Psalm 46 — O clap your hands, all you nations

^46:1^ Unto the end, for the sons of Korah. ^46:2^ O clap your hands, all you nations: shout to God with the voice of joy,

^46:3^ for the Lord is high, terrible, a great king over all the earth. ^46:4^ He has subdued the people under us, and the nations under our feet.

^46:5^ He has chosen for us his inheritance the beauty of Jacob which he has loved. ^46:6^ God ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with the sound of trumpet. ^46:7^ Sing praises to our God, sing; sing praises to our king, sing.

^46:8^ For God is the king of all the earth: sing wisely. ^46:9^ God shall reign over the nations: God sits on his holy throne. ^46:10^ The princes of the people are gathered together with the God of Abraham, for the strong gods of the earth are exceedingly exalted.

470. In the preceding psalms, the psalmist laid out the glory of the king and of the kingdom; now here, he exhorts foreign nations to be converted to God.

He first exhorts them to praise God;

second, to have hope in God;

third, he teaches them the divine worship.

The second begins at hear these things (Ps 48:2);

the third at the God of gods (Ps 49:1).

The title is clear, since it was explained above, unto the end, for the sons of Korah, a psalm of David.

Regarding the first, he makes two points.

First, he exhorts all nations to praise God.

Second, he describes the matter for praise, at the Lord is . . . great.

Regarding the first, he makes three points.

For he first puts forward an invitation to praise God;

second, the cause, at for the Lord is high;

third, he makes this cause manifest, at God ascended.

The praise of God should proceed from jubilation of heart, as in the fatherland: joy and gladness shall be found therein (Isa 51:3). This gladness of heart is shown through external signs, either deeds or words.

Therefore, he leads them to praise

in deed first

and then in word.

Therefore, he says, all you nations, as if to say, “God has given such great goods to us; therefore, praise him in deed.” O clap your hands. Clapping hands is a sign of exultation. The priests clapped their hands (Jer 5:31), as if to say, clap, that is, show your exultation of heart through clapping your hands. And this happens when a man serves God in deed with jubilation. Serve the Lord with gladness (Ps 99:2). All the trees of the country shall clap their hands (Isa 55:12), that is, all the peoples shall clap.

Likewise, praise him in word, so he says, shout to God with the voice of joy, that is, showing your internal emotion in your external voice. The gloss has, jubilation is an ineffable gladness, which can neither to be silent, nor be expressed, since it surpasses comprehension. (Glossa ordinaria.) And the goodness of God is such that it cannot be expressed, and if it is expressed, it is nevertheless expressed imperfectly. And so he said, Ah, ah, ah, behold, I cannot speak (Jer 1:6).

And the Church signifies this jubilation when she multiplies the notes on the words expressing it. Shout with joy to God all the earth, sing a psalm (Ps 65:1–2).

471. For the Lord is high. Here he puts down the cause of praise, and the good things which come forth from God’s greatness.

He first describes God’s greatness;

second, a sign of that greatness.

God’s greatness is commended in two ways:

first, for the exaltedness of his power;

second, for his majesty in ruling.

Therefore, he says that God is to be praised for the exaltedness of his nature, since he is the most high Lord. The Lord is high above all nations (Ps 112:4).

And because high things are far from us, someone could believe that he is not to be feared, and that he does not have providence over us, as those fools said in whose person it is spoken, he walks about the poles of heaven, and does not consider our things (Job 22:14). And so he says, as much as is in you, you have made void fear (Job 15:4).

But it is not so. He is high because he is terrible, because he sees all things and punishes all.

Likewise, he is to be feared because he has dominion, since he is a great king over all the earth. The earth is the Lord’s (Ps 23:1).

He is great through the totality of his dominion, since it is a kingdom of all ages (Ps 144:13).

Likewise, it is great in its duration, since it is eternal.

Likewise, it is great in authority, since he is the king of all kings.

A sign of the greatness of this king is found in those things which he has done in us, and these are God’s favors.

First is the subjugation of others.

Second is the gathering together of good things.

Therefore, he says, he has subdued the people under us. These are the words of the Church, to whom her enemies are subjected even temporally. Augustine says in the gloss, for so many run to the Church, and even though they are not yet Christians, they ask for the Church’s help. They desire her help temporally, even if they do not yet desire to reign with us eternally. (Peter Lombard, Magna glossatura (Patrologia Latina [Migne], 191:455).)

Likewise, these are the words of the apostles, he has subdued the peoples under us, namely, the Jews, and the nations, that is, the gentiles, under our feet. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings news and preaches peace (Isa 52:7). Likewise: I subdue nations before his face (Isa 45:1).

Or, he has subdued the peoples under us could be taken to mean that some are converted to the faith, and these are subjected voluntarily, while others are not converted, but live as heathens, and these are subjected under our feet, and in the end they will be overcome by our power in judgment.

472. He has chosen for us his inheritance. Here is described another favor of the gathering together of good things.

Here it should be noted that choice involves the acceptance of one thing rather than another.

Now the choice of God can be understood under two aspects.

First is in regard to the good things which are conferred.

And there is a distinction, since some of these good things given are temporal, and others spiritual.

Now, wicked sinners receive as their portion temporal things. This is our portion (Wis 2:9).

