-
-
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.” …
