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*H A gradual canticle. O Lord, remember David, and all his meekness.
Ver. 1. David. Jesus Christ, (S. Hil. &c.) or the pious king David, when he intended to build the temple. Solomon adopts some of the verses at his dedication, (v. 8. 2 Par. vi. 41. H.) and some have attributed the psalm to him, to the captives, or to some prophet in the time of the Machabees, though the prophets then, in fact, appeared no longer. Bert. See Ps. xliii. lxxiii. lxxvi. lxxxviii. and xcviii. — The Jews allow, that some verses regard the Messias, of whom the whole may be explained in a spiritual, (C.) or even in the second literal sense. Bert. — It is usual for David, Moses, &c. to speak of themselves in the third person. W. — Meekness. Heb. also, "humility," (C.) or "affliction," (S. Jer.) as the prophet might have all this in view. David gave abundant proofs of his humility (2 K. vii. 2. 13. Bert.) and moderation, and was greatly afflicted all his life. H. — Blessed are the meek. Mat. v. Christ has set before us his own example.
*H How he swore to the Lord, he vowed a vow to the God of Jacob:
Ver. 2. Jacob. Probably after he had removed the ark to Sion. Bert. — What is omitted in one place, is thus explained elsewhere. C. — David had a most earnest desire to build the temple; and though the honour was reserved for his son, he prepared the materials. W. — He acknowledges that without God, he cannot perform his vow. Bert. — We have engaged to be the temples of God. S. Aug.
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2_Kings
7:2
He said to Nathan the prophet: Dost thou see that I dwell in a house of cedar, and the ark of God is lodged within skins?
*H If I shall enter into the tabernacle of my house: if I shall go up into the bed wherein I lie:
Ver. 3. If. He expresses his vow in the form of an imprecation, without expressing the penalty, as he submits to the rigour of God's justice, if he proves faithless. C. — He vows to take no rest, till he might, if it so pleased God, find a place to build a temple. W. — This he discovered; yet was not permitted to execute his pious designs. How does his fervour confound our neglect of salvation! H. — Self-love shuts the door of our heart against Christ. S. Aug.
*H Or rest to my temples: until I find out a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
Ver. 5. Temples. This seems to have been in the copies of Sept. and Theodotion. It is not correct to say that the former added it by inspiration, as they were only interpreters. Bert. — It was marked as an addition in the Hexapla. C.
*H Behold we have heard of it in Ephrata: we have found it in the fields of the wood.
Ver. 6. Heard of it in Ephrata. When I was young, and lived in Bethlehem, otherwise called Ephrata, I heard of God's tabernacle and ark, and had a devout desire of seeking it; and accordingly I found it, at Cariathiarim, the city of the woods: where it was, till it was removed to Jerusalem. See 1 Par. xiii. Ch. — Or it was revealed to David, that the temple should be built in that part of Jerusalem, which looked towards Bethlehem, and is surrounded with woods. All the plan was laid before him. 1 Par. xxviii. W. — But it is not probable that Jerusalem should be thus described, and there is no proof that the threshing-floor of Ornan was woody. It seems rather, that the psalmist alludes to the ark, first at Silo, secondly in the country of Ephraim, or the Ephratheans, (Ps. lxxvii. 60. 67. and Judg. xii. 5.) for 328 years, and afterwards at Cariathiarim, for other 70. The captives may also recount its different stations, and pray that it may be restored; though it seems never to have been placed in the second temple. — It, (eam) the tabernacle, which in Heb. is fem. C. — Yet as the text has tabernacles, or "dwellings," mishcanoth, (v. 5.) and as the Mosaical tabernacle was kept at Silo or Gabaon, and was not with the ark at Cariathiarim, we may perhaps suppose, that the psalmist alludes to the ark, (H.) or to the thing indefinitely, (Bert.) where the glory of the Lord was displayed. S. Jer. and Houbigant have "him," the God of Jacob. H. — The Fathers explain it of Jesus Christ, (Theod.) who was born at Bethlehem, (W.) and was prefigured by the temple, (C.) styled "the fields of wood." Heb. sede yahar, to intimate the great extend and quantity of wood used in it; though (H.) Cariathiarim, "the city of the woods," may be meant. C.
*H We will go into his tabernacle: we will adore in the place where his feet stood.
Ver. 7. Stood. If David did this out of devotion, why may not Christians visit the places sanctified by the presence of our Saviour? W. — God had not chosen to have a temple before the time of Solomon. 2 K. vii. 6. C.
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2_Paralipomenon
6:41
Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O Lord God, put on salvation, and thy saints rejoice in good things.
*H Arise, O Lord, into thy resting place: thou and the ark, which thou hast sanctified.
Ver. 8. Sanctified. Heb. "ark of thy strength," which title proceeds from the sanctity of God, who resides there. 1 K. vi. 20. Our heart ought to be his resting place. Is. lxvi. 2. Bert. — Leaving Silo, &c. come into thy temple, with the ark where thou sanctifiest thy people. He contemplates a higher mystery, the coming of the Messias, and his glorious resurrection. W. — The same words were repeated, when the ark was removed in the desert, and by Solomon, as they might be also by the captives. C.
