Psalm 95 Text
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Text Only (Hebrew and English) The text below is divided according to the psalm's poetic lines. For additional information, see our Poetic Structure layer.
| Hebrew | Line | English |
|---|---|---|
| לְ֭כוּ נְרַנְּנָ֣ה לַיהוָ֑ה | 1a | Come, let us shout for joy to YHWH! |
| נָ֝רִ֗יעָה לְצ֣וּר יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ׃ | 1b | Let us cry out to the rock of our salvation! |
| נְקַדְּמָ֣ה פָנָ֣יו בְּתוֹדָ֑ה | 2a | Let us approach his presence with praise; |
| בִּ֝זְמִר֗וֹת נָרִ֥יעַֽ לֽוֹ׃ | 2b | in songs we will cry out to him |
| כִּ֤י אֵ֣ל גָּד֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה | 3a | because YHWH is a great God |
| וּמֶ֥לֶךְ גָּ֝ד֗וֹל עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | 3b | and great king over all gods, |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּ֭יָדוֹ מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ | 4a | in whose hand are the unexplored depths of the earth |
| וְתוֹעֲפ֖וֹת הָרִ֣ים לֽוֹ׃ | 4b | and the peaks of the mountains are his; |
| אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַ֭יָּם וְה֣וּא עָשָׂ֑הוּ | 5a | to whom belongs the sea—he made it |
| וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת יָדָ֥יו יָצָֽרוּ׃ | 5b | and the dry land which his hands formed. |
| בֹּ֭אוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֣ה וְנִכְרָ֑עָה | 6a | Come, let us bow down and kneel! |
| נִ֝בְרְכָ֗ה לִֽפְנֵי־יְהוָ֥ה עֹשֵֽׂנוּ׃ | 6b | Let us kneel down before YHWH, our maker, |
| כִּ֘י ה֤וּא אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ | 7a | because he is our God and we |
| עַ֣ם מַ֭רְעִיתוֹ וְצֹ֣אן יָד֑וֹ | 7b | people he shepherds, the flock led by his hand. |
| הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃ | 7c | Today, if you want to obey his voice, |
| אַל־תַּקְשׁ֣וּ לְ֭בַבְכֶם כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה | 8a | do not harden your heart as[at] Meribah, |
| כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ | 8b | as[on] the day of Massah in the wilderness, |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִ֭סּוּנִי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם | 9a | where your ancestors put me to the test. |
| בְּ֝חָנ֗וּנִי גַּם־רָא֥וּ פָעֳלִֽי׃ | 9b | They tested me. They had even seen my work! |
| אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה ׀ אָ֘ק֤וּט בְּד֗וֹר | 10a | forty years I was disgusted with a generation |
| וָאֹמַ֗ר עַ֤ם תֹּעֵ֣י לֵבָ֣ב הֵ֑ם | 10b | and I would think: They are a people whose heart strays |
| וְ֝הֵ֗ם לֹא־יָדְע֥וּ דְרָכָֽי׃ | 10c | and they do not recognize my ways." |
| אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי בְאַפִּ֑י | 11a | about whom I swore in my anger, |
| אִם־יְ֝בֹא֗וּן אֶל־מְנוּחָתִֽי׃ | 11b | They will not enter into my rest! |
Structure Overlay Below, the text has been overlaid with our summary structural analysis. For details on the structure, see the Structure At-a-Glance here.
