Salvum me fac, Deus
(In finem. Pro iis qui commutabuntur. David.)
Verse 1
Salvum me fac, Deus, quoniam intraverunt aquae usque ad animam meam.
Save me, O God, for the waters have come in even to my soul.
Word Notes
- salvum fac – salvus, -a, -um + facio, facere, feci, factum (3rd conj.) – make safe, save
- intraverunt – intro, intrare, intravi, intratum (1st conj.) – they have entered
- aqua, -ae (f., 1st decl.) – water
- usque ad – up to, even to
- anima, -ae (f., 1st decl.) – soul, life
Verse 2
Infixus sum in limo profundi, et non est substantia. Veni in altitudinem maris, et tempestas demersit me.
I am sunk in the mire of the deep, where there is no standing. I have come into the depths of the sea, and the storm has overwhelmed me.
Word Notes
- infixus sum – infigo, infigere, infixi, infixum (3rd conj., pass.) – I am fixed, stuck
- limus, -i (m., 2nd decl.) – mud, mire
- profundum, -i (n., 2nd decl.) – depth, abyss
- substantia, -ae (f., 1st decl.) – firmness, ground
- altitudo, -inis (f., 3rd decl.) – depth, height
- tempestas, -atis (f., 3rd decl.) – storm, tempest
- demersit – demergo, demergere, demersi, demersum (3rd conj.) – has submerged, overwhelmed
Verse 3
Laboravi clamans; raucae factae sunt fauces meae. Defecerunt oculi mei, dum spero in Deum meum.
I have laboured in crying; my throat has grown hoarse. My eyes have failed while I wait for my God.
Word Notes
- laboro, laborare, laboravi, laboratum (1st conj.) – to labour, toil
- clamo, clamare, clamavi, clamatum (1st conj.) – to cry out
- raucus, -a, -um – hoarse
- fauces, -ium (f. pl., 3rd decl.) – throat
- deficio, deficere, defeci, defectum (3rd conj.) – to fail
- spero, sperare, speravi, speratum (1st conj.) – to hope
- Deus, -i (m., 2nd decl.) – God
Verse 4
Multiplicati sunt super capillos capitis mei qui oderunt me gratis; confortati sunt qui persecuti sunt me inimici mei injuste.
They that hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head; they that persecute me wrongfully are grown strong.
Word Notes
- multiplicati sunt – multiplico, multiplicare, multiplicavi, multiplicatum (1st conj., pass.) – have multiplied
- capillus, -i (m., 2nd decl.) – hair
- odio, odisse (defective) – to hate
- gratis (adv.) – without cause
- confortati sunt – conforto, confortare, confortavi, confortatum (1st conj., pass.) – have become strong
- persequor, persequi, persecutus sum (3rd conj., deponent) – to pursue, persecute
- inimicus, -i (m., 2nd decl.) – enemy
- injuste (adv.) – unjustly
Verse 5
Quae non rapui, tunc exsolvebam.
What I did not steal, then I was compelled to restore.
Word Notes
- rapio, rapere, rapui, raptum (3rd conj.) – to seize, steal
- exsolvo, exsolvere, exsolvi, exsolutum (3rd conj.) – to pay back, restore, make amends
Verse 6
Deus, tu scis insipientiam meam, et delicta mea a te non sunt abscondita.
O God, you know my foolishness, and my offences are not hidden from you.
Word Notes
- scis – scio, scire, scivi, scitum (4th conj.) – you know
- insipientia, -ae (f., 1st decl.) – foolishness
- delictum, -i (n., 2nd decl.) – fault, sin
- abscondita sunt – abscondo, abscondere, abscondi, absconditum (3rd conj.) – are hidden
Verse 7
Non erubescant in me qui exspectant te, Domine; non confundantur super me qui quaerunt te, Deus Israel.
Let not those who wait for you, O Lord, be put to shame because of me; let not those who seek you be confounded through me, O God of Israel.
Word Notes
- erubesco, erubescere, erubui (3rd conj.) – to be ashamed, blush
- exspecto, exspectare, exspectavi, exspectatum (1st conj.) – to wait for
- confundo, confundere, confudi, confusum (3rd conj.) – to confound, bring to shame
- quaero, quaerere, quaesivi, quaesitum (3rd conj.) – to seek
Verse 8
Quoniam propter te sustinui opprobrium; operuit confusio faciem meam.
