Sing a New Psalm:
Communicating with God Through
the Prayers of the Church
Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline
Lesson 8 O That I Had Wings Like a Dove!
Psalm 54 (RSVCE) and Psalm 55 (RSVCE)
Wednesday Day Prayer (Week I)
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Volume II of Sing a New Psalm
next lesson: From the Grave, Who Can Give You Praise?
This material coordinates with Lesson 8—”O That I Had Wings Like a Dove!”—on pages 33–35 in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline. Our Catholic Bible study is based on
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, an English translation of the psalms prepared by the monks at Conception Abbey in 2010 and first published as The Revised Grail Psalms. The Abbey Psalms and Canticles is a revision of that work, finished in 2020 and now owned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Wording and numbering of some psalms and verses in other translations may differ. The Abbey Psalms and Canticles is being added to Liturgy of the Hours books used in the United States. While the Turning to God’s Word study book is based on The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translation, all online links to the psalms are to the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. A separate copy of The Abbey Psalms and Canticles is needed to read the translation on which the psalms in this study are based.
“Unlike other prayers in sacred Scripture, the prayers contained in the psalms are not inserted into a narrative story that specifies their meaning and function. Instead, the psalms are given to the believer precisely as a text of prayer. Since they are the Word of God, the believer who prays the psalms speaks to God using the very words that God himself has given to us. Thus, in praying the psalms we learn to pray. The psalms are a school of prayer.”—Pope Benedict XVI
welcome to our continuing in-depth study of the psalms
We invite groups and individuals to check out the sample Introduction and Lesson 1 from this 29-
lesson Turning to 
God’s Word Catholic Bible study. Our online study pages include additional questions, commentary, and prayers based on the psalm texts, plus an online glossary. Both Volume I and Volume II of Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church have been granted imprimaturs. A digital version of Volume I: Lauds & Vespers can be purchased from our website shop. Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline is available in hard copy. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons on any online study page.
open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words, pray one of the psalms in this lesson, or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:
Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.
think about praying Compline every night
In addition to the sample for this Bible study, Turning to God’s Word is providing a copy of Lesson 29 In Peace I Will Lie Down, which addresses the nightly Compline prayers based on Psalm 91, Psalm 4, and Psalm 134. The monks at Conception Abbey pray these short psalms each evening—Psalm 91 on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday; Psalm 4 and Psalm 134 on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.
about the psalms in this lesson**
Both of the psalms prayed for Wednesday Day Prayer Week I at Conception Abbey—Psalm 54 and Psalm 55—are classified as individual or personal laments and are thought to have been composed by David.
classifying the psalms
The classification of the psalms, though somewhat standardized, retains an arbitrary nature. Some psalms are classified according to form or type; such forms include the hymn, the lament, and the song of thanksgiving. Psalms also may be classified according to subject matter—royal psalms, for instance, portray the political king of the descendants of Jacob as both the representative of God to the community and the representative of the community to God—or they may be classified according to their use; scholars generally think that hymns exalting Zion were part of a ritual reenactment of the great deeds of God in maintaining Mount Zion and Jerusalem as a home base. Turning to God’s Word is indebted to Fr. Felix Just, a Jesuit priest and biblical scholar, for his organized listing of the psalms by classification and author.
the largest number of psalms are laments
Forty-three of the psalms, including both psalms prayed in this lesson, are classified as individual laments. The word “lament” means “a passionate expression of regret.” An additional 18 psalms are classified as communal laments, which means they were written to be used by an entire community. Refer to the above-mentioned work of Fr. Felix Just for a complete online listing of psalms classified as individual or communal laments.
what is a lament?
Because the word “lament” as a verb means to wail, moan, or sob in sorrow, when the same word “lament” is used as a noun it means an expression of mourning. It is this meaning that the word holds in Psalm 54 and Psalm 55. In addition to the laments in the psalms, Scripture also includes a book called Lamentations (sometimes referred to as the Lamentations of Jeremiah, although many scholars contest the prophet Jeremiah’s authorship of that work). A lament frequently refers to a funeral dirge, elegy, or burial hymn.
passages omitted from Liturgy of the Hours books
A difficulty for Christians who wish to incorporate the psalms into their prayers is that in some of these 
ancient hymns the Psalmists blatantly curse their enemies and ask the LORD to deal harshly with those enemies. This is disturbing enough that the editors compiling the four-week Liturgy of the Hours books chose to leave out a few problematic verses. Omitted from psalms for this lesson (Wednesday Day Prayer Week I prayed by the monks at Conception Abbey) are Psalm 54:7 and Psalm 55:16 (Psalm 54:5 and Psalm 55:15, respectively, in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions). Consider why the editors of Liturgy of the Hours books might have felt that these verses shouldn’t be included.
all omissions are noted in this study
Omissions in the four-week Liturgy of the Hours books are addressed in Volume I and Volume II. For a complete list, click on this link, which includes a comparison of the two-week cursus (schedule) used at Conception Abbey and in both volumes of our study with the four-week Roman cursus followed by current Liturgy of the Hours books.
what do you think makes something a sacrifice?
