Psalm Sixty-Nine
(This section contains Psalms 69-80)
Vs. 1: Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. This psalm begins with a plea to be "Jesus-ed," yashah, with the context of waters reaching the psalmist's neck or in Hebrew, his soul, nephesh. "For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood was round about me" [Jon 2.3]. Waters are representative of chaos: "and darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Gen 1.2).
Vs. 2: I sink in deep mire where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. While the waters rise in the previous verse, the psalmist is sinking, tavah. "Your trusted friends have deceived you and prevailed against you; now that your feet are sunk in the mire, they turn away from you" [Jer 38.22]. While mire is used here, it is a different word (bots; the only instance of this word; cf. bitsah, marsh) from that of the psalm at hand, yawan, used with reference to clay. "Just as you saw iron mixed with the miry clay" [Dan 2.41]. No foothold or mahamad, the only instance of this word in the Bible.
In addition to this semi-firm circumstance, the psalmist says that he has come into "deep waters," hamaq being the verbal root from which is derived valley. This term serves to make the psalmist more vulnerable to floods or shiboleth (singular). "In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the Lord will thresh out the grain, and you will be gathered one by one, O people of Israel" [Is 27.12]. Note that shiboleth can also mean an ear of corn. "And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk" [Gen 41.5]. For such water to sweep over (shataph) someone means to overwhelm as in Jer 47.2: "Behold, waters are rising out of the north and shall become an overflowing torrent."
Vs. 3: I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. Three further complaints resulting from the psalmist's predicament:
1) weary or yagah, a word which implies overwork, here with regard to crying, qara', which also meaning calling.. "For you are wearied of me, O Israel" [Is 43.22].
2) his throat is parched or charar. "He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness" [Jer 17.6]. It can also refer to being angry: "My mother's sons were angry with me" [Sg 1.6]. Note that this verse takes place within the context of the bride being scorched (shazaph).
3) the psalmist's eyes grow dim or kalah, a verb which implies languishing. "If I have withheld anything that the poor desired or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail" [Job 31.16]. In the verse at hand, kalah is in conjunction with waiting or yachal. Note the play on words in vs. 3 between the two forms, kalu and meyachel. Such waiting is with respect to (l-) God, i.e., in-the-direction.
Vs. 4: More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore? Contrast "hairs of my head" with Mt 10.30: "But even the hairs of your head are all numbered." Such foes are marked by the following: 1) hate him without cause or chinan as in Prov 1.17: "For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird." 2) intend to destroy or tsamath whose fundamental meaning is to be silent. 3) attack with lies or sheqer, which connotes deception. "You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another" [Lev 19.11].
The psalmist perceives that his assailants are after him because he had stolen (gazal) something and has to restore (shuv) what he does not have.
Vs. 5: O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Despite his laments about being falsely accused, nevertheless the psalmist admits that before God he is guilt of folly, 'iweleth, a word frequently used in Proverbs such as 5.23: "and because of his great folly he is lost." Compare with the hevel or vanity of Ecclesiastes; the former implies impiety and the latter, emptiness.
Wrongs or 'ashmah (singular) can also refer to an offering: "and give it to him whom it belongs on the day of his guilt offering" [Lev 5.24]. Such an 'ashmah by its nature is public, and the psalmist is correct to say that it cannot remain hidden, kichad, a verbal root which implies disowning something.
Vs. 6: Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. Two earnest wishes:
1) for a person not to be shamed or bosh. "In that day you shall not be ashamed" [Zeph 3.11]. In the verse at hand, such shame is contrasted with hope or qawah not so much in God but in the psalmist who seems to be a representative of the people. "Let none that wait for you be put to shame" [Ps 25.3], words similar to vs. 6. The Hebrew preposition for through is b-, literally, in. This first wish is addressed to the "Lord God of hosts," tseva'oth. "The Lord of hosts is his name" [Jer 32.18], signifying authority over angelic beings.
2) for a person not to be dishonored, kalam. "They are ashamed and confounded and cover their heads" [Jer 14.3]; note the second use of the preposition b- with regard to this verb. Here dishonor is contrasted with seeking God, baqash. "Upon my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves" [Sg 3.1]. This second wish is addressed to the "God of Israel," that is, the human nation chosen by God which forms a type of host or joins in the angelic choirs about God.
Vs. 7: For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face. Words reminiscent of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah (cf. Is 42.1-4) and Jesus Christ and his passion; these verses are quoted in Mt 12.18+. Two injustices borne by the psalmist: 1) reproach or cherpah, that is, for God: "It is for your sake that I have suffered rebuke" [Jer 15.15]. 2) shame or kilmah: "I hid not my face from shame and spitting" [Is 50.6]. "That the Christ must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead,, he would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles" [Acts 26.23].
Vs. 8: I have become a stranger to my brethren, an alien to my mother's son. Two forms of estrangement: 1) stranger or zor which implies adultery: "For I have loved strangers, and after them I will go" [Jer 2.25]. This is made especially poignant because being a zor is associated with brethren, those member of the household of Israel. 2) alien or nakry, with regard to "mother's son," implying the psalmist's own son and hence his inability to pass on his inheritance. "I am an alien in their sight" [Job 19.15]. Thus son and brethren are perceived as one and the same reality.
Vs. 9: For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. A verse quoted in Jn 2.17 with respect to Jesus Christ after he cleansed the Jerusalem temple of merchants. Zeal or qin'ath implies jealousy which can apply to God: "The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this" [Is 9.7], i.e., cleanse the temple. 'Akal is the common verb for to eat. "He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things" [Lev 21.22]. Such zeal for things divine has negative ramifications for the psalmist who suffers insults or cheraph (singular) as described in vs. 7. Such a cherpah initially directed towards God indirectly falls upon the psalmist; again, refer this to Jesus Christ.
Vs. 10: When I humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. The Hebrew text reads, "I made my soul mourn with fasting." A unity between soul (nephesh) and fasting (tsom). "When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted" [Zech 7.5]? Because nephesh is not physical, the fasting of which the psalmist speaks is of the spiritual order. Despite this invisibility, it was recognized by those afflicting the psalmist because his soul's fasting became a reproach, cheraph.
Vs. 11: When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. Sackcloth or saq is a traditional sign of mourning or affliction. "Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth" [Jl 1.8]. Putting on this garment automatically, as it were, made the psalmist a byword, mashal, which also means a proverb. "I will open my mouth in a parable" [Ps 78.2]. Thus he becomes a saying known among people, a fact which emphasizes his affliction resulting from zeal for God's house (cf. vs. 9).
Vs. 12: I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. Talk is a verb in the Hebrew text, syach, which can also apply to things divine: "I will meditate on your precepts, and fix my eyes on your ways" [Ps 119.15]. From this verbal root is derived the word plant: "when no plant of the field was yet in the earth" [Gen 2.5]. This syach is characteristic of people sitting in the gate, shahar, where people exit and enter a (fortified) city. "So they took Jesus, and he went out (i.e., the gate), bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull" [Jn 19.17].
Drunkards or in Hebrew, "drinkers (shatah) of strong drink (shekar)." In vs. 12, note the words containing the letters sh and s: syach, yashav, shahar, shatah, shekar. These letters serve to emphasize the psalmist's contempt for his detractors.
Vs. 13: But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me. With your faithful help. The psalmist's prayer (tephilah) is directly to the Lord, l-, that is while his detractors mock him. He is quick to add a time ('eth) which is acceptable (ratson), that is, a kairos (in the LXX) which is specified as being one of favor, according to the Hebrew text. "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full of the blessings of the Lord" [Dt 33.23]. During this kairos the psalmist wishes an answer from God, hanah being the verbal root (cf. Ps 4.1 for details). Furthermore, hanah is situated within God's steadfast love or chesed; not just chesed plain and simple but in its abundance (rav).
This verse has the beginning of vs. 14 which speaks of yeshah or "Jesus" which is characterized as being faithful or in the Hebrew text, "in truth (of your salvation)," 'emeth.
Vs. 14: Rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. The need to be rescued (natsal) is a secondary feature, as it were, of "Jesus" mentioned in vs. 13; here it applies to the psalmist being in mire or tyt which according to Ps 18.43, is in the streets, a worse condition than that mire at the bottom of a well in that people and animals trample on it. The Hebrew lacks sinking.
Again the psalmist uses the verb natsal, this time concerning his enemies and "deep waters;" the former may be identified with the latter in that they produce chaos, hamaq being the verbal root. "The words of a man's mouth are deep waters" [Prov 18.4].
Vs. 15: Let not the flood sweep over me or the deep swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. A continuation of the psalmist's petition to God that he not be overwhelmed by foes articulated within the context of troubled water. Three parts are obvious:
1) flood or shiboleth (cf. vs. 2) which can sweep over the psalmist, shataph, again as in vs. 2.
2) deep or metsulah as in Ps 68.22: "I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea." Such deep threatens to swallow up the psalmist, balah. Ps 21.9 uses this verb with respect to enemies of God: "The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath."
3) pit or be'er; a related word is bor into which Joseph was thrown by his brothers (Cf. Gen 37.22). The former usually implies a fountain and the latter a cistern. In the verse at hand, the psalmist fears that such a be'er will shut its mouth over him, 'atar, in the sense of binding. "Among all these were seven hundred picked men who were left-handed" [i.e., "bound," Judg 20.16].
Vs. 16: Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. Another request to be answered (hanah, cf. vs. 13) in accord with divine chesed, also in vs. 13. Compare it being good (tov) here and in that verse, rav or great. In addition to a desire for hanah, the psalmist beseeches that God turn to him, panah, as in Ps 25.16: "Turn to me and be gracious to me." In the verse at hand, panah is associated with racham, mercy, which is similarly abundant (rav). Racham is the verbal root for womb; the plural form (rachamym) is frequently used.
Vs. 17: Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress, make haste to answer me. In the first part of this verse the psalmist speaks as though he were another person (servant, heved). Such a request regarding the divine face (paney) is reminiscent of Ex 33.20: "But you cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live." With this in mind, the hiding of God's face which the psalmist dreads can turn out to be a benefit. On the other hand, if God conceals his face, the psalmist would remain in distress or tsar. Cf. Ps 25.17: "Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distresses." The request to be heard (hanah) is the same verb as in vss. 13 & 16 above).
Vs. 18: Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies! Three supplications:
1) draw near or qarav; the noun qerev means the interior of a thing: "Their heart is destruction" [Ps 5.10]. In the verse under consideration, this verb is used with regard to the Hebrew text's use of nephesh (soul).
2) redeem or ga'al; it can mean the opposite as in Mal 1.7: "By offering polluted food upon my altar."
3) set free or padah in the sense of paying a price. "Every firstling of an ass you shall redeem with a lamb" [Ex 13.13]. All three supplications are because of the psalmist's enemies, 'oyev (singular).
Vs. 19: You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you. The first sentence is active, i.e., God knows (yadah) three secrets of the psalmist: reproach (cherphah), shame (besheth) and dishonor (kelimah). These issue from his foes or tsarar (singular) which in the Hebrew text are "before you," the preposition neged being a type of knowledge. Such divine awareness does not directly intervene on the psalmist's behalf but serves to introduce his list of woes and cures which follow from this verse through vs. 28. They may be outlined as follows, keeping in mind that God's yahah is operative throughout:
-insults break the psalmist's heart
-he lacks pity and comforters
-receives poison and vinegar to consume
The psalmist now (vs. 22) states a number of curses intended for his assailants:
-table (of foes) a snare
-feasts a trap
-eyes be darkened
-loins tremble
-divine indignation on them
-divine burning anger
-(foes') camp be desolate. This and the next curse are quoted in Acts 1.20. The New Testament reference to Judas helps situate this list of curses and personal woes of the psalmist. Note that Acts quotes it after the Ascension and before Pentecost and within the context of choosing a successor to Judas, i.e., Matthias (cf. vs. 26).
