Psalms 108:18
And he loved cursing, and it shall come unto him: and he would not have blessing, and it shall be far from him. And he put on cursing, like a garment: and it went in like water into his entrails, and like oil in his bones.
Open Psalms 108:18 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Et dilexit maledictionem, et veniet ei ; et noluit benedictionem, et elongabitur ab eo. Et induit maledictionem sicut vestimentum ; et intravit sicut aqua in interiora ejus, et sicut oleum in ossibus ejus.
- Septuagint (Swete) shown from Psalms 108:17, 108:18
- καὶ ἠγάπησεν κατάραν, καὶ ἥξει αὐτῷ· καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν εὐλογίαν, καὶ μακρυνθήσεται ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐνεδύσατο κατάραν ὡς ἱμάτιον, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὡς ὕδωρ εἰς τὰ ἔνκατα αὐτοῦ καὶ ὡς ἔλαιον ἐν τοῖς ὀστέοις αὐτοῦ·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 109:17, 109:18
- וַיֶּאֱהַ֣ב קְ֭לָלָה וַתְּבוֹאֵ֑הוּ וְֽלֹא חָפֵ֥ץ בִּ֝בְרָכָ֗ה וַתִּרְחַ֥ק מִמֶּֽנּוּ וַיִּלְבַּ֥שׁ קְלָלָ֗ה כְּמַ֫דּ֥וֹ וַתָּבֹ֣א כַמַּ֣יִם בְּקִרְבּ֑וֹ וְ֝כַשֶּׁ֗מֶן בְּעַצְמוֹתָֽיו
Haydock's commentary
Bones. This strikingly describes the malediction of a person who has swallowed iniquity like water, Job xv. 16., and Proverbs iv. 17. The Jews had spoken ill of Christ, and of his disciples, Matthew xxvii. 25., and John ix. 17. (Calmet)
Let all who delight in cursing, attend to this sentence. (Worthington)
They like those things, which bring both temporal and eternal misery. (Menochius)
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 Work on the Proceedings of Pelagius, The Same Continued
As for the passage from the psalm, “He loved cursing, and it shall come upon him; and he willed not blessing, so it shall be far removed from him,” which he quoted in the same book of Chapters, as if to prove that “all men are ruled by their own will,” who can be ignorant that this is a fault not of nature as God created it, but of human will which departed from God? The fact indeed is, that even if he had not loved cursing, and had willed blessing, he would in this very case, too, deny that his will had received any assistance from God; in his ingratitude and impiety, moreover, he would submit himself to be ruled by himself, until he found out by his penalties that, sunk as he was into ruin, without God to govern him he was utterly unable to direct his own self. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CIX
18. “Let it be unto him as the cloak which covereth him” ( ver. 18 ). Since he hath before spoken of the cloak, why doth he repeat it? When he said, “He clothed himself with cursing as with a raiment;” doth the raiment with which he is “covered” differ from that with which he is “clothed”? For every man is clothed with his tunic, covered with his cloak; and what is this, save boasting in iniquity, even in the sight of men? “and as the girdle,” he saith, “that he is alway girded withal.” Men are girded chiefly that they may be better fit for toil, that they may not be hindered by the folds of their dress. He therefore girdeth himself with curses, who designeth an evil which he hath carefully contrived, not on a sudden impulse, and who learneth in such a manner to do evil, that he is always ready to commit it.
St John Chrysostom The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and Ephesians, Ephesians 4:17-19
Moral . Our part then is, never to put off the garment of righteousness, which also the Prophet calls, “the garment of salvation” ( Isa. lxi. 10 .), that so we may be made like unto God. For He indeed hath put on righteousness. This garment let us put on. Now the word, “put on,” plainly declares nothing else, than that we should never at all put it off. For hear the Prophet, where he saith, “He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, and it came into his inward parts.” ( Ps. cix. 18 .) And again, “Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment.” ( Ps. civ. 2 .) And again, it is usual with us to speak concerning men, such an one has “put on” such an one. So then it is not for one day, nor for two, nor for three, but he would have us ever arrayed in virtue, and never stripped of this garment. …