Psalm 73 – “Homily About the Wicked”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist comes to the realization that God punishes the wicked.

II. Photo
The psalmist was once tempted: “As for me, my feet had almost strayed, my steps were nearly led off course.” (v. 2)

III. Select Verses
1b: God is truly good to Israel, to those whose heart is pure.
2-5: As for me, my feet had almost strayed, my steps were nearly led off course, for I envied the wanton; I saw the wicked at ease. Death has no pangs for them; their body is healthy. They have no part in the travail of men; they are not afflicted like the rest of mankind.
9-12: They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth. So they pound His people again and again, until they are drained of their very last tear. Then they say, “How could God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?” Such are the wicked; ever tranquil, they amass wealth.
19: How suddenly are they ruined, wholly swept away by terrors.
24-26: You guided me by Your counsel and led me toward honor. Whom else have I in heaven? And having You, I want no one on earth. My body and mind fail; but God is the stay of my mind, my portion forever.

IV. Outline
1a. Superscription
1b. Affirmation of confidence
2-14. Personal account: admiring the wicked
15-17. Personal account: change of heart
18-20. Reflection on the wicked
21-22. Confession
23-27. Affirmation of confidence

V. Comment
Psalm 73, which begins the third book of Psalms, begins with a superscription: “A psalm of Asaph.” Who was Asaph? According to Rogers, he was “[Asaph] son of Berechiah, eponymous ancestor of ‘the Asaphites,’ and one of the great families or guilds of musicians and singers in the Jerusalem temple (1 Chr 6:39; 25:1, 2; 2 Chr 5:12). The headings of 12 psalms (50, 73–83) include the designation le’asaph “to Asaph,” most likely an indication that they were a part of an Asaphic collection or were performed according to the style or tradition of the guild bearing Asaph’s name (note also the Asaphic attribution of the psalm anthology in 1 Chr 16:7–36).” (471) As with many biblical figures, not much is known about this individual. It is interesting to note that by the time of Ezra and Nehemiah the appellation “Asaphite” was applied to all of the Levitical singers: “The singers: the sons of Asaph — 128.” (Ezra 2:41; Neh 7:44)

Psalm 73 is about the question of evil; the innocent people are wondering why God punishes them and lets the wicked prosper. “Interestingly enough,” Gerstenberger notes, “the solution lies with attending a worship service and taking the sum total to the very end of the life of the wicked.” This can be seen in vv. 18-20: “You [God] surround them with flattery; You make them fall through blandishments. How suddenly are they ruined, wholly swept away by terrors. When You are aroused You despise their image, as one does a dream after waking, O LORD.”

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Collins, John J. “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible,” (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004).
Craigie, Peter C. “Psalms 1-50” Word Biblical Commentary vol. 19 (Waco, Texas: Wordbooks, 1983).
Gerstenberger, Erhard S. “Psalms Part 1 with an Introduction to Cultic Poetry” Forms of Old Testament Literature (Michigan: Eerdmans, 1988).
Photo taken from http://images.tonic.com/legacy_variable/85869-360-800px-tightrope-walkingjpg.jpg

Psalm 72 – “Petition/Wish for the King”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist wishes power, prosperity, and justice upon the king and his people. The second book of the Psalter comes to a close.

II. Photo
The psalmist wishes well upon the king: “May his name be eternal; while the sun lasts, may his name endure!” (v. 17a)

III. Select Verses
1b-2: O God, endow the king with Your judgments, the king’s son with Your righteousness; that he may judge Your people rightly, Your lowly ones, justly.
5: Let them fear You as long as the sun shines, while the moon lasts, generations on end.
8-11: Let him rule from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth. Let desert-dwellers kneel before him, and his enemies lick the dust. Let kings of Tarshish and the islands pay tribute, kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. Let all kings bow to him, and all nations serve him.
17: May his name be eternal; while the sun lasts, may his name endure; let men invoke his blessedness upon themselves; let all nations count him happy.
20: End of the prayers of David son of Jesse.

