Paradigm Translation
I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. Psalm 57:2 ESV
Fulfills – “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me.” NIV “I cry out to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.” NASB “I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.” NKJV “I call to God Most High, To God [who] is perfecting for me.” Young’s Literal Translation.
What a mess! At least most of the translations agree that David is crying (or will cry) to God Most High, but after that it seems to be anyone’s guess what David has in mind. Robert Alter translates “to the god who requites me,” but at least he acknowledges that his translation follows the LXX (gomel), not the MT (gomer). “Requites” is very strange, don’t you think? Is David suggesting that God is returning a favor? Perhaps Alter is using “requite” in the sense of “respond to.” But is that what David is crying out for – a response? “Oh, sure, David, I hear you.” Is that what David needs? No, I don’t think so. The LXX revision of gomer with gomel doesn’t seem to cut it.
Are the other translations any better? The NASB at least indicates that it added “all things.” The ESV doesn’t even bother to tell the reader that “his purposes” isn’t in the text. And what about the verb gomer? Can it mean “fulfills,” “accomplishes,” “perfects,” “vindicates” and “performs”? Is it both future (“is perfecting”) and present? The verb is a Qal participle. It’s not something that is going to happen. It is something happening now, a yet-to-be-completed action that is presently in progress. According to TWOT, this verb occurs only five times, all in the Psalms, and has the basic idea of “to complete or finish.”[1] What does that mean in this context? Remove the supplemental translation additions and we have “who ________ for me.” By the way, the verb also means “to avenge.” Did you see any translations that include that thought?
It seems to me that we aren’t facing a word choice translation issue here. It seems to me that we are dealing with a paradigm shift. All of our English choices shift the thought from God’s continuing progressive shaping of the clay to the thought of some final product, some goal, some fulfillment. In other words, the translations shift our understanding from the Hebraic incompleteness of God’s involvement to our contemporary ideals of finished work. They shift us from dynamic action to final state. But I wonder if that isn’t moving David out of his Hebraic worldview. Does David cry out to the God who finishes, fulfills, vindicates, accomplishes – all of which imply the end of an action, or does David cry out to the God who is in the midst of it all, acting without revealing where or what? Literally, David says, “who gomer for me.” Is that about David or about God? Is it about David’s purpose, goal, perfection or vindication – or is about whatever God is doing? And whatever God is doing drags me into His action. If you were in the cave, what would you think? What would you need?
Topical Index: gomer, paradigm, fulfills, Psalm 57:2
Good Morning Mr. Moen; As I read the final question about what would I need if I were on the cave I kept wandering what would that be and the only answer was to go out of it!!! and with that in mind I understood that just doing something about it I will get out of it so I think that gomer or gomel without God’s help I would not be able to get out so when I cry out to God Most High is because I know Him to be who finishes, fulfills, vindicates, accomplishes and whit Him by my side to help me do what I need to go out of the cave I will make it out!!!
It seems to me that if, like David, I am in a cave, it’s because I believe it is the safest place to be. However, what first appears as safe can become isolating and haunting. If I were in David’s cave – and I have been – my cry is not just for help; but more out of fear and desperation. Cave dwellers can’t run any more; there’s no where to go. They have to stay or come out – hide or disclose – a most frightful choice.
PSALM 57
Among ferocious enemies
For the choirmaster
Tune: “Do not destroy”
Of David Miktam When he escaped from Saul in the cave
Take pity on me, God take pity on me
In you my soul takes shelter
I take shelter in the shadow of your wings
until the destroying storm is over
Probably inspired The Beatles “Give Me Shelter” album
“Probably inspired The Beatles “Give Me Shelter” album”
Ooops That was a stupid mistake, especially for a Stones fan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kl6q_9qZOs
The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter (Live)
I need God to gomer for me just as Hosea was commanded by Him to marry Gomer (same spelling) and the entire message of Hosea. We all have fallen short and are in desperate need for The One True God to rescue us out of the cave (the womb of Psalm 139? the darkness of our sin-stained soul? the place where we succumb to our flesh instead of taking our thoughts captive?) – to fulfill all His Promises He has declared to us – to finish the Great Work of Redemption – not only in our individual lives but for klal – all Israel. We wait for Him to vindicate us at the end of this Age from our enemy and establish His Kingdom wherein we will live in shalom shalom – perfect peace – completing His Work. As we keep our eyes fixed on Him even as this world grows darker and darker like a cave, He will gomer us for His Great Name and Glory! Shalom! Shalom! : )
“marry gomer”
Hi Laureen,
People of my generation in the US probably think of Gomer Pyle when they hear the word gomer
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969.
My dad always thought he was funny, but my mother couldn’t stand him
At that time, I preferred Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones
One thing I can say about gomer is that I like the Om inside it
Om or Aum is of paramount importance in Hinduism
This symbol, which represents both the unmanifest and manifest aspects of God, encompasses all
There is a newborn Indian baby in my neighborhood named Vyom who is very cute
And of course one cannot help but think of His Great Name and Glory, Shalom! Shalom!
And my mother always used to say, about the old men for whom she worked at the B of A
He’s such a nice man, but he’s gotta be older than Moses, which always makes me think of Om
Or Home
How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be without a home
With no direction home, like a complete unknown
Just like a rolling stone?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgxZdQiwOwQ
BOB DYLAN – LIKE A ROLLING STONE LYRICS
Hi Skip,
Today, you again illustrate the problems we have with translations and translators! It behooves us all to minimally have access to a good literal translation to minimize the errors that abound.
