Psalm 31 — Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven

^31:1^ To David himself, understanding. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ^31:2^ Blessed is the man to whom the Lord has not imputed sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

^31:3^ Because I was silent, my bones grew old, while I cried out all the day long. ^31:4^ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me. I am turned in my anguish, while the thorn is fastened.

^31:5^ I have acknowledged my sin to you, and my injustice I have not concealed. I said, “I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord.” And you have forgiven the wickedness of my sin.

^31:6a^ For this shall everyone who is holy pray to you in a seasonable time.

^31:6b^ And yet in a flood of many waters, they shall not come near to him.

^31:7^ You are my refuge from the trouble which has encompassed me. My joy, deliver me from those who surround me.

^31:8^ I will give you understanding, and I will instruct you in this way, in which you shall go. I will fix my eyes upon you.

^31:9a^ Do not become like the horse and the mule, who have no understanding.

^31:9b^ With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws, who come not near to you.

^31:10^ Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy shall encompass him who hopes in the Lord.

^31:11^ Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you just, and glory, all you right of heart.

295. Here begins the fourth set of ten of the first fifty.

And just as in the first ten were psalms which mentioned the persecution of Absalom;

and in the second, the persecution of Saul;

and in the third, the persecution of the people;

so in this fourth is discussed the tribulation which the good endure from sinners. Dwelling among them, who from day to day vexed the just soul with unjust works (2 Pet 2:8).

Now, this group of ten is divided into two parts.

The dignity of the just is commended in the first part.

In the second, help is sought against the persecutions of the wicked, in the fourth Psalm, at judge, O Lord, those who wrong me (Ps 34:1).

He calls to mind two points about the dignity of the just. (Aquinas says “two” but gives three points here.)

First is justifying grace;

second is the dignity of the just, at rejoice . . . O you just (Ps 32:1);

third, he warns the just to remain in justice, at I will bless the Lord (Ps 33:2).

The title of this psalm is a new one, namely, to David himself, understanding.

Jerome has, the knowledge of David.

This title will be found in many psalms following this one. And by it is signified that in all the psalms called by this title a certain universal truth is discussed, which does not pertain merely to one person but to the providence of God or to another deep reality. And although there is knowledge in all psalms, nevertheless these are principally ordered to it.

Indeed, this psalm is titled from the understanding that the penitent should have, who should understand that he is a sinner and know the liberating grace of God. If he understands his offense (Lev 5:4). Vexation gives this understanding (Isa 28:19).

This is the second penitential psalm. In the first, he treated contrition of heart, but in this he treats confession, and it is divided into three parts.

In the first, he describes the remission of sins.

In the second, he describes the way to reach this remission, at because I was silent.

Third, he describes the desire of the saints for forgiveness, at for this shall everyone who is holy pray.

He makes two points about the remission of sin.

First, he describes God’s part;

and second, man’s part, at in whose spirit there is not.

For in sin, an offense against God is first;

second is the stain;

third is the guilt of punishment.

He sets down three things against this:

that God remit the offense,

cover the stain,

and take away the guilt of punishment by not imputing the sin.

In regard to the remission of the offense, he says, blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

But since blessedness is twofold, namely, in reality and hope, these whose iniquities are forgiven are blessed in hope but will later be blessed in reality. For he is blessed in hope in whom the cause of blessedness is already present, and whose way is that of virtue, and especially perfect virtue. So he in whom perfect virtue appears can be called blessed in hope, like a well-flowering tree can be said to bear good fruit. After the corruption of the first man, these flowers were no more, but instead were found the thorns of sins. And so the blessedness of the sinner which is in hope is no longer of that kind, but it is that God will forgive his sins and so make him fruitful. Break up anew your fallow ground (Jer 4:3). Whose iniquities are forgiven. Her iniquity is forgiven (Isa 40:2). Forgive and you shall be forgiven (Luke 6:32).

In regard to the second, he says, whose sins are covered. Sins are stains of the soul. (Cf. ST I-II, q. 86, a. 1.) How exceedingly base you have become (Jer 2:36). When someone has something shameful in himself and it is covered over, then the shameful thing does not offend the eyes of the one seeing it.

Now God covers over the shamefulness of sin, but how? Totally, as though by washing the soul.

For there is a double deformity in sin.

One is the privation of grace by which the sinner is robbed, and this is totally taken away and not covered over, since grace is given to him.

Another stain is that which comes from the action of past sin, and this is not removed since it is not given to him that he did not do it, but that the guilt is no longer imputed to him.

In regard to the third, he says, blessed is the man to whom the Lord has not imputed sin. In regard to the debt of punishment it should be understood that punishment for sin is not kept for him. All the things you have brought upon us (Dan 3:28).

