Psalms 104:12
When they were but a small number: yea very few, and sojourners therein:
Open Psalms 104:12 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- cum essent numero brevi, paucissimi, et incolæ ejus.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀριθμῷ βραχεῖς, ὀλιγοστοὺς καὶ παροίκους ἐν αὐτῇ.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 105:12
- בִּֽ֭הְיוֹתָם מְתֵ֣י מִסְפָּ֑ר כִּ֝מְעַ֗ט וְגָרִ֥ים בָּֽהּ
Haydock's commentary
Very few. Hebrew, "as it were reduced to nothing," to avoid a tautology. (Berthier)
But this version is not necessary. (Haydock)
Jacob at this time was not married, (Berthier) and his parents had no part of the land. This manifests the power of God, and the faith of the patriarchs, (Calmet) who doubted not but that he would realize what he had promises. (Haydock)
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 CV
7. He next followeth out the history well known in the truth of the holy Scriptures. “When they were in small numbers, very few, and they strangers in the land” ( ver. 12 ); that is, in the land of Canaan.…But some copies have the words “very few, and they strangers,” in the accusative case, the translator having turned the Greek phrase too literally into Latin. If we were to render the whole clause in this way, we must say, “that they were very few, and they strangers;” but the phrase, “while they were,” is the meaning of the Greek; and the verb, “to be,” takes not an accusative, but a nominative after it.