Showing posts with label Psalm 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 1. Show all posts

Monday, May 5, 2014

Psalm 1 Concluding Translation


The Book of Psalms
Analysis

BOOK  I 


Section  1:  Saturday Vespers


Division  1:1 


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us.  Lord, cleanse us from our sins.  Master, pardon our iniquities.  Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities for Your Name’s sake.  Lord have mercy (three times).

Psalm 1 Concluding Translation

Blessed [is the] man[1] who does not follow[2] [the] wishes of [the] wicked.  In [the] sinners’ path[3], he stands[4] not.  On the tormentor’s seat, he sits[5] not.  But, his will [is] in the law of [the] Lord[6].  On His law, he meditates day and night.  He is like the tree, planted beside the waters’ path, who gives his fruit in his time.  His leaf [is] not cast away.  Whatever he shall do follows the good path.

Not so, the wicked[7], not so: but [are] like the dust, which the wind drives out from the face of the earth.  Through this, [the] wicked arise not in [the] judgment, nor sinners in [the] wishes of [the] righteous.  Because [the] Lord[8] knows, [the] path of [the] righteous.  [The] path of [the] wicked perishes.




[1] The Blessed Man, Jesus Christ is set in diametrical opposition to wicked sinners, the children of Adam.  “Not so, the wicked, not so:” the psalmist exclaims.  The wicked simply perish, but the declaration, shall, is applied to the blessed righteous, Jesus, with all who are in Him.
[2] To follow or walk with is to run with the crowd, to go along with the popular, to move with the herd, to accept the status quo.
[3] Path is repeated four times, making it also emphatic.  Greek amplifies the path emphasis by using it to describe the motion of water and the outcome of Godly behavior.  Path is about the habitual persistent lifestyle and world view that results from faith in God’s Law as expressed in the Pentateuch, and resultant quest to do God’s will.  Only Jesus, the second Adam accomplishes these things.  We receive them and are obedient to them as gifts of His grace.  This is called the good path.
[4] To stand is to adopt a lifestyle, to accept a corrupted anti-God, anti-Christ worldview.
[5] To sit is to assume a position of authority.  Kings and judges sit when they rule.  Rabbis sit when they teach.  The wicked, in their limited way, run this world.  Yes, some of our own leaders are a torment on humanity.  A tormentor is one who brings a pestilence or plague in mankind.
[6] This psalm sees Law and Gospel or grace, not as opposing tensions, but as the same thing.  The Blessed Man sets His will or delight in the Torah of יהוה.  Only Jesus has the power to accomplish this, but faith walks with Jesus in love: these are termed, the righteous.  To obey the Gospel is to obey the Law, Torah, by grace.
We also see in this Psalm the beginning of one of the major themes of Psalms.  Psalms is in part an ode to the Law of God.  It is not accidental that there are five books of Psalms: not that there is a one-to-one correspondence with Torah, but the connection exists.  Both Torah and Psalms may be referred to as the five books, and the reader is left with the puzzle, which of the sets of five books is meant?  For a brief discussion see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalm_1
[7] On the other hand, wicked sinners are confronted with a grim and terrifying prospect.  Having habitually and persistently committed themselves to war with God, they can anticipate only death.  Having refused the water of life, they throw their leaves to the ground in rigor mortis.  They experience a kind of resurrection but know nothing of its beautiful blessedness.  They have no one to blame but themselves.  They perish.
[8] Jesus of Nazareth is the healing cure.  He wrote the Law.  He fulfilled the Law.  He is the complete and express embodiment of the Law.  It is possible for us to be in Him, and thus embrace the Law in love.  It is possible for us to build on the foundation of the Law, not being under its curse by works of the Law.  He brings us the waters of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit sets our will and meditation on God’s Law, strengthens our leaves, makes us fruitful, and establishes us in the good path.
[9] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.
These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Psalm 1 Greek


The Book of Psalms
Analysis

BOOK  I 


Section  1:  Saturday Vespers


Division  1:1 


... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen.  Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.  Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us.  Lord, cleanse us from our sins.  Master, pardon our iniquities.  Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities for Your Name’s sake.  Lord have mercy (three times).

