Psalm 33

Lines Scansion

 

NASB

1    Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones;

      Praise is becoming to the upright.

2    Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;

      Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.

3    Sing to Him a new song;

      Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

4    For the word of the LORD is upright,

      And all His work is done in faithfulness.

5    He loves righteousness and justice;

      The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.

6    By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

      And by the breath of His mouth all their host.

7    He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;

      He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

8    Let all the earth fear the LORD;

      Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

9    For He spoke, and it was done;

      He commanded, and it stood fast.

 

10  The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations;

      He frustrates the plans of the peoples.

11  The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

      The plans of His heart from generation to generation.

12  Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

      The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.

 

13  The LORD looks from heaven;

      He sees all the sons of men;

14  From His dwelling place He looks out

      On all the inhabitants of the earth,

15  He who fashions the hearts of them all,

      He who understands all their works.

16  The king is not saved by a mighty army;

      A warrior is not delivered by great strength.

17  A horse is a false hope for victory;

      Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

18  Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,

      On those who hope for His lovingkindness,

19  To deliver their soul from death

      And to keep them alive in famine.

20  Our soul waits for the LORD;

      He is our help and our shield.

21  For our heart rejoices in Him,

      Because we trust in His holy name.

22  Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us,

      According as we have hoped in You.

 

Effect of the Metric Center on the Psalm’s Development

 

 

Psalm 33 falls into the literary category of Descriptive Praise. Such a Psalm has two basic parts: “the summons to praise and the unfolding of that praise” (Westermann, The Psalms, 85). Westermann (The Psalms, 94) outlines the Psalm with these particulars: Summons to praise (1-2) and God’s activity (4-19) with verses 10-12 serving as a transition from God’s transcendent activities in the world, creation and absolute sovereignty, to His immanent activities in relationship to His people, deliverance and preservation. To once again use Westermann’s words (Praise and Lament in the Psalms, 236), “This section [verses 10-12] is transitional, leading to the development of the grace of God (13-19).” Craigie (Psalms, 273) comes to a similar conclusion, “(33:10-12). There is now a transition from the praise of God in creation to the praise of God in his control of human history.”

 

The metrically-centered transitional verses 10 and 11 reveal two distinct contrasts touching on Yahweh’s immanent activities: (1) the “counsel of the nations” and the “counsel of the Lord, and (2) the “plans of the peoples” and the “plans of His heart.” Not only does Yahweh reign broadly over the whole of creation (verses 1-9) but also narrowly over the inward plans and thoughts of peoples and nations. See also Bratcher and Rayburn, A Translator's Handbook on the Book of Psalms, 314. It is this narrower aspect that comprises verses 13-19. Verses 13-15 highlight Yahweh’s involvements in human activities, and verses 16-19 explains that mankind’s safety and well-being rests in the power of God and not in human efforts. Finally, verses 20-22 flow naturally into praise of the Creator and Sustainer echoing verse 12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”

Summary

 

 

 

Psalm 32

Lines Scansion

NASB (Modified in brackets [])

 

1    How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

      Whose sin is covered!

2    How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,

      And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

3    When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away

      Through my groaning all day long.

4     For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

       My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.

5     I acknowledged my sin to You,

      And my iniquity I did not hide;

       I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;

     And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

 

6   Therefore, everyone who is godly [will] pray to You in a time [of distress];

     Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.

 

7    You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;

      You surround me with songs of deliverance.  Selah.

8    I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;

      I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

9    Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,

      Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,

      Otherwise they will not come near to you.

10  Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

      But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.

11  Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;

      And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

 

 

Effect of the Metric Center on the Psalm’s Development

 

Psalm 32 may be viewed as one of Thanksgiving (Bratcher and Reyburn,  A Translator's Handbook on the Book of Psalms, 302) or of Wisdom (Craigie, Psalms, 265, elements of both exist) or as a Penitential Psalm (Gaebelein, The Book of Psalms, 145). On the historical background, Ross (BKC, I, 818) connects it to but following Psalm 51 and relating to David’s sins against both Bathsheba and Uriah. Craigie (Psalms, 265) proposes a chiasmos outline: A (wisdom, 1-2), B (thanksgiving, 3-5), B׳ (thanksgiving, 6-8), A׳ (wisdom, 9-10).

The metric center is bracketed on either side by the 2nd personal pronouns ”You” (אַתָּה) referring to Yahweh whereas verse 6 changes to the more “generalized” 3rd person phrase “everyone who is godly” (כָּל־חָסִיד) setting it apart and establishing spiritual principles of prayer at times of distress (see Craigie, Psalms, 265, who resolves the textual problem of “when You may be found” (NASB for מְצֹא רַק) by emending the text to read מָצוֹק, “distress”) and deliverance. Notice also the bracketing of verse 6 by the perplexing “Selah” (סֶלָה).  

