Psalm 123 A Song of Ascents “Verses 1-2 are written in the tone of a psalm of trust, but 3-4 are in the form of a community lament. 123:1 To You I lift up my eyes- 121:1; Lifting up eyes can indicate arrogance- II Kings 19:22; Ps. 131:1 but here they are lifted up to God and not against Him. “To phrase ‘to You’ is in the emphatic position, suggesti…

Psalm 122 A Song of Ascents, of David The phrase “of David” is omitted in most mss. of the LXX and the Vulgate- Miller, 399. “The psalm gives more evidence of having been written as a pilgrim psalm than any among the Psalms of Ascents (120-134), with the possible exception of the last one” Miller, 399. Psalms of Zion are Pss. 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 13…

Psalm 121 There are some connections with Psalm 91. The idea of shade or shadow in 121:5; 91:1. The word keep in 121:3, 4, 5, 7, 7, 8 is also in 91:11. The word foot is used in 121:3 and 91:12 McCann, 1181. The name LORD appears in vs. 2, 5, 5, 7, 8. 121:1 From whence shall my help come?- The word help is m.s. and is used of God in Exodus 18:4; Deu…

120:1-2 Words of Trust and Petition 120:1 In my trouble I cried to the LORD- 102:2 The word order in Hebrew is “To the LORD in distress to me I cried/called and He answered me.” The point is the emphasis falls on the LORD to whom He called. Who are we calling on or looking to in times of distress? The author “expresses the sole dependence on God in…

Jesus Fulfills Psalm 119 Psalm 119 and Jesus General Pictures: Jesus as the Word- While there are 177 synonyms for God’s law, word found in Psalm 119. Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of Word. The Word has become flesh and dwelt among us- John 1:1-14 He does things Psalm 119 attributes to the Word. The Word gives light in 119:105, 130 and Jesus is …

119:153-160 ר God’s mercy- vs. 156, lovingkindness- vs. 159, truth- vs. 160, and righteousness- vs. 160 are all mentioned here. 119:153 Look upon my affliction and rescue me- This word for look will begin vs. 153, 158, 159. This plea for rescue from affliction ties canonically to Exodus 3:7-8- Hermenia, 282. He begs “for deliverance from affliction…

119:129-136 פ “His own appreciation of the supernatural quality of the Lord’s word (129) is bracketed with his grief over the flouted word (136)” Motyer, 570. “YHWH’s Torah will be presented in the פ strophe as a wonder-working power” Hermenia, 279. 119:129 Your testimonies are wonderful- The same root for wonders is in vs. 18, 27. The word wonderf…

119:89-96 ל “From its nadir, Psalm 119 moves to its zenith. Complaint has given way to a profession of faith in God’s sovereignty for all time (vv. 89a, 90a), in all places (vv. 89b, 90a), and over ‘all things’ (v. 91). The profession is highlighted by the uniqueness of vs. 90, which does not contain one of the eight synonyms” McCann, 1171. 119:97-…

119:89-96 ל “From its nadir, Psalm 119 moves to its zenith. Complaint has given way to a profession of faith in God’s sovereignty for all time (vv. 89a, 90a), in all places (vv. 89b, 90a), and over ‘all things’ (v. 91). The profession is highlighted by the uniqueness of vs. 90, which does not contain one of the eight synonyms” McCann, 1171. 119:89 …

Psalm 119:49-56 119:53 Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked- The word translated “burning indignation” is a rare word used only in Ps. 11:6 and Lam. 5:10. In Ps. 11:6 the word speaks of the divine judgment on the wicked. “The psalmist’s commitment to the Lord and His word dictates what He loves and what He hates. He cannot be neu…

119:33-40 ה The alphabetic arrangement lends itself to these hiphil verb forms, but the rest of the psalm reveals a studied effort to demonstrate reliance upon the God of the word as well as the word of God” Miller, 387. These hiphel verbs are in the imperative but, “in these petitions a tone of humility and dependence comes through” VanGemeren, 74…

“vv. 25-28 describe his internal distress (I-lament), that is, that is the threat of physical and spiritual destruction” Hermenia, 268. 119:25 My soul cleaves to the dust- “Clinging to the dust is a graphic depiction of being in a life-threatening condition (see Ps. 44:25)” Ross, 490. Revive me according to Your word- revive is used in vs. 25, 37, …

