PSALM 111
PSALM 119
18. Unroll my eyes, that I may pay attention to things within your Torah that are beyond [my] comprehension!
Unroll: move in a circular direction, like a wave, and/or uncover in such a way as to make the eyes fully round, i.e., wide open, as Bilaam claimed to have. Eyes: He is requesting that something amazing be shown to him. Pay attention: from a root meaning to sprout, burst forth, grow, and bring to light, gradually but with energy, as an unfolding flower both breaks open the soil and shoots out of it. Paulus, in writing of the resurrection from the ground in a “twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:51-52) may have this in mind, since in Yochanan 11 Yeshua—the one also known as “beyond comprehension” (Yeshayahu 9:6)--refers to himself as the resurrection and the life—i.e., the one who will not just show us the way back to the Torah, but also facilitate the resurrection, which is the only way our regeneration can be complete, because “seeing him as he is" (1 Yoch. 3:2) is the way to become like him and become as pure as he. (Avi Ben Mordechai) This is a “wonderful” verse to pray before reading the Torah, but as you pray, have the expectation that you will be changed!
PSALMS OF ASCENT
Shir Maaloth: This categorization for Psalms 120-134 has been translated "ascents", "degrees", or "steps", based on the Mishnah's description of the Sukkoth festivities on the 15 steps leading down from the Court of Yisrael in the Temple (as also reflected in the Passover liturgy), though this is not stated explicitly. Some have thought they were those used for the return of the exiles, but not all of them refer to this, but all of them may well have been sung on pilgrimages up to Yerushalayim (and by extension, while "rising up" in the world by returning to the Land). They could therefore be called "pilgrim songs", whether national or personal [Hertz].
PSALM 121
(A Song of Ascents)
1. I raise my eyes to the mountains; where will my help come from?
2. My help comes from [with] YHWH, Creator of heaven and earth.
3. He will not allow your foot to waver; the One who guards you will not [even] begin to be drowsy.
4. Indeed, the One who guards Israel will neither become drowsy nor fall asleep.
5. YHWH is your guard; YHWH is your shade over your right hand.
This would be especially important when trying to aim a bow.
6. The sun will not beat down on you by day, nor the moon by night.
Moon beat down: How does that occur? Maybe to keep you awake! But the Hebrew word for moon (yareaH) was also the name of a Ugaritic moon-deity, which some may have still thought had power to attack them especially when venturing into battle with his devotees.
7. May YHWH guard you from all trouble; may YHWH preserve your breath!
Breath: or soul, emotions and all.
8. May YHWH guard your going out and your coming, from now until the Age [to come]!
Going out and coming in: applicable in many ways, but in particular an idiom for going forth to war.
PSALM 126
(A Song of Ascents)
1. When YHWH returned the dwelling of Tzion, we were like dreamers!
Like dreamers: like those who cannot believe that what they are experiencing is really true.
2. At that time our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with joyful song. Then they said among the Gentiles, “YHWH has accomplished great things for them!”
Among the Gentiles: Though this was probably written after the first exile ended, how much more meaning can this have now that people in every nation have at least a minimal knowledge of the Elohim of Israel.
3. YHWH has [indeed] accomplished great things for us, and we have begun to express joy!
4. Return our captives, O YHWH, like the watercourses in the Negev!
Watercourses in the Negev: seasonal rivers in Israel’s arid south that are dry most of the time, but are vibrantly renewed each rainy season. What distinguishes them from those feeding into, for example, the wadis in the Judean desert, is that they are “incomparably larger”…When rain falls on the Negev mountains, water begins to flow slowly in many hundreds of tiny rivulets that drain into dozens of larger watercourses. These carry the water in ever-increasing strength to the larger streams that sometimes reach a width of several hundred meters”, an apt picture of the exiles being gathered in from the four corners of the earth. (Nogah HaReuveni, Desert and Shepherd in Our Biblical Heritage) Yirmiyahu 31:9 says YHWH will bring all the tribes of Israel back, even those who have been “lost” among the nations, by dried-up riverbeds now filled with torrents of water and on level paths. This refers to the ancient paths (Yirm. 6:16) once carved by Torah, but deprived of it, now filled up again with the water of YHWH’s instruction.
5. Those who sow in tears will reap with [ringing] shouts of joy.
6. The one who goes out weeping, carrying valuable seed, will certainly come back with shouts of joy, bringing his bound [sheaves].
Valuable seed: from the idea of making something stretch further than normal, or being pulled out, possibly in the sense of being rescued. Bound sheaves: In the context of dreamers in v. 1, this has to be a reference to Yoseyf’s dream in Gen 37: 7. This Psalm is thus a reference to the return of his house. Y’shua is the one who sowed the valuable seeds, the children of the Kingdom (Mat. 13:37), out into the world. He wept over Efrayim (Hoshea 11:8), but when they finally know YHWH, He will respond. (Hoshea 2)
PSALM 131
(A Song of Ascents, belonging to David)
1. O YHWH, my heart is not arrogant or my eyes lifted [too] high,
Nor have I walked into [matter too] large [for me].
2. If I have not settled and quieted my soul;
like a fully-weaned child upon his mother[‘s lap], so my soul is fully mature upon me.
3. O Israel, [point] your expectation toward YHWH
from now on, until the Age [to come]!
