Psalms 88:41
Thou hast broken down all his hedges: thou hast made his strength fear.
Open Psalms 88:41 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Destruxisti omnes sepes ejus ; posuisti firmamentum ejus formidinem.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καθεῖλες πάντας τοὺς φραγμοὺς αὐτοῦ, ἔθου τὰ ὀχυρώματα αὐτοῦ δειλίαν·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 89:41
- פָּרַ֥צְתָּ כָל גְּדֵרֹתָ֑יו שַׂ֖מְתָּ מִבְצָרָ֣יו מְחִתָּה
Haydock's commentary
Fear. All his forts can afford no refuge. The country is like an abandoned vineyard. The Assyrians and Chaldeans have ruined it, and the neighbouring nations of Samaria and Edom take possession of it. (Calmet)
Thou leadest on their armies, and renderest our efforts useless. (Menochius)
This conduct of God proceeded from mercy. This severe chastisement awakened his people, who after the captivity were more tractable. (Chaldean) (Berthier) (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 City of God, How Different the Acts in the Kingdom of the Earthly Jerusalem are from Those Which God Had Promised, So that the Truth of the Promise Should Be Understood to Pertain to the Glory of the Other King and Kingdom
That it might not be supposed that a promise so strongly expressed and confirmed was fulfilled in Solomon, as if he hoped for, yet did not find it, he says, “But Thou hast cast off, and hast brought to nothing, O Lord.” This truly was done concerning the kingdom of Solomon among his posterity, even to the overthrow of the earthly Jerusalem itself, which was the seat of the kingdom, and especially the destruction of the very temple which had been built by Solomon. But lest on this account God should be thought to have done contrary to His promise, immediately he adds, “Thou hast delayed Thy Christ.” Therefore he is not Solomon, nor yet David himself, if the Christ of the Lord is delayed. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXXXIX
33. These promises, so sure, so firm, so open, so unquestioned, were made concerning Christ. For although some are mysteriously veiled, yet some are so clear, that all that is obscure is easily revealed by them. Such being the case, see what follows: “But Thou hast approved and brought to nothing and forsaken Thine Anointed” ( ver. 38 ). “Thou hast overthrown the testament of Thy servant, and profaned His holiness on the ground” ( ver. 39 ). “Thou hast broken down all His hedges, and made His strongholds a terror” ( ver. 40 ).…How is this? Thou hast promised all those things: and Thou hast brought to pass their reverse. Where are now the promises which but a little before filled us with delight? which we so joyfully applauded, which we so fearlessly made our boast of? It is as if one promised, and another destroyed. …
Eusebius The Church History of Eusebius, The Events which preceded the Persecution in our Times
9. And according to what was foretold in the Psalms: “He has made void the covenant of his servant, and profaned his sanctuary to the earth, in the destruction of the churches, and has thrown down all his strongholds, and has made his fortresses cowardice. All that pass by have plundered the multitude of the people; and he has become besides a reproach to his neighbors. For he has exalted the right hand of his enemies, and has turned back the help of his sword, and has not taken his part in the war. But he has deprived him of purification, and has cast his throne to the ground. He has shortened the days of his time, and besides all, has poured out shame upon him.”
St Ambrose Exposition of the Christian Faith, Chapter XI. St. Ambrose returns to the main question, and shows that whenever Christ is said to have “been made” (or “become”), this must be understood with reference to His Incarnation, or to certain limitations. In this sense several passages of Scripture--especially of St. Paul--are expounded. The eternal Priesthood of Christ, prefigured in Melchizedek. Christ possesses not only likeness, but oneness with the Father
76. When , therefore, Christ is said to have been “made,” to have “become,” the phrase relates, not to the substance of the Godhead, but often to the Incarnation, sometimes indeed to a particular office; for if you understand it of His Godhead, then God was made into an object of insult and derision inasmuch as it is written: “But thou hast rejected thy Christ, and brought Him to nought; thou hast driven Him to wander;” and again: “And He was made the derision of His neighbours.” Of His neighbours, mark you, not of them of His household, not of them who clave to Him, for “he who cleaveth to the Lord is one Spirit;” he who is neighbour doth not cleave to Him. …