Vs. 1: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. The Psalter begins on a negative note, that is, it stress what blessedness is not, namely, it is not an association with wicked persons. A more abridged way of putting this is it is not walking, standing nor sitting with them. Blessed is the very first word, and according to good scriptural and patristic tradition, the first word sets the tone for the entire document. This key word is 'ashry; it is closely associated with two other words in vs. 1, the man (ha'ysh) and which ('asher). 'Ashry derives from the Hebrew verbal root 'ashar whose fundamental meaning is straightness which makes sense in the direction-towards-which the psalmist defines blessedness. Note that the relative pronoun, 'asher is derived from this root, signifying a transitional state; it is associated with man, 'ysh. Thus blessedness is an integral component of our human constitution.

In light of these observations, we may say that to be 'ashry implies being in a state of transition, of moving forward, of not standing still. Such blessedness is like that relative pronoun, 'asher, signifying continuous alteration. Immediate there comes to mind the Beatitudes, for example, Mt 5.3-11, where we may substitute 'ashry for the more prosaic Greek makarios. The characteristics which Jesus mentions fit in well with this "transitional" nature of 'ashry: poor, mourn, meek, righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, those who are persecuted. While essential for Christian living, it is also liberating to realize the transitional or provisional nature of the virtues.

Vs. 2: But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Such law or torah is defined by avoiding the three groups of wicked, sinners and scoffers of vs. 1. We may transfer the forward motion of 'ashry to this delight or chaphats which implies a bending towards the object of one's desire. Delight and torah are integrally united, and the words of Isaiah apply to this man or 'ysh who so inclines himself to the Law: "but you shall be called My delight is in her (chephtsy-bah)...for the Lord delights in you (chaphets bak)" [62.4].

Furthermore, this 'ysh meditates on the torah, hagah, literally, to murmur, as in Jos 1.8: "This book of the law...torah...shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night." This verse is similar to the Psalm's mention of "day and night." Such murmuring seems to have an affinity with that realm of our awareness, always present, which gives rise to thoughts and dreams. We catch a glimpse of it when falling asleep, that is, when our minds murmur over the day's events, a process which apparently carries over into dreams. Contrast this Psalm's use of hagah with one found in Ps 2.1: "Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?"

Vs. 3: He is like a tree planted by streams of water which gives it fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Note this situation of being planted, that is, its permanency, next to streams which by their very nature are in movement. Such streams or palgy connote the idea of dividing, of making their way through a given area whose task with respect to this tree is that it may have "fruit in its season." Note the Septuagint use for season, kairos, which connotes a specific time. Compare this verse with Rev 22.1: "Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb." Later in vs. 5 it reads, "And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light." I.e., this river does away with the need to "meditate on his law day and night," the previous verse, for such day and night pertains to the temporal realm.

In all that he does, he prospers. Such prospering is akin to the putting forth of fruit. The righteous person's activity flows from that meditating on the Law or Torah. Keep in mind the image mentioned above of the stationary tree by flowing streams; the notion is that such doing takes place in a stable location and is more akin to the putting forth of fruit, a stationary act. All this is in contrast to the wicked who "are like chaff which the wind drives away" [vs. 4] or those who attempt to force, as it were, the ripening of fruit outside the correct season or kairos.

Vs. 5: Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. Such standing or qum implies the inverse of that "tree planted by streams of water," for qum is more suggestive of rising which in the context of this Psalm pertains to something planted. Perhaps the root of such wicked persons lies in the fact that they do not remain stationary as mentioned just above.

Vs. 6: For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. This way or derek is upward or the direction in which the fruit of the righteous reaches. The growth of such fruit depends upon the Lord's knowing and is in stark contrast to the "downward" derek of the wicked. Thus Psalm One concludes with a fuller understanding of that blessedness or 'ashry, awareness of being known by God.

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Psalm Two

Vs. 1: Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? Such scheming is associated with the kings and rulers of the next verse plotting against the Lord. Note that this is the only occurrence of ragash, to conspire, in the Bible with the exception of the Chaldean verb in Dan 6.6[7], 11[12]. The vain or ryq things on which nations plot is reminiscent of that vanity described by Ecclesiastes whose first chapter recounts the restlessness and monotony inherent in nature, an image applicable to this verses's conspiring and plotting. In Ecclesiastes, vanity is havel, a verb associated with breathing, whereas the Psalm's ryq means something empty, for example, an empty container. The image conveyed is one of rattling, of clatter. For the verbal root to plot, hagah, cf. Psalm One.

Vs. 2: The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and his anointed, saying. It is not difficult to identify the anointed or meshych with Jesus Christ and apply it to his enemies. Note the two objects of their assault, Lord and anointed as indicated by the preposition hal, on, which suggests an elevated place from which the enemies look down upon the object of their contempt. Such is the illusory vantage point common to any conspiratorial activity which further suggests the participants gathered in a circle. The next verse, 3, contains the content of the counsel of the kings and rulers, "Let us burst their bonds asunder and cast their cords from us." The plural they implies the Lord and his anointed, applicable to the hostile religious rulers who confronted Jesus Christ, the Meshych.

Vs. 4: He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. Here God is viewed in a lofty position, one that is opposite to the supposed elevation of the kings and rulers of vs. 2. This sitting implies permanence of which the "tree planted by streams of water" is an image [Ps 1.3]; these streams emanate from God's sitting. This laughter, sachaq, is almost always contemptuous, a view God can easily afford in distinction to that furtive counsel of the previous verse. Derision or lahag means to speak in a foreign (barbarous) tongue. It is reminiscent of the tower of Babel [Gn 11.1-9] where God confounded the tongues of the human race which had been one until then. Thus God mimics the counsel of the wicked, addressing them, as it were, in a foreign tongue or by means of useless, mocking terms together with "his wrath, and terrify them in his fury" [vs. 5].

Vs. 6: I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. An allusion to King David. Nasak for to set more specifically refers to making a libation, anointing of a king or even more specifically, a drink offering. An example of its negative sense: "My graven image and my molten image commanded them" [Is 48.5]. This case referred to as a holy hill is one of several in the Bible, the other famous one being Mount Sinai.

Vs. 7: I will tell of the decree of the Lord. Such telling is more akin to inscribing, the essence of saphar which also suggests inscribing of numerals or the making of a list. Decree or qoch refers to the establishment of a decree, of making it firm.

You are my son, today I have begotten you. This verse has been applied to God the Father's relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ, for example, Acts 13.33. Such begetting or yalad obviously applies to giving birth, of coming into existence, which occurs within the tumultuous context of Psalm 2. It is akin to God addressing his prophets, for example, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel at the beginning of their careers.

The Hebrew word order here is interesting: "I today have begotten you." Today or hayom occurs between the first person singular of God and his act of begetting. I.e., today is between God's being and his doing. Note that the person God addresses is certainly an adult, so that the begetting God imparts is in relationship with the rebellious forces described in this psalm.

Vs. 8: Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. As noted already, so many verses of the Psalms may be applied to Jesus Christ, a fact which is usually obvious; here nations and ends of the earth has been applied to the spread of the Gospel: "and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth" [Acts 1.8]. End is not so much a geographical place but those peoples furthest away from Jerusalem, the beginning or center of evangelization.

In vs. 8 God continues his request to the King of Israel, reminiscent of King Solomon's petition for something more durable than earthly possessions: "Because you have asked this [wisdom]...Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind" [1 Kg 3.11-12].

