Psalms 113:4
The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like the lambs of the flock.
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Montes exsultaverunt ut arietes, et colles sicut agni ovium.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- τὰ ὄρη ἐσκίρτησαν ὡς κριοί, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ ὡς ἀρνία προβάτων.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 114:4
- הֶֽ֭הָרִים רָקְד֣וּ כְאֵילִ֑ים גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת כִּבְנֵי צֹֽאן
Haydock's commentary
Skipped. Through joy, exultaverunt, (Haydock) or rather through fear, ver. 7. (Calmet)
There was an earthquake, not specified by Moses; or the psalmist speaks of what took place at Ar, (Numbers xxi. 15.; Worthington) unless he alludes to the waters of the Jordan, rising up like mountains. (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 Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXXII
5. “Let the mountains bear peace to the people, and the hills justice” ( ver. 3 ). The mountains are the greater, the hills the less. These are without doubt those which another Psalm hath, “little with great.” For those mountains did exult like rams, and those hills like lambs of the sheep, at the departure of Israel out of Egypt, that is, at the deliverance of the people of God from this world’s servitude. Those then that are eminent in the Church for passing sanctity, are the mountains, who are meet to teach other men also, by so speaking as that they may be faithfully taught, by so living as that they may imitate them to their profit: but the hills are they that follow the excellence of the former by their own obedience. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CXIV
2. “When Israel came out of Egypt, and the house of Jacob from among the strange people” ( ver. 1 ), “Judah was His sanctuary, and Israel His dominion” ( ver. 2 ); “the sea saw that and fled, Jordan was driven back” ( ver. 3 ). Think not that past deeds are related unto us, but rather that the future is predicted; since, while those miracles also were going on in that people, things present indeed were happening, but not without an intimation of things future.…Some things he has related differently to what we have learnt and read there: that he might not truly be thought to be repeating past acts rather than to be prophesying future things. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, Philippians 1:22-26
“Who shall utter Thy mighty acts, O Lord” ( Psa. cvi. 2 .), because Thou sufferedst not Paul to be hidden, because Thou madest manifest to the world such a man? All the Angels of God praised Thee with one accord, when Thou madest the stars ( Job xxxviii. 7 .), and so too surely when Thou madest the sun, but not so much as when Thou didst manifest Paul to the whole world. By this, the earth was made more brilliant than the heaven, for he is brighter than the solar light, he hath shot forth more brilliant rays, he hath shed abroad more joyous beams. What fruit hath this man borne for us! not by making fat our corn, not by nurturing our pomegranates, but by producing and perfecting the fruit of holiness, and when falling to pieces, continually recovering them. …