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Psalms

Chapter 21 · Douay–Rheims / Challoner

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Chapter XXI · Location 21 of 150

Chapter 21 · Open to read

From Psalms · Douay–Rheims / Challoner (1749–1752)

What does Psalms Chapter 21 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The speaker laments abandonment and describes mockery and bodily affliction. Petitions for rescue turn to witness that God heard and promises of public praise. Future feasting and Gentile conversion are not a narrated completed event.

Chapter breakdown

The Latin incipit is Deus Deus meus. The separate heading describes Christ's passion and Gentile conversion. The inscription is unto the end, for the morning protection, for David. The speaker asks God to look upon him and why He forsook him, saying the words of his sins are far from salvation. The separate note interprets those words as the world's sins taken on himself, crying against him as the cause of sufferings. He shall cry by day without hearing and by night without its being reputed folly. God dwells in the holy place as Israel's praise. Fathers hoped, were delivered and cried without being confounded.

The speaker calls himself a worm and no man, reproach and outcast. Onlookers laugh, wag heads and taunt that the Lord should deliver the one hoping in Him. God drew him from the womb and was his God and hope from his mother's breasts. He asks Him not to depart because trouble is near with no helper. Calves surround and fat bulls besiege, with mouths opening like a ravening lion. He is poured out like water, bones scattered, heart melting like wax, strength dry like a potsherd and tongue cleaving to jaws in death's dust. Dogs and a malignant council besiege him; they have dug hands and feet, numbered bones and stared, parted garments and cast lots on his vesture. These images do not establish a clinical diagnosis or a separately recorded execution scene.

He asks God's help and defense, soul's delivery from sword, his only one from the dog and his lowness from lion and unicorn horns. He will declare God's name to brethren and praise in church, calling Jacob and Israel to praise and fear because God neither despised the poor man's supplication nor turned away His face and heard his cry. He will pay vows before those fearing God. The poor shall eat, be filled and praise, with hearts living forever; earth's ends shall remember and turn to God and Gentile kindreds adore. The kingdom is the Lord's and He shall rule nations. The fat ones have eaten and adored; those going down to earth shall fall before Him. His soul shall live and seed serve, with a coming generation declared to the Lord and heavens showing justice to a people yet to be born. The text changes from supplication to witness and future promises without narrating the timing of rescue or the completion of universal conversion.

The story inside

Opening: The speaker laments abandonment and describes mockery and bodily affliction. Development: Petitions for rescue turn to witness that God heard and promises of public praise. Conclusion: Future feasting and Gentile conversion are not a narrated completed event.

Lessons worth keeping

  1. 1
    The speaker laments abandonment and describes mockery and bodily affliction.
  2. 2
    Petitions for rescue turn to witness that God heard and promises of public praise.
  3. 3
    Future feasting and Gentile conversion are not a narrated completed event.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

  1. Lines 58880–58885

    21:2. O God my God, look upon me: why hast thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation are the words of my sins. The words of my sins.... That is, the sins of the world, which I have taken upon myself, cry out against me, and are the cause of all my sufferings.
  2. Lines 58898–58905

    21:7. But I am a worm, and no man: the reproach of men, and the outcast of the people. 21:8. All they that saw me have laughed me to scorn: they have spoken with the lips, and wagged the head. 21:9. He hoped in the Lord, let him deliver him: let him save him, seeing he delighteth in him.
  3. Lines 58928–58935

    21:17. For many dogs have encompassed me: the council of the malignant hath besieged me. They have dug my hands and feet. 21:18. They have numbered all my bones. And they have looked and stared upon me. 21:19. They parted my garments amongst them; and upon my vesture they cast lots.
  4. Lines 58958–58964

    21:27. The poor shall eat and shall be filled: and they shall praise the Lord that seek him: their hearts shall live for ever and ever. 21:28. All the ends of the earth shall remember, and shall be converted to the Lord: And all the kindreds of the Gentiles shall adore in his sight.

Location: chapter 21 of 150 · 14%

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