Psalm 1 LXX Analytical Translation

Blessed man who not-follows in [the] wishes of [the] wicked, and in [the] way of sinners not-stands, and upon the seat of [the] pestilent not-sits.  But, either in the law of [the] Lord [is] the will[1] his, or in the law His, he meditates day and night.  And he is[2] as the tree, having been planted near the streams of the waters, who will give the fruit his in time his.  And the leaf his not-drops.  And all whatever if he should do, it follows the good path.

Not so, the wicked, not so:[3] but [are] like the chaff, which drives out, [by] the wind from the face of the earth.[4]  Through this, not-arise,[5] [the] wicked in [the] judgment, nor sinners in [the] wishes of [the] righteous.  Because He knows, [the] Lord [the] way of [the] righteous, and [the] way of [the] wicked perishes.

Psalm 1 LXX

μακάριος[6] ἀνήρ[7] ὃς[8] οὐκ[9] ἐπορεύθη[10] ἐν βουλῇ[11] ἀσεβῶν[12] καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ[13] ἁμαρτωλῶν[14] οὐκ ἔστη[15] καὶ ἐπὶ καθέδραν[16] λοιμῶν[17] οὐκ ἐκάθισεν.[18]  ἀλλ'[19][20] ἐν τῷ νόμῳ[21] κυρίου[22] τὸ θέλημα[23] αὐτοῦ[24] καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει[25] ἡμέρας[26] καὶ νυκτός.[27]  καὶ ἔσται[28] ὡς[29] τὸ ξύλον[30] τὸ πεφυτευμένον[31] παρὰ[32] τὰς διεξόδους[33] τῶν ὑδάτων[34] ὃ τὸν καρπὸν[35] αὐτοῦ δώσει[36] ἐν καιρῷ[37] αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ φύλλον[38] αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀπορρυήσεται[39] καὶ πάντα[40] ὅσα[41] ἂν[42] ποιῇ[43] κατευοδωθήσεται.[44]

οὐχ οὕτως[45] οἱ ἀσεβεῖς[46] οὐχ οὕτως ἀλλ' ἢ ὡς ὁ χνοῦς[47] ὃν[48] ἐκριπτεῖ[49] ὁ ἄνεμος[50] ἀπὸ[51] προσώπου[52] τῆς γῆς.[53]  διὰ[54] τοῦτο[55] οὐκ ἀναστήσονται[56] ἀσεβεῖς ἐν κρίσει[57] οὐδὲ[58] ἁμαρτωλοὶ[59] ἐν βουλῇ δικαίων.[60]  ὅτι[61] γινώσκει[62] κύριος[63] ὁδὸν[64] δικαίων καὶ ὁδὸς[65] ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται.[66]

http://biblehub.com/sepd/psalms/1.htm

All Greek notes are derived from the following authoritative resources:

The Analytical Greek Lexicon (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1973)

Dana, H. E. and J. R. Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament (Macmillan, Toronto, 1957)