The vocabulary box “Sacrifice” on page 33 of Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through thePrayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline defines a sacrifice as a ritual offering to God. This is accurate, but the definition fails to take into consideration the common misunderstanding that a sacrifice consists of giving something up or of getting rid of it. If we look at the Latin etymology of the word, the “sacri-” part of the word shares a root with words meaning “sacred” or “holy”; the “-fice” comes from a root word that means “do” or “make.” So etymologically speaking, sacrificing doesn’t mean giving something up or getting rid of it, it means making it holy or setting it apart.
what does David mean when he writes about God’s name?
It’s easy to overlook the importance of a name to the ancients. Three times in one of the laments for this 
lesson, David mentions his reliance on and praise of the LORD’s name—in Psalm 54:3, Psalm 54:8 and Psalm 54:9 (Psalm 54:1, Psalm 54:6 and Psalm 54:7, respectively, in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions). Not all of these references to God’s name make it into every translation, however.
Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps explains that the idea of a name in the ancient world carried more weight than it does today. A name was more than a word, it was an identity or a statement of being. This is the case with contemporary translations of the Gospel According to Matthew 10:41–42. In the context of that passage, the point of the phrase seems to be that whenever we receive a follower of God because that person is a follower of God, we receive a reward.
When have you received someone or treated someone well because of that person’s association with God? How were you rewarded? Have you ever failed to receive someone or failed to treat someone well because of that person’s association with God? Have you ever been mistreated or ill-received because of your own association with God? How did you handle the situation, and are you satisfied with how you behaved at that time?
a fun fact about the heart
Author Matthew Phelps also points out that the ancients didn’t have a clue about which organs controlled which human functions. This means it isn’t always a great idea to look at these words and tie them to the functions we know of today. Heart is a relatively obvious one considering that we can see it pump and watch blood pour out if it’s stabbed. The function of other organs, like the brain, liver, kidneys, etc. is less clear. Matthew notes, however, that the point made in the vocabulary box “Heart” on page 35 of Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline—the idea that the heart is the central, innermost part of a person, the place where men and women make free-will choices for life or death—still makes perfect sense. This is true of David’s use of the word “heart” in The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translations of Psalm 54:8, Psalm 55:5, and Psalm 55:16 (Psalm 54:6, Psalm 55:4 and Psalm 55:15, respectively, in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions).
read the Catechism—what was David thinking?
Both of the psalms prayed for Wednesday Day Prayer Week I mention the heart—in Psalm 54:8, Psalm 55:5, and Psalm 55:16 (Psalm 54:6, Psalm 55:4, and Psalm 55:15, respectively, in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions). Not all of these references to the heart make it into every translation, however. It can be difficult to know what David had in mind when he wrote about the heart, but paragraph 2563 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers a good idea of what the word “heart” should mean to Christians.
2563 The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place “to which I withdraw.” The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: It is the place of covenant.
a man after God’s own heart—you could look it up in our archives
In Psalm 54:8 (Psalm 54:6 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions), David announces that he plans to sacrifice to God with a willing heart. To learn more about David’s heart, read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.
what Matthew says: problems with an idiom
Although most translations of the First Book of Samuel 13:14 use a rather interesting phrase to describe David as a “man after [God’s] own heart,” this phrase easily can cause no small amount of confusion. The idea of something being “after” something else in a non-temporal context isn’t a common English idiom.
The original Hebrew text in this verse uses a preposition that means “like” or “as,” suggesting that God was seeking a man with a heart similar to his own. This raises the question of where we get the idea of “after” that we see in most translations. Ancient Greek, unlike ancient Hebrew, doesn’t have a preposition that exactly means “like.” In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was in common use at the time of Jesus) we see the preposition κατά (kata), which can in this context be translated as “after” in the sense of pursuit but can just as easily (and more so here, I think) mean “in accordance with” or “as.”
What the ancient author clearly means to say of David is that, as a result of Saul’s failure to live up to his responsibilities as king, God chose a man who shares his own view and feelings—a man with a heart like God’s own. This in no way suggests that David is equal to God or like God in every respect. Rabbi Abraham Heschel, in his seminal work The Prophets, defines prophecy as “sympathy with God” 
or the ability to feel things as God does. From the point of view of Heschel’s definition, David could be said to share in the gift of the prophets, and that’s what God was looking for in his king. You can learn more about recommended books related to Scripture study, including Heschel’s The Prophets, at ex libris—main bookshelf.