Vss. 11-12: Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling kiss his feet⁽²⁾, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. We often encounter fear in the Bible, yare', the various forms of which can be confused with the equally various forms of the verb to see, ra'ah. These parallels suggest a certain interchange between the two different concepts; to fear anything or anyone obviously implies clear awareness of the object...of seeing.

"With trembling:" gylu, from the verb gyl whose basic idea is to go in a circle and can also mean to exult as in Sg 1.4: "We will be glad and rejoice."

With regards to the unclear words kiss his feet, nashqu-bar, bar has sometimes been taken as son as if to do the king's son homage.

Psalm 2 concludes with an instance of 'ashry, blessed, the first word of Psalm One, but here it applies to chus, to take refuge, as in Is 30.2: "But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy mountain." Such mountain is Zion of vs. 6 above.

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Psalm Three

Vs. 2: Many are saying of me, there is no help for him in God. Selah. The inscription to this psalm notes that it pertains to King David when he fled from his son Absalom. Those "rising against me" of vs. 1 are the many of this verse. In verse 2 we encounter the first of 134 refers to the Hebrew verbal root yashah from which the proper name Jesus is derived⁽³⁾. As the document to which I refer in the last footnote demonstrates, the remarkable number of time the verb yashah and its derivatives occurs points to an essential element to the Psalter and of Christ's relationship to it. To say that "there is no Jesus in God" is the equivalent of denying his essence.

The Hebrew Selah represents a pause, possibly of a liturgical nature; refer to On the Inscriptions of the Psalms by Gregory of Nyssa (on the Gregory of Nyssa Home Page hyperlinked with this Home Page) who examines the mystical significance of this term. The fundamental meaning of selah is rest, silence.

My glory, and the lifter of my head." This verse has a definite military air which continues the same theme of the previous psalm.

I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah. This verse implies the psalmist being surrounded by foes and in the vicinity of his holy hill, Zion. However, such proximity is not necessarily physical. Since Mt. Zion is "in the far north," it can be viewed from the directions of south, east and west. Here is the third of four references to selah; we would expect the psalmist to pause...to have a selah...in this situation.

Vs. 5: I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. Quite an abrupt change from the dangerous situation of the last few verses, but such is the power of God's answering or hanah of vs. 4. The psalmist first says that he lies down, that is, he makes a defiant gesture before his foes who are drawn up in battle array. The duration of how long he sleeps is not clear, presumably during the night, a favorite time for the enemy to make an assault. We find an instance of the verb yaqats, to awake, in Gen 28.16: "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.'" As for the verb to sustain, samak, it implies a leaning upon, as if the Lord were leaning on the psalmist.

Vs. 7: Arise, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! Another instance of the verb yashah, to save or to be "Jesus-ed." Note the connection of arise (quomah) with YHWH and yahsah with 'elohim.

Vs. 8: Deliverance belongs to the Lord; your blessing be upon your people! Selah. The first part of this verse is "Jesus (hayeshuhah) belongs to the Lord." Note the use of prepositions: "to YHWH is deliverance" and "on your people blessing." I.e., such "to-ness" which is proper to God is transferred to "on-ness" with regard to the people.

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Psalm Four

Vs. 1: Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You have given me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer. Such answering or hanah has multiple meanings: to sing, to testify, to signify, to be afflicted. Here there is a close connection between answering and the psalmist's calling, qara'. He perceives God associated with righteousness, tsadaqah, and desires this attribute to be transferred to himself. Note that the Hebrew text first has the psalmist calling followed by a desire for God to answer. Giving room or rachav is the direct result of hanah; the former is below and the latter comes from above. For a parallel to this rachav, cf. Eph 3.18: "That you may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of Christ]." These four quadrants of the earth correspond to the four elements of the same earth.

Vs. 3: But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. This setting apart or palah of the godly or chasad is putting such a person in the four boundaries of that breadth, length, height and depth from Eph 3.18 just above. Within this sacred space, reminiscent of the garden of Eden, indeed "the Lord hears when I call to him" as opposed to the hiding by the man and woman (cf. Gen 3.8).

Vs. 4: Be angry, but sin not; commune with your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah. Ragaz for to be angry fundamentally means to tremble, to quake. This verse is interesting because there is a tendency to associate anger with sin. The psalmist suggests that the act of being angry is no problem, more clearly, with regard to the energy released; in fact, he encourages such ragaz. Sin enters when thoughts take hold instead of allowing them to pass. The communing is the simple verb 'amar, to speak. It takes place within the heart, lev, more precisely, in (b-) the heart and on (hal) a bed. Contrast this verse with Ps 36.4: "He plots mischief while on his bed." A more accurate association of Ps 4's use of "bed" is Sg 3.1: "By night on my bed I sought him."

The bride's seeking or baqash (whose primary sense is touching) is more akin to vs. 4's meaning. And be silent, domu, from the verb damah whose other meaning is to be like; compare with Ps 48.9: "We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple." Here such thinking, damah, implies becoming like God's temple, reminiscent of recovering our divinized human nature: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," demuth [Gen 1.26]. With these insights in mind, it is no small wonder that vs. 4 concludes with Selah which is now endowed with a fuller meaning.

Vs. 6: There are many who say, "O that we might see some good! Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord!" Those making this exclamation realize that good and the Lord are equivalent. They simply do not want his face but the light, the 'or, of his countenance. Note the command, lift, from the unused root nasas. Compare with Is 5.26: "He will raise a signal for a nation afar off, and whistle for it from the ends of the earth; and lo, swiftly, speedily it comes!" Thus we may correspond 'or with this nas.

Vs. 8: In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Such are the results of light, 'or, from God's countenance mentioned above. Here we have the first instance in the Psalter of shalom, the celebrated word for peace. Note its association with lying down and sleeping, the former naturally taking place first. Such shalom is a signal or nas where here is a warning as in Sg 3.5: "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the hinds of the field, that you stir not up nor awaken love until it please." Such gazelles and hinds act as a nas for the daughters.

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Psalm Five

Vs. 1: Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my groaning. The Hebrew literally follows the meaning of giving ear to the psalmist's words or that which he physically utters and which anyone nearby can hear. On the other hand, his groaning is not audible to listeners because it is interior.

Give heed derives from byn, to understand, to distinguish; the preposition "between" is also derived from it. Byn, a commonly used word; it has the sense of understanding in that one gets in between a matter to grasp its implications. In vs. 1, God is bidden to do this concerning the psalmist's groaning, hagah, which implies a type of murmuring or growling.

Vs. 3: O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. The verbal root for morning is baqar which means to cleave, to open, to inspect diligently. From it comes the noun bull or cow; supposedly this noun derives from the fact that such an animal cleaves open the ground with its hooves. Note that the psalmist uses baqar twice, first when God hears his voice and secondly the time when he makes a sacrifice and keeps watch. This notion of keeping watch, of tsaphah, is important in the Psalter. Here the verb means to shine much like a beacon: "Therefore he [Laban] named it Galeed, and the pillar Mitzpah⁽⁴⁾, for he said, 'The Lord watch between you and me, when we are absent one from the other'" [Gen 31.48-9].

The psalmist prepares a sacrifice, harak, or sets it in order, not necessarily performs the sacrifice itself. This is reminiscent of Elijah at Mt. Carmel when he contested the pagan priests. Elijah prepared his sacrifice by drenching the altar with water after which fire came down from heaven to consume it along with the pagan priests (cf. 1 Kg 18.30-40). The next few verses of Psalm 5 may apply to this situation.