PSALM 132
(A Song of Ascents)
1. O YHWH, remember David with all of his afflictions--
2. how he swore to YHWH and made a vow to the Mighty One of Yaaqov,
3. “If I go into the tent of my household, if I get up onto the cushion of my bed--
4. “if I give my eyes a rest, or slumber to my eyelids,
5. “until I find a place for YHWH, a dwelling-site for the Mighty One of Yaaqov…”
6. Indeed, we have heard about in Efrath; we have encountered it in the wooded countryside!
Efrath: “the fruitful place”, particularly the part of Beyth-Lekhem that has orchards near the Tower of the Flock. (Mikha 4:8; 5:2) This is near where Rakhel died (Gen. 35:) and right where Yeshua would be born.
7. Let’s go to His dwelling-place! Let’s worship at His footstool!
8. Rise up, O YHWH; [come] to Your resting place—You and the ark of Your strength!
9. Let Your officiators be properly clothed and Your holy ones shout, [being] overcome with joy!
10. For the sake of Your servant David, do not cause the face of Your anointed one to turn away.
11. YHWH has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: “[Some] from the fruit of the inner part of your body will I set upon a throne for you.
12. “If your children will keep My covenant and my testimony that I will teach them, their children shall also sit upon your throne for evermore,
13. “because YHWH has chosen Tziyon; He has preferred it as a place for Himself to settle.
14. “This is My perpetual resting place continuously; here I will settle, because I have preferred it.
15. “I will bless her food supply; her needy ones I will satisfy with bread.
16. “Both her officiators I will clothe with deliverance,
and her pious ones will shout, [being] overcome with joy!
17. “There I will make a horn spring up for David; I will set a lamp in order for the one I anointed.
18. “I will clothe his enemies with shame, but on himself his crown will sparkle!”
PSALM 133
[A Song of Ascents, belonging to David]
1. Look how good and pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!
2. [It is] like the good oil [poured] upon the head
going down onto the beard—the beard of Aharon—
that [runs] down over the opening of his garments,
The oil of anointing is not to be poured on the flesh of a man. (Ex. 30:32) This is how it can still be poured on the high priest and not violate this command: it must flow from his hair down onto his beard, which has to be kept long enough to go past the opening for his neck, so that it can run directly down onto his garments and never touch his flesh in the process. Garments: the same word as for “measurements”, so it may refer to it being tailor-made for each high priest. But there is a cognate word in Aramaic that refers to the fine garments worn by a king (Neh. 5:4), and this was certainly on par with them, if not even finer.
3. like [the] night-mist of Hermon, which descends onto the mountains of Tzion,
Because there YHWH appointed the blessing—living [all the way] into the Age.
Hermon: a mountain at the extreme north of Israel, about 100 miles away, so having its mists blow down onto Yerushalayim would be highly unlikely. But the word hermon means “the most guarded or off-limits place, the holiest place” (related to the term harem). So it is more likely speaking of fog on the Temple Mount itself, which is just above Tzion (the City of David, per 2 Shmuel 5:7, 1 Kings 8:1; 1 Chron. 11:5). The Age: properly, the Age that is Coming—the Messianic Kingdom. This site will be the central focus during that age and those who are blessed by YHWH, though they have died, will come back to live again during this time.
PSALM 134
[A Song of Ascents]
1. Hey! Bend the knee to YHWH, all you servants of YHWH
Who stand on the steps in the House of YHWH!
Stairs: the term commonly used for “nights”, but the Temple was closed at night except for the watchmen, and the root meaning is “to twist or spiral”. There were spiral staircases in the side chambers flanking the Holy of Holies, but here the term may extend to the semicircular steps leading to the Temple building from the Court of Priests, where the choir that led worship stood. This would be the very last of the “ascents” to His House, but the pilgrims ascending to the Temple would be the ones singing this song to them. (R. Webster)
2. Lift up your hands [in] the holy place,
And bend the knee to YHWH!
3. May YHWH, who made heaven and earth, bless you from out of Tzion!
Bless you: the same term as “bend the knee” above, which is its root meaning. It is easy to see why we would bend our knees to Him, but why would He bend the knee to human beings? Think of a father lovingly crouching down to get on the eye level of his small child, so as to have as intimate a conversation with him or her as possible. (R. Webster)
PSALM 135
1. Rave about Yah! Praise the name of YHWH!
Praise [Him], you servants of YHWH,
2. [You] who stand in the House of YHWH,
in the courtyards of the House of our Elohim!
These would be the priests and Levites.
3. Rave about YHWH, because [He is] good;
Make music to His name, because [it is] pleasant,
4. because Yah has chosen Yaaqov for Himself;
Yisra’el to [be] His special treasure,
5. because I have come to know [for sure] that YHWH is great;
our Master is [greater] than all [other] elohim.
6. YHWH has done anything He has desired
in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all [the] depths.
7. He causes vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
He makes lightningbolts for the rain.
He brings the wind out of His treasuries
8. Who struck down the firstborn of Mitzrayim
from man to beast.
9. He sent forth distinguishing signs and wonders into your midst, O Mitzrayim,
on Pharaoh and on all of his servants.
