(This section contains Psalms 101- 115)

Vs. 1: I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O Lord, I will sing. Two objects of the psalmist's song, chesed and mishpat; note how he distinguishes between them and the Lord. Also the former has shyr and the latter zamar (cf. Ps 81.2) joined to YHWH with the preposition to, l-.

Vs. 2: I will give heed to the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house. The derek which is blameless or tamym (connotes perfection) can apply to Christ as "The way, truth and life" [Jn 14.6]. The psalmist applies the word sakal as in Ps 14.2: "The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who act wisely, who seek after God." Since he is on this way which is not yet complete, he is looking down it for God who has not yet arrived, hence, the second part of vs. 2.

The third part of this verse has the psalmist walking with resolve as symbolized by the physical house; he walks "within his house," qerev signifying the very center of this residence. Such walking is constituted by his heart's integrity, tam, being from the same verbal root as tamym.

Vs. 3: I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cleave to me. The verb to set (shyt) means a permanent fixing for present and future reference. Here it pertains to something base or belyahal which can mean evil: "Did one not come out from you who plotted evil against the Lord and counseled villainy" [Nah 1.11]? The verse at hand suggests worship of such a base object, perhaps an idol.

The verb set is the only occurrence of this word in the Bible and implies transgression. Note the play on words between this verb and to hate: setym/sane'ty. The psalmist is determined that such evildoing does not cleave to him, davaq. For an opposite sense of this word, cf. Ps 63.8: "My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."

Vs. 4: Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. Perverseness derives from the verbal root haqash, to twist. "Although I was upright, God would pervert my cause" [Job 9.20]. Here the psalmist wishes distance (sur, far); this verb also means to turn aside. I.e., the thoughts emanating from one's heart are seen as twisted. Note that the two verbs in vs. 4 are in the future, as though the psalmist were setting out and stating that he is prepared for future dangers.

Vs. 5: Him who slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. The man of haughty looks and arrogant heart I will not endure. The noun tongue derives from the verbal root lashan for to slander. "Do not slander a servant to his master lest he curse you, and you be held guilty" [Prov 30.10]. Vs. 5 puts this defamation in a worse light, that is, secretly (seter) as paralleled in Ps 64.2: "Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked." To destroy these plots (tsamath) means reducing them to silence.

The second sentence speaks of haughty looks, literally, "high eyes," and "arrogant heart" (rechav), from a verbal root meaning to be wide. Usually this verb has a positive connotation: "Your commandment is exceedingly broad" [Ps 119.96].

Vs. 6: I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. The Hebrew text reads for "I will look" "my eyes shall be on," that is, the faithful or those who practice 'emunath. These people have a specific location (land, 'erets), implying the nation of Israel as opposed to other nations. For such people to dwell with the psalmist suggests that he has already attained that 'emunath in which they are invited to share. In addition to dwelling, there is movement in the moral sense, namely, blameless (tamym, with respect to way), a word connoting perfection as noted in vs. 2. The psalmist is stationary, whereas the person so walking will minister to him, sharath, a term associated with divine worship. "The tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony" [Num 18.2].

Vs. 7: No man who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no man who utters lies shall continue in my presence. The house may refer to the Jerusalem temple, as though the psalmist here (as well as in the previous and next verse) were in God's place. The Hebrew has "in the midst (qerev) of my house," its very center. Deceit or remyah: "They turn to Ba'al; they are like a treacherous bow" [Hos 7.16].

The psalmist's presence or in Hebrew "before my eyes" can be taken in conjunction with the qerev just noted. Shaqar is the verbal root for lie. "Let the lying lips be dumb"[Ps 31.18].

Vs. 8: Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord. Boqer for morning is the time of daybreak when light begins to appear, the time of destroying the wicked, tsamath (cf. vs. 5). In addition to this group of people (the wicked), the psalmist cuts off (karath) evildoers. This is the same verbal root for the cutting of a covenant: "On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram" [Gen 15.18]. For a New Testament reference to the implied Jerusalem, cf. Rev 21.27: "But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood."

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Two

Vs. 1: Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you! Two forms of petition: prayer (tephilah) and cry (shawah), the latter from a verbal root meaning to be broad (cf. Ps 91.9). The former is a direct association with divine hearing, whereas the latter is marked by a being before God.

Vs. 2: Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! Three petitions:

1) A play on words between "do not hide" (taster, from satar) and distress (tsar). The day or yom is a particular kairos which can have negative or positive connotations. For another use of face (peny), cf. Ex 33.20: "You cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live."

2) Incline or natah with reference to God's ear. "You will incline your ear" [Ps 10.17].

3) Answer or hanah, which was noted numerous times, here with reference to another kairos.

From vs. 3 through vs. 11 the psalmist describes his lamentable situation which may be outlined as follows. In the psalm verses themselves, note the references to loneliness:

1) heart = smoke.

2) bones = furnace.

3) vs. 4: heart = smitten and withered.

4) forgets to eat bread.

5) vs. 5: bones cleave to flesh.

6) vs. 6: like a vulture.

7) like an owl.

8) vs. 7: like a lonely bird.

9) vs. 8: enemies taunt me.

10) names as a curse.

11) vs. 9: east ashes.

12) mingle tears with drink.

13) vs. 10: God's wrath throws takes him up.

14) God's wrath throws him away.

15) vs. 11: days = evening shadow.

16) wither = grass.

Vs. 12: But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; your name endures to all generations. While the psalmist has detailed his plight, he recognizes God's transcendence which assumes the form as being enthroned, yashav. He also recognizes a distinction between this kingly sovereignty and the divine name or shem which is associated with remembrance throughout generations. The verb to endure here is zakar which as noted on several occasions (cf. Ps 6.5) implies begetting or propagation into the future; the noun male is derived from it.

Vs. 13: You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come. The gesture of arising (cf. Ps 82.8) can apply to God as a judge, only here he does so to pity Zion (racham, noted several times earlier). "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb" [Is 49.15]? The manifestation of a related divine inclination towards Zion (pity or chanan) has a kairos (the LXX word used here for heth). The psalmist reenforces this by mentioning mohed (the LXX adds kairos again) which can also mean an assembly. "The place of the assemblage of all living" [Job 30.23].

Vs. 14: For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust. Ratsah is the verb for to hold dear and implies delight with regard to Zion's physical nature (stones). "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable" [Ps 19.14]. The verb chanan (to pity) was used in the previous verse and here is related to dust, symbol of the lowest or most common feature of Zion. Consider the New Jerusalem, Rev 21.15-27 and apply vs. 14 to this passage.

Vs. 15: The nations will fear the name of the Lord and all the kings of the earth your glory. Here the psalmist shifts attention from Israel to nations or goym. Note that the action of fear (yare') takes place in the future with respect to the divine shem. In distinction to the nations are earth's kings who manifest this fear to God's kavod. Glory is proper to earthly kings and for them to fear God's is a sign that they recognize his kingship.

Vs. 16: For the Lord will build up Zion, he will appear in his glory. This and the next verse are the proper reasons for the nations and earth's kings to fear God as noted in vs. 15. Implied is that Zion has been wasted in battle and vs. 16 is a promise lying in the future. In addition to reconstructing the city, God will appear in his kavod which the earth's kings of vs. 15 fear.

Vs. 17: He will regard the prayer of the destitute and will not despise their supplication. Perhaps this twofold concern for the destitute (harhar) is an action of divine kavod already mentioned. This noun derives from the verbal root harar, to be naked or exposed. "The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground" [Jer 51.58]. The action in vs. 17 is panah, more fundamentally, to turn. The common word for prayer is used twice as well as for supplication, tephilah.

Vs. 18: Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord. A verse which serves as an introduction to the next one, here with respect to a generation which has not yet come into existence. The most proximate (future) generation is intimated as opposed to an indefinite series of generations. Their task is to praise (halal) God. The verb katav (to write) suggests not simply a writing in a scroll but etched on a monument and placed in a public place.