Vs. 7: But I through the abundance of your steadfast love will enter your house, I will worship toward your holy temple in fear of you. Love or chesed is a word with a rich tradition and meaning. In brief, chesed embraces all our emotions and affections. The New Testament equivalent is agape; the house belonging to God is the common word, byth. The psalmist's admittance is more specific in the second half of this verse, holy temple, hykal-qadesh, where he worships in fear. Thus he has two sentiments, love and fear, the former being a preparatory stage for the latter. Note that this verse does not mention entry into the temple, rather, the psalmist's worship or shachah (implies bowing) is towards ('el) this sacred area.

Vs. 8: Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. This request for being led in righteousness, tsedaqah, implies straightness. As noted regarding vs. 7, the psalmist worships towards the temple, not in it; vs. 8 continues this direction-towards-which by a request to be led in tsedaqah as protection against enemies. Cf. Is 26.7: "The way of the righteous is level; you make smooth the path of the righteous." Here making smooth or palas implies weighing; path or mahgal is from the verbal root, to roll. Thus between vs. 8 and the Isaiah verse the request for being led involves several actions.

Make your way straight before me. Such a way or derek is road without bends or dips; it makes sense in connection with the desire of protection from enemies in vs. 8, that is, a straight path eliminates the threat of potential ambush.

Vs. 11: But let all who take refuge in you rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; and defend them, that those who love your name may exult in you. Vss. 9-10 describe the impiety of the enemies from which the psalmist requests protection. Note their implied hiddenness implying a sense of ambush as mentioned just above: open sepulcher, let them fall, cast them out.

Chasah for to take refuge also means to trust as in 2 Sam 22.3: "My God, my rock, in whom I trust." Note "in you," vak, or a being-in God, a fact which results in rejoicing (ranan implies vibration) as well as singing.

"And defend them," sakak, whose verbal root means to weave in the sense of making a cover for protection: "And you shall put it (tabernacle) in the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil" [Ex 40.3]. This veil or paroketh is the source of protection implied in vs. 11.

That those who love your name may exult in you. Another indication of place-whereness, "in you," veka, on the part of those who love God, 'ahavah, a common word implying desire in the sense of breathing after something.

Vs. 12: For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield. Shield derives from tsanan, to be sharp, from which also comes thorn. Implied here is despite God's protection, the psalmist is endowed with a certain offensive character with regard to enemies. Such favor or ratsah primarily means to delight as in Is 42.1: "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights." Such favor is bestowed upon the psalmist by covering him, hatar, which also means to crown.

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Psalm Six

Vs. 2: Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled. Verses one and two are earnest requests to God to take it easy on the psalmist who is suffering from an unknown affliction. Such languishing or 'amal suggests a drooping or hanging down of one's head as in Is 24.4: "The earth mourns and withers, the world languishes and withers; the heavens languish together with the earth."

After a request for God's chanan, graciousness, the psalmist beseeches him for healing, raphah, whose fundamental meaning is to droop, to cast down. I.e., this common word for healing intimates that a physical cure comes about from the relaxation of tension which can also be mental in origin.

The reason for such raphah is that the psalmist's "bones are troubled." I.e., his entire frame trembles, bahal: "When I think of it I am dismayed, and shuddering seizes my flesh" [Job 21.6]. Vs. 3 takes us this theme of bahal as applied to the soul, nephesh, but such soul trembles even more than the psalmist's bones, me'od, excessively.

Vs. 4: Turn, O Lord, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love. This turning or shuv implies a previous state of affairs which the psalmist wishes to restore and applies it to his soul which he wishes God to save or chalats whose verbal root with its two-fold meaning of to draw out as well as to be ready is the immediate result of divine shuv. Thus chalats involves both a withdrawal and a providing or preparation for battle.

"Deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love:" another instance of yashah or wishing to be "Jesus-ed," only here in connection with divine chesed, mercy.

Vs. 5: For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise? To remember anyone or an event is fundamental to ancient cultures because memory of things was virtually the only means of preserving achievements of the past. Thus death and its forgetfulness of God was considered the supreme form of oblivion. To remember or zakar also means male because it was through a man that the memory of one's family and past were handed down to future generations. Note the irony in the context where King Saul (Sha'ul) asks (for this is the meaning of his name) a sorceress to summon the spirit of Samuel who, in turn, says that Saul will join him on the morrow in the realm of the dead. Although Sheol or She'ol is not explicitly mentioned here [cf. 1 Sam 28.8-19], Saul's asking for Samuel results in his imminent departure for She'ol. This place is abhorred primarily because no one can give praise to God, implying that such praise is the essential meaning of life.

Vs. 9: The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord accepts my prayer. The last few verses described the psalmist's sadness over being afflicted by his enemies. In this verse as well as the last, he takes a positive note by saying that God has responded...heard...his cries for help. The next verse says that such enemies "shall turn back and be put to shame." Here is a play on words, yashuvu and yevshu. In a moment or ragah, whose verbal root means to terrify, to tremble.

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Psalm Seven

Vs. 1: O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me. Another psalm entreating God for help against enemies. This theme which frequently occurs in the Psalter naturally leads to a desire for protection, of being concealed or hid from such foes. The amount of words referring to such hiding is quite remarkable for a relatively small document as the Psalter. Psalm 7 begins this theme immediately, "in you do I take refuge," chasah, a word examined in Ps 5.11. It's immediately followed by a desire to be "Jesus-ed" from foes, yahsah. Such saving is the primary function of the person of Jesus Christ; from there comes higher revelation such as his relationship to the Father and Holy Spirit.

Vs. 6: Arise, O Lord, in your anger, lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake, O my God; you have appointed a judgment. The verses preceding this one deal with the psalmist's protestation of innocence. Note in vs. 6 two upwards gestures which he wishes God to take, arise or qum and lift up or nase'; both are in a negative sense, that is, against hostile forces. These two requests are followed by a third, awake or hur which has three other meanings, to blind, to be hot and to be naked. Perhaps all three may be applied to vs. 6, for God can blind, be hot against the psalmist's foes and make them naked. This judgment by God is in the past tense; the Hebrew has tsawah, to order in the sense of issuing a command. It's as though God arises, lifts himself up and awakes to an event which has already taken place.

Vs. 7: Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; and over it take your seat on high. This assembly or hadath derives from the verbal root yahad, to define, to appoint, so we may apply it to a specific group of peoples (le'om) is a generic term for races as opposed to the nation of Israel: "Listen to me, O coastlands, and hearken, you peoples from afar" [Is 49.1].

Be gathered about you. The verbal root here is savav, to go around, implying that such le'om will gather about God in a circle.

And over it take your seat on high. It is as though God were situated in the middle of this circle (savav's root) composed of all peoples yet has his "seat on high." This verb, shuv, means to return. Such returning may imply God's sovereignty over all peoples, not just Israel, which traces its roots to the garden of Eden. In vs. 7 God returns to this sovereignty, rather, it was always present but now the peoples realize this lordship: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" [Mt 28.19].

Vs. 8: The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. The first use of to judge is dyn, applied to peoples, whereas the second one is shaphat, applied to the psalmist. The former implies bringing into subjection, of contention, and the latter implies the juridical aspect of such judging. Note that shaphat is in relation to the psalmist's righteousness and integrity, tsadaqah and tom. This second term has moral overtones: "Jacob was an upright man, dwelling in tents" [Gen 25.27]. Furthermore, tom signifies completeness, wholeness; note that such tom "is in (hal, more specifically, 'on') me." It is as though God's "hal-ness" of vs. 7 ('over it take your seat on high') were transferred directly to the psalmist and existed independently of him who is situated beneath, as it were.