[1] The connection of the ideas, delight, desire, wish, and will is profound.  This connection ought to inform us that the force frequently applied to the word, will, in English is nonexistent.  In English, will, frequently assumes that which is actually accomplished by grit and grim determination.  This force is absent here.  There only remains a longing for what we hope might be.  God, in His grace fulfills our desire, and makes our delight a reality.  This is what the blessed and righteous Godly wish and will.  This is what they receive.  Still, there is a tenacity associated with the faith that lays claim to such a gift.  Faith is not a wishy-washy, lay back and let it happen sort of thing.  Faith desires; faith delights; faith lays-hold with both hands and cannot be pried loose.
[2] The force of the future is better expressed as characteristic in English.  The idea that these tense constructions are Hebraisms is inescapable.  The eternal sense of this Psalm is not weakened by this approach.
[3] This reduplication, the first major difference between J p-H and MT is now seen to exist in the Septuagint and possibly in the Septuagint proto-Hebrew (S p-H) as well.  Jerome might have corrected this, but did not.  This suggests that S p-H contained this text, or else this force was active in rabbinic thinking long before the birth of Christ.  This is a strong indication that something is lost in MT.  This could be as subtle as a difference of inflection.  Taken together, Septuagint and Jerome indicate that this is the actual text in Jesus’ and the Apostles’ hands.
[4] This second major difference between J p-H and MT is also reinforced by LXX and S p-H.  The change from “from the face of the earth” to “away” removes the sense of utter damnation and eternality provided by Jerome and LXX.  This is the Bible as Jesus’ and the Apostles’ read and taught it.
[5] The third major difference between J p-H and MT is also supported by LXX and S p-H.  MT blunts or denies the force of resurrection.  This suggests that resurrection to eternal life was active in rabbinic thought (Revelation 20:4-15).  This force is inescapable from the light of the NT, especially when Jesus unveils Himself in the OT (Luke 24: 27, 44-48).
[6] μακάριος Masculine nominative singular adjective (or noun) μακάριος, ία, ιον: blessed or happy.
[7] Masculine nominative singular noun ἀνήρ, ἀνδρόϛ, : adult male, individual, having the characteristics of bravery or manliness.  In this context, a person of either sex having the characteristics of perfect humanity: Jesus, or like Jesus, the second Adam, rather than the first Adam.
[8] Relative pronoun ὅϛ, , ὅ.
[9] Adverb of absolute negation οὐ, οὐκ, οὐχ, only with indicative.
[10] Aorist indicative active, third singular of πορεύομαι: walks, follows, pursues.
[11] Feminine dative singular noun βουλή, ῆϛ, ἡ from βούλομαι: advice, choice, counsel, decree, desire, determination, direction, intention, order, pleasure, purpose, will, wish.
[12] Masculine genitive plural noun or adjective ἀσεβήϛ, έοϛ, οῦϛ, , , τό, -έϛ: impious, ungodly, wicked.
[13] Feminine dative singular noun ὁδόϛ, οῦ, ἡ: way, road, direction, course (of action), system (of doctrine).
[14] Genitive plural noun ἁμαρτωλόϛ, οῦ, , ἡ from ἁμαρτάνω: miss a mark, err, offend, sin, sinners.
[15] Aorist indicative active, third singular of ἵστημι: confirms, endures, establishes, stands, persists.  Not passively blocking the path or way, but actively and tenaciously adhering to its principles or persisting in its pursuit.  Here it speaks of a stubbornness of behavior and attitude against the Lord.
[16] Feminine nominative singular noun καθέδρα, ας, ἡ: a seat.
[17] Masculine genitive plural noun λοιμός, ου, ὁ: a pest, plague.
[18] Aorist indicative active, third singular of καθίζω: sits.  To sit is to assume the place of authority, to rule or to teach.
[19] Conjunction, the contraction of ἀλλά: but, except, however, unless, also serves to introduce a sentence with keenness and emphasis — for!
[20] Either, or
[21] Masculine dative singular noun νόμος, ου, ὁ: law, specifically the Mosaic law in this context.
[22] Masculine genitive singular noun κύριος, ίου, ὁ: lord, master, the name of God, The Tetragrammaton, יהוה, which was too sacred to pronounce, hence spoken as Adonai, or Lord.
[23] Neuter nominative singular noun θέλημα, ατος, τό from θέλω: chose, intend, design, pleasure, desire, will.
[24] Masculine or neuter genitive singular reflexive pronoun αὐτόϛ, ή, ό: here used as a third person possessive pronoun, his.
[25] Future indicative active, third singular of μελετάω: to give careful or painful attention, study, meditate.
[26] Feminine genitive singular noun ἡμέρα, ας, ἡ: day, the period of sunlight, or the whole twenty-four hours.
[27] Feminine genitive singular noun νύξ, νυκτός, ἡ: night the period of solar darkness.
[28] Future indicative active, third singular of εἰμί: the copula, be, exist, is.