Vs. 19: That he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the Lord looked at the earth. "Holy height" is the place from which God looked down, shaqaph, a verb suggesting the looking out from a window. "Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord" [2 Sam 6.16]. Such merom (height) is distinguished from heaven (shamaym) from where the Lord looked (navat) on the 'erets, this verb conveying the idea of beholding. "Look toward heaven and number the stars if you are able to number them" [Gen 15.5].

Vs. 20: To hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die. Here are the two objects of the verbs shaqaph and navat, a verse reminiscent of Ex 3.7: "I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters." While referring more properly to Zion's destitution, this verse brings to mind divine intervention in Egypt as a pattern for salvation.

Vs. 21: That men may declare in Zion the name of the Lord and in Jerusalem his praise. The two types of afflicted persons may be noted here. Saphar: to declare but more properly means writing down something. Vs. 21 supposes that saphar will be done in a rebuilt Zion and Jerusalem with regards to the divine shem and tephilah. Perhaps intimated is that saphar assumes the form of a monument with reference to the Exodus as noted in the previous verse or Israel's defining moment of salvation.

Vs. 22: When peoples gather together and kingdoms to worship the Lord. Reference is to the Jerusalem temple. Peoples (ham, singular, which may include the goym) gather or qavats, a verb implying the taking hold of one's hand. "For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you" [Is 54.7]. In addition to the qavats of peoples, vs. 22 has kingdoms for the purpose of worshiping God; the Hebrew text has "to serve," havad.

Vs. 23: He has broken my strength in mid-course; he has shortened my days. The psalmist shifts attention from Jerusalem's condition to his own, perhaps because he was affected by the former's destruction and promised restoration. Hanah for to break has been noted often and suggests affliction. The Hebrew reads "in the way," derek. The second affliction from God is the shortening of his days, qatsar, which also means to reap. "They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns" [Jer 12.13]. While both instances of personal distress confront the psalmist, they do not necessarily imply physical or moral death but an impoverishment. As with so many sentiments in the Psalter, they are all attributed directly to a divine source.

Vs. 24: "O my God," I say, "take me not hence in the midst of my days, you whose years endure throughout all generations!" Here the psalmist directly addresses God and contrasts two modes of time: his days which is equivalent to chronos, temporal extension, and God's years which are equivalent to a kairos event. Cf. the Fourth Servant Song, for example, Is 53.8: "By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?" On the other hand, the divine years-which extend into the chronos-logical realm-are "in (b-) generation of generations."

Note that the verb to take away (halah) can also mean to ascend; perhaps the psalmist is alluding to the ascension of Elijah: "And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" [2 Kg 2.11].

Vs. 25: Of old you laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands. The first part of this verse in Hebrew is one word, yasad: "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth" [Prov 3.19]. In contrast to the 'erets, the psalmist speaks of the heavens (shamaym) being the work of God's hands, that is, they are more immediate with respect to divine creation. Cf. Gen 1.8: "And God called the firmament Heaven."

Vs. 26: They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like raiment, and they pass away. The first part of this verse contrasts the transitory nature of creation (the verb 'avad) and God's eternal nature (the verb hamad; compare this word with yasad of vs. 25). A garment or beged usually refers to an outer piece of clothing. "She caught him (Joseph) by the garment" [Gen 39.12]. In addition to this vs. 26 has raiment or levush, a general term for clothing; it can refer to creation: "And all things stand forth as in splendid attire" [Job 38.14]. This piece of clothing is changed (chalaph); note that this same verb is used for pass away.

Vs. 27: But you are the same, and your years have no end. The Hebrew reads "But you are he," i.e., you are the one with true being. In contrast, divine years (kairoi) lack an ending, the verb being tamam which also means to complete in the sense of having attained a goal. "And (Solomon) he overlaid the whole house with gold until all the house was finished" [1 Kg 6.22].

Vs. 28: The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their posterity shall be established before you. Implied is that the children will also be servants for God; they will dwell secure (shakan), a verb implying a lying down, and the following verse gives a specific place for this: "Who shall dwell on your holy hill" [Ps 15.1]? Posterity derives from the verbal root zakar, to remember. "What is man that you are mindful of him" [Ps 8.4]? This posterity-mindfulness is established, kun, "O let the evil of the wicked come to and end but establish the righteous" [Ps 7.9]. Kun thus has physical and moral implications.

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Three

Vs. 1: Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name! A distinction between two types of blessings (barak, the verb): the psalmist's nephesh and that which is within him, qerev, or the very center of his being which is directed towards the divine shem. The "all" can include nephesh and implies concentration of energy with regard to the act of blessing.

Vs. 2: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Another mention of nephesh, this time in conjunction with the recollective faculty or memory; shakach or forget is the antithesis of zakar (to remember) as noted in Ps 102.28. "But you who forsake the Lord, who forget my holy mountain" [Is 65.11]. In the verse at hand, shakach pertains to divine benefits or gemul (singular). For an alternate meaning: "Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God" [Is 35.4].

Verses 3-5 contain the following reasons for why the psalmist blesses God:

1) vs. 3: forgives iniquity: salach: "For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great" [Ps 25.11].

2) heals diseases, rapha': the verbal root for the proper name of (the angel) Raphael. "When I would heal Israel" [Hos 7.1].

3) vs. 4: redeems life (from Pit, cf. Ps 88.4): ga'al which connotes a buying back or returning to one's possession. "Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it" [Rt 4.4].

4) crowns with chesed and rachamym (from racham, same verbal root as bowls), hatar. "You set a crown of fine gold upon his head" [Ps 21.3].

5) vs. 5: satisfies with good, savah. "In your presence there is fullness of joy" [Ps 16.11].

6) youth renewed (chadash) as eagle's: cf. Is 40.31, "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles."

Verses 6-14 speaks of what the Lord does for his people:

1) vs. 6: works vindication, tsedaqah (plural form used here).

2) works justice, mishpatym (plural form used here).

3) vs. 7: makes known ways to Moses, derek; referring to the revelation on Mt. Sinai. Derek as way can also allude to the passage through the Red Sea.

4) acts to Israel as accomplished through Moses.

5) vs. 8: the Lord is merciful (rachum), gracious (chanun), slow to anger ('erek), abounding in chesed.

6) vs. 9: Lord will not always chide, ryv; this verb also means to contend. "Go not forth hastily to contend" [Prov 25.8].

7) the Lord will not keep anger forever, natar, which also means to guard.

8) vs. 10: Lord does not deal with us according to our sins, chata' being the verbal root.

9) the Lord does not requite according to our iniquities, gamal. "I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me" [Ps 13.6].

10) vs. 11: divine chesed is compared with height of heavens over the earth. Note play on words between high (gavah) and great (gavar, with respect to chesed). The latter adjective derives from a verbal root meaning to be strong, mighty.

11) vs. 12: the Lord removes transgressions, rachaq; this verb is related here to the distance between east and west, sunrise and sunset.

12) vs. 13: the Lord pities those who fear him, racham being the verb as in vs. 8 above.

13) vs. 14: the Lord knows our frame, yetser; this word can also mean an idol. "What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it" [Hab 2.18]?

14) the Lord remembers we are dust, haphar, as opposed to 'adam or earth from which the first man was made; cf. Ps 30.9. Note that God remembers this fact, zakar, "propagates" it.

Vs. 15: As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field. 'Enush for man, a poetic term for the human race. "What is man that you make so much of him" [Job 7.17]? Here his days (chronological time as opposed to kairos time) are compared to grass, chatsyr; from a verbal root which also means to enclose. "We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic" [Num 11.5].

Flower or tsyts as in Is 28.4: "And the fading flower of its glorious beauty." "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven" [Mt 6.30]. Note that in the verse at hand the verb to flourish is the source for flower.

Vs. 16: For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. Ruach is used for wind, the same word for Spirit. Contrast the destructive nature of this verse with the creative Spirit of creation: "And the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters" [Gen 1.2]. The verb nachar is used for to know; an alternate meaning is to estrange: "Ask now those who go by the way, and you will not be ignorant of their signs" [Job 21.29].

Vs. 17: But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him and his righteousness to children's children. Chesed: used in conjunction with halom which signifies eternity with regard to fear of God. Tsedaqah: used in conjunction with begetting of future generations, an indefinite passage of time which mirrors divine halom.

