Category Archives: Psalms

Moses’ Psalms

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Psalm 90 is actually the only Psalm that has a sub-heading that identifies Moses as its writer (some Bibles do not include these) but it is fairly clear that his family was musical. Look at Exodus 15 even though Moses may not be credited with writing that song he did lead the Israelites in its singing and in verse 21 Miriam follows his lead and starts playing the tambourine and dancing. He also leads (recites) a song in Deuteronomy 32, so he seems to at the very least have been a songwriter.  Over the years as I have read Psalms 90 through 100, I have wondered why most of them have no subtitles and that Psalm 101 is clearly marked as being written by David? The exception is Psalm 92, which is identified as being for the Sabbath Day. (possible placement of Psalms)

Ok, now for an active imagination because there is no proof for this other than contextual clues, and some people may think that is a bit thin. Look at the job that Moses actually had to do; teach the children of Israel about God after they had been in a pagan land for 400 years. They were more knowledgeable about Egyptian gods than they were about Yahweh just because they were around those demon gods’ art and statues. He had approximately one million people who knew very little about God and had to be instructed in His ways. What better way to do that than through song; so now read these Psalms as Sunday School lessons and focus on themes. Also, think about the trials and problems the Israelites had in Exodus through Deuteronomy.

  • Psalm 90 – (think Exodus 15:26)
  • Psalm 91 – (think Exodus 17:15) to make God your fortress and He will protect you
  • Psalm 92 – (think Exodus 16:27)
  • Psalm 93 – (think Deuteronomy 5,6) shifting thinking from Egyptian gods
  • Psalm 94 – (think Exodus 10:29) a call for justice
  • Psalm 95 – (a lesson after Meribah and sending out the first spies) exhortation to praise God and not tempt Him
  • Psalm 96 – to praise God for His general judgments
  • Psalm 97 – the majesty of God’s kingdom
  • Psalm 98 – a general call to praise God
  • Psalm 99 – the mercifulness of God and His right to reign (some sources suggest that it may not have been the Samuel of 1 Samuel)
  • Psalm 100 – (think Exodus 40) giving praise to enter the new worship area

Psalm 111 is mentioned in Part 2. (See below.)

Thompson Chain-Reference Bible was a resource. NIV usually includes subtitles on Psalms.

Moses picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Moses_Pleading_with_Israel_(crop).

Please see Part 2.  In Part 2, I focus on Moses’ Psalms or Songs outside of the Book of Psalms.

El-Shaddai

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“I Am Who I Am” was God’s answer to Moses when he asked about what to call Him. In the footnotes in my NIV it says that, “Lord (Yahweh) sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for I Am (Exodus 3:14). Then in verse 15 He says that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (why not Israel) and then says that is how He wants to be remembered. “God” here is Elohim.  Now I do want to say that it depends on your concordance as to exactly how some of these names are listed; my Strong’s is slightly different than my NIV Concordance.

A generic name for god is “el.” So if you are reading and a name has “el” in it like Israel or Bethel you know it has something to do with a god or God. According to the Vine’s Dictionary in the ancient world it was thought that if you knew a deity’s name that would give you a special “in” with that deity. Nice to know that humanity has not changed much some people still think that they can manipulate God.

The verse that actually started this study was Exodus 6: 2+3. Moses is “pointing out” all of the trouble that the Children are having but God sees it as the opportunity He needs for their deliverance. In the verse He says that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew Me as God Almighty (El-Shaddai) but they did not know Me as Lord (Yahweh). Vine’s talks about how scholars relate this phrase (El-Shaddai) to the power of mountains. In Psalm 80 they also had a “God Almighty” but there it is Elohim Saba. So you may need to look for exactly which phrase it is that is being used and I can tell you that the translation you read may handle these phrases just a little different.

In researching I found this website which maybe helpful to you: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Names_of_G-d/El/el.html

So what name do you know God as or what name has He made Himself known to you? 

Psalm 80

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I have been looking at the names that describe God so as I read Psalm 80 its three repeating verses caught my eye. The verses are #3,7 and 19; the verses add a name of God each time it repeats, and part of my study was to look at body parts and it talks about the face of God.