| Speaker | Structure | Hebrew | Verse | English | Addressee | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leader | YHWH's Welcome |
לְ֭כוּ נְרַנְּנָ֣ה לַיהוָ֑ה | 1a | Come, let us shout for joy to YHWH! | joyous | Congregation | ||||
| נָ֝רִ֗יעָה לְצ֣וּר יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ׃ | 1b | Let us cry out to the rock of our salvation! | ||||||||
| נְקַדְּמָ֣ה פָנָ֣יו בְּתוֹדָ֑ה | 2a | Let us approach his presence with praise; | ||||||||
| בִּ֝זְמִר֗וֹת נָרִ֥יעַֽ לֽוֹ׃ | 2b | in songs we will cry out to him | ||||||||
| כִּ֤י אֵ֣ל גָּד֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה | 3a | because YHWH is a great God | ||||||||
| וּמֶ֥לֶךְ גָּ֝ד֗וֹל עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | 3b | and a great king over all gods, | ||||||||
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּ֭יָדוֹ מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ | 4a | in whose hand are the unexplored depths of the earth | ||||||||
| וְתוֹעֲפ֖וֹת הָרִ֣ים לֽוֹ׃ | 4b | and the peaks of the mountains are his; | ||||||||
| אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַ֭יָּם וְה֣וּא עָשָׂ֑הוּ | 5a | to whom belongs the sea —he made it— | ||||||||
| וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת יָדָ֥יו יָצָֽרוּ׃ | 5b | and the dry land which his hands formed. | ||||||||
YHWH's Warning |
בֹּ֭אוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֣ה וְנִכְרָ֑עָה | 6a | Come, let us bow down and kneel! | solemn | ||||||
| נִ֝בְרְכָ֗ה לִֽפְנֵי־יְהוָ֥ה עֹשֵֽׂנוּ׃ | 6b | Let us kneel down before YHWH, our maker, | ||||||||
| כִּ֘י ה֤וּא אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ | 7a | because he is our God | ||||||||
| וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַ֣ם מַ֭רְעִיתוֹ וְצֹ֣אן יָד֑וֹ | 7b | and we are the people he shepherds, the flock led by his hand. | ||||||||
| הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃ | 7c | Today, if you want to obey his voice... | pensive | |||||||
YHWH |
אַל־תַּקְשׁ֣וּ לְ֭בַבְכֶם כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה | 8a | "Do not harden your heart as [at] Meribah, | |||||||
| כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ | 8b | as [on] the day of Massah in the wilderness, | ||||||||
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִ֭סּוּנִי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם | 9a | where your ancestors put me to the test. | ||||||||
| בְּ֝חָנ֗וּנִי גַּם־רָא֥וּ פָעֳלִֽי׃ | 9b | They tested me. They had even seen my work! | ||||||||
| אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה ׀ אָ֘ק֤וּט בְּד֗וֹר | 10a | forty years I was disgusted with a generation | ||||||||
| וָאֹמַ֗ר עַ֤ם תֹּעֵ֣י לֵבָ֣ב הֵ֑ם | 10b | and I would think: 'They are a people whose heart strays | ||||||||
| וְ֝הֵ֗ם לֹא־יָדְע֥וּ דְרָכָֽי׃ | 10c | and they do not recognize my ways. | ||||||||
| אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי בְאַפִּ֑י | 11a | about whom I swore in my anger, | ||||||||
| אִם־יְ֝בֹא֗וּן אֶל־מְנוּחָתִֽי׃ | 11b | "They will not enter into my place of rest!"'" |
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.
