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*H Unto the end, for them that shall be changed, for the inscription of a title, to David himself, for doctrine,
Ver. 1. Changed. Ps. xliv. Title, Ps. xv. doctrine explaining what will be the progress of the Church. M. — It seems to have the same import as understanding, in other titles, but here is of little authority. Bert. — It has no connexion with the psalm, which seems to have been written before David had obtained the sovereignty over Israel, (Houbig. v. 8) or it expresses the sentiments of the captives, (C.) and of Jesus Christ, and his Church. S. Aug.
*H When he set fire to Mesopotamia of Syria and Sobal: and Joab returned and slew of Edom, in the vale of the saltpits, twelve thousand men.
Ver. 2. Set fire. Heb. "fought against Syria of Mesopotamia, and Syria of Soba." S. Jer. 2 K. viii. 10. H. — Twelve. Abisai slew 18,000, perhaps on another occasion; (1 Par. xviii. 12.) so that this title does not contradict history. M.
*H O God, thou hast cast us off, and hast destroyed us; thou hast been angry, and hast had mercy on us.
Ver. 3. Off. Chastising thy people frequently under Moses, &c. Bert. — On us. Redeeming mankind, which thou hadst condemned, for the fault of Adam, and giving us a more abundant grace. Rom. v. 9. S. Hil. — Thou hast treated us like a good physician, (Deut. xxxii. 39. C.) chastising us for our sins, that we might improve in virtue. W.
*H Thou hast moved the earth, and hast troubled it: heal thou the breaches thereof, for it has been moved.
Ver. 4. Moved. He personifies the earth, which had fallen into the hands of the Chaldees, (C.) or had experienced various commotions under Saul, &c. (H.) which he denotes by the mention of an earthquake. M.
*H Thou hast shewn thy people hard things; thou hast made us drink the wine of sorrow.
Ver. 5. Sorrow. Heb. "muddy," such as is given to slaves or malefactors, (S. Matt. xxvii. 34.) mixed with myrrh, or venom. Lit. "wine of trembling," (C.) or soporiferous. S. Jer. H. — All these expressions give the idea of something disagreeable. Bert. — The people became penitent, or were astonished. M.
*H Thou hast given a warning to them that fear thee: that they may flee from before the bow: That thy beloved may be delivered.
Ver. 6. Warning, to amend, (W.) the sign of the cross (C.) in baptism, (S. Jer.) or confirmation. Euseb. — It was customary to erect a pole, on which some signal was placed, in case of invasion. Is. v. 26. and xi. 12. &c. C. — Bow. Heb. kossoth, (H.) as S. Jer. &c. have read, though the present Heb. end with t, less correctly, and is explained, "because of the truth." C. Bert.
* Summa
*S Part 2, Ques 87, Article 3
[I-II, Q. 87, Art. 3]
Whether Any Sin Incurs a Debt of Eternal Punishment?
Objection 1: It would seem that no sin incurs a debt of eternal punishment. For a just punishment is equal to the fault, since justice is equality: wherefore it is written (Isa. 27:8): "In measure against measure, when it shall be cast off, thou shalt judge it." Now sin is temporal. Therefore it does not incur a debt of eternal punishment.
Obj. 2: Further, "punishments are a kind of medicine" (Ethic. ii, 3). But no medicine should be infinite, because it is directed to an end, and "what is directed to an end, is not infinite," as the Philosopher states (Polit. i, 6). Therefore no punishment should be infinite.
Obj. 3: Further, no one does a thing always unless he delights in it for its own sake. But "God hath not pleasure in the destruction of men" [Vulg.: 'of the living']. Therefore He will not inflict eternal punishment on man.
Obj. 4: Further, nothing accidental is infinite. But punishment is accidental, for it is not natural to the one who is punished. Therefore it cannot be of infinite duration.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Matt. 25:46): "These shall go into everlasting punishment"; and (Mk. 3:29): "He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, shall never have forgiveness, but shall be guilty of an everlasting sin."
_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 1), sin incurs a debt of punishment through disturbing an order. But the effect remains so long as the cause remains. Wherefore so long as the disturbance of the order remains the debt of punishment must needs remain also. Now disturbance of an order is sometimes reparable, sometimes irreparable: because a defect which destroys the principle is irreparable, whereas if the principle be saved, defects can be repaired by virtue of that principle. For instance, if the principle of sight be destroyed, sight cannot be restored except by Divine power; whereas, if the principle of sight be preserved, while there arise certain impediments to the use of sight, these can be remedied by nature or by art. Now in every order there is a principle whereby one takes part in that order. Consequently if a sin destroys the principle of the order whereby man's will is subject to God, the disorder will be such as to be considered in itself, irreparable, although it is possible to repair it by the power of God. Now the principle of this order is the last end, to which man adheres by charity. Therefore whatever sins turn man away from God, so as to destroy charity, considered in themselves, incur a debt of eternal punishment.
Reply Obj. 1: Punishment is proportionate to sin in point of severity, both in Divine and in human judgments. In no judgment, however, as Augustine says (De Civ. Dei xxi, 11) is it requisite for punishment to equal fault in point of duration. For the fact that adultery or murder is committed in a moment does not call for a momentary punishment: in fact they are punished sometimes by imprisonment or banishment for life--sometimes even by death; wherein account is not taken of the time occupied in killing, but rather of the expediency of removing the murderer from the fellowship of the living, so that this punishment, in its own way, represents the eternity of punishment inflicted by God. Now according to Gregory (Dial. iv, 44) it is just that he who has sinned against God in his own eternity should be punished in God's eternity. A man is said to have sinned in his own eternity, not only as regards continual sinning throughout his whole life, but also because, from the very fact that he fixes his end in sin, he has the will to sin, everlastingly. Wherefore Gregory says (Dial. iv, 44) that the "wicked would wish to live without end, that they might abide in their sins for ever."
