Psalm 130 is the 130th psalm of the Book of Psalms, one of the penitential 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 the King James Version of the Bible and the Coverdale translation (used in the Book of Common Prayer), respectively. In Latin, it is known as De profundis.[1]
In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 129.
The New 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 following table shows the Hebrew[3][4] and Latin[5] text of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
A marginal note in the Masoretic Text tradition indicates that Psalm 130:2 is the middle of the whole Ketuvim (Book of Writings) section in Hebrew.[6]
Liturgical usage
Judaism
Psalm 130 is recited as part of the liturgy for the High Holidays, sung responsively before the open Torah ark during the morning service from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur. The custom of reciting this psalm during these times had long lain dormant until it was revived in the Birnbaum and Artscroll siddurim in the 20th century.[7]
Psalm 130 is one of the 15 Songs of Ascents recited after the Shabbatafternoon prayer in the period between Sukkot and Shabbat HaGadol (the Shabbat prior to Passover).[8] 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 one of the psalms traditionally recited "in times of communal distress".[10]
Verses 3-4 are part of the opening paragraph of the long Tachanun recited on Mondays and Thursdays.[11]
Catholic Church
Ordinary use
According to the Rule of Saint Benedict established around 530, the psalm was used at the beginning of the vespers service on Tuesday, followed by Psalm 131 (130).[12][13]
Psalm 130 came to be associated with the seven penitential psalms which were recited after the hour of Lauds on Fridays in Lent in the medieval Christendom.[14]
In the current Liturgy 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 the entrance antiphon on the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Bell prayer
Requiem Mass and the prayer for the dead
The De Profundis bell is a slow, solemn and measured toll of the bell that marks the end of the day.
Pope Clement XII encouraged Christians through his brief Caelestes 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 a rescript of March 18, 1781, granted an equal indulgence to those who should pray the De Profundis in any place where no bell for the dead is sounded.[16] The Catholic tradition became that the De profundis and the versicle Requiem æternam were said after the evening Angelus.[17]
Consecration of new bell
According to the Rituale 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.[18]
In the novel Fires 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]
Musical settings
This psalm has frequently been set to music. It was sometimes used for funeral services, especially under its Latin incipit "De profundis":
^Shepherd, Michael (2018). A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve: The Minor Prophets. Kregel Exegetical Library. Kregel Academic. p. 23. ISBN 978-0825444593.
^Cohen, Jeffrey M, 1,001 Questions and Answers on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, p. 167.
^Jeffrey, David Lyle (1992). A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-8028-3634-2.
^Hillier, Paul (1997-04-24). Arvo PÄrt. Clarendon Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-19-159048-1.
^Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (1869). Rules and Indulgences Granted by the Sovereign Pontiffs: With the Explanatory Notes Annexed. From the Manual of the Society. Council of New York. p. 65.
^Heaven (1866). The path to Heaven, a collection of all the devotions in general use. p. 193.
^Jeffrey, David Lyle (1992). A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-8028-3634-2.
^Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 297-298
^"The Book of Common Prayer: Proper Psalms On Certain Days" (PDF). The Church of England. p. 6. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
^Lewis, C. S., De Profundis, accessed 13 June 2022
^De profundis clamavi / composer / Andrea Gabrieli (c1510-1586) Hyperion Records
^Free scores by De profundis clamavi (Christoph Willibald Gluck) in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
^David Fay: Sofia’s Choice: Gubaidulina at 80 at the Royal Academy of Music BachTrack.com, 23 February 2012.
^[Arthur Honegger / Symphony No. 3 'Liturgique'] BBC
^La Flute de Pan. "De profundis".
^Pothárn Imre. "De Profundis Clamavi"
^Out Of The Depths (Psalm 130) op. 142; 3 Edition Peters
^"Boulanger, Lili, Musical score". Repertoire Explorer. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
^The attribution of the melody is uncertain, see Braatz, Thomas; Oron, Aryeh. "Chorale Melody: Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir (I+II)". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
^Psalm 130 Sikorski
Sources
Kuttner, Henry (1953). "De Profundis (also known as The Visitors)". Science Fiction Quarterly.
Leinster, Murray (1945). "De Profundis". Thrilling Wonder Stories.