Watch. Hebrew, "plot against." (Haydock) --- Teeth. In rage to destroy him, (Calmet) whose virtue is a continual censure of his impiety. (Haydock) PSALM XXXVI. (NOLI \'c6MULARI.) An exhortation to despise this world; and the short prosperity of the wicked; and to trust in providence. Laugh. This expression is often used to denote the triumph of divine justice, whose day will set all right: that day (2 Timothy iv. 8.) which ought to be constantly before our eyes. (Berthier) --- God cannot indeed mock at any one. (Calmet) --- But the wicked "deserve scorn and vengeance." (Haydock) --- Digni sunt ut irrideantur in vindicta. (St. Jerome) --- The day of their judgment or condemnation is at hand, (Ezechiel xxi. 21., and 1 Kings xxvi. 10.; Haydock) when they will be sought for in vain (ver. 10.; Calmet) by their foolish admirers. They will seek to hide themselves from the indignation of the Lamb. Heart. Hebrew, "of way." Protestants, "such as be of upright conversation." Only those whose heart is pure, will observe the right path. (Haydock) Broken. In the form of imprecation, he foretells the event. (Worthington) --- Hebrew is in the future, to imply as much. (Berthier) Wicked. Hebrew, "of many wicked," or "of the impious great ones." (Haydock) --- What the just man hath, is preferable to the immense riches of sinners, acquired by injustice. In this sense Hesiod and Psittacus said, "half is more than all." The wicked are never satisfied, Ecclesiastes iv. 6., and Proverbs xiii. 25. Riches are a dangerous temptation, (Calmet) and the sentence is generally true, "every rich person is either unjust or the heir of one who has been such," (Haydock) aut h\'e6res injusti. (St. Jerome) --- It is difficult for the rich to enter heaven; and the unjust are certainly excluded. Yet if we confined our views to this world, it is evident that the rich may better procure the sweets of life. (Berthier) Arms of the body, brachia. All that they have admired perishes in death, (Calmet) while the just then possess true riches. Days, or "ways," according to some copies of Septuagint. (St. Augustine, &c.) God approves the conduct of the just. He takes notice of the time of their sufferings, and comforts them during life, (Calmet) yea, for ever. Because. Only this verse begins with c, as the seventh does with d. (Haydock) --- Smoke. All their riches shall vanish, and their works be disregarded by God. But they will not be annihilated, as they would desire; otherwise the justice of God would not be executed on them. (Berthier) --- There is a continual antithesis between the good and bad. The latter shall shortly lose all their splendour. "I fear, lest offending the gods, I may receive glory among men," said the poet Ibicus, (Calmet) conformably to our Saviour's declaration concerning the vain-glorious, they have received their reward, Matthew vi. 6. Hebrew, "shall be as the fat of lambs, consumed and reduced to smoke." (Haydock) --- St. Jerome seems to have read differently, "boasting like unicorns, they shall be consumed, as smoke, they shall be consumed." Syriac and Chaldean intimate that they shall be like victims, "fattened" for slaughter, and burnt. (Calmet) Give. Having both the will and the power to be liberal. (Haydock) --- "He shall lend without expecting any advantage, while the wicked falls into such misery as not to be able to pay his debts. This is not always the order of Providence. (Calmet) --- But the just is often enabled by economy to relieve his brethren, at the same time that the libertine wastes his estate, (Berthier) or at least unjustly defers to pay his debts. (Menochius) Bless him. The just, (ver. 21.; Prin. disc.) or rather the Lord, ver. 20. (Berthier) --- "Are blessed of him," &c. (St. Jerome) (Chaldean) (Haydock) With. Or by the decrees of the Lord. The Hebrew and Septuagint have, "By," Greek: para. (Berthier) --- God gives grace to do all good, (Proverbs xvi. 9.; Calmet) and likes the way which He points out. The just also find the greatest consolation in virtue. (Haydock) Him. To break the fall. Hebrew, "the Lord upholdeth him with his hand." (Protestants) (Haydock) --- The just man is like a courageous wrestler, who may slip, but yields not. (Origen; Eusebius) --- His fall is not mortal, (Calmet) though he may be guilty of venial sin, Proverbs xxiv. (Worthington) Seeking, in vain. (Haydock) --- Roman and Gothic Ps.