-their tents lack inhabitants
-(foes) persecute and afflict (Hebrew reads, "recount the pain of") those persons (Hebrew, plural) whom God has smitten and wounded. I.e., human foes intensify the divinely afflicted pain, presumably from disobedience.
-punishment upon punishment, i.e., to the psalmist's foes
-no acquittal
-blotted out from book of living
-not enrolled among righteous
Vs. 29: But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high! Note the similar sounding words, 'any (I) and hany (afflicted, from hanah), as if to show the intensity of the psalmist's sufferings. He also is in pain, ka'av, which implies sorrow: "If I speak, my pain is not assuaged" [Job 16.6].
Despite the intensity of suffering, the psalmist calls upon God's "Jesus" or yeshuah which is equivalent to being set on high, sagav. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe" [Prov 18.10].
Vs. 30: I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. Most likely this praise (halal) issues from being in that tower of Proverbs just above; i.e., the psalmist is now sagav. Note that praise is not directly towards God but his shem which can be taken as his yeshuah; song is associated with this "Jesus," shyr. Also note the similarity of sound between shem and shyr (and hence, "Jesus").
Furthermore, the psalmist magnifies this shem, gadal, a word suggestive of his condition of being sagav. The medium of such glorification is thanksgiving, todah, which is the very summit of his safe place.
Vs. 31: This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. "This will please" is the verb yatav from which comes the common adjective good. The psalmist refers to his todah of the previous verse which is more excellent than sacrificial animals; note that bull or par is specified by horns and hoofs, two of its chief characteristics, thereby contributing to this animal's superiority and heightening the psalmist's value of thanksgiving. "Let him (priest) offer for the sin which he has committed a young bull without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering" [Lev 4.3].
Vs. 32: Let the oppressed see it and be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. The oppressed or hanawym as noted earlier (Ps 25.9, twice mentioned) are traditionally favored by God. They both see (ra'ah) and are glad (samach), the latter deriving from their vision of the psalmist's praise and magnifying of vs. 30. Since he is located in a high place as was intimated in that verse, the hanawym may be situated in a lower place and participate in his loftiness by their vision.
The second class of people sharing in the psalmist's exultation or those who seek (darash) God; their aspiration results in their hearts being revived, lavav, from which derives the noun heart. This verb also means to ravish: "You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride, you have ravished my heart with a glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace" [Sg. 4.9].
Vs. 33: For the Lord hears the need and does not despise his own that are in bonds. Another reference to those (needy, 'eveyon, singular) who are akin to the hanawym of vs. 32. "You shall open wise your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land" [Dt 15.11]. Note that the Lord hears (shamah) such 'eveyon, whereas the hanawym above see. In addition to this hearing, God does not despise (boz)-according to the Hebrew text-prisoners ('asyr, singular) which implies persons who are bound ('asar). "If I met you outside, I would kiss you, and none would despise me" [Sg 8.1]. "Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope" [Zech 9.12].
Vs. 34: Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves therein. In vs. 30 the psalmist praises (halal) God; here he invites four elements of creation to join in the chorus: heaven, earth, seas and which moves in it, ramash. This verb basically means to crawl. "Let them have dominion...over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth" [Gen 1.26].
Vs. 35: For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah; and his servants shall dwell there and possess it. The word for (k-) seems to join creation just mentioned with the more particular Zion and cities of Judah. The first is the object of divine salvation or "Jesus," yashah, and the latter of (in Hebrew) building, banah. Cf. Ps 51.18: "Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild (again in Hebrew, build) the walls of Jerusalem."
The Hebrew text lacks "servants" and reads "that they may dwell...", implying both Zion and Judah's cities. Note that dwelling (yashav) comes first followed by possessing (yarash) it; the singular intimates Zion as opposed to the plural cities of Judah. Yarash also means to inherit; with this in mind, there must be something for future generations to acquire, hence the priority for yashav.
Vs. 36: The children of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it. This psalm closes with assurance of an inheritance, nachal being the verb, which is related to possess of the previous verse. The object of nachal is Zion (singular as opposed to plural cities); those who obtain this inheritance-for it implies the Jerusalem temple-are children or zerah, and whose alternate meaning is seed. "Great triumphs he gives to his king and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever" [Ps 18.50].
Again the psalmist mentions the divine name, shem (cf. remarks above regarding "Jesus"). Here dwelling (shakan) and loving ('ahav) are two aspects of the same inheritance or "seed." Compare shakan with yashav of vs. 35; the former means an more permanent abiding whereas the latter seems to refer more to sitting. "For the upright will inhabit (shakan) the land, and men of integrity will remain in it" [Prov 2.21].
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Psalm Seventy
Vs. 1: Be pleased, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me! Note the use of God ('elohym) and Lord (YHWH) in these two brief sentences. The Hebrew text lacks "be pleased" and reads "God, to deliver me," natsal. The psalmist's desire for the Lord to help him (hazar) is more urgent in that it is associated with the verb to hasten, chush, and is used frequently in the psalter.
Vs. 2: Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! The first of three "lets" directed against the psalmist's foes (vss. 2-3):
1) shame and confusion
2) turn back and brought to dishonor
3) be appalled due to their shame
Vs. 4: May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, "God is great!" This verse contains three "mays" to counter the just mentioned three "lets;" the former pertains to the psalmist's adversaries, whereas the latter to those persons who love God: Rejoice (sus) and be glad (samach) are the first two and are dependent upon the person seeking (baqash) God. Baqash here counters that of vs. 2, those persons seeking the psalmist's life.
The third "may" is related to "Jesus," yeshuah, salvation, which is the object of love or 'ahav. The adverb tamyd (evermore) implies continuance. "They will set apart men to pass through the land continually and bury those remaining upon the face of the land" [Ezk 39.14].
Vs. 5: But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry! Here the psalmist contrasts himself with those persons engaged in seeking God as just mentioned. He identifies himself as both hany and 'eveyon, two words considered earlier (Ps 69.29 & 33). Because of this he begs God to hasten, another instance of chush as in vs. 1.
Compare chush with a similar request, for God not to tarry or 'achar. "I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now" [Gen 32.4]. The psalmist appeals to the Lord as his help (heser) and deliverer (mepalat), two functions which may be applied to the more basic one of God as "Jesus."
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Psalm Seventy-One
Vs. 1: In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! From this verse through verse four we have a series of requests from God:
1) The first verse has two opposing forces, taking refuge (chasah) and being put to shame (bush). The former is not so much a request as a statement of something already accomplished. The latter is never or leholam, implying remembrance of such bush to future generations, not so much as with regard to God. The verb chasah also means to trust: "And they shall trust in your name" [Zeph 3.12].
2) Deliver (natsal) me.
3) Rescue (palat) me. Note the similarity between the two which were often encountered earlier; natsal implies a pulling away or out from a dangerous situation whereas palat implies slipperiness and hence a more stealthy way of accomplishing release.
4) Incline (natah) with reference to the divine ear; this verb connotes a stretching forth, almost as though God's ear were physically elongated.
5) Save (yashah) or "Jesus" me.
6) Rescue (palat) me, this time with regard not so much as the wicked himself but his hand or yad which signifies negative activity as opposed to the positive kind of palat. This verb has another object, grasp or kaph which signifies hand in its entirety and which is a fuller apprehension than one by yad.
Vs. 5: For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Two titles attributed to the Lord which correspond to the series of requests just enumerated: hope (tiqwah) which applies to the future or an yet unrealized state and trust (mibtach) which applies to the present or an ongoing situation. Both have been operative for some time, namely, from the psalmist's youth or nehorym. "And I have walked before you from my youth until this day" [1 Sam 12.2].
Vs. 6: Upon you I have leaned from my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you. In the previous birth youth was mentioned with regard to hope and trust. Here the psalmist speaks of his birth or beten, which more precisely means womb. "Two nations are in your womb" [Gen 25.23]. Thus the psalmist's leaning (samak, often noted earlier) can apply to both before and after birth. "When the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy" [Lk 1.44]. Here John the Baptist recognizes the Virgin Mary's voice in his mother's womb; i.e., a womb-to-womb contact, as it were.
The second part of vs. 6 more specifically refers to womb or mehah which can also mean heart in the sense of one's inmost being: "My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me" [Sg 5.4]. Note that the verb gazah, to take, is the only instance in the Bible.
Because of this two fold dependance upon divine assistance before and after birth, the psalmist recognizes that it is a continuous activity, tamyd, which demands an equally continuous praise or tehilat.
Vs. 7: I have been as a portent to many; but you are my strong refuge. This being a portent or mopheth implies wonder in the sense of a miracle: "My wonders accomplished in the land of Egypt" [Ex 7.3]. With mention of John the Baptist in the previous verse, we may say that he was a mopheth in the desert announcing the coming of Jesus Christ. The second part of vs. 7-God as strong refuge (machasy-hoz) where the noun's verbal root is chasah, to hide-intimates that being a mopheth is fraught with danger and misunderstanding, also applicable to John as well as Christ.
Vs. 8: My mouth is filled with your praise and with your glory all the day. Given the earlier allusions to birth and youth, this verse may be said to be a extension or progression of vs. 6's "My praise is continually of you." The psalmist's mouth is filled with two things: praise or tehilat and glory or tiphe'arah "all the day" signifying that these two acknowledgments of God occurs during the daytime as opposed to the night, that is, with respect to the psalmist's mouth. The latter also means beauty: "And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty" [Ex 28.2]. Glory's verbal root pa'ar implies adornment in the sense of being beautiful: "The shoot of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified" [Is 60.14], that is, that God might be adorned.
Vs. 9: Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent. Here the psalmist implies that old age will not be a time for praise of God, i.e., the "continually" and "all the day" might not apply at this time (heth, LXX, kairos). Hence his request not to be cast off (shalak, base meaning is to send) during old age or ziqenah. "Even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you" [Is 46.4].
There is a play on words, "when my strength is spent," kikloth kochy; the former is the verbal root kalah which also implies completion: "When Solomon had finished the building" [1 Kg 9.1]. Once strength or koach is spent, the psalmist wishes that God do not forsake (hazav) him in the sense of abandoning him. Cf. Ps 22.1 which has the same verb and is put on Christ's mouth at his crucifixion (cf. Mt 27.46).
Vs. 10: For my enemies speak concerning me, those who watch for my life consult together. This verse continues into the next and can apply to Christ's passion and crucifixion. It can be divided into speakers and watchers, the latter scrutinizing every step of the psalmist (shamar, which can also mean to protect). The object of shamar here is his life, nephesh, which also translates as soul. Such watching alternates with consulting, yahats. For a positive sense of this word, cf. Is 9.5: "His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor."
Vs. 11 opens with say which was attributed to the psalmist's enemies in vs. 10, speak ('amar), and contains the actual words they uttered in their consultation. Note their observation that God has forsaken (hazav) the psalmist as in vs. 9. As a result of this hazav, the conspirators, in their confidence that there is no natsal or deliverance for the psalmist, feel free to pursue (radaph) and to seize (taphas) him. "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself" [Mt 27.40]! Perhaps natsal may apply here; note its use with reference to "Jesus," the verbal root of which is yashah.
Vs. 12: O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! To be far off or rachaq implies spiritual distance experienced by the psalmist as he undergoes his enemies' taunts just described and is emphasized by the preposition from, min. "We look for...salvation but it is far from us" [Is 55.11]. The desire to make haste or chush implies taking flight and is used frequently with regard to God in the Psalter (22.20, 38.23, 40.14, 70.1 & 6, 141.1). In this instance, chush is bound up with help, natsal, and counters the enemies' belief that no such help is available, vs. 11.