Vs. 18: To those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. A continuation of the previous verse, most likely tied in with the indefinite passage of time regarding children, symbolic of human propagation. It applies to two categories of people: 1) those who keep the divine beryth or covenant and 2) those who remember (zakar) divine commandments, pequdah; from paqad which has various meanings but generally refers to anything done favorably towards someone. Note that the sense of propagation concerning zakar as noted several times earlier is a form of halom; the limited nature of human begetting can thus mirror divine eternity.

Vs. 19: The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. The situation of God's throne (kise') in heaven obviously signifies his sovereign lordship. "You have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment" [Ps 9.4]. Distinct yet connected with this kise' is God's kingdom over (hal-) all, this preposition also meaning on, as though his kingdom were a physical weight.

Verses 20-22 has the following commands to bless (barak) the Lord:

1) vs. 20: angels.

2) mighty ones (gever, singular; refers to a warrior) as related to God's word (dever).

3) vs. 21: hosts or tsava' (singular).

4) ministers (mahseh), not necessarily priests but can include them as well as other attendants at liturgical services. They are concerned with fulfilling God's will, retson, an alternate meaning being delight. "In a time of favor I have answered you" [Is 49.8].

5) vs. 22: God's works, from the same verbal root (hasah) as ministers, vs. 5. Such works are not limited to one place but in those of God's domain or in the Hebrew text, "places of his rule."

6) the psalmist's own soul or nephesh.

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Four

Vs. 1: Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord, my God, you are very great! You are clothed with honor and majesty. Here the psalmist's nephesh does the blessing (barak) as opposed to himself, as it were. He uses two titles, the divine name proper (YHWH) and God ('elohym). Very or me'od can also mean excessive. The two pieces of divine clothing (verb, lavash; cf. levush, Ps 102.26) are hod and hadar, which are similar in sound. The latter implies an ornament. "Array yourself with glory and beauty" [Job 40.10].

After the introductory exhortation to bless the Lord, the psalm recounts a number of instances where God shows his care for the created realm which may be outlined as follows:

1) vs. 2: God covers himself (hatah): a verb which also connotes rolling. "He (Nebuchadnezzar) will wrap himself in the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in a cloak" [Jer 43.12]. Compare this wrapping in light with God's manifestation in darkness to Moses: "I am coming to you in a thick cloud" [Ex 19.9].

2) Stretches out heavens like a tent: yeryhah, which also means a veil; from the verbal root yarah, to shake (as a tent in the wind). "You shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet stuff" [Ex 26.1].

3) vs. 3: Laid beams of chambers on waters: qarah, an alternate meaning is to meet, perhaps alluding to the fact that beams "meet" each other to form a structure. Chambers or halyah (singular) refers to one located in the upper part of a building. "And he (Elijah) took him from her bosom and carried him up into the upper chamber" [1 Kg 17.19]. In the verse at hand, note the location of these chambers, "in (b-) the waters," that is, the waters surrounding creation.

4) God makes the following his messengers: winds, fire and flame; perhaps alluding to three forms of divine manifestation throughout the Bible.

5) vs. 5: Set earth on foundations: makon (singular); it can also mean a place or better, a place where God dwells. "The place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode" [Ex 15.17].

6) This place is not shaken, mut, alluding to an earthquake. "Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved" [Ps 16.8].

7) vs. 6: Cover earth with the deep: tehom, the word used to describe the earth before creation: "And darkness was upon the face of the deep" [Gen 1.2]. Note use of garment (levush) here with respect to tehom as used in Ps 102.26.

8) Waters stood above mountains, hal being the preposition in the sense of being upon. Mountains are the highest reaches of land extending to the heavens yet such waters which are associated with tehom are above them as well as below the earth.

9) vs. 7: Waters fled at God's rebuke (geharah), a verb usually associated with one's enemies. "But he will rebuke them (enemies) and they will flee far away" [Is 17.13].

10) Waters fled at sound of God's thunder: qol or sound which connotes a voice and thus a personal element. The verb chaphaz for to fled suggests a leaping up (cf. Ps 48.5).

11) vs. 8: Mountains rose and valleys sank, actions proper to their natures. Note that both opposites have a single place, maqom, appointed by God.

12) vs. 9: God established a bound (gevul) so waters will not cover the earth. This noun can also refer to the land within such limits. "And the locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt" [Ex 10.14]. The Hebrew text has "return again (shuv) suggesting that such waters in the form of tehom once covered the earth.

13) vs. 10: The Hebrew text reads, "He sends springs (nachal, singular; cf. Ps 18.4) into the valleys."

14) vs. 11: Streams provide drink for: beasts of field, wild asses, (vs. 12) birds live by them.

15) vs. 13: God waters mountains from his lofty abode (halyah, as in vs. 3).

16) earth satisfied with fruit of God's work, savah (cf. Ps 103.5).

17) vs. 14: Grass for cattle.

18) Plants for man to cultivate or in the Hebrew, "fodder for the animals that serve man."

19) For the purpose of bringing food (lechem, more properly, bread) from the earth.

20) vs. 15: Wine to gladden (samach) man's heart. "The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart" [Ps 19.8].

21) Oil to make man's face shine (tsahal). For an alternate meaning, cf. Is 12.6: "Shout and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion."

22) Bread to strengthen man's heart, sahad. "And give you support from Zion" [Ps 20.2].

23) vs. 16: Lord's trees watered abundantly, savah, as in vs. 13.

24) Cedars of Lebanon planted by God.

25) vs. 17: Birds build nests in Lord's trees and Lebanon cedars. The second half of this verse reads in Hebrew, "the stork," chasydah; from the same verbal root as chesed. This bird has its nest in fir trees, berush. "The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor the fir trees equal its boughs" [Ezk 31.8].

26: vs. 18: High mountains are for wild goats, yahel (singular). "Do you know when the mountain goats bring forth" [Job 39.1]?

27: Rocks are refuge for badgers, shaphan (singular). The only other reference to this animal, Prov 30.26: "Badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the rocks."

28: vs. 19: Moon to mark seasons, mohed (singular; cf. Ps 102.13). The LXX has kairos.

29) Sun knows (yadah) time for setting, a verb with a personal connotation.

30) vs. 20: God makes darkness or night.

31) At this time beasts of forest creep forth, ramas. "All the creeping things which creep upon the earth" [Gen 1.26].

32) vs. 21: Young lions roar for prey, seeking food from God; baqash: another example of personification.

33) vs. 22: At sunrise young lions get away and lie in their dens; the verb ravash refers to quadrupeds when they gather their feet beneath them. "The wolf shall lie down with the lamb" [Is 11.6].

34) vs. 23: At sunrise man goes forth to work.

35) At sunrise man labors until evening.

Vs. 24 is an exclamation at the wonders just described where the psalmist notes their manifold nature and that they were made in God's wisdom, chakmah. "Making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding" [Prov 2.2].

36) vs. 25: The sea teems with innumerable things; ramas as in vs. 20.

37) vs. 26: On the sea ships sail.

38) In the sea lives Leviathan (cf. Ps 74.13) in which it sports; sachaq suggests play. "For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play" [Job 40.20].

39) vs. 27: All animals look to God; savar in the sense of examining something and waiting. "On the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to get the mastery over them" [Est 9.1].

40) All animals savar for food in due season, heth; LXX has eukaioros; the prefix eu- signifying something beneficial.

41) vs. 28: When God gives foot to animals, they gather it up.

42) When God opens his hand, the animals are filled, savah (cf. vss. 13 &16).

43) vs. 29: When God hides his face, animals are dismayed; the verb is bahal. "By your wrath we are overwhelmed" [Ps 90.7].

44) When God takes away animals' breath (ruach) they die.

45) vs. 30: When God sends his Spirit (Ruach), animals are created.

46) God renews (through Spirit) face of the ground, i.e., its surface.

