| Psalm 130 | |
|---|---|
| "From the depths, I have cried out to you, O Lord" | |
| Penitential psalm | |
 De profundis, inLes Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, Folio 70r, held by the Musée Condé,Chantilly | |
| Other name |
|
| Language | Hebrew (original) |
| Psalm 130 | |
|---|---|
| Book | Book of Psalms |
| Hebrew Bible part | Ketuvim |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 1 |
| Category | Sifrei Emet |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 19 |
Psalm 130 is the 130th psalm of theBook of Psalms, one of thepenitential psalms and one of 15 psalms that begin with the words"A song of ascents" (Shir Hama'alot). The first verse is a call to God in deep sorrow, from "out of the depths" or "out of the deep", as it is translated in theKing James Version of the Bible and theCoverdale translation (used in theBook of Common Prayer), respectively. In Latin, it is known asDe profundis.[1]
In the slightly different numbering system used in the GreekSeptuagint version of the Bible, and in the LatinVulgate, this psalm isPsalm 129.
TheNew American Bible Revised Edition (2010) divides the psalm into two parts: verses 1-4 are a cry for mercy; verses 5-8 are a model expression of trust in God.[2]
The psalm forms a regular part ofJewish,Catholic,Lutheran,Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It is paraphrased inhymns such asMartin Luther's "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir" in German. The psalm has often been set to music, by composers such asOrlando di Lasso andHeinrich Schütz.John Rutter set it in English as amovement of hisRequiem.
Psalm 130 is recited according toNusach Sefard as part of the liturgy for theHigh Holidays, sung responsively before the openTorah ark during the morning service fromRosh Hashanah untilYom Kippur.[3] It is not recited in pureNusach Ashkenaz, although it has been adopted in some Nusach Ashkenaz communities since it is included in theBirnbaum andArtscroll siddurim.[4]
Psalm 130 is one of the 15Songs of Ascents recited in some communities after theShabbatafternoon prayer in the period betweenSukkot andShabbat HaGadol (the Shabbat prior toPassover).[5] In some congregations, it is said on every weekday. In Hebrew, it is often referred to as "Shir HaMa'alot MiMa'amakim" after its opening words.
It is recited by some during theTashlikh prayer.[6]
It is one of the psalms traditionally recited "in times of communal distress".[7]
Verses 3-4 are part of the opening paragraph of the longTachanun recited on Mondays and Thursdays.[8]
According to theRule of Saint Benedict established around 530, the psalm was used at the beginning of thevespers service on Tuesday, followed by Psalm 131 (130).[9][10]
Psalm 130 came to be associated with the sevenpenitential psalms which were recited after the hour of Lauds on Fridays in Lent in the medieval Christendom.[11]
In the currentLiturgy of the Hours, the psalm is recited or sung at vespers on the Saturday of the fourth week of the four-weekly cycle of liturgical prayers, and on Wednesday evenings. In the Liturgy of the Mass, Psalm 130 is read on the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time in Year B, on the 5th Sunday of Lent in Year A,[a] and on the Tuesday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time on weekday cycle I.[b] It is also used as theentrance antiphon on the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
TheDe Profundis bell is a slow, solemn and measured toll of the bell that marks the end of the day.
In 1610,Pope Paul V established the custom of ringing theDe Profundis bell onAll Saints' Day.[12]
Pope Clement XII encouraged Christians through his briefCaelestes Ecclesiae thesauros promulgated on August 14, 1736, to pray daily for the souls in Purgatory inviting all to kneel at the first hour of nightfall and devoutly recite Psalm 130 with a Requiem aeternam at the end of it.Pope Pius VI by arescript of March 18, 1781, granted an equal indulgence to those who should pray theDe Profundis in any place where no bell for the dead is sounded.[13] The Catholic tradition became that theDe profundis and the versicle Requiem æternam were said after the eveningAngelus.[14]
According to theRituale Romanum, the recitation of Psalm 130 accompanies the blessing of a new bell in a church or chapel, perhaps because the tolling of a church bell connotes a transition through death to life beyond.[15]
In theAgpeya, theCoptic Church'sbook of hours, this psalm is prayed in the office ofCompline[16] and the third watch of theMidnight office.[17] It is also in the prayer of the Veil, which is generally prayed only by monks.[18]
In theChurch of England'sBook of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the twenty-seventh day of the month,[19] as well as atEvensong onAsh Wednesday.[20]
De Profundis was used as the title of a poem bySpanish authorFederico García Lorca inPoema del cante jondo.
