Questions tagged [psalms]
The book of Psalms, also known as "the Psalter", a collection of many poems and hymns from ancient Israel and Judah.
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Psalm 50(51):4 when Thou art judged (referring to God)
Can anyone explain the meaning of "when Thou art judged" in Psalm 50(51):4? This only shows up in translations of the Psalms according to the Septuagint and it appears as though God is being ...
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What is the significance of Psalm 119:168 having נֶגְדֶּֽךָ (before you) instead of לְפָנֶ֥יךָ (before you) as in Psalm 102:28?
More common is לְפָנֶ֥יךָ for before you, etymologically toward your face, while נֶגְדֶּֽךָ has the idea of opposite or across from you. Is there significant to the use of these different words?
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Psalm 94 and NT Reconciliation [closed]
How can one reconcile the use of Psalm 94 in the New Testament Jewish-speaking world? I have always assumed Jesus was of great familiarity with the Psalms.
Psalm 94:15 NET
For justice will prevail ...
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Does Psalm 19 lack any reference to the fifth commandment to honor one's parents?
In studying Psalm 19, which extols God's law, I have found positive or negative references to nine of the Ten Commandments, the sole exception being the commandment to honor your father and mother. ...
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Is Psalm 5:3 referring to prayer or sacrifice?
Psalm 5:3, ESV:
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
However, from the NIV:
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I ...
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How are we to understand the earth does not move?
How are we to understand the creation of the earth / world and does the bible contradict science. A few passages;
Psalm 104:5 - He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. (NIV)
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Psalm 74:8 feast of God or God's meeting place!
They have said in their heart, even all their kindred together, Come, let us abolish the feasts of the Lord from the earth. Brenton's LXX: (Psalm 74:8).
They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them ...
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Did God cause the Egyptians to sin?
I was reading Psalm 105 today. I read these verses. I noticed that verse 25 says God turned the heart of the adversaries mentioned in verse 24 to hate His people. Contextually as far as I see it. It ...
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What is the grammatical basis for understanding אלי in Psalm 2:7 differently than Psalm 22:1?
Let me tell of the decree: the LORD said to me, "You are my son, I have fathered you this day." (Psalm 2:7 NJPS)
אספרה אל חק יהוה אמר אלי בני אתה אני היום ילדתיך
The phrase LORD (YHVH) said ...
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What is the meaning of Psalm 91 and is it a failed promise?
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save ...
Will Brooker
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Does the Fool say, " There is no God!" because he doesn't know, or he ignores General Revelation? Psalm 14:1
Reason? Does any person claim assertively, "There is no God," because of lack of information (or because of alleged, misleading "proof"); or is an Atheist deliberately choosing to ...
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Does the Fool say "There is no God" or "No to God" in Psalm 14:1
I saw Billy Graham say in a 1993 video that the Hebrew text says "No to God". Is that a possible translation he is described as a rebel against God's sovereignty/governance, or suggests the ...
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Did Hermann Gunkel believe that cultic poetry and Psalms were the same genre?
Chapter 1 of Introduction to Psalms by Hermann Gunkel contains the following quote:
The primary preliminary task will be to provide an overview of the entire material transmitted to us. The reason is ...
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A question about Psalm 37:5
I'm meditating on Psalm 37:5, and I can't grasp the meaning of gālāl at the beginning. I suspect it has the same meaning in Psalm 22:8 and Prov. 16:3.
What is the precise meaning of commit your way to ...
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What are the strophes of Psalm 37?
I'm reading VanGemeren's commentary about Psalms. He says that Psalm 37 is an alphabetic acrostic organized in 22 strophes, which seems not to follow a logical progression of thought. I wonder what ...
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Can we know how or why the Septuagint renders "forever" in Psalm 102:28? No other translation has this
Can we know how or why the Septuagint renders "forever" in Psalm 102:28? No other translation has this.