IV. Outline
1a. Superscription
1b-11. Petition/wish
12-14. Rationale
15-17. Petition/wish
18-19. Conclusion to Psalms Book #2
20. Postscript

V. Comment
Psalm 72 is a a petition/wish on behalf of the king. As Tate writes, Hermann Gunkel “identified ten psalms as royal: 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 101, 110, 132, and 144:1–11. The royal psalms bear no specific stylistic characteristics. Some are hymns of praise, and some are laments, but all deal with the person or the office of the king. Since Israel saw her kings as standing in a relationship of special endowment by and responsibility to God, her worship included concerns about them. Others have expanded the royal classification to cover more psalms, but 72 continues to be included among them. More specifically, Ps 72 is probably also an accession or coronation psalm, a prayer for the king at the beginning of his reign. It may have formed part of the coronation ceremony as well as of less spectacular occasions when praying for the king’s welfare was required.” (222)

Psalm 72 ends with a conclusion to the second book of the Psalter: “Blessed is the LORD God, God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things; Blessed is His glorious name forever; His glory fills the whole world. Amen and Amen.” (vv. 18-19) For the similar conclusions to books one, three, and four, see:

Psa. 41:14: Blessed is the LORD, God of Israel, from eternity to eternity. Amen and Amen.
Psa. 89:53: Blessed is the LORD forever; Amen and Amen.
Psa. 106:48: Blessed is the LORD, God of Israel, From eternity to eternity. Let all the people say, “Amen.” Hallelujah.

Psalm 72 also has a postscript: “End of the prayers of David son of Jesse.” (v. 20) While this verse is unique in the Psalter, similar verses can be found in the book of Proverbs:

1:1a: The proverbs of Solomon:
24:23a: These also are by the sages:
25:1a: These too are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of King Hezekiah of Judah copied:

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Gerstenberger, Erhard S. “Psalms Part 1 with an Introduction to Cultic Poetry” Forms of Old Testament Literature (Michigan: Eerdmans, 1988).
Tate, Marvin. “Psalms 51-100” Word Biblical Commentary vol. 20 (Waco, Texas: Wordbooks, 1990).
Photo copied from http://i56.twitgoo.com/2yu12dv.jpg

Psalm 71 – “Petition / Affirmation of Confidence”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist puts his trust in God and begs to be saved from his enemies.

II. Photo
The psalmist asks for strength in old age: “And even in hoary old age do not forsake me, God, until I proclaim your strength to the next generation!” (v. 18)

III. Select Verses
5-9: For You are my hope, O Lord GOD, my trust from my youth. While yet unborn, I depended on You; in the womb of my mother, You were my support; I sing Your praises always. I have become an example for many, since You are my mighty refuge. My mouth is full of praise to You, glorifying You all day long. Do not cast me off in old age; when my strength fails, do not forsake me!
10-11: For my enemies talk against me; those who wait for me are of one mind, saying, “God has forsaken him; chase him and catch him, for no one will save him!”
16-19: I come with praise of Your mighty acts, O Lord GOD; I celebrate Your beneficence, Yours alone. You have let me experience it, God, from my youth; until now I have proclaimed Your wondrous deeds, and even in hoary old age do not forsake me, God, until I proclaim Your strength to the next generation, Your mighty acts, to all who are to come, Your beneficence, high as the heavens, O God, You who have done great things; O God, who is Your peer!
24: All day long my tongue shall recite Your beneficent acts, how those who sought my ruin were frustrated and disgraced.

IV. Outline
1-2a. Invocation, affirmation of confidence
2b-3a. Initial petition
3b. Affirmation of confidence
4. Petition
5-8. Affirmation of confidence
9. Petition
10-11. Complaint
12. Petition
13. Imprecation
14-18. Vow/affirmation of confidence
19. Hymnic praise
20-21. Affirmation of confidence
22-24. Hymnic vow

V. Comment
Although Psalm 71 is technically a petition/complaint/imprecation, it has a unique emphasis on trust and confidence (vv. 1-2, 3, 5-8, 14-18, 19, 20-21, 22-24). Gerstenberger writes: “Using the traditional complaint song as a model, psalm 71, along the line of psalm 119, portrays a life dedicated Yahweh as the highest ideal for all members of the community. Trust in this God will carry the faithful through all difficulties of a long life, and will serve well the congregation as a whole. Confessing one’s faith and abiding with God and God’s power over all evil forces become the commendable life project for everyone under the shelter of God’s power, i.e., within the community of believers.” (63)

It is interesting to note that Psalm 71 has no superscription in the Masoretic text. While this is normal for the psalms of the 4th and 5th books, it is quite rare in the first two books. Indeed, only five other psalms are lacking superscriptions, and for good reason:

1-2: These are introductions themselves.
10, 43: These are the ends of the previous psalms, erroneously separated from their companions.
33: This seems to have also been part of the preceding psalm, especially because of similar wording.

