According to rashis commentary the his refers in the first instance to god, but once the happy man engages with the torah it becomes his own. Book 1 chapters 141 judaism, torah and jewish info. Enriched is the man who has not walked after the advice of the wicked, nor stood on the path of sinners, nor sat among the scorners. This psalm is without a title, and we have no means of ascertaining either the name of its writer, or the date of its composition, with certainly.
Psalms 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is one of the most respected interdenominational commentaries ever written. Working preacher is a ministry brought to you by luther seminary. Psalm 1 bible commentary john gills exposition of the bible. Ashrei appears to denote the contented state of being that comes from the directed life. And the praise of the psalmist is directed toward two entities. Introduction to psalms this psalm, though without a title, may reasonably be thought to be a psalm of david. Read the book of psalms in hebrew and english on sefaria. Book one reflects the decadent or, at best, the despondent state of religion after the return from exile, as seen in haggai and isa. This first psalm stands as a kind of introduction to the rest of the psalms. His first action is to walk, in hebrew halakh, and immediately upon setting out on his journey he is forced to decide which path he should take. Psalm 1 niv bible blessed is the one who does not walk. Psalm 1 nkjv book one psalms 141 the way of the bible. Blessed is the man the hebrew words are very emphatical. Whereas, psalm could be described as a personal lament psalm.
It is the psalmistss desire to teach us the way to blessedness, and to warn us of the sure destruction of sinners. Book one psalms 141 the way of the righteous and the end of the ungodly blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. We have enlisted hundreds of friends biblical scholars, theologians, homileticians and pastors dedicated to the craft of biblical preaching to provide you timely, compelling and trustworthy content. Jewish holidays video audio classes news kabbalah online the jewish woman jewish kids. The working preacher team believes that god uses good biblical preaching to change lives. Doing so will not only open a window on the nature of the book of psalms. While the torah presents itself as the divine word imparted to the people israel, the 150 poems in the book of psalms represent a range of human voices.
If we are right that psalm 1 alludes to joshua 1, then the psalmists law of the lord refers to the law that my servant moses commanded you this book of the law, namely, the torah. Psalm 1 the argument this psalm was put first as a preface to all the rest, as a powerful persuasive to the diligent reading and serious study of the whole book and of the rest of the holy scripture, taken from that blessedness which attends upon the study and practice thereof. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book of psalms. Psalm 1 is itself a text that implicitly asks where wisdom is to be found. This book was composed with ten expressions of song. But ultimately the psalmist has his praises set on the lord. Psalms 1 commentary charles spurgeons treasury of david. And the character of the truly happy man is described in this psalm both negatively, in his abstaining from sin. Book 1 chapters 141 prayer judaism, torah and jewish info. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. An introduction to reception history with particular reference to.
The jps bible commentary psalms % jewish publication society continuing the great tradition of the. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading psalms volume 1 the niv application commentary. Thus psalm 1 begins with ashreihaish and psalm 2 ends with ashrei kol choso vo. The happy man of psalm 1 chooses a life in the torah verse 2, studying it in both his active and his restful hours. You could put psalm 1 alongside, say, the book of job and its critique of the. Psalm 23, written by king david, is a timeless testament to the rocksolid faith of the jewish people in knowing that g. Psalms volume 1 the niv application commentary kindle edition by zondervan. I was raised a christian from early childhood, and verse one of psalms 1, that was read like this. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its. Now, psalm starts with two verses that basically display for us david invoking the lord and giving his lament. For thousands of years, the book of psalms has been one of gods peoples richest resources for expression of worship and development of the spiritual life. Verse six presents a key to understanding this psalm. It was probably a special start to the book of psalms.
This farther pointed out under the metaphor of a good tree planted in a good wellwatered soil, psalm 1. This edition presents the new jps translation, based on the original hebrew text, as well as the entire range of psalms interpretation and modern linguistic scholarship. English translations of the book of psalms, as well as commentaries on it, are abundant. The psalms have long brought comfort to those who mourn and have helped us find the spiritual in everyday life. Book one psalms 141 psalm 1 oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. A translation with commentary kindle edition by alter, robert. Its subject matter is very general and basic, but it touches on two subjects that continually occur throughout the psalms. This psalm may be regarded as the preface psalm, having in it a notification of the contents of the entire book. Many psalms include a superscription, which we believe to have been added after the fact by the people putting together the psalm book. Thus psalm 1 begins with ashreihaish and psalm 2 ends with ashrei. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. The hebrew title of this book is tehilim praises or hymns, for a leading feature in its contents is praise, though the word occurs in the title of only one psalm the hundred fortyfifth. The talmud berachot 10a states that first two psalms were counted as one, and that david opened and closed his favorite psalms with the word ashrei, a word that has been variously translated as the praises a plural noun, praiseworthy a substantive adjective, or as happy, blessed, and fortunate. Psalms 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the.
