Psalms 49:4
He shall call heaven from above, and the earth, to judge his people.
Open Psalms 49:4 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Advocabit cælum desursum, et terram, discernere populum suum.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- προσκαλέσεται τὸν οὐρανὸν ἄνω καὶ τὴν γῆν, διακρῖναι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 50:4
- יִקְרָ֣א אֶל הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם מֵעָ֑ל וְאֶל הָ֝אָ֗רֶץ לָדִ֥ין עַמּֽוֹ
Haydock's commentary
Earth. As if they were animated, Deuteronomy iv. 26., and xxxii. 1., Isaias i. 2., and Jeremias ii. 12.
Some understand the angels and apostles by heaven. (Calmet)
Judge. Literally, "to divide," discernere, (Haydock) the goats from the sheep, Matthew xxv. 32. (Calmet) (Menochius)
The whole earth, particularly the elect, will approve of God's decree, 1 Corinthians vi. 2.
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 Irenaeus Against Heresies: Book V, Chapter XVIII. God the Father and
3. For the Creator of the world is truly the Word of God: and this is our Lord, who in the last times was made man, existing in this world, and who in an invisible manner contains all things created, and is inherent in the entire creation, since the Word of God governs and arranges all things; and therefore He came to His own in a visible manner, and was made flesh, and hung upon the tree, that He might sum up all things in Himself. “And His own peculiar people did not receive Him,” as Moses declared this very thing among the people: “And thy life shall be hanging before thine eyes, and thou wilt not believe thy life.” Those therefore who did not receive Him did not receive life. …
St Cyprian Treatise IX
22. But when shall come the divine vengeance for the righteous blood, the Holy Spirit declares by Malachi the prophet, saying, “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, burning as an oven; and all the aliens and all the wicked shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord.” And this we read also in the Psalms, where the approach of God the Judge is announced as worthy to be reverenced for the majesty of His judgment: “God shall come manifest, our God, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall burn before Him, and round about Him a great tempest. He shall call the heaven above, and the earth beneath, that He may separate His people. …
St Cyprian Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews, That Jesus Christ shall come as a Judge
In Malachi: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, burning as an oven; and all the aliens and all the wicked shall be as stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord.” Also in the forty-ninth (or fiftieth) Psalm: “God the Lord of gods hath spoken, and called the earth. From the rising of the sun even to the going down thereof, out of Sion is the beauty of His glory. God shall come manifestly, our God, and shall not keep silence. A fire shall burn before Him, and round about Him shall be a great storm. He hath called the heaven above, and the earth, that He may separate His people. Gather together His saints unto Him, those who arrange His covenant with sacrifices. …
St Augustine City of God, Passages from the Psalms of David Which Predict the End of the World and the Last Judgment
It is the last judgment of God which is re ferred to also in the 50th Psalm in the words, “God shall come manifestly, our God, and shall not keep silence: fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call the heaven above, and the earth, to judge His people. Gather His saints together to Him; they who make a covenant with Him over sacrifices.” This we understand of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom we look for from heaven to judge the quick and the dead. For He shall come manifestly to judge justly the just and the unjust, who before came hiddenly to be unjustly judged by the unjust. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm L
11. Since then it is evident, that many are to judge with the Lord, but that others are to be judged, not however on equality, but according to their deserts; He will come with all His Angels, when before Him shall be gathered all nations, and among all the Angels are to be reckoned those that have been made so perfect, that sitting upon twelve thrones they judge the twelve tribes of Israel. For men are called Angels: the Apostle saith of himself, “As an angel of God ye received me.” Of John Baptist it is said, “Behold, I send My Angel before Thy face, that shall prepare Thy way before Thee.” Therefore, coming with all Angels, together with Him He shall have the Saints also. …
St Basil De Spiritu Sancto, Statement of the reason why in the writings of Paul the angels are associated with the Father and the Son
30. And not only Paul, but generally all those to whom is committed any ministry of the word, never cease from testifying, but call heaven and earth to witness on the ground that now every deed that is done is done within them, and that in the examination of all the actions of life they will be present with the judged. So it is said, “He shall call to the heavens above and to earth, that he may judge his people.” And so Moses when about to deliver his oracles to the people says, “I call heaven and earth to witness this day;” and again in his song he says, “Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak, and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth;” and Isaiah, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;” and Jeremiah describes astonishment in heaven at the tidings of the unholy deeds of the people: “The heaven was astonished at this, and was horribly afraid, because my people committed two evils.” A …