Gerstenberger writes: “Why, then, does Psalm 71 remain without redactional heading? And without an ordinary number in Codex Leningradensis, at that (see BHS appararatus)? The conclusion does not seem far-fetched: Psalm 71, too, was transmitted once as part and parcel of psalm 70. Other indications make this suggestion probable. In the third century B.C.E., to be sure, the LXX [=Septuagint] found the text separated from Psalm 70 and without a proper heading. Therefore, the Greek transmitters added their own: ‘For David. Of the sons of Jonadab and the first captives.’” (59)

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Gerstenberger, Erhard S. “Psalms Part 2” Forms of Old Testament Literature (Michigan: Eerdmans, 1988).
Tate, Marvin. “Psalms 51-100” Word Biblical Commentary vol. 20 (Waco, Texas: Wordbooks, 1990).
Photo copied from http://cdn1.cnnturk.com/handlers/file.ashx?FileID=422964&Width=292&Height=0&BlackWhite=False

Psalm 70 – “Imprecation/Petition”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist asks God to punish his enemies and wishes happiness upon the righteous.

II. Photo
The psalmist is in trouble: “I am poor and needy; O God, hasten to me! You are my help and my rescuer; O Lord, do not delay!” (v. 6)

III. Select Verses
2: Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, to aid me!
3-4: Let those who seek my life be frustrated and disgraced; let those who wish me harm, fall back in shame. Let those who say, “Aha! Aha!” turn back because of their frustration.
5: But let all who seek You be glad and rejoice in You; let those who are eager for Your deliverance always say, “Extolled be God!”
6: But I am poor and needy; O God, hasten to me! You are my help and my rescuer; O LORD, do not delay.

IV. Outline
1. Superscription
2. Invocation, initial petition
3-4. Imprecation
5. Wish/blessing
6. Complaint, affirmation of confidence, closing petition

V. Comment
Aside from minor text critical differences, Psalm 70 is identical to Psalm 40:14-18. As was noted at Psalm 40, there are many ways to understand this reduplication. Craigie summarizes the argument as follows: “Psalm 40 is commonly identified as a composite psalm containing two originally independent units which have been linked into the present unified whole: A, vv 2–11 and B, vv 12–18 (though there is disagreement among holders of this view concerning where the precise point of transition might be; v 12 and/or v 13 could be viewed as a redactional link). The evidence giving rise to the two-psalm hypothesis is essentially twofold. (1) In formcritical terms, A is an individual thanksgiving psalm and B is an individual lament. (2) Verses 14–18 of this psalm are duplicated (with only minor changes) in Ps 70. If the latter is an independent composition, then Ps 40 might either be a composite work in which two psalms are joined by an editor, or a new composition in which the poet takes an older psalm (Ps 70) and develops it by additions into a new work. The two-psalm hypothesis, whatever its faults, is based on a particular interpretation of the evidence and has many adherents.” (318-319)

However, like Gerstenberger, Craigie disagrees with this position: “Yet, for a number of reasons, the two-psalm hypothesis must be rejected. The problem and evidence are directly parallel to those encountered in the study of Ps 27; the argument for unity and the overall interpretation follow essentially along similar lines. First, it should be noted that the language in the two supposed “parts” of the psalm is intimately interrelated. Forms of the following roots are found in both “parts” of the psalm (the list omits duplicate forms in one or other part). (1) bvj (vv 6, 18); (2) Mxo (vv 6, 13); (3) rpsm (vv 6, 13); (4) rma (vv 8, 11, 16, 17); (5) har (vv 4, 13); (6) Xph (vv 7, 9, 15); (7) hxr (vv 9, 14); howvt (vv 11, 17). The overlap in language and repetitive style strongly suggest a single, unified composition.

