Psalms 104:25
He turned their heart to hate his people: and to deal deceitfully with his servants.
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Convertit cor eorum, ut odirent populum ejus, et dolum facerent in servos ejus.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ μετέστρεψεν τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν τοῦ μισῆσαι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, τοῦ δολιοῦσθαι ἐν τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 105:25
- הָפַ֣ךְ לִ֭בָּם לִשְׂנֹ֣א עַמּ֑וֹ לְ֝הִתְנַכֵּ֗ל בַּעֲבָדָֽיו
Haydock's commentary
He turned their heart, &c. Not that God (who is never the author of sin) moved the Egyptians to hate and persecute his people; but that the Egyptians took occasion of hating and envying them, from the sight of the benefits which God bestowed upon them. (Challoner) (St. Augustine)
He permitted the malice of the Egyptians, (Theodoret) and employed them to chastise his people, who had adored idols. (Eusebius) (Acts vii. 43.) Felix, Protestants, &c., translate the Hebrew, "their heart was turned." (Berthier)
The perversity of the Egyptians came from themselves, though it was turned to a good account. (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 A Treatise on Grace and Free Will, God Does Whatsoever He Wills in the Hearts of Even Wicked Men
Who can help trembling at those judgments of God by which He does in the hearts of even wicked men whatsoever He wills, at the same time rendering to them according to their deeds? Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, rejected the salutary counsel of the old men, not to deal harshly with the people, and preferred listening to the words of the young men of his own age, by returning a rough answer to those to whom he should have spoken gently. Now whence arose such conduct, except from his own will? Upon this, however, the ten tribes of Israel revolted from him, and chose for themselves another king, even Jeroboam, that the will of God in His anger might be accomplished which He had predicted would come to pass. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CV
16. “And He turned their heart so, that they hated His people, and dealt untruly with His servants” ( ver. 25 ). Is it to be in any wise understood or believed, that God turneth man’s heart to do sin?…For they were not good before they hated His people; but being malignant and ungodly, they were such as would readily envy their prosperous sojourners. And so, in that He multiplied His own people, this bountiful act turned the wicked to envy. For envy is the hatred of another’s prosperity. In this sense, therefore, He turned their heart, so that through envy they hated His people, and dealt untruly with His servants. It was not then by making their hearts evil, but by doing good to His people, that He turned their hearts, that were evil of their own accord, to hatred. …