Psalms 94:1
Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
Open Psalms 94:1 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Laus cantici ipsi David. Venite, exsultemus Domino ; jubilemus Deo salutari nostro ;
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Αἶνος ᾠδῆς τῷ Δαυείδ. Δεῦτε ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ κυρίῳ, ἀλαλάξωμεν τῷ θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρι ἡμῶν·
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 95:1
- לְ֭כוּ נְרַנְּנָ֣ה לַיהוָ֑ה נָ֝רִ֗יעָה לְצ֣וּר יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ
Haydock's commentary
Himself, as David wrote it by inspiration. (Worthington)
Complutensian Septuagint, "It is without a title in Hebrew." St. Paul (Hebrews iv. 7.) quotes it as the work of David. But this is only done incidentally, and it may have been written by the descendants of Moses, (Psalm lxxxix.; Calmet) as the apostle only says, in David, (Haydock) referring to the psalter, which the common opinion attributed to him. (Calmet)
This opinion, it must be owned, acquires hereby great authority, (Haydock) as an inspired writer could not mistake; and Calmet himself, on the epistle to the Hebrews, doubts not but as the drift of the apostle requires, he attributed this psalm to David. (Berthier, T. vi.)
It might be used in the removal of the ark (Muis) and contains an exhortation to the Jews to return to the service of God, under king Josias, (Theodoret) or after the captivity, (Calmet) or at the preaching of the gospel. (Eusebius)
The Church adopts the version of the Roman psalter in her office books, as they were corrected by St. Pius V, and this psalm was considered as a hymn at the beginning of matins, though the Vulgate is retained in other parts. (Calmet)
The variations are not material. (Haydock)
But this shews that the Church does not condemn every deviation from the Vulgate. (Bellarmine, Diss.)
Saviour. St. Jerome, "to the rock, our Jesus." (Haydock)
He who created us, has also been our Saviour. (Worthington)
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 Methodius Oration on the Palms
I. Blessed be God; let us proceed, brethren, from wonders to the miracles of the Lord, and as it were, from strength to strength. For just as in a golden chain the links are so intimately joined and connected together, as that the one holds the other, and is fitted on to it, and so carries on the chain, even so the miracles that have been handed down by the holy Gospels, one after the other, lead on the Church of God, which delights in festivity, and refresh it, not with the meat that perisheth, but with that which endureth unto everlasting life. Come then, beloved, and let us, too, with prepared hearts, and with ears intent, listen to what the Lord our God shall say unto us out of the prophets and Gospels concerning this most sacred feast. Verily, He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints, and to those which turn their hearts unto Him. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XCV
2. “O come, let us sing unto the Lord” ( ver. 1 ). He calleth us to a great banquet of joy, not one of this world, but in the Lord. For if there were not in this life a wicked joy which is to be distinguished from a righteous joy, it would be enough to say, “Come, let us rejoice;” but he has briefly distinguished it. What is it to rejoice aright? To rejoice in the Lord. Thou shouldest piously joy in the Lord, if thou dost wish safely to trample upon the world. But what is the word, “Come”? Whence doth He call them to come, with whom he wisheth to rejoice in the Lord; except that, while they are afar, they may by coming draw nearer, by drawing nearer they may approach, and by approaching rejoice? But whence are they afar? Can a man be locally distant from Him who is everywhere?…It is not by place, but by being unlike Him, that a man is afar from God. …
St Athanasius Letters of Athanasius with Two Ancient Chronicles of His Life, For 334. Easter-day, xii Pharmuthi, vii Id. April; xvii Moon; Æra Dioclet. 50; Coss. Optatus Patricius, Anicius Paulinus; Præfect, Philagrius, the Cappadocian; vii Indict
7. But to us it came: there came too the solemn day, in which we ought to call to the feast with a trumpet, and separate ourselves to the Lord with thanksgiving, considering it as our own festival. For we are bound to celebrate it, not to ourselves but to the Lord; and to rejoice, not in ourselves but in the Lord, who bore our griefs and said, ‘My soul is sorrowful unto death.’ For the heathen, and all those who are strangers to our faith, keep feasts according to their own wills, and have no peace, since they commit evil against God. …
St Athanasius Letters of Athanasius with Two Ancient Chronicles of His Life, For 339. Coss. Constantius Augustus II, Constans I; Præfect, Philagrius the Cappadocian, for the second time; Indict. xii; Easter-day xvii Kal. Mai, xx Pharmuthi; Æra Dioclet. 55
11. For such meditation and exercise in godliness, being at all times the habit of the saints, is urgent on us at the present time, when the divine word desires us to keep the feast with them if we are in this disposition. For what else is the feast, but the constant worship of God, and the recognition of godliness, and unceasing prayers from the whole heart with agreement? So Paul wishing us to be ever in this disposition, commands, saying, ‘Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.’ Not therefore separately, but unitedly and collectively, let us all keep the feast together, as the prophet exhorts, saying, ‘O come, let us rejoice in the Lord; let us make a joyful noise unto God our Saviour.’ Who then is so negligent, or who so disobedient to the divine voice, as not to leave everything, and run to the general and common assembly of the feast? which is not in one …
St Gregory Nazianzen The Oration on Holy Baptism
XXV. Take my advice, my friend, and be slow to do evil, but swift to your salvation; for readiness to evil and tardiness to good are equally bad. If you are invited to a revel, be not swift to go; if to apostasy, leap away; if a company of evildoers say to you, “Come with us, share our bloodguiltiness, let us hide in the earth a righteous man unjustly,” do not lend them even your ears. Thus you will make two very great gains; you will make known to the other his sin, and you will deliver yourself from evil company. …