According to the gloss, three types of sin are suggested here:

original sin,

actual mortal sin,

and actual venial sin.

The first is expressed by the word iniquity, which is a certain inequality, and this is found in original sin insofar as the powers of the soul lost the balance of innocence. And this is weakened and diminished, since although it is taken away in regard to guilt, it remains to taint action. Now he speaks of many iniquities, since in the various people there are various instances of the disorder brought by original sin, and one in each one.

Second, actual mortal sin is signified. Now, actual mortal sins are said to be covered when they are not imputed to the sinner as his guilt.

Third, venial sin is signified, which the Lord does not impute. Venial sin is not imputed as deserving of eternal punishment.

Or he says the first about sin before baptism;

the second about the sins which come after baptism;

and the third about them after confession, since then sin is not imputed in regard to punishment.

But on the part of a man it is required that he not confess insincerely; otherwise, grace shall not follow. The Holy Spirit of wisdom will flee from the deceitful (Wis 1:5). And so he says, and in whose spirit there is no guile, so that he have one thing inside and pretend another exteriorly.

296. Because I was silent, my bones grew old. This is the second part, in which the way of reaching remission of sins is described.

He makes three points about this.

First, he describes the state of sin;

second, the conversion, which is the cause of the remission of sin, at I have acknowledged my sin.

Therefore, he says, because I was silent my bones grew old, while I cried out all the day long. This seems to be a contradiction. For while he cries out all day, he says he is silent.

I respond. He was silent in regard to what needed to be said, but he cried out what did not need to be said, much less cried out. And there is sin in both.

About the first is, woe is me, because I have held my peace (Isa 6:5). For the sinner should tell his sins. If I hold my peace it shall not depart from me, but now my sorrow has oppressed me (Job 16:7–8). Therefore, because I was silent about my sins, my bones grew old, that is, my interior strength failed.

In Sacred Scripture the members of the body should often be understood as the interior powers. So, by bones, in which there is strength, interior virtue should be understood. And since what grows old fails—that is, fades away—he says, my bones grew old. How has it happened, O Israel that you have grown old in your enemies’ land? (Bar 3:10).

About the second is, I looked that he should do judgment, and behold iniquity, and that he should do justice, and behold a cry (Isa 5:7). And this is what he says, while I cried out all the day long. For he cried out that he is just, he cried out at the punishment, and he was silent about his guilt.

But what did the Lord do? He converted him by pressing down with the hand of the Lord, bearing down upon him heavily: for day and night your hand was heavy upon me.

Next is the conversion that followed: I am turned in my anguish, while the thorn is fastened. Therefore, he says, day and night, that is, continually, your hand was heavy.

The hand of the Lord sometimes strengthens. The hand of the Lord was with me, strengthening me (Ezek 3:14). Sometimes it weighs down, as is said here, the hand of the Lord was exceedingly heavy (1 Sam 5:12). In my distress I will call upon the Lord (Isa 26:16).

And so he says, I am turned in my anguish, that is, in the misery which I suffer for my sins while the thorn is fastened, while the thorn, that is, remorse of conscience, is fixed in my heart.

Or it is said about the spine in the back which holds the whole man upright while it is fastened. And it signifies pride, which, when inhibited, allows man to be corrected.

Or, why do you cry? Because of the weight, he says, of your hand. And this is because I am not turned to you but to sin. And so, this takes place while the thorn of sin is fastened, that is, is firmly in me, and in this way the thorn—that is, sin—should be understood.

Or, it is while reason, which is like a spine ruling the back, is pressed down.

Or, according to the Hebrew, my moisture is changed into the dryness of summer, that is, by the weight of your hand, whatever was carnal and moist in me has been changed to the dryness of summer.

Jerome has, I have been turned in my misery while the crops scorched, that is, I have dried out the way crops do.

297. Afterwards, when he says, I have acknowledged my sin to you, he first gives his confession;

second, he shows its effectiveness, at: I said, “I will confess.”

But because there are two things which man should confess, the good things he omitted and the evils he committed, he says in regard to the first, my sin, namely, that I failed to do the good which I should have. I acknowledged to you, not that God does not know, but when man recognizes he sins, he desires that God know so that he may pardon.

In regard to the second, he says, my injustice I have not concealed. If as a man I have hid my sin (Job 31:33). He who hides his sins (Prov 28:13).

He shows the effectiveness of his confession when he says, I said, “I will confess.” Confession is effective for forgiveness of sins. Therefore, he says, I said, that is, I proposed in my heart, I will confess to the Lord, that is, to the honor of the Lord. Give glory to the Lord, God of Israel, and confess (Josh 7:19).

I will confess my injustice, not my good deeds, and against myself, not for myself. Someone may confess his sins, but may confess against his neighbor, saying, “Another led me to do it.”

