The following was translated using ChatGPT. I used Claude to help identify the scripture texts and allusions.

Bruno the Carthusian's Commentary on Psalm 40

In this psalm the Head intends to show, for the instruction and conformity of the members, with what steadfastness he waited for God and how intensely he was to receive what he waited for, so that the members also, by his example, may wait and not demand their denarius before evening [cf. Mt 20:8], but may receive intensely at the end what they have rightly awaited. He also shows that he not only waited, but also prayed for this, and that in this he was heard; and by adding the cause he demonstrates why he is worthy to be heard. He further shows that he will have many imitators in this waiting, so that he also hints to us that, if we wait, we too shall have many imitators in this. Moreover, he indicates by what order others will become his imitators—namely, through his death and through the preaching of his own. Afterwards he prays concerning the Resurrection, showing for what purpose his Resurrection is necessary. He also prays for enemies and for the members.

"I waited, waiting for the Lord." [Ps 40:2] When he says "waiting," he implies perseverance in waiting, as though to say: I did not grow weary, I did not murmur, but I waited—waiting for the reward; that is, not failing, but persevering in waiting. And because I waited and shall still wait, "he inclined toward me," [Ps 40:2] that is, he will give intensely to me what I have awaited, by raising me up and glorifying me. But since this was to happen with the greatest certainty, he set it down as though it were already past.

Not only, however, did I wait, but for what I awaited I also prayed. This is supplied outside the book, since it is clear from what follows. And because I prayed, "he heard my prayers," [Ps 40:2] and this is to be understood of the future, as though he were saying: I shall pray and he will hear me. And that I might be worthy to be heard, he first "brought me out of the pit of misery," [Ps 40:3] that is, from the depth of vices into which other wretches descend. He did not say that he brought me out because I had been in them through iniquity, but because, as far as the weakness of human nature is concerned, unless the grace of the Divinity had intervened, it could have happened—as though to say: he kept me free from sin. The depth of sins is rightly called a pit, because it makes one unstable, fluid, and lacking solidity, just as a pit is unstable, flowing, and without firmness.

"And he brought me out of the mire of dregs." [Ps 40:3] This is the same as "out of the pit of misery," but it signifies something further, namely, excessive filth and the stench of bad example; for mire from dregs is more filthy and more putrid than other mire. Those who are in the pit of misery are exceedingly foul and corrupt others by the stench of bad example.

And not only did he bring me out, but "he set," that is, he stabilized "my feet," that is, my affections, "upon a rock," [Ps 40:3] that is, upon the firmness of virtues; and "he directed my steps," [Ps 40:3] that is, those same affections, perseveringly from one good work to another good work. "And he put into my mouth"—into the mouth of my heart, that is—"a new song," [Ps 40:4] namely a chant, that is, praise befitting our God. In the Hebrew it is rendered "a hymn."

He calls it a new song because it is to place the will of God before one's own wills—something which the old man Adam and his members lacked, since they preferred to obey their own wills. But the new man, Christ, and those conformed to him possessed this.

It should be noted that the prophets and other faithful who preceded the coming of Christ were already members of Christ in faith and hope, although he had not yet been born of the Virgin. This was prefigured by a certain event in the Old Testament, in which a child's hand came forth first at birth, preceding the head [cf. Gn 38:28].

I said, "I waited," and he inclined toward me; and I prayed, and he heard me. "And many shall see," [Ps 40:4] that is, many shall understand—as must be understood—and, seeing by my example, they shall fear the Lord with chaste fear, that is, they shall love, and loving through fear they shall hope in the Lord for the reward. And because they shall fear and hope, "blessed shall be the man" [Ps 40:5] in the future, whose "name of the Lord is his hope," [Ps 40:5] that is, who places the hope of salvation in the name of the Lord, which he loves and magnifies. That he uses the singular "man," whereas he had used the plural "they shall fear and hope," he does so to show that they are one in hope and fear.

But because this alone would not suffice, he adds that that blessed man "did not look back," that is, he will not look backward "to vanities and false insanities," [Ps 40:5] by turning aside. For no one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God [Lk 9:62]. By "vanities" he means the desires for earthly things, which are vain. By "insanities" he means those same goods, because they drive men mad when they lead them away from the law of God. He calls them "false" because they deceive those who desire them by promising happiness. Or "false insanities" may be said of the worship of idols—for what is more deceitful than to call a creature the Creator, or what madness is greater than to bestow upon a creature the worship due to God? Or again, "false insanities" may be said of vices, because by drawing men away from God they make them mad, and although they seem desirable, they deceive.

