My Notes On Psalm 1

PSALM 1: TEXT AND NOTES (The text of Psalm 1 is my own translation. You are urged to consult a recognised translation such as the RSV or the NAB)

Vs 1 Happy the man who walks not according to the direction of the wicked, stands not on the path with sinners, sits not in the assembly of scorners.

Happiness in the bible has little to do with the emotional state we often associate the word with. The happy man is one who enjoys God’s blessing here, and looks forward to its fullness in the future. It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for happy, asre, is derived from a Semitic stem which in its verb form means “walk” or “go forward”; and in its noun form means “a footstep”. Our life then is conceived of as a pilgrimage, a religious journey towards God and full happiness. This accounts for the journey motif which dominates this Psalm.

The present state of the happy man, which will reach its fullness only in the future, is described first by using a three-fold negation:

1) The happy man is one who walks not according to the directions of the wicked. In the bible, the word walk, along with the word path and its synonyms (way, road) are used as metaphors for ones moral actions and life. In keeping with the journey motif I have translated the Hebrew word etsah (ay-tsaw) as direction rather than the commonly used “counsel” or “advice”.

2) The happy man stands not on the road with sinners. As already noted, the word road or path is a metaphor for ones moral activity. The Hebrew word chattaw (khat-taw) is derived from a root word which, among other things, can mean “to miss a target,” but also can mean “to go errant from a course, road or direction.

3) The happy man sits not in the assembly of scorners. The word sits translates the Hebrew mosab. The word has the sense of keeping formal company. The scorner is one who mocks the will of God and its manifestation in true religion (see Psalm 119:51)

The three negations of verse 1 appear to increase in their designation of evil situations. Taking directions from the unrighteous is foolish enough, but accompanying them on a journey is even more foolish; worse still is it to gather formally with them and share in their deliberations which scorn God’s law and those who follow it.

Vs 2 But in the law of the Lord is his delight, upon this law he ponders day and night.

Verse 2 begins to describe the just man in positive terms. He is now described according to that which shows him to be just. The word but is emphatic, highlighting the different approach to the subject and emphasising the utter contrast between the truly just one and those who live in accord with the negations of verse 1.

Rather than listening to the directions of sinners and finding a false kind of happiness in the company of such people, the truly happy man delights in the law of the Lord. Delight is a translation of the word chaphets (khaw-fates). One could translate the verse to read “his inclination is towards the law of the Lord, upon this law he ponders…” One moves towards what one delights in and desires. The sense of the Hebrew chaphets
then could have a connection to the journey motif.

Law here would be better translated as instruction. The Hebrew word torah can mean either law or instruction; with the second meaning being the more common meaning for not all instructions are laws, but all laws are, in some sense, instructive. Remember that the Law of Moses consists of the first five books of the OT, but Genesis and the first several chapters of Exodus, along with various parts of other books, contain few laws but much narrative.

Not only does the happy man delight in the law, but he also ponders it continuously. This word ponder (Hebrew hagah) originally referred to the cooing of a dove and is usually translated as “meditates”. When the Jews meditated on the law they would recite it in low tones, much as we do with the Our Father or the Psalms. The word then refers to thoughtful, reflective prayer. This stands in marked contrast to the scorners mentioned in verse 1. the Hebrew word for scorn originally referred to the talk of people of foreign tongues. It came to be applied to those who childishly mimic people. (see Isaiah 28:9-11 and the corresponding footnotes of the NAB)

Vs 3 He is like a tree well-planted by steams of water, which gives forth its fruit in its season; its leaves do not wither. Whatsoever he does, he prospers.

A good bit of the Holy Land is quite dry, and therefore treeless. Also, during a certain time of the year the Sirriocco winds begin to blow in from the desert and wither much of the foliage. A tree which has been well-planted by flowing water however, would do well. The word I have translated as well-planted implies that the tree in the image has in fact been transplanted beside the water. This perhaps suggests the idea that the just man is taken care of by God, who is sometimes described in the bible as a husbandman (grower of trees, vines, ect. See Isaiah 5:1-7; Luke 13:6-9).

In the prophet Jeremiah the wise man is described as a tree near water while the fool is described as a desert shrub:

5: Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6: He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8: He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (RSV Jer 17) See alos Rev 22:1-3

In keeping with the wisdom motif of the Psalm, it should be noted that the word wither in its Hebrew form, can also be applied to foolish men or things as in Prov 30:32. The word can also be applied to the act of treating something with contempt, as in Micah 7:6.

Vs 4 But not so are the wicked! They are like chaff driven on by the wind.