Or he may confess against nature, saying, “It happened out of weakness.”

Or he may confess against God, saying, “I was not able to resist.” I am he who has sinned; I have done wickedly (2 Sam 24:17).

Or, I will confess against myself, that is, that it was my intention by which I persisted in sin.

Forgiveness follows: and you have forgiven. He will forgive sins in the day of tribulation (Sir 2:13).

But on the contrary: the effect of confessing is so great that forgiveness is given not only to the one who actually confessed but also to the one with the intention of confessing. Therefore, he is forgiven before he confesses. And before they call, I will hear (Isa 65:24).

What, then, does confession do? It should be said that the intention of acting works by power of the thing that one intends to do. So if he does not actually do the thing, the effect fails. And so it is necessary to carry the intention through. Nevertheless, in the confession of actual sins, the punishment is remitted through absolution by the power of the keys, and greater grace is bestowed on him because of the humiliation, and many good things follow.

298. Here, third, he describes the desire of the saints for the forgiveness of sin, and he makes three points about this.

First is described the desire of the saints;

second, a warning is given to sinners: do not become like a horse;

and third, the psalm is concluded with thanksgiving: be glad.

He makes two points about the desire of the saints.

First, he expresses the desire of the saints for the forgiveness of sins in general.

Second, he shows his own refuge in particular, at you are.

He says two things about the desire in general.

First, he describes the desire of the saints through the sign of a prayer.

Second, he shows the effect of the prayer, at and yet in a flood.

Therefore, he says, I said, “I will confess, . . . for this shall everyone who is holy pray to you in a seasonable time, that is, for the forgiveness of sins.

And he says three things.

First, why we must pray, so that the forgiveness of sins may follow. For we have all sinned. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8). And so forgiveness must be begged. Pray to the Lord, and he shall heal you (Sir 38:9). Forgive us our debts (Matt 6:12).

Second is who should pray: everyone who is holy. The continual prayer of a just man avails much (Jas 5:16).

Third is when: in a seasonable time, the time of grace and in the present life, since at the end, the door was shut (Matt 25:10). Behold, now is the acceptable time (2 Cor 6:2). The night comes when no man can work (John 9:4).

299. Afterwards, when he says, and yet, the effect of the prayer is shown, since it is in the flood of many waters.

Here, water can be understood in three ways.

In one way, it is pleasures: you are poured out like water (Gen 49:4).

In another way, it is false doctrine: stolen waters are sweeter (Prov 9:17).

Third, it is tribulations. The waters are come in even to my soul (Ps 68:2).

They shall not come near to him follows. To him can be understood in two ways.

In one way, him refers to a saint, as if to say, “Although he suffers in many waters, they will not overwhelm him, whether they are the waters of pleasure or of false doctrine or of tribulations.” When you shall pass through the water, I shall be with you and the rivers shall not cover you (Isa 43:2). We have passed through fire and water (Ps 65:12).

In another way, him can refer to God, and so he changes person in this speech, since first he spoke to God and now he speaks to others, as if to say, “Those who are in the flood of many waters, as was said above, will not approach to God.”

300. Afterwards, when he says, you are my refuge, the desire of the saints is expressed in particular, and he says two things about this.

First, he expresses the desire to be delivered;

second, the effect of the desire, at I will give you understanding.

He considers two aspects of the desire.

First, he shows from where he draws the hope to pray.

Second, he adds the petition: my joy, deliver me from those who surround me.

Now he draws the hope out of which he prays from two things.

The first is that God is the special refuge of the just.

The second is that he is their special refuge in tribulation.

Therefore, he says, you are my refuge from the trouble which has encompassed me. Tribulation encompasses when it oppresses on all sides so that there does not seem to be a refuge anywhere. Evils without number have surrounded me (Ps 39:13).

But in this tribulation there is no refuge but God. As we know not what to do (2 Chron 20:12). He who dwells in the aid of the Most High (Ps 90:1).

I am in the state, he says, where I have this refuge, and in which I am comforted, since you are my joy. Who comforts us in all our tribulation (2 Cor 1:4). According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, your comforts have given joy to my soul (Ps 93:19).

Afterwards, he expresses what he asks for when he says, deliver me from those who surround me, that is, from the trouble which has encompassed me.

And since tribulation comes from someone else, if trouble encompasses him, then those threatening him—the demons and persecutors—are surrounding him, and so he says, from those who surround me.

301. Next, when he says, I will give you understanding, he shows the effect of his prayer.

God is the one who speaks: I will give you understanding. It is as though God says, “You ask me to deliver you, and I will do three things for you: I will give you the gift of understanding, I will instruct you, and I will guard you.”

There are three things which come from God which are necessary for man.

The first is that he receive the gift of grace, so that through it the soul of man may be perfected to act promptly.

