Thomas Aquinas, on Ps 33:8

“The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him: and shall deliver them.”

“Third, when he says, "Taste and see that the Lord is sweet," he exhorts them to experience it. And concerning this he does two things. First, he exhorts to the experience of divine fellowship. Second, to the observance of divine fear, at "Fear." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he exhorts to experience. Second, he presents the effect of experience, at "And see that." He says therefore, "Taste and see," etc. Experience of a thing is acquired through the senses; but differently for a thing present and for a thing absent: because for an absent thing, through sight, smell, and hearing; for a present thing, through touch and taste; but through touch for a thing externally present, through taste for a thing internally present. Now God is not far from us, nor outside us, but within us: Jer. 14: "You are in our midst, O Lord." And therefore the experience of divine goodness is called tasting: 1 Pet. 2: "If indeed you have tasted how sweet," etc. Prov. 31: "She has tasted and seen that her trading is good." The effect of experience is presented as twofold. One is the certitude of the intellect; the other is the security of the affections. As to the first he says, "And see." For in corporeal matters, one first sees and then tastes; but in spiritual matters, one first tastes, then sees; because no one knows who does not taste. And therefore he says first "taste" and then "see." As to the second he says, "That the Lord is sweet": Wis. 12: "O how good and sweet, O Lord, is your spirit in us." Ps. 30: "How great is the multitude of your sweetness." And then, "Blessed is the man who hopes in him": Is. 30: "Blessed are all who wait for him."”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.