Vs. 13: May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt. The word for accuser or satan comes from the same verbal root as Satan noted in the first chapter of Job. "And in the reign of Ahasuerus, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem" [Ezra 4.6]. After the psalmist's wish for his adversaries to be put to shame (yavash), he wishes them to be consumed or kalah as in vs. 9, "when my strength is spent." The Hebrew text situates such accusers in relation to the psalmist's soul or nephesh.
For the accusers to be covered (hatah) implies making them visible for everyone to see; such "clothing" is scorn and disgrace. "You have covered him with shame" [Ps 89.45].
Vs. 14: But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. "But" connotes a change of mind by the psalmist while still undergoing the torments described above and expressed in term of hope, yachal. Cf. Ps 38.18, "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love." Note the indefinite period of duration, tamyd, and compare with praise (halal) which increases, i.e., more and more. This phrase is a verb in Hebrew, yasaph, which fundamentally means to increase. Thus hope may be said to last for an undetermined period of time whereas praise increases without limit or bounds.
Vs. 15: My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. Since praise comes from the mouth, it may be allied with the telling saphar (note play on words with yasaph). The psalmist's impersonal mouth is the agent doing this saphar and is done with regard to divine righteousness (tsedaqah, in Hebrew) and deeds of salvation (teshuhah, salvation in Hebrew, another reference to "Jesus"). "And my salvation shall not tarry" [Is 46.13]. Note the duration of teshuhah, "all the day," during which time their number (saphar is the verbal root with its implication of writing something down). Thus we have two instances in one verse of the same verb, tell and number. A paradox exists with regard to the second saphar: the psalmist "writes down" that which he does not know, yadah, the verb being used in the Hebrew text.
Vs. 16: With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come, I will praise your righteousness, yours alone. No direction is specified regarding this coming, presumably to offer sacrifice at the Jerusalem temple. Note the Hebrew: "in (b-) the mighty deeds" as though the psalmist were entering these gevorah (singular). Such accomplishments are attributed to God, perhaps with indirect reference to the Exodus event. The psalmist is clear to praise or in Hebrew, to remember (zakar) divine righteousness, this word (as noted elsewhere) being the verbal root for male which implies the propagation of such righteousness. He is clear to point out that such an attribute belongs only to God, lavad.
Vs. 17: O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. Such teaching (lamad) means more the inner appropriation of a doctrine in the sense of becoming a disciple which a similar noun means in Syriac. The psalmist points out a time span: from his youth (nehorym) to what may be supposed as maturity, still, or had-henah, the point at which he is uttering these words. The verb nagad (to proclaim) is related to the preposition neged (before) suggesting that this lamad is being placed before his audience only with regard to God's wondrous deeds, nipel'oth.
Vs. 18: So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, till I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. Your power. Another mention of old age, ziqenah, as in vs. 9, only here emphasized by gray hairs, sevah. "As for yourself [Abraham], you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age" [Gen 15.15]. The psalmists begs God not to forsake (hazav) him in both descriptions of the same time period. In brief, he doesn't want his enemies' wish for this same hazav in vs. 11 to come true with respect to God himself.
The word till (had) can intimate that is acceptable for God to forsake the psalmist; had serves as a transition to proclaiming (nagad again with its inference of the preposition before) divine might or zeroah which also means arm. "O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning" [Is 33.2]. Such before-ness extends to future generations, dor (singular). Such indefinite temporal extension is a ruse, so to speak, to forestall God forsaking the psalmist. The Hebrew reads, "to a generation, to all that come."
Vs. 18 ends with "your power," gevorah (as in vs. 16), in which the psalmist will come; it continues into the following verse.
Vs. 19: And your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? Such righteousness (tsedaqah) is allied with gevorah at the very end of vs. 18. The Hebrew text reads "Your righteousness, O God is very high (marom)," suggesting that this divine quality is situation up in the heavens, God's proper dwelling place. Despite such loftiness, the doing of great things is effected with regards to earth below or the realm of human affairs, hence the concluding exclamation.
Vs. 20: You who have made me see many sore troubles will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. This "causing to see (ra'ah)" is indirect and leads to inquire about the agent between God and the psalmist or the manner by which such ra'ah is effected. Such a view enables the psalmist not to be caught up by sore troubles, tsarah, as in Ps 34.6: "This poor man, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles." After this indirect seeing God will revive him, action occurring in the future. The Hebrew reads "return to life" as if the period of troubles and hence the implied indirect ra'ah were a training period.
"Depths of the earth" (tehom) is the same term used for the matrix from which God made creation: "Darkness was upon the face of the deep" [Gen 1.2]. Tehom is the same word used for the Red Sea's waters which covered the Egyptian army: "The floods cover them; they went down into the depths like a stone" [Ex 15.5]. With regard to the Genesis reference, the psalmist is situating himself in the raw context before God's creativity goes to work and is ready to become a new creation. "You will bring me up again:" here a verb in the Hebrew text is used, shuv, to return; it is the second instance in this verse, the first being "will revive me again."
Vs. 21: You will increase my honor and comfort me again. Implied here is that the psalmist already had honor or greatness, godel, only in the new creation (cf. last verse) it will be increased, ravah, which may be taken as increasing according to the six days of creation depicted in Genesis. "I will multiply your [Abraham] seed exceedingly" [Gen 16.10]. In addition to this previous godel, the psalmist once enjoyed divine comfort, nacham. Note the English preposition again which in Hebrew is the verb similar to shuv, savav, which implies being surrounded on every side. The verb nacham can also mean to take vengeance, to lament.
Vs. 22: I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O holy One of Israel. Two different forms of the verb to praise perhaps within a liturgical context, the first being yadah which is in connection with the harp (nevel) or more specifically, instrument (kely) of the harp. A kely traditionally had twelve strings; verbal root naval means to be foolish, perhaps suggesting that the music so produced has the capacity to make a person go out of his mind. The object of praise in the first part of vs. 22 is divine faithfulness ('emeth) which implies truthfulness.
In the second part of this verse, the act of praising God is more specific, "holy One (Qedosh) of Israel;" the verb used is zamar, and for reference, cf. Ps 8.17 which notes this verb as meaning to prune. The instrument by which such zamar is effected is a lyre or kinor which may be struck either with a plectrum or hand. "And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand" [1 Sam 16.23]. Thus we have a type of "pruning" on this musical instrument.
Vs. 23: My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also which you have rescued. Two types of activity which work together in the physical sense: shouting for joy (verbally) or ranan and singing praise-i.e., the "pruning" again-or zamar (physically, with the hands). In conjunction with this bodily form of praise to God the psalmist's nephesh (which is immaterial) is implied as engaging in the same activity. Nephesh can do this because it has been rescued, padah, which fundamentally means being set loose from bonds. Shall I redeem them from death" [Hos 13.14]?
Vs. 24: And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disgraced who sought to do me hurt. Mention of the "impersonal" agent of tongue as opposed, so to speak, to the psalmist and which function during the day as opposed to the night. Its function here is to talk or hagah which means more to murmur (softly) yet be applied to a loud noise: "As a lion or a young lion growls over his praise" [Is 31.4]. The object of this hagah is God's righteousness, "help" not being used in the Hebrew text.
Note the play on words, to shame (bosh) and to seek (baqash).
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Psalm Seventy-Two
Vs. 1: Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! Note that this psalm has as its inscription, "A Psalm of Solomon." In light of this inscription, the king in mind is David, Solomon's father, and the psalmist attributes "your" or divine justice, mishpat, the act of judging, to Solomon. On the other hand, he asks that righteousness, tsedaqah or that from which judgment flows, be bestowed to the "royal son" or Solomon's son. The intent is to carry on David's favor with God to royal descendants. In a sense this desire for continued lineage endorsed by God is a continuation of Solomon's prayer for understanding which God answered in abundance. "But have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right...I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you shall arise after you" [1 Kg 3.11-12].
Vs. 2: May he judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice! This verse begins a series of wishes by the psalmist as noted by the English "may" right through verse 11 and continued between vs. 15 and 17. In the verse at hand a distinction between people in general and the poor, hanawym (cf. Ps 22.26); the former receive the more universal form of tsedeq whereas the latter, misphat or applied justice.
Vs. 3: May the mountains bear prosperity for the people and the hills in righteousness! A verse reminiscent of Ezk 34.14: "I will feed them with good pasture and upon the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel." Note the distinction between (large) mountains or harym and (small) hills or gevahoth. The prosperity of the former is shalom whose basic meaning is peace, and the hills bear (nasa') in the sense of conveying, tsedaqah. This verse may apply to Jerusalem surrounded as it is by both mountains and hills.
Vs. 4: May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy and crush the oppressor! This verse continues the numerous aspirations which may be attributed to Solomon's father, King David, as he should ideally act through his successors; it is not difficult to attribute these aspirations to Jesus Christ. The verb defend is shaphat, more specifically meaning to judge which has as its direct object "poor (hanawym) of the people," not their "cause."
The next desire is for delivering (yashah, "Jesus") the needy or "sons of the needy," implying not so much the 'evyon proper but their descendants. Thus "Jesus" will extend through succeeding generations.
The oppressor or hosheq (singular) is set up as an adversary to the king. "Do justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed" [Jer 22.3].
Vs. 5: May he live while the sun endures and as long as the moon throughout all generations! The Hebrew text reads "They shall fear you," yare', pertaining to either/or the king and God. Note the preposition him, with: i.e., "with the sun" or during the day. The second half of vs. 5 intimates night by mentioning moon; the Hebrew literally reads, "before the moon." This natural alternation of day and night is reflected by successive human generations, dor (singular). "My deliverance will be forever and my salvation to all generations" [Is 51.8].
Vs. 6: May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! This verse is somewhat reminiscent of the prophet Elijah who was responsible for causing rain to fall after a severe drought (cf. 1 Kg 18.41+). The distinction regarding the verse at hand is that drought is intimated by the term mown grass, gez. This word also refers to shorn wool of a sheep or fleece: "The first of the fleece of your sheep you shall give him" [Dt 18.4]. Rain (matar) is a general term; showers (revyvym, plural used) are a gentler type of rainfall: "Dew from the Lord, like showers upon the grass" [Mic 5.7]. Their action is characterized by watering, zarzyph, the only occurrence of this term. The object of such watering is the earth as a whole as opposed to the more specific mown grass.
Vs. 7: In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound until the moon be no more! Righteousness (tsadyq) flourishes or parach, from which is derived the noun blossom: "And their blossom go up like dust" [Is 5.24]. Similarly, peace (shalom) abounds or ravav. Note the parallel these two qualities have with the lunar calendar, that is, they will endure until the moon ceases to exist, referring to the changing of its phases.
Vs. 8: May he have dominion from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth! Israel is thus situated between these two seas, Mediterranean and what is now the Persian Gulf. Note that to have dominion, yarach, is the same verbal root for moon and month, yareach, noted in the last verse. In addition to the two seas, this yarach extends to the River (nahar) or the Euphrates. "Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt" [1 Kg 4.21/5.1]. From this point-the Euphrates empties into the Persian Gulf or the other "sea"-which in turn touches the "ends of the earth," 'ephes (singular). Here was the limit of the known world beyond which Solomon's rule did not extend.
Vs. 9: May his foes bow down before him and his enemies lick the dust! The Hebrew reads for "foes," "those who dwell in the wilderness," tsyym. "Wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon" [Jer 50.39]. Such tsyym may be equated with those outside the realm of Solomon or beyond the "ends of the earth" of vs. 8. The dust which they shall lick may be that of Israel's earth by which they will acknowledge his sovereignty.