*H Let thy priests be clothed with justice: and let thy saints rejoice.
Ver. 9. Justice. And all virtues, (Bert.) of which their robes were emblematical. — Saints. Levites. Chal. C. — Let both priests and Levites perform well their sacred functions, (W.) and may all the faithful act up to their vocation. Bert. — Rejoice. Heb. "sing," which was the office of the Levites. C. — Yet the original term is more comprehensive, and denotes all the emotions of joy. H.
*H For thy servant David's sake, turn not away the face of thy anointed.
Ver. 10. Sake. What confidence are we not taught to place in the merits of the saints! The captives remind God of the virtues of David and Solomon, and use their expressions to move him to shew mercy, and to restore the temple to its ancient splendour; (C.) or rather, (H.) the consideration of David's being a man according to God's own heart, to whom various promises had been made for the establishment of his seed, is adduced to move the Lord to send the Messias speedily. W. — The future obstinacy of many Jews in rejecting him, was foreseen and deprecated. S. Aug. — Anointed. Do not cover me with confusion, (C.) or delay the promised Redeemer. H.
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2_Kings
7:12
And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of the bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
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Luke
1:53
He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.
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Acts
2:30
Whereas therefore he was a prophet and knew that God hath sworn to him with an oath, that of the fruit of his loins one should sit upon his throne.
*H The Lord hath sworn truth to David, and he will not make it void: of the fruit of thy womb I will set upon thy throne.
Ver. 11. Make. Lit. "deceive him." Heb. "will not turn from it," the truth. Bert. — Thy. S. Cyprian and S. Hil. read, "my throne," which belonged to the Lord. 1 Par. xxix. 23. C. — But it might also be styled David's, as the promises were made to him. H. — Christ was born of the virgin's womb, without having any man for his father. S. Aug. — This promise actually was fulfilled in Solomon, and in Christ, who would infallibly possess the throne. 2 K. vii. and Acts ii. But Christ reigns over all. Bert. Lu. i. 32. — S. Peter hence proves our Saviour's resurrection, (W.) and power in the Church. H. — After the captivity, the royal power was not enjoyed by the family of David: which ought to have persuaded the Jews to acknowledge Christ and his eternal spiritual kingdom.
* Summa
*S Part 4, Ques 31, Article 2
[III, Q. 31, Art. 2]
Whether Christ Took Flesh of the Seed of David?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ did not take flesh of the seed of David. For Matthew, in tracing the genealogy of Christ, brings it down to Joseph. But Joseph was not Christ's father, as shown above (Q. 28, A. 1, ad 1, 2). Therefore it seems that Christ was not descended from David.
Obj. 2: Further, Aaron was of the tribe of Levi, as related Ex. 6. Now Mary the Mother of Christ is called the cousin of Elizabeth, who was a daughter of Aaron, as is clear from Luke 1:5, 36. Therefore, since David was of the tribe of Juda, as is shown Matt. 1, it seems that Christ was not descended from David.
Obj. 3: Further, it is written of Jechonias (Jer. 22:30): "Write this man barren . . . for there shall not be a man of his seed that shall sit upon the throne of David." Whereas of Christ it is written (Isa. 9:7): "He shall sit upon the throne of David." Therefore Christ was not of the seed of Jechonias: nor, consequently, of the family of David, since Matthew traces the genealogy from David through Jechonias.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Rom. 1:3): "Who was made to him of the seed of David according to the flesh."
_I answer that,_ Christ is said to have been the son especially of two of the patriarchs, Abraham and David, as is clear from Matt. 1:1. There are many reasons for this. First to these especially was the promise made concerning Christ. For it was said to Abraham (Gen. 22:18): "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed": which words the Apostle expounds of Christ (Gal. 3:16): "To Abraham were the promises made and to his seed. He saith not, 'And to his seeds' as of many; but as of one, 'And to thy seed,' which is Christ." And to David it was said (Ps. 131:11): "Of the fruit of thy womb I will set upon thy throne." Wherefore the Jewish people, receiving Him with kingly honor, said (Matt. 21:9): "Hosanna to the Son of David."
A second reason is because Christ was to be king, prophet, and priest. Now Abraham was a priest; which is clear from the Lord saying unto him (Gen. 15:9): "Take thee [Vulg.: 'Me'] a cow of three years old," etc. He was also a prophet, according to Gen. 20:7: "He is a prophet; and he shall pray for thee." Lastly David was both king and prophet.
A third reason is because circumcision had its beginning in Abraham: while in David God's election was most clearly made manifest, according to 1 Kings 13:14: "The Lord hath sought Him a man according to His own heart." And consequently Christ is called in a most special way the Son of both, in order to show that He came for the salvation both of the circumcised and of the elect among the Gentiles.
