Psalms 85:17
Shew me a token for good: that they who hate me may see, and be confounded, because thou, O Lord, hast helped me and hast comforted me.
Open Psalms 85:17 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Fac mecum signum in bonum, ut videant qui oderunt me, et confundantur : quoniam tu, Domine, adjuvisti me, et consolatus es me.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ποίησον μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ σημεῖον εἰς ἀγαθόν, καὶ ἰδέτωσαν οἱ μισοῦντές με καὶ αἰσχυνθήτωσαν, ὅτι σύ, Κύριε, ἐβοήθησάς μοι καὶ παρεκάλεσάς με.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 86:17
- עֲשֵֽׂה עִמִּ֥י א֗וֹת לְט֫וֹבָ֥ה וְיִרְא֣וּ שֹׂנְאַ֣י וְיֵבֹ֑שׁוּ כִּֽי אַתָּ֥ה יְ֝הוָ֗ה עֲזַרְתַּ֥נִי וְנִחַמְתָּֽנִי
Haydock's commentary
Good. Mark me for thy slave, (Calmet) which will be the highest honour. (Haydock)
Give me such a sign as the angel did when he was going to destroy the first-born of Egypt. (St. Athanasius)
By some prodigy convince our oppressors that there is a God. (Calmet) (Berthier)
The resurrection, prefigured by Jonas, was the great proof of Christ and his Church; and this serves either for the conversion or for the condemnation of mankind. See St. Augustine. (Worthington)
Quod precor eveniet, sunt certa oracula vatum,
Nam Deus optanti prospera signa dedit. (Ovid, 2 de Ponto 1.)
Comforted. St. Cyprian was in sorrow while suffering, but was comforted when crowned. "All the martyrs, with Christ, pray for us." (St. Augustine) (Du Hamel)
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 LXXXVI
22. “Show me a sign for good” ( ver. 17 ). What sign, but that of the Resurrection? The Lord says: “This wicked and provoking generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonah.” Therefore in our Head a sign has been shown already for good; each one of us also may say, “Show me a sign for good:” because at the last trumpet, at the coming of the Lord, both “the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” This will be a sign for good. “That they who hate me may see it, and be ashamed.” In the judgment they shall be ashamed unto their destruction, who will not now be ashamed unto their healing. Now therefore let them be ashamed: let them accuse their own ways, let them keep the good way: because none of us liveth without being ashamed, unless he first be ashamed and live anew. …
St John Chrysostom Homilies on First Corinthians, Homily XXXVI
“But in the case of prophecy too,” saith some one, “he did the very same thing, saying, ‘but prophesying serveth not for the unbelieving, but for them which believe.’ For the believer hath no need to see a sign, but requires only teaching and catechizing. How then sayest thou,” saith he, “that prophecy is of use to both, when Paul saith ‘not to the unbelieving, but to them which believe?’” If thou wilt accurately examine, thou wilt understand what is said. For he said not, “prophecy is not useful to them unbelieving,” but, “is not for a sign,” as the tongue,” i.e., a mere sign without profit: nor is the tongue any way useful to believers; for its only work is to astonish and to confound; the word “sign” being one of those which may be taken two ways: as when he saith, “show me a sign,” ( Ps. lxxxvi. 17 .) and adds, “for good:” and again, “I am become as a wonder unto many,” ( Ps. lxxi. …