Together, psalms 1 and 2 form the introduction to the book of psalms. Psalm 1 niv bible blessed is the one who does not walk in. The book of psalms sefer tehillim my jewish learning. Pastors, teachers, and all serious students of the bible will find this commentary invaluable for developing their understanding of. In latin, this psalm is known as beatus vir the psalm is a regular part of jewish, catholic, anglican, and protestant liturgies. It reminds us where our help comes from and infuses us with confidence. The words of the psalmists have provided encouragement, comfort, and inspiration to christians for thousands of years. Psalm 110 a jewish perspective jews for judaism in an attempt to prove the divinity of the messiah, christians misquote psalm 110. In the syriac, septuagint, aethiopic, and arabic, there is what they call an extranumeral psalm, said to have been composed by david after his victory over goliath. At the same time it is one of the more complex and challenging sections of the bible for expositors. There are two systems for numbering the verses in the psalms. Psalms is a book any believer can go to and find writings of joy and writings of despair as the psalmists seek to strive forward in the way of righteousness, all while being conformed into the image of god. The jewish publication society jps has been the preeminent publisher of books at the heart of jewish culture in the english reading world for over 125 years. Psalms 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole.
Here then the reckoning becomes equal, and all end alike with psalm 150. A closer look at the crucifixion psalm outreach judaism. King david begins sefer tehillim, a collection of songs of praise for the lord, by focusing on man. According to radak, the term eretz translated here as the earth means all the world, while its parallel in the second verse, tevel world, means the inhabited world or dry land. Blessed is the man this psalm has no title, and has been generally considered, but without especial reason, as a preface or introduction to the whole book.
Its continual subjects may be gods workings and gods relationships with humankind, but its passions are our own. When we identify the law of the lord with the torah, we transform psalm 1 into an interpretative key to the torah and the neviim, and vice versa. In an attempt to prove the divinity of the messiah, christians misquote psalm 110. The torah or teaching functions in this psalm in the same way the temple does elsewhere, as the place of divine presence and the source of human security and life. Psalm 1 is the first psalm of the book of psalms, beginning in the english king james version. Classic commentaries and studies on psalms brings together historical background, literary analysis.
As to who were the compilers of these distinct collections it has been suggested that an inference might be drawn in the case of the psalms marked to the sons of. The jewish doctors consider that when the authors name is not mentioned we may assign the psalm to the last named writer. Psalm 1 is certainly understood in this way, particularly through commentary and instruction. The book of psalms is part of the third section of the hebrew bible, and a book of the christian old testament. It declares the blessedness of the righteous and the misery and future of the wicked. So, lets keep that fact in mind as we go through this psalm. But his delight is in the law of the lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. In the period of the classical midrash rabbinic homiletical interpretation of bible during the 2nd to 7th centuries, the sages wrote midrashim plural to connect the various biblical texts to each other, to the life of sanctification prescribed by halachah jewish law, and to their own contemporary experiences. Psalms volume 1 the niv application commentary kindle. First, the psalmist praises a particular city mount zion jerusalem. Joseph a alexander psalms commentary 1864 spurgeon had high praise for alexanders work writing that it occupies a first place among expositions.
Psalm 1, easter 7b, comments commentary and clippings technical notes for indepth study, chris haslam, anglican diocese of montreal. The hebrew word esher is here translated blessed, which has the idea of happiness or contentment. Tehillim psalms chapter 1 tanakh online torah bible. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Setting the tone for the full collection blessed nrsv happy, hebrew ashrei is purposefully placed as the fist word in the entire collection of psalms. Jps books include the jps tanakh, the most widely read english translation of the hebrew bible, esteemed bible commentary, and hundreds of scholarly and popular works of history. This is a psalm of instruction concerning good and evil, setting before us life and death, the blessing and the curse, that we may take the right way which leads to happiness and avoid that which will certainly end in our misery and ruin. The title is derived from the greek translation, psalmoi. But they delight in the law of the lord, meditating on it day and night. Classic commentaries and studies on psalms 35 vols.
It is a clear and judicious explanation of the text, and cannot be dispensed with. In this psalm, the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly are contrasted. Pdf psalm 1 and the canonical shaping of jewish scripture. My help comes from the lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
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