Psalms 58:15
They shall return at evening and shall suffer hunger like dogs: and shall go round about the city.
Open Psalms 58:15 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Convertentur ad vesperam, et famem patientur ut canes : et circuibunt civitatem.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἐπιστρέψουσιν εἰς ἑσπέραν καὶ λιμώξουσιν ὡς κύων, καὶ κυκλώσουσιν πόλιν·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 59:15
- וְיָשׁ֣וּבוּ לָ֭עֶרֶב יֶהֱמ֥וּ כַכָּ֗לֶב וִיס֥וֹבְבוּ עִֽיר
Haydock's commentary
City. This is a sort of chorus, ver. 7. St. Jerome and Protestants, "Let them bark." (Haydock)
It insinuates, that the attacks of the enemies of Nehemias, (Calmet) David, and Christ, were unceasing. (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 Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Part 2
6. “They shall be converted at evening” ( ver. 14 ): that is, even if late, that is, after the slaying of our Lord Jesus Christ: “They shall be converted at evening: and hereafter they shall suffer hunger as dogs.” But “as dogs,” not as sheep or calves: “as dogs,” as Gentiles, as sinners; because they too have known their sin that thought themselves righteous.…It is a good thing therefore for a sinner to be humbled; and no one is more incurable than he that thinketh himself whole. “And they shall go around the city.” Already we have explained “city;” it is the “city of standing round;” all nations.
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXVIII
29. Lastly, he addeth, “The tongue of Thy dogs out of enemies by Himself,” calling those very same that had been about to strive for the faith of the Gospel, even dogs, as though barking for their Lord. Not those dogs, whereof saith the Apostle, “Beware of dogs:” but those that eat of the crumbs which fall from the table of their masters. For having confessed this, the woman of Canaan merited to hear, “O woman, great is thy faith, be it done to thee as thou wilt.” Dogs commendable, not abominable; observing fidelity towards their master, and before his house barking against enemies. …