Psalms 21:22
Save me from the lion's mouth; and my lowness from the horns of the unicorns.
Open Psalms 21:22 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →In the palace
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Salva me ex ore leonis, et a cornibus unicornium humilitatem meam.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- σῶσόν με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος, καὶ ἀπὸ κεράτων μονοκερώτων τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 22:22
- ה֭וֹשִׁיעֵנִי מִפִּ֣י אַרְיֵ֑ה וּמִקַּרְנֵ֖י רֵמִ֣ים עֲנִיתָֽנִי
Haydock's commentary
Lowness. This sense appears to be preferable to the Hebrew, "hear me from," &c. (Calmet)
Yet some who render the original literally have, "save me from the throat of the lion, and from the horns of the unicorns; thou hast heard me." This seems very striking, as Christ henceforth recounts the glorious effects of his sufferings. The Septuagint have explained hanithani as a noun, though it properly signifies, thou hast heard, or humbled. (Berthier)
They may not have read the last n. (Calmet)
Yet St. Jerome has, exaudisti me, "thou hast granted my request." (Haydock)
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 Hippolytus The Refutation of All Heresies, Chapter III
This, he says, the Thracians who dwell around Hæmus, and the Phrygians similarly with the Thracians, denominate Corybas, because, (though) deriving the beginning of his descent from the head above and from the unportrayed brain, and (though) permeating all the principles of the existing state of things, (yet) we do not perceive how and in what manner he comes down. This, says he, is what is spoken: “We have heard his voice, no doubt, but we have not seen his shape.” For the voice of him that is set apart and portrayed is heard; but (his) shape, which descends from above from the unportrayed one, what sort it is, nobody knows. It resides, however, in an earthly mould, yet no one recognises it. …
St Cyprian Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews, That the Jews would fasten Christ to the cross
In Isaiah: “I have spread out my hands all day to a people disobedient and contradicting me, who walk in ways that are not good, but after their own sins.” Also in Jeremiah: “Come, let us cast the tree into His bread, and let us blot out His life from the earth.” Also in Deuteronomy: “And Thy life shall be hanging (in doubt) before Thine eyes; and Thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt not trust to Thy life.” Also in the twenty-first Psalm: “They tore my hands and my feet; they numbered all my bones. And they gazed upon me, and saw me, and divided my garments among them, and upon my vesture they cast a lot. But Thou, O Lord, remove not Thy help far from me; attend unto my help. Deliver my soul from the sword, and my only one from the paw of the dog. Save me from the mouth of the lion, and my lowliness from the horns of the unicorns. …
St Augustine Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John, Chapter VIII. 13, 14
7. For it is from prophecy that we convince gainsaying pagans. Who is Christ? says the pagan. To whom we reply, He whom the prophets foretold. What prophets? asks he. We quote Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, and other holy prophets: we tell him that they came long before Christ, by what length of time they preceded His coming. We make this reply then: Prophets came before Him, and they foretold His coming. One of them answers: What prophets? We quote for him those which are daily read to us. And, said he, Who are these prophets? We answer: Those who also foretold the things which we see come to pass. And he urges: You have forged these for yourselves, you have seen them come to pass, and have written them in what books you pleased, as if their coming had been predicted. Here in opposition to pagan enemies the witness of other enemies offers itself. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XXII
22. “Save Me from the lion’s mouth:” save Me from the mouth of the kingdom of this world: “and my humility from the horns of the unicorns” ( ver. 21 ). And from the loftiness of the proud, exalting themselves to special pre-eminence, and enduring no partakers, save My humility.