Vs. 31: May the glory of the Lord endure forever, may the Lord rejoice in his works. God's kavod by its very nature is everlasting; perhaps the psalmist is referring to glory as it contacts creation as described in this psalm and can be perceived as not enduring due to creation's limited nature. Samach as in Ps 21.6: "You make him glad with the joy of your presence." The short but delightful expression of God taking delight is mirrored by Bar 3.34: "The stars shone in their watches and were glad; he called them and they said, 'Here we are!' They shone with gladness for him who made them."

Vs. 32: Who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke! The relative pronoun "who" shows that this verse is connected with the same Lord who "rejoices in his works." Thus the earth's trembling and mountains' smoking may be taken as a form of divine samach. The verb nagah (touch) can also refer to smiting anything. "And Joshua and all Israel made a pretense of being beaten before them" [Jos 8.15].

Vs. 33: I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. This verse as well as the next may be read in conjunction with Bar 3.34 just cited. Here singing (shyr) and living, that is, in the physical sense, are as one. The psalmist distinguishes this in the second part of the verse where signing (zamar; cf. numerous other references, to prune) is a reality existing in the future. It seems to be dependent upon whether the psalmist will have being or hod; this word means again, still, and implies continuation.

Vs. 34: May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. A close connection between the psalmist's meditation (verbal root, syach) and his rejoicing (samach; cf. this term as related to God, vs. 31. Syach fundamentally means to bring forth. "Evening, morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice" [Ps 55.17]. For a negative sense, cf. 1 Kg 18.27: "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is musing or he has gone aside." In the verse at hand, the psalmist wishes his syach to be pleasing, harav, a verb which connotes a pledge. "Lay down a pledge for me with yourself" [Job 17.3].

Vs. 35: Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord! The verb tamam (to consume) connotes the bringing to an end in the sense of being perfected as has been noted often. With regard to sinners, the psalmist wishes them consumed from the 'erets; with regard to the wicked, he wishes them cease to exist, that is, be fully annihilated. In anticipation of this event his nephesh both blesses (barak) and praises (halal) the Lord.

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Five

Vs. 1: O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples! In a sense, this verse sets the tone for the psalm, that is, by making known (yadah) God's deeds among the nations, ham (singular). The deeds commence in vs. 8 where God makes a covenant with Israel which has ramifications not just for them but for everyone. The making known of deeds (halylah, singular) takes place "in the peoples," b-. This noun derives from the verbal root halal with its alternate meanings of to drink again, to glean, to be petulant.

Vs. 2: Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works! Three commands: 1) shyr, 2) zamar, 3) syach. For the last, cf. Ps 104.34 above; in the verse at hand, syach is connected with God's wonderful works, one word in Hebrew, from the verbal root pala'. Such pala' are not necessarily marvels of creation but divinely wrought deeds such as the Exodus and miracles in the Sinai desert. Compare pala' with halylah in vs. 1.

Vs. 3: Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! The verb halal is used for glory which also means to praise as well as to be bright. For a reference to the last meaning: "For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light" [Is 13.10]. In the verse at hand, halal is used with reference to the divine shem as though the psalmist had bidden his listeners to "reflect" its brightness.

The second exhortation associates seeking (baqash) with rejoicing (samach). For an example of the former, cf. Ps 24.6: "Such is the generation of those who seek him." The object of baqash is YHWH who is distinct from his name; here the hearts do the seeking.

Vs. 4: Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually! Another use of seek which in this context is darash. "To see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God" [Ps 14.2]. This verb connotes a treading as though constantly going back and forth to search for something. Note that darash is in reference to YHWH and his hoz which is distinct from him after the manner of shem above. The last exhortation also has to seek as baqash in a continuous manner, tamyd; from the verbal root tamam connoting perfection (cf. Ps 104.35).

Vs. 5: Remember the wonderful works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered. Zakar for remember with respect to three divine actions: 1) wonderful works as in Ps 105.2, 2) miracles (mopheth, singular) which are related to the first: "Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven" [Is 7.11]. , 3) judgments (misphat, singular). All three are "uttered" or in the Hebrew, "of his mouth."

Vs. 6: O offspring of Abraham his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! The term zerah is used for offspring which derives from the verbal root to sow. "They shall not labor in vain or bear children for sudden terror; for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord" [Is 65.23]. This zerah is used in conjunction with two patriarch's of Israel: 1) Abraham: "Then he said to him, 'So shall your descendants be'" [Gen 15.5]. 2) Jacob: "I will do you good and make your descendants as the sand of the sea which cannot be numbered" [Gen 32.12]. A reference to bachyr (chosen one): "And Israel my elect" [Is 45.4].

Vs. 7: He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. Divine judgments (mishpat, singular) here take on a kind of personal reality as though they were inhabitants of the earth; not just the earth but "all the earth." Note the preposition in (b-), presence with-in the very earth, 'erets.

Vs. 8: His is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded for a thousand generations. Divine mindfulness or zakar (the verb being used) has two objects, that is, objects of "begetting" (cf. verbal root): covenant (beryth) which was first made with Abraham (cf. next verse) and word (davar). In this instance, the latter may be said to spring from the former; "thousand generations" being symbolic of indefinite temporal extension which is distinct from the covenant = forever (leholam).

Vs. 9: The covenant which he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac. Note the importance in Ps 105 of this covenant; cf. vs. 6 for scriptural reference regarding Abraham. In later verses, Ps 105 speaks of Israel's travails in Egypt and the Exodus but does not extend to the beryth at Mt. Sinai made through the mediation of Moses. A sworn promise (shevuhah) is made with Isaac, the son of Jacob/Israel, and whom his father Abraham intended to sacrifice (cf. Gen 22). Shevuhah properly speaking is not made with Isaac but the experience of this sacrifice can. Note the reference to descendants in Gen 22.15+ as discussed above regarding zerah.

Vs. 10: Which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant. After mentioning the first two patriarchs of Abraham and Isaac, vs. 10 moves onto the latter's son, Jacob. He is bound to a divine statute or choq which connotes an appointed time, not unlike a kairos event. "That you would appoint me a set time and remember me" [Job 14.13]!

The second part of vs. 10 mentions Israel, that is, the same person or Jacob but with a changed name where there is a transition from a single man to a collective unity or nation. In this case, beryth is everlasting (holam); note lack of preposition l- (to) as used in vs. 8.

Vs. 11: saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance." A continuation of the last verse, actually vs. 8 where the full sentence begins. This "saying" refers to the beryth as in Gen 15.18.21, 17.1-8, 26.1-5, 28.10-15. Canaan is the land which Israel entered after the Exodus and after the wandering in the Sinai wilderness for forty years. Portion or chevel can also refer to a measuring line or anything given by lot. "Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance" [Jos 17.14]?

Vss. 12 through 45 (the end of Ps 105) describes the events of Israel in Egypt and towards the end, the Exodus from that country. These verses may be outlined as follows:

vs. 12: few in number and sojourners.

vs. 13: wandering.

vs. 14: God prevented people from oppressing them. Compare with God's protection of Cain who was a wanderer (cf. Gen 4.12).

-God rebuked kings.

vs. 15: God ordered these kings not to touch his anointed ones (mashyach, a term applied to Jesus Christ) nor to harm his prophets.

vs. 16: God summoned a famine on Egypt.

vs. 17: God sent Joseph ahead of his people in Egypt.

vs. 18: Joseph was bound as a slave. Cf. LXX vivid rendering, "His soul passed into iron."

vs. 19: Joseph remained a slave until his words came to pass.