| Text (Hebrew) | Verse | Expanded Paraphrase |
|---|---|---|
| לְ֭כוּ נְרַנְּנָ֣ה לַיהוָ֑ה נָ֝רִ֗יעָה לְצ֣וּר יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ׃ | 1 | Come to the temple, let us shout for joy to YHWH! Let us cry out to the rock of our salvation, whose salvation included the Exodus and even the provision of water at Massah and Meribah! |
| נְקַדְּמָ֣ה פָנָ֣יו בְּתוֹדָ֑ה בִּ֝זְמִר֗וֹת נָרִ֥יעַֽ לֽוֹ׃ | 2 | Let us approach his presence, where he rests (Ps 132:8), with praise; in songs we will cry out to him |
| כִּ֤י אֵ֣ל גָּד֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה וּמֶ֥לֶךְ גָּ֝ד֗וֹל עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | 3 | because YHWH is a great God and a great king over all gods, which he showed us after creating everything and sitting down to rest in his temple and reign over the cosmos. |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּ֭יָדוֹ מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ וְתוֹעֲפ֖וֹת הָרִ֣ים לֽוֹ׃ | 4 | He is[a God] in whose hand are the unexplored depths of the earth and the peaks of the mountains are his; |
| אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַ֭יָּם וְה֣וּא עָשָׂ֑הוּ וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת יָדָ֥יו יָצָֽרוּ׃ | 5 | to whom belongs the sea —he made it— and the dry land which his hands formed. Both high and low, both sea and land—nothing is outside the scope of his sovereignty. |
| בֹּ֭אוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֣ה וְנִכְרָ֑עָה נִ֝בְרְכָ֗ה לִֽפְנֵי־יְהוָ֥ה עֹשֵֽׂנוּ׃ | 6 | So as we come and continue our entrance into his holy place of rest (Ps 100:4), let us bow down and kneel! Let us kneel down before YHWH, our maker, |
| כִּ֘י ה֤וּא אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַ֣ם מַ֭רְעִיתוֹ וְצֹ֣אן יָד֑וֹ הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃ | 7 | because he, the great king over all gods, is our God and we are the people that he redeemed from Egypt and he shepherds (Ps 78:52), the flock led by his hand to resting places (Ps 23:2), including the promised land and his own resting place (Deut 12:8-9)—the same hand to which belongs all of creation. Do not take this entrance into his presence for granted, however. Today, if you want to obey his voice, fully relying on his provision and covenantal promises to provide you with a place of rest as an inheritance... |
| אַל־תַּקְשׁ֣וּ לְ֭בַבְכֶם כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ | 8 | "Do not harden your heart as back then[at] Meribah, that place of hostility, as [on] the day of Massah, that place of testing, in the wilderness, |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִ֭סּוּנִי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם בְּ֝חָנ֗וּנִי גַּם־רָא֥וּ פָעֳלִֽי׃ | 9 | where your ancestors put me to the test with their grumbling, despite my provision. They tested me when they lost faith in me and would have preferred to return to their former life in Egypt. They had even seen my work of splitting the seas, setting them up like a heap and providing a stable path through, just as I separated the waters at creation and provided stability for the earth! |
| אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה׀ אָ֘ק֤וּט בְּד֗וֹר וָאֹמַ֗ר עַ֤ם תֹּעֵ֣י לֵבָ֣ב הֵ֑ם וְ֝הֵ֗ם לֹא־יָדְע֥וּ דְרָכָֽי׃ | 10 | For forty years I was disgusted with an entire generation —a year for each day they surveyed the promised land of their rest and chose not to trust me that they would inherit it— and I would think: 'They are a people whose heart strays, desirous of the blessings rather than me, the one who blesses, which leads to idolatry, and they do not recognize my ways laid out in my covenant stipulations as my special people, but would prefer to think just as the nations around them think and fear the things that they fear, rather than holding me in fear and awe. |
| אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי בְאַפִּ֑י אִם־יְ֝בֹא֗וּן אֶל־מְנוּחָתִֽי׃ | 11 | [They are a people] about whom I swore in my anger, "They will not enter into my place of rest in the promised land!"'" So here we are, today, entering into YHWH's temple (Deut 12:9). Will you remain as stubborn and unfaithful as our ancestors were? Or will you recognize his provision and expectation that you believe in him, with faithful worship, and enter in to enjoy the rest found in his presence? |
Participant Tracking Text Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? Our full analysis can be found in the Participant Analysis layer.
There are 4 participants/characters in Psalm 95:
Profile List
| Leader |
| YHWH |
| "YHWH" (vv. 1, 3, 6) |
| "rock of our salvation" (v. 1) |
| "our maker" (v. 6) |
| Congregation |
| [Congregation's] Ancestors |
Profile Notes
- The leader guides the congregation and includes himself in their group, indicated by "let us shout for joy" (v. 1) the "rock of our salvation" (v. 1) and "the one who made us" (v. 6) etc.
