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Psalms 67:31

Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds, the congregation of bulls with the kine of the people; who seek to exclude them who are tried with silver. Scatter thou the nations that delight in wars:

Challoner: Rebuke the wild beasts of the reedsor the wild beasts, which lie hid in the reeds. That is, the devils, who hide themselves in order to surprise their prey. Or by wild beasts, are here understood persecutors, who, for all their attempts against the Church, are but as weak reeds, which cannot prevail against them who are supported by the strength of the Almighty. The same are also called the congregation of bulls (from their rage against the Church) who assemble together all their kine, that is, the people their subjects, to exclude if they can, from Christ and his inheritance, his constant confessors, who are like silver tried by fire.

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The verse in its languages

Vulgate (Clementine): Increpa feras arundinis ; congregatio taurorum in vaccis populorum : ut excludant eos qui probati sunt argento. Dissipa gentes quæ bella volunt.
Septuagint (Swete): ἐπιτίμησον τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ καλάμου· ἡ συναγωγὴ τῶν ταύρων ἐν ταῖς δαμάλεσιν τῶν λαῶν τοῦ μὴ ἀποκλεισθῆναι τοὺς δεδοκιμασμένους τῷ ἀργυρίῳ· διασκόρπισον ἔθνη τὰ τοὺς πολέμους θέλοντα.
Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 68:31: גְּעַ֨ר חַיַּ֪ת קָנֶ֡ה עֲדַ֤ת אַבִּירִ֨ים בְּעֶגְלֵ֬י עַמִּ֗ים מִתְרַפֵּ֥ס בְּרַצֵּי כָ֑סֶף בִּזַּ֥ר עַ֝מִּ֗ים קְרָב֥וֹת יֶחְפָּֽצוּ

Haydock's commentary

Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds: or the wild beasts which lie hid in the reeds. That is, the devils, who hide themselves in order to surprise their prey. Or by wild beasts, are here understood persecutors, who, for all their attempts against the Church, are but as weak reeds, which cannot prevail against them, who are supported by the strength of the Almighty. The same are also called the congregation of bulls, (from their rage against the Church) who assembled together all their kine, that is, the people, their subjects, to exclude, if they can, from Christ and his inheritance, his constant confessors, who are like silver tried by fire. (Challoner)

Symmachus nearly agrees with this version: "Rebuke the wild beasts." Yet most render the Hebrew in the singular, to denote the chief of the enemies, (Haydock) particularly the devil, who dwells with the vain and luxurious, (Bellarmine) being Behemoth, in Job xl. 16., (Menochius) and the old serpent, (Haydock) as he probably lay concealed, among the shrubs of Paradise, when he tempted our first parents. (Berthier)

It refers literally to the kings of Egypt, and of Ethiopia, who might be solicited to make war on David, by the Philistines. Pharao is often called a dragon, (Ezechiel xxix. 3.) as his officers, or the princes "of Chus," may be styled bulls. They shall be forced to submit, ver. 32. (Calmet)

To exclude. Hebrew, "trampling upon," (Berthier) or "boasting of their pieces of silver," (Montanus) which is so common among them, 3 Kings x. 27. (Haydock)

Read on

The Egyptians even adorned their sandals with it. (Clem. Ped. ii. 11.)

The soldiers of Antiochus had mostly gold nails in their shoes. (Val. Max. ix. 2.) (Calmet)

Houbigant proposes some alterations, and translates, "Keep down the beast of the reed, the collection of the strong, as also the chariots of the people, which run quickly on silver wheels." All the versions tend to shew the fury and insolence of the enemy against God's people. (Berthier)

Tried. Protestants, "till every one submit himself with pieces of silver." (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 A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter, The Exclusion of Boasting

Accordingly he says, “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay; but by the law of faith.” He may either mean, the laudable boasting, which is in the Lord; and that it is excluded , not in the sense that it is driven off so as to pass away, but that it is clearly manifested so as to stand out prominently. Whence certain artificers in silver are called “ exclusores .” In this sense it occurs also in that passage in the Psalms: “That they may be excluded , who have been proved with silver,”, that is, that they may stand out in prominence, who have been tried by the word of God. …

St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LV

21. “And His heart hath drawn near” ( ver. 22 ). Of whom do we understand it, except of Him, by the anger of whom they have been divided? How “hath his heart drawn near”? In such sort, that we may understand His will. For by heretics hath been vindicated the Catholic Church, and by those that think evil have been proved those that think well. For many things lay hid in the Scriptures: and when heretics had been cut off, with questions they troubled the Church of God: then those things were opened which lay hid, and the will of God was understood. Thence is said in another Psalm, “In order that they might be excluded that have been proved with silver.” For let them be excluded, He hath said, let them come forth, let them appear. Whence even in silver-working men are called “excluders,” that is, pressers out of form from the sort of confusion of the lump. …

St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXVIII

35. “From Thy Temple in Jerusalem, to Thee kings shall offer presents” ( ver. 29 ). Jerusalem, which is our free mother, because the same also is Thy holy Temple: from that Temple then, “to Thee kings shall offer presents.” Whatever kings be understood, whether kings of the earth, or whether those whom “He that is above the heavens distinguisheth over the dove silvered;” “to Thee kings shall offer presents.” And what presents are so acceptable as the sacrifices of praise? But there is a noise against this praise, from men bearing the name of Christian, and having diverse opinions. Be there done that which followeth, “Rebuke Thou the beasts of the cane” ( ver. 30 ). For both beasts they are, since by not understanding they do hurt: and beasts of the cane they are, since the sense of the Scriptures they wrest according to their own misapprehension. …

St Ambrose On the Holy Spirit, Chapter X. Being about to prove that the will, the calling, and the commandment of the Trinity is one, St. Ambrose shows that the Spirit called the Church exactly as the Father and the Son did, and proves this by the selection of SS. Paul and Barnabas, and especially by the mission of St. Peter to Cornelius. And by the way he points out how in the Apostle's vision the calling of the Gentiles was shadowed forth, who having been before like wild beasts, now by the operation of the Spirit lay aside that wildness. Then having quoted other passages in support of this view, he shows that in the case of Jeremiah cast into a pit by Jews, and rescued by Abdemelech, is a type of the slighting of the Holy Spirit by the Jews, and of His being honoured by the Gentiles

108. Therefore the holy prophet David, seeing in the Spirit that we should from wild beasts become like the dwellers in heaven, says, “Rebuke the wild beasts of the wood,” evidently signifying, not the wood disturbed by the running of wild beasts, and shaken with the roaring of animals, but that wood of which it is written: “We found it in the fields of the wood.” In which, as the prophet said: “The righteous shall flourish as the palm-tree, and shall be multiplied as the cedar which is in Libanus.” That wood which, shaken in the tops of the trees spoken of in prophecy, shed forth the nourishment of the heavenly Word. That wood into which Paul entered indeed as a ravening wolf, but went forth as a shepherd, for “their sound is gone out into all the earth.”