Beautiful situation Jehovah's protect ing care His acts of judgment Worshippers: 28 Thou art my God, and I will give thanks to thee; Thou art my God, I will exalt thee. Levites: 29Oh give thanks to Jehovah; for he is good, For his lovingkindness endureth forever. IV THANKSGIVING FOR JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE § 72. The Beauty and Glory of Jehovah's City, Ps. 48 Ps. 48 'Great and highly to be praised is the city of our God, a Jehovah is mighty within her citadels, he is known as a strong refuge; "For behold, the kings assemble, they pass by together. "When they looked they were amazed and troubled, they fled in alarm; "Trembling seized them there, writhing as a woman in travail, "As when an east wind breaks the ships of Tarshish. As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of Jehovah of hosts:f "We meditate, O Jehovah, on thy goodness in the midst of thy temple; preceding stanzas we expect here a direct address to Jehovah, as in 21-25, This is found in 23. Whatever be the exact meaning of 27b, it is evidently a prose liturgical direction that has probably crept into the text from the margin. The first part of 27, thou art God and he giveth us light, is probably secondary, for it is loosely connected with its context. 872 This ps. was clearly written after the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls under the leadership of Nehemiah. It may well voice the pride and exultation of the Jewish community after this work was completed. 481 Heb., great is Jehovah... in the city of our God. But Jehovah is evidently an addition later than the work of the editor of these pss., who systematically changed the name of Jehovah to Elohim (God). The present Heb. reading is also inconsistent with the context, with the metrical structure of the line, and with the general feeling of the ps. Probably the late scribe who added this word also added the preposition in before the city of Jehovah in order to make the line intelligible. Removing these later additions, the meaning of the ps. is clear. b482 I. e., the temple hill which slopes to the north. 482 The usual reading is, the city of the great king. But the following line requires a verb to complete the thought and metre. Reading the last word of the preceding line thus solves the two or three distinct problems presented by the context. d483 Restoring the original Jehovah which was changed by a later scribe to Elohim. our God. 8488 The Heb. has the word selah. Possibly this represents a similar Heb. word meaning ever, so completing the metrical structure of the line with the expression forever and ever. b4810 Here, as elsewhere in the O.T., name stands for character. 14810 Slightly correcting the Heb. in accordance with certain MSS. BEAUTY AND GLORY OF JEHOVAH'S CITY 12 Walk about Zion and encircle her, count her towers, § 73. A Jewish Pilgrim's Appreciation of the Temple Worship, Ps. 84 Ps. 84 1How beloved are thy tabernacles, O Jehovah of hosts! 2My soul longeth, yea, fainteth, for the courts of Jehovah; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. "Verily the sparrowm doth find her house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, "Happy is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are the highways [to Zion]. "Passing through the valley of weeping" hea maketh it a place of springs; Yea [it is as if] the early rain covered it with blessings." "He goeth from strength to strength; he appeareth before God. Evidence of his care The joy of abiding in Jehovah's sanc tuary The happi ness of those who make pil grim ages to the temple In Zion, O Jehovah, God of hosts, hear my prayer; 14813 Again slightly revising the Heb. in accordance with the demands of the context and according to the MSS. 4813 Lit., pass between. The exact meaning of the verb, however, is not certain. 14814 The Heb. adds It is he who leadeth us to death, but the Gk. omits the verb, and the words translated unto death are probably a part of the musical direction which originally stood at the beginning of the following ps. § 73 The exile is in the background and the restored city and temple in the foreground of this ps. The point of view is evidently that of a pilgrim who has made a long and arduous journey to worship at the temple. Worship for him is not a duty but a transcendent privilege. His spirit is not crushed by the burdens imposed by the later Jewish law nor by the ceremonialism of the ritual. He loves the temple because it is the place where he may worship the living God for which his heart and flesh cry out. Pilgrimages from the lands of the dispersion do not appear to have been common until the latter part of the Persian and the early part of the Gk. period. This general date well satisfies the implications within the ps. Selah marks the end of the first stanza, 4. The five-beat measure expresses the deep emotion and exultation of the poet. Many scholars hold that the latter part of the ps. is supplemented by extracts from an originally independent ps., but the evidence is not convincing. m 843 Any small bird. 844 Lit., still. Gk., forever and ever. 0845 Gk., goings up, i. e., pilgrimages. P84 Probably the psalmist has in mind Hos. 215, where the valley of Achor (trouble) becomes a door of hope through which the Hebrews in their early days passed from their painful experiences in the Wilderness to the possession of Canaan. Cf. deep, dark valley in Ps. 23. The reference is to any cheerless, barren valley such as those which surround southern Palestine on almost every side. 4846 So one Heb. MS. and Gk. Heb., they. 1846 The comparison here is apparently with a field covered with springing vegetation as the result of an early spring rain. above. 