Psalms 143:1
Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war.
Open Psalms 143:1 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Psalmus David. Adversus Goliath. Benedictus Dominus Deus meus, qui docet manus meas ad prælium, et digitos meos ad bellum.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Τῷ Δαυείδ, πρὸς τὸν Γολιάδ. Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ θεός μου, ὁ διδάσκων τὰς χεῖράς μου εἰς παράταξιν, τοὺς δακτύλους μου εἰς πόλεμον·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 144:1
- לְדָוִ֨ד בָּ֘ר֤וּךְ יְהוָ֨ה צוּרִ֗י הַֽמְלַמֵּ֣ד יָדַ֣י לַקְרָ֑ב אֶ֝צְבְּעוֹתַ֗י לַמִּלְחָמָֽה
Haydock's commentary
Goliath. Hebrew has simply, "of David." (Haydock)
St. Hilary thinks that the Septuagint added the rest by inspiration, (Calmet) because this was David's first exploit in war. (Worthington)
But others pay no deference to this part of the title. The Chaldean, however, seems to allude to the same victory, (ver. 10.) and the Syriac to that which David obtained over Asaph, brother of Goliath, 1 Paralipomenon xx. 5. (Calmet)
David prays that he may overcome the Philistines, and gives thanks in Psalm xvii. (Ferrand)
These two psalms are very much alike, and this seems to have been written after the rebels were discomfited, while the 17th expresses the sentiments of the prophet, towards the end of his life, for all his victories. (Calmet)
Zorobabel after the defeat of God, (Ezechiel xxxviii.; Origen) or the Machabees; (Greek paraphrast.) or Jesus Christ might adopt these sentiments. (Holy Fathers)
Kimchi and Goan refer the psalm to the Messias. (Calmet)
God. Hebrew, "rock."
Fingers. Which chose the five pebbles. He was to exert himself, and yet to acknowledge that all success came from God. (Berthier)
He had not been trained to war, when he overcame Goliath. (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, Psalm CXLIV
2. “Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands for battle, my fingers for war” ( ver. 1 ). These are our words, if we be the Body of Christ. It seems a repetition of sentiment; “our hands for battle,” and “our fingers for war,” are the same. Or is there some difference between “hands” and “fingers”? Certainly both hands and fingers work. Not then without reason do we take “fingers” as put for “hands.” But still in the “fingers” we recognise the division of operation, yet still a sort of unity. Behold that grace! the Apostle saith, To one, this; to another, that; “there are diversities of operations; all these worketh one and the self-same Spirit;” there is the root of unity. …
St Gregory of Nyssa Answer to Eunomius' Second Book
And let no one suppose that it is through pride or desire of human reputation that I go down to this truceless and implacable warfare to engage with the foe. For if it were allowed me to pass a peaceful life meddling with no one, it would be far enough from my disposition to wantonly disturb my tranquillity, by voluntarily provoking and stirring up a war against myself. But now that God’s city, the Church, is besieged, and the great wall of the faith is shaken, battered by the encircling engines of heresy, and there is no small risk of the word of the Lord being swept into captivity through their devilish onslaught, deeming it a dreadful thing to decline taking part in the Christian conflict, I have not turned aside to repose, but have looked on the sweat of toil as more honourable than the relaxation of repose, knowing well that just as every man, as saith the Apostle, shall receive his …
St Gregory Nazianzen In Defence of His Flight to Pontus, and His Return, After His Ordination to the Priesthood, with an Exposition of the Character of the Priestly Office
88. For my own warfare, however, I am at a loss what course to pursue, what alliance, what word of wisdom, what grace to devise, with what panoply to arm myself, against the wiles of the wicked one. What Moses is to conquer him by stretching out his hands upon the mount, in order that the cross, thus typified and prefigured, may prevail? What Joshua, as his successor, arrayed alongside the Captain of the Lord’s hosts? What David, either by harping, or fighting with his sling, and girded by God with strength unto the battle, and with his fingers trained to war? What Samuel, praying and sacrificing for the people, and anointing as king one who can gain the victory? What Jeremiah, by writing lamentations for Israel, is fitly to lament these things?