But even though man have this free gift, it is not enough unless God move the soul to do a good work. And so it is necessary that after the prevenient grace God works to move him to do good. (Cf. ST I-II, q. 111, a. 3.)

But grace and this gift are received according to the mode of our nature, and it does not belong to this mode to be able to avoid all harmful things, and so the protection and defense of God is also needed. (Cf. ST I-II, q. 68, a. 2.)

And so he first mentions the gift of understanding when he says, I will give you understanding. The Lord shall fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding (Sir 15:5). And this is necessary for man so that he may know his own sins and because it is not possible to be saved except through God.

Second, he describes the need to use this gift when he says, I will instruct you. All your children shall be taught by the Lord (Isa 54:13).

Third, he describes the protection when he says, in this way, namely, of the commandments in which you shall go. I will fix my eyes upon you, that is, I will protect you. The eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and give strength to those who with a perfect heart trust in him (2 Chron 16:9).

302. Afterwards, when he says, do not become like the horse and the mule, he turns to sinners to bring them to penance, and he makes two points about this.

First, he gives a warning;

second, a threat, at with bit and bridle.

So he says that God gives understanding to men, and he exceeds the animals in understanding. Therefore, those unworthy to receive the gift of wisdom are compared to the animals, and so he says, do not become like the horse and the mule.

According to the gloss, the horse is a proud animal, but the mule is a lazy animal, so it does not run. (Peter Lombard, Magna glossatura (Patrologia Latina [Migne], 191:322–23).) Therefore, those are like horses who are elevated by pride. They are all turned to their own course, as a horse rushing to the battle (Jer 8:6). Those are like the mule who are slow to come to the way of God. The sluggard wills and wills not (Prov 13:4).

Or the lustful can be understood by the mule. The mule is lustful even though it cannot generate, just as the sins of lust are unfruitful. What fruit, therefore, had you then in those things of which you are now ashamed? (Rom 6:12).

Or the horse carries any rider indifferently and the mule carries any burden, just as sinners carry both a rider—the devil—and a burden, sin. Therefore, do not be like a horse, failing to discriminate between riders—between Christ and the devil. Do not be like the mule, which carries any burden of sin without caring.

303. Afterwards, when he says, with bit and bridle, he adds a threat.

First, it is in the manner of a request;

but second, it is in the manner of an announcement, at many are the scourges.

Therefore, he says, with bit and bridle, bind fast their jaws who come not near to you. This is metaphorical. If a man acts like a man, God treats him like a man, warning and teaching him, but when he turns away from the dignity of mankind, he is treated like a brute animal, which is coerced by punishments and force—namely, ***with bit and bridle—***as if to say, “I warned you not to act like a horse or a mule, but if you do not acquiesce, I will act towards you as to a horse and mule.”

Namely, with bit and bridle bind fast their jaws, by subduing their speech and by restricting their food which they are used to devour. For the jaws serve speaking and eating. I will put a ring in your nose and a bit between your lips (Isa 37:29).

Or, with bit and bridle, that is, with great and small troubles.

304. Next, when he says, many are the scourges, he make an announcement.

First, he announces what is prepared for the evil, which is that many are the scourges. They come from God: I will reprove you and set before your face (Ps 49:21). They come from one’s own conscience: pricked as it were with a sword of conscience (Prov 12:18). They come from the powerful: an avenger to execute wrath upon him who does evil (Rom 13:4). A whip for a horse, and a snaffle for an ass, and a rod for the back of fools (Prov 26:3).

Second, he tells what is prepared for the good: but mercy shall encompass him who hopes. Mercy can be taken in the nominative case, so that it is understood that mercy will encompass the one who hopes in the Lord. Or it can be taken in the ablative case, so that is it understood that the Lord will encompass with mercy the one who trusts in him. And this takes place when he is totally submerged in human miseries. Who crowns you with mercy and compassion (Ps 102:4).

305. Finally, the psalm is concluded with thanksgiving when he says, be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you just. Now, it is the custom in penitential psalms that they begin with grieving and end in gladness, since penance causes this.

Now, in this conclusion he exhorts the just and the righteous to do good works and to have a right intention, saying, be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you just, as if to say, “Two things are necessary for man, namely, right action, and this brings about justice, and right intention, and this brings about gladness.”

Therefore he says, be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you just. According to the gloss, to be glad is to be silent with the sweetness of joy; to rejoice is to be excited in soul from the fervor of joy. So, rejoicing comes from interior joy. But in what? In the Lord, he says, not in the world. Rejoice in the Lord; again, I say, rejoice (Phil 4:4).

It follows, and glory all you right of heart. The right of heart are those who conform their will to the divine will. It belongs to these to glory in God. He who glories, let him glory in the Lord (2 Cor 10:17).