Psalms 76:20
Thy way is in the sea, and thy paths in many waters: and thy footsteps shall not be known.
Open Psalms 76:20 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- In mari via tua, et semitæ tuæ in aquis multis, et vestigia tua non cognoscentur.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἡ ὁδός σου, καὶ αἱ τρίβοι σου ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἴχνη σου οὐ γνωσθήσονται.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 77:20
- בַּיָּ֤ם דַּרְכֶּ֗ךָ ושביליך בְּמַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים וְ֝עִקְּבוֹתֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א נֹדָֽעוּ
Haydock's commentary
Known. The waters resumed their usual course, Hebrews iii. 15. The wheels of the enemy might be discerned long after. (Calmet)
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 LXXVII
19. “Thy way is in the sea” ( ver. 19 ). But now Thy way was in the Holy One, now “Thy way is in the sea:” because the Holy One Himself is in the sea, and with reason even did walk upon the waters of the sea. “Thy way is in the sea,” that is, Thy Christ is preached among the Gentiles.…“Thy way is in the sea, and Thy paths in many waters,” that is, in many peoples. “And Thy footsteps will not be known.” He hath touched certain, and wonder were it if it be not those same Jews. Behold now the mercy of Christ hath been so published to the Gentiles, that “Thy way is in the sea. Thy footsteps will not be known.” How so, by whom will they not be known, save by those who still say, Christ hath not yet come? Why do they say, Christ hath not yet come? Because they do not yet recognise Him walking on the sea.
The Fathers are given as they wrote. Where a passage lays the Passion on the Jewish people, the Church teaches that it cannot be charged against all the Jews then living, nor against the Jews of today, and that all sinners were its authors (CCC 597, 598).