Comments on Psalms On the quality of Psalms see Luke 20:41-44, Luke 24:44 where they are put on par with the Law and the Prophets. On their utility, note that they have been incorporated into the Prophets as Isaiah does so extensively as well as the BofM (cf. 2 Ne. 4: 16-34) and the D&C (cf. D&C 121:1-6). The Psalms appear to have been initially gathered by David (1 Chr. 25:1-3, 2 Chr. 29:25-30) and were clearly a well-organized body of literature by NT times. David's and Nathan's application of psamls in Temple ceremony explains why there are a number of blatantly liturgical psalms. Not all "Psalms of David" were written by David. The poetical form is one that was carried on well after his death. You will notice that some of the "Psalms of David" make reference to the Temple proper. Well, the Temple wasn't built until after David's death. One would assume some of the Psalms were authored by David, but how many nobody knows. I'll be using the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) translation of the Psalms just for comparison purposes. The KJV really does a top notch job in the Psalms and the Elizabethan English lends flavor to them as well. The problem is it isn't arranged poetically, so its tough to see it at times. The JPS verses don't always agree with the KJV verses, so keep an eye on that as I will be referring to the JPS verse breaks. Psalm 1 1 Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, or taken the path of sinners, or joined the company of the insolent; 2 rather, the teaching of the Lord is his delight, and he studies that teaching day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatever it produces thrives. 4 Not so the wicked; rather, they are like chaff that wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment, nor will sinners, in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord cherishes the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed. This psalm is a good example of the ideal Psalm. It is highly structured, contains abstract nature symbols, is loaded with pathos, and it eminently concerned with individual morality. The structure is an antithetical chiasm as follows: A - Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, or taken the path of sinners, or joined the company of the insolent; B - rather, the teaching of the Lord is his delight, and he studies that teaching day and night. C - He is like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatever it produces thrives. C - Not so the wicked; rather, they are like chaff that wind blows away. B - Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment, nor will sinners, in the assembly of the righteous. A - For the Lord cherishes the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed. The chiasm is clearly divided into the righteous one in v. 1-3 and the wicked one in v. 4-6. The A's contrast the wicked and the righteous with the first A emphasizing the happiness of those who do not walk in wickedness with the damned condition of those who do in the second A. The B's contrast the relationship the Law has on these two characters, the first one loves the Law and studies it day and night while the second is judged and destroyed by the Law (note the implication of one who is deliberately rebellious in the second B as the wicked one is found among the "assembly of the righteous" but is still not spared). The C's then use an abstract nature symbol of a verdant well-watered tree contrasted with chaff that quickly blows away. In this pair, note the literary style and graphic imagery at work. The verdant tree receives four lines of text emphasizing how healthy and prosperous it is, while the chaff receives a single terse line. Thus, the amount of text is used to contrast the health, vigor and life of the two contrasted plants. Also note it is a tree contrasted with some type of grain stalk. Trees are very long-lived compared to the grass of the field. Psalm 6 1 For the leader; with instrumental music on the sheminith. A psalm of David. 2 O Lord, do not punish me in anger, do not chastise me in fury. 3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I languish; heal me, O Lord, for my bones shake with terror. 4 My whole being is stricken with terror, while You, Lord O, how long! 5 O Lord, turn! Rescue me! Deliver me as befits Your faithfulness. 6 For there is no praise of You among the dead; in Sheol, who can acclaim You? 7 I am weary with groaning; every night I drench my bed, I melt my couch in tears. 8 My eyes are wasted by vexation, worn out because of all my foes. 9 Away from me, all you evildoers, for the Lord heeds the sound of my weeping. 10 The Lord heeds my plea, the Lord accepts my prayer. 11 All my enemies will be frustrated and stricken with terror; they will turn back in an instant, frustrated. This one is typical of the pathetic appeal psalm, which is fairly common. Herein some person with a humble, penitent, and even perhaps even tormented soul, pours out their heart to God begging Him for mercy and rescue. The peak of the appeal is v. 6 where the psalmist begs the Lord to save them because if they die and go into Hell, then they will not be able to praise the Lord for His mercy. This kind of appeal is akin to that of Exod. 32:11- 14, Exod 33:12-17, and Deut. 9:26-29 where Moses intercedes to preserve Israel so the covenants of Israel will be preserved and the Lord's name will not be profaned among the nations. The psalmist makes a similar appeal, "Save us sinners because if you don't, there will be nobody to sing praises to you!" In other words, save us so you may glorify yourself and you name, cf. Ps. 23:3. Verses 1-8 form the pathos-filled appeal, and v. 9-11 form the psalmist's statement after the Lord has heard their plea. Psalm 15 1 A psalm of David. Lord, who may sojourn in Your tent, who may dwell on Your holy mountain? 