Psalms 93:21
They will hunt after the soul of the just, and will condemn innocent blood.
Open Psalms 93:21 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Captabunt in animam justi, et sanguinem innocentem condemnabunt.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- θηρεύσουσιν ἐπὶ ψυχὴν δικαίου, καὶ αἷμα ἀθῷον καταδικάσονται.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 94:21
- יָ֭גוֹדּוּ עַל נֶ֣פֶשׁ צַדִּ֑יק וְדָ֖ם נָקִ֣י יַרְשִֽׁיעוּ
The Fathers on this verse
Lactantius The Divine Institutes, Chap. XVIII. Of the Lord’s passion, and that it was foretold
Now, that it would come to pass that the Jews would lay hands upon their God, and put Him to death, these testimonies of the prophets foretold. In Esdras it is thus written: “And Ezra said to the people, This passover is our Saviour and our refuge. Consider and let it come into your heart, that we have to abase Him in a figure; and after these things we will hope in Him, lest this place be deserted for ever, saith the Lord God of hosts. If you will not believe Him, nor hear His announcement, ye shall be a derision among the nations.” From which it appears that the Jews had no other hope, unless they purified themselves from blood, and put their hopes in that very person whom they denied. Isaiah also points out their deed, and says: “In His humiliation His judgment was taken away. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XCIV
21. For what followeth? “They will be captious against the soul of the righteous” ( ver. 21 ). Why will they be captious? Because they can find no true ground of accusation. For how were they captious against our Lord? They made up false accusations, because they could not find true ones. “And will condemn the innocent blood.” Why all this taketh place, he will show in the sequel.
The Fathers are given as they wrote. Where a passage lays the Passion on the Jewish people, the Church teaches that it cannot be charged against all the Jews then living, nor against the Jews of today, and that all sinners were its authors (CCC 597, 598).