Psalm 111/Story Behind/Assumptions

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Psalm 111 Data
Verse # (by clause) Text (CBC) (by clause) Propositional Content common ground local ground playground
1a Praise Yah! People praise Yah.
1b I will praise YHWH whole-heartedly, in the council of upright people, in the congregation. The psalmist praises YHWH whole-heartedly in the council of upright people, in the congregation.
• The Law called for loving YHWH with one's whole heart (בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥) (Deut. 6:5).
• What sod means here can be translated as 'circle.'
• It was the free meeting together in time of leisure of the adult men, while the housewives and mothers, tired no doubt but unrelaxing, still exert themselves in the last business of their daily work...
• If we ask what this circle means and does, then the answer is that it is the place where the news of the day is exchanged.
• It is the place where the plans for the coming days and for projects which lie ahead are discussed.
• It is the place of conversation.
• When the Bedouin crouch on the ground together in the evening around the campfire, the storytellers and singers lift their voices to recite long poems, skillful songs, stories of the heroic deeds of old time.
• No doubt this happened in Israel too... (Ludwig Kohler, Hebrew Man, 1954:87-91); cf. TWOT: a circle of trusted intimates who give their advice (Ps. 55:14; 83:4).
• It is possible that the first term refers to the smaller circle of the upright and YHWH-fearers, while the second evokes the whole congregation (for an analogous distinction, see, for example, Ps. 107:32) (Zenger 2011:163; so Ibn Ezra and Brettler A Jewish Approach to Psalm 111, 144-5).
2a YHWH’s deeds are great, YHWH’s deeds are great.
• YHWH's deeds...are very great (Ps. 92:6)bring joy (Ps. 92:5-6)associated with his נפלאות (cf. Ps. 107:21-24; 139:14)are done in wisdom (Ps. 104:24)include his work of...creating man (Ps. 139:14)sustaining creation (Ps. 104:13, 24)rescuing his people trouble (Pss. 107:22, 24; 118:17), especially from Egypt (Ps. 106:13)מעשים can refer to a verbal composition (Ps. 45:2)
2b studied by all who delight in them. People study YHWH's deeds.
• People study (דרשׁ) YHWH's deeds by studying Scripture (cf. Ezra 7:10; Ps. 119:45, 94, 155).
3a His work is glorious and majestic, YHWH's work is glorious and majestic.
• Glory (הוֹד) and majesty (הָדָר) are royal attributes (cf. Pss. 21:6).
• YHWH is king.
3b and his righteousness stands forever. YHWH's righteousness stands forever.
• Righteousness is an especially important quality for a king (cf. Pss. 72:1-2; 112:3b, 9b).
4a He has caused his wonderful acts to be remembered. YHWH causes his wonderful acts to be remembered.
• YHWH performed wonderful acts when he brought his people out of Egypt (cf. Ex. 3:20; Mic. 7:14; Judges 6:13) and into the promised land (cf. Ex. 34:10).
• YHWH's wonderful acts are recorded in Scripture.
• People can read about (and remember) YHWH's wonderful acts by studying ScriptureCf. זכר in Esther 9:28
• Most commentators understand this as he Passover or some other festival, during which they believe this psalm was recited.
• The noun זכר however, is never used for a festival in he Bible and need not refer to a past event....
• The word here means 'that by which you remember or denote something', and it wold seem that a written Torah could serve as a זכר for YHWH's נפלאת (Brettler, The Riddle of Psalm 111 64).
• Similarly, Baethgen: Andere finden hier einen speziellen Hinweise auf das Passah, das Ex. 12:14 als זכרון an das in Ägypten Erlebte bezeichnet wird.
• Einfacher ist es, an die in Israel fortlebende Tradition zu denken, 78:3 (1904:341).
4b YHWH is merciful and compassionate. YHWH is merciful and compassionate.
• YHWH revealed his identity to Moses as a God who is compassionate and merciful (Ex. 34:6).
• Because he is compassionate and merciful, YHWH forgives sins and sustains the covenant relationship (Ex. 34:7–9).
• The זכר is the story of the Torah that shows that God is continually compassionate (Brettler, A Jewish Approach to Psalm 111, 147).