Vs. 10: May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! Tarshish is modern Spain and the isles are most likely the islands in the Mediterranean Sea, a westerly direction from Israel. Tribute or minchah can also mean a gift or sacrifice which isn't bloody as opposed to a zevach. "Whenever anyone brings a cereal offering...his offering shall be of fine flour" [Lev 2.1]. In addition to these nations west of Israel, vs. 10 mentions Sheba and Seba which are located in south Arabia. Note the use of "kings" in comparison with the queen of Sheba as in 1 Kg 10. Since Ps 72 is dedicated to Solomon, perhaps these kings are her successors who also come to him seeking wisdom. Along with them are included the kings of Seba. "I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you" [Is 43.3]. Here gift is 'eshkar as in Ezk 27.15: "Many coastlands were your own special markets, they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony." The verb to bring, qarav, fundamentally means to draw near (as to offer such gifts or sacrifices).
Vs. 11: May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him! To conclude this section of "mays" the psalmist enthusiastically includes rulers of the entire earth or those yet unknown to Solomon. The act of falling down (shachah) and serving (havar) can also apply to worship of God. "And the people bowed their heads and worshiped" [Ex 12.27].
Vs. 12: For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. Despite the extensive rule of Solomon, he pays attention to those who are less fortunate: the 'evyon as in vs. 4 whom he delivers (natsal), the hanawym and anyone lacking a helper or hozer. This verse is reminiscent of Is 42.3: "A bruised reed he will not break."
Vs. 13: He has pity on the weak and the needy and saves the lives of the needy. The weak or dal derives from the verbal root dalal, to hang down; cf. Ps 41.1: "Blessed is he who considers the poor (or weak)." Such dal is the object of royal pity or chus which connotes sparing: "Spare them not" [Dt 7.16]. Similarly, the needy or 'evyon are the object of this chus, more specifically their souls, nephesh (singular). This word is mentioned yet again with respect to saving or "Jesus" (yashah).
Vs. 14: From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight. Another use of nephesh for life which is the object of royal redemption, galal. Almost in contrast to this redemption the psalmist states that such unfortunates have been most likely slain, the reason for the second half of this verse. "She (wisdom) is more precious (yaqar) than rubies" [Prov 3.15].
Vs. 15: Long may he live, may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually and blessings invoked for him all the day! The Hebrew reads "May he live" or continue in existence. King Solomon had received gold from the queen of Sheba (cf. 1 Kg 10.2) in exchange for his wisdom. Lack of her name in this verse implies that her successors will similarly seek Solomon's wisdom. He is also the object of two wishes resulting from his beneficence described in vss. 12-14: prayer (palal) and blessings (barak) or in Hebrew, "daily shall he be blessed." The time for such activity is "day" or those occasions when sacrifices were offered in the Jerusalem temple.
Vs. 16: May their be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may men blossom forth from the cities like the grass of the field! Abundance or pisah can also mean handful and thus a meager amount of grain; the only occurrence of this word in the Bible. Perhaps the psalmist has in mind Elijah's miracle for the widow: "The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the cruse of oil shall not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth" [1 Kg 17.14]. I.e., this small amount of meal and oil will be as a spring providing ample food and drink.
The location of this "spring" is on the mountain tops where it waves, rahash, from which is derived the noun tumult: "At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions" [Jer 47.3]. Another indication that such a small amount of grain has the capacity to do great things or feed a multitude. The same applies for the fruit of this grain which is compared to Lebanon's, noted for abundance of produce. "My (King Hiram) servants shall bring it (cedar) down to the sea from Lebanon" [1 Kg 5.9].
The last part of vs. 16 is the end result of grain being planted on the mountain tops; i.e., it "flows down" to the field where men live, causing them to flourish. This is suggestive of Sg 6.11: "I went down to the nut orchard, to look at the blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vine had budded, whether the pomegranates were in bloom."
Vs. 17: May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May men bless themselves by him, all nations call him blessed! The Hebrew lacks "endure" and has the simple verb "to be." It also reads for "fame" name (shem), so this verse contains two references to the royal name Solomon to which the Song of Songs is attributed. Fame seems less enduring, that is, lasting (nun; only reference in the Bible) as long as the sun.
The wish for men to be associated with King Solomon (bless, barak) hearkens back to his wisdom as noted earlier but also can refer to his name being associated with the Song. On the other hand, nations 'ashar Solomon, the first word opening the Psalter; cf. Ps 1.1 for remarks.
Vs. 18: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. While King Solomon may be blessed or barak, it is more important for God to be so acknowledged. Alone or levad in the Hebrew text is at the end of this verse to emphasize his primacy in all things.
Vs. 19: Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth! Amen and amen! A distinction between God as object of barak in vs. 18 and here his "glorious name" or shem. While the adjective kevod applies to the divine name, this same kavod radiates outward to creation in concurrence with the extension of Solomon's dominion "from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth" [vs. 8].
Vs. 20: The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. While Psalm 72 may apply to Solomon, those psalms thus far belong to King David, the true source of Solomon's rule and wisdom. Kalah for to end signifies conclusion or consummation.
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Psalm Seventy-Three
Vs. 1: Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart. The Hebrew text reads, "Truly God is good to Israel," that is, as a nation, and then mentions those pure (bar) of heart. It does not read "upright." Cf. Ps 19.8: "The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God" [Mt 5.8]. Thus vision and purity are one and the same. Note that bar can mean son.
Vs. 2: But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had well night slipped. Note the distinction between feet (regel, singular) and steps ('ashur, singular): The former are the physical limbs whereas the latter are the actual movement of these limbs. 'Ashur derives from the verbal root 'ashar from which comes 'ashry, blessed, the first word of the Psalter, "Blessed is the man." That is to say, such 'ashuray came close (to alter Ps 1.1) to having "walked in the counsel the wicked, stood in the way of sinners and sat in the seat of scoffers." The verb shaphak for to slip fundamentally means to pour out. "I am poured out like water" [Ps 22.15], i.e., my steps almost assumed the rapid flow of water in following evil.
Vs. 3: For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. The psalmist describes the character of the arrogant which derives from the verbal root halal meaning to praise, perhaps alluding to the effusive loquaciousness of an arrogant person and which superficially resembles the effusiveness of (verbal) praise. Such arrogant persons may be characterized as follows:
1) vs. 4: have no pangs
2) sound and sleek bodies
3) vs. 5: untroubled as others
4) not stricken as others
5) vs. 6: pride is their necklace
6) violence covers them as a garment
7) vs. 7: eyes swell with fatness
8) hearts overflow with follies
9) vs. 8: scoff
10) speak with malice
11) threaten oppression
12) vs. 9: set mouths against the heavens
13) tongue struts through earth
14) vs. 10: people return (praise, English)
15) people don't find fault with them
16) vs. 11: people question God's reliability
17) vs. 12: wicked at ease
18) wealth of wicked increases
Vs. 13: All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. After the enumeration above, the psalmist turns to question his practice of virtue when confronted with such arrogant persons. This verse can apply to ritual cleansing; what seems difficult for the psalmist is that he had kept his heart pure or in Hebrew, "cleansed my heart," rachats. "When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion" [Is 4.4].
Vs. 14: For all the day long I have been stricken and chastened every morning. These words-beginning in vs. 13 and continuing through vs. 16-are reminiscent of the prophet Isaiah's Servant Songs, 42.1-4, 49.1-6, 50.4.11 and 52.13-53.12.
Vs. 17: Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end. As noted with regard to vs. 14, the psalmist's afflictions have an affinity with Isaiah's Servant Songs and hence Jesus Christ. The suffering may be applied to Christ's passion and death; the verse at hand may apply to the moment of his death when he return to the Father or entered the sanctuary, miqdash. "Then the nations will know that I the Lord sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is in the midst of them forevermore" [Ezk 37.28]. Upon entering this miqdash, the psalmist perceives (byn) their end or 'acharyth. Such byn as noted regarding Ps 5.1. is a type of "getting in between" something in order to understand it. Being present in the sanctuary is withdrawing from the common experience of space and time with all its vicissitudes and hence a prime location to see them in light of being in this sanctuary.
Vs. 18: Truly you have set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. Because the psalmist is in the sanctuary which is in a higher location, his oppressors attempt to assault this fortified area. Such "slippery places" are the ramparts leading up to the miqdash. Because the sanctuary is a meeting place with God and point of contact between heaven and earth, it may be considered as an expression of heavenly reality made visible by a physical structure. For this reason the psalmist may rightly call his foes phantoms (vs. 20) which disappear when he awakes.
Vs. 21: When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart. Lev or heart is the Hebrew text for "soul." Compare it with nephesh (soul) mentioned earlier, the former being a more central and therefore physical organ. To be embittered or chamats means to suffer violence; note that a noun, chamets, means anything leavened: "If anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel" [Ex 12.15]. In addition to this inner torment, the psalmist is pricked, shanan, which implies something sharpened. This second affliction is with regards to his heart, kileyah (singular), or better, kidneys (reins), signifying the inmost mind or seat of desires and affections. "God tries the reins and the heart" [Jer 11.20].
Vs. 22: I was stupid and ignorant, I was like a beast toward you. A continuation of vs. 21, the result of having been embittered (soul) and pricked (heart), but leading to a positive realization of divine supremacy. The two qualities attributed to a beast, stupid (bahar) and ignorant (yadah, i.e., not having knowledge) are a midway point, so to speak, between the psalmist's afflicted state and his knowledge or true yadah of God. The verb bahar means to consume: "I (Moses) will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt" [Ex 3.3]. Note that being like a beast is "toward (him = with) you." Perhaps this beast-like presence may be associated with Christ's relationship to his followers as sheep, i.e., implying the similar ignorant presence of these animals.
Vs. 23: Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. This being with God continually or tamyd implies an uninterrupted "with-ness" (him) but one akin to animals being with their master. "The sheep hear his voice" [Jn 10.3]. Note that God holds the psalmist's right hand as opposed to his left, symbolic of salvation: "Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed'" [Mt 25.41].
Vs. 24: You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Once the psalmist is with God as noted in the last verse, he is not standing still but is guided, nachah, as in Ps 23.3: "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." Instead of a rod and staff (cf. vs. 4) leading, the verse at hand has divine counsel or hetsah. "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom...and counsel" [Is 11.2]. Such leading is a midway point, as it were, for God receives the psalmist with glory, kavod, similar to his own kavod: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory" [Is 6.3].
Vs. 25: Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides you. The first statement identifies heaven (shamyam) with God himself, excluding the presence of other divine beings such as angels. Despite this supreme transcendence, the psalmist claims that the same type of (heavenly) presence is accessible on earth, 'eretz. Note that the preposition besides (him) can also mean with; it is associated with the verb chaphats, desire, as noted with regard to Ps 18.19: "He delivered me because he delighted in me."
Vs. 26: My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. This failing or kalah as noted regarding Ps 72.20 implies an end or completion. Applied to the verse at hand, kalah suggests that two aspects of the psalmist's constitution, flesh and heart, may find "completion." Then he implies immortality to his heart or lavav by mentioning it alone in reference to God as strength or tsarar which can also mean rock in the sense of a stronghold. It is though the psalmist substituted flesh for portion, cheleq, which also means smoothness: "Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion" [Is 57.6]. The most basic meaning of this verbal root is to divide, especially by lot: "The people of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses; they allotted the land" [Jos 14.5].
