Psalms 118:86
All thy statutes are truth: they have persecuted me unjustly, do thou help me.
Open Psalms 118:86 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Omnia mandata tua veritas : inique persecuti sunt me, adjuva me.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- πᾶσαι αἱ ἐντολαί σου ἀλήθεια· ἀδίκως κατεδίωξάν με, βοήθησόν μοι.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 119:86
- כָּל מִצְוֺתֶ֥יךָ אֱמוּנָ֑ה שֶׁ֖קֶר רְדָפ֣וּנִי עָזְרֵֽנִי
Haydock's commentary
Help me. He does not pray to be exempted from trials, but that he may have grace to gain the victory. (St. Hilary)
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 The Correction of the Donatists, Chapter 2
9. But true martyrs are such as those of whom the Lord says, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake." It is not, therefore, those who suffer persecution for their unrighteousness, and for the divisions which they impiously introduce into Christian unity, but those who suffer for righteousness’ sake, that are truly martyrs. For Hagar also suffered persecution at the hands of Sarah; and in that case she who persecuted was righteous, and she unrighteous who suffered persecution. Are we to compare with this persecution which Hagar suffered the case of holy David, who was persecuted by unrighteous Saul? Surely there is in essential difference, not in respect of his suffering, but because he suffered for righteousness’ sake. And the Lord Himself was crucified with two thieves; but those who were joined in their suffering were separated by the difference of its cause. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Caph
86. Lastly, he addeth, “All Thy commandments are truth: they have persecuted me unjustly; O be Thou my help” ( ver. 86 ). And the whole sense dependeth upon the foregoing: “How many are the days of Thy servant: when wilt Thou be avenged of them that persecute me?” For that they may persecute me, they have related to me these pleasant tales; but I have preferred Thy law to them, which on that account hath pleased me more, because all Thy commandments are true; not as in their discourses, where vanity aboundeth. And for this reason “they have persecuted me falsely,” because in me they have persecuted nothing save the truth. Therefore help Thou me, that I may struggle for the truth even unto death; because this is at once Thy commandment, and therefore it is also the truth.
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Lamed
89. The man who speaketh in this Psalm, as if he were tired of human mutability, whence this life is full of temptations, among his tribulations, on account of which he had above said, “The wicked have persecuted me;” and, “They have almost made an end of me upon earth” ( ver. 89 ); burning with longings for the heavenly Jerusalem; looked up to the realms above, and said, “O Lord, Thy word endureth for ever in heaven;” that is, among Thy Angels who serve everlastingly in Thine armies, without desertion.