Vs. 9: O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous, you who try the minds and hearts, righteous God. The verbal root gamar, to perfect, occurs only several times in the Bible, all in the Psalter (12.1, 57.2, 77.8, 138.8). Although the psalmist wishes evil to be destroyed, not those who do it, the sense of gamar implies their conversion. In the same breath he wishes the righteous to be established or kun as in Prov 3.19: "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens."

You who try the minds and hearts, righteous God. Such trying or bachan implies a searching as well as watching. This activity applies to mind (kelyaoth) and heart (lev). The word for mind here more accurately refers to the kidneys, considered the seat of desires and affections, not our capacity for rational thinking alone. Compare with "But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously, who tries the heart and the mind" [Jer 11.20]. Note the further association with righteousness, tsadaqah.

Vs. 10: My shield is with God who saves the upright in heart. Shield or magen implies a smaller type than the tsanan of Ps 5.12. Note that the magen is on (hal) God. Another instance of "Jesus," whose verbal root is to save.

Vs. 14: Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and brings forth lies. This verse along with 12 and 13 reveal the antithesis of tsadaqah. To conceive, chaval, implies a binding or withering. Such a wicked person (the text lacks "wicked") begets...we might say twists...evil or 'ewen, more precisely, vanity or emptiness. This notion of braiding something which does not exist is vivid in Hebrew.

And brings forth lies. The noun here is sheqer which also means something vain. The next two verses continue this theme of vigorous activity by a wicked person in the context of digging a pit.

Vs. 17: I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. This verse concludes with the theme of tsadaqah which runs all through Psalm 7. The Hebrew literally reads "according to (ke-) his righteousness," that is, thanksgiving assumes the same measure as divine tsadaqah. On the other hand, the psalmist associates the singing of praise with God's name; zamar fundamental meaning (hardly used) is to prune but strongly implies to dance.

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Psalm Eight

Vs. 1: O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You whose glory above the heavens is chanted. Note emphasis on God's name, his shem, "in all the earth." This divine name is majestic, 'adar, which means to swell and aptly applies to being in the earth or hidden within it much as a fetus in a womb. To become aware of God's presence in creation we are required to assume the attention a woman about to give birth has towards her unborn child.

You whose glory above the heavens is chanted. Note the contrast here. God's name is present "in all the earth" whereas his "glory is above the heavens." Furthermore, only in the heavens is his glory chanted, natan, a common word meaning to give, to appoint. Here is another use of hal as upon (heavens).

Vs. 2: by the mouth of babes and infants, you have founded a bulwark because of your foes to still the enemy and the avenger. An obvious continuation of vs. 1. The psalmist associates God's lofty glory, hod. For hod as beauty, cf. Hos 14.6: "His [Israel] shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon." Such an association of heaven with babes (hol'lym) or infants is reminiscent of Mt 19.14: "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." And, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes" [Mt 11.25].

You have founded a bulwark because of your foes. The Hebrew reads, "for the same of our enemies you have caused to cease the enemy," the verb being shavath. This word is the root for Sabbath, day of rest; the psalmist implies that the babes and infants who praise God's glory are instrumental in effecting such Sabbath rest.

Vs. 3: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have established. It's your heavens and your work (i.e., God's). The verb for to see is the simple ra'ah. "Your heavens" (shameyka) bears a phonetic correspondence to your name of vs. 2 (shimka).

The work of your fingers. Fingers or 'etsbah derives from the verbal root tsavah, to dip. The use of fingers with regard to the creation of heavenly luminaries suggests skilled manipulation. Following the lead of Genesis, the psalmist mentioned the moon (yareach) and stars (kokavym) but not the sun. These two luminaries suggest that the psalmist is praising the glory of the night sky; furthermore, they are established or made firm even though the psalmist was aware that such heavenly bodies moved. Note that the alternate meaning for yareach is month, the Hebrews having a lunar calendar which is perhaps why the sun is not mentioned in this Psalm. Kokav or star comes from the root, to roll into a ball. Perhaps the psalmist had in mind the promise made to Abraham: "I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore" [Gen 22.17].

The following charming words may apply to this verse: "The stars shined in their watches and rejoiced; when he calls them they say 'Here we are,' and so with cheerfulness they showed light for him who made them" [Baruch 3.34, LXX].

Vs.4: What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Cf. Ps 144.3: "O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?" The verb for mindful here is zakar as noted with regard to Ps 6.5, and that for care is paqad; compare with regard, yadad and care, chashav, four words in two verses, each with different meanings. The psalmist expresses wonder over a human being before God whose mindfulness begets...zakar (for that is its fundamental meaning)...man or sustains both him and his descendants.

Vs. 4 has for man 'enush which refers to the human race, and for son of man it reads ben-'adam, referring to a particular man. Ps 144 reads the opposite: man as 'adam and son of man as ben-'enush. The verb paqad connotes the sense of visiting, of coming and of remaining for a particular purpose (sometimes as for punishing); from it is derived commandment, visitation. Paqad also intimates the abiding of God within temporal duration in the sense of kairos, the New Testament word for event, occasion.

Vs. 5: Yet you have made him little less than God, and crowned him with glory and honor. The "positive"side of our (divinized humanity) in distinction to the previous verse, tracing its origin to our being made in God's image and likeness, Gen 1.26. The verb chasar for made less implies a cutting short. This chasar is a genuine proximity to God yet distinction from him, a fact reenforced by the preposition min prefixed to God, me'elohym, i.e., "from God."

And crown him with glory and honor. That is, with kavod and hadar; former term implies a certain heaviness, a weightiness as though a part of God had "dropped" from him through the force of gravity. "And while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen" [Ex 33.22-3]. The latter term, hadar, comes from the verbal root to swell and implies a decoration or ornament. Both the bestowal of kavod and hadar are from God's act of crowning, hatar (which rhythms with hadar), as in Ps 5.12 above: "You cover him with favor as with a shield."

Vs. 6: You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet. Reference to hands implies skilled craftsmanship: "I am the Lord who made all things, who stretched out the heavens alone, who spread out the earth" [Is 44.24]. It should be noted that in the Genesis narrative of creation, there is no mention of hands.

Put all things under his feet. Implied here is that a person is exalted, perhaps on a throne, for kings were accustomed to put their feet (regel) over conquered foes. In the following, it applies to subjection of the Promised Land: "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses" [Jos 1.3]. As this verse notes, Moses did not enter the land but "I have let you see it with your eyes" [Dt 34.4], that is, vision for Moses was sufficient after which he could die. Such vision is a type of divine subjection: "And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down upon the host of the Egyptians and discomfited the host of the Egyptians" [Ex 14.24].

Vs. 9: O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! This verse is the same as the first as an expression of wonder. Vss. 7-8 mention various animals put under man's subjection: sheep, oxen, beasts of the field, birds of the air, fish of the sea. Note conjunction of vs. 6's dominion, mashal, with regard to such animals as in Gen 1.26: "And let them have dominion (yarad) over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." Yarad has a definite sense of subjection, of an inferior to a superior; mashal implies more a sense of rule; this same verbal root means to make like, resemble, implying that the superior endows the inferior with a certain resemblance of his lordship.