“But more persuasive than the argument of language, is that based on form and setting. As was the case in Ps 27, the apparent diversity of form is in reality not diversity at all; the two-psalm hypothesis, in fact, rises in part from too rigid a view of form-critical categories. The essence of Ps 40 is that it is a part of a liturgy, and the formal and substantial changes within the psalm are to be understood against the background of progression within the liturgy. The liturgy begins with thanksgiving, thereby establishing precedent and laying a foundation for what is to follow. It then moves on to lament and prayer; it is only in the prayer that the overall purpose of the liturgy emerges, and the preparatory role of the thanksgiving is clarified.” (319)

It must be noted, however, that this author believes Psalm 70 to be the original and Psalm 40 to be a later work. Yet, the reasons for this opinion are no more valid than those that work against it. Needless to say, more research into this topic is necessary.

Psalm 69 – “Petition”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist laments his situation, confesses his innocence, begs for salvation, imprecates his enemies, and praises God.

II. Photo
The psalmist calls out to God: “Rescue me from the mire; let me not sink; let me be rescued from my enemies, and from the watery depths!” (v. 15)

III. Select Verses
15-16: Rescue me from the mire; let me not sink; let me be rescued from my enemies, and from the watery depths. Let the floodwaters not sweep me away; let the deep not swallow me; let the mouth of the Pit not close over me.
20-22: You know my reproach, my shame, my disgrace; You are aware of all my foes. Reproach breaks my heart, I am in despair; I hope for consolation, but there is none, for comforters, but find none. They give me gall for food, vinegar to quench my thirst.
23-27: May their table be a trap for them, a snare for their allies. May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see; may their loins collapse continually. Pour out Your wrath on them; may Your blazing anger overtake them; may their encampments be desolate; may their tents stand empty. For they persecute those You have struck; they talk about the pain of those You have felled.
31-32: I will extol God’s name with song, and exalt Him with praise. That will please the LORD more than oxen, than bulls with horns and hooves.
36-37: For God will deliver Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah; they shall live there and inherit it; the offspring of His servants shall possess it; those who cherish His name shall dwell there.

IV. Outline
1. Superscription
2a. Invocation, initial petition
2b-5. Complaint
6. Proclamation of innoncence
7. Petition
8-13. Rationale/complaint
14. Initial petition
15-16. Petition
17-19. Closing petition
20-22. Complaint
23-29. Imprecation, rationale
30a. Complaint
30b. Affirmation of confidence
31-32. Vow; Lesson about sacrifice
33-37. Hymnic praise/wish/call to worship

V. Comment
Psalm 69 is a good example of the complaint/petition/imprecation genre. Tate introduces it as follows: “This psalm is easily recognized as having elements characteristic of individual laments, in which a speaker sets forth to God complaints about adverse situations and sufferings, along with strong petitions for divine action to relieve the distress. The speaker prays about a situation in which he/she is desperately in need of help before sinking into the oblivion of the deep waters of the netherworld. As in other individual laments, the speaker has been falsely attacked by foes. Family (v 9) and community (v 13) have turned against the suppliant, who claims to be a faithful servant of God (vv 8, 18), and whose piety (vv 11–12) and zeal for the temple (v 10) have been rejected and made matters of reproach and scorn (vv 11, 13). The status of the speaker is so Job-like (cf Job 19) that it has become the talk of those in the gate and the subject of drunkards’ songs.

“The prayer of the suffering servant in this psalm involves fierce petitions regarding enemies in vv 23–29, petitions which end with the request that those who have so badly mistreated the speaker will be blotted out of the scroll of the living and not be recorded with the righteous (v 29). This is followed, however, by a section with a changed mood. The speaker expresses confidence in God and encourages other oppressed and depressed people to do the same. V 34 seems to be a key verse: “For Yahweh hears the needy / and he does not despise prisoners who belong to him.” The last two verses of the psalm expresses confidence that God will save Zion, rebuild the cities of Judah, and reestablish the community of the offspring of his servants who dwell there.” (192)

The vow in vv. 31-32 contains a lesson about sacrifice: “I will extol God’s name with song, and exalt Him with praise. That will please the LORD more than oxen, than bulls with horns and hooves.” As was pointed out at Psalm 50, the trivialization of sacrifice can be seen in many prophetic works:

Amos 5:21-22: I loathe, I spurn your festivals, I am not appeased by your solemn assemblies. If you offer Me burnt offerings — or your meal offerings — I will not accept them; I will pay no heed To your gifts of fatlings.
Hos. 6:6 For I desire goodness, not sacrifice; Obedience to God, rather than burnt offerings.
Is. 1:11-13: “What need have I of all your sacrifices?” Says the LORD. “I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, And suet of fatlings, And blood of bulls; And I have no delight In lambs and he-goats. That you come to appear before Me — Who asked that of you? Trample My courts no more; Bringing oblations is futile, Incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath, Proclaiming of solemnities, Assemblies with iniquity, I cannot abide.
Jer. 6:20: What need have I of frankincense That comes from Sheba, Or fragrant cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.
Jer. 7:22: For when I freed your fathers from the land of Egypt, I did not speak with them or command them concerning burnt offerings or sacrifice.

