Psalms 131
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 131 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
13 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo. The translator's notes for this chapter (2) follow the text.
Psalms 131
1(132) A Song of Degrees. Lord, remember David, and all his meekness:Ὠδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν. Μνήσθητι Κύριε τοῦ Δαυὶδ, καὶ πάσης τῆς πρᾳότητος αὐτοῦ·
2how he swore to the Lord, and vowed to the God of Jacob, saying,Ὡς ὤμοσε τῷ Κυρίῳ, ηὔξατο τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ·
3* I will not go into the tabernacle of my house; I will not go up to the couch of my bed;Εἰ εἰσελεύσομαι εἰς σκήνωμα οἴκου μου, εἰ ἀναβήσομαι ἐπὶ κλίνης στρωμνῆς μου·
4I will not give sleep to my eyes, nor slumber to my eyelids, nor rest to my temples,Εἰ δώσω ὕπνον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μοῦ, καὶ τοῖς βλεφάροις μου νυσταγμὸν, καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν τοῖς κροτάφοις μου·
5until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.Ἕως οὗ εὕρω τόπον τῷ Κυρίῳ, σκήνωμα τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ.
6Behold, we heard of it in Ephratha; we found it in the fields of the wood.Ἰδοὺ ἠκούσαμεν αὐτὴν ἐν Ἐφραθὰ, εὕρομεν αὐτὴν ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις τοῦ δρυμοῦ.
7Let us enter into his tabernacles: let us worship at the place where his feet stood.Εἰσελευσώμεθα εἰς τὰ σκηνώματα αὐτοῦ· προσκυνήσωμεν εἰς τὸν τόπον οὗ ἔστησαν οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ.
8Arise, O Lord, into your rest; you, and the ark of your holiness.Ἀνάστηθι Κύριε εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου, σὺ καὶ ἡ κιβωτὸς τοῦ ἁγιάσματός σου.
9Your priests shall clothe themselves with righteousness; and your saints shall exult.Οἱ ἱερεῖς σου ἐνδύσονται δικαιοσύνην, καὶ οἱ ὅσιοί σου ἀγαλλιάσονται.
10For the sake of your servant David turn not away the face of your anointed.Ἕνεκεν Δαυὶδ τοῦ δούλου σου, μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ χριστοῦ σου.
11The Lord swore in truth to David, and he will not annul it, saying, Of the fruit of your body will I set a king upon your throne.Ὤμοσε Κύριος τῷ Δαυὶδ ἀλήθειαν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσει αὐτὴν, ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου, θήσομαι ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνον σου.
12If your children will keep my covenant, and these my testimonies which I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon your throne for ever.Ἐὰν φυλάξωνται οἱ υἱοί σου τὴν διαθήκην μου, καὶ τὰ μαρτύριά μου ταῦτα ἃ διδάξω αὐτοὺς, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος καθιοῦνται ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου σου.
13For the Lord has elected Sion, he has chosen her for a habitation for himself, saying,Ὅτι ἐξελέξατο Κύριος τὴν Σιὼν, ᾑρετίσατο αὐτὴν εἰς κατοικίαν ἑαυτῷ.
14This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have chosen it.Αὕτη ἡ κατάπαυσίς μου εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος, ὧδε κατοικήσω ὅτι ᾑρετισάμην αὐτήν.
15I will surely bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.Τὴν θήραν αὐτῆς εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω, τοὺς πτωχοὺς αὐτῆς χορτάσω ἄρτων.
16I will clothe her priests with salvation; and her saints shall greatly exult.Τοὺς ἱερεῖς αὐτῆς ἐνδύσω σωτηρίαν, καὶ οἱ ὅσιοι αὐτῆς ἀγαλλιάσει ἀγαλλιάσονται.
17There will I cause to spring up a horn to David: I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.Ἐκεῖ ἐξανατελῶ κέρας τῷ Δαυὶδ, ἡτοίμασα λύχνον τῷ χριστῷ σου.
18His enemies will I clothe with a shame; but upon himself shall my † holiness flourish.Τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ ἐνδύσω αἰσχύνην, ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐξανθήσει τὸ ἁγίασμά μου.
Translator's Notes
These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.
- v. 3*Gr. if I shall, etc. Hebraism.
- v. 18†See Ps 88. (89) 39. * 132: Alex. + 'for David.'
