Psalm 92/MT Expanded Paraphrase
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Expanded Paraphrase The Expanded Paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today, providing the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences. It can be found as part of our Story Behind layer.
(For more information, click "Expanded Paraphrase Legend" below.)
| Text (Hebrew) | Verse | Expanded Paraphrase The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences. |
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| מִזְמ֥וֹר שִׁ֗יר לְי֣וֹם הַשַּׁבָּֽת׃ | 1 | A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.' Recited by the Levites as a reminder of the perfection of the eternal Sabbath, in which all wrongs will be made right. |
| ט֗וֹב לְהֹד֥וֹת לַיהוָ֑ה וּלְזַמֵּ֖ר לְשִׁמְךָ֣ עֶלְיֽוֹן׃ | 2 | 'As we gather on the Sabbath, let us remember how God created the entire world and it was good. It is still good, so it is right to praise YHWH and [it is right] to sing praise to your name, Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. |
| לְהַגִּ֣יד בַּבֹּ֣קֶר חַסְֽדֶּ֑ךָ וֶ֝אֱמֽוּנָתְךָ֗ בַּלֵּילֽוֹת׃ | 3 | [It is right] to declare your loyalty in the morning', when deliverance often comes, and [it is right to declare] your faithfulness at night, even when we are often tempted to despair. |
| עֲֽלֵי־עָ֭שׂוֹר וַעֲלֵי־נָ֑בֶל עֲלֵ֖י הִגָּי֣וֹן בְּכִנּֽוֹר׃ | 4 | [It is right to praise YHWH]' always, both individually, and communally as we meet together in the house of YHWH, with a ten-stringed instrument and with a harp, with a soft melody on a lyre. |
| כִּ֤י שִׂמַּחְתַּ֣נִי יְהוָ֣ה בְּפָעֳלֶ֑ךָ *בְּֽמַעֲשֵׂה* יָדֶ֣יךָ אֲרַנֵּֽן׃ | 5 | 'I will indeed praise, for you have made me rejoice, YHWH, by your action, by how you created the universe and established order and justice among your creation, which we will one day be able to experience fully. I think about your completed work and I rejoice in the work of your hands – how you separated light from darkness, established the limits of the water and sat down enthroned on high. You made everything good. And as I reflect on that, I look forward to the future Sabbath, when your kingdom, defined by justice and order, will be completely established. |
| מַה־גָּדְל֣וּ מַעֲשֶׂ֣יךָ יְהוָ֑ה מְ֝אֹ֗ד עָמְק֥וּ מַחְשְׁבֹתֶֽיךָ׃ | 6 | 'Though we cannot fully appreciate them, how great are your works, YHWH! Though we cannot fully understand them, your plans are so deep. We understand what we need to know: that you made the world good and continue to establish justice. |
| אִֽישׁ־בַּ֭עַר לֹ֣א יֵדָ֑ע וּ֝כְסִ֗יל לֹא־יָבִ֥ין אֶת־זֹֽאת׃ | 7 | 'On the other hand, stupid people do not know [this] and fools do not even understand this: |
| בִּפְרֹ֤חַ רְשָׁעִ֨ים ׀ כְּמ֥וֹ עֵ֗שֶׂב וַ֭יָּצִיצוּ כָּל־פֹּ֣עֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן לְהִשָּֽׁמְדָ֥ם עֲדֵי־עַֽד׃ | 8 | when wicked people flourish like a green plant,' which shoots up today and withers tomorrow, and any evildoers prosper for a while, the stupid are confused, thinking the flourishing will last forever and is an argument against your justice. They do not even know that [this short-term flourishing of the wicked is] only for the purpose of them to be destroyed forever, |
| וְאַתָּ֥ה מָר֗וֹם לְעֹלָ֥ם יְהוָֽה׃ | 9 | but you are on high forever, YHWH,' seated on your heavenly throne as the judge and provider of perfect justice for all humankind, established, since creation, by your sovereign and orderly rule over the cosmos. |
| כִּ֤י הִנֵּ֪ה אֹיְבֶ֡יךָ ׀ יְֽהוָ֗ה כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֣ה אֹיְבֶ֣יךָ יֹאבֵ֑דוּ יִ֝תְפָּרְד֗וּ כָּל־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃ | 10 | 'Even if fools do not understand it, I know it to be true, for look, your enemies, YHWH, those wicked and evildoers—for look, your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered after all, demonstrating that you will never leave the guilty unpunished, |
| וַתָּ֣רֶם כִּרְאֵ֣ים קַרְנִ֑י *בְּלּתִי* *כְּשֶׁ֣מֶן* רַעֲנָֽן׃ | 11 | and you will lift up my horn like a wild ox,' bestowing on me the status and health that belongs to those faithful to you, and my old age [will be] fresh like oil, such that I will thrive and remain fresh for years to come |
| וַתַּבֵּ֥ט עֵינִ֗י בְּשׁ֫וּרָ֥י בַּקָּמִ֖ים עָלַ֥י מְרֵעִ֗ים תִּשְׁמַ֥עְנָה אָזְנָֽי׃ | 12 | and,' overcoming when people attack me, my eyes will look upon my enemies in victory, my ears will hear those who rise up against me when they cry out after defeat. |
| צַ֭דִּיק כַּתָּמָ֣ר יִפְרָ֑ח כְּאֶ֖רֶז בַּלְּבָנ֣וֹן יִשְׂגֶּֽה׃ | 13 | 'But I will be counted among the righteous, who, on the other hand, will flourish like a palm tree, standing tall and bearing fruit even in the most difficult circumstances; like a cedar tree in Lebanon, the kind of wood used to build palaces and temples, he will grow and multiply, rooted on the heights as on YHWH's celestial mountain |
| שְׁ֭תוּלִים בְּבֵ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה בְּחַצְר֖וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣ינוּ יַפְרִֽיחוּ׃ | 14 | 'since, rather than being scattered, [they will be] transplanted in the house of YHWH to gain proper perspective; in the courtyards of our God they will flourish by observing covenant faithfulness to him and observing his covenant faithfulness. |
| ע֭וֹד יְנוּב֣וּן בְּשֵׂיבָ֑ה דְּשֵׁנִ֖ים וְרַֽעֲנַנִּ֣ים יִהְיֽוּ׃ | 15 | They will still thrive in old age,' unlike the wicked, who quickly perish; they will be vigorous and fresh |
| לְ֭הַגִּיד כִּֽי־יָשָׁ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה צ֝וּרִ֗י וְֽלֹא־עַוְלָ֥תָה בּֽוֹ׃ | 16 | in order that' the people gathered for worship declare—since it is, indeed, right to do so—that YHWH, my rock, is, in fact, fair and, when everything is known and understood, despite what some may say or what we may be tempted to believe, there is absolutely no injustice in him. When the final Sabbath comes, and his work is once again complete, we will continue to say: it is right to praise him! |
- v. 5 – For the emendation of בְּֽמַעֲשֵׂה* יָדֶ֣יךָ* (MT: בְּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֖י יָדֶ֣יךָ), see the grammar notes.
- v. 11 – For the revocalization of *בְּלֹתִי* (MT: בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י) and the emendation of *כְּשֶׁמֶן* (MT: בְּשֶׁ֣מֶן), see the The Grammar and Meaning of Ps 92:11b.