2 He who lives without blame, who does what is right, and in his heart acknowledges the truth; 3 whose tongue is not given to evil; who has never done harm to his fellow, or borne reproach for [his acts toward] his neighbor; 4 for whom a contemptible man is abhorrent, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who stands by his oath even to his hurt; 5 who has never lent money at interest, or accepted a bribe against the innocent. The man who acts thus shall never be shaken. This psalm describes who is worthy to enter the Temple. It pretty much reviews a series of behaviors outlined in the Law. One would imagine psalms such as this one and the other liturgical ones would be sung as pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem for the various feasts. Such as psalm as this one would serve to discourage those who had grossly violated the Law from attending the Temple. Psalm 24 1 The earth is the Lord's and all that it holds, the world and its inhabitants. 2 For he founded it upon the ocean, set it upon the nether-streams. 3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?-- 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not taken a false oath by My life or sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall carry away blessing from the Lord, a just reward from God, his deliverer. 6 Such is the circle [lit. generation] of those who turn to Him, Jacob, who seek Your presence. 7 O gates, lift up your heads! Up high, your everlasting doors, so the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory?-- The Lord, mighty and valiant, the Lord, valiant in battle. 9 O gates, lift up your heads! Lift them up, you everlasting doors, so the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is the King of glory?-- the Lord of Hosts, He is the King of glory! This psalm is loaded with Temple imagery and themes. Verses 1-2 equate the Creation theme with the Temple, as is done today. The act of Creation is what binds the exalted God to His fallen children. While they are estranged by the fall and sin, the fact that He created them forges this relationship and responsibility of salvation. And the scene of that salvation, the covenant relationship is the Temple. Verses 3-6 focus on the worshiper who is ascending up to the Temple. Verses 3-4 have another worthiness formula similar to that of Psalm 15 above. Verse 5 indicates that in the Temple people will receive a blessing in their hands which they may carry away from the Temple. And v. 6 transitions the context from the individual worshiper to the nations of Israel and all her generations. Note the Hebrew for "circle" can also be rendered "generations". Thus, the circle is equated with the continuity of ongoing generations. Verses 7-10 focus on the Lord's exalted nature, and necessarily imply His condescension in dealing with mankind. These four verses form a nice clean alternating A-B-A-B with the A's inviting the Lord to come down out of heaven into the Temple and the B's forming an authority statement as well as praise. These gates being thrown open aren't earthly gates to the Temple precinct like we see in 118:19-20, these are the gates of heaven that conceal the Lord from us. Given v. 3 and v. 7 the Temple is a location where the pilgrim is ascending to the Lord and the Lord is condescending to the pilgrim. They meet there and communion, and the Lord dispenses blessings (v. 5) to those who are worthy (v. 3-4). Also, note the JST on v. 7-12 where the "gates" are emended to "generations of Israel" connecting the summoning of the Lord, the redemption of Israel, and the generations of Israel with the Temple. This would necessarily imply vicarious ordinance work. Psalm 26 Of David. 1 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked without blame; I have trusted in the Lord; I have not faltered. 2 Probe me, O Lord, and try me, test my heart and mind; 3 for my eyes are on Your steadfast love; I have set my course by it. 4 I do not consort with scoundrels, or mix with hypocrites; 5 I detest the company of evil men, and do not consort with the wicked; 6 I wash my hands in innocence, and walk around Your altar, O Lord, 7 raising my voice in thanksgiving, and telling all Your wonders. 8 O Lord, I love Your temple abode, the dwelling-place of Your glory. 9 Do not sweep me away with sinners, or [snuff out] my life with murderers, 10 who have schemes at their fingertips, and hands full of bribes. 