Psalm 100 Exegetical Issues

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Psalm 100

Introduction to Exegetical Issues

Presented here are the top three Exegetical Issues that any interpreter of the psalm—whether they’re reading the text in Hebrew or looking at a number of translations—are likely to encounter. These issues usually involve textual criticism, grammar, lexical semantics, verbal semantics, and/or phrase-level semantics, though they sometimes involve higher-level layers as well.

Exegetical Issues for Psalm 100

• The Addressee of Ps 100

One of the most difficult aspects of Psalm 100 is that it can plausibly be read as addressed either to Israel or to all nations of the earth. The choice one makes between these two possible addressees leads to completely different interpretations of the psalm.

• The Meaning of לְתוֹדָה in Ps 100:1

Ps 100 begins with the superscription מִזְמ֥וֹר לְתוֹדָ֑ה. The meaning of לְתוֹדָה here is ambiguous.

• The Text and Meaning of Ps. 100:3

The Masoretic Text of Ps 100:3 has a Ketiv (לֹא)/Qere (לוֹ) issue, with each alternative reflecting a completely different meaning in the text.