When I say that he will not look to vanities, that is, to earthly things, and although I have called them vain—not with respect to their own nature, but with respect to the estimation of men, who call them supreme goods when they are not—lest I seem to disparage them outright, I say: "You, my God, have made many wonderful things," [Ps 40:6] namely earthly marvels that exist. I say they are yours, which is to say they are your creatures, O Creator.

Or thus: he will not look to insanities, that is, to idolatry, nor is one to look there, but rather to you, O Lord, to be worshiped. For you, O Lord, have made many wonders of yours—that is, you have made many wondrous creatures through which you, though invisible, are known to be Lord and Creator. Therefore one must look toward your worship, whence the Apostle says: "For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" [Rom 1:20]. And you have made these wonders "by your thoughts," [Ps 40:6] that is, by your own dispositions, not by those of another—whence the same Apostle says: "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" [Rom 11:34]. No one, indeed. Therefore, because you have made many wonders by your own thoughts, it is clear that there is no one who is in every respect like you, namely as Creator of all things; therefore you alone are to be worshiped.

Someone might ask: you say that many shall see, etc.; by what means, then, shall they see? This he shows when he adds: they shall see through this—that I have announced and spoken. "They are multiplied beyond number," [Ps 40:6] which is to say: mine shall announce to them and speak, and through this they themselves shall be multiplied beyond a fixed number, that is, they shall be more than can be numbered.

"To announce" and "to speak" are different. They will announce, namely by the testimony of the prophets who spoke of future things; for "to announce" properly pertains to future matters. And they will speak by their own authority and reasoning; for "to speak" pertains to past and present matters.

He then explains what they will announce and speak, when he adds this: they will announce that "you did not will legal sacrifice and legal offering." [Ps 40:7] For many things were offered in the law which were not called sacrifices, such as loaves and the like. And I say that you did not will sacrifice and offering; "but you perfected ears for me," [Ps 40:7] that is, you gave me a perfected understanding—which is to say, they will also announce that you gave me a perfect understanding. Ears are put for understanding, because by hearing with the ears we understand.

And also this: that you did not require even "holocaust for sin," [Ps 40:7] which was considered something great. When he says "you did not require," it must be understood by litotes, that is, a figure of speech in which less is said and more is understood. "Holos" means "whole," and "kausis" means "burning"; hence a holocaust was a sacrifice which, when offered for some sin, was entirely burned, whereas in other sacrifices not all but only a part was burned.

I say that they will announce this: because you perfected ears for me, and also this—that then I said, not with voice but with heart, which is to say: since you perfected me, you established this with me—"Behold, I come," [Ps 40:8] that is, I approach prepared, by the steps of my will, "to do, O God, your will," [Ps 40:9] namely that singular will which is called, by antonomasia, your will; and also "to do your law," that is, to fulfill the law already given, which until then was imperfect, as he himself testifies in the Gospel: "I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it" [Mt 5:17]. This—namely, that I come to do your will and your law—is supplied outside the book so that the continuity may proceed more smoothly.

And it is fitting that I do your will and your law, for "it is written," that is, it is long since fixed and firm, like something written, that I should do your will and your law, "which is in the midst of my heart" [Ps 40:9]—that is, which I possess not around my heart, as though I cared little for it, but in the very middle of my heart, holding it in memory.

I say that it is written, and he shows where it is written, namely "in the head of the book," [Ps 40:8] that is, of the Psalter, where it says: "But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night" [Ps 1:2]. Or "in the head of the book," that is, in the disposition of the Word personally united to me, which is my head according to my humanity—who am the Book. Christ is called a book because, for the correction of our morals, we ought to study the example of his life, just as one studies a book for instruction. Hence elsewhere the Psalmist says: "In your book all shall be written" [Ps 139:16].

But because he had said, "in the head of the book it is written," lest he seem to fulfill it by necessity and not by will, he interposes: "My God, this I willed" [Ps 40:9]—I willed to do it, not compelled by necessity; otherwise my merit would not be great.

Nor will I announce only that you did not will sacrifice, etc., but "I have announced," [Ps 40:10] that is, I shall announce through my members in the great Church, constituted from both peoples, not small like the Synagogue, that "all justice is yours," that is, from you and not from the works of the law, as some wrongly assert; or "your justice," [Ps 40:10] that is, the justice to be given by you to the faithful, which they lost through Adam.

