Psalms 131:8
Arise, O Lord, into thy resting place: thou and the ark, which thou hast sanctified.
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The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Surge, Domine, in requiem tuam, tu et arca sanctificationis tuæ.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε, εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου, σὺ καὶ ἡ κιβωτὸς τοῦ ἁγιάσματός σου·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 132:8
- קוּמָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה לִמְנוּחָתֶ֑ךָ אַ֝תָּ֗ה וַאֲר֥וֹן עֻזֶּֽךָ
Haydock's commentary
Sanctified. Hebrew, "ark of thy strength," which title proceeds from the sanctity of God, who resides there, 1 Kings vi. 20. Our heart ought to be his resting place, Isaias lxvi. 2. (Berthier)
Leaving Silo, &c., come into thy temple, with the ark where thou sanctifiest thy people. He contemplates a higher mystery, the coming of the Messias, and his glorious resurrection. (Worthington)
The same words were repeated, when the ark was removed in the desert, and by Solomon, as they might be also by the captives. (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 Gregory Thaumaturgus Four Homilies, Homily I
Most of the holy fathers, and patriarchs, and prophets desired to see Him, and to be eye-witnesses of Him, but did not attain hereto. And some of them by visions beheld Him in type, and darkly; others, again, were privileged to hear the divine voice through the medium of the cloud, and were favoured with sights of holy angels; but to Mary the pure virgin alone did the archangel Gabriel manifest himself luminously, bringing her the glad address, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured!” And thus she received the word, and in the due time of the fulfilment according to the body’s course she brought forth the priceless pearl. …
St Augustine Letter LV
30. Read the book of Exodus, and observe the number of days between the first passover and the giving of the Law. God speaks to Moses in the desert of Sinai on the first day of the third month. Mark, then, this as one day of the month, and then observe what (among other things) the Lord said on that day: “Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day; for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai.” The Law was accordingly given on the third day of the month. Now reckon the days between the 14th day of the first month, the day of the passover, and the 3d day of the third month, and you have 17 days of the first month, 30 of the second, and 3 of the third, 50 in all. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CXXXII
8. “Arise, O Lord, into Thy resting place” ( ver. 8 ). He saith unto the Lord sleeping, “Arise.” Ye know already who slept, and who rose again.…“Thou, and the ark of Thy sanctification:” that is, Arise, that the ark of Thy sanctification, which Thou hast sanctified, may arise also. He is our Head; His ark is His Church: He arose first, the Church will arise also. The body would not dare to promise itself resurrection, save the Head arose first. The Body of Christ, that was born of Mary, hath been understood by some to be the ark of sanctification; so that the words mean, Arise with Thy Body, that they who believe not may handle.
St John Damascene An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Concerning the Cross and here further concerning Faith
So, then, this same truly precious and august tree, on which Christ hath offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sakes, is to be worshipped as sanctified by contact with His holy body and blood; likewise the nails, the spear, the clothes, His sacred tabernacles which are the manger, the cave, Golgotha, which bringeth salvation, the tomb which giveth life, Sion, the chief stronghold of the churches and the like, are to be worshipped. In the words of David, the father of God, We shall go into His tabernacles, we shall worship at the place where His feet stood . And that it is the Cross that is meant is made clear by what follows, Arise, O Lord, into Thy Rest . For the resurrection comes after the Cross. …