 

Verses 1-5 focus on confession of personal “sin” (verses 1, 5 twice) and divine forgiveness. Verses 7-11 contain expressions of thanksgiving and wisdom with emphases on “surrounded” “with songs of deliverance” and “lovingkindness” (verses 7, 10). The metric center, verse 6, can justifiably be seen as reflecting backwards in line one and forward in line two. Ross (BKC, I, 818) likewise attaches importance to verse 6:

 

David encouraged others to seek the Lord because He deals graciously with sinners. The time to pray is when the Lord may be found [see Craigie above on the textual issue affecting the translation]. If this is done, calamities (spoken of as mighty waters) will not overwhelm. On the basis of this note of comfort, David turned to praise the Lord as his Hiding Place . . . . God protects from trouble those who trust Him, and He gives them occasion to praise.

An interpretive dispute in this Psalm relates to the speaker of verse 8. Ross (BKC, I, 818) sees David as giving the advice whereas Bratcher and Reyburn (A Translator's Handbook on the Book of Psalms, 308) favor Yahweh as the speaker.

 

Summary

 

 

Psalm 27

Lines Scansion

NASB (Modified in brackets [])

1    The LORD is my light and my salvation;

      Whom shall I fear?

      The LORD is the defense of my life;

      Whom shall I dread?

2    When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,

      My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.

3    Though a host encamp against me,

      My heart will not fear;

      Though war arise against me,

      In spite of this I shall be confident.

4    One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:

      That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

      To behold the beauty of the LORD

      And to meditate in His temple.

5    For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;

      In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;

      He will lift me up on a rock.

6    And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,

      And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;

      I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

7    Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice,

      And be gracious to me and answer me.

8    When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,

      “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.”

9    Do not hide Your face from me,

      Do not turn Your servant away in anger;

      You have been my help;

      Do not abandon me nor forsake me,

      O God of my salvation!

10  [If] my father and my mother [were to forsake] me,

      [Then] the LORD will take me up.

11  Teach me Your way, O LORD,

      And lead me in a level path

      Because of my foes.

12  Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,

      For false witnesses have risen against me,

      And such as breathe out violence.

13  [Surely] I [have come to believe that I [will] see the goodness of the LORD

      In the land of the living.

14  Wait for the LORD;

      Be strong and let your heart take courage;

      Yes, wait for the LORD.

 

Effect of the Metric Center on the Psalm’s Development

 

Craigie (Psalms, 231-233) identifies verses 1-6 as “A statement of confidence” and verses 7-13 “A prayer for divine aid.”  Ross (BKC, I, 814-15) sees the Psalm similarly. Because of the different emphases in verses 1-6 and 7-14, some scholars suggest that two different psalms may have been brought together in Psalm 27. But such a conclusion is unnecessary when the restructuring of the Lament and the centrality of verse 6 is taken into account. Also, any scribe who may have conflated two different psalms would have certainly seen some relationship between the two parts to put them together. See Craigie (Psalms, 230-31) for a defense of the unity of the Psalm.

 

Westermann (Praise and Lament in the Psalms, 64) identifies Psalm 27 as a Lament of the Individual. A formally complete Psalm of this type has the following pattern:

 

·         Invocation

·         Lament (I, They, You)

·         Expression of Confidence

·         Petition (Hear! Turn! Intervene!)

·         Oracle (Stated or Implied)

·         Praise/Vow of Praise

 

Since Psalms represent real-life situations, these formal elements do not always exist nor do they always follow the “pure” pattern of the Lament. The restructuring, when it occurs, alters the Psalm’s feel and application. Whereas the “pure” structure begins with the lament and ends with praise, Psalm 27 begins and ends with positive expressions of confidence and places the vow of praise in the center. It has this pattern:

 

 

·         Praise and Statements of Confidence, 1-5

·         Vow, 6

·         Petitions, 7-12

·         Restatement of Confidence, 13-14

 

The Psalmist expresses his close relationship to the Lord (1-2), who has helped him in the past (2), and gives him confidence in the future (3-5). He fully expects God to help him in the present situation (6a, “and now”), and he is determined to maintain his spiritual relationship with the Lord through worship with God’s people in the temple (6b). Verse 6 embodies the center of the Psalm both metrically and thematically. The statements of confidence beginning the Psalm (1-5) culminates in the assurance of deliverance in the present situation (6a), and includes three cohortatives of resolve (Waltke & O’Connor, Biblical Hebrew Syntax, 573) in verse 6b. Verses 7-12 flow out of a personal relationship with Yahweh in a context of worship petitioning for grace, guidance, and deliverance. The above translation change from the NASB at verse 13 follows the lead of Koehler, Baumgartner, Richardson, and Stamm (The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 524) who classify the word לוּלא as a statement of affirmation that fits the context admirably and coordinates with the sentiment of verse 4. The Psalm ends with this restatement of personal confidence in the Lord and encouragement for the faithful community (13-14).

Finally, the structure of Psalm 27 provides a relevant contemporary application: An ongoing strong personal relationship with the Lord paves the way for confidence in present and future difficulties and reinforces both the desire and need for maintaining a living relationship with the Lord and with His people. Too often, as pastors will attest, many Christians who have encountered difficult or tragic circumstances in life have little to cling to for encouragement because they have neglected their relationship with the Lord during the good times.

 

Summary