847 Heb., they, but the preceding and following context indicates that the original read as +847 Possibly this means from one stronghold to another, or from wall to wall, referring to the pilgrim custom of encamping each night under the shadow of some city wall. It is possible and on the whole more probable, that it refers to the strength derived from Jehovah, to which reference is made in 5, although a different Heb. word is used. 848 Many commentators regard this vs. as a later gloss. Shield, however, here, as in ", probably refers to Jehovah. A departure from the Massoretic division of the text gives a better meaning and satisfies the demands of the metre. If is original, as seems probable, thine anointed would either refer to the Jewish people or to the psalmist himself. The pilgrim's prayer of thanks giving Jehovah's love for Jeru salem The loyal exiles Jehovah's regard for citizenship in Zion Behold, O God, and look upon the face of thine anointed. I would rather lie on the threshold in the house of my God "For a sun and a shield is Jehovah, my God; Grace and glory Jehovah ever giveth, No good thing doth he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 120 Jehovah of hosts, blessed is the man who trusteth in thee. § 74. The Privilege of Citizenship in Zion, Ps. 87 Ps. 87 'Jehovah founded it on the holy mountain; 'I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon because of those who know me; This and that man was born in her; And the Most High, Jehovah himself will establish her.' From mortal peril V PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING FOR PERSONAL DELIVERANCES Ps. 30 'I exalt thee, O Jehovah, for thou hast drawn me forth," And thou hast not permitted my foes to rejoice over me, O Jehovah. "My God, I cried to thee for help and thou hast healed me; 8410 This rendering of the Heb. is supported by the Gk. and by the Lat. The current Eng. translation is be a doorkeeper. 8410 I. e., in the land of the heathen even though they offer large opportunity. $74 Like Ps. 84, this ps. probably comes from the Gk. period. Its outlook includes the lands of the dispersion. The text is obscure and the exact meaning a little doubtful. The unifying thought is that wherever the scattered members of the Hebrew race may be found they glory in their common citizenship in Zion. Even in the mind of Jehovah, citizenship in Zion is regarded as a great distinction. 1871 The abrupt opening, his foundation, suggests that the original read as above. This reading is also supported by the metre and parallelism of the vs. y 872 I. e., all the other places where the Jews dwell. 87 The symbolic name of Egypt, used in Is. 307 and Ezek. 29a to describe that land as a monster that swallows up the nations. 87 A scribe has added with Ethiopia. The reference in this vs. is probably to the Jews dwelling in these lands and possibly also to the proselytes found there. b875 So Gk. Heb. omits mother. e877 Gk. and Lat., dwellings. The Heb., fountains, probably means all who have sprung from Zion. $75 This ps. bears the superscription, A Psalm: Sung at the Dedication of the House of David. This title suggests that it was later used in connection with the feast of dedication of the temple in 165 B.C. The presence of such phrases as go down to the pit, '. ', and the familiarity of the 301 Lit., draw out water. GRATITUDE FOR DELIVERANCE FROM DEATH 30 Jehovah, out of Sheol thou hast brought up my soul, From among those who go down to the pit thou hast quickened me.b Significance "For his anger is momentary, but in his favor is full life." At eventide weeping cometh to lodge, but in the morning a glad shout;d of Je And in my prosperity I said, 'I shall never be moved.'e hovah's favor 70 Jehovah, by thy favor thou didst make me stand as a strong mountain; When thou didst hide thy face, I was filled with dismay. To thee, O Jehovah, I call and make supplication: "What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit? Can the dust give thee praise, make known thy faithfulness? 