Psalms 17:8
The earth shook and trembled: the foundations of the mountains were troubled and were moved, because he was angry with them.
Open Psalms 17:8 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Commota est, et contremuit terra ; fundamenta montium conturbata sunt, et commota sunt : quoniam iratus est eis.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἐσαλεύθη καὶ ἔντρομος ἐγενήθη ἡ γῆ, καὶ τὰ θεμέλια τῶν ὀρέων ἐταράχθησαν καὶ ἐσαλεύθησαν, ὅτι ὠργίσθη αὐτοῖς ὁ θεός.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 18:8
- וַתִּגְעַ֬שׁ וַתִּרְעַ֨שׁ הָאָ֗רֶץ וּמוֹסְדֵ֣י הָרִ֣ים יִרְגָּ֑זוּ וַ֝יִּתְגָּֽעֲשׁ֗וּ כִּי חָ֥רָה לֽוֹ
Haydock's commentary
With them is not in Hebrew. Lo, illi refers to God. Furor fuit ei. (Montanus)
"He was wroth." (Protestants) Yet he displayed his power on the mountains, as if he had been displeased with them, or with the enemies (ver. 4.) whom he would thus strike with awe. (Haydock)
These expressions are not to be taken in a gross literal sense. (Calmet)
God shewed himself as earnest in the protection of David, (Haydock) as if he had been in a rage; (Calmet) or as if the elements had all conspired to defend him. (Theodoret)
This most pompous description (Calmet) alludes to the wonders wrought at Sinai, and the terrors which would happen at the death and resurrection of Christ, and at his last coming. Some moderns think that the overthrow of the Babylonians, and other enemies of God's people, are also denoted. The sinner, touched by divine grace, implores mercy, and feels the remorse of conscience, the ropes or sorrows of hell, and a dread of God's just judgments hanging over him. (Berthier)
These cause the most haughty and obstinate to tremble. (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 Book X, Chapter XXXVI
59. The desire to be feared and loved of men, with no other view than that I may experience a joy therein which is no joy, is a miserable life, and unseemly ostentation. Hence especially it arises that we do not love Thee, nor devoutly fear Thee. And therefore dost Thou resist the proud, but givest grace unto the humble; and Thou thunderest upon the ambitious designs of the world, and “the foundations of the hills” tremble. Because now certain offices of human society render it necessary to be loved and feared of men, the adversary of our true blessedness presseth hard upon us, everywhere scattering his snares of “well done, well done;” that while acquiring them eagerly, we may be caught unawares, and disunite our joy from Thy truth, and fix it on the deceits of men; and take pleasure in being loved and feared, not for Thy sake, but in Thy stead, by which means, being made like unto him, …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XVIII
8. “And the earth was moved and trembled” ( ver. 7 ). When the Son of Man was thus glorified, sinners were moved and trembled. “And the foundations of the mountains were troubled.” And the hopes of the proud, which were in this life, were troubled. “And were moved, for God was wroth with them.” That is, that the hope of temporal goods might have now no more establishment in the hearts of men.
St John Chrysostom A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, Homily XI on Acts iv. 23
Let us now look over again what has been said. [“And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.”] (Recapitulation, v. 23 .) See the unostentatious conduct of the Apostles, and their largeness of mind. They did not go about boasting, and say, “How we served ( ἀπεχρησάμεθα ) the priests!” nor were they ambitious of honor: but, we read, “they came unto their own company. Observe how they do not cast themselves upon temptations, but when the temptations present themselves, with courage endure them. Had it been some other of the disciples, perhaps, emboldened by the countenance of the multitude, he might have insulted, might have vented ever so many harsh expressions. But not so these true philosophers; they do all with mildness and with gentleness. …
St Ambrose Exposition of the Christian Faith, Chapter II. The incidents properly affecting the body which Christ for our sake took upon Him are not to be accounted to His Godhead, in respect whereof He is the Most Highest. To deny which is to say that the Father was incarnate. When we read that God is one, and that there is none other beside Him, or that He alone has immortality, this must be understood as true of Christ also, not only to avoid the sinful heresy above-mentioned (Patripassianism), but also because the activity of the Father and the Son is declared to be one and the same
9. Who indeed can deny that we have plain evidence that Christ is the Most High? He who knows otherwise makes the sacrament of Incarnation to be the work of God the Father. But that Christ is the Most High is removed beyond doubt by what Scripture hath said in another place, concerning the mystery of the Passion: “The Most High sent forth His Voice, and the earth was shaken.” And in the Gospel you may read: “And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to prepare His ways.” Who is “the Highest”? The Son of God. He, then, Who is the Most High God is Christ.