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Psalm Nine

Vs. 1: I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. The sentiment of thanksgiving is expressed before telling God's deeds or saphar which implies inscribing as well as uttering (cf. Ps 138.1). Implied here are the saving acts by God throughout Israel's history, although it can also apply to deliverance from the psalmist's enemies, vss. 3, 5-6.

Vs. 2: I will be glad and exult in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Two actions taking place in (b-) God, glad and exult. Samach is the common word for the former; halats is used for the latter which is not used that much in the Bible. Only by being in God the can psalmist sing praise (zamar) to God's name; cf. Ps 7.17 for this word. Note the sequence: first the psalmist expresses joy "in you," after which he sings praise to God's name, his shem, which may be taken as being external to the primary "in-ness." I.e., God's shem is not his being but outside it, as it were, as Ps 8.1 relates, "Your name in all the earth." From the vantage point of "in you," the psalmist can externally contemplate the divine shem. Note that he calls God Most High, helyon, which in fact is a name.

Vs. 4: For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment. This statement is expressed after the enemies in vs. 3 have been confounded. The Hebrew literally reads, "You have made my judgment and have judged me." This sitting, yashav, on a throne is in the past tense; one gets the idea that judgment has passed, and that the psalmist is relating (saphar above) what had transpired. The same notion of past events is related in the next two verses with respect to the psalmist's foes.

Vs. 7: But the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment. Yet another reference to divine judgment, only here God is enthroned forever, that is, transcending past and future. The psalmist says that such an abiding presence of God's throne, kise', is for issuing justice, thereby implying a continuous act of judging. Such royal imagery coupled with judgment suggests Rev 4.2: At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne!" This "being in the Spirit, Pneuma, may apply to the person uttering the words of Psalm 9.

Vs. 9: The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Such a stronghold or misgav used twice here suggests something on high as from its verbal root, sagav: "He [righteous person] will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him, his water will be sure" [Is 33.16]. This verse is reminiscent of the close of Revelation [22.17], "And let him who is thirsty come, let him (i.e., the oppressed, dakah or better, crushed) who desires take the water of life without price" which is located in the misgav or heavenly Jerusalem.

A stronghold in times of trouble. These words imply that the oppressed go there only during times of stress. The LXX has eukairos for times, another reference to an event. Note prefix eu- implying something beneficial not so much with regard to difficulty but with regard to God as misgav.

Vs. 10: And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Persons knowing God's name seem distinct from the oppressed of vs. 9, yet we may assume they take refuge in the stronghold. In the verse under consideration, knowing (yadah with its essential sense of giving birth) equals trusting, batach.

For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Seeking implies a risk in that the object sought may not be found. The common word for this verb is darash, a treading down or vigorous inquiry with back and forth movement. In this context, darash is bound up with hazav, to forsake, suggesting a sense of letting go or loosening of bands. Thus a bond exists between God and the seeker.

Vs. 11: Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! Note the physical location of God, Zion, hinting at the Temple. Although God is located here, his activity extends beyond this holy precinct, "among the peoples," literally in (b-). Thus divine being resides in Zion, whereas divine activity applies to the Gentiles. This verse may apply to the beginning of Christianity at Jerusalem, and the act of "telling" is "in his own native language" [Acts 2.8].

Vs. 12: For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. Such avenging or darash is a seeking (cf. vs. 10 above) and is suggestive of Cain and Abel: "The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground" [Gen 4.10]. The "cry of the afflicted" may apply to God's mercy on Cain: "If anyone slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord put a mark on Cain lest any who came upon him should kill him" [Gen 4.15]. Such a mark or 'oth (alternate meaning is sign) is unclear, but it was a sign for other to stay clear.

Vs. 13: Be gracious to me, O Lord! Behold what I suffer from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death. A play on words: Be gracious (channeny) and suffer (hanyey), as though divine chesed or mercy were naturally drawn to human affliction; such graciousness or chanan is the chief characteristic of God.

O you who lift me up from the gates of death. The persons expressing hate or misn'y would like to see it be brought to completion by sending the psalmist to "the gates of death." Cf. Jon 2.2: "I called to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol [i.e., 'gates of death'] I cried, and you heard my voice." Contrast these gates or shahar with those associated with Wisdom: "On the top of the walls she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks" [Prov 1.21]. Her location by the shahar are mentioned several times implying that wisdom is found in such areas of transition, that is, between the domestication and safety of the city and the wilderness outside it.

Vs. 14: That I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your deliverance. This verse brings full round the significance of gates discussed just above. Saphar (cf. as telling and as inscribing above) here is related to divine praises, tehilath. Note the location of such praises, "in the gates," beshaharey, the place-where being in, b-. The "daughter of Zion" may thus be equated with the (female) person of wisdom, chakmah.

I may rejoice in your deliverance. Again, place-where is "in the gates;" not only is chakmah here but "Jesus" in the sense of beyshuhathek, "in your deliverance." Thus we have three "ins": wisdom, daughter of Zion, deliverance.

Vs. 16: The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah. Such revelation on God's part comes after vs. 15 where the nations fell into a pit and were caught in a net of their own making. With the notion of gate in mind as already pointed out, such peoples lie outside Zion or Jerusalem: "But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written [cf. saphar above] in the Lamb's book of life" [Rev. 21.27]. Note the passive tense, has made himself known, nodah, an indirect way of self-revelation. Its connection with judgment, mishpat, is a clue in that virtually the only way to get the attention of someone insensitive to things divine is by judging their condition. The negative result of such mishpat is that "the wicked are snared (noqesh) in the work of their own hands." Such is the general theme of the Book of Revelation, the making known of God.

Higgaion. The meaning is unclear, but it seems to have something to do with the sound of a harp when struck, hagah. Cf. Ps 5.1: "Give heed to my groaning." After Higgaion we have another selah or "contemplative pause" to consider what has taken place thus far in the psalm.

Vs. 18: For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Contrast this mindfulness on God's part with the previous verse where the "wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God." In ancient cultures, to forget (shakach) someone is the worst fate that could befall a person, for the human memory was one of the most important vehicles for preserving a culture's past. The needy or 'evyon are objects of divine mindfulness; to pay attention to such unfortunates is a revolutionary statement indeed because they had not access to the culture's limited written records. They relied more on the memory of past deeds, personal ancestry, etc.

And the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Note the difference between 'evyon and the well known term for poor, haniwym (cf. Ps 40.18, combination of both words with respect to the psalmist, "I am poor and needy."). The former term seems to imply deprivation and the latter, affliction more from a source exterior to oneself.

Vs. 18 uses two words for indefinite extension, netsach for always and lahad for forever. The former implies a sense of perfection, of completeness; the latter being composed of l- and had. Had, from the root hadah, to pass over, implies constant moving within space and time.

Vs. 20: Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah. In vs. 19 the psalmist wishes such nations, goym, to undergo judgment, that is, all those peoples not belonging to Israel. This obviously sounds exclusive, given the wide variety of goym throughout the word, but it is a starting point for divine revelation just as the Gospel's preaching had a starting point in Jerusalem. Note the connection between fear (morah) and knowledge of mortality ('enush), the latter term being a collective one for all humanity. This verse closes on a positive note with regard to goym; the psalmist wishes them no harm but to acknowledge the fact of their being 'enush. Psalm 9 closes with another Selah, an invitation to consider what vs. 20 has summed up.

