Psalms 76:6
I thought upon the days of old: and I had in my mind the eternal years.
Open Psalms 76:6 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Cogitavi dies antiquos, et annos æternos in mente habui.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- διελογισάμην ἡμέρας ἀρχαίας, καὶ ἔτη αἰώνια
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 77:6
- חִשַּׁ֣בְתִּי יָמִ֣ים מִקֶּ֑דֶם שְׁ֝נ֗וֹת עוֹלָמִֽים
Haydock's commentary
Of old. And the favours which had been heaped on the nation. (Calmet)
Years. Both past and future times; (Haydock) yea, eternity itself, the great occupation of life. (St. Augustine) (Berthier)
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
7. “I have thought on ancient days” ( ver. 5 ). Now he, as if he were one who had been beaten out of doors, hath taken refuge within: he is conversing in the secret place of his own heart. And let him declare to us what he is doing there. It is well with him. Observe what things he is thinking of, I pray you. He is within, in his own house he is thinking of ancient days. No one saith to him, thou hast spoken ill: no one saith to him, thou hast spoken much: no one saith to him, thou hast thought perversely. Thus may it be well with him, may God aid him: let him think of the ancient days, and let him tell us what he hath done in his very inner chamber, whereunto he hath arrived, over what he hath leaped, where he hath abode. “I have thought on ancient days; and of eternal years I have been mindful.” What are eternal years? It is a mighty thought. …
St John Cassian The Conferences of John Cassian. Part II. Containing Conferences XI-XVII, Chapter XXVI. The answer that the weak does not always allow himself to be borne
Joseph : I did not say that the virtue and endurance of one who is strong and robust would be overcome, but that the miserable condition of the weak, encouraged by the tolerance of the perfect, and daily growing worse, is sure to give rise to reasons on account of which he himself ought no longer to be borne; or else with a shrewd suspicion that the patience of his neighbour shows up and sets off his own impatience at some time or other he chooses to make off rather than always to be borne by the magnanimity of the other. …