Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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'''v. 1''' – For discussion of the initial verb לְ֭כוּ "come" and its structural parallel with בֹּ֭אוּ in v. 6, see the notes there. +
Interpreters differ as to whether "the one" (הָאִישׁ) is a unique individual (i.e. a king) or a literary representative of a group (i.e. a typical righteous person). The latter interpretation is reflected in those translations that translate הָאִישׁ with a plural and gender-neutral term (e.g., CEV, ERV, GNB, NLT). Other translations use a gender-neutral term but retain the singular referent (e.g. CSB, NET, NIV, LPDPT). Older translations tend to use masculine singular terms (LXX, Tg, Jer, KJV, Reina Valera, ESV, NVI, LS 1910). In either case, the tree imagery of v. 3, the allusion to Deuteronomy's kingship law (Deut 17) in v. 2, and the linguistic/thematic connections between Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 all work together to give "the one" "a distinctly royal profile" (Brown 2002). Although it is possible to explain this royal profile in terms of democratization - the office of king is democratized so that everyone who follows the path of Torah is a kind of king (so e.g., Brown 2002; Barbiero 2003), others have argued on the basis of the Joshua-like description of "the one" (cf. Schnittjer 2021, 471; Mitchell 2016), the connections between "the one" of Psalm 1 and the anointed king of Ps 2, and the Messianic shape of the Psalter, that "the one" is a unique royal figure. +
To "walk (הָלַךְ) in the counsel of wicked people (בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים)" is to live one's life according to the counsel, or advice, which wicked people offer (cf 2 Chron 22:5, "where the meaning is 'to follow advice'" %5BSeow 2013%5D; cf. NLT: "...follow the advice of the wicked"). +
The word '''"wicked people"''' (רְשָׁעִים) occurs four times in Psalm 1 (vv. 1, 4, 5, 6) - more than any other word.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' It refers to the "state in which a person's behavior is inconsistent with the requirements of the law, either in a specific matter that is under dispute or as one's general mode of behavior."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' +
The verb '''stand''' (עָמַד) appears to be telic ("stand" %3D "take a stand") rather than a telic ("stand" %3D "stand around"). Similarly, Wilson 2002, 94, "the verb עָמָד has more the sense of 'take a stand' than simply 'stand still.' There is volition (and therefore responsibility) assumed in this action." Cf. ''BDB'' 764.3f: "persist"; ''HALOT'' 840.1: "to become involved with, or to persist in" (בדבר רע) Qoh 8:3"; ''DCH'' עָמַד (entry 8).</ref> Compare Ps 36:5bc where standing "on a path that is not good" (36:5b) is paired with the refusal to reject wickedness (36:5c).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' Cf. Seow: "seems at first blush to be out of place in the second line. One expects 'walked in the way,' an exceedingly common biblical idiom for moral conduct.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' Yet one may take the Hebrew to mean not just 'stand'... but also 'persist,' as Jerome and Radaq recognized."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' +
'''Pathway''' here refers to the lifestyle of sinners. To 'stand in the pathway of/with sinners' means to closely associate with them in their sinful behavior."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' It is "to share their way of life (cf. Prov 1:10-19; Jer 23:8)."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' +
The word '''"sinful people"''' (חַטָּאִים, see also v. 5b) is partially synonymous with the previous term "wicked people" (רְשָׁעִים). Whereas the word "wicked" (רְשָׁעִים) places the emphasis on the resultant state of guilt that characterizes those who live contrary to God's requirements, the word "sinful" (חַטָּאִים) places the emphasis on "the pattern of actions" that leads to such guilt.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' "The difference of nuance between רשעים and חטאים is perhaps similar to that of the person convicted of a single theft compared with a career criminal. In the psalms, however, these two terms are often synonymous."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' +
The noun phrase "the one" (הָאִישׁ) has the definite article. The intended identity is clear, as it is immediately modified by the compound אֲשֶׁר clause. +
The ''bet'' preposition in the phrase "in (ב) the counsel of the wicked" indicates the mode of action,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000127-QINU`"' i.e., "no anda según el consejo" ('does not walk according to the counsel'; RVA2015). *The following two ''bet'' prepositions ("in the way... in the dwelling place") are spatial. +
The "counsel of the wicked" is the counsel, or advice that the wicked give; the "way of sinful people" is the way on which sinful people stand, i.e., the pattern of life to which they are committed; and the "dwelling place of insolent people" is the place where insolent people dwell, i.e., the pattern of life into which they are firmly settled. +
The key word'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' '''instruction''' (תּוׂרָה) has been translated as "law,"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' "Law,"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"'" instruction,"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' "Teaching,"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' "teachings,"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' and "commands."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' Given Psalm 1's allusion to Joshua 1:8 and the usage of the phrase "the instruction of YHWH" (תורת יהוה) elsewhere, the phrase probably refers, at the very least, to the written Law of Moses.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"' Yet Psalm 1's use of other biblical books may suggest that the Psalmist had a larger corpus in mind than just the Pentateuch. As Botha notes, "Psalm 1 has made use of a wide variety of texts, most probably all of which were considered to be authoritative material by him: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Psalms, Job, and Proverbs seem to be the most important corpora. All these contexts were probably included when he thought of the ‘Torah’ of Yahweh as the comprehensive teaching of Yahweh in Scripture."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000008-QINU`"'