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Psalm Ten

Vs. 1: Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Here the psalmist mentions spacial separation between him and God when under affliction, a theme running throughout this psalm. The Hebrew is vivid, tahamod berachoq, with the suffix b-, in afar off. Implied is that sentiments of joy and gladness are not articulated in terms of distance. As opposed to temporal limitations, the span exists with regard to moral behavior (rather, lack of it) as informed by divine reality. Perhaps the most well known example of this separation, rachaq, is in Psalm 22 as in vs. 11, words often attributed to Jesus Christ when he was on the cross: "Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is none to help." Note that in Ps 10 the psalmist asks questions as to divine rachaq; no answers are given.

Vs. 12: Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. Vss. 2-11 form an extended lament about the wicked's deceit. It should be noted that one of the most common words for wicked in the Psalter is rashah whose verbal root (aptly applied) means to make a tumult or noise. The desire for God to arise, qum, is appropriate in this sense in that he stands above or apart from such pandemonium. Noise is a common attribute of Satan, of his restlessness, and the following description is appropriate: "The Lord said to Satan, 'From where have you come?' 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it'" [Job 1.7]. The verb here is shut which means to whip; also means to row in that such agitated actions produce much noise.

Lift up your hand. Singular, yadeka, not plural, an action taking place after the Lord is bidden to arise. The important role of memory (as spoken of above, Ps 9.18) may thus be associated with this hand, symbolic of divine activity. The hand's primary function is to save the poor or haniwym as well as to rebuke enemies: "You stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies" [Ps 138.7].

Vs. 14: You see, yes, you note trouble and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; the hapless commits himself to you; you have been the helper of the fatherless. This verse is in response to the arrogant statement of the wicked or rashah (note singular, not plural) vs. 13, "You will not call to account" or darash, to seek.

You see...you note. Two words pertaining to sight, ra'ah and navat; former is the common word for to see, and the latter has more a sense of to behold or to consider carefully. An example of navat: "Look [Abraham] toward heaven, and number the stars if you are able to number them" [Gen 15.5].

Navat as applied to trouble and vexation is not a passive regard of something unjust, for immediately the verse continues, "that you may take it into your hands," i.e., that God may take action. Cf. Ex 22.21: "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."

The hapless commits himself to you; you have been the helper of the fatherless. This is one of three references to chalach (fundamental meaning, to be burned) hapless, the other two being in vss. 8 and 10; no other uses are found elsewhere. Such a chalach is the primary agent (that is, not God) for committing, hazav, or abandoning himself to God. Fatherless is from the root yatom, to be solitary in the sense of being alone. To be without a father is a cruel blow to someone in a patriarchal society.

Vs. 15: Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; seek out his wickedness until you do not find any. Reference to arm or zeroah is symbolic of strength, and to break it or shavar is similar to destroying a large force or army: "But rebels and sinners shall be destroyed together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed" [Is 1.28]. Note dominance of the "sh" and "r" sounds in this verse which connote roughness or violence: shavar (break), zeroah (arm), rashah (wicked), rah (evildoer), tiderosh (seek out), rishhu (wickedness).

Until you do not find any. That is, any malevolence, not to bring actual destruction upon the person doing it.

Vs. 16: The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land. Implied here is that God has been ruling while evil was being done, and that he remains unaffected by it. Such rule is over the entire earth; the nations which perish from his (note possessive) land or 'eretz suggests the physical territory of Israel. Although they may perish, this verse leaves open the possibility that such nations or goym, largely responsible for Israel's afflictions, will live elsewhere.

Vs. 17: O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear. A close association of desire (ta'wath) and meek (haniwym). Such ta'wath does not have to be intelligible, for example, "Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard; therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman" [1 Sam 1.13]. This speaking in her heart or medabereth hal-libah reads "on her heart."

You will strengthen their heart. Such strengthening or takan implies a making level, a notion which can fit in with the hal-libah just mentioned. Another meaning is to measure as in Is 40.12: "Who has measured heaven with a span?"

You will incline your ear. Such inclining or qashav connotes a sense of sharpening and thus of close attention with regard to hearing: "Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding" [Prov 2.2].

Vs. 18: To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. The words man who is of the earth come from a divine perspective which perceives human mortality. Such terror or harats suggests a trembling as in Is 2.19: "And men shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord." Such doing of justice or shaphat implies divine care for these two classes of people. As noted above with regard to vs. 14 and the same word yatom, fatherless, being without a father in a patriarchal society is difficult.

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Psalm Eleven

Vs.1: In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me, "Flee like a bird to the mountains?" The notion of hiding (and related concepts is perhaps) is one of least appreciated yet most frequent theme in the Old Testament, and the word chasah is just one example, this being among twenty-three examples in the Psalter alone. The fundamental meaning of chasah is to cover in the sense of to veil: "The nave he [Solomon] lined with cypress, and covered it with fine gold, and made palms and chains on it" [2 Ch 3.5]. As applied to God, namely, the divine name of YHWH, it is a bold statement, especially since such chasah is in (b-) YHWH and can be taken as the psalmist disappearing within the divine name.

Due to this divine hiding, the psalmist can boldly say to his adversaries, "Flee like a bird to the mountains" or more accurately, "your mountains." Such fleeing or nod implies lamenting, that is, the expression of sorrow as when going into exile.

Vs. 4: The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven; his eyes behold, his eyelids test, the children of men. The previous two verses describe the wicked, harshamym, shooting arrows and destroying foundations. Therefore the confidence expressed in vs. 4 makes more sense. In vss. 2-3 we have violent energy in contrast to the serenity of vs. 4.

The Lord is in his holy temple. Although God is infinite, he has a special presence in the Jerusalem temple or heykal. This term pertains to the building in general; deyvyr which can translate as oracle is the very center of the heykal as the verbal root davar, to speak, reveals. Once a year the high priest was permitted to enter the devyr (also, holy of holies). Cf. Ps 28.2 for the only reference to devyr in the Psalter. Although YHWH is in the heykal, he has a fuller presence within this holy of holies.

The Lord's throne is in heaven. Such is the place-where of God's throne, kise'. Although God may sit upon this kise' located in heaven, bashamym, he uses the devyr to speak. Thus a vertical movement exists between the throne and holy of holies which translates into a horizontal movement between the holy of holies and those assembled in the temple. In light of this, consider Christ's words, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" [Jn 2.19]. I.e., destroy this devyr, this place of speaking, and I the Word or Logos will restore this same place of speaking.

His eyes behold, his eyelids test, the children of men. Such beholding or chazah is a word frequently used by the prophets to describe divine visions. Since God is in (the vertical) heaven, his chazah is directed downward, whereas the prophets' chazah was directed upwards. Note the distinction between eyes and eyelids; the latter are commonly associated with blinking or rapid movement. Applying this to God, we may say that it is designed to check...to test (bachan, implies a sense of watching)...the sons of men, beny 'adam, this second word suggesting mortality ('adam, soil).

Vs. 7: For the Lord is righteous, he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. In vss. 5 and 6 the Lord "tests the righteous and the wicked" equally, it seems. The result of such testing or bachan in the sense of watching (as in vs. 4 with regard to eyelids) is to bring the righteous, the tsadyq (singular), into accord with the vertical-horizontal movement mentioned in conjunction with the temple.

For the Lord is righteous, he loves righteous deeds. Note the alliance between God being tsadyq and human action as tsadaqoth, righteous deeds, a fact which concurs with the activity effected by a person being in the temple.