[Psalters?] read, "wanting." This does not condemn the mendicant orders. (Menochius) --- Nothing was more unusual under the old law than the extreme distress of the just: yet Job and Lazarus were reduced to it. They were not, however, discontent. (Calmet) --- They found the bread of life in conformity to God's will, John iv. 34. (Haydock) --- Their souls were enriched with grace, which was never wanting, as the Fathers explain this passage. (Berthier) (Amos viii. 11.) --- It is certain that there were poor among the Jews; (Deuteronomy xv. 11.) and who would assert that they were all wicked, or the children of such? Yet the prophet had not witnessed (Calmet) any person renowned for virtue reduced to this condition, (Haydock) though he does not deny but it might be possible. (Calmet) --- The proposition may be restrained to those who have been very charitable, and who are not often thereby reduced to want, Daniel iv. 24. (Genebrard) (Menochius) --- But the word just is more comprehensive; and St. Paul gives several instances of persecuted saints (Hebrew xi.) which is confirmed by the parable, or rather by the history, of Lazarus. (Berthier) --- At any rate, the Church is never deprived of the word of God. (St. Augustine) (Worthington) Lendeth. "To receive interest," Greek: daneizei, from God, Proverbs xix. 17. (St. Augustine, &c.) (Calmet) --- He maketh know the divine word. (Origen) Dwell in the land of the living, rather than in that of promise, from which many just people were banished during the captivity. (Berthier) --- He who complies with these two conditions, will inherit heaven. (Worthington) Saints. Hebrew, "merciful ones." He will free them from captivity. (Calmet) --- Punished. This sentence seems to be improperly omitted in Hebrew, which otherwise neglects the letter a, as the Chaldean, Syriac, and St. Jerome do as well as a few copies of the Septuagint. The Roman edition with the Arabic and Ethiopic, reads Greek: amomoi ekdikethesontai, "the innocent shall be avenged," (Calmet) or "punished;" which is inaccurately put for Greek: anomoi ekdiochthesontai, the wicked shall be punished, or "expelled;" (Berthier) though Grabe prefers the former verb. (Haydock) --- St. Cyril acknowledges both readings. (Calmet) Supplanted. The devil shall have no advantage over the just, (Calmet) who aim constantly at perfection. (Origen) Death, mortificare. Some read perdere, or occidere. The wicked are constantly laying snares for destruction, (Calmet) and to draw others into mortal sin. (Worthington) Judged, "by him." Illi seems to be superfluous; (Berthier) or it implies that God will revise the sentence of wicked judges. (Haydock) --- The just have nothing to fear. God will pass an equitable sentence, and the condemnation of men shall do no harm. (Origen) --- The mistakes of human tribunals prove the necessity of a general judgment. See the truth of these maxims. (Calmet) --- While the wicked enjoy power they often conceal their injustice, which appears as soon as the veil is removed by death, when people cease to fear them. (Haydock) Cedars, &c. Septuagint have read differently from the present Hebrew and present a more beautiful sense. (Calmet) --- Protestants, "and spreading himself like a green bay-tree, (marginal note: or "a green tree that groweth in his own soil,") yet he passed away, and lo," &c. (Haydock) --- Ezrach, denotes an evergreen, (Rabbins) "a laurel covered with verdure." (Calmet) --- Houbigant has "a cedar," ezrach. I passed. This is better than the Hebrew, "it has passed," transivit, as a tree changes not its place, and all the ancient interpreters agree with us. (Berthier) --- His place, is not expressed in Hebrew. But it implies that every vestige of the proud is soon lost. This might serve to curb the violence of those who disturb mankind! (Haydock) --- The wicked may here refer to Nabuchodonosor, the devil, Judas, &c. (Calmet) --- We may behold the riches of sinners with our bodily eyes: but if we consider them with the eyes of faith, they presently vanish. (St. Ambrose; St. Augustine) Remnants, or rewards. (Worthington) --- Hebrew acharith, "the reward," (Pagnin) "the last end of man is peace," (Montanus; Haydock) or "the posterity (ver. 38.) of such a man shall be happy." (Calmet) --- "There are future things for the peaceful." (Symmachus) --- The expectations of the just are not confined to this world. They have something laid up for heaven, whereas the wicked have nothing. (Haydock) --- These lose all by death; and the thought makes them take refuge in the foolish hope of being annihilated. (Berthier)