two wording rearrangements
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 54:3 (Psalm 54:1 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “Save me, O God, by your name; by your power, defend my cause.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “O God, save me by your name; by your power, defend my cause.” In similar fashion, The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 54:4 (Psalm 54:2 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.” Neither change appears to make any difference in the meaning of Psalm 54. (Note that it is not possible to link to either The Abbey Psalms and Canticles or The Revised Grail Psalms; all links on the online pages are to the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE].)
three translation differences in Psalm 54
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 54:5 (Psalm 54:3 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “For strangers have risen against me, and the ruthless seek my life. They have no regard for God.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “For the proud have risen against me, and the ruthless seek my life. They have no regard for God.” In similar fashion, The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 54:6 (Psalm 54:4 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “Behold, I have God for my help. The Lord upholds my life.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “See, I have God for my help. The Lord sustains my soul.” Which of these translation changes might be the most significant? Do you consider all “strangers” to belong among “the proud”? Does “uphold my life” mean the same thing as “sustains my soul”?
a translation change that consists of a deletion
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 54:8 (Psalm 54:6 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “I will sacrifice to you with willing heart, and praise your name, O LORD, for it is good … .” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “I will sacrifice to you with willing heart, and praise your name, for it is good … .” What difference might it make to the meaning of this psalm to delete this reference to the LORD?
a translation difference: your name vs. it
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 54:9 (Psalm 54:7 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “…for your name has rescued me from all distress, and my eyes have gazed upon my foes.” The Revised Grail Psalms substitutes “it” for “your name” in the same passage. Which translation do you prefer?
a translation difference: finding shelter vs. awaiting being saved
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 55:9 (Psalm 55:8 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “I would hasten to find my shelter from the raging wind and tempest.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “I shall await him who saves me from the raging wind and tempest.” Consider why editors at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wanted this translation change.
several translation differences in the same verse
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 55:10 (Psalm 55:9 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “Confound and confuse their tongues, O LORD, for I see violence and strife in the city!” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “Engulf and confuse their speech, O Lord, for I see violence and strife in the city!” Which of these three translation changes strikes you as the most critical to the meaning of the psalm, and why?
a translation difference: Sheol vs. the grave
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 55:16 (Psalm 55:15 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “May death fall suddenly upon them! Let them go down alive to Sheol … .” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “May death fall suddenly upon them! Let them go down alive to the grave … .” What is your understanding of the difference between “Sheol” and “the grave”? Why might USCCB editors have suggested this change?
a translation difference: one vs. man
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 55:23 (Psalm 55:22 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “He will never allow the just one to stumble.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “He will never allow the just man to stumble.” What do you think might have motivated USCCB editors to ask for this change?
the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by passages in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.
Psalm 54:1–7—paragraph 1611
Psalm 54:8—paragraph 220
Psalm 54:10—paragraph 220
Psalm 55:1—paragraphs 694, 2121
Psalm 55:3—paragraph 762
ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out 
persons or places mentioned in the biblical text under more than one name or more than one spelling. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the biblical text for every lesson in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline.
don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a passage in Scripture, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book. If you want to revisit a particular commentary, you can look that up by title in the topics index. If you want to learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, you can read the online commentaries and watch any accompanying videos by going to the online study directories. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.
ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
You can find links to magisterial documents referred to in Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This page includes a listing of significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.
wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. An online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current three months can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
close with a psalms-based prayer for Wednesday Day Prayer (Week I)
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can pray any of the psalms in this lesson, or you can use the following short prayer.
LORD God, you are the refuge of all who call on you.
Teach us to rely on you more than we rely
on men and women, who frequently prove false.
Grant that we may value our relationship with you
and trust that your love for humanity
will lead all men and women to trust in your saving word.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
who died to bring us the opportunity of eternal life. Amen.
Lesson 9 From the Grave, Who Can Give You Praise? Thursday Vigils (Week I)—Psalm 100 (the Invitatory), Psalm 6, Psalm 7, and Psalm 18
Lesson 7 The LORD Remembers His Holy Word, Wednesday Vigils (Week I)—Psalm 24 (the Invitatory), Psalm 17, Psalm 25, and Psalm 105
you also may like our free Lenten study of Jesus’ Passion (digital only)
Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering is a five-lesson Catholic Bible study offering an in-depth look at the biblical foundations of the movie The Passion of the Christ. This revised study, which has been granted an imprimatur, contains all of the original material of the 2004 edition as well as many new features in an improved, reader-friendly format. Free digital lessons of Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering are available on our website during Lent. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.
start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II. 
Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer
*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—Baruch, Judith, Sirach, Tobit, Wisdom, and First and Second Maccabees—and there are some deuterocanonical passages in the Books of Daniel and Esther. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. Deuterocanonical means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?
**You can learn more about the psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church. The first volume covers psalms prayed at Lauds and Vespers; the second covers psalms prayed at Vigils, Day Prayer, and Compline. Numbering of psalms and verses may vary in other translations.
Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.
The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” and “didst” in the psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.
Numbering for some passages in this Bible study will vary. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book.