10Oh hear and be gracious, become to me a helper. "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing, Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, 12That to thee my heart" may sing praise and not be silent. O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks to thee forever. § 76. Gratitude for Deliverance from Great Peril, Jon. 22-9 Jon. 2 2I cried out of my distress to Jehovah, and he answered me; me; psalmist with such late passages as Is. 547, 8 and Jer. 313, and the references to the great afflictions in 2, 3 indicate that the ps. is post-exilic. The psalmist, however, still holds the primitive conception of the future life as a joyless, impersonal existence, He is also unfamiliar with the teachings of the book of Job. The language of the ps., especially in 2, 3, 6-10, is strongly individualistic. It is possible that it may have been later used by the community as a public hymn, but there is little doubt that its foundation is the poet's own personal experience. Its thought and its place in the Psalter indicate that it probably was written about the middle of the Persian period. b30 It is exceedingly probable that the following lines: Sing to Jehovah, O ye his saints; And give thanks in commemoration of his holiness, are secondary, for they anticipate the thought of 12 and are in the three-beat rather than in the prevailing four-beat measure. Their language and thought are also alien to the context. 30 Lit., for a moment in his anger, lives in his favor. d305 This beautiful figure of sorrow coming into the heart to lodge overnight, as the shades of twilight gather, and of the relief and joy which come at sunrise is marvellously true to human experience. 306 Possibly this line is secondary. 1307 This line is evidently corrupt. The above rendering is based upon a slight emendation of the text and is strongly supported by the context. The Heb. adds unto my Lord. Certain MSS. have Jehovah and the Gk., my God. It is probably a scribal addition, for it destroys the metrical and logical symmetry of the vs. Gk. translates the vs. in the past tense rather than as imperatives. 3012 Here, as frequently in the pss., the Heb. word for liver, which was thought to be the seat of the emotions (Assyr., kabittu), has evidently been mistaken for the more common and very similar Heb. word meaning glory. § 76 This ps., inserted in the story of Jonah, but with no close connection with the context, was probably placed there by some later editor of the prophetic book because certain of its figures recalled the experiences of the Hebrew prophet. It is not entirely clear whether it was originally intended to express the experiences of the Jewish race or of the psalmist. The points of contact with Ps. 30 are many and close. Probably the author of Jon. 2 was familiar with the older ps. His figures, however, are more hyperbolic and varied. In any case they are not to be interpreted literalistically. As in Ps. 30, the poet probably has primarily in mind his own experiences as an exile in a foreign land. His zeal for the temple service is strong, ef. 4. 7-9, and indicates that he probably lived during the Greek period. For critical notes, cf. § 202kq, Vol. III. Petition for its contin uance Unceasing praise An exile's distress His restora tion and vows to Jehovah The fulfilment of a VOW The cause of the poet's thanksgiving Doxology All thy breakers and thy waves passed over me. "Then I said, 'I am driven out from before thine eyes; How shall I ever again look towards thy holy temple?' "The waters surrounded me even to the quenching of my life, the abyss engulfed me, The sea weeds were wrapped about my head; I went down to the roots of the mountains; The earth with its bars was behind me forever. Yet thou hast brought up my life from destruction, O Jehovah my God. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is Jehovah's. § 77. Thanksgiving for Personal Deliverance, Ps. 6613-20 14 Even those which my lips have uttered,h 15I will offer to thee burnt offerings of fatlings, I will offer bullocks with goats. 160 come, hear, and let me relate,i 17To him I cried with my mouth,i He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. 20 Bless Jehovah, Who hath not turned away my prayer, §77 This appendix to the national hymn found in the first part of the ps. was evidently intended to be used by a grateful offerer as he came up to the temple to present to Jehovah the offering which he had promised in connection with a vow. The second stanza describes in general terms the reason for his gratitude: because Jehovah has answered the prayer uttered with his Vow. The psalmist's own experience is, without reasonable doubt, the occasion of this poem. although it doubtless found a place in the Psalter because it was adapted to use by others who in the same way came to present their sacrifice which they had vowed. It may even have been used by the community in connection with some great deliverance. There are no clear indications regarding its date. The strong repetitious and liturgical note suggests the Gk. or Maccabean age. b 6614 Lit., which parted my lips. 166 The current Eng. translations do not follow the Heb. order in this vs. 16617 So Syr., supported in part by Lat. 6618 This vs. destroys the close connection between 17 and 1 and is possibly secondary. |