Psalm 119 This “is the longest psalm in the collection and the longest chapter in the Hebrew Bible, 176 verses or lines of poetry” Alter, 419. Its size has oft times discouraged serious study. Weiser in the Old Testament Library series views it as wearisome in its repetition of motifs and says it opens the door for legalism, but he offers no commen…

“The psalm (may have) originated in victory celebrations of Israel’s king and people (cf. II Chron. 20:27). Later it was probably used in periodic commemoration of God’s past goodness to the Davidic dynasty” Laymen, 684. “The ‘I’ standing collectively for Israel, verses 5-14, 17-19, 21, and 28 seem to portray a great deliverance which has come to a…

“It is not only the shortest psalm in the collection but also the shortest chapter in the Bible” Alter, 414; Longman, 398. It is 27 words in the NASB and 28 in the ESV. In Hebrew it is only 17 words. “Many Hebrew mss.attach it to Ps. 116….Other Hebrew mss. join the psalm to Ps. 118” Allen, 117. The basic structure of a song of praise is simple. It …

A few notes “The Septuagint and Vulgate treat this as two psalms, the second of them beginning at verse 10 (but some Heb. MSS make a similar break after verse 11).” Kidner, 407. “He has come now to the temple to tell the whole assembly what has happened, and to offer God what he had vowed to Him in his extremity” Kidner, 407. “The situation was one…

115:2 Why should the nations say, Where, now, is their God?- 42:3, 10; 79:10; Joel 2:17; Micah 7:10 This question may be “motivated by the fact that the Lord had no idol who represented His presence” Longman, 393. 115:4 the work of man’s hands- Psalm 135:15-18. The word work in vs. 4 is the noun from the verb translated do in vs. 3. The participle …

“This psalm celebrates the deliverance of God’s people at the exodus- a fitting song to be sung at Passover which was instituted at that time (Ex. 12)” BK, 876. “This is a hymn, but a unique one. It contains no imperative call for worship.” Broyles, 426. This psalm is “a fierce delight and pride in the great march of God gleams through every line o…

“This is the first of six psalms collectively known as the hallel that are recited in synagogues during the festival service” Alter, 403. Psalms 113-118 are the Egyptian Hallel. “Psalms 113-114 are sung before the Passover meal and Psalms 115-118 after it. These psalms are also sung at the feast of Pentecost, Tabernacles, and Dedication (Hanakuah, …

This "is a wisdom poem based on the nature of God set forth in Psalm 111” Miller, 372. It is an acrostic as Psalm 111. “Like the preceding psalm, this one is also an acrostic in which every colon begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, again indicating order and complete coverage of the topic” Longman, 387. This psalm “anticipates t…

Psalms 111 and 112 are connected in their subject matter and vocabulary. “Both are acrostic containing twenty-two lines, each succeeding line beginning with the following letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalm 111 describes God as reflected in His works, and Psalm 112 the man who fears God and properly responds to Him. Some of the phraseology used in…

“In the second century, Jewish teachers applied it to Hezekiah (Justin Martry, Dialogue with Trypho, 33, 83)” Lewis, Matthew 14-28; 108. 110:1 seems quoted or alluded to in Matt. 26:63-64; Mark 16:19; Acts 2:34-35; 5:30-32; 7:55-56; Rom. 8:34; I Cor. 15:25; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12-13; 12:2; I Peter 3:22. Lessons from this sect…

The Psalm is based on the two decrees in vs. 1 and vs. 4. Every word of vs. 1 will prove important and two different words for Lord are used. Notice the use of "right hand" in vs. 1 and vs. 5. Melchizedek only appears in the OT elsewhere in Genesis 14:18-20. Melchizedek is king and priest. He blessed Abram. Abram paid tithes to him. The psalm gives…

Some have described this as the longest sustained imprecatory prayer. A Psalm of David 109:1-5 He describes his mistreatment at the hands of others They spoke against him constantly- vs. 2, 3, 4. They lied about him- vs. 2. They spoke words of hatred- vs. 3. He did good to them, but they did evil to him- vs. 5. 109:6-20 He prays that judgment may f…

This Psalm combines sections of Psalm 57:7-11 and Psalm 60:5-12. Psalm 57 and Psalm 60 are in their titles tied to specific circumstances in the life of David. There are some 13 Psalms that do this and these are two of them. This Psalm stresses 108:3 Giving thanks to the LORD 108:4 God's lovingkindness and faithfulness 108:7-9 God's complete sovere…