11 But I walk without blame; redeem me, have mercy on me! 12 My feet are on level ground. In assemblies I will bless the Lord. Here we have another liturgical psalm which ties together vindication, redemption, a godly walk, sanctification, giving thanks, and judgement, all together with the Temple. Especially note the washing in v. 6. Also, note the people in v. 9. In various formulas of who is and who isn't worthy to enter the Temple as in Psalms 15 and 24, these people obviously aren't worthy to be in the Temple, and they are being characterized as those who are swept away in judgement. Thus, those who aren't swept away in judgement are those who are in the Temple, they get mercy. Consider the imagery of clean hands (v. 6) versus dirty hands (v. 10). In 24:3 the just "carry away blessings from the Lord, a just reward from God" in their hands when they leave the Temple, but the wicked here in v. 10 have hands filled with bribes (see the KJV on v. 10 for a more blatantly liturgical rendering). Psalm 38 A psalm of David. Lehazkir. 2 O Lord, do not punish me in wrath; do not chastise me in fury. 3 For Your arrows have struck me; Your blows have fallen upon me. 4 There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your rage, no wholeness in my bones because of my sin. 5 For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are like a heavy burden, more than I can bear. 6 My wounds stink and fester because of my folly. 7 I am all bent and bowed; I walk about in gloom all day long. 8 For my sinews are full of fever; there is no soundness in my flesh. 9 I am all benumbed and crushed; I roar because of the turmoil in my mind. 10 O Lord, You are aware of all my entreaties; my groaning is not hidden from You. 11 My mind reels; my strength fails me; my eyes too have lost their luster. 12 My friends and companions stand back from my affliction; my kinsmen stand far off. 13 Those who seek my life lay traps; those who wish me harm speak malice; they utter deceit all the time. 14 But I am like a deaf man, unhearing, like a dumb man who cannot speak up; 15 I am like one who does not hear, who has no retort on his lips. 16 But I wait for You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord, my God. 17 For I fear they will rejoice over me; when my foot gives way they will vaunt themselves against me. 18 For I am on the verge of collapse; my pain is always with me. 19 I acknowledge my iniquity; I am fearful over my sin; 20 for my mortal enemies are numerous; my treacherous foes are many. 21 Those who repay evil for good harass me for pursuing good. 22 Do not abandon me, O Lord; my God, be not far from me; 23 hasten to my aid, O Lord, my deliverance. This psalm personalizes many of the covenant curses of Lev. 26 and Deut. 28, in fact it paraphrases several of them. For example, cp. v. 3 with Deut. 28:35 and Isa. 1:6. Verses 1-16 paraphrase various covenant curses and then it wraps up with a confession of being a sinner in v. 19-21, and pleading for the Lord to not abandon them despite their sins in v. 22-23. Thus, this psalm would sung by the penitent who are realizing and confessing their sins. Psalm 43 1 Vindicate me, O God, champion my cause against faithless people; rescue me from the treacherous, dishonest man. 2 For You are my God, my stronghold; why have You rejected me? Why must I walk in gloom, oppressed by the enemy? 3 Send forth Your light and Your truth; they will lead me; they will bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling-place, 4 that I may come to the altar of God, God, my delight, my joy; that I may praise You with the lyre, O God, my God. 5 Why so downcast, my soul, why disquieted within me? Have hope in God; I will yet praise Him, my ever-present help, my God. Again we have another highly structured psalm that is liturgical. The psalm is strongly chiastic and contrasts external personal problems (v. 1-2) with internal personal problems (v. 5) and portrays the Temple as the place of retreat (v. 3-4) from those problems. The C's follow the "redeem me so I may worship You" theme from Ps. 6. Here is the text arranged chiastically: A - Vindicate me, O God, champion my cause against faithless people; rescue me from the treacherous, dishonest man. B - For You are my God, my stronghold; why have You rejected me? Why must I walk in gloom, oppressed by the enemy? C - Send forth Your light and Your truth; they will lead me; D - they will bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling-place, D - that I may come to the altar of God, God, my delight, my joy; C - that I may praise You with the lyre, O God, my God. B - Why so downcast, my soul, why disquieted within me? A - Have hope in God; I will yet praise Him, my ever-present help, my God. Psalms 51 This psalm is traditionally attributed to David as what he said after being confronted by Nathan over the matter of adultery with Bathsheba. The text is highly structured and contrasts physical worship with spiritual worship. Below is the JPS translation arranged as a repeated parallelism. Note the verse numbers are different from the KJV. A - 3 Have mercy upon me, O God, as befits Your faithfulness; in keeping with Your abundant compassion, blot out my transgressions. B - 4 Wash me thoroughly of my iniquity, and purify me of my sin; C - 5 for I recognize my transgressions, and am ever conscious of my sin. 6 Against You alone have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are just in Your sentence, and right in Your judgment. D - 7 Indeed I was born with iniquity; with sin my mother conceived me. E - 8 Indeed You desire truth about that which is hidden; teach me wisdom about secret things. B - 9 Purge me with hyssop till I am pure; wash me till I am whiter than snow. C - 10 Let me hear tidings of joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed exult. 