Psalms 138:1
Lord, thou hast proved me, and known me:
Open Psalms 138:1 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- In finem, psalmus David. Domine, probasti me, et cognovisti me ;
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Εἰς τὸ τέλος· ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυείδ. Κύριε, ἐδοκίμασάς με καὶ ἔγνως με·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 139:1
- לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ לְדָוִ֣ד מִזְמ֑וֹר יְהוָ֥ה חֲ֝קַרְתַּ֗נִי וַתֵּדָֽע
Haydock's commentary
David. Some Greek copies add, "a psalm or alleluia of Zacharias in the dispersion," when the Israelites were at Babylon. But Theodoret greatly disapproves of those additions, and explains this psalm of king Josias, while others refer it to David, though it may have no reference to any historical fact, being designed to praise the knowledge of God. (Calmet)
It is the most beautiful and sublime piece in all the psalter. (Abenezra)
Proved me. God makes trial of his servants, to let them know themselves, as all thing are open to him. (Worthington)
Me. Houbigant supplies the omission in Hebrew, "hast known."
Up. Or all the occurrences of my life, Lamentations iii. 63. (Haydock)
The expression is similar to that of coming in and going out, Acts i. 21. This may be explained of Christ, whose sufferings and resurrection were foreseen. (Calmet)
God sounds the very heart, Jeremias xvii. 9., and Romans viii. 27. (Berthier)
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 CXXXIX
2. “Lord, Thou hast tried me, and known me” ( ver. 1 ). Let the Lord Jesus Christ Himself say this; let Him too say, “Lord,” to the Father. For His Father is not His Lord, save because He hath deigned to be born according to the flesh. He is Father of the God, Lord of the Man. Wouldest thou know to whom He is Father? To the coequal Son. The Apostle saith, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” To this “Form” God is Father, the “Form” equal to Himself, the only-begotten Son, begotten of His Substance. …