The book of Psalms. As poetry, the Psalms were used as worship material for the Hebrews and later Jews. Many of them list David as the author. With 150 songs, the book has both the shortest chapter in the Bible (ps. 117) and the longest (ps. 119).
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Does the Bible mention unicorns?
I was reading Psalm 22 (from this question) and I found this verse:
Psalms 22:21 (KJV)
Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
When I switched ...
25
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5answers
1k views
Pre-Christian, Jewish interpretation of Psalm 22
How was Psalm 22 understood by Jewish tradition before the birth of Jesus? Was it interpreted messianically? What pre-Christian sources discuss Psalm 22?
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611 views
Translation of “Selah” (סֶלָה)
What is the current scholarly opinion on the possible translations for "Selah" (סֶלָה) as used in the Psalms?
10
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3answers
125 views
To what extent is Psalm 51:4 poetic exaggeration?
The context of Psalm 51 is clear:
To the choirmaster. A psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
These events are described in 2nd Samuel ...
9
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3answers
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Comparison of English word “fool” in original Hebrew and Greek
Question is based on this comment on Christiantity SE.
In the OT, the word fool is apparently used to describe atheists:
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
Psalm 14:1 and Psalm ...
8
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1answer
102 views
Temple in Psalm 138
The first verse of Psalm 138 is clearly stating David as author of the Psalm. In verse 2 it says:
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your ...
8
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3answers
111 views
What is the judgment in Psalm 1?
The ending of Psalm 1 provides great hope for those who delight in the instruction of the Lord:
Not so the wicked;
rather, they are like chaff that wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked ...
7
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2answers
62 views
Blessed is the man who WALKS NOT or HAS NOT WALKED?
I noticed in studying the Psalms that Psalm 1 in the old Coverdale text reads, "Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, and hath not sat ...
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190 views
Why are the Psalms broken into five books?
The Psalms in most English Bibles are divided into five sections or books:
1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, and 107-150
Psalms 41, 72, and 89 end with the double amen, while 106 and 150 end with "Praise ...
6
votes
1answer
92 views
Do the righteous flourish or perish?
For example:
Psalm 92:12 (KJV)
12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
compared to:
Isaiah 57:1 (KJV)
1 The righteous perisheth, and no ...
6
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2answers
123 views
Who are the “divine beings” in Psalm 82?
We read in Psalm 82:
I had taken you for divine beings,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
but you shall die as men do,
fall like any prince.—Psalm 82:6–7 (NJPS)
Some ...
6
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1answer
68 views
How should Psalm 22:16 read?
Psalm 22:16 seems textually quite difficult. The NET for example reads:
Yes, wild dogs surround me –
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet.
Yet, they note that ...
6
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1answer
221 views
David's righteousness in the Psalms
In the Psalms, there are several places where David portrays himself as righteous and blameless. For example, Psalm 26:
1Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have ...
6
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1answer
176 views
Peter's Psalm quotations in Acts 1:20
In Acts 1:20, Peter quotes Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8:
20“For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
“‘May his camp become desolate,
and let there be no one to dwell in it’;
and
“‘Let ...
5
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2answers
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Psalms, Hymns, Songs: What are the meanings of these words Biblically?
Verses in Question
Let the word of Christ 18 dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace 19 in your hearts ...
5
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3answers
271 views
What are the “shields of the earth”?
The end of Psalm 47 reads:
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth ...
5
votes
1answer
29 views
What are “the lines”?
In Psalm 16:6, the Psalmist writes:
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
The rest of the chapter (see below) does not mention the lines at all. ...
5
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1answer
46 views
Was nûn deleted from Psalm 145 in the Masoretic Text?
Psalm 145 is an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet, except that in most of the MT manuscripts verse 13b is missing along with therefore the letter nûn. The ESV renders it like this:
Your kingdom is an ...
5
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1answer
171 views
Not singing the songs of Zion/Yahweh's song in Psalm 137
The first colophon (or first two colophons, perhaps) of Psalm 137 reads,
1 By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there
we hung up ...
5
votes
2answers
83 views
Who is the speaker in Psalms 82:6?
I believe Asaf is speaking in Psalm 82:1 (ESV):
A Psalm of Asaph.
God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
Then God is speaking in Psalm ...
4
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3answers
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Psalm 51:5 CEV vs ESV
How can we determine which translation is more close to the original message? Clearly "the day I was born" vs "mother conceive me" paints a completely different picture - and arguably, a different ...
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2answers
102 views
What is Paul's advice on anger?
Paul writes:
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.—Ephesians 4:26-27 (ESV)
The first issue I see is that the first clause ...
4
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2answers
256 views
Psalms 46 - Be still or relax?
In Psalms 46-10 (Christian versions) or 46:11 (in Jewish versions), is the phrase
הרפו ודעו כי אנכי אלֹהים
In most English Bible translations הרפו is translated as
Be still .
With the ...
4
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1answer
120 views
Is the death of the pious precious in the eyes of God?
How does one understand the word yakar in Psalms 116:15? Classic Jewish commentators explain the word in context to mean "difficult". However, that is not how is it commonly used nor is it in ...
4
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1answer
114 views
Are the Psalms intended to be didactic?
I have kind of a lot of questions here, but hopefully it makes sense what I'm getting at. What is the nature of the Psalter as a whole in terms of how it was meant to be used? I've always assumed that ...