Reply Obj. 2: Even the punishment that is inflicted according to human laws, is not always intended as a medicine for the one who is punished, but sometimes only for others: thus when a thief is hanged, this is not for his own amendment, but for the sake of others, that at least they may be deterred from crime through fear of the punishment, according to Prov. 19:25: "The wicked man being scourged, the fool shall be wiser." Accordingly the eternal punishments inflicted by God on the reprobate, are medicinal punishments for those who refrain from sin through the thought of those punishments, according to Ps. 59:6: "Thou hast given a warning to them that fear Thee, that they may flee from before the bow, that Thy beloved may be delivered."
Reply Obj. 3: God does not delight in punishments for their own sake; but He does delight in the order of His justice, which requires them.
Reply Obj. 4: Although punishment is related indirectly to nature, nevertheless it is essentially related to the disturbance of the order, and to God's justice. Wherefore, so long as the disturbance lasts, the punishment endures. ________________________
FOURTH
*H Save me with thy right hand, and hear me.
Ver. 7. Save me. The king praying for all. M. — S. Aug. reads, me, (C.) though the Vulg. does not here express it. H. — Heb. "save thy right hand," the people, or man of thy, &c. Ps. lxxix. 18. C. — Hear me. Heb. "him." But the margin has, me. H.
*H God hath spoken in his holy place: I will rejoice, and I will divide Sichem; and will mete out the vale of tabernacles.
Ver. 8. Holy one, Jesus Christ, (Euseb.) the prophet, (M.) the sanctuary, (C.) or oracle. W. — He had promised that the captives should return in seventy years time. Jer. xxv. 11. and xxix. 10. C. — Sichem. (partibor Sichimam...metibor.) These two verbs are sometimes used for partiar and metiar, in ancient authors. — Tabernacles. Heb. "succoth." Bert. Gen. xxxiii. 17. — It may also signify the Arabs, who lived in tents. M. — David's dominion extended over these nations, (H.) and the captives at Babylon hoped to recover them, as the Machabees did. The kingdoms of Juda and Israel were no more divided, (Is. xi. 13. Jer. xxxi. 8.) to shew the unity of the Church.
*H Galaad is mine, and Manasses is mine: and Ephraim is the strength of my head. Juda is my king:
Ver. 9. Head. This tribe was at the head of the kingdom of Israel, but submitted to David, (H.) and afforded excellent soldiers and captains. C. — His temporal kingdom was extended by God, who will crown his elect. W. — King. Heb. "law-giver," alluding to Gen. xlix. 10. Sym. "my general." C. — The word king implies all this. H. — Juda always swayed the sceptre. Bert. — After the captivity, Zorobabel was at the head of the people. Jesus Christ sprung from this tribe, and is the true king of the people, whom he has redeemed, and put in possession of the land of promise. C.
*H Moab is the pot of my hope. Into Edom will I stretch out my shoe: to me the foreigners are made subject.
Ver. 10. The pot of my hope; or my watering pot. That is, a vessel for meaner uses, by being reduced to serve me, even in the meanest employments. Ch. W. — Plautus (Mort. ii. scen. 1. 40) says, Ego vos pro matulâ habeo, &c. Symmachus adopts the sense of the Sept. αμεριμνιας, as réts, in Syr. means "to trust," (Dan. iii. 28.) and "to wash" in Heb. It was customary to throw lots into a pot full of water, and that which came out last was most esteemed. To this custom the psalmist may allude, (C.) or he hoped that the fruitful region of Moab would supply him with food. It was subject to David, (2 K. viii. 2. H.) and to the Machabees, 1 Mac. v. 6. — Shoe, to be untied, or carried, as by the meanest slaves, (Matt. iii. 11.) or to take possession. Deut. xi. 24. Thus "Alexander threw a javelin, and danced on the shore of Asia, begging that those lands would not receive him unwillingly for king." Diod. Arrian. Justin. — David conquered Idumea, (2 K. viii. 14. H.) as Hyrcanus did afterwards. Joseph. xiii. 17. C. — Foreigners, alienigenæ, or, "Allophyli." S. Aug. — "Of another tribe." H. — So the Philistines are called, who had no kindred with the Israelites; whereas the Edomites, Moabites, &c. were originally of the same family. Ch. — Subject, or "friends." Ps. cvii. 10. C. — Prot. "Philistia, triumph thou, because of me." Marg. insinuates this is spoken "by irony;" but (H.) Heb. properly means, "make an alliance with me;" or, Syr. "I will shout for joy over Palestine." This country was subdued by the Machabees, (1 Mac. iv. 15. C.) as it had been tributary to David. 2 K. viii. 2. Bert. — "I will make a league against the Philistines." Houbig.
*H Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
Ver. 11. City. The capital of the aforesaid counties, or Jerusalem; (C.) but more particularly Petra, (H.) the strongest place in Idumea. M. Abdias, 3. Bert. — The Fathers understand the Church. Euseb.
*H Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go out with our armies?
Ver. 12. Off? God punishes and rewards. W. — And wilt; or, "yet thou wilt not," &c. H. — Thou wilt not depend on our efforts for victory. Bellar. M. — How can we expect to make such conquests, being in so forlorn a condition, when thou dost not lead forth our armies, as formerly? All that man can do is vain, but thou wilt look down upon us, and through God we shall do mightily, v. 14. C.