Because for your sake I have borne reproach; confusion has covered my face.
Word Notes
- propter (prep. + acc.) – because of, for the sake of
- sustineo, sustinere, sustinui, sustentum (2nd conj.) – to endure, bear
- opprobrium, -ii (n., 2nd decl.) – reproach, disgrace
- operuit – operio, operire, operui, opertum (4th conj.) – has covered
- confusio, -onis (f., 3rd decl.) – shame, confusion
Verse 9
Alienus factus sum fratribus meis, et peregrinus filiis matris meae.
I have become a stranger to my brothers, and an alien to the sons of my mother.
Word Notes
- alienus, -a, -um – foreign, estranged
- frater, fratris (m., 3rd decl.) – brother
- peregrinus, -a, -um – foreign, alien
- filius, -ii (m., 2nd decl.) – son
- mater, matris (f., 3rd decl.) – mother
Verse 10
Quoniam zelus domus tuae comedit me; et opprobria exprobrantium tibi ceciderunt super me.
For the zeal of your house has consumed me; and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen upon me.
Word Notes
- zelus, -i (m., 2nd decl.) – zeal, ardour
- domus, -us (f., 4th decl.) – house
- comedo, comedere, comedi, comesum (3rd conj.) – to consume, eat up
- opprobrium, -ii (n., 2nd decl.) – reproach
- exprobrans, -antis (participle) – reproaching
- cado, cadere, cecidi, casum (3rd conj.) – to fall
SUMMARY COMMENTARY
Psalm 68 opens with the image of overwhelming waters — a metaphor for emotional and spiritual distress. The speaker cries for rescue as though drowning. This is not mere complaint but a plea born of integrity: the psalmist suffers unjustly, “for your sake I have borne reproach.”
The psalm oscillates between despair and faith. It exposes both the vulnerability and the persistence of the soul. The “zeal for your house” verse later became a cornerstone of Christian typology (John 2:17), yet even without that lens, it speaks of consuming devotion — a love that burns and isolates.
Psychologically, the psalm represents the moment when inner faith clashes with the hostility of the world. The “waters” are symbolic of engulfing emotion, yet from within the flood the spirit continues to hope: “My eyes have failed while I wait for my God.” The movement from drowning to endurance mirrors the spiritual process of purification through suffering.
EXERCISES
(a) ENGLISH → LATIN TRANSLATION
Translate:
- Save me, O God, for the waters have come even to my soul.
- I have come into the depth of the sea.
- My eyes have failed while I wait for my God.
- The zeal of your house has consumed me.
Key:
- Salvum me fac, Deus, quoniam intraverunt aquae usque ad animam meam.
- Veni in altitudinem maris.
- Defecerunt oculi mei, dum spero in Deum meum.
- Zelus domus tuae comedit me.
(b) VERB FORM PRACTICE
Give full principal parts and meanings:
- salvum fac – facio, facere, feci, factum (3rd conj.) – make safe, save
- infixus sum – infigo, infigere, infixi, infixum (3rd conj.) – I am fixed, stuck
- defecerunt – deficio, deficere, defeci, defectum (3rd conj.) – they have failed
- sustineo – sustinere, sustinui, sustentum (2nd conj.) – I endure, bear
- comedet – comedo, comedere, comedi, comesum (3rd conj.) – he will consume
Conjugation Practice
Form the present, imperfect, and future indicative of spero (1st conj.):
| Tense | Forms |
|---|---|
| Present | spero, speras, sperat, speramus, speratis, sperant |
| Imperfect | sperabam, sperabas, sperabat, sperabamus, sperabatis, sperabant |
| Future | sperabo, sperabis, sperabit, sperabimus, sperabitis, sperabunt |
Form the perfect and pluperfect of deficio (3rd conj.):
| Tense | Forms |
|---|---|
| Perfect | defeci, defecisti, defecit, defecimus, defecistis, defecerunt |
| Pluperfect | defeceram, defeceras, defecerat, defeceramus, defeceratis, defecerant |
(c) REFLECTION
- How does the imagery of drowning capture the feeling of being overwhelmed by guilt, fear, or grief?
- In what ways can “zeal for your house” represent moral passion that isolates the individual?
- How might this psalm’s alternation between despair and endurance reflect the psychology of faith under trial?