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Psalm 5

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Psalm 5
"Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation."
Psalm 5 in the Prekmurje dialect of Slovene from Nouvi Gráduvál
Other name"Verba mea auribus percipe Domine"
Textattributed to David
LanguageHebrew (original)
Psalm 5
← Psalm 4
Psalm 6 →
BookBook of Psalms
Hebrew Bible partKetuvim
Order in the Hebrew part1
CategorySifrei Emet
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part19

Psalm 5 is the fifth psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation". In Latin, it is known as "Verba mea auribus percipe Domine".[1] The psalm is traditionally attributed to David. It reflects how the righteous man prays for deliverance not only for freedom from suffering, but to allow himself to serve God without distraction.[2] The New King James Version entitles it "A Prayer for Guidance".

The psalm is a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music by composers, such as Heinrich Schütz, Felix Mendelssohn and Edward Elgar.[citation needed]

Text

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Hebrew

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The following table shows the Hebrew text[3][4] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse Hebrew English translation (JPS 1917)
1 לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אֶֽל־הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃‎ For the Leader; upon the Nehiloth. A Psalm of David.
2 אֲמָרַ֖י הַאֲזִ֥ינָה ׀ יְהֹוָ֗ה בִּ֣ינָה הֲגִיגִֽי׃‎ Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
3 הַקְשִׁ֤יבָה ׀ לְק֬וֹל שַׁוְעִ֗י מַלְכִּ֥י וֵאלֹהָ֑י כִּֽי־אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ אֶתְפַּלָּֽל׃‎ Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; For unto Thee do I pray.
4 יְֽהֹוָ֗ה בֹּ֭קֶר תִּשְׁמַ֣ע קוֹלִ֑י בֹּ֥קֶר אֶעֱרׇךְ־לְ֝ךָ֗ וַאֲצַפֶּֽה׃‎ O LORD, in the morning shalt Thou hear my voice; In the morning will I order my prayer unto Thee, and will look forward.
5 כִּ֤י ׀ לֹ֤א אֵֽל־חָפֵ֘ץ רֶ֥שַׁע ׀ אָ֑תָּה לֹ֖א יְגֻרְךָ֣ רָֽע׃‎ For Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness; Evil shall not sojourn with Thee.
6 לֹֽא־יִתְיַצְּב֣וּ ה֭וֹלְלִים לְנֶ֣גֶד עֵינֶ֑יךָ שָׂ֝נֵ֗אתָ כׇּל־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃‎ The boasters shall not stand in Thy sight; Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
7 תְּאַבֵּד֮ דֹּבְרֵ֢י כָ֫זָ֥ב אִישׁ־דָּמִ֥ים וּמִרְמָ֗ה יְתָ֘עֵ֥ב ׀ יְהֹוָֽה׃‎ Thou destroyest them that speak falsehood; The LORD abhorreth the man of blood and of deceit.
8 וַאֲנִ֗י בְּרֹ֣ב חַ֭סְדְּךָ אָב֣וֹא בֵיתֶ֑ךָ אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥ה אֶל־הֵֽיכַל־קׇ֝דְשְׁךָ֗ בְּיִרְאָתֶֽךָ׃‎ But as for me, in the abundance of Thy lovingkindness will I come into Thy house; I will bow down toward Thy holy temple in the fear of Thee.
9 יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ נְחֵ֬נִי בְצִדְקָתֶ֗ךָ לְמַ֥עַן שׁוֹרְרָ֑י (הושר) [הַיְשַׁ֖ר] לְפָנַ֣י דַּרְכֶּֽךָ׃‎ O LORD, lead me in Thy righteousness because of them that lie in wait for me; Make Thy way straight before my face.
10 כִּ֤י אֵ֪ין בְּפִ֡יהוּ נְכוֹנָה֮ קִרְבָּ֢ם הַ֫וּ֥וֹת קֶֽבֶר־פָּת֥וּחַ גְּרֹנָ֑ם לְ֝שׁוֹנָ֗ם יַחֲלִיקֽוּן׃‎ For there is no sincerity in their mouth; Their inward part is a yawning gulf, Their throat is an open sepulchre; They make smooth their tongue.
11 הַ֥אֲשִׁימֵ֨ם ׀ אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים יִפְּלוּ֮ מִֽמֹּעֲצ֢וֹתֵ֫יהֶ֥ם בְּרֹ֣ב פִּ֭שְׁעֵיהֶם הַדִּיחֵ֑מוֹ כִּי־מָ֥רוּ בָֽךְ׃‎ Hold them guilty, O God, Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them down in the multitude of their transgressions; For they have rebelled against Thee.
12 וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּ כׇל־ח֪וֹסֵי בָ֡ךְ לְעוֹלָ֣ם יְ֭רַנֵּנוּ וְתָסֵ֣ךְ עָלֵ֑ימוֹ וְֽיַעְלְצ֥וּ בְ֝ךָ֗ אֹהֲבֵ֥י שְׁמֶֽךָ׃‎ So shall all those that take refuge in Thee rejoice, They shall ever shout for joy, And Thou shalt shelter them; Let them also that love Thy name exult in Thee.
13 כִּֽי־אַתָּה֮ תְּבָרֵ֢ךְ צַ֫דִּ֥יק יְהֹוָ֑ה כַּ֝צִּנָּ֗ה רָצ֥וֹן תַּעְטְרֶֽנּוּ׃‎ For Thou dost bless the righteous; O LORD, Thou dost encompass him with favour as with a shield.