The Fathers on Psalms 131
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 131:1–5Saint Augustine of Hippo2. “Lord, remember David, and all his meekness” (ver. 1). David according to the truth of history was one man, king of Israel, son of Jesse. He was indeed meek, as the Divine Scriptures themselves mark and command him, and so meek that he did not even render evil for evil to his persecutor Saul. He preserved towards him so great humility, that he acknowledged him a king, and himself a dog: and answered the king…
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On Psalms 131:6Saint Augustine of Hippo5. “Lo, we heard of the same at Ephrata” (ver. 6). What? A place for the Lord. “We heard of it at Ephrata: and found it in the plains of the forests.” Did he hear it where he found it? or did he hear it in one place, find it in another? Let us therefore enquire what Ephrata is, where he heard it; let us also enquire what mean the plains of the forests, where he found it. Ephrata, a Hebrew word, is rendered in…
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On Psalms 131:7Saint Augustine of Hippo6. “We will go into His tabernacles” (ver. 7). Whose? Those of the Lord God of Jacob. They who enter to dwell therein, are the very same who enter that they may be dwelt in. Thou enterest into thy house, that thou mayest dwell therein; into the house of God, that thou mayest be dwelt in. For the Lord is better, and when He hath begun to dwell in thee, He will make thee happy. For if thou be not dwelt in by Him,…
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On Psalms 131:8Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “Arise, O Lord, into Thy resting place” (ver. 8). He saith unto the Lord sleeping, “Arise.” Ye know already who slept, and who rose again.…“Thou, and the ark of Thy sanctification:” that is, Arise, that the ark of Thy sanctification, which Thou hast sanctified, may arise also. He is our Head; His ark is His Church: He arose first, the Church will arise also. The body would not dare to promise itself…
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On Psalms 131:9Saint Augustine of Hippo9. “Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Thy saints sing with joyfulness” (ver. 9). When Thou risest from the dead, and goest unto Thy Father, let that royal Priesthood be clothed with faith, since “the righteous liveth by faith;” and, receiving the pledge of the Holy Spirit, let the members rejoice in the hope of resurrection, which went before in the Head: for to them the Apostle saith,…
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On Psalms 131:10Saint Augustine of Hippo10. “For Thy servant David’s sake, turn not away the face of Thine Anointed” (ver. 10). These words are addressed unto God the Father. “For Thy servant David’s sake, turn not away the face of Thine Anointed.” The Lord was crucified in Judæa; He was crucified by the Jews; harassed by them, He slept. He arose to judge those among whose savage hands He slept: and He saith elsewhere, “Raise Thou Me up again, and I…
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On Psalms 131:11Saint Augustine of Hippo11. “The Lord hath made a faithful oath unto David, and He shall not repent” (ver. 11). What meaneth, “hath made an oath”? Hath confirmed a promise through Himself. What meaneth, “He shall not repent”? He will not change. For God suffereth not the pain of repentance, nor is He deceived in any matter, so that He would wish to correct that wherein He hath erred. But as when a man repents of anything, he wisheth to…
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On Psalms 131:12Saint Augustine of Hippo12. What then? “The Lord hath made a faithful oath unto David, and He shall not shrink from it; Of the fruit of thy body shall I set upon thy seat. If thy children will keep My covenant and My testimonies that I shall learn them, their children also shall sit upon thy seat for evermore” (ver. 12). If thy children keep My covenant, their children also shall sit for evermore. The parents establish a desert on…
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On Psalms 131:13Saint Augustine of Hippo14. “For the Lord hath chosen Sion to be an habitation for Himself” (ver. 13). Sion is the Church Herself; She is also that Jerusalem unto whose peace we are running, who is in pilgrimage not in the Angels, but in us, who in her better part waiteth for the part that will return; whence letters have come unto us, which are every day read. This city is that very Sion, whom the Lord hath chosen.
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On Psalms 131:14Saint Augustine of Hippo15. “This shall be My rest for ever” (ver. 14). These are the words of God. “My rest:” I rest there. How greatly doth God love us, brethren, since, because we rest, He saith that He also resteth! For He is not sometimes Himself disturbed, nor doth He rest as we do; but He saith that He resteth there, because we shall have rest in Him. “Here will I dwell: for I have a delight therein.”
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On Psalms 131:15Saint Augustine of Hippo16. “I will bless her widow with blessings, and will satisfy her poor with bread” (ver. 15). Every soul that is aware that it is bereft of all help, save of God alone, is widowed. For how doth the Apostle describe a widow? “She that is a widow indeed and desolate, trusteth in God.” He was speaking of those whom we all call Widows in the Church. He saith, “She that liveth in pleasure, is dead while she liveth;”…
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On Psalms 131:16–17Saint Augustine of Hippo20. “I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall rejoice and sing” (ver. 16). We are now at the end of the Psalm; attend for a short space, Beloved. “I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall rejoice and sing.” Who is our salvation, save our Christ? What meaneth, therefore, “I will clothe her priests with salvation”? “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have…
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On Psalms 131:18Open Psalms 131 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo21. “Upon Him shall My sanctification flourish” (ver. 18). Upon whom? Upon Mine Anointed. For when He saith, “Mine anointed,” it is the voice of the Father, who saith, “I will bless her widow with blessings, and will satisfy her poor with bread. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall rejoice and sing.” He who saith, “There will I raise up the horn of David,” is God. He Himself saith, “I…
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