10. He defeated many nations
and slew powerful kings--
11. Sihon, king of the Emorites, Og, king of Bashan,
and all the dominions of Kanaan,
12. and provided their land as a heritable possession,
[as] property for Israel, His people.
13. O YHWH, Your name, [endures] forever;
YHWH, Your remembrance from generation to generation,
14. because YHWH will vindicate His people,
and will have compassion on His servants.
15. The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the product of human hands.
16. They have mouths, but the cannot speak;
they have eyes, but they cannot see.
17. They have ears, but they cannot hear;
there is not even breath in their mouths!
18. Those who make them will become like them;
[the same for] all who trust in them.
Those who worship useless things will become more and more irrational themselves. Israel is said to have “gone after the empty things and become empty.” (2 Kings 17:15)
19. O House of Israel, bend the knee to YHWH!
House of Aharon, bend the knee to YHWH!
20. House of Levi, bend the knee to YHWH!
[You] who fear YHWH, bend the knee to YHWH!
21. Blessed be YHWH, [the One] from Tziyon;
the One who inhabits Yerusahalayim.
Hallelu Yah!
PSALM 136
1. Give thanks to YHWH, because [He is] good,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
He is good: or, it is appropriate; both fit the grammar, and both are true. Lovingkindness: or mercy. This forms the possibly-antiphonal refrain for each of the verses in this psalm.
2. Give thanks to the Elohim of elohim,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
3. Give thanks to the Adon of adonim,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
Adon: Master or Lord. The term made its way through Arabic into Spanish to become Don, the honorific title for a noble gentleman, as with the English equivalent, so there are many “lords” on different levels, as with the “gods” (or judges) of verse 2, but only One who rules over them all.
4. To the One who alone does great wonders,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
Wonders: extraordinary deeds that far surpass anything of which men are capable; literally “beyond our reach” or ability to understand.
5. To the One who through intelligence made the skies,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
Intelligence: the term includes understanding, knowledge, and insight, but is based primarily on the idea of making distinctions. Skies: or heavens, which could include many more dimensions than simply “space”.
6. Who stretched out the earth above the waters,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
Stretched out: or laid out, stamped, or pressed very thin, literally “beaten out” as in metal plating that overlays wood or another substance; it is related to the term for the “expanse” in Gen. 1:6, the atmosphere or possibly the ice shield that divided it from empty space originally.
7. To the One who made the great luminaries,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever--
Luminaries: the lights in the heavens. Who else could make such things—that actually work?
8. the sun for dominion during the day,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever,
Dominion: or rule, which it does benevolently, providing the right amount of both warmth and light, not too intense for our eyes. This is an example for how human rule and dominion should work.
9. and the moon and the stars for dominion during the night,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
Their light is softer by night to allow us to rest both our eyes and our bodies and minds.
10. To the One who struck down Mitzrayim through their firstborn,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever,
It did not seem merciful to the Egyptians (Mitzrayim), but to those they held captive.
11. and brought Israel out from among them,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever,
12. with a firm hand and an outstretched arm,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
13. To the One who divided the Red Sea into [two] parts,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever,
14. and let Israel pass through its midst,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever,
15. but shook Pharaoh and his army off into the Red Sea,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
16. To the One who led His people through the wilderness,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
17. To the One who struck down great kings,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever,
18. and who slays majestic kings,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever--
19. Sihhon, king of the Emorites,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever,
20. and Og, king of Bashan,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
This one’s “majesty” was his size, using a bed that was 13 feet long (Deut. 3:11).
21. Then He provided their land as an inheritance,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever,
22. a heritage for Israel His servant,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever--
Heritage: i.e., an inherited possession.
23. Who in our fallen condition remembered us,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever,
Fallen condition: or abased state, lowly estate—both as now-sinful humans lower from what we used to be by our own choice, and as a nation that had been brought down into slavery by he Egyptians.
24. and tore us away from those who oppressed us,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever;
25. the One Who provides food for all flesh,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
26. Give thanks to the El of the heavens,
because His lovingkindness [lasts] forever.
PSALM 137
1. By the rivers of Bavel, there we sat
and we wept, when we remembered Tziyon.
By far the main river in Babylon was the Ferath (Euphrates), but there were other canals built around it as well.
2. On the willow [tree]s in her midst
we hung up our harps.
3. Because those who carried us away captive there asked us the lyrics of a song,
and [wanted] us to howl [with] joy: “Sing us [one] of the song[s] of Tziyon!”
4. How can we sing a song of YHWH on foreign soil?
5. If I forget you, O Yerushalayim,
may my right hand forget [how to work]!
6. Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don’t remember you--
if I don’t raise Yerushalayim above my highest joy!
7. Remember, O YHWH, the day of Yerushalayim to the sons of Edom
who said, “Empty it out! Lay it bare, all he way [down] to its foundation!”
8. Daughter of Bavel, the devastator, blessed is the one who finishes you off—
who pays you back just as you have dealt with us!
9. Blessed is the one who takes your [little] children and dashes them against the cliff [wall]!
While this seems a cruel sentiment, it is a deep expression of loyalty to those to whom this was actually done by the enemies who did not just have such thoughts, but had no qualms about actually carrying them out.
PSALM 138
(Belonging to David)
1. I will thank You with my whole heart!
In full view of the gods I will make music to You!