Vs. 27: For lo, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to those who are false to you. Such distance (rachaq being the verbal root) is contrasted in the next verse with the psalmist's closeness to God. Compare rachaq with his expression of divine transcendence and presence, heaven and earth, vs. 25. In the verse at hand, distance is equated with alienation and death, perish or 'avad. Even more abominable are persons false to God, zanah, a verbal root which means to commit fornication. This crime is even "more distant" (rachaq) from God and merits being put to an end, tsamath, as in Ps 54.5: "In your faithfulness, put an end to them."
Vs. 28: But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. Such nearness (qarav; a noun means the interior of anything as Is 5.25, 'among the Canaanites'). This verb can apply to the making of an offering: "Let him offer a male without blemish" [Lev 1.3]. Thus for the psalmist being near to God and offering sacrifice to him are one and the same.
This notion of an offering leads to the psalmist claiming God as his refuge, machseh, from the verbal root chasah, to trust. "The rock in whom they trusted" [Dt 33.37]. Note the importance of the transitional preposition l- (that) which gives the true purpose to the psalmist (or King Solomon) being near to God: saphar, to tell in the sense of enumerating divine works: "Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than could be numbered" [Ps 40.5]. Mela'kah or work implies property, especially cattle: "I will lead on slowly, according to the pace of the cattle which are before me" [Gen 33.14].
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Psalm Seventy-Four
Vs. 1: O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture! A psalm similar to Forty-Four. To be cast off or zanach as in Ps 43.2: "Why have you cast me off?", only in vs. 1 zanach refers to Israel as a nation, "us." The image of smoke or hashan is reminiscent of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: "And lo, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace" [Gen 19.28]. Here the word used is qytur from the verbal root to burn incense as if these two cities were an offering to God. Hashan is applied to the theophany at Mt. Sinai: "And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire" [Ex 19.18].
An alternate meaning for anger ('aph) is nostrils: "And the Lord God breathed into his nostrils" [Gen 2.7]. The object of this wrath is "sheep of your pasture," as if to make a distinction between the animals and the land which they occupy.
Vs. 2: Remember your congregation which you have gotten of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage! Remember Mount Zion where you have dwelt. The Hebrew text has remember (zakar) only once which as noted in other places is derived the noun male and which implies the continuance of the congregation (hadah). "That there be no wrath against the congregation" [Num 1.53]. Of old or qedem suggests priority and hearkens back to God's favor towards Israel under the bondage of Egypt. Note the transition from hadah to shevet, tribe or rod. "And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth" [Is 11.4]. There is a relationship between zakar, the desire for God to remember and Israel as heritage, nachalah which intimates something possessed. "But the Lord has taken you and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own possession, as at this day" [Dt 4.20]. A derivative from the verbal root ga'al (to redeem) is relative: "And now it is true that I am a near kinsman, yet there is a kinsman nearer than I" [Rt 3.12].
In addition to asking God to remember his congregation, the psalmist makes special appeal to remember Mount Zion, notably as the place where God has dwelt, shakan in the sense of having settled down permanently. This dwelling is further stressed by the preposition b-, "in it."
Vs. 3: Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary! The verb to direct connotes a lifting up, rum. It usually has a positive sense and can apply to the offering of sacrifice: "An offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the Lord" [Lev 2.9]. Compare steps, paham (singular), which refers more to the act of treading with 'ashur, whose verbal root is noted regarding Ps 1.1. It is as though the psalmist wishes God to tread over to "perpetual ruins" which can apply to Jerusalem. Perpetual or netsach has the sense of completeness or absolute ruin, not necessarily temporal extension.
The enemy ('oyev) is can refer to the Babylonian invasion of 587 B.C. who is singled out for condemnation because of having laid waste the sanctuary, more specifically, in the sanctuary or qodesh. The implication is that this qodesh was spared for their profane use. The Hebrew text reads, "The enemy has done wickedly in the sanctuary."
Vs. 4: Your foes have roared in the midst of your holy place; they set up their own signs for signs. Verses 4-8 describe the Babylonian enemy's destruction of the Jerusalem temple which may be outline as follows:
1) roared (sha'ag) in the sense of a lion: "Their roaring is like a lion" [Is 5.29], a frightening image not only with regard to the holy place (mohed, more specifically, a set time) but in its midst (qerev) or very center of the implied congregation.
2) signs ('oth) which can be of a military nature. An alternate meaning: "Let them be for signs and for season and for days" [Gen 1.14].
3) vs.5: upper entrance: This verse is uncertain in the Hebrew and may be read as "A (man) was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick tree."
4) vs. 6: destroyed carved wood (pituach) or something engraved: "As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel" [Ex 28.11].
5) vs. 7: set fire to the sanctuary (miqdash), literally threw (shalach) fire.
6) desecrated (chalal), a verbal root meaning to pierce through. "My heart is stricken within me" [Ps 109.22]. Note this desecration is with regard to the "dwelling place of your name (shem)", another way of indicating the divine presence in the Jerusalem temple.
7) vs. 8: intention to subdue (yanah) the Israelites. "Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressed city" [Zeph 3.1]!
8) the foes burn God's meetings places (mohed, singular, as in vs. 1), again signifying places where Israelites gather to worship.
Vs. 9: We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long. Th distress Israel feels is sought to be relieved by three means: 1) signs or 'oth (used negatively as in vs. 4), 2) prophet or navy': "And the prophets, do they live forever" [Zec 1.5]?, 3) how long (had-mah), that is, the duration of Israel's distress. Cf. 1 Sam 3.20: "And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord." Note the word established, 'aman (from which 'amen' is derived). Thus in vs. 9 the people may be said to be looking for a person in whom to put their "amen" or trust.
Vs. 10: How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? Now how long (had-mah) is addressed directly to God instead of with regard to a person as in vs. 9. Now God is confronted with the same distress as Israel: scoffing foe and an enemy reviling his name.
Vs. 11: Why do you hold back your hand, why do you keep your right hand in your bosom? The first question pertains to the divine hand in general, that is, left or right. The second question reads in Hebrew, "Why do you consume your right hand?" The right hand (yamyn) is one traditionally associated with favor as opposed to the left. "Length of days is in her right hand" [Prov 3.16]. "And he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left" [Mt 25.33].
The verb kalah (keep) has the fundamental meaning of bringing something to completion, even in the sense of ravaging it. It causes Israel great distress to see why God does not reveal this yamyn to rescue her; again, a sign, prophet or one with knowledge seems to be the only hope.
Vs. 12: Yet God my King is from old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. This change in attitude-from one of distress to one of hope-implies no need of a sign, prophet or a person with knowledge. It shifts from outward manifestations to a realization that salvation (yeshuhoth, "Jesus") is in the process of formation present yet invisible or "in the midst of the earth," qerev, from which is derived qureban, offering. I.e., "Jesus" is in the hidden process of making an offering, an act which transcends Israel's current torment.
Vs. 13: You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the dragons on the waters. The first part of this verse is a clear reference to the Exodus. Since vs. 12 says that "Jesus" is in the earth's midst or very center, presumably this marvel has occurred not so much from above but from below, that is, God reaching up (as it were) from beneath the earth to divide the Red Sea. Might or hoz is thus a manifestation of "Jesus."
The dragons (tanyn, singular) original signify the monster of chaos, Leviathan or Rahab (cf. Job 3.8, Is 27.1); here this primeval menace may be identified with the Egyptian army.
Vs. 14: You crushed the heads of Leviathan, you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. Leviathan as chief monster, so to speak, may be taken in the context of vs. 13 as the Egyptian Pharaoh who pursued Israel. His multiple heads may signify the various forces at his disposal. Note that Leviathan is a sea monster; here God gives his body to land animals signified by wilderness, tsyym; the noun tsyy can also refer to any wild beast: "But wild beasts will lie down there" [Is 13.21].
Vs. 15: You cleaved open springs and brooks; you dried up ever flowing streams. Since Leviathan is a sea animal, this verse may be viewed as an attempt by God to flush him out of his natural habitat. He does this by three means:
1) cleaves (baqar, as a cloven footed animal breaks open the soil). "O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice" [Ps 5.3]. I.e., he morning "cleaves open" daylight. The two objects of baqar are: springs (mahyan) or more specifically places irrigated by fountains. The proper word for fountain is hayn. "His fountain shall dry up, his spring shall be parched" [Hos 13.15].
2) brooks (nachal) are similarly the object of baqar. It implies a moving body of water issuing from a fountain; the fundamental meaning of its verbal root is to inherit. Nachalah is a related term meaning valley (where streams are located): "I went down to the nut orchard, to look at the blossoms of the valley" [Sg 6.10].
3) dried up streams or nehar (singular) whose verbal root also means to shine: "Then you shall see and be radiant" [Is 60.5]. The term for ever flowing is 'eytan and implies strength: "His bow will remain firm" [Gen 49.24].
Vs. 16: Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the luminaries and the sun. The first part of this verse has echoes in Ps 139.12: "Even the darkness is not dark for you, the night is bright as the day; for darkness is as light with you." Here we have a verse similar to the creation in Genesis: "'Let there be light.' and there was light" [1.3]; "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night" [1.14].
Vs. 17 continues this creation theme by stating that God fixed earth's bounds and made summer and winter. The verb yatsar for to make suggests a fashioning as by a craftsman.
Vs. 18: Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs, and an impious people reviles your name. This verse resumes the thrust of Ps 74, prayer for deliverance from enemies threatening the state of Israel. Note that the psalmist bids God to remember the enemies' taunts and abuse of his divine name. The verb here is zakar; cf. remarks with regard to Ps 6.5. The preceding verses functioned as an interlude or indirect means of getting God to take action by bringing to his attention his past saving deeds and act of creation which to the psalmist are one. This singular work is implied as being operative in Israel's favor.
Vs. 19: Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever. Israel is viewed here as dove or tor, from a verbal root meaning to search out. "The land through which we have gone, to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants" [Num 13.32]. Tor is also used as a term for a beloved female: "The voice of the turtledove is heard in our land" [Sg 2.12]. Note that this same word is used in 1.10 with a different meaning: "We will make you ornaments of gold, studded with silver." The Torah is also akin to these words; one gets the impression the a reader of the Torah coos like a dove or tor while reading it. Note that the verse at hand speaks of the dove's soul or nephesh which is immaterial. Thus the wild beasts (chayah, singular) may be taken as immaterial and hence an image for evil powers.
"Life of the poor" or chayah used in a different sense, namely, as associated with God's hanawym who have traditionally come under his protection. To forget (shakach) may be taken in an indefinite sense with a little or greater amount of time; to associate this disregard forever or netsach is to be deprived of divine knowledge, yadah (verb).
Vs. 20: Have regard for your covenant; for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. The verb for regard is the simple navat which implies a sense of respect. "And the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon" [Am 5.22]. The divine covenant (beryth) is intended to be observed "out in the open" or in full view of God and Israel. Compare this openness with dark places or machshak (singular), from the verbal root chashak. "Woe to those who hide deep from the Lord their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark" [Is 29.15]. Such caves are places to hatch plots where the habitations (rather, those who live there) or nawah reside. This word generally has a positive sense as pasture, for example. "Then I will gather the remnant of my flock...and I will bring them back to the their fold" [Jer 23.3].
Vs. 21: Let not the downtrodden be put to shame; let the poor and need praise your name. Here are three similar categories of people who are vulnerable to that violence hatched in secret places just mentioned: downtrodden (dak, implies being crushed), poor (hany), needy ('evyon). The first are singled out for not being shamed or bosh; it is as though the other two groups were to praise (halal) God's name because of this.