Psalm 68 – “Hymn”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist praises God and calls upon others to do the same.

II. Photo
The psalmist speaks of his enemies: “You disperse them as smoke is dispersed; as wax melts at fire, so the wicked shall perish before God.” (v. 3)

III. Select Verses
8-10: O God, when You went at the head of Your army, when You marched through the desert, Selah. the earth trembled, the sky rained because of God, yon Sinai, because of God, the God of Israel. You released a bountiful rain, O God; when Your own land languished, You sustained it.
16-17: O majestic mountain, Mount Bashan; O jagged mountain, Mount Bashan; why so hostile, O jagged mountains, toward the mountain God desired as His dwelling? The LORD shall abide there forever.
25-27: Men see Your processions, O God, the processions of my God, my king, into the sanctuary. First come singers, then musicians, amidst maidens playing timbrels. In assemblies bless God, the LORD, O you who are from the fountain of Israel.
33-36: O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; chant hymns to the Lord, Selah. to Him who rides the ancient highest heavens, who thunders forth with His mighty voice. Ascribe might to God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose might is in the skies. You are awesome, O God, in Your holy places; it is the God of Israel who gives might and power to the people. Blessed is God.

IV. Outline
1. Superscription
2-3. Hymnic praise/imprecation
4. Hymnic wish
5. Call to praise
6-7. Hymnic praise
8-15. Hymnic praise
16-19. Mountain hymn
20a. Blessing
20b-21. Affirmation of confidence
22. Imprecation/wish
23-24. Oracle
25-28. Account of the procession
29-30. Blessing/wish
31-32. Imprecation/wish
33-36. Hymnic call to praise

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.

Psalm 60 – “Petition”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist asks God for security and military victory.

II. Photo
The psalmist feels abandoned: “But You have rejected us, O God; God, You do not march with our armies.” (v. 12)

III. Select Verses
3-4: O God, You have rejected us, You have made a breach in us; You have been angry; restore us! You have made the land quake; You have torn it open. Mend its fissures, for it is collapsing.
8-11: God promised in His sanctuary: “I would exultingly divide up Shechem, and measure the Valley of Sukkoth; Gilead and Manasseh would be mine, Ephraim my chief stronghold, Judah my scepter; Moab would be my washbasin; on Edom I would cast my shoe; acclaim me, O Philistia! Would that I were brought to the bastion! Would that I were led to Edom!”
12: But You have rejected us, O God; God, You do not march with our armies.
13-14: Grant us Your aid against the foe, for the help of man is worthless. With God we shall triumph; He will trample our foes.

IV. Outline
1-2. Historical superscription
3. Invocation, complaint, initial petition
4-5. Complaint, petition
6-7. Petition
8a. Introduction to the oracle
8b-11. Oracle
12. Complaint
13. Petition
14. Affirmation of confidence

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tune.

Psalm 59 – “Petition/Imprecation”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist begs God to destroy his enemies.

II. Photo
The psalmist describes his enemies: “They come each evening growling like dogs, roaming the city.” (v. 7)

III. Select Verses
2-5: Save me from my enemies, O my God; secure me against my assailants. Save me from evildoers; deliver me from murderers. For see, they lie in wait for me; fierce men plot against me for no offense of mine, for no transgression, O LORD; for no guilt of mine do they rush to array themselves against me. Look, rouse Yourself on my behalf!
7-8: They come each evening growling like dogs, roaming the city. They rave with their mouths, sharp words are on their lips; [they think,] “Who hears?”
13b-15: Let them be trapped by their pride, and by the imprecations and lies they utter. In Your fury put an end to them; put an end to them that they be no more; that it may be known to the ends of the earth that God does rule over Jacob. Selah.
17-18: But I will sing of Your strength, extol each morning Your faithfulness; for You have been my haven, a refuge in time of trouble. O my strength, to You I sing hymns; for God is my haven, my faithful God.