David was in the territory where people worshipped other elohim, and some might have feared to praise YHWH openly in such a context, but he was right “in their face” yet sang praises to the One over them all, possibly to remind them of just Who was foremost.
2. I will bow down toward the Temple of Your holiness,
and praise Your Name on account of Your kindness and Your faithfulness,
because You have magnified Your word above all Your renown.
Toward the Temple: the reason we face Yerushalayim when we pray; King Shlomo asked YHWH to bless in a special way all who turn toward His House, the token of His presence, when petitioning Him. (1 Kings 8:29, 38, 42) We should praise YHWH for His great deeds, but He considers His word—the part we can obey—to be more important than just raving about His power.
3. On the day when I called, You both answered me
and made me bold in my inner core of strength.
4. You, O YHWH, will all the kings of the earth confess
because they have heard the utterances of Your mouth.
5. They will also sing of the ways of YHWH
because great is the importance of YHWH!
Importance: or dignity; the great weight that He carries.
6. Though YHWH is high up, He notices those who have fallen,
but the haughty one He recognizes from far off.
Fallen: or, humbled/lowered themselves. Haughty: those who, in contrast, have elevated themselves.
7. If I walk in the midst of dire straits, You will keep me alive;
against the fury of my enemies You will stretch out Your hand,
and Your right hand will save me!
8. YHWH will bring to completion that which concerns me.
O YHWH, Your kindness [endures] forever;
do not abandon the works of Your hands!
Abandon: forsake, withdraw from, go slack in regard to.
PSALM 139
(For the Director [of Music]; a psalm belonging to David)
1. O YHWH, You have investigated me thoroughly
and You know me.
2. You are familiar with my sitting down and my rising up;
You have discerned my thoughts from far off.
3. You scrutinize my traveling and my lying down;
You are intimately acquainted with every direction I take,
Scrutinize: literally sift or winnow. Direction: or path.
4. because there is not a word on my tongue
[before] You, YHWH, indeed know every [part] of it.
5. You have confined me from [both] in front and behind;
You have laid the palm of Your hand upon me.
6. [Such] knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is set [so] high [that] I cannot attain to it.
7. Where can I go [that is] away from Your spirit?
Or to where can I run away from Your presence?
8. If I go up into the sky, there You are;
if I spread out my bed underground, sure enough—You [are there too]!
9. If I am borne up [by] the wings of the dawn
and land on the other side of the sea,
10. even there Your hand will guide me,
and Your right hand will hold me with a firm grasp!
11. And [if] I say, “The darkness will certainly cover me up!”,
even the night would light up on account of me!
12. Not even darkness can obscure [anything] from You;
Rather, the night is as bright as the day.
[To You], the darkness is just the same as the light!
13. Because You provided me with my inward organs;
You protected me within my mother’s womb,
14. I thank You because of the awesome marvels
[by which] I have been made [a distinct being].
The things You have done are extraordinary, which my soul knows very well!
15. My skeleton was not concealed from You
when I was prepared in the protected place
and skillfully woven together in the lowest parts of the earth.
16. Your eyes saw my [as yet-unformed] embryo,
and the days preordained for me were all recorded on Your ledger
while there was not [yet] one of them.
17. And how valuable are Your thoughts to me, O El!
How vast have been [just] the topmost of them!
Thoughts: or purposes, aims. Topmost: literally, heads, like the tips of the iceberg that show they are only a sampling of many more. As we see below, they are mostly subconscious and unable to be remembered.
18. If I could count them, they would be more than the [grains of] sand!
When I wake up, I am still with You.
These “thoughts” from YHWH are his dreams—the way YHWH communicates directly with him—and he can only recall the few that “surface”, the rest being lost from memory but he does remember they were pleasant.
19. If You would slay the wicked, O Elohim…!
So depart from me, you men of bloodshed!
20. When they speak against You schemingly,
Your enemies raise [Your name] to an empty purpose.
21. Don’t I hate those who hate You, YHWH,
and detest those who rise up against You?
22. I hate them [with] a complete hatred;
they have become enemies to me.
23. Investigate me thoroughly, O El, and be fully acquainted with my heart;
scrutinize me and discern which thoughts [either] animate or make me anxious,
24. and see if [there is any] hurtful tendency in me,
and guide me into the eternal path.
Eternal path: or, way of permanence, ancient manner of habit, that which is tested by time.
PSALM 140
(For the Director [of Music]; a psalm belonging to David)
1. Rescue me, O YHWH, from evil humanity;
Guard me from a man of violent [way]s,
2. who plot evil things in [their] heart.
Every day they go abroad [for the purpose of] wars.
3. They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
the poison of snakes is beneath their lips.
Ponder [this].
4. Protect me, O YHWH, from the hands of a wicked [man];
guard me from a man of violent [way]s,
[from those] who have plotted to destabilize my steps!
5. The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and have spread ropes by the path to catch [me];
They have put lures [in pace] for me.
Ponder [this].
6. I said to YHWH, “You are my El!
Bend Your ear, O YHWH, to the voice of my pleas for favor!
7. “YHWH, My Master, Stronghold of my deliverance,
You have protected my head in the day of weaponry!
