Psalms 118:127
Therefore have I loved thy commandments above gold and the topaz.
Open Psalms 118:127 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Ideo dilexi mandata tua super aurum et topazion.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- διὰ τοῦτο ἠγάπησα τὰς ἐντολάς σου ὑπὲρ τὸ χρυσίον καὶ τὸ πάζιον·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 119:127
- עַל כֵּ֭ן אָהַ֣בְתִּי מִצְוֺתֶ֑יךָ מִזָּהָ֥ב וּמִפָּֽז
Haydock's commentary
Topaz. Hebrew paz, which denotes "the purest gold" of Phison, Genesis ii. 11. (Calmet)
The topaz was discovered only in the reign of Ptolemy, father of Philadelphus. (St. Hilary) (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxvii. 8.)
Yet St. Jerome and others have the topaz, (Berthier) which St. Ambrose represents as the finest of precious stones. (Calmet)
The more the law is despised by the wicked, the more are the just in love with it. (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, Ain
126. “Therefore,” he saith, “I love Thy commandments above gold and topaz” ( ver. 127 ). Grace hath this object, that the commandments, which could not be fulfilled by fear, may be fulfilled by love…Therefore, they are above gold and topaz stones. For this is read in another Psalm also, “Above gold and exceeding precious stones.” For topaz is a stone considered very precious. But they not understanding the hidden grace which was in the Old Testament, screened as it were by the veil (this was signified when they were unable to gaze upon the face of Moses), endeavoured to obey the commandments of God for the sake of an earthly and carnal reward, but could not obey them; because they did not love them, but something else. Whence these were not the works of the willing, but rather the burdens of the unwilling. …
St Gregory of Nyssa On Virginity, Chapter XVII
Let that which was then said by our Lord be the general maxim for every life; especially let it be the maxim for those who are coming nearer God through the gateway of virginity, that they should never in watching for a perfection in one direction present an unguarded side in another and contrary one; but should in all directions realize the good, so that they may guarantee in all things their holy life against failure. A soldier does not arm himself only on some points, leaving the rest of his body to take its chance unprotected. If he were to receive his death-wound upon that, what would have been the advantage of this partial armour? Again, who would call that feature faultless, which from some accident had lost one of those requisites which go to make up the sum of beauty? The disfigurement of the mutilated part mars the grace of the part untouched. …