This was translated from the Latin using Gemini. Gemini also provided the headings to provide some guidance to the reader and I've left these intact. Text in purple represent Gemini's contextual or guiding notes.
Ps 5:1 For the end, for her that shall inherit, a Psalm for David.
Ps 5:2. Give ear, O Lord, to my words, understand my cry.
Ps 5:3. Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God. For to Thee will I pray: O Lord.
Ps 5:4. In the morning thou wilt hear my voice. In the morning I will stand before thee, and will see (i.e., wait)
Ps 5:5 For thou art not a God that willest iniquity. Neither shall the wicked dwell near thee:
Ps 5:6 Nor shall the unjust abide before thy eyes. Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity:
Ps 5:7 Thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie. The bloody and deceitful man the Lord will abhor.
Ps 5:8 But as for me, in the multitude of thy mercy, I will come into thy house; I will worship towards thy holy temple, in thy fear.
Ps 5:9. Conduct me, O Lord, in thy justice, because of my enemies: direct my way in thy sight.
Ps 5:10. For there is no truth in their mouth: their heart is vain. Their throat is an open sepulchre: they dealt deceitfully with their tongues:
Ps 5:11 udge them, O God. Let them fall by their own counsels: according to the multitude of their wickedness cast them out, for they have provoked thee, O Lord.
Ps 5:12 But let all them be joyful that hope in thee: they shall rejoice for ever, and thou shalt dwell in them. And all they that love thy name shall glory in thee:
Ps 5:13 For thou wilt bless the just man, O Lord, as with a shield of thy good will thou hast crowned us.
The Title and Its Allegorical Meaning
The title of the fifth Psalm is this: "To the end, for her that shall inherit, a Psalm for David."
This sends us back to the history of the two wives of Abraham, one of whom was cast out from the inheritance (Hagar), and the other obtained the inheritance (Sarah).
Hagar the handmaid expresses the Synagogue, which obeyed the Law in servile fear, carnal-minded.
Hagar’s son expresses false Christians and heretics who, like the Synagogue, savor the things of the flesh. They were, however, the "wife" of God, that is, joined to him in knowledge. These will be cast out from the inheritance of eternal glory, as it is written: "Cast out the bondwoman and her son" (Genesis 21:10; Galatians 4:30).
Sarah and her son express the Church with her children, who will be heir to eternal glory in the future.
The title is expounded thus: This Psalm is to be attributed to David, that is, to the perfect Church, tending "to the end," that is, to Christ, who is the end (or boundary) of the righteous, beyond whom no righteous person stands, but in whom, according to the Apostle, "We being many, are one body in Christ" (Romans 12:5).
It is David (the Church) praying "for her that shall inherit the eternal homeland," now in hope, and sometime to possess it in reality, that is, by herself. But by placing "for her that shall inherit," the commentary suggests by contrast that there is another who will not inherit—namely, the Synagogue, false Christians, and heretics.
The Church in this Psalm intends to pray to God so that she may finally obtain that inheritance, and afterward, she declares that she will be the heir and that the others must be cast out.
Commentary on the Verses
Ps 5:2-3: The Voice of Prayer
"Give ear, O Lord, to my words, understand my cry. Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God. For to you I will pray.
"My words" are those which are not vain and fanciful, but such as I ought to utter, proceeding from a right intention. "Give ear" (hear) O Lord. Saying "give ear" is said in a human manner, as if to say, "Hear so that I may obtain my petition." The Church rightly says "O Lord" (when it could say Spouse), so that she might be more humble, as if to say, "You who are my Lord, whose will I put before my own."
Since I cannot always pray with words, if I sometimes pray with good devotion, "understand my cry," that is, hold acceptable that devotion which prays to you, like an intense cry. And that my words may be more and more worthy of your hearing, "hearken," that is, give perseverance to the "voice of my prayer," that is, my praying voice. And deservedly, for "You are my King and my God": I rule myself not according to my kingdom, but according to yours.
Ps 5:3b-6: The Morning of Judgment
"For to Thee will I pray: O Lord, in the morning thou wilt hear my voice. In the morning I will stand before thee, and will see: for thou art not a God that willest iniquity. Neither shall the wicked dwell near thee: nor shall the unjust abide before thy eyes. Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity: thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie."
The Church declares that she will be heard: I say, "hear," "understand," and truly "in the morning thou wilt hear my voice," that is, on the day of judgment (which will be clear as morning), you will grant my petition, O God, who are powerful. By saying "in the morning thou wilt hear," it implies that He will fulfill her petition at the very beginning of the Day of Judgment, for morning is the beginning of the day.
And the Church explains how He will hear: I say, "thou wilt hear," and thus "in the morning" (that is, on the day of judgment) "I will stand" (I will be present) "before thee" in bodily presence, according to: "Where I am, there also shall my minister be" (John 12:26) and "Joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). And not only will I stand, but "I will see thee face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12).
I know that I will stand, because since you are God and iniquity is contrary to your nature, "thou art not a God that willest iniquity." It would be iniquitous if you did not admit me, who seek you alone as I ought to seek.
And again, I am certain I will stand and see, for:
"Neither shall the wicked dwell near thee": The Jewish people, who are sterile of good, will not be heir to the eternal inheritance with you, as you testified: "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof" (Matthew 21:43).
"Nor shall the unjust abide before thy eyes": The false Christians, who do not cease from their injustice, will not remain long in your presence.
"Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity": You hate and always will hate those who perseveringly work iniquity as long as they live (not those who worked and ceased).
"Thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie": You will destroy in body and soul all who speak heresy (a lie), which is not enough for them to think, but they must utter with their mouth—not those who spoke and repudiated, but those who speak with perseverance.
Ps 5:7: The Bloody and Deceitful Man
"The bloody and deceitful man the Lord will abhor."
The commentary specifies which liars are meant, addressing the listeners to deter them from this lie: I say that He will destroy, and it is true, for "the Lord" (He who is Lord, powerful, and just) "will abhor" (will execrate so vehemently that He will not even consider him a man) "the bloody man," that is, that liar who is a shedder of human blood.
And the commentary explains how he is a killer: by adding "and deceitful," that is, I mean that bloody man who kills his neighbors "by the deceit of his words," that is, by his heresy. He is called bloody not because he sheds blood, but because he kills like one who sheds blood.
Ps 5:8-9: The Church's Confidence and Prayer
"But as for me, in the multitude of thy mercy, I will come into thy house; I will worship towards thy holy temple, in thy fear. Conduct me, O Lord, in thy justice, because of my enemies: direct my way in thy sight."
The Church repeats her confidence, showing that she will enter not only because of her merits (right intention and prayer) but also "by the multitude of thy mercy."
"I will come into thy house," that is, into heavenly Jerusalem, trusting "in the multitude of thy mercy," not only in my merits. And so that I may be able to enter, dwelling here, "in thy fear," and not a servile fear, but chaste fear, which is very pleasing to you, "I will worship toward thy holy temple," that is, coming to receive Thy Body, which is the holy temple of the Godhead. Or: coming to be made "thy holy temple" myself (1 Corinthians 3:16).
And so that I may rightly worship here and thus enter, "Conduct me, O Lord, in thy justice," that is, lead me from virtue to virtue. And so that I may be led, "direct my way in thy sight," that is, make your Divine Scripture (which is the way of faith given to us by you) straight "in my sight," that is, in my consideration. I pray this "because of my enemies," who lie in wait for me to make me deviate.
Ps 5:10-11: The Treachery of the Enemies
"For there is no truth in their mouth: their heart is vain. Their throat is an open sepulchre: they dealt deceitfully with their tongues: judge them, O God. Let them fall by their own counsels: according to the multitude of their wickedness cast them out, for they have provoked thee, O Lord."
I pray because "there is no truth in their mouth," that is, they speak false things, and this is because "their heart is vain," that is, full of vain thoughts. Because of their arrogance, they speak false things about God to appear subtle.
Since there is no truth in them, they not only kill themselves, but "their throat is an open sepulchre." Just as a sepulcher opens to receive a body and make it putrid and fetid, so their evil doctrine opens to receive the innocent into their example and render them foul. To be like an open sepulcher, "they dealt deceitfully with their tongues," that is, with their words, mixing truth with falsehood beforehand so that they might deceive more easily.
Since they are such, "O God, who are a just judge, judge them," that is, condemn them. This is not an imprecation but an assent to Divine Justice, done to terrify them.
The judgment is exposed in parts: Let them fall from evil to evil (as elsewhere: "He that is filthy, let him be filthy still" - Revelation 22:11). This will happen not from your hardness, but "by their own most wicked counsels." And in the future, "cast them out" from your kingdom, which they claim by their presumption. And this will happen not according to your inclemency, but "according to the multitude of their wickedness," because they had much wickedness, because "they have provoked thee," that is, they embittered you, God, who are naturally sweet, when they were servants and you were the Lord.
Ps 5:12-13: The Triumph and Crowning of the Faithful
"But let all them be joyful that hope in thee: they shall rejoice for ever, and thou shalt dwell in them. And all they that love thy name shall glory in thee: For thou wilt bless the just man, O Lord, as with a shield of thy good will thou hast crowned us."
Having granted the condemnation of the wicked, the Church prays for her own faithful, who are to be heirs: Let them be cast out, and conversely, let all them be joyful "who hope in thee" (not in themselves).
This prayer will be fulfilled: they shall truly "rejoice" and not for an hour, but "for ever," and deservedly so, because "thou shalt dwell in them," that is, you will pour out the clarity of your Godhead upon them (as elsewhere: "when God shall be all in all" - 1 Corinthians 15:28).
And they shall not rejoice a little, but "shall glory," that is, they shall rejoice in the greatest glory, and this "in thee" (not in themselves), attributing glory not to themselves but to you, "all they that love thy name," that is, who do not fear that you are Lord because of their evil conscience, but who love your name, that is, that you are Lord.
And they shall deservedly glory, for "thou wilt bless the just man," that is, you will bestow eternal blessing upon him. (It says "the just man," singular, not plural, to show that they will become one thing in themselves, as the Apostle says: "We shall meet unto a perfect man" - Ephesians 4:13).
I say that you will bless, and that we may be worthy to receive the blessing there, "O God, who art powerful, thou hast crowned us," that is, you have surrounded us here "as with a shield of thy good will," that is, with your good will (your mercy), "as with a shield," that is, to be a fortress for us, just as a shield is a defense for a soldier. This is a similitude of patrons who surround a beleaguered person with shield-bearing soldiers to rescue him. Thus, Christ surrounds and fortifies us with the virtues of his mercy to rescue us from visible and invisible enemies.
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