The Fifth Book of Psalms kicked off with an awesome song of thankfulness. Then we’ve got three songs credited to David, followed by a bunch of eight anonymous psalms of praise. This is the first of these. They take us all the way to that epic love song to God’s word, great in more ways than one, Psalm 119.
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Psalms in Book 5 affirm that God does answer prayer, God’s promises are valid and it includes a long love song for God’s laws.
The books of Psalms are roughly themed like this:
Book 1: Psalms 1 – 41: God is beside us.
Book 2: Psalms 42 – 72: God goes before us
Book 3: Psalms 73 – 89: God is all around us.
Book 4: Psalms 90 – 106: God is above us.
Book 5: Psalms 107 – 150: God is among us.
111 Praise the Lord!
Psalm 111 ESVUK I have added Hebrew letters to show the original acrostic nature of this song.
[א] I will give thanks to the Lord [ב]with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 [ג] Great are the works of the Lord,
[ד] studied by all who delight in them.
3 [ה] Full of splendour and majesty is his work,
[ו] and his* righteousness endures for ever.
4 [ז] He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious [ח]and merciful.
5 [ט] He provides food for those who fear him;
[י] he remembers his covenant for ever.
6 [כ] He has shown his people the power of his works,
[ל] in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7 [מ] The works of his hands are faithful and just;
[נ] all his precepts are trustworthy;
8 [ס] they are established for ever and ever,
[ע] to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 [פ] He sent redemption to his people;
[צ] he has commanded his covenant for ever.
[ק] Holy and awesome is his name!
10 [ר] The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom*;
[ש] all those who practise it have a good understanding.
[ת] His praise endures for ever!
This is goning to be the final post on the psalms for a while. I’m going to take a break during Lent and Easter to work on something else. Don’t worry though, I’ll dive deep into all the psalms and finish them up this year. So after Pentecost, there’ll be more of these. Let’s jump into Psalm 111!
This psalm, like the next one, is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Psalms 111 and 112 stand as one of the acrostic bookends of six songs called the Egyptian Hallel. The other acrostic bookend is Psalm 119.
The first lineof Psalms111 and 112, “Hallele Jah!” is not part of this pattern.
Each beautiful verse in both of these mesmerizing songs gracefully encompasses two Hebrew letters, symbolizing the profound depth of their message. However, the final two verses of both psalms astonish us even more, as they embrace the power of three letters. The splendid divergence lies in the focus of each psalm: while Psalm 111 magnificently depicts the remarkable actions of God, Psalm 112 captivates us with the inspiring deeds of a virtuous individual. Rest assured that my reflections on the uplifting Psalm 112 will be unveiled in due course, weaving a tapestry of hope and joy after the sacred season of Pentecost. Stay tuned!
In Psalm 111, there are 12 occurrences of masculine pronouns like “He” and “His” in the English translation. Interestingly, the Hebrew version of the psalm does not use any pronouns to refer to God. However, there are two instances where the nature of God is portrayed as feminine, in verses 3b and 10a. It is remarkable to observe this subtle variation, especially considering the patriarchal nature of Judean culture during the time of the second temple when Book 5 of the Psalms was compiled. This diversity of expressions within the psalm serves as a testament to the richness and complexity of the text.
I am going to look at four verses of this psalm:
The opening words of this psalm link back to the preceding Psalms in Book 5. “I will give thanks to the Lord,” occur in Psalms 107, 108, and 109. But it links forwards as well. “Hallelujah” appears at the beginning or end of the psalms up to 117. Psalm 118 is a great song of thankfulness, and Psalm 119 closes this section with another acrostic psalm.
As usual, I will not be looking at the psalm verse by verse, but instead looking at things that stand out to me.
Verse 4
The Psalmist, inspired by the Holy Spirit, beautifully adapts the words of Exodus 34:6: “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God,” and transforms them into “the Lord is gracious and merciful.” This poetic alteration seems to be driven by the desire to create an alphabetical structure within the lyrics, adding a harmonious touch to the psalm.
Verses 9 and 10
The awesomeness of God’s name in verse 9 continues into verse 10, showcasing the profound reverence we should have for Him. While fear is not equivalent to terror, it denotes a deep respect for God. Interestingly, the first part of the verse, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” is written in the feminine singular form according to the Blue Letter Bible, whereas the second part, “All those who practice it have a good understanding,” is masculine. A similar combination of masculine and feminine occurs in verse 3, but in verse 10, it is reversed. My interpretation is that this juxtaposition emphasizes not that God has a gender, for both men and women are created in His image, but rather that God encompasses all genders. In the book of Proverbs, God’s Wisdom is often likened to a woman who loves and is loved by anyone who accepts her invitation. Therefore, Psalms 111 and 112 can be seen as poetic philosophy, using personification to beautifully illustrate God’s character.
The content delves into the interpretation of the phrase “good understanding” mentioned in relation to the practice of fearing God. It highlights that translation can vary and some may interpret it as good success or prosperity. However, this interpretation differs from the idea of prosperity commonly associated with “prosperity Gospel” preachers. Instead, the content explains that it encompasses prosperity in soul and body, not solely material wealth. Therefore, merely desiring more riches does not align with the understanding of prosperity presented in the discussed psalms.
Verse 6
In the second half of verse 6 the Psalmist gets all aliterative with the letter lamed [ל]. “L’ammo latet lahem …” it starts, literally “To his people in giving them …” For most of this song there are three words in half of each verse. The first half of verse 6 has three also but the second half has five, the extra words due to this alliteration; three words starting with lamed. Why the psalmist would depart from the structure of the song like this is unknown, after all the order of words in God’s Law has already been changed in verse 4 to fit the structure of the song.
I’m going to speculate here. I could totally be wrong, but repeating a phrase three times (yeah, even though some pedants argue that it’s only twice) gives serious power to the words. You can see this pattern in the speeches of Winston Churchill, who was Prime Minister of the UK during the Second World War, when he was tryin’ to inspire the British. And guess what? Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar” is the same. Remember “Friends, Romans, Countrymen…”? This Psalmist used this trick to make this section stand out. And with the added words, the tune’s going to change too, so this section will get even more attention.
6 [כ] He has shown his people the power of his works,
[ל] in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
Verse 6a shines as the prominent jewel in this song, illuminating one of its central themes – the awe-inspiring might of God’s wondrous works. Notably, this theme was also touched upon in verses 2 and 4, with the latter subtly recalling the extraordinary Exodus from Egypt. The land bestowed upon them lies at the crossroads of trade routes, also traversed by armies journeying from Egypt to mighty empires such as Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. As such, their inheritance positioned them as a living testament, demonstrating to the nations around them the profound significance of living according to God’s righteous rules. Let their presence proclaim the glory of such a blessed existence!
Psalm 111 is a song which is both directly thanking and praising God’s work, and telling us how we should be thankful to God. The focus isfully on God: The focus on God’s people is in the next song.
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< Psalm 110 | Psalm 111 | Psalm 112 >
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Where I have added a single asterisk the phrase has a feminine constuct. “Full of splendour and majesty is his work, and her righteousness endures for ever.” (verse 3). The fear of the Lord in verse 10 is also feminine.
Making an ass of myself 