8. “Do not grant, O YHWH, the desires of the wicked [one];
Don’t allow the [wicked things] he plots to be set up!”
Ponder [this].
Wicked one: We could certainly ask YHWH to apply this to haSatan’s desires. Set up: or erected, raised up; i.e., don’t let his schemes come to fruition in reality.
9. “Let the mischief of their own lips
cover the head of those who are surrounding me!
10. “Let [hot] coals [that are] in the fire be dislodged [and slide down] onto them;
make them fall into [deep] watery pits [so they can] never rise up [again]!
11. “Don’t ever let a slanderer be firmly established in the Land;
Let a man of evil violence hunt him down to push him!”
Slanderer: literally, a man of tongue. Violence: Heb., Hamas. Push him: into one of the pits mentioned in verse 10?
12. I have come to know [for sure]
that YHWH will bring about justice for the oppressed,
a right ruling for the needy!
13. The righteous ones will most definitely give thanks for Your reputation!
May the upright have their abode with Your presence [nearby]!
Your reputation: as described in verse 12.
PSALM 141
(A Melodic psalm of David)
1. O YHWH, I have called out to You! Hurry to me!
Incline Your ear to my voice when I call out to You!
2. Let my prayer be firmly established [as] incense before You,
the lifting of my hands [as] the evening offering.
This may be the most overt reference to incense being a picture of prayer, though David almost reverses the metaphor here. He is asking YHWH to consider the limitations that have been forced upon him, and to recognize the intentions of his heart as if he had full access to the Temple where he could do everything according to the letter. That YHWH has preserved this prayer shows that He approves of such sentiments.
3. O YHWH, station a guard over my mouth;
keep watch over the doorway of my lips.
4. Don’t let my heart incline toward [any] evil thing,
to occupy itself [with] practices in wickedness
along with men who produce crookedness,
much less treat their delicacies as food!
5. Let a righteous [person] beat me; [it would be] a kindness!
Let him reprove me; [it is the] best [kind of] oil!
Don’t let my head refuse it, because [this would be more] lasting;
Besides, my prayer is against their wicked acts!
Lasting: the pains that help one learn to discipline himself will ultimately be much more beneficial than the enjoyment of luxurious foods afforded because of wickedness (v. 4), such as sophisticated means of robbery.
6. Their policymakers are made to fall by [means of] the protrusions of a cliff,
and [instead] they listen to my sayings, because they are pleasant.
7. As [when someone] plows and breaks up the earth,
our bones are scattered to the mouth of the underworld,
8. because my eyes are toward You, O YHWH my Master.
In You I take refuge; do not leave my soul exposed!
9. Protect me from the power of the trap they have set for me,
and from the lures [that] troublemakers [would bait me with].
10. Let the wicked fall into their own snares,
while only I manage to pass through!
It is poetic justice when the traps people set for others catch them instead, since they are only reaping the fruits of their own way of doing things.
PSALM 142
(A contemplative poem of David when he was in the cave; a prayer)
The cave: probably the one at Adullam, where he spent more time (1 Shmu’el 22:1; 2 Shmu’el 23:13) than the one at Eyn Gedi where he cut off the corner of King Sha’ul’s robe. (1 Shm. 24)
1. To YHWH I will cry out [for help with] my voice;
[with] my voice I plead with YHWH for favor.
2. I will pour out my concern before Him;
before Him I explain what is causing me distress.
There are many applications in our lives for which this provides us with a model prayer.
3. When my spirit was bringing weakness over me,
still You were well-acquainted with my path.
On the road on which I am about to walk, they have hidden a trap for me!
4. Look to the right and see that there is no one acknowledging me!
A place to escape has vanished from me; no one cares for my life!
5. I cried out to You, O YHWH.
I said, “You are my Refuge [from danger],
my allotted portion in the land of the living!”
6. Pay attention to my loud cry, because I have been brought very low!
Rescue me from my pursuers, because they are stronger than I!
Stronger: probably in the sense of tougher, more resilient, better-equipped, or more hardened.
7. Bring my soul out of [this] confinement, [so I can] give thanks to Your Name!
Surround me with righteous [ones], because You can provide me with just compensation.
Confinement: the term is used for quarantine or “lockdown”, a place where one is shut in or cannot leave because it is too dangerous to go out. Compensation: for all David had had to leave behind in running for his life, including his home and family. (1 Shmu’el 22:1) YHWH did provide trustworthy people to accompany him, who kept him safe during eh many times King Sha’ul and others were hunting him down.
PSALM 143
(A psalm belonging to David)
1. O YHWH, listen to my prayer! Give ear to my pleas for favor!
In Your faithfulness, answer me in Your right way of doing things!
2. And don’t enter into litigation with Your servant,
because not one who is alive could be justified before You.
“There is no one righteous, not even one” (14:3; 53:3) since we inherited the genes poisoned by the forbidden fruit. (Gen. 3:6-8) How could we hope to be without some kind of guilt in His sight?
3. Because the enemy has chased my soul down;
he has crushed my life into the ground!
He has made me dwell in dark places
like those [who have been] dead since time immemorial.
I.e., “Please don’t judge my mistakes, because I am running for my life and am sure to err somehow!”
4. So my spirit is bringing a faintness over myself,
while within me my heart is growing horrified.