Vs. 22: Arise, O God, plead your cause; remember how the impious scoff at you all the day! The bidding of God to arise or qum is as though the psalmist wanted him to be with the three groups mentioned above; they are trampled "down" and to have this rising movement present with them with its divine source is his earnest desire. Also such qum associated with ryv, please cause, connotes a lawyer standing up to defend a client. "Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow" [Is 1.17].
The second part of vs. 22 has the "impious" or better in the Hebrew, fool (naval) scoff (patah) God, a verb implying persuasion or to be enticed. "O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived" [Jer 20.7]. In a sense, such scoffing is innocent as implied by the noun and verb. Also, the psalmist suggests an identity between God and the afflicted of vs. 22 by his plea for him to remember (zakar).
Vs. 23: Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of your adversaries which goes up continually! The plea for God not to forget (shakach) corresponds to the one in vs. 22 for him to remember. This extension of zakar, as it were, pertains to foes and adversaries; the latter derives from the verbal root qum, to arise, as noted in the previous verse and may be contrasted with it. Such clamor goes up, halah, another upward motion. Psalm 74 concludes on this desperate note, especially the last word, continually, tamyd.
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Psalm Seventy-Five
Vs. 1: We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; we call on your name and recount your wondrous deeds. This double note of giving thanks (yadah) seems to make up for the urgency of the preceding psalm. The second part reads in Hebrew, "For your name is near; they recount your wondrous works." Note the presence of shem, name, which is qerev (near); cf. Ps 74.12: "Working salvation in the midst of the earth." The "they" who recount or saphar (in the sense of writing down divine deeds) may be the three groups of afflicted persons mentioned in Ps 74.21, the downtrodden, poor and need.
Vs. 2: At the set time which I appoint I will judge with equity. This mohed was noted in Ps 74.4, holy place, and in the verse at hand has a temporal meaning, and the Septuagint translates it as kairos. The Hebrew reads, "When I shall receive the congregation." In light of this, it seems that God passes judgment (shaphat, verb) only upon having received this mohed of Israel and is present in it.
Vs. 3: When the earth totters and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah. God is the speaker from vs. 3 through vs. 5. The tottering (mog) implies an earthquake and can be associated with the kairos of judgment just noted. The pillars or hamod (singular) were thought to be the foundation of the earth on the chaos of those waters mentioned in Genesis. I.e., such pillars are based on the unstable base of primeval waters. Hamod is used in reference to God's presence: ""The pillar of the cloud went from before them" [Ex 14.19].
Selah or pause is the first instance of this word since Ps 68.32, implying that Psalm 75 is a liturgical act.
Vs. 4: I say to the boastful, "Do not boast," and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horn. The boastful and wicked persons may be seen as the antithesis of the pillars; their pomp is founded on the primeval waters or better, are an extension of them. Note that the verb halal (to boast) also means to praise. Horn or qeren is an image of power and can have a positive meaning: "The horn of my salvation" [Ps 18.2]. In vs. 4 qeren may be taken, like the boastful, as another extension the waters of chaos.
Vs. 5 continues this theme of boastful exultation by again mentioning qeren; another related image is "insolent neck," from the verbal root hataq, to be stricken. It is as those persons who engage in this insolence are "stricken" by their own pride. This verse concludes God as speaker and Ps 75 resumes with the psalmist speaking.
Vs. 6: For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up. These two directions (as opposed to north and south) signify the rising and setting of the sun which perhaps was considered as a god. Note that this lateral direction differs from the vertical direction alluded to in the last few verses. In addition to them the psalmist adds the wilderness, midbar (cf. Ps 29.8). This verse has a parallel with John the Baptist in the same midbar who "was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light" [Jn 1.8].
Here lifting up or rum is a vertical movement, a liberation from the cycle of day and night implied by east and west.
Vs. 7: But it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. Judgment or shaphat (verb) directed towards two vertical actions: shaphal and rum. Note the use of rum in the last verse with respect to lifting up.
Vs. 8: For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed; and he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs. For another reference of cup (kus), cf. Is 51.22: "Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering." For this wine to be foaming or chamar implies that it is boiling, the meaning of this verbal root. Another noun is chemar, bitumen: "And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar" [Gen 11.3]. Mesek (well mixed) is the only occurrence of this word.
The act of pouring a draught implies that the wicked are viewing this deliberate action which strikes them with terror. The Hebrew here reads "But the dregs all the wicked of the earth shall wring out and drink."
Vs. 9: But I will rejoice forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. The Hebrew for "rejoice" is declare (nagad) from which the preposition before (neged) is derived. Thus "I will 'be before' forever." This before-ness allows the psalmist to sing (zamar, cf. references re. to prune as in Ps 8.17). Reference to Jacob may be situated within the context of this patriarch's wrestling with an angel, Gen 32.13+.
Vs. 10: All the horns of the wicked he will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted. Qeren or horn was noted in vs. 4 as a symbol of arrogant exultation but can be positively ascribed to the righteous, tsadyq, the singular being used here, who apparently has multiple horns which are exalted, another use of rum. For a comparison of the two different horns, cf. Rev 5.6: "A Lamb standing as though it had been slain with seven horns and with seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." And Rev 12.3, "Behold, a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems upon his heads."
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Psalm Seventy-Six
Vs. 1: In Judah God is known, his name is great in Israel. This psalm is reminiscent of Ps 46. Two traditional divisions of the descendants of Abraham: first God is known (yadah) in Judah and his name is great (gadol) in Israel. It seems as though divine revelation commences in Judah and then passes on into Israel. "For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah" [Heb 7.14].
Vs. 2: His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. Salem is akin to shalom (peace) and is a poetical name for Jerusalem. "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High" [Gen 14.18]. This mention of monotheistic priesthood in conjunction with Abraham shows the connection between the beginning of Israel's history and the temple at Jerusalem.
Note the two types of habitations for God: abode or sukah which is more properly a booth from which derives the Jewish celebration of Succoth. "You shall keep the feast of booths seven days when you make your ingathering from your threshing floor and your wine press" [Dt 15.13]. Dwelling place or mahon which refers more to the temple. "O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells" [Ps 26.8]. The first is a temporary dwelling and the second is permanent.
Vs. 3: There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword and the weapons of war. Selah. There (shamah) can refer to the two divine presences just mentioned, abode and dwelling place. This verse speaks of a siege either of a historical or eschatological nature. At the end of vs. 3 we have the first of two selahs showing that Ps 76 is liturgical by nature.
Vs. 4: Glorious are you, more majestic than the everlasting mountains. Glorious derives from the verbal root 'or, to be light which here is associated with the similar majestic or 'adyr. "But there the Lord in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams" [Is 33.21]. A similar word with the same spelling is a shepherd: "Wail, you shepherds, and cry" [Jer 25.34]. The comparison in vs. 4 is between God and in Hebrew "mountains of prey," tareph. Perhaps this refers to the mountains surrounding Jerusalem on which her enemies were situated and seemed to those in the besieged city as birds of prey.
Vs. 5: The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands. Two groups of warriors who may be situated on the "mountains of prey" about Jerusalem: stouthearted or 'avyr (singular) can refer to a bull: "Why did not your bull stand? Because the Lord thrust him down" [Jer 46.15]. Their falling asleep ("They have slept their sleep," Hebrew) suggests that such "bulls" were not slain but were put to sleep by God's intervention, a type of paralysis with regard to their hands which wielded weapons.
Vs. 6: At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned. Another reference to God and Jacob (cf. Ps 75.9 above) which again continues the theme of Jerusalem besieged or can also hearken back to Egypt's defeat at the Red Sea. A rebuke (mighereth) is usually fatal to mortals: "The Lord will send upon you cures, confusion and frustration in all that you undertake to do" [Dt 28.20].
Vs. 7: But you, terrible are you! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? Terrible (nora') derives from yare', to fear, with a different meaning than Prov 1.7: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." In vs. 7 note the two "yous," one before nora' and another after it in order to emphasize this fearfulness. The act of standing is a common image of defiance, and one who dares to so is knocked down before God's anger. The Hebrew here reads "when you are angry;" the preposition liphany (before) more specifically means "in the presence of."
Vs. 8: From the heavens you did utter judgment; the earth feared and was still. Heavens (shamym) is the traditional dwelling of God, and in the context of this psalm may be seen as one looking down from this height. The Hebrew reads "you caused judgment to be heard:" not direct impartation of mishpat but indirectly. However, earth ('erets) was able to recognize this "causing to be heard." First it feared (yare') and then became still (shaqatah). "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" [Is 35.15].
Vs. 9: When God arose to establish judgment to save all the oppressed of the earth. Selah. This verse is part of the previous one and shows the reason why the earth became still. Note that here God (in the Hebrew) "arises to judgment" (mishpat), the same judgment he uttered from heaven in vs. 8; thus there is a gap between its utterance and fulfilment of it execution. The image here is one of a judge or lawyer standing up to pronounce a verdict. In the verse at hand, the verdict is in favor of the oppressed or hanawym who are special objects of divine "Jesus" or yashah. At this instance a selah is appropriate with respect to the verb arise or qum, for it suggests anticipation.
Vs. 10: Surely the wrath of men shall praise you; the residue of wrath you will gird upon yourself. Two opposites which serve a higher end: wrath (chamath) and praise (yadah). The second sentence suggests that such chamath becomes a piece of armament for God. "Gird (chagar) your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty" [Ps 45.3]! Note the distinction between "wrath of men" and "residue of wrath:" she'eryth, a term suggesting survivors. "And none of them shall be left" [Jer 11.23].
Vs. 11: Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them; let all around him brings gifts to him who is to be feared. A distinction between the making of vows (nadar) and their fulfillment, shalom. As the well know second word intimates, the person making vows is bidden to live in peace. Those all around or savyv may apply to either (or) those watching the ceremony of making vows are those who have surrounded Jerusalem depicted earlier in this psalm. The act of bringing gifts or yaval fundamentally means to flow and has a poetic sense of walking as to offer a sacrifice in the sense used here. "Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter" [Is 53.7]. Vs. 11 contains yet another instance of the verb yare', to fear, which has been fairly common in this psalm.
Vs. 12: Who cuts off the spirit of princes, who is terrible to the kings of the earth. The spirit (ruach) here may be in reference to these princes as inspiring their troops as expressed in the following sentiment: "Take courage and acquit yourselves like men, O Philistines" [1 Sam 4.9]. Prince (nagyd) is related to the preposition before and perhaps alludes to their being before their masters or kings. The reach of divine fear extends not only to such princes but upwards to "kings of the earth" or every sovereignty. "For in him all things were created...whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities" [Col 1.16].
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Psalm Seventy-Seven
Vs. 1: I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me. The previous psalm dealt with the threat of enemies to Israel as a nation, whereas the current psalm is one of deliverance from personal trouble. The Hebrew reads, "I cried to God with my voice," tsahaq. It can also meaning a summoning: "And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manaseh, and they pursued after Midian" [Jud 7.23]. Perhaps the psalmist uses the impersonal voice or qol in the hope that this entity (which could be termed as more impartial) will move him to act. "That he may give hear" is the Hebrew rendering.
Vs. 2: In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. Day is a type of kairos and can include an indefinite period of time whether referring to good or evil. At the same time, daylight is explicit as opposed to night when any searching is much easier. Darash is the verb to seek; cf. Ps 9.10. Then the psalmist shifts to night, a type of darash but different in that such stretching or nagar; it also means to flow: "My eyes will flow without ceasing, without respite" [Lam 3.49], a meaning consistent with the psalmist's condition. The basic meaning for verb for to weary (pug) is interesting, to be cold. He concludes vs. 2 by mentioning nephesh, soul, his essential being, which itself is moved by distressed.