The three names that are added are:

1. God – Elohim means great or mighty one

2. Almighty – Saba focuses on power to conquer or means commander of the army (host)

3. Lord – Yahweh implies a personal covenant relationship with the true God

Different translations handle these verses differently so checking several will be a good study. (I used the NIV.) I did a definition study of the other words in the verse and a loose translation without the names would be:  Physical bring us back O (different names) establish favorable circumstances as a sign of favor so that we can be rescued from earthly enemies.

If you now read the verse adding the definitions for the names, it really adds a new depth to the verse.

I like how Asaph added another name as the Psalm proceeded. Now there are three other sets of names in Psalm 80 the first is “Shepherd of Israel” and then in verses 4 and 14 and these are combinations of Lord, God, and Almighty; if numerology interests you that is six times the names of God are used and a total of twelve individual uses.

Asaph starts the Psalm by calling on the Shepherd of Israel who led Joseph.  I like that title – Shepherd of Israel.  I read several ideas about why he would start off with Joseph and then mention Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh so know that you will find many ideas. So here is mine; Joseph is actually the “firstborn heir” which was an important position in a Hebrew family.  Benjamin was his brother by the same mother and Ephraim and Manasseh are his children; that would make them Rachel’s (the “loved wife”) children. Jacob was making Joseph the “ruler” of the family when the brothers got rid of him. One sign of this was the coat of many colors. He actually was the first-born son just not the first-born son, but Reuben lost the birthright of the first-born (Genesis 35:22).

Here are a few other “nuggets” that I found in doing this study.

  1. “Restore” carries the idea of return or repent; it is different from the New Testament “repent” or metanoia. Metanoia is a mental change while shoob or restore usually refers to a physical return.
  2. The word for face is paneh which comes from panah; it means to turn or look. Another word is paniym and it refers to the “face bread” or shewbread that was put into the Tabernacle.  They did not have a physical image of God, but they had the bread. I am not an etymologist, so I do not know if they are related but the Spanish word for bread is pan.
  3. I read in my Bible Glow app; that the psalms in Book 1 (#1-41) more often use Yahweh (the Lord) and Book 2 (#42-72) uses Elohim (God) more often, there is no apparent reason for this grouping.
  4. A little background – this is in the Third Book of Psalms and most of these are attributed to Asaph (means gather or collector). He was a Levite and part of King David’s praise team.

I used my Strong’s Concordance with Vines Dictionary as a reference book. pic of bread from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challah

Hope and LORD God

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This study is going to cover several things; it started out as a look at the word “hope” and then I noticed the differences in Lord God. So I had fun comparing the passage in different translations.

I set Psalm 71 in 1 Samuel 30:6 (see psalm position), this passage is where Ziklag was burned, because it sounds like someone trying to encourage them self in the Lord.

Hope in verse 5 is tiqvah #8615 (Strong’s Concordance, 2001) and means a cord or attachment, it is used 34x; other usages are expectancy and line. While in verse 14 it is yachal #3176 and means wait and to be patient, it is used 42x; other usages are tarry, trusted, and variant. If I am really exploring a word I will look up all the usages of the word and how they are set in the passages.

Other Old Testament (King James) words that are translated as hope are:

  1. #983/982/986 – batach –refuge, security, trust ex. –Ps. 16:9, 22:9, Eccl. 9:4
  2. #2342 – chuwl – twist, whirl, dance, writhe (in pain), figurative-to wait ex. – Lam. 3:26
  3. #2620 – chacah – to flee (for protection), to confide in  “It is often used where God is compared to a rock, shield or one with protective wings. ex. –Prov.14:32
  4. #2976 – yaash – to despond (no hope) ex. – Jer.2:25
  5. #3689 – kecel – fatness, silliness, (in a good sense) trust ex. – Job 31:24
  6. #4009 – mibtach – from 982 refuge, security, assurance ex. – Jer. 17:7
  7. #4723 – miqvah – something waited for, confidence, collection (of something) ex. – Ezra 10:2
  8. #7663/7664 – sabar –to scrutinize, to expect ex. – Is. 38:18, Ps. 119:116
  9. #8431 – towcheleth – expectation ex. – Job 41:9                                        Interesting note – in the KJV I do not see a reference for “hope” until the Book of Ruth.

The New Testament (KJV) really only has one word for hope but according to Vine’s Dictionary it has several definitions (Vine’s is in my concordance).