5. I have remembered the days from long [in the] past;
I have thought hard about all Your doings.
I am contemplating all the works of Your hands.
At times of trouble like this, YHWH’s past generous dealings seem far away, hard to reach:
6. I stretch out my hands to You;
My soul [thirsts] for You like a parched land!
Ponder [this].
7. Quickly answer me, O YHWH!
My spirit is used up.
Don’t hide Your face from me,
or I’ll be comparable with those who go down into a pit!
For all practical purposes, he would be indistinguishable from someone being chased down for a valid reason.
8. Let me hear of Your kindness in the morning,
because in You I have put my trust!
Make known to me this way [in which] I should walk,
because to You I lift up my soul!
He holds his soul up to YHWH like a cup that needs to be filled from His endless supply of living water.
9. Rescue me from my enemies, O YHWH;
to You I [run for] shelter!
We all have times like this when we are vulnerable; thank YHWH, He is reliable!
10. Teach me to do what pleases You, because You are my Elohim!
Your Spirit is good; guide me on[to] level ground!
The enemy has chased him into hard-to-traverse terrain; he needs to find a place where he can travel quickly and easily to put distance between him and his pursuer. But the metaphor is also of walking straight and uprightly, alternate uses of the word for “level”; the term means something free from any kind of crookedness.
11. For the sake of Your name, O YHWH, revive me!
In Your right way of doing things, bring my soul out from this tight spot,
Revive me: or, sustain my life, let me live, or restore my life.
12. and in Your mercy, put an end to my enemies,
and cause all who put my soul in distress to get lost,
because I am Your servant.
Get lost: unable to find him any longer, allowing him freedom to focus on his real goal of doing something for our benevolent Master.
PSALM 144
(belonging to David)
1. Blessed be YHWH, my Rock,
Who trains my hands for the encounter, and my fingers for the battle—
Rock: considered an especially-safe place in combat.
2. [the One Who is] kind to me, and my [tightly-shut] stronghold,
my [inaccessibly-high] retreat and a deliverer for me,
my defender and the One in whom I seek refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.
3. O YHWH, what is a human being, that You recognize him,
or the son of mortality, that You [even] think about him?
4. Humanity is like a short-lived vapor;
his days are like a passing shadow.
YHWH is eternal, so why would He even notice these short-lived mortals?
5. O YHWH, bend Your heavens and come down!
Touch the mountains and they will smoke!
6. Make Your lightning flash, and scatter them!
Let loose Your arrows, and confuse them!
7. Stretch out Your hand from on high; make an opening
and snatch me out from many waters, and from the hands of the sons of foreigners,
The “enemy comes in like a flood”. (Yeshayahu 59:19)
8. whose mouth speaks emptiness,
And whose right hand is a fraudulent right hand!
9. O Elohim, I will sing a new song to You;
on the ten-stringed harp I will [make] a melody to You—
Such harps are now being made again in Israel!
10. the One who provides deliverance to kings,
Who rescues His servant David from the injurious sword!
11. Create an opening and snatch me away
from the hand of the son of the foreigner,
whose mouth speaks emptiness,
and whose right hand is a fraudulent right hand,
12. so that our sons [may be] full-grown plants while they are [yet] young,
and our daughters, corner pillars [in the] pattern of a temple,
13. filling our granaries, supplying from [one] kind of nourishment to [another],
causing our sheep [to give birth to] thousands,
tens of thousands in our outdoor [space]s,
14. making our oxen well-loaded,
[so there will be] no one breaking in, no one leaving,
and no outcry in our wide-open [street]s!
15. Blessed is the people that has [conditions] like these;
blessed is the people whose Elohim is YHWH!
PSALM 145
(A Psalm of David)
1. I will lift You up, my Elohim, the King,
and I will bend the knee to Your Name to the Age and onward!
To the Age: that is, the Age to Come, the Messianic Kingdom. And onward: literally, “continuing until”--an undefined time implying that an end is unlikely. What continues after the Age that the 7th day prefigures? The 8th day—which will go on and on indeed, never ending; dare we say, “To infinity and beyond”?
2. Every day I will bend the nee to You;
I will rave about Your reputation forever and ever!
Forever and ever: implied; it is the same phrase as the above “to the Age and onward”.
3. Great is YHWH, and [He is] the One to be praised emphatically;
and for [how] vast He is, there is no searching out!
4. A generation will commend Your deeds to [another] generation,
and they will recount Your acts of valor.
5. I will ponder [the] splendor of [the] honor of Your majesty
and the reports of Your [all-] surpassing [act]s.
6. [People] will speak of the fierceness of Your awe-inspiring [qualitie]s,
and I will take account of Your greatness.
7. They will bubble forth [with] the remembrance of Your abundant goodness,
and give a ringing cry about how right the things You do are!
8. YHWH is inclined to provide beyond what we deserve and [show] compassion,
slow to anger and extensive in kindness.
Slow to anger: literally, long-nostriled, that is, having plenty of room to let the fire that is within Him cool off before it is expressed outwardly.
9. YHWH is good to all
and His heart-felt compassions [devolve] upon all of His works.
Works: the products of His craftsmanship.
10. All Your works will thank You, O YHWH,
and those You have set apart [as holy] will bend the knee to You!
