Psalms 113:8
Who turned the rock into pools of water, and the stony hill into fountains of waters.
Open Psalms 113:8 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- qui convertit petram in stagna aquarum, et rupem in fontes aquarum.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- τοῦ στρέψαντος τὴν πέτραν εἰς λίμνας ὑδάτων καὶ τὴν ἀκρότομον εἰς πηγὰς ὑδάτων.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 114:8
- הַהֹפְכִ֣י הַצּ֣וּר אֲגַם מָ֑יִם חַ֝לָּמִ֗ישׁ לְמַעְיְנוֹ מָֽיִם
Haydock's commentary
Waters. They are mentioned twice, as referring to different miracles, Exodus xvii. 6., and Numbers xx. 8. Inanimate things are introduced, giving this reply; or the psalmist gives it himself. (Berthier)
He uses the figure prosopopeia, as if senseless things could understand. (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 Against Two Letters of the Pelagians, Their Calumny About the Fulfilment of Precepts in the Life to Come
But who can bear their objecting to us, “that we say that after the resurrection such is to be our progress, that there men can begin to fulfil the commands of God, which they would not here;” since we say that there there will be no sin at all, no struggle with any desire of sin; as if they themselves would dare to deny this? That wisdom also and the knowledge of God, is then perfected in us, and that in the Lord there is such rejoicing that it is a full and a true security, who will deny, unless he is so averse from the truth that on this very account he cannot attain unto it? But these things will not be in precepts, but in reward of those precepts which should here be observed; the neglect of which precepts, indeed, does not lead thither to the reward. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CXIV
9. “Who turned the hard rock into standing waters, and the flint stone into springing wells” ( ver. 8 ). For He melted Himself, and what may be called His hardness to water those who believe on Him, that He might in them become “a fountain of water gushing forth unto everlasting life;” because formerly, when He was not known, He seemed hard. Hence they who said, “This is an hard saying, who can bear it?” were confounded, and waited not until He should flow and stream upon them when the Scriptures were revealed. The rock, that hardness, was turned into pools of water, that stone into fountains of waters, when on His resurrection, “He expounded unto them, commencing with Moses and all the prophets, how Christ ought to suffer thus;” and sent the Holy Ghost, of whom He said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.”