Psalms 21:15
I am poured out like water; and all my bones are scattered. My heart is become like wax melting in the midst of my bowels.
Open Psalms 21:15 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Sicut aqua effusus sum, et dispersa sunt omnia ossa mea : factum est cor meum tamquam cera liquescens in medio ventris mei.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ὡσεὶ ὕδωρ ἐξεχύθην καὶ διεσκορπίσθη πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου, ἐγενήθη ἡ καρδία μου ὡσεὶ κηρὸς τηκόμενος ἐν μέσῳ τῆς κοιλίας μου.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 22:15
- כַּמַּ֥יִם נִשְׁפַּכְתִּי֮ וְהִתְפָּֽרְד֗וּ כָּֽל עַצְמ֫וֹתָ֥י הָיָ֣ה לִ֭בִּי כַּדּוֹנָ֑ג נָ֝מֵ֗ס בְּת֣וֹךְ מֵעָֽי
Haydock's commentary
Water, in the agony, or on the cross, fainting away, Josue vii. 5.
Bones. In extreme pain, (Calmet) they have been dislocated. (Haydock)
The bones signify the apostles, who were scattered through the world, to propagate the gospel. (St. Augustine)
Heart. Which lives and dies first, is now like wax in the fire. (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
Origen Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John, Chapter XX
“The Jews then answered and said unto Him, What sign showest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Those of the body, and those who incline to material things, seem to me to be meant by the Jews, who, after Jesus has driven out those who make God’s house a house of merchandise, are angry at Him for treating these matters in such a way, and demand a sign, a sign which will show that the Word, whom they do not receive, has a right to do such things. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XXII
15. “I was poured out like water, and all My bones were scattered” ( ver. 14 ). “I was poured out like water,” when My persecutors fell: and through fear, the stays of My body, that is, the Church, My disciples were scattered from Me. “My heart became as melting wax, in the midst of my belly.” My wisdom, which was written of Me in the sacred books, was, as if hard and shut up, not understood: but after that the fire of My Passion was applied, it was, as if melted, manifested, and entertained in the memory of My Church.
The Fathers are given as they wrote. Where a passage lays the Passion on the Jewish people, the Church teaches that it 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).