Psalms 34:17
Lord, when wilt thou look upon me? rescue thou my soul from their malice: my only one from the lions.
Open Psalms 34:17 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Domine, quando respicies ? Restitue animam meam a malignitate eorum ; a leonibus unicam meam.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Κύριε, πότε ἐπόψῃ; ἀποκατάστησον τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ τῆς κακουργίας αὐτῶν, ἀπὸ λεόντων τὴν μονογενῆ μου.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 35:17
- אֲדֹנָי֮ כַּמָּ֪ה תִּ֫רְאֶ֥ה הָשִׁ֣יבָה נַ֭פְשִׁי מִשֹּׁאֵיהֶ֑ם מִ֝כְּפִירִ֗ים יְחִידָתִֽי
Haydock's commentary
One. Septuagint, "daughter." Aquila, "solitary," monachen. Protestants, "darling," or my soul which is so desolate, Psalm xxi. 21. (Haydock)
So Christ said, Why hast thou abandoned me? (Matthew xxvii.) not affording me such consolation as other saints enjoy in their agony. (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 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 Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XXXV
20. “Lord, when wilt Thou look on? Rescue My Soul from their deceits, My Darling from the lions” ( ver. 17 ). For to us the time is slow; and in our person is this said, “When wilt Thou look on?” that is, when shall we see vengeance upon those who insult us? When shall the Judge, overcome by weariness, hear the widow? But our Judge, not from weariness, but from love, delayeth our salvation; from reason, not from need; not that He could not even now succour us, but that the number of us all may be filled up even to the end. And yet out of our desire, what do we say? “Lord, when wilt Thou look on? Rescue My Soul from their deceits, My Darling from the lions:” that is, My Church from raging powers.
St John Cassian The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-X, Chapter XXI. Of the fact that devils struggle with men not without effort on their part
But our belief is that they undertake this struggle not without effort on their part. For in their conflict they themselves have some sort of anxiety and depression, and especially when they are matched with stronger rivals, i.e., saints and perfect men. Otherwise no contest or struggle, but only a simple deception of men, and one free from anxiety on their part would be assigned to them. And how then would the Apostle’s words stand, where he says: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against world-rulers of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places;” and this too: “So fight I, not as one that beateth the air;” and again: “I have fought a good fight”? For where it is spoken of as a fight, and conflict, and battle, there must be effort and exertion and anxiety on both sides, and equally there must either be in store for …