[29] Adverb, see ὅϛ, , ὅ: as.
[30] Neuter nominative singular noun ξύλον, ου, τό: wood, timber, stocks, club, post, cross, tree.
[31] Perfect passive participle, masculine accusative singular from φυτεύω, φύω: plant, having been planted.
[32] Preposition παρὰ: before genitives, from; datives, at, with, by, near, in, among; accusatives (motion) at, by, near, along; comparatives, except, etc.; beside, alongside of.
[33] Feminine accusative plural noun διέξοδος, οῦ, ἡ, a contraction of δια + έξ + οδος: out of the through path, the through source path, passage, road, stream.  The connection with ὁδόϛ must not be overlooked.
[34] Neuter genitive plural noun δωρ, ατος, τό: fluid, water.
[35] Masculine accusative singular noun καρπός, ου, ὁ: offspring, posterity, fruit, spiritual fruit.
[36] Future indicative active, third singular of δίδωμι: to give.
[37] Masculine dative singular noun καιρός, οῦ, ὁ: a fit or suitable time or place, period of time, opportune, season, time.
[38] Neuter nominative singular noun φύλλον, ου, τό: a leaf.
[39] Future indicative middle, third singular of ἀπορέω, ἀπορρέω, or ἀπορρίπτω, a contraction of ἀπο + ῥίπτω, see also ῥύπτος, a closely related noun: to cast off, throw away, fade wilt, fall, drop.  The idea is active not passive.  The tree throws its leaves away; they do not drop by accident, but rather by design.
[40] Masculine accusative plural adjective πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν: all.
[41] Neuter nominative and accusative plural correlative pronoun ὅσος, η, ον: as great, as much, as many, whoever, whatever.
[42] Particle, conjunction ἐάν: if.
[43] Present subjunctive active, third singular of ποιέω: do, make.
[44] Future indicative passive, third singular of κατευοδόω, a contraction of κατα + ευ + οδόω: to follow a good path, descend from a good path, prosper.  The connection with ὁδόϛ is again self-evident.
[45] Adverb, see οτος, αὕτη, τοῦτο: in this manner, way, thus, so.
[46] Masculine nominative and accusative plural adjective ἀσεβήϛ, έοϛ, οῦϛ, , , τό, -έϛ: impious, ungodly, wicked, the wicked as a class of people.
[47] Masculine nominative singular noun χνοῦς, ὁ: scrapings, shavings, down, fruit blossom, cushion stuffing, sea spray; anything light, fluffy, or easily wind borne; anything worthless.
[48] Masculine accusative singular of ὅϛ, , ὃν: which or that.
[49] Present indicative active, third singular of ἐκρίπτω, a contraction of ἐκ + ῥίπτω: to cast out.
[50] Masculine nominative singular noun ἄνεμος, ου, ὁ: wind, specifically distinct from πνεῦμα, breath and spirit
[51] Preposition ἀπὸ: ablative in concept, indicating departure or separation, source, material, agency, instrument, from, here – away from.
[52] Neuter genitive singular noun πρόσωπονυ, ου, τό: presence, face.
[53] Feminine genitive singular noun γῆ, γῆς, ἡ: soil, land, the earth.
[54] Preposition δι: by means of, with, by; with a genitive indicating direct agency, action, or instrument; with an accusative indicating indirect agency, etc.; through.
[55] Neuter nominative and accusative singular demonstrative pronoun οτος, αὕτη, τοῦτο: possibly contemptuous, this, that.
[56] ἀναστήσονται Future indicative middle, third plural of ἀνστημι, a contraction of ἀνά + στημι: to stand up or arise, to resurrect.  The connection with the resurrection of Christ is inescapable.  The wicked, who have lived their lives in self-will against God, will not be able to lift themselves up now.
[57] Feminine nominative plural noun κρίσις, εως, ἡ from κρίνω: sentence, judgment.
[58] Adverb, contraction of οὐ + δὲ: neither, nor.
[59] Nominative plural noun ἁμαρτωλόϛ, οῦ, , ἡ from ἁμαρτάνω: miss a mark, err, offend, sin, sinners, the sinners as a class of people.
[60] Genitive plural adjective δίκαιος, αία, αιον from δίκη: just, righteous, nominally the righteous as a class of people.
[61] ὅτι Particle of cause στις: for, since, because.
[62] Present indicative active, third singular of γινώσκω: know, here in the sense of intimate personal involvement.  It is the causative agency of the Holy Spirit that makes people righteous.
[63] Masculine nominative singular noun κύριος, ίου, ὁ: lord, master, the name of God, The Tetragrammaton, יהוה, which was too sacred to pronounce, hence spoken as Adonai, or Lord, κύριος.
[64] Feminine accusative singular noun ὁδόϛ, οῦ, ἡ: way, road, direction, course (of action), system (of doctrine).
[65] Feminine nominative singular noun ὁδόϛ, οῦ, ἡ: way, road, direction, course (of action), system (of doctrine).
[66] Future indicative middle, third singular of ἀπόλλυμι: self-destruct, destroy, put to death, perish.
[67] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.
These meditations are not controlled by Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND.  They are designed and intended for your free participation.  They were freely received, and are freely given.  No other permission is required for their use.