11 Hide Your face from my sins; blot out all my iniquities. D - 12 Fashion a pure heart for me, O God; create in me a steadfast spirit. 13 Do not cast me out of Your presence, or take Your holy spirit away from me. 14 Let me again rejoice in Your help; let a vigorous spirit sustain me. E - 15 I will teach transgressors Your ways, that sinners may return to You. B - 16 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, God, my deliverer, C - that I may sing forth Your [righteousness]. D - 17 O Lord, open my lips, and let my mouth declare Your praise. E - 18 You do not want me to bring sacrifices; You do not desire burnt offerings; 19 True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart. A - 20 May it please You to make Zion prosper; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 21 Then You will want sacrifices offered in righteousness, burnt and whole offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar. Summary of the pattern would be as follows: A - Have mercy on me, blot out my sins B - Wash me, purify me C - I have sinned, You are just D - I am carnal and fallen E - You love truth, teach me truth B - Purge me, wash me C - Forgive my sins, don't execute judgment D - Change my heart E - I will teach truth B - Save me, deliver me C - Let me sing of your righteousness D - I am born again E - The truth is you want spiritual worship A - Have mercy on Zion, accept her offerings The A's compliment each other nicely to form an "if...then" where if the Lord blots out their sins, then their sacrifices will be accepted. v5 I would consider this to be primarily referring to the fallen nature of man in general. It is David confessing he is carnal, and subject to the Fall and therefore sin. It may be alluding to the illegitimate child he had with Bathsheba and therefore his sin of adultery, but that would only be a side reference at best as the speaker is referring to himself in the first person and not to another. v7 "hyssop", traditionally the leaf tea was used as a gargle for sore throats, as an expectorant, for stomach aches and in conjunction with Horehound it was used for bronchitis, coughs and asthma. v14 (JPS v16) Here the psalmist is hoping to sing praises of the Lord's righteousness rather than be damned by it. "righteousness", for some reason, I am not sure why, the JPS renders the Hebrew "tzedakah" to "beneficence" instead of "righteousness". v15 Compare 2 Ne. 31:12-14, 2 Ne. 32:2-3. v16-17 Compare Num. 23:19, 1 Sam. 15:22, Micah 6:3-8. Psalm 99 1 The Lord, enthroned on cherubim, is king, peoples tremble, the earth quakes. 2 The Lord is great in Zion, and exalted above all peoples. 3 They praise Your name as great and awesome; He is holy! 4 Mighty king who loves justice, it was You who established equity, You who worked righteous judgment in Jacob. 5 Exalt the Lord our God and bow down to His footstool; He is holy! 6 Moses and Aaron among His priests, Samuel, among those who call on His name when they called to the Lord, He answered them. 7 He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud; they obeyed His decrees, the law He gave them. 8 O Lord our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God for them, but You exacted retribution for their misdeeds. 9 Exalt the Lord our God, and bow toward His holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy. Another highly structured liturgical psalm, this time a parallelism: A - (v. 1-3) The Lord is exalted above all peoples B - (v. 4) The Lord is just and executes justices to Israel C - (v. 5) Worship the exalted Lord at His footstool A - (v. 6) Exalted, yet He condescends to talk to His servants B - (v. 7-8) The Lord issues His statutes to His servants, requires them to live them, but forgives when they do not C - (v. 9) Worship the Lord God at His hill Again we have the imagery of the Lord as an exalted God who condescends to mankind, require us to live according to His statutes, but forgiving us when we need to repent. And since He does these things for us, we ought to worship Him at His footstool, which is His Holy Hill, which is the Temple. Psalm 118 1 Praise the Lord, for He is good, His steadfast love is eternal. 2 Let Israel declare, "His steadfast love is eternal." 3 Let the house of Aaron declare, "His steadfast love is eternal." 4 Let those who fear the Lord declare, "His steadfast love is eternal." 5 In distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and brought me relief. 6 The Lord is on my side, I have no fear; what can man do to me? 7 With the Lord on my side as my helper, I will see the downfall of my foes. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in mortals; 9 it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in the great. 10 All nations have beset me; by the name of the Lord I will surely cut them down. 11 They beset me, they surround me; by the name of the Lord I will surely cut them down. 12 They have beset me like bees; they shall be extinguished like burning thorns; by the name of the Lord I will surely cut them down. 13 You pressed me hard, I nearly fell; but the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and might; He has become my deliverance. 15 The tents of the victorious resound with joyous shouts of deliverance, "The right hand of the Lord is triumphant! 16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted! The right hand of the Lord is triumphant!" 