Give thanks to the LORD for He is good for HIs lovingkindness is everlasting. 107:1-3 is an answer to Ps. 106:47 107:4-32 Four stanzas that follow a standard procedure. The 2 and 4 lines are refrains in this Psalm. 1. There is a statement of a specific problem (107:4-5, 10-12, 17-18, 23-27). 2.Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, He de…

This episode of Psalm 106 begins with verse 24. Nine portions of Israel's history and Israel's Scriptures are used to stress Israel's unfaithfulness and God's mercy in spite of their sin. 106:6-12 The events in Egypt and at the Red Sea- Exodus 14-15 106:13-15 The lusting or craving for quail in the wilderness- Numbers 11 106:16-18 The rebellion of …

This psalm is a twin to Psalm 105 but a fraternal twin and not an identical one. The emphasis on Psalm 105 is on God's goodness and mercy to Israel. The emphasis in Psalm 106 is on the wickedness and sinfulness of Israel. God's grace is even more amazing in light of Israel's sin and Israel's sin looks even more hideous against the background of God…

This is a historical Psalm. We studied Psalm 78 previously and it has two points. God's goodness to Israel and Israel's sin against God. This psalm emphasizes only God's goodness to Israel. Psalm 106 will emphasize Israel's sin against God. Israel's sin looks all the more evil in contrast to God's goodness and God's grace to Israel looks all the mo…

The Psalm, as the one before it, begins and ends with "Bless the LORD, O my soul!" 104:1, 35. The Psalm speaks of God's work in creation and nature. All of this is to motivate us to praise God. The idea of pantheism is that God is to be equated with the forces of nature. This psalm speaks of a God who is transcendent, who is far greater than the wo…

This psalm is an inclusio, beginning and ending with the same words- 103:1, 22. It is a David's call to himself to bless the LORD with all that is within Him. Vs. 3-5 describes God's benefits 1. He forgives all your sins 2. He heals all your diseases 3. He redeems your life from the pit 4. He crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion 5. He sati…

The heading for this is unique. It describes a specific situation in which the psalm can be prayed. It mentions no individual or group generally associated with the psalm nor any musical terms. 102:1-2 An urgent call for God to hear his prayer 102:3-11 His crisis. He is overwhelmed by life's brevity, pain, his suffering and loneliness. God's anger …

This is usually considered a Royal Psalm. In the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, Psalm 101 is prescribed for use at the anniversary of the monarch’s ascension- Allen, 8; Goldingay, 139 The Psalm describes the kind of person the king longs to be and who he hopes to surround himself with. The people we surround ourselves with influenc…

The LORD is mentioned in vs. 1, 2, 3, 5. The emphatic personal pronoun "He" is used twice in vs. 3 to emphasize the LORD. Seven imperatives are used in the first four verses to direct us to the proper attitude and actions toward the LORD. 100:3 Know that the LORD He is God- Deut. 4:35, 39; 7:9; I Kings 18:39. It is He who made us- He is our Creator…

What does this Psalm show us about the nature of God? 99:1 God is a king who reigns over the whole earth and all peoples- 99:1, 2. 99:2, 3 The LORD is great 99:2, 5, 9 Though God of all the earth, God reveals Himself in a special way in Zion, His holy footstool or hill. 99:4 God is a God of justice, righteousness- Ps. 89:14; 97:2; and equity- 96:10…

98:1-3 God's own arm has brought salvation and all the earth witnesses His lovingkindness and faithfulness to Israel. 98:4-6 All the earth is called to praise God When a king came to the throne there was a ceremony with blowing of trumpets and shouting (I Sam. 10:24; I Kings 1:39-40) and clapping of hands (II Kings 11:12). All nature responds this …

This psalm calls the earth to rejoice that the LORD reigns The fact "the LORD reigns" (Ps. 93:1; 96:10; 97;1; 99:1) or God is King (Ps. 95:3; 98:6) is emphasized repeatedly in the psalms through this section. 97:2 The LORD dwells in thick darkness- Sinai- Exod. 19:16-19; 20:18-21; Deut. 4:11-12; 5:22; Heb. 12:18. Solomon's prayer stresses the same …

I Chron. 16:23-33 records this virtually word for word. That chapter is describing the moving of the ark to Jerusalem. “In recapturing for us the triumphal entry of the ark to Jerusalem, the Chronicles writes out nearly the whole of this psalm, with part of two others (105, 106), as the centerpiece of his chapter” Kidner, 346. Invitations to praise…