4
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1answer
35 views
Are Psalms 23 and 24 both by David according to their prefixes?
Psalm 23 begins with the annotation:
מזמור לדוד
While Psalm 24 begins with a similar, but slight different one:
לדוד מזמור
Yet both are marked in the NET (and elsewhere) as "A psalm of David". I ...
4
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2answers
928 views
How did the Thanksgiving offering work?
A thanksgiving offering is mentioned in Leviticus 7:11-15 (NJPS):
This is the ritual of the sacrifice of well-being that one may offer to the Lord:
If he offers it for thanksgiving, he shall ...
4
votes
2answers
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Where did that camel come from?
Psalm 13, verse 6, second hemistich, reads:
אָשִירָה לַיהוָה, כִּי גָמַל עָלָי
Which is to say, "I will sing to G-d, because there is a camel upon me."
Can anyone offer a hermeneutic ...
4
votes
1answer
97 views
Who is “I” in Psalm 4
Several verses in Psalm 4 are in the first person, for example in verse 1:
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and ...
4
votes
1answer
202 views
How is Psalm 34 linked to 1st Samuel 21?
The annotation of Psalm 34 (ESV) reads:
Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
Clearly this is a reference to 1 Samuel 21:10-15 ...
4
votes
2answers
58 views
How should רָגַז be translated in Psalm 4?
A quick survey of English translations of Psalm 4:4 shows that there is little agreement about how ragaz should be rendered:
NIV
In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your ...
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0answers
46 views
Meaning of N .. N+1 pattern in Amos, Proverbs, Job and Psalms [duplicate]
In the first couple of chapters of Amos, we see a number of proclamations from God that all begin with (all ESV)
"For three transgressions of [region/group], and for four, I will not revoke the ...
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2answers
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Is Psalm 119 an ode to just the Torah or to something more?
Virtually every line in Psalm 119 praises some aspect of God's law. In the past, I assumed it was an ode to the Torah. But lately, I've been wondering if were in praise of something outside of the ...
3
votes
1answer
74 views
Have the “many” in Psalm 4 received blessings or were they already blessed?
Psalm 4 is a David psalm about prayer. It includes this stanza that seems to contrast the psalmist with other people:
There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of ...
3
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1answer
185 views
Request for parallels between Psalms and Proverbs
Can someone either post themselves or give me a link to a somewhat detailed comparison between Psalms and Proverbs where fairly word for word parallels are found?
I am looking for all the instances ...
3
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1answer
88 views
The meaning of 'grace' and 'sinner' in Psalm 26
In the final verses of Psalm 26, David contrasts himself with 'sinners' and speaks of his own 'integrity' (as in earlier verses where he says: "I have walked in my integrity" and "I wash my hands in ...
2
votes
2answers
120 views
How can Psalms 68:18 be translated as in Ephesians 4:8?
In Psalms we have:
You ascended on high,
leading a host of captives in your train
and receiving gifts among men,
even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there. (Psalms 68:18, ...
2
votes
1answer
189 views
Is Psalm 19 an example of the Teleological Argument?
This morning, on the way to work, I listened to a philosophy lecture that offered Psalm 19 as an example of the Teleological Argument. The quoted portion is Psalm 19:2 in the NJPS translation:
...
2
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1answer
336 views
Do the 'Sons of Jacob' refer to only Jews, or also Christians and Muslims?
There is a song by Damian Marley that refers to "The sleeping sons of Jacob".
I looked up 'Sons of Jacob' on Wikipedia and now understand them to represent the 12 tribes of Israel.
I am also ...
2
votes
1answer
40 views
What does “The psalms of David are ended” refer to?
Psalm 72 ends with the words:
The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Yet after this a number of Psalms, especially many of the Psalms of Ascent are attributed to David (I think ...
2
votes
1answer
25 views
Is there a general way to know if a psalm or prophecy is talking about a tribe, a person or a mythical beast?
For example:
You rule the raging sea; you still its swelling waves.
You crush Rahab with a mortal blow; with your strong arm you scatter your foes.
Yours are the heavens, yours the ...
2
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1answer
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How did contemporaries understand “a new song” in Psalm 149:1?
I know about at least one "sensus plenior" interpretation of the "new song" in Psalm 149, but I have never heard a plausible explanation on what the author intended and how it was understood by his ...
2
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2answers
79 views
What does Psalm 68:18 refer to in context?
In the NIV, Psalm 68:18 reads:
When you ascended on high,
you led captives in your train;
you received gifts from men,
even from the rebellious—
that you, O Lord God, might ...
2
votes
1answer
135 views
Psalm 23 - long long pursuit of the house of the LORD
I am puzzled by translations of the 23rd Psalm. I wish to bring those my puzzlement to your attention. Perhaps, someone could comment on it.
ינחני במעגלי צדק
The accepted translations are saying
...
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2answers
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Why does the Hebrew word “chesed” in Psalm 136 have two meanings?
Psalm 136:23 & 24 use the same Hebrew word that is sometimes translated as "grace". The ESV uses "steadfast love" in those verses:
It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his ...
1
vote
1answer
32 views
Are men (brethren) really men or are they human?
Psalm 133:1 KJV
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity!
VS
Psalm 133:1 GW
See how good and pleasant it is
when brothers and sisters live ...