The upright shall behold his face. Contrast this with Ex 33.11: "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." Such speaking or davar is reminiscent of that speaking within the deyvyr, the holy of holies, prefigured by Moses' conversation with God in the tent, 'ohel (vs. 8). Note that Joshua...Jesus..."did not depart from the tent" (vs. 11); parallel this verse with Lk 2.46: "After three days they found him (Joshua/Jesus) in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions."

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Psalm Twelve

Vs. 1: Help, Lord, for there is no longer any that is godly; for the faithful have vanished from among the sons of men. This psalm begins with the cry, hushyhah, "Jesus," almost like the Jesus Prayer of Orthodoxy, and we may take it to read "Jesus, Lord!" Chased is an apt term for godly, one who has been so "Jesus-ed." The Hebrew verbal root for to be no longer here is gamar (cf. Ps 7.9) which fundamentally means to be perfect, complete. Perhaps a secondary reading of vs. 1 is that a person so Jesus-ed has become gamar, made perfect, a fact which the psalmist laments.

For the faithful have vanished from among the sons of men. The person who is chased is similarly among the 'emunym, faithful, but these persons have vanished or pasas which implies ceasing; cf. a cognate, 'ephes, end, extremity. I.e., such 'emunym have departed to the opposite end of moral-religious scale: "'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord" [Gen 6.7-8]. Noah was such a chased who escaped calamity in the ark. Note the parallel: man and "from the face of the ground," 'adam and 'adamah; parallel with "from among the sons of men," 'adam of vs. 1.

Vs. 2: Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. After some remarks above concerning davar, to speak, we see its negative application here. The word for lies is shawe' which also means vanity or something empty, so the sense here is that people are more or less prattling on about useless things as opposed to actually plotting evil.

With flattering lips and a double heart they speak. The notion lying behind flattering, chalaq, is that of smoothness as well as a portion of something. Thus anyone who engages in chalaq portions out falsehood. The phrase belev walev for double heart is interesting in that the literal reading is "in heart and heart;" by repeating the noun there comes this notion of doubling which connotes deceit.

Vs. 5: "Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now arise," says the Lord. "I will place him in the safety for which he longs." Two types of people special to God, the poor or haniwym and the needy or 'evyon which implies a sense of being distressed. At first glance it is difficult to see how the poor can be despoiled or shod simply because they lack possessions. However, those wishing to despoil them are aware of some relationship with God they have, the real object of hatred. The needy emit a heartfelt groan or 'anaq; the actual reason for this is not stated, but we might associate it with the plight of the haniwym.

"I will now arise," says the Lord. God had to wait for the poor and needy to get into this desperate situation, fact he must have seen beforehand. It is reminiscent of Ex 3.7: "I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters; I know their sufferings." Note the play on words as well as the verbal root to haniwym: affliction of my people, hny hamy.

I will place him in the safety for which he longs. In light of the paragraph just above, we may posit the first person as representing Israel as a nation longing for redemption from the oppression in Egypt. This safety in nothing else than being placed "in Jesus," beyeshah, the object of Israel's longing, puach, with the implication of breathing. For an example of puach, cf. Song 2.17 & 4.6: "Until the day breaks."

Vs. 6: The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. The Hebrew for promises is 'imaroth, from the root 'amar, to speak, as though divine promises are equivalent to God's speaking, his Logos or Word, Jesus Christ; note the repetition of this word as if to emphasis the validity of such divine promises.

Such 'imaroth have three qualities: 1) pure or tahor which connotes a sense of brightness, a word frequently used with regard to pure gold in the tabernacle's construction (Exodus 25-37). However, in this Psalm's verse the divine 'imaroth are 2) "silver refined in a furnace on the ground," a corrupt section of the text to the end of the verse, yet means something like "purged in a crucible (halyl)." Finally or 3), the 'imaroth has been "purified seven times," the number seven coming from the verbal root shavah, to swear (an oath). One of the most famous examples of seven is in Jos 6 where this number occurs repeatedly with regard to the fall of Jericho.

Vs. 7: Protect us, O Lord, guard us ever from this generation. The request for such protection, shamar, makes better sense in conjunction with the previous verse where refined silver must be kept this way, that is, free from tarnish or "from this generation where the verb natsar is used, mostly with the sense of watching.

Use of forever, leholam, suggests that the generation from which the psalmist requests divine help can continue indefinitely which is possibly why Psalm 12 ends with the wicked "prowling on every side."

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Psalm Thirteen

Vs. 1: How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? A brief psalm full of questions. The words how long or had-'anah coupled with the sacred divine name of YHWH are direct in their simplicity, for God lacks duration. This statement carries over into the next two questions: forgetfulness or shakach as connected with God and as noted with Ps 10.18 is the worst fate that can happen, for such disregard is equivalent to non-existence, especially since it is forever, netsach which connotes brightness or splendor.

How long will you hide your face from me? Another instance of had-'anah or anxiety arising with respect to temporal duration; satar is the common verb used for to hide; used with reference to the divine face, there is intimated a sense that such hiding will not last forever, for one can hide just as easily as reveal. I.e., there is not real finality to the situation.

Vs. 3: Consider and answer me, O Lord, my God; lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. This verse follows on the heels of the previous one where the psalmist continues with had-'anah (bearing of pain and the enemy exulting). Navat is the word for to consider which implies more regarding or looking. The vantage point for such navat is, of course, from above in heaven, so we have here a vertical type of considering. This fits in well with the verb to answer, hanah, which indicates singing, a lifting-up of the voice in line, as it were, with the vertical navat.

Lighten my eyes. More precisely, let my eyes see or become aware of the vertical relationship God has with humanity. Note the similarity between my eyes, henyny, and answer me, haneny, indicating a harmony between vision and voice.

Lest I sleep the sleep of death. Better, "least I sleep death," where both realities are closely identified. Thus the considering and answering of God prevent both sleep and more importantly, death itself.

Vs. 5: But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. Vs. 4 develops the "lest-ness" (pen-) pertaining to sleep and death with "lest my enemy say," "lest my foes rejoice." This divine steadfast love is chesed.

My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. Another mention of "Jesus" as my salvation, beyeshuhateka. The verb to rejoice is gyl which basically implies going in a circle or a circular dance serves to give form to such rejoicing which takes place in "Jesus" as in "We have waited form him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation" [Is 25.9]. Such gyl movement revolves around salvation which is the center point of this activity.

Vs. 6: I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me.⁽⁵⁾ Such singing or shyr ties in well with the circular gyl movement of rejoicing in vs. 5, for singing and dancing go hand in hand, especially in a liturgical context. The reason for such rejoicing is God's graciousness to the psalmist, gamal haly, "dealt bountifully on me." This verb is neutral in that it can pertain to the bestowal of good or evil. Note the preposition, haly, "on me," a specific way of bestowing from above (hal) in accord with the vertical motion mentioned earlier.

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Psalm Fourteen

Vs. 1: The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good. The word for fool, naval, implies something withered or faded, thereby suggesting that such a person is in the process of decay and eventual death: "The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever" [Is 40.7]. Nabal is also a proper noun, the husband of Abigail: "Let not my lord regard this ill-natured fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him" [1 Sam 25.25]. This with him is a expressive way of saying that the person of Nabal is identified with the essence of naval; both are one and the same.

To say something in one's heart, belibu, is to really mean it although such an utterance may be not be articulated. Thus when it comes to "There is no God," such a person is truly naval, that is, denying ultimate reality and apply the essence of naval, of decay, to what can never experience decay.

