Psalms 17:36
And thou hast given me the protection of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up: And thy discipline hath corrected me unto the end: and thy discipline, the same shall teach me.
Open Psalms 17:36 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- et dedisti mihi protectionem salutis tuæ : et dextera tua suscepit me, et disciplina tua correxit me in finem, et disciplina tua ipsa me docebit.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἔδωκάς μοι ὑπερασπισμὸν σωτηρίας μου, καὶ ἡ δεξιά σου ἀντελάβετό μου· καὶ ἡ παιδία σου ἀνώρθωσέν με εἰς τέλος, καὶ ἡ παιδία σου, αὐτή με διδάξει.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 18:36
- וַתִּתֶּן לִי֮ מָגֵ֪ן יִ֫שְׁעֶ֥ךָ וִֽימִינְךָ֥ תִסְעָדֵ֑נִי וְֽעַנְוַתְךָ֥ תַרְבֵּֽנִי
Haydock's commentary
Of thy. The latter word is omitted in some copies of the Septuagint, while others change it into "my." But the Hebrew is agreeable to the Vulgate. (Calmet)
End. Thou hast preserved me by salutary correction. (St. Augustine) (Haydock)
Hebrew, "thy goodness shall multiply me" with children. Symmachus, conformably to 2 Kings xxii., has, "my obedience shall lift me up." (Calmet)
The Hebrew may, however, admit the sense of the Vulgate.
And thy, &c., is a paraphrase of the former sentiment, or it is borrowed from Theodotion. (Berthier)
Grabe marks from unto the end, &c., as omitted in Hebrew. (Haydock)
Luther and the Dutch translate, "When thou humblest me, then thou exaltest me," to shew the salutary effects of suffering. But there is nothing of the kind in the original. (Amama)
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 Book VIII, Chapter I
2. For the Church I saw to be full, and one went this way, and another that. But it was displeasing to me that I led a secular life; yea, now that my passions had ceased to excite me as of old with hopes of honour and wealth, a very grievous burden it was to undergo so great a servitude. For, compared with Thy sweetness, and the beauty of Thy house, which I loved, those things delighted me no longer. But still very tenaciously was I held by the love of women; nor did the apostle forbid me to marry, although he exhorted me to something better, especially wishing that all men were as he himself was. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XVIII
36. “And Thou hast given me the defence of my salvation, and Thy right hand hath held me up” ( ver. 35 ). And the favour of Thy grace hath held me up. “And Thy discipline hath directed me to the end.” And Thy correction, not suffering me to wander from the way, hath directed me that whatsoever I do, I refer to that end, whereby I may cleave to Thee. “And this Thy discipline, it shall teach me.” And that same correction of Thine shall teach me to attain to that, whereunto it hath directed me.
St John Cassian The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults, Chapter XVII. Various passages which clearly show that we cannot do anything which belongs to our salvation without the aid of God
Lastly , the Author of our salvation teaches us what we ought not merely to think, but also to acknowledge in everything that we do. “I can,” He says, “of mine own self do nothing, but the Father which abideth in me, He doeth the works.” He says, speaking in the human nature which He had taken, that He could do nothing of Himself; and shall we, who are dust and ashes, think that we have no need of God’s help in what pertains to our salvation? And so let us learn in everything, as we feel our own weakness, and at the same time His help, to declare with the saints, “I was overturned that I might fall, but the Lord supported me. The Lord is my strength and my praise: and He is become my salvation.” And “Unless the Lord had helped me, my soul had almost dwelt in hell. If I said, My foot is moved: Thy mercy, O Lord, assisted me. …