In Psalm 1, where the metaphor of a journey is so dominant, it is also worth noting that the word "instruction" (תּוׂרָה) is related to a Hebrew verb (ירה) which "occurs in such practical contexts as the giving of directions in travel (Gen 46:28)."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000009-QINU`"' Indeed, "instruction" (תּוׂרָה) is often associated with the image of walking on a pathway.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000A-QINU`"' +
The word '''delight''' (חֶפְצוֹ) or "pleasure"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' refers to a "state in which humans feel emotionally attached to a particular event."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' +
Some commentators think that the antecedent of the pronoun in the phrase '''his instruction''' (v. 2b) is "the one" rather than YHWH. Rashi, for example, writes, "At first it is called 'YHWH's instruction,' but after he has labored over it it is called his instruction."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' But the parallel between בְּתוֹרַת יְהוָה in v. 2a and בְתוֹרָתוֹ in v. 2b suggests that YHWH is the antecedent of the pronoun in the b-line. +
The verb '''meditates''' (יֶהְגֶּה)'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' or "studies"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' refers to an "action by which humans speak softly for themselves as if thinking out loud."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' If the "instruction of YHWH" does indeed refer to the written Scriptures, then the verb "rehearses" may refer here to the act of reading aloud to oneself in a low undertone, a metonymy for intensive study.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' "Many languages make no distinction between reading and studying, and attempts to describe a mumbling kind of reading may distract from the essential force of reading diligently. Hence, "meditates" may often be rendered as 'reading and thinking about.' In cases where it is desirable to express the intensive aspect of reading, one may say 'they read it carefully day and night,' or 'they read and think about its teachings all the time,' or 'they are always reading and thinking about its teachings.'"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' The psalmist probably chose this particular word, at least in part, in order to allude to Joshua 1:8.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' "Only Josh. 1 and Ps. 1 use 'meditate' in reference to torah, making relationship likely."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"'
%5B%5BFile:Psalm 1 - Hagah - meditate.jpg%7Cclass%3Dimg-fluid%7C700px%5D%5D +
"YHWH's instruction" is the instruction that YHWH gives (cf. "the advice that wicked people give" in v. 1). +
The phrase '''day and night''' (יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה), which also occurs in Josh 1:8 (alluded to here), is a Hebrew idiom that means "continually."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' See also the use of the same collocation in Lev 8:35: וּפֶתַח֩ אֹ֨הֶל מוֹעֵ֜ד תֵּשְׁב֨וּ) יוֹמָ֤ם וָלַ֙יְלָה֙ שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֔ים), in which שִׁבְעַת יָמִים ("seven days") provides the duration of the sitting, while יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה ("day and night") provides the times of day that the sitting should take place, i.e., continually.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' +
It is significant that the following series of psalms (Pss 3-14) are structured in a "day-night" pattern. Psalms 3-7 and 10-14 are "composed as alternating sequence of 'day-night-day-night-day' psalms (Pss 3:6, 8; 4:5, 9; 5:4; 6:7; 7:7; 10:12; 11:2; 12:6; 13:4; 14:2, 5). At the center, Psalms 8-9 are 'night-day' psalms (Pss 8:4; 9:20)."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' +
The tense of the verb translated '''and he will become''' (וְהָיָה) could be present ("he is," so NIV, NLT, ESV, CSB, CEV, GNT, NET, NEB) or future ("he will be%5Bcome%5D," so KJV, ASV, NASB, JPS, ISV). According to the present-tense interpretation, the waw prefixed form וְהָיָה "carries the same characteristic force as the imperfect in the preceding verse."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' But if the poet wanted to see "he is like a tree," then he could have used a simple verbless clause. Furthermore, when וְֽהָיָה functions as an ordinary verb (rather than a discourse marker), "reference is typically to events that are projected in the future."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' +
The noun '''tree''' (עֵץ) may refer to a “tree” (sg) or collectively to “trees” (pl), or to the material that comes from trees, i.e. “wood.” When referring to a “tree” or to “trees,” עֵץ “emphasizes only the genus, while individual species of trees (e.g., אֶרָז ‘cedar,’ אֵצֶל ‘tamerisk,’ בְּרוֹשׁ ‘cypress,’ גֶּפֶן ‘grapevine,’ זַיִת ‘olive tree,’ לוּז ‘almond tree,’ שִׁקְמָה ‘sycamore,’ תְּאֵנָה ‘fig tree,’ תָּמָר ‘date palm’) or tree shapes (e.g., סְבַךְ/סְבֹךְ ‘bush’ or the word group אַלָּה/אַלּוֹן אֵלָה/אֵלוֹן ‘large tree,’ usually understood as ‘oak/terebinth’) acquire specific designations.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' The particular species of tree is unspecified, though we might envision an olive tree (cf. Ps 52:10), a palm tree or cedar (cf. Ps 92:14). In light of the image of a garden and the echoes of Eden, the Targum translates "tree" as "tree of life" (כאילן חיי). +
The description '''transplanted by water channels''' (שָׁתוּל עַל־פַּלְגֵי מָיִם)'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' suggests that "this is not the picture of a tree growing naturally beside a river, but of a tree planted (better 'transplanted') by a gardener beside a watercourse or irrigation channel."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' "The happiness of the righteous man is illustrated by the simile of a tree, which is removed from its native soil and transplanted to the most favored soil, in a fertile garden irrigated by many channels of water, such as Wady Urtas, where were the gardens of Solomon; Engedi, famed for its fertility; the gardens of Damascus, Egypt, and Babylon, irrigated by canals drawn from the great rivers."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' The garden imagery in Psalm 1 is, in turn, reminiscent of Eden and the temple of God.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000007-QINU`"' +