Most render this "established." Is there an underlying semantic reason for ...
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What does "atoned" mean in "Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity". Psalm 78:38?
Psalm 78:38
"Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath." ESV. My emphasis.
Being ...
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What does "laughs" mean in "but the Lord laughs at the wicked," Psalm 37:13?
Psalm 37:12-13
"The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming". ESV. My emphasis.
What is ...
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Who does "his" refer to in "for he sees that his day is coming", Psalm 37:13?
Psalm 37:13
"but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming". All from ESV. My emphasis.
Whose day?
Zephaniah 1:14
"The great day of the LORD is near, near ...
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Psalm 16:10 - "See the pit" vs "see corruption"
My understanding is that translations of Psalm 16:10 differ based on whether they are translating from the Masoretic text or the Septuagint.
For example:
"For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to ...
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In what sense the psalmist asks for the righteousness of the Lord?
I'm meditating on Psalm 36. In v. 10 the psalmist asks for God's unfailing love and righteousness for the godly. But I can't figure out in what sense the psalmist is asking for the righteousness of ...
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Why does the KJV say JAH in Psalm 68:4?
While reading Psalm 68 this morning, I came across this verse which uses the name "JAH":
Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and ...
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Who are the sons of God (υἱοῖς θεοῦ) mentioned in Psalms 88:7 LXX
ὅτι τίς ἐν νεφέλαις ἰσωθήσεται τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ τίς ὁμοιωθήσεται τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν υἱοῖς θεοῦ Psalm 89:7 LXX
HEBREW Psalm 89:7 כִּ֤י מִ֣י בַ֭שַּׁחַק יַעֲרֹ֣ךְ לַיהוָ֑ה יִדְמֶ֥ה לַ֜יהוָ֗ה בִּבְנֵ֥י אֵלִים׃
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Did David choose the pestilence in 1 Chronicles 21:13?
After having sinned David is given three options from which to choose
1 Chronicles 21:12 NLT
You may choose three years of famine, three months of destruction by your enemies, or three days of severe ...
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Psalms 8:3-6 - has this been manipulated by Paul to imply it relates to Jesus?
Psalms speak in general terms about the Glory of God. How has Paul come to the conclusion that this relates to Jesus?
Psalm 8:3-6
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon ...
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What does "Blessed be" mean in "Blessed be the name of the LORD". Psalm 113:2?
Psalm 113:2
"Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forevermore". NKJV. My emphasis.
1. What is "blessed"; and what the name that is blessed?
Psalm 113:2 ...
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Why does the book of Proverbs portray a negative bias towards surety?
KJV Proverbs 6:1
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
KJV Proverbs 17:18
A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the ...
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What does " teaching" [διδαχήν] mean in Psalm 59:1 LXX?
εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῖς ἀλλοιωθησομένοις ἔτι εἰς στηλογραφίαν τῷ Δαυιδ εἰς διδαχήν Psalm 59:1 LXX
What meaning did the Septuagint translator want to convey to readers at the time by using the word ...
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Psalm 7:9 and meaning of the word "reins" within the context
Whilst reading Psalm 7 this morning, I came across a strange expression at the end of verse 9:
O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth ...
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Translation of רַבָּֽה “rabbāh” in Psalm 62
In Psalm 62, verses 2 and 6 differ in just one word, רַבָּֽה rabbāh, at the end of the verse. This is glossed as “great(ly)”, “much”, and the like.
Many translations render it as modifying the ...
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Is the Law eternal?
I was having a conversation with an orthodox Jew over on Code Golf SE on whether Christians still need to follow the Law or not. After bringing up a few verses on the subject, he brought up Psalm 119:...
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What does Your Word דְבָרֶ֑ךָ mean in Psalm 119:105?
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path. (ESV)
has similar wording to John 1:1,4.
In the beginning was the Word... In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (ESV)
Is ...
