Psalms 8, new international version niv the bible app. In this psalm david speaks of the glory of god, and how the glory of man and his destiny reflect upon god. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. What is the jewish understanding of who the son is in psalm 2.
The title is derived from the greek translation, psalmoi. Even when christian and jewish interpreters agree a psalm or a verse in the psalms is messianic, the conclusion they draw often differs, revolving around the nature and character of messiah. Genre the book of the psalms is primarily intended to give a model for a godly life one that amid trials, confusion, excitement, and daily life, centers itself on god. He said that traditional jewish sources,unnamed, referred to this scripture as a record of a conversation between and angel and god some time just after creation where the angel asks god the question what is man. Psalm 8 is the eighth psalm of the book of psalms, generally known in english by its first verse. Psalms as the ultimate selfhelp tool my jewish learning. The key of the interpretation of this psalm is to be sought in the words, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, etc.
Read from this perspective, i would define psalm 8 as a royal psalm like psalms 2 and 110 and therefore also a song of recreation. The whole drift of the psalm is to praise and glorify god for the dignity wherewith fie hath invested man. That there were numerous similar interpretations in antiquity, perhaps there are inherent qualities to the psalm that provoked such conclusions. 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. Jewish interpretations of the psalm identify the individual in the psalm with a royal figure, alternatively interpreted as king david, king hezekiah, or queen esther. An interpretation 207 such a situation one naturally reflects about all the things in the world which praise the name of god. Nov 03, 20 featuring his eminence archbishop demetrios of america discovering orthodox christianity is a series of talks, shows, and presentations designed to introduce. In this case, the author is david, and hes reflecting on nature.
Judaism often relates to descriptions such as son and father as metaphorical, regarding the relationship between god and the jewish people. In the gra siddur, psalm 8 is the song of the day for simchat torah in the diaspora. See all 3 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. The psalmist wants to understand that their meaning starts and ends with the glory of god and who he is. The book of psalms plays an important role in revealing the nature and character of the messiah, both jewish and christian interpreters agree on this point.
Kinzer shows that it is possible to read the psalm in similar ways to these jewish traditions. The structure and meaning of psalm 8 judah kraut for all its popularity among ancient and modern interpreters, psalm 8 has always posed a number of difficult exege tical challenges. Most of the psalms were originally believed to be written by david, the hebrew king who lived around 970 b. Proceedings of the baylor symposium on the book of psalms. Christological interpretation because of the similarity in wording between vs 7.
It is a hymn of praise throughout, expressing wonder that yahweh has made people a little lower than god v. Jewish and christian tradition suggest that psalm 1 and 2 function as an introduction to the book of psalms. Concerning a nation edom that is destined to be trodden like a winepress, as it is. Though some say that psalm 2 is not considered messianic by the rabbis or jewish sages, the jewish messianic understanding of psalm 2 has a long history. First, it is the first hymn one encounters when reading the psalms straight through. Is psalm 2 considered messianic by the rabbis and jewish. This genre conveys the word of god in a different medium than narrative. I heard a teaching some time ago where the speaker made reference to ps 8. Jun 16, 2017 the answer to your question is discussed extensively here by people who know a lot more about hebrew grammar than i do. The daat mikra tanach explains the psalm to be divided into 4 parts with different speakers, verses being the non jewish nations, 46 being god to the nations 79 being the king relating gods words to him and 1012 being the king talking to the nations. Jewish tradition believes that it takes every interpretation, in every place. David, in his shepherdlife, had had abundant opportunity of considering the heavens, and had evidently scanned them with the eye of a poet and an intense admirer of nature.
The theme of psalm 8 how excellent, blazes across this psalm from start to finish 8. Dove entertainment presents the book of psalms with michael york on audio. Alterin his later commentary, the book of pealnw new parse verse 3 differently. Biblical scholars of recent centuries, however, have come to agree that the. Some of the rabbinic sources which take a messianic interpretation of psalm 2 are as follows. There are several jewish perspectives on this psalm, all of which agree that king david composed it and is the voice throughout, and that it is historical, not messianic. When i consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars. It indicates the audience of the psalm the chief musician, the author of the psalm of david and the sound of the psalm the instrument of gath.
Julian morgenstern, psalms 8 and 19a, hebrew union college annual 19. Previous index next the book of psalms psalm 8 the song of the astronomer objectives in studying this psalm 1 to consider a beautiful example of a hymn of praise 2 to observe the use and possible meaning of the word gittith 3 to note mans dominion over the earth when created by god, but also that he lost it and has now been regained by jesus christ summary the heading. And in particular hes meditating on mans place in relation to nature. The meaning of the words as they stand in the psalm.
