Psalms 90:11
For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways.
Open Psalms 90:11 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Quoniam angelis suis mandavit de te, ut custodiant te in omnibus viis tuis.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ὅτι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ ἐντελεῖται περὶ σοῦ τοῦ διαφυλάξαι σε ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 91:11
- כִּ֣י מַ֭לְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה לָּ֑ךְ לִ֝שְׁמָרְךָ֗ בְּכָל דְּרָכֶֽיךָ
Haydock's commentary
Angels. Many seem to be assigned to the just, to whom St. Hilary, &c., would restrain this privilege. But it is more generally believed, that each person has an angel guardian. This was the opinion even of the pagans. (Porphyrius, Ap. ii.; St. Clement of Alexandria, Strom. v.) (Calmet)
To keep. Instead of this, the tempter substituted and, (Matthew iv. 6.) finding it would not answer his purpose, (Haydock) and shewed that the question was about walking, and not about precipitating oneself. (St. Bernard, ser. xv. p. 90.)
To attempt such unusual courses, is the way of Lucifer, (Worthington) and tempting God, as our Saviour replied. (Berthier)
From the father of lies, heretics have learnt how to curtail and misapply the holy Scriptures. (Haydock)
God has highly favoured man, by intrusting him to the care of these sublime ministers of his court, (St. Bernard) and surely it is lawful for us to implore their assistance, as we may apply to our fellow-creatures for redress in our temporal necessities. To refuse to do so, on the plea that we expect all immediately from God, would be going contrary to his appointment. Else why has God given them for our guardians, since He could have done all without them? In vain is it objected, that this invocation is a religious worship. It may be so styled, because they are blessed, and help us to obtain salvation. But we only honour in them the gifts of God. (Berthier)
They protect us by his ordinance, (Worthington) and the very form of praying, shews in what light we regard them. Who durst say to God, pray for us? (Menochius)
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
Tertullian Against Praxeas, Chapter I
In various ways has the devil rivalled and resisted the truth. Sometimes his aim has been to destroy the truth by defending it. He maintains that there is one only Lord, the Almighty Creator of the world, in order that out of this doctrine of the unity he may fabricate a heresy. He says that the Father Himself came down into the Virgin, was Himself born of her, Himself suffered, indeed was Himself Jesus Christ. Here the old serpent has fallen out with himself, since, when he tempted Christ after John’s baptism, he approached Him as “the Son of God;” surely intimating that God had a Son, even on the testimony of the very Scriptures, out of which he was at the moment forging his temptation: “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Again: “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence; for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning thee” …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XCI
14. What then, my brethren, what is said of our Head? “For Thou, Lord, art my hope,” etc. Of this we have spoken, “for He hath given His angels charge over Thee, to keep Thee in all Thy ways” ( ver. 11 ). You heard these words but now, when the Gospel was being read; attend therefore. Our Lord, after He was baptized, fasted. Why was He baptized? That we might not scorn to be baptized. For when John said to our Lord, “Comest Thou to me to be baptized? I ought to be baptized by Thee;” and our Lord replied, “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness;” He wished to fulfil all humility, so that He should be washed, who had no defilement.…Our Lord, then, was baptized, and after baptism He was tempted; He fasted forty days, a number which has, as I have often mentioned, a deep meaning. …