The Douay-Rheims with the Glossa Ordinaria

¹A psalm for Asaph. God hath stood in the congregation of gods: and being in the midst of them he judgeth gods.

v.1

VERS. 1.-- *A psalm of Asaph.* A psalm on the two natures in Christ, in which Christ, or the Prophet speaking, reproaches Asaph himself, that is, the Synagogue, which saw the Lord bodily, and yet did not know him. First he announces that God has stood, and convicts the adversaries: man stands, God discerns. *God hath stood.* Whose part it is not to stand, who filleth heaven and earth, who is within all things not enclosed, outside all things not excluded; but briefly he indicates God as man. *He hath stood.* The Son, who was sent to the sheep of the house of Israel; but the spiritual presence of the Godhead, which, being everywhere, does not properly belong to the Synagogue, nor is varied by time. Why he stood there: *Behold, he judgeth gods,* that is, according as he is God, that is, not by merits but by grace he distinguishes the vessels, some unto honour, some unto dishonour. But this he does standing in the midst, whence: *There hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not,* whence also here: *They have not known, neither have they understood,* but *the friend of the bridegroom standeth and heareth, and rejoiceth with joy. Of gods.* Whom afterwards he calls *sons of the Most High,* there: *I have said: you are gods, and all of you to the sons of the Most High.* Whence also, *I have brought up children and exalted them, but they have despised me.* They are called sons not only by the grace of the New Testament, but by the grace of the Old, which delivered them out of Egypt.

²How long will you judge unjustly: and accept the persons of the wicked?

³Judge for the needy and fatherless: do justice to the humble and the poor.

⁴Rescue the poor; and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sinner.

⁵They have not known nor understood: they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth shall be moved.

v.5

VERS. 5.-- *They shall be moved.* Hence it is plain of whom he had spoken: this sign happened at the crucifixion. Or spiritually, earthly men were moved at that time, so great a miracle being seen; as the centurion, who said: *Indeed this was the Son of God.* *All the foundations shall be moved.* As if he should say: through this blindness of Israel, *shall be moved* unto faith *all the foundations of the earth,* that is, the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in. Or, in the death and passion of the Lord the earth was moved. Or *the foundations,* that is, those made happy by abundance of earthly things, shall be moved. Or by wondering that a poor dead man is worshipped. Or by following after him, earthly things being despised. He adds *all,* because there is none who does not wonder, or is not converted. But the kingdom of earthly felicity is pride, against which the humble Christ came, reproaching them whom he wills to make high through humility, in these words: *I have said: you are gods,* you the good: *but you* the evil, *shall die like men.* Or he says to all: *you are gods,* that is, to all I promised heavenly things; *but you as men,* the first men, who sinned by persuasion, and you greater ones as the devil, who by pride sinned.

⁶I have said: You are gods and all of you the sons of the most High.

⁷But you like men shall die: and shall fall like one of the princes.

⁸Arise, O God, judge thou the earth: for thou shalt inherit among all the nations.