The interpretation timeline

Ps 33:12

How this passage has been read — the sources, oldest to newest.

From the early Church Fathers to now.

2 Patristic · 2 Catholic · 1 Reformed

Ps 33:12 · Douay-Rheims
“Come, children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
Patristic before A.D. 750
215
A.D.
c. A.D. 150–215
“But are ye so devoid of fear, or rather of faith, as not to believe the Lord Himself, or Paul, who in Christ's stead thus entreats: "Taste and see that Christ is God?" Faith will lead you in; experience will teach you; Scripture will train you, for it says, "Come hither, O children; listen to me, and I will teach you the fear of the Lord." Then, as to those who already believe, it briefly adds, "What man is he that desireth life, that loveth to see good days?" It is we, we shall say-we who are the devotees of good, we who eagerly desire good things. Hear, then, ye who are far off, hear ye who are near: the word has not been hidden from any; light is common, it shines "on all men." No one is a Cimmerian in respect to the word. Let us haste to salvation, to regeneration; let us who are many haste that we may be brought together into one love, according to the union of the essential unity; and let us, by being made good, conformably follow after union, seeking after the good Monad.”
Source
215 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
430
A.D.
Augustine of Hippo Patristic
A.D. 354–430
“"What man is he that desireth life, and loveth to see good days?" (ver. 12). He asketh a question. Doth not every one among you answer, I? Is there any man among you that loveth not life, that is, that desireth not life, and loveth not to see good days? Do ye not daily thus murmur, and thus speak; How long shall we suffer these things? Daily are they worse and worse: in our fathers' time were days more joyful, were days better. O if thou couldest ask those same, thy fathers, in like manner would they murmur to thee of their own days. Our fathers were happy, miserable are we, evil days have we: such an one ruled over us, we thought that after his death might some refreshing be given to us; worse things have come: O God, show unto us good days! "What man is he that desireth life, and loveth to see good days?" Let him not seek here good days. A good thing he seeketh, but not in its right place doth he seek it. As, if thou shouldest seek some righteous man in a country, wherein he lived not, it would be said to thee, A good man thou seekest, a great man thou seekest, seek him still, but not here; in vain thou seekest him here, thou wilt never find him. Good days thou seekest, together let us seek them, seek not here. ...Read the Scriptures. ...”
Source
844 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
Scholastic c. 1100 – 1500
1274
A.D.
Thomas Aquinas Catholic
1225–1274
“Then he adds his teaching when he says, "Who is the man?" And concerning this he does two things. First, he teaches the fruit of fear. Second, the teaching itself, at "Keep." He says therefore, "Who is the man who desires life?" For a person desires two things: namely a long life and prosperity. But because a long life in evil is to be fled, therefore he says, "Who is the man who desires life?" This life, moreover, a person acquires through the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, as is said in Ps. 110, without which wisdom there is no life; hence wisdom herself says, Prov. 8: "He who finds me shall find life." Some, however, live but in evils and hardships: Gen. 47: "The days of the pilgrimage of my life are one hundred and thirty years, few and evil." And therefore he says, "He loves to see good days," that is, full days, because in those days of eternity there is nothing but good: Ps. 83: "One day in your courts is better than a thousand."”
Source
575 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
Post-Reformation c. 1650 – 1900
1849
A.D.
1871
A.D.
Modern · 1953 →

The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.