My wife and I were studying the Psalms together during our Bible reading time last year. One of the things she wanted to do is go slowly and look up the Hebrew words, which took us quite a bit of time. But one of the things that came out of that study blew my mind.
Mark Hamby with Lamplighter Ministries is fond of saying, "It's not just what the Bible means, but HOW it means it." By this, he means that the Bible is intentionally structured with artistry and beauty to communicate truth. Psalms 9 and 10 are great examples of this, and it excites me to realize that the poetry of the Psalms often goes deeper than we realize!
One of the first things we found out from commentaries was that Psalm 9 was an acrostic. What is an acrostic, you ask? It is when each new section purposefully begins with a particular letter. In English, we see this usually spelling out a word, like:
Mothers are great
Oh, so much love,
Meant to be honored,
Sent from above.
Which spells out the word "Moms" if you look at the first word of each line. In Hebrew, more often the acrostic goes through the Hebrew alphabet in order, with each new section of the poem beginning with the next letter of the alphabet.
In case, like me, you are not well-versed in Hebrew, here's a list of the Hebrew letters (at least, the English-transliterated ways to say the names of the letters) in order:
- Aleph
Beth
Gimmel
Dalet
He
Vav
Zayin
Chet
Tet
Yod
Kaph
Lamed
Mem
Nun
Samech
Ayin
Pe
Tzaddi
Quof
Resh
Shin
Tav
In Psalm 9, it works out like this:
- Aleph - Psalm 9:1-2
- Beth - Psalm 9:3-4
- Gimmel - Psalm 9:5-6
- Daleth - skipped
- He - Psalm 9:7-8
- Vav - Psalm 9:9-10
- Zayin - Psalm 9:11-12
- Chet - Psalm 9:13-14
- Tet - Psalm 9:15-16
- Yod - Psalm 9:17
- Kaph - Psalm 9:18-20
As you can see, this is pretty well-structured! On average, there's a new letter introducing the next two lines of the Psalm in the order of the Hebrew alphabet. But the acrostic of Psalm 9 only goes through half the Hebrew alphabet. To add to the intrigue, Psalm 10 picks up the acrostic with the next letter of the acrostic, which would be Lamed! In fact, in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), Psalms 9-10 are one psalm, which is Psalm 9, which throws off the numbers that we are familiar with by 1 after Psalm 9 if you look it up in the Septuagint. There's also no inscription at the beginning of Psalm 10, like there is for most of the other psalms in Book 1 of the Psalms. So either it was one psalm initially, which was then broken up to be sung as two different psalms, or it was composed later, but clearly designed to be read along with Psalm 9, since it continues the acrostic where Psalm 9 left off.
Why would anyone break it up if it was originally one Psalm, you ask? Well, I think it has to do with the tone of the two Psalms. Psalm 9 is generally very triumphant, whereas Psalm 10 starts with "Why do you stand far off, Lord?" However, if you look closely, Psalm 9, though proclaiming the theological truth about God's justice and truth, must have been written while David was still in trouble, because verses 13 and 14 indicate he still needs deliverance, and seems similar to the tone of Psalm 10.
One other interesting thing about the Hebrew Alphabet is that the letters are often also words in Hebrew that have additional symbolic meaning. I think we should be cautious with the conclusions we draw from this and not be too dogmatic, but if it is in keeping with the theme of the psalm, I think it could reveal some cool things. Let me show you what I mean by going through Psalm 9.
Aleph - this is the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet and represents the numerical value of 1, and has the idea of beginnings. It seems to be generally agreed that the original pictograph letter was an ox-head which represents strength.
Psalm 9:1 To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David. I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
Psalm 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
So how does David begin and what is the strength of this psalm? He begins by praising Yahweh (Jehovah--the LORD) with his whole heart, praising His name! Praise = strength. (See Psalm 8:2 and Jesus's quotation of it in Matthew 21.)
Beth - Seems to be the pictograph of a house, a dwelling, and that is the meaning of the word in Hebrew.
Psalm 9:3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
Psalm 9:4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
Where is David dwelling? Where is his safety? He is rescued from his enemies by the presence of the Lord because the Lord dwells on the throne and is judging right!
Gimmel - The original pictograph was apparently a camel, which were the means of transporting goods in the ancient world. Could be a symbol of endurance, or of lifting up and bringing gifts, goods, rewards, or other things like messengers or ambassadors or armies.
Psalm 9:5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
Psalm 9:6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
What will last? Not the enemy, not even the effects of their destruction or their memory. The reward that is coming to them is punishment, not fame. But you know what will last?
And here, it is almost as if David skips a letter in his excitement to get to the part about the Lord! Interestingly, the one he skips is daleth, which has the connotation of a doorway. When talking about the wicked enemies, the door is passed over--there is no exit or entrance for them. Instead, he skips to "He".
He - Means, "Look!" or "Behold!" And what does David want us to turn our attention to after discussing the wicked?
Psalm 9:7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
Psalm 9:8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
David wants us to turn our attention to the stable and righteous judgment of the LORD! Rather than focusing on the enemy, our focus should be on the righteous Judge!
Vav - Vav is the Hebrew connecting word, "And", and is a picture of a hook or a nail, which connects two things.
Psalm 9:9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Psalm 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
The connection between heaven and earth is those who know the name of the LORD who will put their trust in Him.
Zayin - Seems to indicate something sharp, which could be in reference to a weapon, tool, or crown.
Psalm 9:11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
Psalm 9:12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.
If the picture is meant to make us think of a crown, we see the Lord as king in Zion! But we also see Him bringing justice by making inquisition for blood...He wields His sharp sword of the Word which uncovers every act of injustice and exposes every motive and concealed secret of the human heart.
Chet - Apparently has to do with sin or missing the mark, a fence or separation.
Psalm 9:13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:
Psalm 9:14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
Interestingly, this is the only point of the psalm that seems to indicate there is any separation between David and God that David is asking God to change.
Tet - The pictograph seems to be of some sort of vessel or container, what something is full of, first appearing in the word "good" in Genesis 1, but also associated with a lot of other ideas.
Psalm 9:15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
Psalm 9:16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
The way God judges the wicked is by giving them the fruit of their own doings. They trap themselves, which is a theme in the Psalms.
Yod - Referring to a hand in Hebrew.
Psalm 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
Shortest letter line (aside from Daleth, which doesn't exist). The hand of God is seen here.
Kaph - This letter also has to do with the hand, but specifically refers to the palm or hollow of the hand.
Psalm 9:18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
Psalm 9:19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
Psalm 9:20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
Even if our version of Psalm 9 didn't end here, there is a break after both verses 16 and and 20 from the word "Selah" which indicates a pause for reflection, and verse 16 also had the word Higgaion which has to do with meditating (from the same root word as "meditate" in Psalm 1:2). We are to think about the nature of God's justice, especially when we are not feeling it. We are supposed to focus on the truth of God's righteousness and deliverance. We will pause as the Selah instructs us to and meditate on these truths and come back in the next blog post about Psalm 10.
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