11. They will discuss the weight Your Kingdom carries,
and converse about Your valor!
12. I will make His acts of valor known to the children of Adam
and honor the majesty of His kingdom.
13. Your Kingdom is a kingdom [lasting for] all ages,
and Your dominion [endures] through every generation and [another] generation [after them]!
14. YHWH is a support to all who are falling,
and a lifter for all who are bent over.
15. The eyes of all [look] expectantly toward You
and You give them their food at the right time.
As a dog looks to his master for his next meal, we wait for YHWH.
16. You open Your hand
and are the satisfier of the desire of every living [thing].
17. YHWH is right in all His ways
and is kind in each of the things He does.
Ways: literally paths, but this is an idiom for His habitual modes of operating.
18. YHWH is near to all who call on Him--
to all who call out to Him with genuine [motive]s.
Near: or approachable. Genuine: reliable, true, stable, or ethical.
19. What those who revere Him desire, He will accomplish,
and He will heed their cries for help and will rescue them.
20. YHWH is a watchful guardian of all who love Him,
but all those who are wicked, He will bring to nothing.
21. My mouth will utter the praise of YHWH,
and all flesh will genuflect to His one-of-a-kind reputation forever and ever!
Genuflect: that is, give a “nod” with one’s knees.
PSALM 146
1. Hallelu Yah!
Praise YHWH, my soul!
2. I will rave about YHWH while I am alive;
I will make music to my Elohim while there is still a “me”!
3. Don’t put your trust in generous [people],
in the son of Adam, who has no deliverance [to offer].
4. His spirit goes out, he returns to his soil;
that [very] day they are lost.
Spirit: or breath. They are lost: the generous promises he made but did not have time to arrange to fulfill.
5. Blessed [is the one] whose helper is the El of Yaaqov;
Who [places] his expectation on YHWH his Elohim,
6. Maker of skies and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
The eternal Guardian of reliable faithfulness,
Reliable faithfulness: or simply, truth or reality. He is the “real thing” compared to all other things we might try to count on.
7. Who accomplishes justice for the oppressed,
Who provides bread for the starving;
YHWH sets free those who are bound.
Oppressed: the term means those who are pressured, extorted from, violated, defrauded, or wronged. Sets free: the word picture in Hebrew is of one who is tied up having his ropes loosened and fully unfastened, and more literally “springs” them from prison or a harness.
8. YHWH opens [the eyes of] the blind; YHWH raises up those who are bent over.
YHWH loves those who do right.
Opens: most literally, unblocks or unstops, i.e., takes away the obstacles.
9. YHWH keeps watch over sojourners;
He brings relief to a fatherless [child] and a widow,
but the way of wicked [ones] He subverts.
Relief: more properly, restoration; literally, bringing back around. Subverts: literally, makes twisted and crooked; i.e., makes the way more difficult so they can more easily be headed off.
10. YHWH will reign forever—Your Elohim, Tzion—
for generation [after] generation.
Hallelu Yah!
PSALM 147
1. Praise Yah! Because it is good to make music to our Elohim,
because [He is] pleasant; adoration is fitting.
2. YHWH is the One who builds up Yerushalayim;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3. He is the healer of [the] broken-hearted,
and He bandages up their wounds.
Bandages: or binds, restrains, as with a tourniquet.
4. He counts up [and tallies] the number of the stars;
He calls them all by [their] names.
5. Great is our Lord, and abounding on power!
For His intelligence there is no number!
Our Lord: Heb., Adoneynu. Intelligence: or understanding, most literally, ability to discern or distinguish.
6. YHWH brings about the restoration of the afflicted;
He brings the wicked all the way down to the earth!
The wicked think they are above others, but need to be brought back to reality.
7. Respond to YHWH with thanks;
with the harp make music to our Elohim,
8. who covers the skies with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth,
who causes vegetation to sprout up [on the] mountains.
9. He gives to [each] animal its food,
to the progeny of ravens that call out.
10. It is not in the bravery of a horse that He takes delight,
nor does find the calf-muscles of the man acceptable.
11. What YHWH accepts is those who treat Him with reverential awe—
those who wait expectantly for His lovingkindness.
12. O Yerushalayim, acclaim YHWH [with a loud voice];
Praise your Elohim, O Tzion,
Acclaim: or commend, laud, soothe, stroke, quell anxiety, pacify.
13. because He has made the bars of your gates rigid,
[and] has blessed your children within you!
14. He sets peace [within] your borders
[and] satisfies you with the choicest of the wheat.
15. He sends out His spoken [word toward the] earth;
His word runs to the point of acceleration.
16. He provides snow like wool
[and] scatters frost like [strewn] ash.
17. He sends out His ice crystals like morsels [of bread];
who can stand in the face of His cold?
18. He is the One who sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and waters flow!
Melts: or thaws. Causes His wind…: or blows with His breath.
19. He makes His word known to Yaaqov,
His prescribed boundaries and principles of justice to Israel.
Principles of justice: or court procedures for right judgment.
20. He has not done like this for any [other] nation,
nor have they known how to make just rulings. Praise Yah!
PSALM 148
1. HalleluYah! Praise YHWH from the heavens!
Praise Him in the heights!
2. Praise Him, all His angels!
Praise Him, all His armies!