-The words (verbal root is 'amar) of Lord tested Joseph; the Hebrew reads, "until the time (heth)."

vs. 20: Pharaoh released Joseph from prison.

vs. 21: Pharaoh made Joseph lord of his house and ruler of his possessions.

vs. 22: Pharaoh bound (the Hebrew text, 'asar) his princes and taught his elders wisdom. Contrast this chakmah with Pharaoh's magicians who contested Moses, for example, Ex 7.10.

vs. 23: Israel came to Egypt, and Jacob sojourned (gur; the verb is akin to going into exile) in Ham.

vs. 24: The Lord made Israel very fruitful and made them stronger (hatsam; connotes binding; the noun bone is derived from this verbal root) than their foes, the Egyptians.

vs. 25: The Lord made the Egyptians hate Israel and to deal craftily with his servants.

vs. 26: The Lord sent Moses as servant and Aaron as chosen: bachar-bu; note "chosen in."

vs. 27: Moses and Aaron wrought the Lord's signs ('oth) in Egypt; they wrought miracles (mopheth; cf. Ps 105.5) in Ham.

vs. 28: The Lord sent darkness and the Egyptians (according to the Hebrew) "did not rebel" against his words.

vs. 29: The Lord turned Egypt's waters into blood and made their fish die.

vs. 30: Egypt swarmed with frogs.

vs. 31: The Lord sent swarms of flies and gnats by his speaking.

vs. 32: The Lord rained down hail and made lightening flash.

vs. 33: The Lord smote Egypt's vines and fig trees and shattered their trees.

vs. 34: Locusts and young locusts came when the Lord spoke.

vs. 35: Locusts and young locusts Egypt's vegetation and fruit of their ground.

vs. 36: The Lord smote all Egypt's first born.

vs. 37: The Lord led out Israel with silver and gold.

vs. 38: Egypt was glad at this departure because they were in dread of Israel.

vs. 39: The Lord spread a cloud as a covering and fire at night.

vs. 40: The Lord sent quails and manna from heaven.

vs. 41: The Lord made water gush from the rock.

vs. 42: The Lord remembered (zakar) his promise (devar; from the same verbal root as to speak). The Lord also remembered his servant Abraham, the first patriarch.

vs. 43: The Lord led out his people with joy (sus) and his chosen ones with singing (ranan).

vs. 44: The Lord gave them the nations' lands, and Israel possessed the fruit of their toil.

vs. 45: This verse concludes with bahvur-in order that-which in a sense sums up all the divine benefits just enumerated which have for their common end the keeping of God's statutes (choq, singular) and laws (torah, singular). Psalm 105 concludes with the simple Halelu-Yah, Praise God.

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Six

Vs. 1: Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Vs. 1 begins with almost the same exclamation as vs. 45 (the last one) of the Psalm 105, Haleluyah, only here the text joins YAH with halelu. Also added is divine chesed which lasts (verb lacking in Hebrew) forever, leholam. With this lack of a verb, chesed and holam may be taken as a signal unity.

Vs. 2: Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord or show forth all his praise? A rhetorical question which involves both two types of speaking: malal as in Job 33.3, "How long will you utter such things?" and showing forth which has the verb shamah, means to speak). Mighty doings or gevorah (singular) with the former as in Ps 71.16: "With the mighty deeds of the Lord I will come." Praise or tehilah with regards to the latter.

Vs. 3: Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! The adjective 'ashry (cf. Ps 1.1 for discussion) with respect to observation (shamar) of misphpat as well as doing tsedaqah; the latter is done "at all times (heth, singular)," and the LXX has kairos as a translation of this term.

Vs. 4: Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you deliver them. This and the next verse inject a personal note by the psalmist which is otherwise concerned with God's deeds to Israel as a nation. Vs. 4 intimates that the Lord has not yet shown ratson towards Israel; the same with deliverance (yashah, verb) or "Jesus." Often in the Psalter zakar (to remember) is used on the psalmist's part but here is with respect to God; i.e., for him to "beget" him.

The verb yashah is used in conjunction with paqad. "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him" [Ps 8.4]? This psalm also has zakar for mindful.

Vs. 5: That I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your heritage. A continuation of vs. 4 and hence a three-fold desire to be the object of divine zakar and yashah. Note the progression of see-rejoice-glory:

1) see chosen ones' prosperity (bachyr) as in Ps 105.6. The noun prosperity is an alternate form of the simple adjective tov.

2) rejoice and gladness, both from the verbal root samach. By focusing attention upon (Israel) nation or goy-this term mostly refers to Gentiles-the psalmist implies God making Israel separate from such goy.

3) glory or halal which also means to praise, here with respect to divine heritage or Israel, nachalah, which implies the possession of something.

Much of Ps 106 (through vs. 46) recounts by way of summary God's favor towards Israel, more precisely, when they left Egypt and just as they entered the Promised Land. This section may be outlined as follows:

vs. 6: We and our fathers: lack of temporal extension noted which shows the sameness of sin, chatah. This verse also includes "we" with respect to the current doing of iniquity and acting wickedly.

vs. 7: Our fathers in Egypt failed to consider God's works, sakal, which implies a beholding. They also failed to remember (zakar) divine chesed as well as having rebelled against God at the Red Sea.

vs. 8: Despite this, God saved (yashah, "Jesus") them in order to make known his power, gevorah (cf. vs. 2).

vs. 9: God rebuked Red Sea to dry it up; God led Israel through the deep (tehom); cf. Gen 1.2 where tehom is primal chaos before creation. In vs. 9 tehom is equated with a desert, a current symbol of indistinctness.

vs. 10: God saved (yashah, "Jesus") Israel from their foe and delivered (ga'al, in the sense of redeem) them from their enemy.

vs. 11: Waters covered adversaries, symbolic of tehom as destructive.

vs. 12: They then believed God's words; Hebrew text has singular devar. After this believing follows singing (shyr) of praise.

vs. 13: They soon forgot God's works; Hebrew text has a verb (mahar) for soon. They did not wait for God's counsel (hetsah) which most likely was manifested through Moses.

vs. 14: They had a wanton craving in the wilderness and put God to the test; verbal root yasham means to lay waste.

vs. 15: God gave what they asked but sent a wasting disease. The Hebrew reads, "in their souls," nephesh (singular).

vs. 16: People were jealous of Moses and Aaron; latter is called "holy one of God" although Moses gets most attention as leader.

vs. 17: Earth swallowed up Dathan and covered company of Abiram.

vs. 18: Fire broke out among them and burned the wicked.

vs. 19: The people made a calf at Horeb, a molten image.

vs. 20: The people exchanged God's glory; the Hebrew reads "They changed their glory (kavod, here another term for God) into the similitude of an ox."

vs. 21: The people forgot God their Savior (Yashah or "Jesus"), the same God who wrought wonders in Egypt.

vs. 22: The people forgot God who did wondrous works in Ham and terrible things by the Red Sea.

vs. 23: God intended to destroy them but Moses his chosen one (bachyr; cf. vs. 5) stood in the breach to avert his wrath.

vs. 24: The people despised the pleasant land (chamad being the verbal root). "Beat upon your breasts for the pleasant fields" [Is 32.12].

vs. 25: The people murmured inside their tents and disobeyed God's voice; the Hebrew reads, "did not hear in (b-) voice of the Lord."

vs. 26: God swore to make them fall in the wilderness.

vs. 27: God would make fall (Hebrew text) their descendants among the nations (goy, singular) and scatter them in the lands ('erets, singular).

vs. 28: The people attached themselves to the Ba'al of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. From the verbal root tsamad comes an acre or measure of land. "For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath" [Is 5.10].

vs. 29: The people provoked the Lord who then sent a plague.

vs. 30: Phinehas interposed to stay the plague; palal can also mean to pray.

vs. 31: Phinehas' deed was reckoned as righteousness for succeeding generations; cf. Rom 4.3: "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," referring to Gen 15.6.

vs. 32: The people angered God at Meribah and thus displeased Moses. Note the connection between divine anger and human displeasure.

vs. 33: The people embittered Moses' spirit (ruach) which then made him speak rash words.

vs. 34: The people failed to destroy their enemies according to God's command.

vs. 35: The people mingled with the nations (goy, singular).

vs. 36: The people served idols which became a snare.

vs. 37: The people sacrificed sons and daughters to demons (shed); from a verbal root meaning to rule.

vs. 38: The people shed innocent blood, especially that of their children. It in turn was sacrificed to idols of Canaan which polluted (chanaph) the land. "Both prophet and priest are ungodly" Jer 23.11].

vs. 39: The people became unclean and played the harlot.

vs. 40: God's anger was then kindled against his people and he abhorred his heritage.

vs. 41: God gave the people over to the nations (goy, singular).

vs. 42: The people's enemies oppressed them.

vs. 43: Many times (paham, singular; also means a step) God rescued (natsal) the people.

vs. 44: Yet God regarded the people's distress.

vs. 45: God remembered (zakar) his covenant.

vs. 46: God made the people an object of pity (racham being the verb) by their captors.