This verse begins with the Hebrew word loken which is translated above as but. This word highlights in an emphatic way the contrast between what was said in verse 3 concerning the just, and what is said in verse 4 concerning the wicked.

In stark contrast to verse 3 the wicked are here described as useless chaff. Chaff refers to the outer shell or husks from which grain was taken. Light, dry, sterile, it was utterly useless. It was fit only to burn, but even in this it was useless, since it burned so quickly it wasn’t even adequate for use as kindling. Most people simply left it on the ground to be driven away by the wind. It is hard to imagine an image of rootlessness and bareness more fitting than this. (see the prayer against enemies in Psalm 35:5) The winnowing of chaff is used, throughout the Bible, as a image of God’s judgement (see Hosea 13:2-3 and Matt 3:12).

Wind is also used as an image of God’s punishment (see Psalm 18:42; Psalm 48:7; Hosea 13:15)

Vs 5 For this reason the wicked will not withstand the judgement, nor sinners stand in the assembly of the righteous.

The wicked will not stand in the judgement because the are like chaff. As chaff has no root in the ground these people have not root in God or his torah. In the judgement they will not stand with God and his holy people but will be removed from their presence.

The reference to sinners standing and the term assembly reminds us of the negations of verse 1. A man who stands not on the road with sinners, sits not in the assembly of scorners shows that he is already on the way to God and the fullness of happiness to come. A happiness which consist in withstanding God’s judgement and being present with the just.

Vs 6 The Lord whatches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked perishes.

As a farmer who has transplanted a tree or vine keeps careful watch over it and cares for it, so God keeps careful watch over the righteous as they live out their life. The barren way of the wicked can only end in destruction.

(NOTE:The Psalm has a very interesting feature. The first word of the text (happy) begins with the first letter of the Hebrew Bible. The last word (perish) begins with the last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. As far removed A is Z- that’s how far removed from the righteous sinners are)

My Introduction to Psalm 1

(I will have my notes on this psalm posted later today. Here is the introduction)
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 different character and condition of godly people and wicked people, those that serve God and those that serve him not, is here plainly stated in a few words; so that every man, if he will be faithful to himself, may here see his own face and then read his own doom. That division of the children of men into saints and sinners, righteous and unrighteous, the children of God and the children of the wicked one, as it is ancient, ever since the struggle began between sin and grace, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, so it is lasting, and will survive all other divisions and subdivisions of men into high and low, rich and poor, bond and free; for by this men’s everlasting state will be determined, and the distinction will last as long as heaven and hell. This psalm shows us, 1) The holiness and happiness of a godly man (v. 1-3). 2) The sinfulness and misery of a wicked man (v. 4, 5). 3) The ground

and reason of both (v. 6). Whoever collected the psalms of David (probably it was Ezra) with good reason put this psalm first, as a preface to the rest, because it is absolutely necessary to the acceptance of our devotions that we be righteous before God (for it is only the prayer of the upright that is his delight), and therefore that we be right in our notions of blessedness and in our choice of the way that leads to it. Those are not fit to put up good prayers who do not walk in good ways. (From the MATTHEW HENRY BIBLE COMMENTARY: PSALMS, CH 1)

This psalm is usually classified as a wsdom psalm inasmuch as it contains characteristics common to that genre. These include macarisms (i.e. blessed or happy sayings); extoling of the Torah; two-ways teaching (i.e. contrasting the actions and/or fate of the just and wicked); and acroustic structure (i.e. alphabetic structure).

The psalm can be easily devided into four parts (note that the three part structure given above is more generally accepted):

A) Vss 1-3. These verses focus on the just man. Vs 1 defines the just man by way of negation, detailing what the just man is not. Vs 2 looks at the just man in a positve fashion by describing something a just man does. Vs 3 applies a descriptive image of the just man.

B) Vs 4 Focus upon the wicked and applies a descriptive image of them.

C) Vs 5 Gives the consequences of the differences that exist between the just and the wicked.

D) Vs 6 The ultimate reason for these consequences.

This is silly

A Baptist preacher on youTube offers his take on the Old testament phrase “One who pisseth against the wall” (usually softened in modern English translations) I'll briefly explain what's wrong with this below.



16 references to "in the Bible" and 2 additional references to "the Bible." I didn't bother to count the references to the KJV, NKJV, or the NIV; the latter two of which the preacher probably wouldn't count as "the Bible."

In fact, the phrase which set th preacher off has a pejorative meaning, and all the Biblical uses threaten impending death. In the Middle East in ancient times it was considered immodest for a man to urinate standing up; one crouched in order to conceal oneself. The term originally denoted young boys who, precisely because they were young, lacked a sense of modesty. When used in reference to adult men it always had negative connotations: "lacking moral sense."

