Psalms 103:17
There the sparrows shall make their nests. The highest of them is the house of the heron.
Open Psalms 103:17 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- illic passeres nidificabunt : herodii domus dux est eorum.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἐκεῖ στρουθία ἐννοσσεύσουσιν, τοῦ ἐρωδιοῦ ἡ οἰκία ἡγεῖται αὐτῷ.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 104:17
- אֲשֶׁר שָׁ֭ם צִפֳּרִ֣ים יְקַנֵּ֑נוּ חֲ֝סִידָ֗ה בְּרוֹשִׁ֥ים בֵּיתָֽהּ
Haydock's commentary
Sparrows, or "birds" (Psalm ci. 8.; Haydock) in general. (Berthier)
Highest; or, literally, "the tribe of the heron is their leader," (Haydock) first making their nests. Septuagint seem to have read better than the present Hebrew, "the stork, the fir-trees are its house." (Berthier)
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 CIV
23. “There shall the sparrows build their nests: their leader is the house of the coot” ( ver. 17 ). Where shall the sparrows build? In the cedars of Libanus.…Who are the sparrows? Sparrows are birds indeed, and fowls of the air, but small fowls are wont to be called sparrows. There are therefore some spiritual ones that build in the cedars of Libanus: that is, there are certain servants of God who hear in the Gospel, “Sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor; and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me.”…Let him who hath resigned many things, not be proud. …
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. …