Vs. 47: Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. All the above mentioned distressful situations make the people cry out to be saved, yashah ("Jesus") and for being gathered (qavats) from among nations (goy, singular). For an opposite meaning, cf. Ps 41.6: "And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words while his heart gathers mischief."

Both yashah and qavats have a two-fold goal: giving thanks to God's holy shem and glorying (shavach) in his tehilah; the second verb can also mean to still as in Ps 89.9: "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them."

Vs. 48: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the Lord! Everlasting (halom) has two points of reference, as it were, for emphasis: a beginning and an end. They are joined by the prepositions min (from) and l- (to). Awareness of such continuity of blessing (barak) causes the people to give their assent ('aman).

Psalm 106 ends as it begins with Haleluyah.

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Seven

Vs. 1: O give thanks to the Lord, for he his good; for his steadfast love endures forever! A familiar refrain equating divine goodness (tov, adjective) with chesed; the former is directly associated with YHWH, whereas the latter with forever, lehalom.

Vs. 2: Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble. This and the remaining verses of Ps 107 are exhorted to proclaim divine tov and chesed, more specifically, the redeemed (ga'al, verb) and further specified by having been redeemed from trouble; here the Hebrew reads "from the hand of the foe, tsar." As the psalm will spell out, such (not directly specified) tsar consists of what the psalmist presents as imprisonment when Israel wandered in the desert after the Exodus.

Ps 107 depicts the various forms of tsar which may be outlined accordingly. Note the refrain ("Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love (chesed), for his wonderful works-niphle'othayu, from the verbal root pahal-to the sons of men!") which occurs in vss. 8, 15, 21 and 31:

-vs. 3: gathered from (qavats; literal meaning: "to grasp with the hand") lands: east, west, north and south.

-vs. 4: wandered in desert and could not find a city. The first part reads in Hebrew, "wandered in the desert in a solitary (yeshymon, cf. Pss 68.8, 78.40) way (derek)." Here the idea of wandering (tahah) can connote going astray; the image can be one of a stream without an outlet. "All of us like sheep have gone astray" [Is 53.6]. The lack of a city can refer to those cities inhabited by pagans and had to be destroyed such as Ai and Jericho.

-vs. 5: people were hungry and thirst (cf. tahah); soul (nephesh) fainted or hataph: "From the end of the earth I call you when my heart is faint" [Ps 61.2].

-vs. 6: then the people cried to the Lord in distress (tsar, cf. vs. 2); as a result he rescued (natsal) them from distress (metsoqah). This noun has the same verbal root (tsoq) as column, matsoq.

-vs. 7: God led the people by a straight way, yashar, a term which connotes correct moral behavior. "When will you do what is right" [Dt 12.25]? This leading or darak (verbal root for derek) continued until they reached a city, perhaps ultimately referring to Jerusalem.

-vs. 9: God satisfies (savah) the thirsty and hungry, again implying a moral sense. "My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat" [Ps 63.5].

-vs. 10: two types of sitting: in darkness and in gloom (tsalmaoth) which corresponds to prisoners in affliction and bound with iron chains. Tsalmaoth often refers to death: "Let gloom and deep darkness claim it (day of Job's birth, Job 3.5). Note that here gloom is the same word for darkness as in vs. 10 choshek.

-vs. 11: people rebelled against God's word ('emer) and spurned Most High's counsel (hetsah). "Woe to those who hide deep from the Lord their counsel" [Is 29.15].

-vs. 12: hearts were bowed down (kanah) with hard labor and fell without anyone to help (hazar). "You subdue (kanah) the noise of the aliens" [Is25.5].

-vs. 13: then people cried to the Lord in trouble (tsar, cf. vs. 6) and he delivered them from their distress (metsoqah, cf. vs. 6). Note use of yashah ("Jesus"), to deliver.

-vs. 14: God brought people from darkness (choshek) and gloom (tsalmaoth); both words as in vs. 10. God also broke (nataq) their bonds. "My tent is destroyed, and all my cords are broken" [Jer 10.20].

-vs. 16: God shatters bronze doors and cuts in two iron bars.

-vs. 17: Some were sick due to sinful ways; the Hebrew reads fools for sick ('ewyl). Thus foolishness and sin are equated. They also were afflicted due to their iniquities. Note play on the words, both from the verbal root hanah which has alternate meanings as noted elsewhere. Beryach (bar, singular): "I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever" [Jon 2.7].

-vs. 18: people loathed food and drew near to death's gates. Tahav (to loathe): "Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they" [Ezk 15.52]. Nagah (to draw near): "And he touched my mouth" [Is 6.7].

-vs. 19: verse identical to vs. 13.

-vs. 20: God sent forth his word (davar; compare with 'emer, vs. 11). God both healed (rapha') and delivered (malat) people from destruction (shachyth; same word for pit).

-vs. 22: As noted at the beginning of Ps 107, vss. 8, 15, 21 & 31 act like refrains. Vs. 22 serves to enhance this by sacrifices of thanksgiving (not necessarily animal sacrifices) and by telling (saphar, in the sense of writing) God's deeds in joy (ranan).

-vs. 23: sailors on ships, reminiscent of those who threw Jonah overboard.

-vs. 24: these sailors same the Lord's wondrous works in the deep (metsulah), again reminiscent of Jonah. "The waters closed in over me, the deep was round about me" [Jon 2.5].

-vs. 25: God commanded to raise the stormy wind (ruach, united with seharah) which caused waves. "You will be visited by the Lord of hosts...with whirlwind and tempest" [Is 29.6].

-vs. 26: Sailors mounted up to heaven and descended to depths (tehom, as in Gen 1.2), the opposite of heaven but according to ancient cosmology, such tehom were above as well as below earth.

-vs. 27: sailors reeled (chagag) and staggered (nawah) like drunken men. Chagag: "Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness" [Ex 5.1]. Nawah: "Let him be; let no man move his bones" [2 Kg 23.18].

-vs. 28: similar to vss. 13 & 19; verb used here is yatsa' which basically means to go forth.

-vs. 29: God stilled the storm (seharah, cf. vs. 25) and hushed (chashah) sea's waves. Chashah: "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent" [Is 62.1].

-vs. 30: people were glad (samach) for the quiet (shataq); God brought them to their desired haven. Shataq: "What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us" [Jon 1.11]?

-vs. 31: sons of men or beny 'adam, a phrase signifying mortality, especially in the context of this psalm with its various threats.

-vs. 32: people to extol God in congregation and to praise him in assembly of elders. Two forms of gathering: congregation (qahal) and assembly (moshav); latter means a place for sitting as well as habitation: "Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be" [Gen 27.39].

-vs. 33: God turns (shuv; used in next several verses) rivers into desert and springs into thirsty ground. The second half of this verse has a play on words using the letter "m" to signify dryness.

-vs. 34: God turns fruitful land into salty waste because of the inhabitants' wickedness. Reminiscent of Gen 19.26: "but Lot's wife behind him looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."

-vs. 35: God turns desert into pools ('agam, singular) of water and parched land into springs (motsa', singular) of water. 'Agam: connotes a marsh as in Is 35.7: "The burning sands shall become a pool." Motsa': a going forth and can mean a gate. "With a passage in front of them; they were similar to the chambers on the north...with the same exits" [Ezk 42.11].

-vs. 36: God lets (hungry) people dwell in above mentioned desert and to establish a city.

-vs. 37: people sow fields and plant vineyards which give a fruitful yield. Cf. Ezk 47 which describes the river of life flowing from the temple which may be said to water these fields and vineyards.

-vs 38: God's blessing cause the people to multiply, and he does not let their cattle decrease. Note the parallel between the people's multiplication and their cattle's increase.

-vs. 39: people diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble and sorrow. The opposite of their multiplication wrought by God in the previous verse.