Let this be a lesson to you; avoid fundamentalist preachers:

We have the more sure word of prophecy; and you do well that you heed it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the morning star arises in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation….But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction…forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing; but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A mute donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet… In those (i.e., St Paul’s writings), there are some things that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (see 2 Peter)

So, remember to sit down. The life you save could be your own. Especially if there are women in the house.

Notes on Hosea 1:1

The book of Hosea is introduced with a superscription written in the third person archival or titular style. This immediately suggests that the verse was written by a hand other than Hosea’s, for, with the exception of Senator Bob Dole and Gangsta Rappers no one writes or talks about themselves in this fashion. This immediately raises another question: did Hosea write the book that bears his name?

It should be noted in regard to this question that different narrative voices are used in the text. 1:2-11 is primarily a narative written in the third person wherein the unidentified narrator tells us of God’s commands to the prophet and of his fulfillment of them. Chapter 3:1-5 on the other hand is a narration of the prophet in autobiographical form. The remainder of the book, with the exception of the last verse, shows that Hosea is speaking on behalf of God, typical of pracular speech. All of this may suggest that the book was in part written by Hosea and in part by someone else. It could also be, however, that the whole book was wirtten by someone other than Hosea. If this case, we are to understand the production of the book as similar to that of our Gospels. A charismatic, inspired teacher (though of course Jesus was more than this) acted and preached in accord with God’s will; he drew disciples around him who witnessed what he did, and heard what he said, and, in turn, were inspired to write it down. This could easily account for the differing narrative voices.

Hosea 1:1 The word of Yahweh which came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiak, kings in Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king in Israel.

The purpose of the superscription is to introduce us to the prophet and to the time period of his ministry. This is done by naming the prophet, his pedigree, and the time period of his ministry; this latter being established by the naming of the kings. The most important aspect of this, and of all the prophetic superscriptions is that they show the authority behind the prophets ministry and, by implication, the authority behind the book. This is done here by modifying a typical prophetic formula: “The word of Yahweh was unto…” (See Jer 1:4; Ezek 3:16; Zech 4:8). Everything that is said in the superscription is said in relation to “the word”.

The name Hosea means “God is salvation”, or “God delivers”. Virtually nothing is known about the prophet except for what is contained in this book. Some scholars speculate, on the basis of his father’s name Beeri, that he was from the tribe of Reuben. This conclusion is drawn from the fact that a man from the tribe of Reuben is called Beedrah in 1 Chron 5:6. It needs hardly to be said that this conclusion is pure conjecture. According to some Jewish traditions the prophet was born and died in the town of Belemoth, or Belamon, or Bethshemesh. These towns were all located in the land allotted to the tribe of Issachar after the conquest under Joshua, and so some conclude he belonged to that tribe. Other tradition place his death in Babylon but his burial in Tsepath, in upper Galilee in the Holy Land. Still others have his burial taking place in Northern Africa! But these traditions are of late origin and not considered to be reliable.

Some have conjectured that Hosea, like his fellow prophet Amos, was from the Southern Kingdom of Judah but had been sent into the Northern Kingdom of Israel to preach. Most scholars reject this for several reasons, the strongest being that his dialect and phrasings are clearly that of a Northerner.

The reason for supporting the conjecture given above is that the superscription mentions four kings of Judah and only one of Israel, this in spite of the fact that during the time period established by the named Judean kings six other kings besides Jeroboam reigned in Israel. Why are they not mentioned?

The typical answer given is that the superscription is of a later date than the actual book (i.e. the book existed a long time before the superscription was added). It is conjectured that Hosea, shortly before the fall of Israel in 722 BC, fled to Judah with some of his disciples and there the book was compiled. The prophecies in book form could be of no help to the Kingdom Israel for obvious reasons; however, the moral decay and formalism of religion which led to that kingdoms downfall was, to a lesser degree, infecting Judah, therefore, it is argued, the book was written as a warning to Judah; Israel’s fate could be their’s.

All of this is possible; and it is certain that the book was used in Judah as a source of moral teaching and warning; however, there is another possible explaination.

In chapter 1 verse 4 the prophet announces both the fall of the “house (dynasty) of Jehu”, and of the “House (kingdom) of Israel”. Once the dynasty of Jehu came to an end with the death of Jeroboam the entire kingdom’s fate was sealed. For this reason the six kings who followed are probably ignored as irrelevant. Indeed, with the death of Jeroboam, the Northern Kingdom’s final 26 years (approx.) are a time of political, economic, military and social collapse. Of the six kings who follow Jeroboam four were assassinated, and of these for wo reigned less than a year. Of the remaining two kings one was forced from the throne by pressure from Assyria, which placed a puppet ruler in his stead. This ruler would rebel against the Assyrians and this would lead to the conquest and destruction of the Israel.