• Since YHWH's gracious and compassionate nature proves the basis for covenantal renewal in Exod 34, the allusion to the grace formula in v. 4 apparently praises YHWH for sustaining/renewing the covenant.
• Verse 5, 'he remembers his covenant forever,' confirms this, as does the similar statement in v. 9 (Hensley 2018:107).
5a He gave food to those who feared him. YHWH gives food to those who fear him.
• YHWH fed his people with manna and quail in the wilderness (Ex. 16; Num. 11; cf. Pss. 105:40).
5b He remembers his covenant forever. YHWH remembers his covenant forever.
• YHWH made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants to give them the land of Canaan and to be their God (Gen. 12; 15; 17; etc.).
• Cf. Ps. 105:8–11. זָכַ֣ר לְעוֹלָ֣ם בְּרִית֑וֹ ... אֲשֶׁ֣ר כָּ֭רַת אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם ... לֵאמֹ֗ר לְךָ֗ אֶתֵּ֥ן אֶת־אֶֽרֶץ־כְּנָ֑עַן חֶ֝֗בֶל נַחֲלַתְכֶֽם׃
• It is 'remembering his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob' (cf. Exod 2:24) that moves YHWH to free oppressed Israel from Egypt and give it the land promised to the ancestors (cf. Exod 6:2-8) (Zenger 2011:164).
• Several implicit criteria suggest both Abrahamic and Mosaic covenantal entailments.
• Verse 6 echoes YHWH's promise to give the land as an inheritance (cf. Ps. 105:11)...
• Moreover, the expression בכל לבב in the א colon in v. 1 recalls the similar expression in Deut. 6:5...
• This suggests that the speaker of Ps. 111 in some sense embodies the obedience for which Moses calls as he offers his heartfelt praise of YHWH throughout the poem (Hensley 2018:108 ).
6a He showed his people the power of his deeds YHWH shows his people the power of his deeds
• The work of driving out the seven nations was even greater than what YHWH did to the Egyptians, and it more fully demonstrated his strength (cf. Radak).
6b by giving them nations as an inheritance. YHWH gives his people the nations as an inheritance
• YHWH promised to give to Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan (cf. Gen. 12:7; 15:18–21; etc.).
• YHWH gave the people the land in the days of Joshua (Josh.; cf. Ps. 78:54–55; 105:44).
• YHWH settled his people in the land so that they would keep his commandments (cf. Ps. 105:44–45).
7a The deeds of his hands are faithful and just. The deeds of YHWH's hands are faithful and just.
7b All his commandments are enduring, All YHWH's commandments endure.
• YHWH's commandments are included among the deeds of his hands.
8a established forever and ever. YHWH establishes his commandments forever.
8b practiced in faithfulness and uprightness. People practice all YHWH's commandments in faithfulness and uprightness.
9a He sent redemption to his people. YHWH sends redemption to his people.
• To redeem someone/something is to achieve transfer of ownership from one to another through payment of a price or an equivalent substitute (TWOT).
• YHWH redeemed Israel from servitude in Egypt to be his servants (cf. פדות in Ex. 8:19).
• In Deuteronomy Yahweh is the exclusive subject of פָּדָה as the one who ransomed Israel from Egypt.
• Since the context refers to Israel as slaves (Deut 7:8; 13:5 [6]) and as Yahweh’s inheritance (9:26), here [in Deut.] פָּדָה designates a legal act of redemption from slavery by Yahweh (NIDOTTE).
9b He commanded his covenant forever. YHWH commands his covenant forever.
• YHWH redeemed his people so that they would belong to him and serve him.
• After redeeming his people, YHWH made a covenant with them, and he commanded that his covenant be kept.
9c His name is holy and awesome. YHWH's name is holy and awesome.
10a Fearing YHWH is the beginning of wisdom, Fearing YHWH is the beginning of wisdom.
• For what it means, practically, to fear YHWH, see Ps. 34:12ff.
10b good insight for all who practice them. Fearing YHWH is good insight for all who practice them.
10b His praiseworthiness stands forever. YHWH's praiseworthiness stands forever.