Carefully Examining the Text

Psalm 146

Psalm 146 145:21 prepared for these psalms from Psalms 146-150. This psalm “is a general celebration of God’s benevolent qualities” Alter, 503. “These five Hallelujah psalms have the characteristic genre of the hymn of descriptive praise” VanGemeren, 846. Psalms 146-150 are psalms of praise. “In these psalms there is no reference to personal need, no petition, little that could be called historical allusion; all is focused on God; all is praise. But there is step-by-step progression in this prai...

Psalm 145:14-21 and Jesus' Fulfillment of Psalm 145

A few notes from Psalm 145:14-21 and Jesus' fulfillment of Psalm 145 145:20 The LORD keeps all who love Him- There is a wordplay between the first word of the verse שםר and the last word of the verse שםד One describing the LORD actions towards the righteous and the other His actions towards the wicked. Is watches over a better translation? How much does it promise? It certainly does not mean the absence of all trouble. “What hints it does offer of the human condition are not all sweetness and li...

Psalm 145:1-13

Psalm 145 A Psalm of Praise, of David- This is the only Psalm designated as a psalm of praise. “Here begins the grand doxology of the entire collection., for praise plays a greater part in Psalms 145-150 than in most of the others. The word ‘praise’ occurs 46 times in these six psalms” BK, 895. “The Hebrew tehilah yields in rabbinic Hebrew the plural tehilim, which is set title in Hebrew for the Book of Psalms. Although psalms of supplication are actually more numerous in the canonical collectio...

Psalm 144

Psalm 144 A Psalm of David “Herman Gunkel once proposed that this poem was an ‘imitation’ of Psalm 18, but, especially because some of the topics it touches on are unlike anything in Psalm 18, it seems more accurate to speak of certain citations from the earlier psalms woven into a different poetic context” Alter, 495. Psalm 144 is often called by form critics a royal psalm. This is because of the mention of David within the psalm- 144:10 and because of the connections to Psalm 18. “The psalm ma...

Psalm 143

143:1 Hear my prayer, O LORD- Hear is often used in the Psalms as an imperative directed to God (17:7; 27:7; 28:2; 30:10; 54:2; 64:1). Give ear to my supplications! Give ear is also an imperative addressed to God in the Psalms (5:1; 17:1; 39:12; 54:2; 55:1; 84:8; 86:6; 140:6; 141:1; 143:1). The fact these imperatives are used together stresses the urgency of the request. For supplications the ESV and NIV have cries for mercy. Supplications are found in Ps. 28:2, 6; 31:22; 116:1; 130:2; 140:6. An...

Psalm 142

142:1 I cry aloud with my voice to the LORD- “The synonymous parallelism repeats the phrase ‘with my voice’ to emphasize that he cries aloud” Miller, 435. “In Psalm 142:1 is za’aq , conveys the idea of crying out in acute distress and seeking deliverance. The verbal root occurs only five times in the Psalter, twice in Psalm 142” NICOT, 978. “Although the Hebrew root translated ‘cry’ in vv. 1, 5 does not occur often in the psalms (see Pss. 22:5; 107:13, 19), it is an important theological word. F...

Psalm 141

141:1-2 Cry for help 141:1 O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me- “The cryptic phraseology indicates urgency” Miller, 433. Call (Ps. 4:1, 3; 17:6; 88:9; 130:1) and hasten or come quickly is used in Pss. 22:19; 38:22; 40:13; 70:1, 5; 71:12. Give ear to my voice when I call to You!- Give ear is used in Ps. 55:1; 86:6; 143:1. 141:2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You- “Incense and evening sacrifice come from the realm of formal worship” Longman, 458. “Incense symbolized the prayers of th...

