Psaume 144:4-14

4 L'homme est semblable à un souffle, Ses jours sont comme l'ombre qui passe.

5 Eternel, abaisse tes cieux, et descends! Touche les montagnes, et qu'elles soient fumantes!

6 Fais briller les éclairs, et disperse mes ennemis! Lance tes flèches, et mets-les en déroute!

7 Etends tes mains d'en haut; Délivre-moi et sauve-moi des grandes eaux, De la main des fils de l'étranger,

8 Dont la bouche profère la fausseté, Et dont la droite est une droite mensongère.

9 O Dieu! je te chanterai un cantique nouveau, Je te célébrerai sur le luth à dix cordes.

10 Toi, qui donnes le salut aux rois, Qui sauvas du glaive meurtrier David, ton serviteur,

11 Délivre-moi et sauve-moi de la main des fils de l'étranger, Dont la bouche profère la fausseté, Et dont la droite est une droite mensongère!...

12 Nos fils sont comme des plantes Qui croissent dans leur jeunesse; Nos filles comme les colonnes sculptées Qui font l'ornement des palais.

13 Nos greniers sont pleins, Regorgeant de toute espèce de provisions; Nos troupeaux se multiplient par milliers, par dix milliers, Dans nos campagnes;

14 Nos génisses sont fécondes; Point de désastre, point de captivité, Point de cris dans nos rues!

Psaume 144:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 144

\\<>\\. This psalm was written by David; not on account of the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, by a spirit of prophecy, as Theodoret; but on his own account, after he was come to the throne, and was king over all Israel; and was delivered from the was between him and Israel, and from the war of the Philistines, as Kimchi observes, having gained two victories over them: or it was written between the two victories, and before he had conquered all his enemies; since he prays to be delivered from the hand of strange children, Ps 144:7,11. R. Obadiah thinks it was written on the account of his deliverance from Absalom and Sheba; but the former is best. Some copies of the Septuagint, and also the Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions, have in their titles these words, ``against Goliath;'' and so Apollinarius; as if it was written on account of his combat with him, and victory over him; but this clause is not in the Hebrew Bibles; nor could Theodoret find it in the Septuagint in the Hexapla in his time. The Syriac inscription is still more foreign to the purpose, ``a psalm of David, when he slew Asaph the brother of Goliath.'' R. Saadiah Gaon interprets this psalm of the times of the Messiah; and there are several things in it which are applicable to him.