Psalms 9:114
Thou seest it, for thou considerest labour and sorrow: that thou mayst deliver them into thy hands. To thee is the poor man left: thou wilt be a helper to the orphan.
Open Psalms 9:114 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine) shown from Psalms 9:35
- Vides, quoniam tu laborem et dolorem consideras, ut tradas eos in manus tuas. Tibi derelictus est pauper ; orphano tu eris adjutor.
- Septuagint (Swete) shown from Psalms 9:35
- βλέπεις, ὅτι σὺ πόνον καὶ θυμὸν κατανοήσεις, τοῦ παραδοῦναι αὐτοὺς εἰς χεῖράς σου. σοὶ οὖν ἐνκαταλέλειπται ὁ πτωχός, ὀρφανῷ σὺ ἦσθα βοηθός.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 10:14
- רָאִ֡תָה כִּֽי אַתָּ֤ה עָ֘מָ֤ל וָכַ֨עַס תַּבִּיט֮ לָתֵ֪ת בְּיָ֫דֶ֥ךָ עָ֭לֶיךָ יַעֲזֹ֣ב חֵלֶ֑כָה יָ֝ת֗וֹם אַתָּ֤ה הָיִ֬יתָ עוֹזֵֽר
Haydock's commentary
Sorrow. Thou punishest with pain. (St. Augustine)
Thou beholdest all the iniquity which is committed, (Calmet) but waitest until the measure be full. (St. Chrysostom)
Terrible delay!
Poor. St. Jerome, "art left thy strong ones," who distrust in themselves, and rely on thee. (Haydock)
Others explain cheleca, "poor and weak." (Parkhurst)
Cheleca only occurs here and [in ver. 9(30), 10(31). Protestants, "the poor committeth himself to thee." (Haydock)
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 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John, Chapter XIV. 18-21
1. After the promise of the Holy Spirit, lest any should suppose that the Lord was to give Him, as it were, in place of Himself, in any such way as that He Himself would not likewise be with them, He added the words: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” Orphani [Greek] are pupilli [parent-less children] in Latin. The one is the Greek, the other the Latin name of the same thing: for in the psalm where we read, “Thou art the helper of the fatherless” [in the Latin version, pupillo ], the Greek has orphano . …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm X
10. Accordingly understanding now the manifest judgment, and in exultation at it, they say, “Wherefore hath the ungodly angered God?” ( ver. 13 ); that is, what hath it profited him to do so great evil? “For he said in his heart, He will not require it.” Then follows, “For Thou seest toil and considerest anger, to deliver them into Thine hands” ( ver. 14 ). This sentence looks for distinct explanation, wherein if there shall be error it becomes obscure. For thus has the ungodly said in his heart, God will not require it, as though God regarded toil and anger, to deliver them into His hands; that is, as though He feared toil and anger, and for this reason would spare them, lest their punishment be too burdensome to Him, or lest He should be disturbed by the storm of anger: as men generally act, excusing themselves of vengeance, to avoid toil or anger.
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XI
8. “His eyes look upon the poor.” His to Whom the poor man hath been left, and Who hath been made a refuge to the poor. And therefore all the seditions and tumults within these nets, until they be drawn to shore, concerning which heretics upbraid us to their own ruin and our correction, are caused by those men, who will not be Christ’s poor. But do they turn away God’s eyes from such as would be so? “For His eyes look upon the poor.” Is it to be feared lest, in the crowd of the rich, He may not be able to see the few poor, whom He brings up in safe keeping in the bosom of the Catholic Church? “His eyelids question the sons of men.” Here by that rule I would wish to take “the sons of men” of those that from old men have been regenerated by faith. …