By GRAHAM JOHN on Sunday, November 30, 2025
(= Psalm 95 in Hebrew numbering)
Venite exsultemus
A psalm of joyful invitation, warning, and the psychology of inner resistance.
No truncation required.
Versus 1
Venite, exsultemus Domino; jubilemus Deo salutari nostro.
Come, let us exult in the Lord; let us rejoice to God our salvation.
Word Notes:
- venio – venire – veni – ventum (4) – to come.
- exsulto – exsultare – exsultavi – exsultatum (1) – to exult, rejoice greatly.
- jubilo – jubilare – jubilavi – jubilatum (1) – to shout with joy.
- salutaris, -e – saving, bringing salvation.
Versus 2
Præoccupemus faciem ejus in confessione, et in psalmis jubilemus ei.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and rejoice before him with psalms.
Word Notes:
- praeoccupo – praeoccupare – to go before, anticipate.
- confessio, -onis f. – praise, thanksgiving.
- psalmus, -i m. (2) – psalm, song of praise.
Versus 3
Quoniam Deus magnus Dominus, et rex magnus super omnes deos.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Word Notes:
- magnus, -a, -um – great, mighty.
- rex, regis m. (3) – king.
Versus 4
Quia in manu ejus sunt omnes fines terræ, et altitudines montium ipsius sunt;
For in his hand are all the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are his.
Word Notes:
- finis, -is m. (3) – end, boundary.
- altitudo, -inis f. (3) – height, depth.
Versus 5
Quoniam ipsius est mare, et ipse fecit illud; et siccam manus ejus formaverunt.
For the sea is his, and he made it; and his hands formed the dry land.
Word Notes:
- siccus, -a, -um – dry.
- formo – formare – to shape, form.
Versus 6
Venite, adoremus, et procidamus, et ploremus ante Dominum qui fecit nos;
Come, let us adore and fall down, and weep before the Lord who made us.
Word Notes:
- adoro – adorare – to adore, worship.
- procido – procidere (3) – to fall down.
- ploro – plorare – to weep, lament.
Versus 7
Quia ipse est Dominus Deus noster, et nos populus pascuæ ejus, et oves manus ejus.
For he is the Lord our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Word Notes:
- pastio / pascua, -ae f. – pasture.
- ovis, ovis f. (3) – sheep.
Versus 8
Hodie si vocem ejus audieritis, nolite obdurare corda vestra,
sicut in irritatione, secundum diem tentationis in deserto.
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts,
as in the provocation, on the day of temptation in the desert.
Word Notes:
- obduro – obdurare – to harden.
- cor, cordis n. (3) – heart.
- irritatio, -onis f. – provocation, rebellion.
- tentatio, -onis f. – testing, temptation.
Versus 9
Ubi tentaverunt me patres vestri; probaverunt me, et viderunt opera mea.
Where your fathers tested me; they tried me, and saw my works.
Word Notes:
- tento – tentare – to tempt, test.
- probo – probare – to try, test.
Versus 10
Quadraginta annis offensus fui generationi illi, et dixi: Semper hi errant corde.
Ipsi vero non cognoverunt vias meas.
Forty years I was offended with that generation, and said: They always go astray in their heart.
They have not known my ways.
Word Notes:
- offendo – offendere – to be displeased, to strike against.
- erro – errare – to wander, go astray.
- via, -ae f. (1) – way, path.
Versus 11
Quibus juravi in ira mea: Si introibunt in requiem meam.
To whom I swore in my wrath: They shall not enter into my rest.
Word Notes:
- juro – jurare – to swear.
- requies, -etis f. – rest, repose.
Summary Commentary
Psalm 94 is one of the most psychologically incisive psalms in the Psalter.
- Invitation → Resistance
The psalm begins with joy (“Come, let us exult”)
and ends with warning (“Do not harden your hearts”).
This maps directly onto inner resistance to insight or awakening. - “Today” as existential urgency
“Today, if you hear his voice…”
Not future salvation, but present attention.
Your psychological reading strongly fits here. - The desert as symbol of testing
The wilderness represents the inner place where one confronts one’s resistances.
Hardening of the heart = the ego’s defence against change. - Rest as inner peace
“They shall not enter my rest”
= the psychological cost of staying defended and closed.
Exercises
(a) English → Latin Translation
Translate:
- Come, let us rejoice to God.
- Do not harden your hearts.
- He is the Lord our God.
- They have not known my ways.
Key:
- Venite, jubilemus Deo.
- Nolite obdurare corda vestra.
- Ipse est Dominus Deus noster.
- Non cognoverunt vias meas.
(b) Verb Form Practice
Give present / imperfect / future:
- exsulto – exsultare
- audio – audire
- obduro – obdurare
- erro – errare
- cognosco – cognoscere
Model Answers:
exsulto / exsultabam / exsultabo
audio / audiebam / audiam
obduro / obdurabam / obdurabo
erro / errabam / errabo
cognosco / cognoscebam / cognoscam
(c) Reflection Questions
- What does “hardening of the heart” represent in psychological terms for you?
- Why is “Today” such a powerful spiritual and existential word?
- What prevents a person from entering “rest” — inner rest, emotional rest, spiritual rest?