This is both a call to worship and praise and a prophetic rebuke. vs. 1-2, 6 are exhortations which continually cry "Let us" (6 times). We are called to praise, thank, and bow showing our humility before God. vs. 3-5, 7 give reasons to praise, thank, and bow before God. vs. 7c-11 is a prophetic rebuke quoted in Hebrews 3:7-11 in the NT. New Testame…

94:1-7 God of vengeance shine forth 94:1 O Lord, God of vengeance- This is the only time in the Bible that the LORD is addressed this way. Deut. 32:35; Ps. 58:10; 79:10; Prov. 20:22; Isaiah 35:4; Jer. 51:6; Ezek. 25:12, 14, 17; Nah. 1:2; Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30. He is the God who rights wrongs that wicked men bring upon those helpless to resist. 94:…

The LORD reigns is declared in Ps. 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1. The LORD is King is said in Ps. 95:3; 98:6. The word King is the noun and reign the verb of the same Hebrew root word. The only Psalm between Psalms 93-99 that do not state God is King or He reigns in Psalm 94 and it must be associated in some way with His reign. We will see more about tha…

There is no title like the one in Psalm 92. It was used for worship on the Sabbath days. Lev. 23:3 shows us that the Sabbath was a day of worship. The Psalm praises God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness. These attributes of God are especially highlighted in the Psalms. Recently in our study of the Psalms, Psalm 89 used both of these terms 7 times. …

This psalm gives far reaching promises to which few passages of the Bible compare. While people will fall dead all around the righteous, it will not happen to God's people (vs. 7). "No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near you (vs. 10). God's angel will not even let us strick our foot against a stone (vs. 12). Do these words mean that…

The heading speaks of this as the prayer of Moses. Moses is mentioned 8 times in the Psalms and 7 of those 8 are in Psalms 90-106. Psalm 90 stresses The Eternity of God- 90:1-2, 4 The Sovereignty of God- 90:3, 5 God holds man's life in His hand The Wrath of God against sin- 90:7, 9, 11. God is also a God of lovingkindness- 90:14 This Psalm stresses…

Verses 1-18 praised God and glorified HIm, especially for HIs lovingkindness and faithfulness Verses 19-37 celebrated God's lovingkindness and faithfulness in the promises to David Verses 38-51 But not introduces this section where it does not seem the promises of God have been fulfilled It seems like what was promised the kings from the line of Da…

This psalm is a poetic version of the account in II Sam. 7 89:1-18 Praised God as incomparable and full of lovingkindness and faithfulness 89:19-37 God's promises to David stress His lovingkindness and faithfulness Many of the things said of the David/ His offspring are things similar to what was said in other royal psalms. 89:23 He will crush His …

This Psalm ends Book 3 of the Psalms- Psalms 73-89 It is unique in that it moves from praise in vs. 1-18 to lament in vs. 38-52. Most psalms of lament move in the opposite direction- Pss. 13, 22, 31, 69 are examples. Lovingkindness- NASB or steadfast love- ESV is a key word in the Psalm appearing in vs. 1, 2, 14, 24, 28, 33, 49. Faithfulness is als…

There is not sadder psalm that Psalm 88 it gives an extensive vocabulary of death Sheol- 88:3; Pit- 88:4, 6; Dead/ death- 88:5, 10, 15; Grave- 88:5, 11; Dark/ darkness- 88:6, 12, 18; shades- 88:10; Abaddon- 88:11; land of forgetfulness- 88:12 He describes God as being behind his problems- 88;6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 18 Lessons from Psalm 88 1. Some suf…

It is a psalm of the sons of Korah 87:3 The psalm emphasizes the city of God as does Psalm 46:4 and 48:1, 2, 8, 8. Notice the emphasis on those who were born in the city in 87:4, 5, 6. This city also clearly refers to a people who know God- 87:4 87:4 Rahab in this verse is tied to Egypt and proof of that word used is found in Isaiah 27:1; 51:9-11. …

This psalm focuses on God The name Adonai is used and translated Lord in 86:3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 15. The name Yahweh is used and translated LORD in 86:1, 6, 11, 17. The word Elohim is used and translated God in 86:2, 10, 12, 14 and gods in 86:8. The word El is used and translated God in 86:15. The personal pronoun You is used of God in 86:2, 5, 10, 1…