THE SITUATION OF ISRAEL AT THE TIME OF HOSEA:

“In the earlier part (of Hosea’s ministry) the times are represented (in the Bible) as prosperous, just as in the days of Amos; evidences of wealth and ease are seen on every hand, and punishment is still in the future (Amos 2:5-13); a little later the situation is greatly changed; lawlessness is prevalent (Amos 4:2; 5:1; 7:1), the panic-stricken rulers are vacillating between (alliance with) Assyria and Egypt (Amos 5:13; 7:11; 12:1), political dissolution has already begun (Amos 7:9; 8:8), the powerlessness of the kings is generally recognized (Amos 10:3; 13:9), the religious and political leaders are the worst violators of the laws (4:8-11; 5:1; 9:15), conspiracies and revolutions are rife (Amos 5:13; 7:11; 10:6; 12:1), and anarchy prevails.“ (A CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL COMMENTARY ON AMOS AND HOSEA, By William Rainey Harper, pgs cxli-cxli

Introduction to Hosea

Hosea (ho-zay-uh). the name means “Yahweh has saved,” or “Yahweh is salvation.” Variants of the name include Hoshea, the name of the last ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 15:30); Joshua, whose name was originally Hoshea (Numbers 13:16), which in Greek is spelled Iesus and in English as Jesus.

Hosea (Greek spelling: Osee) the prophet, with whom we are concerned here, lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BC. The superscription of the book that bears his name identifies him as “the son of Beeri,” about whom we know nothing. The date of the prophet’s birth and death are unknown; however, from information contained in the superscription, and from details within the book itself, we can date his ministry between the final years of Jeroboam II’s reign (ended circa 742 BC) and the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC.

Important Introductory Readings:

The law of the king (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). The kings over God’s people were supposed to obey certain laws. These included not making military and economic alliances with foreign kings. Such alliances involved swearing oaths to the foreigner’s gods and were usually sealed by a marriage.

The rise and fall of Solomon (1 Kings 1-11). At the very least, chapter 9:1-9 and chapter 11 should be read and compared to Deut 17:14-20 which was linked to above.

The political division of the kingdom (1 Kings 12:1-25). Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, decides to continue his late father’s policies with disastrous results. Ten tribes rebel against the tribe of Judah (to which David and his descendants belonged) thus bringing into existence the new kingdom which retained the name Israel. The tribe of Judah, along with the tribe of Benjamin, remained under the authority of the Davidic kings and become known as the Kingdom of Judah. The text implies that Rehoboam could have avoided the division of the kingdom by taking a different course than he did in fact take.

The religious rebellion of Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:26-13:34). Though God willed the political division of the kingdom, he still expected the people of the new Northern Kingdom of Israel to offer sacrifice in the temple at Jerusalem in accordance with the law given to Moses (Deut 12:1-14). Jeroboam I, the first king of the new state , apparently feared that if his subjects continued to go to Jerusalem (the capital of Judah) to worship, they would be tempted to reunite with the south, so he decided to erect two sanctuaries in his own kingdom where the people could offer sacrifice. Worse still, he had two golden altars manufactured in the shape of bulls; this was reminiscent of the Egyptian god Apsis and the golden calf of the Exodus. Recall that Jeroboam I had been in exile in Egypt which is where he probably got the idea for the bull altars (1 Kings 11:49).

Useful Background Reading:

The Jewish Encyclopedia. (Useful but dated)

The Catholic Encyclopedia. (also dated but useful)

Old Testament Prophets. A good on-line introductory audio series by Father Mitch Pacwa. For background on Hosea listen to shows # 1; 16; 22-25. Requires Real Player in order to be listened to. Real Player can be downloaded and used for free here.

Reading the Old Testament. A good, non-technical, Protestant introduction. Click on the headings “Assyrian period” and “Hosea.” You may also wish to read “Amos”. He was an earlier prophet to the northern kingdom and it seems likely that his ministry and Hosea’s overlapped by at least a few years.

A good map which allows you to situate the extent of the Assyrian empire on a map of the Middle-East of today can be found here.

Here is a map showing the extent of David’s kingdom at the time of his death.

Here is a map of the Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah circa 830 BC. This would place the details on the map in relation to Hosea’s ministry circa 750-725 BC. Although both kingdoms lost territory after the division they had, by Hosea’s day, gained virtually all of it back. In other words, combine the land area of the two kingdoms and it is almost exactly the same as in the days of David.