3. Praise Him, sun and moon!
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4. Praise Him, O heavens of heavens,
And [you] waters from above the heavens!
5. Let them intensely praise the name pf YHWH,
because He gave the order, and they were created
6. and He set them up to continue into the Age;
He made a decree and it will not pass away.
7. Praise YHWH from the earth,
[great] sea reptiles and all [you] depths!
8. Fire and hail, snow and clouds of smoke,
Hurricane-force wind, accomplishing His word!
9. O mountains and all [kinds of] hills,
Fruitful trees and all [kinds of] cedars!
10. Living [creature]s and livestock,
creeping things and winged birds,
11. kings of the earth and all nations,
rulers and all judges of the earth,
12. both choice young [men] and maidens,
old men and young lads,
13. let them praise the name of YHWH,
because He alone is highly exalted; His splendor is above earth and heavens,
14. and He has raised up a horn for His people, praise for all His pious ones,
for the descendants of Israel, a people very near to Him. Praise Yah!
Raised up a horn: an idiom for an increase of strength, dignity (Ps. 89:24, Brown-Driver-Briggs), or honor (Ps. 112:9; 1 Sam. 2:1), like a horned animal raising its head high (Ps. 92:10), and often in conjunction with deliverance (Luke 1:69), especially in the sense of something to hold onto. (Ps. 18:2).
PSALM 149
This and the next psalm are a rightful king’s instructions on how the worship in the Temple is to be carried out:
1. HalleluYah! Sing to YHWH a new song,
His praise in the congregation of those on whom He has had mercy.
HalleluYah: Often translated “praise YHWH”, the meaning is much more precise. It means to rave as if a foolish person, to celebrate, to boast, make a show. The root meaning is to be clear (i.e., transparent, not holding back our desire to please Him because of what others around us might think; of course, it should be done in the company of the like-minded). New: or, renewed, since we are again singing in Hebrew after not knowing the holy tongue for millennia, and are again singing in alignment with the Torah after many centuries of seeing it as a “strange thing”, as Hoshea put it.
2. Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; [let] the sons of Tziyon spin around in [joy over] their King!
Rejoice: literally, to brighten up. We must bring the right attitude into any gathering for worship.
3. Let them rave about His Name in the dance; with percussion and twanging stringed instrumentation let them make music to Him,
4. because YHWH takes pleasure in His people; He will adorn the humble with deliverance.
YHWH ties His enjoyment of this kind of worship with our removal from exile or other oppression.
5. Let those who have been shown mercy [respond by] leaping [joyfully], with dignity; let them shout aloud [with a shrill voice] in the place of their intimacy
Intimacy: as a unified bride to YHWH.
6. while they lift Elohim high, with a double-edged sword in their hands
7. to carry out vengeance on the Gentiles, [and] correction on the peoples that are gathered together,
8. to bind their kings with chains [to take them prisoner], and their highly-honored ones with iron fetters,
9. to carry out on them the judgment [that is] prescribed. This honor belongs to all to whom He has shown mercy. HalleluYah!
PSALM 150
1. HalleluYah! Praise Elohim in His sanctuary; rave about Him with the expansion of His prevalence.
HalleluYah: Often translated “praise YHWH”, the meaning is much more precise. It means to rave as if a foolish person, to celebrate, to boast, make a show. The root meaning is to be clear (i.e., transparent, not holding back our desire to please Him because of what others around us might think; of course, it is best done in the company of the like-minded). New: or, renewed, since we are again singing in Hebrew after not knowing the holy tongue for millennia, and are again singing in alignment with the Torah after many centuries of seeing it as a “strange thing”, as Hoshea put it.
2. Celebrate Him for His heroic acts; praise Him with the excellence His magnificence [deserves]!
3. Praise Him with the blast of the shofar; praise Him with the harp and the twanging stringed instrument!
4. Praise Him with percussion and dance; praise Him with multi-stringed instruments and wind instruments!
Multi-stringed: those on which full chords can be played.
5. Praise Him with clearly-distinguishable cymbals; praise Him with noisy cymbals!
Cymbals: literally, something that vibrates. Noisy: ear-splittingly loud, a major blast that could sound an alarm or provide a wake-up call.
6. Let everything that has breath praise YHWH!
Breath: Heb., neshamah—that is, anything related to the higher soul from which YHWH breathed life into Adam originally, for praise re-connects us to our Creator.
Psalms or T'hillim
(Prayer-Songs)
INTRODUCTION: The psalms give us many examples of the way(s) YHWH wants to be approached and worshipped, whether there is an official sanctuary in place or not. The psalms are a songbook specifically designed for use in the Temple. They call on all to participate in praise to YHWH using a melody and instruments. (e.g., Psalm 33) When they tell us to clap our hands, shout, or dance to YHWH, these are not requests but commands. They call for a vivid response to what He has done. When He delivers His people throughout Scripture, a new song usually comes forth. (Psalm 98) Shouting aloud brings great release when we have been afraid or angered. People do it for worthless events like a football match, and the teams feed off it; how much more do YHWH’s awesome deeds deserve an emphatic response?
Micah Harrari, who revived the 10-stringed 'asor harp.
Rebuilt ruins of Babylon;
photo by Osama Sarm
This species of willow is named for its origin in Babylon.