But the just receive God himself as their portion. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance (Ps 15:5). God has chosen for them spiritual goods, that is, he made us choose spiritual goods. He has chosen for us his inheritance, as if to say, “Since there are various portions of goods, he has chosen to give us his inheritance.”

Second, the choice of God can be considered on the part of those to whom it is given, and so the distribution is such that all were damned through original sin, but some are saved by the choice of God. (Cf. ST I, q. 23, a. 4.) And so he says, he has chosen us.

And he shows what this inheritance is: the beauty of Jacob which he has loved.

Jerome’s text has, glory, or the pride of Jacob. And here pride means “excellence.” I will make you an everlasting pride (Isa 60:15), that is, an excellence.

So also with glory, that is, beauty or comeliness, since in the eternal inheritance will be those who are excellent, glorious, and comely. The Lord bless you, the beauty of justice (Jer 31:23).

Which he has loved: this is either Jacob himself, as if to say, “This inheritance is the glory of Jacob, that is, of the faithful one, a glory God loved, since the Lord loves the gates of Zion.”

Or the beauty of Jacob means what is shown through Jacob, since the spiritual goods for which we have been chosen were shown to him, since they are the ladder he saw and other such things.

But the first reading is better. (Cf. ST I, q. 23, a. 4.)

God ascended with jubilee. Here, he explains the cause and the order.

He says that he is a high and great king and is to be praised because of this. But is he really so high? Yes.

And first, he shows his excellence.

Second, he shows the fullness of his reign, at sing.

He makes two points about the first.

First, he describes his excellence.

Second, he concludes with an exhortation, at sing.

Therefore, he says that he is most high because he has ascended. But if he is so high, how has he ascended? Because he descended. He who descended is the same also who ascended (Eph 4:10).

But how has he ascended? With jubilee. Jubilee is an immense joy, and here jubilee signifies imperfect understanding.

There were two kinds of persons singing at the Ascension of Christ, the apostles and the angels.

Now the apostles have imperfect knowledge of divine things, and so to them belongs jubilee from joy at the Ascension of Christ with glory.

There were also angels there, and they had clear knowledge, and jubilee does not belong to them but clear proclamation, and so he says, the Lord with shouts of trumpet. So the angels said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up? (Acts 1:11).

Therefore, if he is most high, sing praises to our God with your mouth; sing praises to our king in your heart. I will sing with the spirit, I will sing also with the understanding (1 Cor 14:15).

473. For God is the king. Afterwards, he demonstrates that he is a great king, and he demonstrates this in the opposite order.

First, he brings them to sing to the king.

Second, he gives the reason.

Third, he explains the reason.

Therefore, he says, sing praises to our God, but again, sing praises to our king, because he is great. And he says sing twice, since we give the same honor to the humanity and the divinity of Christ, since he is one suppositum. All may honor the Son as they honor the Father (John 5:23).

And he indicates what should be sung, because God is king of all the earth. And so you, the inhabitants of the world, sing to him. And he says, of all the earth, not of Judea alone, nor of Greece, but of the whole world.

But sing wisely, that is, discretely. And sing not with the mouth alone, but with the heart of someone renewed interiorly, since praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner (Sir 15:9).

Likewise, do not pray with a troubled mind. Pray with a cheerful mind (Jas 5:13).

Likewise, pray continually: sing well, sing many a song (Isa 23:16).

Afterwards he makes clear how he is king of all the earth.

And he first proclaims the reign of Christ over all the nations;

second, over all the princes of the nations.

It is as if to say, “I say that he is king of all the earth, because although he now reigns only in Judea, he will reign over all the nations, because all nations will be converted to God.” Praise the Lord all you nations (Ps 116:1).

And the reason for this is that Christ is God, and is already ascending to the right hand of the Father: God sits on his holy throne, that is, at the right hand of God. And so nothing remains except for all to be made subject to him. (Cf. ST III, q. 59, a. 5.) He gave him a kingdom (Dan 7:14).

Nor will the nations alone be made subject to him but also their leaders, so he says, the princes of the peoples, that is, of all people, shall be gathered together through faith and love with the God of Abraham.

And he says Abraham because he was the origin of believing both the Father and the Son. He is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham (Matt 3:9). The kings of the Arabians (Ps 71:10).

And the reason why they have been gathered together is that the strong gods of the earth are exceedingly exalted.

And this can be understood in two ways.

In one way, in relation to the Jews, since they were gods because they were instructed by God. He called them gods to whom the word of God was spoken (John 10:35). Likewise, they were strong because they were steadfast in the faith in one God, but they are of the earth because their eyes and affections were always directed toward earthly things. They are exceedingly elevated through pride, insofar as they rejected the teaching of Christ. And so the apostles went to the nations.

It can be understood in another way: the strong gods are the apostles. And they are called gods because of their power to judge. The judges in the Old Testament were called gods. You shall not speak ill of the gods . . . apply to the gods (Exod 22:28, 8), that is, to the judges. And they are said to be strong because of their steadfastness in suffering. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Rom 8:35).

They are of the earth, that is, living amidst earthly things. We have this treasure in earthen vessels (2 Cor 4:7).

And they were exceedingly exalted through their preaching. But they, going forth, preached everywhere (Mark 16:20). Likewise, they were exalted through performing miracles and also through achieving glory.

Jerome has, for the gods are the shields of the earth, because the apostles were the protectors of all peoples.