Psalms 75:5
Thou enlightenest wonderfully from the everlasting hills.
Open Psalms 75:5 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Illuminans tu mirabiliter a montibus æternis ;
- Septuagint (Swete)
- φωτίζεις σὺ θαυμαστῶς ἀπὸ ὀρέων αἰωνίων.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 76:5
- נָ֭אוֹר אַתָּ֥ה אַדִּ֗יר מֵֽהַרְרֵי טָֽרֶף
Haydock's commentary
Hills. Of Juda, which are styled eternal, on account of their stability, Deuteronomy xxxiii. 15. Hebrew seems to be incorrect. (Calmet)
"Thou art a light magnificently from (Haydock) or more than, (Berthier) the mountains of the captivity." (St. Jerome)
Or, "of prey." (Protestants)
"Thou art more terrible....than the richest mountains." (Theodoret)
Yet this comparison hardly suits in this place, (Calmet) and Houbigant prefers the Vulgate and Septuagint, who may have read terem, "before," or saraph, "of the seraph," (alluding to God's seat upon the ark) instead of tareph, "prey." (Berthier)
God grants victory to his people, and enlightens them with the true faith. (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 Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXXVI
5. “Thou enlightening marvellously from the eternal mountains” ( ver. 4 ). What are the eternal mountains? Those which He hath Himself made eternal; which are the great mountains, the preachers of truth. Thou dost enlighten, but from the eternal mountains: the great mountains are first to receive Thy light, and from Thy light which the mountains receive, the earth also is clothed. But those great mountains the Apostles have received, the Apostles have received as it were the first streaks of the rising light.…Wherefore also, in another place, a Psalm saith what? “I have lifted up mine eyes unto the mountains, whence there shall come help to me.” What then, in the mountains is thy hope, and from thence to thee shall there come help? Hast thou stayed at the mountains? Take heed what thou doest. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CXXV
4. What is this Jerusalem? He briefly describes it. “The mountains stand around Jerusalem” ( ver. 2 ). Is it anything great, that we are in a city surrounded by mountains? Is this the whole of our happiness, that we shall have a city which mountains surround? Do we not know what mountains are? or what are mountains save swellings of the earth? Different then from these are those mountains that we love, lofty mountains, preachers of truth, whether Angels, or Apostles, or Prophets. They stand around Jerusalem; they surround her, and, as it were, form a wall for her. Of these lovely and delightful mountains Scripture constantly speaketh.…They are the mountains of whom we sing: “I lifted up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence my help shall come:” because in this life we have help from the holy Scriptures. …
St Gregory Nazianzen The Oration on Holy Baptism
XXXVI. I will remind you again about Illuminations, and that often, and will reckon them up from Holy Scripture. For I myself shall be happier for remembering them (for what is sweeter than light to those who have tasted light?) and I will dazzle you with my words. There is sprung up a light for the righteous, and its partner joyful gladness. And, The light of the righteous is everlasting; and Thou art shining wondrously from the everlasting mountains, is said to God, I think of the Angelic powers which aid our efforts after good. And you have heard David’s words; The Lord is my Light and my Salvation, whom then shall I fear? And now he asks that the Light and the Truth may be sent forth for him, now giving thanks that he has a share in it, in that the Light of God is marked upon him; that is, that the signs of the illumination given are impressed upon him and recognized. …