Psalms 87:12
Shall any one in the sepulchre declare thy mercy: and thy truth in destruction?
Open Psalms 87:12 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Numquid narrabit aliquis in sepulchro misericordiam tuam, et veritatem tuam in perditione ?
- Septuagint (Swete)
- μὴ διηγήσεταί τις ἐν τάφῳ τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου ἐν τῇ ἀπωλίᾳ;
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 88:12
- הַיְסֻפַּ֣ר בַּקֶּ֣בֶר חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗ בָּאֲבַדּֽוֹן
The Fathers on this verse
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXXXVIII
10. “Shall one show Thy loving-kindness in the grave, or Thy faithfulness in destruction?” ( ver. 11 ). The word “show” is of course understood as if repeated, Shall any show Thy faithfulness in destruction? Scripture loves to connect loving-kindness and faithfulness, especially in the Psalms. “Destruction” also is a repetition of “the grave,” and signifies them who are in the grave, styled above “the dead,” in the verse, “Dost thou show wonders among the dead?” for the body is the grave of the dead soul; whence our Lord’s words in the Gospel, “Ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”