Psalm 140

Psalm 140 For the choir director, A Psalm of David “Psalm 140 is clearly an individual lament, with its appeals to God to listen and rescue (vv. 1, 4, 8), its complaints concerning the wicked who intend to harm the psalmist (vv. 2-3, 5), its imprecation (vv. 9-11) and its note of confidence (vv. 6-7, 12-13)” Longman, 455. “In the present literary setting, the petitions in Psalm 140 can be understood as an elaboration of Ps. 139:19-22…Psalm 140 also anticipates Psalms 141-143” McCann, 1240. Psalm...

Psalm 139

Psalm 139 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. “The Greek title has prefixed the strange phrase ‘for the end,’ and the Alexandrinus text has appended the phrase ‘of Zechariah in the dispersion.’” Miller, 426; see Kinder, 463-464 for similar ideas. “The psalm is poetically balanced with four paragraphs (or strophes) of six verses each. In the first paragraph (vss. 1-6), the psalmist praised God for his minute knowledge of him, the contemplation of which fills the psalmist with awe (vs. 6). I...

Psalm 138

Psalm 138 A Psalm of David- Psalms 138-145 are listed as Psalms of David in the heading. “The Greek title places the psalm in the days of Haggai and Zechariah” Miller, 423. Is the I individual or collectively? “The individual who is offering thanks here appears to have been rescued from enemies who sought his undoing” Alter, 476. “ Psalm 138 is the first of a collection of eight psalms (Pss. 138-145) in Book Five that are attributed, in their superscription to David” NICOT, 958. “ Psalms 138 and...

Psalm 137

Psalm 137 The LXX has a heading τω Δανιδ the Lucian text add (δια) ‘Ιεριμιομ ‘through Jeremiah’ Allen, 235. This is a community lament written in the time of Babylonian captivity. They are in Babylon (1-3) and Jerusalem has been destroyed (7). “Note the first person plural ‘we,’ ‘us,’ ‘our,’ etc., in vs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8.” Willis, vol. 3, 4-5. “The scene has the vividness of first-hand experience” Kidner, 459.This psalm is a first-person account of the sadness of the captives. It seems that the exp...

Psalm 136

Psalm 135

Psalm 135 “Some Jewish authorities include Psalms 135 and 136 as part of the collection of Psalms 120-136, whereas others limit the Great Hallel psalms to 135-136, or even Psalm 136 alone” 135:1 Praise the LORD!- 113:1 The word praise is used as an imperative three times in the verse. “The phrase Praise the LORD (and variations of the phrase) occurs seventy-five times in the Psalter, with no less that fifty-four occurrences in Book Five” NICOT, 944. Praise Him, O servants of the LORD- The first ...

Psalm 134

A Song of Ascents- “The pilgrimage began in ‘Kedar’ (120:5); it ends in the Lord’s house wherein the pilgrims ‘bless the Lord’ (2) and He blesses them (3)’” Motyer, 576. This “forms a magnificent conclusion to this collection of psalms” VanGemeren, 817. It is “a brief word of departure as they ready themselves to return to their homes in the surrounding countryside” NICOT, 940. 134:1 Behold, bless the LORD, all servants of the LORD- Allen says, 216, Behold “is here uniquely with an imperative” a...

Psalm 133

Psalm 133 A Song of Ascents, of David “The brief didactic psalm employs two beautiful similes to illustrate the beauty and value of unity” Miller, 415. The two similes are the oil and dew. “The pilgrims came from many different walks of life, regions, and tribes, as they gathered for one purpose: the worship of the Lord in Jerusalem” VanGemeren, 815. 133:1 Behold, how good- “It is interesting that he gives no explanation as to why unity is good. Perhaps he does not need to do so, because this sh...

Psalm 132

A Song of Ascents This is considerably longer than the other songs of Ascents- NICOT, 933. “Its length seems to signal its special importance” McCann, 1210. This is a royal psalm along the line of Psalms 2, 45, 72, 89, 101 and it also stresses God’s choice of Zion like Psalms 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 122. “Psalm 132 impressively articulates the theological rationale for making the pilgrimage- namely, Zion is God’s chosen place (vv. 13-14; see Pss. 122:1-2, 9; 125:1-2; 126:1; 128:5; 129:5; 133:3; 134:...