# 1680/1679 – Elpis (noun and verb) to anticipate (with pleasure), expectation, confidence

Hope is not a fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22; if you look at the list of things to add to your faith in 2 Peter 1:5+6 you will notice it is not there either. I feel it is because if you get those things they are what allows you to have HOPE.

Notice the variations from Lord God, Lord Jehovah, Sovereign Lord to just repeating Lord twice. I have seen people pick a verse like this to use as a comparison when they are shopping for a new Bible.

Psalm 71

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)              5 For you are my hope, Adonai Elohim, in whom I have trusted since I was young.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) 5 For You are my hope; O Lord [c] God, You are my confidence from my youth. [c] Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord

Darby Translation (DARBY)                   5 For thou art my hope, O Lord Jehovah, my confidence from my youth.

New International Version 1984            5 For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)5 For You are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth.

King James Version (KJV)                    5 For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.

New King James Version (NKJV)        5 For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth.

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)                           5 For thou, Lord, art my patience (For thou, Lord, art whom I put my trust in); Lord, thou art mine hope from my youth.

Amplified Bible (AMP)                          5 For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence.

Psalm 70

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) 5 For thou art my patience, O Lord: my hope, O Lord, from my youth;

All of the references came from: www.biblegateway.com (each has their own publishing company) Use the parallel function at the right side of the page after you have gotten your scripture on the screen.

 

 

 

TEST,TEST,TEST

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Since school has just finished and I end the year giving all kinds of “test” when I read Psalm 66 I had to reopen the idea of being tested. This verse follows a section that refers to when Israel was in Egypt and came out of there.

Psalm 66

10 For You, God, tested us; You refined us like silver. 
11 You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance.

Testing here is bahan (# 1043 Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance, 2 Edition – all my definitions for this study will be taken from here), which means to try, probe or examine to learn the genuineness of an object like testing for the purity of the metal. And we think we get tested – prison, burdens, rode over (a sign of derision), fire and water. Some of you have endured these things but most of us are clueless about this level of testing. But look where it will bring you “a place of abundance.”

This passage led me to Deuteronomy and several passages where Moses is describing/reminding the children and grandchildren of the people who came out of Egypt what had happened for them.

Deuteronomy

4:34 Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

Testings here is nasa (# 5814) (don’t you love Hebrew into English) and refers to proving character or faithfulness; if it is done toward God it implies lack of confidence in Him (a sin).

Signs– ot #253 sign, mark or symbol that communicates a supernatural. NIV translators changed it from signs to miraculous signs over the years.

Wonders– mopet #4603 wonder, sign, miracle, portent, symbol

War–milhama #4878 fighting, battle, war and many other words like soldiers, warrior, etc.

Mighty hand–mighty- hazaq #2617 powerful, strong, hard, physical and internal strength, (negative) hardness of heart; hand –yad #3338 hand, arm, finger, figuratively control, power, strength, direction, care. It is added to other words for many meanings. If you exchange words it takes on many great meanings. It is the same phrase for the rest of the verses.

Outstretched arm– outstretched –nata #5742 to spread out, be extended; arm – zeroa #2432 arm, forearm, shoulder, power, strength, force

Great and awesome deeds– awesome deeds- mora #4616 fear, terror, respect, reverence, awesome deeds; great- gadol #1524 large, much, more, this can refer to physical size, quantity, degree, and social status

I think the testings were for Israel (the first three plagues) then the others were for Egypt and showed how serious God was about letting them go. The Lord was educating His people and showing them His concern and intent toward them. 

7:17 You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out? ” 18 But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. 19 You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. 

Remember this is to the children of the original group who actually saw these things. God is willing to repeat these test and signs to get them into the land. Look at the teaching – recall a lesson learned and project to a new situation.

11:1 Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws, and his commands always. 2 Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm; 3 the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country… 5 It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place, 6 and what he did to Dathan and Abiram… 7 But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done.

The reason for the testing is verse 1 so that they can take strength in what they saw and the previous lessons learned. But now it was their turn to teach this to their children.

27:7 Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey… 11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.

With the test came the promise in Psalm 66 and then a new lesson in vs.11. It is also a reteach time as all of these verses have been.

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The images were found in Google Images.