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Missing verset in Psalm 15:3
The verset ". . .slanders not with his tongue" is missing from the Psalm (15,3) found at Qumran. The LXX does contain this reference to slander which begs the question, at least for me, when ...
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Is Psalm 74:13 prophetic of the future or a reference to the past? Was that part of the process of taming the chaotic abyss?
Psalm 74:13You crumbled the sea with Your might; You shattered the heads of the sea monsters on the water. https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16295/jewish/Cha
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How to correctly interpret Psalm 35:3?
I'm studying Psalm 35, and I am not sure how to interpret the last (in bold) part of v. 3
Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”
So far, I have ...
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Does Psalm 114 indicate that a major earthquake occurred at Mount Sinai?
A person describing being on a hill during a major earthquake told me he could see the surface of the earth moving like ocean waves. This seems to fit the description in Psalm 114.
When Israel went ...
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Who is the handmaid, and who is her son, in Psalm 86:16?
O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy
servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. (Psalm 86:16 KJV)
Reading this Psalm today today it struck that the psalmist describes ...
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In Psalm 68:18, why "received" rather than "taken"?
Psalm 68:18 reads (NIV):
When you ascended on high, you took many captives; you received gifts
from people, even from the rebellious— that you, LORD God, might dwell
there.
The word translated as &...
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Psalm 147:4 - Stars = Angels/Divine Beings?
Psalm 147:4 (ESV)
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Are the stars referenced above to be understood in the astronomical sense, or as a reference to angels/...
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Is there a connection in meaning between Psalm 103 and Luke 10:25-37?
In Sarah Liberman's music video she sings Psalm 103 in Hebrew, but the video obviously portrays the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Is there a connection in meaning between these two?
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What is the relevance of the reference to moon in Ps 81: 3-4?
We read in Psalms 81:3-4 (NRSVCE) :
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our festal day.
For it is a statute for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob
In those days when ...
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What was the pre-Christian interpretation of Psalm 2:7?
What was the common interpretation among the Jews Psalm 2:7, before the birth of Jesus?
I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
How would ...
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What happened on the day the son was begotten in Psalm 2?
Psalm 2:6-7 (KJV)
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
What was the nature of ...
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What is the meaning of the Hebrew word כארו as used in Psalm 22:17?
In the book "Vetus Testamentum Hebraicum : cum variis lectionibus" Kennicott, Benjamin, a comparison of manuscripts with the Masoretic text is given, of which more than 600.
https://archive....
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Is there a contradiction in Psalm 44:17?
In Psalm 44, the psalmist seems to be mourning over the present conditions they are facing in Babylon.
You handed us over like sheep to be eaten; you scattered us among the nations. (Psalms 44:11 ...
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How are we to understand the words "womb" "begotten" and "morning" in Psalm 110:3?
Psalm 110:3 Brenton Septuagint Translation, With thee is dominion in the day of thy power, in the splendours of thy saints: I have begotten thee from the womb before the morning.
Psalm 110:3 Peshitta ...
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Why is "גל" translated variously in Psalm 22:8?
The first part of Psalm 22:8 is translated variously between translations. Most translations render it as:
“He trusted in the Lord..." (NKJV)
Other translations render it:
"Commit thyself ...
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Who are the builders in Psalm 118:22 and why did the Psalmist call them "builders?"
In Psalm 118:22 (KJV) we read:
The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
As I understand, the "stone" is Jesus Christ and the builders' refusal refers ...
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Is a completely generic 'speaking of oppression' a viable reading of Ps. 73:8
Psalm 73 is my favourite Psalm. Verse 8 seems to be a little obscure.
In the NASB, one clause is rendered, "they mock wickedly and speak of oppression".
Other formal equivalence translations ...
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Who are the rulers of Psalm 2:2?
The kings are described as being of the earth but the rulers are not necessarily of the earth. It does not read the kings and rulers of the earth, only the kings are of the earth. And the kings merely ...
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