The answer to your question is discussed extensively here by people who know a lot more about hebrew grammar than i do. I, whom he despised and persecuted, and thought to be in a desperate condition, shall be established and flourish. Psalm 8 is the eighth psalm of the book of psalms, generally known in english by its first verse, in the king james version, o lord, our lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. Like psalms 81 and 84, this psalm opens with a direction to the chief musician to perform upon the. The nt, however, applies psalm 8, or at least parts of it, to jesus, the messiah, at times in view of the world to come. 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. What enabled biblical interpretation to determine jewish teaching was the hermeneutical rules with a version inserted in the prayer book, which laid down the rules of exegesis. While the superscription notes this psalm is for the use of the chief musician or choirmaster, the psalm itself is addressed to yahweh. The title of this psalm reads, to the chief musician. Verse 2 in the hebrew is recited during the kedushah of mussaf on rosh hashanah and jewish holidays.
New testament interpretation of the old testament, like midrash. A1er the lecture, an audience member came over to him and said, last week i went to my neighbors church, and i thought their psalms were so beautiful. A musical instrument that came from gath, where craftsmen were found to make it machbereth menachem p. Psalm 8 commentary by jerome creach working preacher. That just means, the author wrote it to reflect and meditate on something. In summary, canonical reflections on psalm 8 within the old testament results in probing how one might understand psalm 8 within the book of psalms and within the context of the old testament itself. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth before ephraim, benjamin and manasseh. The psalms structure, genre, and provenance have been vigorously disputed. If an interpretation seemed problematical, a commentator could be asked, is yours a valid way of handling the text. Ancient and contemporary paperback october 1, 2012 by karin hedner zetterholm author 3. Its authorship is traditionally assigned to king david. Hear us, shepherd of israel, you who lead joseph like a flock. According to the jewish study bible, this psalm of david is read on purim and is viewed by jewish tradition as david lamenting over the future exile of his people in the book of esther. An interpretation is an article from the biblical world, volume 21.
The beginning and ending of the psalm suggest that it is essentially a hymn of praise. At the same time i ordered the book of psalms a new translation to the traditional hebrew text published by the jewish publication society isbn 0827606303. It focuses mainly upon gods ways with humanity in creation, not the davidic office. David kimchis response to christianity in his psalm. Psalm 110 a jewish perspective jews for judaism in an attempt to prove the divinity of the messiah, christians misquote psalm 110. Featuring his eminence archbishop demetrios of america discovering orthodox christianity is a series of talks, shows, and presentations designed to introduce. 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. Tehillim psalms chapter 8 tanakh online torah bible. Psalm 80 niv bible hear us, shepherd of israel, you. The bible integrates poetry throughout its 24 books, reminding the reader of. In the siddur avodas yisrael, this psalm is said after aleinu. There are many examples of this type of psalm in the book of psalms for example, psalms 93, 6, 150.
A detailed versebyverse analysis and commentary is beyond the scope of this essay. Biblical commentary bible study psalm 8 introduction. Sefer tehillim, the book of psalms, is first and foremost a shining example of biblical poetry. Psalm 8 explained discover the 66 books of the bible. This particular poem in the psalter appears to have three metrical movements. Jewish tradition says that the entire torah, the five books of moshe, contains the actual word of god, while the neviim, prophetic works, consist of the prophets. The book of psalms sefer tehillim my jewish learning. Evangelicals in particular have been dealing with this issue recently, as it seems to affect them more peter enns, for example. In the siddur avodas yisrael, this psalm is said after aleinu during the weekday evening prayer. I am like a green olivetree when doeg and his brethren shall wither and perish, i, who have made god my refuge. For centuries, jews and others have turned to the biblical book of psalms for solace, guidance, catharsis, renewal, and much more.
Jun 07, 2016 the question still remains whether the jewish literature read psalm 8 legitimately. The psalms that immediately precede it are prayers spoken by people who are. On its own, psalm 8 is an unlikely candidate to receive the label messianic. According to the oxford commentary, the structure is either as in nrsv vv. The question still remains whether the jewish literature read psalm 8 legitimately. David extols the majesty, power, and providence of god, ver. Feb 19, 2011 psalm 8 english bible psalms kjv king james version old testament holy bibel psalm 8 8.
The semantic dictionary of biblical hebrew identifies two main fields, which. To the chief musician upon gittith, a psalm of david. All directions seem to endorse a reading of psalm 8 that enables its creation theology to frame gods ways with israel and david. It ponders reality as it is now, not hopes for the future. Lord, our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. If you look in your baptist hymnals, you will see a song that is based upon this psalm. Psalm 8 english bible psalms kjv king james version old testament holy bibel psalm 8 8. I am convinced that a key to the interpretation of this psalm is a proper understanding of the hebrew word shaphat, which occurs four times nasb. An interpretation is an article from the biblical world, volume 21 view more articles from the biblical world. Psalm 8 niv bible lord, our lord, how majestic is your. First, it invites a much more pregnant interpretation of the psalms superscript. Tehillim psalms chapter 2 tanakh online torah bible. Study basics about bible books, people, dates, places, and content, and take webbased selftests.