Vs. 3: I think of God, and I moan; I mediate, and my spirit faints. Selah. The Hebrew for "think" here is zakar, to remember (that is, better times). Zakar causes moaning, hamah. "My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me" [Sg 5.4]. The second part of vs. 3 deals with the psalmist's spirit or ruach which faints (hataph): "From the end of the earth I call you when my heart is faint" [Ps 61.2]. Such collapse follows upon meditating (syach) which basically means to talk and in this instance, to talk with oneself aloud. Although Ps 77 is for personal deliverance, selah (here the first of three) is often associated with psalms of a liturgical and therefore a public nature. Perhaps the psalmist may be taken as representative of Israel as a whole where the individuality of a person was not distinct.
Vs. 4: You hold my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. Here God is held responsible for the psalmist's inability to sleep. Eyelids (shimrah, singular) derive from the verb shamar, to keep watch. Such lack of sleep troubles him, paham; the noun footstep is derived form this verbal root. It is as though the psalmist were troubled by hearing "footsteps" at night which kept him awake.
Vs. 5: I consider the days of old, I remember the years long ago. For another meaning of consider (chashav), cf. Ps 21.11: "If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed." Here the same mentality of scheming is implied when the psalmist woefully considers "days before," qedem, the literal Hebrew reading. The second object of chashav ("remember" is lacking in the Hebrew) is years long ago (holamym), a term connoting eternity: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever" [Dan 2.20].
Vs. 6: I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit. The Hebrew reads for the first part of this verse, "I remember my song at night," zakar, implying that the psalmist had played this negynah (music of a stringed instrument) at other times. Perhaps the melody produced by it came to his memory much more clearly at night than in the day, a time more sensitive for such recollections. "The old men have quit the city gate, the young men their music" [Lam 5.15].
In addition to meditating or syach (cf. vs. 3), the psalmist searches (chaphas) his ruach. The Hebrew reads, "My spirit made diligent search," that is, actively engages in this chaphas. "If you seek it (wisdom) like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures" [Prov 2.4]. The object of chaphas in vs. 6 is his immaterial self or spirit. This corresponds to the Ruach or Holy Spirit: "For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God" [1 Cor 2.10].
Vs. 7: "Will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable? The first of five questions through vs. 9 and asked at night (cf. previous verse). The verb zanach (to spurn) harkens back to Ps 74.1, "O God, why do you cast us off forever?" That is, not to be favorable or ratsah. "Let him be the favorite of his brothers" [Dt 33.24].
The second question in vs. 8 concerns divine chesed or steadfast love; compare chesed with never, nestach, its exact opposite.
The third question (vs. 8) concerns divine promises or 'omer (singular in Hebrew); compare 'omer with "all time" or in Hebrew, from generation to generation, another instance of its exact opposite.
The fourth question (vs. 9) concerns divine graciousness or chanan; compare chanan with forget, its opposite.
The fifth question (vs. 9) concerns divine compassion or rechem, a term referring to the womb; compare rechem with shut up, its opposite and implying not giving birth.
After posing these five questions comes selah to give pause or consideration with regard to this abandonment by God.
Vs. 10: And I say, "It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed." Chalah or grief implies illness; the Hebrew reads, "This has made me sick," that is, the consequences of the questions he posed in the last few verses. Furthermore, the Hebrew reads "The years of the right hand" and lacks the verb "change." Perhaps the years can apply to liturgical celebrations commemorating the various saving divine events which are lost once the Jerusalem temple is destroyed as described in Ps 74. Also implied is that the Most High has decided to use his left hand instead of his right.
Vs. 11: I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. Zakar or calling to mind brings attention to the liturgical commemorations mentioned in the last verse; i.e., the psalmist will "beget" (the implication of zakar) divine deeds. He restates his intention to do so by another use of zakar, remember, this time concerning God's wonders which are more imposing than deeds, i.e., mahalal vs. pele', the latter being of old or at the beginning of Israel's relationship with God, notably the prophets.
Vs. 12: I will meditate on all your work and muse on your mighty deeds. God's work or pohal (singular; the word is more or less generic regarding things accomplished) is the object of the psalmist's meditation, hagah, which as noted in Ps 71.24 implies a murmuring action with the lips. Thus his hagah is done softly or in the presence of a congregation at worship. Mighty deeds (halylah, singular) derives from halal which has multiple meanings such as to drink, glean, to thrust. "Declare his deeds among the people" [Is 12.4]. A halylah therefore is of greater importance than a pohal; in vs. 12 they are the object of the psalmist's musing, syach (cf. vs. 3).
Vs. 13: Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? God's way (derek) is manifest through the deeds, wonders and work noted in vs. 12. Implied here is that holiness (qodesh, adjective) is the guiding force through these visible accomplishments. Note the contrast between god ('el) and God ('Elohim).
Vs. 14: You are the God who works wonders, who has manifested your might among the peoples. Pele' or wonder continues the theme discussed in the last few verses and was mentioned in vs. 11 as being "of old." Here emphasis is upon the same wonders being done in the present. Might (hoz) is related to pele' but seems a more dramatic form so people other than Israel may behold them.
Vs. 15: You redeemed with your arm your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. Now the psalmist points more explicitly to Israel's defining moment of redemption, the Exodus from Egypt. Ga'al for to redeem (cf. Ps 74.2) identifies God's people with the persons of Jacob (cf. Gen 32.13+; also his blessing in 48 suggests Israel's new life after leaving Egypt) and Joseph; the latter requested that his bones be brought from Egypt: "And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for Joseph had solemnly sworn the people OF Israel saying, 'god will visit you; then you must carry my bones with you from here'" [Ex 13.19].
Vs. 16: When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid, yes, the deep trembled. The remaining verses (through 18) have natural phenomena assume a personal presence. These elements may be outlined as follows:
1) waters = see
2) waters = afraid
3) deep (tehom or primeval chaos, Gen 1.1) = trembled
4) vs. 17: clouds produce water and 5) skies thunder, both of which = God's arrows
6) vs. 18: crash of thunder
7) lightenings
8) earth trembled and shook
Vs. 19: Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. Three terms used to show God's progression which can refer to either or the Red Sea or creative presence in Genesis: way (derek); path (shevyl) which is used only one other instance, Jer 28.25: "My people...have gone into bypaths, not the highway" [Jer 18.15]; and footprints (haqev, singular) or more specifically the heel. "If you do not know, O fairest among women, follow in the tracks of the flock" [Sg 1.8]...for these tracks will teach the bride the redemptive action of God. The Hebrew for "not seen" is yadah, to know.
Vs. 20: You did lead your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron (especially the former) was familiar with God's unknowability through the theophany on Mt. Sinai; therefore he could perceive the unseen footprints noted in vs. 19 and direct Israel in them. It was Moses and Aaron who were the bride bidden to follow these tracks of the flock as in Sg 1.8.
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Psalm Seventy-Eight
Vs. 1: Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! Two commands which the psalmist enjoins so his audience may make present again (re-present) God's divine actions on their behalf: give ear ('azan), a verbal root from which utensil ('azen) is derived implying that paying attention makes one a vessel for divine service. Thus teaching or torah is a utensil.
The second command is to incline (natah; fundamental meaning is to stretch) one's 'azen or ear, that is, to make this "utensil" receptive of God's words.
Vs. 2: I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old. The psalmist assumes the role of King Solomon in the Book of Proverbs (vs. 1), more precisely, the person of Wisdom in 8.1: "Does not wisdom call, does not understanding raise her voice?" A parable or mashal, as the verbal root intimates, draws comparisons in short, easy to remember expressions which is essentially the composition of Ps 78. Dark sayings or chydah (singular) also suggests a song: "I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre" [Ps 49.5]. Chydah also means an oracle: "With him (Moses) I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in dark speech; and he beholds the form of the Lord" [Num 12.8]. Such indirect speech is needed for the people in general who are insensitive to a divine revelation similar to Moses.
Vs. 3: Things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. The dynamics of tradition in a nutshell: hear (shamah), make known (yadah), both of which are preceded by telling (saphar, basic meaning is to write) from earlier generations. Thus knowledge comes from hearing...and that comes from telling.
Vs. 4: We will not hide them from their children but tell them to the coming generation, the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders which he has wrought. Such manifestation (kachad, to deny, a more profound disavowal) is reminiscent of Jacob's blessing to his twelve sons and by implication the future twelve tribes of Israel (cf. Gen 49). The objective of not denying is a telling as in vs. 3, saphar, and is threefold: divine glorious deeds (tehilah, the only other reference being Ex 15.11: 'terrible in glorious deeds, doing wonders'), might (hesuz, similar to hoz in Ps 77.14) and wonders (pele', singular, as in Ps 77.14).
Vs. 5: He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children. Another instance of that familiar pair, Jacob and Israel. The former has God's testimony or heduth, the same term pertaining to the ark of covenant and which specifically refers to the decalogue. "You shall put into the ark the testimony that shall give you" [Ex 25.16]. The latter has God's law or Torah. The heduth was written by God himself on Mt. Sinai whereas the Torah was not which gives the law more flexibility, as it were, to be handed down or taught or in Hebrew, made known, yadah, which has broader application than the acquisition of knowledge.
Vs. 6: That the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children. A continuation of yadah; also implied are unborn children or those still in the womb. "And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb" [Lk 1.41]. Here John the Baptist was not yet born, as well as Jesus Christ, and may be said to be a type of fulfillment of this yadah mentioned in these verses. The importance of succeeding generations may be found in the genealogy at the beginning of Matthew's Gospel.
Vs. 7: So that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but keep his commandments. The "they" here are the children of vs. 5 and the next generation of vs. 6 who carry out this threefold task of yadah:
1) of keeping hope (kesel). "Is not your fear of God your confidence and the integrity of your ways your hope" [Job 4.6]? Kesel also means loins: "And the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins" [Lev 3.4].
2) remember or put negatively, not forget (shakach) God's works (mahalal, singular) which signify more deeds of a distinguished kind.
3) keep (natsar) in the sense of watching as implied in Ps 12.7: "Guard us ever from this generation." In the psalm at hand the object of natsar is God's commandments or mitswah (singular). "You shall be careful to do the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command you this day" [Dt 7.11]. Not the singular mitswah and other two terms in the plural.
Vs. 8: That they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. This verse introduces details or consequences of what divine yadah is not. The psalmist says that their fathers-both immediate and earlier-have four qualities opposite to yadah: 1) stubborn (sorer), 2) rebellious (morer), 3) not steadfast (hekyn: with regard to heart, lev) and 4) not faithful (lacking ne'emnah with regard to spirit, ruach).
The verses thus far are an introduction to Israel's historical relationship with God beginning with the Exodus and ending with King David. Thus the audience may be situated during or after the reign of King David. Vs. 9 begins with mention of Ephraimites, an uncertain incident mentioned by the psalmist. Because Psalm 78 is essentially an outline of these events, key points will be delineated instead of verse by verse details. Most of these details consists of the Israel's infidelities when confronted with God's faithfulness.
vs. 10: did not keep God's covenant, refused to follow God's law
vs. 11: forgot his deeds and miracles
vs. 17: continued to sin against God, rebelled against him
vs. 18: tested God
vs. 19: spoke against God
vs. 22: had not faith in God nor in his saving power
vs. 32: continued to sin and not believe
vs. 36: flattered God and lied
vs. 37: hearts were not steadfast nor were they true to God's covenant
vs. 40: rebelled against God and grieved him
vs. 41: tested God and provoked him
vs. 42: did not remember God's power nor the day he saved them from the foe
vs. 56: tested and rebelled against God and failed to observe his testimonies
vs. 57: turned away and behaved treacherously
vs. 58: provoked Go to anger and made him jealous with their graven images
Verses 67 through 72 end on a positive note, that is, they briefly recount how God established his dwelling in Zion and showed favor to King David by the following:
vs. 68: God built his sanctuary
vs. 70: chose David
vs. 71: made David shepherd of the people
vs. 72: David as king governed his people with uprightness and skill
It is interesting to consider that despite these infidelities, God continued to show interest in his people. See those references pertaining to the verb to lead:
vs. 14: In the daytime he led them with a cloud and all the night with a fiery light.
vs. 52: Then he led forth his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
vs. 54: And he brought them to his holy land, to the place which his right hand had won.
