Psalm 1 Overview
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Happy is the one
Psalm 1
Welcome to the Overview of Psalm 1
This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 1 as a whole. It includes the following sections:
Introduction to Psalm 1
Author
- Anonymous
Book
- Book 1 of the Psalter (Chapters 1–41)
Psalm 1: A Brief Summary
- Psalm 1 is an intricate poem in several ways. It weaves together different biblical passages as a meditation. It contrasts agricultural images of flourishing, with the tree, and the useless and discarded, with the chaff. It contrasts two ways or paths that begin with counsel or instruction and end at very different destinations. It uses the imagery of the life cycle of grain, from growing through harvesting, threshing and winnowing, to describe the relationship between the righteous and the wicked.
- All these are combined to make the poetic argument, over and over: there are two ways to live. One starts with the counsel or instruction of the wicked and leads—in the end—to being discarded and useless. The other starts with the instruction of YHWH and leads to flourishing. For those who desire to flourish, there is only one conclusion: devoting oneself to the instruction of YHWH is worth everything!
“Happy Is the One” This title is a memorable phrase that helps remember the unique character and content of this psalm.
- “Happy is the one” serves well as a memorable phrase for this psalm, celebrating the person who chooses the path that leads to true flourishing — the flourishing illustrated by a lush tree, never lacking for water.
Purpose The Purpose was the psalmist's probable intent or reason for writing this psalm.
- To persuade the hearer that following YHWH's instruction is worthwhile.
Content The Content is a concise summary of the whole psalm's content.
- It is not the wicked, but the one who follows YHWH's instruction who is "happy." This is because "YHWH cares for the way of righteous people, and the wicked's way will come to an end.
Message The Message is the main idea the psalmist probably wanted the audience to remember upon or after hearing the psalm.
- In the end, it's those who follow YHWH's instruction who will flourish.
Psalm 1 At-a-Glance
These sections divide the content of the psalm into digestible pieces , and are determined based on information from many of our layers, including Semantics, Poetics, and Discourse. The columns, left to right, contain: the verse numbers; the main title of the section; a brief summary of the content of that section (quote marks indicate the text is taken directly from the English text of the psalm (as per our Close-but-Clear translation); and an icon to visually represent and remember the content.
| v. 1 Happy is the one who has not walked in the counsel of wicked people, has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people, and has not settled in the dwelling place of insolent people! | Happy is the one | ...who has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people, but follows the way of YHWH's instruction. He will flourish like a tree! |  |
admiration |
| v. 2 Instead, his delight is in YHWH's instruction, and he meditates on his instruction day and night. | ||||
| v. 3 And he will become like a tree transplanted beside water channels that gives its fruit in its season and whose leaves do not wither. And he will cause all that he does to flourish. | ||||
| v. 4 Not so the wicked people! Instead, they will be like chaff that the wind drives away. | Not so the wicked | When judgment comes, they will be blown away like chaff and will not stand with the righteous. |  |
contempt |
| v. 5 Therefore, wicked people will not stand firm in the judgment, and sinful people [will not stand] in the group of righteous people. | ||||
| v. 6 Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people, and the way of wicked people will come to an end. | Because YHWH | ...cares for the way of the righteous, and the way of wicked people will come to an end. |  |
confidence |
Background Orientation for Psalm 1
Following are the common-ground assumptionsCommon-ground assumptions include information shared by the speaker and hearers. In our analysis, we mainly use this category for Biblical/Ancient Near Eastern background. which are the most helpful for making sense of the psalm.
- People declare someone to be "happy" (אַשְׁרֵי) when they admire that person's condition and consider it to be desirable (cf. Janzen 1965, 215-226; SDBH). For example, when the Queen of Sheba saw the wealth and wisdom and King Solomon, she exclaimed, "Happy (אַשְׁרֵי) are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!" (1 Kgs 10:8, ESV).
- When wicked people flourish, others are tempted to declare them "happy." For example, Malachi (which occurs immediately before Ps 1 in the order of the Hebrew canon) says, “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it’” (Mal 3:14-15, NIV; cf. Jer 12:1; Ps 73).
- YHWH is the judge of all the earth (Gen 18:25), and the job of a just judge is to acquit the righteous/innocent (צַדִּיק) and condemn the wicked/guilty (רָשָׁע) (see Deut 25:1).
- “In winnowing, grain is threshed in order to separate the kernel of grain from the husk and straw. The mixture is thrown into the air with a winnowing fork or shovel. The wind blows the light husksaway, the heavier straw falls near the edge of the threshing floor, and the grain falls back to the floor to be collected. Both the light husks and the heavier straw are referred to in the words translated ‘chaff’ in the Bible” (Ryken et al. ed. 1998, 136).
- The place of YHWH's life-giving presence is depicted as a garden paradise (Gen 2; Ezek 47:12) in which the righteous grow like trees (Pss 52:10; 92:13-15; cf. Creach 1999).
Background Situation for Psalm 1
The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon.
Background Situation for Psalm 1
The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon.
Participants in Psalm 1
There are 3 participants/characters in Psalm 1:
Profile List
| The one |
| Tree |
| Righteous people |
| YHWH |
| Wicked people |
| Sinful people |
| Insolent people |
| Chaff |
Profile Notes
- The one is the hero of this psalm, the person being celebrated. He is celebrated for his rejection of wickedness (v. 1), his commitment to YHWH's instruction (v. 2), and for the fact that he will become like a tree in YHWH's life-giving garden (v. 3). "The one" is a literary representative for the group of righteous people mentioned in the end of the psalm (vv. 5-6). When Ps 1 is read as a unit together with Ps 2, the identity of "the one" converges with the identity of the anointed king in Ps 2. See The Identity of the Person in Ps 1:1 for details.
- YHWH, the God of Israel, is the ultimate source of the success of the righteous. He is the one who guides them (v. 2) and cares for them (v. 6a) throughout life's journey. The ambiguity in v. 3d also allows us to see YHWH as the one who "causes all that he does to flourish." See The Grammar of Ps 1:3d for details.
- The wicked (together with sinful people and insolent people) are the most mentioned participant in this psalm. (On the differences between these different terms for wicked people, see lexical semantics.) The wicked, unlike the righteous, have nothing to do with YHWH's instruction, and so they are like chaff and perish in the judgment.