Psalm 23 is the best known. In Judaism, it is commonly recited during Kiddush, and funeral ceremonies. It is also sung in Catholic funeral masses and is incorporated in the Book of Common Prayer. In modern times it has been given many musical settings, usually somewhat redacted to conform to rhyme and meter.
Psalm 24 is the inspiration for the hymn "Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates,"written by the German protestant George Weissel during the Thirty Years War, in which he reinterprets the King of glory, referring to God in the original, as Christ the Messiah. Presumably in the original it refers to the opening of the Temple doors.
Psalm 25 has also been set to music in modern times and is part of Catholic and Protestant liturgy. In Judaism, verse 4 is recited on Rosh Hashanah, and verse 6 is part of the tachanun.
There is much literary criticism and theological exegesis on these, but I'll just say that the literary quality, at least, is considerably better than 95% of what we've read so far, regardless of whether the content sheds any light on reality.
23 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;[a]
3 he restores my soul.[b]
He leads me in paths of righteousness[c]
for his name’s sake.4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,[d]
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.5 Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup overflows.
6 Surely[e] goodness and mercy[f] shall follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever.[g]Footnotes
- Psalm 23:2 Heb the waters of rest
- Psalm 23:3 Or life
- Psalm 23:3 Or right paths
- Psalm 23:4 Or the valley of deep darkness
- Psalm 23:6 Or Only
- Psalm 23:6 Or kindness
- Psalm 23:6 Or as long as I live
A Psalm of David.
24 The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein;
2 for he has founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the rivers.3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false,
and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.[a]Selah7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up,[b] O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory!SelahFootnotes
- Psalm 24:6 Gk Syr: Heb thy face, O Jacob
- Psalm 24:9 Gk Syr Jerome Tg Compare verse 7: Heb lift up
A Psalm of David.
25 To thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in thee I trust,
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
3 Yea, let none that wait for thee be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.4 Make me to know thy ways, O Lord;
teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me,
for thou art the God of my salvation;
for thee I wait all the day long.6 Be mindful of thy mercy, O Lord, and of thy steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, or my trangressions;
according to thy steadfast love remember me,
for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord!8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.11 For thy name’s sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who is the man that fears the Lord?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
13 He himself shall abide in prosperity,
and his children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.
15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.16 Turn thou to me, and be gracious to me;
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring me[a] out of my distresses.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.19 Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 Oh guard my life, and deliver me;
let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in thee.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for thee.22 Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.Footnotes
- Psalm 25:17 Or The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me
1 comment:
How extraordinary that Psalm 23, which is the best known, is a paragon of brevity! After reading the Book of Job and seeing how many seemingly meaningless repetitions of passages recalling lineages there are, it seems unique in all of the Tanakh so far.
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