Psalm 34

Lines Scansion

NASB

1       I will bless the LORD at all times;

         His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2       My soul will make its boast in the LORD;

         The humble will hear it and rejoice.

3       O magnify the LORD with me,

         And let us exalt His name together.

4       I sought the LORD, and He answered me,

         And delivered me from all my fears.

5       They looked to Him and were radiant,

         And their faces will never be ashamed.

6       This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him

         And saved him out of all his troubles.

7       The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,

         And rescues them.

8       O taste and see that the LORD is good;

         How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

9       O fear the LORD, you His saints;

         For to those who fear Him there is no want.

10     The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;

         But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good

         thing.

 

11     Come, you children, listen to me;

         I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

12     Who is the man who desires life

         And loves length of days that he may see good?

 

13     Keep your tongue from evil

         And your lips from speaking deceit.

14     Depart from evil and do good;

         Seek peace and pursue it.

15     The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

         And His ears are open to their cry.

16     The face of the LORD is against evildoers,

         To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17     The righteous cry, and the LORD hears

         And delivers them out of all their troubles.

18     The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

         And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19     Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

         But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

20     He keeps all his bones,

         Not one of them is broken.

21     Evil shall slay the wicked,

         And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

22     The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,

         And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

Effect of the Metric Center on the Psalm’s Development

Psalm 34 begins in the Hebrew text with the superscription as verse 1 which is not part of the inspired text. In the discussion that follows the Hebrew verse numbers will be used which will be one number higher than in the English Bible. In the quotations this change is seen in brackets [].

 Of the center-focused psalms thus far, Psalms 25 and 34 are alphabetical. Such a design may affect the development. This was observed in Psalm 25 where the thought sequences were not as clear as in the other psalms of this genre. Psalm 34 divides itself between a Declaration of Individual Praise in verses 2-11 and a Wisdom Psalm in verses 12-23. Bratcher and Reyburn, Handbook on the Book of Psalms, 319, write,

The first part [verses 2-4] is a hymn of praise to Yahweh, followed by a tribute to his provident care, of which the psalmist had personal experience [verses 5-11]. The main body of the psalm [verses 12-23] is in the form of instruction concerning the right way to live and its rewards, and the punishment awaiting those who disregard God’s laws.

Tesh and Zorn, Psalms, 265, concur, “Moreover, the psalm does not lend itself to easy classification according to any one of the usually recognized types. The first part includes praise and thanksgiving, whereas verses [12–23] are didactic in nature, in the pattern of wisdom literature.” The Pulpit Commentary (I, 255) divides the psalm at verse 12 as well, “The second, didactic, part of the psalm here begins.” Ellsworth, Opening Up Psalms, 103, following suit, “The key phrase for this section is found in verse [12]: ‘Come, you children, listen to me; ….’”

The center of the psalm in the Hebrew text comprises verses 12 and 13. Metrically speaking, verses 2-11 have approximately 59 beats; verses 14-23, 60 beats. Interestingly, Craigie, Psalms, 276-77, has 62 measured beats on each side of the center verses. He also writes (282), “In the context of OT theology, one of the psalm’s most profound insights concerns the instruction on the fear of the Lord      (v 12).”  

Verses 12 and 13 not only divide the psalm, but also highlights the varying emphases in the two parts. In verse 12 the Psalmist implores the children to listen to him as he teaches them about the fear of Yahweh. Bowling (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, I, 401, italics added) explains, “When God is the object of fear [יראה], the emphasis is . . . upon awe or reverence. This attitude of reverence is the basis for real wisdom.” The word “fear” [יראה] appears four times: verses 8, 10 twice, 12.  It captures the awe and reverence of verses 2-11 in praising Yahweh for his presence and deliverance.  Six occurrences of words of deliverance are found in the Psalm [נצל three times; ישע twice; חלץ once], three in the first part and three in the second.

Verse 13 focuses the wisdom aspects of the psalm, and it does so with a question that sets up verses 14-23, “Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good?” The answer begins with a series of six imperatives (14—נצר, stated and implied; 15—סור, עשה, בקש, רדף) and the results of obedience to these commands show the blessings that come upon the righteous 
(צדיק)—mentioned three times in the latter part of the Psalm: verses 16, 20, 22—and the ruin that comes upon the wicked for disobedience.

 

It would appear, in conclusion, that Psalm 34 consists of two different sections and that the central verses point both backwards and forwards: verse 12 with the repetition of “fear” looks back in worship and verse 13 with the wisdom question looks ahead focusing on God’s blessings on the righteous and judgment on the wicked.

Summary

 


 
 



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