Psalms 20:10
Thou shalt make them as an oven of fire, in the time of thy anger: the Lord shall trouble them in his wrath, and fire shall devour them.
Open Psalms 20:10 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Pones eos ut clibanum ignis in tempore vultus tui : Dominus in ira sua conturbabit eos, et devorabit eos ignis.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- θήσεις αὐτοὺς ὡς κλίβανον πυρὸς εἰς καιρὸν τοῦ προσώπου σου· Κύριε, ἐν ὀργῇ σου συνταράξεις αὐτούς, καὶ καταφάγεται αὐτοὺς πῦρ.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 21:10
- תְּשִׁיתֵ֤מוֹ כְּתַנּ֥וּר אֵשׁ֮ לְעֵ֪ת פָּ֫נֶ֥יךָ יְ֭הוָה בְּאַפּ֣וֹ יְבַלְּעֵ֑ם וְֽתֹאכְלֵ֥ם אֵֽשׁ
Haydock's commentary
Anger. Literally, "face;" (vultus.; Haydock) which sometimes intimates favour, ver. 7. This passage may allude to the vengeance (Calmet) which David exercised upon the Ammonites, whom he burnt in kilns, (2 Kings xii. 31.; Geier.; Vat.) or to the destruction of Sodom, Genesis xix. 28., and Lamentations iv. 6. (Calmet)
It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry God, who will punish his enemies in a fire; to which St. Paul (Hebrews x. 27.) attributes rage, (Haydock) or emulation, as it will seem to strive to surpass all others. O that we may meditate on this fire! that the love of God may consume all our defects!
Trouble. Hebrew, "swallow up;" which is more energetic.
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 XXI
10. “Thou shalt make them like a fiery oven:” Thou shalt make them on fire within, by the consciousness of their ungodliness: “In the time of Thy countenance:” in the time of Thy manifestation. “The Lord shall trouble them in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them” ( ver. 9 ). And then, being troubled by the vengeance of the Lord, after the accusation of their conscience, they shall be given up to eternal fire, to be devoured.