Psalm 131

A Song of Ascents, of David It is attributed to David. “It is not against high position that is divinely given, but it does model a critical attitude toward pure blind ambition” Longman, 433. “This personal prayer (vss. 1-2) has a lesson in it that needs to be shared by the nation (vs. 3)” Miller, 411. “This simple, concise, and affecting expression of humility shows no signs of cultic or public function,and is a good illustration of how the psalm as a poetic form of spiritual expressions often ...

Psalm 130

Psalm 130 A Song of Ascents “In Christian tradition the psalm became one of the seven penitential psalms, the others being Ps. 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 143” Allen, 195. “This psalm, of course, is a penitential psalm, focusing not on the evil of Israel’s enemies, as does Psalm 129, but on the wrongs Israel has done” Alter, 455. 130:1 Out of the depths- Ps. 30:1; 71:20; Isa. 51:10; Ezek. 27:34; Jonah 2:2-6 This is “a figure of speech suggesting his insurmountable difficulty, even to the point of death:...

Psalm 129

Psalm 129 A Song of Ascents 129:1-2 Introductory summary ; 129:3 Their intense need ; 129:4 Praise to God 129:5-8 Request for judgment upon the foes “The psalm divide into two sections: verses 1-4 (statement of suffering) and verses 5-8 (prayer for vindication against the enemies causing the suffering)” Transforming Word, 498. 129:1 Many times they have persecuted me- The word many times in vss. 1-2 is used in 120:6; 123:4. In the NRSV is translated greatly. “A comparison of the NIV with the NRS...

Psalm 128

Psalm 128 A Song of Ascents “The quiet blessings of an ordered life are traced from the centre outwards in this psalm, as the eye travels from the godly man to his family and finally to Israel. Here is simple piety with its proper fruit of stability and peace: Kidner, 443. How are Psalms 127 and 128 linked? 1. The word blessed - 127:5; 128:1-2 2. eat/eating in 127:2; 128:2 3. Behold in 127:3; 128:4 4. son/sons in 127:3, 4; 128:3, 6 5 . fruit in 127:3; 128:3 McCann, 1200; Allen, 184-185. “Both se...

Psalm 127

“The psalm is ascribed to Solomon, and has perhaps a concealed signature in the expression his beloved (2), which is the word from which Jedidiah, his personal name from God, was formed (II Sam. 12:25)” Kidner, 440. Solomon carried on many building activities (I Kings 3:1-2; 7:1-11; 8:13; 9:1 ). This psalm has more of the characteristics of a wisdom psalms than other types. “A wisdom psalm ... ‘provides instruction in right living and right faith” NICOT, 917. “In Jewish practice the psalm is rec...

Psalm 126

A Song of Ascents “The community prayer is strikingly similar to the longer Psalm 85…Verses 1-3 reflect upon a past deliverance, probably return from Babylonian captivity . Verses 4-6 plead for the further restoration from present problems” Miller, 405. “ The psalm starts out like a thanksgiving song, celebrating the restoration of the community’s fortunes, but the second part leads us to understand that it is lament of the community” Longman, 423. 126:1 When the LORD brought back the captive on...

Psalm 125

This psalm “makes a proper distinction between the fate of righteous and the fate of the wicked, a favorite theme in Israel’s wisdom poetry (cf. Ps. 1; Prov. 1-9). Those blessed are those who trust in the LORD (vs. 1), the righteous (vs. 3), the good (vs. 4a), those who are upright in heart (vs. 4b). Wicked kings (vs. 3a) and people (vs. 5) must be eliminated so that the righteous will not be encouraged to do wrong (vs. 4)” Miller, 404 . 125:1 Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides ...