-vs. 40: When the low point of vs. 39 is reached, God shows contempt upon princes and makes these same princes (implied?) wander through trackless wastes...i.e., where there are no pools and springs (cf. vs. 35). Note the play on words: tahav (contempt) and tehom (trackless wastes) where both are one and the same.

-vs. 41: God raises up the needy and makes their families like flocks: cf. the parallel between people and cattle, vs. 38, only here it is with respect to the needy, 'evyon (cf. Ps 86.1).

-vs. 42: upright see this wonder (of vs. 41) which makes them glad (samach); mouths of wicked are stopped (qaphats). "So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth" [Job 5.16].

-vs. 43: a wise person is bidden to heed (shamar) what Ps 107 has recounted; men are asked to consider the Lord's chesed. "Blessed are they who observe justice" [Ps 106.3].

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Eight

Vs. 1: My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my soul! Kun for steadfast in the sense of being "founded:" "Woe to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity" [Hab 2.12]! The Hebrew text lacks this repetition and adds "even with my glory" (kavod) before moving directly into the second and third sentences. Shyr for to sing and zamar for to make melody, both of which are frequent in the Psalter. The Hebrew text lacks the last sentence.

Vs. 2: Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! Two exhortations of hur: harp and lyre, both of which are musical instruments as opposed to wind; such stringed implements are more soothing and less harsh than for example a trumpet blast. Right away the psalmist applies hur to dawn (shachar); verbal root can mean to seek. "I will return again to my place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face" [Hos 5.15]. Implied is that the harp and lyre couldn't be played at night; instead, the psalmist applied this awakening to the dawn to obtain visibility.

Vs. 3: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples, I will sing praises to you among the nations. Future tense of yadah (thanks) suggests that the psalmist is still in Israel, more specifically Jerusalem, where he intends to extend this gratitude among peoples (ham, singular). Secondly, he intends to zamar among nations (le'om; similar to ham). The preposition among more specifically means in (b-).

Vs. 4: For you steadfast love is great above the heavens, your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Divine chesed transcends (above, hal) the heavens; faithfulness ('eman; similar to 'aman) does not but goes only to clouds which may be said to conceal the furthest extend of chesed.

Vs. 5: Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! Ramah essential means to cast, as though such exultation was a result of forceful exertion. Here ramah is considered above (hal) the heavens to which chesed reaches (vs. 4).

Divine kavod is over (hal again; compare with above just noted) the 'erets; the verbal root of this word (to be heavy) suggests God's kavod "weighing" down upon the earth.

Vs. 6: That your beloved may be delivered, give help by your right hand and answer me! Beloved or dod; the first half of this verse is identical to that found in Ps 60.5. In addition to such deliverance, the psalmist begs help or yashah ("Jesus") which is followed by answering (hanah). In light of the New Testament, since Jesus is the Word or Logos, the desire for him to hanah reflects this Logos nature.

Vs. 7: God has promised in his sanctuary: "With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth. A promise or the verb davar which continues through vs. 9 with respect to rule of Israel's foes. The Hebrew reads holiness (qadesh) for "sanctuary."

Such a davar takes on the following parts listed through vs. 9:⁽¹⁾

-divide Shechem.

-portion out Vale of Succoth.

-Moab is God's washbasin.

-God casts his shoe upon Edom.

-God shouts in triumph over Philistia.

Vs. 10 refers to both the fortified city as well as Edom, both of which may or may not be identical.

Vs. 11: Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go forth, O God, with our armies. Zanach for reject as in Ps 43.2: "Why have you cast me off?" If this were so, it would be impossible for God to go with Israel's armies, tsava' (singular), same word as used in the expression "Lord of Hosts."

Vs. 12: O grant us help against the foe, for vain is the help of man! Two contrasts of help: hezrath (from hazar) with regard to Israel's foe; teshuhath ("Jesus") with regard to human assistance; the latter is vain or shawe' which also suggests falsehood. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" [Ex 20.7].

Vs. 13: With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes. The preposition b- (in) is used for with, here in relationship to God; this b- yields valiancy (chyl) which can refer to virtue as well as a host; for the latter, cf. Ex 14.28: "And all the hosts of Pharaoh" [Ex 14.28]. Divine chyl extends further: to the treading of Israel's foes, bus. "Many shepherds...have trampled down my portion" [Jer 12.10].

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Nine

Vs. 1: Be not silent, O God of my praise! The psalmist bids God not to be silent (charash) as in Ps 83.1: "O God, do not keep silence." He identifies God with praise (tehilah) or more specifically, my praise, which is a coy way of getting God to respond to the lengthy list of complaints in this psalm.

Verses 2-20 go into detail with regard to the psalmist's afflictions by his enemies and may be listed as follows. Note several references to zakar (to remember) and its importance regarding moral behavior; same with regard to chesed. The words are italicized to highlight the assaults suffered:

-vs. 3: beset with words of hate and attack without cause.

-vs. 4: accuse the psalmist for his love despite his prayer for them.

-vs. 5: reward evil for good and hatred for love.

-vs. 6: asks God to appointed a wicked man against his enemy and bring him to trial.

-vs. 7: wishes his enemy to be guilty.

-vs. 8: wishes enemy's days to be few.

-vs. 9: wishes enemy's children to be fatherless and his wife a widow.

-vs. 10: wishes enemy's children to wander and beg and be driven from the ruins they inhabit.

-vs. 11: wishes creditor seize his possessions.

-vs. 12: wishes no one to be kind (chesed) to him.

-vs. 13: wishes his posterity to be cut off and name be blotted out to 2^nd generation.

-vs. 14: wishes fathers' (plural) iniquity be remembered (zakar) before God and mother's (singular) sin not be blotted out.

-vs. 15: sins of fathers and mother be before the Lord continually and his enemy's memory (zakar) be cut off.

-vs. 16: enemy did not remember (zakar) to show kindness (chesed) but pursued poor, needy and broken-hearted to death.

-vs. 17: enemy loved to curse and psalmist wishes curses upon him; same with blessing.

-vs 18: enemy clothed himself with cursing which psalmist wishes to penetrate his body like water.

-vs. 19: psalmist wishes enemy's cursing to be like a garment on him and a belt to gird him.

-vs. 20: conclusion of these curses; seen in term of a reward from the Lord to accusers (satan; same word for Satan).

Verses 21-31 (to end of the psalm) reveal a shift in tone for the psalmist who now begs God to be merciful to him as a result of the afflictions he is suffering:

-vs. 21: begs God to deal on his behalf for sake of his shem or name; wishes God to deliver (natsal) him because of divine chesed.

-vs. 22: psalmist is poor (hany, from hanah) and needy ('evyon); heart is stricken (chalal; connotes piercing) within him.

-vs. 23: gone like a shadow at evening; Hebrew reads declines (natah): "O God, incline your ear to me" [Ps 17.6]; shaken off as a locust.

-vs. 24: knees weak through fasting; body gaunt.

-vs. 25: object of scorn and accusers wag their heads; cf. Mt 27.39: "And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads."

-vs. 26: psalmist begs God for help (hazar) and to be saved (yashah, "Jesus") according to divine chesed.

-vs. 27: psalmist wishes enemies to know that God's right hand effected hazar, yashah and chesed.

-vs. 28: psalmist knows that God blesses despite enemies cursing; wishes shame upon assailants as well as gladness (samach) for himself whom he calls a servant.

-vs. 29: wishes enemies to be clothed with dishonor and wrapped in shame (cf. vss. 18-19).

Despite the detailed afflictions and curses, the psalmist says that he will thank and praise the Lord (vs. 30); note the location for this, "in the midst (vetok, i.e., the very center) of the throng." Psalm 109 concludes (vs. 31) with God standing at the needy ('evyon) person's right hand, thereby anticipating the opening words of the next psalm. Purpose: to "Jesus" him, yashah.

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Ten

Vs. 1: The Lord says to my lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool." Two "Lords:" YHWH and the psalmist's, 'adony, or the king of Israel. This verse is frequently quoted in the New Testament, for example, Mt 22.44, Acts 2.34, 1 Cor 15.25, Eph 1.20 and Heb 1.3, 13, as referring to Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Implied in the psalm is that the king is newly established and will take his place at God's right hand. Note that this sitting extends for a period (kairos) of time: until (God is speaking now) he subdues the king's enemies and makes them a footstool, hadom. "I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God" [1 Chron 28.2].