17 I shall not die but live and proclaim the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord punished me severely, but did not hand me over to death. 19 Open the gates of victory for me that I may enter them and praise the Lord. 20 This is the gateway to the Lord the victorious shall enter through it. 21 I praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my deliverance. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our sight. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made let us exult and rejoice on it. 25 O Lord, deliver us! O Lord, let us prosper! 26 May he who enters be blessed in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the House of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God; He has given us light; bind the festal offering to the horns of the altar with cords. 28 You are my God and I will praise You; You are my God and I will extol You. 29 Praise the Lord for He is good, His steadfast love is eternal. This psalm is certainly an ingathering psalm sung as the pilgrims went up to the various feasts in Jerusalem, as v. 19-27 portray the image of walking in through the gates into the Temple to sacrifice there. The psalm is broken into 7 distinct strophes, or verses I suppose if it were being sung. Verses 1-4 are pure praise with a repeated refrain on the lovingkindness of the Lord. Verses 5-9 relate the testimony of one who has trusted in the Lord and therefore knows firsthand the He protects them from their enemies. Verses 10-14 repeat a similar theme to that of v. 5-9 but here it is corporate Israel where the previous is the individual. Verses 15-18 then recount the praises those who have been delivered and disciplined by the Lord sing to Him, these are those people referred to in v. 5-14. In v. 19-21 the pilgrims call for the gates to be opened so they may enter to give thanks to the Lord. And in v. 22-29 the faithful who have not rejected the Lord (v. 22) praise Him and go up to offer sacrifices on His altar. ________________________________________________________________________ Textual Structure ________________________________________________________________________ Psalms 22:1-22 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? 2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. 6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. 7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, 8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. 9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. 10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. 11 A Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. 12 B Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 13 C They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 14 D I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. 16 E For dogs have compassed me: F the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: G they pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. 18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. 19 A But be not thou far from me, D O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me. 20 F Deliver my soul from the sword; E my darling from the power of the dog. 21 C Save me from the lion's mouth: B for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. 22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Psalms 23 A The LORD is my shepherd; B I shall not want. 2 C He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 D He restoreth my soul: E he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 F Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: E for thou art with me; D thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 C Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 B Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: A and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Comments: Psalms 22:11-21 is an excellent example of the most rare of the four basic types of parallelism in scripture, random parallel, where each element is repeated exactly once, but not in any particular order. There are only a small handful of examples in the Standard Works. The other forms are inverted - ABCDCBA, direct or alternating - ABCABC, and climax - AABBCCD. They are listed in order of frequency of occurrance. The first two, inverted and direct, consititute typically on the order of 90% to more than 95% of the structural forms in scripture. Notice the G is unrepeated. Thus it becomes the point of emphasis. Interestingly, it includes 5 members. Bullinger says 5 = mercy, grace. I think it also means the atonement. I like the structure in Psalms 23 for a number of reasons. Note how the person changes at the turning point from third to second person, consistent with the experience of many that it is when we pass through the valley of the shadow of death that we come to a personal relationship with the Shepherd. What is implied when a sheep lies down in green pastures (the first C)? Its hunger and thirst are satisfied. The second C carries the same connotation. The Hebrew word translated as "anointest" is "dashen", a primitive root; to be fat, figuratively to satisfy (Strong). This is the only instance when it is translated as anoint. Otherwise it is translated as "fat" or "ashes" (as the ashes of the sacrifice). Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.