Psalms 103:1
For David himself. Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art exceedingly great. Thou hast put on praise and beauty:
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Ipsi David. Benedic, anima mea, Domino : Domine Deus meus, magnificatus es vehementer. Confessionem et decorem induisti,
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Τῷ Δαυείδ. Εὐλόγει, ἡ ψυχή μου, τὸν κύριον· Κύριε, Κύριε, ὁ θεός μου, ὡς ἐμεγαλύνθης σφόδρα. ἐξομολόγησιν καὶ εὐπρέπειαν ἐνεδύσω,
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 104:1
- בָּרֲכִ֥י נַפְשִׁ֗י אֶת יְה֫וָ֥ה יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי גָּדַ֣לְתָּ מְּאֹ֑ד ה֭וֹד וְהָדָ֣ר לָבָֽשְׁתָּ
Haydock's commentary
Himself. Complutensian Septuagint adds, "a psalm on the creation," (Haydock) as this is the subject; but there is no title in the original. (Berthier) The psalm contains "a divine and natural philosophy," (Eusebius) respecting the creation and providence. Plato has written something similar in his Timæus, (Calmet) though this comparison is indecent. (Berthier)
The imitation is no disparagement, however, to this divine word, and we may surely notice the concord between the inspired and profane writers. (Haydock)
This psalm seems to be a continuation of the preceding one. (Calmet)
Great. Literally, "magnified," in the same sense as we say, hallowed be thy name, [Matthew vi. 9.] praying that God may be honoured by all his creatures; (Haydock) though He cannot increase in holiness, &c. (St. Augustine)
We become acquainted with his greatness, by considering his works. (Calmet)
Praise. Literally, "confession," (Haydock) Hebrew, "glory." (Calmet)
Thou art entitled to all praise. (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 Methodius Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna On the Day that They Met in the Temple
VI. Hence the aged Simeon, putting off the weakness of the flesh, and putting on the strength of hope, in the face of the law hastened to receive the Minister of the law, the Teacher with authority, the God of Abraham, the Protector of Isaac, the Holy One of Israel, the Instructor of Moses; Him, I say, who promised to show him His divine incarnation, as it were His hinder parts; Him who, in the midst of poverty, was rich; Him who in infancy was before the ages; Him who, though seen, was invisible; Him who in comprehension was incomprehensible; Him who, though in littleness, yet surpassed all magnitude, at one and the same time in the temple and in the highest heavens, on a royal throne, and on the chariot of the cherubim Him who is both above and below continuously; Him who is in the form of a servant, and in the form of God the Father; a subject, and yet King of all. …
St Augustine City of God, Of the Blessings with Which the Creator Has Filled This Life, Obnoxious Though It Be to the Curse
Moreover, even in the body, though it dies like that of the beasts, and is in many ways weaker than theirs, what goodness of God, what providence of the great Creator, is apparent! The organs of sense and the rest of the members, are not they so placed, the appearance, and form, and stature of the body as a whole, is it not so fashioned, as to indicate that it was made for the service of a reasonable soul? Man has not been created stooping towards the earth, like the irrational animals; but his bodily form, erect and looking heavenwards, admonishes him to mind the things that are above. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CIV
1. …“Bless the Lord, O my soul.” Let the soul of us all, made one in Christ, say this. “O Lord my God, Thou art magnified exceedingly!” ( ver. 1 ). Where art Thou magnified? “Confession and beauty Thou hast put on.” Confess ye, that ye may be beautified, that He may put you on. “Clothed with light as a garment” ( ver. 2 ). Clothed with His Church, because she is made “light” in Him, who before was darkness in herself, as the apostle saith: “Ye were sometime darkness, but now light in the Lord.” “Stretching out the heaven like a skin:” either as easily as thou dost a skin, if it be “as easily,” so that thou mayest take it after the letter; or let us understand the authority of the Scriptures, spread out over the whole world, under the name of a skin; because mortality is signified in a skin, but all the authority of the Divine Scriptures was dispensed unto us through mortal men, whose fam …