I have been gone for a few days and regret missing out on the mini discussion with Dorothy as I was the one who triggered the whole thing with my comments on the Great White Throne and Universal Reconciliation (UR)! The advice you and Michael C gave her was full of wisdom
I actually appreciate Dorothy’s post and her zeal for everyone to know that there are consequences to sin and we are all going to be held accountable. Her heart is in the right place! I understand why some think the UR could lead to an increase in licentiousness, and that seems part of her concern. I feel that perhaps I owe Dorothy an answer to the Scriptures she quoted in defense of “Eternal Torment” or Annihilationism. (I do not know which camp she is in?) But I am not sure I should do that going back to original post page. UR is not complex to explain – but the explanations are necessarily long. And I do not want to be a distraction to Skip and his daily teachings. So give me some guidance, Skip, even if it to go crawl back into my cave!!
As it ties in, in a way, with one of the points you made today (and always) about sloppy translations, I will take one of Dorothy’s support Scriptures and show that it actually supports UR! And the answer is short too.
Here is Dorothy’s Scripture supporting eternal torment in hell:
“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt 25:46)
Now this is how Robert Young literal translation puts it:
“And these shall go away to punishment age during, but the righteous to life age during.”
The key word here is “eternal” – “aionios” in the Greek. Without knowing anything about Greek, I think most of us are familiar with the noun “aion” as it is used with some frequency in the English language. And we understand it to mean – an age, not time without end!
So, I thank Dorothy for posting a Scripture in support of UR! …..just having a little fun!
Seriously though, when we understand the true meaning of “aion” and “aionios” many of the arguments pro eternal torment burn themselves out (hope you like the pun).
Let me finish by saying this- frequently, I find that the two biggest arguments used against UR are the issues of free will and Lazarus and the richman (a parable!) You all know that you using a parable to make a point of major theology is rather weak. And free will is really a non issue with our Sovereign God – I will elaborate if you wish.
Skip, I would like your feedback on a logistical and propriety problem for people like me
1)I am relatively new to your forum and sometimes when I post I find people asking further questions, like the man from Houston who asked me to answer a question on “who is Israel”? I want to keep my promise and answer him this week but do not know if people go back to look at old posts and so feel that I may be wasting my time going back and posting an answer on a Todays Word from two weeks ago?
2) Is it appropriate for me to post my personal email address so people could contact me for me to send them a personal answer or for example an email study paper attachment on something we are discussing. I am not into list building, have nothing to sell or anything like that! And is it appropriate to post other ministries web page as sources of info on various topics? I want to live with your rules on the forum and I want to keep my word when I tell people I will help them with their question. But sometimes I am busy and it takes me a while to get to stuff (you know all about that!)
You may post your email if you wish, but it is a public site (sort of), so keep that in mind.
Otherwise, blog as much as you like.
And remember that the basis of the Greek in the NT is the Hebrew of the OT.
lit/mech translation:
I-call to-God most-high; to-the-Mighty-One [who is] gomer {on,over, above, against}-me
NOTE: I translate ‘el’ as Mighty One because (1) ‘el’ is often translated that way and (2) it implies that, whatever gomer means, calling attention to the strength of God emphasizes that gomer is a non-trivial undertaking.
Gomer: A qal participle meaning [Strong’s 1584] ceasing, failing, “coming to an end”, performing, accomplishing, etc.
The use of the Qal participle form of gamar suggests an ongoing, continuing activity (also consistent with the imperfect form of eq’ra) by God. The answer to one of your questions, then, is that gomer may well be something that God is doing in the present {on, over, above, or against} David. In this line of thinking, gomer reflects an on-going action that God performs or accomplishes not necessarily for David’s sake but because it’s what God does. For example, when I catch a bus, I might say that the bus is coming for me and will take me downtown. However, the bus’s action is not personal. It will stop at the bus stop whether I am there or not because that’s what busses do.
This still leaves us with what gomer means.
In the context of the next verse, I tend to interpret gomer more along the lines of “accomplishing” or “doing”. Here’s a paraphrased translation of the two verses:
(3) I cry to the God Most High – a God who is continually perfecting stuff on my behalf. He sends from heaven causing to save me…
I use the word ‘causing’ because the Hebrew word for ‘save’ is in the hiphil or causative tense. In other words, I think the psalmist is trying to convey the idea that whatever it is that God is continually perfecting serves as a source of salvation.
All in all, a reasonably challenging translation
I’m inclined to fill-in the blank:
“who (works all things together for good) for me”
My translation says, “who is accomplishing his purpose for me.” CJB
Thumbs up! Amein.
I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth [all things] for me. Jerusalem Bible
Just from reading this verse, my thoughts would simply be that עליון ‘elyown , Most High EL, would help me out of this situation (cave); my reason for crying out to Him, knowing He alone is my help, that He alone knows why I am in the cave, so..He will surely extend His Hand to me.
But if we are to dig deep into the (each) translated word, that brings us to a different understanding of what was originally intended, that is not surprising with the knowledge YHWH is revealing concerning translations and interpretations and agendas.
Most of us would know we are not a completed work as yet,still much to be weaved into the beautiful, colorful, delicate tapestry of each individual Torah Believer’s life, until we reach the end of each personal race. And that process could take longer should we struggle and not be obedient to His moulding, to return to His image.
Shalom.
Thumbs up was for –
“who (works all things together for good) for me” 🙂
Reading this particular verse this morning, looked it up in Bible Hub Hebrew for further clarification, but not completely satisfied. So, looking some more, found this very old post. Most enriching post and comments (particularly Michael Peterson’s). Will be looking here more when available for whatever I’m investigating. Thank you, and I hope you are still posting. Always learning, never finished…..