Psalms 108:4
Instead of making me a return of love, they detracted me: but I gave myself to prayer.
Open Psalms 108:4 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Pro eo ut me diligerent, detrahebant mihi ; ego autem orabam.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀγαπᾷν με ἐνδιέβαλλόν με, ἐγὼ δὲ προσευχόμην·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 109:4
- תַּֽחַת אַהֲבָתִ֥י יִשְׂטְנ֗וּנִי וַאֲנִ֥י תְפִלָּֽה
Haydock's commentary
Detracted. Hebrew and Septuagint, "calumniated," as [in] ver. 20., and 29. (Calmet)
Prayer. Jesus Christ prayed for his enemies, (Luke xxiii. 34.; Flaminius) and did many good works for the benefit of all, John x. 32., and Acts x. 38. David had also signalized himself in the defence of his country, and yet was banished. He shews that he was animated with the perfect spirit of the gospel, though the law permitted retaliation, Exodus xxi. 24. (Calmet)
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 CIX
6. He addeth, “Thus have they rewarded me evil for good” ( ver. 4 ). And as if we asked, what evil? for what good? “And hatred,” he saith, “for my good will.” This is the sum total of their great guilt. For how could the persecutors injure Him who died of His own free-will, and not by compulsion? But this very hatred is the greatest crime of the persecutor, although it be the willing atonement of the sufferer. And he hath sufficiently explained the sense of the above words, “In place of loving me,” since they owed love not as a general duty only, but in return for His love: in that he hath here added, “for my good will.” This love He mentioneth in the Gospel, when He saith, “How often would I have gathered thy children together, and thou wouldest not!”
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, 1 Timothy 2:2-4
If in order to put an end to public wars, and tumults, and battles, the Priest is exhorted to offer prayers for kings and governors, much more ought private individuals to do it. For there are three very grievous kinds of war. The one is public, when our soldiers are attacked by foreign armies: The second is, when even in time of peace, we are at war with one another: The third is, when the individual is at war with himself, which is the worst of all. For foreign war will not be able to hurt us greatly. What, I pray, though it slaughters and cuts us off? It injures not the soul. Neither will the second have power to harm us against our will; for though others be at war with us, we may be peaceable ourselves. For so says the Prophet, “For my love they are my adversaries, but I give myself unto prayer” ( Ps. cix. …
St Ambrose Epistle LXIII: To the Church at Vercellæ
103. Do you then forgive injuries done to you that you may be children of Jacob. Be not provoked as was Esau. Imitate holy David, who as a good master left us what we should follow, saying: “Instead of loving me they spake against me, but I prayed,” and when he was reviled, he prayed. Prayer is a good shield, wherewith contumely is kept away, cursing is repelled and often is turned back on those who utter it, so that they are wounded by their own weapons. “Let them curse,” he says, “but bless Thou.” The curse of man is to be sought for, which procures the blessing of the Lord.