Literary Analysis of Psalms 1 to 10
That Song 10 is a continuation of, rather than separate from, Song 9 is clear from its first verse. It mentions neither the composer nor the instrument, setting it apart from Songs 3 to 9.* But, although Song 9 does not end with a chord of resolution, still the abrupt beginning of Song 10, with …
The address of the chapter as appears in Psalm 9:1, talks about the death / defeat of the wicked. Song 9 opens in a mood of jubilation. The verbs of joy surge: “acclaim” and “tell” of v. 2 build to “rejoice and exult” and “sing” of v. 3. The exultation ebbs away as the singer …
Psalm 8 describes the contrast between or oppositeness of God and humankind. An oppositeness that is immediately established in verse 2, with the juxtaposition of human frailty — “infants and sucklings” — and God’s “strength”. And yet it is out of the vulnerability and helplessness of the infant that God’s strength emerges: “From the mouths …
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The Sages identified the ‘address’ / opening verse of Psalm 7, as King David who talks about King Saul: “A shiggayon of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush the Benjamite.” (Psalm 7:1). King Saul’s line goes all the way to Jakob’s youngest son, Banjamin. The description ‘Cush’ mentioned only in this verse, …
Click here to read “Psalm Six – Translation of the Song” Verse 1 of Song 6 declares it has been composed to be accompanied by an 8-stringed lute. This declaration is immediately followed by a series of 7 commands which the singer directs to God: v. 2 — “do not rebuke me” — “do not …
The opening verse of Song 5 declares that it is “for the leader; for the nechilot. The English translation is straight-forward: the song has been composed to be sung by the leader of the Temple musicians (the exact meaning of nechilot has been lost; flutes is a common editorial suggestion). The Hebrew, however, hints at another interpretation: the leader is God, …
Click here to read “Psalm Four – Translation of the Song” On first reading, Psalm 4 seems disjointed, as though several melodies were being sung, one after the other. The one common chord throughout, however, is the constancy of the singer’s faith in God. Verse 2 begins with the singer’s plea to God …
Click here to read “Psalm Three: Translation of the Song” Structure and meaning are striking complements in Song 3; where and when words occur in the verses sound the singer’s intent as surely and harmoniously as the strings of his lyre voice their notes together. Thus: verses 2 and 3 contain three repetitions of the …
Click here to read “Psalm Two – Translation of the Song” The second song is both a completion of and contrast to the first. The first song is stately, composed of elegant generalities; the tone, overall calm. The second is passionate; direct quotations break the flow, and the overall effect –but for the final line– is …
Click here to read “Psalm One: Translation of the Song” “Happy” — the first word of the first line of the first of King David’s praisesongs. The Hebrew, “ashrai”, voices the same opening note of joy as does the English, but, simply because the word “ashrai” starts with an “aleph”, the first letter of the Hebrew …