Psalms 17:1
Unto the end, for David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. [2 Kings 22]
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- In finem. Puero Domini David, qui locutus est Domino verba cantici hujus, in die qua eripuit eum Dominus de manu omnium inimicorum ejus, et de manu Saul, et dixit :
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Εἰς τὸ τέλος· τῷ παιδὶ Κυρίου τῷ Δαυείδ, ἃ ἐλάλησεν τῷ κυρίῳ τοὺς λόγους τῆς ᾠδῆς ταύτης ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐρύσατο αὐτὸν Κύριος ἐκ χειρὸς πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς Σαούλ·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 18:1
- לַמְנַצֵּ֤חַ לְעֶ֥בֶד יְהוָ֗ה לְדָ֫וִ֥ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר דִּבֶּ֨ר לַיהוָ֗ה אֶת דִּ֭בְרֵי הַשִּׁירָ֣ה הַזֹּ֑את בְּי֤וֹם הִֽצִּיל יְהוָ֘ה אוֹת֥וֹ מִכַּ֥ף כָּל אֹ֝יְבָ֗יו וּמִיַּ֥ד שָׁאֽוּל
Haydock's commentary
This title is almost wholly taken from the book of Kings, except Unto the end for; instead of which we read, And David spoke, &c., [2 Kings xxii.] (Haydock) which are the words of the inspired writer; so that Ferrand is very rash in rejecting both these titles. David wrote this psalm after he had subdued the Moabites, &c. (Calmet)
He was inspired to write it (Worthington) twice, with some variations, (Berthier) 74 in number, (Aberbanel) or many more, if we believe Kennicott, who lays them to the charge of transcribers, perhaps, (Haydock) with greater reason. (Calmet)
We cannot doubt but this psalm regards David. But there are some passages which refer to Jesus Christ and his Church more directly; and in general, David must here be considered as only (Berthier) the figure of the Messias, and of the just in his Church. (Worthington)
James Paine has endeavoured to prove, with great ingenuity, that the whole must be explained of Jesus Christ, and that the name of Saul stands for "the grave;" as the points which are of modern date, only need to be changed. Thus the sufferings of our Saviour, and the punishment of the Jews in the last siege of Jerusalem are described; and thus it is clear that St. Paul (Romans xv. 9.) has cited this psalm in it proper sense. (Berthier)
See ver. 10, 41.
Sts. Jerome and Augustine explain it of the victories of David, of the Messias, and of his Church. (Calmet)
Saul may be particularly mentioned, because he was the most powerful. (Worthington)
Where a note speaks of the Jewish people, the Church teaches that the Passion cannot be charged against all the Jews then living, nor against the Jews of today, and that all sinners were its authors (CCC 597, 598).
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.