Psalms 34:19
Let not them that are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: who have hated me without cause, and wink with the eyes.
Open Psalms 34:19 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Non supergaudeant mihi qui adversantur mihi inique, qui oderunt me gratis, et annuunt oculis.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- μὴ ἐπιχαρείησάν μοι οἱ ἐχθραίνοντές μοι ματαίως, οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεὰν καὶ διανεύοντες ὀφθαλμοῖς.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 35:19
- אַֽל יִשְׂמְחוּ לִ֣י אֹיְבַ֣י שֶׁ֑קֶר שֹׂנְאַ֥י חִ֝נָּ֗ם יִקְרְצוּ עָֽיִן
Haydock's commentary
Wrongfully. Hebrew, "liars," (St. Jerome; Haydock) alluding to Saul, &c. (Calmet) Christ explains this of himself, John xv. (Worthington)
Who. Some supply a negation. (Berthier)
"Neither let them wink with the eye who." (Protestants) This sign might indicate friendship, or evil machinations, Proverbs vi. 13., and x. 10. (Calmet)
"They pretended by their looks what they did not entertain in their hearts." (St. Augustine) (Menochius)
Haydock wrote amid the controversies of his day. The Church teaches that those born into communities separated from her cannot be charged with the sin of separation, and embraces them as brothers (CCC 818).
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 On the Holy Trinity, How the Holy Spirit is Called Love, and Whether He Alone is So Called. That the Holy Spirit is in the Scriptures Properly Called by the Name of Love
30. Just as sometimes all the utterances of the Old Testament together in the Holy Scriptures are signified by the name of the Law. For the apostle, in citing a text from the prophet Isaiah, where he says, “With divers tongues and with divers lips will I speak to this people,” yet prefaced it by, “It is written in the Law.” And the Lord Himself says, “It is written in their Law, They hated me without a cause,” whereas this is read in the Psalm. And sometimes that which was given by Moses is specially called the Law: as it is said, “The Law and the Prophets were until John;” and, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Here, certainly, that is specially called the Law which was from Mount Sinai. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XXXV
22. “Let not them that are Mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over Me:” for they rejoice over Me because of My chaff. “Who hate Me without a cause;” that is, whom I never hurt; “winking with their eyes” ( ver. 19 ): that is, pretending hypocrites, “For they spake indeed peace to Me” ( ver. 20 ). What is, “winking with their eyes”? Declaring by their looks, what they carry not in their heart. And who are these “winking with their eyes”? “For they spake indeed peace to Me; and with wrath devised craftily.” “Yea they opened their mouth wide against Me” ( ver. 21 ). First winking with their eyes, those lions sought to ravish and devour; first fawning they spake peace, and then with wrath devised craftily. What peace spake they? “Master, we know that Thou acceptest not man’s person, and teachest the way of God in truth. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John, John 15.11,12
And of this they themselves are witnesses, speaking in this way; “It was never so seen in Israel” ( Matt. ix. 33 ); and, “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind” ( c. ix. 32 ); and the matter of Lazarus was of the same kind, and all the other acts the same, and the mode of wonder-working new, and all beyond thought. “Why then,” saith one, “do they persecute both Thee and us?” “Because ye are not of the world. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own.” ( Ver. 19 .) He first remindeth them of the words which He spake also to His own brethren ( c. vii. 7 ); but there he spake more by way of a reflection, lest He should offend them, while here, on the contrary, He revealed all. “And how is it clear that it is on this account that we are hated?” “From what was done to Me. …