Reply Obj. 1: Faustus the Manichean argued thus, in the desire to prove that Christ is not the Son of David, because He was not conceived of Joseph, in whom Matthew's genealogy terminates. Augustine answered this argument thus (Contra Faust. xxii): "Since the same evangelist affirms that Joseph was Mary's husband and that Christ's mother was a virgin, and that Christ was of the seed of Abraham, what must we believe, but that Mary was not a stranger to the family of David: and that it is not without reason that she was called the wife of Joseph, by reason of the close alliance of their hearts, although not mingled in the flesh; and that the genealogy is traced down to Joseph rather than to her by reason of the dignity of the husband? So therefore we believe that Mary was also of the family of David: because we believe the Scriptures, which assert both that Christ was of the seed of David according to the flesh, and that Mary was His Mother, not by sexual intercourse but retaining her virginity." For as Jerome says on Matt. 1:18: "Joseph and Mary were of the same tribe: wherefore he was bound by law to marry her as she was his kinswoman. Hence it was that they were enrolled together at Bethlehem, as being descended from the same stock."
Reply Obj. 2: Gregory of Nazianzum answers this objection by saying that it happened by God's will, that the royal family was united to the priestly race, so that Christ, who is both king and priest, should be born of both according to the flesh. Wherefore Aaron, who was the first priest according to the Law, married a wife of the tribe of Juda, Elizabeth, daughter of Aminadab. It is therefore possible that Elizabeth's father married a wife of the family of David, through whom the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was of the family of David, would be a cousin of Elizabeth. Or conversely, and with greater likelihood, that the Blessed Mary's father, who was of the family of David, married a wife of the family of Aaron.
Again, it may be said with Augustine (Contra Faust. xxii) that if Joachim, Mary's father, was of the family of Aaron (as the heretic Faustus pretended to prove from certain apocryphal writings), then we must believe that Joachim's mother, or else his wife, was of the family of David, so long as we say that Mary was in some way descended from David.
Reply Obj. 3: As Ambrose says on Luke 3:25, this prophetical passage does not deny that a posterity will be born of the seed of Jechonias. And so Christ is of his seed. Neither is the fact that Christ reigned contrary to prophecy, for He did not reign with worldly honor; since He declared: "My kingdom is not of this world." _______________________
THIRD
*H If thy children will keep my covenant, and these my testimonies which I shall teach them: Their children also for evermore shall sit upon thy throne.
Ver. 12. If. The promises made to the carnal posterity of David were conditional, and seem to imply, that they would forfeit them. S. Hil. — But those regarding the Messias are absolute. C. — Yet heaven is only promised to his children in the Church, if they observe God's commandments. Rom. viii. 17. W. — The kings of Juda seem not to have believed these threats; and many Christians live as if heaven required no conditions on their part. God knew what would be the event; but he speaks thus to testify their free-will, and his desire to preserve the temporal throne of David, at least till the coming of the Messias, if the Jews had proven faithful. Bert.
*H This is my rest for ever and ever: here will I dwell, for I have chosen it.
Ver. 14. This. God is introduced speaking to the end. H. — Chosen. Heb. "desired." This relates to his spouse, the Church. C. — He dwelleth in this Sion for ever. W. — It was the figure of the Christian Church, as this is of heaven. Heb. xii. 22. Bert.
*H Blessing I will bless her widow: I will satisfy her poor with bread.
Ver. 15. Widow. Whose name is often joined with orphans, and the poor, as the Heb. Tsedah may imply one "desolate." 1 Tim. v. 5. Bert. — The Greek copies vary: some have widow, and others, "prey," which is most commonly given as the sense of the Heb. H. — The poor priests and Levites, who had no land, shall be abundantly supplied. C. — The Church, though deprived of Christ's visible presence, is replenished with many blessings, and her humble children are relieved with the holy Sacraments. W.
*H I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall rejoice with exceeding great joy.
Ver. 16. Salvation. To instruct others. Bert. — The Church hath always had some virtuous priests and laics. W.
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Malachias
3:1
Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold, he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts.
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Luke
1:69
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant.
*H There will I bring forth a horn to David: I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
Ver. 17. There. Lit. "thither," (H.) Illuc, as Christ came from heaven. Bert. — Horn. Power and glory. This regards Solomon, and the Messias. Heb. "I will make to bud," &c. alluding to Christ's miraculous birth. Is. iv. 2. C. — Lamp. S. John the Baptist, (Jo. v. 35. S. Athan.) or Christ himself, (Lu. ii. 32. Apoc. xxi. 23.) though it may also be understood of David's son and successor. C. — Yet this lamp was too dreadfully extinguished. Bert. — Christ protects his Church, which is placed for the instruction of all. W.
*H His enemies I will clothe with confusion: but upon him shall my sanctification flourish.
Ver. 18. My. Heb. "his diadem," (S. Ser.) or "consecration." The glory of David was great, as a figure of Christ, to whom this more properly belongs. He is the king of ages, without sin, &c. C.