Douay-Rheims: "burn my reins and my heart."

[johnbres2]

I have been sinking my teeth into the Douay-Rheims lately (Loreto ed. I foolishly sold my Haydock volumes during a spiritually ‘dry’ spell), and the way it challenges and inspires me is … well, the way the Word is supposed to.

I have been looking at the Psalms, and started at 22 (23rd), where “The Lord ruleth me” kind of irritated me, since it seemed so inferior to “…is my shepherd.” But I got over that, esp. since the footnotes acknowledge that the Hebrew is “is my shepherd.” I was keeping the DR at arms length over this, how silly is that?

In the 25th Psalm, I stopped on the 2d verse: “O Lord…burn my reins and my heart.” To “burn” I assume means to “inflame with passion,” which is easy enough to understand regarding my heart. But my “reins”? The straps which allow the rider to control his horse. Inflame my reins with passion. What an intriguing image. Does God hold the reins in this image? I don’t think so, as I have free will, and I go where I will, and do what I will do. So, it seems I am controlling my reins, to decide my daily courses of action. Reins denote movement. So, it seems if my reins are inflamed, I will direct myself to Eucharistic Adoration for a while this afternoon.

Only the Douay grabs me like this…

 

[tee_eff_em]

I don’t want to spoil your image if you don’t want me to. So read no further if you’d rather not.

In the 25th Psalm, I stopped on the 2d verse: “O Lord…burn my reins and my heart.” To “burn” I assume means to “inflame with passion,” which is easy enough to understand regarding my heart. But my “reins”? The straps which allow the rider to control his horse. Inflame my reins with passion. What an intriguing image. Does God hold the reins in this image? I don’t think so, as I have free will, and I go where I will, and do what I will do. So, it seems I am controlling my reins, to decide my daily courses of action. Reins denote movement. So, it seems if my reins are inflamed, I will direct myself to Eucharistic Adoration for a while this afternoon.

It’s a little used word today, and has a different etymology than rein/control (from the Latin verb retinere, “to restrain”).

This word comes from the Latin noun renes, “inner parts, guts, kidneys*, and (figuratively) seat of emotions and passions”. Indeed, *renes *is the word being translated from the Vulgate here. However, the seat of the passions is no less a means of control, I suppose.

(* Think “renal”)

tee

 

[johnbres2]

Thanks, and that doesn’t spoil my image at all. The word chosen clearly has depth to it.

 

[JeanneH]

I have been sinking my teeth into the Douay-Rheims lately (Loreto ed. I foolishly sold my Haydock volumes during a spiritually ‘dry’ spell), and the way it challenges and inspires me is … well, the way the Word is supposed to.

I have been looking at the Psalms, and started at 22 (23rd), where “The Lord ruleth me” kind of irritated me, since it seemed so inferior to “…is my shepherd.” But I got over that, esp. since the footnotes acknowledge that the Hebrew is “is my shepherd.” I was keeping the DR at arms length over this, how silly is that?

In the 25th Psalm, I stopped on the 2d verse: “O Lord…burn my reins and my heart.” To “burn” I assume means to “inflame with passion,” which is easy enough to understand regarding my heart. But my “reins”? The straps which allow the rider to control his horse. Inflame my reins with passion. What an intriguing image. Does God hold the reins in this image? I don’t think so, as I have free will, and I go where I will, and do what I will do. So, it seems I am controlling my reins, to decide my daily courses of action. Reins denote movement. So, it seems if my reins are inflamed, I will direct myself to Eucharistic Adoration for a while this afternoon.

Only the Douay grabs me like this…

I have a Haydock and verse 2 commentary reads like this:

Burn, like gold in the furnace. Bert.–Purify all my affections and thoughts with the fire of divine love. S.Aug. S. Jer.–Make my dispositions known to the world. I have done no one any harm. C.–I take thee for the arbiter of my cause with respect to Saul, whom I have injured. Still, as I may not be innocent, do thou try me, as thou thinkest proper. W.

I hope this helps.

 

[lak611]

You will find “try my reins and my heart” in the KJV. Same meaning (try, as in test through a refiner’s fire my innermost parts.