Psalm 22:25-31
Fifth Sunday of Easter B
25 From you comes my praiseA in the greatB congregation;C
A “praise” = tehillah. From halal (to praise, be boastful). This is praise or a song of praise. It is to offer God a hymn, to boast in God. This shares a root with “hallelujah.”
B “great” = rab. From rabab (increasing in any aspect whether quantity, authority, size, quality, greatness, etc.). This is abundance, many, elder, exceedingly, great. It refers to abundance of amount, rank, or status.
C “congregation” = qahal. This is an assembly, congregation, or multitude.
my vowsD I will payE beforeF those who fearG him.
D “vows” = neder. From nadar (to vow or promise). This is a vow – literally, that which was promised.
E “pay” = shalam. This is to be complete or sound – to have safety mentally, physically, or extending to one’s estate. So, if these things are safe and complete, the implication is that one would be friendly; and, if being friendly, one would make amends and that friendship would be reciprocated. This is the root verb that “shalom” comes from, the Hebrew word for peace.
F “before” = neged. From nagad (to declare, make conspicuous, stand in front, manifest, predict, explain). This is in front of, opposite to. It can refer to a counterpart or partner, one corresponding to or in the sight of.
G “fear” = yare. From the same as yare (to fear, be afraid, dreadful; also fearful reverence – to fear in a moral sense is to say to revere, respect). This is afraid, fearful, or reverent.
26 The poorH shall eatI and be satisfied;J
H “poor” = anav. From anah (to be bowed down; can refer to a sense of humility or to a sense of being browbeaten, oppressed, afflicted, or depressed; literal or figurative – depressed in mood or circumstance). This is poor, needy, afflicted as well as humble or meek.
I “eat” = akal. This is to eat, devour, burn up, or otherwise consume. It can be eating in a literal or figurative sense.
J “satisfied” = saba. To be satisfied or full in a literal or figurative sense. Also, to have plenty of.
those who seekK him shall praiseL the Lord.M
K “seek” = darash. This is seek, ask, inquire, care for. Generally it means following in pursuit or following as part of a search, which implies seeking or asking. Also used specially to mean worship.
L “praise” = halal. Related to “praise” in v25. See note A above.
M “Lord” = YHVH. From havah (to be, become) or hayah (to come to pass, become, be). This is the name of the God of Israel, the self-existent and eternal one, the tetragrammaton. This pronunciation has been lost to time so “Lord” is generally used in its place.
May your heartsN liveO forever!P
N “hearts” = lebab. May be related to labab (to encourage; properly, to be encased as with fat; used in a good sense, this means to transport someone with love; used in a bad sense, it can mean to dull one’s senses). This is the heart, courage, one’s inner self, the mind, or the will. Heart is only used in a figurative sense in the Old and New Testaments.
O “live” = chayah. This is to live or keep alive in a literal or figurative sense. So, it can be revive, nourish, or save.
P “forever” = ad. From adah (to advance or continue; to take away or remove; adorning oneself with ornaments). This is old, perpetuity, eternity. It is a duration going back or forward.
27 AllQ the endsR of the earthS shall rememberT
Q “all” = kol. From kalal (to complete). This is all or every.
R “ends” = ephes. From aphes (to finish, fail, stop, come to nothing, disappear). This is an end, ceasing, no further. It is often used to refer to the ends of the earth.
S “earth” = erets. Root may mean to be firm. This is earth, ground, field land, or country.
T “remember” = zakar. This is to remember, to mark something so that it can be recalled, to be mindful of, to mention.
and turnU to the Lord,
and all the familiesV of the nationsW
U “turn” = shub. To turn back, return, turn away – literally or figuratively. Doesn’t necessarily imply going back to where you started from. This is also the root verb for the Hebrew word for repentance “teshubah.”
V “families” = mishpachah. From the same as shiphcah (maid, maidservant); root means to spread out. This is one’s circle of relatives – clan, family, kindred.
W “nations” = goy. From the same root as gevah (the back, person, or body); related to gev (among); related to gaah (to rise up). This is nation or people. Often used to refer to Gentiles or foreign nations. It can also be used figuratively for a group of animals. This is where the Yiddish “goy” comes from.
shall worshipX beforeY him.
