Concluding Postscript
My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you have destroyed all those who go astray from you. Psalm 73:26-27 Hebrew World translation Have destroyed – Justice will prevail. Oh, we like the sound…
The Five Words
Whom have I in heaven but You? And beside You, I desire nothing on earth. Psalm 73:25 NASB Desire – A lot gets added in translation to fill in Asaph’s blurted exclamation. In Hebrew, the text literally reads, “Who in heaven? I do not desire in earth.” NASB, ESV, NIV and others add conjunctions, pronouns…
Old Testament Heaven?
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Psalm 73:24 ESV Glory – This verse certainly appears to support an afterlife in heaven, doesn’t it? If this is so, it is one of the few verses in the Tanakh that indicates a heavenly reward for the righteous. Of course,…
Get a Grip
Yet I was always with You, You grasped my right hand. Psalm 73:23 (Robert Alter translation) Grasped – Does Asaph reach out and grab hold of God? No, he doesn’t. When you and I are in the midst of herd mentality, when we are caught in group-think, when we act by addictive instinct, we can’t…
Just in Case
I was foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before you. Psalm 73:22 Hebrew World translation Beast before – It’s worth noting that Asaph uses the plural word behemot (beasts) with a singular verb (hayiti). Asaph isn’t just one animal before the Lord. Literally, he says, “I became (was) beasts with (not “before”) You.” …
