Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first week of classes is almost over and I am already tired and behind. However, overall it was a pretty good week. I have been getting up at 6 every morning to play basketball with a group of guys. It is a lot of fun and a good way to start my day, but it sure makes for longer days too. My classes are actually really good and enjoyable this quarter but there is a lot of reading. I only have one test this whole quarter but I have a lot of papers. I will try to post some of the awesome stuff we are covering in my classes.
I am jealous that it was 41 in Brookings this morning and only 55 here is St. Louis. I am so ready for winter. I am scared I am going to get robbed of winter this year. I am going to post my newsletter from last September up here today because it is also a devotion on Psalm 23.
Hebrew vs. English
“Even though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me… Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:4, 6
Psalm 23 is the most famous Psalm. Most lifelong Christians can recite it from memory. Its beautiful imagery is used in hymns and in prayers. It brings comfort and peace to distraught hearts, which is why it is used in most funeral services. Having gone to a few funerals in August of saints whom the Lord called home, I have heard this psalm multiple times recently.
However, I do not hear it the same way most people probably do. The English translation conveys the true meaning of the psalm, but it does miss a few things that the original text in Hebrew expresses. I know probably most you do not know Greek or Hebrew, so I want to take this opportunity to point out two powerful differences between the English and the Hebrew of Psalm 23.
The first difference is that Hebrew poetry has the capability to do some pretty awesome things just by the wording and structure of the poem that English has no way of expressing. One very common theme of Hebrew poetry is that the author will put the most important idea or concept, the heart of the matter, in the very center of the poem. This is a pattern that is found in Psalm 23. In the Hebrew, there are twenty six words, three words in the middle, and then another twenty six words. The three words in the middle are the most important for the poem; they are the true heart of the psalm. These three words in Hebrew come out as four words in English in verse 4, “For you are with me.” The heart of all of Psalm 23 is that we know the Lord is with us. He is able to lead us beside quiet waters, make us lie down in green pasture, and restore our souls because He is with us. This is something the Hebrew reader would have been able to see right away, but the construction does not carry over into English.
The second difference is a translation difference. In verse six the Hebrew word is almost always translated as “follow”, which is acceptable. However, the Hebrew more strongly conveys an idea of pursuing or hunting. In my mind this slight change makes it so much more powerful because God’s goodness and mercy are not following us around like our shadow, but rather are pursuing or actually chasing us. No matter what we do, no matter where we try to run, it is chasing us and constantly with us. This especially makes sense when you remember that the heart of the psalm is that God is with us. This is how I hear Psalm 23 when it is read at funerals or at other times, and it is comforting to know our God is always with us, actively pursuing us with His goodness and mercy.
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