I say "they will announce." "Behold"—this is as though present to me because of the great certainty—"they will not restrain their lips," [Ps 40:10] that is, mine will not restrain their lips from announcing through fear of punishment. And therefore they will not restrain them, O Lord, because "you know," [Ps 40:10] that is, you willed this—which is to say, because they know that you will this. Hence in the Gospel: "When you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified" [Lk 21:9].

And also "your justice I have not hidden in my heart," [Ps 40:11] that is, the justice to be given by you to the faithful—they will not hide it, that is, they will not conceal it negligently in their hearts by refusing to make it known to others; but "I have spoken," that is, they will speak to others "the truth and your salvation," [Ps 40:11] that is, they will preach me, your Son, who am called Truth because all truth proceeds from me, and who am your Savior, through whom you will save the world.

It should be noted that, after he had said "I have announced," he did not without purpose add "I will not restrain my lips" and "I have not hidden mercy," although the meaning is in itself the same. For when he says "I will not restrain," he implies that they will not be silent out of fear of death; but when he says "they will not hide it in their heart," he implies that they will not cease out of negligence. For it would be imputed to them if they were to desist through negligence, according to that saying of the Prophet: "If you do not announce to the wicked his wickedness, I will require his blood at your hand" [Ez 3:18].

And "I have not hidden," [Ps 40:11] that is, mine will not hide "your mercy and your truth," [Ps 40:11] that is, me, your Son. It is emphatically called mercy (misericordia), because through me God will show mercy to the human race; and truth (veritas), because from me all truth proceeds.

It should also be noted that this repetition is not superfluous. It is repeated so that he may add: they will not hide—not merely from a few, but not even from a great assembly. Hence earlier the Psalmist says: "I will not fear the thousands of people surrounding me" [Ps 3:7], that is, surrounding mine.

This can also be understood differently. Thus: I said that mine will not hide your truth and your salvation—that is, me myself—and also that they will not hide from the great assembly your mercy, that is, the remission of sins which you mercifully bestow upon human beings through me, and your truth, that is, your justice, by which you will reward the just in the future. When he says "they will not hide from the assembly," this must be understood by litotes (lyptoten): they will proclaim to the great assembly your mercy and your truth.

Now the summary of the literal sense of this passage, from where it is written "I have announced and spoken" up to "But you, O Lord," is this: Through this many will see and fear and hope in the Lord, because mine will announce and speak to them that the legal sacrifices and offerings—which preceded as shadows of the New Testament—have been made void through my death, and that the New Testament itself has been fulfilled through that same death, to which adherence must now be given. They will also announce me as your truth and your salvation. They will further announce your mercy bestowed upon human beings through me, and your truth by which you will reward the just in the future. That is to say, through this preaching of mine, which I have described, many will see and fear and hope.

But you, O Lord, in order that mine may announce and that they may see, do not make your mercies far from me, [Ps 40:12] that is, the benefits of your mercy toward me. For if you were to make them far, mine would not announce, nor would many see and fear. That is to say: the benefits which you have mercifully granted me—namely, that you have kept me free from sin and have girded me about—do not take these away from me by rendering them vain, by not raising me up again. Do not allow those great benefits to be nullified; for if I were held in death, they would be useless. And this is as if he were saying: raise me up, so that afterwards mine may announce to many, as I have shown above, and those to whom they announce may see, fear, and hope.

Someone might say: did mercies in fact act toward you? To this he responds: yes, your mercy and your truth have always sustained me, [Ps 40:12] that is, have guarded me—meaning that you have always been my sustainer, that is, my patron and defender, so that I might not fail in anything and might abound in every good. And you did this on account of mercy, that through me you might mercifully save the world; and on account of truth, that you might be true in what you had promised; or on account of truth, that is, justice, for it was fitting that you should always sustain me, who am just.

He uses "to sustain" from the likeness of a patron who takes someone under his care in order to defend him.

He then adds reasons, so that he may more easily obtain why the mercies should not be made far off. Thus I say: do not make them far, and it is necessary that you not do so, because they surrounded me, that is, mine—evils on account of the sin of Adam, namely the evils of various tribulations, whose number is not fixed, [Ps 40:13] that is, which cannot be numbered; from these evils they would never be freed if you were to make your mercies far. And therefore again: do not make them far, because my iniquities have overtaken me, [Ps 40:13] that is, their iniquities have prevailed over mine and have conquered them, and having captured them, have subjected them—by the likeness of one who pursues another so intensely that he binds and seizes him. Hence the Apostle says: "I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and taking me captive in the law of sin which is in my members" [Rom 7:23].