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Psalm Seventy-Nine
Verses 1-4 describe the inflictions wrought by Israel's enemies and is reminiscent of Ps 74:
1) heathen (goym) entered God's inheritance (nachlah)
2) heathen have defiled God's holy temple (heykal)
3) heathen gave bodies of God's servants to birds and beasts to be devoured
4) heathen poured out their blood around Jerusalem
5) Israel became a taunt and object of derision
Vs. 5: How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealous wrath burn like fire? These three questions may be put into the mouths of survivors or those gone into hiding. Note the simple how long, had-mah, which forms a question by itself. The enemy's waste of Israel is attributed to God in terms of his anger ('anaph) and (in Hebrew) jealousy (qin'ah). The latter implies that God is possessive about his inheritance, hence the reason for the calamities. "The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this" [Is 9.7]. Such qin'ah burns or bahar: "Smoke went up from his nostrils and devouring fire from his mouth" [Ps 18.8].
Vs. 6: Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name! The psalmist asks God's wrath directed towards the nations or goym; cf. the heathen of vs. 1. They lack knowledge (yadah, verb) and by reason of this, may be said to be less guilty than kingdoms who completely ignore God. Nevertheless, both are objects of divine wrath, chamath.
Vs. 7: For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. A more personal way of saying that the goym have wasted Israel. The verb for devour is the common 'akal, to eat; the goym have also eaten Jacob's habitation or naweh which can also pertain to a pasture: "Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks" [Is 65.10]. To destroy Jacob's naweh is a more calculated extermination in that it implies eliminating it food supply.
Vs. 8: Do not remember against us the iniquities of our forefathers; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. An instance where an invasion by foreigners is attributed to Israel's infidelity as outlined in Ps 78. Note the connection between present distress and (according to the Hebrew text) "our former iniquities," ri'shon implies wickedness done at the beginning which set in motion other iniquities which may be traced to the fall of our first parents. The Hebrew verb used here is zakar (to remember) which as noted elsewhere (cf. Ps 6.5) implies the act of begetting.
The second part of vs. 8 is an entreaty for God's rechem: "Has he in anger shut up his compassion" [Ps 77.9]? In the verse at hand, such compassion is begged to meet us, qadam, the verbal root for the preposition qedem, before; also derived from it is the cardinal direction, east, as though the rising sun were God's rechem. The reason for such haste is that Israel is brought low, dalah; for a use of this verb in its opposite sense, cf. Ps 30.1: "I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up."
Vs. 9: Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name's sake! Since God is identified with salvation (yeshah) or "Jesus," he is bound to respond speedily as requested in vs. 8, that is, manifest hazar or help. The reason lies in the psalmist's appeal to divine glory or kavod associated with his shem which implies "Jesus." These words are a way of saying that God's honor is at stake. This request also involves an appeal for God to deliver (natsal) and forgive (kaphar) sins, the latter verb meaning to cover, not necessarily to eliminate them. For a similar idea, cf. Is 1.18: "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow." That is, the essence of sin is not destroyed but its color.
Vs. 10: Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes! Two further instances when goym are mentioned, nations. In light of the last verse, these words may be altered as asking, "Where is their 'Jesus?'" The second sentence begins in Hebrew, "Let him be known among the nations in our sight," the "him" as possibly referring to "Jesus." Once slain, the blood of these servants has the capacity to transmit knowledge (yadah, verb) to the goym.
Vs. 11: Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power preserve those doomed to die! Prisoner ('asyr) is singular and can apply to Israel being led into captivity. In addition to this singular captive are the plural condemned, ben temuthah, used one other occasion in Ps 102.20: "To set free those who were doomed to die." Here the psalmist states that God has already "looked down from his holy height and from heaven the Lord looked at the earth" (vs. 19), namely, these two acts of beholding have wrought deliverance and are equivalent with vs. 11's preserve, yatar. From this verbal root is derived the noun yeter, cord, suggesting that God lets down this cord for the condemned to climb up.
Vs. 12: Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord! The neighbors are taunting the Israelites, charaph; cf. Ps 31.11: "I am the scorn of all my adversaries." While not necessarily engaged in ravaging Israel, these peoples look with favor upon the goym who are doing this and are urging them on. The psalmist wishes that such taunts be mirrored back across Israel's borders, as it were. Sevenfold or shivhatym is a way of expressing extreme vengeance: "Vengeance shall be taken on him (Cain) sevenfold" [Gen 4.15].
Vs. 13: Then we your people, the flock of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praises. This giving of thanks seems directed more against Israel's neighbors mentioned in the last verse, for their charaph is more painful than any invasion by a foe. Pasture or marhyth can also mean flock: "They have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered" [Jer 10.21]. In addition to this praise, future generations will recount God's praise, saphar, with its connotation of writing them down in a book.
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Psalm Eighty
Vs. 1: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. The psalmist identifies God as a shepherd, rehah, a variation of which means friend: "Arise, my love, my fair one" [Sg 2.13]. Mention of Joseph implies the northen part of Israel as noted in Ps 78.67 ("He rejected the tent of Joseph"). Note the verb 'azan, give hear, which is a more intense form than the common word shamah, to hear. The verb nahag, to lead, as in Ps 48.14: "He (God) will be our guide forever." "I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother" [Sg 8.2].
The act of leading is effected from a distance, that is, from God's throne (yashav, verb). Since it is upon cherubim, these ministers may be said to the one who are physically present to guide Joseph. "He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen upon the wings of the wind" [2 Sam 22.11]. A parallel may be drawn between these cherubim and God's shining forth, yaphah. "The Lord came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran" [Dt 33.2].
Vs. 2: Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh! Stir up your might and come to save us! A continuation of the previous verse containing three other tribes of the Northern Kingdom associated with Joseph before which God's glory is bidden to shine. Perhaps with these added tribes the psalmist is emboldened to as God to stir up (hur), a verbal root whose fundamental meaning is to be hot; also implies awaking from sleep. "That you stir not up nor awaken love until it please" [Sg 2.7]. Upon waking up, God is to save (yashah, "Jesus") us, that is, not just the four tribes (Joseph) but "us" or Israel as a whole.
Vs. 3: Restore us, O God; let your face shine that we may be saved! To restore or yashav suggests a sitting down in the sense of being permanently established. The second sentence of vs. 3 has another instance of "Jesus" (yashah) in conjunction with God's shining ('or) which, in turn, pertains to his face. "Wisdom makes his face shine" [Eccl 8.1]. Such shining is more a simple radiance as opposed to a more active outpouring of light. Compare with the verb yaphah in vs. 1.
Vs. 4: O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers? Identification of God with hosts (tseba'oth) implies that he is in the company of other spiritual beings much like the cherubim of vs. 1. The psalmist is coy here, indirectly appealing to such hosts who will in turn appeal to God. This is not unlike the bride's companions in the Song of Songs. The verb hashan, to be angry, also means to smoke. "And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire" [Ex 19.18]. Perhaps this latter association with God's revelation connotes a type of incense rising with the people's prayers.
Vs. 5: You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure. Tears (dimhah) appears here as both solid food and drink, both of which are in full measure, shalysh. This term basically means the numeral three and can apply to a military officer. "His chosen captains are also drowned" [Ex 14.7].
Vs. 6: You make us the scorn of our neighbors; and our enemies laugh among themselves. Here neighbors (cf. Ps 79.12) and enemies (possibly the invaders of the same psalm) are seen as one and the same. They both cast scorn, madon (which implies strife, cf. Prov 15.18), and laugh (lahag, which implies mockery, cf. Hos 7.16).
Vs. 7: Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved! A verse identical to vs. 3 except with the addition here of hosts, tseba'oth, which was mentioned in vs. 4.
Vs. 8: You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. This verse contains the first of nine actions God performed for Israel as well as pertaining to its later relationship with neighboring lands. These verses use using agricultural imagery beginning with Israel's key redemptive experience at the Red Sea and ending at the River or Euphrates, the furthest extend of its influence:
1) brought a vine out of Egypt
2) drove out nations
3) planted it
4) cleared ground
5) vine took deep root
6) vine filled the land
7) mountains were covered with its shade
8) cedars were covered with its branches
9) vine sent shoots to the River
Vs. 12: Why then have you broken down its walls so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? Mention of walls (gader, singular) continues this theme of Israel as garden. Gader has the alternate meaning: "We will build sheepfolds here for our flocks and cities for our little ones" [Num 32.16]. The second part of this verse reads in Hebrew, "pluck her," 'arah. "I come to my garden, my sister, my bride, I gather my myrrh with my spice" [Sg 5.1]. This verse has a parallel with Christ on the cross who was subject to mockery by people passing by. It may be said that such persons are welcome to pluck his fruit in contrast to vs. 12' lamentation.
Vs. 13: The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it. A verse reminiscent of Sg 2.15: "Catch the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom." This verse contains the only reference to boar, chazyr.
Vs. 14: Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven and see; have regard for this vine. The desire for God to turn (shuv)-for the last time he had turned (again, -na) was Ps 69.16. Then the verb was panah from which is derived the noun face. In the verse at hand, another indirect reference is made to the hosts having influence to bear upon God to effect a shuv.
Three act of beholding connected with shuv: 1) look down or navat as in Ps 33.13: "The Lord looks down from heaven" and describes a vertical type of vision from up to down. 2) see or ra'ah and 3) have regard or paqad as in Ps 31.5: "You have redeemed me, O Lord." Paqad has military implications as in the mustering of troops.
Vs. 15: The stock which your right hand planted. This verse has as its object the threefold beholding of vs. 14. The Hebrew reads, "Planted and upon the son whom you have reared for yourself." Thus Israel-as-vine develops more into God's son (ben) whom he has reared, 'amats, a verb implying courage. "Be strong and very courageous" [Jos 1.7].
Vs. 16: They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance! The order here is burn followed by cutting down which is inverse to the order you would expect. Perhaps implied is that the Jerusalem temple was burned to a ruin and was then pulled down. This view may situated the third part of the verse, God's countenance (paney) which rises unexpectedly from the temple to destroy Israel's foes. Note that a rebuke (geharah) causes death. "I wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke" [Prov 13.1].
Vs. 17: But let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself! Here the indefinite hand (left or right) of God is directed upon a man of his right hand, yamyn, which as noted in Ps 74.11 designates favor. This yamyn is further specified as a "son of man," a title of special favor to a prophet (cf. Ezekiel) and later to Jesus Christ (Mk 8.31). After being called, this person requires strengthening, 'amats, as in vs. 15.
Vs. 18: Then we will never turn back from you; give us life and we will call on your name! Sug or to turn back has the alternate meaning of to hedge about: "Your belly is a heap of wheat encircled with lilies" [Sg 7.2]. Thus sug can involve taking a defensive posture against God as well as withdrawing from him; Israel will never create a fortified position against God.
The psalmist closely bound together life (chyym) and calling upon God's shem which may be seen as Jesus Christ.
Vs. 19: Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine that we may be saved! A verse identical to vss. 3 and 7 only here with the addition of Lord (YHWH), the proper name for God. Also note the further use of yashah, "Jesus."
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