Such corrupt persons and abominable deeds are reminiscent of the inhabitants of Sodom (cf. Gen 19.4-11).

"There is none that does good." The word here ("There is not"), 'eyn, signifies complete negativity, lack of substance, as with the "There is no ('eyn) God" just above. Such 'eyn is transferred from a naval's perception of God into his behavior or deeds, hoseh-tov.

Vs. 2: The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God. In vs. 1 I alluded to Sodom; this verse may apply to it, for example, "Then the Lord said, 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know'" [Gen 18.20-1]. Note that this singular person (the Lord) is addressing Abraham; it takes place within the context of the three men who visited him.

The Lord looks down from heaven. Such a downward look, shaqaph, contrasts with the "outcry which has come to me," that is, a vertical ascent. We see this verb in reference to the three me who visited Abraham: "Then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom" [Gen 18.19]. Note that shaqaph here is a horizontal regard; nevertheless, it signifies incorporation of shaqaph's inherent vertical regard onto the horizontal plane. The fundamental meaning of shaqaph is to lay upon, lay over (as with planks). Cf. Ex 14.24 which has a meaning applicable to God's regard for Sodom: "And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down upon the host of the Egyptians, and discomfited the host of the Egyptians."

To see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God. Such is the object of divine shaqaph: sakal or to act wisely and darash or to seek. Sakal implies a being wise which here translates into doing; it lacks an object, further indication of its ontological nature. The meaning of sakal is to behold, to be successful, thereby combining doing and acting in one operation: "And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him" [1 Sam 18.14]. Here the reason for David's sakal is the of God's presence (NB: sakal is opposite to naval above). The very fact of being sakal automatically leads to the darash of God, and the fact of darash-ing after God leads to being sakal.

Vs. 5: There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. Verses 3 and 4 reveal the failure of not being aware of God's shaqaph, namely, of being naval: gone astray, corrupt, does no good, no knowledge, eat up my people, do not call upon God.

There they shall be in great terror. The "there-ness," sham, is unspecified, does not have a location. Such sham where terror or pachad in the sense of trembling is experienced may be the wicked depicted in vss. 3-4. Evil does have a locale in that it busily focuses upon its expression as opposed to the broadness of the divinity. An example of pachad with a different focus: "Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice" [Is 60.5].

For God is with the generation of the righteous. The Is 60.5 reference is representative of this group endowed with the positive nature of pachad, that is trembling with joy. Note the Hebrew, "with the generation," in or b-, indicating thorough presence. Since ancient peoples were concerned with continuity of their past into the future, mention of generation or dod united with God's "in-ness" is crucial for propagation of justice, tsadaqah, which has rules quite different from natural generation.

Vs. 6: You would confound the plans of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge. We normally do not consider the poor, haniwym, to have plans, hatsoth, which is better rendered counsel. The negative side of hetsah (singular) is interesting where it can refer to an object of worship: "Yes, the thing [calf of Beht-aven] shall be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim shall be put to shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol" [Hos 10.6]. The wicked of Psalm 14 desire to confound or bosh, more precisely, shame such unfortunates but the result is "The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might" [Mic 7.16]. The obvious reason for their bosh is that "the Lord is his refuge," singular, but can apply to the nation of Israel as a whole. Such refuge, chasah (cf. Ps 11.1), implies hiding by the poor man, not necessarily in the physical sense but in YHWH. This involves a loss of self-awareness, something the poor man already has, making it is relatively easy to hide in the Lord which the wicked cannot do because of their heightened self-awareness.

Vs. 7: O that deliverance for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad. Another rendition, "Who will give Jesus?" or in light of Is 6.8, "Here I am! Send me." The answer lies in deliverance, yeshuhath in the person of Jesus. Note the close identity between "Jesus" and Israel which may read, "Who will give from Zion deliverance Israel?" I.e., no distinction as through a preposition between the two proper nouns.

When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people. The same Hebrew word applies to both restore and fortune, shuv, in the sense of returning. "From the fruit of his words a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man's hand comes back to him" [Prov 12.14]. This yearning for better times is not specified, but we may take it to an eventual return to Paradise.

Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad. Two names for one person: "Then [man who wrestled] he said, 'Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed'" [Gen 32.28]. Note the association of Jacob with gyl, to rejoice, in the sense of doing a round dance as noted with regard to Ps 13.6. Such gyl has a certain kinship with Jacob's wrestling: "And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day" [Gen 32.24]. The verb here is 'avaq, to raise the dust.

As for Israel, the new name bestowed upon Jacob by this anonymous wrestler, it came about during the night in a mysterious encounter. The newly named Jacob asked this man's name but did not answer except with a blessing. It is interesting to note that he named the site of this encounter Peniel, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved" [vs. 30]. Thus vision of God is associated with Israel after the manner of Moses on Mt. Sinai.

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Psalm Fifteen

Vs. 1: O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? The two questions with respect to tent and holy hill pertain to those persons who are morally upright and live in accord with the divine Torah. Note the distinction: tent or 'ohel refers to the temple itself which was retained this image from the nomadic times of Israel's past. I.e., a tent symbolizes transitoriness or being in a constant process of moving from place to place. Perhaps too the psalmist has in mind Joshua...Jesus...who "did not depart from the tent" [Ex 33.11]. The desire to abide in this 'ohel may be found in Heb 11 which names heros of faith which are marked by a sense of exile, of temporary abiding on earth. The word for sojourn of vs. 1 is gur, which intimates tarrying, of delaying along with a sense of not belonging. When applied to the temple/tent, clearly this provisional nature of a place of worship is intimated.

Who shall dwell on your holy hill? Such dwelling, shakan, suggests an abiding or more permanent residence not within the sacred 'ohel itself but on God's holy hill, behar qadsheka. Note the preposition b-, in, as though such a dweller were permeating this hill. The hill gives more latitude, as it were, for continued living, yet is still marked off by sacredness, whereas the tent is more specific; although a person may enter it, one cannot permanently abide there.

Vs. 2: He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, and speaks truth from his heart. Three "active" features: walking or holek, doing or pahal and speaking or davar, all of which balance the (stationary) presence implied in vs. 1 as well as flow from it. Because such activity drives from the tent and holy hill, we can suspect that it pertains to areas other than them, i.e., in the so called "profane" territory in the literal sense of pro (before) fanus (temple)...before or outside the temple.

Vs. 5: He who does these things shall never be moved⁽⁶⁾. Verses 3-5 (first part) digress on the qualities of a person about whom the psalmist questioned in vs. 1: does not slander, does no evil, does not reproach, despises a reprobate, honors those who fear God, does not change, does not loan with interest and does not take bribes. These qualities may be tied in with the Ten Commandments; both sets are negative in that they offer prohibitions or exhortations to refrain from evil behavior.

These dispositions result in not being moved, mot, similar in sound to mut, blemish. We may assume that such stability pertains to the tent and holy hill.

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Psalm Sixteen

Vs. 1: Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." The taking of refuge makes sense in light of the previous Psalm (tent and holy hill) where the psalmist instinctively goes. Note that the psalmist first hides, chasah, vak, in you, which at first glance would seem to effect his preservation or shamar by God; i.e., we have here another example of being in (b-) the divinity.

I have no good apart from you. The Hebrew meaning is obscure here; it can read "My good, none above you." Perhaps my good or tovaty may be an exclamation of joy at being in (b-) God beyond which nothing else exists for the psalmist. The none above you or bal-haleyka can suggest that such in-ness is the