Today’s Word
Plenty to Go Around
Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches? Psalm 49:6 NASB Boast – If you read this verse in Hebrew, you’ll discover that “boast” is the last word in the text. You’ll also discover that “those who trust” is the first word. The verse creates a kind of verbal envelope. First these people trust in wealth, then in the abundance…
Personal Assumptions
Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me, Psalm 49:5 NASB Why – This question in Hebrew begins with the combination of a preposition and an interrogative: la-mah. It seems insignificant to us, but it has important implications in Hebrew. Literally, “until what” brings into view…
Mystery Music
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp. Psalm 49:4 NASB Riddle – Samson was tested. Solomon was asked. David made mention. But it never confronted Moses. What is it? A riddle (ḥîdâ), of course. “The ḥîdâ is an enigmatic saying, question, or story whose meaning must be determined…
Dove Tales
My mouth will speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will be understanding. Psalm 49:3 NASB Meditation – “Do you meditate?” Whenever someone asks me that question, I’m never quite sure how to answer. Why? Because I’m not quite sure what meditation really means. Should I start chanting? Should I sit in the lotus position and…
Interpolation and Explanation
Both low and high, rich and poor together. Psalm 49:2 NASB Both – By now you realize that translations are often interpretations rather than textual communication. Remember Robert Alters’ warning: “ . . . modern English versions, impelled by the misconception that modern readers cannot make sense of parataxis and that everything in the biblical text…
Everyman’s Song
Hear this, all peoples; Listen, all inhabitants of the world, Psalm 49:1 (English) NASB All inhabitants – The Bible might have been written for God’s chosen people, Israel, but, fortunately, it also contains crucial lessons for everyone else. We don’t have to be Jewish to learn what God wants us to know. We just have to…
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