּ֤י כִגְבֹ֣הַּ שָׁ֭מַיִם עַל הָאָ֑רֶץ גָּבַ֥ר חַ֝סְדּ֗וֹ עַל יְרֵאָֽיו
Haydock's commentary
Earth. There is no proportion between God's mercy and our crimes. (Calmet)
Sins are perfectly washed away, (Worthington) and not barely covered, as the east cannot be the west. (Berthier)
Sin remitted "sets for ever." (St. Augustine)
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 Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CIII
15. “He hath not dealt with us according to our sins” ( ver. 10 ). Thanks unto God, because He hath vouchsafed this. We have not received what we were deserving of: “He hath not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our wickednesses.” “For as the height of heaven above the earth, so hath the Lord confirmed His mercy toward them that fear Him” ( ver. 11 ). Observe the heaven: everywhere on every side it covereth the earth, nor is there any part of the earth not covered by the heaven. Men sin beneath heaven: they do all evil deeds beneath the heaven; yet they are covered by the heaven. Thence is light for the eyes, thence air, thence breath, thence rain upon the earth for the sake of its fruits, thence all mercy from heaven. Take away the aid of heaven from the earth: it will fail at once. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans, Homily XXVIII on Rom. xv. 8
That is, that ye may get clear of that heartlessness ( ἀθυμίας ) towards one another, and may never be cast down by temptations. And this will be by your abounding in hope. Now this is the cause of all good things, and it comes from the Holy Ghost. But it is not simply from the Spirit, but on condition of our contributing our part also. This is why he says, “in believing.” For this is the way for you to be filled with joy, if ye believe, if ye hope. Yet he does not say if ye hope, but, “if ye abound in hope,” so as not to find comfort in troubles only, but even to have joy through the abundance of faith and hope. And in this way, ye will also draw the Spirit to you. In this way, when He is come ye will continually keep to all good things. …