Psalms 17:5
The sorrows of death surrounded me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.
Open Psalms 17:5 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Circumdederunt me dolores mortis, et torrentes iniquitatis conturbaverunt me.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- περιέσχον με ὠδῖνες θανάτου, καὶ χείμαρροι ἀνομίας ἐξετάραξάν με·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 18:5
- אֲפָפ֥וּנִי חֶבְלֵי מָ֑וֶת וְֽנַחֲלֵ֖י בְלִיַּ֣עַל יְבַֽעֲתֽוּנִי
Haydock's commentary
Sorrows...iniquity. Hebrew, "cables....Belial." By these figurative expressions, David declares to what dangers he had been exposed. They seem to be more applicable to our Saviour's agony. (Berthier)
The wicked were constantly laying snares for both. We have the same idea enforced in the next verse. (Haydock)
The words are put into the mouth of fallen man, in the mass for Septuagesima[the third Sunday before Lent]. (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 XVIII
5. “The pains of death,” that is, of the flesh, have “compassed Me about. And the overflowings of ungodliness have troubled Me” ( ver. 4 ). Ungodly troubles stirred up for a time, like torrents of rain which will soon subside, have come on to trouble 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. …