28 For dominionZ belongs to the Lord,
and he rulesAA over the nations.
X “worship” = shachah. This is to bow down, make a humble entreaty, to do homage to royalty or to God.
Y “before” = paneh. From panah (to turn, face, appear). This is face in a literal or figurative sense. It could be face, presence, anger, respect. It can also be used of God to indicate divine favor or presence.
Z “dominion” = melukah. From the same as melek (king). This is kingship, kingdom, reign. It can also mean royalty.
AA “rules” = mashal. This is to rule, reign, govern, have authority, wield.
29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleepBB in theCC earth bow down;DD
BB “sleep” = akal. Same as “eat” in v26. See note I above.
CC {untranslated} = dashen. 3x in OT. From dashen (to be fat or anointed, to be fattened; to remove ashes from; figuratively, to enrich, satisfy). This is fat, rich, or fertile.
DD “bow down” = shachah. Same as “worship” in v27. See note X above.
beforeEE him shall bowFF all who go downGG to the dust,HH, II
EE “before” = paneh. Same as “before” in v27. See note Y above.
FF “bow” = kara. This is to bow, crouch, kneel down, subdue. It is to bend the knee in many senses. It can also mean to smite, a woman crouching in childbirth, or bowing to worship God.
GG “go down” = yarad. This is to go down, descend; going down in a literal or figurative sense. It can be going to the shore or a boundary, bringing down an enemy.
HH “dust” = aphar. May be related to aphar (to throw dust, be dust). This is dust as powdered, perhaps gray colored. It could be ashes, powder, ground, dry earth, clay mud, or rubbish.
II The Septuagint translates this verse “All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and worshipped: all that go down to the earth shall fall down before him.” This picks up on the notion a few verses earlier of the poor eating their fill.
and IJJ shall live for him.
30 PosterityKK will serveLL him;
JJ “I” = nephesh. Related to naphash (to refresh or be refreshed). This is soul, self, person, emotion. It is a breathing creature. Can also refer to appetites and desires.
KK “posterity” = zera. From zara (to sow or scatter seed; conceive or yield). This is seed or sowing. It can, thus, mean a fruit, plant, sowing time, child, offspring, or posterity.
LL “serve” = abad. This is to work, serve, or compel. It can describe any kind of work or service (including religious devotion). Also, till or cultivate. Used causatively, it can mean to enslave or keep in bondage.
future generationsMM will be toldNN about the LordOO
MM “future generations” = dor. From dur (to move in a circle, which implies living somewhere or remaining there; it can also be the sense of piling or heaping up). This is a revolution of time, which is to say, an age or generation. It can also be a dwelling or one’s posterity.
NN “told” = saphar. From sepher (writing, document, book, evidence). This is properly to tally or record something. It can be enumerate, recount, number, celebrate, or declare.
OO “Lord” = Adonai. From adon (lord, master, owner); root means to rule or be sovereign. This is the actual Hebrew word for Lord used (in a different form) of humans and (in the present form) of God. It means someone who is in control.
31 andPP proclaimQQ his deliveranceRR to a peopleSS yet unborn,TT
saying that he has doneUU it.
PP {untranslated} = bo. This is to enter, come in, advance, fulfill, bring offerings, enter to worship, attack. It can also have a sexual connotation.
QQ “proclaim” = nagad. Related to “before” in v25. See note F above.
RR “deliverance” = tsedaqah. From the same as tsedeq (rightness, righteousness, vindication. It is everything that is just or ethical. That which is right in a natural, moral, or legal sense. It also includes just weights (i.e. true weights). Figuratively, this is justice, righteousness, equity – even prosperity). This is righteousness, justice, righteous acts, and moral virtue.
SS “people” = am. From amam (to darken, hide, associate; creating shadows by huddling together). This is people or nation. It can be used specifically for a tribe, collectively of troops or armies, or figuratively to refer to a flock of animals.
TT “unborn” = yalad. This is to bear or bring forth. It can mean to act as midwife or to show one’s lineage. This is often used for birth or begetting.
UU “done” = asah. This is to make, do, act, appoint, become in many senses.
Image credit: “Humming Delight” by Thomas Hawk, 2013.