Vs. 2: The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes! This verse is a demonstration of that "until-ness" (had) of vs. 1, and is what the new king has been waiting for. The Hebrew reads, "rod of your strength, mateh: "So he cast it (rod) on the ground, and it became a serpent" [Ex 4.3]. Thus the king's mateh has power over enemies as with the mateh of Moses. Such transforming power is rooted in Zion and allows the king to rule (radah, literally, to trample) not only over his foes but in their midst, qerev.

Vs. 3: Your people will offer themselves freely on the day you lead your host upon the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning like dew your youth will come to you. The first sentence is reminiscent of a sacrificial offering, nadav, a term which connotes an element of freedom and spontaneity. "Then the people rejoiced because these had given willingly...to the Lord" [1 Chron 29.9]. Such willingness is associated with a military campaign to the "holy mountains;" the Hebrew has heder (singular) or ornament, perhaps signifying a successful outcome. The people follow the king (Hebrew text) "in the day of your power (chyl); day can signify a particular kairos or special occasion.

In the second sentence the Hebrew text reads, "from the womb (rechem) of the morning (shachar; cf. Ps 108.2) as though this early time were one of giving birth for the triumph described in Ps 110's following verses. The king is described as being like "dew (tal) of your youth" (Hebrew), another implication of the impending victory. "For there shall be a sowing of peace...and the heavens shall give their dew" [Zech 8.12].

Vs. 4: The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Here the king is ordained by the Lord to be a priest (kohen). It results from a divine oath which reveals the Lord's unswerving intention; nacham is used for change, more specifically, repent as in Is 1.24: "I will vent my wrath on my enemies and avenge myself on my foes." The role of the king's priesthood resembles that of Melchizedek, priest os Salem, who brought bread and wine to Abraham after his victory over kings from the east (cf. Gen 14.18). The word for order derives from davar, to speak. "A priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek" [Heb 5.6], referring to Jesus Christ.

Vs. 5: The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings of the day of his wrath. A verse reminiscent of Gen 14.18 mentioned in the last verse. Note that such shattering (machats, to shake; cf. Ps 68.22) occurs only with the Lord at Israel's king at his right hand which was mentioned in vs. 2. Such machats occurs on the "day (...on the kairos) of his wrath," 'aph. Perhaps this may have a parallel with Christ's triumph depicted in the Book of Revelation.

Vs. 6: He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. Here nations are goym, those not belonging to Israel; action is in the future. Note that the Lord will do this "in (b-) the goym." The word for corpse is gewyah; related to goym, as signify stuffing them with their own kind. The psalmist extends divine judgment by (future) shattering (machats again as in vs. 5) the earth's chiefs or rulers. Wide or rabah connotes the entire earth or habitations of the goym.

Vs. 7: He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head. Brook or nachal (cf. Ps 18.4) from which the king will drink, perhaps an action at the boundary between Israel and the goym. Compare the lifting of his head (ro'sh) with the shattering of the chiefs' heads (ro'sh) of the previous verse. Such a lifting (rom) can refer to the king's exultation at this boundary and hence, the goym's submission to Israel.

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Eleven

Vs. 1: Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. An acrostic psalm; the same opening words as the next two psalms. Note two groups: company (sod) and congregation, hedah. Sod as in Ps 25.14: "The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him." Sod is used with respect to the upright whereas hedah is more general. Hedah: from the same verbal root as the noun ornament hadah; the verb means to testify in the sense of judging: "This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness" [Gen 31.52]. Despite this two-fold division of peoples, the psalmist still gives thanks to the Lord.

Vs. 2: Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who have pleasure in them. Mahaseh (work, singular) in the sense of something wrought or created, not necessarily something divinely wondrous. They are the objects of human study (darash, more to seek intensely), especially by persons taking pleasure in them, chaphats. "But his delight is the law of the Lord" [Ps 1.2].

Vs. 3: Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. Hod (honor) and hadar (majesty), a play on words, both are which are God's work (pahal). Compare this word with mahaseh in vs. 2. "He labors in the coals" [Is 44.12]; this term can be associated with the fabrication of an idol. The idea in vs. 3 is that God is fashioning with care hod and hadar. Tsedaqh is a characteristic belonging more properly to God, not the object of his pahal which is why it endures (hamad; also to stand in the sense of abide) forever.

Vs. 4: He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. Note "causal" use with regard to zakar, where God is indirectly involved; it is as though the human recollective faculty were set in motion to do this remembering. Zakar here is more specific: divine wonderful works, pala' being the verbal root and distinct from mahaseh and palah just mentioned. "Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" [Jos 3.5]. The addition of the Lord being chanun (from chanan) and rachum (from racham) are specific characteristics of God doing wonderful works, not necessarily involved with the other two types.

Vs. 5: He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. Tereph for food in the sense of prey. "The strong lion perishes from lack of prey" [Job 4.11]. The image in the verse at hand connotes God as a bird of prey; since the Spirit is hovering (rachaph) over the primal waters in Genesis, perhaps this same "bird" is offering tereph here, the fruits of chaos. Such tereph is bound up with divine fear, yare' being the verb. Furthermore, tereph may be seen in conjunction with God's covenant of which he is mindful, another instance of zakar.

Vs. 6: He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. Power (koach) related to works (mahaseh again), namely, something physical endowed with divine strength. These works are bound up with heritage of the goym; not the goym proper but their heritage, nachalah. "The good land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance" [Dt 4.21].

Vs. 7: The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. Mahaseh here used with respect to God's hands, that is, a direct correlation between physical and spiritual realities. Because of this correlation, God's works are both 'emeth and misphat; the Hebrew text uses these terms as nouns, not adjectives, thereby equating them with mahaseh. Similarly, his precepts (paqad being the verbal root; cf. Ps 106.4 for one of a varied uses of this word) are worthy of 'emeth, the adjective being used; they also may be said to spring from God's hands.

Vs. 8: They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. Note the shift from physical creation ("works") to precepts which here are stated as being established (samak) for all eternity; the lahad leholam is used to emphasize this durability. Although precepts have obtained this divine status, they are still to be carried out in 'emeth and yashar, two qualities which reflect in space and time God's eternal nature and his precepts.

Vs. 9: He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and terrible is his name! Peduth or redemption, from the verbal root padah, to loose. "Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem" [Is 50.2]? In the verse at hand, peduth is on the same plane as God's covenant; note that it is forever as opposed to redemption where this term is not mentioned. Reference is most likely to Exodus and Mt. Sinai. The divine shem as being both qadosh and nora' reflects this. "Who is like you, majestic in holiness, terrible (nora') in glorious deeds, doing wonders" [Ex 15.11]?

Vs. 10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it. His praise endures forever! The first part of this verse is similar to Prov 1.7 which has knowledge (dahath) for wisdom (chakmah). In both cases note that fear (yire'ath) and beginning (re'shyth) are to be equated. Since this realm is spiritual and transcends familiar concepts of temporal extension, re'shyth is not to be understood in this conventional fashion. Something like "In the beginning God created the heavens and earth" [Gen 1.1] is intended.

Sekel (understanding), from the verbal root sakal, to be prudent. In the context of divine fear such prudence implies watchfulness that fear governs one's moral life. "Good sense wins favor bu the way of the faithfulness is their ruin" [Prov 13.15].

Psalm 111 concludes on a note similar to its beginning with mention of praise (tehilah). Here it is more a statement of fact, namely, that praise endures (hamad) forever.

+

Psalm One-Hundred and Twelve

Vs. 1: Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! Another acrostic psalm. The second sentence is similar to Ps 1.1: 'Ashry is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked," only here substituting yare'. Note only fear but delight (chaphats) with respect to divine commandments or mitswah (singular). "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord your God commanded me to teach you" [Dt 6.1]. Not only is chaphats mentioned by intensified by me'od which connotes excessiveness.

Vs. 2: His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Fear and great delight do not only affect the present generation (zerah, seed) but future generations