And they have overtaken mine to such an extent that they were not able to see, [Ps 40:13] that is, they were not capable of seeing rightly—namely, with interior vision—of recognizing what ought to be done and what ought not. These iniquities are not few, but they are multiplied beyond the hairs of my head, [Ps 40:13] that is, of mine; meaning that they surpass in number the multitude of my hairs.

But because he had said that their iniquities overtook mine, lest anyone wishing to excuse them should say that they were created by God in such weakness, he adds that this happened because my heart abandoned me, [Ps 40:13] that is, the reason of the heart of mine—which was created perfect by God—abandoned them for the most part, that is, became imperfect.

It should be noted that just as reason was created perfect in Adam and weakened through his sin, so also in each person a rational soul is created perfect, which afterwards is weakened by the oppression of the vicious flesh to which it is joined.

I said that evils surrounded mine and iniquities overtook them; therefore, that they may be delivered both from evils and from iniquities, may it please you, O Lord, to deliver me [Ps 40:14] by raising me from death, for otherwise they themselves would not be delivered. And that I may be worthy to be delivered, look mercifully to help me, [Ps 40:14] that I may act well and not fail. He says "look" from the likeness of one who frequently looks upon the person whom he wishes to help, as though to say: help me to act well.

When he says "may it please," he signifies the Trinity; when he says "you," he signifies the unity of the essence.

And after you have delivered me, let those who seek my life to take it away [Ps 40:15]—not to imitate me—be confounded with a good confusion and revere, that is, fear. And not only those who seek, but also together with those seekers, let those who wish me evil be turned back [Ps 40:15] from their wickedness, following behind me, that is, let them become my followers, and let them revere, that is, fear. Or thus: together with the joy which they had over my death, let them fear at the Resurrection, and thus be turned back. This reversal is placed in the book.

But many were of evil will who did not seek. And those also who deceitfully say to me "Euge, euge" ("Well done, well done"), [Ps 40:16] feigning themselves my friends, let them bear at once, that is, without delay, after my Resurrection, their confusion, [Ps 40:16] that is, to their own benefit, believing. He aptly says "let them bear," from the likeness of one who bears a heavy burden by which he is greatly pressed, as though to say: let them be pressed by their confusion, and thus be converted. And this is as if he were saying: I pray not only for others who wish and seek evil and who are not my pretended friends, but also for the pretenders themselves, concerning whom it might seem less fitting to pray.

It should be noted, however, that he prays not for all, but only for those who are to be saved; for it would be useless to pray for those who are to be lost.

I say that enemies should be confounded and revere; but, by contrast, let all who seek you [Ps 40:17]—namely, by their good life, that is, my disciples—exult and rejoice. He says rejoice, and not a little, but exult, [Ps 40:17] that is, rejoice greatly, founded upon you so that they may not be moved. And those who seek you, who love your salvation, [Ps 40:17] that is, who love me through whom you will save the world, do not hate me as the impious Jews do. Let the Lord be magnified always, [Ps 40:17] that is, be glorified more and more in the conversion of the wicked—he who has already been glorified in the Resurrection.

I say that I am salvation. But I, that is, I also, am a beggar and poor, [Ps 40:18] O hearers, according to my humanity—meaning that I am not only Savior, but in order thus to save you, I am poor, that is, insufficient to save by my own power, and a beggar, that is, seeking the help of another, namely of the Father; otherwise you would not be saved. And because I humbly regard myself as beggar and poor, the Lord is solicitous for me, [Ps 40:18] that is, he has provided for me so as to reward me, from the likeness of a patron who is solicitous for the one whom he intends to reward.

But when he who is omnipotent calls himself beggar and poor, he instructs us by his example in humility, that we may not trust in ourselves, but may regard ourselves as beggars and poor, and thus at last be rewarded as he himself was rewarded.

He also prays concerning the reward of the Resurrection, so that he may instruct us also to pray thus: O my God, since you are solicitous for me, you who are my helper, [Ps 40:18] that is, my cooperator, that I may rise again, and my protector, [Ps 40:18] lest I fail in tribulations—do not delay [Ps 40:18] my Resurrection until the common resurrection, but raise me after three days. When he says helper, he implies that he works his Resurrection by his own merits, showing that divine grace will cooperate toward it, so that we too may be instructed to work out our salvation by acting well.

 

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