Urgent. Impassioned. God-centered. David’s prayer in Psalm 6:5-6 (Hebrew verse numbering) displays all three of these characteristics. In addition, he uses the literary skills God gifted him with in order to emphasize these three. Then David moves into the realm of the ungodly who have died to emphasize the fact that only in this life can one repent–after …
Psalms 3-7 all begin with God. David faces tremendous difficulties, some of them due to his own sin. Such disastrous experiences and perilous times make it nearly impossible to bear up under the weight pressing down upon him and the stress draining him. So what does he do?–he kneels, and prays. He turns to the …
The final two verses of Psalm 5 (vv. 12-13, Hebrew verse numbering) close out the psalm on a very high note. It expresses a climactic crescendo of rejoicing, a six-fold emphasis centering upon Yahweh Himself, and a series of parallels with the first stanza of the psalm (vv. 2-3, Hebrew verse numbering). A striking and memorable analogy completes this …
With this post we complete the analysis of Psalm 4. David penned this psalm from the depths of his own stressful experience facing people who opposed him. No one knows the exact circumstances. A mention of “grain and sweet wine” after his opponents had asked, “Who will show us good?” might indicate that it was a …
The wisdom literature of the Old Testament includes Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and some of the Psalter’s psalms. Dr. Daniel Estes’ Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms stands at the head of the list of books written as introductions or handbooks for the Wisdom Books. The author’s arguments for the antiquity of Job advocate its events …
Psalm 4:8-9 (Hebrew verse numbering for the English vv. 7-8) bring us to the end of the body of this Davidic psalm. These two verses display a good deal of emphasis by means of literary devices, grammatical structure, and vocabulary. Thus, the psalm ends with a burst of emotion and truths that seal its message on the hearts …
Now we come to Psalm 4:6-7 (Hebrew verse numbering) as we continue to analyze this psalm. After one imperative in verse 4 and four imperatives in verse 5, verse 6 adds two more, for a total of seven. In verse 7 we behold what Motyer calls “an arrow prayer,” similar to those that Nehemiah often prayed–instantaneous, extemporaneous prayers …
Psalm 4:5 brings us to the second occurrence of “Selah” in this psalm and it gives the verse added emphasis. The verse also leads us to study the Septuagint (LXX) translation, since Paul cited the first half of the verse from the LXX in Ephesians 4:26. As we continue our analysis of Psalm 4, the structure exposed in …
Continuing with Psalm 4:3-4 the text moves from the psalm heading (v. 1) and David’s prayer (v. 2) to his address to his enemies. Verse 3 concludes with the first occurrence of “Selah” in this psalm, giving the verse an added layer of emphasis. Verse 4 sets up a contrast between the threefold description of David’s …
As we enter the New Year (2017), we turn to another psalm from the biblical Psalter. Interpreters and expositors often refer to Psalm 4 as an evening prayer following Psalm 3 as a morning prayer. Psalm 4 presents us with the first potential example of the mis-divided psalm headings (the link to my blog post about these colophons). …
