Psalms 103:3
Who coverest the higher rooms thereof with water. Who makest the clouds thy chariot: who walkest upon the wings of the winds.
Open Psalms 103:3 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- qui tegis aquis superiora ejus : qui ponis nubem ascensum tuum ; qui ambulas super pennas ventorum :
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ὁ στεγάζων ἐν ὕδασιν τὰ ὑπερῷα αὐτοῦ, ὁ τιθεὶς νέφη τὴν ἐπίβασιν αὐτοῦ, ὁ περιπατῶν ἐπὶ πτερύγων ἀνέμων·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 104:3
- הַ֥מְקָרֶֽה בַמַּ֗יִם עֲֽלִיּ֫וֹתָ֥יו הַשָּׂם עָבִ֥ים רְכוּב֑וֹ הַֽ֝מְהַלֵּ֗ךְ עַל כַּנְפֵי רֽוּחַ
Haydock's commentary
Water. The Fathers are not agreed about the nature or situation of these waters. Some take them to be angels. (St. Jerome; Genesis i. 7.)
Others suppose that the waters in the clouds, (Calmet) or the crystalline substance in the region of the stars are designated. (Worthington)
These waters are represented as the roof of God's palace. (Eusebius)
Winds. With surprising velocity, his providence being every where. (Theodoret)
The psalmist accommodates himself to our capacity, to shew that God does all with the utmost ease. (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 Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CIV
2. “Who covereth with waters the upper parts thereof” ( ver. 3 ). The upper parts of what? Of Heaven. What is Heaven? Figuratively only we said, the Divine Scripture. What are the upper parts of the Divine Scripture? The commandment of love, than which there is none more exalted. But wherefore is love compared to waters? Because “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us.” Whence is the Spirit Himself water? because “Jesus stood and cried, He that believeth on Me, out of his bosom shall flow rivers of living water.” Whence do we prove that it was said of the Spirit? Let the Evangelist himself declare, who followeth it up, and saith, “But this spake He of the Spirit, which they were to receive, who should believe on Him.” “Who walketh above the wings of the winds;” that is, above the virtues of souls. What is the virtue of a soul? Love itself. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Matthew XVI. 28
Wherefore out of the cloud? Thus doth God ever appear. “For a cloud and darkness are round about Him;”and, “He sitteth on a light cloud;”and again, “Who maketh clouds His chariot;”and, “A cloud received Him out of their sight;”and, “As the Son of Man coming in the clouds.”
St John Chrysostom A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, Homily II on Acts i. 6
But just as when we see a child crying, and pertinaciously wishing to get something from us that is not expedient for him, we hide the thing, and show him our empty hands, and say, “See, we have it not:” the like has Christ here done with the Apostles. But as the child, even when we show him [our empty hands], persists with his crying, conscious he has been deceived, and then we leave him, and depart, saying, “Such an one calls me:” and we give him something else instead, in order to divert him from his desire, telling him it is a much finer thing than the other, and then hasten away; in like manner Christ acted. The disciples asked to have something, and He said He had it not. And on the first occasion he frightened them. …
St Gregory Nazianzen On Pentecost
XII. And therefore He came after Christ, that a Comforter should not be lacking unto us; but Another Comforter, that you might acknowledge His co-equality. For this word Another marks an Alter Ego, a name of equal Lordship, not of inequality. For Another is not said, I know, of different kinds, but of things consubstantial. And He came in the form of Tongues because of His close relation to the Word. And they were of Fire, perhaps because of His purifying Power (for our Scripture knows of a purifying fire, as any one who wishes can find out), or else because of His Substance. For our God is a consuming Fire, and a Fire burning up the ungodly; though you may again pick a quarrel over these words, being brought into difficulty by the Consubstantiality. …