Psalm 1 Translation Challenges

These notes are designed to be a quick-reference guide, giving an at-a-glance look at vital information about key words and phrases in this psalm. As such, it does not go into detail about the scholarship behind these conclusions and recommendations. For this level of detail, please see the Psalm 1 Verse-by-Verse notes. Full layer analyses can also be found on the Psalm 1 page of this wiki.

Key Terms & Difficult Words

Happy אַשְׁרֵי

Blessed, happy, joyous, commendable, favored, etc. People would declare someone ʾašrē whose position in life was admirable or desirable. ʾAšrē differs from barak ("bless", cf. Jer. 17:7) in that barak is a wish or prayer that someone would be blessed; ashar is a statement of congratulation. Furthermore, this word is never used to describe God, only people. Translators should try to avoid a word that includes the idea of lucky--as if the person’s success is just by chance. “In some languages the congratulation expressed here is lost when the third person is retained, and therefore requires a shift to the second person; for example, ‘How happy you are’ or ‘What great happiness is yours.’ In some languages the congratulation may be expressed more naturally at the end of the verse rather than at the beginning.”1 The diagram below shows how אַשְׁרֵי compares with our modern English idea of “happy." The wording in the center shows the similarities between the two. The meaning of the word chosen in the receptor language may be less important than the function of the phrase to express admiration and celebration.

Important Imagery

Walking/standing/sitting (vv. 1 and 5)

Most interpreters see a progression in bodily posture from walking (v. 1a) to standing (v. 1b) to sitting (v. 1c). However, the verb ישב often means "to settle"[1], and the noun מושב often means “location where a community… lives.”[5] Both words are used, for example, in Ex. 12:20 to refer to Israel's dwelling in Egypt. The pathway-journey imagery (see note below) in Psalm 1 makes this interpretation ("go" > "come to a standstill" > "settle") more likely, since this is the expected progression of a journey. In terms of significance, "the order of these verbs may indicate a gradual descent into evil, in which one first walks alongside, then stops, and ultimately takes up permanent residence in the company of the wicked."[6] Counsel, way and seat (or ‘assembly’, or ‘dwelling’) draw attention to the realms of thinking, behaving and belonging[7]. Standing in both vv.1 and 5 means “stand firm/taking a position /hold one’s ground”; and walking means “to live or behave in a certain manner”.

Translation Tip

In translating Psalms, it is important to keep the power and beauty of the poetic imagery if at all possible. Therefore, before translating these metaphorical meanings of walk … stand … sit literally (that is to say, translating as behave, live, dwell, etc.), the translator should:

1. See if these figurative expressions of motion/posture (walk, stand, sit) will fit his language naturally. If they do not, then he may...
2. Find other natural figurative expressions in his own language which may be used. If and only if these first two options fail, then the translator should...
3. Translate the meaning literally. The same principle applies to the imagery and words relating to road/journey and tree/chaff below.

Road/journey (vv. 1 and 6)

The image of a journey is crucial not only to this psalm, but to the whole Psalter[8]. Throughout Scripture, the idea of a path or journey has the metaphorical meaning of how a person lives their life—their conduct, behavior, and choices.

Plant imagery: tree transplanted by streams of water; chaff blowing away in the wind (vv. 3 and 4)

• The tree: a generic word for tree or wood (not referring to any specific type of tree). In Psalm 1, the image is that of a cultivated agricultural setting (a garden), rather than a tree in the wild. The Hebrew word שָׁתוּל actually conveys more of the idea of transplanted than planted as we see in the NIV. The difference in these two words is that transplanted means that a tree or plant has already been planted in one place, has begun growing, and now it is being moved and re-planted in another place. The fact that the tree produces fruit at the right time shows that the tree is healthy, thriving, and a blessing to others—thanks to abundant water from the streams.
• The water: the streams of water are implicitly compared with YHWH and his instruction—just as water supplies life for the tree to thrive, YHWH’s word gives life to the righteous person.
• The chaff: The chaff (the leftover, useless part of the grain that is disposed of in the winnowing process—see Winnowing PowerPoint) is contrasted with the healthy, thriving tree. The blowing away of the chaff in the wind represents the destruction that will meet all wicked people, as explained in v.5.
• The wind: We have another implicit comparison for YHWH—like the wind separates the chaff from the good, usable grain, YHWH will separate the righteous from the wicked as he alone judges each person.

Proper Names

• YHWH—This is God’s official name (as opposed to a title such as lord), which he commanded his people to call him in Ex. 3:15. For more info about how to translate this name, see the “Names/Titles of God” document.