A long letter byOscar Wilde, written to his former loverLord Alfred Douglas near the end of Wilde's life while he was in prison, also bears the title "De Profundis", although it was given the title after Wilde's death. Poems byAlfred Tennyson,Elizabeth Barrett Browning,Charles Baudelaire,Christina Rossetti,C. S. Lewis,[21]Georg Trakl,Dorothy Parker andJosé Cardoso Pires bear the same title.
In the novelFires on the Plain by Shōhei Ōoka, the character Tamura makes reference to the psalm's first line "De profundis clamavi" in a dream sequence.[22]
This psalm has frequently been set to music. It was sometimes used for funeral services, especially under its Latin incipit "De profundis":
Some other works namedDe profundis but with texts not derived from the psalm are:
Martin Luther paraphrased Psalm 130 as the hymn "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir" (Out of deep distress I cry to you), which has inspired several composers, including Bach (cantatasAus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131 andAus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 38),Mendelssohn andReger.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[43][44] of the Psalm with vowels, alongside theKoine Greek text in theSeptuagint[45] and the English translation from theKing James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and theMasoretic Text come from different textual traditions.[note 1] In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 129.
| # | Hebrew | English | Greek |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּעֲל֑וֹת מִמַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהֹוָֽה׃ | (ASong of degrees.) Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. | ᾿ῼδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν. - ΕΚ ΒΑΘΕΩΝ ἐκέκραξά σοι, Κύριε· |
| 2 | אֲדֹנָי֮ שִׁמְעָ֢ה בְק֫וֹלִ֥י תִּהְיֶ֣ינָה אׇ֭זְנֶיךָ קַשֻּׁב֑וֹת לְ֝ק֗וֹל תַּחֲנוּנָֽי׃ | Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. | Κύριε, εἰσάκουσον τῆς φωνῆς μου· γενηθήτω τὰ ὦτά σου προσέχοντα εἰς τὴν φωνὴν τῆς δεήσεώς μου. |
| 3 | אִם־עֲוֺנ֥וֹת תִּשְׁמׇר־יָ֑הּ אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י מִ֣י יַעֲמֹֽד׃ | If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? | ἐὰν ἀνομίας παρατηρήσῃς, Κύριε Κύριε, τίς ὑποστήσεται; |
| 4 | כִּֽי־עִמְּךָ֥ הַסְּלִיחָ֑ה לְ֝מַ֗עַן תִּוָּרֵֽא׃ | But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. | ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ ὁ ἱλασμός ἐστιν. |
| 5 | קִוִּ֣יתִי יְ֭הֹוָה קִוְּתָ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י וְֽלִדְבָר֥וֹ הוֹחָֽלְתִּי׃ | I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. | ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός σου ὑπέμεινά σε, Κύριε, ὑπέμεινεν ἡ ψυχή μου εἰς τὸν λόγον σου. |
| 6 | נַפְשִׁ֥י לַאדֹנָ֑י מִשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים לַ֝בֹּ֗קֶר שֹׁמְרִ֥ים לַבֹּֽקֶר׃ | My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. | ἤλπισεν ἡ ψυχή μου ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον απὸ φυλακῆς πρωΐας μέχρι νυκτός· ἀπὸ φυλακῆς πρωΐας ἐλπισάτω ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον. |
| 7 | יַחֵ֥ל יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אֶל־יְ֫הֹוָ֥ה כִּֽי־עִם־יְהֹוָ֥ה הַחֶ֑סֶד וְהַרְבֵּ֖ה עִמּ֣וֹ פְדֽוּת׃ | Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. | ὅτι παρὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ τὸ ἔλεος καὶ πολλὴ παρ᾿ αὐτῷ λύτρωσις, |
| 8 | וְ֭הוּא יִפְדֶּ֣ה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מִ֝כֹּ֗ל עֲוֺנֹתָֽיו׃ | And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. | καὶ αὐτὸς λυτρώσεται τὸν ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν ἀνομιῶν αὐτοῦ. |
A marginal note in theMasoretic Text tradition indicates that Psalm 130:2 is the middle of the wholeKetuvim (Book of Writings) section in Hebrew.[46]
The following table shows the Latin text of the psalm in theVulgate.[47]
| Verse | Latin |
|---|---|
| 1 | De profundis clamavi ad te Domine. |
| 2 | Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuæ intendentes in vocem deprecationis meæ. |
| 3 | Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit? |
| 4 | Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine. Sustinuit anima mea in verbo eius: |
| 5 | Speravit anima mea in Domino. |
| 6 | A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israël in Domino. |
| 7 | Quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio. |
| 8 | Et ipse redimet Israël ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. |
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