Psalms 106:4
They wandered in a wilderness, in a place without water: they found not the way of a city for their habitation.
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The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Erraverunt in solitudine, in inaquoso ; viam civitatis habitaculi non invenerunt.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἐπλανήθησαν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐν ἀνύδρῳ, ὁδὸν πόλιν κατοικητηρίου οὐχ εὗρον·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 107:4
- תָּע֣וּ בַ֭מִּדְבָּר בִּישִׁימ֣וֹן דָּ֑רֶךְ עִ֥יר מ֝וֹשָׁ֗ב לֹ֣א מָצָֽאוּ
Haydock's commentary
Habitation. So were the Jews distressed at Babylon, (Calmet) as many are forced to wander in the world, and all are involved in sin. (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 CVII
4. “They wandered in the wilderness, in a dry place, they found not the way of a city to dwell in” ( ver. 4 ). We have heard a wretched wandering; what of want? “Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them” ( ver. 5 ). But wherefore did it faint? for what good? For God is not cruel, but He maketh Himself known, in that it is expedient for us, that He be entreated by us fainting, and that aiding us He be loved. And therefore after this wandering, and hunger, and thirst, “And they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distress” ( ver. 6 ). And what did He for them, as they were wandering? “And He led them in the right way” ( ver. 7 ). …
St John Cassian The Conferences of John Cassian. Part III. Containing Conferences XVIII.-XXIV, Chapter VI. Of the system of the Anchorites and its beginning
Out of this number of the perfect, and, if I may use the expression, this most fruitful root of saints, were produced afterwards the flowers and fruits of the anchorites as well. And of this order we have heard that the originators were those whom we mentioned just now; viz., Saint Paul and Antony, men who frequented the recesses of the desert, not as some from faintheartedness, and the evil of impatience, but from a desire for loftier heights of perfection and divine contemplation, although the former of them is said to have found his way to the desert by reason of necessity, while during the time of persecution he was avoiding the plots of his neighbours. …