IV. Outline
1. Outline
2-3. Invocation, petition
4-5a. Complaint; Proclamation of innocence
5b. Petition
6. Imprecation
7-8. Refrain = Complaint/description of the wicked
9. Praise/hope
10-11. Affirmation of confidence
12-14. Imprecation
15-16. Refrain = Complaint/description of the wicked
17-18. Vow/hymn

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.

Psalm 58 – “Pedagogic Imprecation”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist challenges the wicked, asks God to crush them, and guarantees revenge for the righteous.

II. Photo
The psalmist speaks of the wicked: “The wicked are defiant from birth; the liars go astray from the womb!” (v. 4)

III. Select Verses
2-3: O mighty ones, do you really decree what is just? Do you judge mankind with equity? In your minds you devise wrongdoing in the land; with your hands you deal out lawlessness.
4-6: The wicked are defiant from birth; the liars go astray from the womb. Their venom is like that of a snake, a deaf viper that stops its ears so as not to hear the voice of charmers or the expert mutterer of spells.
7-9: O God, smash their teeth in their mouth; shatter the fangs of lions, O LORD; let them melt, let them vanish like water; let Him aim His arrows that they be cut down; like a snail that melts away as it moves; like a woman’s stillbirth, may they never see the sun!
11-12: The righteous man will rejoice when he sees revenge; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. Men will say, “There is, then, a reward for the righteous; there is, indeed, divine justice on earth.”

IV. Outline
1. Superscription
2-3. Confrontation = rhetorical questions
4-6. Pedagogic descripition of the wicked
7a. Invocation
7b-10. Imprecation
11-12. Guarantee/hope for the righteous

V. Comment
Psalm 58 is a judgement speech directed at a specific group. As Gerstenberger notes, the identity of this group is elusive: “Among the many obscure passages v. 2a is enigmatic. Who is being addressed? For more than two centuries most exegetes have been pleading the case for the emendation אלים “divine beings,” instead of the MT’s אלם “in silence” (?). Yahweh’s chastising the lesser gods in Psalm 82 is adduced as supporting evidence. The emendation is precarious because the context has nothing to reinforce it. And even if אלים were the right reading, it could mean only human potentates, not the heavenly court of Yahweh. Psalm 58 refers to the rulers who abuse their power.” (233)

In support of this interpretation, Gerstenberger notes the following verses where human beings are referred to by quasi-divine names:

Exodus 4:16: And he shall speak for you to the people. Thus he shall serve as your spokesman, with you playing the role of אלהים to him,
Exodus 7:1: The LORD replied to Moses, “See, I place you in the role of אלהים to Pharaoh, with your brother Aaron as your prophet.
Psalm 45:7: Your throne of אלהים is everlasting; your royal scepter is a scepter of equity.
Zechariah 12:8: In that day, the LORD will shield the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and the feeblest of them shall be in that day like David, and the House of David like a אלהים — like an angel of the LORD — at their head.

Psalm 57 – “Petition/Vow”

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist asks God to save him and vows to praise God in the future.

II. Photo
The psalmist describes his situation: “As for me, I lie down among man-eating lions whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongue is a sharp sword!” (v. 5)

III. Select Verses
2: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for I seek refuge in You, I seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings, until danger passes.
4: As for me, I lie down among man-eating lions whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongue is a sharp sword.
7: They prepared a net for my feet to ensnare me; they dug a pit for me, but they fell into it. Selah.
8-11: My heart is firm, O God; my heart is firm; I will sing, I will chant a hymn. Awake, O my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will wake the dawn. I will praise You among the peoples, O LORD; I will sing a hymn to You among the nations; for Your faithfulness is as high as heaven; Your steadfastness reaches to the sky.

IV. Outline
1. Historical superscription
2a. Invocation, initial petition
2b. Rationale = affirmation of confidence
3-4. Petition/wish
5. Complaint
6. Refrain = hymnic petition
7. Complaint
8a. Affirmation of confidence
8b-11. Vow
12. Refrain = hymnic petition

V. Comment
No comment today. Stay tuned.