— Psalm 123 (Hebrew / English)
Ad te levavi oculos meos
By GRAHAM JOHN
A short psalm of humble dependence, expressing patient endurance under contempt and a steady gaze toward mercy rather than retaliation.
4 verses total
VERSUS 1–4 (Latin + Literal English + Word Notes)
1
Ad te levavi oculos meos, qui habitas in caelis.
To you I have lifted up my eyes, you who dwell in the heavens.
Word Notes:
- levo, levare — to lift, raise
- oculus, -i m. — eye
- habito, habitare — to dwell, remain
- caelum, -i n. — heaven, the heights
2
Ecce sicut oculi servorum in manibus dominorum suorum, sicut oculi ancillae in manibus dominae suae; ita oculi nostri ad Dominum Deum nostrum, donec misereatur nostri.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hands of her mistress; so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy on us.
Word Notes:
- ecce — behold
- servus, -i m. — servant
- ancilla, -ae f. — maidservant
- dominus, -i m. — master
- domina, -ae f. — mistress
- donec — until
- misereor, misereri — to have mercy (deponent)
3
Miserere nostri, Domine, miserere nostri, quia multum repleti sumus despectione.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we are greatly filled with contempt.
Word Notes:
- miserere — have mercy (imperative)
- repleo, replere — to fill
- despectio, -onis f. — contempt, scorn
- multum — greatly, excessively
4
Quia multum repleta est anima nostra opprobrium abundantibus et despectio superbis.
For our soul is greatly filled with reproach from the prosperous and contempt from the proud.
Word Notes:
- anima, -ae f. — soul, life
- opprobrium, -ii n. — reproach, insult
- abundo, abundare — to abound, prosper
- superbus, -a, -um — proud, arrogant
MORPHOLOGY EXERCISES (6)
Identify tense, voice, mood, and principal parts:
- levavi
- habitas
- misereatur
- miserere
- repleti sumus
- repleta est
MORPHOLOGY EXERCISES — KEY
- levavi
- Verb: levo, levare, levavi, levatum
- Tense: perfect
- Voice: active
- Mood: indicative
- Meaning: I lifted
- habitas
- Verb: habito, habitare, habitavi, habitatum
- Tense: present
- Voice: active
- Mood: indicative
- Meaning: you dwell
- misereatur
- Verb: misereor, misereri (deponent)
- Tense: present
- Voice: deponent
- Mood: subjunctive (temporal clause with donec)
- Meaning: he may have mercy
- miserere
- Verb: misereor, misereri (deponent)
- Tense: present
- Voice: deponent
- Mood: imperative
- Meaning: have mercy
- repleti sumus
- Verb: repleo, replere, replevi, repletum
- Tense: perfect
- Voice: passive
- Mood: indicative
- Meaning: we have been filled
- repleta est
- Verb: repleo, replere, replevi, repletum
- Tense: perfect
- Voice: passive
- Mood: indicative
- Meaning: has been filled
TRANSLATION EXERCISES (6)
Translate into Latin:
- To you I lift up my eyes.
- You who dwell in the heavens.
- Our eyes look to the Lord.
- Have mercy on us, O Lord.
- We are filled with contempt.
- Our soul is filled with reproach.
TRANSLATION EXERCISES — KEY
- Ad te levo oculos meos.
- Qui habitas in caelis.
- Oculi nostri ad Dominum respiciunt.
- Miserere nostri, Domine.
- Repleti sumus despectione.
- Anima nostra opprobriis repleta est.
SUMMARY (≈100 words)
Psalm 122 is a study in restraint and attentiveness. The psalmist does not answer contempt with accusation or retaliation but with sustained gaze. The repeated image of eyes fixed on the hands of a master conveys patient dependence rather than servility: waiting for the next sign, the next gesture of mercy. Social humiliation is named honestly — contempt from the prosperous and the proud — yet the response is not bitterness. Instead, the psalm models a moral discipline in which dignity is preserved by refusing to internalise scorn. Mercy, not vindication, is the desired end.
REFLECTION QUESTION
Where in your own experience has endurance under contempt required watchfulness rather than resistance — and what sustains that posture?