- YHWH is also referred to as "the rock of our salvation" (v. 1) and "our maker" (v. 6). He is also described as a "great God" and "great king" (v. 3) as well as "our God" (v. 7).
- The addressee of the psalm is considered the congregation, to which the leader belongs (see above). They are described as "the people YHWH shepherds, the flock led by his hand" (v. 7). They are warned not to harden their hearts, as their ancestors did.
- The ancestors are introduced as the antagonists in the psalm's story (cf. Pss 78-79). They are said to have put YHWH to the test, and they are described as a "people whose desires go astray, not recognizing YHWH's ways."
| Hebrew | Line | English |
|---|---|---|
| לְ֭כוּ נְרַנְּנָ֣ה לַיהוָ֑ה | 1a | Come, let us shout for joy to YHWH! |
| נָ֝רִ֗יעָה לְצ֣וּר יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ׃ | 1b | Let us cry out to the rock of our salvation! |
| נְקַדְּמָ֣ה פָנָ֣יו בְּתוֹדָ֑ה | 2a | Let us approach his presence with praise; |
| בִּ֝זְמִר֗וֹת נָרִ֥יעַֽ לֽוֹ׃ | 2b | in songs we will cry out to him |
| כִּ֤י אֵ֣ל גָּד֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה | 3a | because YHWH is a great God |
| וּמֶ֥לֶךְ גָּ֝ד֗וֹל עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | 3b | and a great king over all gods, |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּ֭יָדוֹ מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ | 4a | in whose hand are the unexplored depths of the earth |
| וְתוֹעֲפ֖וֹת הָרִ֣ים לֽוֹ׃ | 4b | and the peaks of the mountains are his; |
| אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַ֭יָּם וְה֣וּא עָשָׂ֑הוּ | 5a | to whom belongs the sea —he made it— |
| וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת יָדָ֥יו יָצָֽרוּ׃ | 5b | and the dry land which his hands formed. |
| בֹּ֭אוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֣ה וְנִכְרָ֑עָה | 6a | Come, let us bow down and kneel! |
| נִ֝בְרְכָ֗ה לִֽפְנֵי־יְהוָ֥ה עֹשֵֽׂנוּ׃ | 6b | Let us kneel down before YHWH, our maker, |
| כִּ֘י ה֤וּא אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ | 7a | because he is our God |
| וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַ֣ם מַ֭רְעִיתוֹ וְצֹ֣אן יָד֑וֹ | 7b | and we are the people he shepherds, the flock led by his hand. |
| הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃ | 7c | Today, if you want to obey his voice... |
| אַל־תַּקְשׁ֣וּ לְ֭בַבְכֶם כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה | 8a | "Do not harden your heart as [at] Meribah, |
| כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ | 8b | as [on] the day of Massah in the wilderness, |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִ֭סּוּנִי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם | 9a | where your ancestors put me to the test. |
| בְּ֝חָנ֗וּנִי גַּם־רָא֥וּ פָעֳלִֽי׃ | 9b | They tested me. They had even seen my work! |
| אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה ׀ אָ֘ק֤וּט בְּד֗וֹר | 10a | forty years I was disgusted with a generation |
| וָאֹמַ֗ר עַ֤ם תֹּעֵ֣י לֵבָ֣ב הֵ֑ם | 10b | and I would think: 'They are a people whose heart strays |
| וְ֝הֵ֗ם לֹא־יָדְע֥וּ דְרָכָֽי׃ | 10c | and they do not recognize my ways. |
| אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי בְאַפִּ֑י | 11a | about whom I swore in my anger, |
| אִם־יְ֝בֹא֗וּן אֶל־מְנוּחָתִֽי׃ | 11b | "They will not enter into my place of rest!"'" |