Psalm 124

Psalm 124 The verses of the Psalm describe Israel’s trouble- vs. 3-5- deliverance- vs. 1-2, 6b, 7- praise - vs. 6a, 8. The psalm shows us “how serious the threat was, and how little confidence David placed in his own power to survive it” Kidner, 436. 124:1 Had it not been the LORD who was on our side- 118:6; vs. 1-2 provide the protasis, the ifs clause to a conditional sentence, to the stanza and vs. 3-5 the apodosis, the then clause of the conditional sentence- Miller, 402. The word if actually...

Psalm 123

Psalm 123 A Song of Ascents “Verses 1-2 are written in the tone of a psalm of trust, but 3-4 are in the form of a community lament. 123:1 To You I lift up my eyes- 121:1; Lifting up eyes can indicate arrogance- II Kings 19:22; Ps. 131:1 but here they are lifted up to God and not against Him. “ To phrase ‘to You’ is in the emphatic position, suggesting the psalmist’s complete orientation to God” McCann, 1187. O You who are enthroned in the heavens- Pss. 2:4; 11:4; 115:3, 16; 135:15 “His faithful ...

Psalm 122

Psalm 122 A Song of Ascents, of David The phrase “of David” is omitted in most mss. of the LXX and the Vulgate- Miller, 399. “The psalm gives more evidence of having been written as a pilgrim psalm than any among the Psalms of Ascents (120-134), with the possible exception of the last one” Miller, 399. Psalms of Zion are Pss. 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 132. 122:1-2 Journey to Jerusalem 122:1 I was glad when they said to me- “The idea did not originate with him, but he joined with a group of pilgrims to...

Psalm 121

Psalm 121 There are some connections with Psalm 91 . The idea of shade or shadow in 121:5; 91:1 . The word keep in 121:3, 4, 5, 7, 7, 8 is also in 91:11 . The word foot is used in 121:3 and 91:12 McCann, 1181. The name LORD appears in vs. 2, 5, 5, 7, 8. 121:1 From whence shall my help come?- The word help is m.s. and is used of God in Exodus 18:4; Deut. 33:7, 26, 29; Ps. 20:2; 33:20; 115:9, 10, 11; 121; 1, 2; 124:8; 146:5. The f.s. form is used in Ps. 40:13, 17; 44:26; 46:1; 108:12. “The questio...

Psalm 120

120:1-2 Words of Trust and Petition 120:1 In my trouble I cried to the LORD- 102:2 The word order in Hebrew is “To the LORD in distress to me I cried/called and He answered me.” The point is the emphasis falls on the LORD to whom He called. Who are we calling on or looking to in times of distress? The author “expresses the sole dependence on God in the hour of distress” VanGemeren, 769. The Hebrew word for trouble or distress was used in Pss. 34:6, 7; 46:1; 50:15; 86:7; 91:15; 116:3. While he ha...

Jesus' Fulfillment of Psalm 119

Jesus Fulfills Psalm 119 Psalm 119 and Jesus General Pictures: Jesus as the Word- While there are 177 synonyms for God’s law, word found in Psalm 119 . Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of Word. The Word has become flesh and dwelt among us- John 1:1-14 He does things Psalm 119 attributes to the Word. The Word gives light in 119:105, 130 and Jesus is the Light- John 8:12; 9:5 . Jesus fulfills the picture of the Psalmist trusting God, His word, and seeking to follow Him. See the comments below abou...

Psalm 119:153-176

119:153-160 ר God’s mercy- vs. 156, lovingkindness - vs. 159 , truth- vs. 160 , and righteousness- vs. 160 are all mentioned here. 119:153 Look upon my affliction and rescue me- This word for look will begin vs. 153, 158, 159. This plea for rescue from affliction ties canonically to Exodus 3:7-8- Hermenia, 282. He begs “for deliverance from affliction (vs. 153) and from his persecutors and adversaries (vs. 157a), who are faithless with God (vs. 158)” Miller, 394. Only God can rescue (vs. 153 ) a...