King James Version

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  1. Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
  2. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
  3. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
  4. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
  5. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
  6. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
  7. But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
  8. Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.
  9. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
  10. Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.
  11. But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
  12. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Themes

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David Beseeches God Against Evildoers.

Psalm 5 is within the genre of the morning prayer, because the morning was very important in the religions of the ancient Near East. Hence verse 4:

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.[5]

The Psalm opens as a lament,[6] continues with praise, and requests that God punish evildoers. The psalmist describes the throat of the wicked as an open sepulcher. The Psalmist ends (verse 12 or 13) with a blessing extended to all those who trust in God.

Interpretation

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The correct translation of the word Hebrew word הַנְּחִילֹ֗ות (in the superscription or verse 1) is unclear; the NRSV and the Luther Bible give it as "for flute".

The Septuagint, Vulgate and some Arabic translations attribute נחל from "inherit" meaning "per ea quae haereditatem consequitur"(vulgate) and κληρονομος (Septuagint). Accordingly, it would be translated into English as "in favor of those who receive the inheritance". Therefore Augustine,[7] Cassiodorus and others interpreted it as "those heirs of God".

A thoroughly Christological interpretation can be found in Martin Luther's work, who finds the third verse revealing that the humanization of man happens through the incarnation of Jesus Christ.[8]

Gerhard Ebeling sees in the Psalm both as complaining (verse 10) and also at the same time as exultation and rejoicing (verse 12).[9]

Context

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Psalm 5 uses musical instruments, flutes. Psalm 4 is the first Psalm using a musical instrument, strings or "stringed instruments".[10]

A new theme is introduced, the name of God, in verse 11:

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.

This is the first of five psalms (Psalms 5 - 9) all speaking of "the name of God", with nine verses speaking to various aspects, namely Ps 5:11, Ps 6:5, Ps 7:17, Ps 8:1, Ps 8:9, Ps 9:2, Ps 9:5 and Ps 9:10.[11] Various types of flow in the Book of Psalms are explored by various authors such as O. Palmer Robertson.[12]

An emphasis of a particular genre of Psalm, the lament. In Ps 5:1 where God is called on to 'listen to my lament'. The most common genre of Psalm in the book of Psalms will be the lament.[13][14] Laments can be seen to occur more heavily in the first half of the book of Psalms,[15]

Uses

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Judaism

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In Judaism, verse 8 of psalm 5 is the second verse from Ma Tovu.[16]

New Testament

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Verse 9 is quoted in Romans 3:13.[17]

Catholic Church

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According to the Rule of St. Benedict (530 AD), Psalm 1 to Psalm 20 were mainly reserved for office of Prime. Since the time of St. Benedict, the Rule of Benedict (530 AD) has used this psalm for the office Lauds on Monday (Chapter XIII)[18][19] In the Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 5 is still recited or sung at Lauds on Monday of the first week.[20]

Book of Common Prayer

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In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, Psalm 5 is appointed to be read on the morning of the first day of the month.[21]

Music

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Caspar cross Hamer (1546) created in 1537 the chorale An geystlich Bitlied drawn heavily from the Psalms.

Heinrich Schütz composed a setting of a metred version in German, "Herr, hör, was ich will bitten dich", SWV 101, published in 1628 in the Becker Psalter. Felix Mendelssohn composed a setting of Psalm 5 in English, "Lord, hear the voice" for men's chorus in 1839). In 1911, Edward Elgar dedicated a setting for choir and orchestra, "Intende voci orationis meæ", as an offertory for the coronation of King George V.

References

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  1. ^ "Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 5". Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  2. ^ The Artscroll Tehillim page 6
  3. ^ "Psalms – Chapter 5". Mechon Mamre.
  4. ^ "Psalms 5 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
  5. ^ Psalm 5:4: NIV. This verse is verse 3 in some versions
  6. ^ Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Footnote a at Psalm 5 in the New American Bible Revised Edition
  7. ^ Augustine: Enarrationes in Psalmos (vollständige englische Übersetzung), Cassiodor: Expositio in Psalterium.
  8. ^ Luther, M., Weimarer Ausgabe (Luther) 5,128f.
  9. ^ Gerhard Ebeling (1968) Psalmenmeditation, p 65.
  10. ^ Psalm 4: NIV (heading)
  11. ^ "BibleGateway.com – Keyword Search". www.biblegateway.com.
  12. ^ O. Palmer Robertson, The Flow of the Psalms: Discovering Their Structure and Theolog. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 2015.
  13. ^ James K. Bruckner, Healthy Human Life: A Biblical Witness, 2012
  14. ^ John Bergsma and Brrant Pitre, A Catholic Introduction to the Old Testament, Ignatius Press
  15. ^ "Types or Genre of Psalms (Chart)". www.crivoice.org.
  16. ^ The Complete Artscroll Siddur page 12
  17. ^ Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 838. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  18. ^ Traduction par Prosper Guéranger, (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, réimpression, 2007) p41.
  19. ^ Psautier latin-français du bréviaire monastique,(1938/2003) p178.
  20. ^ The main cycle of liturgical prayers takes place over four weeks.
  21. ^ Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, p. 196ff
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