The Two-Directions Word (2)

You have put me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in the depths.  Psalm 88:6  NASB Put – The Hebrew verb šît comes with some very odd translation history.  Occurring eighty-five times in the Bible, it covers the range from commitment (“to set the heart on”) to enemy opposition (“set against me”).  It is also used for…

The Two-Directions Word

You have put me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in the depths.  Psalm 88:6  NASB Put – The Hebrew verb šît comes with some very odd translation history.  Occurring eighty-five times in the Bible, it covers the range from commitment (“to set the heart on”) to enemy opposition (“set against me”).  It is also used for…

The Context of Meditation

A Prayer of the afflicted when he is weak and pours out his complaint before the Lord.  Psalm 102 NASB Complaint – You’re praying.  You feel oppressed and downtrodden.  You acknowledge your total dependency on God. You’re weak; He’s strong.  You kneel before Him—His servant, His child.  And you complain? Before we tackle the noun “complaint” we…

Grievance Committee

I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. Psalm 142:2 NASB Complaint – An unfortunate translation. “Complaint” makes it seem that David is whining before God, voicing his grievance. We all do this, so maybe a translation of shiah as “complaint” simply demonstrates our experience. But I suspect David is…

The Court of the King

A prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and before Yahweh pours out his complaint. Psalm 102:1 (in the Hebrew text) Complaint – No one likes a whiner. Constant complaining is wearisome to all. Complaint is an irksome word, a word that brings annoyance, avoidance and anger. Why does the afflicted man tread on…